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i have been consuming carrots like they are going out style.
BUT, they aren’t, nor will they ever. because they are healthy, tasty and CHEAP!
cook some carrots, people. buy the funky ones with dirt on them, at your local organic spot.

too often we mark our diets with nutrition labels, spoken health offerings and smart on-pack copy. things grown organically from the earth are all unique (aww, like us!) and no one owns their nutritional value to give labels, and since they are required (thanks, government) we see our vegs sitting silently* in the produce as we all buy low-fat cereals and yogurts. what i’m saying is, BUY VEGGIES! PREP THEM! EAT THEM!

actions; antioxidant, anticancer, protect arteries, expectorant, antiseptic, diuretic, boost immunity, antibacterial, lower blood cholesterol levels.

facts; carrots are extremely nutritious. they are rich in vitamins A, B and C, iron, calcium, potassium, sodium. cleaning effect on the liver and digestion. they help prevent kidney stones and relieve arthritis. their antioxidant properties come from carotenoids – which cut cancer risk, protect against arterial and cardiac disease. carrots enhance mental function and decrease the risk of cataracts! and macular degeneration!

YO MOMMA always said, eat your carrots… they are good for your eyes. (they make your hair red, they make your hair curly? or are these just my associations because my own mom has carrot colored hair?)

so tell me, how do you like your carrots?

*michael pollan theory i’m into.

peace, love, & hugging carrots,

ashley

a walk with a friend landed the two of us in a fairly new bookstore in the neighborhood, i’ve been wanting to check it out for a while. the storefront used to be our regular video store, so when they closed last fall we were quite disappointed (although we did score a lot of DVDs cheap in their closeout, including the entire series of six feet under!) afterward, i was relieved to hear it was becoming a bookstore! can’t have too many of them. it’s called powerHouse on 8th. the store has an up to date (yet small) selection, with a great kids section. it also has cards and arts of different mediums, all carefully curated. i appreciated the detail. right down to the chris ware prints hanging behind the register. the lady working informed us that ware brought the prints to the store during a benefit for hurricane sandy. you can purchase them in the store.

i fell in love with the tan-lined girl, laying in front of the ac. i think i need to figure out a way to own it.

here are some more of my favorite new york scenes of his –

images found on pinterest

peace & love, ashley

Derrick Rose is a professional.  He plays basketball for a living, in the NBA.  At 24 years old, he’s already been an MVP, doing so in the 2010-2011 season.  He’s reached the playoffs every year he’s been in the league. Despite having not played a single game this season, it’s safe to say that he is one of the best at his craft, currently, in the world.

At this point, it’s no secret that he is able to play in games again.  He’s been cleared for nearly 2 months now; however, he doesn’t feel that he’s ready to get back out there.  While his body is ready, his mind is telling him differently.  This hasn’t been sitting well with basketball fans/critics/etc. who have absolutely NOTHING to do with him or the team.  Yet, meanwhile, he’s had full support from all of his teammates and coaches.  They know how hard he’s worked to get to where he is and they have his back, fully.  Even teammate Joakim Noah recently spoke publicly about his impatience with the criticism that Derrick’s been receiving.

‘And to see him go through this is tough, but at the end of the day it’s really funny how quick people are to judge. But people don’t know what it’s like to lead a team, especially after you tore your ACL. If you tore your ACL and you have to be the starting point guard and have the expectations that Derrick has, then maybe you can judge, but everybody who hasn’t been in that situation before should really shut up because I feel like it’s just so unfair to him and to this team.’

In other words, people should shut up and just respect his decision.  Once he’s back, you’ll know.  And while I can’t wait for that game to come, as a Bulls fan and even more so, a basketball fan, all I can do is be patient. I think Derrick has been doing so a little more so than us fans.

Before you know it, he’ll be doing this again.

Daaaaaaa Bulls.

is anyone else in touch with the eclipse that is going on right now? with the entering of scorpio, we need to let go of anything that we are holding onto, that we can not control. shake it off. possessions, reasons, fears, restrictions, people, emotional & physical weight.

it also happens to be joe’s birthday today, and the day he leaves his very own ‘return of saturn’ — just as the entire world leaves saturn, sort of trippy. work has him down in mexico, so i am spending an evening organizing, taking care of a few things, anticipating a house guest, and resolving some things personally.
a girl night, solo. <3

i understood what i could about what is happening cosmically through this site, and from convos with mama moderno, of course.

moon image credit

peace & love,
ashley

ps – on the street yesterday i gave a guy a dollar that i found that most likely was his but we had an interesting conversation. he said he was going to play the lottery with the dollar, asked me my favorite numbers, i told him. joe said “now what if that guy wins the lotto??” (i don’t play it.)
here are some #’s i saw while writing this post.

1. Graham, Lauren. Someday, Someday, Maybe. 2013 – reading the back of this book pulled me in immediately. first of all, it takes place in 1995! I LOVE ALL THINGS 90s! secondly, the main character lives in park slope! she is chasing her dream of being an actress. she reminded me of myself, sometimes ballsy, often running late, untamable hair, close with her father, often insecure, but going after it all anyway.

it was written by lauren graham, who i’ve always liked (her debut novel!). my mom and i watched a fair amount of gilmore girls in our day (single mother, daughter, grandmother.. it fit.) — it’s something about lauren grahams style and sense of humor that works for me.. the roles she played and what she’s done with those characters (in both tv and film.) i was genuinely excited to see what she had to say.. and how she wrote. as we all know, i love love love reading female narratives.

i took this book to LA with me, read it on the trains in NY and mostly on a trip down to savannah. it’s 350 pages long but was a breeze through (esp for traveling when you need to escape.) i am a strong believer in the need for an easy, funny, light hearted, relatable and romantic book to dive into. which is honestly all i’d thought this book would be. BUT, it was really sharp and funny, and real. the characters were great and easily brought to life. with my interest in acting and story-telling, graham’s invitation into that world (in the 90′s, in NY) was one of my favorite parts.

another favorite part would have to be that it takes place in my neighborhood! it was as if i was able to jump into the pages and walk the streets with franny (our main character, you’ll love her.) i knew the mentioned intersections, the described feeling of walking the streets, what it’s like to see john turturro in a cafe, an obsession with bagels, the brownstones, neighbors, and the way park slope is different past 5th avenue (and knowing why a boy would live there.) what had me rolling was when franny is on a phone call, distracting herself by watching customers flow in and out of “THE MUFFIN CAFE” – ‘a ramshackle little store” — on 7th & Union! too good (explanation: this cafe in real life is where i spent a year of my life, struggling just like franny.. feeling totally desperate I couldn’t have loved this more.. i wonder if LG lives in the slope? where i worked is called “connecticut muffin” ha ha!)

the love stories in this book are also non-irritating. all my other light hearted frolics lately have had bad love lines, but we’re talking hunger games, 50 shades, twilight. anyway, as much as franny is searching for love, she is not defining herself by it. it really was a great story about a girl working hard and desperately for her dreams. i admit that i wish she still existed in this hood so that i could sometimes commiserate with someone. it very nicely captures the struggle and magic in brooklyn. i was sad to finish it! (wonder if there will be a sequel?)

“Warm and funny, charming and smart.”— Diane Keaton, New York Times bestselling author of Then Again

“Graham deftly captures what it’s like to be young, ambitious, and hopeful in New York City.”—Candace Bushnell, New York Times bestselling author of Sex and the City and The Carrie Diaries

SOOO! get this!
i am super pleased to announce that i have TWO COPIES of this book to giveaway!
you know me, always pushing people to read more, giving books as presents to everyone i know. now i get to share it here. happy dance!

HOW??
leave me a comment below with your name and e-mail address. two people will be selected randomly.
good luck and happy reading!

Please visit The Official Site of Someday, Someday, Maybe.
and follow @TheLaurenGraham on twitter.

(Thank you Random House!)

incase you missed: JANUARY, FEBRUARY & MARCH READS.

Update: Congrats Krystal and Linda for winning a copy of the book!

when we can do laundry in our own home,
i’ll carefully hang them on the line, right out the back door.
you’d be lighting candles and incense all day, we’d barely leave
prepping, baking, cooking, stirring, creating love through food
we’ll be mending our broken things
water the flowering, flourishing the roots.

happy may

(for joe)
image

we take copious amounts of selfies when bored and alone. or at least i know i do. and a lot of my girlfriends. i like the scrolling effect when edited together, it’s almost like a photobooth. i have been pulling all nighters recently, last night i was losing my mind through editing repetition so i had a little selfie session (above.)

i dug around on my myspace and facebook profiles, and found these two, from 2004 and 2006.
we know one thing that is constant with me.. eh? faces and pictures.

ps –

remember when i put stinky in a photobooth on seaside boardwalk?
a more recent one, with the peoples.

this weekend officially marked the beginning of iced coffee season here in new york.
it’s a gradual progression, when people change to the summer drinks… but aaah it feels so good.

being a barista has often been my main gig.. as some of you know. i’ve worked in a cafe every spot i’ve lived; which is pretty cool, because the insider view of coffee culture has taught me a lot about how things go. it’s also introduced me to a lot of locals when i’ve been a newbie, which has been a great experience – i’ve met a lot of really good people.

i remember when i first started out (2002) people were only drinking hot coffees, hot espresso drinks. i wasn’t a huge coffee drinker until my 20′s, so although i served it, i didn’t have much of a personal preference.. i stayed away from it (unless it was a wawa vanilla cappuccino from their machine, still love those.) one place i worked (halo pub) had a drink called “the floatimissimo” – which was essentially a cappuccino with a scoop of coffee ice cream dropped in it, which i got attached to. after that, i started messing around with espresso, chocolate, ice, blended, on and on … the game had begun.

slowly i got myself hooked on iced coffee drinks, and it was right in time with the rest of the world. cuz, next thing you know – the olsen twins are drinking iced lattes everyday, being photographed with their venti starbucks coffee and ratty hair. a trip to the mall become incomplete without a stop at starbucks (or sometimes, the coffee beanery, who remembers those?) there was always coffee available, 7-11, dunkin, wawa, quick chek, on and on. but now coffee was a luxury! a treat! an adventure, an experiment, an expense.

i love a good cup, but i don’t often buy coffee out. when i do, i am really treating myself .. giving myself time to take a walk, or sit down and gather myself.

i’m still drinkin, but making at home / all different ways, i drinks cups everyday.

SO, friends.. the reason we are here .. id like to share with you my favorite way to make iced coffee at home. it’s fool proof and tasty. this light and sweet recipe is perfect for a 4pm pick me up.

you need:

an electronic coffee pot
coffee (ground)
water (filtered)
honey (buy local!)
ice
half & half
spoon
straw (optional)

1. fill basket with 12 heaping scoops of ground coffee
2. fill water section to make just 6 cups of coffee! (enter the term: double brewed)
3. fill your coffee pot with two gracious handfuls of ice
4. drizzle desired amount of honey on top of your ice (approx 4 tbs is good for me!)
5. brew coffee as normal
6. when finished, stir coffee.
7. let liquid reach room temperature (30 minutes)
8. pour over ice, add desired amount of milk, stir. straw… sip.. enjoy

this method will save you nearly $2.50 a day!* i recommend keeping your brew at room temperature, in a closed vessel. think of it like red wine! always pour it over a nearly stacked glass of ice, your coffee is a brewed sightly stronger to compensate for the icing.

the slight sweetness of the honey is just perfect and tastes very natural. it’s not only a sweetener but honey is GOOD for you! so make sure to be helping it find its way into more of your meals at home. i’ve been putting in my coffee for years, i just got joe hooked… your next!

*if you order a large iced coffee one time a day (i think most of us drink multiple! eek)

just did a search for ‘coffee‘ on the home page, so many came up! haha, but this one is from feb 17, 2011 .. after i got off a shift at the muff. those days seem like ancient history now, wild.

peace & love, ashley

ps – you can put any sweetener in pre-brew, chocolate syrup (mocha powder, hot cocoa?), maple syrup, whiskey, vodka…

pss – white russians & iced mochas

because i’m a slave to it -

joe, kevin, upcoming projects, drying, pip & me on the loop, unintentional beet love, cooking my andy warhol limited editions, a poem my mom left me, heather & clara, venice beach, amy & kobe in her dreamy home, evening roses, venice, brooklyn beers, joe, behind the scenes on hard knocks, ashley, pippen, stinky, wardrobe choices.

i did one of these in august, too.

do you follow?
@ashfiglet
@joekeegs

I stared at my parents VHS copy of The Rocky Horror Picture show for YEARS before I watched it. It sat in our family collection, but my parents said “You aren’t allowed to watch this.” I guess I was 13 or 14 when I finally went for it.. and needless to say since then I have been Time Warping on a regular basis. A lot of highschool nights were spent in my basement re-enacting the scenes. I don’t know, now that I’m writing this I’m like “big deal” but really, I spent a lot of time getting down to RHPS.

Mandy usually played played Columbia & Riff Raff … I was Magenta & Dr. Frank-N-Furter (and sometimes.. yeah.. Rocky!) We even once got Heather to play Janet (and believe it or not, this is all filmed.) We had full dances .. was so much fun. This is around the same time we formed a parody girl group called H.A.M. Which is also taped. Seriously girls, we had issues!

BUT Today is Tim Curry’s birthday, and I want to thank him and his role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter for truly showing me how to strut my stuff. Also, for getting the image of him as Pennywise the F out of my head (still haunts me.) He taught me how to make them shiver with.. antici ………. pation.

^terrifying

also, i just came across this groovy little on-set interview from the filming of RHPS and it made me really happy. Tim’s looking fierce in this interview… he is brilliant.

In the interview, he talks about how doing the show on stage and filming the movie were very different, when the interviewer asks him how much he wants out of the role after doing it for so long, he says –

“well it’s sort of like topsy really, its just growed, and one sort of just had to go with it, really. um, i found making the film more, uh, annoying in that way then doing the play, because if you do the play it’s just two hours a day that you’re actually in it, doing it, and the rest of the day you’re… yourself. and doing the film, partly because i’ve never made one before and so, the work for me is total. uh, i found it for the first time becoming it to be a bit schizophrenic, and if you spend the whole day in a pound and a half of max factor, at the end of the day when you wipe it off, there’s always a little bit left in the cracks.”

this made me think of Heath Ledger and his role as The Joker. Which by the way, did you see this interview of Tom Waits from the 70′s? Insanely acute to Heath’s portrayal as The Joker … and strangely enough they were working together around the time of Heath’s death on the movie ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus‘ … just feels oddly connected. I like to imagine Tom Waits simply inspiring Heath, or the coincidence is just too much for me to handle. DAD, check this video out! Tom comes on stage at minute 1:45 –

peace & love,
ashley

“how are ya tom?”
“im better then nothing.”

ps – have you seen seven psychopaths? is tom waits GOD? or is alanis?