Sweet Blog O'Mine

Author: Laren

  • Monday, Monday*

    GenevieveRecovering from a weekend in DC — I went down for the annual Pro Bono Institute conference.  I had a great time schmoozing and boozing with my Cljfellow pro bono cronies.  Thanks to Carrie, Ian, and Genevieve (the peanut on the left) for hosting cocktails in their room, and thanks to Rochelle for going to the Supreme Court with me (even though we were dreadfully late).  Got to spend time with Christopher (pictured at right), which was lovely, and also was fortunate enough to get some time in with Ryan, who took us to the Curry Club, where we got to chat with the owner.  Saturday was an uBriantterly lazy day, although we did manage to make it to the gym, but the evening wCaitlinas more lively, when Brian (on the left) and Caitlin (on the right) joined us for dinner at Kaz Sushi Bistro for some utterly sublime toro, and then on to 51st State (for the third night in a row) for waaaay too many cocktails.  Thankfully we were able to recover over brunch.  Extra thanks to Brian for schlepping in from Charlottesville and to Christopher for the hospitality.

    Today was job hunting, followed by a quick workout and then meeting my oldest (not in age, but in number of years we’ve known each other) friend Ali at Otto (not pictured — believe it or not I left my camera home that night and my cameraphone certainly wouldn’t have done her justice).  My fridge is full of good food from Fresh Direct, so I’m good to go for the week.  The coffeemaker is loaded and ready to brew at 8:30 a.m.  And now — bedtime.  I’m pooped.

    * Yes, the brain may be fried at the moment, so that’s all I could think of, but I’ve always loved that song.

  • Six Degrees of Laren

    No goat cheese

    Some folks think that I know everybody, and I’ll admit, I do know quite a large number of people. I also try to do my best to keep in touch with people I’ve met over the years, even if it’s not as frequently as I’d prefer. This fall, when I went out to the beach house in Kismet, my friend Katie and I somehow realized that we both knew Ben — she through her parents and I through working with him at Anderson Kill. The other night, we finally pulled the three of us together, along with Ben’s girlfriend Lillian, who currently works there. I hadn’t seen Ben in a number of years, and it was great to catch up and to meet Lillian, who shares my dislike for goat cheese. I took them to Otto (of course), and Bill was kind enough to point out the goat cheese on our cheese plate so that we wouldn’t stumble across it by mistake (thanks, Bill!). I’m looking forward to hanging out with them again — hopefully it’ll only take weeks rather than years this time.

  • My Life, As Highlighted Through the Google Searches That Bring People Here

    • one time at band camp
    • crazy shit
    • tipping doormen
    • sweet boobies
    • sweet booty
    • sweet emails
    • sweet love letters
    • committment-phobic men

    Yep.  That about sums it up.

  • So Hard to Choose

    I’m really not sure which I enjoy more: being told how perfect I am for a job and then not being able to get it due to the dinosaur-like progress and politics in law firms or being told what a good catch I am yet remaining perpetually single.  Okay — it’s a toss up between those two and PMS.  Close call.

  • Weekend Wrapup

    Dens_1In a nutshell: Friday, drinks with MT to show off my lawyer costume (which I wear somewhat infrequently), a party in honor of a blogger who recently passed away (where I met some lovely new folks), then on to Andrew‘s birthday party, where I saw many familiar and friendly faces, like Dens, Youngna, Krucoff, and Erin (from my wine club society).  Don’t let Dens’ scowl fool you — he’s quite nice in person.

    Mattandromy2_2Saturday, the Duckathlon (more on that later in Gothamist Food — it was an absolute blast!), a brief nap, then on to Matt’s pajama party.   Today, recovery and a much needed trip to the gym. 

    And by the way, Erika and Jeremy’s wedding is in today’s NYT, and it even includes a quote from yours truly (thanks, Jennie!). 

    For those of you I met at Matt’s party who might be looking for more pictures, you can find them all here.

  • The Plague, Take Seventy-Four

    Believe it or not, I had to leave work early yesterday.  Was having one of those days where I had to be within arm’s reach of a box of tissues, and I think I was grossing out my co-workers.  As my nose got redder, and I got more and more tired and headache-y, I finally decided that I might as well go home, don the red flannel pj’s yet again, dose up on Airborne, and sack out on the couch, which I did.  After a nap and about 10 hours of sleep on top of that, I’m feeling better, although I’m still blowing my nose a bit.  Thank God for Puffs with lotion.

    I don’t think I’ve even been sick this much in such a short period of time — not sure what’s going on really (stress? not enough sleep this weekend?), but once again, I’m taking it as a cue to slow down a bit.  I may just stay in tonight, especially since I have to compete in the Duckathlon tomorrow with Augie, Rob, and Lauren and I have to be in peak condition so we can kick some serious ass!

  • The “Society” Wedding

    Me and ErikaSometimes it’s a little bittersweet when a very close friend gets married.  There’s a lingering fear in the back of your mind that they’re going to disappear, that you won’t see them quite as much.  Erika, my closest friend from law school (we were even roommates for a year), got married on Sunday, and although the fear I mentioned is in the back of my mind, at the very least it’s in the waaay back, hidden behind a great deal of clutter and 80’s song lyrics.  I don’t think I’ve seen Erika any less since she started dating Jeremy three years ago, and I’ve gotten to know him as well.  They’re truly happy together, and above all else, that makes me happy.

    TrioTheir wedding was a blast.  I’ve known Erika for about ten years now (gulp), and so I’ve gotten to know her friends and family over the years.  There were mutual friends from law school I got to catch up with, a great band for dancing (they even played the Clash), excellent food, and even a friend of Jeremy’s who I had gone on a few dates with several years ago (yes, he’s still cute (and possibly reading this, so I should probably shut up before I embarrass myself)).  And I was a bridesmaid — Erika was kind enough to save me from typical bridesmaid dress hideousness and give me an elegant, black, cleavage-enhancing number that I will definitely wear again (and by the way, in case you were wondering how the booty-busting went, although I did manage to bust off a bit of the booty, I am currently madly in love with my tailor).  The best coincidence of the evening, however, was the fact that not only were Erika and Jeremy selected to be the featured wedding in next Sunday’s New York Times, (Erika and Jeremy, who are not the "high society" types frequently featured, seem to be a little puzzled about how they got selected) but that the reporter covering the wedding was my friend Jennie Tung from the Amalgamates, so I got to hang out with her as well!  I’m looking forward to reading all about it this weekend.

    Congratulations Erika and Jeremy!  Hope you’re enjoying your honeymoon (they’re in New Zealand, so if you have any must see/must do ideas for them, shoot me a note — they’re a little behind on the planning; sort of a "figure it out as they go" kind of honeymoon).

  • Feelin’ Saffron

    Gates7

    Gates4

    Gates5

    See more of my Gates photos (actually, some were taken by the lovely Ms. Katie) at Flickr.

  • The Gates



    I finally went and saw the Gates yesterday. More pictures to come. I even took my "old fashioned" camera with me!  Thanks to John B. for organizing.

  • So I’m a Stalker. Big Whoop.

    Last night, I had a few of my fellow Gothamist Foodies over, so on my way home, I stopped at the Whole Foods in Chelsea for some nibbles.  I’m walking around, doing my thing, and I notice this woman who looks familiar.  It took a second, and then I thought to myself — that’s Smitten!  We’ve commented on each other’s blogs, and I knew she lived or worked near that Whole Foods from one of her comments, we’ve emailed with each other a bit about a friend of mine who’s a wedding photographer, and we’re on each other’s link lists.  I realized suddenly that I couldn’t very well call her "Smitten," and it took me a bit of brain-searching to dig for her real name. Hmm . . . . Ah.  Got it.   

    "Excuse me," I said tentatively, "but is your name Deb?" 
    "Yes," she replied. 
    "I’m Laren." 
    "I know who you are!" she smiled. 
    "And I know who you are!" 

    We chatted for a while, then went our separate ways.

    I always enjoy meeting people from my blogosphere in real life, however briefly.  And encounters like that just show how small New York really is — the more people I meet, the smaller it gets, and I kinda like that sometimes.