Chelsea Morning

So y'all know that I'm more than just a sewing, fashion, lifestyle, interiors - write whatever the hell I feel like it-blogger. Indeed, sometimes I even cross the line into parenting blogger. Truthfully, some of the most fantastic blogs in the world fall into this category - though I don't love the term "mom-blogger". (What is it about angst-ridden, sleep-deprived mothers that makes for such fascinating reading?)

Amongst the best writers in the parenting genre is Marinka. You don't need to have a kid to appreciate her. I am embarrassed to tell you how many times I've laugh-snorted my coffee while reading her posts. You can just follow her on Twitter if you want the lite-experience. There's as much snorting to be had via that medium.

This weekend I had a chance to see her in real life. We went to a Chelsea coffee shop which had a rather "real NY 'hood vibe". It was also one of those cafes where you ask for your dry, extra-hot, skim, double shot cappuccino and you get a lecture. Seriously, if I'm irritating enough to ask for something that specific, dontcha think I've heard about how coffee needs to breathe at a certain temperature? I get it. Now make me a beverage that actually qualifies as warm.

(As a sidenote, Mardel and I had an in-depth conversation, later that day, about the relative crappiness of coffee in NYC. Please NY peeps - don't get mad. I love everything else about your city. But the coffee sucks. I tried it all - and everywhere - 6 dollar capps on the upper east side, designer coffee downtown. Little nondescript shops along Lexington. Saks?! It's actually fun to be all "our coffee is better than yours". I mean, I can't exactly say that about the architecture. But it sure does put Starbucks into perspective.)

Anyway, back to Marinka. She's as dry-witty in person as she is on her blog. I went on this total diatribe about my lone star-sighting: Meg Ryan at Balthazar. Ms. Ryan was with this well-groomed, bearded man wearing zillion dollar sunnies. Meg was the slimmest human I have seen in a long time - somehow baring her abdomen in February (WTF?), which happened to be flat by adolescent girl standards, never mind 50-year old mom standards. I was all animated and gesticular - describing the hair, the outfit, the "work".

And then Marinka has the nerve to tell me that that's not how Meg usually looks, like when they're picking their kids up at the same school?!? Man, that woman knows how to upstage with the arch of a brow.

Just wait till she comes to Toronto, and I orchestrate a run-in at the cheese shop with uber-celebrity Sarah Polley. Who'll have the last laugh then, I ask you?