It looks like late afternoon on a Tuesday.  My attention span is diminishing with the sunset over the Gantries in Long Island City.  A slight hunger mingled with fatigue sent me searching up and down Vernon Boulevard in search of – what?

Under the awning of the farmers’ market, a cascade of red radishes tumbled over the edge of the table.  On the side, the tops of crispy lettuces tousled like the tops of a forest.  I walk past a young farmer was offering samples of cheeses and instinctively pick up the reggiano parmigiano, sliced paper thin.

As soon as I tasted it, I knew.

It was time for the next step of the Twelve Step Plan for Restless Creatives and, by the way, my personal favorite:

9 Thank yourself

We work very hard – you, me and everybody who gives a thousand percent effort to what they do.  I have spent over a decade in the nonprofit arts world and the days where you are giving your all can fly by until suddenly something inside of you digs their heels in and demands to be fed.

I am not talking about your stomach and your prolific ability to consume chocolate.  I am talking about you and your inner underappreciated soul.

It is time to take a moment to show yourself some appreciation.  To say thank you in a way that is personally meaningful.

For those of you Restless Creatives just joining us, here are steps 1-8:

1 Get over yourself

2 Get off the grid

3 Get local

4 Bring on color

5 Avoid vampires

6 Read like a writer

7 Stop the frenzy

8 Live artfully

Getting back to those radishes.  And the lettuce, the  garlic, the fragrant lemons.  Slowly the vision of a glorious Caesar salad to reward myself presented itself.

It was the beginning of a beautiful affair.  Just what I needed.

I picked up some farm fresh eggs, so important to my divina (Italian for fabulous) gift to myself.  I balanced them carefully in my bag with the crunchy romaine lettuce and those divine radishes that got me started in the first place.

The whole experience was a gift.  A gift of exhilarated expectation, of time spent working with the aromatic fresh greens, of delighting in the stolen tastes tau sic (Cantonese for noshing while cooking).

One deep whiff promised me a fragrant salad that would satisfy my expectations.  And one bite delivered the tasteful thank you my soul hungered for in an ideal Caesar.

Here’s my recipe adapted from Melissa Clark’s Green Garlic Caesar salad with Anchovy Croutons:

Wow! Caesar Salad

You will need:

1/2 cup olive oil

6-8 finely chopped anchovy fillets

3 finely chopped garlic cloves

2 cups day old crusty bread cut into cubes

kosher salt and pepper to taste

1 lemon to shpritz into the salad and to cut into slices for your seltzer

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I like the one with the seeds)

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 eggs

2 large heads romaine lettuce torn into pieces

2 large rosy red radishes sliced thin

1 cup grated Reggiano Parmigiano cheese

To make:

1. Croutons – Coat the bottom of a skillet with oil over medium heat and add half of the anchovies.  Cook 2 minutes.  Add half the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add bread cubes, toss frequently until golden and crispy.  Season with salt and pepper.

2. Dressing – Whisk together remaining anchovies, garlic, add mustard, Worcestershire sauce, drizzle lemon juice and whisk in remaining olive oil.

3. Softboil 2 eggs, about 4 minutes in boiling water.  Rinse under cool water.

4. Place lettuce, radish slices and croutons in a serving bowl.  Add dressing and toss well.  Crack eggs into salad, toss well.  Sprinkle a generous amount of grated cheese.

Serves 2 – 4 or 1 tired executive director for 2 days.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

Joanne and Seth

There are block parties and then, there are beach block parties.

Mardi Gras in Breezy Point is none of the above.  It is an experience propelled by ocean breezes, big open skies, a parade and decorated beach walks dotted with partying locals on their porches and patios.  Local pride runs fierce and family driven.  Life moves at the speed of surf and single speed beach cruisers along the promenade except if you stop at the Sugar Bowl for a drink.

This time, Seth and I rode past the Mardi Gras madness and stopped by Joanne’s house.  From her lovely porch you could see the prize banner awarded to her beach walk for Best Decorated Walk.  This is a big weekend in Breezy Point and just like most homes, Joanne’s was filled with kids, cousins, sisters and brothers who were here for a glorious Mardi Gras/Labor Day weekend at the beach.

the prize banner!

Allie and me

Don’t know why but there are certain dishes that people will start international wars over how to make them.  Chicken soup, brisket, ribs.  I have been sworn into secrecy by some folks who consider their rib recipe patent worthy.

Allie, however, is not meshuganah (Yiddish for crazy) about her recipe and she is willing to share.  We got to her house around dinner time and sat around with friends enjoying ribs Allie-style, good red wine and a lot of laughs.

Being a local on a Labor Day weekend is wonderful.  Where did you spend your holiday?

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

Why should Nicholas Kirkwood have all the fun?

He is, of course, wildly inventive and his shoes for the Rodarte collection featuring the famous candle drip heels only affirm his genius for creating desire in a 5 inch heel.  Since my shoe art class,  I have been obsessed with the idea of designing shoes that can convey not only me – but can also confer power and magnetism.  Shoes that elevate you off the earth can also bring you closer to the stars.

I ask you, why walk when you can move heaven and earth?  How can you change the world unless you change your perspective?  Elevate your worldview in a stacked heel.  Reward those second looks with a painted sole.  Stride rhymes with pride, move accordingly.

Mustard suede with a stitched heel and blue sole

Once I realized I could make my own fabulous shoes, there was no going back.  I cannot trust my stature to the store bought.  I feel strangely connected with Q from the James Bond movies, you know, the white haired genius who creates all of those cool spy gadgets for 007.  I design shoes to serve uniquely different moments and purposes.

So, these shoes I am designing in my head are designed for specific Wow! moments such as:

• Sitting as a panelist in front of a group of people, painted soles visible.
• Striding into a stunning arts event.  Add drink, mingle.
• Lobbying.  Actually walking through lobbies en route to meetings in government buildings where the dictatorship of nondescript greys, blues and other nicht so fabelhaft colors reigns.
• Setting off that little black dress that Every Woman in New York  owns and wears.

Are you passionate about what you do?

Walk this way.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

Now exactly what is that supposed mean when we are talking about artful living, the goal of the next step of the Twelve Step Plan for Restless Creatives?

How do you live artfully?  If your brain is artful, does that make your body artful too?  What does that look like?

So glad you are asking such fei cheong (Cantonese for extremely) fabelhaft (German for fabulous) questions.  There is absolutely an art to living well and the key to that is creating a healthy lifestyle mindset.  Without the right attitude and behavior, diet and exercise are a dreary duo to live with.  If you feel like you’re running on empty energywise and inspirationwise, here are some simple ways to follow:

8 Live artfully

- the next step in the plan.

Drink water in style

Toast your day with a glass of water in the morning.  Continue throughout the day to prevent dehydration which causes fatigue.  I like to drink water in a fancy glass with ice and a slice of lemon.  It creates the illusion that I am having a cocktail and it fools my system into thinking it is full.

Imbibe an infusion

Fancy schmancy way to say “drink tea”.  However, it is a well known fact that chamomile will soothe you, jasmine increases beta waves, which make you more awake and alert and peppermint will aid in digestion.  There are many herbal teas with a multitude of benefits.    Enjoy a cup after a meal and before going to sleep.

Embrace exercise

Burn calories!  Daily exercise, whether you are running 5 miles a day like yours truly,  taking the stairs whenever you can or walking, increases your muscle tone, diminishes your appetite and brings a tremendous sense of accomplishment.  You try getting out of bed at some unGodly hour to be out running by 5:00 am and see if you don’t feel like you’ve done something.  Trust me, your body will love you for it.

Listen to your food

Stick to foods that are good for you, eat reasonable portions, finish eating dinner early.  Balance your food intake so that your body does not have to work so hard to break it down especially later in the day.  If you feel your creative energy ebbing away, especially between three and five when most people feel a need for a doughnut and coffee, go for popcorn or a piece of fruit.  Remember what they say about databases is true for diets;  garbage in, garbage out.

OK, all of you Restless Creatives who are jumping on board, here are the steps you missed:

1 Get over yourself

2 Get off the grid

3 Get local

4 Bring on color

5 Avoid vampires

6 Read like a writer

7 Stop the frenzy

And for the rest of you, just remember, today is the first day of the rest of your body.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

These last few summer days are kite-tailing into September with cool backhanded breezes and I am tangled in my lists of summer reading, new marinades to concoct, my next knitting project.  Letting me loose in the garment district with time on my hands can only mean more stuff, less closet space for Seth, and even more designs for artful living.  But as I headed home, I began feeling that there is so much more on my list that I haven’t done.

Did I have a full summer experience? When am I going to take surfing lessons? There’s still so much sunblock!

What about you? Are you angsting over your late summer goals? I hope it isn’t just me.

I wrote a post a while ago about doing less with more, something I believe in deeply. You can check out my video on the art of doing less, too. While this may seem at odds with me frantically waving a fistful of lists, it really isn’t. Doing less of what is not important and doing only what is always results in a short list. Now if you do things in a way that yields double results, you really win! Here are a few examples from my not so short list:

Lose weight, gain closet space.
Clean closets, gain space.
Write 2 posts instead of one.
Say no, hear yes.
Hear no, see opportunity.
Accept the invite, write the thank you.
Write when you’re up, rote when you’re down.

Adapt excellent design, become adept.

Speaking of getting things done, here is Gideon Shalwick in a video about productivity that I like very much for his way of simplifying priorities for multiple projects without freaking out about having the perfect shiny tools to do so.

I read a great opening line for a recipe remake by Amanda Hesser.  Can’t remember what the recipe was for but here’s what she wrote, more or less:

“Trends arise not from inspiration but from indignation.”

For me, the following adaption really nails it:

“Artful living arises not from inspiration but from indignation”

Is that great or what?  I find myself in a state of indignation most of the time, when it comes to well thought out life design.

Are you indignant, inspired?  If so, I am asking for your suggestions to add to my short list.  Do you have a creative way to live artfully?

Please let me know!

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

I squish your head I squish your head

In the current reincarnation of my life, I am surrounded by boys.

Seth, my husband, Remy and Sky, my sons, their friends, and all the contractors and repair guys that come to fix everything that my boys try their hand at doing.  Just because Jesus was a carpenter doesn’t mean that all Jewish guys can build stuff.  Especially in my family.  Me, I can run a nonprofit.  Running pipe and wire is not in my skill set.  Most of the time, I am odd man out.

One day last summer, on an island near Seattle, there was a sound that instantly transformed me for one glorious moment into one of the boys.

It was a soft, crackly sound followed by a delighted giggle.  You hear it when a basketful of peanuts is being passed around the table and the shells are tossed on the sawdust floors of a barbeque shack known for its ribs, rowdy music and down home decor.

“You mean, I can just throw the shells on the floor?”  Sky asked excitedly, his arm ready to sweep the pile of peanut shells on to the floor.  Remy and I ate our way through the basket of peanuts laughing as we flung fistfuls of shells at our feet.  Seth caught all of the action on his Flip video.  ”This place is great!”

Was it the museums, the cultural events, the marketplace that my boys remember about Seattle? Not really.  Was it the fun we had spitting shells on the floor.  Absolutely.  We still talk about the ferry ride over to this island barbeque place with its unique menu and peanut shell policy.   For me, it was a precious point in our trip where we were all just boys, me too!  having a great time with each other.

As we were driving Remy out to Stonybrook, I thought about a day this summer that we were all together again, travelling around Queens, and I wondered if they remembered that day.  We settled into a local restaurant Remy and I discovered earlier this summer and ordered lunch.  Suddenly, all of us – Seth, Sky, Remy and I were laughing again as we ordered all kinds of combinations of bread, cheese and pasta.  Everything a lactose intolerant Asian like me should not be eating but hey, the foccacia was fabulous!  So good we ordered two.

Now I don’t pretend to understand how the universe of boys works, what makes them think one thing is stupid and another thing is legit, primo, fly, ill, wavy or crunk (Impressed?  I just learned that stuff means “cool”).

Note to self:  If you even think you know what is cool, they will cut you down to size and squish your head.

the boys – Sky, Remy & Seth

When such a moment arrives in your life, enjoy it.  I am forever grateful they let me in their world as one of the boys once in a while so we can share a few laughs and a lot of carbs together.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

]]> http://hoongyee.com/2010/08/29/how-to-be-one-of-the-boys/feed/ 0 http://hoongyee.com/2010/08/26/hooked-rockaway-beach-booties/ http://hoongyee.com/2010/08/26/hooked-rockaway-beach-booties/#comments Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:29:12 +0000 hoongyee http://hoongyee.com/?p=2378

The next time someone tells you they are expecting a baby, here’s something fabulous for you to knit that will keep little feet warm.  These baby booties are done in a simple garter stitch with a ribbed cuff to keep the booties on snugly.  Snugly?  Is that a word?  You know what I mean.

The best part about this project is that it has been designed for all of you busy people who would love to make beautiful handmade gifts quickly and easily.   And the funny thing about  these booties is that once you know how to make them, suddenly everyone is having babies!

Tip: I like knitting on circular needles because I usually find myself knitting while I’m waiting for a meeting, sitting on a plane or taking a break between doing everything else I’m supposed to be doing. You can tie up the needles quickly and never drop a stitch. If you are planning to knit on a plane make sure your needles don’t set off the metal detectors. Indulge yourself and get yourself some bamboo or polished wooden needles.

Can’t wait to get started?    There are baby feet to be bootied.  Grab those knitting needles and get going!

Here’s the pattern in a power point presentation.

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If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

We are at the midpoint of the Twelve Step Plan for Restless Creatives.

Are you feeling the breeze?  Is it working for you?

Maybe what we all need is a fresh perspective on things.  Some way to shake us out of the relentless mishegas (Yiddish for craziness) we call life.  Besides being better for your skin, letting go and devoting three minutes to focusing upon something beautiful and powerful, like a midsummer sunrise, will also center you, get your energy and endorphins flowing.  Hey listen, how could you not want to do that?

It will stop the frenzy which is the next step in the plan.  Perhaps this step should have been the first one.  But if you are as distracted and overcaffeinated as I am, you will probably skip around doing these steps which I have included for you here:

1 Get over yourself

2 Get off the grid

3 Get local

4 Bring on color

5 Avoid vampires

6 Read like a writer

Go ahead.  All of you schwer arbeiters (Yiddish for hard working people like you).  Take three minutes to turn inwardly, flick the chattering demons off your shoulder, and embrace the joy of a simple and beautiful image.  This step is for you.

7 Stop the frenzy

So you need an image, maybe?  Here’s a silver sunrise on Rockaway Beach from my inner gallery.

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

in Breezy Point with Joanne, Peggy, Jerry, Robin & Hoong Yee

When I was a kid growing up in Queens, my sister and I rode our bikes everywhere.  For hours.   We would have a couple of dollars in our pocket for a Carvel ice cream cone, maybe a slice at Superman pizza on Bell Boulevard and we would be out the whole day until the time when squares of light would fill the houses and moms would lean out calling their kids in for dinner.  Entire endless summer days we spent riding, talking about everything and nothing, cruising wordlessly down wide avenues.

One of my favorite bike rides is through Breezy Point, at the tip of the Rockaway Peninsula.  Seth and I like doing this ride in the late afternoon so that we are riding on the dune paths close to sunset.  Of course, we always stop at the Sugar Bowl.  You can’t help it because everyone spills out onto the beach and bikepath.  But you can always stop for a cold drink and continue riding.

Last week, our friends Jerry and Robin took us on a ride through Long Beach.  So this week, we took them on our Breezy Point ride and stopped by to see our friends Joanne and Peggy who invited us into their lovely home right on the beach.  They are true beach people – Joanne says she can shake sand out of her winterboots!

Thank you both for your gracious hospitality and greatly appreciated Diet Cokes!

Note:  Seth and I ride beach cruisers – big bikes with one gear and a back pedal break.  Oh, and one of our bikes is painted silver with yellow polka dots and has a basket.  Jerry has a fancier bike with 21 gears and I suppose that does make the ride easier.  It is about 13 miles from our house on Beach 124th Street to the tip of Breezy so the total trip is 26 miles.

Seth and his yellow polka dot bicycle with basket

If you are coming in from Manhattan, you can take your bikes on the ferry from downtown Manhattan to the pier at Riis Park and ride straight into Breezy Point by turning right, or you can head towards Fort Tilden and Hero Road which runs along the fishing beaches into Riis Park.  Pick up the boardwalk at Beach 126th Street and ride down to Rockaway Taco for a fabulous lunch at Beach 96th Street and Rockaway Beach Boulevard.  We made a barbeque at home with all kinds of greens I picked from my garden this morning and listened to some fabulous music Jerry, the playlist maestro, brought along.

This is a jewel of a ride, what I call a Moveable Feast and one you should definitely treat yourself and your bicycle buddies to!

Get more Wow!

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit

Style Notes from me, your artspy

Hoong Yee

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer)

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?

Seth and the finished booties

I am in love with my latest project.

These are a pair of booties with a little cuff knit in a bouncy bright red microfiber that are easy, quick and so Wow! that I just had to share them with you.  My friend Frances at the Walter and Elise Haas Fund and I are going to present this project at our knitting circle in Chicago for the upcoming Grantmakers in the Arts Conference.

Now I have to tell you that I really have no use for directions that make me do all kinds of extra verkcockte (Yiddish for stupidcrazy) steps that can be done more simply and elegantly executed.  I am absolutely insulted by poor design that lacks thoughtfulness in the details.

What do I mean by that?  Listen, now I’m on a roll.   The original design for these booties had no cuff to keep them on a baby’s feet and as any new parent will tell you,  “Who needs another thing to keep track of?”  I cut down the number of steps, simplified the process and creating a set of little videos to accompany a slide presentation so anyone can follow along whether you are in a knitting circle or knitting on the beach. 

I want all you nonprofit and ninja knitters to be able to knock out a pair of these booties whereever and whenever you find some spare time.  They will keep a baby’s feet warm and bring a smile to new mommies and daddies. 

Frances happens to have a lot of pregnant friends.  If you are like me and do not, maybe there is a charity you can donate them to.  Let me know if you find one.

Stay tuned!  More to come.

Get more Wow!
 

If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out: 

Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good 

Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit 

Style Notes from me, your artspy 

Hoong Yee 

– Subscribe and get a little Wow! every day  

– Forward the link to someone you think would be interested 

– Link to a post on Twitter (follow me @hylkrakauer) 

– Put a link to the blog in your Facebook status update 

Thanks so much! I really appreciate your help.  

Word of mouth is the best way to share, don’t you agree?