Cape Kidnappers- New Zealand

Whatever I might say about this place would inevitably still be deficient. The pictures posted here can only show a small fragment of the beauty. Pictures can't capture the quiet, and the sound of the wind blowing and the birds singing. Pictures can't capture how nice it is to watch the horses and sheep grazing on the hillside or how delicious the food is here or what it's like to learn about the Maori peoples that had lived here long ago. The landscape here is, I think, the prettiest that I've ever seen. It's simply beautiful. I can say that every few moments and it's still not enough. Still, I hope you enjoy the photos.

Honeymoon- Waitomo Caves

Yesterday, we drove down from Auckland to Waitomo and visited two of the 300 or so caves in the region. In addition to the Anrunui cave (where these photos are taken), we also went to the Waitomo Glowworms Cave, which was weird and interesting but they don't allow photos inside the cave so my description will have to suffice: it's like a peculiar constellation (you have to look up to see them) where you already know that the glow of the worms comes from the bioluminosity of the chemical process of their digestion of the bugs that they lure with their sticky feedlines. Maybe it's just me, but I found it a little difficult to overlook the sci-fi/horror potential of being stuck in a cave with these little critters and having no real means of egress. Plus, we were in a boat and we had to be really quiet. I'm just going to leave it at interesting.

Today we go to Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast. It should be stunning.

Honeymoon and Extreme Jet-lag

The last week or so has been a bit of a blur because of the wedding and all of the contingent details: family, friends, last minute things to do and trying to make sure that skinnyskinny had enough inventory so that everything could function while I'm away. Brian and I have begun our honeymoon in New Zealand, after a forever-long flight and the resulting jet-lag. Most of today has been spent just recovering and trying to sync-up with the locals. This is the view from our hotel room in Prince's Wharf in Auckland. Tomorrow, we will probably go to one of the farmer's markets nearby before heading inland to Togariro (sp?). The trip has been lovely so far and should only get better.

Saipua Flowers (and Soaps)

It may seem strange that I would choose to include products from another soap company on my blog. Eh, maybe it is, but I happen to like a Saipua a lot. Actually, they are probably my favorite non-skinnyskinny soap company and they are also local. Sarah, who runs the store in Brooklyn is creating all of the flower arrangements for my wedding on the 9th of May (this weekend). She does amazing work with a really interesting mix of flowers and pod-like things. Take a look at their site and buy stuff from them when you can't buy stuff from us.

Book Review- My Booky Wook by Russell Brand

(I'm still using my kindle and still really love it.)
Russell Brand is a British comedian/entertainer. I saw him on Graham Norton a couple of months ago and was really impressed with his routine, his get-up, his spunk. It was the first that I had seen or heard of him and I thought he was eccentric and funny, like someone who needed to be watched closely because he was sure to be treasure chest of witticisms and edgy humor. So, when I saw his memoir on my kindle list, I thought 'Sure. That's bound to be a bundle of fun.' His story is compelling: former addict (not just to drugs), dysfunctional family, dark sordid past and so on. I can be a sucker for these circuitous stories of redemption. A lot of people are, I guess, because there are so many of these books available. I'm now maybe 40% finished with this book and I simply can't read anymore of it. It is so completely uninteresting. Sure, once in a while there will be a clever turn of phrase that I make a note to try to remember, but aside from that, it's as if this memoir somewhere jumped the shark. Even though there are quite a few 'revelations' in the book, I keep getting the feeling like there's no meat to the content. (Yes, Russell Brand has been a vegetarian for years, so there's that...yawn...) It's as if, even with all of his tales of sexual exploits and getting high, the book still seems remarkably sanitized. Maybe sanitized isn't the right word. Maybe it's simply predictable which is kinda worse, in my opinion. I'm not going to finish reading this unless I'm stuck on a desert island with an endless supply of battery-power for my kindle. And even then, I would be hard-pressed to call it entertaining.

Summer in the City

A lovely weekend here in skinnyskinnyburg, or Williamsburg to some. Today, it is supposed to get up to 90. Summer dresses and iced coffee are in order. Today's pic is of Haley (foreground) and Lena enjoying themselves on our balcony. Enjoy the weekend!

A Belated Earth Day Post

Yesterday, Katie (a phenomenal manager and all-around great person here at skinnyskinny) and I were in Philadelphia, taking part in the GoGreen Festival sponsored by Urban Outfitters (who own terrain and Anthropologie) at the Navy Yard. There were many other vendors there, all of whom were focused on environmental awareness in some way or other. As nice as the festival was, the best part for me was finding this bird's nest in a tree beside a parking lot. There were actually some little baby birds in the nest, which made this almost too cute for words.

Sometimes, We are Procrastinators (Okay, it's mostly me)

Here at skinnyskinny, we are a proud, ethical and just company. One of the best ever, by the way. Anyway, some of you reading this blog may not realize just how much paperwork (and fees!) is involved in getting permission to use the various logos, like the logo of the little bunny that shows that a product is cruelty-free. It will cost $500 to license that the cute jumping bunny logo. We've always been cruelty-free and most of our products are completely vegan, too. Even with the best intentions, though, paperwork and filling-out forms seldom ranks high on my list of priorities. As a consequence, I've been inadvertently putting off the completion of the paperwork to prove skinnyskinny's compliance for more than a year. There are plenty of excuses, many of them good ones, but enough is enough. Easter has come a day late to skinnyskinny. So, to honor the fecundity of bunnies and the arrival of spring, I'm pledging to finally get this task finished this week. It will still take 2-3 weeks for our paperwork to be processed by Leaping Bunny, but be on the look-out for the leaping bunny logo on our site in the next few weeks.

So Glad We Don't Make These...

These 'hand soaps' (get it?) are just weird and creepy. 'Nuff said.

Happy Easter, Passover, Spring Break!

Early Mother's Day Note

My mom is not Ingrid Bergman, but photos that I've seen of my mom when she was younger have always reminded me of her. Seriously. I noted some of the differences on the photo above. Since all of the photos that I have of my mom are packed away, I figured that I could use that stock photo as a launching-off point. Actually, I should be more truthful: I do have 2 photos but they are of my mom after she had undergone chemotherapy and I think she'd kill me if I posted those.
My mom, Sandra, is an amazing woman and I owe much to her. Her life has not been an easy one, but she has managed and has always seemed to do the right thing. My ethics and empathy come from her, as well as an inquisitiveness that never seems to get dampened. When my parents were divorced (I was 5), my mom raised all of us by herself. I am the youngest of 6. Dispensing with the obvious: yes, it was really hard on her.
She had not finished college and had been a housewife during the marriage. A neighbor friend of ours had gotten a job in a local construction company (they built and installed cabinets, from what I remember) and managed to get my mom a job there. After a few years of this, my mom managed to get a job driving heavy equipment for another construction company. For years, she woke up before sunrise, worked all day and then would come home after dark. I seldom saw her when she wasn't exhausted. I remember her talking about different projects that the construction company worked on, especially building a new terminal at the Nashville Airport. It was at a time when the automatic-flush sensors were just beginning to be used. I remember my mom's amazement with those things. I think about those automatic flushers every single time that I fly into or out of Nashville.
(Skip ahead many years...)

My mom just passed her 100-day mark after a bone marrow transplant. It is exquisitely good news and worthy of a special mention.