'Tis the Season

tonight i made my Christmas playlist.  amazing how quickly the holiday season rolls around each year.  i know that technically we still have the wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving to enjoy, but walking in stores fully decked out in the colors of the Christmas season it is hard to not get caught up in the early holiday magic.  playing the music just adds to the magic.

after finding out the results of our sibling Christmas gifting raffle, i've thought about what i could give to Sunshine and Pookie that would be meaningful and not necessarily standard gifting procedure of a DVD, CD or gift card to Applebee's.  my attitude towards gifting and receiving has become one of "precious moments" rather than "stuff."  i think the holiday season can be so much more than just shopping for names on a list.  now that i have put all this pressure on myself to find that meaningful precious moment gift for my brother and sister-in-law, i hope i don't disappoint.

Utah for Christmas (in October)

i spent my "Christmas" vacation in utah this past weekend because it is very expensive to fly during the holidays. the family got together minus Big Lug and his crew to enjoy some good food, cards, football, tennis and singing around the piano. it was a nice weekend but went by way too quickly.

here are some highlights...you'll notice most are of my nephew, Blakers. i wonder why?? :)

Delta did me proud

flying in first class to utah last week showed me that i really enjoy flying first class. they have decent food, free movies, beverages in glasses (not plastic cups), a pillow and blanket, and most importantly plenty of leg room and arm rest space. i was very grateful that i opted to take my quick florida sojourn in december last year to get my medallion status.

it was with great sorrow that i checked in for my return flight back to NYC and realized i wasn't going to get upgraded. i tried to contain the tears by thinking about all that lovely leg room in my emergency exit row seat. it didn't quite do the trick.

my brother Flex drove Joani and i to the airport because as luck would have it, she was flying to chicago on a business trip on a flight that left 10 minutes before mine. after some issues with joani's luggage we got through security and headed to our gates. we hung at her gate until about 25 minutes before i was scheduled to start boarding. (necessary to board first to get the best overhead carryon space). when i walked over i noticed on the upgrade list that i was #4 and at that moment in time there were exactly 4 seats that were unclaimed in first class. my chances for a return flight upgrade were slim but possible.

joani and i hugged goodbye as she boarded her flight. i grabbed my bag when they called "zone 1" and headed to the lovely bar code scanning lady. when she scanned my pass a little piece of paper printed that said i was UPGRADED! hooray! i enjoyed a lovely roasted chicken dinner with cheesecake and an edited version of Sex and the City the Movie. oh the joys for first class!

i am now pretty much addicted to being upgraded and am willing to go to great lengths to never lose my trusty medallion status again.

Today is the First Day

today is the first day of the next 6 months. today i wore a wool coat to work. granted i had to go in early to cover for a co-worker so the temperature was very cold comparative to when i usually leave. be that as it may, today i begin the next six month of my constant coat wearing life.

this must be why i own like 8 coats. to keep the fashion boredom from creeping in.

Playing with All My Sons

went with dancing queen to see All My Sons last night. this play garnered lots of publicity because it was Katie Holmes Broadway debut. the play is about a family in turmoil after WWII. john lithgow, diane wiest, and patrick wilson rounded out the main cast.

i really didn't know what to expect but the content of the play surprised me. there was a lot of aggression, drama and sorrow. the acting of john lithgow and patrick wilson was fantastic. katie was just okay. there were a couple of times where i had to not giggle because she became so over-the-top dramatic.

i've decided that plays with patrick wilson are inheriently full of tension, anger and pain. saw Barefoot in the Park with him a few years ago and left feeling like i had just been hit with a baseball bat. this play was somewhat the same feeling i had as i walked out of the theater.

overall i enjoyed the play but was glad i used a coupon when purchasing the tickets.

Ice Skating anyone?

here's proof that you can ice skate outdoors in 70 degree weather. today at lunch i saw a girl skating in a tank top and shorts. poor little thing had to be uncomfortable when she fell flat on her stomach.

I "Heart" Delta

i opened my email box this morning and there it was..."your upgrade is confirmed." hooray! my flight early tomorrow morning now means no uncomfortable seats and stale peanuts. instead i get some decent food, wider seats and the ability to get off the plane in a hurry.

again my last minute trip to florida last december has paid off. i love medallion status.

Apple cord love

i am officially a Mac user (except when forced by employment to use a PC). i recently got my iPhone and find it hard to remember what life was like prior. it seems that Apple continues to bring joy to my life with their technology gadgets.

the other day i took a leap and bought an A/V cable connector for iPod/iPhone. it is a magic cord because i can play shows and videos from my phone or iPod on my beautiful TV Ed. the quality isn't that bad either. it is AMAZING!

it has become apparent that just about anything Apple comes up with i will buy. maybe i should just hand over my debit card number and have them ship the items directly to me as they become available.

What to do??

thursday i am heading to the west to visit the family in beautiful downtown orem, utah. (don't worry Big Lug, i have already set my DVR to record the BYU v. TCU game) so here's my quandry, joani asked me what i wanted to do while in utah and i could come up with exactly three things i wanted to do...get a massage from Angel Hands, play pinochle and play tennis with the whole kit 'n kaboodle G clan. after those three things, i'm completely at a loss as to what to do.

this is where my faithful readers come to the rescue. if you have ever been, ever wanted to go, ever thought about going, or ever wished you never went to utah, please share with me some activities you did. i'm desperate to not sit at home with my dog pondering my life choices.

i promise to give a detailed report of the outcome if i choose your activity to indulge in while basking in the majesty of the Wasatch mountains.

Catskills Fun

last weekend i headed to Athens.  regrettably it wasn't the Athens with the old school architecture and pure blue waters.  this Athens was nestled in between the Catskills and Poconos.  about 14 peeps trekked up to enjoy some fresh air, tennis and bowling competition and the fall foliage.  

the cabin was on the Finger Lakes and it was absolutely beautiful.  some friends were adventurous and even kayaked, canoed and swam in the lake.  i enjoyed my view from the boat dock.  

the weekend was great and it was fantastic to finally swing a tennis racquet...made even better when i and paul beat the other boys.  

An October Welcome

it's October! crazy how time flies. already multiple events in my life have happened in 6 short days....

• Big Lug celebrated his birthday
• General Conference took place last weekend
• Master Bowler and I had dinner to celebrate his birthday (which was actually in August)
• Booked my travel to Phoenix for the NBA All Star Game
• Went to the Catskills with a bunch of friends to see the leaves, eat some S'mores, and play games
• Played tennis for the first time in almost a YEAR!

i am really looking forward to see what happens in the next 25 days. at least i know i will be back with the fam for a few days, going to see All My Sons with Dancing Queen, paying for my London Thanksgiving vacation, getting a wisdom tooth extracted and playing the piano during the Ward Primary Program.

will the excitement never end?!?!

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.