These are a few of my favorite things*:

1. Damask reusable bag — this pretty decorative bag from Pier 1 makes it soooo easy to be a little more earth-friendly (ditch the plastic bags, people).
2. Frontera salsa — my obsession started with the tomatillo salsa, which I use for my soon-to-be-famous heuvos rancheros. But, I love all the styles (and Rick Bayless).
3. Dark Choco Dream — a Belgian dark spreadable chocolate found at Whole Foods. It is delicious with bananas, croissants, pancakes (or, licked off a spoon).
4. Cinnamon — a few sprinkles go in my coffee every day, and I love the flavor in Mexican dishes, curries, and pancakes. Not too mention the numerous health benefits associated with the spice.
5. Maker’s Mark Bourbon — bourbon, my friend, you helped get me through a long, cold, lonely winter. And, I’m planning to keep you around for the spring (so many ways to use it!).
6. Wilco album — Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was my first album, so it will always have a special place in my heart. But, if I was stranded on a desert island, I’d probably take Kicking Television.
7. New York Times — I’m one of the twelve people left who actually have a daily newspaper delivered. I’m loyal to the Washington Post, but I would trade just about any magazine subscription for the NYT weekender (Friday-Sunday). The Sunday edition alone gives you enough reading material for days. Fave sections include: Arts, Sunday Styles, NYT Magazine, and the Corner Office column.
8. Cashews — rediscovered this yummy snack when looking to add more protein to my diet.
9. The Unbearable Lightness of Being — I read this masterful novel by Czech author Milan Kundera upon my return from Prague (actually bought my copy there in a tiny bookstore).
10. Yoga — in my opinion, there’s nothing like it when you want to take your mind to another place. I go to my local yoga studio, Mind the Mat, at least twice a week. And, I’ve recently downloaded the Pocket Yoga app for at home practice.

*Background on my favorite things: My lovely group of friends have started a tradition. Every Spring, with a budget of $50, we put 10 of our favorite things in a basket (or a decorative damask reusable bag). We meet for dinner, draw names, and exchange baskets. It is So.Much.Fun. It is fun to get a basket of goodies, fun to hear friends talk about why these items are their favorite, fun just to hang out.

I touched on this concept last year. And, I still consider every item on the 2009 list one of my faves (with the exception of the battery-powered toothbrush–I’ve gone back to a regular toothbrush).

Ms. S&C wants to know: what favorite things would you put in your basket?

posted by Ms. S&C

Because of strict copyrights, I can’t post the actual cartoon, so check out the links and report back to let us know your fave.

1. “Really? ‘Happy Hour’ is meant ironically? And you say everybody knows this?”
2. “I want Chardonnay, but I like saying ‘Pinot Grigio.’ ”
3. “One Martini on the rocks and one Martini in a bowl.”
4. “I appreciate the overture, Nick, but I’m trying to cut down on after-work cocktails with Mr. Wrong.”
5. “May I have a tiny umbrella in this, Ernie? I’m on vacation.”

On a related note, this cartoon, “Being an accountant gives him that extra aura of danger,” is not in the running, but it is one that I purchased for Mr. S&C, who happens to be an accountant. I love that it takes place in a bar, and I love the irony. It is worthy to note that it appeared in the New Yorker shortly after the Enron scandal and the collapse of Arthur Andersen. In addition to being funny, it was well-timed.

Shoes & Cocktails wants to know: What cocktail-related cartoon makes you chuckle, and why? Have other funny stuff? Share it in the comments.

posted by Ms. S&C

posted by Ms. S&C

A friend of mine forwarded this clever ad from Goldstar Beer. While it is the equivalent of a cheap joke, depicting oversimplified cliches about men and women, I giggled. There are two more flowcharts in the ad campaign that involve toliets and relationships, but my good conscience keeps me from posting the images here.

posted by Ms. S&C

We’re assuming the name, GOOP, is a combination of Ms. Paltrow’s initials and the word good.  The website seems to be a work-in-progress, but is organized into six categories: Make, Go, Get, Do, Be, See.  We’re also assuming that each of these categories will eventually be filled with content from her newsletters?  So far, the emails have covered London hotels, restaurants, and pubs (Go), buckwheat and banana pancakes (Make), and my fave so far, an article about fashion and personal style (Get).  Here’s a snippet:

“Ah, fashion… the fun frivolity that can really cheer a girl up… The key to it is realizing what works on you personally. At some point I figured out that following trends is not always the way to go, you have to know what works on your body and have confidence (not always easy) that what is flattering is fashionable.”

Not hard to figure out what I like so much — the boots are awesome.  She even makes me want a pair of booties.

You can sign up for the newsletters online, but it doesn’t look like you can view old issues.  If anyone is interested, I’ve saved three or four, so send me a note and I’ll forward them along.

This month’s Mixology Monday theme is guilty pleasures.  Here are a few of mine:

• Shoes – Pretty obvious, huh?
• Shopping – I’m such a cliché.
• Cocktails – Primarily, the over-indulgence of cocktails.
• Overspending – Weakness for designer brands.
• Pop music – Justin Timberlake and ABBA have a place on my IPod.
• Celebrity gossip – US Weekly and the Washington Post’s Reliable Source keep me up-to-date with Brangelina and the Bush twins.
• Potatoes – Potato chips, french fries – I can’t stay away.
• Facebook – Addicted, positively addicted.

Shoes & Cocktails wants to know: What are your guilty pleasures? And, any ideas how I can make a cocktail out of mine? Post a comment below!

1. “I know how expensive women’s shoes are, but take the goddam jewelry!”
   
2. “Jimmy Choo, Mahnolo Blahnik—honestly can’t taste the difference.”
   
3. “I can’t walk in these shoes, which is a problem, because I can’t sit down in this skirt.”
   
4. “I couldn’t resist—the second pair was free.”
   
5. “Remember back when the worst thing you could catch around here was athlete’s foot?” (When this cartoon appeared in the magazine, I actually entered the New Yorker caption contest with a similar concept. Caption was, “There goes the neighborhood.”)

Shoes & Cocktails wants to know: Which is your favorite? Because of strict copyrights, I can’t post the cartoons, so take a look and make a comment below. And trust me, you’ll know if one ends up in my office.

Last night, while watching the first NFL game of the season with my husband, I got super excited when I saw Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates in a shoe store together! But, this commercial isn’t about shoes at all – it’s about telling the story of Microsoft.

Techcrunch.com published an article about the ad which included a copy of the memo sent to Microsoft employees from SVP, Bill Veghte.

“…Today, we are kicking off a highly visible advertising campaign. The first phase of this campaign is designed to engage consumers and spark a new conversation about Windows – a conversation that will evolve as the campaign progresses, but will always be marked by humor and humanity. The first in this series of television ads airs initially in the U.S., and it aims to re-ignite consumer excitement about the broader value of Windows. …

Think of these ads as an icebreaker to reintroduce Microsoft to viewers in a consumer context. Later this month, as the campaign moves into its next phase, we’ll go much deeper in telling the Windows story and celebrating what it can do for consumers at work, at play and on-the-go. At that time, I’ll be back to share more information about our plans to further strengthen the bond between consumers and Windows – one of the most amazing products, businesses and brands of all time, and, with the right tenacity, passion and agility from all of us, a story that has many great chapters to come.”

The first thing I said after seeing it was, “I think it could have been a lot funnier.” I didn’t really get it. But, I guess things don’t have to be good anymore, they just have to create buzz?