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Wow, that was fast. 2008 positively flew by (and knocked some of us on our knees as it swept past). Despite the storms weathered this year, I remain ever hopeful that 2009 will be different, will be better. I'm really looking forward to the new year and all its infinite possibilities. Don't you think a brand spanking new calendar, especially when it's brimming with color and beauty like this Snow & Graham one, conveys so much potential and hope? There's so much that lies in store.
Whatever you're doing tonight, I hope it brings you joy and laughter with the people you love. Happy New Year!
2008 has been very good to me in terms of travel. This year I got the chance to re-visit some of my favorite cities on the planet: caught up with friends in London and Rome (the above shot was taken as a cold February day was drawing to a close in the eternal city), spent Easter in New York, celebrated a dear friend's birthday in San Francisco, and gobbled up some scrumptious turkey with the boyfriend's family in Petaluma (Sonoma County). I also had the opportunity to see Hawaii for the first time to celebrate my parents' 35th wedding anniversary. 2 parents + their 6 children + 1 son-in-law + twin 3-year-old granddaughters = 11 family members together in paradise for 1 week! It was both sublime and aggravating, and yet one of the best experiences of my life. I hope 2009 brings more adventure my way. Here are some highlights of my year in travel:
Spring bursting its way onto a north London street.
A cheeky sign at a north London pub where I tried the most amazing Argentinian malbec. Frustratingly enough, I'm having trouble finding an online retailer willing to ship to the states. Must continue sleuthing. Oh, and I can't remember the name of the pub. But I do recall it being at the end of a quiet street in leafy Belsize Park. My fellow pub-goers were achingly cool, too.
While in Rome, I was on the hunt for a couple great bottles of Italian wine to take back to my friends in London who so graciously let me stay at their Balham flat for a week. My Roman amici Paolo and Federica took me to this enchanting wine cellar somewhere in the city. I could have stayed there all day. Hundreds of wine at my fingertips, just waiting to be tasted! I didn't pay attention to where they were driving me, so I wouldn't know how to get there even if you paid me. I was too busy ogling the sights as we sped through the narrow streets as only Italian drivers can.
This is what heaven looks like. That, or a giant bookshop.
Riding bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge, having lunch by the water in Sausalito, taking a ferry back to the city at dusk. What better way to celebrate your friend's 26th birthday?
We finished off the weekend checking out the Fillmore jazz street festival. It was pure madness, but so much fun. Much like my 2008.
Oh, and I must give a big shout-out to my dear friend and travel partner Taryn who captured all the photographs in this post. Thanks for the memories, TS!
Finally, I thought I would share some words of travel wisdom from that English behemoth Dr. Samuel Johnson: "The use of traveling is to regulate the imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.”
First and foremost, I sincerely hope that anyone who happens upon this blog (and admittedly, there aren’t a lot of you, but that's beyond the scope of why I started it in the first place; a big thank you to everyone who stops by!) truly had a merry and bright Christmas. The holiday season can leave a lot to be desired, but I hope you were able to find some joy amidst the madness. I certainly did. Enjoy the madness, that is. On Christmas Eve, feeling very disgruntled that I didn’t get the day off, I arrived at work and made the genius move of locking my keys in the car (nice one, Joanna!), but thankfully the situation was quickly and easily resolved with a little help from AAA. Hallelujah. In an effort to abate the tension brought on from that little situation, I decided to treat myself to a manicure. I chose a gunmetal, Dickensian sort of color (particularly apt at this time of year, methinks) as an alternative to the typical holiday red. I loved the end result, but achieving it literally meant waiting for paint to dry. BORING.
But the main Christmas Eve event was introducing the boyfriend to my family over dinner. Despite feeling slightly on edge about it going in—I have a very sarcastic and lively family who love nothing better than pushing other people’s buttons—I think on the whole it went very well. Though I suspect the vodka water and multiple glasses of red wine I consumed might have helped. As did this citrus-glazed ahi tuna.
The boyfriend and I finished up the eve at the charming Bar Chloe in Santa Monica. Festive twinkle lights were hung as a nod to the holiday and lent a quiet ambience, and I found it to be an altogether relaxing, and dare I say, civilized, end to a rather eventful day.Christmas day was spent eating, opening presents, eating, taking a catnap, and eating some more (the goat cheese-stuffed bell peppers and peppermint bark were highlights). To top it off, Santa brought me a pair of incredibly warm and cozy UGG boots (he knew I was a fan way before they were ever considered trendy).
He also brought me a cookbook by that empress of domesticity, Martha Stewart. He must know that I've been meaning to cook more. Thanks, Santa! These photos are making me hungry.
Overall, I think my favorite part of Christmas was receiving the myriad holiday cards from friends and family. To me, these notes of good cheer and health and happiness are what Christmas is all about. Happy Holidays!
I was stuck in bed with a pernicious cold at the weekend. So to cheer myself up a little, I popped in the holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and there I sat amid fluffy pillows and snuggled under my down comforter, positively transfixed while slurping a bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup (the soup was courtesy of Whole Foods, which was delicious by the way. Note to self: I really need to learn how to make a killer chicken noodle soup. But I digress). I'm convinced that the film and soup combination alone did more in the way of making me feel better than all the vitamin C and veggies I had consumed up until that point. Charlie Brown and co. are just THAT good. When you think about it, the film has so much going for it: a lovable and sensitive protagonist you can't help but root for, a rockin' soundtrack (composed by the great Vince Guaraldi), sage advice for only 5 cents (a steal!), some rather enviable dance moves you can use to impress your friends (my favorite is the one performed by the bobbsey twins), and most important of all, a special message about the true meaning of Christmas. How many holiday films can boast all that?
Over the weekend I visited the Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008 exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The exhibit celebrates the magazine's 95th anniversary of celebrity portraiture and features photographs from its archives.
Over the years, many a famous actor, dancer, painter, writer, and politician have collaborated with the most talented and in-demand photographers of the day for Vanity Fair, and the tradition certainly continues. The likes of Cecil Beaton, Annie Leibovitz, Edward Steichen, and Mario Testino have shot such luminaries as Princess Diana, Katharine Hepburn, Margaret Thatcher, Pablo Picasso, Josephine Baker, Frida Kahlo, Martin Scorsese, and many more. Among my favorite portraits: a breathtaking painterly photo of Julianne Moore in the style of Ingres; a charming moment between siblings and dancing partners Adele and Fred Astaire (pre-Ginger Rogers era), and a languid Nicole Kidman draped across the sofa in the historic home of Bloomsbury artists Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, captured years before Kidman portrayed Vanessa's sister Virginia Woolf on-screen in The Hours.
I've actually twice visited this exhibit; the first time coincided with its opening day at the National Portrait Gallery in London. It was February 14th, and I found myself alone for a couple of hours in my favorite city. With my boyfriend thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, I considered the next best way to celebrate a holiday for lovers was to spend a rainy afternoon with these remarkable portraits. It was the perfect valentine to myself.
The holidays are most definitely here, and depending on your outlook, that could be a cause of absolute misery or immense joy. I tend to hover somewhere in between. I love the idea of Christmas and the meaning behind it, but at times I can't help but feel disenchanted with its overly commercial ways. Charlie Brown would totally empathize!
Which is why I think it's important to focus on the things that lend a little joy to this festive season. For me, it's spreading a little cheer around by writing holiday cards and sending them to family and friends (and who doesn't need a bit of cheer these days?). At the moment, I’ve got Ella Fitzgerald singing carols in the background ("Good Morning Blues" is a particular favorite of mine), a cup of steaming green tea at my elbow, and a stack of wonderfully quirky holiday cards in front of me, just waiting for me to break out that pen and start writing. How cute are these designs? Oh, how I adore letterpress!
Doesn’t this angel look splendidly happy? Must remember to ask her what gives her that angelic glow.
How dapper does this owl look, with scarf tossed jauntily over his shoulder (do owls have shoulders?). If only I could look as effortless.
These bike-riding gnomes crack me up! I know one friend in particular who will be ecstatic to see these happy little guys in her mailbox.
For anyone who's interested, the tweety birds are from Snow & Graham, the owl is from Vera Wang Fine Papers, and the angel and gnomes are from Egg Press.
The other night I attended the premiere of The Punisher at Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. As it turns out, the film wasn't at all my cup of tea (to put it gently), but I was more than happy to be there to support a friend of mine who has an important role in the film, and he was fantastic in it. Plus, I had never attended a film premiere before, so it was interesting to see what goes on at these types of events (i.e. mainly just actors looking across the room and sizing up other actors. Riveting, huh?).
Wow, that was fast. 2008 positively flew by (and knocked some of us on our knees as it swept past). Despite the storms weathered this year, I remain ever hopeful that 2009 will be different, will be better. I'm really looking forward to the new year and all its infinite possibilities. Don't you think a brand spanking new calendar, especially when it's brimming with color and beauty like this Snow & Graham one, conveys so much potential and hope? There's so much that lies in store. 
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