Not that I need any more turquoise and gold, but geez. And, in the six degrees thing, it is very similar to the ring Stanley Tucci wears as Paul Child, which you can see on Meg’s blog here.
As all married people do, Mr. Blandings and I have a short hand. “Dude,” is one, but we have another that comes up fairly often. There are people, well-known people, with whom I become convinced that I would be friends if only our paths were to cross. The first time I described this I said, “If we sat next to each other on a plane I think we would be friends,” and that is the measure, now, to describe my connection to someone. Someone famous or at least famous-y.
One of the things that intrigues me about movies is the process. I checked in with Mark Ricker, who was the Production Designer on Julie & Julia, and he explained how the sets evolved. “(The Production Designer) is one of the first people hired once a film gets the green light. Typically the relationship with the director grows out of conversation, research, shared ideas, art, references, etc. Nora is very involved. (She) is very good at knowing spacial relationships, camera angles in her head and other devices.”
I asked Mark if he ever develops a crush on something they have gathered for a set. Let’s face it, he’s a designer. “Production Design,” says Mark, “is a combination of the best of visual fields: Architecture, Interior Design & Decorative Arts, History, Film making, Storytelling, Photography, Landscape Design, Travel..” As for the crushes? “It always happens. Shopping for the set dressing on a film is a combination of buying with characters in mind, but through the filter of personal taste. It is inevitable that certain pieces become fodder for crushes, and I always end up with a trinket or two.” 
When I had posted images of David Whitcomb’s city townhouse and apartment a couple of weeks ago a very astute reader suggested finding images of his country home, “Marvelous post-Modern (in the best and wackiest sense) rambling pile overlooking the Hudson River.”
The slate of the kitchen floor was salvaged from a museum in Albany and the blocks used in the construction of the wall were piers from the railway.
The living room is the rotunda that you can see in the first image.
It makes me wonder what’s become of it.
Did you ever have two friends who you knew would adore one another and couldn’t believe they hadn’t met? You know they’d hit it off if only. Mr. Blandings and I were in just such a spot when we were first married. Then one night at two-thirty in the morning our door bell rang. As we dashed downstairs we could see our friends standing arm in arm on our front stoop a little wobbly but grinning ear to ear. When we opened they door they yelled, “Land Shark!”
Getting ready for a party always seems a bit crazy, but I always seem to take on a little project that I feel quite sure must be completed before the event or all is lost.
How I’d love to have a large oval mirror to go behind. 
