the advantages of books over e-readers.

when you drop a book, it doesn't crack. it never runs low on battery power or gets stolen, and your child doesn't constantly ask for it so he can play "angry birds."

books give you a reason to spend more time at the library ...

... and the last time i checked, digital downloads aren't usually free. just sayin.'

when you spill tea on a book, it's no big deal. no need to panic.

and books stand up well to cappuccino foam.

books look handsome lined on your bookshelves ...

and stacked on your nightstand.

and you don't have to power down a book when the airplane is taking off or landing. books are handy like that.

you could fall asleep hugging your e-reader, but it wouldn't be the same.

best of all, books look nothing like an office computer screen.

do you love books too? tell me why!

bits of my weekend vol. 76: nyc part five.

photo courtesy of entertaining eats

saturday night was our last huzzah.

twinnie and i had already traveled from midtown to harlem and back again, and now it was time to make our way south to brooklyn to meet up with some cool people at roberta's pizza in bushwick.

the joint came highly recommended.

but as we rode past abandoned warehouses and scary looking bodegas, i sincerely believed the cabbie was driving us off somewhere to kill us.

and then ... we arrived.

it took us two hours to get a table, but it was worth it. while we waited, we sipped on hot cider in an outdoor tent heated by a wood fire pit.

i got to meet marcus, a gender studies graduate student, casey, a published author and world traveler, her husband steven, an illustrator, deborah, the head of applied brilliance (a ted-like conference) and her smart and clever son Max (a brooklyn resident).

all from different walks of life, but we talked like we'd known each other for years. such fun.

and the pizza lived up to the hype, and made the scary drive worth it.

here's to new friends!

and here's to going home and reliving the memories!

bits of my weekend vol. 76: nyc part four.

and now for the event that drew me to nyc in the first place: the rolex arts weekend at the new york city public library.

the weekend was packed with a series of performances, readings and discussions featuring the artists selected for the rolex mentor and protege arts initiative.

what a fantastic idea, to match up deserving artists, writers, filmmakers, and the like with established professionals in their field. together they learn, share ideas and create amazing new projects.

and the event is held at the most amazing place ever, the new york public library!

my keen interest was in annmarie jacir, a filmmaker from palestine.

she was paired with danny glover, who produced her first film salt of this sea and her upcoming release "when i saw you." (through her production company Philistine Films)

her other mentor was zhang yimou, the renowned director of raise the red lantern, curse of the golden flower, and other heart-stoppingly beautiful chinese films.

unfortunately yimou wasn't able to be at the rolex event, but it was thrilling hearing all about their collaboration. afterward we got to meet the panelists and the moderator, peter scarlet, executive director of the abu dhabi film festival.

the entire conference was outstanding, and i hope to go again next year.

i was surprised about how inspiring it was to hear danny glover speak.

when i think of him, i think of his role in the royal tennenbaums, a quirky offbeat film. i never knew he had such a passion for telling stories through independent and foreign language films.

and annmarie jacir - how i wanted to spend more time with her. to hear her story and to better understand the plight of her people.

that's what so many foreign language films do, they break down barriers and open hearts and that's why i love them.

lego lions at the library!

i'll wrap up my nyc trip tomorrow, my lovelies. until then, peace and love.
xoxo

bits of my weekend vol. 76: nyc part three.

saturday was a day of food and film, taxis and trains and pure inspiration. where do i begin?

brunch at the red rooster in harlem was a revelation.

i met up with twinnie and her cousin by marriage, tracey kemble.

tracey oversees the foundation for red rooster's chef, marcus samuelsson, as well as being a tv and film producer in nyc.

she is kind, generous, loving and simply glows. what a lovely, lovely woman.

and the food, the food!

we had a feast!

rooster scrambled eggs with tomatoes and mozzarella ...

cinnamon raisin french toast - unbelievably moist and sweet - with nutella whip and fresh berries ...

the lenox smorgasbord, with gravlox, smoked trout and country ham ...

... and biscuits with red-eye gravy.

marcus' twist on traditional soul food is simply inspired.

photo courtesy marcussamuelsson.com

here's marcus.

we weren't able to see him because he was in miami over the weekend.

but we can always catch him on the next iron chef on food network.

photo courtesy marcussamuelsson.com

here's the rooster's fantastic manager, peter. what a gem. he took great care of us.

we talked for more than two hours over amazing food and fantastic coffee.

i never wanted to leave.

but the day held many more adventures and so we got on the subway and headed back to midtown. the rest will have to wait until tomorrow, my lovelies.

xoxo

Bits of my weekend vol. 76: nyc part one.

as you probably guessed by now, i spent the the weekend in glorious nyc.

and only in nyc would you see something like this: a gorgeous bride hailing a cab.

and me being a tourist, i had no shame about photographing the moment for all of you.

stay tuned for photos of my adventures later today and throughout the week. (yes, i'm going to be in a new york state of mind for a while!)

ps as wonderful as my trip was, i am glad to be home in beautiful nashville, my lovelies. while i was gone my boy learned to roller blade. pictures to come. xoxo

new york in a bag

my twinnie is going to be in new york next week and i've gone back and forth on trying to meet her there.

looks like i'm going to opt for just staying here in music city, but oh, how i long for the cool, crisp, noisy streets of new york in fall.

i saw this muji wooden toy set of classic new york structures today at oh happy day and i just might have to get it for my desk at work. it's too pretty to take home and throw into a toy box.

muji also has sets of paris, london and tokyo.