Tuesday Tunes: Loosin' Up the Ears for Lolla

What's better than thousands of sweaty people jumping around for twelve hours to blaring music?  Nothing!!  We're heading to Lollapalooza in Chicago this weekend, and I could not be more excited!!! Here are some of the tunes I'm most looking forward to hearing.  Turn them on throughout the weekend if you want to have a piece of the fun.  Since I'm double excited, it's double the fun with ten songs instead of five.

1) I Won't Be Found by The Tallest Man on Earth

2) Right Thing To Do by Sbtrkt (ft. Jessie Ware)

3) Take a Walk by Passion Pit

4) Lost in my Mind by The Head and the Heart

5) Stars by Fun.

6) Thinking About You by Frank Ocean

7) Shake It Out by Florence + the Machine

 8) Simple Song by The Shins

9) Only You by Kaskade (ft. Tiesto and Haley)

Last but not least, love of my life...

10 (A) Silhouettes by Avicii

...and because it never gets old
10 (B) Levels by Avicii (Skrillex remix)

Book Ends

It's been a while since I did any book reviews and I've managed to knock a bunch out this summer.  As you can see by their classifications below, it's pretty heavy in the chick lit department.  What can I say...feeling very emotional this summer :)  If you just want to skip to my recommendation list in order of preference, go to the bottom.  Happy reading!

A TALE AS OLD AS TIME

The World to Come was one of the most interestingly written books I've read in a while.  I felt like I was in the midst of a story telling session youngsters often get from their elders, which makes sense since it was based on an old Yiddish tale.  The intertwined story spans every part of time, from a 1920s Jewish orphanage to a present day art heist.  It teaches readers that every action, big or small, has a consequence.  The book took me a while to get through, but once I was done I was glad I read it. 

WHO DONE IT?

For book club this month, after seeing numerous rave reviews from various publications, we settled on Gone Girl.  This book was the definition of a page turner, I couldn't put it down.  Not following a typical mystery structure {crime > investigation > caught > done}, it unveiled the culprit mid-novel and the ending was completely not what I expected, a difference that was refreshing.  I can't say a lot without giving away the story, but, I can say, you must read this.  Next up, Stay Close. I grew up reading my dad's James Patterson collection and I could tell right away by the cover that this would be in the same realm.  It has all the ingredients for a suspenseful read: Atlantic City setting, an ex-stripper masked as suburban mom, a Mardi Gras killer, all the good stuff.  Not nearly as exciting or satisfying as Gone Girl, but if you are in the mood to strap on your Olivia Benson hat and easily solve a crime, this is a good option.

PASS THE TISSUES

I honestly cried reading each one of the next set of books.  All of them touched me in their own way, dealing with the subjects of death, young children with terminal illness, adoption and loss of family.  A great showing by all these tearjerkers.

The Red Book was a essentially a grown up version of "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants", minus the Levis and Blake Lively {thank goodness}.  The four main characters of the story return to Harvard twenty years after they've left, reflecting on where they've all come since their college days. Each returning graduate submits their "life update" in the school's red book, and the central theme is that things aren't always what they seem.  The ending left me in hysterics and puts everything in perspective for the reader.  Overall, it was a good, easy read and although it was depressing at some points, the characters were much more developed and interesting than a typical chick book.

Okay, so maybe this one is more YA lit rather than adult, don't judge. The Fault in Our Stars was a touching story of two teens, Hazel and Augustus, who met at a kid's cancer support group.  It's a story of survival, emotional strength and relationships.  I wouldn't recommend it if you aren't mentally prepared for a heavy book, but the lessons it teaches leave you with an all new appreciation for life and loved ones.

The next book was more heart wrenching than it was sad or depressing.  I Couldn't Love You More is set in suburbs of Atlanta {plus one for that}.  It is centered around Eliot, who lives with her partner, Grant, his two children from his previous marriage whom she helped raise, and their own daughter.  Ironically, her first love appears back in her life, which is followed by an unfortunate turn of events.  What happens after is left for you to find out, but it left me with heart pangs.  This is a must read.

Maybe it's because the Olympics are starting, or maybe I just love the author, but Gold was phenomenal.  It's about three cyclists in England, Kate and Jack who are married and struggling with the overpowering desire to get the Olympics and the survival of their daughter who has leukemia, and Zoe who struggles with her inner demons and lack of family.  The book is filled with all sorts of complex elements and character lines that left me in a jumble of emotions.

Last up was Emily Giffin's new book Where We Belong. I've been looking forward to this book since her last one came out two years ago as her stories are always engaging and relate-able.  This one didn't disappoint in either department, sucking you in from the very beginning. Like all her books, it's told in two character's point of views: Marian, a successful television producer living in New York City, and Kirby, her daughter she gave up eighteen years ago.  I appreciated this one more than some of her other books because she steered away from her typical love triangle and let me torn about what I would do in the character's situation. 

AWKWARD CHUCKLING ON THE PLANE ENSUES

As one of the primary writers for The Office, it was no surprise that Mindy Kaling's {a.k.a. Kelly Kapoor} book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me was just as funny as a Thursday night with Dwight and Jim.  Everything in this book was so spot on.  It reminded me of an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, calling out the random, hilarious things that happen in real life.  Best chapter: My Favorite Eleven Moments in Comedy, the image of Liz Lemon crying out of her mouth gets me every time.

CURRENTLY READING: Heartburn by Nora Ephron

Recommendations in order:
1. Gold by Chris Cleave
2. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling
3. Gone Girl by Jillian Flynn
4. I Couldn't Love You More by Jillian Medoff
5. Where We Belong by Emily Giffin
6. The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogan
7. The World to Come by Dara Horn
8. Stay Close by Harlan Coben
9. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Weekend Snapshots: The Bess Wedding

Westport, MA

This weekend we traveled around New England for the nuptials of Jess + Ben.  The entire weekend was incredible, to say the least. We stopped in Boston to see the Goods, roamed Newport with the Weiss', took in the beautiful sites of Westport and Falls River, and most importantly got to see one of our beloved sushigirls marry the man of her dreams!  There were so many smiles, moments of laughter and love...

Our stop in Newport...

  

...a night out in Westport {never dull}

Time for some wedding fun...

WE LOVE YOU JPP!

Ga-Ga for Greek

Move over Pinkberry, there is a new type of yogurt in town!  Growing up, I used to eat yogurt sporadically; it was okay, but not my favorite.  Then I was introduced to Greek yogurt, and haven't turned back since.  Almost every morning you can be guaranteed to find me at my desk with Fage or Chobani in hand.

I went to Greece last summer and had the most amazing Greek yogurt I could imagine, and have been trying to find something comparable ever since.  FINALLY, I found it in The Yogurt Culture Company that opened  in Midtown earlier this week.  The store offers fresh traditional and Greek yogurt, both in skim or whole, as well as frozen yogurt.  The pure fruit purees are made from 100% fruit and contain no preservatives.  So, those of you who like to add a little sweetness to your breakfast can do it in healthy way.  Once you have the yogurt and purees, you head over to the toppings section where they offer a variety of fresh fruit, organic granola, roasted nuts, and other novelty toppings.  At $6 for a cup, it's a little on the expensive side, but worth an indulgence every now and then.  The Yogurt Culture Company has truly brought a unique idea to the city, with Chobani right on their heels.  They are opening up a similar type of store in SoHo soon and I can't wait to check it out.  Since I found the Greek flavor from Mykonos, all I need now is the crystal clear blue waters, a moped, and white buildings then I'll officially be back in heaven!

Tuesday Tunes

Quite an eclectic mix of songs for today's line up.  Inspiration came from running it out on the bike at Soul Cycle, head bopping at my desk at work, just bopping around in general, and a sneak peek at music from Step Up: Revolution. Enjoy!

1) Don't Wake Me Up by Chris Brown ft Benny Benassi and David Guetta

2) My Body by Young the Giant (in preparation for next week's concert at SummerStage {yay})

3) Good Time by Owl City, Carly Rae Jepsen

4) Live My Life by Far East Movement ft. Justin Bieber

5) I Don't Like You by Eva Simons

Semi-Charmed Kind of Life

I didn't get a chance to post about last weekend and I've been dying to get it all out.  It was a doozy, so if you can't handle reading through my novel {I won't take offense}, check out the pics and links for highlights!

All my faves from around the country came to the Big Apple for a fun-filled time.  Lyss and Shmey made an appearance representing my ATL besties, and Brodsky for the IU-ers.  I couldn't have been more happy.  The weekend jump started with a romantic dinner at Balaboosta with Kurbs and Lyss in the L.E.S.  I had been for brunch with Hill a few years ago, and its still one of my favorites of all time.  I was anxious to try dinner and, boy, it did not disappoint.  From the hummus, to the burratta, to the eggplant crostini, one thing was better than the next.  Even though we were stuffed, we made a trip around the corner to Rice to Riches.  The one stop shop has tons of different flavors of rice pudding + toppings.  Baby Gitter loved it, as did the three adults.  After divulging in the delicious sweetness, we headed over to Canal Room to check out "Saved By the 90s: A Party with the Bayside Tigers" to celebrate Meryl's birthday.  They didn't have the vocal dazzlings of Zack Attack or Jesse Spano {"I'm so excited...I'm so excited...I'm so....scared"}, but who wouldn't love a show where you can dance to the tunes of No Doubt, Third Eye Blind {hence the blog title}, and Backstreet Boys.  I had flashbacks of our days at Holcomb Bridge, in this version though I was not taller than all the boys or sporting braces.  If you are ever looking for something to do, I suggest you check out the Tigers or their 80s counter parts, Rubix Cubes.

Saturday we did what any crazy New Yorker would do in the middle of a heatwave...walked around the steamy sidewalks and blistering sun.  Luckily, we found solace in a few stops along the way.  First, we headed to Fatty Cue in the West Village for some soulful southern/asian cooking and watermelon mimosas.  LW, Jenny and I all got egg dishes and the muesli, while Lyss and Brodsky got the brisket hash.  The restaurant is better know for its dinner, but I thought the brunch was also noteworthy.  We followed brunch up with a street fair, a visit to the Chelsea Markets pop up designer shops, and a picnic on the West Side highway for some much needed relaxation.  After we cooled down, I took Lyss on the usual Saturday 5th Avenue shopping run, with a final stop at Angels for some amazing foot massages.

Not skipping a beat, Lyss and I then headed to the West Village to meet Meryl and her sister for her birthday dinner at The Place in the West Village.  I hadn't heard anything about it before going, but had walked by it on my several recent trips to Lovely Bridal Boutique.  The restaurant offered an intimate setting, with a cave-like design, dim lighting and romantic tunes {some of the time, at others they played bar mitzvah music}.  We all split the gruyere and green onion risotto, chicory and frisee salads, and me and Lyss got the vegetable filo pie for our main.  It was all fantastic, topped off with some of the most delicious pistachio ice cream I've ever had.  After dinner we headed over to The Park for some cocktails and beautiful scenery.

Sunday was a big day of birthday celebrations for Meryl.  We started the day off with brunch at Locanda Verde in TriBeCa.  Next to Balaboosta, this is another favorite brunch spot that I've ventured to in the past.  This time we tried things I hadn't had before and it has officially moved to the top spot as favorite brunch.  The meal started out with fresh made foccacia bread and sheep's milk ricotta with honey.  For our main Shoney and I split the fritatta, Lyss got "Manhattan's best" pancakes {said the waiter; but he might be right, they were incredible}, and Meryl got the egg crostinis with the most delicious side salad.  If you haven't gone there yet, you should make your reservation immediately.  Act fast since the reservation line opens one month-to-the-day before and book up immediately.  I'm still hoping to get my foot in the door for dinner.

I'm always looking for unique ways to experience New York, and I especially wanted to do something special for my visitors.  So for Meryl's birthday, Lyss and I got her tickets to The Accomplice.  We had absolutely no idea of what to expect.  Even now it's hard to explain the experience without ruining the fun of it.  In short, it's an interactive scavenger hunt around lower Manhattan {they also have a Village tour}, where you encounter various actors who help you with your assigned mission.  We were taken from the South Street Seaport, to the Brooklyn Bridge, through Chinatown and Little Italy, and finally the L.E.S.  Our group was never quite sure what to expect, who was an actor or who was real {this is New York after all, where several men with squirt guns could just be a normal people}, the detective in all of us were as happy as could be.  The entire thing took about two and a half hours, with wine, beer, and snacks provided throughout the journey.  The show/game/tour would be a great team building activity for any corporate event or a fun way to celebrate a birthday.  A definite must see/do!

After we said our good-byes to Meryl, Lyss and I headed uptown to Rosie Pope.  For those of you who aren't avid Bravo watchers, she has a show called Pregnant in Heels, and, after Lyss, is one of the most adorable mommys.  Naturally, we had to make sure my favorite mama-to-be got to see Rosie's store and all the adorable clothes, most of which I wanted to buy myself.  After we got our fix of fashion and Jelly Bellys, we met LW, Bri and Jared at Cafe Mogador in the East Village for some of my favorite cous-cous and greek salad in the city.  If you are in the need for some European ambiance and amazing, no-fuss Mediterranean food, make your way here.  Of course no Sunday night, or trip to New York, could be complete without a trip to 16 Handles, the Kardashians, and some late night Artichoke Pizza noshing.

It was an amazing weekend filled with all my favorites: my best friends, yummy food, and good ole NYC.  Life is bueno!