In a Pinch

It's official I did miss my calling:  throwing outfits together in a minute or less has been confirmed as one of my gifts. Who knew? Suffice it to say, as I'm pretty sure I say every weekend, the weekend went by far too quickly.  It's as though the clock speeds up as soon as Friday afternoon hits.  Apparently peoples' brains fall out of their heads at record speed on Sunday nights as well.  The ding-a-ling neighbors took it upon themselves to get in a screaming match with another neighbor who kindly asked them to move their hanging-in-the-alley-inconsiderately-and-horribly-parallel-parked-vehicles so that the other person could get out of their garage.

Response:  We pay for this space so it's not our problem.  

Are you for real?  

Honestly my heart (and ears) just bled.  How on earth can you be so nasty to someone you have clearly wronged and are completely inconveniencing?  Truth be told I'm still baffled sitting here thinking about it.  I don't know how it all played out in the end, but I don't think it was pleasant.  This is not Beverly Hills so they had seriously better wise up.  People don't play down here.  You might get away with a little childish writing on someone's car in West LA, but not in my neighborhood. Word

Anyway.  There's a little neighbor update for ya. It's been quiet on that front because a. I'm trying to avoid them and b. My activities have ranged from exhausted and hanging off the couch to exhausted and racing out the door.  Carrie needs a break (preferably not a breakdown thank you very much).

Back to the outfit.  I guess we're going to start calling the outfit portion of this blog "Beat the Clock" or "How Many Different Ways Can You Try Not to Kill Yourself While Trying to Pull Yourself Together In Under 5 Minutes In Order to Get a Quick Picture".  Queen of the run on sentences in the house! On Saturday afternoon I had 752 errands to run when the Chef dropped the bomb that he had a limited window to take the picture.  Welp, here's to killing 752 birds with one big a** stone -- Carrie live and comin' at you from outside the water brewery.  Exciting times here at the bird. yawwwwn

 This thing is gold.  No planning, no nothing. Pure gold.

So many of my favorite things all in one--the makings of the best outfits, right?

Zara-Blazer, James Perse-Tanks, Belt-Flea Market Find, Shorts-Current/Elliott, 

Foley+Corinna-Mid-City Tote (four years old and still an all time fave), 

Motif 56, PANYC & Bhati Beads-Bracelets, Melinda Maria and MarcxMarc-Rings

Uh-oh stray hair at one o'clock (I'm really loving this o'clock thing of late--as I'm sure you've noticed).

Unbeknownst to me I walked around with that hair sticking out for 12 hours.

No worries though--the shoes stole the show. Show stoppers is more like it.

These Sophie Theallet for Nine West's continue to get mad play.   

I think I sent a stampede over there on Saturday.

Woman ponders deep hidden mystery:  

"Where did all my wonderful neighbors go and how can I find a way to lure them back?"

And now I bid you a good Monday.  Tomorrow I will dish on how the downstairs neighbors came home at 3am on Sunday and were so thoughtful to give me an early wake up call by running up and down the wood floors so hard I could hear them upstairs. Ahhhhhh.  The good life.  Is it too early to ask for a cocktail?

Feng Shui--Ya Habibi for the Closets

I have to say I think there's some validity to Feng Shui.  Now don't get all, 'of COURSE there is' on me--I get it.  I really do (as much of it as I understand anyway).  I know it's more than just my mildly OCD brain craving order because even when I can't see the chaos I can actually feel it in my brain no matter where in the room or space I'm standing.  Weird, right?  Or maybe not.

Take for instance the storage closet in my laundry room.  Even though I didn't unpack the items that went into it, somehow I just knew it wasn't in order every time I walked by.  Miss Cleo at 3 o'clock.  Sure enough--2 months after moving into my place--last Saturday I got a bee in my bonnet (always wanted to use that because it's so Ma and Pa Ingalls) to get some things in order.  Confession?:  the place is mostly in disarray.  Due to work, blogging and wanting to get fresh air who has time to truly unpack and organize?  Not me.  And it's been messing with my head.  I can't think clearly, I feel unsettled, and frankly it makes me confused and somewhat tired a lot of the time even if I'm in the rooms that are in order.

It doesn't help matters much when I step outside every day to this.  In fact I can see it off the kitchen:

I know what you're saying to yourself:  what the h*ll is she doing?

Oh it's not me.  It's the landlord.  His painters were supposed to be here 3 weeks ago to finish painting.

Instead they showed up on Saturday at 8am, ripped a bunch of wood off and left.

Today he told me he's not sure when they'll be back.  Um, okay.  

Pardon me while I spend all summer trying to avoid plunging to my death via that gaping hole.

See what I mean?  Messes with my head.  

Rather than continuing to try to nap it out, I've decided to tackle one small area of disarray at a time...

beginning with that laundry storage closet.  

Let us begin with a simple question.  Who does this?

I'll tell you who:  the Chef--he can organize a kitchen like no other.  

My storage closet, however, not so much.  This top area is next to the 12 foot ceiling. 

To begin:  I'm 5'3''.  I need to seeeee the grocery bags in order to remember to take them.

It also helps if they're not balled up and indistinguishable.  Just a thought.

Upon removing said balled up bags I discovered 800 other bags within them. 

756 Martin+Osa bags from the good old days (RIP), 1 FEED Bag, 1 random burlap bag, 

1 cat print bag (score!) and 1 Whole Foods bag...tag still on.  Effective.

Post organization...I even feel better looking at it. (disregard laundry on your left)

I know what you're thinking:  it's still a hot mess up top, but I swear it's not.

Very top is next to ceiling and contains party favors and paint supplies aka rarely used.

Next shelf: reusable bags, awesome old school Banana Republic Potpourri and electrical stuff.

Third:  cleaning supplies I can reach just above my head--no ladder.

In organization frenzy 2011 I got caught up and didn't get a picture of the lower shelves in disarray, but here they are all cleaned out.  They're what the bag door closes onto:

Glorious isn't it?  

Are you still with me or have you checked out into the zzzzzz zone?

All you mild to moderate OCD'ers give a shout out--I know you're out there!!  Hello?

This however?  NOT GLORIOUS.  

All heading to the trash except the lighter fluid and odd paint supply.  

After that it's home freeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Seriously though--I wanted to sleep in this room so many times this week.  I felt peaceful and calm in there simply because it is organized.  I know you think I've lost it:  where's the clothes lady?  Where's the fashion?  One of my old bosses in retail used to drag us into the backroom and ream us if it was unorganized.  He always said he could tell how efficiently a store was running by the condition of the stockroom.  'If the backroom is a mess, the sales floor is a mess--even if it looks good on the outside it's just a cover for the truth.' And he was right.  It's a philosophy I've carried with me ever since.  If my closets aren't clean, my rooms aren't organized.  Similarly, if my interior life--my heart and spirit aren't at peace--what I'm presenting externally, even if it appears put together, is only masking internal chaos that is wreaking havoc throughout my life.  Truth, right?

So there's my armchair psychology for today.  I'm going to try to put it to good use when I watch The Real Housewives of New York tonight (did you get my ya habibi reference in the title?!) and when I move onto phase two of closet clean out 2011 on Saturday. May the cleaning fairies be with me.  

Have a great weekend everyone!  Remind me next week to tell you what the Chef found shoved down the drain at the restaurant today.  Niiiiiiiiiice.

Bruxie: Home of the Magic Waffle Sandwich

Confession:  I fell off the gluten-free wagon and ate a waffle sandwich on Sunday night.  Okay fine! I ate two of them.  In total I ate three in two weeks.

I want to eat more of them.  Like every single day.  But I can't because I'm not supposed to be eating gluten.  I couldn't help it!! It's all my friend Jon's fault.  We've been friends for 10 years so he has influence on me.  He moved to Arizona.  He came back for the long weekend and twisted my arm (okay not even a little but what-ever) into going to this place called Bruxie in Old Towne Orange.

What is a Bruxie you ask?  A definition for you fine people:

 In laymen's terms: It is the place where magic waffle sandwiches aka 'Bruxies' are made.  

Ohhh maaaaaan. The first time I had the Cheesy Bruxie. It was off the chain--Tillamook cheddar, gruyere cheese and ham between two crispy yet airy waffles.

Pause to imagine. Okay resume.

I wept.  Well actually I inhaled and then wept while he ate the Lemon Meringue Bruxie with fresh berries.  I managed to swipe one bite.  We told ourselves it was competitive eating for the Chef so I'd have to go back again, right?

On Sunday I said to the Chef, "Hmmmmm I think it's Bruxie waffle sandwich time".  He said something lame-o caring about my stomach, and I came back with a pathetic juuuusst thisss oooonce or something like that.  *hangs head in shame* Truth be told I probably won't be going to Bruxie again, but you need Bruxie in your life STAT.  Since I knew it would be the last supper Bruxie (notice how I can't stop saying Bruxie? Bruxie, Bruxie, Bruxie infinity!!!*%&^($($&%*) I took it upon myself to go big.  Consequently I then went home in a heap, but I'm not sorry about it!! Oh no!  See for yourselves.  BRUXIE FOR PRESIDENT!! These waffle sandwiches of goodness have clearly impacted my ability to reason.

d.i.e. Sundried Tomatoes and Goat Cheese w/Balsamic Reduction Bruxie.  DEAL WITH IT!!

I could barely bring myself to share one little bite.  But I neeeeded to try his:  

Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Waffle with a side of real Maple Syrup Bruxie.  MADNESS

It gets worse better.  

By this time I'd thrown caution entirely to the wind and was completely irresponsibly eating.

I'd fallen under the Bruxie spell and there was no turning back.

I hope you're buckled into your chairs for this one:  Nutella, Bananas and Sweet Cream Bruxie.  

He got up to get a glass of water, I caught a whiff of that Nutella/Banana combo and it was game over.

Binge eater on the loose folks!

Lemon Meringue and Fresh Berries Bruxie.  You didn't really think I'd go all that way and 

only have had that one bite of my friend's linger around in my mind for eternity now did you?

Oh no.  

And to think I had been primarily concerned with what to wear in a college town so as to not

appear the older uncool woman at the cool waffle stand.  

~James Perse Sweatshirt, layered Gap tanks, Rich&Skinny BF Jeans, Old Stud Handmade Belt, Converse Sneakers, H&M Sunnies (best $5 I've spent in years), Foley+Corinna Mid-City Tote~

I don't think they were onto me, but I had something akin to a whiteout and can't quite recall.

Here's a shot of the Bruxie menu for your viewing pleasure:  

If you live in Southern California, are visiting Southern California 

or planning a trip to Southern California this little place is a must. 

See website here.  

Whew I need a nap after that recap.