I spy...

...myself in this video. You can see a photo of me as well as "real-life" me (and Rob) in this video. This is from the look book launch party where I "modeled" for my stylist.



Kind of bizarre to see yourself projected onto a big ole screen.

More Best of 2009

It's hard enough keeping up with one blog. So this one doesn't get my love. But since I'm determined to answer all of Gwen's Best of 2009 prompts, I have to keep chugging along.

December 4: Best Book
Secrets of Simplicity - I didn't actually finish the entire book/workbook, but the chapters I read were thought-provoking. It makes me realize how complicated I make my own life. I should probably pick it up again!

December 5: Best Night Out
I have two. The first was my quintessential girls' night out. I don't get too many of those, usually only when I visit Arizona, which is when this one took place. We got dolled up, had our makeup done, and went dancing. I wish these girls' nights could be monthly instead of annually, but I'll take what I can get.



And when I was in Austin, I went out on a gay pub crawl, where I joined a group on a tour of the city's best gay night spots. I was dressed like this, and had an absolute blast! I ended up giving parts of my outfit to random gay men all night! The last one, who took my suspenders, was especially appreciative!

December 6: Best Workshop or Conference
I only went to one this year, and that was the HOW Design Conference in Austin, where the above photo was taken. Thanks to a kind group of designers that took me in as one of their own, I had a fantastic time! It was a great mix of education, inspiration, and recreation!

December 7: Best Blog Find of the Year
I also have two answers for this one. When I started sketching again back in the summer, I came across the blogs of these two artists, and they amaze me. I'm always excited when I see a new post by either one of them in my Google Reader.
Three Letter Word for Art
Pete Scully

Best Article of 2009

December 3: Best Article

I admit I'm not a big reader, so this was a tough category for me. Luckily I've documented a few of my favorite articles on Operation NICE. This particular article had me weeping instantly.



And my first runner up, out of complete vanity, is the The New York Times article that discusses Operation NICE. That was pretty dang awesome.

Best of 2009 Blog Challenge!!!

I haven't been blogging much lately, so when I found Gwen Bell's blog challenge via Twitter, I knew it would be a great opportunity!

Here are the deets.

I missed yesterday, so I'm going to answer both BESTS today.

December 1: Best Trip
I had a lot of great trips this year, actually. My weekend trip to NYC. My recent trip to Arizona. My trip to the HOW Conference in Austin. But I'd have to say my favorite of the year was my vacation in San Francisco. After years of "long weekends," I felt like this trip west was a REAL vacation. We did so much and saw so much. It was a wonderful (and exhausting) experience!


Created with flickr slideshow.

December 2: Best Restaurant Moment
This was hard. Of course I've had great meals with great friends over the last 11 months. So picking one that was especially memorable was tough. My mind went to a little spot in Brooklyn where Rob and I had his birthday lunch. Now, we ended up enjoying a fabulously fancy sushi dinner at Megu in Tribeca that night, but this casual little restaurant was by far one of my favorite places of the year.



It's the Dumont Restaurant, and I found it via Design*Sponge, I think. I researched a ton of places and settled on this one for its outdoor garden. We had never spent time wandering around Brooklyn, so I mapped out our course, hopped the subway over there, and brought Rob right to the Dumont. After a morning full of travel, it was the perfect spot to relax with a great meal.



The weather was perfect, the food was delicious. I would relive that lunch daily if I could.

Thanksgiving Karaoke!

I know that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is always a good night to go out. No work the next day, just pigging out. And I've been wanting to try out Yakitori Boy, a karaoke bar in Philadelphia. Since private rooms are half price Sunday through Thursday, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to give it a shot.

I had a blast! Karaoke is always at the top of my "most fun" list, and my cohorts just made it that much more hilarious! I made a little video montage of our experience.



And here's the full version of myself performing Superfreak, by Rick James. One of my better karaoke performances. Enjoy!