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Things I learned about Miami Beach...

It rains. Hard. Nearly every single day. I learned to appreciate the rain (mostly for the rainbows), and especially looked forward to the thunderstorms at night. This trip was meant to be a breather for me after a hectic, rollercoaster few months, and somehow the rain and rainbows gave me a lot of cleansing inspiration. Not everything is roses in life, but everything happens for a reason. Rainbows will always come.

The men are shameless. A cute guy came to sit next to me on the beach and chatted me up. He seemed decent. After a while we went for a swim. He was promptly shut down when he tried to untie my bikini, and proceeded to shove me into an oncoming wave and ran for the beach. I, thinking he's heading for my beach bag which holds my wallet, iPod, camera, and Droid, take off running after him. The dirtbag avoided my towel and headed down the beach to seek more cooperative prey, while I was pretty jaded for the rest of my trip... basically raising an eyebrow at any guy who so much as smiled at me.

To get noticed you have to blend in. I'm not a hugely self-confident person... but I guess being out of my element on unfamiliar turf gives me a bit of anonymity and courage. After getting odd looks my first couple days wearing cutoffs and flipflops, I strutted some not-so-me outfits. And ya know what, people were nicer, complimentary, and (most importantly for me) I didn't feel like the outcast. 

As illustrated in the point above, full-length mirrors are fantastic. I took this vacation solo, and had no one to take photos of me. This enormo mirror on the closet door proved to be a perfect place to take phone pix of my outfits. Not that I'm always taking photos of my clothes (really it's usually a beat pair of all stars and a tshirt) but... I need one. I have one mirror in my whole apartment, and it's the tiny one over the sink. I have balanced on the edge of the tub and opened the medicine cabinet to aim the mirror at my lower half... however, if you knew how very graceful I am (read: I'm the cool kid that falls up the stairs) you would agree that that's an accident waiting to happen. And so, I need a giant mirror- stat.

Eating alone isn't crazy scary... (but still not something I want to do forever). I ate lunch on Ocean Drive every day after the beach. Eating at sidewalk cafes was definitely a little more comfortable than eating at a fancy steakhouse solo (which I did my last night there). Sometimes it's hard not to feel sorry for yourself, because despite going into the situation all confident and independent-woman-hear-me-roar, you get so much damn pity from everyone. The hostess ("oh, just one?"), the busboy clearing the extra place setting, the waiter checking on you way more than he would have if you had a companion. 

No matter where I go in the world, I always miss New York. When I was taking off from LGA, I had a window seat. The view of the city was incredible. First we flew over Queens, then the Bronx, flying over a packed Yankee Stadium, then circled around to fly over the Hudson, giving me a full-length au revoir to Manhattan. I was so looking forward to my vacation, but was already a little homesick. My first day on the beach a guy comes and sits practically on top of me, with an enormous boombox. At first I was bent, like, this beach is huge, man! Personal space, please! Then he bumps Empire State of Mind and I immediately was cool with the guy. Then my last night in the steakhouse by myself, taking the last sip of my wine, Sinatra comes on singing New York, New York. It was perfect. My city was calling me home.

I shudder to recall the number of times that I've left a spa after an eyebrow shaping with a red unibrow-- you know, the strip of raw skin laid to waste after a harsh waxing treatment. For a long time I accepted it, always carrying my giant Jackie-O sunglasses with me to cover up afterwards. Beauty is pain, right? Wrong.

At Go Green Organic Spa, they apply a calming lotion to the sensitive area around your eyebrows and let it hydrate your skin before waxing. The lotion provides a barrier between your skin and the wax, preventing the wax from tearing off a layer of skin. They use an organic wax formula that is gentle on your skin, while providing the results you expect from a professional eyebrow shaping.

Go Green's estheticians are all very professional and warm. They offer up a comprehensive menu of waxing, facials and massage therapy. The spa itself is a calm retreat from the outside world; bamboo, crystals and soft New Age music set the mood. The prices are serene too-- an eyebrow shaping will run you just $15. And you won't have to hide those pretty peepers afterwards, either.

Go Green Organic Spa is located at 365 Broome Street, and is open everyday from 11a-8p. Call (212) 966-3898 for an appointment or more info.

I went home to Massachusetts this weekend for my friends' wedding. What a beautiful night! I left NYC at 10:30p on Friday after attending a dinner party, so I didn't arrive home on Cape Cod until 3am. I managed to muster fairly early Saturday to have breakfast with my mum and do some shopping before the wedding that night. I wore my Zac Posen dress, which thankfully traveled well stuffed in a bag during my drive...

The reception was in Hull, at the Clarion Nantasket Beach Resort-- so pretty! (We drove by a carousel on the way and were very tempted to stop to take photos... and wouldn't wedding photos on a carousel be amazing?! Just sayin'...)

The staircase up to the ballroom was gorgeous:

I always love unique takes on wedding guestbooks! (For my wedding we had one of our engagement photos framed with an extra wide mat that all of our guests signed.) When we got upstairs there was a table set up with a Fuji Instax camera, an empty wedding scrapbook and a collection of markers. Guests all took instant photos of each other, and we all pasted them inside the scrapbook with our well-wishes. Very cool idea. (Might need to steal it for my next wedding, ha.)

And this totally fueled my want for an instant camera too... I've been checking out the Instax mini for a while.

I had my first taste of clam chowder as well... which is only weird/interesting/noteable because I grew up in my parents' seafood restaurant on the Cape. I actually kinda liked it.

The cake was incredible! Every layer was different: strawberry, chocolate, oreo... yum!

And of course, the night was capped with drinks and lots of dancing...

Congratulations to the newlyweds!! xo

While I was at MAD today to see Ben, I checked out the Dead or Alive exhibit. Some wild stuff! I took pics of almost everything... mostly because I just couldn't believe my eyes. I would highly recommend you see it for yourself; my photos hardly do these pieces justice. Here are my faves:

Sagittarius by Shen Shaomin (how awesome is this thing?!)

Prophecy by Damien Hirst

Mad Cow Motorcycle by Billie Grace Lynn

Moon by Tracy Heneberger (sardines! ha!)

Skull by Jan Fabre (so badass...)

The exhibit runs through October 24th, and Thursday nights from 6-9pm are pay-what-you-wish. Get over there to check it out!

After work today I headed to the Museum of Arts & Design to check out Ben Light at MAD's open studios. I've seen his work on exhibit before, but this was a chance to see him in action behind his lathe.

check out the view!

He had a studio on the 6th floor of the museum all day today to show visitors his work, and the steps it takes to go from felled trees to the gorgeous lamps and various other toys, mallets, and jewelry that he has made. We donned safety goggles to ward off stray wood chips while Ben turned a rough-hewn log into a smooth, curvy base for a lamp.

He had some of his finished pieces on display, including a couple of his Finn's Army toys (named for his baby nephew Finn, whom I had the pleasure of meeting) and two tops that were very reminiscent of Inception. (I must have one of these!)

Open Studios at MAD features artists' work as they do demonstrations and answer questions for visitors. Ben was just there for today, but if he plans another demo I'll let you know! It was very cool to see the process after having admired his finished work. (And I'll share photos of my top when I get it... I really do want one, Ben!)