From NYC to SF

Cheese: cow vs. goat vs. sheep

mmmm, cheese.  i probably eat cheese every other night, at least.  this particular assortment was the result of a very hungry visit to mollie stones one night after work.  (damon was obviously out of town, he never would have let me get away with buying so MUCH cheese at once.)  i really blame jonathan, who sent me this pic earlier that day.  cruel, i tell you, just cruel to show a girl so much cheese at one time when she is seated in front of a gigantic flat screen monitor.  it's a miracle i didn't buy more.

for those of you who are afraid of the vast array of cheeses, here are my "go tos."  with these four cheeses, you are guaranteed to have a little something for everyone, and should be able to find them wherever you are.  if not, perhaps you should consider moving or at the very least, switching grocers.

1.  havarti dill (arguably the most plebian of the bunch, but de-licious).  i love dill and think that it really adds to the yummy havarti flavor.  it's a little creamy, but not anything close to the double or triple cremes - it is a much firmer consistency.  it's a danish cows milk cheese and is on the top right of my picture (the one w/o jonathan).

2.  port salut.  mild in flavor, cows milk, made in france.  it is also a creamy cheese without being messy / drippy, and it's pretty approachable too.  definitely not a "fancy pants" cheese at all.  it's on the bottom left, with the orange rind.  i also love this cheese with a little fig spread.  SO delic.

3.  herbed chevre.  can't go wrong here.  goats milk cheese from france.  the flavor is more biting than the others, it's more crumbly, and obviously yummy.  you can go w/o the herbs, but i'm a fan of the herbed variety.  you can also serve chevre warm which is great in salads.  this is also one of my fave links . . . my french is a bit rusty, but my translation of their slogan is: "you never stop loving the chevre," to which i say, amen.

4.  fromage d'affinois.  o.m.g.  probably my fave of the bunch.  60% fat content.  no more explanation needed.  similar to brie but i prefer it.  very soft (obv).  mmmm.  it is the wedge on the bottom right in the drawer.

I obviously have other favorites - as you can see by the drawer - but these are my standby cheeses, almost always on hand along with the more fancy / rare varieties.  stop by and try them some time!  (and for my preggers friends, you can eat cheeses 1-3, gotta wait on 4).

it goes without saying - all of these will be better if consumed with wine :)

this week's obsession: gray is the new black

I bought the most amazing shoes at the Macy's Friends and Family sale a few weeks ago (thanks Natalie!)

As you can see, they are dove gray patent sling backs from Nine West (you all know how I feel about Nine West).  The heel is not too high (3 5/8") so they can be worn to work, go out, whatever.  Seriously, A-mazing.  Super comfy and perfect for spring / summer.  The key here is the color - it is SUPER fashionable and I highly recommend venturing out of your black comfort zone with this new neutral.  You can wear it with dark denim, gray, black, red.  Any deep, "true" color will do, really.

colorful fashion: do not be afraid!

whew - now that ballmer has hit the road and wedding planning is under control i can return to blogging!

i would like to encourage all of you (all ten) to embrace one of my favorite fashion trends.  COLOR!  do not be afraid, truly.  color is flattering on everyone.  stop sticking to boring, basic, black.  blech. 

first, a quick color primer for those of you who don't know what works best for your skin.  purple / jewel tones are great on darker or olive complexions.  yellows and warm colors are good for blonds / dirty blonds. kelly green and bright / electric blues are generally flattering for many people.  these rules are not hard and fast; you can experiment with different shades and see what you like best!

here are some of my very favorite pieces to give you inspiration.  if you are hesitant, just think of these as jumping off points and dive in at lower prices - the gap, old navy, j crew, nine west are all full of fun, colorful clothes and accessories. 

i love see by chloe.  my sister emily bought me an ADORABLE bright yellow tunic by see which i have worn a ton (probably too much) this spring.  so cute with skinny jeans, a cacharel scarf as a belt and faux-chanel black flats.  but i digress.  here's an adorable see dress that i love but am too shrimp-y to pull off:

 

speaking of yellow . . . another one of my fave yellow pieces is my gap a-line trench.  it is A-mazing.  it's not in the stores anymore, but it is fab.  katie holmes wore it to lunch at the ivy but unfortunately i can't find a pic.  if you can't live without it, it's on ebay!  here i am, in the trench, pretending like i'm on ANTM.  damon looks amused / horrified.

if those looks are "too much" for you, start with accessories.  i am obsessed with my electric blue satin flats from nine west.  they're from the winter season, but i found some adorable faux-python flats which are available now.  now, you all know how i feel about flats, but a girl needs an alternative when wearing skinny jeans or leggings.  i love my sigerson morrison stilettos with my skinny jeans, but they're not exactly appropriate for work, so i have to do flats occasionally.  (however, per my prior post, they do not make my jeans / butt look as cute as the heels.)

while i was searching for the sigerson morrison link i stumbled upon these beauties - sigh.

seriously ladies, enough with the black already.  it is so much more FUN to be bright and honestly, so much more flattering!  go for it!

NFL quarterbacks are really cute

QB1.  do you think being cute is a requirement to be a successful NFL quarterback?   

let's recap last week, shall we? 

let's start with the obvious - the favorite to win and the guy with the most fashion ads.  i kind of hate tom brady; i think that he is a jerk.  dumping bridget moynahan when she got pregnant is pretty jerky, and running around with gisele is overall annoying.  however i can't dispute the fact that the guy is a really good QB, just not the top of my list.  hard to argue with his stats or success (or his jawline).

moving on. . .  let's discuss tony romo, since he's probably the next in terms of the notoriety scale.  brady has bundchen but romo has . . . carrie underwood, paris hilton, and now jessica simpson.  however i like carrie underwood and jsimp, so i don't really mind.  he's also really, really good, especially for a young guy.  too bad he lost so i won't get to see him anymore, especially because this pic doesn't do him justice.

where to go next?  decisions, decisions.  how about the brothers manning, eli and peyton?  ordinarily i would start with peyton, the elder and more successful QB, but not this season.  peyton will be cheering on little brother next sunday.  you have at least one more game to check him out eli for yourselves, if you haven't yet.  he's fun to watch, and you never know what the giants are going to be able to pull off . . . .

peyton's pic doesn't really do him justice.  he looked totally cute at the post-game press conference.  i also like that one of the most popular search terms is "peyton manning married" as if american women are all searching for this fact, in the hopes that they may win themselves the 2007 superbowl MVP.  (he's married ladies.)

i don't know very much about david garrard.  he seems like an all around nice guy, he held up surprising well vs. the patriots D, and he's good on his feet, based on what i saw last weekend.  according to wikipedia he had a baby boy this year, so i guess he's taken too. 

not sure who's going to start for the chargers on sunday, since phillip rivers is really gimpy as of late, but i have to say, i think that billy volek is totally adorable.  and he did a really good job on sunday.  i am a little worried that junior seau and mike vrabel may rip his head off this week, which would be sad.

i've saved the best for last with brett favre.  really, what can you say - the guy holds the record for the most passing yards in the NFL, with 61,655 total yards.  insane.  not to mention his records for total wins, total touchdowns, total interceptions, and consecutive starts (every game since the 4th game of the 1992 season).  AND he is really, really good looking. 

can't wait for sunday.  next week maybe i'll address wide receivers?  running backs?  sigh . . . . 

presents women will love

this one is for the ladies AND for the men that love them - i apologize for being late with this post, but i think that you could still get many of these items in time for christmas . . .

as you all know, i love love love to shop.  i love to shop for myself AND for others.  i love to have a shopping "mission" and track down the perfect present / object.  so . . . people often ask me for gift giving advice.  here are a few tried and true beautiful gifts, guaranteed to make a woman happy.

BRACELETS - these are the hidden gem of jewelry (no pun intended) because they are far less likely to miss the mark in terms of matching her "tastes."  here are my top 3 faves, ordered by price (ascending).

j crew bangles are very accessible and trendy - you can either buy one statement piece (pictured here) or buy the more simple enamel bracelets (the more, the merrier!)

embossed leather and gold bangles, made in italy.  you can find these in NM and i've seen them previously at bloomies.  i bought them for my sisters last xmas at a small boutique and they were a HUGE hit.

and finally . . . the hermes enamel bracelet

the website has a very limited selection - i recommend going to the hermes store, or if you don't have access, potentially trying your luck on ebay.  they are beautiful and you can pick a color palate as well as pattern that you think best suits her.

 

BAGS - a woman can never have too many accessories, especially not purses. 

i cannot believe that i have not yet purchased a lauren merkin clutch
       
as you can see from the picture, this bag is ADORABLE.  there are 2 classic styles, this and a more rectangular version.  love it.

and anything coach is always a winner - here are 2 of my favorites from the latest collection.  white and winter white are very in, all year round but if your girl is a bit more traditional you may want to stick to typical browns / blacks in either of these shapes.

finally, a nod to the casual girl (not me, although i have one of these).  the classic, monogrammed, LL Bean boat and tote.  if she's really preppy, go with the vineyard vines version (both shown below).

good luck - and happy shopping!!!

corp dev bowling

Good time had by all
Originally uploaded by gjacobs228

i had my best bowling outing of all time last night - 99 on the first game and 118 on the second game! AMAZING. although i am from ohio, so perhaps it is expected.

the most amazing part of the night was the fact that ami and anjali were throwing strikes with 6 lb balls. how is that even POSSIBLE?

heels vs. flats

as you know, i feel VERY strongly that women need to wear heels.  period.  full stop.  if you are not a regular reader, the reasons for this are simple:

(1) they make your legs look longer
(2) they make your butt look better
(3) they are sexier than flats

don't give me any bs about how your boyfriend / significant other / husband doesn't think so.  he doesn't KNOW that he thinks so.  trust me, wear the shoes and you'll see a difference.

for visual evidence, please refer to the following pictures.   on the left are $1400 manolo's, which i do not own, but was thrilled to see in today's email from neiman's. now, these are a bit extreme.  all of you ladies do not need to feel compelled to sport knee-high, suede, cut out manolo's.  but seriously, even a pump will do.  patent is hot . . . very in for fall, and shoes are a great foray if you don't want to go all the way and buy a patent trench (although you should seriously consider it).  something like these delman's (on the right) for $295 would do just fine.

myspace vs. facebook (response)

i had some trouble posting this, so it is a bit late - i started to write weeks ago and have kept it in draft form, but i think that it is still relevant.  i want to discuss another troubling piece of research that i read recently:  danah boyd's essay regarding the class distinctions on myspace and facebook. 

to analyze communities, it's important to look at the founders and early community members.  the characteristics and tone of the site are remarkably similar to the ethos of those who start the community and those who come first.  this makes sense intuitively.  i've been lucky to have been able to meet / hang out with people like stewart and caterina (flickr), andy, leonard, and gordon (upcoming), ted rheingold (dogster), . . . and i am always struck by how much the sites reflect the nature of those who founded them, sometimes shockingly so.  keeping that in mind, consider some of the key differences between the founding ethos of myspace and facebook.

facebook was started at arguably the most elitist academic institution in america (stanford comes close when tech is bubbly, wharton when finance is hip).  facebook was open to only users with valid .edu addresses until a few months ago.  prior to that point, a school was not added until enough users requested to be added to the index.  so, the site spread from ivy to ivy, and then to other major academic institutions where it provided the most utility. facebook is an online directory; it is most useful to those people who need to use it as such.  these are students who are going to school outside of their hometown - people who can afford to pay (1) tuition and (2) room and board.  when it opened registration to high schools it then proceeded to spread to the siblings of those students, anxious to be cool like their older brothers and sisters.  then, when it opened registration to everyone, parents came in as well as a variety of older, well-educated adults who were aware of the facebook phenomenon and curious to see what all the hype was about / spy on their children. 

it should be a shock to no one that the current demographic profile of facebook skews upper middle class.  i dont know why the word "hegemonic" or "good" is necessarily applicable - they're upper middle class kids and now adults.  as time goes on, and facebook grows (because for all the hype it only has 16% reach in the US), i'm sure that the demo will broaden but facebook will likely maintain much of it's "personality," especially for as long as zuckerberg remains at the helm.  not to mention the fact that the elitist atmosphere is one of the things that makes people want to use facebook.  this carries over into the press coverage as well.  many of the people researching and reporting on facebook are exactly these ivy league-ers that i am talking about (disclaimer: i have an MBA from columbia.  danah has a BA from brown . . . .)

now for myspace (which has 40% US reach).  it was founded in LA, far far away from harvard.  many of first members were actively recruited by tom from friendster to join his hip, new community.  famous early members were larger than life . . . tila tequila is probably the most widely cited example.  she quickly invited and amassed tens of thousands of friends.  that was (and still is) the myspace ethos, even though now it's filled with millions of perfectly average people.  create yourself online and share that persona with everyone you know or want to meet.  people came to myspace at first because of the mega personalities, the bands, and to see what all the cool kids were up to.  but then they began to friend their real friends . . . to replicate their offline networks and relationships.  everybody is there, you can communicate publicly and easily, it's fun.  there's no great mystery, the most important takeaway is really that the site was open and accessible and useful for everyone and therefore everyone was there.  people continue to flock to myspace. 

here's where i disagree with danah -- myspace is not predominately weirdos and freaks.  it's a bunch of totally normal people doing totally normal things from all classes, all races, all states.  it's mass market; it's america.  it's hardly "subaltern" as a whole.  it's open to everyone and probably was used by many of the facebookers prior to their years at college; many of them will return post-college.  it will likely remain the primary site for people who don't go to college and therefore never switch to facebook, as well as those whose networks remain more stable between high school and college. these may be people in the lower income brackets, but that is a result of the fact that the site was open from the beginning, and allowed anyone in, despite the fact that their email addresses didnt end in @harvard.edu.

i think that the sites pretty clearly sum it up for themselves with the language they choose to use on their front pages:

myspace is "a place for friends."
facebook is "a social utility that connects you with the people around you."

d-u-m

i just wrote a little note in the margin of the [name of top tier investment bank withheld] research report that i'm reading.  guess what the note says?  it says "dumb." yes, i realize that is a profound statement.  but seriously, their conclusions are just so ridiculous it amazes me.  there are many in the report, but this was the straw that broke the camel's back:  exhibit 15, titled "percentage of users that choose a site for a specific activity / information."  in the shopping category, the number one site named by consumers is Google.  [name withheld] chooses to conclude that this means that Google has gained in the breadth of activities that they offer, specifically in the "shopping" activity.  um, probably not, [name withheld].  search has become the dominant paradigm for many online activities, shopping being one of them.  how do i shop for the new milly dress i saw at neimans?  a new bike?  usually by SEARCHING for these keywords.  this does not imply that Google has added an activity, called "shopping" per se; it does mean that Search has become the primary way users "shop" online.  oy.

hubris

i'm confused.  the title of this article is "facebook opens its pages as a way to fuel growth."  is the wsj really that dense?  facebook is not open.  facebook is closed.  they are allowing companies to develop pages within their site, therefore maintaining control of the users / engagement on the back of others' content and refusing to share revenues with the content providers.  in some ways it is reminiscent of AOL, who were dominant in the teenage space (with AIM) and in general (with their access business) and attempted to create the ultimate walled garden.  they were the 800 lb gorilla not long ago . . . and look at how they've fallen.  at least part of their demise can be attributed to their closed strategy.  who does zuckerberg think he's fooling?  the wsj i guess . . . but probably not the users.

Update post-F8 launch.  Developers will be able monetize their own pages, without having to share with Facebook, but the Feeds and Profile pages will remain open for only Facebook monetization.  More to come.