a little something to say happy holidays

Merry Christmas! I hope all have a joyful holiday celebration and truly remember why and what we celebrate.

I'm grateful for the birth of the babe in a manger and will continue to try to keep Him in the center of my life.

May this season touch your heart with happiness because He loves us and is always ready to bless us.

a little something from Glee (spoilers)

i am firmly in love with the show Glee. am going into slight withdrawal with the knowledge it won't be back until april. why fox, why!?!?!

the fall finale episode "sectionals" was fantastic. of course the best moments were the club winning, sue sylvester going down, and the musical numbers. but all of those paled in comparison to the ending of the show. thank you for not leaving us hanging ryan murphy!

from those who know me and my previous "obsessions", Glee is now in the top 3. oh yeah!

found this video and it just makes me smile:

a little something caused by the mall

went to the mall last night. my attendance at the domed shopping complex is rather rare nowadays. being at garden state plaza in jersey did trigger a cherished childhood memory though. that was about all it provided last night...oh wait, i did eat a Wendy's jr. bacon cheeseburger.

my family had some very specific traditions for the holiday season. one of my absolute favorites was gift buying. a friday night would be selected when the whole family would get to go to a sit-down restaurant (a special moment = no drive-thru dinners) then head to that magical land known as Sunvalley Mall in Concord, California.

once at the mall my parents would give us enough cash to buy a $5 present for each of our siblings. one parent would take me and a brother while the other parent took the other brothers. we would shop for the ones not with us and then switch so that we could pick up a gift for the sibling who was originally with us. sometimes big lug and i would pool our $5 together to get a gift for punkin or flex. i think it was just an excuse for me to find the gift, wrap it and big lug to get a cut of the gratitude action.

i vividly remember buying big lug model airplanes, punkin some legos and flex got books (i think). i bought my very first watch at the sunvalley mall's macy's day after christmas special. it was a swatch and almost pure white. i LOVED that watch.

last night garden state plaza was a poor substitute for the magic of those treasured childhood Christmas memories of spending time together as a family and thinking about giving gifts for my family.

i wish i could go back in time and enjoy those moments that much more...

a little something with balloons

this year i went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. the reason i chose 2009 for my attendance was simply the warm temperatures. i don't do well in cold and this year our forecast was for a lovely mid 50 degree temperature.

netter, netter's sis and i got up early and headed to the west side to join the crowds at 73rd and central park west. thankfully i'm tall so was able to see quite clearly from our spot about 15 people deep. i must say that i became almost giddy when i knew santa clause was coming down the street.

my goal is to try to check off all of the things that the rest of the world considers "essential new york". the thanksgiving day parade is definitely high on that list.

it was a lot of fun and made me grateful for comfortable shoes and knee injections from my orthopedist.

Up, up and away!

Santa finally came! It was so exciting!

I love leaves!

a little something due to popular demand

your comments have complete influence over me...here are some pictures of my apartment with the wrapped art on the walls. :) merry christmas!

a little something that reminds me of childhood

i decorated my humble abode over the weekend. my joani would always make our home look and smell like Christmas. in her honor i took down the art on my living room walls and wrapped them in wrapping paper and bows. then i put them back up in their place on my wall. whenever i glance over from the couch and see the wrapped "art" it reminds me of how much my mommy loves Christmas and how excited i am to be with her and the rest of the utah clan this year.

a little something for our foreign friends

i work in rockefeller center. there are lots of tourists in rockefeller center.

yesterday while chatting with my friend kayte in the concourse level (i.e. the shopping/eating area of rock center) we were approached by a lovely couple. they kept asking us a question that neither kayte nor i could grasp. finally it dawned on us that they needed a bathroom.

sidenote - i have always made it a point to try to learn how to ask for a restroom in the native language of the country i'm visiting. its come in handy. trust me.

after we sent them to the "toilets" i compared the tourist arenas in new york to those in foreign lands i visited. i realized that the united states is not very foreign traveler friendly. we don't provide our friends from other lands with menus that are translated in their language and signs are not posted with multiple languages to help them to important places, like bathrooms.

whenever i'm in europe almost everyone in the tourism industry speaks english. i believe new york city has the most individuals able to throw down a conversation in spanish, french, german, polish, portugese, cantonese, russian, hebrew, etc; which is why i don't get why the new york city government doesn't do more to help our foreign friends feel a little more comfortable in the vastness that is the big apple. maybe the public leaders from paris, berlin, moscow, madrid, etc. can give them some pointers.

a little something to decorate a wall

two of my bedroom walls have been bare since i moved in. it wouldn't be a big deal except for the fact that the paint is a bright yellow. about a month ago i decided that something needed to be done otherwise my eyes were going to be affected.

my new photography fascination came to the rescue. i decided to take some of my favorite shots from my world travels and convert them to black and white. i bought numerous styles and sizes of black picture frames and put them on the wall in a collage type style.

i think it came out really well and the nice thing is that i'm able to interchange the photos to keep the wall feeling vibrant and current.

here are some shots to show you the wall and it's new found black and white photo collage glory.



a very big thank you to my brother flex for graciously permitting me to use his shots of monument valley, SLC temple and arches national park

a little something from Rock Center Mngmt

today is the day i got the annual memo from rock center management detailing the holiday events taking place this year. it's not only about the tree folks.

with this information in bold black ink it seems that my brain has finally turned on to the fact that the holidays are imminent. bring on the amy grant & 'nsync christmas tunes!

i'll try to keep those who have left our city of holiday enchantment up to date with all of the new holiday decor developments (aka ornaments on 6th avenue, saks & macys windows shrouded in mystery, giant snowflake high above 57th & 5th, etc.)

former new yorkers - if there is anything you remember as quintesentially new york holiday please let me know and i'll add it to my "here come the holidays" watch list.

less than six weeks until NEW YORK FUN DAY! hooray!

a little something about TKTS

i'm going to see Hamlet starring Jude Law this Saturday with gooch. the show is generating serious accolades. should be fantastic! i love broadway ever since i saw les miserables for my 12th birthday in san francisco.

right now there are some really good options on broadway. i want to see after miss julie, oleanna, rock of ages, west side story, the royal family, next to normal, god of carnage, lion king, white christmas, ragtime & wishful drinking. only problem is that to see these shows costs money. (i know, Duh!) with the holidays coming up and my january trek to the magic kingdom i'm trying to conserve my resources so i kept telling myself that i REALLY couldn't afford to see these shows...let alone one of them. enter TKTS.

TKTS is a Times Square/South Street Seaport discount ticket booth that sells seats to shows. you have to pay cash and can only get tickets for that day/evening performance (in other words no advance sales). for most tourists and/or fiscally responsible people, TKTS is a gem of a way to save money and enjoy that rare broadway show treat. my only problem with TKTS is that it gives me a false sense that i can "afford" to see all the shows i want because they are discounted.

so which option is better...deprive myself from fantastic entertainment at discounts provided by TKTS or continue to save, save and save some more? seems to be the epitome of a conundrum...

a little something from PoP

watching television on a sunday always means cheesy rom-coms. this week's was music & lyrics on TBS. the movie is not a prize winner but it makes up for it's segway into lame with the opening to the movie...it puts a smile on my face everytime...

a little something is in the air

the end of daylight savings always seems to equal the beginning of the holiday season. just so happened that this year it fell on the exact date after halloween.

there is always a magic that comes to new york when the holidays (aka thanksgiving & christmas) are imminent. i love this time of year! not such a fan of going to and coming home from work in the dark...but the chill, lights, and overall excitement makes up for it.

this year i've decided to do things i've never done in the city and repeat traditions that have been part of my celebrations the past few years.

hope you all enjoyed the fun of halloween and are able to have the holiday magic in your homes throughout the season!

a little something about my nephews

i'm completely and totally enraptured with my nephews and nieces. last weekend i went to utah and got to play with blake and jaxon. of course my camera made the journey with me. when i told blake (who's 3) that i would be back for christmas his response was "and we'll take more pictures." so true blakey, so true. :)

enjoy the cuteness that are my nephews...

a little something about football pools

every year my office runs a football pool for the NFL regular season. in 2006 i won a week and came in second for the season...pocketing about $360. woot woot!

the past three years i've opted to run the pool so that i can still play but not pay the $100 entry fee. haven't won anything since that glorious 2006 season...that all changed this past week! i won week 6 (aka the week of upsets)! that's $148 in my little pocket.

my strategy has nothing to do with who the better team is or the road/home team...no my proven theory is to choose the city that is closest to "a" in the alphabet. this helped me to get the point for oakland over philadelphia, new orleans over new york jets and atlanta falcons over chicago bears. it is vital to stay committed to the process even when you know a team like green bay was going to be victorious over detroit...but detroit comes before green bay in the alphabet.

what did i spend my earned spoils on...tickets for gooch and i to the radio city christmas spectacular (@ 1/2 price of course)!

a little something about apples

on our foliage adventure last weekend we stopped at an apple orchard for a little fresh off the branch apple picking. there were so many options to choose from...red delicious, gala, jonamac, jonagold, empire, golden delicious...etc. they also had a pumpkin patch but they weren't quite ready to come home with us.

it sometimes blows me away how gorgeous nature is. i think that is the reason why i bought my pretty new camera and lens. if at all possible i want to be able to relive those moments when i see something truly amazing and breath-taking.

i really liked how the tree leaf color almost exactly matched the brick of the building...only in New England

pathways #3

buckingham palace in london, england

click on picture for larger view

countdown to the UT

...heading for my annual october family visitation in T-minus 3 days. i'm looking forward to time spent with my Joani, moocher, pookie, sunshine, flex, grandpappy and macers. if i'm truly honest i'm most excited to see my nephews who have my heart wrapped around their little fingers.

utah vacations mean i get to play with the kiddies, eat good homemade Joani food and reconnect with some long lost new york friends who continue their utah sojourn. i'm very excited...now if i could just get rid of this pesky cough and chest congestion...

fall foliage - new england style

netter and i took a little adventure up into rural connecticut and massachusettes this past weekend. it was so beautiful. i think fall foliage is one thing i will never tire of seeing or take for granted.

we drove along the scenic CT-169 and took some pics along the way. please enjoy!

a little something about fall

it has begun...the autumn season is upon us. the catalyst to this realization was not based on the official start of fall on september 21st, the football season commencing, the added chill to the air or even leaves changing color...no, the catalyst was the fact that i now plan my daily ensembles based on what jacket/coat i want to wear.

for those that haven't seen my closet in recent years...i own a plethora of coats. a total of nine to be exact and that doesn't bring into account blazers that can act as coats when called upon. this year i have been given the "green light" to purchase just one coat and one new jacket. (thanks for the tough love netter!) i'm now planning my strategy as to what type of coat and jacket i want and when is the right time to strike (i.e. the sales at Macy's start).

welcome autumn. i hope you spend lots of time with us.

for those that have an interest in my fashion...i paired my cream cordoroy tuxedo blazer with brown pants and my cashmere short sleeve gold thread turtleneck.

pathways #2

cape cod, massachusettes

click on the picture for a larger view

celeb sighting - val kilmer

as a young girl (probably 8 years old) i begged my mother to let me go with big lug and his buddy air force to see the movie "Willow." she said yes so it meant that big lug was forced to accept. we sat towards the front of the theater and i literally was terrified almost the entire movie. my hand very rarely dropped its covering of my eyes. the troll scene on the bridge still skeeves me out when i watch it as an adult. that was my first connection with val kilmer. we've had some other good times like top gun, the saint, batman forever, tombstone and of course the voice of K.I.T.T. the talking car from Knight Rider.

my second encounter with val happened this past saturday morning. while eating brunch with netter at an UES eatery i happened to glance up from our table and see a man walk by. we made eye contact and i thought he looked an awful lot like Willow's hero Madmartijan only older with grandpa glasses and long hair.

i mentioned to netter that i thought i just glimpsed val kilmer but was somewhat dubious because he looked so different. moments later, when the same man emerged from the restroom hallway, he ran into a server and handed her a card then proceeded to exit the restaurant, hop in his volkswagon toureag (totally jealous) and hit the road. the server with the magic business card started giggling and talking excitedly to her other server buddies because it was val kilmer!

it often surprises me when i happen to glance a "celeb" looking or behaving in a very ordinary way (i.e. using the restroom). for some reason i think they should all be constantly trailed by their own gaggle of screaming girls or paparazzo with long zoom lens cameras. i don't expect one to enter a restaurant, use the restroom and then zoom off in his much coveted ride.

pathways in the park #1

photography is my new hobby. i've been teaching myself lighting, composition and am now trying my hand at editing. my skill level is completely novice but it gives me a goal to work towards improving my abilities.

my favorite subject matter is the pathways that are found throughout the city, primarily in Central Park. occasionally i'm going to post one of my new favorites that i've worked on. please let me know what you think.

Pathways #1

selling US Open tickets

i decided to sell my mens semifinal "Super Saturday" US Open tickets this year. those matches are some of the hottest tickets for the Open every year.

last night put my tickets up for sale on craigslist. after posting my ad i received about 10 inquiries within the first 5 minutes. had no idea i could sell my tickets so quickly but then realized that i had priced my tickets way below market. i only priced the tickets for about $15 higher than what i paid. i didn't look to the going rate of others who were trying to sell the tickets on craigslist or stub hub. not the smartest move i've ever made.

hope the people i sold the tickets to have a great time. can't wait until 2010 when joani and i will attend lots and lots of matches. start saving your pennies joani!

two favorites - football & photography

all who know me are aware of my love of football. i have developed a new love through the influence of my brother flex. he introduced me to the beauty of photography. i was ecstatic when i found a "behind the scenes" of the BYU Football poster photo shoot on YouTube. i know mark philbrick casually when i worked in the athletic marketing department at BYU so it was fun to see how he captured the football with his camera.

my favorite photos are at the 1:54 mark and of course the ultimate poster shot. enjoy and go cougars!

laboring on labor day

i woke up at 8:30am and have been doing laundry ever since. i just brought up the final of 5 loads that i did today. i'm kind of baffled that i could produce 5 loads of laundry without kids. i guess when you wash multiple sets of sheets, floor mats, shower curtains, towels, clothes and blankets that it just adds up. in my case it added up to 5 loads and $12.50 in quarters.

a little something to showcase my new Apt.

since my joani (and rahni) asked again for some photos of the new pad, i decided to comply. the apartment is slowly coming together. let me know what you think.

a little something about carrie fischer

in my research of upcoming broadway plays/musicals i came across a show performed by carrie fischer that opens in september. the entire show is anecdotes and stories from her life as a celebrity baby, actress, author, mother, etc. normally i would think only the Star Wars crowd would be interested in what carrie had to say, which doesn't include myself...then i remembered watching something with joani and flex a few years ago.

AFI was honoring george lucas and carrie did her part to express her humble gratitude for being cast as princess leia. she was hysterical. check it out for yourself.



i'm thinking that if i find cheap tickets and have nothing else to do on a tuesday night that spending a few hours with carrie wouldn't be the worst option. :)

no fun feeling sick

i'm sick. i'm not a good patient and i feel more lousy laying around at home instead of being productive in some way. i have strep throat and it bites the big one. the funny thing is that the medicine i have to take is huge...like 2 1/2" in length. whoever thought of giving a patient with a severly sore throat a huge pill to swallow is just plain cruel.

here's to hoping that this illness is of short duration and i don't infect gooch with my germs. thankfully we have the lysol spray at the ready.

celebrations in terre haute

at the end of july, most of the g fam gathered in terre haute, indiana to celebrate my birthday and my nephew jimmy's birthday which happen to be the same day. it was a great time to eat, talk, go for walks, and overall enjoy each others company. this trip allowed for one of the rare occurences to happen in my life...all of my nephews and nieces were in the same place. my amateur photography went into overdrive.

these are some of my favorite shots from the time in indiana.

...and i'm back

i played tennis on friday night. it was fabulous! haven't played since big mike whipped my trash in arizona this past february. it felt good to be hitting something. my serve was even landing in the appropriate box.

the short hour and a half that was played made me even more excited to enjoy the tennis artistry that is soon to be seen at the us open!

successful craigslist purchase

on a random basis i like to peruse the merchandise for sale on craigslist. i've never bought anything but find it interesting to see what people are trying to unload. here in manhattan it is has taken the place of garage sales a la the 'burbs.

i have been in the market for some barstools for my newly constructed breakfast bar. my taste tends to run to the expensive and i have very specific requirements. i found the barstools i wanted from crate and barrel but was put off by the price of $229 each w/o tax! that seemed steep so was trying to figure out a way to pay for them when inspiration struck...consult craig and his list!

i normally only search in manhattan for furniture for sale because who wants to figure out a way to transport furniture from the outer areas. on monday i did a search using the specific bar stool name from crate & barrel without the manhattan only filter and to my astonishment 2 bar stools were for sale from a family in riverdale. (zipcar came to the rescue for transport...another reason why i love it)

gooch and i headed to riverdale and got lost on our way to making my first craigslist purchase. i'm very happy with the bar stools and they look GREAT in my new apartment. so thank you to craig and your list. i got two barstools for the price of one if i paid retail. not too shabby.