Following Rabbits Blog

I HATE being hot. But living in NYC in the summertime, being hot and sticky is inevitable. I can rarely bring myself to cook when the temps are flirting with 90 degrees. The last thing I want to do is turn on my oven and add to the sweltering heat in my apartment. (I try to limit the A/C use to when I'm sleeping... just using it overnight doubles my electric bill... eek!). Here are a few of my go-to summer food staples that don't involve cooking. 

When it's really hot out I don't want to eat anything heavy- I crave refreshing and light foods. This is one of my fave meals for those times. I slice up fresh watermelon and bananas, toss in some granola, and drizzle with honey. Growing up working summers in the hot kitchen at my dad's restaurant, this is what I brought for lunch almost every day. So good!

A good (and quick!) dinner that I make is chicken caesar wraps. I cheat and buy the bagged caesar salad kits that come with the dressing and cheese. To eliminate the need for cooking, I buy Perdue Short Cuts- sliced, grilled chicken breast that's all ready to go. Get yourself a stack of wraps, mix up the salad, throw on some chicken, and enjoy!

I don't have an enormous appetite- especially in the summer. Sometimes I just want a little snack. I like to make my own trail mix and keep it in a canister in the fridge. Nuts and dried fruits can be surprisingly pricey (this girl's on a serious budget!) but I like to pick and choose what's in my mix rather than buy one already made. I usually mix up vanilla yogurt-covered raisins, craisins, and almonds. It's a much better alternative to potato chips and actually fills you up a bit.

I drink a LOT of iced tea. I use Lipton diet/unsweetened powder mix and Country Time lemonade powder mix to make my own arnold palmer half & half by the gallon. Lemon slices and raspberry ice cubes get added to the pitcher, and heart-shaped ice cubes finish it off. Ahhh!

WATCH IT: videos I peeped this week (that you should too)
You know that feeling when you're completely embarrassed for someone? The drummer in this video is clearly cut out for a gig on a whole 'nother level from this shingdig.

Tilt shift videos fascinate me... little miniature worlds pulsing with motion. Here's a collection of them for you to check out. 

HEAR IT: songs I downloaded this week
1. The New Year by Death Cab for Cutie 2. This Fire by Franz Ferdinand 3. Ulysses by Franz Ferdinand 4. To Lose my Life by White Lies
I also downloaded the entire Darling, Let's Not Panic album by Scarlett. You can win an autographed copy from me by entering here! 

DO IT: things to put on your to-do list this week
Get your craft on at the 6th Annual Renegade Craft Fair in Williamsburg. Tons of DIY-ers and artisans will be set up around the track and field at McCarren Park. The fair is tomorrow and Sunday from 11a-7p, rain or shine. Support handmade! For more information on location and who will be there, check out their website. 

Saturday night go see Rooftop Films' Fears and Fantasies. A collection of films about losing your grip on reality. Doors open at 8pm at New Design High School downtown. $10 admission at the door or online. Films start at 9pm after a bit of live music from Dinosaur Feathers.

photo via myspace

Lately I've been rocking out day and night to Scarlett! They have a very Paramore-ish vibe that I totally dig. I'm loving Fingers Crossed and Scandals. You can check em out and download some of their tunes here. I caught up with their guitarist, Arnley Sena, who took the time out for a little Q&A with me! (*Be sure to scroll down for a sweet Scarlett giveaway!!*)

1. Gimme five random facts about you.
1. I've never been on a plane.
2. I'm deaf in one ear.
3. My favorite band is My American Heart.
4. I have 9 tattoos.
5. I have been in 7 bands before Scarlett.

2. Favorite song to perform? My personal favorite is "So The Story Goes".

3. Sort your iTunes library by play count... what's the most played song? Dreams - We Came As Romans.

4. Celebrity you crushed on as a kid? The pink ranger haha.

5. Your BFF built a time machine- where would you like to go? (I should have asked "when" are you going...oops!) Either California or Florida, either one would be gnarly.

6. Who or what inspires you most? My family and Jesse Barrera.

7. Coolest place you’ve ever been? There was this abandoned toy factory called "The Toy Crib" and me a few friends would go into it at midnight and just explore. It was a huge 4 story building. There was graffiti, blood, and rats everywhere. It was really creepy, but awesome at the same time.

8. Favorite sports team? The 90's Bulls, I don't really watch much sports now.

9. What superpower would you most like to possess? I would want a super power that whenever I needed money, it would just show up in my wallet.

10. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? A doctor.

11. Favorite dessert? Any kind of cake!

12. You get to go anywhere for a week, all expenses paid... where you headed? California or Florida!

13. Biggest pet peeve? People not flushing the toilet haha.

14. You just had a 5-star evening- what happened? Just played another show with Anberlin!

15. Favorite guilty pleasure? Listening to The Jonas Brothers haha.

16. You're at Starbucks- whatcha drinking? Nothing, not a big fan of Starbucks.

17. Favorite breakfast food? Those big breakfasts from Mickey Deez were always my favorite!

18. Favorite item of clothing you own? Anything that's Rockett.

19. You just won the lottery- what’s the first thing you're buying? A house made of gold and a completely new guitar rig.

20. Someone has 1 day to experience Chicago. What do you recommend they do? Go all the way to the top of the Sears Towers and look down, and try not to freak out.

Scarlett, based in Chicago, is planning on doing a show in NYC in August. To prepare you, I've got a Scarlett t-shirt and a signed Darling, Let's Not Panic EP going to one lucky winner! To enter, listen to Scarlett and lemme know which song you heart best in the comments section below. (Be sure to include your email so I can contact you if you win!) To earn an additional entry, follow me and Scarlett on Twitter and @reply both of us (for example: "@FollowRabbits Scandals by @ScarlettBand #NowPlaying"). Giveaway winner will be chosen in 1 week- at 8pm EST on June 10. Good Luck!

Labor Day and Memorial Day are the only Monday holidays I get from my day job, so needless to say, this weekend was a highly coveted bit of time off. Friday I had a half day at the office, so Allie and I went over to El Rio Grande on 38th and Third Avenue for drinks and lunch on their patio. The food was good, but drinks were expensive ($7 for a can of Corona?!). We had Benjamin with us since I brought him to the office Friday. He slept in his carrier the entire time:

Friday night and Saturday I had some QT at home with the kitties and a friend of mine- pizza, movies, Friends DVDs, laziness. Was pretty fabulous. My mum came down Saturday night for a couple days to see my apartment, check out my new hood, and to celebrate Fleet Week (natch). Sunday morning we went to Pomme Cafe in my neighborhood. Their brunch menu is really great- $14 gets you a mimosa, coffee, warm croissants, and your choice of a main dish. The restaurant is decorated very warmly, with dark wood and gold dominating the decor. The front of the restaurant opens up onto sidewalk seating along Broadway. It's worth the trip to Astoria if you don't frequent the area already.

After breakfast we went down to Pier 86 to check out the Fleet Week scene... the USS Iwo Jima was closed for the day, so we went to Dave & Busters in Times Square for some air hockey and mario kart. (My mum's pretty awesome). We shopped like crazy all afternoon in Herald Square- hit up Victoria's, Macy's, GAP and H&M. I found a shirt and dress at H&M to quench my spring fashion thirst for Breton stripes!

After shopping we went up to Riverside Park and had dinner at the Boat Basin Cafe. I really love it there. Decent prices, good food, and a fabulous view. We waited for a seat outside and had dinner and drinks while the sun set over the Hudson. Did I mention I'm obsessed with NYC?!

We wrapped up Saturday night with a trip to the movies to see SATC2. Cute flick. Monday we headed back down to the Pier and waited in a very long line to board the USS Iwo Jima- an active navy vessel that was here for Fleet Week. There were several navy helicoptor flyovers while we were on the flight deck, and we got to tour the ship and check out the aircraft (and the sailors, of course).

Was a great weekend with much-needed rest and catching up with my mum. In other news, Lily and Benjamin are BFFs already (yay!) and I've got several musician interviews coming up really soon. Hooray for happiness!

I adopted a new kitten tonight! His name is Benjamin Franklin and he's the cutest! I got him from the same foster family who I got Lily from. They even have the same parents- so they're really brother and sister. They don't love each other yet, but hopefully they'll stop hissing at each other and wanna play together soon! They both have the same stripes and coloring... it's like having a baby Lily all over again. Benjamin was in the wild living under a shed until 2 days ago, so he's still a little skittish. I'm certain he'll calm down with lots of love and cuddles. (I'm sure I'll be posting tons of photos and videos on my twitter, so follow me and we can gush together.)