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Me and Melissa gearing up for our first-ever Flying Trapeze class at Trapeze School New York. They also offer classes in Silks & Ropes (the Cirque du Soleil-style thing where you basically tie yourself into theoretically graceful knots about twenty feet off the ground) and Trampoline (I saw a class from afar and it pretty much looked like a party in the air).

The Flying Trapeze class runs about $60 for two hours (depending on the time/day of week), and private lessons are also available (albeit at a significantly higher rate).

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Thanks to reader Kelly for sending me the link to this very unique Nebu chandelier by UM, which is constructed from 250 vintage stemmed glasses. I’m still feeling the ones from Michael McHale, but this is pretty great inspiration for those of you looking to undertake a DIY project.

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At Madangsui, Kendrick and I first enjoyed a plate of steamed meat dumplings (which I determined are a mix of beef and pork, and are absolutely incredible), and then split the Bulgogi (thinly sliced ribeye marinated in a soy-based sauce). I was slightly disappointed to learn that if you only order one BBQ entree they cook it in the kitchen rather than at the table (and one entree plus an appetizer is certainly enough for two people unless you’re both starving), but that’s OK - we’re talking about sacrificing about five minutes of entertainment for budget-friendly deliciousness.

I love how you can tailor the meal to suit your tastes - I prepared my Bulgogi pretty simply, wrapped up in lettuce leaves with a little rice and grilled onion, while Kendrick piled on everything in sight (pictured above). We have pretty different palates - he likes his food extremely spicy, while I…don’t - and it was really nice to be able to eat the same meal, but just adjust it based on what each of us likes. 

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I am not what one would call the most graceful of people. I once broke my toe walking into a wall (in the apartment that I had lived in for seventeen years at the time…so you would think I might have a better sense of the layout, but no), and I once broke my coccyx (yes, my butt) falling down the stairs in front of a boy I had a crush on. So the physical humor of vaudeville kinda has a special place in my heart.

I only saw Cirque du Soleil once, when I was about twelve, and have been dying to go back ever since. Their new show, Banana Shpeel, is something totally different, though: it blends the kind of extraordinary choreography we’ve come to expect from Cirque du Soleil with humor and adventure, and I imagine will be something Broadway hasn’t seen the likes of before. Also, how cool is that poster? It kind of reminds me of the artwork in this book, which was one of my childhood faves.

For someone who grew up in the middle of the Theater District, I’ve seen embarrassingly few Broadway shows, and am hoping to win tickets to see this one when it opens in New York in February (it opens in Chicago in November).

To learn more about Cirque du Soleil’s newest production, go here, and click here to check out a video about the show.

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I woke up yesterday morning to the horrible sight of a cracked iPhone screen. I swear, I didn’t do it. Or…I don’t know, I probably did, but I don’t recall doing it, in any case.

This afternoon, I made my way over to the Genius Bar at the Apple store on Fifth Avenue, and was absolutely astounded at the quality of the customer service. I was taken care of immediately by the very charming Ryan, who not only speedily replaced my phone, but also recommended the Speck rubber case (above), which I’m hoping will prove to be Jordan-proof (knock wood).

A sidenote: I took a photo of Ryan and I in the store to commemorate the successful resolution of what could have been a very stressful problem, but it seems that any information you put into a new phone prior to bringing it home and syncing it with your Mac ends up getting erased. Just FYI.

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Since I’m not a huge salad person, I worried that the edible borage flowers that I bought at the Windfall Farm stand at the Union Square Greenmarket would go bad. But no worries…I simply tucked them into an ice cube tray, and now they’re happily awaiting their future as adornment for gin and tonics.

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The Best Seasonal Produce

In this segment of “Domestic Bliss” I spend an afternoon at the Union Square Greenmarket learning about the best seasonal produce…and taste-testing some surprisingly flavorful flowers.

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My aunt Trudy (who my mom was visiting in Canada this past weekend) runs an online store called New Moon Creations, specializing in pendants with unique healing properties (she hand-crafts each and every item that gets shipped out). My favorite items are these beautiful - and wallet-friendly, at $18 - gemstone pendants (above), which make perfect gifts. You can tailor them to each person’s birthstone, or give them a pendant featuring a stone with properties that will enhance their life (rose quartz, for example, mends a broken heart, while jade brings peace and obsidian offers protection). I also really love her Sweetgrass and Buffalo Sage pendants.

Look for Trudy’s pendants in my Holiday Gift Guide, which will go live in early November (gift-buying stresses me out to no end, so I try to get a jump-start on the season).