Living The Life Of Cool

"You do the coolest things."
"How'd you get that gig?"
"Where'd you find that?"
"I want your life for a while."

No this isn't a post about just how cool I think I am.  This is about hard work, authentic networking and being intentional. Or how I prefer to put it; "Pimpin' ain't easy".

Recently I was fulfilling what I see as my obligation as a tastemaker for Starbucks by posting a photo of the summer coffee gift pack they sent me.  Shortly afterwards the comments came rolling in:
"I want to be a tastemaker, where do I apply for this job?"
"Life is good."
"Um, how did you get picked for this?"

To which I just responded; "Pimpin' ain't easy people". 

Why such a short, glib response? Because for me to elaborate on the truth of how I was sought out would have made this experience and many others in my life seem a lot less sexy. And as we all know, sex sells. So to say something like:
"I lived in Seattle, the home of Starbucks, for 20+ years where I worked in branding for apparel and gourmet food, particularly for the coffee industry and for the last 7 years of my life there I networked my ass off, relentlessly and authentically to build my own brand as a speaker and a strategic wardrobe and personal style and branding consultant, which positioned me in the media and most social circles as someone with a little bit of a brain, a lot of moxy, that knows how to hustle and is a trusted resource with some good style."

Yawn....right? Sexy. Not! Do you get how this works? Let me help you out.

• Live Your Life Like You Are The Next Contestant On A Game Show. A friend of mine once aptly described me with this reference. I took it as a tremendous compliment. Why? Because Bob Barker doesn't pick the person that is skeptical, not enthused and afraid to leave their comfort zone. And neither will your next client, boss, soul mate, life changing opportunity.... insert whatever you have been trying to "manifest" here.
• Know Thy Self. Know what you stand for and what you believe in. No one likes a sell out. If you haven't figured it out I use the the word "pimpin'" as a euphemism for hustling, moxy, assertive and genuine.  Not sleazy sell out. 
• No Guts, No Glory. If you aren't willing to put yourself out there no one will find you. And that doesn't mean bawdy Facebook posts and too many Tweets.
• Varity Capital.  A phrase that my dear friend Sadee Whip gave to how I like to do business and the kinds of companies and people that I will work with.  It means that if you are committed to your truth people will buy it. Its how I live my life.
• Be Intentional.  If any of you have ever heard me speak you know that this is not just the foundation for my lifestyle but for my decision making and my PBTA program. You know the old saying, 'haste makes waste', it doesn't mean you can't be spontaneous it just means you have to have a reason for what you do. But do something!

We've had this conversation before. Remember? In "A New York Moment". But when Besty Talbot, who is the epitome of living the life of cool as chronicled in her wildly successful and interesting blog "Married With Luggage" asked if I would contribute to "Learn the Secrets of a Good Life" I knew I needed to put this into a usable format and not just a random musing on cool. Thank you Betsy for insipiring us all to live a good life and letting us follow along on yours.

Go forth you! Live The Life Of Cool!

A New York Moment

"New York Moment" : noun  pronounced:  \nu\york\mo-ment\
def: To put oneself in the midst of a situation, activity or event to experience something that could only take place in The Big Apple a.k.a. New York City, Manhattan. Usually resulting in one or all of the following:

• a really good story
• an even better memory
• an excellent photo op
• an overall bodily sensation

My friend Charlotte Omnes moved here to NYC 6 months after we did and one of the first things we did together was go to the Ticker Tape Parade for the Yankees World Series win of 2009.  THAT was a New York Moment and the impetus for a collection of events that we now call "New York Moments".  Some of which have become my favorite memories so far and are the inspiration for many more. Some I've shared with Charlotte, some with MDHK, and even alone at times. Such gems as:





That's Betty Draper on the screen behind me,
and Times Square all around.




• Seeing the Pee Wee Herman Show at Radio City Music Hall

• Going to the closing night of Manhattan restaurant institution, Gino's Italian Restaurant and meeting some crazy Guido that just purchased a billboard of himself on the BQE.
• Watching the season premiere of Mad Men in Times Square with the cast of the show.
• Spending the night in the Rubin Museum of Art (and getting my photo on Flavorwire in my PJ's!)
• Celebrating Christmas Eve at Sammy's Roumanian Steak house with a few hundred of our closest Jewish "friends" doing a congo line.
• Viewing the Empire State Building ablaze on New Year's Eve from our couch.
• Attending the most elegant wedding of our first really dear friends in NYC, Niki and Massimiliano, at the Neue Galerie, one of the most amazing museums in Manhattan housing a collection of romantic artist Gustav Klimt amoung others.
• Super slick, no line, no waiting passes to the David Letterman show (thanks to my Seattle sweetie Dawn Hobson)

The list goes on and on as you can imagine. But recently as I was being interviewed on video for a skin care line campaign on the deck of the 15th floor of the Martha Stewart building overlooking the Hudson River and all of Manhattan, realizing that this came about as a result of a trip in a private plane to a 5 Star Dude Ranch in Montana....



Charlotte Omnes takes a bite!

Yep, the opportunity to reach out and grab life by the b@&%'s definitely happens with greater frequency here.  Although nothing ever stopped me from doing that in any other town, it's just that it sounds a lot bigger in The Big Apple. Doesn't it?  The moral of this story: As I see it, you have one of two choices; take the opportunity that is being presented to you, or don't.  It all depends on how much of life you want and how big of a bite you are willing to take. Me? My eyes have always been bigger than stomach, but that doesn't stop me. Go ahead. Take a bite!

Living Large in the Big Apple

"Food, food, food. That's all you ever post", a friend comments one day on my Facebook page.  While another says: "How do you stay skinny eating all of the time?". And my personal favorite: "Are you getting fat out there in NYC?". Ah friends. Can't shoot 'em, can't live without them.

Of course if you follow me on facebook you would assume all I do is eat, cook, throw parties and have cocktails with friends.  And you wouldn't be far from the truth. In defense let's look at the factors and elements at hand:
1. I live in New York City. Manhattan. The Big Apple. Gotham.  You don't get that many names as a city if you don't have a lot to offer and something to do, eat or drink all of the time.
2. I didn't move here to memorize cable TV channels.
3. I/we don't have kids. We have to fill my time with something (can you say ChildFreeNYC Meet Up Group?)
4. You post pictures of your kids, I post pictures of the things I eat and cook with and for friends.  We both are sharing what makes life good for us.
5. "Foodie" doesn't come close to describing how I live my life. It's almost a pedestrian insult at this point.  Why I'm not on Top Chef I don't know.  I just choose to make it hobby and not a J-O-B.  But honestly my passion for food, the art and science of it go well beyond the average so-called "foodie". Its an obsession, a passion and a way of life. As MDHK likes to quote me saying once while in Rome, "The ultimate goal here is food".

I will have to admit that sometimes when I see the insane amount of eating, cooking and drinking that I do as per my facebook posts I have to wonder; "Why am I not fat in NYC?".  But then I look down at my wickedly sensible (for me), extremely worn street worthy shoes and remember my digital response to the many inquiries about my weight management (which I can only assume come from a very genuine and thoughtful place of concern for my well being). It goes something like this:

"I don't have a car. No one in NYC does really. I walk everywhere.Why wouldn't I? Even taking the subway requires a lot of walking and lots of stairs. On average I walk 3+ miles a day. With out of town guests it's more like 4-6 miles a day."  You add to that the fact that EVERYTHING you purchase has to get home somehow.  That means I'm also a pack mule carrying everything from printer paper to toilet paper, groceries, extra clothing layers, dress shoes to change into, you name it.

So the next time you see me checking in at Momofuku, posting a pic of a burger from Back Forty, or singing the praises of Vanessa's dumpling Happy Hour while knocking back a beer at Drop Off Service or stopping off at a party at Macao. Rest easy. My arteries will give out before my waistline.