Natural simplicity

Joseph and I woke in the middle of the night because the windows were open and we were freezing. Like the country boy that he is, Joseph busied himself with the task of making a fire in the fireplace.

Warmed by the fire on my first night in the cottage: if this isn't idyllic, tell me what is.

To purchase your very own Backwoods Gili Doll complete with fleece sweatshirt, slippers, and a down blanket, send $19.99 through money order to This Charming Life, Secret Cabin in the Woods, New York.

Settlin'

Hello. Welcome to my new cottage. Yesterday Joseph and I were in Boston, buying a car. Then we went back to Brooklyn to pack up some of my stuff. Now we're sitting outside my cottage, listening to the birds sing and the crickets do whatever it is that crickets do. Crick?


The view of the "main" house from the cottage.


That's the artist's studio beside the cottage.




Joseph orders a pizza.

Further steps toward (EEEEEEK!) adulthood

Matt and Connie share many things with me: their friendship, their joy, and their possessions.


Last night, I conned Matt out of his prized possession: the Volvo!


I purchased his car and he threw in this lovely American flag for free; what a friend! He also gave me a stack of his most embarrassing, angsty CDs from his high school youth to help put me in the mindset for my new job.


Joe and I rocked out--if you could call it that-- to Tori Amos on our way back to New York.


Thanks, Matt! I love my new car.

Lifted

Today's schedule:

*Wake up early for breakfast at Clinton Street Baking Co. with Mom, Dad, and Joseph.
*Take a family trip to the magical Orthodox Jewish corset shop on the Lower East Side to be fitted and to make some intimate purchases.
*Drop Joseph off at work and walk the High Line with Mom and Dad.
*Stop by 192 Books with the parents before parting ways. Goodbye, Mom and Dad! Thanks for everything. I hope you are home and resting from your trip.
*Visit the UWS to meet with fabulous theater couple (not my parents) and sign lease. The deed is done.
*Back to Brooklyn for an hour of rest.
*Return to the UWS to see my dear friend, Veronica and receive another genius haircut. She refuses to allow me to sing her praises, but I wouldn't know what to do without Veronica, and that's not just because of the killer haircuts. I don't ever want to take my amazing friends for granted.

Glorious Food

New weekend activity for Joe and me: traveling to different neighborhoods and visiting their grocery stores. These pictures are from a market on Kings Highway, which was our second stop.



Our first stop was the amazing buffet and grocery store in Brighton Beach (pictured above).


Mom and I partook in Butter Lane cupcakes: a banana cupcake with American chocolate icing and a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing. Since I'm protesting Sweet Revenge, Butter Lane is now my first choice in cupcakes in New York.


I know it's a chain, but California Pizza Kitchen is my guilty pleasure. Joe and I finally ate at the one in Kipps Bay last night. The menu has a special addendum called the "Menu Adventure Guarantee." "Be adventurous—try something new! If it doesn't thrill you, we'll replace it with one of your usual favorites." That's exactly what made us feel we could branch out from the Tostada Pizza and try the Pear and Gorgonzola Pizza. We liked it enough to not send it back, but next time I'm ordering my favorite.


Joe and I stopped at the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck where he treated me to vanilla ice cream with ginger sauce and curry powder. A food adventure to try and in which I have fallen in love!

Today's food adventure:
Clinton Street Baking Company with my parents.

Important non-foodie announcement:
Tragically, David's Shoe Repair is going out of business on September 20, so hurry in for a pair of sexy, German orthopedic sandals before it's too late!

Charming Studio Cottage

Joseph and I found a perfect home.


We forgot to take pictures from the outside, but it's a perfect cottage behind a house and an artist studio.


The ad read, "Charming Studio Cottage... Fireplace, eat-in kitchen, cheap rent, private stone patio."


I fell in love with the place.


Sunlight, wood, beamed ceilings, exposed brick, a fireplace: I can't believe this is my future.


Soon I'll be country living!

Here they are, saving the day.

Not to brag, but my parents are amazing. And they're back in New York for the week, a perfectly timed vacation. We had lunch at Cafe Orlin in the East Village and caught up about all of my Turkey (mis)adventures.

At one point, my parents told me that they had looked up the hotel where we stayed in Istanbul, and my mom was brought to tears from laughing so hard (see above) by how disgusting the hotel looked on their website. It's true, the place was kind of raunchy. I suspect that it may have been one of the many places in Istanbul that was a rent-by-the-hour hotel used by prostitutes and escorts until very recently. Judging by the noises I heard at night while staying at Hotel Devran, it may still be a rent-by-the-hour hotel.

It's all in the past now. Nothing but an anecdote.

Turkey wrap

I did some more wandering on my day alone in Istanbul.


Back to the rooftop garden for one final sweeping view of the city.


My favorite corner of Pera.


If I lived in Istanbul, this might be my preferred home.


Though I never tested out the menu, I love the sign posted outside of this restaurant.


Since I missed the opening, I visited Joe's installation, Data Sonification 1 (Stock Market), which is now up and running at the Pera Museum.


It really came together for him.


All alone in the hotel room in Istanbul, I watched hours of the only channel with shows in English.


By far, the best show on was Northern Exposure.


This is the one where Maggie turns thirty and gets appendicitis while she's alone in the wilderness. Naturally, Dr. Joel saves the day.


Even in Istanbul, I was able to derive comfort from my old friends of Cicely, Alaska.


On my way home, I flew through Bucharest with one of the strictest security teams I've experienced. Love you, Veronica, but I'm not such a fan of your airport.

I'm really happy to be back in New York. Ah, home.