What are you reading?  
I have over 300 books in my personal collection, so I tend to read a few books at once. Right now I’m reading three books;  The Firm by John Grisham,  The Handmade Marketplace: How To Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally, And Online by  Kari Chapin and  Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center by Daniel Okrent. With so many books on my shelves, I keep track of what I’m reading, what I want to read, what books I have, and what I have read on GoodReads.com.

(left) The three books I am reading now (right) Most of my book collection, the shelves are so deep that some are double stacked.

My annual summer reads are The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and The Sun Also Rises by Ernest  Hemingway, I like re-reading them, it’s like visiting with old friends.  I’ve also been reading/skimming my massive stack of Vogue magazines and New York Magazines for the perfect advertisement to  doodle bomb  next.

What are you listening to?
I am listening to Motion City Soundtrack‘s  fifth studio album, Go, although it doesn’t come out until June 12th they have it streaming on their website. So far “Bad Idea” is my favorite song. They have been my favorite band for years. They never fail to  disappoint both on their cd and in concert, and I can always count on their music to pick me up from a bad day, or enhance an already good mood. I’m even more excited for their NYC concert June 29th, I’m going with my little brother. We will be in the thick of things, dancing and jumping and enjoying their show. They are one of the best bands I have ever seen in concert, if I could interview them I could die a happy woman.

John Mayer came out with a new album last week called,  Born and Raised, so I have been mostly listening to that album on repeat.  I’ve been a huge John Mayer fan since his first CD came out when I was 18, so I have been eagerly anticipating his fifth studio album for the past 6 months. It was delayed once because of surgery to remove a  granuloma  near his vocal chords. I’m not sure how “untapped” he is as an artist, but I feel like people gave up listening awhile ago and wrote him off as a pop star after “Your Body is a Wonderland” but his style has really evolved over the years and he’s a fantastic guitar player.

Of course I have my go-to albums, when it’s warm and I’m driving with the windows down I’ve been listening to People and Things  by Jacks Mannequin. Before I get my morning dose of caffeine I’ve been listening to The Civil Wars album Barton Hollows to ease me into the day.

What is the most Untapped thing you have done recently?
I made a few small untapped adventures recently. I got an amazing private tour of the Smithsonian National  Museum  of the American Indian when I was doing research for the Partners in Preservation column I wrote. I visited Tyler State Park in Newtown, Pennsylvania and took a photo walk with a friend. A few weekends ago also I had a few drinks at an historic tavern-turned-sports bar, Paris Cafe, down by South Street Seaport, they had a fish tank, it was something you don’t see in NYC bars often.

I’ve also been doing some “untapped” things with my art recently, which to me, means stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things. I started working on my very large (2.5’x4′) painting again. It sat untouched for a year because I am not comfortable with acrylic paints and I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted to go in.

Painting in progress, titled “Six”

I also started to work on my Starbucks Cup doodles again! I’ve been collecting them since my last set went viral on Tumblr, but haven’t found inspiration for new designs until recently. If you want to see my progress, follow me at @DowntownDoodler on Instagram.

My latest Starbucks cup doodle, titled Diamonds

What Untapped-like activity are you engaging in this summer?
My summer Untapped plans revolve around my love of food.  Being a native New Jersey-ian, I don’t know how to end a night with friends that doesn’t involve sitting around laughing at a diner. I also don’t know how to cure a hangover with out some delicious greasy diner food, so  I am going on a  New Jersey diner tour  which I am going to blog about.

Since I’m a self proclaimed macaroni and cheese connoisseur, I want to find the best places for macaroni and cheese in New York and Philadelphia. The Belmar Seafood Festival is June 8-10, and there is no way I’m missing that. The Newark Portuguese  Festival  is usually the same weekend, so it will be a weekend full of food.

Location scouting pictures taken on point and shoot, August 2011

My non-food related plans include a weekday I want to head back to the Jersey Shore to explore the history and take photos of the old Asbury Park Boardwalk Casino.  After labor day I am going to venture out to the tip of Long Island to visit the Jackson Pollack House.  I also want to re-visit the Edward Hopper House in Nyack, New York.

What tech gadget/app/etc. are you into right now?
I would not be able to get through my day without Wunderlist. It’s amazing. I can access it on my phone, my computer, my ipad, anywhere basically. My life is run by lists, and this app holds all of them. Plus I can share my “Target” list and my “Food Shopping” list with my fiance so he can add things we may need from his phone when he thinks of them.

Also I’m in love with Google Play. I don’t remember the last time I opened iTunes. Again, I can access my songs from my desktop browser and my phone (Android). I don’t need to plug in my phone to my computer to update the songs and the actual songs aren’t taking up space on my computer, but I can download them if I wanted. I guess the key phrase with me is  accessibility  across all platforms.

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