Muddy Waters

The rain boots that my Grandparents bought me for Christmas finally arrived yesterday and just in time. They passed the comfort and dry-feet test today as we walked miles through what seemed like hundreds of muddy puddles in the city. We had quite a few gift returns and exchanges to do and noticed that we're now pretty skilled at navigating the city by subway without a map. The bus system is another story.

The most fun purchase of the day was my brand new bike! After much research I decided on a Linus. Their website obviously does a much better job describing them than I do (old-school, European, city bike?) so you'll have to look them up. Sid's, one of the best bike shops in the city recommended them and had exactly what I wanted in stock. In stock doesn't happen very often in NYC so I purchased it before I talked myself into doing something lame with the money like saving it or paying bills, ha. They were closing early today and are closed New Year's Day so I'm picking it up Sunday. So excited! Pictures Sunday.

Our Happy Holiday

Wednesday morning we had enterprise pick us up and were on our way to VA by ten AM. There was snow on the ground the whole way so we were looking forward to getting outside and playing around. Thursday morning Courtney mentioned that she’d like to try snowboarding. I had only been once and Jen was up for trying it so we drove up to Massanutten Ski Resort where we mastered the art falling. The girls were a little afraid, especially of getting on and off the ski-lift. When it was time to jump off the seat Courtney grabbed a hold of Jen and they both hit the ground, ha. Many skiers stopped to help Jen. One yelled down from the lift not to give up and then passed her (still laying in the same spot) later and said, “You’re still here?” The funniest thing to me was that Jen, who was the most skilled at falling, snowboarded in a low squat position close to the ground. She looked like a baby pooping! Fun day!

One night we “kids” went out in the yard/woods at my Aunt Tammy’s and played manhunt. While running into the woods to hide I ran right up on some large animal (probably a deer) that got up out of the snow and ran off. This happened about six feet away from me and I was alone. My heart was jumping out of my chest! We gave Dad's Corvette a visit while we were there, went hiking, and played lots of games. I’m not really a game person but did enjoy Pictionary Man which Michael got for Christmas. During Michael’s turn to draw he hit the button and said, “Who’s Leprah Sean?” Jen took a look and said, “You mean, leprechaun?!” We laughed so hard that my sides hurt the next day.

Although I would have liked to stay another day or two, Jen was supposed to work today and I wanted to hit the road as soon as possible to avoid the storm that was headed into NYC. Well, instead we drove right into it and after about four hours on the road we had to pull over and spend the night in PA. We basically took a nap at the Holiday Inn Express then got up early to research the weather and road conditions. Everything we read led us to believe we would be ok. Long story short, it took us six hours (most of which we had to pee! Jen considered going in a Tupperware at one point) to get from PA to NYC. Virginia was great, but the last twenty four hours were a nightmare. Luckily I have awesome driving skills and drove our two-wheel-drive economy car all the way home without getting stuck. :)

It was great to be home but our neighborhood was in pretty bad shape too. Some of the roads hadn’t been plowed at all and it took us a while to find a place to park. We ended up double parking on a sidewalk. No worries thought, we left a sign not to tow, ha! We had to shovel a pathway from the street to our front door just to get our suitcase inside. The snow was literally thigh high. Vernon Blvd was littered with stranded cars and trucks all day! We had some fun in the snow though; threw some snowballs, took some pics, and even helped a man get his car unstuck!

United Nations

I was almost done with this blog post when, out of nowhere, Windows had to update and reconfigure. None of my work was saved and I'm so mad at this computer that I considered pouring my water on it, ha. Ugh, it's almost 2AM and I have to get up early to drive six hours to VA. Granny Joyce's house does not have internet my people so I have to post now or never. Basically, I just finished writing about my awesome Monday at the UN for friend Dan Moy's promotion to Colonol ceremony. He's the tall guy, center... and he's single ladies. :)

Also, we attended our church/ community Christmas party Monday night which was quite festive and fun. There was a fire in the fireplace, lots of bratty kids running around, and a man that sounded like Dick Clark singing Christmas carols. I'm scrugey now. Thank you Windows for wasting about an hour of my life. Night!

SJP

It’s cold, but I’m not miserable yet. Jen loves the weather and Pup just hates having to wear her sweaters. As soon as we put one on her, she becomes comatose. Wednesday night we had our first snow shower of the season which was quite the event for us Floridians. Here’s a pick out our window at our neighbors new, detailed car. It was just enough snow to stick without being gross the following days. It’s all gone now but maybe some snow tomorrow?

Also shown is a pic of Pup we couldn’t resist posting. This week we had an overwhelming amount of laundry to do so we packed it all up in our suitcase so we could roll it. Pup was a huge help.

The most fun news of the week is that Friday night I served my most A-list celebrity so far. Matthew Broderick joined a party of about ten guests around midnight. I walked over to the table to offer the newest member a drink when I realized who I was talking to. In my head I was like OMG, but played it cool and mixed a few Ketel One martinis (with a twist) at his request. I was hoping his wife Sarah Jessica Parker would make an appearance, although I don’t think there was much room for her at his table full of gay men (and a few women that love them) giving him hugs and kisses. Just saying…

The security had to be increased upstairs in my section due to a group of drunk fifty year olds that kept stalking him (and also asked me if I was Justin Timberlake, and then Sean Penn? Ha!) Anyway, there was no way I could get a live pic of him so you’ll just have to live with this stock photo and take my word for it.

Chiminea

Our Christmas tree and decorations had been sitting out since Thanksgiving and I was getting kind of bummed that neither of us could get the motivation to do anything with them. Well, to my surprise, coming home Wednesday night was like walking into Santa’s workshop or a winter wonderland or something. I just started laughing, for some reason, at the thought of Jen doing all this herself. I especially liked the “touch of class” provided by the string of lights that was draped over the kitchen window, cabinets, and then ended somewhere behind the stove, ha! It was very nice Boo, thanks.

Also this week, I realized that I hadn’t seen our friends Matt and Chelsea in a while so I pretty much invited Jen and myself over. I originally thought we could chill by their chiminea, but by Thursday night it was in the teens and I was having second thoughts. After getting the fire going, though, and a lot of lighter fluid, that heater was blazin’ stronger than Snoop Dog, ha. I had the whole day off so that morning I threw together a crock-pot beef stew and they had smores stuff ready for dessert. This pic was taken by Matty from the deck above.

I also randomly had today off too… no complaints! I took a fitness class at “the club” and got some Christmas shopping done in the LES/ East Village. I took a pit stop at a coffee house called Mud Spot which was recommended by Time Out New York and warmed up with a cup of joe. I decided on an almond latte and enjoyed the sunroom out back. Even surrounded by hippies and hipsters, it was nice to be in the sun without freezing.

Tonight while watching our latest Netflix, the Taylors (upstairs) and the Thornhills (new friends) stopped by to invite us out for dessert at Manducatis across the street. Afterward, we took a quick look at the Taylor’s Christmas decorations and on the way back downstairs heard our across-the-hall-neighbors fighting. It was way too entertaining to miss out on and we couldn’t help but stand outside and listen. Ok, technically Jen was in our apartment and I was just outside their door, ha. We think they were both very drunk, or at least hope so. Apparently her brother was missing, she didn’t know anything, and they had lost all ability to reason or annunciate. Whatever the story, they are never watching Pup (who stinks right now)! Our eavesdropping ceased when my rear end made a noise I'm pretty sure they heard. We ran inside and quickly closed our door so they wouldn't suspect us. I think that the jingle bells on our knob gave us away though.

Si!

So to add a little detail to the night that included Owen Wilson… Jen was a little down that evening because she doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life so I wanted to get her out of the house to cheer her up. We were going to take a holiday window display walking tour but it was very cold and I left the map at home on the table, ha! So unlike me (sarcasm). We stalked Owen for a few minutes around the tree and then unsuccessfully tried to hail a cab to Hell’s Kitchen for dinner. We ended up walking to a Mexican place in midtown that was warm and cozy. We shared some apps, coffee and dessert. I asked for some amaretto sauce to go with our dessert and was brought what looked like a bowl of strawberry sauce. I asked if it was the amaretto sauce and was told “Si!” It was strawberries. They spoke very little English and meant well so it didn’t really warrant an awful Yelp review. Jen was also lucky enough to oversee some porn being shared on a cell phone at our neighboring table.




The best I could do (discretely) in low lighting



Actor/Comedian David Allen Grier



Saturday night at work I had yet another celebrity encounter, though this time there was actual interaction. David Allen Grier (pics) sat down at our “service only” bar upstairs to order a drink. I was about to ask him to have a seat at a table when I realized he was a VIP that our manager probably sent up to escape the crowds downstairs. I made him a dirty Grey Goose martini! Ok, four.



Today we got to have brunch with our wonderful neighbors at Communitea after church and then ran some errands. We also hit up the Holiday Market in Union Square and saw some cool stuff. Jen made Chicken Saltimbocca and Pumpkin Risotto for dinner and it was amazing! Then she almost burned the house down when she turned the wrong burner on to make some tea. The burner had a plastic container full of cookies on it. I tried coaching her from the couch but she just stood there saying it was burning like a cigarette as the room filled with smoke and the scent of burning plastic. She said she didn’t want to run it under water and ruin the cookies.

Our Friend Owen

Other than Jen's return home, it was a pretty uneventful week. Lots of great shifts at work as we are really getting busy.

Last night we went on a department store holiday window walking tour. It was a little too cold to do the whole thing but from what we saw Saks gets the award for the coolest design. The coolest part of the night was when we passed Owen Wilson after seeing the tree at Rockefellar Center. Although I told her I was sure, Jen wasn't so we followed him for a bit and got a few pics. I've been told that I look like him which makes me cringe, it could be worse I guess. 

I had to share my excitement that we saw Owen Wilson but I have to go to work.  More about last night tomorrow.

Snowflakes

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in NYC. Although I did make the mistake of entering a retail store before work on Black Friday, I mostly hung out in LIC which was being decked in Christmas decorations. This pic was taken on our street! The cab ride home from work last night was beautiful too with all the lights and giant snowflakes hung at intersections.


Speaking of work, I’ve been getting some praise from management lately which is always welcomed. Yesterday, a four star review of the restaurant was posted to Yelp (a major rating website). The review was brief but specifically mentioned that “Matt’s service was perfect.” Whoop Whoop! I also sold the first and so far only raffle ticket for our Home for the Holidays fundraiser. I know this paragraph is already so humble, but I’m not done yet. I started a collection (which is over $100 now) to get our awesome busser a Babies R Us gift-card. His wife is delivering on Tuesday. Ok, I’m done now, you can go vomit if needed.

My plan to take a nap this afternoon was stymied (love that word) after choosing to drink 3 cups of coffee at brunch with friend’s PJ and Bernauer at El Ay Si. I’m typing pretty inaccurately but at warp speed. Jen comes back tomorrow night from her FL-Thanksgiving vaca. She’s having a great time but misses her Boo and Pup.

Gobble Gobble

I had to start today a little early, 5:30 am, as I rode with Jen to the airport to get her home for Thanksgiving. I walked her in and to the security line when I ran into an old friend from FSU. She’s living in Brooklyn and in pharmacy school. Me seeing someone I know everywhere is getting a little ridiculous; it’s such a small world! It turned out they were on the same flight together which was nice. The sunrise from LaGuardia was beautiful but not enough to keep me up, I went right back to bed when I got home.

Today I think I’ll watch the Macy’s parade (which is so far pretty lame) at home like everyone else because it’s quite cold out. I work tonight but I’m surprisingly ok with that. I have fun with my coworkers and tonight we get a free traditional thanksgiving meal. Of course I’d rather be like three other places but there’s no point in whining. Here’s a pic of the restaurant all decked out for Christmas. It’s really nice inside but too dark to show up on my phone.

Oh! Our one year wedding anniversary extravaganza ended with dinner at a French restaurant in the city and a horse and carriage ride through Central Park. It was as perfect as it sounds. We came home to have a slice of our three-times defrosted, year old wedding cake and braced ourselves for the nastiness that might ensue. I can’t believe it myself but that top tier was delicious! High five to Publix (the best grocer in the world) for making a cake that won’t got bad, even if you inconsistently refrigerate, throw it in a Tupperware container unwrapped with a lid that doesn’t fit quite right, and wait one whole year.

One year!

Wow, this week just flew by and I didn’t even have a chance to write. As you may know, our anniversary is tomorrow, November 22, so we spent the latter part of last week trying to plan a trip for this weekend. We knew we would have fun no matter what we did but we never have a whole weekend off together so there was some pressure to make it a good one. We changed our plans a million times and made a decision last minute so we literally rented a car and booked a room at a bed and breakfast Saturday morning and were on the road by ten. Talk about spontaneity!

River Run B&B, built in the late 1800’s, is located in the Catskill Mountains about 3 hrs from NYC. It was clean, cozy, and we couldn’t get over how quiet it was, especially compared NYC. It made us want to whisper all the time. We went to bed around 9:30 and had the best sleep we’ve had in a long time. This morning we were served a great breakfast where we met and chatted with some Physical Therapists that were in town for another PT’s wedding. The place is dog friendly so Jen managed to step in dog poo in the bathroom! The smell literally made her gag. The owners were extremely embarrassed but no harm done. The house also had a large back yard with a hammock (too cold to enjoy) and a beautiful stream that ran right through it. If the water was warm we could have put our feet in it.

Gnomes!

While in the mountains we went to an old country auction where they sold things like an old saddle, antique yard sticks, a 1970s Sesame Street lunchbox full of crayons, a variety of hideous knick-knacks, and lots of shotgun shells. We were the truly rare find in that place and didn’t even bother registering.

We also went hiking on a very aggressive trail. If we were skiing it would be a black diamond and Jen got a high five for not hurting herself. She did, however, have a hard time adjusting to the altitude and hyperventilated a little when she couldn’t catch her breath. The trail was about 3.5 miles round trip.
The most civilized experience of our getaway was a couple’s massage (which we booked only hours ahead of time) at the Emerson Resort and Spa. We could look out our relaxation room to the babbling brook outside and the mountains behind it. Our full-body treatments were customized using aromatherapy (mine was for detox and Jen’s for relaxation) and they were amazing. It took everything in us to get back in the car to drive home.

Overall the trip was not bad for something that we might have spent an hour in total planning. We would recommend it all!

Mr. Wan

There's never a dull moment in our neighborhood, or lives for that matter. Jen has a story to share: Last night I was walking home from the grocery store and almost tripped over a man who was passed out on the street.  I freaked out and ran to the other side of the road because I assumed it was a bum but as I was passing him I realized it was a normal guy.  I didn't want to approach him alone (ya never know) so I called my neighbor, Ricky, to come help me out because Matt was at work.  The guy had his phone to his ear like he was talking on the phone and just passed out.  Ricky and I thought he was dead because he looked so wan and stiff!  We called 911 and they used their specialized training to detect that he was, in fact, alive.  It took awhile to wake him up and he couldn't stand on his own.  They said he was probably just drunk because he was so close to a bar but I think there was more to it.  I was relived though.  I had been creating stories in my head while we were waiting for the ambulance.  I was sure he was on the phone with his wife when he had an aneurysm and she was going crazy trying to find him!  But apparently he's just a lush.  Anyway, I'm glad he was ok.  

Coming home from work last night I spotted a bride and groom and a few groomsmen staggering out of LIC bar which I thought was a little strange considering it was like 2am and their wedding night.

While out and about in the 'hood today we noticed this new spot coming to Vernon Blvd. It's exciting to see more and more businesses coming down towards our end of downtown.

                                                 

Katrina II

It was business as usual at work Wednesday night until the food runner pointed behind me and said, “Oh my God, does Ian (manager) know about that?” I turned around to find water pouring in around the exit sign and by the time I located the manager it was coming in through every hole in the ceiling. Not everyone’s section was being flooded, just mine actually. All my guests scattered to other tables, most of which had reservations on them, so food was being brought up to flooded empty tables creating complete chaos. One table insisted on a discount so I just informed them that it was their entertainment for the evening, think Rainforest Café, and left them their check. I was on the second floor practically wading to my tables with cocktails that were getting, what I hoped was clean, water dripped into them. It turns out that a woman in the French Quarter Hotel above us was sitting on the porcelain pedestal sink doing her makeup or something when it cracked and ripped the pipes from the wall, flooding the rooms in about six inches of water. The hotel had some trouble locating the cut-off valve on the roof so the restaurant got what we think was around 100 gallons of water before it was over. It was as crazy as it sounds. Someone even asked, “Is this Katrina?!”


Yesterday, I rushed home to meet some Craiglister’s who bought Jen’s old desk from us for $50. I’m so surprised we got that much! Friday night we got a group together for happy hour at local El Ay Si and then headed to Astoria to see “Morning Glory.” It was pretty funny, although I wish Diane Keaton had a greater role in it.

Race Day

The street outside our apartment is usually quite busy, but today for a much more fun reason, the NYC Marathon! From right outside our front door (and fire-escape which Jen climbed out on) we cheered on the Chilean miner, Chef Bobby Flay, and friends competing in the run. What’s cool it that each participant is given a chip to attach to their shoe so you can track their location online and know when they’re getting close. We tried tracking Jen's friend Anna who was here from FL for the race, but must have missed her. As you can see in the pics it was a beautiful, crisp day. Also pictured is one of the designated PowerAde hydration stations about a block away.

It was a big deal that left tons of litter behind, so I was surprised to see that by this evening the streets were all cleaned up and it was back to normal for Vernon Blvd. For dinner tonight we used one of our Groupon coupons at El Ay Si down the street. $30 certificate for $15, whoop!

Cheap Cuts and Crabs

Today I took the 6 train to China for a haircut. Ok, Chinatown, but on the tiny side street of Prell in Manhattan you really feel like you’ve left the country. I found the barber shop on yelp (an online rating website) while searching for cheap cuts and it had really great reviews. No offense to our friend Ashley who’s local and does an awesome job, but I just can’t afford the $30 trim every month. :) Anyway, my cut came out well enough, especially for $7. Ha. The walk was annoying today because of the cold, rainy weather but would usually be a fun area to visit. This pic is of crabs that were in front of one of the big fish markets, some of them alive and trying to jump out of the barrels!


By the time I got home my jeans were soaked thanks to the side-ways rain so our apartment, which usually has us boiling, felt warm and cozy. Once I was dry and Pup had received a little attention, my intent was to take yoga but after 20 minutes of waiting the 7 never showed. At this point I decided to give up the fight against the weather by staying in, brewing some tea, and updating my Chill Radio station on Pandora.

After work yesterday I rushed downtown to my interview for Animal Care and Control. They said they could use my help which was great, I got an AC&C t-shirt and leash, and headed home. Last night Jen and I watched another Hitchcock film, Birds! To me it was more funny than creepy and I kept wondering why no one in that town had a gun. Tonight and Saturday night I’ll be at the restaurant. It was a VERY slow week, I’m guessing because of the chilly weather, so I have some catching up to do.

Short Bus

Tonight is the first time in a while that I had time to sit down and write. I worked a lot last week and then played a lot this weekend as we took advantage of the nice weather and did many fun Fall things. Saturday we took a drive upstate with some friends to the Hurd’s Family Farm where we went apple picking, took a hay ride, went through a corn maze, and did some apple launching. It’s late in the apple season so it was slim pickins (literally) but we managed to get some good ones. It was fun times! We made it home a little late and I only had about 30 minutes to put my Halloween costume together and get to work. The restaurant’s Halloween party was just that, a big party. I was the “Black Eyed Peas” (pic) and with Jen’s letter-cutting and make-up skills, the costume, if you can call it that, was easy, quick, and cheap. There were some funny costumes and my favorite was Blair who came as a treasure troll. She had on a nude body suit and sprayed her hair straight up with some flowers and gems. Every time I saw her I laughed because she looked like a naked person in the crowd. After getting home around 3 in the morning I was all about sleeping in and having a lazy day today.

Today we took Pup to Central Park where we had lunch and snapped some great Fall pics by request. As you can see, it was gorgeous. Pup had a good ole time and was dying to get off the leash and chase some squirrels (and a small field mouse). There was also a lady on roller skates dancing and singing…not for money or anything, just for fun. We got some cute pics of her and actually caught a random photographer taking pics of her too. After some book shopping we had a nightmare experience in a very crowded Bed Bath & Beyond but made it out alive with a new vanity and floor mirror. We were feeling a little too lazy to face the crowds at the West Village Halloween Parade so we stayed in and watched our latest Netflix, The Pursuit of Happiness.

We had a great weekend. Enjoy the pictures!

Dine and Dash

How many people can say that the NYC Marathon route runs right by their front door? We can! They put the flags up for the November 7th race last week and I’m pretty excited to cheer for our friends who are competing.


One of Jen’s many college roommates, Stacie, was in the city this weekend. Saturday they got together for brunch at Elephant & Castle in the West Village which Jen reports was very good. While the girls were out I took a trip to Woodside to check out a moving sale that was advertising things we’ve been wanting for a while. The main item, an Ikea floor mirror, had sold by the time I arrived just a few minutes after their opening. It was an excuse to explore a nice neighborhood in Woodside anyway.

Sunday morning I pretty much sleep-walked to church early because I was scheduled for setup and Jen was doing hospitality. She baked monkey bread muffins and made an apple walnut salad, both were big hits of course. That evening we spontaneously took a train to White Plains to visit family and get our Cheesecake Factory fix. Lisa was excited to see her “cousin-in-law” and Jen’s grandma was happy to see us and the most talkative I’ve ever seen her.

I used my day off today to catch up with friend, and very talented photographer, Daniel Bernauer(Bernauer.com) at lunch. After lunch I helped another friend, Matty, by showing him some exercises for his back. It wasn’t until I was at Matty’s for a while that it hit me I had left the restaurant without paying for lunch! I kind of freaked out but called Bernauer who was luckily still there working so I ran back and took care of it. I’m crazy.

Jen says I should add that I made her dinner (drumsticks, asparagus, and couscous) and that I lost my voice… so there you have it!

Grey's

My latest celebrity sighting happened Monday night after work. I passed actor T.R. Knight (George from Grey’s Anatomy) at 46th and 8th just a half block from the restaurant. He was with his boyfriend and they seemed lost. I would’ve helped them but didn’t want to seem like the star stalker that I am.

While out on a walk last night a mouse scurried across the sidewalk and into a bush. Pup went nuts and we let her try to find it until we decided it wouldn’t be good if she was bitten. This spawned a conversation about the NYC rat population and as we approached our apartment I said, “I bet if I kicked that trash can a rat would jump out. Jen said not to so then I had to and when I did a rat went running! Ha. I thought it was hilarious. This morning Pup lead Jen straight back to that bush to investigate.

These Boots Weren't Made For Walk'n

With our first fall season in NYC upon us comes some fun we’ve been having that I should catch you up on. Our previously small local coffee shop, Sweetleaf had an expansion party Friday night that Jen attended while I was working. I haven’t made it in since it cooled off but their flavorful chicory flavored iced coffee called “rocket fuel” was great and so strong that the barista recommended I drink it very slowly. Saturday I reluctantly got up early for my Animal Care and Control volunteer orientation in Manhattan. I’ve wanted to help take care of stray animals ever since watching Animal Cops which is why working for a shelter is on my NYC bucket list. The AC&C coordinator was the previous owner of our neighborhood Camp Bow Wow, what a small city! And wow, is volunteering is competitive here! The ASPCA didn’t even have any openings and were actually the ones who recommended contacting AC&C. I hope to be called for an interview next week so I can take the necessary training classes and begin helping in the shelters.

Afterwards, I met Jen in Herald Square to help her pick out a new pair of boots. A few hours later we were walking out of Macy’s with two pair because you “save more” that way, duh.

A Podiatrist's best friend

Today we tried Times Square Church after hearing great things about it. We also heard you have to get there early and because we chose to ignore that advice we couldn’t get a seat in the main sanctuary. We were directed to a side room where we watched the service on a projector screen next to a very tone-deaf, smelly man. It was overwhelmingly big and we felt… dissimilar to those around us. For lunch we headed downtown to The Great Fall 3rd Ave. Street Festival where we ate our way up and down the strip. We had an arepa(sweet corn and mozzarella thing in the pic), a crepe, and a gyro. It was about this time that I realized Jen wasn’t ewing and ahing over the food but over the pain that her new boots (pic) were giving her. It got pretty bad on the walk home and up our steep stairs so the rest of our afternoon included a little rest, ice, and elevation.

Run Cold

It just so happened that I had the last three consecutive days off from work. I did a whole lot of nothing which was nice; not really nothing, just nothing that eventful. I took Pup to the dog park and then gave her a much needed bath, did a lot of reading, and yesterday spent some time in Sunnyside for the first time since moving. Everything looked very lush and green, especially in comparison to Vernon Blvd, LIC (our street).

Last night we attended the first of our church’s new foundations bible study. It’s Jen’s first ever bible study and has a lot of our friends in it which is fun. After that we watched our latest “Netflix,” Date Night (Steve Carell and Tina Fay). I thought it was alright, a little less funny than it could have been. Jen said I didn’t even crack a smile, ha.

The weather here right now is awesome when you’re dressed appropriately and this morning when I went running with Jen I obviously wasn’t. When my ears are exposed in the cold and I exercise I get the worst pain in my ears, a headache, and a feeling like the sides of my head are in a clamp. I came home, did some research, and apparently the bones on the side of your head and your ears are full of nerves that are very sensitive to cold temperature and some people, like me, have issues with them. And after Fall comes Winter… great!

Royal Pains

 With new condos popping up all over and filming around town almost daily, it’s been the same ol’ thing in LIC. Today I walked right through the set of a Royal Pains (a show that airs on USA) shoot after enjoying the weather and a book in the park. I’m reading the Godfather and actually like it. I was afraid it would be all macho Guidos and machine guns but it’s a good read.


I was nicely surprised Monday at work when Betty Lou and company stopped by to see the restaurant, escape the gloomy weather, and have a few drinks. Last night at work we got a late party of about 25 so I had no qualms about sleeping in, although I would’ve liked to have taken yoga with Jen this morning. Her boss asked her to start coming in a little later in the morning so she’s been getting up early and going to the gym every day. I’m so proud.

We’ve been trying to mix some classics into our Netflix selection and have found that we both like Hitchcock. Tonight we watched Dial M for Murder which was good, but I think Rear Window still stands as our favorite.

Shi

Today was so full of great things that make it easy to blog tonight. I woke up early this morning after getting to bed around 3am to help setup for our church’s one year celebration service. Turns out I forgot I was taken off set-up (so unlike me, I know) so, needless to say, I came back home and went straight back to bed. Jen got up soon after to go setup her amazing spread at the hospitality table. The church was packed, maybe the biggest turn-out ever, and they prepared a special video that included interviews from members of the church. Jen and I knew we were going to be in it and dreaded seeing ourselves but, of course, everyone said that we were great on camera. The place erupted in laughter when I said my favorite thing was the barbeques (I don’t get why) and someone even told Jen that she needs her own TV show. Funny!

Afterward we went to brunch at Manducatis with a group of friends and it was…interesting. Our waitress seemed new and frazzled and it turns out she is one of our downstairs neighbors. We realized this meant there was at least one person from each of the six units in our building at the table (because our super joined us at church today which was a nice surprise). After we finally got settled and the waitress finished taking all our orders, the owner came out to offer us the lunch special. Would have been nice to know this BEFORE we all ordered. After a long wait for the food and we had all finished eating, we realized one of our friends never got her meal! Then we waited forever for the check! I think we were there for almost 3 hours! The good part was the free Italian Mimosas though. After lunch I needed to catch a few more z’s before our next social outing. Of course I, the one who didn’t go to bed until 3am, couldn’t fall asleep for about an hour but Jen, who had gotten plenty of sleep the night before, had no trouble passing out. I just laid there listening to the sounds of Jen’s deep sleep while Pup chewed her gooey bone on me, too overtired to make sure she stayed off the bed.

My client Betty Lou from the Safety Harbor Spa is visiting the city and we have been planning to meet up for dinner. She suggested, since she reads such great things about Long Island City on the blog, that they come to our neck of the woods to check out the view and grab a bite. We had a nice evening with her friends and family. They took some great skyline sunset pics and continued enjoying the view from our table at Shi where we had dinner. Then we had to hit Manducati’s up again on the way home for a sweet treat to enjoy with coffee at home.

Testaccio

Jen's getting adjusted to her new job. The place is very unorganized so she's got her work cut out for her. It did give us an excuse to celebrate, though, which we did at Testaccio Restorante just a few blocks from home. We tried three kinds of gnocchi, seafood shooter things, and a chocolate hazelnut dessert. They also made pretty much the best Sangria we've had. D-lish.

My client Betty Lou from the Safety Harbor Spa will be in the city tomorrow and around for about a week! She's the first one from the spa to visit us and we'll at least get to do dinner this weekend. My own family hasn't even made it up! Ehem.

Hey, Where Are All the Stawberries?

Jen planned our last big outing, a walking tour of Central Park. We visited so many cool sites, most of which I had no idea existed like Strawberry Fields and the Imagine Mosaic (we got lost lookin’ for this one), Cleopatra’s Needle (1500 BC), and my favorite, Belvedere Castle. Designed as a Victorian fantasy building, it looks like something from Disneyworld and offers great views of Turtle Pond below. It will be amazing to see in the winter! inserted by Jen. There was so much to see that we couldn’t get the whole thing in before I had to go into work. Next time I’d like to go take pictures at The Mall, the famously photographed long walkway that’s flanked by rows of Elm trees and park benches.


Today we visited a new church in the city called Morning Star. We really liked it and plan to visit again. No worries, we still like our “home” church in Long Island City but like to visit other churches too. After church we strolled through a street fair and a Broadway flea market before making a four hour trip to the Brooklyn Target, ugh! We didn’t spend much time at the flea market because I didn’t realize it was actually a flea market full of Broadway show paraphernalia (and gays), I thought it was just a flea market on Broadway! The trip to Target was four hours because the G doesn’t run on weekends so we had to take a shuttle bus to where the G was running, then ride the G to our stop, then walk…phew! Come to find out there’s a stop on another line in the same shopping center as the Target. Needless to say the ride home was much quicker. The trip there was so lengthy we had to stop to eat before we even went in the Target. The service was soooo slow and the waiter brought us the wrong check. We stopped a manager and explained and she said she’d take care of it. When she brought the credit card slip to sign, we noticed we’d been charged for a dessert we didn’t order! Why is everything so complicated for us and why didn’t we get that dessert?

The biggest news is the job that Jen starts TOMORROW! It’s about time… j/k. She was offered a job in Midtown as an Administrative Asst. at a security company (event security). She’s a little nervous but glad to have something to do OUTSIDE of the apartment. Pup (who got a new purple collar today, so people will know she’s a girl!) will sure miss her being around though : (

MCNY

Maybe we just haven't visited the right one, but we don't think we're really museum people. We are interested, though, in the history of NYC so today we visited The Museum of the City of New York. It's on the border of East Harlem/Upper East Side, an area that seemed a little sketchy on our walk there from the 6 train. Jen actually asked me if we were still in Manhattan. After having our bag checked and paying admission we realized that much of the museum was under construction. The sections that were open included a weird Asian influence exhibit, furniture and home interiors prior to 1906 (what happened to post 1906?), and a women of fashion exhibit that Jen was a little dissapointed with. Other than a really cool, 3-screen video presentation about the city's growth over the past couple hundred years, we wouldn't recommend it.

The ride home was interesting. After moving from one end of the car to the other to avoid a smelly, overly-madeup crazy lady, a man very aggressively asked Jen, "What are you lookin' at? What are you lookin' at me for?" Jen told him she, in fact, was not looking at him and he winked at her. He then started yelling, "Speak English! I said speak English," to a quaint pair of Asian ladies who were conversing between themselves. After a few minutes he moved on to a Spanish couple, saying the same thing and calling them Spicks. We switched cars at the next stop.

Nuthin Much

Bed bugs seem to be everywhere in NYC. In homes, retail stores, and movie theaters especially. A few days ago we faced our fear and went to see Easy A in Astoria. I was surprised at how funny it was and would recommend it. We then visited the Panera Bread across from the theater which we realized we really miss.

Jen's finally over her cold and without the leftover "kennel cough." She might have an interview today too!

Pup got a shampoo and blow-dry this morning and was quite excited afterward.

I hope to get some weight training, a class, and a run around the city in this evening. As business begins to pick up again work has left me with little energy to exercise... or blog!

Proposals and Porn Stars

Kendra, a retired Bunny and ex-girlfriend of Hugh Heffner, has a new reality show. She's been staying at the hotel above our restaurant and did some filming around the property. Saturday morning I got to talk to her and her friends a little while she was having breakfast before filming out on the patio, and then later took their room service order. Danny, the food runner that was on that day, was filmed delivering the food to their room and signed a waiver to appear on the show. If you ever see the show, which I believe is titled Kendra, look for Danny and Bourbon St.!

On my way home from the gym this morning, Top Chef was doing some filming in Grand Central and passing out free desserts. People were going crazy over it and it was delicious!  They're also filming for the new show The Good Wife in LIC today.  It stars Juliana Margulies.

During my first full day off in 6 days, yesterday we went to Central Park with Pup (pic). We let her off the leash to roam the wild, like God intended.  At one point she ran up to a girl who was reading then got really excited and ran up to another girl who was tanning.  Then she just started running around in circles.  She had fun! While there we also got to witness a guy propose to his girlfriend. He hired a photographer to capture the moment.  We also passed three brides getting pics taken by the lake. We then headed home for artichokes (pic) which were delicious and home-made pizza. How did I live without authentic Italian food for so long?

Jen's sick so pray for a quick recovery!  She took cough medicine last night and passed out around 9:30!