Whew. This afternoon's open house went through with no dramatics. (Praise Allah!) That's a nice change of pace from the rest of this past week, which was nothing but dramatics, even outside the real estate realm.

Today I rocked an all black outfit with red shoes that I can never find an occasion to wear. They're too high for walking around, and too frumpy for evening.

While at the open house I saw this out the window: Two guys playing catch in the cold afternoon air, one guy on the roof of one building, the other guy on the roof of the adjacent building. Accident waiting to happen? I say yes.

25 Cent Parking Sign

25 cent parking sign, originally uploaded by La Pauline.

My friend Jason, who takes photos of some of the neatest things in New York City, found this in Brooklyn today on Rockwell and Fulton St in Fort Greene.

What kind of cars were around when parking was just 25 cents?

East Village Duplex One Bedroom -- Penthouse Level With Terrace

Look what fell into my lap today: a one bedroom duplex on Cooper Square and Saint Marks Place in the East Village. It's a rental unit in a condo building, and is two levels of downtown hipness. King sized bedroom that leads to an east-facing terrace. It's quite the bachelor pad.

$3500. Immediate move-ins only.

Full specs here.

And A Good Weekend Was Had By All

, originally uploaded by La Pauline.

I love a busy weekend. Whether it's busy because of clients or due to social obligations, I'd rather be out and about than in the house.

This weekend was overbooked with karaoke with a friend's mother who was in town as well as birthday brunch on Clinton Street on the Lower East Side. I remember when Clinton Street was sketchy -- now there are tourists down there. The Lower East Side is so sanitized. I constantly seek out people who remember it in 2001, 2003 -- long before there were fancy hotels or even legitimate ATMs. And when I do, we all nod in agreement, as if we're part of some pre-gentrification club. We went to to the Luna Lounge. We remember when there was a parking lot where the Ludlow apartment complex now stands. We want it back.

The photo above was taken at Tapeo 29, a really wonderful tapas restaurant. It's won awards for actually serving real Spanish food. In a neighborhood that has become riddled with poseurs, it's nice to find something that's real, at least according to Zagats.

I'm Amazed This Exists

The guidebook for every husband, originally uploaded by dooce.

TR and I were just talking about this song. It's great little pop ditty from 1991. And pretty embodies everything that was right with early 90s R&B.

This video = early 90s gold because:

1. The guy is wearing a suit with a shirt that has no collar.
2. Note Shanice's multi-color, multi-cultural vest. Very United Colors of Bennetton
3. Shanice has big, coiffed hair, but it's not tacky.
4. The saxophone interlude
5. Non-ironic use of a Polaroid camera

Seen In The East Village

Seen In The East Village, originally uploaded by La Pauline.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Andre -- probably the least Irish kid on the planet with his Polish/Russian background -- is quite the little leprechaun.

Lookin' good in green!


Also: St. Patrick's Day in New York City = handsome firemen in dress uniforms. I approve!

Andre's pediatrician is an absolute nut about never giving your kids juice. Ever. It's milk or it's water or it's nothing. When I tell people this they seem surprised. Why not just water the juice down? It can't be all that bad. It tastes so good!

And then Saturday Night Live did this skit about high fructose corn syrup. Maybe Dr. Rich isn't so crazy after all.

It's not every day that I get to take self portraits with a Davy Crockett hat., originally uploaded by La Pauline.

Spent the weekend in Boston, taking photos -- and not just of myself.

More to come...

Got My Hair Did!

Got my hair did!, originally uploaded by La Pauline.

Oh, Boston suburbs: You so crazy charging only $90 for a full head of highlights.

, originally uploaded by La Pauline.

In case anyone was on the fence about getting a gastric bypass, $1.99 Women's World magazine has an alternative.

, originally uploaded by La Pauline.

Murray Hill One Bedroom With Yard -- $2300

Spring has sprung over in Murray Hill. This one bedroom with a 500 square foot backyard is only $2300. The living room is large and the bedroom easily holds a queen sized bed. It's perfect for a single person who likes to entertain -- and there's plenty of space to do just that. It's on 35th Street and Second Avenue, an easy walk if one needs to do a reverse commute out of Grand Central.

Full listing here.