24,041,830

as of right now, that's how many hits the ladies g and b have got on the telephone telenovela.



that's 50,000 more since this morning alone.

go go gadget gaga!!!

fave parts:

1. sunglasses made from burning cigarettes
2. the shimmy shimmy shake when she gets bailed out of jail
3. multilingual captions

and so much more.

mail order bride anyone?

we can all appreciate some good spam. here's a good one via skype, just in time for the weekend:

dreamsy002 says: European and American women are too arrogant for you? Are you looking for a sweet lady that will be caring and understanding? Then you came to the right place- here you can find a Russian lady that will love you with all her heart. Can't find a queen to rule your heart? How about beautiful Russian ladies that have royal blood and royal look? Here you can find hundreds of portfolios of these fine women of any age for every taste. Please excuse us if you are not interested.
Beautiful Russian ladies - http://dreams-lady.com/

spammers with manners!

you should be ashamed you cold arrogant american ladies. at least your men have somewhere to turn now.

the sea is just a wetter version of the skies

currently listening/loving:



love regina spektor for many songs/reasons, this being one of them. anyone who busts out in dolphin sounds in the middle of a song and sounds pretty is pretty awesome in my book.


also, if you're in the nyc area, she's playing a benefit concert tomorrow at irving plaza. and if you're really awesome, could you give me a ticket please?

top of the ginger to ya

as most of you know, yesterday was st. patty's day, which is celebrated in the US by searching for shamrock shakes and puking up green beer by 4 pm.

for most, the couleur du jour is green, but this year i celebrated a different color, red, as in, all the irish gingers out there! although my irish heritage left me looking more like a viking with freckles, let's pause for a moment to give a shout out to all the redheads among us, only 1-2% of the population. they often get a lot of flack, but i'm scared of their fiery tempers so this is pure <3. (anyone else see patti call that woman a fire crotch bitch on millionaire matchmaker?!)

personally, the first time i remember laughing at the word ginger was my first trip to europe as a teenager, when an old british lady asked me if i had visited ginger yet. i had not, but she told me to give gingy a kiss, as they affectionately call him.

another personal connection is our own keelay, who is my favorite ginger kid of all time. he wasn't discouraged by those recessive genes on chromosome 16, he embraced them as his child modeling career exploded in the pacific northwest. here's an early shot, but he is still as fine as ever. hands off ladies and gentlemen, he's taken!
probably my favorite famous red head right now is cristina hendricks, from my other obsession, mad men. she has to be one of the fiercest beasts out there. (she's the one the nytimes doctored a photo of to call fat. we in high school nyt?) props to her for working it 24/7/365.

the girl in this video really reminds me of her, but i love this quirky stop motion video, lost things, music by a fine frenzy.



so people, stop hating on the redheads, and give your local ginger some love.

a miniature nyc treat

because sometimes...

we love new york
we feel so small
music can perfectly capture a mood
we are all voyeurs

and because long into the future, far far away, this might bring a nostalgic tear to our eyes

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

cuteness overload alert

normally i despise my job, reading medical files all day about patient X who died of obesity or patient Y who died from a weird rash complication from a clinical trial sucks! like, really sucks! high points of my day are reading divorce settlements or transcripts of some coyotes threatening to kill some guatemalans they brought over the border. (what has my life become?)

in any case, a reprieve today. thank you french encyclopedia people for sending me an entry on african desert animals. (ok, again, what has my life become that i am thrilled to be reading a french encyclopedia?) but NEWAYZ i saw the cutest thing in the world because it's illustrated.

the fennec fox:if you aren't squealing right now, we probably can't be friends. these babies have built in air conditioners in their ears!

they are the only foxes that can be legit house pets. i have to check out spain's laws for exotic pets because i'm bringing me home one of these nocturnal bundles of joy or, crossing the strait of gibraltar personally and smuggling him back. se llama pedro.

they have now knocked down sugar gliders as my new favorite noctural animal that i want adopt. sorry hypothetical sugar glider i wanted named scrat.

the end is built into the beginning.

when someone close to you strongly insists watching a movie like "synecdoche, new york" because it reminds them of you, it's hard not to walk away thinking WTF. okay, well regardless if that was how you heard of it or not, you'd probs still turn off the tv/dvd player/blue ray/projector/boot leg chinatown disc thinking "wait, what the hell just happened?" it's just one of those kind of movies that comes from the psyche of charlie kaufman (hello? "eternal sunshine of the spotless mind" or "being john malkovich" ring a bell? [o hai john cusack u so fine]) that requires a few days to process and reflect upon.

obsessed with reality vs. living inside your head, death in all forms, and human disconnect, kaufman comes through once again with making little, but complete sense, in synecdoche (which, for the record, is NOT pronounced sink-a-douche as it was pointed out to yours truly in an organic grocery store in san francisco). my fave philip seymore hoffman, who for some reason i always find strangely attractive, plays small town theatre director caden cotard in upstate new york. after his wife leaves him to get a little *~* in berlin, he begins directing a massive theatre piece as a final attempt to do something important. the whole movie gets lost as the play moves within a play moves within a play inside an enormous theatre inside manhattan and all of the characters start acting out one another. confused yet? yeah, so am i.

while "synecdoche, new york" is horribly depressing, there's something raw and refreshing buried beneath all that epic sadness. at the end, a narrator tells us:

"What was once before you - an exciting, mysterious future - is now behind you. Lived; understood; disappointing. You realize you are not special. You have struggled into existence, and are now slipping silently out of it. This is everyone's experience. Every single one. The specifics hardly matter. Everyone is everyone."

maybe it's the collective human experience of trying to do something with what we have, despite how difficult all of this can be, is the uplifting message. we get up, go on, and even though we know it will be over for all of us in the end and our mark on the world will truly be nothing after the blip of our existence finishes, there remains a hope that we will be different and it is our choice how we play out our story.

shit, i need to take another hit off my bong and think about this some more.

o hai u didn't even know we had mo.

we're officially in march, almost entering a new season, and breaking in 2010 like your favorite pair of shoes. yes, time is moving fast and so is *~*. while we love teal nation and hipster bullshit as much as you do, it's time to do a little shameless self promotion of other ventures of the internetz.

llamasutra - a little bit of llama love for you written by c-$ and our oregon-born llama expert, key-lay.

tumblr - i got relatively obsessed with tumblr late last year for its "stream of consciousness" approach to the internet.

flickr - c-$ regularly updates her flickr with photos from the hood, the good, and her mood.

the405club - basically, i've garnered a massive internet following at the405club.com -- an internet support group for the unemployed in new york. aight, so i've only written one post as the "no job nomad," but there will be more to come as my savings dwindle and i get robbed in south america.

so there you have it. check us out, keep the love flowing, and do yourself a favor and drink a bellini today (cuz you sure as hell know our unemployed/working from home asses did).

gaga loooove you

quote in cosmo:

“I had a boyfriend who told me I’d never succeed, never be nominated for a Grammy, never have a hit song, and that he hoped I’d fail. I said to him, ‘Someday, when we’re not together, you won’t be able to order a cup of coffee at the fucking deli without hearing or seeing me.’”

just another reason to love this beast of all fierce beasts.

ode to the winter olympics closing ceremonies.

oh dear canada
could it have been possible
to put more cliches?

snOwMG (part deux)

more snow madness has arrived just in time at my breaking point of cabin fever. GET ME OUTTA HERE.

so if you're homebound like moi, and can't get into the city, or want to with all that slush, why not just make a little nyc yourself. or at least buy one and hang it on your wall, cause let's be serious, that's way too much work and you may cut your dainty fingers.

from famille summerbelle, fun to watch:



buy one yourself in one of several colors. nyc, paris and london- all very cute and available to add some cheer to that white apartment wall.

essentials for the arctic zone.

given that we are fierce fashionistas and ladiez with exxxtreme style, no trip would be complete without analyzing el haute couture of the local culture. in continuation of our love/hate relationship with NORWAY, we bring you a new segment to *~*:

****+****sTyLe MuStS oF sCaNdInAvIa****+****

get yo head gear right: when you're 200 miles away from the arctic circle, you can expect some cold weather. during those long, long nights of searching for the northern lights, you want to make sure your head is covered tight. as pictured to the left, you can go little red riding hood style and look like an asshole OR get hats in classy animal prints. the locals tended to go for the "i've just been skiing look" with nylon head wear, but for the record rocking peruvian style llamasutra (oh yes i did) shiz also works.

a fierce bag: because scandinavia is no where to take fashion lightly (hello? h&m, ikea, jens lekman, etc.), you're going to need a real statement piece. for the ladies, this is normally a "do want" bag or fancy footwear. with eight feet of snow, how to do the latter will be covered l8r, so for now you should def consider this "moods of norway" shoulder bag. it conveniently comes in black to convey your anger at the prices and your general mood with four hours of daylight.

show your feet some love: let's get this straight, do not bring any of the following foot wear to n'way:

a.) boots with holes and/or broken heals
b.) leather shoes
c.) k swiss sports show

DO CONSIDER:

a.) water proof hiking boots
b.) winter boots.
c.) rain boots

as you can see here, choice c on the "do consider" section was purchased as a result of packing b and c on the "do not bring" section. make it something to remember by hiking your kilt socks up over your skinny jeans because you wanted to avoid spending an extra 100 kronner on taller boots. be jealous, norway.

o hai neck: finally, a good scarf that will protect you from rain, sleet, and snow will do you wonders up north. when it's below 0 outside, you will feel like you're warm enough to cook some s'mores inside your jacket and feel an ultimate sense of love.

FUN FACT: do NOT try to steal aka claim a scarf that is not yours from the lost and found in oslo airport. they will scan your passport and you will be banned from the country if they find out you iz lying.

in honor of national cupcake day.

everyday in the world of *~* is national cupcake day. so in honor of delicious sponge cake with cream plastered on top, we give you a list of our top three favorite places to indulge in nyc:

1.) burgers & cupcakes - this gem is located by my former place of employment on 9th ave ave at 36th st. the cake itself is alright, but the butter cream frosting is like a dream.

2.) crumbs - massive, massive, massive. and delicious.

3.) amy's bread - so to be perrrfectly honest i actually prefer their cake to their cupcakes, but none the less you can't leave without an epic win. the frosting is delicious like michael jordan on a sunday night.

there you have it. if you need to indulge in some frosting and cake, try these places and loosen your belt a little, bitches.

1111111111111111111111111111

HAPPY BURFDAY TO WE!
*~* is officially 1 years old. like every other 1 year old we want a well fabulous party with tons of presents, cake in our face and mad attention.

we've come a long way in this past year. we hope you've grown with us. if everyone in the world could just give us $1 all our dreams could come true. kthxbai.

stay tuned. wez iz legit.

tru romance

paris is the city of lights, new york is the city that never sleeps - both truly romantic destinations for valentine's day. which is why i went to atlanta. after delaying the trip by a day because of snOMGizzle, we finally made it to hotlanta for some mac n cheese, AND SNOW. seriously, wtf?

anyways, when i wasn't eating biscuits or hitting up the surprisingly respectable vintage scene, i was getting totally romanced by my bf (can't spell romance without _ _ _ _ _).

question: what better way to spend lover's day than watching your bf play in a poker tournament at vortex?
answer: having a photo shoot at margaret mitchell's house (fierce beast) with your gf and picking up some sweet post its (DON'T CALL ME SUGAR). for all you uneducated ragamuffins out there, she wrote gone with the wind.
on a sadder note, margaret crushed my hipsterly romantic dreams of writing a novel on an old typewriter. waaaay to hard and there is no gchat on that thing.

p.s. to be fair, our significant others did throw down some $$ billz for some fierce jewelry (did i hear turquoise?) and presented it a la dick in a box. <3

notes from the homeland.

traveling well is an art form. determining what kind of traveler you are, choosing where to go, and getting a day-to-day game plan together are all key for a successful trip. with that in mind, my recent sojourn across borders should have been a disaster, but instead proved to be insightful and endearing (and somewhat infuriating) adventure. in what shall be a multi-post exploration of the world's highest ranking place on the human development index and 2007's most peaceful country in the world, i bring you a look at *~*NORWAY*~*

after returning from my birth place (okay one of four), i realized i am a shoestring (aka cheap ass, does not like to spend $$$, frugal, thrifty, annoyling bargain) traveler. with this in mind, going to a place that is on average 30 percent more expensive than the united states proved to be a test of strengths, temper, and tantrums. in honor of $5 cokes and $4 to board a bus, i bring you my top five favorite meals (and their cost):

1.) oslo airport food: first off, if you're coming into oslo from an international flight, EAT UP DUTY FREE. the alcohol is a third of the price from supermarkets and the cocaine is half.

now to my main point, the meal above (a bottle of water, a piece of bread, and jam) will push you back $8. i swear i heard some viking scream at the cash register "welcome to norway, SUCKERS!"

2.) coffee & tea: on average, the cost of a coffee in norway is about $5 and anything beyond cup o' joe will pile on at least two more dolla dolla billz. a personal best was paying $7 for tea, which ended up tasting like shit.

3.) breakfast: okay, so an all you can eat buffet should've cost around $13, but the suckers at the hotel didn't know this gangster from the yay area i sly like a fox so i got that for F-R-E-E. suck it scandinavia!!!!

4.) chain restaurants: like any true romantic, no valentine's day meal should be without feeling like you're about to suffer from explosive diarrhea -- this is why burger king is always a perfect place to take your honey bunny when cupid sings. as pictured here, a chicken burger, whopper, two fries, and two drinks added up to a cool $31. the ketchup was free.

5.) finally, my favorite meal was where it all began: oslo international airport. for 49 norwegian kroner (NOK) [~$8], you can get the following: a baguette, fruit juice, apple, YATZE, a deck of cards, and a pen hollering at oslo!!!! this proved to be a great time until a card game turned nasty, but at least dinner was cheap.

all in all, it's a sad state in the world when one enters a uk supermarket and is relieved to be paying in pounds. none the less, this adventure in cuisine culture shock have left a profound impact and great memories. i still love you, norway.

snOwMG

i try to avoid cable news panic attacks at all costs, but fell prey to check on the weather, excuse me, SNOWPOCALYPSE/SNOWMAGGEDON that was heading our direction. i only cared because i was on my way out. at least that's what i thought. blizzard 2010 had another plan for me.

i narrowly escaped blizzard 2009 right before christmas, as i was probably one of the last flights out of jfk, praise be to luck/jetblue/no one in the airport. but this time i wasn't so lucky. the crazy linguistic exaggerations of cnn turned out to be true and rather than sipping champagne in hotlanta with nene and sheree, i'm drinking wine in the dirty jerz and watching bear grylls aka man v. wild aka HUGE CRUSH conquer urban survival. not bad, but i would've rather boarded the plane today.

all wasn't lost though, at least i had today off and got to partake in a retro snowball fight. watch out for this maniac in a park near you.


pray to any celestial being that my flight tomorrow isn't cancelled so all is not lost and i can continue the non-stop dream vacation/valentine's love fest eating buttermilk biscuits down south.

new york in black and white.

hello. you have been asked to participate in a small survey that will take less than two minutes of your time:

1.) do you like decent japanese food, most of which could be set on fire?
2.) do you enjoy black?
3.) is dining in a cave something you've always dreamed of?
4.) do you like magic tricks?
5.) would you be open to sharing stories of how you lost your virginity?

if the answer is "yes" to any of these, then ninja new york is for you! set in the terrible neighborhood of tribeca, this gem of a restaurant will move and groove you. the food is pretty standard (though as our waiter pointed out, we were more of a drinking crowd anyways) with sushi rolls ranging from $8-$12. there are other prix-fixe options available for $38-$88, but as mentioned this place isn't really about the dining, but rather the experience. mixed drinks aren't too bad at $12, $47 bottles of champagne, and $3 beer. oh, and there's a magic show by a ninja who will do mind blowing tricks and then ask for tips. the servers also do little cameos in and out of different dining rooms as well as slap you with towels when you least expect it.

overall, it was the perfect place to spend a final night in new york city. i would def say this is a group place as the people who were on dates kind of got caught in a weird aisle table situation. it's overpriced, but worth the experience.

help me find it!

as we all know by now teal is the color of the year. via someone on tumblr with very good taste, we found the fiercest dress ever, my dream dress! but who is it by? how can i find this amazing piece of apparel? someone help if you know who designed this!

DO NEED

a playlist for the end.

while tonight will involve ninjas, animal masks, and $30/all you can drink specials, what i'm really hoping for is the playlist of my dreams (circa february 2010) to come true. if my last night in new york city could have any track list, these songs would be heavily rotated in some trashy dance club in the lower east side:

1. passion pit - sleepy head
2. dirty projectors - stillness is the move
3. lady gaga - bad romance
4. animal collective - my girls
5. heartless bastards - the mountain
6. phoenix - lisztomania
7. grizzly bear - while you wait for others
8. lcd soundsystem - someone great
9. la roux - bullet proof
10. mariah carey - fantasy
11. anything girl talk
12. noah and the whale - blue skies (twelves remix)
13. florence and the machine -rabbit heart (raise up)
14. marina and the diamonds - i am not a robot
15. the killers - all these things that i've done

let's get C-R-U-N-K!

spa castle/inspa world/heaven

Recently a few friends and I decided to venture out to Queens (brownie points for the borough) to try Spa Castle, and it was as ridiculous as it sounds. Run by Koreans, it's 4 floors of heavenly madness.

Bad news first:
-It's a little pricy on the weekend ($45) so I'll skip out of work and try a weekday next time.
-For a $45 entrance fee, you don't get towels, but hey, you can rent basically everything else including old lady bathing suits with skirts. Or buy. Still regretting not getting the $5 Princess Leia bun head towel, such a bargain!
-There are kids running around everywhere. We were so relaxed we didn't care too much except in the saunas where the little monsters kept coming in and out and letting out all my heat.

Good news second:
-It's super relaxing and kind of kitsch, in a good way. You can spend the whole day here without feeling bored, rotating between massages, facials, pools, relaxing rooms, saunas, food and hey, you can even sleep right on the hardwood floor in the "sleep section" next to the cafeteria. SO comfy.
-THE WATCHES! As animals that just stepped out of the jungle we've apparently been deprived of fancy technology. When you check in they give you a watch with a number and don't tell you at all what to do with it, except pay $50 if you lose it. Not only does it get you into your separate shoe and clothing lockers, but it also buys everything you want- food, apparel, massages without really seeing a price or anything in English at all. Perk after getting the massage, no money/tip handling and it makes the whole experience feel less awkward and more free. (Just wait for the sticker shock @ check out time.)
-It's super clean. No footwear of any kind anywhere or you are outta there buddy.
-Pool bar and upstairs bar with lounging couches. 'Nuff said.

Somewhere in between:
-We were not prepared for the cult-like atmosphere due to the uniforms. When you go into your appropriate locker room, you see a bunch of naked women (or men) and then are handed a uniform and a toothbrush (kinda like prison I guess). Ladies in orange tops and pick bottoms like a creamsicle, and gents in blue bottoms and grayish tops. The hellions wear all yellow for easy identification. Amusing and liberating to look crappy like everyone else (o hai communism) but a little unnerving and semi-cultish (this is AMERIKA I will sue for my individuality!!!!!).
-Couples massages are fun, especially when it's with your friend and the massueses think you're together/too dumb to take your shirt on/off yourself. So sometimes they giggle and dress you. Not always bad things. Depending on your definition of "bases," you may feel like you've hit a home run with the way they get on top of you. But damn my back felt good after.
-Facials are also great and leave your skin looking fresh and new. However, don't you DARE get the 30 minute facial or the facialist will ridicule you because only teenagers get that one and tell you your skin is so bad you better come back as soon as possible for the 1 hour serious woman facial. She will also keep reiterating both of those things for that short time of 30 minutes and tell you what clogged pores and how many blackheads you have. How dare you inconvenience her. Then she will sell you $63 facial products and you will leave scared/happy/confused at what just happened.

So, keep a sense of humor about a lot of things, grab some friends/lovers and go out there during the week. (I think there's a shuttle but just make your friend/lover drive you.) I promise it will be some kind of experience.

red mango: i can feel your soul.

in a week of goodbyes, it's time to pay official homage to a part of new york that has kept *~* fed and in love the past year: red mango.

claiming to be healthy (icallbullshit.com) and probiotic, what we really love about red mango is the perfect flavor (not too sweet, not too tart) and selection of toppings. as pictured here, my favorite combination is blueberries, mochi, and crushed graham cracker crust, though you be the master of your own universe. current flavors include original, cocoa (which is disgusto), tangomonium (disgusto #2), and pomegranate. i'm still praying to the mango gods that green tea will return, but it seems unlikely before saturday, february 6th.

the good news is that this isn't just a new york treat. in fact, red mango started in la and can now be found all up in the yay, so the world is your oyster. if you're in the city though, i recommend hitting up the location on 6th and 14th: it's spacious, always playing tacky music, and urban outfitters is right across the street. epic win for all.

goodbye, brooklyn.

it's a day of epic sadness for us here at *~*. after two and a half faithful years as brooklynites (and nearly one year since beginning our venture here at the blog ooo hai i heart vintage lyke wot), we will officially abandon our favorite borough. williamsburg will be one hipster short after this afternoon, though somehow it must continue to thrive. we wish it the best of luck in finding other legging wearing, bang bearing, organic food loving, teal fierceness, and music obsessing loquitas. this will not prove to be difficult. in honor of this delightfully pretentious neighboorhood, here is a random list of our fave spots:

1. dumont - cait is well up on this shit. i personally don't pay more than $7 for anything at a restaurant, but she claims the food is worth it. cards still out.
2. sunac - all time favorite grocery store. natural food and open 24 hours -- the perfect combination for a late night out.
3. atlas cafe - the staff here are crazy (the chick who makes caps always makes one take note on how light and fluffy her pour was), but the italian ambiance is worth the stay. amazing paninis, pastries, and coffee aka kinda makes you wish you were italian (sike!).
4. pop - right around the corner for atlas. it's basically everything you can find on modcloth.com and more.
5. mine metal art - the fantastic metal creations and collectibles from welder kristina kozak. always interesting finds for your home and your sanity.
6. gimme coffee! - there cup sizes are ridiculously small, but their coffee is ridiculously amazing.
7. second stop cafe - obvi have to give a shout out to the place of our birth. love the ambiance, love the people, love the donuts.
8. beacon's closet - if you adhere to the mantra "never buy anything full price" then this is your store. essentially all my clothes are under $10 and come from here or...
9. buffalo exchange - less pretentious second hand selection than beacon + have found three pairs of jeans in two years there FTW.
10. pinkyotto - overpriced korean fashion on the streets of new york = too cute to resist, too expensive to buy, but still fun to look.
11. artist & fleas - a cheap mix of fashion, art, books, food, and designers melt together here. verameat often has a stand here that is ~ 50 percent off the shit she sells in stores or on the website. aka needs it always.
12. kellogg's diner - fucking awful food, but huge booths that you can lounge around in for hours. they also put whip cream on their cappuccinos, so that deserves a bonus point or two.
13. moto - i almost debated not putting them on here after so terribly bitchy service last time there, but the interior design is too good not to mention. it looks like a little french hole in the wall circa 1938 and the bathroom is very nautical. the food is pretty good and live music most nights of the week.
14. hugs - okay, so i've only been here one time and it was like two years ago, but it was epic. they have 90s night every second saturday or the month -- who doesn't want to listen to mister jones blasting?

this list could go on, but williamsburg is to be discovered so just come and see for yourself.

brooklyn, you have been wonderful + amazing + unforgettable.

thought of the moment (life of the tiger).

tomorrow is new
for we shall rip this city
much like black bean wind.

see you here tomorrow dressed like a wizard.

wisdom from the far east

there's no better way to help smooth digestion of your $10 chinese lunch (chicken fried rice and bubble tea) than reading your fortune while eating that cookie. icing on the cake.

it seems like the fortune-writing people got semi-legit lately with proper spelling and english grammar. it's almost been disappointing. but alas, my hope has been restored.

"Woman's intuition like feather on arrow. May help flight to truth."

truer words have been spoken, but this is poetic, non?

just in time for chinese new year, too. get ready for the year of the tiger! (someone's power animal?) it shall be fierce.

and if you're looking for a way to spread the good wishes and cheer for chinese new year, ponder a moment on sending an e-card to that culturally in-the-know person in your life.

a fave:

essex brunch: a new york tradition.

if you live in new york, then you know regardless of which borough you claim brunch is kind of a big deal. much like *~* -- but that's totes obvi.

as i'm packing up and selling all my worldly possessions, i've been trying to hit up my favorite spots around the city. for someone who hates spending money on meals (but moreso, tipping), essex continues to be one of the only places i'll throw down benjaminz. i love essex for the following reasons:

1. unlimited mimosas
2. unlimited mimosas
3. unlimited mimosas

of course the food is pretty diverse and the atmosphere chaotic, but when the pitchers of mimosas overflow like jesus and his loaves of bread, you cannot help but fall a little bit in love. in four hours, our party of three was treated to AT LEAST 10 glasses of that jus d'orange avec champagne, maybe for covertly tipping our bus boy juan gonzalez with dolla dolla billz.

newayz, if you want a good time and a guaranteed recipe for a party, then essex is your shiz. THOUGH i have changed my mind about that shithole the dark room after a bad experience with the beatles mantra"let it be" and total lack of dance party on sunday night. fuck the haters and cheers to the good stuff!

sadness in *~*land

dear everyone,
today is a sad day. *~* is packing up it's last home base in billyburg, hipsterville, and moving on to other things. the furniture is being sold off one by one and spread all over craigslist, the polar bear is in the trash and the chandelier decal is being scraped off.

have no fear. we are going on to bigger and better things and will be officially international. (new jersey counts as another country, non?)

in any case, this will only make us fiercer. after almost a year of *~* in billyburg, it's time for some fresh perspectives. so for nostalgic reasons, we're heading back to where it all began almost a year ago. (stay tuned for a 1 year anniversary partaaaay.) k still has a couple weeks yet so make sure to help here live the dream here before she starts her new life doing the tango on the plaza de mayo.

thought for the day:

word on the ice.

for those of you still suffering kristina yamaguchi complex, have no fear bryant park is here!

the pond (proudly presented to you by citibank aka holder of my paycheck praise be to this fine institution) is open until this sunday, january 24th. if you have your own skatez, this shit is FREE. if not, you pay $12 to rent and then $10 to hold your goods while you're out landing triple salchows as the laymen wipe out and break their teeth.

this is the perfect opportunity to warm up in the winter, a great excuse to drink hot chocolate, and the best way to heat up sexual tension if you're on a date (come on, you're both falling down/onto each other/constantly holding hands to stay up -- sounds steamy cold).

do yourself a favor and unleash your inner ice queen tonight.

peace.

good deeds make the world go round.

in light of so much tragedy in the caribbean over the past week, it seems appropriate to talk on about volunteering and donations. before i start on what you can do at home in the city, if you have some spare cash please look into giving to one of these organizations. also, if you're a music fan and have $200 to donate, check out an intense set at city winery tonight with the antlers. all proceeds go to haiti disaster relief.

back to another island: for those of us who want to spread the love here in nueva york, housing works is a great place to start. the 411 be:

Housing Works is committed to ending the twin crises of AIDS and homelessness. We believe that all people have the right to a rich and empowering life. Since 1990, we have provided the highest quality services for homeless men, women, and children living with HIV and AIDS in New York City and beyond.

you can drop by its location in soho at 126 crosby street to donate books, videos, dvds, music, or simply your time. it's bookstore has the best vibe i've felt anywhere in the city and .83 cents of every dollar you spend goes towards helping those afflicted by aids. every item for sale has been donated and most everyone who works there is a volunteer, so shiz is 4real. they also have a sweet ass cafe and while the brownies were a disappointment, le cappuccino was extraordinaire! do a good thing today:

1.) remember all the great things in your vida
2.) donate a little bit to those who need it
3.) drink a glass of champagne
4.) volunteer
5.) continue living the dream.

feel the power in 2k10

dear all, welkom to 2k10!
whether you believe this is the last year of the last decade or first year of the new decade, a new year is always a reason to celebrate. we're pretty proud we've made it this far, especially since this will be our big quarter century celebration. (stay tuned for more of that this spring.)

NEWAYZ, we've made no new year's resolutions since we are perfect, besides the obvious "keep it fierce para siempre" that we reiterate every year.

for those of you that could use some help, remember to reconnect with your power animal in the enchanted forest and connect with your power color. to help you with this, pantone has finally released their color of 2010, get ready, it's TURQUOISE AKA TEAL aka signature color of *~* for years already. another example of why we are so *~*ahead of the game*~*.

in their words, Turquoise Transports Us to an Exciting, Tropical Paradise While Offering a Sense of Protection and Healing in Stressful Times. we couldn't agree more. so remember to think turquoise and may your power animal watch over you for a fierce 2010.

a photo from our own turquoise archive:
and don't forget, if you want to celebrate the year of the turquoise and buy us an appropriate gift, etsy let's you shop by color.

just sayin'.