Happiness Is Not A Warm Gun

...it's when I get off the subway at Herald Square on my way to work and the first thing I see as I'm riding the escalator up, is this larger-than-life billboard sign towering above us all



I gots to get my White Album on... to the tune of Sgt Pepper. <3 New York City.

Nineteen Days

...until California!

Blue Skies, Sunshine

...and 34 degrees Fahrenheit. One thing I'm not used to is freezing weather in clear skies with no snow on the ground. Yes I actually spent most of the weekend outdoors in this weather. What scares me is that it's not even snowing yet! I met up with my friend from Westchester and we were going around Central Park when he said "Winter really is on it's way" and I said "I thought this WAS winter!" It's such a fun change though, I really do enjoy putting on the scarves and jackets and gloves before heading out, and it's fun being outside all bundled up, and the air seems so fresh when it's frosty.

This morning I went to church and then went and spent time at Battery Park (I love sitting on the benches there and people watching on a background of the ocean and the Statue of Liberty). It was SO COLD that I felt it was finally time to go buy earmuffs or a beanie that covered my ears, but every store I went in was either too expensive or too crowded, so it put me in a sour mood.

To make up for it, I visited Michael's a few blocks from me to buy a few Christmas decorations as a pick-me-up! I would love a tree, but it seemed too impractical, so I got a small wreath for my door, some lights, some sparkly red and gold poinsettias for the vase on my nightstand, a scented candle, and since I have that fireplace, I couldn't resist getting a stocking to hang up over it. My ears may have to stay cold until the next paycheck, but it's worth it because I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

Christmastime!!

Now that Thanksgiving is officially completed, I can now start celebrating Christmastime!!!!!!! MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR, and so far, New York City is second only to Germany in its love for Christmas, and even then, there's a chance that the Big Apple may surpass it! There are huge snowflake lights on the lampposts up and down my avenue, the shops at Columbus Circle have amazing 3D color changing stars hang in the windows, and the trees are PURE LIGHTS....

The stars...



The trees...



I can now light scented gingerbread candles, drink gingerbread lattes from Starbucks (to me, that's a Christmas drink... I still indulged in the fall classics like pumpkin spice and creme brulee in the meantime) I will shop in the Christmas markets at Union Square and might try to go see the lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza this week (haven't decided if I want to battle that crowd yet).

Thanks to Cousin Bobby, I have a program that burns DVD's, and combined with my Netflix account, I have been Netflixing like crazy, not even watching, just burnin' and returnin'... burning tons of Christmas movies in preparation for the season! First up, maybe Nightmare Before Christmas?



In other news, I have changed my alarm to the radio instead of a buzzer (love it!) and am now addicted to this song I have heard every day this week (including this morning!)

I feel the sun creepin up like
TICK-
TOCK-
I'm tryna keep you in my head but
IF-
NOT-
We'll just keep runnin' from tomorrow with our
LIPS-
LOCKED-
Yeeeeeah you got me beggin' beggin' baby please don't goooooo ...!



...although all music soon subject to morph into my Christmas favorites, like Jimmy Eat World's Last Christmas, and the whole third volume of Maybe This Christmas Tree, that I've been addicted to every holiday season since 2003! (Compilation CD of contemporary remakes of Happy Xmas (War Is Over), Baby It's Cold Outside, Jingle Bells, and complete with a Death Cab for Cutie's version of Baby Please Come Home, and my favorite, though non-traditional Fairytale of New York by Pilate)



I'm ready to go outside although I don't dare go near the shopping... I think I will go run / power walk around the Central Park meadow just down the street from me. Only 22 days until I'm back in California!

HAPPY THINSGIVING!!

This morning I woke up, had coffee, then got ready and made the trek to Queens to celebrate Ronnie & Kristin's First Annual Thinsgiving! It's a healthy, fat free take on Thanksgiving, celebrated by just us, the two loneliest kids in NYC on the fourth Thursday of November this year.

I had been really sick all week, and went straight to bed after work yesterday because I felt so blah and my nose wouldn't stop running. So it was great to wake up feeling better.

I thought the holiday-schedule trains would take forever but actually it was great! Maybe I was just in the right place at the right time? The E train out to Queens was even running express :)

My contributions were the turkey (pre-made and seasoned slices from Whole Foods), red wine, pumpkin pie, and deviled eggs! I hard boiled the eggs last night and made them at Ronnie's



Now we're working on the stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans and corn before we set our table, complete with "mock brocc-tatoes" and homemade apple cider!

We are youtubing Thanksgiving episodes of TV shows and will watch The Family Stone over dinner. Ronnie says we have to walk 10 blocks on Roosevelt Island on the way to Betsy's east side apartment tonight to complete Thinsgiving, but the jury's still out on that one.

Ronnie would also like me to mention that the plates we will be eating on are... very nice.



Here is us in the kitchen, I'm enjoying my red wine from a fancy plastic cup!



This is our Thinsgiving stuffing: broth with vegetables and oats!



Our Thinsgiving feast! I told Ronnie we should have a centerpiece, so he brought out the "This Is Why You're Fat" book. Amen!

Thinsgiving was completed with Turkeyaoke (thank you Grease, Kelly Clarkson and the Carpenters!) and with a frosty TWENTY block walk around beautiful Roosevelt Island, and the East Side to feed Betsy's cats. I am SO. FULL.

...and so thankful (thinful?) too!

What Time Is It?

I cannot live without a watch! And since my Guess watch battery ran out I've only been able to use my Pierre Lanier watch my dad bought for me while I was in France, and now that keeps giving out. The worst part is that when I look at my watch, I have no idea if that is the time, or just the time it was when it stopped, because it keeps stopping and starting. So today at lunch I must have taken it to 4 or 5 different places for a replacement battery, but no one (not even a jewelers store) had the tools to remove the back of the watch! It was very frustrating.

In other news, I found the official webpage of the Empire State Building, which tells you what the different lighting means and when it takes place. Some nights it's just so beautiful, but you have no idea what the significance is! Well look no further, cause now we can all know!



http://www.esbnyc.com/current_events_tower_lights.asp

Down to 25 days!

Autumn in New York

Yesterday was such a wonderfully pleasant day! I was slow moving in the morning from the "happy hour" the night before, which turned into a "happy night". Usually our company happy hours are on Thursdays which, with work the next day, keeps them somewhat tame. But being on a Friday, it went pretty crazy! It started at 6p, and it was free flowing until I guess 9 or 10p? when a huge group of us grabbed a limo a headed up to the Empire Hotel's rooftop club. It must have been like 15 of us in that limo, so we were all just crammed in and laying on top of each other, but it was fun! We had a table at the Empire Hotel with bottle service, the music was good, and we had so much fun! I didn't get home til early morning. Considering how long it took me to come around the next morning, I'm starting to think that I can't keep up with NYC nightlife...!

On Saturday, I met up with Ronnie, Betsy and Casey near the Natural History Museum for a flea market and Shake Shack (but Ronnie brought me Fay Da Bakery treats!) and then we walked through the park. The fountains are off for the winter, but it was so beautiful!! Leaves everywhere and the trees all oranges and browns and reds. We wandered across the Boathouse and Angel of the Waters and found the huge Alice in Wonderland statue on the east side of the park.



When we came out on the other side, we walked to frozen yogurt before splitting up. Ronnie and I took a walk down 5th to do a little shopping (a sale at New York & Co got me two BEAUTIFUL and SOFT FUZZY WARM scarves!!) and go through the shopping district. While I still don't acknowledge the Christmas decorations, it was so warming! We looked at the window displays at Bergdorf Goodman and Bloomingdales, and went into Tiffany's! We walked to Columbus Circle and split up when Ronnie went to Borders and I went to the Lower East Side to meet up with an old friend.

Alex and I share a lot of memories from high school days! We were part of a pretty solid and regular group of friends, that I have no idea how we all disbanded and drifted apart, but I suppose it's inevitable. Alex was visiting the city as is a regular custom of his, and we met up on the Lower East Side, wandered up to the East Village for sushi, and then to Rockefeller Square to see the tree (it's currently still under construction but the ice skating rink is up in full glory! The ice skating rink that alEX says is for "children and happy couples").



It was great to catch up, and be with an old friend and a familiar face again. I am so happy that while time goes on and circumstances change, you just never know what life holds, and who you can run into again, and I'm so happy that the people I've met in life have been such great people I can still meet up with years later!



I am so so SO happy to be in New York City! With so much going on, such beautiful sites and scenery, seasons, and events, I am so happy to live here and be a part of all of it, be in the crowds and explore new places, and be able to come home to my little studio in Manhattan.



Today I am going to go play in a 3 hour open play volleyball with my team!

Surprise!

Now that the ticket is actually official, turns out the dates have been changed a bit, so I'll be leaving sooner and back sooner, which sadly means no DeMint New Year's Eve party, but I will get to welcome in 2011 from New York City

I've skipped from 33 down to 29 days in a matter of minutes!!

Lights in the City

New York City is already decorating and jazzing itself up for Christmas and I absolutely REFUSE to acknowledge it until Thanksgiving is over! I always noticed Christmas got pushed earlier and earlier, but this year I actually feel as though Thanksgiving is DEAD. There has been NO Thanksgiving memorabilia or decorations or anything! Did you know I saw Christmas decorations in the Penn Station Kmart before Halloween?! And everything went from Halloween to Christmas. To be fair, Hannukah is in the beginning of December so maybe they need to decorate sooner, but I refuse to take notice until AFTER Thanksgiving!!



Tonight is my work's November happy hour at the Triple Crown pub downstairs... looking forward to free drinks!!



Down to 33 days

Morning Sites

This morning I was running a little late and the #1 train has been so bad lately that I decided not to switch at Columbus Circle but instead stay on the C train which stops at 34th St, Penn Station, which means a few extra blocks to walk to work, instead of the 1 train which lets off ON my block, but it's so easy to embrace it. Less time in the crowded subway, more time on the brisk streets of Manhattan, and always great views of the Empire State Building, framed by American flags from here or there





I still haven't gotten tired of seeing this.

P.S. 35 days until California!

The Queen

So I have to admit that I am a part of this crazy crowd obsessed with Prince William and Kate Middleton and I am JUST. SO. JEALOUS! I mean, she was just a normal human being, and now she could potentially be the Queen of England! I want to be the Queen of England! I was stewing over it all day and reminding my coworkers every chance I had that I wanted to be the Queen!

So, before heading down to the Triple Crown pub, I put on some Aveeno oatmeal lotion I keep in my desk drawer, and Jayna calls me elitist. I tell her "Well if I want to be the Queen of England, I have to start acting like the Queen of England" and to THAT Jayna responds "Well you know what they say... dress for the job you WANT, not the job you HAVE" We were laughing about that one all the way down the elevator and into the bar.


(Does anyone else think this looks like Grandma Shaffer??)

I now plan to show up to work in ballroom gowns, gauntlets, and a crown

Upstate in Westchester

This morning I got up early and took the Metro North Rail up to Croton-Harmon in Westchester. It was an hour train ride right up the Hudson River and was a beautiful trip, the reds and golds of the trees were so vibrant.





I was meeting up with a friend I made from my Central Park picnic on Memorial Day, and he lived up there. He picked me up from the train station and we drove another 15-20 minutes through the town and into the hills to a lake and went walking around the grounds. It was SO BEAUTIFUL. It looked like woods you read about in storybooks and fairytales. Mark said in the winter they ice skate and play hockey on the lake when it's frozen over. It was a lake with wooden bridges, lined by fiercely red and yellow and brown leaved trees. There were rivers, and streams, and foliage covered all the sidewalks. There was even an animal rescue area of wooden shelters of different animals: rabbits, porcupines, opossums, vultures, bald eagles, and owls, which were so regal and wonderful to look at. It was such a beautiful place!



It got cut a little bit short since I had to meet someone in the city at 4p, but it was a great day trip and felt so good to be out of the city for a little while and be in fresh air and gorgeous scenery

Happy Birthday Cherisse

I can't even count all the memories I have with Cherisse, from being young (Monopoly games with incessant stealing from the bank, spanning strings of soda cans across the street and dont forget that RIDICULOUS Beauty and the Beast game for the computer I used to cry over because I couldnt bake the cake but Cherisse was a pro), growing up (photo shoots at Mission Bay, grandma's 90th birthday party, and sneaking out of Christmas to get Jack In the Box since dinner was taking too long for us) to being grown up (going to her wedding, her surprising me at my college graduation, visiting her at her and her husbands house in North Carolina) and though I haven't seen her since Valentine's Day of last year I think, I am still so thankful that she is in my life and we are celebrating another year of Cherisse Leann! (Unfortunately I only have more recent photos on this computer)

Family Picnic 2005




I completely fell and ate it right after this picture was taken




Christmas 2005


Family Picnic 2007






Grandma's 90th... November 2007








Cherisse's Wedding... December 2008


Cherisse and I off a stop of Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia or North Carolina


Me and Cherie at her old house in North Carolina


Happy Birthday Baby Gurrrrrrrrrl!!

The Chrysler Building

It's my favorite building in NYC



I love seeing it by day, and especially when I am out on the town at night and it is in the distance and I feel like wow, this is where I live, it's in my city.

I also love the cold. All the nice weather in California, and San Diego especially, really jaded me, it was so stagnant. Here it's indicates change, and I like feeling the cold air on my face, it feels fresher.

Tomorrow is a run to Target and I'm looking forward to loading up on some mittens, scarves and other winter wear

If We Just Give It Half a Chance

Happy Monday! I had a great weekend and am somehow not falling over from exhaustion at the keyboard, so it makes for a good week, I think. I'm finally making friends enough with people that I have weekend plans and places to go!

After a day of sleeping in and cleaning, friends and friends of friends came over to my place to meet up and try Absolut Brooklyn (a Spike Lee invention of Absolut vodka with red apple and ginger flavor... goes amazing with ginger ale!). It was my first time seeing Betsy since we graduated! Not only is she a class of '08 Gaucho, but she was also a resident of the Scholars Hall in the San Nic dorm, and now she's in NYC with me and Ronnie! Who would've guessed?? You just never know where life will take you.

Betsy and Ronnie:


Me and Betsy:


Anyway we headed down to see my coworkers' band play for their album release show at a venue called Arlene Grocery in the Lower East Side.



It turns out we were lucky to get in since they hit capacity and lots of people got stuck out in the second bar room. It was so fun!! Lots of coworkers, and lots of fun. For some reason, the first time I saw their band it seemed to have a distinct reggae sound. This time, it was totally The Cure meets Echo and the Bunnymen and is introduced to Muse. I loved it! And I forgot how much I love going to shows! I feel like I used to do it every weekend my sophomore and junior year in high school, why did I stop? I love live music!



After the show we went a few blocks over to Kush and were there for a few hours. I knew about this place from when the San Diego crew was down. It's a Middle Eastern themed bar that always plays fabulous music!

Gauchos Locos, what's wrong with us 3 in this picture?


Here's a much better one of the Scholars:


New friend!:


And me. R.I.P. the Mermaid Necklace. It was my birthday gift from Ronnie in 2006 and met its end in this night


Everyone left after awhile and then it was me and Jayna, and after we went back to Arlene Grocery, we wandered the Lower East Side being loud and obnoxious, getting on motorcycles and singing to the masses, made it up to Sing Sing in the East Village before getting pizza in Union Square and calling it a night.

Sunday for me was spent sleeping in, a big breakfast, and watching Seinfeld before I headed out to Queens for dinner at Ronnie's place. After getting LOST (WHY is there a 72 Ave, 72 Rd and 72 Dr ALL RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER!?) we had a great dinner with dessert and tea over Korean dramas, the real housewives of New Jersey, and a few other select viral videos.

It has been SO FREAKIN' COLD, I am very thankful for my Skullcandy headphones that have been acting as earmuffs in the meantime.

I actually have songs from Saturday nights' show stuck in my head and have hit up ReverbNation.

And if we just give it half a chance at love
Maybe it will grow
And if we just give it half a chance at love
Maybe we can know
And we can sell it on a true romance
If we just give it half a chance
So baby take me to the floor and dance
And give it half a chance

I actually legitimately like the band now and am not just saying that because I know someone in it! (Below is my coworker on the right, and his brother as lead singer on the left)



44 days and counting...

The Countdown Is On

...until I'm back home for the holidays!

I'm excited for the holiday season, and especially to see it in all it's glory here in NYC, but I've hit a wall of slump in the city. I feel like I've gone such a long time just in the grind, and I'm really missing home, and my friends.

I'm looking forward to cruising around Riverside in the smoggy heat, visiting friends and having no curfew like it's high school again



48 days and counting...