F: Tell me about how your re:COLLECTION event went last weekend?

L: It was wonderful! We organized the event in just a couple of weeks and it really came together well. It was fun to do and I’m excited about where things will go from here.

F: What was something fun you found when you were re-organizing?

L: I brought back a lot of things from my apartment in NYC when I came back a few weeks ago and finally spent a full day this week going through everything. I found the Save Water print above that I actually bought at the 78th Street Studios in Cleveland but took to New York.

F: Are you reading anything right now? Big Magic?!

L: I haven’t started Big Magic yet but am really looking forward to reading it. I’m still slowly making my way through Women Who Run With the Wolves but I think I may also start Big Magic before I finish that one.

F: On a scale of 1-10 how do you feel about your life right now?

L: Ha! This is a funny question to me for some reason. I feel really good about my life right now; it’s maybe at an 8.5 or dare I even say 9?! Don’t get me wrong, I have my days like anyone else does but overall there are very few things in my life lately with which I am unsatisfied. (Knock on wood).

F: What is your drink of choice at the moment?

L: I had a Manhattan the other night at Michaelangelos in Little Italy that was delicious.

L: What are you going to do this weekend?

F: There is not a lot on the agenda for this weekend. I might go hiking, will have dinner for Teddy’s birthday on Sunday, might go to the beach, maybe I will work on my Christmas presents. It is all kind of up in the air and I feel good about that. I wish I could be in Cleveland for your event. Good luck!

L: Did you end up starting, “Reading Lolita in Tehran” on the plane?

F: No, I actually ended up organizing my computer and photos and getting some work done. The plane ride went by so fast and I really felt like I accomplished a lot. I will start reading it soon. Unless anyone else has any book recommendations? Let me know!

L: Do you have any thoughts on how we should be handling all the craziness that’s happening in the world lately?

F: I feel pretty upset about the shooting that happened on Wednesday. I can’t stop thinking about it and I am certainly trying to hold back on being obsessive about the news updates. It is really hard not to read about it. I think there is a fascination in these horrific events and also a need to understand WHY people would do something like that. I have a lot of thoughts about it. I feel passionately about limiting access to guns. I wish they were illegal all together. Of course, I understand that America was built on the right to bare arms, but that was a different time. I know that limiting gun access would not stop every shooting, but I think it would certainly help. There are so many times when I am in a public place or at the movies and I feel unsafe. What I do know is that I want a change. I do not want this to be the normal. I don’t want this conversation to simply go away until the next shooting. On how to handle it? I am going to start with the good ol’ trust in yourself and see where it takes me.

L: Where/how do you come across new music?

F: I like to listen to All Song Considered on NPR or if I am really feeling like diving in and finding something new I head over to La Blogotheque.

L: What’s your favorite time of day?

F: For me, morning time is when I am the most productive but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is my favorite time of day. I also really like after dinner time when I feeling full and sleepy. 

F: What is one thing you learned this week?

L: Ah, it’s been quite a week, hasn’t it?!  For me, it started with my birthday and a of feeling so much love and friendship.  Then all of the world events and responses to them, which I (along with so many others) felt deeply affected by.  And yesterday I spent about six hours in the emergency room with my mom and grandmother (we were concerned she might have broken bones in her back, pelvis or hips but thankfully, she did not).  Ultimately, I learned something I already knew to be true: life is better when shared with each other.

F: Where are you getting your coffee from these days?

L: Good ol’ Blackbird Bakery. I love their coffee but it’s nearly impossible to pass up their pastries, so it’s a slippery slope.

F: Have you been cooking more? If so, what’s your favorite dish these days?

L: Oh jeez, not in the slightest. I was cooking a little a couple of weeks ago and make this Fiery Kale with Garlic and Olive Oil. It was pretty good.

F: When do you head to Florida?

L: On Tuesday! We’re going to miss you and Albert but I’m looking forward to the trip.

F: What is your favorite new purchase for Disco Emporium?

L: I bought really pretty dress at this hole-in-the-wall thrift shop on Delancey Street when I was in NYC. Honestly, I pretty much forgot about it until this very moment. I’ll have to unearth it and get it photographed asap.

L: How’s your week going?

F: My week has been kind of crazy. I have been insanely sore from this workout on Tuesday. I also have started making dinner again which has been fun and different. In conclusion, my week has been full of all the major C’s: chilling, coffee dates, conference calls, cooking and chatting.

L: Have you seen any good movies recently?

F: I finally saw the Amy Winehouse documentary. I feel like she kept trying to telling the world and the people around her that she didn’t want the life she had. The doumentary itself, I thought, was poorly made, but her story and her talent is just mesmerizing.

L: What’s one product/supplement you couldn’t live without right now?

F: Right now my diet is all about eating healthy fat! I have been feeling so great eating more eggs, avocados, nuts, coconut oil, Bulletproof coffee, etc. I feel like if I took that away right now I would feel a big lack of energy and brain power. Of course, I could live without it, but I don’t really want to. I urge you to try it!

L: Have you been listening to the new Adele song on repeat, just like me?!

F: So many of my friends have been telling me that they love her new song. So I listened and I didn’t really feel all that much. Then someone told me to watch the video and sure enough a flood of emotions came to me! I get it. But, no I can’t listen to stuff like that too much. I ain’t got time to feel heartbroken! It is like self torture to me.

L: What are you most excited about?

F: Sheesh! I feel like I could get excited about any ole thing. I am excited to have lunch. I am excited for the weekend. I am excited for the holidays. I am so excited to be alive. I am excited to grow older. I am excited to read all the books I want to read. I am excited that I have such good friends. I am excited that it’s chilly out. I am excited to have a family. I am excitable (like a meal at Cafe Gratitude)!

Frida the Queen of Selfies @fishwithbraids #artsinactionbushwick #morganwalls

F: What is one thing that you have learned about yourself this past year?

L: I’ve learned that once I spend a little time somewhere, I always feel like that is where I should stay. Makes for a funny way to experience moving around as much as I have been.

F: What are you most looking forward to?

L: The possibility of my dreams becoming reality.

F: What is your favorite way to express yourself?

L: Decorating a space.

F: If you could travel back in time, where would you go?

L: Back to Bali! Oh, do you mean more like another time?! Hmmm, maybe I’d check out the bohemian scene in Paris in the 1930s.

F: Have you been listening to any music? Care to share?

L: I’ve been feeling pretty off my game on the musical front. I’ve been waiting for a new (or old) album or artist to draw me in and completely knock my socks off.

L: You’ve got some travel coming up.  Are you excited?

F: I am excited! I feel kind of like it is the last thing I am thinking about at this moment. We are going to celebrate my dearest friend Julie’s birthday in Montana and then going to explore around the Pacific Northwest afterwards. It is going to be so fun!

L: Have you been to my favorite ice cream spot, Sweet Rose Creamery, since you’ve been back in Santa Monica?  If so, what is their latest flavor?

F: Oh yes, I sure have. Right now they have dairy free blueberry soft served and brown sugar swirl! It is nowhere near as good as the grapefruit. They will bring that back! Don’t you worry.

L: Did you set your appointment with Home Polish?

F: I am feeling somewhat frustrated with Home Polish right now because I tried to book an appointment 3 weeks ago but have not heard back. I am hoping I am singing a different tune after our appointment.

L: What do you think are the key ingredients for throwing a quality dinner party?

F: Great company, great music, great food, great lighting and great spirits.

L: We’ve been a little loose on our blog schedule lately.  How do you think we should reclaim our mojo?

F: I think for right now since it is such a period of transition is that we need to be kind to ourselves and let it be ok. Once there is a bit more stability, we can focus on mojo. Maybe that was a horrible answer.

F:  What is something you have learned about Cleveland since being there this time?

L:  One of the most northern points of the Underground Railroad was at Lakewood Park, right by our house. From there escaped slaves would catch a boat to Canada.

F:  What would you say is your spirit animal?

L:  Yeesh, I’m not sure.  I’m going to go with the lioness for fierceness.

F:  What is something that inspired you this week?

L:  These guys I saw paragliding at Edgewater Park the other evening!  I’ve been feeling some real highs and lows about being in Cleveland this time around.  I took the scenic route home from the east side the other night and was totally inspired to see this group out paragliding in the park.  NYC is hard in many ways but it is so easy to be inspired there just by walking out your front door.  It takes a little more effort to find that here but it was a good reminder that unexpected things are here to be found as well.

F:  What would you say is your best and worst quality?

L:  I’m very thoughtful but I get held up & stuck inside my own head.

F:  Want to share with us your favorite song lately?

L:  I’ve been falling back on my old friend Shazaam lately.  This was my last tag.

L:  Do you like to hold on to books you’ve read or get rid of them when you’re done?

F: Who is your favorite character in Mad Men and why?

L: Can Don and Betty count as one character?!  I haven’t watched any of this final half-season and have heard almost nothing about it.  I can’t wait for the seven or so hours I have ahead of me.

F: What is the best meal that you have had in NYC since you have been back?

L: Dad and I went to dinner in the Marlton Hotel on Tuesday night and I had a delicious Atlantic char.  I was really craving fish and it was so good.

F: What are two goals that you are working towards this year?

L: I’m working towards some financial goals and to release guilt.

F: If you could make a living doing anything at all, what would it be?

L: Doing whatever I wanted to be doing that day.

F: Would you consider yourself an introvert or an extravert?

L: I’d consider myself to be an extroverted introvert; I fall right on the cusp.