Rolling: Bernie

MacClaine and Black as Marjorie and Bernie.

The real Marjorie and Bernie, from traipsathon.com.

H. and I saw "Bernie" tonight. What a brilliant film. We loved it. Jack Black plays an undertaker from a small Texas town who ends up moving in with a much older, wealthy widow [Shirley MacLaine]. It's based on a true story--reported in Texas Monthly magazine by writer Skip Hollandsworth--and that makes it even more fascinating. The real townspeople are featured a lot, too, with their reactions to it all. Matthew McConaughey is also excellent. Truly inspired. Go, go, go.

TCOY

1. Yoga class @ 8 A.M.
2. Support group.
3. Plant sale at Iris Gardens!!!!!!!!
4. Started cleaning. Got balls of dust. "All glory comes from daring to begin."
5. Text to someone who cares.
6. Wine with friends at their twin fire pits on this beautiful night.

Peeking into the Finest Homes of Montclair

Sweetest little bakery. The owner sold her dreamy chocolate-chip scones in one of the dream kitchens.

Today I went on the Homes of Montclair tour--a fundraiser for Glenfield Middle School. The owners of gorgeous estates open their doors and people pay to go in on self-guided tours.

I wanted to go with my friends but it didn't pan out and then today Helen, a friend from boot camp, said she had an extra ticket. So I went! Awesome with a capital A. It was from 9:30 to 2:30 but I didn't get to my first house till around 1ish. Should have gone sooner! Only saw three houses and would have loved to see all seven. And: Each had specialty boutique shopping and vendors, set up on the porch, in the sun room, etc. OMG. They included my Montclair favorites: Thread, Rabbit Rabbit Home Decor, the Little Daisy Bake Shop, Le Baker's Dozen, Banyan Tree. So fabulous. Each had a carefully edited selection of merchandise onsite, from Little Daisy's mini whoopie pies in pretty white boxes to Banyan Tree's gorgeous "Pebble Pearl" earrings by Catherine Canino.

This writer may or may not have bought a box of four mini whoopies and a pair of pink Pebble Pearls. After all, it was a fundraiser for a good cause.

Makeup maven Bobbi Brown's home was on the tour. I've been there on another fundraiser tour in the past. I love her style. Especially:

• The kitchen. Wow. Gorgeous countertops, spotless coffee-making setup. Fridge with glass doors, the better to see whipped butter, baby carrots, eggs and other essentials. Also great sound system. Can dance/sing while scrambling eggs and buttering toast.
• The computers. In the family room, two sleek full-size Macs side by side with ultracool chairs to get comfy in while computing.
  
• The son's shoe shelves. Bobbi and husband, real estate developer Steven Plofker, have three sons. The one boy's bedroom I really remember had shelving against the wall that could hold maybe 16 or more pairs of shoes, each in its own cube....high-tops, low-tops, dress shoes, etc. It was absolutely striking. Sneakers as art rather than thrown on floor.
• The living room. Sweet surprise just inside the foyer: My wonderful yoga teacher, Joe Gandarillas. He works with his partner, Michael, at Michael Aiduss Interior Design, and turns out they did the reupholstering in Bobbi's living room, and also chose many of the wall colors and lighting fixtures. It looked so stylish. Exquisite, really. Joe explained that Bobbi likes menswear-inspired fabrics, and showed me the fine wool from Scotland on the chair and the new covers on the pillows. What paint colors are trendy? I asked Michael. I try not to focus on trends, Michael said. I talk to people and find out what they like, what's in their heads. These two men are amazing, from their down dogs to their design sense. They've opened a great new space on Forest Street. Contact maiduss@michaelaiduss.com [website under construction] or call 973.783.0787.
• Laundry room. Not one, not two, but four big red machines. I guess two were washers and two dryers? I definitely have laundry-room envy. The top of my dryer is starting to rust and our utility sink, next to the washer, is hideous.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Boot camp in the park. I'm getting stronger on the steps.
2. Walked Sug around block once.
3. Nap, felt good.
4. Watched "Freaky Friday" remake.

Lady Luck

Looks like our luck has changed--at least in one area. H. is about to sign a very good new contract for his third book. Ink not dry yet. I am proud of him and thankful for a change in the wind and weather. It doesn't erase the troubling things I wrote about the other day, but it somehow takes the spotlight and shines it on something good and hopeful.

He and I went out to celebrate with a late dinner at the Highlawn Pavilion on Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange, where we sat at a table with a sweeping, sparkling view of the NY skyline. We shared a split of Piper Champagne and an arugula salad. My main course was shrimp-stuffed soft-shell crabs with chive whipped potatoes and steamed spinach. We dipped two spoons into the hot fudge sundae for dessert and it was divine, with a flat dark-chocolate moon in orbit on top. Yum.

Back to basics now. I have kind of grown to love more frugal suppers, less rich meals and dinner plates filled halfway with veggies. Good night.

TCOY

1. Drove to first day of Ridgewood sidewalk sale with Barbara. We went directly to Leapin' Lizards, the Lilly Pulitzer store. We found some great stylish bargains. I left with two cute white Lilly shirts--one for exercise, one dressier--for $10 each! Barbara got awesome stuff.
2. Private Benjamin family appointment in NYC.
3. Short nap with windows up, refreshing cool air rustling the curtains.
4. Tried to talk calmly and clearly.
5. Nice nightcap chat with my Sis.

Chasing Capes

Beautiful Cape Neddick in Maine. We've been there a couple of times.

The other night I caught the 1962 black-and-white version of "Cape Fear" on TMC, with Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Polly Bergen. Loved it. I haven't seen the remake--the older one seemed less scary. I don't like to be terrified.

But that got me thinking about the name. I found out that Cape Fear is on the coast of North Carolina. And then that got me thinking about other capes I know and love. Please add to my list and expand my cape cache.

• Cape Cod. My most cherished vacation spot, off Massachusetts. My lifelong, lustrous, perfect pink pearl in the shell.
  
• Cape May.  All the way down the Garden State Parkway at the very tip of NJ--a place with Victorian homes, a big boardwalk and charming B&Bs.
• Cape Neddick. Magical spot in Maine with Nubble Lighthouse. Go there! 
• Cape Hatteras. H. planned a driving lighthouse tour for us the summer after we married. We stopped here to see the lights.

Wish list: Cape Canaveral. Kennedy Space Center; have never been, hope to go sometime.

Good night, sleep tight. Let's all imagine we're going to sleep, safely, by the sea.

TCOY

1. Boot camp in the dome.
2. Work--sent out pitch. 
3. Read, took nap.
4. Walked Sug around block once.
5. Healthy supper--nice turkey burger on wheat bun; salad with cranberries; and sauteed baby Brussels sprouts.

Big Guy Rides Shotgun

I wasn't alone in my car today.

Something terrible happened. I can't write about it here. Let me just use the code word DRESS so I can remember it in the future when I look back at my blog. It's bad. I feel angry, sad, ashamed, bewildered, appalled and mortified. This can't really be happening to my family.

So I decided as I drove myself on Route 46 at 4 P.M. to our family appointment that I would not just press on the radio dial and listen to NPR, as I normally would, letting news and interviews, other people's thoughts, fill my mind. I was going to sit in silence in our Honda CR-V--as silent as it can be as you're driving on a busy highway in New Jersey past strip malls, diners and gas stations. I thought silence would help me settle down, sit with and process my feelings.

I soon pretended God was in the passenger seat. I didn't say anything. I just listened. And I heard two important messages: 1. This type of problem can tear families apart. and 2. Certain illnesses carry an unfair stigma. Both of these thoughts came to me from a wise and calm source, from someone with wide-sweeping perspective. Someone like Dad.

And I really liked the idea that I was not alone--both in the car and in the problems.

As for the hard work at the appointment, and it was hard work, I thought of this well-known line:
Whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name, there is love.

Good night.


TCOY

1. Jogged 1.5 miles and walked .5 mile with Elly @ Brookdale Park!
2. Iced coffee.
3. Balanced out the pasta on my plate for dinner with a serving of artichokes.
4. Got new reading glasses and a copy of Eating Well Magazine, to curl up and read.

Good Monday Night

Good night to you...on this drizzly Monday evening. How lucky we are to be in our warm homes. Tired. Phone calls, appointments, plans, constant negotiations, valiantly trying to stay in the moment. Which is hard, but helpful. Also saw: robin redbreasts, a chipmunk and three butterflies.

TCOY

1. Boot camp in the park. Patsy made it even more fun today, with a quiz [riddles] that each team of two or three had to answer after doing 3 sets of running the steps, doing planks, push-ups, dips and runs around the track or across the field.
2. Made haircut appointment with Johnny for next Tuesday @ Bangz! TCOY for sure. Hair desperately seeking help.
3. Served healthy salad and veggie burgers with pan-browned onions on wheat buns for dinner.
4. Walked Sug around block once and then on evening jaunt with Barbara and Benz.
5. Paid some bills, drove to P.O. 9:45 P.M. to pop them in mailbox outside, for 9:30 A.M. pickup.

Jasmine & Roses, Figs & Lime

Henri Bendel was my favorite stop at Sniffapalooza yesterday.

Tired again--it's 12:08 on Sunday night--but want to jot some fragrance notes before I forget. Reflections on yesterday's Sniffapalooza Spring Fling for scent lovers:

• First stop with Sis: Guerlain counter on Beauty Level at Bergdorf's. I had my eye on the special-edition Emilio Pucci bronzer/blush compact, in a Pucci-print carrying case. This is the only Pucci thing I own, though I'd love others. Years ago, a high-profile dermatologist in NYC, quoted in many top magazines, clued me in to Guerlain's Terracotta powder, which makes you look like you have a light, healthy tan. This Pucci powder is a luxe twist on that.
• Kiehl's Since 1851 department. My friend Diane loves one of the face washes--Sis bought that one, and I bought a cleanser in a tube. Saleswoman La Verne White was very helpful. Sis and I bristle at salespeople who are too pushy.
• Tom Crutchfield.  Tom is amazing, and the intimate Annick Goutal corner alcove at Bergdorf's that he commands is like a little jewel box--or like you've wandered into your gorgeous French mother's secret perfume stash. Tom had on a great colorful shirt and bowtie, and even had his mother's vintage Pucci sunglasses for show. Seeing him makes the whole expedition worthwhile. He knows this exquisite line from Paris inside and out, with a passion. I first heard about Annick Goutal, like a cult secret, from my friend Sandra Lee, when we worked together at Good Housekeeping years ago. Gosh, I was only in my 30s then.
• Perfumers' refueling. You have to stay hydrated and fed to shop from morning till night. Tickets for the day, including lunch [but not wine] cost $90--I bring that up to put the lunch in context. It was very nice, though elbow-to-elbow crowded. [Tickets started out years ago at $25, but the price has climbed.] I liked the meal at Opia on 57th Street near Lex--especially the organic mixed field greens and the apple strudel with vanilla ice cream. The coffee was good. I needed a caffeine hit to energize myself for our next jaunt, another round of sniffs and whiffs. I liked sitting at lunch with Sis, Susan, and three other women we met: Valerie from NYC, Patti [sp] from Irvington, NY and Pam from Minneapolis [she works for the Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day company]. Perfumistas all.
• Lunch mist. Won't lie here. Sis and I were chatting today about how we felt a hard sell during lunch--there were 10 speakers, representing seven different interests. We were held captive from 12:15 to 2:30, but of course not against our will. [The next event, @ Bendel's, started at 2:45.] Two interesting men at the podium: Francois Damide, a Frenchman with a flair from Jacomo, and Chandler Burr, curator, department of olfactory art, Museum of Arts and Design. The Art of Scent exhibition will open Nov. 13, 2012.
• Bendel's booty. Good stuff! Lucky I didn't spend my whole budget at Bergdorf's. Bendel's had a 20 percent off sale if you spent over $100....so would you believe I got my Annick Goutal Hadrien refill [$130] for 20 percent off? Saved $26. It's really hard to get discounts on brand-name beauty and fragrance. And the lovely blonde saleswoman with a gamine haircut and crimson toes in her high-heeled sandals gave me a tiny golden funnel so I can pour the elixir into my collector's flower-painted Annick bottle that I bought years ago from Tom at Bergdorf's. She also gave me a travel-size spray [which I passed to Sis] and the gift with purchase was an awesome tote bag with signature Bendel's brown and white stripes, with goodies inside. Also: A waiter passed a platter of chic cellophane-wrapped cake pops iced in brown and white, the Bendel's colors. And I liked fragrance manager Albert Gomez there--big smile.
• Dark chocolate mining. For the first time, dipped into French chocolate boutique Michel Cluizel with Sis on our walk down Fifth Avenue on way to Grand Central for her, Port Authority for me. Chocolate sardines--intriguing. Chocolate-covered almonds--true treasure. Had them once from lovely shop in Montclair, but out of my price range yesterday after all that spritzing.

I'd love to write more but I'm too tired, and want to save a minute to actually wash my face rather than just write about the Kiehl's face wash. Good night.

TCOY

1. Went to support group! Glad.
2. Popped over to Van Vleck Gardens Plant Sale. Bought small pink zinnia, ornamental strawberry and petunias and planted them in pretty planter out front.
3. Went to Mass.
4. Went to Montclair Film Festival with Figgy and her pal. Awesome. Actor Patrick Wilson [HBO's "Angels in America" and many other credits] was fielding Qs at the Montclair Art Museum about acting and the girls got their photo taken with him.
5. Nap, window screens open, cool, fresh air.
6. About to wash this face--1:20 A.M., better late than never.

Spritz Snapshot to Come Tomorrow

Wait till I tell you about the loot from Bendels--even cake pops.

I went into NYC to the Sniffapalooza Spring Fling with Sis. At the first stop, Bergdorf Goodman's Beauty Level, we ran into Susan Westmoreland, my colleague/friend from Seventeen and Good Housekeeping. We ended up sniffing with Susan--you need a second opinion, or a third one, when you spritz your forearm and inner wrist with so many scents in one day! We also sat together for the luncheon.

It was a heady day, and I want to post about it in detail. Plan to tomorrow. Right now too tired. Caught 8:42 A.M. bus into NYC, walked an hour in the city, came home. dashed to store for chocolate, butter, vanilla and sugar, and made Martha Stewart's big devil's food layer cake to take to Cinco de Mayo party tonight at our lovely friends' lovely home. Margarita, yum. Great company, too.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Bubble bath.
2. Good tooth care.
3. Walking in NYC.
4. Got some beauty purchases to help me take care of myself. I hope I'll follow through, washing my face, using pretty new lipstick and powder bronzer, spritzing on my favorite fragrance like part of my wardrobe.