Ok friends- seeing as how it's been almost exactly a year since my last post, and the fact that I've gotten at least 8 requests in the last two weeks to start writing again, I think the time has come to re-invigorate the blog! I've realized that I haven't been writing because things just don't strike me as ridiculous or hilarious or completely bizarre as they did when I first moved here- and, thus, the risk of a whiny, emo blog entry (as opposed to my typical witty and insightful commentary, of course) increases exponentially. I guess that will just be the risk I run. I HAVE been inspired by some other blogs lately, AND I realized that some super funny things have been happening to me- I just am too caught up in being a cynical New Yorker (a new, unflattering characteristic that should be abandoned immediately!) to even realize that the world needs to know about these things, and they need to know now!
So, before we get to the main event, here's a quick catch up of the last year, for those that haven't been paying attention:
Spring was busting out all over. It is the most energetic and beautiful and nearly naked time of the year.
Summer was hot and endless. And sweaty. But, made better by iced coffee, Chardonnay, and two air conditioners running full blast.
Fall was still summer. Even on Thanksgiving it was still summer. But, eventually, the leaves turned for about a day, and we got excited to drink hot cider and wear boots.
And then it was winter, and we had the most wonderful wedding anyone could ask for. The memories from that week could fill at least 10 blogs, so we won't get into that, but let's just say, it was the event of the century. Serious.
So, to sum it all up, I have spent the last year being in denial that I'm still in school, attempting to make a career at the League of American Orchestras, drinking at Riverside Park, the Snug, and brunch, and being engaged/married (aka spending a lot of time kissing and cooing and playing Wii.)
Now. Here are the top 4 greatest stories from the past year (I can only remember four. Don't be mad)
1. My friend rode home on the subway next to a man carrying a chainsaw. Just holding a chainsaw as if that was a normal thing to do. Does anyone else see anything wrong with this picture?
2. Last fourth of July (which, by the way, was far colder than Thanksgiving. Again, does anyone see anything wrong with this picture?), we were coming home from Paul's, and as we were going up the extremely long subway escalator, this man behind us started BARKING!! And apologizing. So, it would be like WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOFSorryWOOFSorry WOOF WOOF WOOF sorry. And on and on all the way until we hit the street.
3. Last summer, Eric and I were sitting in our favorite gay little park in the West Village, just innocently eating some Tasti-Delite, when I hear a rustling in the bushes behind me. Being the now jaded New York that I have become, I made some smart comment like that must be a big rat and went back to stuffing my face with sugared chemical-fluffed air. The rustling continued, and I turned around and loudly stated that must be a cat! And back to the ice cream-like product. And then, out of nowhere, a dude pops out of the bushes! And another one of the semi-homeless guys in the park says "PEEBLES What you doin' in the bushes?" to which Peebles yells "I'm just lookin' for my radio!", and then Peebles dove back in to the bushes. This happened a few more times, and every time Peebles just kept lookin' for that radio. I do hope he found it.
4. And, finally, yesterday there was a wizard sitting across from us in the library. At first I thought it was a witch, based on the pointy hat. But the cape and bells on the shoes confirmed that it was, indeed, a wizard.
And that, my friends, is my life in New York City. Ah, it feels good to be back with the blog.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 31, 2007
The Riviera Grill and Sushi
So I know I just posted yesterday, but this one definitely deserves a blog. And it has to do with food and drink, as usual, but, again, it definitely deserves a blog. Annette and I took the big trip to Coney Island today- it's not officially open for the season yet (apparently it gets christened with a chocolate egg cream tomorrow), so there weren't any rides and not very many people, but we definitely got the feel of it. It was a fascinating study in culture and people. There were more Russians and Eastern Europeans there than I have ever seen in one place. It was like going to Russia, with a backdrop of a 1950's Brooklyn amusement park, the Atlantic Ocean, and the occasional fried clam/Coney Island hot dog stand that was open. We walked up and down the boardwalk, and were taunted by the "Shoot the Freak" man, who was yelling at everyone to come and "Shoot the Freak! Shoot him, he won't shoot you back!" in a very heavy Brooklyn accent. We didn't Shoot the Freak. Although some other booths attempted to draw us in, and I said if I was going to shoot anyone today, I would definitely pick to Shoot the Freak. Besides the Shoot the Freak man, it was so peaceful there. There were tons of old Russians just out in their Saturday finest strolling along the boardwalk of Coney Island and Brighton Beach.
Then it was time to find somewhere to eat. I was about ready to end the Coney Island/Russia Away From Russia extravaganza, and head back to Manhattan in search of Jamba Juice, but luckily Annette is a brave and determined traveler, always anxious to explore the area and try new things. So we walked down Surf Avenue and saw mostly boarded-up hot dog stands, empty arcades with music blaring, old Russian people, and the occasional young person in a track suit, who I'm pretty sure were members of the Russian Mafia.
And then we saw the gigantic sign for The Riviera Grill and Sushi.
Once I saw the dark entry way and the Russian sign which said something mysterious underneath a "Royal Card" sign, I was about ready to run, but we went in. Allow me to set the scene:
Picture a restaurant with the ambience of a five-star restaurant, combined with the ambience of the strip club on The Sopranos (minus the naked ladies, of course---but I wouldn't have been suprised if there was a special back room somewhere in that restaurant), a tacky sushi restaurant, and a clam shack. There was stuff hanging from every inch of the ceiling and walls- fish nets, plastics onions and other assorted vegetables, paper lanterns, red dragons, tin cans, wine bottles, all varieties of Russian memorabilia...
Then there were the painted murals....Cartoonish, Betty Boop-like, slightly deformed looking people chopping heads off fish, dancing at a crazy party, and generally carousing in extremely colorful paintings.
Then there were the TV's, which were playing something like a Russian American Idol or variety show or rock star special or something. Russian rock star after rock star would come out onto the tv stage, each wearing an outfit more interesting than the last, and dance with some mismatched back-up dancers to Eastern European pop music that was coming through the speakers.
Then there was the collage that was mounted on the wall. It had all the elements that were hanging on the walls and ceiling, but intensified and thrown into a very strange piece of art. If you know what crushed Budweiser and Heineken cans, Pringles cans, CD's, a cheese grater, and Russian dolls have in common, then you should let us know so we can even more greatly appreciate this piece of art. Our theory is that it's things that the owner of this restaurant loves, or else a combination of Russia and things found on the beach in Coney Island (which is covered in trash, mostly beer and vodka bottles...)
Then there was the bar. Part sushi bar (with authentic Japanese sushi chefs), part pretentious wine bar, and part espresso bar, complete with an espresso machine plastered with bumber stickers including a large "Mean People Suck" sticker.
So you think that's a lot to take in? We haven't even started eating yet!
When we walked in a dashing young Russian waiter looked at us like we were absolutely crazy to come in there, and we said, "Two, please??? (don't hit me)". Then he took a very long time to look at his yellow note pad and around the fairly empty restaurant (we were QUITE relieved to discover there were other people in the restaurant. We tried not to think about the fact that we were the only ones speaking English and probably the only ones who weren't part of "the family") and then finally pointed to a table for 6 right in front of us and said, "well we have this table or one on the patio". Ok. There's only two tables taken in the whole restaurant, but I guess this table for 6 will be perfect for the two of us...
The waiter hands us GIANT menus, and a separate sushi menu, and we start thumbing through and realize this is a very fancy restaurant. Like, no entree under $30 fancy. So we both order water.
But then we ordered soup too, don't worry. And I even got a glass of wine to make everyone (including myself) feel better.
The food, supposedly prepared by a celebrity chef in order to astound our culinary tastes, as we were meant to make our way through a "sinful" wine list and decadent dessert menu and extraordinary tea selection, was quite excellent. We got porcini mushroom soup and lobster bisque and basically licked our bowls (or bread bowls) clean, even though the attentive army of dashing waitstaff was eager to take our plates.
Once we were done, we were almost tempted to try a dessert, but ultimately accepted only an offer for more water from the waiter. Someone did bring Annette another empty plate though, and we're really not sure why. Maybe they just thought she needed something in front of her to feel happy or something.
Or maybe they wanted to give her another chance because we did make a scene by dropping a knife very loudly on the ground.
To top it all off, there was a TV in the bathroom and glowing "Royal Card" lights emblazoned on the bright red check holder.
I have never scene a place like this. It just made no logical sense. But it was perhaps the most way to end our Coney Island/Brighton Beach experience. Even if we didn't get to imbibe to "delectable, exotic cocktails" bragged about in the menu's welcome message....
Then it was time to find somewhere to eat. I was about ready to end the Coney Island/Russia Away From Russia extravaganza, and head back to Manhattan in search of Jamba Juice, but luckily Annette is a brave and determined traveler, always anxious to explore the area and try new things. So we walked down Surf Avenue and saw mostly boarded-up hot dog stands, empty arcades with music blaring, old Russian people, and the occasional young person in a track suit, who I'm pretty sure were members of the Russian Mafia.
And then we saw the gigantic sign for The Riviera Grill and Sushi.
Once I saw the dark entry way and the Russian sign which said something mysterious underneath a "Royal Card" sign, I was about ready to run, but we went in. Allow me to set the scene:
Picture a restaurant with the ambience of a five-star restaurant, combined with the ambience of the strip club on The Sopranos (minus the naked ladies, of course---but I wouldn't have been suprised if there was a special back room somewhere in that restaurant), a tacky sushi restaurant, and a clam shack. There was stuff hanging from every inch of the ceiling and walls- fish nets, plastics onions and other assorted vegetables, paper lanterns, red dragons, tin cans, wine bottles, all varieties of Russian memorabilia...
Then there were the painted murals....Cartoonish, Betty Boop-like, slightly deformed looking people chopping heads off fish, dancing at a crazy party, and generally carousing in extremely colorful paintings.
Then there were the TV's, which were playing something like a Russian American Idol or variety show or rock star special or something. Russian rock star after rock star would come out onto the tv stage, each wearing an outfit more interesting than the last, and dance with some mismatched back-up dancers to Eastern European pop music that was coming through the speakers.
Then there was the collage that was mounted on the wall. It had all the elements that were hanging on the walls and ceiling, but intensified and thrown into a very strange piece of art. If you know what crushed Budweiser and Heineken cans, Pringles cans, CD's, a cheese grater, and Russian dolls have in common, then you should let us know so we can even more greatly appreciate this piece of art. Our theory is that it's things that the owner of this restaurant loves, or else a combination of Russia and things found on the beach in Coney Island (which is covered in trash, mostly beer and vodka bottles...)
Then there was the bar. Part sushi bar (with authentic Japanese sushi chefs), part pretentious wine bar, and part espresso bar, complete with an espresso machine plastered with bumber stickers including a large "Mean People Suck" sticker.
So you think that's a lot to take in? We haven't even started eating yet!
When we walked in a dashing young Russian waiter looked at us like we were absolutely crazy to come in there, and we said, "Two, please??? (don't hit me)". Then he took a very long time to look at his yellow note pad and around the fairly empty restaurant (we were QUITE relieved to discover there were other people in the restaurant. We tried not to think about the fact that we were the only ones speaking English and probably the only ones who weren't part of "the family") and then finally pointed to a table for 6 right in front of us and said, "well we have this table or one on the patio". Ok. There's only two tables taken in the whole restaurant, but I guess this table for 6 will be perfect for the two of us...
The waiter hands us GIANT menus, and a separate sushi menu, and we start thumbing through and realize this is a very fancy restaurant. Like, no entree under $30 fancy. So we both order water.
But then we ordered soup too, don't worry. And I even got a glass of wine to make everyone (including myself) feel better.
The food, supposedly prepared by a celebrity chef in order to astound our culinary tastes, as we were meant to make our way through a "sinful" wine list and decadent dessert menu and extraordinary tea selection, was quite excellent. We got porcini mushroom soup and lobster bisque and basically licked our bowls (or bread bowls) clean, even though the attentive army of dashing waitstaff was eager to take our plates.
Once we were done, we were almost tempted to try a dessert, but ultimately accepted only an offer for more water from the waiter. Someone did bring Annette another empty plate though, and we're really not sure why. Maybe they just thought she needed something in front of her to feel happy or something.
Or maybe they wanted to give her another chance because we did make a scene by dropping a knife very loudly on the ground.
To top it all off, there was a TV in the bathroom and glowing "Royal Card" lights emblazoned on the bright red check holder.
I have never scene a place like this. It just made no logical sense. But it was perhaps the most way to end our Coney Island/Brighton Beach experience. Even if we didn't get to imbibe to "delectable, exotic cocktails" bragged about in the menu's welcome message....
Friday, March 30, 2007
"Just because you belt it does not make it an outfit"
In a flash, spring has sprung. With it came the barely dressed college girls in flimsy cotton dresses that could possibly pass as shirts but somehow become dresses with the addition of a belt and a pair of cuuute flip flops. News flash: being 18 does not mean that you have the right to not wear pants in public. Especially in March, no matter how sunny or warm. The winter was bad enough, with tiny little sweaters layered over fairly translucent tights (I just realized I basically am describing the outfit I'm wearing today, so perhaps I should stop judging people and just write nice things....). But still! I think people should try to cover their bums as much as possible when walking around the streets. It's a fairly common courtesy.
So basically time has passed since my last post faster than a New York minute. I know I say that every time, but every day I can see why this phrase has become so equated with life in this city. Each week seems to go faster than the last, and, even though I still strongly anticipate the glory of Jeans Friday, I'm always amazed that another week of work and school has passed me by! Is this what life is? Constantly racing to catch up and hoping that one day you'll find the perfect balance between racing and having a nice enjoyable time.
Speaking of nice enjoyable times, I have had some lately. Some (including me) would say I've had a bit too much fun, and have not done quite enough work. Spring Break really did me in- I completely lost my momentum and had a week so filled with fancy parties, nights out on the town, and not-so-fancy parties, that I ended up more tired than I was before this "break". Eric and I were lucky enough to go to another extremely fancy party hosted by the Dean and the President of UOP at the EXTREMELY fancy Trump building. Life is pretty great when you get to spend a Tuesday evening chatting it up with the Dean and the President while drinking top shelf beverages and eating some of the best pasta, meats, cheeses, and tiny cakes I have ever consumed.
During spring break we also ventured out to Brooklyn for the "Split thy Brooklyn Skull Barleywine Festival" or something like that. I found it in the Urban Eye e-mail I get from the New York Times every day. Generally the events they put in there are wayyy too trendy for the likes of Eric and me, but this one sounded right up our alley. So fun! I discovered that "winter wheat" has very little in common with Blue Moon or Hefeweizen or any of the other wheat beers I'm so fond of. It's apparently a barleywine that has much more in common with maple syrup carefully mixed with rum or brandy. Not bad, but I was pretty sure they messed up until I ordered it again and received the exact same petite glass of extremely alcoholic liquid candy. We left the trendy barleywine festival and ended up at a bar where $1 PBR's and tater tots are the specialty and we felt that we had completed our Brooklyn experience for the week.
(As you read this blog, you are going to notice that eating and drinking are a running theme in my activities...I'm hoping to correct this soon so that I don't ruin my liver, float away in a stream of wine and martinis, or look like a snowman in my wedding dress. I am having a lot of fun in my indulgence, but I probably should draw the line soon, let's be honest.)
When my family was here we took them to the same Brooklyn bar that specializes in $1 PBR's and tater tots, and definitely got some funny looks. I'm not sure they've ever seen parents come in there before, and, as Julie so nicely put it, my parents were "the oldest ones in there by far." However, as is ALWAYS the case with my amazing family they can always say that they went to a bar frequented only by the very trendy hipsters in Williamsburg, the very trendy hipster capital of the Northeast. My dad even got a $1 PBR, just like the 20 year old faux starving artist that came in after us.
We proved to be a spectacle once again at All-you-can drink brunch, although this time they did not give us any plastic creatures to build sculptures with. We managed to draw the attention of many the tiny-dog walker (as my mom yelled "I have GOT to start looking at more dogs!"), and a drunk man on his "birthday" who had "just gotten out of the hospital" (yeah, that hand-written hospital bracelet looked completely real) who tried to kiss my dad, but called my mom and I diamonds or pearls or something.
In non-eating or drinking news, I bought a wedding dress last weekend! It is AMAZING but that's all I can say. You will have to wait for the real thing, but we are pretty excited about it!
Last night Annette and I discovered (well Annette discovered it, I just like to pretend I'm that good at finding restaurants off the beaten path) a wonderful little Italian restaurant. It was just like stepping right into Italy, from the waitstaff to the food to the "decaf" cappucinos (I'm pretty sure that waiter thought we were joking, judging by the twinkle in his eye when he handed them to us) to the somewhat awkward bathroom space behind some shutters. When any of you come to visit, DEFINITELY remind me about this restaurant and we will go.
There is a different energy here when the weather gets warm. There is a different smell (a little sun-induced sweat- okay, "glow"- mixed with sunscreen and the beginnings of flowers and trees) and a buzz in the air. I don't know what that is, but it makes even more crazy people come out and everyone has a little more bounce in their steps. It makes me want to be outside all the time (let's not even talk about how hard it is to go to class), have iced coffee or Jamba Juice or Tasty De-lite (only 40 calories! Frozen air and chemicals! What's better than that!), and attempt to get tan lines on my frighteningly white exterior. It's a nice time to be in New York.
One last thing- there's a lot of truth in I-pod commercials. Anyone who's ever walked through a pulsing city with some of the greatest tunes being fed directly into your ear knows that the urge to dance is sometimes so great that you actually shake your hips for a minute or even bust a little move in the hopes that no one is watching. I think that we should all just feel free to dance around the streets with our tiny white ear phones just jamming and singing as loud as we can.
That would be the good life.
So basically time has passed since my last post faster than a New York minute. I know I say that every time, but every day I can see why this phrase has become so equated with life in this city. Each week seems to go faster than the last, and, even though I still strongly anticipate the glory of Jeans Friday, I'm always amazed that another week of work and school has passed me by! Is this what life is? Constantly racing to catch up and hoping that one day you'll find the perfect balance between racing and having a nice enjoyable time.
Speaking of nice enjoyable times, I have had some lately. Some (including me) would say I've had a bit too much fun, and have not done quite enough work. Spring Break really did me in- I completely lost my momentum and had a week so filled with fancy parties, nights out on the town, and not-so-fancy parties, that I ended up more tired than I was before this "break". Eric and I were lucky enough to go to another extremely fancy party hosted by the Dean and the President of UOP at the EXTREMELY fancy Trump building. Life is pretty great when you get to spend a Tuesday evening chatting it up with the Dean and the President while drinking top shelf beverages and eating some of the best pasta, meats, cheeses, and tiny cakes I have ever consumed.
During spring break we also ventured out to Brooklyn for the "Split thy Brooklyn Skull Barleywine Festival" or something like that. I found it in the Urban Eye e-mail I get from the New York Times every day. Generally the events they put in there are wayyy too trendy for the likes of Eric and me, but this one sounded right up our alley. So fun! I discovered that "winter wheat" has very little in common with Blue Moon or Hefeweizen or any of the other wheat beers I'm so fond of. It's apparently a barleywine that has much more in common with maple syrup carefully mixed with rum or brandy. Not bad, but I was pretty sure they messed up until I ordered it again and received the exact same petite glass of extremely alcoholic liquid candy. We left the trendy barleywine festival and ended up at a bar where $1 PBR's and tater tots are the specialty and we felt that we had completed our Brooklyn experience for the week.
(As you read this blog, you are going to notice that eating and drinking are a running theme in my activities...I'm hoping to correct this soon so that I don't ruin my liver, float away in a stream of wine and martinis, or look like a snowman in my wedding dress. I am having a lot of fun in my indulgence, but I probably should draw the line soon, let's be honest.)
When my family was here we took them to the same Brooklyn bar that specializes in $1 PBR's and tater tots, and definitely got some funny looks. I'm not sure they've ever seen parents come in there before, and, as Julie so nicely put it, my parents were "the oldest ones in there by far." However, as is ALWAYS the case with my amazing family they can always say that they went to a bar frequented only by the very trendy hipsters in Williamsburg, the very trendy hipster capital of the Northeast. My dad even got a $1 PBR, just like the 20 year old faux starving artist that came in after us.
We proved to be a spectacle once again at All-you-can drink brunch, although this time they did not give us any plastic creatures to build sculptures with. We managed to draw the attention of many the tiny-dog walker (as my mom yelled "I have GOT to start looking at more dogs!"), and a drunk man on his "birthday" who had "just gotten out of the hospital" (yeah, that hand-written hospital bracelet looked completely real) who tried to kiss my dad, but called my mom and I diamonds or pearls or something.
In non-eating or drinking news, I bought a wedding dress last weekend! It is AMAZING but that's all I can say. You will have to wait for the real thing, but we are pretty excited about it!
Last night Annette and I discovered (well Annette discovered it, I just like to pretend I'm that good at finding restaurants off the beaten path) a wonderful little Italian restaurant. It was just like stepping right into Italy, from the waitstaff to the food to the "decaf" cappucinos (I'm pretty sure that waiter thought we were joking, judging by the twinkle in his eye when he handed them to us) to the somewhat awkward bathroom space behind some shutters. When any of you come to visit, DEFINITELY remind me about this restaurant and we will go.
There is a different energy here when the weather gets warm. There is a different smell (a little sun-induced sweat- okay, "glow"- mixed with sunscreen and the beginnings of flowers and trees) and a buzz in the air. I don't know what that is, but it makes even more crazy people come out and everyone has a little more bounce in their steps. It makes me want to be outside all the time (let's not even talk about how hard it is to go to class), have iced coffee or Jamba Juice or Tasty De-lite (only 40 calories! Frozen air and chemicals! What's better than that!), and attempt to get tan lines on my frighteningly white exterior. It's a nice time to be in New York.
One last thing- there's a lot of truth in I-pod commercials. Anyone who's ever walked through a pulsing city with some of the greatest tunes being fed directly into your ear knows that the urge to dance is sometimes so great that you actually shake your hips for a minute or even bust a little move in the hopes that no one is watching. I think that we should all just feel free to dance around the streets with our tiny white ear phones just jamming and singing as loud as we can.
That would be the good life.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
So this is a Nor'easter/Deep Thoughts
FYI- If you enjoy extremely sharp ice pellets flying at your face, a Nor'easter will be right up your alley.
At first when I walked outside this morning, I thought to myself, "oh..come on...what's all the fuss about? This isn't so bad." But then I walked a few more steps through the sticky, slushy, somehow extremely slippery snow, and decided that being attacked with tiny ice knives is not really fun at all.
Now on to some of the extremely deep thoughts that have come into my head since the last time I wrote...
1. My accounting teacher looks like Al Pacino. My accounting teacher sounds like Al Pacino. Therefore, my accounting teacher is Al Pacino?
2. Carrying coffee in a paper bag sounds like a really bad idea. I often questioned the wisdom of it, as I saw the coffee carts on the street handing out $.75 coffees to be carried around in a paper lunch bag. Until I decided to try it myself. It turns out that this an excellent way to carry a coffee through the New York streets- it doesn't burn your hand and it spills much less than carrying a Starbucks cup with the drinking hole at the top. Way to go cheap New York coffee carts!
3. There is a prevalence of cornbread muffins here. Lucky for me, because I love cornbread.
4. Are the many instances of pee, poo, and spit you can find on the street on a daily basis here more or less disgusting when they are frozen solid?
5. Every salad bar/salad deli counter has the option of putting cooked pasta into a lettuce salad. I have never seen this before, but I suppose it's a good idea. It always just strikes me as a little odd to see plain, cooked fusilli, sitting next to the bowls of raw broccoli, peppers, and tomatoes.
6. Meat being roasted on the street smells really good.
7. There are too many rules that I don't know about at the NYU gym and I am tired of getting in trouble there.
8. Wearing tights as a little girl was perhaps the greatest torture I could imagine. Wearing them every single day as an adult is no less agonizing, though they do have the perks of slenderizing and warmth.
9. I saw a gigantic woman wearing a gigantic pink fur coat with a gigantic feather boa and a gigantic floppy hat. She was serious. That was her outfit.
10. I'm getting a little tired of people getting run over by busses on TV shows. I mean, really- how many times can this be done? The thing is, I prefer to relax when I watch TV, and now, every time someone walks in the street, I get really nervous that they're suddenly going to get hit by a bus. Perhaps TV writers should get a little more creative with their causes of sudden, horrific death, so that I don't have to hold my breath every time someone crosses the street in one of my shows.
11. Writing a blog is really fun at work, but I suppose I should at least pretend to be productive now. Myspace and facebook, here I come!
At first when I walked outside this morning, I thought to myself, "oh..come on...what's all the fuss about? This isn't so bad." But then I walked a few more steps through the sticky, slushy, somehow extremely slippery snow, and decided that being attacked with tiny ice knives is not really fun at all.
Now on to some of the extremely deep thoughts that have come into my head since the last time I wrote...
1. My accounting teacher looks like Al Pacino. My accounting teacher sounds like Al Pacino. Therefore, my accounting teacher is Al Pacino?
2. Carrying coffee in a paper bag sounds like a really bad idea. I often questioned the wisdom of it, as I saw the coffee carts on the street handing out $.75 coffees to be carried around in a paper lunch bag. Until I decided to try it myself. It turns out that this an excellent way to carry a coffee through the New York streets- it doesn't burn your hand and it spills much less than carrying a Starbucks cup with the drinking hole at the top. Way to go cheap New York coffee carts!
3. There is a prevalence of cornbread muffins here. Lucky for me, because I love cornbread.
4. Are the many instances of pee, poo, and spit you can find on the street on a daily basis here more or less disgusting when they are frozen solid?
5. Every salad bar/salad deli counter has the option of putting cooked pasta into a lettuce salad. I have never seen this before, but I suppose it's a good idea. It always just strikes me as a little odd to see plain, cooked fusilli, sitting next to the bowls of raw broccoli, peppers, and tomatoes.
6. Meat being roasted on the street smells really good.
7. There are too many rules that I don't know about at the NYU gym and I am tired of getting in trouble there.
8. Wearing tights as a little girl was perhaps the greatest torture I could imagine. Wearing them every single day as an adult is no less agonizing, though they do have the perks of slenderizing and warmth.
9. I saw a gigantic woman wearing a gigantic pink fur coat with a gigantic feather boa and a gigantic floppy hat. She was serious. That was her outfit.
10. I'm getting a little tired of people getting run over by busses on TV shows. I mean, really- how many times can this be done? The thing is, I prefer to relax when I watch TV, and now, every time someone walks in the street, I get really nervous that they're suddenly going to get hit by a bus. Perhaps TV writers should get a little more creative with their causes of sudden, horrific death, so that I don't have to hold my breath every time someone crosses the street in one of my shows.
11. Writing a blog is really fun at work, but I suppose I should at least pretend to be productive now. Myspace and facebook, here I come!
Saturday, January 20, 2007
The radiator's hissin'...
2 weeks ago it was 70 degrees. I was sweating (a lot) when I was outside in a t-shirt. People were wearing shorts and flip flops. I was mad because it was January and it felt like May. Today, it was approximately 9 degrees and the wind was biting me all over because it literally comes from every direction at once. And I was shaking in my booties. I guess I can't win!
Life is picking up the pace this week since classes started again. Much to my surprise, so far Statistics is fun! Who knew? Law class isn't too bad either. Again, who knew? And, the best part is that so far there are no group projects, which is the best news ever. Work has been a mess this week. Office politics are ridiculous, and everything that's happening in the office is being tucked away in my stash of "what never to do when you're running an organization" files. I have the opportunity to have a lot more responsibility, and basically a more interesting job, but the lack of communication, trust, and common sense in that office is making all of this (my boss resigning) much more dramatic than it needs to be. I had no idea that data entry could be so dramatic, but this week was kind of out of control. I barely even did any data entry because it was so out of control- kind of refreshing actually.
I've apparently developed a habit of falling in the street. We're up to 3 times now, and I'm not sure it's too funny. The good news is that in New York no one looks twice if you fall in the street- they might be laughing once they get past you, but they don't even blink when it first happens (I will admit that I can't help chuckling when someone totally trips running up the stairs on the subway. Call me mean and hateful, but that's funny, especially if the person think he's really awesome before he trips...). The bad news about all this falling in the street is that I know I look like an idiot and now I have an ouchie on my knee. Boo hoo. One of the days I fell in the street I also busted a button on my pants. I thought I was pretty skinny that day, but I guess not. Yeah, that was a rough day....
There was snow this week! How excited am I? I know that the bitter cold referenced earlier is a by-product of cold, but I still think it's pretty great to have snow on the ground.
I just finished reading a book (another funny, sarcastic, coming of age memoir...wierd. I never read those....) and the writer said that the perfect job for her would be one in which she could write about whatever she wanted (preferably herself) and her employee would pay her a large salary, that would cover all of her (relatively lavish) living expenses and many expensive and beautiful shoes. Sign me up for that job!! That would be perfect for me too!
We officially set the wedding date- let the countdown and parties and presents begin! We're ready! I can't wait to really start planning. I haven't really been looking at wedding magazines and it's kind of wierd because you'd think I'd be all over that. But I guess I just don't even know where to begin. I guess I'll begin by buying one and looking at it. Done. Everyone at school is super-excited, so it's really great to have a lot of engagement thunder still...This only happens once right? So I might as well milk it!
We thought we might have seen a mouse the other day. Please, help me, no, I can't deal with mice again.
Today I might have stepped in some pee on the subway. I got off that car as quickly as I possibly could, but I am thoroughly disgusted. I washed my foot a lot.
Life is picking up the pace this week since classes started again. Much to my surprise, so far Statistics is fun! Who knew? Law class isn't too bad either. Again, who knew? And, the best part is that so far there are no group projects, which is the best news ever. Work has been a mess this week. Office politics are ridiculous, and everything that's happening in the office is being tucked away in my stash of "what never to do when you're running an organization" files. I have the opportunity to have a lot more responsibility, and basically a more interesting job, but the lack of communication, trust, and common sense in that office is making all of this (my boss resigning) much more dramatic than it needs to be. I had no idea that data entry could be so dramatic, but this week was kind of out of control. I barely even did any data entry because it was so out of control- kind of refreshing actually.
I've apparently developed a habit of falling in the street. We're up to 3 times now, and I'm not sure it's too funny. The good news is that in New York no one looks twice if you fall in the street- they might be laughing once they get past you, but they don't even blink when it first happens (I will admit that I can't help chuckling when someone totally trips running up the stairs on the subway. Call me mean and hateful, but that's funny, especially if the person think he's really awesome before he trips...). The bad news about all this falling in the street is that I know I look like an idiot and now I have an ouchie on my knee. Boo hoo. One of the days I fell in the street I also busted a button on my pants. I thought I was pretty skinny that day, but I guess not. Yeah, that was a rough day....
There was snow this week! How excited am I? I know that the bitter cold referenced earlier is a by-product of cold, but I still think it's pretty great to have snow on the ground.
I just finished reading a book (another funny, sarcastic, coming of age memoir...wierd. I never read those....) and the writer said that the perfect job for her would be one in which she could write about whatever she wanted (preferably herself) and her employee would pay her a large salary, that would cover all of her (relatively lavish) living expenses and many expensive and beautiful shoes. Sign me up for that job!! That would be perfect for me too!
We officially set the wedding date- let the countdown and parties and presents begin! We're ready! I can't wait to really start planning. I haven't really been looking at wedding magazines and it's kind of wierd because you'd think I'd be all over that. But I guess I just don't even know where to begin. I guess I'll begin by buying one and looking at it. Done. Everyone at school is super-excited, so it's really great to have a lot of engagement thunder still...This only happens once right? So I might as well milk it!
We thought we might have seen a mouse the other day. Please, help me, no, I can't deal with mice again.
Today I might have stepped in some pee on the subway. I got off that car as quickly as I possibly could, but I am thoroughly disgusted. I washed my foot a lot.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Yes, it's true- I'm enfianced
Well as many of you know, there has been much excitement in this life since the last time I wrote. I guess to start things off, I should say that I really did survive the first semester. At times, particularly those moments when I'd been writing in Starbucks for 6 hours or when it was 2 in the morning on a Friday night and I'd been editing a group paper all night, I really thought I might just give in and let grad school get the better of me. But, for better or worse, I completed all my papers, turned in every group project, and managed to not have too big of a nervous breakdown in the process. I'm not going to lie though when I say that the idea of starting a whole new semester in a week and a half is fairly depressing- I just conquered a beast and now I have to start all over!!
But ok, enough about that- school shmool let's get to the really juicy stuff...I am no longer a free agent. (I know I haven't been a free agent for quite some time now, but I'm trying to make this dramatic for a good blog effect) I have taken a fiancee. It's true- in our ripe old ages of 23 and 24, Eric asked me to marry him and I, through a mess of snot and tears, of course replied with a resounding yes. We are so happy and can still not really believe that we're getting married this year! On Tuesday the 19th, after I had turned in my last final, Eric surprised me by taking me to Tavern on the Green (EXTREMELY FANCY) and we (he) splurged on an amazing dinner in a truly beautiful location in my very favorite park of all. When it was time for dessert, the waiter brought me a cake that had Honey I Love You So Much written on it (after the fact I was quite relieved that Eric wasn't so cheesy as to put the ring or the proposal on the cake- I'm not sure I could tell THAT story quite so proudly...). The next thing I knew he was getting on one knee in front of me and I was sobbing. I can't really remember any more than that. It was a blur. But then he took out an amazing ring- princess cut solitaire diamond, platinum band- and I continued to cry. For the rest of the meal. Until the waiter didn't bring us any more drinks. Then I was hopping mad.
But then we floated out of there and shivered in the park while we called my parents and tried to tell them on speaker phone, but they couldn't figure out how to use THEIR speaker phone. So after many minutes of yelling and shivering, we got the message across. SO EXCITED!!! Then we called our friends and family and had our night, and it was definitely a night to remember.
The next morning I woke up and my eyes were swollen shut and there was a blizzard in Colorado (we were supposed to leave that day), but these are the types of things that happen to me. Wouldn't want any moment to be too perfect for too long. That just wouldn't be right. So this blizzard in Colorado really messed stuff up. After 2 more days of yelling and crying, Eric and I, and his parents, flew to Phoenix (all on separate flights, of course) and drove the 14 hours to Colorado Springs, complete with 2 trips to Denny's, a meal at the Flying Tortilla, and A LOT of fidgeting. As soon as we made it home from that unexpected road trip, though, all was forgotten and we had an amazing Christmas with the new, entire family.
Christmas break was so perfect (no I didn't ruin Christmas with a tantrum this year) that it was really difficult to come back to New York. We really didn't want to, and did everything we could to delay our return (including begging for another blizzard- we received some snow and ice, but alas, the plane took off...) After a weekend of watching tv and celebrating New Year's New York style (on a rooftop that you could easily have simply stepped off the edge, watching the ball drop, drink champagne out of a red party cup), I sadly went back to work. Yesterday was HORRIBLE, but today was not so bad. I'm feeling better about being here every day, but still really miss Colorado and my family. It was hard to come back here after having such a perfect week. And now I'm out of the beautiful peaceful snow and back in the unseasonably warm city full of mean, pushy crowds. Not my scene. I think it will take a little while to remember why I was starting to like it so much here.
Don't worry though, mostly we're having fun being ENGAGED and starting to plan this wedding. I'm a little sad because Eric had to take my ring to be resized today and it might be gone for 2 WEEKS!! 2 WEEKS- that's as long as I've had it!!!!! I'm totally going to start rumors that we're getting an engagement divorce---WE'RE NOT!! We've talked to almost everyone in our wedding party and they all are really excited- we're having the wedding next New Year's weekend in Colorado Springs and I know already it will be amazing. I'm so excited...So now, EVERYONE has to spend the next year praying for no repeat of this year's blizzard. Seriously.
Now, though, it's time to sleep so that I can go be a data entry professional in the morning. After all, another day, another dollar, and I have a honeymoon in a tropical locale to save for!!
But ok, enough about that- school shmool let's get to the really juicy stuff...I am no longer a free agent. (I know I haven't been a free agent for quite some time now, but I'm trying to make this dramatic for a good blog effect) I have taken a fiancee. It's true- in our ripe old ages of 23 and 24, Eric asked me to marry him and I, through a mess of snot and tears, of course replied with a resounding yes. We are so happy and can still not really believe that we're getting married this year! On Tuesday the 19th, after I had turned in my last final, Eric surprised me by taking me to Tavern on the Green (EXTREMELY FANCY) and we (he) splurged on an amazing dinner in a truly beautiful location in my very favorite park of all. When it was time for dessert, the waiter brought me a cake that had Honey I Love You So Much written on it (after the fact I was quite relieved that Eric wasn't so cheesy as to put the ring or the proposal on the cake- I'm not sure I could tell THAT story quite so proudly...). The next thing I knew he was getting on one knee in front of me and I was sobbing. I can't really remember any more than that. It was a blur. But then he took out an amazing ring- princess cut solitaire diamond, platinum band- and I continued to cry. For the rest of the meal. Until the waiter didn't bring us any more drinks. Then I was hopping mad.
But then we floated out of there and shivered in the park while we called my parents and tried to tell them on speaker phone, but they couldn't figure out how to use THEIR speaker phone. So after many minutes of yelling and shivering, we got the message across. SO EXCITED!!! Then we called our friends and family and had our night, and it was definitely a night to remember.
The next morning I woke up and my eyes were swollen shut and there was a blizzard in Colorado (we were supposed to leave that day), but these are the types of things that happen to me. Wouldn't want any moment to be too perfect for too long. That just wouldn't be right. So this blizzard in Colorado really messed stuff up. After 2 more days of yelling and crying, Eric and I, and his parents, flew to Phoenix (all on separate flights, of course) and drove the 14 hours to Colorado Springs, complete with 2 trips to Denny's, a meal at the Flying Tortilla, and A LOT of fidgeting. As soon as we made it home from that unexpected road trip, though, all was forgotten and we had an amazing Christmas with the new, entire family.
Christmas break was so perfect (no I didn't ruin Christmas with a tantrum this year) that it was really difficult to come back to New York. We really didn't want to, and did everything we could to delay our return (including begging for another blizzard- we received some snow and ice, but alas, the plane took off...) After a weekend of watching tv and celebrating New Year's New York style (on a rooftop that you could easily have simply stepped off the edge, watching the ball drop, drink champagne out of a red party cup), I sadly went back to work. Yesterday was HORRIBLE, but today was not so bad. I'm feeling better about being here every day, but still really miss Colorado and my family. It was hard to come back here after having such a perfect week. And now I'm out of the beautiful peaceful snow and back in the unseasonably warm city full of mean, pushy crowds. Not my scene. I think it will take a little while to remember why I was starting to like it so much here.
Don't worry though, mostly we're having fun being ENGAGED and starting to plan this wedding. I'm a little sad because Eric had to take my ring to be resized today and it might be gone for 2 WEEKS!! 2 WEEKS- that's as long as I've had it!!!!! I'm totally going to start rumors that we're getting an engagement divorce---WE'RE NOT!! We've talked to almost everyone in our wedding party and they all are really excited- we're having the wedding next New Year's weekend in Colorado Springs and I know already it will be amazing. I'm so excited...So now, EVERYONE has to spend the next year praying for no repeat of this year's blizzard. Seriously.
Now, though, it's time to sleep so that I can go be a data entry professional in the morning. After all, another day, another dollar, and I have a honeymoon in a tropical locale to save for!!
Monday, December 18, 2006
Almost
So I've definitely been MIA for the past few weeks, but I have never been so busy! Grad school + full time job= really really hard. I think I've already said that once, but after these 4 weeks I'm pretty sure it warrants being said at least 100 more times. But, somehow (I really don't even believe it myself yet- definitely hasn't sunk in) I'm almost there. I think over the course of the semester I read about 1500 pages, wrote 4 big papers and 25 article summaries, did 2 group projects, and one case study. I made it! Now we'll just see if I actually learned anything...Ask me about tax exemption and the nonprofit environment and I'll probably seem pretty smart. Ask about marketing or organizational behavior, the odds are not as good....
I've had to turn down fun in favor of work way too many times in the past few weeks, and I'm completely shocked at this change of personal character. I'm not sure I like it. I really can't remember ever doing that before. Ever. I've always convinced myself that no matter what I would find time to do the work after I had the fun. But this time, as hard as I tried, I simply could not convince myself that there were enough hours in the day to get it all done. Horrible! But I'm glad I have some common sense, because I was, indeed, basically working up to minute things were due (or the minute I had to go to bed for work the next day...) so it's probably a good thing I neglected to have a little fun sometimes.
Oh gosh don't worry though- you didn't think I wasn't having any fun did you? Don't be absurd...I have continued to enjoy the last few hot ciders at the farmers market and always turn the corner away from the beautiful white lights that look blue at Lincoln Center, bracing myself for disappointment if the farmers are not there and winter has truly set in...I'm obsessed with hot cider at Starbucks too...I'm also obsessed with Whole Foods. I think I have a problem...I love to walk around and take in all the Christmas decorations. It's still about 50 or 60 degrees so it's hard to imagine that it's Christmas in New York, but it is and that's pretty exciting!...When my mom and sister were here we had a few adventures. Most importantly we went to the Rainbow Room and it was intense. I'm not sure they really wanted us there. But Eric said that he had talked to "Saul" and somehow that got us a table, even though the boys weren't in jackets and had to borrow really really pretty ones from the coat closet and we had been waiting in a really long line for the elevator and were getting a bit cranky. We also went to all you can drink brunch again, but this time managed to have only 3 margaritas each, and refrained from making a plastic monkey sculpture or ordering extra bacon....in all my time writing for school lately, I've found some really great places to go on campus. I love going to the study lounge on the 7th floor of our student center. You can sit by a window and look out over the city, and see Washington Square Park, the Empire State Building all lit up in its green and red Christmas festivity, the Chrysler building, and many others that I don't know the names of but that look really great. It's really inspiring, even when you are thinking you can't possibly type another word or have another group meeting...We found a competitor (or an imposter...) for NUTS FOR NUTS. It's called Nut 2 the Nut and I really don't think it can possibly be as good as NUTS FOR NUTS...Today we went Christmas shopping in Herald Square (you know Macy's... Miracle on 34th street...that kind of place...) and while it's good to go there maybe, it's basically just a really bad idea. That was too many people. Too much pop Christmas music. Too much yelling. Too much shoving. Just a little too much. Probably I won't have that idea again...
I'm going home WEDNESDAY and I'm so excited I could pee my pants. I just have to make it through 2 days of work and I'm getting on that plane with my favorite hon-hon and going home for vacation. So great. I'm basically 100% positive that my Christmas Spirit will be in full force the moment I get off the plane. Maybe even the moment I get off work that day. Maybe even when I wake up tomorrow because as soon as I print and staple my case study- NO MORE SCHOOL (for three and a half weeks...but let's never talk about that....)
I've had to turn down fun in favor of work way too many times in the past few weeks, and I'm completely shocked at this change of personal character. I'm not sure I like it. I really can't remember ever doing that before. Ever. I've always convinced myself that no matter what I would find time to do the work after I had the fun. But this time, as hard as I tried, I simply could not convince myself that there were enough hours in the day to get it all done. Horrible! But I'm glad I have some common sense, because I was, indeed, basically working up to minute things were due (or the minute I had to go to bed for work the next day...) so it's probably a good thing I neglected to have a little fun sometimes.
Oh gosh don't worry though- you didn't think I wasn't having any fun did you? Don't be absurd...I have continued to enjoy the last few hot ciders at the farmers market and always turn the corner away from the beautiful white lights that look blue at Lincoln Center, bracing myself for disappointment if the farmers are not there and winter has truly set in...I'm obsessed with hot cider at Starbucks too...I'm also obsessed with Whole Foods. I think I have a problem...I love to walk around and take in all the Christmas decorations. It's still about 50 or 60 degrees so it's hard to imagine that it's Christmas in New York, but it is and that's pretty exciting!...When my mom and sister were here we had a few adventures. Most importantly we went to the Rainbow Room and it was intense. I'm not sure they really wanted us there. But Eric said that he had talked to "Saul" and somehow that got us a table, even though the boys weren't in jackets and had to borrow really really pretty ones from the coat closet and we had been waiting in a really long line for the elevator and were getting a bit cranky. We also went to all you can drink brunch again, but this time managed to have only 3 margaritas each, and refrained from making a plastic monkey sculpture or ordering extra bacon....in all my time writing for school lately, I've found some really great places to go on campus. I love going to the study lounge on the 7th floor of our student center. You can sit by a window and look out over the city, and see Washington Square Park, the Empire State Building all lit up in its green and red Christmas festivity, the Chrysler building, and many others that I don't know the names of but that look really great. It's really inspiring, even when you are thinking you can't possibly type another word or have another group meeting...We found a competitor (or an imposter...) for NUTS FOR NUTS. It's called Nut 2 the Nut and I really don't think it can possibly be as good as NUTS FOR NUTS...Today we went Christmas shopping in Herald Square (you know Macy's... Miracle on 34th street...that kind of place...) and while it's good to go there maybe, it's basically just a really bad idea. That was too many people. Too much pop Christmas music. Too much yelling. Too much shoving. Just a little too much. Probably I won't have that idea again...
I'm going home WEDNESDAY and I'm so excited I could pee my pants. I just have to make it through 2 days of work and I'm getting on that plane with my favorite hon-hon and going home for vacation. So great. I'm basically 100% positive that my Christmas Spirit will be in full force the moment I get off the plane. Maybe even the moment I get off work that day. Maybe even when I wake up tomorrow because as soon as I print and staple my case study- NO MORE SCHOOL (for three and a half weeks...but let's never talk about that....)
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