he ate my heart and then he ate my brain

I took a break from watching back-to-back episodes of "Dexter," and pulled another recipe from the American Designer Cookbook. I chose Mary Ping's recipe for banana bread after reading the little blurb she contributed.

"Freshman year in college, I would bake banana bread as a break from all night paper writing sessions. It was a great way to use up the bananas, which were overripe and to fill the dorm kitchen with the best and most comforting aroma."

Though it's been a few years since I've been in school, banana bread seemed like the perfect answer to treating the gloom from the past few grey days. And like she said, it's also a great way to use up overripe bananas.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (2-3 bananas)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
3/4 cups granola
1 cup chopped walnuts (omitted from my own recipe)
plate with strawberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Beat eggs in small bowl; stir in bananas, oil, and water. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir until just moistened. Stir in granola and walnuts. Pour into greased pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

it's just as safe from the outside tonight

In a perfect world, brunch would be available for every meal. Eggs benedict, hollandaise sauce, grits, and biscuits create a meal for champions. I'd top it off with bottomless mimosas in every flavor imaginable - pomegranate, peach, strawberry... And that meal wouldn't cost more than $15.

Unfortunately, it's a dream that's still unreachable. In the meantime, I'm still in the search for a generous helping of good 'ole fashioned brunch.

On a grey, rainy day, the best friend and I went for a BFF Power Hour at Rosebud, which turned into a 2.5 hour marathon of discovering how good fatty tastes. (Sorry, Kate Moss, today, skinny didn't taste as good as buttermilk and gravy.)

heard you're new in town, want someone to show you around?

A g-chat snippet:

Rahul: friday was so bootleg. our friend fell on his face adn busted his lip open and was bleeding everywhere

and we thought he had a concussion so we took him to the ER

it was a hot mess
me: omgggggg
Rahul: straight guys are so dumb
they really are, they are always doing extremely dangerous things for no good reason
Can't wait to see my bunny again. Check out his blog: it's design orientated since he's studying industrial design.

I'm really obsessed with these boots - actually with the Stella McCartney FW08 shoe collection. But finding a way to wear over the knee boots without appearing to be a lady of the night is more challenging than I thought. Attaching metal plates to the shoes are genius. I want to get mine engraved.






dress. Shipley & Halmos for Uniqlo. boots. Stella McCartney.

these streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you

I took a trip to New York City a few weeks ago. I don't have a lot of photos because I focused more on having a vacation and living in the moment rather than document it. The few photos that I do have are a bit more personal, and I don't know how comfortable the subjects would be with being on the blog, so I'm going to refrain from posting them.

I stayed at The Standard hotel for the very brief trip and really enjoyed my stay. I'm pretty sure all employees had to pass a hot or not test, because all the staff (especially the doormen) were gorgeous. The clientele wasn't too shabby either. I got onto the elevator with a very cute Danish man on Sunday morning, which was just my luck because I was nursing a hangover and probably smelled like booze and perfume.

Views from the highline...

Baked goods from Baked by Melissa...

I want your leather studded kiss in the sand

I'm loving the weekend weather lately. Saturdays with a sunny forecast are best for brunches with the best friend and then spending the rest of the day lounging at a cafe with a good book. I'm slowly making my way through D.H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover," upon recommendation by one of my favorite literary demons (Tom). There's so much that's good about it, but I can't help focusing on how much I hate euphemisms for certain reproductive organs that belong to a man - words like length, member, etc. I also spend a lot of time trying to hide the cover of the book because it's got a painting of the back of a naked lady, lounging on a fainting couch. Yeah, it was a lot of fun trying to ignore the curious glances while riding the 4 (which was making local stops for the weekend, as reiterated by the voice on the crackling PA) last weekend (in NYC for those who didn't get the reference).

I keep having strange run-ins with authority while intoxicated. The last time it was firemen; this time it was a police officer, who asked me with flabbergast why I scaled a chain link fence when I could have just opened the gate. There's only one thing to do in such situations: shrug.


The Highland Bakery

Sweet Potato Pancakes

Shrimp & Grits with Jalapeno Focaccia Bread




dress. Erin Fetherston for Target. jacket. Topshop. shoes. Topshop.

Quote, Unquote

“Sometimes I’ve dialed the wrong telephone number, and the people say, ‘You know, you sound like Karl Lagerfeld!’”

- Karl Lagerfeld on the uniqueness of his accent



I'm going away for the weekend for a much needed vacation. See you in The City.

you're as cool as ice cream

I went to Macon yesterday with Lillie in hopes of finding some decent duds at the Goodwill there. (I've heard that it's a mecca for vintage, but I quickly discovered that it's best suited for those who are a size 6. Get your ass over there and pick up a fantastic Chanel-esque jacket and a fab circle skirt - that's new with tags, btw - that just screams Miu Miu.) We walked around the town a bit afterwards, grabbing lunch at Market City Cafe. I think what I ordered was the Miranda & Mae, which is roasted chicken and brie on a baguette. OMG, I die for brie. And their chips were literally made in their kitchen. How fab is that?

Small towns are a great respite from our self-absorbed city lives.







sweater. Ralph Lauren. skirt. street market in Korea. shoes. street market in Japan.

the world will live as one

the day the music died

Just moments before what can be concluded as the worst night of my life. I won't go into the gruesome details, but I will say that at some point I fell out of a moving car (and still have the scars to prove it).

But not even that night can ruin my love for the Christopher Kane x Topshop tee. The fabric is super soft, and I'm really loving the extra wide arm holes with the super tight neckline. It's part of one successful collab, which is more than what I can say for the mess that's been coming out of Target lately.

P.S. If you've subscribed to me via Blogluvin in the past week, send me an email at ddalk2@gmail.com to claim your special prize!



top. Topshop. leggings. Members Only.

even the harvard university graduating class of 2010 couldn't put us back together again

Two things are official.

1) Fall is here. (Summer, nooooo, come back!!)
2) "Up Out My Face" is my new jam. I just wish I'd been scorned so I could sing this song to someone's face. (Who wouldn't want to scream, "Not even a nail technician with a whole lot of gel and acrylic can fix this" to an ex's face? You know you want it.)

When I was living in New York, I went to the Diesel store in Union Square like it was my answer to Holly Golightly's Tiffany's. It was insane. I befriended this girl named Anna, who I swear was a struggling model and one step away from working at that diner across the street. I'm still waiting to see her face show up on an ad campaign. I bought a lot of questionable things there, these shorts probably being one of them. Ah, well.

I wonder if the hot security guard is still there. He's the one with the late shift on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. I'm such a stalker.




shirt. Topshop. shorts. Diesel. blazer. Smythe. oxfords. H&M.

those preppy boys in blue, they make fun of us

After a week of rain, I dragged out the only person I could at last minute on a Sunday to revel in the wonderful weather. Fall is officially here, but summer still lingers wistfully in our midst. I knew she couldn't have left us yet. I love when the skies are filled with fluffy white clouds. They look like the literal personification of dreams.

Picnics are best done Korean style. You can't tell me that kimbaps aren't the best for sitting under a tree on a tatami style mat. Picnics are also best with large tumblers of wine, but we had to settle for white wine well concealed in a Thermos. Red Solo cups optional (but we were being eco-friendly with these decomposable cups).







t-shirt. proenza schouler for target. skirt. Korean street market. hat. Mina (Kyoto, Japan). flats. Via Spiga.

people call us renegades cause we like living crazy

A compilation of miscellaneous photos from the past few weeks. I have no explanation for my disappearing act but promise to limit them to a minimum. I'm also embarking a number of life projects, all of which will be heavily documented here. Prepared to be stunned by the mundanity of my life.

P.S. The photos are now going to be larger on the blog. I'm blind. I hate small photos, so why do I have them on my blog? Yet another one of life's unanswered questions.

Art Show in Inman Park - Got an invite from Lillie's work friend. Saw the biggest cigarette ever. You would die if you smoked that thing.

Bring All Your Liquor & Let's Mix Night @ Home - Tired of having half empty bottles of vodka, gin, tonic, and Johnny Walker? Throw a party and have everyone bring the remnants of nights past. Great way to have fabulous drinks without dishing $200 for liquor.




5 Seasons Brewing - Located in Sandy Springs. Decent selection of beer, excellent calimari. It's been a while since I've had something so perfectly battered. But the main course was a bit lacking. We ordered the halibut, and it was overcooked and dry. But props for the seasonal menu.