Bad Banana

February 28th

Um, I didn't take a photo today. I suck.

Since I plugged my most recent reading exploits in the last post, I want extend the favor to my current music obsession, Beirut. Thanks to a tip by Doug at An Album A Day (Dude, update your site!) I've been happily swaying along to the gorgeous ensemble sound of the Flying Cup Club. This album sounds like the Canadian Brass, the Amelie soundtrack, and Jeff Buckley made a love child.

You can click on this link to see all the videos from that album (start with #7) but here is one to wet your appetite.

365 Gets Annoying

February 27th

Guess what? I left the dang camera battery on the charger at work AGAIN! No photo for you!

In any case, I'm sure most of you don't pay attention to the the links on the right about books I'm currently reading, but that is most likely because I like fantasy fiction trash. (Yes PJ, you are correct.) However, a few weeks back I finished reading this book:

Since I've been feeling pretty burnt out with my photo thesis, I just wanted to take this opportunity to give A.J. Jacobs a big thumbs up on his ambitious second 365 project. It takes a lot of time and energy to write this blog, let alone a witty entertaining novel. I sincerely hope that some smart movie producer realizes that this book and his previous novel, The Know It All, would make really cute fun movies, similar to what is happening with Julie and Julia.

Blarg

February 26th

So my camera has been having issues and I tried to remedy it by fully charging the battery. Too bad I left the battery sitting on the charger in my office and was unable to take a photo. This evening, I went to a networking event and then played some trivia at a bar, so there was nothing really photo worthy. Just to keep things interesting, here is a photo I took from the train on my way to work this summer.

I Miss Warm Weather

February 25th

As much as I've been excited about the recent snow, I've reached that point in winter when I'm just ready for it to be warm. It was freezing outside today and walking to work was a bitch.
While these are not photos I took exactly today, I thought it was a good way of expressing "my butt-is-frozen-wish-it-was-spring" sentiment.

Red Carpet Action

February 24th

Every year Emily hosts a pajama party at our apartment for the Oscars. She has prizes for trivia, Oscar bingo, and a best ballot competition. This year the weather and illness kept most of our usual guests away, but that did not stop us from rolling out the "red carpet" in our beautiful Brooklyn hallway.

The first guest to arrive sported her dashing new black winter coat purchased with her employee discount at Macy's.

New to the Oscar party, Jen, donned her new burgandy knit cap purchased at a Brooklyn flea market earlier that day.

I chose a vintage look of old jeans, ripped t-shirt, mom's old cardigan sweater, and no make-up. (a la Tilda Swinton)

While the airlines did their best to keep her away from her beloved event, Emily did eventually arrive sporting casual and comfortable travel duds. She also remembered her red sneaks to emphasize the dirt and fading of our carpet!

Non-impulse Cut

February 23rd

Unlike the last time I got my hair cut, today I splurged some tax return money on a fancy pants salon visit. My hair is fairly curly but I've never met a hairdresser that knows what to do with that until today. I went to Ouidad which only cuts curly hair! While I don't think the cut is anything super amazing, it was a real pleasure to have someone style my hair curly correctly. The salon even gave me a book with written instructions on how to use their products and a diffuser to achieve the best in curly locks.

On a side note, this photo made me realize how unsymmetrical my features are. One eye is decidedly bigger than the other, I have a dimple on one cheek only, and my front teeth are totally different. Bummer.

Snow Snow Snow Snow

February 22nd

I awoke to a winter wonderland and shit, I did not want to go into a stuffy windowless basement office on a Friday. I just wanted to play around in the storm with my camera. Hell, I took over thirty shots just getting from Brooklyn to work.

Here are some of the better ones in order from outside my front door up to my 11am meeting on the 5th floor of the museum.

Jim Bianco

February 21st

Tonight I went to see Jim Bianco at Luna Lounge in Williamsburg. I love small venues during the week. While I feel bad for the performers, it's always nice to get up close and personal for just $10. Hell, we even had pizza sitting next to the bass and piano player at this really bizarre pizza place across the street, called Vinny Vella's. (If you don't know who he is, you will after 10 seconds of sitting in his pizza joint. )

Jim has a song called I've Got A Thing For You that he says is about stalking someone. He asked the lighting guy to create a mood. It was pretty on the money, right?

My favorite part of the show was when he unplugged and sang right next to us the title track on his soon to be released new album, Sing. Be sure to check it out this March.

I messed around with some of the features on Photoshop and I rather like this Ah Ha version of Jim.

Beet Red

February 20th

I popped in for some delicious green curry shrimp at my local favorite Thai fusion restaurant, Beet. Since the place was virtually empty this Wednesday night, I was left to ponder Buddha while I waited for my take out.

No More Party Party

February 19th

Ugh, I'm back to work and reality. This means no new photos to share besides those I took inside an empty gallery in the museum for the upcoming website launch. Total snooze fest.

Real World Pocanos, The Next Day

February 18th

Dear Presidents Washington and Lincoln,

Thank you for being born so I might have a holiday from work to recover from celebrating birthdays. Any chance I could get Tuesday as well?

Sincerely,
Miss Banana

(6am, desperate for water and taking hung over photos of the fog out the window)

Real World Pocanos, Day 3

February 17th

Fact: Over 100 photos were taken this day and this is ONLY one I could post in good conscious.

Real World Pocanos, Day 2

February 16th

After a night of drinking, we finally made it outdoors in the late afternoon for some winter activities. A few brave souls went skiing and the rest of us non-athletes went snow shoeing.

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed walking around in the woods in the cold. It was something of a challenge to get used to the stupid shoes, but it was also a hoot. I started making a list of winter activities I've never done and want to try in the next few years. Top of the list, dog sledding.

Also, the backdrop made for some nice artsy fartsy photos.

Since we basically all agreed none of the photos from the weekend should be released to the general public, I'll just post this benign photo of the birthday kids.

And this shot of a happy Ralphie making sweet sweet love to my carrot cake. This one totally topped the practice cake I made for Kickball Cowboy.

Real World Pocanos, Day 1

February 15th

Over President's Day weekend a whole bunch of us celebrated five birthdays out of the city at a ski lodge. This is the story of 15 friends, picked to stay in a ski lodge, to see what happens when people begin binge drinking, and start being assholes. The Real World. Pocanos.

February 15th

Oldest and Sweetest

February 14th

I am very much against Singles Awareness Day. However, a card in the mail from Gram (with $20 inside) saying, "Thinking of you brings memories of the little girl you once were. You were loved a lot then but you're loved even more today" and a package from my favorite little man, Trevor made the day quite lovely. It was also nice to gorge myself for $15 on Vietnamese food with some of my oldest friends, Kwaku and Dita. Thanks you guys.

Opportunists

February 13th

You can buy lots of things in or on the subway including churros, batteries, crappy DVD's from China, or M&M's. Building on the commercial desires of Valentine's Day, the vendors displayed a new crop of junk today.

I don't know about you, but I would be pissed if my imaginary sweetheart got me something from a rat infested subway platform. However, if they bought THIS bear, I'd be ok with it.

Magical

February 12th

Finally. Snow. Call me alarmist, but I've been worried that I had barely seen a flurry all winter. It was nice seeing big fat tissue sized flakes stick.

Also, the view from the Director's office, looks even better with a white blanket contrast.

This is now in my top five favorite photos taken since the beginning of this project. I will be getting this framed in July as a 31st birthday gift to myself. Blogger tends to crop my photos and compress the quality, so be sure to check out this photo here on my Flickr account.

Animatronic Polar Bear Store

February 11th

Since Al Gore's sad cartoon in An Inconvenient Truth polar bears are very happening. However, this store has taken things to a whole new level. I wasn't sure what it sold back in October, but I'm even more confused now.

You can't tell from the stills (there wasn't enough battery left for a time lapse), but not only were these bears wearing jaunty little caps and bow ties, but they were moving! If you are ever in the market for an animatronic polar bear or an antler chandelier, this is apparently the store for you!

Brooklyn Backyard

February 10th

Chose Your Own Adventure

February 9th

Sometimes when I review photos I've captured in the course of a blog focused day I think to myself, "How the hell am I going explain this"? Today I've decided to let y'all create your own story based on the snapshots from a day in the life of Miss Banana.

PS - Happy birthday, Rocco!