Denise and I have been bemoaning a shared lack of inspiration right now. This is sinking pretty low, but it’s Friday, and it’s dark, and it’s what I have. Vanity Fair has two questionnaires every month – the famous Proust Questionnaire (meaty questions, back page) and the lighter list in the Culture section in the middle of the book. Today, with very little end-of-week exhausted fanfare, I bring you the latter … and would love to hear these answers from you, Denise, and also from the rest of you!!!
LIVING
Where do you live: Cambridge
Favorite art: Helen Frankenthaler, Mark Rothko, Georgia O’Keeffe, Frank Lloyd Wright
Pets: None (other than a short-lived guinea pig named Caliban, I’ve never had them)
Favorite neighborhood restaurant: Armando’s pizza
Favorite cocktail: white wine on the rocks.
Who inspires you: dear friends, beautiful writers, people who have struggled and come out the other side.
Necessary extravagance: My trainer, Kimberly once a week
Favorite place in the world: cross-country flights when I’m unreachable, Munich, my childrens’ bedrooms when they are sleeping
CLOTHES
Designer: J Crew, Rebecca Taylor, DVF
Jeans: J Brand
Underwear: Hanky Panky. Only.
Sneakers: Nike
Watch: Cartier
T-shirt: Old Navy, J Crew
Day bag: snakeskin Beirn bag
Evening bag: my favorite: a black ruffly clutch from Target
Favorite city to shop: www.anywhere! I do almost all of my shopping online
BEAUTY
Lipstick: cherry chapstick
Mascara: Clinique brown naturally glossy
Shampoo: Suave two-in-one ($2 for a 6 month supply at Target)
Moisturizer: lately, Argan Oil (literally oil on my face – believe me, it’s great)
Perfume: I don’t like perfume and rarely wear it. When I do, only ever an oil called child
Toothpaste: Crest
Soap: Dove, unscented (which is important)
Nail-polish color: one coat of Mademoiselle on fingers, currently obsessed with Chanel Particuliere on my toes
Who cuts your hair: Anywhere, wherever I can – Supercuts, Judy Jetson, etc
Who colors your hair: no color
This kind of stuff is just fun. I enjoy getting to know you better! I’d love to answer too, but there are many sections that would be a total blank. I don’t paint my nails, I don’t wear any form of makeup. I don’t colour my hair or wear perfume. I use Ivory soap. Like you I prefer to shop online. My favourite cocktail is a shiraz. Well apparently I do have something to say!
love this – answers coming soon….
I’m shocked by your hair maintenance 🙂 Suave? And no hair person? Your hair always looks good, lady. That’s incredible.
(and sometimes these things are so good to get the blabbering out to give way to good stuff – not that this isn’t good stuff, but you know what I mean)
Fun. I’ve been reading along – just not commenting much. But this sounded like fun. So here you go.
http://theramblingpoet.blogspot.com/2010/11/having-some-fun.html
I love windows into other peoples’ worlds–the material world is especially fun! Here’s my take:
LIVING
Where do you live: Maryland
Favorite art: Sargent, Whistler, Van Eyck, Charles and Ray Eames
Pets: Grey cat and English shepherd/cat/childherder
Favorite neighborhood restaurant: Indian
Favorite cocktail: gin and tonic
Who inspires you: my grandmother, good storytellers, music
Necessary extravagance: daily Starbucks habit
Favorite place in the world: in bed with my son and husband on a winter’s afternoon
CLOTHES
Designer: Tucker (blouses only as just discovered their dresses are hideous on me), Stewart +Brown sweaters, DVF, Kay Unger and David Meister for dresses
Jeans: J Brand and Paige
Underwear: Hanky Panky and Cosabella
Sneakers: only under duress
Watch: coveting the Cartier Tank with black leather but wearing a Kenneth Cole copy
T-shirt: James Perse
Day bag: black Botkier tote for work; Foley and Corrina, Hayden Harnett, Furla, LV, Kooba or Gucci for weekend. I tend to buy bags when I am stressed
Evening bag: my grandmother’s beaded purse
Favorite city to shop: online
BEAUTY
Lipstick: Christian Dior Addict
Mascara: Chantecaille because it smells good and has rosewater in it, though it’s insanely pricey.
Shampoo: Frederick Fekkai Glossing or Volumizer
Moisturizer: Aveeno Soy
Perfume: Jo Malone Red Roses
Toothpaste: Tom’s
Soap: Ivory, though I use more water than soap
Nail-polish color: something buff colored or clear, occasionally red on my toes
Who cuts your hair: local shop
Who colors your hair: none
So fun! Will post mine tomorrow. (And let me just say, once again, that I truly despise you and your perfect hair.) xxoo
Where do you live: Iowa City
Favorite art: Diebenkorn, Georgia O’Keeffe; Susan Chrysler White – just in love with the energy that radiates from her work. She’s also a dear old neighbor and Professor at UI.
Pets: Casey, chocolate lab
Favorite neighborhood restaurant: Motley Cow just claimed the title.
Favorite cocktail: depends on the season, the situation; after a lot of yard work, raking leaves, or after a long bike ride, after sking, a beer, ale or pilsner. Winter evening, a glass of red. Summer, white.
Who inspires you: right now it’s Janet Rowley; but on a daily moment to moment basis I’d say people who keep going with joy despite less than ideal circumstances…
Necessary extravagance: massage; i’ve scaled back from 1/mo to every six wks.
Favorite place in the world: Alaska in late June, Steamboat Springs, CO in the winter
CLOTHES
Designer: I can only wish to have a designer preference, so I frequent Ann Taylor, BR, and Eddie Bauer + a few small shops in our downtown.
Jeans: Paige
Underwear: it’s a mix-mash of cheap cotton, victoria’s secret, Spanx… I’m more particular about my socks: Smartwool
Sneakers: Asics
Watch: Skagen
T-shirt: Old Navy, Eddie Bauer, BR tanks
Day bag: right now it’s a Kelty backpack; back in school.
Evening bag: my husband’s coat pocket
Favorite city to shop: Chicago or Denver… it’s where family lives.
BEAUTY
Lipstick: more like lip balm…
Mascara: Lancome waterproof brown
Shampoo: Onesta Strengthening Shampoo and Daily Moisturizing Conditioner.
Moisturizer: Alba Sea Moss Daily w SPF 15
Perfume: can’t really wear it often (work), so I rarely do…
Toothpaste: Crest Pro Health
Soap: Kiss My Face Olive Oil bar
Nail-polish color: only on my toes, usually in the summer – a bright red-orange
Who cuts your hair: Britt at Flip Salon
Who colors your hair: Britt
I love these little glimpses into other people’s lives. Here are my responses:
LIVING
Where do you live: Midwest
Favorite art: Matisse, Sargent, Renoir, Hopper
Pets: 2 Bernese Mountain Dogs, Scout and Jasper
Favorite neighborhood restaurant: House of India, Dewey’s Pizza
Favorite cocktail: Red wine, Cape Cod, or Bloody Mary, depending on the occasion
Who inspires you: my mother-in-law, Barbara Kingsolver, Robert Frost
Necessary extravagance: Bobbi Brown skincare and cosmetics
Favorite place in the world: Manhattan, Rome, the glider chair in my son’s room.
CLOTHES
Designer: Banana, David Meister, DVF, AT Loft, Tory Burch
Jeans: Citizens of Humanity
Underwear: Victoria’s Secret lace hiphuggers
Sneakers: Mizuno for running, Skechers for kicking around
Watch: Silver bracelet watch I bought in a boutique in Spain during my semester abroad in 1998.
T-shirt: Gap or Banana for layering
Day bag: Rotating collection of Kate Spade and Coach. I switch bags 2 or 3 times a week.
Evening bag: Red satin clutch.
Favorite city to shop: Chicago
BEAUTY
Lipstick: Bobbi Brown (and Burt’s Bees lip balm)
Mascara: Maybelline Great Lash (the one exception to my Bobbi Brown loyalty)
Shampoo: John Frieda Brilliant Brunette or Aveda Color Conserve
Moisturizer: Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base
Perfume: Kate Spade, Chanel Gardenia, or Alfred Sung
Toothpaste: Sensodyne
Soap: Olay Quench (or Target equivalent)
Nail-polish color: Almost never paint my nails. Toes are either nude or bright pink in summer, unpainted in winter.
Who cuts your hair: Jessie, every 12 weeks
Who colors your hair: Jessie, every 12 weeks
I loved this sooo much, I wrote a whole damn post of my own. Thank a gazillion for the fluffy inspiration! 🙂
Oh, how I love these seemingly simple glimpses into your world. I’m sharing some of your lack of inspiration right now and, as I warned Denise, I might visit this idea over on my blog. I hope your writerly juices start flowing in the way you want them to. xo
I liked getting to know you better through your answers. I may also visit this on my own blog.
Hope the clouds part soon to give you some inspiration.
Okey-dokey, here you go! (I had to go offline to do this, because as much fun as such things are, they take me *forever*.)
LIVING
Where do you live: Davis, CA
Favorite art: CLASSICS: Chagall, Duchamp, Miro, Gaudi, van Gogh, William Morris, etc., etc.,–too many to name them all.
CURRENT/CONTEMPORARY: Rima Staines, Nikki McClure, many of the artists at Santa Clara Pueblo (especially Gwen Tafoya and Dolores Curran), Eric Serritella, Nina Moscrip, Kelly Louise Judd, Hadar Jacobson…again, there are really too many to name them all.
Pets: two doggles: Annie and Tigger
Favorite neighborhood restaurant: Not so much with the neighborhood restaurants actually *in* the neighborhood in these parts…but maybe Crepeville.
Favorite cocktail: Reed’s Spicy Apple Brew (essentially, fancy ginger ale—I’m just not an alcohol kind of girl—though mulled wine is delightful)
Who inspires you: Patty Griffin, Townes van Zandt, Richard Thompson, Deb Talan (and loads of other songwriters), Annie Dillard, Denise Levertov, John D’Agata, Eduardo Galeano, many of the writers in the compilations _In Short_ and _In Brief_, Joan Didion, Sarah Vowell, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Sharon Creech, etc., etc.
Necessary extravagance: Hmmm…really good food (local, seasonal, organic), acupuncture, art supplies
Favorite place in the world: Anywhere with both ocean and forest in the same general vicinity.
CLOTHES
Designer: More designers I love than ones I wear on a regular basis: Natalie Chanin, for sure. A bunch of independent designers who sell their clothing on etsy. A number of knitwear designers—Nora Gaughan, various independent designers on Ravelry/blogs, a lot of the (unknown to me) designers at Garn Studio (even if I can’t make heads or tails of their patterns…) and also at Phildar.
Jeans: Uh, whatever fits from the thrift store. American Eagle and Abercrombie tend to fit well. (I remain eternally grateful that these brands show up regularly in thrift stores, thereby saving me from ever setting foot in the actual stores. Shudder.)
Underwear: Target, Victoria’s Secret, Jockey outlet, REI for the beloved Smartwool socks
Sneakers: I’d have to get up to get the name, and I’m too lazy right now, so let’s just say the ones the folks at Fleet Feet determined fit me properly, and I only wear them for exercise purposes. Real shoes include Klogs USA (clogs and sandals), Frye boots, and various beloved thrift shop finds. In general: Boots or grown-up Mary Jane-type things = good.
Watch: Timex
T-shirt: Again, these come from thrift stores and who knows what brand they are?
Day bag: Depends on the day, but mostly a smallish Nine West black leather thing or a brown (God help me) Jessica Simpson tote bag thingy. Don’t laugh—that brown tote is one of the best bags I’ve ever owned, it gets constant compliments (hilarious to me), and it fits everything. There’s also a rotating series of canvas totes for knitting and other projects.
Evening bag: Yeah, not so much. Which is occasionally inconvenient, but apparently not enough to do something about it.
Favorite city to shop: Any town with great thrift shops.
BEAUTY
Lipstick: Blistex mostly, sometimes a tinted Burt’s Bees thing.
Mascara: I’m more of an eyeliner kind of girl, but in either liner or mascara, the kind that won’t melt all over my face is the kind I use. (Which is to say, I have no particular brand loyalty.)
Shampoo: Curly hair, so no shampoo—cheapy conditioner (Suave) plus lemon juice to cleanse, then pricey conditioner to…um…condition (Prive “moisturizing masque” or something, Bumble and Bumble Seaweed Conditioner)
Moisturizer: mostly Derma E Tea Tree and E antiseptic cream
Perfume: Origins Ginger Essence or Philosophy Inner Grace
Toothpaste: Sensodyne Pronamel
Soap: Born Again MSM moisturizing bar, or a variety of handmade things
Nail-polish color: Not so much, but occasionally a really pale pink on the toes
Who cuts your hair: the lovely Aubrey at Salon Blonde
Who colors your hair: naturally very red, but occasionally darkened to a deep auburn with henna (by me)