Changes on the Plaza

it has begun...the holiday season preparations are starting at Rockefeller Center. the outdoor cafe is no more. the rink is scheduled to open on October 11th which is about a week and a half away. if only i felt confident in my ankle to take a spin myself during a lunch hour.

i guess i need to start now to mentally prepare for the deluge of holiday tourists to my workplace. as long as they stay out of my way we can all be friends.

A Public Service Announcement

my fellow New Yorkers,

i know we are all super stoked to bring back the fall/winter wardrobe after wearing the same spring/summer ensembles but i would like to remind each of you that we will have a good SIX months to enjoy our turtlenecks, jackets, boots, tights, pashminas, gloves, etc. remember how you feel when April rolls around and the weather forces us to remain in skin covering clothing.

i beg and plead with you to take these last few weeks of mid-70s weather to keep the boots, pashminas and sweaters in the mothballs. spend this week and next enjoying the sunshine and last remaining days where you can show off the fabulous pedicure while wearing sandals and sculpted arms in short-sleeve shirts.

all too soon you will be dying to put the sweaters, boots and coats back into the dark dungeon.

all the best,
pinky mcg

Musical Memory

today is a wet, dreary day in the city. it is definitely autumn. soon the leaves will be sparkling with colors.

i always have music playing while i'm working. earlier today the current weather and a song playing from my computer that took me immediately back to a moment in time. i remember clearly and distinctly what i was doing, who i was with, where i was...all because of a song.

has that ever happened to you?

to try and trigger a musical memory, i'm sharing the song that transported me back to that moment. who knows, maybe we have the same musical memory song.

Allure Feat. 112 "All Cried Out"

All about the Pigskin

all who know me are aware that I truly enjoy football. i think the love started as a youth because it was a way to break through the 'boys club' mentality of my father and brothers. that love of the pigskin hasn't diminished with adulthood. it is fun to follow the byu cougars on their quest. it is just as rewarding to hear about accolades being poured upon retired players from my youth.

steve young will have his no. 8 jersey retired by the san francisco 49ers on October 5th. it is well deserved and made that much cooler that steve is LDS and an MVP quarterback that i watched as a young woman. congrats!

steve and i share a special bond because during the NFC Championship game in 1995 i took my father's car from the church parking lot (where i was supposed to be in sunday school) and drove home to catch some of the game. my brother Big Lug was "sick" (i use the term loosely) that day so i knew the game would be on and he wouldn't tell on me. i got home during the 1st quarter and was able to see three TD passes by steve to various receivers including the great Jerry Rice.

i was so excited that the 9ers were beating the crap out of dallas that i didn't head back to church until the last second before my dad would realize that i had taken the car. so i ran into the garage and ignited the engine and shifted into reverse and POW!! i hit the closed garage door. i was so excited by the stellar play of steve and his posse that i neglected to verify that the garage door was opened so now the car was stuck in the garage and i knew for sure that my dad would realize i took the car without asking and skipped church.

i got back to the building and found my dad to tell him first the good news about the game score and then let him know what i had done. it was fitting that i chose a spiritual setting to tell him about probably one of the worse things i did as a youth.

sometimes my dad still brings up the fact that i owe him for fixing the garage door. maybe i can send the bill to my buddy steve because it was his level of football excellence that caused the garage door to go boom.

Dance Mania

I love dancing. I love to watch dancing. I love to learn dancing. And now I love to watch dancing while working out on the elliptical machine at my gym.

To help the time flow faster while on the elliptical I have found that watching something on the television is the best method. My gym goes one step beyond the individual television on each machine and has installed individual DVD players as well. Me being the electronically savvy woman that I am realized that even better than just watching plain old television or movies would be to watch dancing!

On my DVR I have the episodes from Season 4's So You Think You Can Dance. I burned the routines that I enjoyed the most on 2 DVDs and now watch those while working out. It is the best of both worlds. I get to watch something that I love while listening to great music and burning off all those calories at the same time. Who could ask for anything more?

I'm sure I'm known at my gym as the dance watching woman. I have been asked three separate times by my machine neighbors for the channel I'm watching. They are crestfallen when I tell them it is a DVD that I made. This makes me wonder if I could charge people to make SYTYCD DVDs for gym use. Hmmmm...

Joani and the Moocher just went to the SYTYCD tour last night. Merry Christmas to you both! I'm sure they had a great time and enjoyed the routines by the talented dancers. I and my dance crazed posse will be heading to New Jersey for the tour in November. Better believe I will post pictures and video; but if you can't wait to see the set list then check out this great SYTYCD site.

The Quest continues...

...as BYU Football is on a Quest to bust through the BCS, I am on a quest to find the best milkshake in NYC. Saturday was my first journey into the wilds of milk, ice cream and mix-in goodness.

Netter and I headed out into the city to the Milkshake Company on 47th and 1st Avenue. I was much surprised to find a small shack on the grounds of a lovely promenade. It reminded me of a lunch spent in the Tuilieries with Doc and Netter enjoying the Parisian landscape and joie de vivre. I must admit I had high expectations of the shake simply because it came from the "Company." You can imagine my surprise when the "Company" only boasted about 7 flavors and small sizes. I chose the Cookies 'n Cream while Netter opted for the Mint Chip. The shake was good but definitely missed the mark on obtaining that elusive status as New York City's best milkshake according to moi.

Netter's bafflement by the huge straw...the shake wasn't that thick that the straw needed to be a half inch in diameter

The shack strongly reminded me of this one in the Tuilieres where I had an excellent Croque Monsieur. Oh sweet, sweet Paris!

Happy 6th Anniversary to me!

Today is my 6th Anniversary with New York City. I moved to this fantastic location expecting to stay for a year maximum...now 6 years have passed, and passed quickly. I have been in a reflecting and self-analyzation mode recently because of 9/11, the financial crisis, upcoming General Conference and beginning of Autumn. All of this has coinsided with my New York Anniversary.

I've come to realize that I was always meant to be in a long term relationship with New York. When I was a pre-teen and teenager my dad would travel to New York for work and I would be so jealous because I wanted to go so badly. It was almost like the Land of Oz, all glittery and full of magic. Now 6 years later I don't think the city has lost its luster in my life at all. If anything there are daily occurences that make me fall in love with this city over and over again.

My life has been wonderful in New York. It is full of great friends, a fantastic job, as well as opportunities to indulge in art, theater, travel, food, sporting events and concerts. It is hard to be so far away from my family and my lifestyle is quite expensive in this decadent city but these are sacrifices that must be endured to be here...where I know I'm supposed to be.

So to answer your question Grandpappy...I still haven't "gotten it out of my system yet."

Milkshake Quest

I have been on a quest for quite some time to find a good milkshake here in NYC. My favorite place called Roll-n-Roasters on 11th and 3rd closed down due to unstable structure and since then I have tried valiantly along with my side kick Netter to find a decent milkshake. Our quest thus far has only produced sub-par results.

Thankfully, Pocket Change came to the rescue with this week's NY Best. I now have three more locations to try and determine the best milkshake in the East. Let me know if you are interested in participating in this journey.

Here are the candidates:

IL LABRATORIO DEL GELATO

95 Orchard Street

Their Dark Chocolate Milkshake was recommended as the richest shake because of their dark decadent ice cream. This great gelateria also provides ice cream to other locales on the list of best milkshakes. I'm a sucker for anything that can transport me back to Florence and the mountains of gelato I consumed.

NEW YORK MILKSHAKE COMPANY
342 East 47th Street

How have I not found this place before? Anyplace where milkshake is in the title is a good thing in my opinion. They win the prize for thickest milkshake. Oh come to momma!

STAND
24 East 12th Street

This location is literally about a block away from my previous favorite milkshakers. Goes to show that good food is all around. They receive the gold star for their Toasted Marshmallow milkshake as the Comfort Shake of NYC. Not sure I'll try that one if an Oreo or other chocolate mix-in option presents itself.

If any former residents or visitors to New York City have any recommendations for good milkshakes, please feel free to share. I am willing to travel throughout the borough of Manhattan to find that perfect blend of ice cream and milk.

Wish me luck!

Wishlist #2

My vanity is by far my hair. I'm totally obsessed with my hair. It is silky, strong, long and luscious. So it only makes sense that I want the absolute best for my tresses. Hence, wishlist item #2...

Beauty Water Shower Purification System™

"The exclusive, patented two-stage Beauty Water Shower Purification System uses one of the highest-grade filters to change ordinary shower water into pure, pH-balanced water that is free of hair-stripping, skin-damaging chemicals and metals. It's like showering in natural spring water."

I so want to shower as if I am in a natural spring in the woods. If only it had a fresh pine scent cartridge also.

Sweet BYU Blue

The Cougars played against the UCLA Bruins for the third time in a little over a year. They lost the first game, needed a blocked field goal to win the second game and completely dominated the third game which was played on Saturday.

I haven't seen so much offense in a really long time. The final score of 59-0 was a thing of beauty. Congrats BYU! Keep the nation's longest running win streak alive versus Wyoming on Saturday!

The Wishlist starts...#1

My nephew Blakers just drew names of the siblings to determine who buys for who for the Christmas season. This year, Big Lug and Liver have the privilege of buying for me. In order to help my two favorite Indiana peeps in their shopping quest, I have decided to begin a "wishlist" for things that I would like to take up valuable space in my apartment.

Wishlist Item #1

It's a pedometer that you can transfer data to a computer to track your progress. You also do an accurate stride measurement for improved results. Would love to know how much I walk on a standard day in the city.

Carnival of Tennis Joy & Gladness

The 2008 US Open is over with Roger Federer once again claiming the title and Serena Williams returning to her 2002 championship form. I think the US Open is one of my favorite live sporting events ever! Joani you're coming next year!

I went three times this year which honestly just isn't enough. I was accompanied by CA Lady on Saturday August 30th to see the Williams sister dispose of their opponents as well as butt picking tennis genius Rafael Nadal and the Bryan Brothers destroy their foes on the other side of the net. It was so great to sit in the hot sun and cheer for some excellent tennis.

Thursday night I headed back to Flushing with Dancing Queen and Jill. We saw the Andy Roddick v. Novak Djokavic match under the lights. I couldn't believe how rude the New York fans were that night. It was constant yelling and shouting during Novak's serve and even during points. Djokavic beat Andy and made the mistake of saying some disparaging things about Andy. The crowd quickly turned on him and boo'd as loudly as I had ever heard. One thing to remember is not to piss off New York fans because they can be brutal. But I do think that the fans showed serious unsportsmanship during the match.

This year I bought tickets for the Men's Final which takes place on a Sunday morning. The weather even cooperated for my benefit by raining out the Men's semi-final to force the Men's Final to be played late on Monday afternoon. Jill, Em and I climbed the 100 steps to the top of the stadium to watch Federer beat Andy Murray for the title. It was a gorgeous day and a great way to end the 2008 US Open. If only I had been able to buy that key chain I wanted. Oh well, there's always next year.

Facebook Connections

I signed up on Facebook purely to look at a photo album my sis-in-law had posted. I had no real intention of actually using the social networking site to try and find long lost childhood, teenage, high school or college friends. Thankfully I got past my desire to remain aloof and now have found some great people that influenced my life.

It is truly fun to see what high school friends have been up to, how many children have been born to friends, where people are living, and where they have traveled.

Thank you Facebook for giving me a way to find and reconnect with my friends.

Boredom = Redesign

Had some time on my hands today at the office, hence the change of the blog design. You likey or try, try again?

Olympic Volleyball Joy

I avidly watched the Olympics but paid special attention to the indoor men's volleyball team because 2 players and the head coach came from my alma mater, BYU. I worked for the athletic program when these three won a national championship. I also think that volleyball is really exciting to watch. Almost all of their matches were during the day so I would sneak away from my desk to watch on the big screen HD TV in the conference room. Unfortunately due to timings the matches were always in the daytime.

The team got through pool play undefeated then played Serbia and Russia to get to the Gold Medal match versus Brazil. THEY WON! It was really cool because members on the team are considered old being in the 30s and most are previous Olympians. It was great to see them finally achieve their gold medal aspirations.

It did irritate me that they only got prime time coverage on the last night AND to make matters worse they didn't show the entire match only the final 4th set. Stupid NBC. I was quite annoyed.

They played really well together as a team and overcame some tragic events with the death of head coach Hugh's father-in-law and attack on his mother-in-law while sightseeing in Beijing. Congrats guys!!

Here is the picture slideshow from the Gold Medal winning performance.

US Open!

It's US Open time!  Hooray!  I'm going on Saturday, Thursday night the 4th and to the Men's Final on Sunday morning (sorry mom about missing church).  I'm so excited!  I love this time of year!  Do you get the sense that I'm a little pumped for the tennis goodness.  

Going out on a limb to say that the final will be a Roger Federer v. Rafael Nadal battle if I'm lucky since I missed the Wimbledon final because of my return flight from Hawaii.  Thanks a lot Delta.  Haven't a clue who will win on the women's side.  So my shot in the dark prediction is that Dinara Safina will take it just because I think her 2000 US Open champion brother Marat Safin is a very nice looking man.  I have my priorities.

Excitement on 97th Street

While Netter and I were enjoying the majestic feats of Olympic athletes last Sunday we heard a horrible crash sound coming from outside.  (My living room windows look out onto Lexington Avenue which is one of the busiest on the East Side so hearing loud car noises isn't a big deal but this time was different.)  We immediately jumped up to look out the window and what we saw was a SUV that had flipped on its side and was now going the wrong way.  Half of the neighborhood that wasn't already outside was looking out their window.  People on the ground called 9-1-1 and before too many minutes passed we had 3 fire trucks, 1 ambulance, 2 NYPD patrol cars and the "beast".  I was most excited to see the firemen because the finest of the FDNY are truly "fine".  ;)

Luckily the driver of the flipped SUV merely opened the passenger door and climbed up and out of his SUV.  The beast pushed and flipped the SUV to remove it from the road.  It was another moment of New York neighborhood bonding.  

A little redesign...

...after my two month sojourn in my humble abode I got really tired of looking at the same color on the four walls of my living room.  I decided to make a change, nothing drastic just a little paint on a wall.  I chose this past Saturday to do my spruce up the apartment painting project.  Let me know if you approve of my choice to add a little "lavendar lipstick" color to my previously drab beige walls.

Oh Olympics!

The Olympics are causing havoc with my sleeping schedule. Beijing is 12 hours ahead of New York time so all the live "prime time" events don't start until around 9:30/10:00pm. I want to watch them and would generally just set my DVR to record but I haven't as yet put the So You Think You Can Dance episodes on DVDs yet so my DVR is full; meaning I'm staying up WAY past my bed time to watch the marvelous accomplishments of all the athletes.

Must go to sleep early tonight because otherwise it is going to be a very rough trip down to Atlantic City tomorrow morning.

The Doc Is In!

My favorite Doc has returned to the US after her triumphant travels in the far away lands of Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. Lucky for me she hopped on a flight about 48 hours from her return to come see me and Netter! I love when Doc comes to visit because it is like we were never apart plus I get to go shopping and out to eat with her.

Our time together thus far has been pretty standard with movie viewing (review to be forthcoming), eating out, lots of pinkberry consumption, talking about our hopes and dreams, planning our futures and determining which country had the hottest male athletes after the parade of nations on Friday night.

Since Saturday was truly the only day I had off to play, we took off for Central Park and then made our way with the ever efferverscent Netter to Brooklyn to try for some Grimaldi's pizza, Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory yuminess and a trek across the Brooklyn Bridge. The park was gorgeous and full of the characters I like to see while people watching. We hopped on the subway and headed across the East river to the pizza heaven. The line for Grimaldis was LONG, not just long, but L...O....N...G! No way was I waiting in the heat so instead we opted for the longer but faster moving ice cream line.

While wandering on the wharf we saw the Water Taxi. This is one thing I have never done in New York...ridden on either the Hudson or East rivers. We all thought it was about time so we booked our passage and took off on the Water Taxi. Lucky for us it was during the time frame where Olaf Erricson's Waterfalls were in full view. They were beautiful.

Ended the evening with some good eats at Blue Smoke and headed back to turn on Ed and hunker down for more Olympics viewing. Oh the life I lead. It wouldn't have been half as fun to do all these things without the company of Doc. Can't wait until she joins us in December for the 7th Annual New York Fun Day. Hooray!

One of the waterfalls under the Brooklyn Bridge

Doc & Netter so happy to be on the Water Taxi

This city is truly beautiful

The three amigas - Netter, Doc and me

Top Ten - #9

I'm a sucker for "pretty" dances...so it makes sense that I really enjoyed the Viennese Waltz performance by Courtney and Mark. It was an added bonus that the song chosen was by the latest American Idol that I actually know the name of. Whoa!

Courtney & Mark's Waltz choreographed by Jason Gilkinson

Top Ten - #10

Twitch made it to the Top Ten fair and square and was supposed to partner Jessica but she had an injury so it was bye bye Jess hello Comfort. Lucky for Miss Comfort, she and Twitch nabbed a Dave Scott routine and rocked it.

So here it is #10 of the Top Ten - Twitch & Comfort Hip Hop choregraphed by Dave Scott

Meeting of the Minds

Walking from Central Park on Saturday provided this opportunity to view the meeting of two yellow cabs...one a Taurus & the other a mini-van. Needless to say, the mini-van won.

Yet another New York moment to document.

SYTYCD ends...

The summer is officially over in terms of good television viewing for me. So You Think You Can Dance had its grand finale last night where they crowned Season 4's Favorite Dancer. My money was on Joshua taking home the crown and lookey there, I was right. If only I had actually put money on my prediction. Oh well.

It was a fun show with things occuring as I thought including Courtney's early elimination and the routines chosen as "favorites" were not huge surprises. I was hoping for a few less contemporary pieces and more variety like a broadway or ballroom but alas I can't determine everything. While watching I thought it would be smart of fox.com to do a poll for Fan Favorite Performance from the season and then see it again at the finale. It might be only one day to vote if you include the Final Four's routines from the previous night, but I would be interested in seeing what others liked in comparison to my faves.

The tradition will continue and starting tomorrow I plan to do a daily countdown of the top 10 of my favorite routines from Season 4. Today I will start with some of my favorite Group Dances:
TOP 6 Choregraphed by Mandy Moore:


TOP 16 Choregraphed by Mia Michaels:


TOP 10 Choregraphed by Nakul:


TOP 5 Girls Choregraphed by Mia Michaels:


It was a great season, now I just have to wait many moons until Season 5 starts in May of 2009.

Birthday Celebration

My big 30th birthday has now come and gone.  It was somewhat anti-climatic but very enjoyable because of the people I shared it with.  Thanks to my dinner and party people!

Dancing Queen, Master Bowler, Moi, Big Mike & Netter at dinner

We are some good looking people!

Dancing Queen and Master Bowler are so psyched for the birthday celebrations!

I blew out all 3 candles with one breath.  Love my birthday cupcake tree.

Memories, light the corners of my mind

Today is my birthday. It is not just any birthday....oh, no, I turn 30 today. I have just entered into another decade of life. On days like this, it is good to reflect on what shaped you to be the person you are now. So here goes my list (in no particular order) of defining moments that molded my character and enhanced my life:

• Moved to New York City - Sept. 2002
• Traveled in Europe with Netter (Paris, Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, Rome, Florence and soon London)
• Graduated from BYU - August 2001
• Welcomed two fabulous women into the family as my sisters-in-law - Oct. 1998 & July 2004
• DVR was invented and brought into my home - Sept. 2003
• Became an aunt 5 times over (soon to be 6) - July 2001, August 2003, April 2006, May 2006 & July 2008
• Paid off 7 credit cards
• Bought my first iPod (have since bought 2 more) - can't remember when i got the first one
• Met amazing friends in New York - Sept. 2002 to the present
• Saw "Wicked" on Broadway with Doc - May 2004
• Got my own apartment - July 2006
• Broke my ankle - February 2008
• Worked with and met retired NBA Players - Sept. 2002-June 2005
• Went to Jamaica for work with Joani - 2004
• Taught Sunday School in Church - January to December 2006
  

I am sure I am missing some additional seminal moments of my young life that should appear on this list. The thing is that in essence all of my choices and adventures have shaped me into the person I am. It is quite exciting to think about the next ten years of experiences and events that will continue the molding process.

Movie Review - Mamma Mia!

"SKIP IT" - Last Friday night Netter and I decided to grab some good eats from a local diner and head to Kips Bay theater to catch a showing of the newest Broadway musical to hit theaters, Mamma Mia! As Netter would say it was so terrible, it was great. It truly was a disastrous movie that made me giggle the whole time and not because it was funny.

For perspective, my favorite part of the "movie" was the two older ladies in the movie theater about to throw down and rumble over a seat behind us BEFORE the movie even began. I have stated before how much I love New York interactive movie audiences but these two older women fighting it out over a chair and spilled dinner was truly a classic cinematic moment that didn't make it on film. That being said, it was all downhill once the movie actually started.

One small little piece of advice - never cast Pierce Brosnan in a role where he is required to sing MULTIPLE times. I give props to Colin Firth (a.k.a. Mr. Darcy) and Stellan Skaarsgard for some decent vocal chops; but poor sweet Pierce should have hired a doppleganger who could actually produce melodic sounds.

The overall movie hit the best part at the end during the credits when the director brilliantly dressed up his/her cast in the bejewelled ensembles of Elvis Presley performances past and made them sing on a glittery stage while trying to employ rhythm. It proved they didn't have it, but they looked like they had a good time attempting the impossible.

So what have we learned from this latest go 'round of Broadway hitting the silver screen?? That acting professionals with no vocal or musical talent should not be cast in musical roles. It generally just won't work and get to the theater early in case there is a rumble between two old ladies. Oh the joy!

Stone Cold Brigham Young University

Brigham Young would be so proud of his namesake educational institution. Today the Princeton Review unveiled their college/university rankings on a plethora of categories. My alma mater Brigham Young University held strong for like the 15th straight year (I'm guessing) as the #1 Stone Cold Sober School and Most Religious Students in the nation.

The Provo campus also took home:

#3 Don't Inhale (purest air in the West),

#6 Best College Library (wish I had more years studying in that library instead of watching it being built or dug up),

#10 Alternative Lifestyles not a Lifestyle (not sure how I feel about this one - but makes sense for Provo) and

#18 Everyone Plays Intramural Sports (those competitive juices flow freely at the Y)

It is nice to know that many years out of college that not much has changed. I remember President Hinckley praising the students for their #1 rankings. For some reason the continuity of BYU as the Stone Cold Sober school gives me hope for a better tomorrow.

Movie Review - The Dark Knight

"SEE IT" - I love me some Christian Bale as Batman and was eagerly anticipating the next chapter in the revamped series. Claire, Netter and I bought tickets for a Saturday afternoon showing and along with about 300 other people crunching on their popcorn enjoyed this movie.

By now it is impossible to get away from all the critics accolades for Heath Ledger, Christopher Nolan and his dark, character driven vehicle of the superhero genre. I tried to put all of that "stuff" out of my mind when we reached our seats in the packed theater.

This movie simply put is fantastic in all areas of filmmaking. The sets, costumes, lighting, editing, music, locations, but most importantly actors were superb. I go partly for the Christian Bale eye candy but was completely enraptured by Heath Ledger as the Joker and by Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. Ultimately this is a story about characters that just happens to have cool gadgets and stunts. I found that I cared about the motivation behind the actions of our main characters. Normally when going to see a superhero movie I just want to see the stunts and CGI fight sequences and could care less about the character.

Go see this movie and the more you see it, the more it will make sense. Still a little lost on aspects of the story. Thank you to Christopher Nolan who didn't take the violence over the edge because that would have been a bit too gruesome for my pretty brown eyes to handle.

Debt Free

I really have one main goal in my life right now...to live debt free (in my mind student loans don't count). I think some would be surprised that my main goal isn't to get married, birth babies, own a home, travel around the world in 30 days, cure cancer, or run a marathon. Instead it really is to get out of debt. I pull myself out of bed every morning and go to a job that I enjoy to work hard and earn money to pay for things that I already bought and have now cost me probably double their value. thanks interest.

While in college I got into some bad habits and have spent literally the last 8 years paying for those mistakes at very high interest. My brother Big Lug uses me as the example of what "not" to do when addressing his incoming freshman class. Stupid Citibank and Discover snared me when I had the most time to travel and could use the excuse for not working as "i'm a student".

Now about 7 years after my college graduation I am still wrestling with the boulder sized pressure of being in debt. I want so desperately to get out of debt and begin some kind of long term saving project...maybe for an apartment, a car, grand safari in Africa, diamonds, etc.

It is amazing to me how much more you value money when it is entirely up to you how you use it. Don't get me wrong I still travel (i.e. Hawaii & London this year) but I save to be able to afford to travel. Hopefully I will be able to continue on the right path and stop paying interest on that skirt I bought from Banana Republic like 3 years ago. I don't even think that skirt is still hanging in my closet. Oh the travesty.

Restaurant Week - here I come

New York is wonderful for many reasons.  One of those reasons is because the amazing food found in fantastic restaurants.  This week is Restaurant Week where some of the best restaurants set up a prix fix menu for lunch and dinner.  It is fantastic because you get some great meals for a reasonable price.  

This week, myself, Netter and Dancing Queen are heading to Butter and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.  It is so good to enjoy a three course meal with friends knowing exactly what you will be spending.

Thank goodness for Restaurant Week because otherwise I wouldn't be heading to these fantastic restaurants to enjoy some really good eats.

The Thurmans

Need to welcome my friends Sue-Belle & Spencer to the blogger world. Granted they have been blogging since a year ago...I'm a little slow on the inclusion.

Sue-Belle was my roomie in college at the great and terrible BYU while Spencer was her main squeeze from high school who returned from his mission to win her hand. They are a wonderful family with two adorable little boys. Can't wait to meet Parker.

Check out their lives living in Texas.

Sue & Spencer -- Let me know when you've lined up some men for me to go out with and I will hop on the next plane to Texas. :)

Day 4 & 5 - Beach & Dolphins

After the heat of the Polynesian Cultural Center Day 3 all we wanted to do was be in water. So days 4 & 5 consisted of ocean, pool, and dolphin discovery. Day 4 we literally played cards for hours, went swimming in both water sources and ate some yummy food prepared by Joani.  We all were in "chillax" mode.

Day 5 was all about the Mooch's birthday. We got up and ate some yummy breakfast then surprised the Mooch with Swimming with Dolphins. Since Mooch was very little she has always been obsessed with dolphins. Her ultimate career goal was to be a marine biologist. So getting up close and personal with this mammal was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The best part was that I had to be really mean to her and tell her she wasn't allowed to celebrate her birthday on MY BIRTHDAY vacation. She totally bought it so it meant more when we celebrated in the such a huge way.

Here's another slideshow of pictures...pay particular attention to the splash contest between my siblings and I. Who do you think won?

Day 3 - Polynesian Cultural Center & Temple

We had a great morning driving up to the North Shore to spend the day at the Temple and Polynesian Cultural Center. It was fun to see the island and learn a little something about polynesian cultures. The best part was when Sunshine and Flex were picked out of the crowd to perform with the Fiji warriors. It was priceless.

The day ended with time spent at the beach. Pookie and Flex did some boogie boarding and Sunshine and I did some wave dancing. Such a great day!

Hawaii Day 1 & 2

The best trip ever!  It all started on Saturday June 28th with arrival, celebrating Flex's big birthday and going to bed really early.  Day 2 consisted of early awakening and spending the day at Pearl Harbor on the USS Arizona, USS Missouri & USS Bowfin with a quick Honolulu city tour along the way.

Destination Birthday - Day 1

Today was the day...the start of the destination birthday with the family.  It was travel to LA Day for all of us.  Out of the six people traveling I would say that my excursion to the west coast was both the worst and the best.

Arrived at JFK airport at around 5:40am for my 7:00am flight.  Ate my apple, confirmed my exit row seat, was saddened to see my name at the top of the list of the upgrade standbys, boarded the plane and waited patiently for the push back and subsequent take off.  The plane had other ideas.  Mechanical problems now caused us all to deplane and wait in the terminal to see if Delta had the necessary part to fix our problem or they were going to give us a new plane.

Personally I'm okay with making sure ALL parts of the plane are functioning before taking off.  A little delay isn't a huge big deal.  I was meeting my mom at LAX but she was cool with waiting until I landed.  What's a measly two hours of time in the grand scheme of things. 

We boarded the new plane at the new gate just fine after waiting an hour and a half.  Sat back down in my exit row seat and was preparing to enjoy my little chick lit book when I see the flight attendant bearing down on my row.  She looks at me to ask my last name...I confirmed I was who she was looking for...she then tells me that I was cleared for an upgrade so please take the last empty seat in business class.  I tried not to do cart wheels along the aisle as I headed to FIRST CLASS!  This is only the second time I have flown in first and what a difference.  The leg room and seat size alone was fantastic.  My little sojourn to Florida to gain Elite status was all worth it when I sat down in my first class seat for the trek across the country.

The story gets even better when I realize who is sitting in front of me.  It was Missy Elliot.  Granted I don't own any of her songs but she is just cool and completely musically gifted.  She is also smaller and friendlier than I imagined.

My time with California friends Mrs. PhD, Deeds, Squishy and B-Unit was all I could ask for.  The trip to the "Original" Cheesecake Factory in Beverly Hills was just icing on the perverbial cake.  Yes, I did order my favorite dessert there - Strawberry Shortcake.

Now if only a Delta rep didn't call me to tell me my flight tomorrow is delayed by three hours...oh well...have to try to be flexible and go with the flow.  At least Joani and I will get to sleep in longer than the kids flying on American Airlines.

Anticipation

I have two short days to get everything done at work, home and for church before heading out to my destination birthday in Hawaii.  My goal is to try and enjoy the anticipation prior to the trip; especially since I have been planning this little sojourn for about a year.  Before I know it the trip will be over and it will be on to the next vacation in London during Thanksgiving.

Thank goodness for my ability to find the next trip to plan.  Hopefully Greece/Turkey will be next year!

Movie Review #1 - The Hulk

My brother Pookie mentioned that I see so many movies that it would only make sense to do a Movie Review portion on the blog. I realized, he's absolutely right! I see many, many movies because it is one of the cheapest forms of entertainment in New York. AMC Theaters chain enacted $6 Saturdays on all movies that begin before noon. I have seen a plethora of movies on $6 Saturdays. Thank you AMC!

My first review will be for Marvel Comic's THE HULK. "SEE IT"

I'm a fan of superhero movies with one notable exception being Spiderman. Netter and I went to check this out and I thought it was terrific. The action sequences were clearly CGI but you could suspend reality. Edward Norton did a really good job being the tortured soul who didn't ask for this "gift". I liked Liv Tyler and William Hurt also but was somewhat annoyed with Tim Roth who played Blonsky. He just looked like a rat. It was fun and definitely left me wanting more...which was its full intention. I smell another franchise.

The best thing about this movie was the New York audience who doesn't have a problem with cheering, clapping or yelling at exciting parts of the movie. I love the experience just as much as the movies themselves.

#200!

This is my 200th post from when I started this little hobby in August of 2005. In that time I have been to numerous European cities, seen lots of Broadway plays, welcomed 2 nephews, moved into my own apartment, said farewell to several friends leaving the city, and thoroughly enjoyed sharing my thoughts and life updates.

I hope it hasn't been a tedious exercise reading about me and my adventures in the city that never sleeps.

Here's to 200 more posts and visiting more European cities, viewing more Broadway plays, welcoming another niece and nephew/niece, moving into an elevator building, stop saying farewell to friends because no one else is allowed to leave the city and continuing to use the internet and blogger to keep in contact with fabulous family and friends.

Daddy's Dad

Just want to wish a Happy Father's Day to some of the greatest dads I know...my brothers.

Top Ten Prediction

Some might say this is a little late since one couple has already been kicked from the competition but "better late than never" in my opinion...I'm going to throw out my prediction for the Top Ten on Season 4 of So You Think You Can Dance...

Twitch
Kherington
Joshua
Comfort
Will
Chelsea
Thayne
Katee
Mark
Chelsie

Do you agree or disagree with me?

10 more days!

A short week and a half until I am standing looking at this...

Secret...

I have a secret. On a habitual basis whatever I choose to wear to church on Sunday is what I wear to work on Monday. Sometimes it is just too hard to come up with a new ensemble each and every day. My closet is not that expansive with options.

Let the Dancing Begin...

...finally the Top 20 on So You Think You Can Dance has been determined and tonight they are paired and start dancing! Hooray!

It has been a long drought without the routines of Alex DaSilva, Tyce DiOrio, Shane Sparks, Mandy Moore and of course, Mia Michaels.

Thankfully Netter & Dancing Queen will join me as we enjoy the dancing on Ed this evening. Everyone tune in and vote!

Connecticut Weekend w/o a hospital trip

I returned to the "scene of the crime" this past weekend to spend some quality time with Claire. Our original plan was she would come to the city but the nasty weather and Puerto Rican Day Parade craziness made us re-evaluate so I hopped on the Metro North 10:17am train Saturday morning.

Our weekends in Connecticut seem to follow a standard pattern. We go to Target, the mall, see a movie and eat out at restaurants. There is also generally some kind of candy consumption. This past weekend was no different. We enjoyed all of the above with a couple of modifications...we saw TWO movies and incorporated new restaurants into our routine.

It was great to see Claire and even better when she sat me down, covered me with a cape and colored and cut my hair; then let me pay her with food. The best part was I was able to spend the entire weekend without an emergency trip to the hospital. Yeah for no broken bones! I look forward to our next weekend hanging out together whether it be in CT or the NYC.

Lightning Strikes

There is a huge storm rolling into the city right now.  I have been in many storms in my life that make me nervous because of the lit up lightning sky and rocking thunder...this storm is different for some reason.  It is almost beautiful how the sky is lit up by the sparks of light.  The thunder isn't scary but almost melodic.  

The best thing about this storm is that it is going to hit hard yet fast.  Finally the humidity will be removed and I can enjoy a walk outside without sweating profusely.

Subway Avoidance

This morning I had another example of why I will try everything in my power to avoid the subway morning commute.

Let me set the stage...it is hot in NYC; very, very, very hot and humid. The subway platform is one of the worst places to be during a 3 H day (hot, humid & hazy). This type of weather generally puts people in a bad mood. So here goes my morning story...

Unfortunately I was running late so opted to take the subway instead of the trusty bus. The first train was absolutely packed so waited for the next train. I was able to get on the next train and position myself in the "alleyway" in front of a nice older lady. My car location was at the front of the train and I was at the mid-north part of the car.

Things were going standard for a packed subway commute. We pulled out of 59th street and were on our way to my getting off point of 51st street when all of the sudden we hear this woman squeal (not quite a scream) "stop" and jump on the seat down towards the south end of my car. I exited the train from the middle and suddenly these two middle aged men were moving towards the exit just pummeling each other. I've seen fights before but nothing so close to me and none where I could hear the cracking of knuckles on someone else's face. It took everything I could do to get away as quickly as possible but the stupid fighter in the green polo shirt kept getting closer and closer to me. Finally I did some pushing of my own and got out of the station as quickly as my stiff little ankle climbing multiple stairs could get me.

My best guess is that the fight stemmed from the fact that there was no room on the subway car and it was so blasted hot, humid and hazy. These factors should not have led to grown men hitting each other and endangering those around them.

Another adventure on the subway.

Happy Birthday!

A shout out to my friend Canadian - Happy Birthday! I hope you have a spectacular celebration on this anniversary of your welcome to the world.

We'll always have the M. Smith Hall memories from our freshman year at BYU. I wish we could see each other more often but thank goodness for Facebook!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Doggy Momma

This past weekend I had the pleasure of doggy sitting for my co-worker Chrys. She and her family travel to Europe in the summer so I volunteered to watch their pooch, Max. We thought a "trial run" would be in order before I had Max for 2 weeks in July.

Max and I met on Saturday and spent the weekend going to and back from Central Park, snuggling on my sofa and overall just enjoying the beautiful weather found in New York. It was fun except for the small accidents and whining. Poor little Max was probably traumatized by the city and all of its dogs and smells.

Overall it was fun to play with Max but it taught me that I am not ready for the responsibility of being a dog owner. The stairs in my building alone were enough to make me not purchase a pooch. (Although the benefits of exercise would be welcome) I will just have to wait until I can afford a lovely apartment in an elevator building.

Thanks Chrys for the loaner doggy to figure out if I could take the plunge with a dog of my own. I'll have to settle for seeing 2-3 times a year the prettiest doggy ever that lives with Joani, Moocher and Grandpappy...my Macy.