My First Citibike Incident

Although they resemble a leisurely beach cruiser, Citibikes must be peddled at a more robust pace to keep up with speeding delivery men and of course the cars.
I can only use them on return trips home because I'm often found profusely sweating after a quick ride due in part to my traffic anxiety and also in part to the physical exertion.
Today, I decided to test my endurance with a 2.5 mile run and a one mile cool down bike ride. I set to planning with my handy Citibike app and charted out my 40 blocks of running to end next to a dock site. The thought hadn't crossed my mind that I'd ever get to a station and no bikes would exist. This occasionally happens at the stations by work and it makes little difference to me as I have not grown to depend on them. .. just yet.
So as I peddle my way to the next dock, two women approach me asking if they can take my bike... I stare at them both not really sure what to say except "sure" non-commitally in either of their directions. I dock and wait for them to hash it out on their own but instead of talking amongst themselves they're arguing their sides to me! My worst fear of the moment.
"I've been waiting for the next bike."
"These are like cabs. It's the first person to the curb!" Says the second lady with helmet in hand.

The "waiting lady" eventually won out with stronger body language to take the bike as I stood between them hoping they wouldn't notice me wipe the sweaty seat off.

She thanked me as I scuddled off toward home. Helmet lady ambled away half-heartedly, perhaps thinking about the nearest station... or perhaps what she used to do to get home just a few short months ago.

Rent the Runway launch party: NYC!

If you haven't heard of them, Rent the Runway is a fun site to get  name-brand dresses for relatively cheap. The dress is yours for a few days and all you have to do is throw it in a pre-addressed mail bag when you're done. No dry cleaning or anything!
This week, they hosted a launch party for their new site and search. Essentially, now, you can search for dresses by your chest and dress size coupled with your height and body type! This comes in handy when you don't know a brand well. And since these are all gorgeous designer pieces, getting two sizes in the mail when you order one dress is also super-helpful!

Fit into that smaller size!

I went Pollock on my nails!

Princesses!

 Zapp is in a Pamela Rolland number. The new site style would have helped her out though, because as you can tell, she has an extra 6-8 inches of fabric behind her. The previous site highlighted the dress using a 5'10" model and a vague description noting that a wide range of women of different heights could pull this look off. Simply not true.
My Badgley Mischka dress was a touch long, but the rental reviews were helpful in noting that the dress ran long (and to stick with the regular versus the long).

The event was held at the Skylight West in Manhattan. It was minimally decorated and boasted a Runway prize wheel, a Make Up Forever stand and photobooths! The night was filled with self-absorption as you can imagine.
And rumor has it, Stacy Kiebler even made a guest appearance. Though she must have stayed for less than half an hour, because she was gone before we arrived.

 

[Pic note: Baubles I thought about stealing]

It was a fun night overall. RTR gave us a reason to dress up and go all 'girl' on a weeknight. Zapp and I will take any reason ;)

 Happy Renting!

Village Voice: Brooklyn Pour!

Who doesn't love beer and delicious foods set in a divine former bank building with soaring ceilings?! No one. But seriously, I felt like I'd closed my eyes and opened them again in Gringotts and was about to go downstairs into the goblin safes... for elicit beers! The Village Voice Brooklyn Pour event was held at the Skylight One Hanson in Ft. Greene Brooklyn. It was truly magical.

This weekend's event was an amazing foray into beer intricacies and options. I tried over twenty beers in three hours. My favorite was the Innus and Gunn Rum Finish. You wouldn't think the "pair" would go well, but the product, stored in old rum casks, has this delicious full bodied, smooth, sweet flavor. I'd definitely look out for this one.

Gorgeous venue!

Me and Amusium

I also tried my first chili dog at this event! Alas, I did not think to take a picture of it till too late. It was phenomenal. I don't even like chili! Thanks, Lucky 777 Chili for a yummy experience. I'll have to visit my old NYU stomping grounds and get another at their McDougal Street location :)

[Pic note: The crew]

Definitely an event I could go to again. 

Cheers!

This is my French face

Tie a scarf on me and call me French! Apparently it's all it takes. I've had three people at the office tell me I look foreign today.
One guy actually said something in French...

[Pic note: Waiting for Chipotle :)]

[Pic note: enjoying the lovely brisk weather out!]

10 Reasons I Want to Win The Carnegie Hall Golden Ticket Experience!

Carnegie Hall is holding a contest to win the Ultimate Golden Ticket experience! This means that one lucky winner will receive FIFTY tickets to the venue. Please VOTE for me! All you have to do is click the link, and click Vote. That's all! (EVERYDAY!)
The winner can use all tickets at one show or divvy them up with friends over the course of the entire season! I'm not sure when it happened, but sometime in the last few days, I became enchanted with the idea of winning and started fantasizing about winning. Think of ALL of the great music and shows!!

These are the top 10 reason why I want to win thes:

1. I need/want to be more cultured!
2. I dream of flying my parents in to go to fun events like the Princeton Chinese Music Festival
3. I'm sick of movies and bad movie theater seats.
4. Ooh, acoustic Ben Harper!
5. Have I mentioned I spent nine years of my life playing in an orchestra and symphony orchestra? Sometimes, when I hear a violin or cello solo, I tear up. This definitely counts as one of those "memories" that I'll miss about childhood and what I fear most that today's generation won't have.

[Pic note: I found this violin at a college party circa 2009 and thought it'd be fun to play. I snapped a string. Oops]

6. I've always wanted to go to benefit concerts! Being bougie while supporting a good cause is totally acceptable.
7. The Canterbury Choral Society performs! People singing with raw talent. I've always respected that.
8. I'll have a back up "date night" plan for a whole year!
9. I want a reason to dress 'red carpet' and rent another dress from Rent the Runway!

[Pic note: Best Dressed ladies at the Emmys 2012!]

10. I can invite my friends to shows! "Oh, I just happen to have a couple extra tickets to the symphony. Care to join?" -Yeah...

 So Vote for me!! And tell me what you want to see, because if I win, I'll need someone to go to FIFTY Shows with!!!
Here's the link again: http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/250846/voteable_entries/58281901

Thanks everyone!

20 Days in: Gym-sanity!

I'm really enjoying the ease of falling into exercise everyday. It's amazing to me how much I struggled getting just ONE workout in every week a couple months ago. Obviously it has to do with the full-time job coupled with my part-time masters program, but I still should have/make time to do something good for my body. I honestly do feel more in shape than a few weeks ago, but every so often, when I'm eight minutes into a workout, I still feel like quitting. Being human really does suck. With my new found love of cardio and high intensity workout videos, I don't think I'll have too much of a problem going forward though... I hope.

Here's what I did for the past ten days:

Day 11: Two miles on the treadmill at Boom Fitness. It was quite boring but at least I got to watch Bones on tv!
Day 12: I went back to Yoga to the People for their noon vinyasa session. As always, it was kick butt. I wonder what the average donation amount is. I always give $5... I'm going to try to go to my own gym's classes. It's free. For some reason I feel threatened by them. I really shouldn't. I'm going to DO IT!
Day 13: I did the 1 Minute video twice. It was really hard but I needed some cardio in my life and had no time to do anything else. Honestly though, I'm dripping sweat like NBA basketball players at the free throw line. I need one of those sweat boys mopping my yoga mat up!
Day 14: I biked at the gym. I wasn't feeling well, so this was the easiest thing I could do before running out of the over-crowded gym.
Day 15: I decided to join a volleyball league for the remainder of the summer since I'm bored to death of the gym AND I have 1.5 months left of summer before classes start again. New York Urban has been one of my favorite leagues so far. I went to the open gym to meet a new team and get my work out in! woohoo! Go team BXm10!
Day 16: I went on another two mile run. I go up First Ave from East 36th street and turn back toward Second Ave on East 55th Street. 20 blocks equal one mile! Second Ave is a little crowded compared to First, but it's still a nice slightly hilly challenge every so often.

::A Rest Day happened here::

Day 17: I did the same two mile run as day 16. I'm thinking about upping it to 2.5 miles soon! 5k training has commenced!
Day 18: I'm in love with the 8 Minute series! I just did the Abs and then the Buns one with Ryan and we're both drenched. It makes me happy to see him sweat. It makes me feel like it's not just me and that I have some physical endurance building up.
Day 19: I went on a run with Russell's dog this weekend. It was almost two miles. It was a bit rough. That sucker can go! He's a little Boston terrier with SO much energy!
My friends and I also partook in a Living Social Adventure! We did the River tubing event down the Delaware River in PA. It sounds like a lazy adventure but there was a lot of paddling to do and we got caught in a thunderstorm for a few minutes. But the BBQ and beer after really sealed the deal. Good times. I count that as an arm workout too ;)
Day 20: I checked out some different 8 Minute videos. I did the 8 Minute Legs video and the 8 Minute Arms video. The arms one requires some weights though (light ones are fine since you do a lot of reps).


In case you're interested, here's the First Ten Days and the Introduction to the Challenge!

Glitter Ball, an un-Manhattan New Years bash

I made a personal note after Halloween 2011 that I couldn't fathom another NYC event so catastrophic and claustrophobic as that ever again. So in lieu of the perfect Manhattan event, I left planning in the hands of Ryan and found myself at the perfect event, a Brooklyn event: Gemini and Scorpio's The Glitter Ball. 

 [Pic note: A stunning aerial artist]

I neglected to many take photos, but found it pretty easy to find them online with a simple search on Facebook (how convenient).
Here is my favorite link: Linus Gelbus'
The evening was filled with Go-go dancers, aerial artists, live artists, and even a Fire breather!
And my favorite part- It wasn't stuffed to capacity (SOLD OUT in Bk means there's still room to breath. Who knew?)

 [Pic note: The Doctor incognito]

Definitely worth attending another Gemini and Scorpio event in the future.

Buffalo, New York... What happens in Suburbia stays on the internet forever

I finally understand why men, women and children are so blissfully crazy over the Christmas holidays. I finally experienced the most wonderful holiday season of my life and I have Ryan, The Buffalo experience and his wonderful family to thank :)

While in the city, I had the glorious opportunity to walk by this everyday after work :)

[Pic note: Macy's "tree"]

[Pic note: Ryan's work- Rockefellar Center area] 

My first Christmas experience ever and it was more than I could have asked for! 

[Pic note: The darling set up at Ryan's house]

In anticipation of a wonderful party, Ryan and I made eggnog from scratch!

[Pic note: Egg nog prep]

 It involved all of the ingredients you see above including (I can't seem to find the recipe we found, so the measurements are approximated/may be wrong):

1 c Sherry

1 c Rye Whiskey

2 c Brandy

1/2 c Rum

12 Eggs

10 tbp sugar

1 qt Milk

1 qt Cream

Nutmeg: a dusting on a finished drink

It was a hit!! 

[Pic note: Christmas morning!]

After Christmas day, Ryan and I went on an adventure to Niagara Falls. I'd never been and was almost as excited as Christmas morning for this!

 [Pic note: Niagara Falls, American side]

I've finally made it to Canada! It was a glorious Foursquare check-in!

[Pic note: Niagara Falls, Canadian side]

And what would a family holiday experience be without some childhood art work on display :)

[Pic note: Also Ryan's work circa 1985?]

She-Hulk, Because Girls are Tougher

This was by far the most I've ever delved into a character before for Halloween.
Me and my gang went to Ten's Cabaret. We expected glamour and beautiful costumes. We got Jersey Shore in Flatiron instead.

 [Pic note: Changing form... slowly]

[Pic note: Finished product- Me with the Hulk]

[Pic note: Me with Doctor Emmett Brown]

[Pic Note: The gang]

Lesson learned: 

Body paint is not fun. 

Buying tickets early does not mean the venue won't over-sell and create a clusterfuck of a party.

The Day I tried Vegan food

Most of you know my tendency toward all things green in the sense of environmentally conscious living. There is just one thing I cannot control myself over, nor do I think I'll ever change: I like to eat meat. Once, I read Skinny Bitch and went vegan for a month as a personal experiment. It went well but in the end I decided it just wasn't for me.
However, I have a good friend who happens to be a sweet little pescetarian. So one day, we decided to go on an adventure to a raved-about vegan hot spot called Pure Food and Wine. I was timid, because many have said their entrees are delicious even for us omnivores. I was pleasantly surprised.

 [Coax enjoying some great white sangria and our app, Hazelnut Crostinis with Crimini Mushrooms and Caper Bearnaise]

 [Coax's entree, Porcini Ravioli with Truffle Cream Sauce, Baby White Asparagus]

[And my dish, Spanikopita with Spinach, Almond Feta, Cucumber Yogurt]

And to cap off our fantastic meal, we saw and spoke to Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch as we walked out :) Evening well done. Well done indeed.

Sakura Matsuri at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden

What a beautiful start to the spring season!

Although this year has brought so many searingly tragic events around the world, it has also brought forth attention to these different populations and cultures that have been massively and forever changed.
One such example was beautiful collection of cultural, musical and horticultural works at this past weekend's Sakura Matsuri (which means Cherry Blossom Festival) event at the BBG.

  

[Pic note: Cute Harijuku girl]

 [Some nice furies]

 [Bonzai tree exhibit was awesome! There were trees over 300 years old there!]

 [Some nice doll collection]

 [Some sword action on the green]

[Something made of wood]

A perfect start to the warmer months and a great reminder to keep exploring New York. Every corner turned highlights something new and beautiful!

The Case of the Recurring Nightmare

There could be several reasons that cause my insessant nightmares: Stress, real life inspiration, alcohol... who knows? One thing is for sure: I have them almost every single week! The week before I left for Texas, I had them EVERY single day. And while there, I had them at least twice a week. What is wrong with me?!
I must explain though that not every dream is actually horrifying per se. Some aren't even scary at all but there's this intangible fear and anxiety I feel as my character in the dream, like a "sense of impending doom or panic"... as if my dream were in a movie and the sound track just got spooky. Does that make sense? 
Last night for example, I had a horrible dream that I had to take care of a baby for hours on end. It kept misbehaving or ruining its clothes so I had to continually care for it, EVEN THOUGH I had all of this Science homework to do. I was so tapped out with anxiety!
It's mostly bizarre, because a) I've never had to take care of a baby, and b) I was in my parents house where I lived in high school and goodness knows what "science" meant in dream code. I'm thinking Physics.
The absolute oldest recurring nightmare I have is the one where I'm on a bike with my brother and we ride off of a dock into the ocean. We just sink and sink into the darkness until I wake up with a start. I've had this dream minimum 15 times over the course of just as many years.
The American Sleep Association website says I have a problem and need to see a therapist. That's not uplifting.

I'm starting a new job on Thursday. I hope that decreases stress levels and my subconscious eases up on the frightmares.

A quarter life crisis and a gallon of Grand Marnier

There's something about this poor-college-kid life turned post-graduation-semi-employed-poor life I lead in New York that was pointed out to me today. The scene was Joe's Shanghai this brisk afternoon. Skamps and I detoured from our usual spot, Shanghai Deluxe Cafe, in search of a new venue (That'll teach me). The service was overbearing and downright uncomfortable... sort of like China. For those of you who know, you know exactly what I mean. Hovering waiters, bill snatchers abounding, loud Cantonese women... you get the picture.
Anyway, we were talking about "doing fun stuff" in the city. For anyone that doesn't live in Manhattan, and for a girl who grew up just outside the city limits, NYC is the mind's eye of fun, of excitement, of thrills. So how is it that we've become laden with mundane brainstorms and a lacking bounty of ideas? I was stumped and just blurted out, "It's because people our age don't have money to do fun things." How depressing was that?! I couldn't get past it. The conversation moved on, but my mind was in a whirl. Was I having fun (I know, it sounds childish, but really now. Am I enjoying my life? And if I'm not, am I doing something to try to change that?)? Was I leading a life at all besides the post-graduation-semi-employed status I'd married myself to when I quit my self-deprecating job in real estate? (QUARTER LIFE CRISIS!)

My mind wandered back to last week when I had a wonderful dinner at Blue Water Grill with G-Ho and Kika. BWG was holding a restaurant week event and I couldn't turn down such an invitation for such lovely company and food. Plus, I knew of BWG from some sultry SatC episode from way back when, so when I heard the venue, I immediately accepted and penciled plans into my Blackberry (Check out that SatC link. It's a Yelp list of NYC establishments found in the show/movies!). The restaurant was beautiful with an old age charm and even a fish monger station right in the middle of the restaurant floor! I felt charmed, romanced, tickled even by the service and the atmosphere. This was New York. This is what outsiders think of when they wish all their dreams would come true... if only they could be right here.

[For those of you interested, I ordered the Naked and Baked Cowboy Oysters, Sicilian Style Baked Gooseberry Cod, and the Lemon Meringue Tart to finish it all off]

After dinner, I found myself at Bar 6 for a few drinks with Skamps et al (really great Mushroom risotto!) and then back again to Union Square. I was starting to think I had accepted too many plans and was spreading myself too thin when a hilarious incident occurred that made me happy I stuck it out with Miss Tara Kumar.
We'd just walked into the cozy diner-like bar at Coffee Shop and plopped down on a couple of empty stools when a belligerent twenty-something man swaggers over demanding to buy us drinks. Using my shoulder as support and waiving a credit card in the air as an attempt at a social crutch, he summons the bartender to service us. In timely grace, our charming barkeep tells the drunk he can no longer be served ("Dude, my manager says you're cut off ::throat slice::). "Fine, I'm paying for these ladies' drinks. Get them what they want and charge me!" .... "okay."
Long story short, the guy can barely sign the receipt and asks me for help. We keep asking him what he's doing, where his friends are, clues on what has led to his evening's demise, etc but to no avail. No answers. Just "I have a terrible life" after Miss Tara asks, "What do you do?" So then he leaves and the manager comes over to apologize for the disturbance, but we're entertained with our free drinks and wave it off. Offhandedly, she mentions he's there all the time, gets intensely drunk and then flaunts his millionaire status as a 25 year old punk. Oh and he's retired.
WHAT?! I peak at his credit card receipt he's left half-scrawled over and Miss Tara is off to Google. This is what we found:



If this guy has a terrible life, then I don't even want to put adjectives to mine... But then I realize that these are the idiosyncratic moments of the New York life that make mine great. The run-ins, the soup dumplings, the ridiculous Living Social bowling parties, restaurant week dinners where SJP ate at; even the smelly homeless men who make me nervous on subways. It's all about perspective and regaining some composure.  My NYC Bucket List will follow shortly... Quarter Life Crisis averted... for now.

Bowling Bonanza

Sometimes I get really worked up. Sometimes I get competitive. Rarely, but it happens. It always works out for whomever I'm competing with, because I've really got no edge once I'm riled up. I usually just lose it and turn my frustrations into a downward spiral of loss. Anyway, like I said, rarely happens.

So Kika, Browntown and I all bought Living Social deals for 300 New York, a swanky bowling alley inside the Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment Complex. The entrance was a bit sketch, but once inside, boy! was it hoppin! We couldn't believe the crowd and the surmised THREE hour wait for a lane! We realized later, it was because like us, everyone else was there because it was the expiration date of our Living Social coupon.
So we decided to hit the bar for some grub and drinks. I ordered a 300 Cosmo which was delightful. Everything else that ensued... Well, I don't think any of us would feed it to a dog. Let's just say their culinary selection was lacking in appeal and taste.
After a disgusting meal, we were summoned and bowled a couple games. For some reason, I thought I was a decent bowler. I lost both games and we called it quits.

[Picture Note: Look how cute these bowling pin Bud Light bottles are!]

Overall, it was a fun Sunday evening filled with good sport and good company. I'd do it again.

I'm in a mood

I've been telling people that I've lived in Manhattan for six years now for the past year. It sounds nice when I say it. It's a somewhat substantial number. Experienced, tried and true kind of number. And I've pretty much believed it, because I've said it so many times now.
I moved into my first apartment in August 2005. It's weird to me... I've only been here for five years. I caught myself yelling at tourists today, because they were standing in the middle of a busy sidewalk. When did I become one of those "rude New Yorkers" everyone always talks about? Five isn't so cavalier. I wasn't even in a bad mood. They just ticked me off, making everyone walk around them, because they wanted to take a stinking photo.
Is it just me, or has this city changed me?
The leaves are starting to fall in Central Park. I hope autumn puts me in a better mood.