merry christmas, everyone

Wishing everyone love, happiness and peace this Christmas.

can you read this?

So my friend Shelley, a very established and veteran blogger, brought it to our attention that there is actually a "Blog Readability Test" that determines the level of education required to understand the contents of a blog. I guess mine is at College (Post-Grad) level. Weird. I love that the badge above that defines my blog as "College" level is visually represented with a test tube, some kind of generic rocketship, and an atom of some kind. Because that is EXACTLY how I remember my college years.

As I commented to Shelley, I would have thought mine would be at "Pre-Kindergarten" or "Remedial" since I haven't blogged in weeks.

a tearful evening

Tonight I made dinner for a friend, and I have never shed as many tears as I did tonight while preparing it. I didn't even think of this before, but now that I've had eye surgery and have been contact lens free - my eyes are a lot more sensitive to onions than they have ever been before. When I used to wear contacts, I used to be able to chop onion upon onion without ever shedding a tear. Not anymore. By the time I got halfway through the onion, the tears were pouring out of my eyes, my nose was running, my mascara had streaked all over my face - and I could barely see the onion on the cutting board. I have never been like that before. I guess that's ONE drawback to no longer wearing contacts!

christmas in new york, part II

I've been a little delinquent with my blog these past few weeks - for a whole host of reasons, which maybe I will elaborate upon later. For now, here are some of the favorite sights I have seen lately that make it feel so Christmas-y.

Brooklyn Baking Day


The Saks Fifth Avenue Holiday Light Show


Rockefeller Christmas Tree






The past few weeks have been a blur of activity, holiday festivities, friends visiting from out of town, work-related social events. Sometimes it's hard to keep up. Hopefully we can all find some time to just relax and find peace amidst the hustle and bustle.

black friday ridiculousness

Okay, so technically it's Black Friday, and I've been trying to purchase something online at Circuit City and then do an in-store pick-up tomorrow morning, and everything on the internet is absolutely jammed. I can't even complete my online order because the website can't check inventory at the stores online to guarantee my online purchase, and then the server stops responding. There must be a lot of over-stuffed, post-Thanksgiving armchair shoppers out there. First there's physical traffic to deal with - cars, lines, people. Now it's virtual traffic. Stop it, people. Let me get my stuff first.

happy thanksgiving, friends

365 days ago

Exactly one year ago today, I received my offer letter for my current job. It's hard to believe that a whole year has passed, yet it feels like at the same time, I've packed in a whole lot of living. What seemed so strange and novel last year--namely, life in New York in general--is now so comfortable and familiar. It's hard to imagine what things today that seem so new will feel like old hat in another year?

november wrap-up

It's not quite the end of the month yet, but I thought I might catch up a bit on my blogging to post some of the interesting sights I've seen this month.

First, I spent the beginning of the month relaxing in the peaceful "country" that is Phoenixville, PA. My sister and brother-in-law live in a suburban, almost rural area, with rolling hills, farms, and even cows and horses grazing by the roadside.



I saw a beautiful rainbow one afternoon, but couldn't capture it while I was driving. I did, at least, get some pretty cloud formations.





Here is your traditional, all-American "Main Street, Anytown, USA" complete with a theatre marquis, which incidentally was used as the set for the movie "The Blob" in the 1950s. This street is actually not Main Street, but Bridge Street.



And here is the church that we went to, with a graveyard that I'm not sure I'd want to be caught in after dark.



This trip to PA was my first time driving since PRK on my eyes, and I'm glad I got the first night driving experience out of the way. It definitely made me a bit nervous since I was seeing a lot of halos and glares, but I made it. I will point out another driving first - my first time driving with less than a quarter tank of gas. If you know me, you know one of my biggest driving fears is driving until the "empty tank" warning light comes on. I have actually NEVER driven a car until the tank has been that low. But with gas prices so high, I actually drove all the way from Philly to the Woodrow Wilson Service Station along the NJ Turnpike, where gas was 20-cents cheaper, AND the guy did my windshield. Nice.



After returning to the city, my roommate and I took in the NYC Annual Marathon one cool November sunday. I've only seen the Boston Marathon, so I was definitely curious to see the NY Marathon.





This cop was one of the funniest and most motivational cheerleaders out there, picking out individual runners and making wisecracks and jokes about everyone.









The marathon had a very international feel to it - there were runners and supporters from all over the world - Europe, Asia, South America, Africa. It was so cool to hear so many different accents cheering for their loved ones. We cheered for the Dutch runners, who looked at us in surprise that we knew how to pronounce their names, (e.g., Jannick). We also cheered for the costumed runners - like the monk, the snowman, Darth Vader and Chewbacca, and various fruits and vegetables. The one difference I noticed between the Boston and NY marathons was that New Yorkers definitely are not as into the cheering as Bostonians were. We cheered loudly for all the strangers that ran by - just because hey, it's 26.2 miles and those runners deserve a little cheer. But at all points along the NY marathon route, we tried to cheer people on, but it was almost like people looked at us like we were a little overzealous. In Boston, you would find excited cheering squads at EVERY point along the route. Boston 1, New York 0.

This upcoming week will be Thanksgiving, so it's a short work week, and then off to Pennsylvania again - for our first EVER family Thanksgiving at my sister and brother-in-law's. My Dad has already planned some interesting events for "Black Friday," which include sporting goods stores... Stay tuned.

christmas officially comes to nyc

Tonight Lar and I got to go to the Opening Night of the Rockette's 75th Annual Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall.



Larry had a pair of comped tickets from work, and we had to go with some of his co-workers, but we sat right in the Orchestra and were very up close to the stage.

I hadn't been to see the Rockettes since a school field trip in 7th grade, so this was a very exciting event for me! We didn't even know it was Opening Night, but that soon explained the mass chaos that was outside Radio City Music Hall, and Tony Bennett making an appearance too. In any case, it was a really great show - complete with a 3-D ride through New York on Santa's sleigh. My favorite part was when Santa's sack flew open and gifts started tumbling my way into the audience.

The Rockettes themselves are just cool - I wish I could kick that high and straight in the air. They did a cool toy soldiers routine where they fell back on each other like dominos. At one point, they blasted "snow" into the audience, and another time they shot streamers out into the air, which caused more chaos as little kids began to run into the aisles to get the streamers. There were real fireworks, ice skaters on stage skating on a fake "pond" in Central Park, and even a procession of wise men with a live camel and mule (which Larry tried to convince me was actually 2 people in costume. Nice try.)

Nothing makes it feel more like Christmas than a fun night on the town with the Rockettes at Radio City. Thanks again, L!

late night adventures about town

It was yet another trying end to an otherwise great weekend. Work loomed, I had to get 15 copies of a client presentation printed and bound. To make a long story short, the wonderfully convenient FedEx Kinko's next door to my apartment refused to take my order at midnight, forcing me to cab it up to a FedEx Kinko's near Bryant Park, on W. 40th Street.

I guess what could have been miserable turned into a rather fun little adventure when my saviour of a roommate, Banan, crazily offered to go with me.

So we made it to Kinko's, but thought it was locked up until I called the guy and some short little man came to the door to show us that it was just a broken door that wouldn't really open. Luckily these guys were understanding of my plight and agreed to make the copies and binding right then, so I wouldn't have to come back in the morning. Bless the late night workers of all FedEx Kinko's around the world!



We had 30 minutes to kill while the job was being done. So we strolled through Bryant Park to Times Square.. where I encountered the very building I would be returning to in less than 24 hours for a 10 AM presentation...



Times Square is so different at 1 AM. It's actually rather quiet and peaceful, and we found a restless late night artsy guy on the corner of 41st and 7th, taking a picture of the skyscrapers and neon lights. We chatted with him a bit, in a late-night Times Square bonding moment.



And then we checked out Bryant Park, all set up for ice skating. But we were accosted soon after by a security guard who told us the park was closed.



And then it was back to Kinko's to pay for my presentations and go home.

I guess there's always a silver lining at the end of an interminably long day - just when you think life couldn't be any worse, your friends step in and show you how much they care. Thanks for the company, Banan.

$2 paper cup therapy

I have coined a new concept - I call it "paper cup therapy." (Maybe I should trademark/copyright this?) My good friend Beau and I discovered this last year, when we were here in NY at the MAS Portfolio Review. We bought coffees at an outdoor vendor and strolled through Central Park - commenting on how there is just something comforting about holding a paper cup of hot beverage and walking along. The experience can happen anywhere, but it is especially comforting in New York. It just feels right.

This afternoon after treating myself to a manicure at Dashing Diva with Maia, and then a so-so massage, I topped off my pampering with a BOILING cup of tea. There is just something therapeutic about the hot cup and how it keeps your hand warm. Something soothing about sipping it while the steam curls up to your nose. It could be a rich hot chocolate, a deep black tea, or a mulled hot cider - anything. It just makes you feel at peace -- my $2 session of paper cup therapy.

cab driver wisdom

The best part of my day today was talking to the cab driver who drove me home at 12:15 AM, when I finally left the office. I wasn't really in the mood to talk (actually I was miserable), but he immediately got on my good side by asking if I was cold and then blasting the heat into the backseat for me when I said yes. Then he asked me if I worked in fashion? Nope, but he got bonus points for thinking that! He asked me a few other questions, and though I was not in the most conversational mood, I don't know how he did it, but he made me laugh. These were some the priceless bits of wisdom he shared with me:

- To find your spiritual partner, befriend the lonely. Because karma always comes back to you--and everyone in this big city is lonely or desperate or f'n strung out, so be kind.
- Care, but not too much. (He was referring to my job.) Don't do things to the point that you kill yourself... which led to his other point,
- Always be good to YOURself.

He went on a lot more about situational awareness, opening up fast-food restaurants and wanting customers who were f'n hungry, and about being a cabbie and getting to talk to f'n crazy people (including myself) in the city, but only for so long until they got out. He was this older, grizzled driver - who liberally dropped the f-bomb into every sentence, and kept taking his eyes off the road to glance at me in the rear view mirror (making me slightly nervous). But he was a careful driver, and so earnest, sincere, and slightly batty, that I couldn't help but feel my mood being lifted. So what if he was a stranger - I kind of felt like he cared about my wellbeing, if even for just ten minutes out of my lifetime.

Here's to you, Mark, my cab driver from Queens. You made my night.

option A or B?

Okay, art directors and visual people. Aesthetic opinions needed. This past weekend, I had to do an impromptu framing job for my sister. She had this cool illustrated poster of our hometown in lovely little Rhode Island, and wanted to get it framed for her new home. I have matted drawings and prints before for random informal things, but never had something professionally framed. So I hope I made the right choice. It was a bit tough to visualize what the entire poster would look like, since when you go to the frame shop, they only have a CORNER of a matte, and a corner of the moulding (I originally called the moulding the "frame" - geez, I'm SUCH an amateur.) for you to look at, and then you have to try to imagine the entire piece framed that way. Anyway, Daisy put me to the task, and now I am putting you all to the task. One thing to keep in mind -- our high school color was crimson, and so I wanted to incorporate that into the matte/framing somehow.

That being said, which matte option do you prefer?

Option A:



or Option B?



Please weigh in, and I will announce my decision in a subsequent post.

halloween along the east coast

So this is a bit tardy, but better late than never! Halloween this year was a lot of fun, beginning with a ghoulish bash thrown by some friends in the remote borough of Brooklyn. Our hosts, Edie Sedgwick and John Lennon graciously welcomed us into their home:



Here's one of America's favorite couples, Bridezilla and her hunky Hipster. Love the black nails!



The Bridezilla with Raggedy Anne and Military Girl:



Anonymous hipsters interacting:



After some time, we left the party to meet up with a friend at a bar in Nolita. Shortly thereafter, we ran into Britney Spears in rare form here. Gimme more! Note Raggedy Anne's receding hairline here - even dolls grow old and lose their hair, too.



After the weekend costume extravaganzas, there were work/office festivities, including a very competitive pumpkin carving contest. This was actually my very first time carving a pumpkin, believe it or not, so I was very excited. That meant I even managed to drag myself into work EARLY to get a jump on carving:



And the final result (thanks to Pete for the pic):



Okay, so you're probably wondering who the heck this pumpkin is supposed to be. Well, keep wondering. We liked our concept very much, but not that many others did. Hence, the lack of cheers during the shout-o-meter for our misunderstood pumpkin. The winning prize of Outback Steakhouse gift cards went to a bloodshot eyeball pumpkin (kind of like my eyes right after PRK), just because a girl standing next to the judges shrieked like a banshee. Just goes to show that no one understands creative genuis.

Then, on actual Halloween day, I headed down to PA to spend some time with my sister and brother-in-law. Trick-or-treating in the burbs! I got to give out candies to some nerds, a pirate girl, and some other goblins. Very cute, and very domestic. It reminded me of past Halloweens, going around neighborhoods with a group of friends, feeling your bag get heavier and heavier with each chocolate bar, and jostling with your friends to see who got to ring the doorbell at the next house. I love Halloween!

Meanwhile, back in RI, my poor Mom had a different experience a few days prior to Halloween when she got GHOSTED. Luckily, my halloween-savvy brother was able to explain to my mom that this was not a hate crime, but rather -- a new tradition of ghosting, where you ring someone's doorbell and leave them candies and treats with a chain letter. She was about to have the candies tested for traces of arsenic, but I think she's going to hold off on that now. If anyone would like to ghost ME by leaving candies, baubles and diamonds at my doorstep, I'll readily provide my address.

All in all, a very fun-filled week of festivities. I've always loved the last 3 months of the year, beginning with Halloween, as it marks the start of the holiday season, in my calendar. Now it's on to Thanksgiving!

the most hilarious e-cards i have ever seen

Today my friend sent me a link to an e-cards site that has instantaneously VAULTED up to the top of my list of ALL-TIME FAVORITE sites ever.

These cards are so obnoxious - yet so incredibly true. For example, check out this card. Don't you wish you could have sent that the last time you accidentally sent an email to the wrong person?



Or how about this one, friends? Expect this in your inbox from me in the next five minutes...



I couldn't stop looking at all these cards. Good stuff. Enjoy, and feel free to send me a completely stupid e-card.

the important things

This is going to have to be a quick one. It's late, I only got back from work about an hour ago, and we have a big presentation tomorrow morning. My eyes were really blurry today, and I'm sure staring at a computer screen for 12+ hours doesn't help. I'm worried that my eyes may not get much better than this, and I think I am only at about 20/40, if even.

But the high point of my day came at the very end, when my friend surprised me with a really thoughtful little pick-me-up and card:



It's a cooling eye mask, to soothe my dry, red eyes after a long day. Oooh, fun and relaxing! More than that though, the gift and card was a reminder to me that sometimes, some of the most important things in life -- friendship and kindness -- cannot be seen, only felt. Thank you.

it's my life...and it's now or never

Tonight was Bon Jovi's opening night at the all-new Prudential Center in Newark, NJ!! For now, some pix - more details later - now it's time for bed!



Verizon let you text messages that would be displayed on a scrolling ticker... check out this cute message from my favorite little brother:





And here's a special close up of JBJ for my BFF, H-M, who sadly could not make it tonight:



This was my first concert with the new eyes, and I have to say, I wasn't seeing all that much - there were lots of blurry halos and glares. And no, it wasn't the watered-down Budlights and Stellas....!

sesame street in the bronx

Saturday, October 20 was the big mural painting day! As part of the annual NYCares Volunteer Day, hundreds of volunteers take to the schools and parks in the 5 boroughs to clean, paint, garden and just improve the spaces overall. I decided to volunteer my artistic skills to mural painting, and I recruited Anna to help out too. So, Saturday morning - bright and early - Anna and I hopped on a 6 train toward Pelham Bay Park, and settled in for the long ride deep into the Bronx to PS 47x, an elementary school where we would be sketching out the mural for volunteers to paint.




I had already met with Tom & Steve a week earlier, the Principal and Asst Principal, and visited the school to get a sense of what they wanted done. I knew they had already started a Sesame Street mural on the back wall of the school, and wanted to add 2 new characters this year, as well as pull the mural together with a sky, clouds, etc. Tom, the Principal, was this energetic, young-ish guy who actually used to be an Art Director at Print magazine for 6 years until he burned out and left the industry to be an art teacher -- and eventually become the principal of PS 47x. The entire school was filled with fun, cheery characters and wall paintings, and it made me want to contribute even more to the overall creative feel of the school.




So this is how the day unfolded. First, Anna and I scoped out graffiti-tagged spaces on the wall where we would add the new characters, Kermit the Frog and Zoe (note: Zoe is apparently a relative newcomer to the Sesame Street 'hood.)




Then we drew the lifesize characters onto the wall using black charcoal. We also added big, playful clouds and blades of grass to the entire stretch of wall.

Here is Anna's Kermit:


and my Zoe:


By 9:30 AM, the playground was mobbed with ready volunteers, anxious to get painting. They staked out territories where they would paint, and it was actually pretty cool that we were "The Artists" that everyone came to with questions. Anna and I both suffered a little bit of "art director's angst" - where you worry that what you draw will not be accurately re-created by others, but hey, it's a mural, and a community effort, and you have to let go. We jumped in where there were gaps in painters, we re-drew some guidelines where necessary, and directed people overall. We also overheard some people complaining about our designs -- and how the grass was too long, or the clouds were too low... tough critics! But it just goes to show that you can't please everyone.







Ta da! The finished results, by 3 PM Saturday afternoon:








All in all, it was an incredibly rewarding day, and an amazing experience for me. I actually helped create an entire mural in a school in the Bronx! And I'd like to think that that made a little bit of a difference out there.