Drainage

New York City drainage is always an interesting experience. The bathroom in my apartment has a lovely metal tube coming from the floor which acts as the drain. There is no nifty knob underneath the tub spicket. Yesterday my drain wasn't working and I was beyond worried that I had damaged the pipes because of my recent Drano Max Gel usage. Luckily for me it was only the metal stopper on my drain had become unlatched from the drain. A quick and easy fix to alay my fears.

Since moving to the city I have found I am quite the fixer-upper. Maybe not to the level of my sis-in-law Liver but I'm learning...and as G.I. Joe says, "learning is half the battle."

Trivializing the Sacred

Some people just think it's so funny to mock cultures or religions they don't understand. It kind of drives me crazy when people take something that is sacred to a group of people and trivialize it. The latest case in point.

Ed in the Flesh

This one's for you Doc...meet Ed in the flesh.

My Red Coat

Today while walking to work I noticed that I was in a pack of people all wearing black coats. I of course opted for the red coat this morning. It was kind of startling to realize that I was the only non-black clad person walking along Park Avenue this morning. Gotta love my colorful coats. Friends and family can always spot me in a crowd.

Another Great Debate

Last night I had dinner with the soon-to-be Mrs. Breezy as well as her boss and friend. We went to Max Brenner's Chocolate by the Bald Man in Union Square. The food was good and company excellent. One of Mrs. Breezy's friends is heading to Europe for his first excursion and asked me which city he should grace with his presence - Budapest or Prague. I was at a lost for words because I loved and adored both cities but for vastly different reasons. This question triggered a great debate in my mind of where to send this Europe-virgin.


BUDAPEST




The city had gorgeous architecture, savory food and plenty of personality. It was also very affordable to the traveler. My favorite thing about Budapest was walking across the chain bridge and taking a Segway tour of the city.



PRAGUE

The Paris of the East certainly lived up to its name and became a mecca for garnets, amber and amazing crystal. All of our meals were amazing and the view from Petrin Hill was breathtaking especially at dusk. Bridges, spires, and cobblestone streets make this a "must" on any Europe excursion.

Loving these cities equally but for different reasons made it difficult to choose one to tell my new Dr. friend which one to add to his itinerary. I did ultimately advise him of which one I would return to sooner than the other. But I'm going to keep my selection to myself.

Anyone who has been to both cities please weigh in on your favorite.

The Announcements

While at BYU in the Provo Bubble I received countless wedding invitations/announcements. My fridge was always covered with pictures, generally in a sepia tone, announcements printed on the same style invitation and inserts telling me where I could purchase the happy couple a gift. For the most part I kept each and every wedding invitation I received from 1997-2002 because I could map my life based on whose announcement I had. Then the great wedding destruction happened in 2003 when I decided to rid myself of sentimentality...I torched the box of weddings. Maybe it wasn't so much the need to become a hardened character but the pressing need of storage space in the garage for Joani. Never since have I wished I could pull out a wedding invitation and reiminsce.

Now a new era has begun. For the first time in about 4 years, I have not one, not two, but THREE wedding announcements on my fridge. Last night I was comparing my reaction when I opened the double envelopes in college to now. My first thought is that I am more than willing to purchase a gift since I can afford it as a professional so it paid to wait for marriage until I could get you something from your registry that was over the $40 range. The second thought was that I am no longer envious of the marital happiness staring at me each time I reach for a carrot stick. Now I can say with absolute sincerity that I am truly happy for Amanda & Tyson, Michelle & Mat and Jina & Breezy. You have each earned the right to a nice little present from me to celebrate your joy. Best wishes!

I'd Like to Introduce...Ed

I have a new member of my electronics family...his name is Ed. He is a 40" LCD HDTV made possible by Sony. I was able to bring him home to my humble abode on Friday, March 9th. For the last year I have salivated over this purchase and finally Best Buy sent me a coupon that allowed me to bring Ed home. I'm sure my life will never be the same. Thank goodness!

It's Game Time!

Sunday night was the first installment of game night with Netter, CA Lady and Artiste. After a fabulous meal of Hawaiian haystacks prepared by CA Lady, it was game time! The game of choice was Settlers since Artiste and Netter were beginners. It gave CA Lady and I a huge advantage. After a brief review of the rules it was on! In the end, I was victorious because of my intelligence, strategy, perserverence and ability to trade with my opponents!

Ice Skating in the Park

Saturday was a gorgeous day in New York and made even better because Claire came to play in the city. We opted to brunch at Yura & Co. and then headed to the park for some ice skating at the Wollman Rink. When we got to the rink I came to a sad realization...Wollman is a cash only rink. Remember all those who want to skate to bring the bills because no plastic is accepted. Claire and I hoofed it to an ATM and then returned for some 20 minutes of skating before the Zamboni. Luckily we got another 40 minutes of skating on clean, pristine ice. Claire was a pro skater whilst I had a slight misstep that resulted in hitting the ice. After the skating Netter joined us for a cheeseburger, fries and soda at the Burger Joint. It was a great time hanging with friends and doing something outdoors in the winter. Now that the winter activity is done, I'm ready for spring. :)