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.