April » 2011 » happyinCLE

(rain)drop it like it’s hot

after a swell easter weekend with family and friends, i decided to take monday off for a little spring cleaning. for those of you that know me, i take cleaning seriously. i am a little obsessive and i have been known to wipe down a counter or vacuum a rug within 10 minutes of doing it the first time. it’s not healthy.

and while i reeeaaallly want to invest in a cleaning service, a certain someone won’t let me and i have an idea that i would be cleaning up after the maid service left the building. but i am pretty sure i am going to do it because there simply is not enough time in the day and i think the money will be well worth it. but i digress…

so when i woke up on monday morning, it was yet again a dreary erie shore day and i hit the snooze button ~~once twice three four~~ five times. i am a sucker when it comes to dark, stormy mornings and i simply have to take advantage of the cozy factor. so rather than get up at a decent hour and actually clean and organize a closet or two, i chose to stay in the sack and listen to raindrops on the windows.

i think our nation needs to establish at least 2-3 days during the year which citizens can use as a floating rainy day holiday. who’s with me!?!

a modern family for modern times

i am still in shock by the number of friends, relatives and colleagues who have yet to watch the hit sitcom, Modern Family. how can this be? in my opinion, it may be the funniest show the american people have seen in the past decade.

every character on the show is perfect. every personality is equally loveable. and it’s almost inconceivable how consistently entertaining every episode is.

but beyond the jokes and one-liners, what Modern Family does best is showcase the differences and similarities of the typical household. but that’s just it — there is no typical anything. families come in all shapes and sizes and all walks of life.

say goodbye to the Cleavers and the ‘all-american’ family. and welcome the new american family. you will ~~like~~ love it. i swear.

this below scene gives you a little taste of what you may be missing.

it was just like a movie

i was supposed to announce the winner of the $50 gift certificate to The Greenhouse Tavern on friday. whoops.

between thursday and sunday, i really wasn’t home much (don’t believe me, just check my foursquare status and/or plum’s blog). aside from all the activity that took place, something happened early sunday morning that has become a more common occurrence. and that something would be the “movie scene” experience.

after a long day of shopping with plum (and surviving the erie hurricane on the shoreway), nug and i attended the ArtCares benefit at the Battery Park power house. the event was wonderful, the people were incredible and the art was fantastic. this was also my first time seeing Lounge Kitty perform. if you have not seen this band before, you should.

lounge kitty singing to nug.

but this was not my “movie scene” experience. afterwards, we headed to tina’s nite club to shut the night down. just about everyone in the d-sho was in attendance, including councilman zone and his wife, michelle. but it was when tbone took the mic and the lionel richie track started to play. as soon as the lyrics started, people turned their heads and immediately began to get groovy.

as the song progressed, just about everyone was singing. about 80% of the crowd was on their feet dancing by “tam bo li de say de moi ya”. it was such a happy moment. one of those moments in your day, week or year when you realize how cool life can be. and i thank my friends, family and city for providing these moments to me on a regular basis (i know, sappy).

the "movie scene" at tina's.

does anyone else have these experiences? or am i just a whimsical, optimistic, insane person?

now let’s get to the winner. chosen by random.org with a total of 31 comments, number 8 (ironically, my fave digit) is the lucky duck.

congrats, Dean Bianchi!

word of the day – jello

lofty art

it is not a secret that i am obsessed with all modern things. one of my go-to places is obvi CB2 (Crate & Barrel’s more youthful, contemporary line). every time i receive a new catalog, i go through each page and tab just about 80% of the products. why? because everything they sell is way too cool for school.

recently, i purchased a set of vintage sign letters for a brick wall in the loft. this was clearly a subconscious effort due in part to the “YES” letters in CB2′s current catalog (make sure to snatch these up while they are on sale). while i do love CB2′s version, the retro “no” letters i found on eBay sway more vintage industrial, which is a style that definitely suits my taste.

a vintage no.

a modern yes.

originally i had done some research on neon light art for the same brick wall, but custom neon work is quite pricey. however, i would like to look into this again in the future because a piece of neon art customized to say something unique/odd/silly/inappropriate would be amazing.

i would like this for xmas.

another recent purchase from CB2 involved a series of spy mirrors which are more commonly used in industrial settings such as parking garages and supply warehouses. when i first saw these used as an art installation, i was immediately drawn to the idea. nug and i installed three of these mirrors above our spiral staircase and i freaking love them. they add dimension to the space as the angled mirrors highlight different architectural elements in our open concept living area such as metal beams and concrete pillars.

i spy mirrors.

a close-up.

word of the day – convex

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remember to comment on my anniversary post to enter to win a $50 gift certificate to The Greenhouse Tavern! i will be announcing the winner this friday!

a happy(inCLE) anniversary

i totally missed my one year blog anniversary. i knew i started this thing last april, but didn’t realize that april 7th was my official start date! over the past month i have been brainstorming ideas for happyinCLE. a little makeover is currently in the works. change is good and i think the logo and graphics could use a good kick in the a*#.

another thought i had involved the general content of this here online word vomit station. i know most blogs are basically formulated web diaries, but i feel like i need a ‘thing’. i don’t know what that thing is and don’t know if it will ever rear its head, but i am open to suggestions.

and finally, i have been contemplating the use of proper grammar, spelling and punctuation. howev, this transformation would be totes ridic.

my first change is not exactly visible to the naked eye, but it will (hopefully) make some impact on the planet. that’s right, happyinCLE is going green. i have switched my web hosting provider to Canvas Dreams, which is an amazing eco-friendly company that uses renewable wind power generated at wind farms in the pacific northwest. they also plant a tree for every new customer — sustainaballs!

and in spirit, i would like to continue the green theme by giving a lucky winner a $50 gift certificate to The Greenhouse Tavern. i thought it would be nice to give the people (and by people, i mean the 8 human beings that read this blog) a little somethin’ somethin’.

to win the gift certificate, please comment on this post by expressing your love for CLE. what makes you happyinCLE? i will announce the winner this friday, april 15th. good luck!

word of the day – happy

let’s fly with dragonfly

there is rarely a time that i pass up a dinner invite. and thanks to janet (ms. jackson, if you’re nasty), i was able to attend the media preview at dragonfly last week.

she approves.

dragonfly you ask? yes, they have been open for over a year, but this week unveiled a more refined menu and reconfigured interior.

thanks in part to marlin kaplan and the usual suspects (jeff a. and adam w.), we are now treated too a new “asian-fusion” vibe. look out for additional seafood creations and other modern plates while the class-act cocktail list stays put.

yum...potstickers.

the interior has also been revamped a bit, specifically in the main dining room where the bar stools have been converted to standard height chairs and tables. visually, the room appears larger and feels more like an actual restaurant space while maintaining the lounge design aesthetic.

the main dining room.

make sure to check out the new dragonfly next time you are in the w.25th area!

word of the day – sushi

hip hop ya don’t stop

after running into gina (beautyfoodie) last week at battery park wine bar, i again realized my vast love for hip hop and r&b tuneage. i know some cannot stand the lyrics, redundancy of vocal runs, or low bass chords, but personally i cannot get enough of it — and neither can gina.

as we discussed some of our favorite artists and songs, one particular song always comes to mind because it simply oozes passion, love and sexiness. that song would be bed by j. holiday and if you have not heard of it before, i suggest you close your eyes, sit back and click the link below.

another song brought up in recent conversation is by the late, great aaliyah. this is my official summer anthem and i play it almost every single time i am on the boat in sandusky. rock the boat exudes this uber smooth groove that takes your hips to a whole other level. i mean, she literally tells us to “work the middle”. bow chica bow wow.

word of the day – drift

(rain)drop it like it’s hot

a modern family for modern times

it was just like a movie

lofty art

a happy(inCLE) anniversary

let’s fly with dragonfly

hip hop ya don’t stop

Tweets, yo

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(rain)drop it like it’s hot

a modern family for modern times

it was just like a movie

lofty art

a happy(inCLE) anniversary

let’s fly with dragonfly

hip hop ya don’t stop

Tweets, yo

Blogroll

Cleveland on Twitter

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