9.26.09

Today was almost too awesome to convey, but I'll try.

To begin, the weather is GORGEOUS right now. The leaves are changing a bit, the air is slightly chilly (light cardigan and jeans weather) and the sun is shining. I love fall.

We started the day with breakfast at Alice's Tea Cup on the Upper West Side. While there, I got to eavesdrop on some girls who went to Elon, drink a pot of autumnal darjeeling tea, and eat half of a pumpkin scone and half of a gingerbread apple scone. Awesome.

We left Alice's and walked up Columbus Avenue to the post office so that I could mail my Fall Food Swap package to my partner, Becky. Who should we run into but Jack McBrayer (Kenneth Parcell on 30 Rock). AWESOME. Someone else had us to take his picture with Jack, so I did that and then Jack held the door for us all to go into the post office.

I basically got way too excited over that encounter and he was so chill and unassuming that I didn't even tell him how funny I think he is or how excited we are for the new season. Oh well. Happy Saturday, Jack!

We left the post office and walked across Central Park to The Met. We walked along the route for the New York Road Runners Mile Championship race and that was really cool. We got to see the Seniors division compete and we watched the Women's 20somethings warm up. Those girls were FAST!

We spent a couple hours at The Met (we're members, so we can go whenever) and notably saw a bunch of Roman and Greek ruins and, Nathan's favorite of the day, a pistol cleaver. No, really. We have a picture.

Left The Met, walked back down Central Park for 20ish blocks and hopped on the train to go to SoHo. We were walking to the Gizmodo Gallery to see an installation on digital design. While walking, we passed an independent bookstore that advertised John Krasinski would be holding a reading and discussion session that evening. Whaaaat???

So we hopped over to Gizmodo since it only happens once a year and spent an hour exploring REALLY cool digital design. Check out the site - we saw the mud computer, 3-D Etch-a-Sketch, pancake machine and singing Tesla coils. Nathan played Beatles Rock Band with a bunch of little kids and this awesome moment of community developed when everyone in the room starting singing All You Need Is Love.

So after an hour of that we headed back to the bookstore and were the last people to get seats to hear John. He did several readings from "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men" and then had a Q&A session where, thankfully, everyone asked him about that project and not The Office. He seemed really, really cool and was super chill and funny.

We left there and headed to the West Village for some amazing noodles and then wandered around the Village for a while before settling in at a Starbucks (I promise we tried a few independent places first that were all super crowded) where we laughed and told stories about people in high school and read comedic writing out loud to each other.

We then hopped on a train and listened to a "This American Life" podcast on the way home.

Perfect day? Yes.

9.24.09

Whew. This week has been exhausting, no? I had compiled so many reports in the past two days that it's not even funny. I have worked SO hard and SO long, but I have truly loved it. You know why? Because I work with an amazing team of people and we laugh a lot. My last company was all about "the serious" and everything was an attempted power play of some sort. My company now is still such a refreshing change. It doesn't hurt that I work for a ridiculously successful start-up and that we know that all the work we do contributes to that success, but it is still a cultivated atmosphere of trust and dedication and hard work and fun. I can't get enough. Truly.

The past 10 days have also been a little physically exhausting because I'm started jogging again regularly, but, man oh man, how great is that feeling? You know what I mean?

Unfortunately, all that jogging means that my calves are freakishly large. Nope - not kidding. I measured them and then googled for about an hour one night about calf sizes. As far as I can tell, I have calves about the size of a woman twice my size. No joking. I mean, they are freakishly large.

And, truly, I was really bummed about it for a while because boots are SO CUTE and apparently they are completely unavailable to me. But then I remembered that I can, you know, jog and breathe and stuff. I'm not paralyzed - physically, mentally or emotionally like I was before. Life is good.

(But, really, I'll take boot suggestions if you have them. Haha.)

9.20.09

So, my BFF Sally has posted her 99 favorites to celebrate her upcoming 100th post. I thought I'd list my 99 favorites in the categories she provided.

1. Favorite scary movie: None. I HATE scary movies. HATE them.
   
2. Favorite action movie: The Bourne movies. Pretty much love them.
   
3. Favorite kids' movie: Robin Hood!
   
4. Favorite foreign movie: Amelie (yes, I am cliched)
   
5. Favorite grown-up movie: Um...Hotel Rwanda?
   
6. Favorite comedy: Talladega Nights or Dodge Ball or Super Bad (oh man, my parents must be cringing) or Christopher Guest mockumentaries
   
7. Favorite romantic comedy: Not a comedy, but I love The Notebook
   
8. Favorite movie in general: CAMP!
9. Favorite movie series: Um...the quirky, unaffiliated documentary film?
   
10. Favorite animated movie: Still Robin Hood
    
11. Favorite literary genre: Creative non-fiction
    
12. Favorite children's book: Go to the Doctor, Harry.
    
13. Favorite adolescent book: Catherine Called Birdy
    
14. Favorite grown-up book: Their Eyes Were Watching God
    
15. Book that I bought just so I could have the title on my bookshelf: Can't say that I've ever done this.
    
16. Favorite movie adaptation of a book: I'm really bad about seeing movies. Definitely NOT A Walk to Remember. They butchered that story in the film.
    
17. Favorite author: Oh man...I don't know. Zora Neale Hurston? CS Lewis?
    
18. Book that I'm reading now: Just finished How to Cook a Wolf by MFK Fisher.
    
19. Book that I'd most like to read next: My list is so long. The Devil in the White City has been on my list for a while.
    
20. Book that I wish I had written: I wish I could come across as funny in my writing like David Sedaris. I am flat on paper.
    
21. Favorite grammatical error to catch: I like to translate errors into Latin to fully explain why people are wrong. Don't that count?
22. Favorite marker: Stabilo fine point - gray.
    
23. TV show that I wish I had written: 30 Rock. Or do I just secretly wish I could be a comedy writer AND have a life?
    
24. Favorite tween TV show: The Hills?
    
25. Favorite family TV show: Family Matters or Boy Meets World.
    
26. Favorite scripted TV show: The Office. Or 30 Rock.
    
27. Favorite competitive reality TV show: I would say Project Runway, but I literally haven't seen it in years. Reality TV is hard to watch online.
    
28. Favorite documentary reality TV show: No clue.
    
29. Favorite male TV character: Andy Bernard. Puffy hearts for Andy.
    
30. Favorite female TV character: Kelly Kapoor.
    
31. Most feared TV character: Sylar. I saw this guy on a subway platform who looked JUST LIKE Sylar and I freaked out. A lot.
    
32. Biggest fear in general: Being paralyzed.
    
33. Food I would never eat: Veal.
    
34. Favorite breakfast food: Pumpkin pancakes, soysage (that's for you, Laura), breakfast casseroles, breakfast burritos, bagels and lox. Breakfast is my jam. (Get it? Breakfast? Jam? Haha)
    
35. Favorite meat: Salmon or mussels or scallops.
36. Newest favorite snack: I can't stop eating pumpkin seeds. No, really, can't stop.
    
37. Favorite salty snack: Pretzels! So I don't buy them. Ever.
    
38. Favorite restaurant: Brew and View or Laughing Seed (both in Asheville), though I do love some places here too.
    
39. Best dining experience ever: The hotel we stayed at in Lydia, Greece. Entire meal cooked for the four of us - no one else in the restaurant. Best salad of my life.
    
40. Favorite comfort food: I love homemade pizza. Or pesto. Or sweet potato soup.
    
41. Favorite frozen entree: Kashi Blueberry waffles. I eat them as a meal. They count.
    
42. Dairy product that I miss most: (Sal has recently cut out all dairy. I don't miss any dairy. I'm skipping this question).
    
43. Faux-dairy product that I enjoy most: Chocolate soy milk. TOO delicious.
    
44. Favorite fruit: Blueberries or strawberries.
    
45. Favorite vegetable: Okra. Tomatoes.
    
46. Favorite candy: Really great dark chocolate or Peanut Butter M&Ms.
    
47. Favorite ice cream flavor: Pinkberry! Really a yogurt, but what can you do.
    
48. Favorite cookie: Pumpkin chocolate chip or traditional chocolate chip.
    
49. Favorite errand: Grocery shopping! Especially at a great market with a flexible list.
    
50. Favorite household chore: Cleaning the bathroom. I'm so weird. Definitely NOT folding the laundry.
    
51. Least favorite household chore: Folding the laundry or, even worse, PUTTING IT AWAY.
    
52. Favorite room in the house, decor-wise: Kitchen. It's pinkish.
    
53. Favorite room in the house I grew up in: My bedroom. It was the bonus room and it was awesome.
    
54. Favorite childhood toy: Loved my See 'n Say
    
55. Favorite holiday: I really like Easter. And Christmas.
    
56. Favorite Halloween costume: The SNL skit year. I feel like I can't put the actual name of the skit on my blog. The skit has Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg making gift-giving suggestions. (Again, my parents are cringing). OR Curious George.
    
57. What I'd be for Halloween this year if I had an occasion: Eh. Halloween's not my thing.
    
58. Favorite theme party that I had in college: Country Club house warming. Yes, there was an enforced dress code and salmon appetizers.
    
59. Favorite season: FALL! Hands down. Pumpkins and leaves and apples and cider and briskness without heavy coats. Fantastic!
    
60. Favorite month: October.
61. Favorite day of the week: Sundays.
62. Favorite time of the day: Morning. I love getting ready and commuting with Nathan. And I love smoothies and having all kinds of energy.
    
63. Favorite elementary school teacher: Mrs. Britt (third grade)
    
64. Favorite junior high school teacher: Eh. I sort of hated middle school.
    
65. Favorite high school teacher: Mr. Wajima (Statistics and tennis coach)
    
66. Favorite undegraduate college professor: Merritt Moseley and Dan Pierce.
    
67. Favorite graduate college professor: Again, this is Sal-specific.
    
68. Favorite college class: British history. African-American History since 1865.
    
69. Subject that I'm not good at that I like most: Biology. I'm fascinated by Biology and TERRIBLE at labs. Writing down details is not my thing.
    
70. Favorite musician ever: Oh man...James Taylor? I don't know!
    
71. Favorite musical group ever: The Supremes
72. Favorite duet: Islands in the Stream
    
73. Favorite song ever: Don't Leave Me This Way
    
74. Favorite song to sing: Son of a Preacher Man
    
75. Song that I put on too many CD mixes: The Way I Are
    
76. Song that infallibly makes me happy: Hey, Good Looking
    
77. Song that infallibly makes me sad: Long December
    
78. Song that I sang constantly as a child: Baby Beluga.
    
79. Favorite choreographer: I don't think I have one.
    
80. Favorite showtune: On the Right Track - Pippin
    
81. Favorite texture: Down blankets.
    
82. Least favorite texture: Cat litter.
    
83. Favorite smell: Nathan's morning smell - sort of gross and smelly mixed with leftover deoderant from the day before OR the smell of matches being put out. Mmm.
    
84. Least favorite smell: Urine. Unforts, I smell it ALL THE TIME. Thanks, NYC.
    
85. Favorite item of clothing: Vineyard Vines lazy pants.
    
86. Next item of clothing that I'd like to buy: High-end black ballet flats. I'm taking suggestions on your favorite brands.
    
87. Most anticipated upcoming purchase: A television! Yes, we are joining the ranks of the regular people.
    
88. City in the United States that I'd most like to visit: Seattle.
89. City outside of the United States that I'd most like to visit: Paris or Athens.
    
90. Country that I'd most like to visit: Spain. France again. Somewhere tropical - Fiji, perhaps?
    
91. Favorite super hero: Eh.
92. Favorite super villain: Eh.
93. Super power that I'd most like to have: Being fast and bendy.
    
94. Super power that I would least like to have: Flying.
    
95. Favorite color: Green.
96. Favorite color to wear: Navy.
    
97. Favorite physical attribute that I have: Eye color (they are brown with gold flecks)
    
98. Favorite physical ability that I have: Ability to sleep almost anywhere.
    
99. Physical ability that I wish I had: Holding my breath for long periods of time.
    

9.14.09

We're in the quite the transitional phase over here at our house.

We've finally put the duvet back on the bed after a long, hot stretch of the summer...but the windows are still open.

I have pumpkin scented soap in the bathroom...but tonight for supper we had fresh peaches and zucchini.

I made an arrangement of mini pumpkins for the coffee table...but drank out of my new sand dollar Tervis tumbler from the BFFs while I did it.

I'm aching for fall, but clinging to the last good days of summer. September is the kind of month when you wear a cardigan in the morning and are thankful to remove some layers in the afternoon.

September is all about the transition.

9.8.09

Does anyone else become really disoriented if you nap?

I love napping, but it always makes me somewhat disoriented and paranoid, so I try to avoid it unless I am so, so, so sleepy. I can rest with no problems, but actually going to sleep makes me freak out.

So, yesterday I fell asleep on the plane, fell asleep for a few hours at home, woke up for supper and then fell asleep again and then woke up when Nathan suggested I move to the bed from the couch.

My brain was and still is freaking out. Wish me luck today as I feel like I'm floating through life right now.

9.7.09

And we're back in New York. Charleston was wonderful, not over-booked and relaxing. We made a number of plans each day and always knocked one or two things off the list in the process. It's sort of the accessories rule applied to travel.

It was fantastic to spend time with our best friends in their fancy (to us) house. They have a garbage disposal and carpet and a microwave and all sorts of modern conveniences.

It was also just really great to be with another couple that is at the same point in life that we are. We're all crazy busy and dreaming big dreams and making plans. It was so interesting to have conversations on future stuff like whether or not to immunize our children (we pretty much agree on that point) or what kind of education we would like our kids to experience (that point was, uh, less similar). Isn't it so cool though to grow up and find out your friends' opinions on things you've never had reason to discuss before? I think it's cool.

Anyway, they're fantastic, our weekend was fantastic and Miss Marple seemed glad to see us come home. Good weekend.

9.1.09

Why, hello, September! I've been expecting you with great anticipation.

Today, I...

-woke up chilly underneath a blanket (it's 57 degrees out).

-will wear closed-toe shoes with a Lilly wrap dress.

-will buy my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the year (and hope that it isn't as sweet as I remember since too sweet things make me gag now).

Today is Tuesday, so only 3 more days to go until we are in Charleston with our BFFs - eating hummus, touring plantations (including the Bigelow TEA plantation!), taking long walks, laughing at each other's stories, having soysage for breakfast and playing word games. It's going to be fabulous!