Nichelle Newsletter

Shop Around

Ok, I went to another book party last night, but this one was one of the best. Kathryn Finney’s book, How To Be A Budget Fashionista, is my new bible for style and shopping. Based on tips from her website, The Budget Fashionista, Kathryn has written a book that is sassy and shopping savvy. At the party, I met Kathryn and got one of the best goodie bags ever with peach shower gel, lotion, Oil of Olay Night Crème, a hand mirror and a lingerie catalog, Fig Leaves.

Since I just got rid of a lot of clothes, The Budget Fashionista will come in handy the next time I make a purchase. Kathryn highly recommends having clothing swaps with friends in March/April and August/September. In March, one of my friends hosted one and I plan to host a clothing swap in early September in my new home.

Read RKB’s Gothamist interview of Kathryn Finney.

First We Take Manhattan

do you know Manhattan ?, originally uploaded by greentea flute.


Time to thank friends, sponsors and the like.

Operation Couch Surf is looking good. I will be in either Brooklyn or Manhattan for the next two weeks.

Congrats to my friends who got new jobs! The more money you make, the more I feel like a loser! [jk]

All Business is where I blog about small business accounting.  Take a second and check out my blog, Keeping Nickels.  If you have any questions related to accounting, suggest in the comments here or there.

Biz rate is over in the side bar, and there's a link where you can shop for jeans and watches. Click though if you not reading this on RSS feed.

 

Move

Buy my stuff! I'm moving and don't want to lug around this stuff as I couch surf until July 15.

Who's in for a slumber party...at your place?

Who wants someone to sleep on their couch...who's not their cat?

Who wants someone to house sit when you are not leaving town?

 

Here Comes The Sun

Sol del guacamole, originally uploaded by hale_popoki.

The cupcake bakery trend is part of a bigger movement–micro niche cuisine.  For years there have been restaurants dedicated to bringing ethnic food to the masses like pasta, sushi and tacos. Now, some restaurants have a found a new way to attract diners by focusing on one or maybe two items and target the audience of eaters who go out of their way to eat the particular food. It’s not a gimmick. I think that this is very Long Tail. It works as Burgers & Cupcakes, Sundaes and Cones and S’Mac (new macaroni and cheese place) have opened up here in New York. These restaurants are kinda like niche blogs or niche magazines where the place is really for the hard core enthusiasts and where a casual fan may stop in for a bite.  I hope someone comes up with a place for a hundred types of guacamole. A fancy nacho joint would be nice!

Great minds think alike. Mandy from the Post wrote a piece this week about this trend of "One Hit Wonders". 

Where Do We Go From Here?

A weekend recap with recommendations:

Go see any show where Shockwave, Erin and Her Cello, Freestyle Love Supreme, Laptop, Rob and Mark, Cock Lorge, Ruggles Outbound and Arthur Lewis is performing.  It's preferable to go when all are performing on the same show. That's what I did Friday night where Shockwave curated a fanstastic music/beatbox/comedy/r&b show at Ars Nova called Mix Tape!

Saturday! The Water Taxi Beach in Long Island City is hard to get to when the 7 train is not running but well worth it once you get a green chile burger from Harry. The Gothamist crew,the boys from A Hamburger Today and Kambri Crews' Tex in The City all convened to eat under a tent to eat burgers. Comedian Dan Allen showed us card tricks and Christian Finnegan donned a cute Johnny Cupcakes T-shirt. [I so want one now!]

Sunday! I missed the Pride Parade, but went to Tortilla Flats for trivia and won many shots of tequila that I shared with the cutest gay boys that sat at the bar with me. Then the boys whisked me away to two pride parties in swanky apartments in Chelsea. [Thanks Bryan, Ryan, Ian, Tom Brendan, Nick, and the others whose names I have forgotten!]

OK, so the housing situation. I pack/purge during the day and I've been partying at night.  Maybe not the best plan since I keep stumbling over things when I come home.  Nothing is definite yet, so keep your fingers crossed for me.  And if you see me homeless on the 2 train next week, you'll know that I f@cked up. By the way, I guess I am on TV today talking about cupcakes. I am immortalized!

Stuck In The Middle With You

_DSC8213, originally uploaded by brianvan.

Do I look really innocent or up to no good? You be "The Decider"!

Happy Birthday, GirlyNYC!

A Hard Day's Night

I have never ever:
attended a party where most of the free booze (PINK Vodka, Edison, Heartland) was gone an hour after it started.
attended a party where one of the birthday girls got birthday spankings from 6 people on a rooftop.
attended a party where the cops came and shut it down.
attended a party where I felt like a fire marhal as I told the hipsters as they were coming down the stairs from the roof that the party was moving to Niagara.
attended a party where the lead singer/DJ (Jonny Lives) becomes the bartender at the next venue.
attended a party where the photo booth was the most fun (aside from eating the chocolate cake).
attended a party where all this stuff happens on the longest day of the year.

PYT (Pretty Young Thing)

• Are you too hot, too lazy to schlep your groceries? Try Max Delivery.
• Are you feeling lucky? Do you have decent listening skills, too? Play Bingo on Mondays at Mo Pitkins! Last Monday, I won tickets to Joan Rivers' show at The Cutting Room, but the cash jackpot is usually about $75 so it's worth purchasing a few cards.
• Are you a freelancer with free time on your hands? Do you like a cold beer in the early afternoon? Are you into the World Cup? Go to Boss Tweeds where happy hour is $3 dollar draft pints.  I am here right now, but I am embarrassed to dodgeball before 5PM. [Wi-Fi is here, too]
• Sometimes an override is necessary. If you have a bad haircut, bad pizza or bad sex, you must make up for it with good haircut, delicious pizza and great sex.

And the words of wisdom for today is:

When an Argentinian says: "that's a sexy thought", you listen.

Baby Love

Goofy Cute, originally uploaded by Undiscovered Superstar.

Me and Adriana (Carolyn's daughter) at Adira and Bram's wedding. Adriana loves the pearls!

Thank God It's Friday!

Funny, originally uploaded by candiedyams.

Tonight, Cupcakes Take The Cake and A Hamburger Today are having dinner at Burgers and Cupcakes 458 Ninth Ave (between 35th and 36th). We're eating at 8PM, but get there early if you wanna sit by me and the CTTC bloggers.

New Blogs I like.

http://cheesaholics.blogs.com/

http://marktd.com - A Digg-like marketing and trend blog from the guy over at PSFK where anyone can post. [Go WEdia!]

What I Am

Blue skies and a "I Love New York" T-shirt are the only things that keep me afloat mentally.  I basically started working for myself as a freelance bookkeeper out of necessity and frustration. In the past six months, I have interviewed at Citibank, Princeton Review, Coty, Jimmy Choo, New York Magazine not to mention the smaller businesses that I have interviewed for as well.  Nobody wants me. Now, I feel sorta helpless and the wave of rejection could just sweep me out to the East River. I want a few more clients that really need me on a weekly basis or a full-time job that I won't dread soon after working and have dreams of getting hit by a car just so that I won't have to come in the next day. Is that so hard?

Update: Thanks to all who emailed me! I guess all is not lost yet but I will be paring my life down in the next two weeks to the bare essentials--my laptop, summer clothes and flip flops.  Look for the Craigslist ads that I will posting soon to sell a few things.

• a full-size bed with frame
• 19-inch color TV (brand new)
• HP digital camera printer
• faux tiffany floor lamp

I am returning all borrowed books, so if you don't want them, let me know. 

Crazy

I cannot walk into a clothing store without hearing Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy". [Please make it stop]

Last week I spotted a gossip columnist at Manitoba's. 
I told my friends and said, "I bet within a week there will be an item about Manitoba's on Page Six." 
Today it shows up. It is so much fun to be right!

If you have stopped by the new Apple Store then you know that it is best thing that ever happened to nearly bankrupt FAO Schwartz.  In one block, there is one-stop shopping for toys for both adults and children.  Today, there's a big event promoting Pirates of The Carribean: Dead Man's Chest which opens July 7, 2006.

Speaking of POTC, there's a new blog dedicated to one its stars, Keira Knightley.

My Heart Belongs To Daddy

daddysgirl, originally uploaded by Undiscovered Superstar.

Tonight I am hosting a special edition of Chicks and Giggles called "Daddy's Girl"

My Prerogative

_DSC7664, originally uploaded by brianvan.

Weekend Recap:

Friday: I watched World Cup games at Boss Tweed's and then I had some delicious cheese from Saxelby Cheesemongers which has a booth at Essex Market. In the evening, I went to Brandy and Sara's Kissing Booth show.

Saturday: Two parties! One with spicy strawberry margaritas and doughnuts from Doughnut Plant.  The other party had burgers, cupcakes and Budweisers. The people were nice, too.

Sunday: RKB and I went to the Loving Day celebration at the Delancey.  After that we stopped into Sugar Sweet Sunshine where I had a vanilla cloud cupcake.  Yum!

Moving/Job Update: I saw a lovely apartment near where I already live and if I had a fairy godmother or extra thousand dollars laying around then I could maybe swing it.  So the extra push to make/save money is ON!  All you people who need bookkeeping, publicity or even just plain old help, contact me.  I can do data entry, blog, write press releases, crochet, be a personal stylist, add, subtract, multiply and divide for CASH.

Freedom

Four years ago, June 11, 2002, I had my first Free Your Pu55y party and now it's an annual event. Tonight is the party! It's at 8PM at Lavagina and free. There will be a raffle. Come and free yourself!

The Sweetest Thing

_DSC7356, originally uploaded by brianvan.

Cupcakes Take the Cake bloggers hanging out at Mo Pitkins last night. Exciting things are happening!

Big Mouth

Press! I was interviewed by Natasha of the website, Daring Female. Read it here I talk about Chicks and Giggles and Cupcakes Take The Cake.

Speaking of Chicks, we got a fantastic show for you tonight so break out your Kangol and gold chains for Riff and Gigs Rap Attack. It's tonight at Mo Pitkins, 7:30PM. Competitive eater Eric "Badlands" Booker will be freestyling along with Carolyn Castiglia.

Speaking of guts, The Daily Gut is now live for your consumption.

Let The Music Play

Pandora, the music streaming website, held a town hall last night at the Tribeca Screening Room.  I heard about this event because I am a Pandora user, and I love it! Pandora founder Tim Westegren talked about the mission of Pandora and gave users an opportunity to ask questions and give feedback on the website.  Even though the highest demographic of Pandora users are the coveted 18-34 male demo, Tim Westegren is very excited about what Pandora is doing to re-acquaint thirty somethings with music again. I, like my other Pandora users, listen to it while at their “cube jobs”.  Presently Pandora is a free music service, and Tim wants to keep it that way.  The primary way for the company to profit is by advertising, but there may be opportunities to provide portable players in the future that will support Pandora’s music streaming.

Pandora has 40 musicians on staff who code songs using Pandora’s 400 attribute scale.  After each song is rated, it is put into the mix of songs that is part of the Music Genome Project.  As users request songs or artists, they are put into the queue for review.  Pandora selections do not place a higher attribute to major label artist or indie label artists giving them a level playing field when it comes to song selection.   I think that Pandora may chip away at existing music snobbery and that may actually do more to revolutionize the music industry than other recent online music projects. Good music is good music.

All Hands On The Bad One

Nichelle Stephens, David Gates, originally uploaded by Goodwillie.

OK, maybe just an elbow. Ha! It's me and author David Gates at David Goodwillie's book party.

David Goodwillie is reading from his book, SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME tonight at The Half King at 7PM and Thursday June 8 at McNally Robinson at 7PM.

Love For Sale

_DSC7281, originally uploaded by brianvan.

Weekend Recap
Friday night, I visited a friend in Boerum Hill and ate grilled cheese sandwiches and pineapple ice cream for dinner.

Saturday, I partied on Avenue C. First I was hanging with Alexis (pictured above) and friends at Lava Gina and then I was at the Sunburnt Cow where I said goodbye to a dear friend, Jay, who is going back to London. 

Sunday, Girly and I got some culture visiting the Red Hook Open Studios. All of the artists were very friendly as they welcomed us into creative/living spaces. Then we took the easiest route (no bus required) from Red Hook to Park Slope, by walking down 9th Street to Smith and 9th St Station and then going only one stop down to 4th Avenue so that we could enjoy Cheryl B.’s Atomic Reading Series. There was a great line-up with Michelle Wildgen, Christine Hamm and Tony O’Neill. Michelle Wildgen’s debut novel, You’re Not You, was just released this week on St. Martin’s Press. Poet Christine Hamm wore her new corset as she read from her chap book, Animal Husbandry. Tony O’Neill sporting a brand new moustache read from his dark memoir, Digging The Vein.

UPDATE: There are 25 days left and I may be HOMELESS. Any leads on sublets, couch surfing, house-sitting would be appreciated. So I am selling a TV with a built-in DVD player for $100. It’s brand new (still in the box)! I am also selling a HP Digital Camera Photo Printer for $100. I will also throw in books with any purchase.

New Sensation

Sometimes I rhyme slow.
Sometimes I rhyme quick.
Sometimes I geek out.

Instead of white iPod headphones, think pink.

I found a way to make a reminder button for Google Calendar 

(via Digg)

Talk back to me! Finally, you can leave me voice message on this blog!

Let The Sunshine In

I am featured along with all the talent who performed at last week's WYSIWYG Talent Show, "Prom Trauma," on the NRC Handelsblad website. Any tall handsome Dutchmen who finds me through the blog can contact me for international relations. Skype me, baby!

How Will I Know?

Mandy Stadtmiller from the New York Post was on Good Day NY this morning talking about her article, "25 Things Every New Yorker Should Know"

Joy and Pain

_DSC6764, originally uploaded by brianvan.

Sometimes eating is painful, but really painful where your friend is snapping photos of you eating tortilla chips.

I love Mexican food!

Fill Me In

Instead of getting bitter and angry about my precarious living situation, this evening I  attended a book party at Elaine's for author David Goodwillie's memoir, It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time. It was fun even as I mistook David's brother for him, and I had not even had a drink yet. So I talked to another David-- Author David Gates while a photographer snapped a photo of us.  I met David Gates before at a reading this past winter and I read Preston Falls and Jernigan back in the day. Finally I walked over to the right David and said "Hello". By then the party was winding down,so my time on the Upper East Side was brief but brilliant. I even wore heels!