Star Potential

And, yet again, I add another celebrity name to the list… Dennis Leary, the star of the TV show “Rescue Me”. Ben and I met friends for dinner in SoHo, and we walked through the set to get to the restaurant. When we walked upon the set and watched the actors and gawking tourists patiently wait for the next take, I couldn’t suppress a tiny bubble of excitement that said, “Now’s your chance”.

It IS New York. As we planned our route to the restaurant’s front door, I already knew what dress to wear to the Emmys and who to thank in my acceptance speech at the Oscars. That night was to be my big break. Finally, Hollywood would see how bright a true star shines.

Ben walked as I confidently sashayed through the set during a break. With all of the extras dressed in dark, nondescript coats I just HAD to stand out in my lipstick red, wool coat. I turned when we reached the entrance of the restaurant, strained my ears for a voice crying, “There’s our real star! Stop her!”

But, alas, I heard no voice. Felt no tug on my sleeve. Saw no camera in my face. I only heard a voice shout through the bullhorn, “Alright, MOVE IT! We’ve got a show to do!”

Maybe next time.

Nice Weather

Weather like today, mid-50s and sunny, reminds me of why I like New York…

Less time in the apartment
More time in Central Park
Outdoor concerts
Eating outside on restaurant patios
Invigorating walks to the subway
Outdoor (and free) movies in Bryant and Riverside Park
Knee-length down parkas gone, gone, GONE

And, best of all…
Happier New Yorkers!

Desperate Times

What I really need are “cool” pencils (by elementary school standards) and white Hanes Her Way athletic socks. Nothing too exciting. Nothing too outrageous or extravagant. In the city with the world’s best shopping only a short cab ride away, these two items should be easy. Right?

Not so much. Not. So. Much.

I walked to Duane Reade stores, 99-cent stores, and grocery stores in search of athletic socks and pencils. No socks or pencils to be found. How, in NEW YORK CITY, can I not find athletic socks? Hannah Montana pencils? SpongeBob erasers? How?

Desperate times called for desperate measures. So, I did what I always do when standing at the crossroads of not knowing and confusion… I called my mom and she went to Wal-Mart, a place that has everything ever needed under one roof.

One phone call, and just like that, a box of pencils and a package of socks are now traveling north to New York City via UPS.

Reminder

Sometimes, after months and months of cold weather, you need a reminder of how wonderful sunshine and blue skies can be. This is my reminder.

Hair Lady

For as many “cool” people as there as are in New York City, there are equally as many crazy ones. I often witness unprovoked New Yorkers make inappropriate comments or share inappropriate thoughts. It has happened to others and myself on the subway, on the street, or just about anywhere. In retrospect, I tend to wonder what I did that screamed, “Please, please, please humiliate me in front of all these people!”

Last Thursday, I relaxed on the bus with my iPod turned up to drown out surrounding noise. In the distance, I heard a lady’s voice repeat, “Miss. Miss. MISS!” I turned my head to face a long rainbow colored fingernail pointing my way. I took off my headphones.

“Uh, yes?” I asked, uncomfortably.

She sat high on her seat and between a gold grill that glinted in the afternoon sun, she loudly asked the only blonde on the bus…

“What kind of shampoo do you use?”

“L’Oreal,” I said with a shrug, turning red at the direct and unwanted attention.

“Mmmm, you REALLY need to use Pantene.”

“Oh, really?” I questioned, slightly ruffled at this suggestion already knowing that Pantene is NOT the best for my hair.

But, because she’s the authority on long blonde hair, when hers is cropped and black, she continued…

“You have nice hair, and you need to treat it good. You need to use Pantene.”

“Oh, yes. You’re right. I should DEFINITELY use Pantene. Thank you.“

“Just thought you’d like to know.” She winked and then settled back into her seat after throwing me a little kiss.

Yes, I agree… knowing the good from the bad makes all the difference.

Trek to Somewhere

Public transportation is a catch-22. It’s easy because I sit and do nothing when riding the bus or subway, very brainless and sometimes relaxing. But, it’s hard and sometimes stressful when forced to use multiples modes of transit to get where I need to go.

For example, if I meet someone for lunch, I might have to… walk several blocks to the subway, ride the subway for several stops, walk the maze of underground tunnels to switch subway lines, ride the subway some more, exit the subway to catch a bus, ride the bus, and lastly walk several more avenues to the restaurant.

I work up quite an appetite just getting to the restaurant.

He Said, She Said

Ben called on his walk home from the subway and said, "Babe, there's a really nice coffee table on the street for free. Do we want one?"

"Of course!" I squealed. "I would love a COFFEE CAKE!"

"No, no. I said coffee table."

"Oh, well, in that case... no. We don't room for that."

Star Sighting

Add one more celebrity sighting to the list... Tina Fey. I passed her on my out of the grocery store by our apartment. I thought it was her, but wasn't sure. So, I squinted and edged closer to her on the sidewalk. My suspicions were confirmed when we were about four feet apart; incidentally, probably confirming hers that I am a celebrity stalker.

Dad in Florida

Our Florida Visit

We visited my grandparents in Florida for the holiday weekend, and had the best time ever. Not only are my grandparents in incredibly good health, but they are awesome and FUN. We had such a good time just hanging out and talking.

Each day we went swimming, or on a dinner cruise, or to the beach, or out to eat, or played the bongos, or watched foreign films from “The Vault”, or dodged sand eels, or savored my grandma’s cooking, or checked out grandpa’s latest invention – laughing extremely and side-splittingly hard the entire time. If you think my dad is funny, then you should really meet my grandpa. It’s totally genetic.

We live plane rides away from family, making us appreciate the time we spend with them. Life moves so quickly, changes so fast. We have to use our time wisely and cherish every moment. In Florida, we certainly did.

Follow-up: Pole Dancer

I survived the pole dancing experience and, quite expectedly, laughed a lot. Between the slaps and kicks, there was a lot to laugh about. I made one conclusion - my skill level will not allow me to moonlight by night as an exotic dancer now, but I do see potential for the future.

We learned lots of tricks and moves and, most importantly, I did learn how to swing around a pole. I now have an entirely new perspective of how to creatively use the poles in subway cars. I'm not sure that I released my "inner goddess" on Thursday, but Ben may disagree.

The day after my class, I attempted to demonstrate for Ben the routine I learned. It went so well - he cheered, he clapped, he approved - until I scraped my wrist and got the biggest splinter ever from our hundred year old wooden floor. I had to stop the routine short. Sigh.

Some of us just need to stick with the old nine to five.

Pole Dancer

Tonight (T-minus 45 minutes), I leave the house to learn the art of “pole dancing”. Oh, yes, you read that correctly. But, please, read it again for an extra laugh.

A girlfriend and I are traveling to Chelsea (a section in Manhattan) to twist, slide, swing, and anything else humanly possible around a pole. I have no idea how this evening will go. I might fracture my face as I attempt the “descending angel” trick or, quite possibly, I might just find my future calling because I always knew I was destined for something greater.

I am ready, though. I am wearing the suggested "tight outfit" and my bag is packed with the required items: yoga mat, water bottle, six inch stilettos (those are actually recommended for the second class), and roll of singles.

I do know one thing for sure… I will laugh a lot and hopefully tone sagging muscles. Although, I seriously doubt that the latter will happen.

A Perfect Visit to Florida

Grandpa


Grandma

Washington D.C. Visit

Last weekend, Ben and I took the Fung Wah bus from Penn Station to Washington D.C. Roundtrip we spent only $70 and 9½ hours on a charter bus. Talk about a cheap way to travel. The tolls from NYC to DC alone cost that much!

Unlike our last experience on the Fung Wah, this trip proved to be less eventful. We (and our suitcase) made it safely to and from DC. Only once did the bus pull away from a gas station and leave several passengers in a dead sprint for the closing doors, including Ben.

We stayed in DC with Ben’s best friend, Nick, and his girlfriend. We enjoyed their company, but LOVED their new and humongous apartment. A place so grand, it’s since been taunting us with dreamy house things. Things that New Yorkers long for and most Americans take for granted - washer/dryer, full size appliances (including a dishwasher), full size couches, multiple rooms, a place to park a car… the list goes on.

I had to make my one full day in DC worthwhile. So, while the boys went to THE mall, we girls went to A mall. At first, I felt guilty, a little unpatriotic, about not visiting THE mall; I justified my decision after realizing that shopping at A mall would help the economy and in turn be more American than walking around monuments all day. At least that’s what I told myself.

God bless the USA – it’s public transportation, it’s shiny things, and it’s many malls.

Accents

At times, there are noticeable differences in pronunciation, specifically in reference to northern and southern accents. On Friday, a fourth grade student turned to me and asked, “How do you spell coh-wat?”

I said, “Like in the sentence… I caught the ball?”

“No, like… I coh-wat the ball.”

“Right, like you caught the ball.”

“Noooooo, maybe, wait… I didn’t C-AW-T the ball, but I did COH-WAT it.”

That, folks, is an example of what we call a dialectal difference.