As mentioned previously, I’m trying to simplify my life at the moment. So over the past few days I have been making a list of items that I need to part with. Last night I photographed them and put them all into a little online store. Here is the link. I’m going to advertise all of this stuff on CL, as well. But I probably won’t have time to create the listings for a few days. If you see something you want in the store, hit me up. Pricing is flexible. It is more just about getting rid of stuff. Happy Thursday.

Every once in a while I feel the need to write about the World Trade Center construction progress. Here is my 2008 rant about calling it ground zero (which people still do, btw). Here is a shot of One World Trade Center last November. And the shot above is one that I snapped yesterday from ground level. It’s pretty crazy that next month will mark 10 years since the attacks. That means that next August I will have been in NY for 10 years. My, how time flies.

If these socks don’t last longer than a month, I don’t know what I’ll do. I feel like I’m supplying socks for the entire hospital sometimes.

My mom is an expert Grandma. She sends Piper Jane these gifts and they are 100% of the time Piper’s new favorite thing. This time, she sent this giant pink hippo that is both a pillow/sleeping bag and a toy. Piper was scared of it at first, but after Jake swung her around in it for a while, she warmed up to it.

Then she took a bump on a log style nap in it after watching a few episodes of Yo Gabba Gabba. She looked so cozy in that thing and I sort of got jeal’ that I didn’t have one.

The whole weekend with Pip was special and awesome and good.

Love,

Reags

Once over the weekend I realized my hair and Pippy’s hair matched. I love a deep part with a bow. Some say it’s for little girls, but I’ve always done it and always will.
On Wednesday I had a random day off. I had a very full day and it was a blast! I woke up early, went running, made myself a smoothie, went to therapy, talked about my feelings, went on a walk, went to Washington sq. park, finished Jane Eyre on a park bench, took myself to a movie at the Angelika theater (it wasn’t that good, it was this one), ate an apple, wandered around doing nothing for a few more hours before going home and having subway for dinner.
Here I am at the park all giddy to have a day alone with my bad self.

Also, last weekend I checked an item off of my summertime list! Jake and I went to the Highline at sunset and it was glorious. I’ll post pictures! Hooray!

This weekend we are running a 5 mile race in Central Park, picking up a craiglist find, hanging out with a pip, hopefully going to smorgasburg and whatever else we can cram in. The end!

Piper Jane’s favorite……

TV Show.
Sid the Science Kid (does not look away for 30 straight minutes)

Roommate to bother.
Hugo (poor baby. Piper Jane wont leave him alone)

Way to be silly.
Being the tallest person in the room

New Discovery.
Splashing in the tub

Radio Shows.
This American Life. I download and listen to the archives every day on the subway or when I run. The stories are so interesting and you are sucked in. Are you an TAL listener?

Food.
Roasted Seaweed
Homemade Smoothies
Avocado Sandwiches from Lenny’s.

Apps.
Instagram
Tap Zoo (I know, I’m a virtual world loser!)
Twitter. After having an account for over a year, I FINALLY use it!
Yelp. I probably use my Yelp app every day.

Make-up.
Basically any Pink Lipstick. MAC Pink Nouveau is my favorite.
Benefit-High Beam
MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre. It makes it so you don’t get lines on your top lid. It’s amazing!

Shopping.
TopShop
Pinkyotto

Running Watches.
My new Garmin running watch

Blogs.
Jake’s new new blog…which is not called Jake’s new blog, It’s called Jake’sMag.

Facial Expressions.
Smiling. Smiling is my favorite.

Children.
Piper Jane. Specifically Piper Jane in her nosey mode.

Summer has zipped by, and I’ve been so busy that it has maybe even double zipped. I’m jam packed during the week, and then on the weekends it’s so hot that Jake and I just laze around Blythedale/the apartment. I hope the heat wave is over for good, because I have about a million activities I want to partake in, and 113 degrees and humid puts a sweaty damper on every one of those activities.

Eh hem.

~Smorgasburg. It’s part of the Brooklyn Flea, except it’s food vendors.
~Brooklyn Flea. I’ve only been in the winter when it’s indoors.
~The Beach. I’d like to go to the Jersey Shore actually. I haven’t been since I was 17. I’ll ride the roller coasters and eat junk food and maybe do laundry. RJL.
~The High Line. I’ve actually never been at all. It’s been on my summer to-do list for the past 3 summers.
~Trapeze School. I’ve been wanting to do this ever since I saw it on Sex and the City. This is my summer to finally do it.
~Go on a bike ride. I haven’t taken my bike off the rack yet.
~Overnight trip to Montauk or Greenport.
~Picnics, maybe 2 or 3 of them. We could ride bikes and kill a few *fake* birds with one stone. (to be honest, even just the thought of killing a bird is a terrible thought, so I hate that saying and am looking for a new one that makes the same point.)
~Coney Island. I prefer to go at least once or twice each summer. Time is running out and there are things I’m putting higher on the priority list, but alls I’m sayin’ is I’m not going to be mad if Coney Island makes itself happen.

So, I’ve got to get cracking on this list and fast.

Yay, I’m excited now, I have a list to check off! This was a negative post that turned into a positive one.

Hooray!

One last thing..consider it a survival tip from me to you.
Tie your maxi dress into a knot on one side if people are describing the weather as “a Scorchah!”. It’s cute and different!

I was lucky enough to find a very authentic Italian restaurant in the west village named “Palma”. I thought this was an adorable place to eat considering it was Sarah’s soon to be last name! Dinner was excellent and everyone died at the name of the venue. Score!

Then we headed to Beauty and Essex, which is a cute little lounge on the LES. It is beautifully decorated so perfectly. It seemed like a very girly place to hang out after dinner. Oddly, there seemed to be hundreds of Eastern European male tourists about the city that night. They had lots of questions about an American bachelorette party.

The ladies.

Nevermind the horrible place I chose for dancing. I only chose it because it was within a few blocks of Beauty and Essex, and because it had a photobooth which I thought would be fun. But it was one of those terrible fake computery ones. The music was terrible and we were all sad. We left that place after about 15 minutes of stare-downs and bad music and someone telling me I “was way too tall by the way” and we went to Joshua Tree in Murray Hill for dancing. The DJ played whatever we wanted to dance to, and we basically ruled the place. Again, guy tourists everywhere. There were hardly any ladies out besides us, and Sarah being the “Betty” she is, had guys falling all over themselves to get a picture with her. She even got some serenading!

We dressed cute, danced silly and had a great night. It was fun going out with the girls, wearing a mini skirt and matching sparkly rings. Sarah and I used to go dancing so much in our single days, it almost felt like we were 22 again!

*I haven’t shut up about being the maid of honor for the past two years, so I’m sorry. Now that the wedding is over, I’ll probably stop soon. It seems likely at least.

Don’t forget guys, it’s your last chance to enter the Alpina giveaway!

Oh, hey that’s my reflection in the TV. The new TV that we just picked up this weekend. For a few weeks now, the brightness level of our television would sometimes flicker. The TV was an older one. I actually bought it on Craiglist from a hedge fund. It was one of their old ticker screens. Anyway, we just kind of assumed that it was on it’s last leg, when the flickering started to occur. So, last weekend we purchased a replacement. It was a pretty huge project, lugging it up the stairs, taking the old one off of the wall, putting the new one on the wall, redoing the cables, etc. etc.. I had it mounted and running just in time to watch the Laguna Seca GP race.

I took the old TV down and curbed it. Today when I came home from work, Reagan tells me that the TV is still flickering. Awesome. It was the stupid cable box causing the problem, not the television. I can’t believe what an idiot I am for not testing the old unit more thoroughly with a movie or something before just assuming that the TV was the problem. I hope that at least someone scavenged the TV. Nothing like scoring a free 42″ plasma on the curb. Hahahaha.

Midwest-girl: I have a random question for you…  We are expecting a baby girl in a few weeks and we are still debating on names.  I love the name Reagan.  I would love to hear your thoughts on your name.  Do you like it?  Do you prefer your spelling to Regan? Do you pronounce it Ray-gan?  Do you ever get called Ree-gan?  My 7 year old son is concerned his little sister will get called Ronald…has this ever happened to you?   Just curious on your thoughts…I imagine you may have some great insight, if you find any free time to share.  If not, no problem.

Me, Reagan (like Ray-gan): Hi! First off, I love my name. I like that my name is unique, especially for my generation and I also feel like it has a spunky/upbeat feel to it. I like those perks very much. I also think it’s a cute name. I can’t imagine going by anything else, and I fancy Reagan suits my personality.

I didn’t always like my name. When I was little, I wanted a popular name that all the pretty popular girls had. I had a neighbor and a cousin named Jessica and I just died wanting to be named something like that. My top choices were Jessica, Brittney, Ariel, and Alice.

I did get called Ronald often. And it was something that always picked up at each new town every time we moved. It even morphed into Ronald Mcdonald in Tennessee. It never made me feel bad, but it made me think boys were mean jerks. It was always the boys, you know.

I never really got called Ree-gan until I moved to NY. A lot of people want to call me Ree-gan here. I had a boss that called me Ree-gan the whole year I worked for her, even though she heard me correct her and introduce myself as Ray-gan. For some reason, that hasn’t really ever bothered me that much, it’s more funny than anything. I think if my name were spelled Regan, it would probably be mispronounced even more.

I guess I can’t say it will work for everyone. I wasn’t too shy to stand up for myself when those mean jerk boys were Ronald Mcdonalding me. And even though in the beginning I didn’t think it was a “pretty girl” name, I grew up being glad that I had a unique/spunky name over pretty. Another perk, is that I think Reagan is a name for all ages. It wasn’t too mature for a little 5 year old, but it also sounds good for an adult. I have a problem wanting to name all my kids cutesy names…like Piper.

Speaking of Piper, she’s pretty much in her 20s now. And guys, I’m finally letting her hair grow (I’ve been keeping it at about a chin length bob for the last two years) and it’s coming in so thick and healthy and beautiful for the first time in her life. It’s a good sign.

I’m curious about your names. Do you have a unique name that you love/hate? Do you feel like your name is too common?

Also, to the cute Midwest girl, PLEASE let me know what you decide!