TGIF-ing

My coworkers and I have been waiting for the yearly holiday increase in sales for a while now and the people finally came out this weekend. The last few nights I have worked have been quite lucrative AND fun.  ‘Bout time!

Friday Jen and I had the whole day off together! As previously mentioned, our plan was to get to the NBC building in Rockefeller Center early in the morning to get stand-by tickets to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  We had to come back around three to check in (which seemed pointless) and then again at exactly 4:15 (we were a few minutes early and told to keep moving because we were a fire hazard. Seriously?) to line up in our numbered order. We were the 29^th and 30^th people in line out of about 100 so we thought we had a pretty good chance.  Long story short, they only had about ten spare tickets and we didn’t get to see him, this time.  Jen was super disappointed because we'd put in so much time and effort and because Maya Rudolph was one of the guests that night.  We’ll just have to get up earlier next time.



Friend/ coworker Blair measuring one of her models



The day wasn’t wasted though. We did some Christmas shopping and for dinner went to the Chelsea Brewing Company at Chelsea Piers. Although the brewery is kind of in the middle of nowhere, it’s got a great spot right on the Hudson River. Plus, their Pumpkin Pie Ale is delicious. The highlight of the day was definitely ice-skating at Bryant Park. Doing anything with Jen that requires a moderate amount of eye-hand coordination is always entertaining (pic).  I was a little disappointed because she didn’t fall once.  A lot of other people fell, though, which kind of made up for it but the ice was still missing blood. We had to endure about 100 elementary and middle school kids who were on a field trip.  That was fun.  There was also a man who had to be in his eighties skating around in old-fashioned skates and was clearly wearing a diaper.  My favorite was the man in a wife-beater (It was forty degrees out) who was doing triple axles, among other stunts, and appeared to be on acid.

It’s been tough, but I’ve been doing ok watching my carbs and sugar lately in preparation for the Fusion Fashion Show. Tonight I went to my first fitting for the show at Parsons. Only two of the four designers who chose me, Jackson and Simon, had templates ready for me to try on tonight.  There were about ten or so designers working with their models while the director of the program did some DJ-ing up front.  There was great energy in the room and it was fun.  I was surprisingly comfortable with stripping down to my skivvies in public.  Enjoy the few pics I was able to sneak in.



Designer Simon  photographing model



MoMa

A few months ago I blogged that I was going to visit more museums and galleries on my days off. I visited The American Museum of Natural History, really enjoyed it, and then forgot about my goal until Jen mentioned it recently. Well, this week I followed up on my previous statement by visiting The Museum of Modern Art (MoMa). In Midtown, not far from our apartment, it offers amazing collections of contemporary architecture, design, drawings, paintings, sculpture, photography, books, and film. I entered into its vast lobby, headed to the information desk, and found out I get in for free because I’m a student at a city college. I like this place already! Some of the highlights for me were the collections of wild midcentury-modern furniture, evolving NYC urban design, and the outdoor garden that the museum surrounds (pic). After feeling like I got my money’s worth in the museum, ha, I headed to the design store which had really cool modern gifts. You can visit the store anytime without paying admission and I’ll probably be going back to show Jen. I could have easily spent a lot of money in there. I’ve always liked modern art but enjoyed the museum even more than I thought I would. This is usually the case with me and museums and the reason I want to continue exploring the ones NYC has to offer.

Around the time I was leaving Jen was getting off work so we decided to meet at Herald Square to do some (more) Christmas shopping. With the combination of holiday shoppers, heavy security due to the President being on the move somewhere close to MoMa, and people heading to the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting, the sidewalks were packed! Once I finally made it we started at Macy’s which was just slightly less crazy. As frustrating as it all can be, the stores, and really the city in whole looks best this time of year. Entire buildings in the major shopping districts are dripping with lights or wrapped in ribbon like big packages.

I’m working tonight but Jen and I have all day tomorrow (Friday) off and might go to a taping of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tomorrow evening if we can get standby tickets. Hope so!

Eat, Pray, Fart

November 24, 2011, Thanksgiving Day, will soon be over. In a few weeks we’ll be flying to Florida for Christmas. Where did the month of November go? And what a month it was.

The news this month about being chosen by a few designers for the Fusion Fashion Show was exciting. If nothing else, I’m hoping that this show in March will open a few more doors. In the mean time, I’m just trying to keep my act together and work up the confidence to apply to and attend open calls of major modeling agencies. I just want to walk around in nice clothes and get paid a lot for it, is that too much to ask?

Our wedding anniversary was Tuesday, the 22^nd of this month but we celebrated Monday night since I had to work. We went to dinner at Becco, an Italian restaurant on Restaurant Row which was ah-mazing. We had like six courses, a bottle of wine with dinner, and then a grand finale dessert accompanied by complimentary dessert wine. We wobbled out of there a little dazed and giggly to say the least.  On Tuesday, I brought Jen flowers at work and grabbed some tea with her on her lunch break.  We didn’t exchange gifts, per se, but Jen wrote me another poem. It was sooo funny but R-rated so you’ll have to take my word for it. Shout out and thanks to the family for sending us such nice words and gifts (some still en route) for the big two-year.

I try not to let this blog turn into a food diary but today was Thanksgiving, what do you expect? For the big feast Jen, Pup, and I took a 7 train to Grand Central, a Metro-North train to White Plains, NY, and then rode with family to Connecticut. The host’s were long time friends of the Cappello’s and made us feel right at home. My favorite moment was when “Grandpa Louie” had me follow him to the liquor cabinet and made me a bourbon on the rocks. That man can drink! It was also nice to see little Lisa, although I can’t call her little for much longer. She’s eight now. We are stuffed from our early dinner and just taking it easy tonight, doing some online Christmas shopping and blogging.  

Bonnie and Clyde

Before a Broadway show officially opens it has a soft open, called previews, for a few weeks. This gives creators a way to view the show as an audience would and make adjustments before the grand opening to the general public. It’s really a win/win because shows also extend free tickets out to people like servers who, because we have access to many locals and tourists alike, can create a sales-boosting buzz. Last week Bourbon St. employees were offered free tickets to Bonnie and Clyde, a show now in previews and opening soon. Jen and I went Sunday night with really no expectations but really loved the show. It’s action packed and the voices of the leads were amazing! A few groups of my coworkers went too. Aside from the $5 bottled water I bought for Jen at the bar, it was another great free night out.
Click here for Bonnie and Clyde Broadway website

Jen recognized a guy that was standing out front before the show as an actor from Love Actually (Not surprised. I would guess she’s seen it about fifteen times.) We looked him up on IMDB and he was in fact in the movie along with many other things.

Little, Fast New Yorkers

So I came accross this short film about a day in New York City today while doing some blog reading. It uses tilt-shift photograghy to give everything a really cool miniature look. It kind of made me want to pick things up and throw them like King Kong. You'll see, enjoy!

Blue Steel-by Jen Rexrode

Every year, the two biggest design schools in NY, F.I.T and Parsons, have a competition for students to submit designs to be chosen as part of a fashion show that is attended by some big name people.  This is a huge deal for the students to get their name/work out there.  One of the finalists is Matt’s co-worker Blair (that’s how we know anything about this at all). So, if there are designers wanting to show off their clothes, they’re gonna need models.  Blair (among several others) suggested Matt audition to be one of the models because he has “perfect proportions.”  Matt didn’t argue; he decided he wanted to try out so he prepped by giving up carbs, running a lot and throwing in some extra ab work outs.  After a grueling WEEK of all this hard work (of course he slipped a couple times and had carbs.  I mean who can go a whole WEEK of this ridiculous diet?!), he got himself in good enough shape (he has a freakin’ 4-pack now.  I mean seriously, God?) to feel confident trying out.  

The open call was held from 6-9 in an art gallery type space in Manhattan (pic).  You know Matt, he was there right at 6 and was one of the first in line of probably hundreds of guys and gals that showed up.  He got measured and was asked to walk for the design students (including Blair) who would be selecting models to represent their lines.  As he was walking, Blair called out, “Hi, Matt,” which brought awkward attention on him but, he didn’t care.  Also, one of the directors (a man) told him, “Very nice, very nice.  Do you work out Matt?”  He left feeling pretty confident and we went to Pies N’ Thighs and gorged on fried chicken and biscuits to celebrate.

He found out Monday that he was selected by a student named Simon to represent his line!  He was so non-chalant about it - like it was no big deal - but I was freaking out.  He said he wasn’t really surprised because he had put a lot of effort into it.  The effort he’s referring to is the aforementioned week of “hard” work.  I reminded him that some people dedicate their lives to becoming a model and this was his first audition ever.  Then today, he got another e-mail that explains he was actually chosen by THREE students so he’ll be walking in three different collections!  So of all the people who tried out, he was selected by three designers - amazing.  He said there were several people who were chosen by multiple designers but I said, “Still it’s like you’re one of the elite.”  He said, “Well, duh.”  That Matt. He has to go to two fittings per designer and the show is March 3rd and 4th (Jackie’s b-day!).  

He’s a little embarrassed or something to go around telling everybody so I took it upon myself to write a guest post, if you will.  I’m super proud and excited for him and thought you all would be too!  Hopefully, there will be some scout in the audience and this will be the beginning of something great for my Boo.
Check it out: http://www.fusionfashionshow.com/

Post-Marathon

For many boroughs, The New York City Marathon brings more than just thousands of runners from all over the world to their front stoop. Surprisingly, the race leaves things a little better than they were before it.

I’m sure drivers parking in Long Island City love the fact that alternate side parking, a weekly program requiring cars to be moved so that street sweepers can clean, isn’t required in our ‘hood.  I hear it’s a headache, but for those of us without cars this means little more than dirtier streets. Once a year, though, our very own Vernon Blvd. gets a thorough cleaning before and after the marathon. By six pm Sunday the crews were out sweeping up thousands of water cups, athletic clothing shed by runners, posters, and other trash from the street. Today our streets and sidewalks look as clean as they should be year round.

The marathon is quite the exciting event when the route is right outside your apartment. On Sunday morning a group of us gathered at our neighbor’s apartment instead of trying to go out because it's impossible to just cross the street for hours. We ate and caught up (while tracking our marathon-ing friend’s location online using my awesome new smart phone :) ) before heading downstairs to do some celebrity hunting and cheer on our pals Dan Moy and Louis Thornhill. They both finished the race in good time and are doing all the recovering. Whoop Whoop!

Routes

   



Occupy Wall St Group

Monday night Jen and I decided to brave the crowds and went to The Village Halloween Parade.  We had to walk a few blocks before finally finding an open street that would allow us to get to the Sixth Avenue parade route. With more than 50,000 people participating alone, it was surprisingly easy to get a nice spot on a high curb for viewing the passing freak show. My favorite costume was the Brooklyn Bridge that had at least three people inside (pic). The Pasha Nightclub float stopped right in front of us while DJ Pauly D (Jersey Shores Guido, in pic)made some indecipherable shout outs. The Occupy Wall Street protestors had a huge presence close to the end of the parade. I have mixed feelings about the protests but have to say their signs were pretty clever. Apart from their costumes and signs, they had people wielding giant puppets of the most corrupt and greedy CEO’s and exec’s (pic) being held back by a mock police barricade.


"DJ " Pauly D



 Speaking of police, I’ve never seen more in my life than on this Halloween! A few policemen were stationed at every street corner and every subway platform for what I would think was about twenty blocks along the parade route.  It makes sense but wow. We didn’t go too crazy because Jen is a responsible 9-to-5er but the parade was fun and the night was definitely entertaining.

We have nice, reasonable fall weather this week. The snow has melted and all the downed limbs from the storm in Central Park are being mulched, especially on the marathon path. The ING New York City Marathon is this Sunday from 6-2 I believe and our apartment is right on the marathon route again this year. It’s exciting to have all that inspiration right out our front door. We’re equally as pumped about that extra hour of sleep we get the night before.

Brooklyn Bridge Costume

Coach Sue

The big news today is all the snow. The forcast predicted a gross rainy day with a slight chance of snow-not what we got. We had to run some errands today to prepare Jen for hospitality at church tomorrow and my Halloween Party at work tonight so we had no choice but to go out and get gross and wet. This pic is of the park we pass on the way to the E train being covered in snow. The neighborhood was much more covered on our way back home but it was too hard to take pics with our bags and I didn't want to get my new phone wet.

Ahh, my new phone. I have the Samsung Stratosphere 4G LTE Android phone (for those of you who understand what all that means, lol) and I love it! It's so handy to have everything at your fingertips. Writing this today is the first time my poor computer has been used since I got the phone.

Tonight I'm going as the evil Coach Sue Silvester from the TV show Glee. I bought her signature red Adidas tracksuit and whistle and am making a bullhorn to go with it. Most of my friends loved the idea when I showed some pics of me in the suit... or incorrectly guessed I was going as Run DMC or Ali G. Hopefully my accessories and nametag will help make it more obvious. I'll let you know how the party goes, it's one of the most out of control nights at Bourbon St. every year.

Celeb Spotting

Just want to give you another celeb sighting update. Leaving work Saturday night, coworker Erin walked through a group of celebrities leaving the un-named VIP bar on 46th st. We didn't want to gawk but two that we recognized with just one pass were Steve Guttenberg and Richard Kind. We knew Steve Guttenberg's name and luckily he yelled "goodnight Richard" as he got into a cab so I was able to look Mr. Kind up when I got home. The group of ladies they were with were less recognizable, but who knows. 

My new cellphone should be back to Texas sometime tomorrow (where it was originally shipped from) from it's incorrect journey to the billing address in Clearwater, FL. It's then supposedly going to be shipped out to me at the proper delivery address and arrive by Friday. Gotta love the organization of Walmart.com.

Speakeasy's

Tonight we refused to let the rain keep us from having fun on one of our only nights together all week and hit the town for some beverages. In the East Village neighborhood there are a few pretty hidden clubs/bars that were once secret speakeasy's and have been getting alot of publicity lately. Because it's the middle of the week, we were surprised that both PDT (Please Don't Tell) and Death and Co. had waits of around an hour. I guess everyone had the same idea we did. It was fun just trying to find PDT which involved entering a phone booth in a random hot dog shop and calling the host who opened the other side of the booth to let you in. There were no signs for this place anywhere. We settled for drinks at a "normal" place next door called Ten Degrees. After telling the bartender what I typically like, he whipped up a custom cocktail for me which turned out delicious. Jen's "fruit loaded" Sangria came with an orange slice which was disappointing, the fruit's the best part! It was a good time though. This pic is of Jen providing the entertainment as we waited for the 7 train on the way out.

Pan Am

Because I had the day off and the Pan Am set was just around the corner, I got to be nosey as I came and went throughout the day. There were two black passenger vans to shuttle the cast the one block between the trailers and set all day but when I saw them moving they were empty. There were many cool old cars parked along the street (pic) but from what I could see most of the filming happened inside the Plaxal building. The offices and staircase, which are visible from the street, look like they haven't been touched since the 60's which would make sense for the show. By ten tonight they seemed to be either cleaning up or reorganizing for another scene. The big fancy star trailer is still within view from our bedroom window as we call it a night. The permits give them until 2 a.m so they might be out until then.

My coworker and aspiring actor Linda actually had a small part in the show which filmed a few weeks ago. If you watch, it should be in the next episode that she plays a student who's registering for classes at Berkeley

Brooklyn Baked Goods

Apparently ‘tis the season for eating out so I’ve been working a little more and later lately. I’m grateful for the extra dough but with a Thursday- Sunday night schedule most weeks, it’s hard to squeeze fun things with Jen into the weekend. This Saturday we got up and first consulted our Time Out NY magazine to see what cool things were going on in the city. We decided to hit up a bake sale in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for brunch that the article claimed to be “a bake sale on steroids,” was an editor’s pick for the weekend, and spanning a few blocks. Typical of anything we get ourselves into, we had a good laugh when we arrived. It was so small we almost missed the quite average sized bake sale which spanned the length of a few tables. The people were very nice and it benefited something good in the community, but it’s funny how much Time Out hyped it up. The bake sale people must know someone.  

After our interesting morning biking across boroughs we rushed into the city (me ready to go straight to work afterward) for a free walking tour around Union Square. It’s the area in the city we would most like to live in (maybe in June when our lease is up!) so we wanted to learn more. This Time Out NY suggested event was much less hyped up and much more worth it. Our tour guide was great and I would totally pay for a tour she was leading in the future.

Sunday, after getting up at 6:30 am to help with setup at church, I came back home and slept until one-ish. Before heading to work tonight (crazy, I know) I finally ordered a new phone online. Through walmart.com (I miss you walmart) I got a 4G LTE, Android Stratosphere by Samsung that seems to be close to the model that Jen has which I really like. The difference is, mine was free! (my favorite number by the way). It should come Wednesday and (no worries naysayers) I have two weeks to make sure I like it. I’ll keep you posted, hopefully easily from my new phone next week.

The TV show Pan Am is filming in LIC all day tomorrow. Tonight the streets around our apartment were eerily cleared of all parked cars except for a few classic 60’s sedans at our corner. The shooting may be that close! Pictures to come…

Megabust to DC





Row houses in Ashley's hood.

 

I’m writing this post from our bus back to NYC from DC. Among many other perks, Jen has every other Friday off from work (crazy right?) which happened to line up with Columbus Day, which she also had off, giving her a four day weekend. As soon as we realized this, I also took the weekend off so that we could plan something fun. We contacted some friends that live in the Northeast and our friend Ashley in DC was available. Her roommate was also out of town for a wedding, making room for us to stay…. just meant to be.



Future Mr. and Mrs. President at the White House

This being our third time in DC, we didn’t really do many touristy things like tours, museums, or purposeful monument visits (you can’t help but pass them, they’re everywhere!).  We rented bikes through the DC Bike Share for a bit which was fun. Through this company you get a nice 3-speed bike for about $5/hour and can pick up and drop off at any of the many locations around the city. We were also in town during the Taste of DC food and drink festival and got to sample lots of good local grub. The bacon, tomato, cheese and the banana, chocolate waffles were totally worth the half hour wait! Saturday night we went to karaoke in Adam’s Morgan (lots of night life) with Ashley and friends to watch and sing along ONLY. Ha. It was a great trip but we missed our Pup, who was being watched by our wonderful neighbors over the weekend. Enjoy the pix



Us with Ashley and our bikes on Capitol Hill



 Back to the bus. Flying or even taking a train to DC this weekend was so expensive that it just wasn't an option. I had heard mixed things about these really cheap "Chinatown buses" you could take from NYC to NE cities like Boston, Rhode Island, and DC. After doing some research on the many different companies we settled on Megabus because of the price, hourly departures, and the advertised free wifi and power outlets at every row. The ride to DC, although we forgot to pack snacks and were starving, was perfect.

The way back, on the other hand, was delayed. Some of the reasons include an extra stop because the bus bathroom became out of order (after Jen used it- no joke, ha), traffic, and a late departure from DC. The Wifi and power outlets were also out on this bus back home so people were getting quite antsy. This didn’t really affect us though, as we were smart and brought things to read. We also made sure to pack lots of snacks for the journey back. You get what you pay for but for less than $100 for two, round trip, it was not bad and I think we would do it again. Not a "Megabust" you could say. hehe.  Next time we might try Bolt Bus which is rumored to be a little better and compare the two.  

Samuel L. Jackson

The pics do most of the talking in this post but I'll elaborate. Thursday night after work, as I was passing the restaurant Orzo, I heard a British tourist ask a group of men beside me what street she was on. One guy answered, "This is 46th St." She thanked him and went on her with no clue she had just gotten directions from Samuel L. Jackson!  I recognized his voice right away, followed by his signature Kangol hat. I also recognized the custom-rimmed Cadillac Escalade he and his posse got into, which means they must dine there often.  Of all his movies, all I remember him by is Snakes on a Plane, a true classic.

Friday I took the night off from work to catch up with a couple of “my boys.” We went bowling at The Gutter - a very old school, dingy, and kind of hipster alley in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Afterwards, while checking out my friend Chris’s new place in Sunnyside (my old ‘hood!) we found the movie Drive on his computer and watched it on his new TV. It just came out in theaters… no big deal. 

Jen’s new Schwinn bicycle came Friday! We tried putting it together ourselves when I got home around midnight Friday but that didn’t go so well.  Exhaustion plus cryptic instructions does not equal a properly assembled bike.  We decided to leave it to the pro’s and took it to the bike shop in our hood the next morning. We had a good laugh when the shop owner’s first words were, “Why is it backwards?” Lol. Apparently we had put the front fork on backwards but they fixed it right up while we were at a friend’s house warming party.  Too bad the weather was too bad for Jen to give it a test drive.  But, today was a perfect bike riding day and ride we did. As luck would have it, someone took my shift at work today so Jen and I got to spend the day together.  I actually forgot my phone at work Saturday night so we decided to ride our bike over the Queensborough Bridge into the City to pick it up (an ambitions ride for Jen’s first time on a bike in about ten years).   Jen was nervous but I’m proud because she made it back alive (although she claims she almost died several times today). We also stopped at a bike shop and bought a basket, one Pup will fit in.  I tested her bike out too and, must say, it’s a comfy ride.  Our next big ride will be to Central Park once all the leaves change.  Can’t wait.

Bloody Thursday

I wanted to share some pictures from my first major NYC museum visit yesterday, The American Museum of Natural History. From it's huge, beautiful location on Central Park West to all that's inside, I would definately recommend it. The preservation of all the animals, some that had been taxidermied almost one hundred years ago, was really amazing and lifelike. My favorites were the blue whale room and the dinosour section (pics). The gems and minerals, and birds and owls are also worth a mention.

Leaving the gym this morning I passed a blood drive and decided to donate. They made me hydrate and rest for a bit because I had just exercised and then determined (by my awesomeness) that I met the requirements for the special red blood cell extraction. It's quite the process. A machine removes your "whole blood," seperates the platelets and rbc's with a centrifuge, then puts your blood combined with a saline solution back into your body so you leave with the same volume. Because the replacement is cooler that your naturally warm blood, I got really cold and a little light headed. They made me rest again and after some pretzels, apple juice, and Lorna Dunes (my favorite, ha) I felt back to normal and was good to go. Anyway, they can now take my rbc's straight to a hospital where they are in great need and hopefully save a life. Pretty cool.

San Gennaro

This Saturday morning I woke up to Jen telling me our neighbors had invited us to the San Gennaro Festival which I had forgotten I wanted to go to.  After late weekend nights at work it’s hard to get up and out the next morning but the Saturday was worth it. The streets of Little Italy were packed with everything awesomely Italian (like corndogs!).  We ate seafood, sausage and peppers, and of course, a cannoli. We parted ways with our friends after a few hours so we could pick up a few things for Pup before I had to head into work again.  Poor Puppers has been battling fleas.  We had to get her some flea medicine and some bones : )

I finally feel completely rested on Mondays after napping all Sunday afternoon and working out in the gym in the morning. Today I wanted to take advantage of one of the last few days of summer weather and went to a Bryant Park piano show.  It’s a free performance held a few afternoons a week by great city pianists. Yuka Aikawa was the artist performing today and played many classics that I could recognize. She had a book open in front of her but it was on the same page the whole time and she never even looked up. Pretty amazing that she played from sound or memory for about two hours. The whole thing is pretty casual so I took Pup along to get her out of the house. She had a great time staring down people eating their lunches and letting out a single yip at those that were clapping at the end of each set.

I’m trying to take advantage of all the free Summer in the City things while it’s still nice and warm out. I’m planning to make it back to Bryant Park in the morning for a free yoga class.

Sweetleaf



Main bar (including Jen's favorite, French Bulldogs)



Working nights in a midtown restaurant, I have my days to recuperate which can be really nice. While exploring neighborhoods in Manhattan or even just our own hood, Long Island City, i’ve noticed that places have a much more laid back, inviting vibe during the day before the masses of nine-to-fivers get off work.



The "vinyl lounge"



For this post I wanted to spotlight one of my favorite daytime hangouts, Sweetleaf, which is an espresso bar and café about eight blocks from our place in LIC. Sweetleaf is in the ground floor of a cool 19th century brick building and has been expanded to more than twice the size I remember it being when I moved here. Inside they have a main bar, living room, designated laptop/ work room, and a back "vinyl lounge" complete with lots of classic records and a player. They brew delicious Stumptown coffee (with varieties like “hair bender” and “rocket fuel”) in a serious espresso machine named Dorothy. More recently they have reorganized their café (now making everything in house!) and offer cookies, muffins, cakes, pies, scones, tartlets, fondue, and even soup and lunch items.

Especially on Wednesday’s when the new Village Voice hits stands, I can spend hours there getting some reading in while enjoying the great drinks and atmosphere. And it’s not even coffee weather yet!

Williamsburg Saturday

Almost overnight the weather has changed to Fall-like. Days are cool and crisp and nights get pretty chilly and windy. Jen loves the cool weather. I like all the fresh air in our apartment with the a/c off and the windows open. At night the bar patrons (drunks) and traffic can get loud so we’ve been using a sleeping noises app on Jen’s phone. The sound options are endless, some pretty funny, and you can even just shake the phone for a shuffled sound combo. Last night I came home to an interesting combo in the bedroom, light rain and chirping birds.

Saturday we spent a few hours in Williamsburg Brooklyn before I had to head to work. As far as shopping, food, and cool factor goes, Williamsburg is the best village in Brooklyn. Plenty of people obviously agree with me because the apartments there rent for about the same price as one in Manhattan. We had lunch at an all organic Café Ella (we swear it tastes better) and bought a few things in a shop called Pema on Bedford Ave. Jen bought a fancy work dress and I got a CD titled “French Café” that has been keeping me so relaxed on my commutes.

Sunday I woke up late feeling exhausted and just… off. I got up to eat which didn’t help so I threw on my eye mask and sleep sounds and slept until like2pm. Weird, random day. I feel great now and out and about enjoying the weather

The Addams Family

You may recall me mentioning a New York Health Association school grant I was applying for a few months ago. Well good news, I was approved and received my grant check in the mail a few days ago! It came much sooner and was for a little more than I expected. Close to 3 grand for a WASP who works… not bad. I won’t tell them that I’m having to retake a practical exam in January and will deposit that check today before they change their mind! Ha.

In other news, last night Jen and I and friends Jacob and Louis finally got to hang out after almost a year of talking about it. Like me, they also work in the hospitality industry so with all our crazy schedules we never could organize a date night. It also worked out perfectly that my favorite crazy coworker Caitlyn was able to get us and Bourbon St employees free tickets to The Addams Family on Broadway (she also works for the show). The whole production was kind of silly but we had great seats and I was excited that it's starring Brooke Shields. Although she looked great playing Morticia Addams, I don’t think theatrical singing and dancing is her thing. After the show we were all saying the same thing, that Shields was a little off in her singing and dancing, or just seemed bored (and not in the good Morticia kind of way). Not the best show we’ve seen so far, but for a free night out with our friends and my coworkers it couldn’t be beat!

Jen started her new job at “the FED” Monday and really likes it. She sent me a text from work saying “I want to work here forever,” as she feels like she’s working for a good, real company for the first time. The benefits are ridiculous too. I was literally reading through the information packet for like an hour, drooling. By the way, thanks to everyone who prayed and supported Jen as she was going through the almost two month long application process.

Nights Out

As I slowly continue to get over my school circumstances I’m enjoying my time away from the program more and more. An academic I will never claim to be!



Jen doing Karaoke!?



Matt and Chelsea are one of our favorite friend-couples. They’re always there to lend a hand (we helped them move too!), are very generous (gave us our big a/c unit), and know how to have a good time (Eataly!). To be closer to family, because of work, and so Chelsea can go to a specific beauty school they are leaving NYC. Although Matt was out of town for work, Wednesday night a group of us got together one more official time at Shi for drinks and karaoke. It was a chilly, rainy night but inside it was a great time! (pics with Chelsea)

Awkward...

Thursday night, like most weeks, I was at work. They’re usually good nights to work and this Thursday came with a nice surprise.  In addition to reimbursing us for our cab fares while the trains were down, my manager gave a gift certificate to the few people who would work the weekend Irene hit. It’s to Italian restaurant Becco on Restaurant Row and I’m pretty excited as it’s supposedly one of the best on the strip! I'll give you a full review of the place when we go.

I occasionally think about finding a job in a more fine dining restaurant but it’s for no other reason than money. I have it good at Bourbon St. I’m one of the “veterans”, get the schedule I need, have fun with my crazy coworkers, and the management is (obviously) really great. I should just count my blessings and stay put.

Last night Jen and I went on a date to the Upper West Side. We ate at Fred's which was named after a seeing eye dog and had floor to ceiling customer dog pictures inside. Me the dog freak wanted to walk around people's tables and look at all the pics, comments, and animal themed funnies. For a piece of Cinnamon bun cheesecake we went to Cafe Lola right around the corner. The dessert and ambiance make it clear why the cafe was featured in the movie You've Got Mail. 

Duck Duck Fanta

The end of summer seemed so abrupt today as it was kind of chilly and did not stop raining. Unfortunately I think the whole week may look like this. As much as I was tempted to spend my day off indoors, I didn’t let the weather stop me running our errands. On the good side our grocer in Chelsea, Trader Joes usually has a long line around the perimeter of the store but was pleasantly empty today. Laundry on rainy days is where I draw the line. I can’t bring myself to pay to have clothes washed and dried before I then take them out into the rain where they will only get wet again.

Last night at work I trained a new hire upstairs which means one good thing for the trainer, training meals! I usually order the steak and shrimp (most expensive entree) but this week we have a bacon wrapped duck special on the menu that I sampled and loved. The pig covered bird comes with almond green beans and red skin mashed potatoes, yum! It’s pretty dark in our restaurant at night so the pic is a little overexposed.

I also wanted to take a pic of the thirty bourbon brownies prepped in the kitchen. They just looked so cool in identical rows but our weird head chef was giving me looks so I didn’t. lol. The brownie’s were about to be taken to our party on the patio which were winners of a Brazilian Fanta trip to the U.S. They bought out the entire French Quarter Hotel for the week and had a Fanta film crew tagging along to document everything. For marketing I assume. They were all quite good looking but a little rude and didn’t like to eat much other than white bread, salad, and Fanta of course. Of the almost thirty brownies I would say five of them were eaten. They were prepaid but still, what a waste. I practiced great self control and didn’t have a single bite. I didn’t want to spoil my duck dinner.

From Chelsea to Flushing

Lately in our community there has been some buzz about two big bad corporations coming to our hood. No, one of them isn't Walmart. Dunkin Donuts and Subway will be opening in LIC soon and are getting people worried that they'll ruin things for small business. I say if your place is good enough, national or local, the people will come. To view the actual news clip which features alot of Vernon Blvd (our street) and many of our great small businesses click here. Shout out to Cranky's, I love that place. Also, a warning that the link might put you in the mood for donuts.

What's new? Well, I've been working, running, and taking yoga more often lately which is great. Jen's current employer/coworkers are sad that she's leaving soon but she's getting pretty excited for the change. Last night we went way downtown to the financial district to do some playing in Jen's soon to be work neighborhood. The Fed building just looks like big, scary money and the security is pretty impressive too. For dinner we took a cab down Fulton to the South Street Seaport, an area full of shopping, restaurants, and lots of action right on the water with amazing views of the Brooklyn Bridge. The pic doesn't do it justice. We had some mediocre seafood at a place that starts with an S... Sequoia maybe? We are beginning to accept the truth that NY has nothing on FL when it comes to seafood.

I'm on Setup, teardown, and ushering at church tomorrow morning and then working tomorrow afternoon. Jen's also helping in kids tomorrow at church. Blah... I mean woohoo! Maybe something fun like the beach on Labor Day, weather permitting!

Oh, one last random thing about why I love NYC. Our drugstore (Duane Reade) puts clever city themed slogans on their products. For example, I had a good laugh a few days ago when I noticed our toilet paper wrapping said, "From Chelsea to Flushing."  

Serene Irene

From the park on the East River today, looking out at the Manhattan skyline on a perfectly cool, dry day it’s hard to believe there has been so much news over earthquakes and hurricanes recently. And I don’t know if it’s New Yorkers or just the media but there has been a lot of hype and over reacting in the past week. The little shiver barely felt in the ground that was just the echo of an earthquake down south was interrupting normal scheduled broadcasting here until it was time for newscasters to switch gears and start freaking people out over Irene. I know it was big and there was a chance of flooding but to me it was obvious it was weakening and would (which it was) be a tropical storm by the time it reached NYC. Our apartment was technically in the mandatory evacuation zone, but just right across the street was the safe zone so we, along with all our neighbors, stayed put. Our lack of worry comared to people around us was kind of comical. Last minute I went out looking for D batteries for our dead flashlight which everyone was (surprise!) sold out of. I then went and bought AA's for a little lantern we have but the bulb was shot (oops!). We went old school and made a pile of matches and candles, filled some bottles with water and said screw it. By Sunday afternoon the rain was gone so we took Pup out for a long walk to look around the ‘hood but it looked the same (the reason there are no good hurricane pics in this post). No flooding, no crazy wind, just some rain Saturday night and clouds Sunday (yawn).

The combination of people crazed with cabin fever, me included, and BSBG being one of the only restaurants on the row open made last night quite busy. We were so understaffed and slammed, to the point that we couldn’t even care about good service, just order taking. We somehow still managed to make some really good money. Because there were no trains running from Saturday at noon until this morning no one really had a way to get to work. I had to take a cab to and from work but luckily at the expense of the restaurant… I could get used to having a driver.

Anyway, all is well. We’re alive. Later.

Just Shoot Me

If you haven’t already guessed by my lack of communication, the results of my finals were more than disappointing. After waiting for what seemed like eternity for the grades to be posted, I was sent emails from faculty saying how devastated and sorry they were that I had not passed the Procedures II final practical.

There are two ways a student can automatically fail a practical: through a “critical safety” error or a complete “failure to treat.” Mine was the latter due to placement of electrodes for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) with iontophoresis.  Iontophoresis is a form of e-stim that uses a charged current to drive topical medication deep into the body for pain relief. Gathering from all I learned in the program about CTS (a compression of the median nerve at the wrist) including one or two diagnostic tests, I placed the electrode right on the wrist (the site of pain noted on my randomly picked case study), on the dorsal surface or backside of the wrist. I wasn’t absolutely sure of my placement because of the lack of curriculum on treating CTS specifically in procedures I, II, or any class for that matter. I thought he might take points off if he preferred one side or the other but figured since the whole premise behind the modality was its ability to penetrate deeply that I would be ok.

After weeks, prayers, phone calls and meetings with faculty, including the program director, I began to lose my willpower to fight and just face his decision, no matter how much I disagreed. On a side note: I later found out that the reason it took so long to post everyone’s grades was because the director could not believe the news and scheduled an all faculty meeting to discuss my situation. On one hand it’s flattering but on the other, it made me feel like their minds were already made up by the time I could throw my word in. I’m now about five months behind the class that I will be leaving. We were the best group they had had in a while, you could just tell. I’m of course trying to focus on the positives and all that jazz but it’s just frustrating. I’m much more prepared than others who are slipping through the cracks because of luck of the draw. I have too much invested to quit at this point and a plan on retaking the class in January. I have lost a lot of respect for Dr. Chan and the program.

I never have and never will understand how you can test a student on something you never taught them. I wasn’t born knowing how to treat CTS. I haven’t been a PT for 20 years. Do your job, teach me what I will be tested on, and more importantly what will prepare me for the real world. This is the point where I want to say inappropriate and personal things so I’ll stop. I’m done. Moving on.

I don’t even want to continue this blog post with anything else so I’ll end this one and start another;  a fresh start.

4 Exams away from three weeks of freedom

Following up on the previous post, I walked Pup through the filming that was going on in the neighborhood this past week to see if I could spot anyone famous. It appeared I was a little late as they were packing up set equipment so, after using the dog as an excuse to just stand in one spot and gawk, I asked an event caterer if there had been any celebs around that day. She said there was no one famous and it was just some shooting for CBS. She seemed to be telling the truth but I find it hard to believe there would be about five blocks full of trucks and movie trailers for something generic. I guess I’ll never know. I doubt the average New Yorker cares enough about all this stuff to ask questions, but it’s fun for me. Maybe if I was a ten year resident already or had a car my perspective would change; large groups of random people invading your neighborhood, taking all the parking spots for a day or two, and then leaving the place no better (ok, maybe a little more famous) than it was when they showed. “The Good Wife,” though, was doing some filming in the Court Sq/ Citibank area of our neighborhood today (pic)


Tonight Jen packed a bag for her ten year high school reunion. She leaves LaGuardia for Tampa, FL tomorrow at 7:30 am. I would have tagged along but it was just bad timing with work this weekend and finals on Monday and Tuesday, not to mention the cost of airfare. I’m sure she’ll have fun anyway. It was pretty late by the time she was all prepared so we stayed close to home for our date night. We had dinner at Cuban restaurant Madera and then walked a few more blocks down Vernon Blvd to Uncle G’s (?) ice cream for dessert. After being way too indecisive, I committed to rum raisin and it was delicious. I have to agree with Jen who said “that place is one of the best things to happen to Long Island City.” lol

Happy Birthday to my grandfather who turned 80 yesterday! Wow.

Artist: Rexrode

After leaving the clinic around one today I made a stop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on the way home to unwind a little. I walked up and down Bedford Ave mostly, the main street of the neighborhood, where I went into a few stores and did a lot of people watching. A retail store that I really like but is pretty overpriced is Brooklyn Industries. There are locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn and they have great graphic-t's with what I would describe as "urban art" on them. I guess the store inspired me because when I got home I had to do some urban art drawing of my own.

We've had a series of New Yorker magazine covers hanging over the couch that both Jen and I were over. I sat down and thought of some things you see often in our neighborhood and came up with the water tower and bike silhouettes. (pic) When Jen got home she helped me narrow the last one down to the headphones. For materials I just used thick gray paper as the canvas (what was inside the pictures as backing), the same matting and frames, and leftover paint supplies from when we moved in. I'm really happy with how they turned out and how much cooler our wall looks. I should have taken a before picture. Maybe when I have a little more time... or any extra time... I can turn my hobby into a little t-shirt business or something. We shall see.

There's going to be some filming on our street, possible right out our window, this Sunday night. The project name is "Person of Interest." I'll be around and let you know if I see any mention-worthy celebs outside.

Frankfurters for Everyone!

Good evening Germany! You happen to be the country that, not counting the US, I had the most page views from this week (6), lol. For being such a great audience i'de like to thank you Germany for bringing us Audi, Mercedes Benz, and BMW. Thank you also for sending Janine Pretti, our x-manager at Aeropostale, to the US. If it wasn't for her and her store Jen and I would have never met. I also love a (Kosher) Frankfurter once in a while, so thank you. Hitler, Nazi's, and the Holocaust...not so great.



Shannon, ha

 That was fun.

Lady Gaga



Andrew and Carmen

In clinic this week we've been practicing measurement, don/doff, adjustment, and care skills of prosthetics and orthotics. We got to choose various pieces to try on and then present our make-believe case to the class. Here are a few of my classmates (pics) bringing a little pizazz to disabilities. When Shannon (in the shades) was up I couldn't help but be reminded of the Lady Gaga Paparazzi video where she was being lifted out of a blinged out wheelchair with gold loftstrand crutches. This thought made me lose it so the whole time Shannon was presenting I couldn't stop laughing. What a jerk. 



Last night we went to a rooftop bbq at the Rockrose building here in LIC. There were lots of good friends there, including our neighbors Ricky and Richard (married to two sisters upstairs, not a gay couple. ha) who are usually working that time of night. Jen and I split up and got to know a few new friends too. The weather was nice and cool, but after an hour or so outside the sky over the city skyline turned to dark shades of gray and black. It looked so ominous, like the evil NYC scene from Ghostbusters. It was quickly moving our way, though, and it started pouring a few minutes later. The drops were huge and everyone was suddenly scrambling to get inside, grabbing trash, dishes, children, and whatever else. We waited inside in the building's amazing rec room, "Club Rockrose," until the rain let up a little.

I was practicing in my Brooklyn clinic for 9 hours today and then came home to put together a powerpoint for a group presentation tomorrow... I'm pooped. Jen's out tonight celebrating two girlfriend's b-days at Shi, the waterfront sushi place in the 'hood.