Il Bambino Panini Restaurant

Hello, internet. Basically, I'm the worst blogger ever. Terribly inconsistent. But when something's good, it's good and I want to share it. So here goes!

About a week ago, I ventured out to Astoria, Queens with a coffee and my beloved Canon Rebel for a very urban engagement shoot with my cousin Dan and his beautiful fiance Jackie. I got to visit Astoria Park for the first time, which was beautiful. As a treat, we stopped by 5 Pointz, which is a really incredible spot in Long Island City where tons of talented graffiti artists come and leave their mark on the sides of an entire block of buildings. That in itself was astounding.
Astoria Park
5 Pointz
View from a rooftop in Astoria (off Steinway)

And then, as compensation for my "work" (following my cute family around with my camera), they took me to dinner at their favorite panini restaraunt Il Bambino.
"Blending an Italian-style paninoteca with a Spanish-style tapas menu,
Il Bambino’s objective is to provide customers with top produce, exceptional,
but reasonably priced food, and good wine."

And that it does! Il Bambino is very quaint and quiet with good lighting and good background music (red wine and Fiona Apple mix very nicely). It's also extremely clean? I feel like that should be noted. We split a bottle of Borsao Red and ordered the soup du jour which was a potato and cauliflower puree which was also amazing. I decided for my main course to try a panini totally new to me, and went with the fried eggplant (with roast mushrooms, goat cheese, and spicy mayo). Oh my GOD it was good.
mmm.

There is nothing like soup and warm sandwiches on cold nights. Il Bambino gets two thumbs up.

Spending a day with these two wasn't so bad either. Nice photo, right? ;)
Thanks to the creative director at my job for helping me with editing, giving me a copy of Lightroom, and most recently an on hand lesson in studio lighting/my own photoshoot. More on that later. But check out his website. That was a shameless plug. Oh, my cousin is a really talented musician. Check out his facebook page.

And check out my photos on display at the engagement party!
2012 Resolution: My own art gallery. Even if just for one night.
Even just to drink cheap wine with my friends and feel super accomplished at the same time.

That's it for now! Hopefully everyone has a very wonderful Thanksgiving and if you're lucky (like me!) an awesome four day weekend full of family, friends, stuffing, and maybe even The Muppet Movie! If you don't go see it, you might not have a soul.

xo

10/31

i hope everyone has a very safe and spooky and happy halloween!

-hp <3

Weekend Update #2: Out Of The Darkness

Sunday I took part in something really important and special. At Old Westbury Gardens (also known as one of the most beautiful places ever, seen in the movies Cruel Intentions and Hitch), there was an Out Of The Darkness community walk. These are run by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and take place all over the United States. The walks are intended to honor loved ones lost to suicide, support the cause, and to raise awareness as well as educate and improve understanding of the subject. Suicide is often seen in movies, read about in novels, and even sung about. It can appear to be glamorous and maybe even as a way to "make your mark", but that's all wrong. I feel that like homosexuality and developmental disabilities, suicide is also too often joked about. It is a very serious subject, as well as an extremely sensitive one. I was glad to be able to participate. For those who've lost loved ones to suicide, I can see these walks serving a very therapeutic function, for you're surrounded by hundreds of people who have faced the same sad fate as you, but are coping and remembering and honoring their loved ones. I was very happy to be there in support of this. The gardens were beautiful and I made my team shirt really fun. Since I don't have a nickname, I commemorated one of the strongest fictional men I know.

The rest of Sunday was spent eating sandwiches and relaxing outside in the surprisingly warm October weather, and playing with babies.

If you or anyone you know are interested in the AFSP or these walks particularly, please visit their website at outofthedarkness.org. From there you can find an event near you, make a donation, help spread the word, and also just read up and gain a bit more understanding about suicide, warning signs, and prevention.

Also, if you or anyone you know is having thoughts of suicide, feelings of hopelessness and emotional distress, or is displaying any one of these behaviors:

• Talking about wanting to die or to kill oneself.
• Looking for a way to kill oneself, such as searching online or buying a gun.
• Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live.
• Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain.
• Talking about being a burden to others.
• Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs.
• Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly.
• Sleeping too little or too much.
• Withdrawing or feeling isolated.
• Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge.
• Displaying extreme mood swings.
  

please call 1-800-273-TALK.
Additional information can be found on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Weekend Update #1: Saturday

Hump day is upon us, but I am still celebrating last weekend. Sometimes it feels good to be stuck in the past. My favorite girl Amy and I went pumpkin picking at my favorite patch on Saturday. It was really good not only to see her, but to partake in one of my favorite activities of the season with her. After our pumpkins were picked, Amy led me to this giant garage sale extravaganza happening not too far away where I was able to get my hands on some great vintage 7" records and LP's. A whole crate for $7.00! Going through them at home was exciting, there's some great stuff in there (think The Beach Boys, Paul Simon, The Beatles, THE MONSTER MASH. YES.) My boyfriend and I had a lot of fun sorting through these treasures, and then we went out to dinner with his sister Michelle who was in town at one of my favorite restaurants, Painters'. This place is seriously cool. It's covered in unique artwork, a lot done by local artists, and it's all for sale. Too rich for my blood, but the food is also incredible (pulled pork nachos? c'mon). I got a veggie vegan burger and fries, and we split said nachos. The menu is seasonal as well as the beer selection. I got a yummy pumpkin ale. Love that brown sugar & cinnamon rim. My favorite thing about Painters'?
The tablecloth is fresh butchers paper and every table has a cup of crayons so you can COLOR!
Needless to say, Saturday ruled!

Screaming Females

Last night, about a mile away from my house, I attended an Iron Chic show at O'Brien's Pub. I didn't actually get to stick around for Iron Chic (one of my most favorite Long Island bands, I've seen them many times), but my entire night was spent eating a delicious turkey bacon wrap, laughing with friends, and anticipating Screaming Females' set. I've listened to them a few times, but had no idea what to expect live, and as it turns out they're one of the most entertaining bands I've ever had the privilege of watching. Screaming Females consists of bassist Michael Abbate, drummer Jarrett Dougherty, and the captivating Marissa Paternoster on guitar and vocals. They're from New Brunswick, NJ. Their stage presence is great. I love seeing band members actually smile while performing on stage. Their songs are catchy without any real effort to be. And Marissa is just incredible. The voice and sounds that resound from such a tiny frame are literally awesome. I was blown away. Once I got home last night I immediately perused their website, which lead me to the band's blog, and then I ended up on Marissa's blog. And I don't mean for this to be read as a typical lead singer based review. If it's even a review. I don't know where I'm going with this. Is anybody even listening? But anyway, I've always been big on girl power. Especially now in my twenties, and to me - Marissa's the ultimate girl. I just think she's so great. Aside from her immense musical talents, she's also an incredible visual artist. Check this shit out:

So by now you can sort of tell that I'm in love. If I were to grade Screaming Females, both live and through recordings, I would give them an A+++, 100%, 5 gold stars. I'll leave you with some of their fun videos. Hope you love! If not, more for me or something and also you should get your ears checked.




<3!