the girl with the dragon tattoo.

Photo: Amazon

I just recently got back into reading, thanks to the Kindle app for iPhone. My first purchase was "Serial" by Jack Kilborn for two reasons - it was a mystery/thriller, & the Kindle version from Amazon was free. After a few chapters I realized that the book wasn't quite for me. It was a bit too raunchy for my taste (no offense to those who enjoyed it, of course).

At that point, I realized that it might suit me better to spend a couple bucks on a "better" book in order to fully enjoy the Amazon's Kindle app (after all, the app itself was free).

Upon that decision & knowing I still wanted a mystery/thriller genre, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson caught my eye.

I'm about 6 chapters in & I'm captivated! It's absolutely fantastic. The "mystery" part isn't overdone or too complicated to follow & the "thriller" portion is modest so as to keep it believable & not over-the-top.

In closing, I give 2 thumbs up; to Amazon for the Kindle app & Stieg Larsson for his brilliance.

parkleigh. ♥

Photo By: Michael Sauers

Welcome to Parkleigh. 

This is one of the most brilliant and fantastically crafty little gift shops you'll ever come across. Located on Park Ave in Rochester, NY, it carries the widest array of goodies, from fancy MacKenzie-Childs dishware and silly office supplies to birthday cards and gorgeous jewelry, with everything in between. This eccentric, neighborhood boutique is guaranteed to offer a little something for everyone, no matter what your taste or style may be. To put this place into perspective, it almost reminds me of Pylones in NYC, but a lot more personal.

For anyone in the Rochester area, Parkleigh's address is 215 Park Ave, Rochester, NY. For those of you who will most likely never travel to the western NY/upstate area, you can shop online here, although the experience is infinitely better in person.

cute dress.

Photo: Abercrombie

And I want it. Thoughts? Oh, Samantha... You're being a bad influence on me! ♥

Am I allowed to write a blog like this? 

city island's open day boat fishing.

Photo by: Riptide III

I was recently informed by my good friend Shelly this past Friday while we were enjoying drinks at Coyote Flaco that the nearby, quaint little town of City Island, NY provides the metro-NYC community with open day boat fishing. Who knew?! Now, I wasn't particularly familiar that this concept even existed previous to Shelly's and my conversation, but now that I know, I'm getting seriously involved.

Brian and I accidentally stumbled up on City Island the other weekend while looking for the Turtle Cove Driving Range. We soon found out that City Island Road is much different than City Island Avenue. Nonetheless, I am more than pleased we took that 15 minute detour. I had no idea that City Island existed let alone was a cute, little marina town with scads of seafood restaurants sprinkled all along the harbor. Anyone who barely knows me is well aware of my fondness for seafood. Not only is it necessary that I test a few of these coastal hideaways out, but day boat fishing WILL be explored as well. I'd link up some sites to day boat fishing services (like the Riptide III show above), but I haven't done enough research just yet. Perhaps I shall write a follow-up blog at some point. :)

exchange bar & grill.

Photo by: Beth Hodgson

I came across a review of what I think is such a GREAT idea for a restaurant. This brand new joint is called Exchange Bar & Grill and will be located in Gramercy Park in NYC (3rd Ave btwn 20th St & 21st St). It's theme is based on the activities that go on in the NYSE. The best part is that it doesn't have set menu prices for anything - food or drink. These prices fluctuate based on the level of demand of each item by your fellow patrons. Safe to assume that the Michelob Ultra Light price will be super high on Ladies Nights?

Now, I can see where this could get sloppy. I'm really hoping that they've detailed every possible situation that could arise and have a solution. In theory, the idea of Exchange Bar & Grill is fantastic and I'll surely be checking it out for myself sometime soon. 

electri-kitty!

My lil' lovebug Schmalice, being all sleepy and cute on a quiet Sunday night. She's been soo electrically charged this winter and I've felt so bad that she's being constantly shocked! Luckily for her, it's been getting much better now that a bit of moisture has come back into the air. Regardless of her electric charge, I love her dearly.

apple's monsters.

I'm not sure that I would or will ever be able to find the words to describe how HAPPY these make me. I've officially stumbled upon the BEST apple accessories on the planet through TrendHunter Magazine's blog post. These heavenly little creations were displayed at the Apple Expo in Paris years back and by the Laura and Paulina Bibi sisters. I'm pretty sure that these have been out for quite some time, but I just found out about them. I doubt they can ever get old.

monster shark nomming up water bottles!

Photo by: Etsy

What a day! I'm finding some awfully brilliant handiwork today! After the purchase of my really cool Rochester-Skyline bracelet I blogged about, I figured that this Etsy site had to be pretty fantastic to represent a city like Rochester. I started meandering through it's online store... and LOOK! A knitted water-bottle cozy of a Monster Shark! Your water bottle will never look better. Those interested in owning one of their own can go straight to the online store for more product details and purchasing options. 

you park like an asshole.

I just heard about this website this morning, and I think it's great. How often do you drive into a full parking lot or go to parallel park and almost find the perfect primo-parking space ever, just to realize you can't fit because someone else parked like a total douche? Well, now you have the ability to give them a piece of your mind (not that you couldn't before, but with these printable notices, it's a bit more "official"?). It definitely made me think of my boyfriend, Brian the Babe. He tends to get awfully angry at bad park jobs.

i got no diamonds, but i got a ROC.

Photo by: TheRiverIsEverywhere

I toyed with the idea of posting this amazing, glorious and adorable Rochester Skyline bracelet by Etsy (credit to my girl LG for showing me this). I'm in love with it, and considering I'm a Rochester native, it was mandatory that I buy one... the very last one! I felt bad blogging about something that's now sold out, especially when it's my own doing, but I gotta represent my ROC to the fullest. So enjoy looking at the pictures, 'cause that's pretty much all you'll be able to do. O:)

the ed & el show.

My ever-so-charming coworkers (and friends!) @eddiewilders and Elliott have decided to officially collaborate and create what will soon become the most epic online podcast/talk show, The Ed & El Show. They'll discuss a wide variety of topics, from sports to pop culture to hot chicks. I mean, honestly, what else do guys talk about? I know what most of you are probably thinking - it's been done a thousand of times. That they're jumping into a media field that's tired and worn out. However, I have the utmost confidence that y'all are wrong, and that their charisma and chemistry will undoubtedly set them apart from the rest.

my coyote flaco...

...can be your coyote flaco, too! It seems only appropriate that one of my first blogs here at the Schmalice Palace would be about THE best restaurant I've ever been to. And this comparison isn't just between establishments centered on Mexican cuisine. I'm talking about the best EVER. From amazing food to cheap happy hour drinks and tapas, you really can't go wrong. They've several locations sprinkled from the metro-NY area up to the northwest corner of the Massachusetts-Vermont border, with their newest location opening in Claverack, NY on the Hudson River. I highly, highly recommend that you check this place out.

adobe's abracadabra.

My very good (and geeky :D ) friend Cory showed me this link which gives a sneak peek to the most amazing and magical tool that Adobe is working on and planning to add to their next version of Photoshop. It's too funny and quite coincidental that just yesterday he said to me, "Photoshop isn't magic."

hello, blogworld.

i feel as though i've been there and done that with myspace. i'm all over facebook, and as far as i can tell, i'm thoroughly established in the twitterverse (despite my low number of 86 followers - oh well). so what's the next social networking gig that i can get involved in?

i've heard of people blogging and how consumed some of them become with reading other people's blogs. never once did i think that i would ever find the idea of blogging remotely intriguing until recently. about a week ago, i randomly came across a few blogs that really caught my eye. the entries were focused on writing about some of the most random objects/toys/furniture/games/etc that could be found on the internet (a lot of blogs were about cute monsters!). but i guess that's what changed my perspective on all of this. blogging isn't creepy or anything, it's all kind of unique and fun and charming. so, here i am. i'm signed up, involved and interested. hi!