FOR ASHLEY AND HER UNMADE BED

OLD FIELD FARM

Today I have been singing Stevie Wonder Livin' for the City... It's shocking sometimes when I think that my life in New York is easy. Thank goodness for magical escapes like Old Field Farm where my friend Tess tends to the pigs, bees and plants.

CREATIONS, SPRING 2012

I've always been selective about dishes and things for the table and kitchen. Giovanna attuned my attention more particularly towards ceramic work through her awesome collections of used finds at Una. Of course ceramics is very en vogue now, but I can't recommend it enough. Most art making for me is highly cerebral and often exhausting, so the process of getting a little physical release while making an object is extraordinary.

THE VISITATION

Bethany Ides in her recent performance "The Visitation" at Long Island City's new Fragmental Museum. Costume by me, photos by Matt.

TEN DAYS TILL SUMMER IN NYC CAN BEGIN. GET YOUR WAX ON.

ARIANNA

I am super exhausted with the internet these days. Too much email, too many sites to keep up on, too much information. I have felt unable to contribute in this forum as a result - like what to even say? And where to find the time? The past few months have felt very busy. Prune leaves me exhausted, as jobs tend to leave people, and I have been trying to pursue activities. I have been taking ceramics since October, just started weaving with Annie Larson, finally doing yoga here regularly without a fight and finding some time for fun. Lauren, Nialls and I are taking a wine test in April so we have started wine tasting/study nights. Last Sunday we were spoiled and drank Radikon and Occhipinti - two incredible natural Italian producers we love and Lauren and Nialls are lucky enough to have met. So it was a total treat to see - online! - and I imagine in print this Sunday in the first T-Magazine of the year (hooray) Arianna Occhipinti shot by the Selby.

What a nice little feature and a nice reminder that we've doing something right in this crazy NYC balance. Her Frappato is liable to ruin you for life, just a warning.

NEW YEAR'S RULIN'S - WOODY GUTHRIE 1. WORK MORE AND BETTER 2. WORK BY A SCHEDULE 3. WASH TEETH IF ANY 4. SHAVE 5. TAKE BATH 6. EAT GOOD - FRUIT - VEGETABLES - MILK 7. DRINK VERY SCANT IF ANY 8. WRITE A SONG A DAY 9. WEAR CLEAN CLOTHES - LOOK GOOD 10. SHINE SHOES 11. CHANGE SOCKS 12. CHANGE BED CLOTHES OFTEN 13. READ LOTS GOOD BOOKS 14. LISTEN TO RADIO A LOT 15. LEARN PEOPLE BETTER 16. KEEP RANCHO CLEAN 17. DON’T GET LONESOME 18. STAY GLAD 19. KEEP HOPING MACHINE RUNNING 20. DREAM GOOD 21. BANK ALL EXTRA MONEY 22. SAVE DOUGH 23. HAVE COMPANY BUT DON’T WASTE TIME 24. SEND MARY AND KIDS MONEY 25. PLAY AND SING GOOD 26. DANCE BETTER 27. HELP WIN WAR - BEAT FASCISM 28. LOVE MAMA 29. LOVE PAPA 30. LOVE PETE 31. LOVE EVERYBODY 32. MAKE UP YOUR MIND 33. WAKE UP AND FIGHT

SAM / ALISON HAUS

I've never been an anxious party thrower, and so have held many gatherings both formal and impromptu over the years. With the exception of a handful of friends, however, nobody had been to my current apartment before this Christmas. Matt and I are stuff people, we own lots and lots and lots of little things... like rocks, and books, and dishes, and sea shells, and shoes, and little bits of paper that we think are special... Our apartment came with very minimal storage and no area compartmentalization, so for a year I felt burdened by the sight of all that stuff all at once and couldn't handle guests. In the last few weeks we made a great show of effort in getting our space functional for the holiday, which was totally worth it but exhausting. Today I have not gotten out of bed, and have read, in anticipation of all the future parties I will now have, and reflective of my holiday gifts to myself and from others: Canal House Cooking, Kinfolk, six back issues of the Diner Journal, and Harumi's "Your Japanese Kitchen." A good holiday to me is spending the day cooking and eating with friends and family, and hopefully drinking something delicious (and possibly expensive), and I am lucky that the season so far has allowed this. I will ring in the New Year, thusly, at work. These photos are from Thanksgiving at Sam and Alison's in Chicago, where Virginia brought the tenderest Japanese turnips, French breakfast radishes, an abundance of greens and alliums from her farm in Cleveland and we ate the freshest turkey I've even tasted.

XMAS EVE PREP

At this time we were all drinking Ronnybrook Egg Nog and Germain-Robin with freshly grated nutmeg and eating enough terrine and pate to get gout.

Fish plates (!) and festive decorations.

THANKS SANTA

Just kidding. We puppysat that little poodle, Ollie, for three days though and what a present he was! My mom also took a hint and got me the below mentioned Tanya Aguiniga necklace, which I have worn three of the past four days, has more knots than in the photo, and came packaged like this:

Sort of like a bunch of sweetbreads tied together. More of Ollie!

I love a rope. I have been known to take a rope off the beach, out of an abandoned factory and off a Jambon Serrano and tie it around me. Now I want this handmade one, by Tanya Aguiniga, at Sight Unseen.

sunny days

nyc feels like portland in winter right now. not cold, but cold, overcast, drizzly, everyone has a cold. i'm longing for the california trip i took last month.

top to bottom: at the colony club in palm springs, outside tartine with and by the lovely renee of montmarte and anaise, the general store in sf, iko iko, vivier and bentley, coho at a wine tasting, the eames house(!), the fremont diner with margaret (and dan and matt).