Prep, Party, Parade, Plans

Carnival season in New Orleans has ended, and for that, I and my liver are truly grateful.  For us, the highlight of Mardi Gras weekend is the Endymion Parade, which is the only parade that passes close to our house.  Endymion is a super-crew--that means they have a large number of floats, huge floats, celebrity grand marshalls, major bands and singers performing at their ball, and they roll during the weekend before Mardi Gras when the city has been whipped into a frenzy (especially this year...Who Dat Nation---finally a grassroots organization I can get behind..  Since we live a block from the route, our house becomes the scene of an all day event--which means days of prep before hand.  This year, out of town guests dropped by unexpectedly the day before while we were still cleaning.  Notice the cleaning supplies still on the console.

 

So, what's a host to do?   Turn the lights down low so the still-present dirt can't be seen, and pour the drinks with a ration of 1 to 1 liquor to mixer so the the guests won't remember any dirt even if they have night vision.

Besides, with a support staff like mine, who can go wrong?  Cleo, our helpful concierge sizing up the situation:

And showing our guests the hospitality the South has been long known for:

And Damien had the kitchen "situation" well under control:

Luckily, parade day was clear and sunny, if a bit chilly.Even if the bottle tree my 80 year old father made for us was the only tree left alive after this winter.  (By the way, I have to admit it took less than a week for us to fill in the foliage with empty bottles--but that's what happens when your significant other works as a wine manager.)

Finally the parade:

But I didn't let the festivities interfere with my plans for blogging domination. I'm trying to develop a strategy:  Do I crossover into mommy blogging like dooce?  But I soon realized there were a couple of flaws in that plan, not limited to  the fact that I was unlikley to gain media attention for being fired for blogging since:  a: I work for myself, and  b: the only time I was fired was in the mid 90s, and it involved (among several other things) introducing  a client's wedding heirloom ( a crystal bowl HER mother received as a wedding present)  to a tile floor.  Perhaps I could try to steal  the title of Host with the Most from Eddie Ross?  However after realizing I just greeted guests with (unused) cleaning products left out, enough visible pet hair that someone asked if we were participating in a pet cloning experiment, and matching "stemware" that matched because it was actually red plastic ups from the dollar store, I probably would not win that contest.   (In fact, the "matching stemware" included not only the red cups, some clear cups from leftover from last year, and some purple plastic cups that came in a Crown Royal gift pack---faced with drunken hoards, I asked myself what would Martha do and decided to mix materials--so festive!  so unexpected!  And luckily Mardi Gras crazed drunken hoards turn out to not be that particular about either their beverage or its container) So since I have neither children or fine china to exploit, I've settled on exploiting my pets.  I hope it worked, but somehow I don't think "furkid" blogging is really going to catch on.

There Has To Be a Morning After

This is how I feel ( and look) this morning--the day after our annual Endymion parade day long party.  I have no party pics (the hubs lost the memory card from the camera during superbowl festivities in the French Quarter), but rest assured it was as beautiful, tasteful, and elegant as the above photo suggests.  It's not a great party until a drunk girl staggers through the house screaming, "Where the Hell is my rubber chicken?" and someone passes out in the middle of the kitchen.  Good times.

Overwhelmed, Underwhelmed, and Why I Started Blogging

Now I know where I've been going wrong in my latest round of D-I-Y projects:  if I had gloves to match my shirt and a blond to bring me ice cold refreshment, maybe work would be less overwhelming, though I prefer my "light refreshment" to include rum, coke (sorry Miss Crawford, wherever you are), and a twist of lime.

I've been posting lightly lately.  It's for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, some minor medical issues, a time consuming work project, and the whirl of  family related Christmas, New Years, Super Bowl and Mardi Gras activities.  By next week, most of those issues will be resolved, and I do have some great ideas  and some photos (I wish that the photos were also great, but alas my camera skills are not yet perfected)  to share next week from my latest project, which blends the topics that really interest me:  combining traditional and modern elements, doing it yourself ( slipcovering, upholstering, painting), reworking and reimagining old furniture, and doing it all for a smallish budget.

So we've discussed the overwhelmed portion of my mindset:  the usual trifecta of work, health, and family.  What's been underwhelming me?  Blogland, the blogosphere, etc.  I don't want this to turn into a rant, especially since it would be a bit hypocritical considering my own less than earthshattering posts lately (I painted my bedroom--call Margaret Russell, I'm sure she'd be thrilled to know!!) as well as my own reasons for starting a blog, but I'm tired of cookie cutter looks likes ripping out great vintage tiled bathrooms to put in crappy home depot flooring and sheetrocked walls painted in whatever is the latest approved neutral, or covering every surface possible in Imperial trellis or Mai Chaing.  I'm tired of looking at exactly the same finishes over and over:  carrera marble, feedbag linen, dark stained floors, white kitchen cabinets.   Sidenote:  I've been professionally involved in design for over 10 years---I've seen trends come and go, and I'm always amazed how many people embrace a popular look and become convinced that this look, shown everywhere--at all retail levels and all kinds of media--is a true classic that will never become dated.  The truth is, the only look that never really becomes dated is a personal look with lots of traditional elements.  And no one may believe me, but I'll bet that most of the people gushing over the Swedish/Belgian look with feedbags and seagrass gushed over shabby chic with loose slipcovers and peeling white paint and, before that, gushed over patterned chintz, English country, and jewel tones, and will soon be gushing over something else.  I want to see individuality.  I want to see colors outside of an approved range from white to beige to cream to if-there-are-enough-shadows-and-you-squint-it-kind-of-looks-grey.  I'm in the camp of Diana Vreeland, "I’m a great believer in vulgarity- if it’s got vitality. A little bad taste is like a nice splash of paprika. We all need a splash of bad taste- it’s hearty, it’s healthy, it’s physical. I think we could use more of it. No taste is what I’m against."

And I want some discussion about design--real discussions-likes, disklikes, why you like or don't, why you think this works or not, etc.  Isn't there something between snarking and fawning?  (and by the way, I'm really sick of snarky people who show no pics of their own design skills.)

Now, I guess, comes the part where I have to be prepared to put up or shut up.  I originally started my blog after Thomas had to to forcefully drag me away from screaming at certain HGTV programs, where the "designer" had done certain things like facing the steps to a large bathtub with wood veneer or placing a white rug under the breakfast room table (for a family with three boys under the age of 10).  My original idea was to blog about how bad these designs were---in short, wallow in snarkiness.  But, honestly, negativity, snarkiness, and cynicism are not where I wanted to focus my attention.  Sure, they're fun---I've always been a fan of "If you don't have anything nice to say,.....please come sit by me," but constant negativity was putting a strain on my disposition.  So my orignal idea was to focus on the positive--what do I like, what can I do to combat bad design information.  And in that mission, I have failed--or at least underperformed.  Like most new bloggers, my first posts were rapid and vapid.  I trudged on, why I really don't know, and since then I've improved (I hope) my posts and my photos, and somehow acquired some followers.  Thank you.  So, I'm committed to either going back to my roots to post about the things I really love:  individual design, color, doing it your self, reclaiming the old, etc. while trying to ignore what everybody else is doing  or, if that doesn't happen, to closing up shop and finding a new focus. 

Thanks for indulging me and my self-indulgent fit of pique.  If you come back later (and I wouldn't blame you if you don't), I promise some pretty pics and a fun project.  Until then, "laissez le bon ton roulet."

Dear Apartment Therapy

Dear Apartment Therapy,

Please, for the love of all that is holy, no more freaking contests.  I am sick to death of all these damn contests, most of which seem to come from you.  Blogs have contributed to the death of shelter magazines, and this is what we get in return?  Instead of beautiful, glossy, hold-in-your hand photos, we get week after week of pleas to vote for me, or vote for my friend, or vote for this blog, etc., etc.  Don't worry, I'm self-aware enough to realize that a large portion of my disdain for all these contests is because of my own insignificance in the blog world.  I am a high school nerd ranting about the popular kids, while secretly longing to be one.  Even so, it's becoming annoying.

Sincerely,

Mitchell

To edit or not to edit: blogging your life

Amy Adams as Julie Powell

Editing their lives.  Is that what bloggers do?


I just finished watching the movie Julie and Julia. Several years ago, that book introduced me to blogs--or at least to the fact they existed.  I enjoyed the book, sympathisizing with Julie's unhappiness at her seemingly dead-end life and with her attempts to climb out of the doldrums.  And boy did she ever climb out.  She did it in a way that inspired the dreams of bloggers everywhere:  blog leads to media coverage leads to book deal leads to best seller leads to big budget movie starring Meryl Streep. Every blogger dreams of this: his or her musings, insights, etc. leading to fame and fortune. What does all this have to do with bloggers editing their lives? Dear Reader, I'm glad you asked. The truth is that blogging CAN lead to perks, book deals, fame, money, etc. on all sorts of level, from small to large. And like success in any other entertainment media, a measure of that success depends on the blogger's likeability; therefore,  it's tempting for a blogger to edit themselves into what amounts to a fictional character.

Julie Powell's likeability in Julie and Julia is one of the main reasons I enjoyed the book. She's a conversational writer, and most of the conversation was funny, even if some of the comedy was tinged with black. However, when the topic veered too far away from her attempts to master Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I found her sometimes whiny and annoying. One of the reasons, though, that I still liked and rooted for her in spite of that was because I liked her whole package as presented. She could be a whiny, drunken, flawed drama queen, true, but one with a swell husband, great friends, boho apartment, cool brother, and, especially, a wonderful marriage. I found the movie slow, so while watching it, I casually googled Julie's name to see what she'd been up to after achieving success. Apparently what she'd been up to was writing another memoir, but not another feel-good one about a loser who manages to win with the support of her adoring (and adored) childhood sweetheart/husband. The more recent one chronicles, among other things--many other things-- her 2 year obsessive S&M spiced affair with an ex with whom she had already cheated (the original affair predated the events in Julie and Julia and was never even hinted at in book or film) and suggests mental illness. (For truth in blogging purposes, I have not actually read the 2nd memoir, Cleaved.)

I guess I knew at the time I read the book that the Julie on the page was an edited version of the real Julie Powell, but even before I read about her affair(s), I had already realized how much the character of Julie had been edited from the book during the transition to the silver screen to make her, quite frankly, much nicer and more sympathetic. In fact, in an interview, Julie described the movie character as not being very simliar to herself---in fact as being  merely based upon her. All of this makes me wonder how much she had edited herself in the original blog. In other words, was movie Julie a photocopy of book Julie who was a photocopy of blog Julie who was a photocopy of real-life Julie--each one a slightly blurrier, less accurate version?

Let's face it--if your life intersects with your blog---it has to be edited. You may have to condense, tweek, etc. just to keep posts mercifully brief, and if you're writing a design/lifestyle blog, readers probably don't want details of your last fight with your spouse over his wandering eye.  But if part of your blog's appeal is its portrait of a happy family, should you let readers know that there is trouble in paradise?  Writing a blog is  like crafting a resume---how do you condense your life onto one page,  make it as flattering as possible,  omit the unneccssary, and still stay honest? You can be truthful without being accurate. But how much tweaking is kosher and how much tweaking is  too much?

Potential blogging rewards have increased.  Now, a successful blog with a large following, great hook, and good writing skills  can lead to fame, money, career success, etc. on a lot of levels, from reknown in the blogosphere to that distant shimmering beacon: a book deal. A blog is personal; therefore, its success depends partly on the author's ability to be likeable.  A successful blogger has to not only find a unique writing voice, but to present their personality in a way that is pleasing to the largest number  of readers. God knows bloggers can be touchy, so I'm not naming names , but many of the most successful design blogs have their author's personality, personal life, and a storyline as an integral part of their blog.  Lives are condensed like the plot of a Lifetime (television for women---and gay men) made-for-tv movie:  young couple buys fixer upper and decor hijinks begin or retired executive and beautiful blonde wife leave NYC to renovate farmhouse----oh wait, the last one is the plot of Green Acres. Because there can be real  material (if only for a handful of bloggers) rewards from a blog, it becomes tempting to spin everything...to accentuate the positive (and only the positive) and elimnate the negative--completely.   All stories can be spun in at least two ways.  Take  Gone With the Wind---Epic love story between star crossed soul mates set against the turbulence of a nation ripped apart by war or a tale of a lying narcissistic opportunist  and her partner in co-dependence whose fortune was built on the backs of the less fortunate, including slaves, convicts, her own sister, and two dead husbands?  If you include your personal life in your blog, how much spin is too much?  Should it be total honesty all the time? Does it even matter if your blog persona is artificial?

One good thing about blogging---if you can't personally resolve the issue in your own mind, you can always end it by questioning readers.  And by the way, if any one wants to offer a book deal, my schedule is open.

the real Julie Powell

Cold Comfort

Sorry for the lack of posting lately, but I've been finishing a couple of work projects left over from 2009 and trying to survive the recent cold blast. Now I know for a lot of people, temps in the 20s and low 30s aren't that cold. But I'm a Southern boy born and bred, and anything under 50 degrees makes me wrap up like a character in Dr. Zhivago heading to Siberia in the dead of winter. Thankfully, it's warmed back up to the upper 50s. However, last week looked a lot like this:

This fountain is located in our neighborhood. Thomas took the photo---the only thing that dragged my freezing behind out of bed during last week's cold snap was my duty to Cleopatra and her need for walks. Still, I've been through hard freezes before, and the fountain freezing during the night's dipping temperature wasn't that much of a surprise. However, when it still looked like this the next afternoon, I was concerned:

This cold front lasted for a week at least. Still, here in the house, we managed to stay warm. Some of us decided to go old school, and couldn't care less about using the last of Earth's precious fossil fuels to fight the cold.

Others decided to go the green, eco friendly route and use solar energy:

And finally, the most stylish among us said "Screw PETA" and embraced fur:

All joking aside, we in New Orleans are unprepared for long term cold weather. Since spring 2009, I've been coaxing the front yard (it's not really large enough to be a yard, but yard seems easier to type than "space between the sidewalk and steps) into something approaching a garden. Since I'm on a tight budget and have zero garden skills, it's been a challange. Spring 2009:

This summer:

Prepared for the worst:

Unfortunately, the worst came, and even with protection, I did lose a lot of plants. But at least the kitties made it through intact.

Bedroom Redo: Mini-update

One more step to finishing the bedroom room (and for all of those who mocked my Dec. 20th deadline---You were right, you told me so----I hope you all got coal in your stockings) was finding an inexpensive duvet cover for the ugly Big Lots poly blend gypsy horror I was using. It was an emergency purchase a couple of years ago when we had a family of four coming to visit for mardi gras and were still in our small apartment waiting for the house to be finished and didn't have enough bedding, especially since we were "enjoying" a cold spell. I never liked them, especially after I spilled paint all over one of them in my then studio/guest room. (I just realized it sounded like I was talking about the guests not the comforters! I actually liked the guests, and have never spilled paint on any guest......wine perhaps, maybe chili, but never paint.) I had stored the comforters when we moved in this house, but after Thomas's twin moved in with us, I had to consolidate storage and the only place to store it was on the bed! Actually, it wasn't horrible--at least the unstained reverse was a solid burgundy that somewhat went with the scheme. And I learned to like sleeping euro style--with just a duvet and bottom sheet. However, the poly blend fabric was itchy, and it was a pain to drag that huge thing to and from the laundry room.



Before: notice the bedding carefully turned to the reverse and folded to be as inconspicous as possible:g

This photo is just a shameless excuse to show off the cutest, sweetest dog in existence (except yours, I'm sure):

After: It took a while to find an inexpensive duvet cover that wasn't equally as unpleasant as the comforter fabric. I didn't want to spend more than $50 because it will be subjected to a lot of dog/cat laying as well as frequent laundering. I finally found an all cotton, 200+ thread count set in bone on Overstock.com for $39 with free shipping. Woohoo. Take that Santa, I was a good boy this year after all.

It's a decent value for the price. It's not incredible quality--for instance, it's pieced and the placket is not a hidden one, but the fabric feels good, and it's a bargain for the price. Now, I really have a bed that I feel like cuddling up in, and with below freezing temps predicted for the rest of the week, (here, in New Orleans! Global warming where are you when I need you!), that's a good thing. Now all I have to do is to back and quilt the vintage fabric into a throw ala the thin quilts of Provence, (Please don't hold your breath for this to happen...I'd hate to be responsible for your asphyxciation.)

Forgive the unstyled picture, but I actually like a slightly made, but rumpled bed. And if you, like me, like reading the titles of books you see in interior photos, I'll list them for you:

Thom Filicia's design book, The Art of Happiness by the Dali Lama, The Grandy Sophie by Georgette Heyer, and the best....Princess Luciana Pignatelli's 1971 beauty how to bible, The Beautiful People's Beauty Book.