favorite. commercial. ever.

I came across this Sony Bravia commercial about a month ago, and can't get it out of my head. It gives me goosebumps every time I watch it.

cha ching!

For those of you who care...my total of found money is currently $20.66.

money karma

My friend (and financial advisor) Jason Claborn introduced me to his grandfather's theory of money karma while he was visiting New York a couple months ago. Basically, the theory is that if you overlook and disregard small amounts of found money, the big amounts of money will never be present for you. Meaning that, if you pass by a penny or nickel you see on the ground without picking it up, you won't be given the opportunity for a larger amounts of money to come your way.

I've always been one to pick up a penny here and there, thinking that they're good luck for the day. Now that the money karma theory is in my head, I'm constantly presented with all sorts of money everywhere I look. Just this morning on my way back to Brooklyn from Manhattan, I found a quarter on the 1st Avenue subway platform, then got on the L train to find 3 more pennies, and yet another penny on the stairs leaving the subway at Lorimer. That's 29 cents of found money, all before noon! I know this may sound silly to some of you, but I've found $2.78 cents since Jason told me about this concept. I'm keeping it in all in a jar to keep the tally going. Thanks to an idea given to me by my sister in law, plan to have a found money party once the amount grows substantially, with all the alcohol bought using the money I've picked up. Once you're drinking your favorite adult beverage that I paid for with money that you probably stepped right over, maybe then you won't think I'm so crazy, huh?
By the way, Jason and his wife found over $350 last year, and a lot of that was in bills. In fact, once his wife Erin said out loud as they were walking down the street, "I wish I would find a $10 bill," and just then a $10 bill blew up against her ankle. Seriously.
I have yet to find a bill of any denomination since I've started applying the theory, but I'll be sure to post about it if I do.

The Freis Girls

My family celebrated my Dad's 60th birthday at our cottage in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan last weekend. It was a wonderful few days together...it's so rare these days that we're all in the same place at the same time. This is a photo of me, my amazing sister-in law Honey, and my two beautiful nieces.

tonight's view

This was the view out my living room window tonight.

Have I told you lately that I still really love my apartment and it's amazing views?

More Muji...

Coincidentally timed with my post about Muji's cardboard speakers, I learned today from Gothamist that Muji has announced the location of it's flagship American store. It will be located in The New York Times building on 8th Ave between 40th and 41st Streets. Currently, MUJI only has two "stores" in the United States, both small sections at MoMA stores in New York.

I can't wait!!

Getting ready for summer on the rooftop

I first discovered Muji when Amy and I went to London back in 1999...I instantly fell in love with all of their beautifully simple products.
I ordered these speakers a few days ago and am anxiously awaiting their arrival. I just know they will prove to be very practical for playing iPods on my rooftop this summer, and will replace the bulky sub-woofer computer speaker system that I currently use to play music on the roof (which also annoyingly requires me to string a huge extension cord down into my apartment for power). These cardboard speakers just plug directly into your iPod and require no power. The other plus about these nifty speakers is that they fold flat and can be stored away without taking up a lot of space...a total bonus for apartment dwellers like me.

Only 8 Lives Left

My cat Sidney had the adventure of her life last Thursday evening when she fell out of my living room window...4 floors to the ground. Thanks to my brother Brian's razor-wire fence climbing abilities, she was rescued from the backyard of my downstairs neighbor. After a nerve-racking evening spent at The Emergency Animal Medical Center on 62nd and York, Brian, Claudia and I were very happy to learn that Sidney escaped with only a cut on her chin and a fractured rib. We also learned that a 5-6 story fall is actually better for a cat, because that distance gives them time to right themselves and land on their feet. A 1-4 story fall usually ends in lots of injuries because the cats do not land on their feet. Thank goodness my building has high ceilings, which equated her 4-story fall with the distance of a 5-story fall. (Also, a fall from 8 stories or higher is usually pretty bad because the cat reaches maximum velocity...enough said.)
Sidney has been resting for the last several days and is slowly returning to normal after her pain medicine patch was removed. At first, Trigger was very frightened by the whole situation and spent most of her time hissing and sitting in the corner. Today, however, I found them sleeping together all snuggled up, so I'm hoping that things are finally returning to normal.
Sidney has a shaved left forearm where the vet drew blood for tests and administered fluids, a shaved spot on her back above her tail where the pain medicine patch was placed, and a shaved chin around her small cuts. I feel horrible about the whole situation, but am so very thankful that this entire incident ended the way it did. Needless to say, one of my New Year's resolutions is to never leave a window open without the screen in place.