One of the things I refuse to spend money on is wrapping paper. The entire concept of buying something just to have someone rip it to shreds and toss it in the trash bugs me out’ Maybe it’s just that it emphasizes the futility of life, how no matter how

Ah, March, you can be such a tease. You totally put out last weekend with your 70 degrees and above weather, then totally turn all frigid on us this weekend and say stuff like “I’m not ready for this”, ugh typical.  For the real hardcore  Coney enthusiasts,  be one of

After brunch one day last spring, I took a sunny stroll along Amsterdam Ave. on the Upper West Side. A brightly colored shop immediately caught my eye; the window was filled with hand-painted pottery and a sandwich-board-sign promise that I, too, could create a work of art. I stepped in,

What is it about lighters? They seem to magically float in and out of various pockets, changing owners at random, liberating themselves to travel far from home. Everyone has a least one friend who pockets your lighters ‘“ you know the one you have to keep your eye on, lest

Have you ever gotten someone a birthday present that you soon realize they will hate?  That happened to me recently for my hubby’s birthday.  I was trying to be creative and so I got him’a cooking class.  Apparently, I had been trying to get him to go to a cooking

When I was younger, my mom really loved fruit punch.  Everywhere we went — soccer games, my middle school orchestra concerts, Applebee’s — there my mom would be with her plastic to-go cups bought in bulk from Costco (née Price Club) filled with extremely pungent, blood-red juice. OR SO I

Biking in San Francisco can be a daunting endeavor. Trying to walk in the city without being run over is hard enough, but add a couple of wheels and some gear thingies and you’ve got yourself a potential death trap. Luckily, cycling in the city is a lot easier than

It’s been awhile since we’ve had a Home Economics lesson, and because the weather around San Francisco has been “hella nice” as they say (no one says that), I find myself switching from oppressive, scalding hot coffee to it’s kinder, gentler iced coffee cousin. Blue Bottle is great and they