Phlogger-ific

A Phloggerific Farewell

2008-12-07T22:37:00.004-05:00

The time has come for a new chapter in my life. The last several years of blogging on Phloggerific have been fun, but I am joining forces with Fernando to create a new blog together. Our new blog address is http://chroniclesofmarbecca.blogspot.com. Thanks for reading and we look forward to you visiting us there!

NKOTB

2008-10-27T21:10:00.001-04:00

Many moons ago, when I was just a wee lassie of age 13, my best middle school friend was Ali Mae. Quite fitting for a southern belle. We were typical teenagers - sneaking over to the all boys boarding school to check out the hunks. We were in love with a new scrawny teenager every other week and made tapes of our favorite songs that reminded us of them. And then there were the phone calls. I think we must have collectively purchased one of the pay phones they had in the dorm hallways. Those were the days of slumber parties, Tiger Beat, and posters on our walls of New Kids On the Block, or NKOTB as they have evolved.

When it came to our favorite boy band, we were silly little teenage girls. I was in love with Joey, of course. And Ali Mae drooled over Jordan. I think we listened to the tapes and The Right Stuff until they no longer would play. The NKOTB never came to do concerts anywhere near where we lived because we grew up in the small city of Asheville in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The closest they ever came was Charlotte or Atlanta, but that was too far. So we never got to see our dream guys. I secretly had dreamed that we would get old and they would lose their fame and I could have Joey all to myself. Then, a few months ago, Ali Mae emailed me to let me know that our teenage fantasy boys had gotten back together and were going on tour. We both knew then and there that we had to close the loop on this outstanding lingering unaccomplished desire from our past. She booked a ticket to New York City and we got tickets to the concert at Madison Square Gardens, the mother of all concert venues. If you are going to do it.... do it right!!

We arrived at Madison Square Gardens to find a sea of 20 thousand women who were also re-living their teenage years. The screams at the concert were deafening...it was as if they all shed their suits and doctors scrubs and were back 20 years in the 80s with their girlfriends sneaking off to the boys boarding schools.

The concert was surprisingly phenomenal. To be completely honest, I was going more for the fun of it and had no expectation that it would actually be a good concert. But it was. When they sang my favorite bygone song "I'll be Loving You Forever". I feld a surge of my old teen emotion come back to me. And then I realized: I still love Joey and I always will.

So my dream that they would lose their fame never came true. But I decided that night that my old-age wish is going to be that my kids will search out the nursing home where Joey McIntyre ends up and put me in the same one so we can at least play some bingo together in 2060. Hey, a girl can dream can't she?

Toilets Again

2008-10-25T21:44:00.000-04:00

Ok, I do realize that this is at least the second time I have featured a picture of a bathroom on my blog...but it is a good reason. So, you know when you go in the bathroom and there are the pull down trays. WHAT ARE THESE FOR?????? I mean really? Does anyone use them for anything? Am I supposed to sit on the commode and do my taxes? It's too high for that. I dont trust putting my purse on it. Afraid it's going to snap back up and drop it to the ground. Please... if you actually use these trays, reply and enlighten others of the use. I took a survey and no one I ask actually uses them.

Worlds Largest Truckstop and Corn

2008-10-15T21:02:00.009-04:00

Today Fernando and I began our Iowa vacation. Here is how the last few weeks have been for Fernando and I - "We're going on Vacation!" Friend: "Where?" Us: "Iowa". Friend: "Why Iowa?". The standard answer to that question was that my mom was getting married and my other side of the family was having "Christmas" early because my brother and I were coming to town. But, there is much more to Iowa than just those things!

As we pulled out of the Airport with our spankin new orange Saturn Vue (I loved it, he hated it - It matched my cell phone!) our first stop was to get something to eat. Lucky for us it happened to be a very historical place - the Worlds Largest Truck Stop. You just don't see something like that every day. We stopped in for some food and I introduced Fernando to Cheese Curds. We then visited the trucking museum and paid homage to the truckers of yester-year.

On day two of our Iowa adventure, we went to my mom's wedding in a park. The leaves were changing and it was a very nice day for an outdoor wedding. Then, Fernando and I were invited out to a dance in a stable with my aunt and uncle and cousins. We learned the Barn Dance, Western Cha Cha and the Watermelon Crawl.

Day three - we headed up to Mason City Iowa to celebrate my dad's family "Christmas". Fernando walked through a cornfield for the first time ever. He insisted on doing horror movie remake photoshoot in the corn - and we have way too many action shots trying to look scared in a cornfield. After wading through corn, we returned into the house to play cards and Fernando was surprised to find that corn kernels were used as the "money" for texas hold em. Thinking about it, I guess that does seem a little strange. I mean, its not like you would go to Raleigh and play cards using cigarettes for ante. OR WOULD YOU???? hmm.

Day Four - we attended the Mennonite auction. They auction off tons of produce from their farms.

Day Five - we headed up to Minneapolis, my old hometown. We rode the rollercoaster in the mall of America, the log flume, another roller coaster, nascar simulators. In the evening I met up with old friends from middle school for a 20 year reunion.

Day Six - Back in Iowa, Fernando and I took a trip with some farmers out to pick the corn on their high tech combines. Its way more complicated than it looks. The temperature and humidity of the air determine whether the corn needs to be dried before going into the grain elevator for holding. I felt like we were on our very own Nova or How things Work show.

Day Seven - headed to Dubuque Iowa where Fernando ran 15 miles along the Mississippi while I secured a room for the night. 15 MILES! Better him than me! A librarian convention was in town so there were no rooms and we ended up having to stay at a bed and breakfast which was fantastic! Its funny the things you end up doing out of circumstance that can enrich your vacation.

Day Eight - Flew into Chicago for a layover before heading home to New York. Ironically, Fernando's very good friend Vince was also on the same flight back to New York AND it was his birthday. We celebrated with drinks in Chicago. Weird.

So there you have it. So much to do in Iowa, so little time!

Economic Downturn

2008-09-17T21:09:00.000-04:00

The events of the past few months and days have dramatically changed the landscape of Wall Street. The aftermath from the Bear Stearns takedown and credit crisis was a little jilting. You could notice things here and there...less travel for work, hiring freezes, no more lunches or dinners. Things that would be appropriate to do in order to tighten up the belt a little. Its the same as in our personal lives, when we forsee tougher time we put ourselves on a budget to reduce the impact.

In the last week though, things have seemed to have gone from "being careful" to a much more elevated state. The flat screen TVs across the floor that are usually on mute are no longer silenced. You find people stopping to watch the news in disbelief that major long standing institutions are selling off and disappearing forever.

So many people in NY work with Wall Street firms and I feel like an aura of gray cloud is hanging over the city. I sit on the subway or walk down the street and see the sad, angry and resigned faces passing. But more and more I start to see fear.

Its hard to know what will happen, but with the way things are going it feels like it is the beginning.

I am thankful to have my job and am glad that I feel comfortable with their standing and position amongst all this.

Roadside Assistance

2008-09-06T21:04:00.003-04:00

Today I was invited to attend a celebration for the engagement of my coworkers and friend, Jessica. Several girls from work were invited and we decided to car pool with one of our friends.

Right around the time that we would have to leave, our driver - Jax- called and announced that she was having some sort of hair emergency/situation and was going to be very late. So, I borrowed Fernando's car and picked everyone up.

Prior to leaving the house, I took extra care to put on on on nice dress, blow out my hair, do my makeup, and find some hot heels. The other girls had all done the same, despite the impending possibility that it could all be dramatically ruined by the landfall of a hurricane earlier that day.

I made the rounds and picked them all up - glamorous and lovely each of them. After picking up the last of the girls, we made our way to the Verazzano bridge to cross into Staten Island. We entered the belt parkway (one of the busiest highways in the city) with a thud. I thought we hit a pothole but pulled over anyway to make sure. I opened the door as little as possible to avoid the downpour and wind. Much to my dismay I was able to see the lumpy flat tire on the back drivers side.

I promptly called Fernando to ask if he had triple A. No such luck. I had changed A tire before and had all the confidence in the world that I could do it again. So, we hung up and rolled up our sleeves.

Two of the girls stood near the side of the road to try to flag down a passing car while me and Irina got the essentials out of the trunk. The doomsday feeling set in when we couldn't get the lug nuts loose. In the pouring rain. In nice dresses and heels and remnants of what was once pretty hair and makeup.

I have blogged before about NY men and how I was surprised by their gentleman-ness when I moved here. You know, holding doors and elevators. Letting the ladies go first. Stopping to help when you drop something. Apparently that chivalry dies during hurricane weather. For any hour we tried to get people to stop. A cabbie actually stopped - not to help but to see if we needed on on cab. Ummm, yeah. Whatever.

Finally, we were able to get the lug nuts loose after I changed into flat sandals and jumped on the lug nut loosener thingy (yeah, I can change on on tire. No, i don't know the name of the tool. Laugh if you must). Right after doing all the hard work, two nice undercover cops pulled over to help and finished the job for us. So chivalry isn't completely dead in a downpour, it's just severely limited.

The best thing about these girls is that we can have fun on the side of the road while getting ruined before on on nice party in the worst of circumstances. We danced around in the rain trying to wave down cars, laughing and giggling like stupid school girls. We even considered opening one of the gifts of wine for the future bride and groom and making our own party, but then decided against it because #1 we didn't have on on corkscrew and #2 we thought it might not be on on good idea if the police came to assist. Good thing!

My friend Marsha, who really should write stories of her own, is always the most entertaining company on little excursions like these. She's a huge flirt- very good at it and very successful. She asks to sit in the police car to wait. The three of us know her real motive - the second cop is in the car. When the tire is fixed, Marsha walks back to the car with his phone number and on on tentative meet up for drinks later. She is smooth like butter.

We all arrived at the party looking like we had been through the hurricane. But, no one seemed to mind too much and we had on on great conversation piece for the party.

PS there was a picture of all this but I am totally blaming Marsha that I have nothing to upload because she didn't send it to me. :)

Maps

2008-08-24T22:06:00.000-04:00

Fernando and I had to drive up to Massachusettes a few weeks ago for a family event. Along the way we ran into some traffic and decided to try to find a way around it with the trusty GPS. Apparently, the GPS I have was not really designed for re-reouting. For miles it kept bitching at us... Make uturn, recalculating, make uturn, recalculating. When we finally got sick of the woman telling us to uturn around, we turned her off and pulled out the trusty old map.

But here is my question- what kind of idiot at Rand McNally decided that it was a good idea to make a map that folds out to more than the size of the interior of your car. It literally took up the whole front seat. I'm convinced that Rand McNally and MAACO (the auto body chain) must be in business together. It goes something like this in my mind:

RM executive: ok, we will make the maps large, confusing and distracting in order to cause spousal and-or partner arguments and-or more accidents.

MAACO executive: ok, and in return I shall offer you 30 percent on any map related accidents that come to us for auto body repairs.

See example illustrating ridiculous map size below.

Fashionista

2008-08-20T16:18:00.002-04:00

Living in New York has introduced me to a whole other realm of fashion. Before I moved here I definitely didn't have much of a clue about what was "in" or "cool". I mean, I had an idea about certain things, but that was only from visiting the Mall and reading celeb trash magazines. I shall relay a case in point.

After moving to New York, one of the women in the department I was working in kept gushing over some shoes she had bought over the weekend. Several other women joined in the conversation and started talking about shoes and bags. There I was, sitting at my desk, peeking under it at my one of three pairs of shoes that I owned. (Sneakers, a black pair and a brown pair). That day I had on my black dressy Timberlands (no heel of course) that I had owned for about two years. I liked them because my orthopaedic inserts fit right in very nicely. (Yes, I am a nerd)So, I'm looking at my shoes and wondering what was so spectacular about the shoes this girl had bought and why she felt the urge to google them so she could show all the other girls in the department. The conversation between these girls went something like this... "Oh, LV and DG has come out with the CUTEST shoes for summer. I got this adorable strappy sandal in fuchsia". Other girl, "I know what you mean, I just love LV. And have you seen their new bags?". Girl 1 "here, let me log on to the LV collection at Saks and show you what my new shoes look like". At this point, curiosity had not only killed my inner cat but had stuffed it at the taxidermist. Its killing me to know what these shoes look like that are causing such a commotion (because? I had never been this exuberant about a pair of shoes myself - my conversation would have been more like "let's log onto the payless shoesource website so I can show you some pumps"). Also, I had never heard of this LV and just had to know what it was. So, I got schooled.

I walk over to the computer and see this crazy pair of shoes that I can't even picture an outfit I could ever wear with it. The top of the website says "Louis Vuitton" (ah ha, LV, I'm learnin the lingo) and the bottom showed the price... 1200. OK, SERIOUSLY. I think I choked. She saw the look on my face and must have instantly known that the price shocked me, so she felt the need to tell me she got it on sale for half off. 600. And then she looks down at my shoes.

While I do admit that my fashion IQ has changed over the years, I can never pretend to be an expert. I swore to never become a shoe whore, but I do own many more pairs than I once had and do indulge (but never over 100 bucks!) from time to time on a cute pair. And I know I do much better now in the apparel department. So my next conquest shall be finding a nice bag -reasonably priced.

I got my introduction to the world of bags this weekend. Fernando's sister in law designs bags! She and her friend came to New York and stayed with us a few days - they were in town to attend an expo to sell wholesale to potential buyers. I thought it sounded pretty cool so I volunteered to help.

Fernando and I helped to set up the booth. The bags are special because they are unique. They were originally created as a shoe bag but then they were so handy that they started being used for all kinds of things. On day two I helped the gals in the booth show the bags to buyers. The first client I talked to I sounded like a complete idiot. Oh well, live and learn. Still, it was fun and I am very grateful to Mrs Brooke for giving me the opportunity to enhance my repertoire and help me build some more character. I always like adding to that library.

And, for any of you who can never find a unique gift for Christmas - here is her website.

Baby Showers and Family Picnics

2008-08-04T16:08:00.001-04:00

Have to give a little shout out to my girlfriend Sophie. She always reads the blog and this weekend was her baby shower. What made her shower unique? Tea and scones. I'm guessing (and she can confirm) is that the tea at a baby shower is a British tradition that got left over in India where Sophie was born and raised. So we had tea, and it was cool. Congrats to Sophie and Ed on their baby boy.

Monday I took off work to go to Fernando's family picnic. It was quite the sports filled day. We got up early for a 6am tee time in the Bronx, played 18 holes with his brothers. After golf, we headed to Lido beach which I think is in Long Island. We ate... And these people know how to picnic. It wasn't just your hot dogs and hamburgers - I mean, they had that too (because what picnic would be complete without it) but there was also a flank like steak which may have been London Broil, sausage and peppers, chicken cutlets, etc. So much to eat, so little time. I'm thinking of converting to Italian-ism. Do I need a sponsor for that?

Utah Visitors!

2008-08-02T15:57:00.001-04:00

Woo hoo for four day weekends. It wasn't a holiday..just took off Friday and Monday! My friends Cindy and Ashley came in to visit from Utah so we hung out in the city. Its always funny to me when visitors come and ask questions about things in the city... For example, Cindy asked me why the bus had a sign on it that said "next bus please". Most of the time I cannot answer my visitors questions. But then, after two glasses of wine at dinner, I decided that it would be much more fun if I made up answers. On the way home that night, we came across a really nice synagogue and I made up an elaborate story about the struggles of a Jewish community that had escaped persecution in Europe and went to Africa. Then they had to escape persecution in Africa so they came and settled in NYC. They built the synagogue in commemoration of their journey and as a monument to their perseverance. People on the sidewalk next to us were listening in. I think they believed it until I said that the two big ball like objects on the top of the synagogue were a representation of fishing bobbers to remind them of their two trips on boats over water - once to Africa then once to the US. I have a pretty good imagination after some wine. Unfortunately...no pic. You will just have to settle with reading.

Foo Fighters

2008-07-29T16:01:00.002-04:00

Fernando and I went to the Foo Fighters concert. You know you're starting to cross the line from being considered young to being considered 'older' when those much younger than you look at you in disbelief when you tell them you are going to do something fun like go to see the Foo Fighters. In my minds eye, I still see myself as a 21 year old - up with the times. But, with each passing year I find a bigger disconnect. Like clothes, or music, or even slang. I have to admit though..I still think I'm pretty connected, its just the little things. Let's take skirts for instance. When I go into any store looking to buy a cute summer miniskirt and am struck by how short they are...DISCONNECT. Loud music...DISCONNECT. New funky music...CONNECT. You get the point.

So anyway, I think Fernando and I were definitely in the upper age bracket at the concert (well, mostly Fernando but I will take one for the team) except there were several people around our age who had brought their teenage kids to see the concert. DISCONNECT. And girls with way too much makeup/face jewelry. DISCONNECT. But the concert was awesome. CONNECT.

Move to Queens

2008-07-26T21:29:00.001-04:00

All I have to say is that it must be love..
I have left my apartment I Jersey City which I have been in for almost three years. This apartment was really ideal for me for a few reasons. 1. It was fairly large. 2. It was across the street from where I work. It took me three minutes and no cash to commute to work. 3. It was a great price for that neighborhood. But alas, I have given all this up, trading my 3 minute free commute for a one hour and 15 minute commute. Nevertheless it is totally worth it because I get to live with the guy of my dreams who I adore to pieces. Two hours of each day to give up for that is a pretty small sacrifice in the grand scheme of things. I'm so very lucky!

Yet, he made me carry the air conditioner during the move. Hmmm.

Ok, Im kidding. The box was empty.

Red Wagon Rockets

2008-07-23T11:53:00.002-04:00

Red Wagon Rockets

I have fallen I love the the Red Wagon Rockets. They are a group of guys who play softball on Wednesday night every week. Fernando is the "coach". When I watch them play it just makes me happy. I know its silly - but it does. I think it makes me happy because I get to watch them really enjoy themselves - you can tell that they just LIKE to play the game.

But most of all, the reason I love them is that they are such good men. Each week after the game, most of the team goes for food and beer. I am always invited to go along, always included in the conversations, and always feel like I'm being taken care of by 8 or 9 new brothers.

Some of them are single- between the ages of 23 and .. Well I won't say. But thought I would throw out an advertisement for them in case there are any of my single friends reading this. Call me if you want to come to a game!!

So,I have been super delayed in posting this due to my own procrastination. The guys won the championship since I wrote this. I have posted a tribute on You Tube . They deserve it. And all I have to say is this: Down with Charter. Down with Charter. Down with Charter. :)

Doin it up Jersey Style

2008-07-12T21:33:00.000-04:00

Fernando and I were invited to Vince's family picnic. You know, its always an honor when a friend invites you to a family event. I mean, taking your friends home to meet the parents, aunts, uncles and grandma can be a big deal. Luckily, Vince trusted us (or should I say he trusted ME since Fernando had been to this event several years running) enough to behave ourselves, be polite and still have fun.

My three favorite things from this day: learning to play tennis. My brother and I used to play around on the tennis court when we were kids at our apartment complex but we never really knew what we were doing. I'm sure they probably tried to teach us how to play in gym class, but I am also reasonably sure I was way more focused on trying to look cute and checking out the guys than I was on learning tennis. You see, everything in high school pretty much involved checking out and trying to look good for boys. My friend Kim and I joined track for the sole purpose of getting in shape to look good in our bikinis for the upcoming summer.

The second favorite thing was the food that Vince's mom cooked up. All kinds of grilling, sandwiches, salad, dessert. She was awesome (and besides the food she was very nice too).

And my third favorite part was getting to see Vince's dad's studio where he paints and writes. There were tons of paintings that were fabulous to see where it all went down. And, as a double whammy he writes books (a mere amateur dream for a blogger like me!). Side note...and this is purely for Vince's benefit: Vince's dad was recently on this morning show with Joan Rivers to promote his book. I think its called The View. The ladies on the show only let him get in a few words edgewise, but he did manage to mention that many years ago he found plates of food under Vince's bed when he was a kid. HILARIOUS. On national TV. Still cracks me up cause Vince emailed all of his friends to tell them to watch. The book isn't even about Vince, so its more funny that it came up. In case you are interested, here's a plug for the book...its called "Points! The Relationship Survival Guide for People Who Don't Like Relationship Survival Guides".

Really Simple Syndication

2008-07-10T22:20:00.000-04:00

So some of you have seen my "feeds" links on my computer or have asked how to be notified each time the blog is updated. My blog has a notification feature but it only allows you to put in 10 email addresses. But, you can use RSS to see when my page or any other page on the web that you go to a lot is updated. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. So, for example, I use it for several things like MSNBCs breaking news page, my friend Dans flickr photo page, and some of my friends blogs. Then, when I open internet explorer, on my left hand side I see a link to the pages I have chosen. If they are BOLD, I know that a new post, picture or article has been added. If its not bolded, same old site. And, the RSS links update automatically throughout the day. Below is a screenshot on how to set up and use this feature if you are intereated!

Step 1 - click the orange box on your Microsoft Explorer Internet toolbar. Choose the RSS option.

Step 2 - when the "feed" page comes up, click "subscribe to this feed". Another window will pop up, name it something you will remember, then hit subscribe.

To see your subscribed feeds, click on the yellow star on your Internet Explorer tool bar, then click feeds. When you see all your links, you can "pushpin" them to keep the window open by clicking on green arrow on the top right of the window. Your subscribed feeds that are updated will show in bold. Once you open the page to see the update on the site, it will no longer be bold.

Happy Subscribing.

Dr. Love

2008-07-08T21:34:00.000-04:00

Just in case you dont read the whole thing, please at least read the last paragraph where I beg you to leave a comment for Dr. Love. And then do it. :)

Fernando has this friend who has appeared on my blog once before. His name is Amore Jr (that's Dr Amore to the ladies). Needless to say, he only had a cameo on my blog and his ego was seriously damaged. He felt that his introduction to my online world was weak and exclusive of some of his best qualities. So here we go - the official introduction.

Amore Jr was born a ramblin man. At an early age he learned how to master the ability to pick up chicks just by lookin cool behind the wheel and givin the ladies his cheshire cool cat smile (cool cat was part of the day to day lingo back in those times so very very long ago). As Amore developed into a man, his hands grew freakishly long and he discovered that the ladies were strangely attracted to them. It was at this point that he started to go to any length to work his hands into a conversation. Needless to say, he now finds it difficult to have conversations without intentionally flailing his hands around to ensure they are noticed. His most blatent way of getting proper placement is by use of numbers. He particularly likes to speak of things in threes so that he can show off three of his falanges all at once.

As a side note, despite his player tendencies, Amore Jr. is a good guy. Ladies, he's single. Also, to continue to boost his ego, it would be really nice if you could leave a comment on this post for him. This is an invitation to everyone to participate (ladies, men, children). Feel free to offer support or words of advice to him. Click "comment" below.

2008-07-04T00:24:00.002-04:00

Fernando, Me, Bella Chemie, Veronica, Bince

Fourth of July weekend was exciting as usual.

On Thursday we went to dinner and the theater- we saw Spamalot. There is something to be said about that kind of stupid humor. I like a good show now and then where it's just plain stupid funny. You don't have to think too much about things and you can laugh, escape and relax. Even the program was funny to read.

On Friday we didn't do too much, but did end up watching fireworks on the roof of Fernando's apartment in Queens. The apartment was becoming more of *our* place since I really hadn't left there since before our Utah trip. I'm sure Ill never leave now...he's stuck with me and my two doggies.

Saturday we headed out to Sag Harbor. I was excited to go for a number of reason, but most of all because I had never been to that part of Long Island and to the Hamptons and I have always wanted to go check it out. Fernando's family friends live there in the quaint town of Sag Harbor. They hosted a barbecue that day. I surprised everyone when I borrowed the accordion in the house and attempted to play! I do have to admit, I'm pretty rusty but I did manage to make it through one song.

All of the ladies at the party decided to show me around town after dessert. It was a cool little place with a boat harbor and fashion boutiques, as well as charming restaurants. But my most favorite part of our little excursion was seeing the marshland in the backyard of two of the ladies home (Jann and Jo). I felt like I was in a scene in a movie. It was so lush and swampy. It was too dark to take a picture or I would have shared.

I was happy to know that there are *real* people living in that area. Mostly all you hear about are the P Diddys and Paris Hiltons of the world partying it up and giving that area a big snob name. But not so! I met some truly wonderful people that day who could outdo in kindness and generosity.

My next places to tackle on Long Island...Beth Page Golf, Vineyards Touring, and Montauk. Watch out LI, here I come!

Billy Joel's House - really liked the Buoys!

Piggy Sunset

2008-06-29T22:14:00.000-04:00

Biking on the Kokopelli Trail

Saturday Morning in Colorado was the beginning to a very hot day. I think it hit 100 degrees. What better thing to do on a day like this than go mountain biking with Maggie and Fernando through the red rock in the desert. My idea! As the others cried out to us..."Drink lots of water", we headed out to the kokopelli trail. It was beautiful but 5 miles seemed like an eternity in that weather and terrain. After doing the first loop we decided to head back to town for lunch and try to avoid heat exhaustion.

Once we got back to town to drop off the bikes, Fernando noticed a pizza place across the street with a sign claiming it was the "greatest pizza". We just had to try it. Inside, we met the owner, Jen. She was a really cool chick from New Jersey. She wanted to stay away from the big cities and live some place where she could chill out and enjoy the scenery. So she ended up with a pizza shop on main street in Fruita, Idaho. It's definitely working for her. She looks like she is in her twenties but is really in her forties.

After lunch, we dropped Maggie off at the campground but Fernando and I were not yet ready to endure the heat again, so we decided to take an air conditioned road trip to Grand Junction. I told Fernando that this was *his* time to choose what he wanted to do for the next several hours. But then when we got to Junction I saw a sign for the Colorado National Monument and I kinda hijacked the rest of his time. It went something like this...."oooo, look, the Colorado National Monument...that would be cool, we should go"...Fernando: "ok". Wow that was easy.

We had no idea what to expect for the monument. Next thing we knew we were entering a national park and driving through red rock! There were a ton of cool rock formations but we still had no idea about the monument. We finally came across the information center and found out that the whole park is considered the "monument".

Ah ha.

That evening, the sun set beautifully over Country Jam and it was indeed a sight to behold. The large blow up pig over the stand that sold Dave's Famous Barbecue was like a beacon. A giant pork silhouette in the sun as if to say "you have arrived, this is Country Jam at its best. Barbecue, Tim Mcgraw, country music, beer and cowboy hats. It just doesn't get any better - but let's just throw a sunset on top of it and outdo ourselves. ". The big apple barbecue could never have this ambiance. Eat your heart out New York.

Pig Sunset

Sunday
Sunday was the day I was looking forward to the most - horseback riding and white water rafting. We rode on horses through the canyons and it was a lot of fun. I haven't been on a horse in a very long time. So the guy is giving us instructions on how to hold the reigns - pull to the left if you want her to go left, same for the right, pull back if you want her to stop, and lift the reins if you want them to go faster. We take off and head toward the mountains but have to cross a highway. My horse is going pretty slow and I am in the middle of the road. Then the guide turns around to me and says "raise your hand!". So, I put my right hand up in the air just like I would have to answer a question in school. They all start laughing at me...apparently he meant for me to raise my hand with the reigns to make the horse trot.

Later that day, the second part of our "saddle and paddle" tour was beginning. Apparently I didn't ask enough questions when booking the trip. I thought we had signed up for white water rafting, but instead I had signed us up for a river float. I was thinking the guide was a little crazy when she suggested before the trip that we pack the cooler with some beers. I'm thinkin, there's no way I'm gonna go down rapids with a buzz. About two hours into it I was praying for a beer. Instead, Fernando entertained us by taking the guide's seat, giving her a break, and rowing us down the river. He even rowed us through a class .5 rapids. That's point 5, not 5. :)

Later that day, Fernando, Maggie, and I headed back to Salt Lake. On the way we made a pit stop in the middle of nowhere to check out the stars! End of a great day.

Horseback Riding

Cheese Mongers and Broken Flatware

2008-06-25T17:09:00.001-04:00

Fernando and I just made our first trip together - or at least first trip requiring an airplane. We headed out to Utah and Colorado.

Our first day there we went to meet up with some old friends in the morning (Tracy and Jeremy), then to my dentist. I know its a little strange that I try to always make it to my old dentist there but he's really great. Never tells me I have cavities (kidding). Let's just give a shout out to Dr. Sands in salt lake. If any of you are looking for a dentist (or, if any of you need to complete a follow up appt-ahem-Maggie) please look him up. He is the bomb diggity of dentists. Tell him I sent you. Sorry for the commercial break. Back now to our regularly scheduled program.

After the dentist, the most natural thing to do is go and mess up those clean choppers with some comida mexicana. I'm talkin some Cafe Rio. I think I blogged on and on before about the wonderfulness of their salads with the warm handmade tortilla, beans, rice, fire grilled chicken on a bed of greens with tostada chips and tomatillo dressing. Yum.

Then it was off to golf at wingpointe. It was here that Fernando got his first hole in one. OK. Not really. But I felt the story was dragging a little. To top off the day we went to Rodezio grill with Maggie, Greg and Cindy - good friends fro SLC. We stuffed ourselves silly with meat - more than any normal person should eat in one session. We were gluttons.

Day 2
Day 2 started with a trip to Harmon's. For those who don't know...think Mr Rogers theme song then sing this (out loud, or in your head. Its more fun out loud). "Harmon's is the grocer in your neighborhood, in your neighborhood, in your..." You get the point. So my dad was raving about the new store that had went up and we decided to to that particular store to pick up some things we needed for dinner. That's when we met the cheese monger. And no, I'm not being mean, that's what her name tag said. But it didn't stop me from a little snickering. She was really cool and opened up several packs of cheese we wanted to try. Whatever we were interested in, she just cut it open and let us try it. We tried all kinds of obscure cheeses - those that has to be flown down from the mountains of Sweden where only certain kinds of goats live. Who knew there was so much to know about cheese?

Later we golfed at South Mountain. I think between the two of us Fernando and I lost three sleeves of balls. It was the altitude. Truth be told, it was mostly all my doing but it seemed like less if I throw him under the bus with me.

After golf we BBQd with Kenny and Denise. During dinner there came a time when it was painfully clear that Fernando and I belong together. It happened right after he broke their fork and I broke their napkin ring. After apologies we decided it was important to have a picture to commemorate the event.

Big Apple Grapple

2008-06-22T23:58:00.005-04:00

There comes a time in everyone's life when we all make important choices that will shape who we will become. This weekend was hopefully one of my life-defining moments. And its all thanks to Vince for talking me into it.

Vince was an avid arm wrestler in the bar scene. I heard tales on the street that he could single handedly arm wrestle 3 drunk frat boys simultaneously- and win. And so it goes.

Each year, New York City hosts the Big Apple Grapple. It is an Arm Wrestling competition where people from all over (including other countries...making it an "international" competition) come to flex their biceps and smack down the competition. This year, the Big Apple Grapple was run in conjunction with the New York City Bar Show. The Bar show is a convention center event where people pay to come see bar stuff- like bar glasses, stoppers, dispensers, liquors, etc. And they get the added bonus of seeing the arm wrestling event as well as a bartending competition.

So, it was 30$ to get into the "Bar Show" but also 30$ if you wanted to get into the Bar Show and also register to compete in the Big Apple Grapple - and you get FREE TSHIRT! Needless to say, it was a no brainer. I always wanted a NYC Arms t-shirt.

Upon arriving, I started sizing up my competition. There were several women there but the challenge was determining who was competing and who was there to cheer on their man. The key was looking at their hand to see if they had a number stamped on it.

I was entered in as an amateur and was in the middle weight class. I'm not exactly sure how many women were signed up for the event - but I think, in total, there were 6. There were for sure 4 in my weight class. So... the announcer comes onto the stage and eventually calls my number. I am really nervous to be on stage in front of all these people, arm wrestling of all things. Whoda thunk it? I am paired up with a woman named Denise (i think). The referee takes our hands and we get our grips. He says, "ready...GO!" and Denise who is much older than me takes me down in about 5 seconds. She has done this many times before. After the match, Denise comes over to say hello. First she tells me about her claim to fame - she was on Howard Stern's "Private Parts" - self described as the "woman who swallowed the 13 inch Kielbasa". Then, she offers to give me some tips... ON ARMWRESTLING! Get your mind outta the gutter. She obviously was quite aware that I have never done this before. She shows me how to grip, how to shape my wrist, etc. This is good because this is a double elimination competition so I have one more to go.

Next, the emcee calls my name again. This time I am paired up to arm wrestle the Canadian National Champion. Oh Crap. Does this mean I am representing the USA here????? Um. Oh. No.

She's a cute woman. Thin, blond, cute pink shirt. I'm thinkin, okay, this isn't so bad. She goes over to the powder - I dont know what kind of powder it is, so let's just call it Arm Wraslin powder. She slathers her hand with the powder and immediately I know she ain't messin around. We go to the post and she gets leverage with one leg by wrapping it around the leg of the table. Oh crap again. We get our grip... I completely forgot everything the Kielbasa lady just taught me... and "Ready, GO!" And its a NEW WORLD RECORD!!! 2 seconds and she had me pinned. Ok, I made up the world record part. So, needless to say. She kicked my butt. But I was on the NBC news and I am famous. In my mind I was the USA representative in the middle weight class. Always good to be famous in our own minds.

The boys fared just as well as I did. Meaning... they lost too. THEY, however, Didn't have to wrestle any champions of other countries. I mean, I think if I got to wrestle some amateurs, I probably coulda held my own. Maybe.

Vince at the Table

Mermaids and Pirates

2008-06-21T12:09:00.001-04:00

This weekend was the annual Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. Fernando, Amore Jr. and myself went for a looksie. For those of you who don't know about Coney Island or the Mermaid Parade here it is:

Coney Island: Beach at the edge of Brooklyn with the famous Cyclone rollercoaster, other rides, fried food and a paintball game called Shoot the Freak. Also home to the annual 4th of July hot dog eating contest that is broadcast on ESPN. For a fuller picture - Surf avenue (the main street) is old and dirty. There are lots of run down food shacks, litter in the street, and other random shops that really don't belong on a beach boulevard (like the two discount furniture stores). The train station into Coney Island is brand new, but it is the only new and nice thing there. The beach is PACKED with people. Barely any room to do anything. And, if you wander through the umbrellas down the beach you will hit some pockets of mary jane smoke and get a contact high. The water looks pretty dirty too.

The Mermaid Parade - an annual parade to usher in Summer. People dress like sea things- sea creatures, sea gods, mermaids, clams, lobsters, pirates, etc. It is like halloween in the middle of summer. It is also famously known for the topless women who join the parade with painted bodies or pasties. The parade has an underlying hippy-ish theme.

This year was a little different than most. They are getting ready to tear down lots of Coney Island to build new developments. Many of the paraders were protesting the development and the things that will come along with it like Starbucks and other big chain businesses.

You know, I'm kind of on the fence with this one. In one way, I can understand the desire to preserve Coney Island. But it's a dump. If they would just clean up the streets, paint the old buildings, and revitalize the pavillion it would be fine. You could get the best of both worlds. They don't need to raze the whole thing and start over, but I definitely think it needs a lot of work. So, we shall see what happens. This year is the last year that it will all be intact. For better or worse!

Sex and the City - Cliche Night

2008-06-20T12:44:00.001-04:00

The Girls

So, I decided to be totally cliche with the new Sex and the City movie and plan a "girls night" to go see the flick. It was done up right.... I had the evite all pimped out with the Pink and Black theme - complete with picture of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda all decked out in designer clothes that I don't even know half the names of.

We went for cocktails (of course) before the movie. Jackie had her very first cosmo - a rite of passage for those girls in the movie. We took this picture to commemorate the evening with my camera phone.

Side note, apparently we werent the only girls with this idea. There were two other tables of women in the bar having cocktails that I also saw in the theater. Hence the cliche.

JPM Corporate Challenge

2008-06-18T23:48:00.000-04:00

I've been in NYC for 4.5 years now. Technically, I'm right over the river, but its might as well be the 6th borough...at least price/people wise it is. Each year I have meant to participate in the JPM Corporate Challenge 5k around central park. And, each year I either try to sign up too late or am going to be out of town or something like that. This year I actually made it to the run! It poured on us with our nice white t-shirts given to us from our company...but we made due and perservered. I didn't have some excellent race winning run, but I was happy with my 35 minutes. Here is a pic of me with some of my co-workers. Good peeps.

Sooooo-Weeeeeee

2008-06-11T22:50:00.005-04:00

HOLY SMOKES!!!! Literally. Today I went with Fernando and his friend...lets call him The Groz to the most amazing wonderful festival that has ever been held in New York City. The BIG APPLE BARBEQUE. For those of you who know me well, this can only be described as a little slice of heaven on earth. We arrived mid day and parked a few blocks away. The smell of all the barbeque had wafted all the way over to Park Avenue from the west side. My stomach rumbled as soon as that savory breeze hit my nose.

It was like a carnival for carnivores. We approached the "fair" and found tent after tent of barbeque-ers peddling their wares. Spare ribs, baby back ribs, chicken, and more. It was a sweltering hot day and the heat from the pits just added to the intensity...but it didn't matter. Let there be smoke!!!!

We quickly found the beer tents (after all, it was SOOO hot we needed some kind of refreshment. Its not like they had "soda" or "water" tents!). There was fittingly a nice hee-haw band playing. A guy in a union suit with a washboard and a harmonica was on stage with the rest of his band.. The rest of them were mostly looking like a normal band, minus the fiddler - who they boasted was the Tallest fiddler in New York City. Quite the accomplishmnet apparently. I think I should try for the tallest female accoridon player in New York. I think I could possibly be THE ONE. You never know though, there might be an Inga or Helga out there that could give me the smack down on some tall fancy accordion playing. Speaking of SMACK DOWNS... I have an upcoming post you are gonna love for my most recent smack down experience. Coming soon (like 3 posts away).

We had a few beers then went to find our cornucopia of barbeque to consume. But, the lines for the BBQ on the street were ridiculously long. To stand outside a bunch of tents with fires ablaze to cook the food on top of the sweltering heat for an extended period of time was pretty much unthinkable. So we did what any normal New Yorkers would do... we said screw it and went to Blue Smoke (a bbq restaurant) down the block and ate in comfort at a nice table with air conditioning. You see, New Yorkers are troopers when they HAVE to be, but not really at other times. This is definitely a different culture than any other people in the US that I have been around.... Upcoming post about that too (look for the one on Grand Junction where people endure 100 degree weather - like 4 posts away).

Below: Fernando and The Groz excited like little boys on Christmas morning trying to decide where to go first with the Barbeque Map

Let's Go Mets

2008-05-26T18:02:00.001-04:00

The most American thing I can think of to do on Memorial Day is to go to a baseball game. Fernando bought me a cute Mets hat for my birthday and I was ready to put it to some good use. I got online and found us some tickets and took him as a suprise to the game to show my appreciation for the hat. I am of the absolute belief that if you are going to go to a baseball game, you have to have the whole experience. (Which for me means some bad food and singing "take me out to the ball game" in the seventh inning. So, hotdogs, peanuts, beer, kettle corn (I know, I know, its not crackerjacks, but close enough) were on the menu. If you look closely at the picture, you can see the nice beautiful peanut remnants in my teeth. I have no shame.

Summer ,Summer, Summer Ti-ime

2008-05-24T21:50:00.000-04:00

I know its not TECHNICALLY summer, but lately it has felt like it. I have been to the golf course the last two weekends. AND, I went to a BBQ.

First, we shall talk about golf. I am soooo excited that Fernando has a car and likes to golf. Translation: I get to go golfing. I have spent the last few years here not being able to really go out and golf for a few reasons:
1. I don't own a car - lugging clubs on the train isnt fun.
2. The train really doesn't go to golf courses anyway.
3. I hate asking people for rides
4. Its too expensive to rent a car just to go golfing.
5. None of my friends golf.

Last year, in Utah, I was pretty excited because I was there for two months and got to go several times. This year, I have gotten to see two courses already in NY.

Not sure why exactly I like the sport. I am not really good at it - I usually shoot between 110 and 120. For those of you who don't know = those who Golf well do it under 100. I think maybe its four things: the social aspect, the sunshine and grass, the excercise, and, of course, the Golf Skirt. So there you have it.

The BBQ after golf was the first of the season. We went to Ferando's mom's place and had a really nice layout: london broil, salmon steaks, portobello mushrooms, and lots of other table treats. Don't get me started on the cheese. Ok. Get me started.

Over the years I have developed a taste for cheese. Growing up, we only had the kinds of cheese you put on sandwiches - Swiss, American, Jack, Cheddar, Parmesan (in the shaker for spaghetti!) and who can live without VELVEETA!!! Seriously... where did velveeta come from? My brother and I had countless plates of nachos and little bagel pizza sandwiches after school made with that stuff. Is it real cheese? So back to my cheese story... we never really had many cheese varieties outside of the normal stuff you would find next to the yogurt and sour cream in the dairy section. I'm not really sure why - maybe my parents thought we wouldn't like it.

Over the last ten years after attending several parties, my cheese universe has grown to include all of the wonderful flavors of cheese - goudas, blues, goats, brie, edam, jarlsburg, etc etc etc. So, I think I now have a problem with a slight cheese addictions. But not to fear, I am not alone. I have found several others just like me. You know who you are. You are the ones who go and peruse the aisle for that perfect block of cheese that is going to "make" your evening. And then you go home and scarf down half of it with a bag of those flat Carrs table crackers and half a bottle of wine.

Back to the real story... so the BBQ was fabulous. Wish I still had a grill. Would love to have BBQs again. Miss that.

Fully Committed

2008-05-20T20:51:00.003-04:00

Fernando, Me, Greg, Brian

Today I was invited to one of the coolest things I have done since I have been in New York. Most people are probably thinking it is skydiving over the Empire State Building or something crazy like that... a little more subdued but definitely very cool. Fernando's friend Greg had some friends in from out of town and wanted to plan a fun night for them. Across the hall from his office is an acting studio...

Needless to say, he ended up with the genius idea to have a private showing of "Fully Committed" - a one man show being done by one of the students. There were probably about 20 people there. Greg set it up nice with some appetizers and a bar. We hung out for about an hour before the show started and chatted.

The show was cool because we were all in our own private little stage with the actor. It really had a personal feel to it - something I have never really had before except when I was in highschool practicing for plays I was in. This was different though, because I was in the audience.

After the show, we had some time to ask questions to the actor and the *director - (I think that was his title but I could be very wrong). It was truly a wonderful experience and I am really grateful to have been invited to participate.

**Thanks Greg!

Pic from that night is attached.

Trials and Tribulations of a Jersey Resident

2008-05-18T21:28:00.003-04:00

The latest police taping and coning off of my street (sorry its not the best picture, but you get the point).

I officially am declaring my dislike for 77 Hudson - the new giant building across the street from my apartment. Reasons why I dislike it:

1. My view of the skyline is now obstructed by a giant ugly monstrosity.
2. They start work on the building at 7am - 6 days a week. Happy that the giant hammer thing that was pounding metal spikes into the ground is gone but unhappy because of new cranes and other loud noises.
3. The workers use one of those horns people blow during basketball and football games when their team scores... but they use it every fifteen minutes to communicate. I think I have it down: one blow - breaktime. Two blows: move the crane. Three blows: lets piss off the girl in the apartment across the street who is trying to sleep.
4. There are a few trash cans/dumpsters across the street now that proclaim "We love wild girls". Oh really? You do huh? I'm secretly crushing up old birth control pills I found in my medicine chest with tons of estrogen in them and contaminating their big orange water coolers. We will see how long the spray paint lasts. Ok, the potency is probably not good on them since they are old but you never know. It might work.
5. My stoop is now the hang out for any one of the 300+ construction guys who want to eat their sandwich or smoke their cigarette and leave their trash (which in turn causes me to have to battle with my dogs to keep them away from sidewalk scraps on a daily basis .... and yes, I have now mastered the finger sweep. YUCK) I'm pretty sure that is why Wally has now taken to just licking the sidewalk.
6. Safety Safety Safety. This one requires sub-indents due to the amount of items in this category.
a. The 4 alarm fire in October. At this time only 18 floors had been built and they only had piped the water up to the 14th floor. So, the MF burned. Not exactly sure how the whole thing started, but I was evacuated from my apartment for 4 days. With my dogs. And the windows to my apartment were left open. I found charred pieces of wood inside when I got home. Link to story.
b. Debris was falling off the building for a few weeks so they blocked off the street with police for a few days then put up some scaffolding on the sidewalk. The police changed guard every few hours or so and no pedestrians were allowed on my street. I got yelled at (i lost count) a gazillion times by the police when I went out to walk the dogs... Ma'am, you can't be walking on this street... Ma'am this is dangerous... Ma'am ma'am ma'am. UGH. I mean really, what else did they want me to do? Leave home till they fixed it?
c. Storm #1 - they finally removed the scaffolding. Then there was a big storm and apparently a lot of loose wood, wires, trash, etc. Fernando and I were awakened all night long by debris hitting my apartment. The next day I found a two by four on my fire escape. I'm on the 3rd floor. So that's what that really loud noise was hitting my window at 4am?? The street looked like a war zone..wood, wire, plastic bins and trash everywhere. They shut down my street again for a few days and installed nets. (apparently to 'catch' the debris). Now wouldn't it just make more sense to secure the stuff they have sitting on all those floors? Maybe I just don't understand the science of it all. And, the nets were horizontal to the ground. If the wind was gonna pick stuff up and blow it off the building, not sure how a horizontal net would work with stuff that is flying parallel to it. Which leads us to the next "incident".
d. Despite the nets... a two by four falls off the building on a windy day just as a car happens to be driving down my street. It piles into the car from about the 30th floor. Right in front of my apartment. My street is shut down again.
e. Next Storm. Same thing. This time they decide to put the scaffolding up again. This time with chicken wire as a "wall" between the sidewalk and the street.
I do have to say though, I like the scaffolding when it is raining and I have to walk the dogs. At least there is one positive.
7. Back to the reasons.. no more safety indents. My name is not "Baby". When I wear a suit with a skirt to work, I am not wearing it to "look hot". Only my dogs respond to whistles. Need I say more.
8. The street in front of my house is not a trash can.

Ok, I'm done. But if any new reasons come up, I will be sure to update the blog.

I stole this picture off a website since I didn't have one myself. Find it on NJ News website - giving credit where credit is due. Photo By REENA ROSE SIBAYAN / THE JERSEY JOURNAL. Four alarm fire.

The Landmark Forum

2008-05-09T22:13:00.000-04:00

This weekend I attended a seminar called the Landmark Forum. Its probably easiest to say that it is something like a class in how to be a human being: living a happy and fulfilled life, as well as being a good person. Sounds a little simplistic to be a 36 hour class (3 full days and one additional evening) but it was packed full of information. I signed up to take this seminar for a few reasons. I had never heard of it before, but Fernando and a few of his friends have taken it and they have talked about it several times over the last few months. All of them seemed to have enjoyed the seminar and had a positive experience. Also, every year I say at New Year's that I want to develop myself personally and never really have invested in trying to do that through classes/seminars. And lastly, since Fernando has taken it, I thought it would be nice to be able to have something to share and talk about that we both have done.

There is a lot of participation from those who attended the seminar to open up parts of their lives to others and it helps you to see yourself in similar situations. It helps you to identify parts of your life that you may want to transform. It's a little hard to explain on a blog! So, needless to say I met some really cool people. We had these assigments to do on our breaks with other participants so I got to know some of the people in the class. Just want to give a shout out to all of them - and I am looking forward to taking the next course!

5 Borough Bike Tour

2008-05-04T22:55:00.001-04:00

Pretty exciting day for me today... my first bike tour. Each year, there is a 5 borough bike tour that is about 42 miles through New York. Like the name says, it covers the 5 boroughs. So you start from Manhattan, ride to the Bronx, then back to Manhattan, then Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island. The trip was a real tribute to my relationship.

My bike needed to be tuned up prior to the ride. Due to my hours at work that week and subsequent laziness, I ended up not getting the bike to the shop. No big deal right? Wrong. The first 9 miles of the tour, I was getting passed by people that were either much older or younger than me and/or much larger than me. For someone that is in pretty decent shape, there was no reason for me to be passed like this. Fernando was a trooper. It was visibly obvious that he was trying not to be annoyed with my "abilities". Gotta hand it to him. He was trying to be so positive. Needless to say, at the first "rest stop" we brought my bike to the tent and fixed the brake rubbing against the wheel which made a huge difference. Too bad that 9 miles really had already felt like 18!

In the end, I made it though. It was a really nice experience for me. Fernando had done it before but this was my first time. It was fun to see the boroughs from a different perspective - but the bridges were a bitch! Fernando is in really good shape. After a while, I just kept telling him to meet me at the top of the hills. Don't get me wrong, I did pretty good on them I think (I never stopped to walk!). Just not as good as him.

While the bike ride was awesome and really fun, I have been paying for it ever since. My back is whack. I'll get over it though. Not the first time and won't be the last. Just wish my massage therapist from Utah was here. Really miss that. Three one hour sessions with her was the same price as one session here. Ugh! So, I haven't been.

Not sure what it is about backs and rites of passage. But, I think that there should be one for them. You know, it would be like this: age 13 you become a teenager, age 18 you can vote, age 21 you can drink, age 25 you can rent a car and pay normal fees, age 30 you are no longer considered one of those punk ass kids, and then comes the back. Age 30+, back pain. Blah Blah Blah. Ill get over it.

My Photography

2008-05-01T20:55:00.001-04:00

As many of you know, I have a strong interest in photography. I am adding this one to my elite collection. Titled: Jewish Gangsta Graffiti. Fernando thinks it should be called Jewish Gang-star of David Graffiti. Ok, so maybe I haven't quite settled on the title yet. This is a limited edition - only 10 copies will be printed/sold. I have reduced the resolution on this one to avoid people downloading and printing their own copies. Contact me if you are interested. I will sign them. Hurry before it's too late!

Battery Gardens Wedding

2008-04-27T18:14:00.004-04:00

Today I attended a Jewish wedding for the first time. Fernando invited me to go with him. It was held in Battery Gardens. I always think it is nice to go to weddings outside of your own beliefs - it's fun to see what everyone else's traditions are. It was a beautiful wedding outside overlooking the harbor. The bride and groom were a very cute couple. Some of the nice traditions I got to witness: The families sharing a cup of wine, the breaking of the glass, the wedding contract, and of course, the dancing with the chairs. A great experience.

Sophie and I went shopping to pick out a dress to wear, this is what we decided was the best. I really am not normally much of a yellow person, but this one I liked and it seemed very Spring-ish. Nice for an April wedding. I always remember that the rule of thumb at a wedding is not to wear black (morbid), white (only the bride) or red (just too showy). So, I thought a nice muted yellow would be perfect. Apparently that rule has gone out the window in Manhattan. Pretty much everyone was wearing black. Me: Tall and Yellow - Like Big Bird. And cue the seasame street song... "One of these things is not like the other...." My yellow dress and Marco's black eye, and the fact that we were taller than everyone else of our genders made us stand out like sore thumbs.

Public Transportation

2008-04-26T18:03:00.001-04:00

I would like to interrupt my normally bitch free blog to show you this public service message. This sign has been absent for quite a long time at the World Trade Center path stop. It used to be posted at the north entrance a few years ago, then it disappeared. Since the station obviously did'nt open on time, I was always on the lookout for a new sign. Then, while heading into the city last week I saw it. They hjad closed the north entrance and opened a west entrance to do construction. I got excited when I saw the sign, thinking that I would finally know when the train I wish I could take every week would be up and running again. Instead the NYC MTA decided to post this old sign on the brand new entrance to the path. Still no idea when the damn thing is going to open back up. Why bother putting this sign up? I don't understand.

Happy Birthday To Me

2008-04-25T21:10:00.004-04:00

This weekend was my birthday! Another year older, but probably not another year wiser. I think that when you are a kid - you know 8 or 9, you get increasingly smart with age - learning new things. I'm not talking about life experiences. And then, I think there must be a peak. I feel like the older I get, the more things that I had learned I forget. My life experience knowledge grows, but all the other stuff seems to get mushy-er. (Is that a word? Well it is in MY WORLD, And that's how I'm gonna spell it dammit).

Case in point: Over the last few weeks I have been working on really crunching some raw data at work to establish a means of evaluating productivity and trending performance and growth as well as creating a measurable way of looking at risk. Blah Blah Blah, I'm so important. In order to do this I had to sit back and take the time machine into the year 1993. 15 years ago. It wasn't that I didn't understand my data or anything like that, I just couldn't remember coefficients, means, medians, standard deviations, regressions, etc etc. UGH. Here it is folks... you know that stuff in class in High School and College Math and Stats that you think you are never going to use ever again? Remember how your teacher said that it could be applied to practical everyday things? Remember how you sat there in class and thought... Yeah RIGHT! Well, I am here to tell you that it is true. From the recesses of my brain I painfully retrieved what I could remember and then had to refer to the abundance of topics on the Internet to fill in the gaps. Shh.. .don't tell anyone. Yes, we all know how much RELIABLE data there is on the Internet. God help me, hope I picked the right sites to refresh my knowledge.

So, needless to say, as I get older, I feel like I get dumber in the Academic sense.

So, on to more important things.... What Did I do for my Birthday? Well, I took a half day off work. Went to the spa and got my nails and stuff done. Then went to Fernando's house. (Side Note: Something you should know about me, I use the word HOUSE to mean any of the following things: apartment, condo, town home, single family home, duplex, igloo, hut...) I arrived to Happy Birthday balloons on the front door. After arriving, Fernando opened a bottle of Champagne and we had some cheese and crackers with the bubbly stuff. Then it was on to dinner - Chicken Parmesan, Broccoli and Garlic Bread. YUM. It was really good! Fernando gave me a Mets Hat, Softball Glove, and two cool books. I loved all of it! Then, there was cake! He tried to use trick candles but I spotted their flickering immediately. I AM THE PRO OF THAT. He thought he was being all tricky but that is MY TRICK so I knew immediately what he was trying to pull. That didn't stop me from trying to blow them out. (Coulda been the Champagne and Wine too that caused me not to stop trying).

My favorite quote from Bday Weekend: Gabriel my neighbor says to me "29 are the best 10 years of a woman's life". I've been 29 for a while now. Like the quote. Made me laugh.

So, in summary, it was a great birthday. Yippee.

Yellow Carnations and a Black Eye

2008-04-21T22:54:00.000-04:00

The two in the title really have nothing to do with each other. It was more a title usage to make people wonder what I am going to be writing about and read the post.

First, I want to show everyone how sweet Fernando is by bringing me flowers. See pic.

Secondly, on Saturday we went to play Football (2 hand touch). The crowd was rough!! One of the guys ran into Fernando who is built like a brick house and the guy just hit him and fell to the ground. Somehow Fernando ended up with a black eye. We lost. Due to injuries to the both of us sustained during the game, we will not be continuing our membership in the league. Sticking to the less violent sports like running and softball.

4/20 4:20

2008-04-21T17:59:00.004-04:00

So, this weekend was like several of my past weekends where I have found myself in Central Park. This weekend was a little different though. Fernando, RickyBobby and I were throwing and hitting a softball in one of the ball Diamonds in the park. As we were playing around, the distinct smell of smoke - and I'm not talkin about the legal kind - kept wafting over into the ball diamond. This kinda thing happens a lot in NYC, just like other big cities. You wander down the street and get a nice whif of the ganja. Today was a little different. There was a crowd plopped down on the grass. It was a large group of the stereotypical portrait of pot smokers. I'm not exactly sure how much of it was probably sitting about twenty feet away from us, but I probably had a contact high. And then RickyBobby made a profound observation. He checked his watch. It was April 20 at 4:20. Fernando and RickyBobby came up with a theory that there must have been a craigslist post or something similar to gather the masses for this annual event. I'm picturing it as something akin to the Spring Equinox for Pot Heads.

As a side note, I learned about the unspoken rules of playing softball with few people. I'm sharing for all of you who do not know. To avoid having people be bat hogs (always wanting to hit but not pitch or field) the batter is supposed to lay down the bat horizontally in front of home plate. The fielder, after catching the hit ball rolls it back in to the batter and tries to hit the bat. If the fielder hits the bat, they get to come in and hit. Thems the dirtmound bad news bears rules. Live by them.

Our Nation's Capital

2008-04-13T21:59:00.006-04:00

Milestone: MY 200th POST!!!

Is there something wrong with me that EVERY time I think of going to DC I think of Forrest Gump? Don't answer that. So, Fernando invited me to go with him to DC to spend the weekend with him and his family - his mom, two brothers, their wives, and their kids. Naturally, I was flattered that he asked me to go. He must like me enough to continue to introduce me to the rest of his family. I was happy to go.

Now, I know I am a complete sap, but I really enjoy family events. My family on my dad's side has a golf open every year in Iowa. I don't get to go every year, but I really enjoy the times when I do get to go. And, my family on my mom's side always does a 4th of July celebration which has the nice hometown feel that I like to experience. Both of these events are in Iowa each year. Like I said, I don't get back there often, but when I do it is all worth it. Family holidays in the past were tough to coordinate - mostly because I didn't have the cash to ever go and make trips to see my mom or dad. Things are a little better now and I am able to go and see them more often - now its those damn vacation days that I need more of!!

So, doing the family thing with Fernando was really fun for me on a few levels. First of all, I like to meet new people - especially people that are loved and respected by those I care about. I had seen pictures and heard a few stories, but it is always ten times better to meet them in person. Second of all, I like to hang out with kids... they are funny and have very little inhibitions. His nieces and nephews were no exception to the rule. Also, you get a glimpse into someone's life. I got to hear bits and pieces of the history and experiences of Fernando. You learn more about people from their family.

A rundown of what we did. We left for DC on Friday morning. When we arrived, Fernando and I went for a 3 mile run. It was TORTURE. Hill after hill after hill. I was ready to kill the concierge who recommended the trail. And, no water fountains. Bad bad. Will someone please donate some money to the city of Arlington so they will put in some functioning water fountains on their trails? After our run, we went to dinner with his family.

I was a little quiet at dinner. For being the seriously extroverted person I am, I sure do seem to get quiet when I meet "important" people. You know, the people you actually care what they think about you..I mean, I can meet the CEO of my company in the elevator and have a conversation with him about salads, but you give me my boyfriends family and all of the sudden I'm quiet. Hmmm.

Well, you know me... I wasn't quiet for long. Next day I had soaked it all in and was ready to go. And then I was myself. Not that I hadn't tried to be myself the night before but I guess I WAS being myself. Circular Reference. If you understand what I just said and meant, then you are also probably a person like me who spends way too much time with Microsoft Excel. (Yes, I know that was super geek - If you know about circular references you may as well be in the geek club with me).

Day 2 - Saturday - we went to the Cherry Blossom parade. Then to the street festival. The favorite character from the street festival was chillin in the plaza with a jug of milk. See photo. After that, Fernando and I went for a run. It was a pretty cool run. We went from the Washington Monument to the Capitol, back to the Washington Monument, then to the Lincoln memorial, then the Jefferson Memorial. I may have the order wrong, but you get the picture. I ran it once... Fernando ran it twice. After all the running I think I did close to 6 miles. Maybe I am exaggerating. I know it was more than 5. Fernando is training to run a marathon - hence his motivation. My motivation: to tighten up those flabby thighs.

Not sure what it is about running. The first two miles always seem brutal. The third gets a little better, then after that it is like I am coasting. Getting better at it each time. We will see, maybe one of these times I will run the whole way with Fernando.

After our run we headed back to the hotel with his mom (she waited for us while we ran) and then had dinner with his family. Fernando and I slipped away for some Cold Stone Ice Cream... deserved it after that run!

Day three - we went to the museum of Natural History and saw the Imax Dinosaur film and the Butterfly exhibit. The dinosaur film was in 3d. Is it just me or do those things give everyone a headache? I always feel cross eyed wearing those 3d glasses. After the museum we headed back home.

I hate the trips home soley because it is a return to reality. Thoughts about work start to creep back into my head. Responsibilities start to come back to you. Even though it was only a little weekend getaway, it was enough to escape all of that. These are the things I live for. The little escapes. I know I wouldn't appreciate them as much if I had them all the time. They make you grateful for what you work toward and thankful for the time you get to spend with others.

But, even though the trip home was not without fleeting thoughts of upcoming projects and meetings, I did manage to block most of it out listening to music with Fernando and his mom. Im not talking about listening to music...Im talking about LISTENING to music. Discussing it. Trying to figure it out - almost like when you would read Shakespeare for the first time in Lit class. Those elusive lyrics that could mean a thousand things.

I have this theory... You know how back before electricity, television, radio, and other forms of media all people had to entertain themselves were books, the company of others, and live music? It used to amaze me how old letters and writings always quoted books and poems. People knew their favorites by memory and could recite it on demand. I got to thinking about music today and how we are very much like that still...just in a different way. Our favorite songs we know by heart and can recite all the words on demand. I used to think that maybe we all lost a bit of that type of "poetry" and "culture" but I think it has just changed mediums with the times. Our music is poetry. Don't get me wrong... some of the stuff out there is just crap. But some of it is so amazing me that people can be so definitive and creative: those who can master putting into words the common denominations of human existence and evoke emotions with just words or songs.

More Visitors

2008-04-10T21:32:00.001-04:00

I have to say that when I lived in Utah NO ONE came to visit me except my wonderful and loyal friend and "sister" Christine. Love you Christine. Now that I live in NY - everyone wants to come visit. Ok ok, I'm not complaining. I like to have visitors come to NY. I know that no one else gets to see these people because they all live in not as fun places as New York and I am very thankful that I get to catch up with my peeps.

This time, my old roommate from many moons ago (Dave) came to visit with his wife Julie.

One of my favorite things about chillin with old friends is reliving the "glory days". You know the song...Cue Springstein, "Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture a little of the glory of, well time slips away and leaves you with nothing mister but boring stories of glory days". Dave and I know each other from back in the Trucking Days. Dave was an Owner Operator at the company I worked for, and I worked in the office. Those weren't the glory days though. The most memorable event from our roomie times was our trip to the Rosebowl. Two of my roomies were heading to LA to see the Washington Huskies play in the Rosebowl. Not sure how I was able to swing it, but somehow this group of guys invited me, the token girl, to come along. I was flattered that they would actually invite me to go, and excited. I had never been to a bowl game - and never been to Cali.

I was recently single at the time, so all the better to take my mind off all that crap by going on vacation for New Years. We had a great time at the game. We painted logos on ourselves and yelled for their team. I was ambivalent to who won, and just happy to be there. The five of us were not rich and we all stayed in one hotel room to save money. Pretty funny when I look back on it.

Most memorable event of that weekend: the boys wanted to go to Hooters for dinner. Go figure. While there, they decided to lie to the waitress and tell her it was my birthday. I remember having to stand on top of the table while everyone sang to me. I got a shirt and hat out of it- and free dessert. Triple whammy. Can't beat that.

So, I digress (like I NORMALLY DO). Dave and Julie arrived on Wednesday. We caught up and reminisced about the Glory Days. I showed Julie the funniest picture I have of Dave (in a purple dress) - hey, that's what those kind of pictures are for. To show to significant others. I would post that pic, but I think Dave would probably be slightly unhappy with me.

So, we hung out... they met Fernando. I think they approved. And that was it. I left them to fend for themselves in my apartment because I was also going on a little vacation: To DC. Next post!

Invinceable

2008-04-05T21:47:00.000-04:00

This weekend I had an amazing experience that was four years in the making. For those of you who know me well, this will shock and amaze you. And, you will know what it truly took for me to have enough courage to actually do this. This weekend I drove in New York City for the first time.

A little background. I think that my fear of driving started after a couple of friends/acquaintences were killed in car accidents, friends were seriously injured in car accidents, I worked in trucking and heard horror stories about accidents, and was a passenger in a few. Really, most of the time there was no good reason for my fear - mostly irrational. Those accidents mostly happened due to circumstances - those that were killed involved alcohol or drugs. Those that were hurt involved very bad weather. And my experience as a passenger, well, those were legit but not serious accidents at all. Although, my brother was REALLY mad when my ex borrowed his truck and crashed it (I was in the passenger seat).

So, this fear of driving has loomed with me for many many years. When I moved to Salt Lake City, I thought it was such a big city and was scared to drive there. I guess after living in a smaller place in North Carolina anything seemed big. The first year I lived there my ex and my dad drove me to work and picked me up every day because I was afraid to drive in the traffic. If it snowed, even worse. Looking back, it seems completely ridiculous. I thought Salt Lake was this huge metropolis. And yes, it is big, but nothing like where I live now.

After moving to New York, I didn't have any need to drive. I think that in the first two years I lived here, the only driving I did was when I went home to family in Iowa once for a family reunion. Does a tractor count?

Then, I moved to New Jersey. Things weren't quite as accessible as they were in New York, and about a year and a half ago I signed up for Zip Car. It is described as a time share in a car. You pay an annual fee of 50$, then you can rent a car online whenever you wish for about 9-12$ per hour depending on the type of car. It includes 125 miles per use, all of your gas, and insurance. Considering I hadn't paid insurance or a car payment for years, it seemed like a pretty good deal. It started out slow, I would rent once every couple months to do big errands. I got used to driving around my little corner of the world in Jersey. I even ventured into PA with my mom when she was here. She wasn't so convinced of my driving skills. I was a little rusty back then.

Since then, I have rented cars to drive home to North Carolina. Maggie had a car and would always let me borrow it so I really got used to driving. But never in the city. One time, I accidentally turned into the lane for the Holland Tunnel. I think I almost hyperventialted until I realized that there was a side lane where I could get back into NJ after paying the toll. Phew.

So, I rented a car this weekend. Fernando had offered to make me dinner in Queens if I wanted to drive over there. Nothing more motivating than a person you really like cooking you dinner to help you get over the fear of driving through New York City. I decided to do it.

All the way to the Holland Tunnel from my house I had to take deep breaths. I was so nervous about the whole thing. I hit the tunnel and then realized as I was going through that it wasn't so bad. When I hit the end, I was overcome with emotion. You know those times when it feels like your emotions run through you and flush from your head all the way to your toes in a hot rush... well that's what happened. As soon as I saw the "Manhattan" sign. And then, as if a switch went off, I was an old pro. I think it really helped that I had taken car service home about 5,000 times from work when I lived on the Upper East Side because I knew exactly where to go. I made it to Queens without a problem. Got lost going back home... but that's another story.

Planet of the Apes

2008-04-01T21:35:00.002-04:00

Fernando called me to ask if I would like to go see Planet of the Apes (the original) on the big screen at the Ziegfeld. For those of you who don't know, the Ziegfeld is a famous theater in New York that seats about 1200 people and was built in the 1960's. It is considered a "Movie Palace"... big chandeliers, plush surroundings, etc. I though it sounded like fun - I have never seen Planet of the Apes (old or new). The large theater had maybe 30 people in it, almost like we were having a private screening or something.

The Ziegfeld shows classic movies regularly. I saw advertised that they were showing E.T., Goldfinger, etc. I think this is pretty cool to be able to go see a movie like that on the big screen.

And that's it. My whole blog. Must be suffering from writers block.

Biking NYC, Running Central Park

2008-03-30T20:56:00.000-04:00

It amazes me that I can still find things to do here that I have never done before. Usually after living in a place for 4 years, you start to run of "new" things to do. Not that doing a repeat of stuff is bad - just that New York is so versatile that you really can find new things all the time.

I have biked in Manhattan before, but it was only to ride to work. This was a few years back - on the weekends during tax season I would ride my bike when it was warmer from the Upper East Side to the World Trade Center. It wasn't really a leisurly ride. It was a means to an end: a chance to get some excercise on my way to work.

But, today was different. A highschool friend of mine, Eric, was in town visiting from Florida. The night before, Fernando had said that he was planning on going on a bike ride on the river trail around the island with a friend. It sounded like fun and Fernando and I thought it would be a really good way for Eric to see the city. So, Saturday morning, Eric and I rode the train with bikes to the World Trade Center then began our trek to meet up with Fernando. We headed through China Town, Little Italy, Union Square, Gramercy Park, then Herald Square/34th Street, Times Square, Bryant Park, Central Park, and then hit the Upper East Side where we stopped for a bagel. Back onto the bikes we headed down to the 59th street bridge where we met Fernando. The three of us biked along the East River, past the United Nations and all the way to the South Street Sea Port where we stopped again - for Pizza. Then, we headed through Wall Street and up to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty.
At home, I mapped it out and we did 18 miles.

Sunday was another physically challenging day. I met up with Fernando early in the morning and we went for a run in Central Park. He ran 8 miles...I DIDNT. I ran as much as I could. My guess would be that it was about 5 miles. Then we went to meet up with some of his friends and threw around a football and softballs for a while.

I have to give my props to Maggie and Dan for making me get shoes. I used to run track in high school and for a few years after that. Well, I guess I can't really say that I "ran" track. My main goal was to be in good enough shape to look good in a bikini when the summer hit. I really wasn't too concerned with winning any track meets. Good thing, 'cause I never won! I was actually probably the WORST track person in the history of TC Roberson High School. My event was the 2 mile run (actually, they did it in kilometers but I can't remember how many it was and am too lazy to calculate it out). You always knew who I was because I would be at the end of the line (assuming no one had lapped me already). Well, I wasn't at the very end, there was one girl who was always behind me but she was somewhat mentally disabled. And even she beat me once. I remember that day - she was sooooo happy to have not come in last. It was almost as if I had done some kind of good deed - but I didnt LET her win. My nickname will never be speedy. Anyway, back the real story. My knees started to hurt after a few years, and I ended up stopping running. I haven't really run much since then. I have been bored with my workout lately and really wanted to change it up. Maggie was always running on the treadmill at the gym but I never ran with her because every time I tried my knees would bother me. Then, I was talked into venturing off my cheap tennis shoe kick and actually purchasing shoes that were made for running. Nike. Woo hoo.

I still didn't run. Then one day at the gym I felt like I had a boundless amount of energy. You know those days? You go to the gym and you just need to get all that energy out of you? Like its just too much trapped inside your body? So, it was one of those days. I got on the treadmill and ran about 3 miles. I figured I was going to hurt after that, but I didn't. So, I kept running when I went to the gym. It has really worked out nice since a) the gym closes at 8:30pm and is not open on Sundays - I can run after those hours in my neighborhood and b) Fernando runs so we can do it together. I always find that having someone to work out with is much better motivation than always going by yourself. Back on track - Maggie was my gym partner, but now she is gone. Boo hoo.

That a) b) thing I just did - that's all Maggie. You ever notice how when you hang around the same person a lot you pick up on their mannerisms? Maggie and I used to do that all the time. Instead of saying "By the Way" she would always say BTW. She always says "hells yeah" too. Funny how that works.

Ham and Cross Cake

2008-03-23T21:54:00.000-04:00

Willy D, Me and Vince

I have noticed that my blogs revolve around my weekends. It's almost a little sad that all the great and fun things in my life seem to happen in only two days of the week. Damn work!!! I am very grateful though, that I do have my weekends to enjoy. I am even more grateful that my weekends always seem to be filled with happiness and joy.

This weekend was a 4 day weekend for me. God bless the 4 day weekend. Good Friday was the day that made this one a long one. I took off Thursday. Friday morning, Fernando and I headed to Atlantic City. My dear friend Maggie has a house there and had offered for us to stay there for the night. Fernando and I gambled in the casinos (no win). We headed back to the house for popcorn and a movie. The next day, we decided to take a walk on the boardwalk, then gamble a little more. We went to the roulette table and he bet on my birthday - it hit twice for him and he made some bank. Technically, it hit three times, but he didn't bet on it again. That'll show him. You got to bet on ME BABY!!

Also, I have a great picture from that day. We headed to Hooters for some wings (I love their wings) and some cheesy camera guy came around and took our picture and made it into a key chain. I'm a sucker. I bought it. It was such a cute picture of the two of us. Too bad I can't scan the keychain for my blog.

Sunday was Easter. Fernando and I decided to make Easter an easter dinner ham. We invited his two Jewish friends (Vince and Willy D) over to dine with us. I know, I know, Jews aren't supposed to eat ham. But it was ok - these two aren't that strict. So, just to be funny, I decided to turn the cake I was making for dessert into the shape of a cross. Fernando and I decorated it - put peeps on the outside with toothpick swords guarding the cross that said "He is Risen". We thought that his Jewish friends would enjoy the effort. Fernando and I conspired to tell them that I worked really hard on the cake and was so proud of it, and that they were not to laugh when I brought it out.

I can't remember a dinner get-together as fun as this one for quite some time. We all had a few glasses of wine, chatted it up, joked about silly and stupid things, and just had a good time. The wine induced buzz caused me to want to prove to Vince that I don't hit like a girl. Vince is into Kung Fu so I thought he would be the right one to show - this was all while I was wearing the Tiara (see last blog). Also, I do believe that I trapped Vince in conversation for an abnormally long period of time - the most of which I spent confessing to him how much I adore and love his friend Fernando. Then, later in the evening, laughing too hard at something I happened to hit my face on the wine glass and gave myself a nosebleed. Always a nice touch at a dinner party. You can't say it wasn't fun or memorable.

Me and Fernando

Lava Gina

2008-03-15T21:15:00.001-04:00

A week or so ago I got an email from my friend in Jersey City Christine inviting me to a birthday party for our friend Catalina. The email said something to the effect of we're going to go to dinner for sushi at such and such place and then head over for drinks at Lava Gina. Then she included the websites. Looking at the web link, I realized that www.lavagina.com really looked like La Vagina. Hmmm. This prompted a reply from me to the distribution list saying only "La Vagina"? and then several others put in their cracks at the name. Despite the name, the evening was still planned.

There were 16 of us and we first headed over to Avenue A sushi in the village for a very long dinner. I had invited Fernando* and his friends - Vince* and Rickybobby* as well as two of my friends from work - Jessica and Barbara. Dinner was pretty good, but we didn't order enough food. By the time we got our food it was too late to really order anything else so I had to go get a slice of pizza afterwards. The most important fact about dinner: a) Catalina seemed to enjoy it and looked beautiful for her birthday b) we learned about jelly made out of jameson whiskey from Sarah (a pastry chef and acquaintance) and came up with an idea to inject it into donuts to make Jameson Jelly Donuts. Now THAT"s a DONUT!!!

Later, we made our way over to Lava Gina. Standing outside, the triangles should have been a give-away but we went in and then realized after about 2 minutes that it was a lesbian bar. Not that a lesbian bar is a bad thing, but it just wasn't our dealy-o for the night. Not sure how we EVER didn't come up with the idea that it just might possibly be a lesbian bar based on the name. Looking back, it seems REALLY obvious.

So, we went across the street to the Porch and had a few drinks. It got late and it was time to go. In the cab on the way home, a bachelorette party tiara fell onto me out of nowhere and I put it on and officially declared myself Princess Rebecca. I wore it the rest of the evening. No buzz involved in that decision. And that's all she wrote.

*Names changed not necessarily to protect identity - but instead to be funny.

Bunch of Brooklyn

2008-03-09T21:55:00.001-04:00

Ironically, a pretty decent chunk of this weekend was spent in Brooklyn. But first I went to Queens...

Friday after work, I went over to see Fernando. It's sickening, I know, but I enjoy spending every free second I possibly can with him. We went to the gym and worked out, then back to his place and ate and just chilled and listened to music. It was one of those nights where you just veg out and do absolutely nothing but is absolutely perfect. I love days like that.

Saturday morning Gizzy went to the groomers. He was sooo cute when I went to pick him up. They had put a little bow tie around his neck. I thought this was much cuter than the bandannas they always put on dogs. And, I am sure he liked it much more than the time when they put bows in his hair and dressed him up like a girly-dog. He was such a boy that day - kept biting at the bows and trying to rip them out. He definitely defended his manhood on that occasion.

Saturday afternoon I went on my first trip to the Brooklyn Museum of Art with Fernando. They were having an exhibit on Coney Island and another one on Feminist Artists. Coney Island was pretty standard. The Feminist Artists on the other hand...whole other experience. Being a woman, I can understand to an extent the whole feminist movement. I can appreciate many of the ideologies that are valued. But, intrisically, we are all women. I think it is nice to be held equally in many respects, but also nice to celebrate our difference from men. I think that feminism can definitely go too far and be brutal and hardcore. And, I especially don't like those feminists that cannot be open enough to accept the fact that some women don't want to be as gung ho about feminism as they are.

To give you an example - Salt Lake City. I used to live there and the culture there is very family oriented. Many of my friends were women who went to college and then ended up staying at home to raise their families. I completely respect their decision to do that. The hard core feminists chastise them for their choice and say that they are giving up their identity and throwing away their education, not considering that it may be what the women truly want to do with their lives.

Ok, now that you have my 2 cents, back to the "art". There were several very interesting female artists. The one that I liked the most used string and stitching on canvas as her medium. Here is the site: http://www.gagosian.com/artists/ghada-amer/. And then there was another artist. The display was a formal dining set up. Each place setting was dedicated to a great woman in history like Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, etc. Every plate had a different "flower" on it that ironically resembled the female anatomy. Hmmm. Not quite something I would want to eat off of. Not so sure that some of these famous ladies in history would enjoy knowing that they were being honored in this way. Call me a little old fashioned but it wasn't really my thing.

On to Sunday. Fernando and I got up and headed back into Brooklyn at 7am! My friends Christine and Carl were saying goodbye to Brooklyn and moving to Long Island. Their baby is due very soon and they have a house to start their life in together. I think it has been very cool to see them move along in their life together and wish them the best of luck. Sad to see them leave Brooklyn though. We didn't see each other enough as it was!!

Wonderful Weekend

2008-03-02T21:23:00.003-05:00

So, I have no juicy stories to tell you about this weekend, well, at least none that I can share on my public blog. But, I did have a very nice weekend. So, for all of you who are procrastinating doing something else (preferably at work)... here is as summation of my weekend.

Saturday I went to my friend Christine's baby shower. It's official: All my closest friends from way back when have kids. (Well, at least will have them in a few days). She was pretty much the only one left holding out. It's always so strange to me to see my friends having kids. Not sure exactly why. I think it is the whole grown up thing - because I always knew them when we were young and being silly with no responsibilties. Funny how it's not strange to see them get married or move up the corporate ladder ... it's always the kids that put them into this different realm. Off the topic..So, one thing to note, we played the doodie diaper game. Love that game. Makes me laugh. (for those of you who don't know, you put baby food or melted candy bars in the diapers and then people have to guess what it is - usually by smelling it).

After the shower I went with Fernando to meet up with his sister, her boyfriend, and his mother at the Met. Never met any of his family yet, so this was a first time deal. I never had any doubts in my mind that they would be good people, and I wasn't let down. And NO, I am not just writing this because he will probably read it. Ha ha. We had some wine and cheese at the museum, then decided to go for dinner at a Turkish restaurant. At dinner, Fernando totally shut me down on one of my cool moves to try to schmooze a little. He had told me before that his mom had this saying about how little people talk about people, mediocre people talk about things and great people talk about ideas. Well, that whole thing came up at dinner and I got to use it but he totally busted me. It was actually pretty funny. He told his mom I was brown-nosing. Note to self... save some good stuff for when he meets my family.

The next morning, Fernando and I had brunch with his sister and her boyfriend at Foxy's Diner in Queens. Then food coma set in and we spent the next several hours (5 maybe???) watching TV on his couch. It didn't help that it was cold outside which significantly reduced the urge to do anything else. There was a St. Patty's day parade in his neighborhood that we were going to go to, but the couch won that battle.

So, that's about it. Pretty straighforward weekend but, as always, oh so wonderful.

A Tale of Two Toilets

2008-02-27T21:19:00.001-05:00

Double Vanity?

This blog continues my story of Miami. I had a wonderful time there. The weather was great, the people seemed nice, and I got an earful of Spanish on every corner. I enjoyed it immensely. But, there was something strange about Miami, and I figured it out at the airport.

I go into the bathroom to pee prior to my delayed flight leaving. I usually go into the handicapped stall because I have theories about it. I could be totally wrong and completely making myself believe untrue things, but I like to tell myself that the handicapped stall is "less used". It's never the first, most convenient stall. This to me makes no sense; you think they would CATER to the handicapped and put them closer. And, its usually always clean - meaning the person before didn't pee on the seat and also was kind enough to flush the toilet. So, my own personal logic makes me believe that since it is farther away, and since most people are inherently lazy (also something I tell myself), it MUST be less used. If available, I always choose this spot. Plus it usually has nice bars attached to the walls to hold yourself up when squatting (probably the reason the likelihood for pee on the seat is diminished). God forbid I have to use those quad muscles I work so hard to beat into shape at the gym.

Now that you know my habits for public toilet selection, I can continue with the story.

So, I go into the handicapped stall, and to my surprise, there are two toilets. Facing each other. Directly. In ONE stall. Now, I have been in those fancy handicapped stalls that have their own sink, soap, and towels. BUT, I have NEVER been in one with two toilets. As I am peeing, I am thinking about what it would be like for someone to be sitting directly across from me, a foot between us, peeing at the same time. A little too weird to imagine. I am so amazed with this concept that I decide I must have a picture for my blog. I try to look between the narrow opening in the stall door to see if anyone is in the bathroom. The coast looks clear. I break out my camera and forget to turn off the flash. All of the sudden, boom! A big bright flash that I am reasonably sure could be seen all over the entire bathroom. I open the door slowly to leave, and the lady washing her hands at the sink gives me a look like I am some kind of sick-o. Apparently she saw the flash.

Just to make her more uncomfortable, I saddle up next to her at the sink to wash my hands. And smile at her in the mirror.

As a side note, I had posted this picture on flickr along with some others. I sent the link out to my friends for the other pictures, but some of them ventured off perusing all the recent pics on my site. Vince, Fernando's friend, sent me an email about the picture saying something to the effect of "Can't have too many bathroom pictures.". After explaining the situation to him, he told me that he has seen this before - he knows a couple that have a toilet set up like this that has been the source of many a joke. Why do they have this set up?? Something about sharing magazines. Go figure. Magazines to me equals NUMBER 2. Sorry, not sharing my number 2 with anyone. Can someone pass the air freshener?

Bienvenidos a Miami

2008-02-26T09:28:00.000-05:00

Biscayne Bay

Randomly, I ended up in Miami today. On Friday, it was business as usual at work when a coworker came over to the guy that sits next to me to explain that he wasn't going to be able to attend the Miami recruiting event and needed to find someone to go in his place. I have been complaining about the cold (despite my completely deceptive last post on how I am USED to the winter and able to live in it - trying to trick myself I think). So my complaints have grown more frequent over the last few weeks. This usually happens this time of year when I can't stand the cold anymore and just want a break. This was my perfect opportunity to get away from the cold and enjoy some warm weather. So, I whip around in my chair and immediately offer up myself to go in his place. About 20 minutes later, I was booking my trip to Miami.

Due to some problems (apparently I don't know how to hit the "Submit" button at the end of setting up reservations), I ended up having to go to Miami earlier than expected. The flight I thought I had booked for myself wasn now full. So, I left Monday morning and instead of arriving later in the day, ended up having to fly first class, and then finally arrived in Miami around noon - after a bloody mary and two little bottles of wine. I promptly checked into my hotel, changed into my bikini, and walked down to bask in the sun. Not more than two minutes after finding my perfect place, I ordered a Pina Colada to get the full experience. I fell asleep shortly after making a few phone calls to friends and family to rub it in.

Me and My Pina Colada

I took a nice bath later in my fabu upgraded room. Then took myself to a great dinner overlooking the Biscayne Bay. I even ordered dessert. Yummmmmmmm. I now feel the need to lose 5 lbs.

Later that night, I met up with the other people from work who were on a later flight. I didn't really know most of them prior to going on the trip - had seen them around. It is always nice to get out of your day to day element and spend time with different people. Especially people where I work. I don't want to sound like a snob, but our company prides itself on finding the cream of the crop, and in my last 5 years there I really have met many high caliber, smart, funny, interesting people. Always a pleasure.

The next day was spent interviewing candidates at the University of Miami. Sometimes it blows my mind what people will say in an interview. Around 1pm the blackout hit Miami mid-interview. People were stuck in the elevators, late for interviews because of trains, etc. It was a very strange day. I was secretly hoping that all the flights would be messed up from the blackout so that I would have to stay an extra day. But, no dice.

Our group had dinner at Versailles - a famous Cuban place to go eat in Miami. Based on the descriptions of it being one of the best places to eat in Miami, think we were all suprised when we arrived. The place was pretty much a mom and pop joint and it had a Diner-ish quality to it. Not exactly what we expected. The food was pretty decent and we topped it off with mojitos (when in Rome...) We flew back to New York that night.

The Crew from Work

Loitering in Long Island City

2008-02-24T22:00:00.001-05:00

Even though I really dislike the cold, I have learned to live in it. What I mean by this is that I no longer confine myself to the indoors for the winter. I never used to do that as a kid living in Minnesota - I was always out in the snow building snow forts and tunnels, playing magazine hockey and ice skating wiht my friends. But, after I moved to North Carolina, I became spoiled by mild weather. Then Utah was a shock for me. Except for the Olympics and some skiing, the only time I really went outdoors in the winter in Utah was to sit in my hot tub. Doesn't really count. I loathed the cold and did my best to avoid it.

Then I moved to New York. I was forced to be in the cold. I had to walk to the subway because I no longer had a car. I also no longer had a back yard for the dogs so three times a day I found myself outdoors. Everything required a trip outside: groceries, laundry, post office, etc.

I gradually built up my tolerance to being out in the cold again. Now, I don't let it stop me from doing things in the winter. Remember my pictures of the Gates in Central Park? Perfect example. Even though winter's not my favorite, I have learned to go outside.

So, Fernando and I decided to go for a long walk to the East River in Long Island City from Sunnyside on Sunday. My favorite times spent with him are like this. We just hang out and talk about anything that comes up. We sat by the water for a while, then found an Irish pub for some soup (which he was forced to pay for since he lost a bet - just had to point that out) I love days like this... no agenda, just chillin.

Science Center

2008-02-23T21:54:00.000-05:00

Today I introduced Fernando to the Jersey City brunch crew. Brunch was at my friend Dan's place. Sometimes we all go out to brunch at a restaurant, but sometimes we all just kick it at one of our houses. I say "kick it" just for Maggie. I think Fernando was suprised (in a good way) that we all get together like this at people's houses and I think he enjoyed it.

After brunch, Fernando and I headed over to the liberty science center because there was an exhibition there on race that I wanted to see. That didn't end up being my favorite exhibit there that day though. Ironically, my favorite thing was the fish - a couple of big tanks that displayed the more popular fish found in our region. They were so cool. Turtles too!. I think Fernando's favorite part was this big metal curtain-like thing that you could send ripples through by sliding a handle back and forth. Funny that we were both more intrigued by the simpler displays. Big kids we are.

That night, we had dinner at Canyon Road with my good friend Christine and her husband Carl. They gave Fernando "two thumbs up" in a text message to me the next day. I agree.

Hoboken Pool

2008-02-22T21:51:00.000-05:00

My friend Christine sent out an invite to the girls for a night out playing pool in Hoboken. It started out snowing the night before and snowed most of the day, and they decided to reschedule. I had already invited Fernando and Vince, and still wanted to play pool with them. I knew that if I used a few carefully chosen words in a reply email to my single girlfriends that I could get them to still come out and change their minds. I hit reply and said that I was still going because I was meeting some guys there and that if anyone still wanted to go... etc etc. It took about 5 minutes and I got the anticipated response..."Cute guys?" That's all it took.

Trannys in the Loo

2008-02-20T21:59:00.001-05:00

Fernando invited me to come out after work to hang out with him and his softball pals. They are gearing up for their upcoming season and had a preliminary get-together. We had a few beers, then headed toward the train with one of his friends. We were having a discussion about people in Manhattan and dating, which we decided warranted another beer. So, we stopped at a dive bar along the way to the train for one last hurrah. The place had some interesting women who we were pretty sure were actually men. After my trip to the ladies room and seeing the toilet seat left up, I was reasonably sure and reported back on my findings. I have no issues with any of this except one thing: Boys, if you are going to dress and act like girls, don't do it half ass. At least act like a lady (or be considerate of those who don't have the same hidden man parts) and put the seat down when you are done! I don't normally care about the whole seat thing - and it doesn't bother me in my own personal bathroom, but when I have to touch a public toilet in a dive bar in the LADIES ROOM it's just not cool. At least they had soap.

There Will Be Blood In Bruges

2008-02-19T21:54:00.001-05:00

The last two movies I have seen have not been the greatest. If anyone is contemplating seeing There Will Be Blood, stop yourself. How do movies like this get put up for best picture? Daniel Day Lewis did a good job in his role, but the whole story line was long and drawn out. The other movie I just saw was In Bruges. Depressing. I wasn't very excited about that one either. It did have some funny parts, but the entire rest of the movie was such a downer. Fernando picked both the movies. F - if you are reading this, yes, I am blaming your choices and declare that I shall pick our next movie. It might even be a CHICK FLICK. Nah, I wouldn't do that to you.

Kingpin

2008-02-16T21:23:00.000-05:00

Haven't been bowling in a long time, but today Fernando and I decided to go and tear up the lanes. I talked some trash even though I know my highest score ever was a 138. It's just fun to spur on some competition. Our first game was neck and neck, ending with a 102 (me) and 104 (F). The second game turned up the head and I think we both amazed ourselves. Despite my turkey (YES, I GOT A TURKEY!), I still didn't beat him! I do now have a new all-time high score. He finished with 185, me with a 175. Woo hoo. He suggested that I text the score to my dad and thank him for signing me up for the Brunswick bowling leagues all those years when I was a kid. It had finally paid off.

The kicker was when we went to pay. Holy Smokes! Don't ever go bowling in Manhattan unless you are a)willing to blow a wad of cash or b)are attending a company sponsored event.

Shoes - 12$
Appetizers and Diet Coke - 20$
2 Games - 40$
Beer and Coke during the game - 15$
Beating your high score from when you were 10 years old? Priceless? Not.

Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T21:10:00.002-05:00

Hooray for actually being able to spend Valentine's Day with a guy instead of a bottle of wine. (Or actually, being able to spend it with a guy AND a bottle of wine, BONUS). It was so much more enjoyable. I made dinner... and Fernando was sweet and brought me chocolate and the wine.

This was a really great Valentine's Day.. but that doesn't really make a good story to read, now does it. I can't remember a Vday better than this one. It could be because I have a bad memory, but I doubt it. So, to make the story more interesting to read, I am going to tell you about the worst Valentines Day I ever had. February of 1997. I was living in Asheville, North Carolina.

I got a phone call from my significant other earlier in the day saying that he wanted to take me to dinner. He was a recruiter for the Marine Corps at the time. He said he would be off work around 5 and would come home and pick me up for dinner. At 5pm I get another call, the recruiters were going to go out for a drink after work and his Gunny Sgt was insistent that he go, so could we plan on 7pm instead. Sure, I say. I am pretty easy going so it wasn't really a problem. At 7:30 he's was still not home. This pre-dated common cell phone usage, so neither of us had one. I had no idea where he was. At 8:30, still not home. 9:30 I'm torn between being pissed off and worrying about whether something has happened and if I should be calling hospitals. Eventually, I go up to bed. About 1am he shows up completely ripped. I go downstairs, because now the mad has taken over the worry, and am prepared to give him a piece of my mind but then realize it will do no good. He proceeds to lay down on the tile in the bathroom and gets sick. I leave him in the mess and go back up to bed.

The next day, he's made at me for leaving him and not cleaning up, and I am not speaking to him. About 7pm at work (I was a bartender), a big balloon and flower arrangement arrives. I chuck it. I mean, c'mon, seriously, too late. Funny how we can vividly remember the bad one's.

Tigers and Dragons and Rats, Oh My

2008-02-10T21:24:00.001-05:00

The year of the Rat. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was donning my favorite red dress to usher in the year of the Fire Pig. Now the Rat. Just a question - who picked these animal to be in the zodiac? I can understand the goat, the rabbit, tigers, etc.. but pigs and rats? Ok, I can even understand the pig to some degree - after all, from pigs come yummy bacon, ham and pork loin roasts. But Rats? It conjures up images of dirty, wet, stinky subways for me. And really, who wants to have that as their Zodiac sign? Watch, it's probably my sign.

Just checked it. Phew...I'm a rabbit.

In my few years that I have been in NY, I have always wanted to go to the Chinese New Year Parade. Something about seeing those dragon costumes just excites the little kid inside of me. Wow, I sound like a shredded wheat commercial where the adult turns into the kid after eating the "frosted" side.

This year, I was finally able to go. Fernando and I headed to the parade and it was all that I had imagined: tons of colorful confetti flying through the streets of Chinatown while dragons danced their way past the peking duck house and other chinese markets in 30 degree weather. Loved it..! But after about 20 minutes in the cold and crowd I was done. Later that day, Fernando and I walked over the Brooklyn Bridge and checked out the transit museum, which was cooler than I thought it would be. The favorite part: Wandering through the old subway cars and looking at the advertisements from each time period. And it was free. Always a nice touch.

Can you guess why I took this picture... yes I am immature. I thought it was Fukien funny. Fukien American Association.

Umm...slightly at a loss for words on this on. I know this is not PC but what is this guy doing in the parade?

Primary Colors

2008-02-05T21:22:00.002-05:00

Today was primary election day and I went to vote. It was a hard decision for me. As most of you know, I am a democrat. But this year, the choice was harder than usual. Most of the time, I look at the candidates' stance on important topics. But, this time I looked for strategy. It's unfortunate, but I think that our country still has a lot of closed-minded people that would never elect a woman or a black man into the office of president. For me, this time, it was all about which candidate I thought might be able to open some of those minds and actually give the Republicans a run for their money. After weighing my options and consulting with one of my Democrat friends, I cast my vote. We will see how it all turns out. May the best win! (Ha, you thought I would say "May the best Man win" and then you would have been able to figure out who I voted for! I'm not giving it up that easy!) Whoever ends up winning in the end, I hope that they will lead with both their heart and their head.

Superbowl Sunday

2008-02-03T20:52:00.002-05:00

Fernando invited me to go with him and Vince up to a friend's house to watch the Superbowl game in Long Beach. Vince was kind enough to pick me up which was a nice treat - especially considering he had heated seat warmers. Nice how such a small thing and really make my day. You know that saying, "Don't sweat the small stuff".. well I think they should make another saying "Enjoy the Small Stuff". I think too many times people are looking for the big stuff that they miss out on all the little things that can make them happy. I think happiness comes in crumbs, not loaves. Or better yet, scoops not gallons. Because the first little bite always is going to ta st the same as the last bite right? (Unless there are Spanish peanuts and Hershey's chocolate sauce involved like when I was a kid growing up on Sunday nights, then it's a whole other story).

I digress - what's new. So back to the story. We arrive at Fernando's friend's house and, although I am generally a social butterfly, I am suddenly slightly terrified. I don't know why. I mean, these people all seem like they are nice but I guess because there are so many people I don't know that are friends with Fernando, it's different. I'm such an extroverted person and am normally not like this. I talk to the most random people all the time, why is it now that I am socially timid? Who knows. I try to make sure that I sit in the living room amongst people I don't know to ensure I am able to meet others and talk to them. About 45 minutes into it, I start to relax a little. By the end of the night I was running with the big dogs back in my element. Fernando and I had won several of the Superbowl side bets and needed to play some poker to give people a chance to win their money back. I made it several rounds (and several farther than the two boys might I add) but it was getting late. So, I went all in and lost. It was a lot of fun and his friends were great.

On the way home, Vince dropped off Fernando and then the two of us listened to most of The Wall Pink Floyd album. Good end to a good day. Go Giants.

Say Uncle

2008-02-01T20:26:00.001-05:00

It's Friday night in the big city and I have plans. These are not my normal Friday night plans which usually consist of either a)falling asleep after too much internet surfing, blogging, emailing in bed with the dogs or b)same scenario but add wine and maybe a good book. Ok, that's kind of a like since the last month and a half has been slightly abnormal due to Maggie's impending departure and my new and exciting dating schedule. Tonight I had plans for the latter. Fernando has asked me to join him on the UES (Upper East Side for non-New Yorkers)to play pool with some of his friends. While I'm flattered that he likes me enough to introduce me to his friends, I am a bit nervous because friends can have a lot of influence when it comes to dating. In general, we all know that if the friends hate you, its pretty much not going to go anywhere. Not that I am concerned with people hating me, I think I have, for the most part, a fairly pleasant disposition. I still worry anyway because I am a chick and that's what we do. I can only be myself and hope that people like me for who I am. And if they don't like me, they must have some serious mental problems :). If I pretend to be someone I am not, then eventually the "real" me would be discovered anyway! Personally, I happen to like the real me, and so should everyone else dammit.

So, I meet up with Fernando after trekking through what seems like a monsoon during the middle of winter. I feel like a wet dog when I get to the bar and proceed to have to take my socks off because they are wet. I know, sexy. Shortly thereafter, I meet his friend, who I will call Vince just because I want to be an ass and I know it will probably annoy him. You see, he kinda looks like Vince Vaughn and has heard it probably 1,000 times. I, of course, didn't refrain from pointing it out about 5 minutes after I met him, to which he responded that he normally "gets Morgan Freeman".

Another friend shows up a little later but has a nickname I can't remember. Damn me and my crappy memory. I remember he was Polish - does that count? Just for shits and giggles, let's call him ... HOLD PLEASE, I hate to break up this whole rambling but there is a guy on TV playing a harmonica with his nose. I know most of you know that I don't have TV service at home, so I should preface this with the fact that I am an unwilling viewer today on an airplane and have been subjected to this. I WOULD NOT have willfully chosen this show. Ok, back to story... the story was mostly about Fernando liking me enough to introduce me to his friends, which made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside (it was either that or the jager shots that kept mysteriously appearing). So this is a nice little story but really not that interesting UNTIL....

Our waitress was a cute girl - probably about 22 or something, and looked kinda like Amanda Peet. She was a nice girl. A few hours into the evening, she came by to take the credit card for the bill and Fernando paid. She comes back and starts a whole conversation about his name on his credit card. I won't claim to have the best recollection of the conversation but it went something like this:

Amanda: So, how did you get a name like this?
Then Fernando tells a story about his family history... My great grandfather..blah blah..met so and so and yada yada yada.. "Then they moved to Woodlawn".
Amanda: Really!? Woodlawn?! My family is from there!

At this point, I am thinking, where is she going with this? It really seems to me that she is hitting on him, yet she knows he came in with me. Hmmm. Slight tinge of jealously toward the young cute girl. But, then the clincher comes.

Amanda: If your family lives in Woodlawn, then I'll bet you probably know my Uncle (insinuating that they are the same age).

At that point, I start laughing and promptly turn around and walk away. Vince does the same. I was told that the waitress turned around and left about 5 seconds later - probably after realizing what she had done. Poor Fernando was left there shocked and alone. Don't worry, Vince and I returned a few minutes later from our respective hide-outs.

As a side note, apparently I had met Vince before at the Christmas party where I met Fernando, but I have such a bad memory that I had no idea and acted like it was my first time meeting him. Great first impressions.

Note to all of my friends: If I ever do stupid stuff like this (i.e. forget I met people, forget to introduce you to people, forget to offer you a beverage or food when you come to my house, and the list goes on) please remember that I REALLY am not trying to be rude...I just forget these little social things sometimes. Please don't hold it against me.

Adventures of Mageroni

2008-01-27T20:50:00.000-05:00

Maggie, Lillian, Me, Jessica - at Maggie's going away party.

Fondue Dinner

My very good friend Maggie is moving to Utah for work. In many ways I am excited for her to go and experience a new place. She is a little bit hesitant to move - mostly because she will miss her home here in New York, but she is looking forward to skiing, checking out Utah and meeting new people. I'm glad that I have lived there before and can give her some ideas of things to do and see.

So, I made her a scavenger hunt. I compiled a list of about 50 things that are pretty unique to Utah for her to discover in her year there, and I have challenged her to start a blog to keep us all updated on her new adventures. See link on sidebar of my blog...

With all of the things going on in my life right now, I feel like I am also on the cusp of change, like Maggie. I am finally feeling like I am a a point in my life where it is time for me to start looking toward my future. I have had to let a lot of things go in the last couple of years, but am at the point where I am ready to move on. It took me long enough! You know how it is, sometimes you feel like you are just coasting through life and taking things as they come but not really focusing on what you want or how move yourself in the right direction.

As for my dear Maggie May - I will miss her to pieces but am comforted in knowing that we can skype webcam conversations whenever we want, she will be back to visit several times, and will only be gone for a year. I know she will do well in her new position and it will help her to develop both personally and professionally.

The pictures attached are of Maggies last full weekend in NY. We had a going away party for her on Saturday night (which we scheduled for a place in NY, confirmed, and then the place CLOSED!! we found another location on the fly). We also had a small fondue dinner party at my place where I graced all in attendance with my accordion playing abilities. Always a conversation starter. (Hint: It usually only takes me a glass of wine to convince me to break it out. If you want some quality accordion entertainment, just bring a bottle of wine and wait about 30 minutes, then ask). It also works on the saxaphone.

Sophie, Ed, Maggie, Jessica and Me - Fondue Dinner Night

Man - Wow

2008-01-26T21:36:00.000-05:00

There are very few times in my life where I can honestly say that a guy has really done something that is unique and spontaneous enough for me to be in awe. I can remember the last time, January 2001. I guess that has been 7 years. This weekend got added to that list though with my Friday night date with Fernando.

If you read my blog, you will remember a few dates back when we went to the Guggenheim. At the end of the date, he gave me a ride home and I showed him around my apartment. I still had my New Year's dress hanging on the outside of my closet door and he saw it and asked me about the dress. I told him that I really liked the dress and hadn't put it away yet, and that I liked to look at it. Fast forward to the last date where he made me food.. I told him that I would need to invite him over for dinner next time since he had made food for me. So, I invited him over on Friday night.

Its about 8pm and I am cooking dinner. He is en route, and I get a text message that says something to the effect of..."No Questions. Put on the New Year's Dress". So, I'm sitting there wondering why - does this guy have some weird fetish about girls in dresses? Should I trust him on this? Hmmm. I decide to do it and go along with the fun. About ten minutes later, he rings my doorbell and I head downstairs to let him in. I open the door and he is wearing a tux - bow tie, cumberbund, jacket, everything. He looked VERY good. Plus, he was holding wine - definite bonus.

So, we go upstairs; dinner has just finished cooking. I'm dying to know what this is all about, so I ask what's going on. He tells me that he was looking in his closet to decide what to wear when he saw the tux and remembered my dress. He said that he thought that I would like to wear my dress again and he wore the tux so that I could.

We lit the candles, drank the wine, and enjoyed dinner all dressed up in my dining room. It was a great evening. I should have taken a picture.

Martin Luther King Weekend

2008-01-22T21:13:00.000-05:00

Soo... this year Maggie had another girls weekend in AC - with 9 girls instead of 6. The more, the merrier.

We arrived on Friday night and most of us chilled. Some of the more party animal types went out (you know who you are) and the rest of us chilled with a drink and just hung out together. The next day included a large pancake breakfast, movies, naps, facials, and reading love fortunes from a deck of cards (thanks Gypsy Eleni). See pic for pancake breakfast. Yes, we made more than that, and yes, we ate almost all of them.

We all went to a nice Italian dinner at the same place as last year, then out on the town to a night club called Providence. We danced until our feet hurt, and then danced some more. It was a lot of fun to spend time with the girls!

After getting back into town on Sunday, I had another date with Fernando. It makes me laugh every time I type that fake name. And, not for anything, but I told Fernando that I was writing this with a fake name and he said something to the effect of, "What name did you pick, Fernando??" I thought maybe he had been reading my blog, but he totally came up with it on his own. Ironic freaky little mind reading going on there right? We had a drink at Revival, then went and had seafood in the city.

On Monday we hung out at his place and watched some movies. He was very nice and made me food, which was very cool. I think the last time a guy made me food was a long time ago... maybe 2001? And I remember it specifically... it was a fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich (which was made for me only because I had never had one and just HAD to try it), and a side of bacon (some things never change I guess). So, Fernando made some soup, some pasta, some chicken... yumm. Should have taken a picture of it for the blog. Damn.

Inked Inc.

2008-01-13T21:36:00.000-05:00

This weekend I went to a book party in Williamsburg Brooklyn to support one of my friends who was photographed for a tattoo book. The book is a photo collection of tattoed professionals and it was a nice twist to a Saturday night. Maggie and I headed over to Tattoo Culture and met up with Miko (my friend). There were several professionals there - doctors, lawyers, and various MBA types. All of them have several large tattoos over their bodies, but cover them when they go to work. The photos show the people in their work attire, and then photos of them showing their tattoos. I enjoyed meeting the people who were in the book - check it out at www.inkedinc.com. Here is a picture from the evening.

On a totally unrelated topic, I went for date two and three with Fernando. We went to Chelsea piers and hit balls at the driving range then dinner. At the driving range, we ended up on the same level as the people who were taking lessons and the machine kept giving us free golf balls. We hit a zillion balls - got to practice up on my swing. I think if I keep practicing, I might be able to actually know how far I can hit balls with different clubs.

Our next date was on Sunday - we went to lunch, then to the Guggenheim (their exhibit sucked). Every time I have been to the Guggenheim it never meets my expectations in the art department. Then, we went to the Upper East Side to watch the Giants game at this bar called Fetch (I'm not going to lie, I didn't really watch the game, but yapped the entire time). I liked the place - lots of pictures of doggies on the wall. Fernando is a very nice guy and I had fun on our dates. I'm looking forward to going out again soon.

Goodbye 2007

2008-01-01T21:38:00.000-05:00

I can't say that I am unhappy for the year 2007 to be gone. The total year wasn't a loss though - I had many happy times. I guess that some of the definining moments of that year though were not the best things that happened in my life. But, as I reflect on the year I want to remember the positives. Here they are:

**I got to spend 2 months of the year living back in Salt Lake City. My job would have paid for me to stay in a hotel, but I opted to stay with my dad and visit him. Even though I worked a lot while I was there, it was still nice to be able to spend some time with him and my old friends there. And thank you to dad for housing my two little doggies for the extended period (and walking them, and feeding them).

**I met and dated a guy who really taught me a lot about how people should treat each other in relationships (in a good way). Not that every previous relationship I ever had was bad, but there were certain fundamental things that were missing. Although it didn't work out in the end, I think he was sent to me to show me many of the attributes of a man that I want to find someday. Thank you Ryan.

**I went to Paris with my friends Soph and Ed and stayed in beautiful, grandiose hotels that I would never be able to afford if they weren't free. It was a short trip but I am grateful I got to know my friends better and also got to share Paris with them. Thanks Soph & Ed

**My friend Maggie moved to my neighborhood and became the little sister I never had. I thank my lucky stars for that girl - she is one of the most wonderful people I have ever met. I have been so blessed to have her here and I love her and will miss her when she moves next month.

**I got to go on a cruise to Canada that I didn't really plan on - and spend my dad's 60th birthday with him and his friends.

**Ringside boxing and the US Open (Golf) for the first time in my life. I have always wanted to see both live.

**Got to spend Christmas with my Mom for the first time in 10 years. We relaxed, ate, shopped. A great time.

So, even though there were some pretty crappy things that happened this past year, they didn't outweigh the good things. You can't make a few days in one year ruin it all.

Here's to the New Year. May it be filled with more joys than sorrows. Enough pain to make us really appreciate the happiness. Enough struggles to make us realize it is all worth it.

Love and Kisses to all of you.

Carolina Christmas

2007-12-23T10:40:00.000-05:00

This year, I spent Christmas at home in North Carolina. I loaded up my rental car with my two doggies and off we went. The trip began at 9:30 and ended around 7pm just outside of Raleigh. I started off singing along to the Christmas songs on the way, but by about noon I was desperately searching for channels playing anything BUT Christimas music. By 6pm I was ready to drive into a pole - due to said oversaturation of Christmas tunes and the fact that Gizmo had puked twice on the way.

My first order of business was to meet up with my highschool friend Ali Mae. We left her hubby at home to watch their three kids, their two dogs, and my two dogs and eat pizza while we went to the steakhouse. I know, we are mean. But, TIM (her hubby) is a trooper and we loved him.

The next morning, it was off to Mom's house. I arrived and we immediately packed up and headed over to Asheville. We met up with her boyfriend, grabbed lunch, then went to the Grove Park Inn. Every year, the Grove Park sponsors a Ginger Bread house making contest and people from all over make these amazing houses all out of foods. Plus, they have tons of decorated themed Christmas trees that are really pretty - overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains.

After our stroll, we sat out on the terrace in the rocking chairs and looked at the skyline. The sun was in my face and it was fairly warm. I could have stayed there all day and did nothing but sit in that chair.

Christmas was next... My mom and I headed over to Asheville and went to Mass at my old church that I grew up in. Then we killed some time and saw "PS I Love You", then off to my brothers house where the real Carolina Christmas came into play. As we arrived, my brother is on the phone with the Henderson County police department because some men are huntin in the field right in back of his house. My nephew says that there were some gun shots. The binoculars come out. We all start lining up by the back window and watching the hunters go through the field about 100 yards away while they look for whatever it was they were trying to kill. The drama unfolded after the police arrived. There was some talk in the field between the men and the police. Then the phone rings with something to the effect of this on the other line,(I may be embellishing a little)POLICE: "Them dere men in that there field got themselves huntin licenses y'all. They kin hunt there and its legal and the've done been to the huntin safety classes and kin hunt safely back yonder". My brother thanks the policeman and hangs up, "Bullshit".

Got to also meet up with some other old friends from highschool. I went to see my friend Brandy for a while and we caught up, then I headed over to the Hanger (a bar by the airport) to meet up with another friend. While I was waiting, I ran into Brandy's sister who ironically works there. We caught up and then the singer from the band comes over during a break and I meet him too. So, he asks me where I am from and what I do ... and I tell him that I am from New Jersey/New York City and that I work in investment banking at a Wall Street firm. He asks me if I like Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen (natives to these parts). I say yes, of course. Next thing I know, he is back up on stage singing a song "for the girl from New Jersey". He plays BIG SHOT by BILLY JOEL. Embarrasing, yet funny.

My friend Mike finally showed up to meet me as the bar was closing. We went to another bar that was still open and got a drink and caught up.. It closed on us too. Then, I couldn't leave NC without a proper Waffle House experience. I pigged out on a nice 330am breakfast that included hashbrowns that were their signature "scattered, smothered, covered, chunked, and diced". Please, if you don't know what that is, try it once. They are the BEST.

For the trip home to NJ, I made a pit stop in Charlotte to visit some of my other friends. 4 kids, 2 dogs, then my two dogs. It was fun and I kicked their 7 year old's butt at video games. I know, I'm mean. I have to build up my self confidence somehow!

Hope y'all had a nice Christmas too.
My Nephews...

Woman Superpowers and Johnnie Walker Black

2007-12-21T00:31:00.000-05:00

The holidays always bring a nice and exhausting string of holiday parties. This year was no different. There was the work holiday party, then the traders holiday party, the neighborhood party, ugly sweater party, and then there was this one...a random party that Maggie and I got invited to by Holly. She wanted me to meet a guy she works with to try to set us up. 3 things here that night - The Guys and Dolls Guy, The Setup, and Johnnie Walker Black.

The Guys and Dolls Guy
So, there was a very nice person there that I had a lengthy conversation with and basically told my life story to. I have a habit of doing that after a few drinks. But my question is this, its like the song, "Why can't we be friends, why can't we be friends?". It automatically led to, "I'd like to take you out to dinner sometime" at which point I never know what to say. He was nice. I had a nice conversation. But that's it. I ENJOY having conversations with people I don't know. Had a pretty good conversation with a girl I met that night too but she didn't want to take me to dinner! I didn't really think I gave him any kind of vibe that I was interested in him in that way but hence, I am stuck in the uncomfortable situation of trying to say no, nicely. UGH. I call him the guys and dolls guy because he was in the play some time back 'off Broadway' (supposedly, i never know whether to believe these people) and I was in the play in high school. Not sure how we discovered this similarity, but we did and it launched a very long conversation.

The Setup
Holly, you are very cute for trying to set me up. (Not sure if she reads this but going to give some props to her). So, I get there and I have no idea who she is trying to set me up with. But, she has told me his name. I'm changing it for purposes of this blog**. Let's call him Fernando. So, I walk in and Holly immediately introduces me to some guy named Fernando that is probably my father's age and doesn't speak English too well. Missing a lot of hair, but has a nice comb over to cover it up. I just about die. I mean, I know that my girls are trying to set me up with someone closer to my age than the last few but c'mon!!! Needless to say, that wasn't the guy she was trying to set me up with, he just had the same name. She just didn't clarify it so I walked around having discussions with myself in my head about what perceptions my friends must have of me.
Later that evening I met the real Fernando. I forced him to take my phone number (and simultaneously made him swear not to tell Guys and Dolls that I gave him my number because I felt bad for shooting G&D down).

Johnnie Walker Black
There was a raffle drawing at the party with several bottles of liquor as prizes. My friend Holly had tied on a few drinks and was in charge of passing out the raffle tickets. At the end, she had several left over and passed them over to me (hee hee, I think I had 9). BUT I STILL DIDN"T WIN!!! I was slightly distraught over the fact that I had such a good chance of winning but didn't actually win. A few minutes later I was talking to one of the guys who won and telling him my sob story about how I should have won, was only one number off, blah blah blah and he gives me his prize - the bottle of Johnnie Walker Black: which I don't drink, but it makes a nice decoration on my liquor display. The other girls didn't really witness this whole exchange (I dont think) and they all wanted to know how I got the bottle. I bragged about my woman superpowers.

**Side Note: I did tell Fernando that I never write about this stuff on my blog but he said he didn't mind.

Ugly Sweater Party

2007-12-16T00:12:00.000-05:00

*Red and Green courdoroy holiday vest that makes you look like Santa's Elf, 7$
*Sexy turtleneck with penguins and christmas trees, 3$
*Size 3X whipstich sweater with gigantic holly leaves and sparkle, 7$
*Rummaging through the racks at the JC Journal Square Goodwill for an Ugly Sweater Party.....Priceless

I don't think I need to write anything else, except this: Mags came up with a really good point about ugly sweater parties..If you want to have a party and don't want guests that show for an hour and leave, then have an ugly sweater party. You really can't go anywhere else like a party or bar hopping looking like that so you are forced to stay where you are accepted for what you are wearing.

Hookah and Polish Rap

2007-12-14T23:54:00.000-05:00

So, my roomie for the last few months was going back to college (she was a co-op, which is like an intern) and we thought it only fitting for her to have a going away party. Being the good roomate/boss that I am, I decided to call ahead and make plans. I found a place that I had been to before - Sin Sin. I really only wanted to go there because of the name - it sounds like fun huh?

So, I make the call to get some tables reserved. We have a pretty diverse group of friends and I wanted to make sure that the place had a good mix of people that show up there regularly so that we weren't caught off guard. The guy assured me it was usually a big mixed crowd.

So, we get to the place and to our pleasant surpise, it had turned into a hookah lounge. I don't remember it being a hookah lounge the last time I was there, but thought it was a cool touch. Got a little off track here, the point of the story has nothing to do with it being a hookah lounge, but I hadn't ever smoked hookah before so I thought I would throw that in for good measure.

ANYWAY, back to the story. So, all the guests start arriving and the music starts playing and we mingle. Its getting pretty crowded with our group and a bunch of other people when Maggie all of the sudden looks at me and says, "hey, this is polish rap!" (Maggie is Polish). So, we thought it was interesting that they were playing a Polish rap song, but then all continued to mingle. The next few songs were all in Polish, and some guys also had called us over to the bar because they wanted to buy us a shot of Polish vodka. Maggie starts talking to the guys and we find out that it is Polish Happy Hour. Apparently there is a myspace site that plans these events and we just happened to be there the same night. We enjoyed talking to our new Polish friends. After a while, we got tired of not understanding the music though and left for Manahatta.

Here is a Hookah pic

Home to Utah for Turkey Day

2007-11-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

Dad and Me = Utes Tailgate

This year, my friend was kind enough to offer me a ticket to Utah to go home. He was heading home and had a buddy pass. The dates were hard to get right around Thanksgiving, so it ended up being a long stay in Utah and we took the doggies so they wouldn't have to be kenneled. At the airport, the flight was delayed. So, we went to the crown room or presidents club or whatever it's called and drank rum. This was my first time going to the crown room. I had no idea you could get free drinks like this - which was nice because the delay caused some stress and it took the edge off.

The funniest part about the whole crown room experience was the crowd. There were tons of people there because of the delays. I never thought this could happen, but it did: So, I mosey on up to the bar to get a drink and while I am waiting this guy starts talking to me. HE TRIES TO PICK ME UP... AT THE AIRPORT. I'm all ghetto'd out to get on a plane - have been standing in line shuffling dogs around the airport and am annoyed and irriated, just need a friggin drink. By far, it wasn't my best day or best look. It was hilarious.

While in Utah, I did get the pleasure of going to tailgate before a Utes game. Here's the thing... my dad and I went up there to tailgate but he had a party planned that night and we couldn't stay. So, we just tailgated and left when the game started.

Spent Turkey Day with Kenny, Denise and dad. Drank too much wine. It was a good time.

Olympic Deja Vu

2007-11-10T21:17:00.000-05:00

Within the span of about a week, two of my old co-worker friends came in to town for work related travel. I worked with both of them in sports broadcasting for the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. I hadn't seen either in about 5 years so it was completely ironic that they were both in town for separate jobs in such a short span of time.

Dan, my friend from Canada, I used to like to call Dan Canadian. It was a play on the word DAMN Canadian. He spends most of his time in Beijing planning olympic broadcasting stuff there. And Mike, well I just called him Mike. He works for the HBO Boxing Circuit. They both travel for work all over the world and I knew that some day one of them had to end up here in NY for something.

My work schedule was pretty busy that week with lots of international IPOs, but I did get to squeeze in a little time. Dan and I went to a diner for breakfast as that was the only time we could both meet up. Dragging my ass out of bed on a Saturday morning at 630am is painful, but I hadn't seen my friend in a long time. Mike's gig was at MSG (Madison Square Gardens for you non-New Yorkers) and my girlfriend Maggie and I stopped by to say hello. There is a funny little side story here.

So, we get there and Mike has press passes lined up for us to get in to see some of the boxing match. We both had passes for guys - Maggie was "BOB" and she insisted that her name should really be Bobbette. I was Majid or something like that. I didn't have any insistance on being called anything else because I don't know how to feminize that name. Thanks Mike for hookin' us up pimp style ringside. It was the coolest thing and my friend Maggie now things I am the *shit*. Also, for all the single ladies out there - I recommend boxing matches. TONS OF MEN and very little competition. I've been searching online to find out all the dates for the next matches - ok, not really, but I cannot say that the thought hasn't crossed my mind.

Here are pics from both visits.

Boston, Mass

2007-10-19T00:04:00.000-04:00

Freedom Trail, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Friday October 18

It was Friday and we were at our last port of the trip - it all seemed to have gone by too fast. Dad and I got off the ship and took a cab into the heart of Boston. I wanted to go to the office for my job there to meet some of the people I had never met before but had worked with on a daily basis. Plus, I got one of my friends to interoffice my laptop charger to me there.

After meeting up with my coworkers, Dad and I met up with the rest of our group at Quincy Market. I had been to Boston several times and really like the Freedom Trail and I wanted the others to see some parts of it. So, I was the tour guide for the day. We headed to Boston Commons (I got us lost along the way - true credit to the numerous times I had been to Boston!). We went to several cool spots on the trail and then got hungry. Denise had mentioned earlier that she wanted to go to Little Italy and have food. So, we headed over there. It began to rain and we chose to eat at a nice restaurant called Fiore. We ate outside, but then the rain became too much (even under the canvas) that we had to go inside. We had a few bottles of wine. Ron and Gloria wanted to check out. But we had another bottle of wine on the way. So, they left. The place was one of those restaurants where the front windows are in panels from the floor to the cieling. They were opened up into the street and there was sidewalk seating available. Ron and Gloria stopped at the rail and looked in...Ron grabbed his camera and pointed at me and said to Gloria "Look Honey, look who it is!" and started taking pictures as if I was someone famous. A bunch of people in the restaurant turned around and were looking at us. I grabbed my shades and threw them on, grabbed my glass of wine and pretended to be famous. It was absolutely fabulous. The older couple across from us kept staring at me for the next 10 minutes. I know they were trying to figure out who I was.

It was here that Deinse imparted her wisdom to us about hand washing in public bathrooms. She stated that when she washes her hands in public places, she sings the Happy Birthday song to herself while washing to make sure she washes long enough. Funny but ever since she told me that, I can't stop doing it myself. "Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday to me, Happy Birthday dear Rebecca, Happy Birthday to me". Grab towel, then dry.

After lunch, we wandered (slightly drunk) around little Italy and ended up getting cookies in an Italian bakery. Then we headed back to the ship to get ready for our formal dinner.

This was the mother of all formal dinners - the lobster dinner. However, most of our group was so turned off by lobster after the Lobster Shack Ron experience that no one really wanted to order it - well, I guess I should say Gloria and Denise didn't want it. I think the rest of us Masochists ordered it. We were all a little sad when Kenny and Denise didn't show up. After all, it was FORMAL night, and Lobster dinner - and Kenny HAD promised to show up wearing his Lobster hat. But, never fear, halfway into the dinner they showed up - hat on head and looking goofy. I guess he just needed a few drinks to get up the gumption to come in. All eyes were on Kenny and Denise when they came in.

I had several drinks and decided it would be a good idea to borrow Kenny's lobster hat and go get formal pictures taken at the photography studio. Very nice.

Later that night, it was pretty foggy and the fog horn kept going off. Ron and Gloria were in their room hanging out when all of the sudden their phone rang. Gloria picks up the phone and it is the ships captain. He asked them to turn off their light - their porthole faced the front of the ship and the captain explained that he couldn't see where he was going because of the glare from their light.

Portland, Maine

2007-10-18T00:03:00.000-04:00

Buoys, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Thursday October 18

Today we docked in Portland, Maine. We really didn't know what was in store for us that day and played it by ear. Kenny had rented a car for us the day before, so we had that one piece of the puzzle put together. I am not sure how we ended up decided to go to Kennebunkport, but everyone seemed to be in agreement. So, off we headed.

Once arriving in Kennebunkport, we proceded to park at an Honor System parking lot next to the democratic headquarters (which I found amusing considering Bush was famous for having a home there). A few of us had to find a bathroom which just happened to be the same place they had maps and tourist info... There was a pretty large and smelly lady sitting behind the desk in the tourist info office where the bathroom was. She talked my ear off while I held my breath - then I finally snaked a free map out of her and promptly left the building. Everyone thought it was the bathrooms that smelled, but I can attest to the fact that it was actually her - so greasy I think she probably hadn't showered in a week. It was pretty nasty but I was still nice to her.

Since I had the map, I took over as tour guide for the day - besides, everyone else had pretty much been tour guide already. I saw an advertisement for the "Worlds Largest Lighthouse" on the free map I had gotten and wanted us to head over there - to Wells, Maine. So, we did. What I didn't realize, is that I didn't read the entire advertisement. It was the Worlds Largest Lighthouse STORE... not lighthouse. One of the pluses was that the place had homemade fudge. I'm not kidding when I say that I think I 'tried' every kind. Marshmallow, pumpkin, peanut butter, walnut, snicker bar, halloween with m&ms, etc etc. So, we got there and shopped. We bought a ridiculous amount of homemade fudge and a REAL lighthouse map of Maine.

I wanted to see some lighthouses so everyone agreed to let me commandier the minivan. We saw Walkers Point, Cape Porpoise, Goat Island, Wood Island and the twin lighhouses at Cape Elizabeth. At Cape Elizabeth we decided to eat lunch at the Lobster Shack. Its a little old place where we can get together - Lobstah Shack, baby, lobster shack. Little play on Love Shack there.

So, Ron proceeds to order a whole lobster - we'll call him Ed. I was ordering my onion rings when I saw the guy at the oounter grab Ed from the water and chuck him in the to boiler. Poor Ed. It was pretty sad. A few minutes later, order 361 was called and Ron went to pick up Ed from the order sideboard. Ed was all in one piece, missing none of his parts (meaning, he still had his head, eyes, and everything else.) He looked at Ron, and looked pissed.

This didn't stop Ron from tearing him apart, limb by limb. Each time he tore, water and other things (I dont know what they were, or I would have identified them properly) oozed out of Ed. Finally, Ron got to the main part of the body where the green stuff (the Tamale as I am told it is called) was covering what I would consider the "good" part of the lobster. I am also so told that this green stuff is the best part of the lobster. Ron ate it and grossed us all out. Denise and Gloria couldn't finish their lunches after that.

After Lobstergate - we headed back into town and Dad, Denise, and Kenny dropped the rest of us off in town for some shopping. Gloria and Ron bought a $160 candy dish (on sale) with a Gecko that stood in the middle of it. She had eyed it early and wanted it badly - the clerk threw in the Gecko for free since it didn't technically come with the disk.

Back to the ship, I went to the place where you can post meetings for people on board the ship. I had been posting for the last two days for someone to meet me if they had a charger I could use for my laptop - but apparently none of the blue hairs on board even knew what a laptop was (ok, im kidding). No one met me again. I really wanted to upload my pictures and keep track of my writing so that I wouldn't have to write everything down after the fact (but alas, I am doing that anyway).

It was then time for dinner again. Every night we seemed to learn interesting things at dinner from our helpful waitstaff (waste disposal, what the hours and schedules are like working on a ship, etc etc). Tonight was no different and we learned about why a little boat follows our big boat into the harbor each time. Apparently, they don't really trust the captains of our ship to steer it properly.

After dinner, we went to the Schooner Piano bar- where our waitress showed us a few tricks. Jocelyn and Maureen came over to join us... the rest of us ditched dad to go to bed and he hung out with them the rest of the night. 330 am and dad finally arrives back at the cabin and SNORES the night away. At this point I am really deciding that I need some of those air traffic control ear plugs because mine aren't cutting it.

Bar Harbor, Maine

2007-10-16T00:01:00.000-04:00

Lobster Dinner, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Wednesday October 17

I think the coolest thing that I like about a cruise is waking up each day in a different spot. I don't have to pack my suitcase, take a plane, train or car, move to a different hotel....all I have to do is go to sleep and like magic I am in a new place. Today I woke up in Bar Harbor, Maine - self declared Drinking Village with a Fishing Problem. I have never been to Maine before - and I pride myself on the fact that I have been to most of the states. Maine was on my "to do" list, so now that one is out of the way. All I have left is Oregon, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Vermont, Hawaii, and Alaska. I think I can get Vermont and New Hampshire EASY (since I live RIGHT THERE!)

Bar Harbor was split up. Kenny, Denise, Ron and Gloria all had made plans to do a bike tour of Acadia National Park. Dad and I had plans to meet up with his friend Sue and do whatever striked our fancy. Sue met us at the Harbor and we wandered around through the stores. It was a pretty nice day - about 60 degrees and sunny and most of the stores in town were giving it thier last hurrah for sales for the season. Everything was on sale at low prices for the end of the season, and we were told that they kept the stores open this last day for the cruise ship. Most of the stores had "older than dirt" hats - which I thought was quite appropriate for our cruise crowd. I am willing to bet they sold out of those. After shopping for ahile, we decided to head to Acadia National Park ourselves. Upon arriving, we saw the bike crew just finishing up. They told us how great it was so we ventured in.

Personally, I really like lighthouses. I don't know why. I think it has something to do with my ex Bobby who always used to talk about the lighthouse at Cape May, NJ. I never have seen it - although it is pretty damn close to where I live so you would think I would just buck up and take the trip one day. Anyway, there were some lighthouses on the map we had and I wanted to go see them. The trip through the park along the way was really beautiful. The leaves had started changing there - not in full force, but enough to be noticable. We got hungry along the way and declared that the next place we came across that had lobster would be where we stopped. So we did.

We stopped at this little mom and pop joint in some small town - the food was good, the service was good, the Lobstah was good. We had a very delicious baked brie and blueberry appetizer. Dad and Sue had whole lobsters and I had a lobster roll. All very yummy. Our bellies were full so it was back to the road. We hit a few highlight spots and then I happened to notice an advertisement on the map for a winery. We decided we had time to add that to our trip, so off we went.

Next thing I knew we were at Sweet Pea's Winery. There was a small sign off the road that was barely noticeable and the place was hidden inside an old barn. The vines were all starting to wither from the fall weather but you could still see them - and you could see all of the Vineyard from the barn - so it was a small family owned winery. The wine they had was made mostly from different berries - blueberries and strawberries. Very fruity and sweet - not normally something I would choose. However, they explained that only certain type of grapes can grow in that area, so they can only make certain types of wine. From what I understand, the area is pretty well known for blueberries (hence the blueberry brie).

We headed back to town and met up with Denise, Kenny, Ron and Gloria at a restaurant in the harbor. Kenny had bought a Lobster Hat and was wearing it proudly - getting a lot of attention. He swore he was going to wear it to our formal dinner - Lobster night on the ship.

St. John, New Brunswick

2007-10-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

King of the World - St. John, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Tuesday October 16

Today we arrived in St. John, New Brunswick. New Brunswick was pretty cool when getting off the ship. At each port, there were always people standing around when you got off the ship to give you directions, set up excursions, and take your picture. But this one was different. All of the women were given roses - they had all kinds of different colors. And, all of the men were given a New Brunswick pin.

After arriving, we headed to the center of town to a shopping area. We really didn't know what we were doing - except that we wanted to get a car. At the shopping center we saw people from the ship - I immediately knew that they were from the cruise because a) I recognized some of them, b) the women had roses, and c) they were older than dirt. I found it amusing that they disembarked the ship, headed to the first shopping center with a food court and a cafe, and proceeded to sit down and have their daily over 70 coffee chat club. Here they are in some different place that they paid a lot of money to go to and they want to go and make conversation over coffee at the first place they come across.

The one rental car agency in town had already rented out all of there cars. So, 411 had one other option - Rent-A-Wreck. We know how it sounded, but it was our only chance at getting a car for the day. Of course, they had cars available and the man was on his way down to meet us with a minivan in no time.

After we met up with him, we had to drive him back to the Rent A Wreck site to fill out paperwork and drop him off. I believe it was on this trip that we started discussing one of our waitresses - Ishy. That was her name - it was short for something else but I can't remember what it was. Ishy had been working on the cruise ship for several years and was telling us about how she was ready to go back to Trinidad and open a restaurant. She had been doing the typical cruise ship work - 6 months on, two months off. And when I say six months on - its SIX MONTHS ON - 7 days a week. She wants to open a cafe or a bistro or something similar. Not sure exactly how we got on the subject, but Kenny, Dad and Ron had been making a play on words on her name ever since we learned it. It was - IS SHE our waitress? IS SHE bringing us more wine? IS SHE a nice girl? So naturally, in the car they were making the play on words again and were trying to help her come up with a name for her restaurant. They came up with "IS SHE the cook" - which we all agreed was pretty good. But then, I was remembering that she wanted to do a cafe. So, I thought a "cook" isnt the right name for the proprietor of a cafe and decided that "IS SHE the Barista" was a better name. We presented our idea later to her at dinner. She said she really liked it (but then again, maybe she just wanted a good tip - but she seemed genuine). Even if she didn't like it, she humored us and was very gracious.

After getting the car in order, we started heading up a road to some remote park that was going to take a long time to get to - we ended up thinking this through and decided that we wouldn't be able to see much of anything else if we made the 45 minute trip. So, we turned the car around and headed back to town Irving National Park was to be our next stop. HOWEVER, it was not our next stop. We stopped several times before finally getting to the park. I think we got lost and turned around about 10 times before finally stopping a local to ask for directions. He was a true Canadian - had the whole lingo down to a T. "Well, youe just goh up this road, 'eh. Then youe make a left, 'eh. Follow that down to the corner, 'eh." I think we were all so amused with his accent that we barely paid attention to what he was really telling us. So, we made a wrong turn two more times but then eventually found it.

Iriving National Park was wonderful. It had this nice little dirt road for the minivan since we didn't really have much time to hike around and see things. We made our first stop and hiked about 20 feet in, arriving at a rocky beach overlooking the harbor. The smell of the pine trees was infiltrating. So much so that Ron insisted on having a picture of himself sniffing one. He then broke off a piece and stole it out of the forest. FELONY. He's definitely going to jail. Dad became interested in all the shells and began picking them up. He stole some of those too. FEOLONY number two. What is with these criminals???

We posed for some nice pictures and then headed on our way. We made a few more stops - slightly disappointed that the leaves really hadn't changed as much as they should have due to the unseasonably warm fall. After the park, we decided to head over to the town's claim to fame - the Reversing Falls. The story goes something like this (and don't fault me if I get it part wrong, I am going only off of memory here and not actually making my lazy ass look it up on the internet so I can get it RIGHT). The tide comes in to the harbor area there through a small channel into the river. The river normally flows out to the ocean, but during the tide, the incoming current is so strong that it actually pushes the river backwards and creates a reversing falls. To be honest with you - you could kind of see it happening but the tide takes a long time to come in and it is pretty subtle - especially when standing from a viewing point a few hundred feet above sea level. About 15 minutes of watching it was really all I could handle - and it only was that long because there was a boat in the river that kept purposefully going into the falls and spinning around (otherwise I think about 2 minutes would have done it for me). Put this on the list of things I have seen in my life.

Later that day, our group learned about the waste on board the ship. Leave it to us to ask the really nitty gritty (shitty) questions at dinner. "So, what happens to all the shit? Does it go into the ocean?" For those of you who really want to know, the answer is no. It's pretty much like this - Brown goes down, yellow is mellow (I got that from Party of Five- the popular TV show in the 90s). Meaning, they kind of filter their septic tanks, then have the tough stuff cleaned out at each port. The rest goes into the water.

Halifax, Nova Scotia

2007-10-15T23:58:00.000-04:00

Cruise 032, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Monday, October 15

I got up early again and headed to the gym just in time to witness the ship pulling into the dock at Halifax, Nova Scotia which was pretty cool for me to see. I was excited because I have never been to this part of Canada - on the east coast. And, actually, I never really thought I would ever go. I mean, with all the hubbub about Europe, Asia and South America, who really wants to go visit the country next door that is so much like the one you currently live in... unless it just falls into your lap, like it did for me. Today was the only day that I attended formal breakfast dining and had it with Gloria, Ron and my dad. It was definitely better than the cafeteria style of the Windjammer Cafe.

Halifax was fun - we wandered around downtown mostly and Gloria served as our Tour Guide. She had read up a little on things before we left. We went to the Public Gardens and the Citadel.

Later we got a recommendation to go to eat at the Five Fisherman - which was a very very good restaurant. I was recently talking to a friend of mine from Canada and as soon as I told him where we ate he got excited and said that it was the place he likes in Halifax too. So, the place definitely has a reputation and we were all pleasantly suprised at how good the food was. We had a nice bottle of wine called Jost made locally and only served at this particular restaurant. I wanted to order Hot Rum and Cider (because it was listed as a favorite drink of the area in one of the tourist things I had read) but no place around there seemed to have heard of it.

On the way back to the ship, the guys shopped for Cuban cigars. We also stopped at a museum along the way. The museum stands out in my mind - not because we actually went in to see what they had, but because of their signs. They had signs that depicted picture by picture how to walk down stairs and also how to open doors. It was probably the strangest thing I have ever seen.

Later that evening, after our usual dinner in the dining room, we spent some time at the champagne bar. Denise and I both showed our coin tricks to the group and entertained ourselves. After the champagne bar, we found ourselves yet again at the Schooner Piano Bar along with our new friends Jocelyn, Maureen and Angela from the UK.

Cruising at Sea

2007-10-14T23:56:00.000-04:00

Me, Gloria, Denise and Dad at piano, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Sunday October 14
Today was sea travel only - no ports. Despite going to bed early, I woke up late at 9:30. I guess 12 hours of sleep was what my body needed. I went to the gym and worked out and the coolest thing happened. Earlier that morning, the captain had made an annoucement that he had spotted whales close to the ship. I was still in bed when this happened, so I didn't get outside fast enought to see it. But, when I was working out in the gym, the big panoramic window faced the front of the ship. Midway through my workout I got to see a whale blow water. It was really neat!! Today I fully took advantage of the steam room and sauna after my work out. I spent a pretty good chunk of the morning at the gym and it was relaxing.

To completely ruin all that hardwork at the gym, my dad and I went to Johnny Rockets for lunch. I really like the burger joints that will substitute a veggie patty for any one of their specialty burgers. I don't eat burgers, but a veggie burger with all the trimmings will do me good any day. I also must have eaten 3/4ths of the basket of fries and onion rings. You would have thought that I hadn't eaten either of them in years.

Later that day, I attended my first ever art auction - partly because I wanted to see what they had on board, and partly because they were handing out free champagne and a free work of art for attending. I had no false ideas in my head that I would be able to afford anything there, and I was correct. There were Dali's, Rembrant, Picasso, Peter Max, Matisse, and Kincaid - along with several others. The highest bid that day was 38k - and many of the pieces went for what I would consider "larger" sums of money (over 5k). The rest of the crew played in a slot tournament while I became artsy fartsy.

After the show, I was a bit tipsy from the Champagne and had decided to look for my dad and Kenny. I had heard that they might be playing golf. Only problem was that I didn't know where the golf simulator was on the ship. I wandered around for a while looking for it, but got lost. I was wearing this cute plaid miniskirt that I had gotten in Atlantic City and wool tights. I was out on the ship deck when I saw one of the crew memebers talking to an older man. I walked up and asked if they knew where the golf course was. Right when I did that, a huge gust of wind came up and blew my skirt up to my chest. I shrieked, and then did my best to hold it down. The guy was midsentence telling me where the golf place was. I started holding my skirt down and walking away - he seemed offended that I wasn't listening to his directions but I had just had my skirt blown off of me and I wasn't sticking around for it to happen again.

Later, we had dinner in the dining room and the boat was really rocking. I felt dizzy and almost like I was drunk half the day. This was the night that we took notice of the Cackler and the Hackler. At the table to our left was a woman who hacked and hacked all through dinner. She continued to do this the rest of the cruise, sounding like she had smoked a pack and a half a day for the last 20 years. To my rear, there was another woman who had this horrendous laugh (and she was ALWAYS laughing) and we named them the cackler and the hackler.

After dinner we went to see the on ship entertainment - purposefully catered to the older crowd on board. "The Happenings" had a a few hit songs - like "See You in September". One of the singers looked like Marlon Brando, the other looked like the Geico Caveman. One looked normal but smiled way too much. The funniest thing was that there were two people to the right of us that were there together to see the show and they were sleeping. The best part of the show was when they played Sweet Caroline. We all chimed in on the chorus - adding our "so good, so good, so good" and I think we seriously annoyed some of the other people next to us.

After the show we headed again to the piano bar. Tonight they were playing a trivia game - our team was one of the winners and dad got a free luggage tag (woo hoo). We met up with Jocelyn and Maureen, two gals from England. We had a lot of fun chatting with them and ended up challenging them to a game of Scrabble after a discussion about which country uses English properly (US or UK).

New London, Connecticut

2007-10-13T23:55:00.000-04:00

Steam Train, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Saturday October 13
After finally falling asleep, I woke up in New London, Connecticut to a brisk morning. Completely motivated to not gain any weight on the trip, I headed to the gym at 730 (plus, it did help that I couldnt sleep due to the snoring). After the gym, we disembarked the ship and hooked up with our rental car and headed to Essex, Connecticut for our shore excursion.

The excursion consisted of taking a steam train through part of Connecticut, then a boat, then back to the train. Kenny and Denise had signed us up for the Parlor seats - advertised as "riding in 1920's spelndor". This was pretty cool - we each had our own comfy recliner type chair, except it doesn't recline. You know, the kind you find in Grandma's livingroom. Another highlight of the trip was that they served wine and beer for our trip. Naturally, we ordered.

After traveling through an unimpressive show of leaves in Connecticut, we got off the train to board a boat - the Becky Thatcher. I personally just liked the boat because of it's name, but who can blame me. Kenny and Ron were being a little crazy on the plank boarding the ship and they got yelled at by a shipmate named Al who told them not to horse around. Al was old and definitiely overly militant, which caused us to make fun of him the rest of the trip - declaring him a fun hater. While on the longer than it should have been boat ride, we got a little bored. We were sitting right next to the mens room and decided to take over granting permissions for entrance to the bathroom. We decided to ask the next person for their "pee pass" (which was a play on words from our SEA PASS cards we were required to carry on and off the ship). So, the next man comes up and I ask him if he has a pee pass card, we started laughing so much that I don't remember what his answer was. Probably had to be there but it was still funny.

After the boatride, we returned to the the train. Prior to leaving the train, the waitress had promised to save our same seats for us. We got back on, but someone had already inhabited the seats (a nice young couple with a baby). The waitress made the young couple move for ME (after I had already sat down in a different seat- telling them it was 'reserved') I felt pretty bad, but she had already made them move, so I went up to sit with them anyway.

We headed back to the ship and got ready for our first formal dinner. We hadn't showed up in the dining room the night before, so we got to meet our waiters this night. Wilma was our head waitress - she introduced herself as Wilma "like Fred Flintstone Yabba Dabba Do". Oliver was our waiter and Ishy was our assistant waitress. This night I had escargot for the first time in my life. It was good - kind of meaty, very garlic-y, and kind of reminded me of portabello mushrooms sauteed in butter and garlic. I liked it. Of course, we enjoyed a nice bottle of wine.

After dinner, I went for my free facial. It was really nice and very relaxing. I went to bed early and got a few hours jump on avoiding the snoring. The rest of the crew spent the night in the casino playing Texas Hold Em. Kenny took money from the table!

New England Cruise

2007-10-11T23:53:00.000-04:00

The Ship, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Day One

Thursday October 11

After an unusually short day at work, (meaning, I worked 10 hours instead of the usual 13 plus), my coworker Jackie and I grabbed a bottle of wine and headed to my house to wait for my father to arrive. He had rented a car with his friend Sue and they got lost on their way to Jersey City....But I DID warn them to get a GPS as Jersey is infamously known for people getting lost. After they arrived, Me, Ryan, Dad, and Sue all headed over to meet up with the other cruise passengers Kenny, Denise, Ron and Gloria. They were having dinner at the Sheraton so we decided to have dinner there too. The dinner was ridiculously long and the service was horrible, BUT the company was good. We enjoyed some wine and food.

Friday, October 12

Being the procrastinator that I am (partly due to real procrastination, and partly due to the fact that I work too many hours), I didn't start packing until the day we were set to leave. I was finally ready later in the day and we headed to the ship to board. For those who have never cruised before, I learned a little something. When you give your bags to the ship people, they don't show up in your state room for several hours. So, make sure to bring what you are going to need for a few hours! We checked out our stateroom, then cheked out Kenny and Denise's state room. Their room was way better - they had a balcony. But hey, any room is good enough for me to enjoy!

True to cruise protocol, our first major event upon arrival was to eat. We headed to the "Windjammer" cafe where a carribean man coaxed me into a pina colada right off the bat. Denise warned me that they would be pushy about this but I was oblivious.

Day one was also the day where they make you do an emergency drill. They force you to put on your life jacket and head to a certain area where you can be briefed about the emergency procedures of the ship. It was all sort of surreal and funny to me, and it kind of reminded me of titanic where everyone was walking around with the life jackets. There were SOOOO many elderly people on this cruise. They kept saying that in the event of a real emergency, the procedure was to gather warm clothes and any medications, then head to your assigned location. All I could think about was how much medication was on board that ship due to the large population of people over the age of 70.

About 30 minutes into the trip, right as we are approaching the Verrazano Bridge, the ship comes to a full stop and started heading back to port. This was the first medical emergency of the trip. I wasn't lying when I said there were a lot of very old people.

Later that night, we all headed to the "Shipshape Spa" for a drawing. They were giving away massages, facials, and other spa type things. My dad's name was called for a free mini facial - which was pretty funny. I thought for sure he would want to use it for his birthday (not), and he ended up giving it to me. I scheduled for the next day to have my facial.

We spent the rest of the evening checking out the ship and then ended up at the "Schooner Bar" for the remainder of the evening. It was a piano bar with a singer who claimed to be the man of 1000 songs. He was a good entertainer and indulged us with many requested songs while we belted them out at a table alongside the piano. A good end to our first day....UNTIL we got to our room. My dad snores and this night was no exception. I was told that it is worse after drinking. I got up halfway throught the night to get my earplugs and put them in. They didn't work, it was too loud. Needless to say, that helped me with my motivation to get up early the next morning.

Rolly Polly Fish Heads

2007-09-16T21:43:00.000-04:00

Went deep sea fishing for the first time ever for a work event in Atlantic Highlands NJ. Some of the things I learned today: when you fish, you have to hold your thumb on the reel line or else it gets all tangled up and the fishermen aboard get annoyed with you. I did this about 6 times. After the third or fourth time I stopped telling them that I messed up their pole and just grabbed another one. The next thing I learned is "no poles in the holes". I know how this sounds....but what it really means is that you cant leave your pole in the cup thingy in case you get a bite. I also learned that big fish require big bait. These suckers were getting like half of a little fish. Despite all the things I learned on this trip Shenosky and I were the ONLY two people on the entire boat that didn't catch anything. So, I guess the last thing I learned is that I am not destined to be a fisher-woman (which I already knew anyway).

September 11, 2007

2007-09-11T21:12:00.000-04:00

I was laying in bed tonight looking out the window at this (the picture) and thinking about how every year they put on these lights and I look at them from my apartment and never take a picture. I wasn't really feeling well but hopped out of bed anyway and walked the two blocks to the water. I forgot my tripod and was sure the pictures weren't going to turn out. I must have taken a zillion pictures hoping that a few would turn out not blurry. Here's the one I picked to put on my site.

Which brings me to my next random thought... why can't I just take pictures for the rest of my life? I wish sometimes that I could go back and do it all over and be a photographer. I suppose I could do that now, but what a trade of in income it would be... Oh well. I guess I will stick to doing this on the side for fun.

Ocean City - Labor Day

2007-09-02T20:39:00.000-04:00

Labor Day was fast approaching and Maggie and I were bound and determined to go to Miami, but then we didn't plan very well. So we decided to just go anywhere that we had never both been - but it got to be last minute and that didn't work out either. SO - we checked with our friend Jess and planned a girls weekend in Ocean City, Maryland.

The most memorable moments for me:

We are playing football on the beach and these guys approach us and ask us if they can play. We look over, they have their own football sitting on their towels about 30 feet away (hmmm). So we say sure, and they play with us. They start asking us what we are doing that night and we say we dont really know and ask them what are the good places to go to. Prior to our trip, I had done some research on the internet for popular places to go out at night. I blurted out, "hey, what about the Bearded Clam". It had been listed as a popular night spot. As soon as I said that, they busted out laughing. I didnt realize why, at first, and then I was completely humiliated. I didn't realize what that sounded like!!! I think Maggie and Jess laughed so hard they almost peed their bathing suits.

#2 - On the second day, we went to Assateague Island but ended up getting there later in the day and the parking lot was full. We had to turn around and go over the bridge. We lugged all of our crap about a mile to get to the beach because we really wanted to see the ponies. By the time our day was done, we really didn't want to lug all of our crap back, so I stuck out my thumb and we hitchiked back to the car in the back of a pickup truck.

#3 - we bought Gummy Teeth and took pictures with them while looking like complete dorks on the boardwalk.

#4 - We went on a sunset cruise with a really southern goofy ass tour guide who seemed like he had just smoked a big joint before taking us on tour. Got to see the dolphins and a great sunset.

#5 - the lifeguard at the beach went into the ocean for 2 minutes and jess and maggie dared me to ask him if he went to pee. he full on admitted to it. jess bet me 100$ to ask him.

More Pics if you are bored... http://www.flickr.com/photos/quimerizar/sets/72157601911088969/

And, Mags says this one is a good one of me in a bikini since I know you all have been anxiously awaiting one of those. http://www.flickr.com/photos/quimerizar/1344074508/in/set-72157601911088969/

A little bit of Country in NYC

2007-08-30T20:52:00.000-04:00

So, I'll admit I'm not the the number one country music fan in the world, however, that has never stopped me from going to a concert and having a good time. I do like to listen to it from time to time and plus, Kenny Chesney is such a little hottie and very fun to watch. We stole these cowboy hats off the heads of some guys and forced them to take our picture so we could live in the moment. Two NY city wall street girls donning cowboy hats at Madison Square Gardens. We did it up right with beer and hot dogs to boot. Yowsa.

Yet even more funny, I always seem to not realize that my camera is switched to video instead of "picture" mode and end up with these stupid videos where we are posing for pictures. They never fail to crack me up every time I watch them though. I probably have about 30 of them. (not all from this night of course!!)

The Old Gang

2007-08-20T20:31:00.000-04:00

The old crowd was back together again - and some things never change. It was nice to be back in the comfort zone with old friends, having dinner at favorite old restaurants and drinks at favorite old bars. It reminds me of when I first moved to New York and Vinny and Christine were always showing me around - to this place or that. So here we are again, reminiscing the good old days when life was a little less complicated and we all shared together in our little part of the city. Such a big city can seem so small when you have good friends to pass the time.

My Sappy Post

2007-08-19T15:13:00.000-04:00

As I sit back and reflect on the last 10 years of my life today, I realize how much I have changed. I know that I am not yet the person I want to be (we all have our flaws). But I am slowly getting there.

Years ago I would sit back and take things as they came. People would tell me what to do, and I would do it. I would let people take advantage of me, say things to disturb me emotionally and not show anger, avoid confrontation, and didn't ask for what I wanted.

I was thinking about the last few years and how moving to New York has helped me change. They say that New York people are hard.. and maybe they are. But, I am thankful that I have had my time here. Living here has given me confidence and strength.

I remember when I moved here alone in April 2004, only knowing my good friend Christine. I was scared and excited all at the same time. That was where I had my first change. I remember going to my interview for my job and thinking that I was just going to go in there and be a new person. I wasn't going to be demure and submissive. I was going to go in there and be the stronger person that I wanted to be. And, I did. I went in there and said things I would never say. I took the reigns.

From that point on, I began to start doing things for myself more and started to expect more things from others. Some didn't like this because my expectations for them had changed and they had to give more to me to be in my life - and when I say give more, I mean time and emotion not money. This created significant life changes for me but I am thankful now to be where I am and who I am.

I know that it will continue to be a journey for me to keep changing into who I want to be and learning about life along the way. But, there is something to be said about living in the moment and being satisfied.

Habitat for Humanity

2007-08-10T20:19:00.000-04:00

This year for my corporate sponsored community service day I decided to sign up for Habitat for Humanity...partially because I waited so long to sign up and it was pretty much the only thing left, and partially because each year I consider it and then usually change to something else due to location and ease of getting there by train.

The house we worked on was in Patterson NJ. I have never really been to a city like Patterson - where the whole thing just seems like the town is dying and run down. I'm not going to lie, I was a little scared driving through there. I borrowed my friend's car and ended up getting lost because apparently the thing to do in Patterson is to steal the street signs. I'm not joking when I say that about 60% of the street signs were missing. I had no idea where I was going and the neighborhood was pretty shady.

After finding the place, we got right to work putting in subflooring which was kind of exciting for me. I hadn't done any real home improvement-type stuff since I left my house in Salt Lake (minus putting in a linoleum tile floor in my apartment).

There was a typical 'girly girl' that had signed up for the event. She stood around for a few hours and did NOTHING - which was very annoying. She did spend a lot of time texting though... I finally looked at her while the rest of us were working and asked her if she wanted me to show her how to hammer in nails. She reluctantly agreed and I got to watch her fumble with the hammer one nail at a time. It was actually kind of funny considering she was wearing her Juicy Coture and seemed worried about breaking a nail. She disappeared a few more times, then disappeared for good. Why on earth would she sign up for an event like this? Maybe she was in the same boat as me, ran out of choices. But I am guessing that it was more that she ran out of choices but still wanted a free day off of work. She is not in the pic since she disappeared or I would have pointed her out to you.

Happy Bday to Toddsky

2007-08-04T20:10:00.000-04:00

21st birthdays only come along once in a lifetime and it's always fun when you get to be a part of one. My friend Todd turned 21 while on a business trip to NYC. We went to 230 5th Avenue which boasts that it is the largest rooftop bar in Manhattan (which I totally believe!). Its an upscale swanky type of lounge that was a lot of fun.

My favorite parts of the night.. watching the bday boy imbibe and totally enjoy himself and Maggie and I lying to men who were trying to pick us up. Here's the story behind that...

We have these two guys that work with us that lie like hell to girls all the time when they go out. They make up stories and tell them that they are traders to get them to like them and the girls always believe it. They put on sports coats and go out to make the story more believable. So... these guys were hitting on Maggie and I at the bar and they were slightly annoying - you know, trying to build themselves up and bragging about what they do. Come to find out they work at a competitor. We wanted to shut them down.. so we lied and told them we were international equity traders. It took about a full two minutes before they turned around and left. Hilarious. Success in life is measured by career, sucess in picking up men is measured by how much less intelligent you seem to them.

Brunch Crew

2007-07-21T10:44:00.000-04:00

I've probably written about this before but here goes.

Jersey City finally felt like home to me last year after I met my neighborhood friends. It all started with my dogs and the dog park, and then branched out from there.

I am not sure how the weekend brunch thing actually started. It was almost a year ago and a group of us started going to brunch regularly on Saturday or Sunday depending on schedules. Whoever can make it shows up. Sometimes people bring new friends to introduce to the group.

We sit around and shoot the shit - catch up on each other's lives and things going on in our little corner of the world. I think I lost this kind of community for a long time and I am glad to have it back. In Salt Lake City, it was easier to do this... I had next door neighbors in a small enclosed community where you saw each other every day. Here, where everything is so fast paced and less social, most people I know don't even know their neighbors - even if they see them every day. It was a nice change to be able to find these kind of friends here and to really feel like you belong to a neighborhood.

This picture is the majority of the brunch crew - eating at Beechwood Cafe on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

Stone Street after Work NYC

2007-07-19T21:53:00.000-04:00

Stone Street after Work NYC, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

So this is our regular hang out for after work in the summers in NYC. The street is lined with bars and each bar sets tables out onto the cobblestone for their patrons. The entire block is always packed with people... Lots of men in suits, working women, and then the gold diggers that come to find a husband. It is a popular Wall Street hangout since it is conveniently located about a block away from 'the street'. A typical afterwork scenario goes like this.....

A group from work strolls over to Stone Street and into the first bar on the street that looks enticing. We all order a few drinks. The boys - pictured here - have a few drinks then start to meet some of the lovely ladies that have come out for the evening. They lie to them and tell them they are international equities traders and all kinds of other lines and the girls believe them. The rest of us sit back and watch it all happen and enjoy the show.

Maggie and I decided to try this once just to see how it works. We were at 230 5th Avenue (a nice bar) after work one night a few weeks ago. We ran into some guys at the bar who wanted to talk to us. We figured that telling them we were traders would probably have a reverse effect for us ... so we tested it out. About 45 seconds after we lied and told them we were traders, they left. Poor guys and their egos - fun to watch.

Water Main Burst

2007-07-07T10:33:00.000-04:00

Today was a typical Saturday... cleaning the house and toolin around. I had all the windows open in the house. I love to do that, especially when I clean. I have these big windows with long white curtains and I love to watch them blow in the wind. It reminds me of one of those advertisments for a hotel with a balcony in a tropical destination - some woman in a flowy skirt standing in the entry way looking at palm trees and the ocean. ANYWAY (wow, talk about digression).

So I was cleaning and I heard the police come by outside on the street in their car and they had their speaker on. They made multiple announcements to "The residents of Jersey City" about how it is unsafe to drink the water and to stop drinking it immediately. No teeth brushing, nada! Thank god I had a giant thing of spring water in my fridge.

Not thinking too logically, my friends and I decided to go out to dinner in Hoboken. Why we thought that the water would only affect the residences and not the restaurants is beyond me. We finally found a restaurant that was serving - they had cleaned their veggies earlier in the day and hadn't run out yet. It was a good dinner and the funniest part was that we could not order water to drink...so we were all FORCED to drink some liquor :)

Squire Open 2007

2007-06-30T22:54:00.000-04:00

Every year a friend of mine from work organizes a golf tournament to benefit St. Rose's hospice in New York City. It is mostly people from work who play. This is the third year that I have participated. This year was a little different because I didn't have to bum a ride. Ryan and I were playing so we took his car. Jenn came along for the ride and took pictures again this year. She took this picture posted here - which turned out to be my favorite from the entire trip.

The country club that we play at each year is very nice - well kept greens, beautiful views. Its so nice to get out of the city and into some greenery and sun for a day here and there. I can really think of nothing better than a nice sunny day, a round of golf, and a few cocktails with good company.

You are probably wondering why it is called the Squire Open (and spelled differently!). The guy that organizes the event has a nickname, "Squire". It's his tournament, so rightfully named after him.

There is something special to me about a round of golf. I am not sure how I began to love the sport - I never really had any interest in it until about 1998. I do remember my dad taking me on some of his golf trips when I was younger. I remember he had a hand cart that he would bring along on his trips. He gave me a ride on the cart along with the golf clubs (of course, I was much smaller then!).

I remember my first time that I actually golfed a real game. It was about 10 years ago. I had randomly decided to go with some friends from work. I specifically remember going to the driving range, and my friends were teaching me how to hit the ball. "Keep your head down (still a problem at times!), "Dont try to hit it so hard", "Use the club like a pendulum", "Plant your left foot", and all kinds of other stuff. I am grateful to those friends back then - Specifically Kim and Gregg, who taught me these first things and to love the game.

I had played a few sports prior to that like soccer or baseball, but really the extent of most of my physical activity growing up was in dance. So, golf was very out of my element but grew on me immediately. I never thought I would like it until I tried it.

I think the thing I like about it most is the pace. It is not too fast, but not too slow. I like the fact that it is semi social - you can really get to know your co-players over 4 (or in my case 5) hours and 18 holes.

My most memorable game was a tournament I played in Utah. It was at Homestead and I played a decent round... for me. The most exciting part about it was that I had won the closest to the pin contest on the par three. I really enjoyed it because there was a ceremony afterwards and I received my prize in front of all of my coworkers. I know it sounds a little cocky, but it really made my day. There weren't a lot of women, and I beat out a few of the better male players so it really boosted my golf confidence!!

Well, enough babbling... May there always be a green to play on and friends to share the tee box.

Cousins Come to Town

2007-06-21T10:24:00.000-04:00

So this week was a pretty busy week for me. My Cousin Debbie, who I haven't seen in years, came to town with her friend Beth. I worked during the week but took off on Thursday to hang out with them. During the week we did have dinner and spend some time together too.

Its nice to have visitors come from other places. I enjoy the fact that I can have people come and stay with me and see a place that they have always wanted to travel to.

Although I am not "in" Manhattan anymore, the two blocks to the skyline is really spectacular. It is a beautiful view.

There are many times that I struggle with the city vs. suburb decision. I really love New York City for its eccentricity like China Town, Little Italy, the museums, and all the great food and shopping. But, there are other times when I go away and visit my former homes where I really realize that I work too much and don't really have some of the same qualities of life that others have. I guess it is a trade off. Many times, I feel like I am at the right place to advance my career but maybe am not in the right place to really enjoy my life. The balance between work and home does not exist here to the same extent as other places.

When I went home to Utah for two months earlier this year I felt like I was in another world. I got to spend time with my family and friends but not the same way I do when I am here. The community is different. It's hard to explain. I have things I love about both places.

US Open

2007-06-17T20:53:00.000-04:00

The last few weeks of my life have been so much more fun than than I can remember. I have had a roommate that just moved to New York and he is staying with me temporarily until he closes on his own place.

I love people who can be completely spontaneous. There is something to be said for being able to just jump at an opportunity and do something. You just can't find a lot of people like that. So, I was randomly searching the message board at work on a Friday (totally uncharacteristic of me...I hardly find time to even get up and grab something to eat for lunch) when I came across tickets for the US Open for Golf. I shortly thereafter got the tickets and that evening was headed to Pennsylvania. Long trips never seem quite so long with good company.

The next day, we planted ourselves at the first par three in the course to watch the golfers.. then realized we had passes to the American Express VIP tent. This entitled us to free food and drinks, so we naturally hung out close to there the rest of the day. After a few hours, we got a little tired of watching golf and did some shopping. He got a few shirts for friends and family, I did the same. I also got my long wanted golf skirt (soon to post pic of that!).

We stayed at a ski resort that night and had a nice dinner at the hotel. Sunday we headed back to NYC.

You know how there are certain things you will always remember in your life... this is one of them. Great weekend. And the best part is that there was not any particular fancy thing that made it spectacular. I have always wanted to go see a golf open and it was fabulous. Couldn't have asked for anything more.

Goodbye Paris !

2007-05-26T16:01:00.000-04:00

Spoon Restaurant, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Day three started with having to get up at a reasonable hour to check out. We went downstairs to check out of the hotel and Sophie handed the man the certificate to let him know that she was a secret shopper. He said in a very thick French accent, “you are in-spec-tor?” It was pretty funny. It reminded me of Steve Martin playing a French man in one of his silly spy roles. They gave us cookies and tea bags for our home bath tubs (too bad mine doesn’t work!!).
We then headed out to the Four Seasons. Upon arrival, they greeted us and knew our names as they were helping us out of the car. I was completely amazed. How the hell did they know who we were? I mean, I am sure we weren’t the only guests scheduled to arrive that day? We walked into a marble floor lobby filled with stunning lavender roses and Purple orchids. The place was covered with them. I was in awe and couldn’t stop looking at all the flowers. The pictures I have don’t even do it justice.

The staff was very friendly – it was Madmoiselle this and Madmoiselle that. We were told that our room would be ready at 4, but that they would keep our luggage for us and we could use the spa until then if we wanted to. We had already planned to go to the Louvre. It was raining and cold.
The Louvre was a whole other adventure in itself. I had a few choice things that I really wanted to see – the Mona Lisa and Aphrodite. Sophie, Ed and I made a plan that if we got lost, we would meet at the information center. Literally, 2 minutes into being at the museum we got separated. I didn’t know it at the time, but they got stopped at the ticket entrance because of a bag Ed was carrying. I waited at the top of the stairs for a while but never saw them. I knew they were headed to the Mona Lisa, so I went there to find them. Along the way, I quickly passed by some Raphael, David, and DaVinci works. And then, I came to the room with the Mona Lisa. I walked in and was immediately filled with emotion. I don’t know if it was just because I had PMS and my hormones were out of whack (I mean, I can cry at a stupid commercial in that state), but I got teary eyed when I saw the painting and then turned around to see the depiction of the Wedding at Cana. It took me several minutes to become normal again.
Still no Sophie and Ed. So, I went to our rendezvous spot at the information desk. I waited for about 20 minutes and there was no sign of them, so I figured they had just planned on meeting at our leaving time. I went to go back in and couldn’t find my stupid ticket. They wouldn’t let me back into the exhibits. I even tried showing them my credit card receipt. I was soooo annoyed!!!! I knew we would be leaving in about 45 minutes, and I didn’t want to pay again just to spend that short amount of time there. Then, I got tired of standing and decided to sit up against a wall. I sat there for a few minutes until one of the security guards came and made me move. Then I was really annoyed. It was right then that I took a picture of my irritated self.
Soph and Ed were there after a little while and I lost all of my irritated-ness as minutes after reuniting with them. We headed back to the hotel to get into our room, change to nicer clothes, and experience the European tradition of High Tea, a first for me.
High tea was expensive, but definitely worth the experience. I ordered the Complete Francais high tea – it came with Champagne, my choice of tea, Lobster, Caviar, Crab, Éclair with Gold, Rasperries in Grapefruit Mousse, Lemon Tart, a Madeline, something similar to a blueberry muffin, and an apricot pastry type thing. We sat on velvet furniture in front of a very expensive lookin tapestry while listening to live piano. The funniest part was when the piano player did his own rendition of Pink Floyd – “The Wall”. He also did the Beetles. The whole experience took about two hours. And, for the first time in France, I tried out some French that was more than a Bon Jour, Bon Soir, or Par le vous Anglais. After being coached by Sofie and Ed, I asked for the bill. It was very exciting for me.
Ed and I hung out down in the lobby for a while longer while Sophie went to the room. We went to the bar and each had a Dirty Martini and chatted with some of the other hotel guests. One man in particular, we had a conversation about liquors with Birds in them – Fowl Liquors. Famous Grouse (which we were unable to determine how it was famous and we never heard of it), Grey Goose, Wild Turkey, and Cold Duck. All of this conversation was much to the dismay of his stuck up girlfriend who was annoyed that I was talking to him. Ed and I thought it was funny though.
We headed back up to the room at 9 and decided to all hit the spa. Bathing suits in tow, we went straight to the Jacuzzi. Not sure if there is a temperature issue in France, but the Jacuzzi was a little on the cold side. After we all turned into prunes from the Jacuzzi and Steam Room, we raided the juice bar of “spa juice” – a concoction that was a murky green but tasted pretty good, and apples.
Back in the room it was a sad evening. My last night in Paris. I packed up a few things and then hit the sack. Time to say Bon Soir Paris. Until next time….

Paris Day Two

2007-05-26T15:59:00.000-04:00

Me Eiffel, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Day two started with breakfast on the Champs de Elysee. We stopped at “Paul”, a bakery that had all kinds of pasteries and sat outside on the sidewalk tables enjoying our breakfast. The day was cloudy, but at least it wasn’t raining anymore. We decided at breakfast that we would do the total tourist thing and get a double decker bus pass.
After breakfast we wandered around and stumbled upon the Eiffel Tower. All of the sudden, we went past a building and there it was. It sounds corny, but it gave me goose bumps. We walked over to the Siene and took a few pictures, and then we saw the bus. We figured we could probably catch the bus somewhere around there. So, we tried to find the bus stop without any luck. We even tried to follow one of the busses to see where it stopped with no luck (the bus was too fast!). Eventually we got frustrated and decided to go back to the hotel to figure it out.
After getting directions to a bus stop at the hotel, we hopped on the bus but there were no seats. We got tired of standing up and decided to get off and wait for the next bus. That bus was full too. So, we got on anyway. The tour was really cool… I swear I will never make fun of the NY tourists again for taking those busses. Because of the short amount of time I have here, it was ideal because I got to see a lot of things that I wouldn’t have been able to see, even if it was from a distance. We decided to get off at Notre Dame. The cathedral was immense and ornate. I am learning that everything in Paris is ornate. They really care about making things look nice here – and CLEAN. For such a big city, I was surprised at the cleanliness. I guess I am so used to dirty New York .
The cathedral had a mass going on and obviously it was all in French and I couldn’t understand a word they were saying. I liked it when they got to the parts where they would sing (music has always been my favorite part of the mass).
After Notre Dame, we went to a sidewalk café again. I had a really yummy French bread, brie, tomato and cucumber sandwich. It was here that I was introduced to my favorite French food – Croque Monsior. Sophie ordered it and I got to try a bite. I put this on my mental list of things to order for myself before I leave. It’s basically a ham and cheese sandwich and they toast it and melt a few different cheeses on the top. Not fattening at all. Croissants and cheese, how do these people stay thin? It was at this restaurant that I also noticed a uniquely Parisian thing… Dijon. I had noticed it at the other restaurants but thought it was a fluke. But now I know, that no table in Paris is complete without a little jar of REALLY HOT Dijon mustard. I began to put Dijon on everything. It was sooo good. French fries with Dijon, French bread with Dijon, Croque Monsior with Dijon. Ummmmm.
We headed back toward the hotel and after getting off the bus we ran into a parade. I am not sure what it was for but they marched with a band and flags up the Champs de Elysee to the Arc de Triumph. I kind of got stuck in the middle of the street so I got a good view of all of it. What a nice surprise. I know it is totally nerdy but I like that kind of stuff. Did a little shopping, where I saw a man who was taped to a tree. I don’t know why but it was probably one of the strangest things I have ever seen. Then I was approached by a man wearing a blue baby outfit and a woman (who I think was his wife) wearing a pink baby outfit. For some reason they wanted me to “kiss the baby”. They were talking up a storm to me in French but again, I had no clue what they were saying. I said “anglais” and they. Back to the hotel for a while to rest. I took a bubble bath – something I can’t do in my apartment in NY since the shower thing-a-ma-jiggy that converts to the bottom spout doesn’t work. It was very relaxing after touring around all day. And then it was time to eat…. Again! We headed out to a place called Citron but it was closed (on a Saturday night?). Went to plan B – Femmete Marbeuf, but it was stuffy and we encountered a rude woman who shushed Ed when he asked for a table for three (in French!), then spouted off something that I am sure wasn’t nice but couldn’t understand. And then the last word “reservacion”. Ok, I get it now. She didn’t have to be a bitch about it!!
So, we ended up eating at another choice down the street. The place was not as stuffy and it ended up being a much better choice. They had Sangria after all.. who could go wrong with that. It made me want to whip up a batch of my own sangria when I get home. I ordered a prawn and Andalusian rice dish. It was the first time I have had prawns served to me with the head on it – little black eyes looking right at me. I peeled off the heads and ate the shrimp the way I am used to. This was after having half a basket of bread with Dijon spread all over it. The waiter gave me a free glass of sangria – said it was the last glass in the pitcher. I didn’t complain.
And then it was time for dessert! I had a Grand Marnier Flambeed Crepe. Soph had Crème Brulee and Ed had some mix of chocolate gelato stuff that was really good. It was quite a nice evening and I felt like Violet in Willy Wonka (the one who turns into a giant blueberry and rolls away). Food coma overtook my body and I went to the hotel and went to bed after doing a little midnight shopping – which I found to be really fun and slightly crazy that the stores were open.

Bon Voyage

2007-05-24T15:56:00.000-04:00

My Room II, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Today I left for Paris. It has been a busy week. Work was a little crazy with this new type of deal we were working on. We were short staffed and it was stressful. I had very little time to do anything… couldn’t even get to the store before it closed to get dog food. So, it was rush rush all week long until Thursday, then rush to get home to get to the airport.

My friends Sophie and Ed had the driver swing by and pick me up. It was a long trip to the airport. We left at 5 and got there around 6:15. We waited in a horrendous line to get checked in. The line was so long that it got to the point that we had to be called up to the desk because it was getting close to our flight time. We got put to the first of the line to go through security though, so that was nice.
Our flight finally left at 8:30. I am a horrible flyer. I don’t get nervous or sick or anything like that. But, I can’t sleep. And, for those of you who know me, I don’t function well on little sleep. It’s like I am in the twilight zone. So, I ordered two of the little bottles of wine to try to make me tired, but I still barely slept.
We got to London early in the morning, then hopped another flight to Paris. After getting here, we got a little lost in the airport trying to find the train. Then, we found the train and took it to our stop and ended up on the Champs Elysees. With suitcases in tow, it looked like the hotel wasn’t far from our stop. We should have just needed to walk toward the Arc and then turn right one block and be there. Somehow we missed the street we were supposed to turn on and spent the next half hour trekking around downtown Paris with our suitcases. It was fun to see the streets but I do imagine we looked a little silly. We stopped a few people on the street along the way and asked for directions. They were all very nice and tried to help.
We finally got to our hotel around 5pm, and the hotel was beautiful. The man at the front desk was very kind. When he realized that Sophie and Ed were a couple and that I was there alone, he offered to split our room into two rooms for the same price. Then, he personally took us to each of the rooms and showed us around – down to pointing out where the hair dryer was. I have never been to a hotel where they do that for you!
After settling in, we took a short nap then headed out for some food. We ended up at a place on the Champs de Elysee, a sidewalk café. French bread and quiche along with some Pinot Noir got me off to a good Parisian start. Half way through the meal it started to rain. We were under cover, but the wind was blowing the rain onto us, so we went inside. Then, it started to pour. We had no umbrella, so couldn’t really leave. We sat in the restaurant for quite a while, then ran store to store, dodging in every few feet to get out of the rain until we eventually got back to our hotel.
One of the things I have noticed since I have been here is that the men here are different. They smile at you a lot (unlike men in the US). It’s really nice!
Got back to the hotel around 8pm and I was completely exhausted. We decided to take another nap before heading out. Needless to say, that was the end of the night for me. Sophie and Ed called about an hour later to see if I was ready to go out but I was probably barely comprehensible on the phone. They went out and went to dinner.
I woke up at 2:30 in the morning to a traffic jam below my window. Apparently the police start to ticket the cars around that time and it backs up the traffic. It was worse than New York with the horns. I didn’t realize that there was this whole ticketing thing going on and I couldn’t understand why these people were laying on their horns for 30 seconds at time. I was laying in bed and getting so frustrated! Finally, I went down to the front desk and asked what was going on and the man told me about the ticketing and traffic back up, and then he gave me ear plugs. He warned me that the same thing would happen again tomorrow.
Back up to bed…I couldn’t sleep so I cleared out my email in my blackberry while laying in bed. How fun.

Goodbye Salt Lake- Back Home to NY

2007-05-12T17:29:00.000-04:00

Bob and Maggie Bday Cookie, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Birthday Number Two for Maggie
So, we were invited to a party at my friend Big Schlomboski’s house on my last evening in Salt Lake. My dad, Maggie and I headed out to Draper to drink and be amongst friends. After eating, they broke out a cookie that said Happy Birthday Bob (on the left) and Maggie. Was so thoughtful of them to remember her. I tried to make Bob stick out his tongue too for the picture but he didn’t do as good of a job with the instructions as Maggie. I think we should have given him more booze but he said he had to go to the gym or some crap like that! Maggie and I put a big dent in a bottle of Captain Morgan after a really tough day at work. Just what we needed. Played pool in the basement with the guys – we both had a great time. And now, it’s back to New Jersey and my long lost friends there. Will miss my times in Utah but can’t wait to see my pals!

On a much sadder note...the pimp cup mentioned below in the last post broke during my trip home. I was distraught.

Pimp Cups

2007-05-08T17:27:00.000-04:00

Melting Pot Pimp Cups, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Happy Birthday to Maggie. Tonight, we went out in style. I made pimp cups. We were supposed to have a joint birthday party in the city but I got sent to Salt Lake. Originally, the plan was to have us be the stars (or pimps) of our own party and we were gonna have the pimp cups sportin in NYC. But, that didn’t work out and I made them anyways. Mags and I took them out for her bday in Salt Lake City instead. We went to the Oyster bar and these two people next to us bought us a drink right away (they loved the pimp cups too). It was a really strong shot and we were both on an empty stomach. We got toasted in about 15 minutes. Then we headed to the melting pot, donning our glasses at both locations and drinking from them and just being the cool people we are. BTW, Maggie and I fought over who weighed more but we weigh exactly the same amount to the half pound. Random information.

Happy Sumo

2007-05-08T17:26:00.000-04:00

Happy Sumo, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Today, to finish up my last week in Utah, I went for sushi for the first time since I have been here (minus ordering in for lunch one day). We went to the Happy Sumo. Maggie asked, what is SAKE (as in heaven’s sake) and why is there so much of it on the menu. She was serious. This is why I love her.
We had a nice ensemble… some Tuna Tataki, Sake, some rolls with crab, eel, octopus, tuna, and shrimp. Yum. And the pounds keep a comin.

This is Why I'm Hot

2007-05-06T17:24:00.000-04:00

Maggie Golf, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

So, Maggie and I went golfing today at South Mountain in Draper, Utah with some friends. This was Maggie’s first time and she did a pretty damn good job. I am proud of her. It was really too cold that day though so we bagged it after the 7th hole. Still a good time!

As a side note, we went out for Cinco De Mayo the night before, got up and went to breakfast hung over, then to golf, then to work for several hours. Went to the hotel to check Maggie in and saw this big tour bus parked outside. It was for Mims – the guy who sings “This is why I’m hot”. He happened to be staying in the same hotel and Mags and I saw him there. Then, later that night, we were walking back from dinner and ran into him in a parking lot. We looked like CRAP – sweatshirts, jeans and tennis shoes. He asked us if we were “comin to da club”.. we laughed and said something back to him and his friend. Then we turned around to walk away , still within earshot, and Maggie grabs my arm and leans over to me and says, “This is why we’re hot”. I almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard.

Cinco De Mayo

2007-05-06T17:20:00.000-04:00

Corona, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

Happy Cinco De Mayo
So, cinco de mayo is not really cinco de mayo unless you have some tequila and corona’s right? So, that’s what we did. Plus, as an added bonus we have a sombrero picture.
Mags and I went out to Port O’Call in Salt Lake City again to celebrate with some of our co-workers (Anne-Marie, Ellie and Landon). We danced to the disco drippers, got some free drinks, broke some corazones. It was fabulous.

Fondue - Melting Pot

2007-05-05T17:15:00.000-04:00

Fondue - Melting Pot, originally uploaded by quimerizar.

So, I have developed this routine with all of my coworkers that have come out to help train the new team in Salt Lake. I pretty much take them to all the same restaurants. The Melting Pot (or, The Pot for short) is one of those places. I love this restaurant. It is a four course fondue dinner that starts with Cheese, then Salad, then a main cooking style, then chocolate. We all loved it. Check out the dessert plate. This is why I have gained 10 pounds and can no longer fit into some of my clothes. When I get back to Jersey this is all coming to a screetching halt. There is no way I am keepin this ten pounds!