Santacon Saturday

Today in NYC is Santacon... it's basically a pubcrawl but everyone participating must dress up as Santa Claus. When I first heard about it I was planning on partaking of the festivities, but it crept on me and I didn't have the energy to go buy any Santa regalia. Nevertheless, it really warms my heart to know that there is always something badass going down in the Big Apple.



Last night was a "Bossless Happy Hour" put on by my boss. Both the academic and operations departments have been without immediate supervisors and we have been relying on our Center Director for direction and support. (And I love Greg, I think he is the best boss / supervisor I've ever had the privilege of working under) but he referred to himself as "the grandpa who spoils us" so as a last hurrah before the academic manager starts next Monday, he took us all out for a happy hour. And of course, my "I'll just stay for one drink" turned into a few more than that. And tonight is a cocktail party at the former academic managers' place, actually in my neighborhood, so I didn't want to spend the day drinking at Santacon and then going for cocktails.

In exactly a week I will be in a plane on my way to California! But I've got a lot going on before that: Cocktail party tonight, church and open play volleyball tomorrow, last volleyball game on Wednesday, the company holiday party on the East Side on Thursday, and training my fill-in all week for my two weeks off... it's going to be amazing!! Like a winter break in college!

May I add that we are all incredibly excited for the holiday party next Thursday? My company may have taken away our color printers, but I don't think they will ever forfeit our monthly happy hours or holiday parties. I'm excited to be in New York with corporate where they really know how to throw a good gig... these things are apparently legendary. Yesterday during our lunch break, Jayna, Jenny and I headed off to Macy's to help Jayna find a dress (I will be reusing my Vegas dress from October) and it got me really excited for it! The only problem is that it's going to be on a Thursday! Hmmm.

Time for me to go running in Central Park. I have a few new Ke$ha songs to run to!



This picture is from a few weeks ago, but still cute. I was probably excited about my freshly threaded eyebrows. I love that. (P.S. I was wearing a strapless top, not naked!)

BODY FUZION

I was thinking about how next week is the last volleyball game for the fall season, and how I was sad because I want to continue to be active, and even take it up a notch. Everyone says it's hard to do things in the winter around here because it's just too cold.

Still, I thought about getting some winter warmups for running in the cold, and then I thought about aerobic videos, and then I remembered this little number from SNL that I just love and couldn't resist showing. Anyone who ever saw their moms aerobic videos as a kid can appreciate this (suffer through the ad, it's worth it!)



Also, I'm not sure if it's possible but I think that I might be getting sick again?? At this point I just want to be home already :/

Eight days!

Dive Bar

I went to Boston this past weekend, got in late Sunday night. On Monday, my team had a make up volleyball game at a gym just a few blocks down from my place. Because of this, i was easily swayed to join them afterwards to the nearby "Dive Bar" (called Dive Bar) where we crowded into an already crowded bar for the Jets v Patriots game, and watched the Jets be absolutely annihilated (much to my joy!) over pitchers of Brooklyn Lager.

Tuesday was the late night venture into Koreantown with Reginald + Betsy & Co.

Wednesday was the regularly scheduled volleyball game and after the late night Monday rounds, I decided I would go straight home after the game. HOWEVER... I didn't take into account that we would have such a fabulous game that should have been shown on ESPN! Our normal setter was out, so our designated coach told me I would be setting in her place. I have to say that I am not half bad at setting up the ball for some hits, but since the setter controls and manages the court, I didn't want to do it! However, it ended up being awesome, I had way more of a workout from the run-around, and got to have SO MUCH netplay! I was blocking balls at the net, tipping them over and down, and setting up our hitters left and right. We won the game by a game point made by a player who had fallen and was laying on the ground as he hit it! It was incredible, so I had to go for a celebratory drink... again at Dive Bar, and again going home pitchers of Anchor Steam later. And it's right in the neighborhood so it was a short walk home. (Mind you this picture below must be from the summer cause there is DEFINITELY no one sitting around OUTSIDE at night with the weather we have now!)



I hate that volleyball is only 1 day a week (having the double header this week was great!) I want to join some more sports and be more active during the week, but it gets expensive. I really should've taken more advantage of those sports and activities in school while I was a student.

Down to 9 days (single digits)!

Koreatown

Before I moved to NYC I had never had Korean food, not even once. I couldn't even tell you what constituted Korean food or even a basic idea of the cuisine. And now, maybe it's just more popular here, maybe it's because I work so close to Korea town, or maybe I've just finally branched out, but since I've been in New York City, I can't even count how many times I've had Korean food now.

I bring it up because last night Ronnie's mother, who is in town, took us out to dinner... a table of 5 friends which included ourselves and Betsy and Casey. It was AMAZING, not only to have dinner with everyone, but just Ronnie's mother herself, who apparently only trusts Queens, Bloomingdales, and Koreatown, for her living, shopping, and eating needs while in New York City, respectively. She was so concerned about everyone enjoying their food, that everytime I ventured a name of what I was thinking about to Ronnie she told me "no". And actually, her and Ronnie ended up getting into an argument about my meal... and Mother Ronnie won! I had some sort of barbecue bul go ki beef? It was delish. And the appetizers were all good too, except anytime someone would reach for something Mother Ronnie didn't think they would like, she would tell them "no, don't eat it". At the end of the meal she ordered this icy soy dish for us. She is so sweet! After that we went and got coffee and tea, and Ronnie made me order the "Longing Heart" tea, which looked like an aquarium. It was a good mid-week meal and fun to see Betsy and Casey too!

On the way out, I went to the same subway stop as Ronnie and Mother Ronnie, who didn't like where we stood. "No light! Come this way" and walked us over to a brighter platform. When the train was coming: "Ronnie! Stand back!" She was just the cutest thing ever!



I am happy to have so many Korean experiences with Mother Ronnie in them

Snow Flurries

In checking the weather for Boston for last weekend, it kept saying there would be "snow showers" on Sunday. Though my bus left in the late afternoon, I never did see any snow.



This morning as I left my apartment for work, I was thinking about the missed snow, and walking to the subway, it looked like there was debris, or ash, in the sky. I realized that it was snow. It wasn't sticking, and it wasn't very heavy, but the first snowflakes of the season are here (time to man up and go get my winter wardrobe stocked... anything more than the 3 days worth I have now is probably a good thing).

Boston in Autumn

This past weekend was my 3rd trip to Boston this year... my very first time was in the spring, then I hit it up (along with Cape Cod) in the summer, and now my autumn trip to visit my friendy-wendy Chrishon.



I always took the train up to Boston, it was generally a 4 1/2 hour ride non-express (sometimes more) and could cost upwards of $60. However, I found this express charter bus company in New York that travels to Boston and Philadelphia for about 1/3 of the price and gets there EVEN FASTER than the train since there were no stops inbetween. The cons were: no room to move, me getting very nauseous from the car sickness, not a lot of room to move, getting stuck in traffic in and out of Manhattan. Also, waiting in the cold at the bus stop was... cold, but I did get to see Sandra Oh walk by.


(Of Grey's Anatomy and Sideways fame)

Since Chrishon and i go between Boston and NY to see each other, at least it's good to know there's a cheap alternative to the train.

I had forgotten to charge my camera battery, so I didn't get more than 3 pictures out of the trip, but it was still great. Chrishon and I went out to the Boston Commons and got Starbucks, walked some of the Freedom Trail, and just explored the downtown, stopping into some of the historic buildings, shopping around.



I must say, of all the US cities I've visited, none makes me feel more connected to history and thankful for this country than Boston. (Not even DC!) As the birthplace of the revolution, the whole town, the statues, the museums from original houses, meeting halls... they all boast of the workings of the Founding Fathers, of where they met to discuss independence, to plan for the revolution, etc. It was their workings that gave us our freedom and our nation...


(Old South Meeting House)


...and some good beer, thank you Sam Adams!

The city was done up right nice for Christmas, it was so festive and beautiful! I was in heaven with Starbucks and the lights in Boston :)


Pretty pretty Winter St


The big beautiful tree behind Faneuil Hall

On Saturday night, Chrishon and I also went out to eat along the Charles River (and got our entire meal comp'ed + desserts, since they had to have us move tables for a huge party coming in, not bad!) and then we made drinks and got ready at her home before heading back out and going to an Irish pub / club (pub on the first floor, club on the second!) called Sissy K's, it was great music, reasonable drinks (I think everything is "reasonable" coming from New York City) and fun people.


Look what the K stands for... and even spelled correctly!

It was a quick trip, but so fun and refreshing. Always nice to have company and be in a new city.

Happy Hanukkah!

I knew a handful of Jewish people in California, I'm not an alien to all things Jewish, but nothing says the Jewish experience in America like being in New York City!

The first night of Hanukkah was last night, and my work has a menorah on the front desk in the lobby and it's so festive! I just love holidays, and learning about new religions. I have met plenty of Jews in the city here, their devotion all varying degrees, but I love telling them Happy Hanukkah (really gotta work that word-initial pharyngeal fricative too) and hearing about their celebrations.



...another seven nights of fun!