It Was a Slugger at The House That Ruth Built

When I heard the Los Angeles Angels (or, the Anaheim Angels, as I affectionately prefer to continue to call them) were going to be in the City this weekend to face off with the NY Yankees, I knew I had to be there to witness this bi-coastal battle between the hometown heroes of my childhood and the iconic record-setters and heart warmers of New Yorkers. And, what better locale to celebrate this "meeting of the longarms" than Yankee Stadium!

I enlisted Bryan to come with me and, just like Karen as my guest at George Michael, I am more of an Angels, Yankees, and for that matter, baseball fan than he is. But, he was a good sport. ("good sport"? get it? . . . I don't know how I manage to always hit them outta the park like that?! Practice, practice, practice, I guess.) Anyway, he let me bend his ear on all the nifty stadium history I had studied on Wikipedia--like how the stadium hosted the World Series in its inaugural year and then went on to host the most World Series games of all time; and, how Babe Ruth hit the first homerun here in 1923. He let me point out both team's best hitters and pitchers. And lastly, he heard me lament how the doors will finally close for good after this season.

The Angels managed to gain an early lead by opening the 3rd inning with a three-point homerun. They then managed to make it a hat-trick by doing it two more times over the night's game. And, while the Yankees mustered a small rally in the 9th, it wasn't enough to secure a win. The final score was a sad 12-6.

What made the evening especially memorable was having my brother and niece watching the game along with me on TV on the West Coast. They searched intently for me in the crowds and texted me throughout the game with cheers for the Angels. I hope they were wearing their Angels gear; I was certainly too much of a coward to wear mine in the stadium!

P.S. Liam Neeson was getting his kicks at the game too! But, I don't think he thought it was very funny when his face was splattered across the jumbotron twice! He wouldn't even turn his face to the camera--he was having none of that (or waving either!)

I'd Like to Thank All The Little People . . .

who made this award possible: Thu, for being the first person to suggest that I start a blog in the hopes of continuing to connect with everyone from my former life in CA; Stacey, who recommended using Blogspot over the other "mediocre Google wannabes"; Us, the mystery person who has surprisingly found this little blog o'mine among all the other NYC themed blogs on the WWW blogosphere and continues to make timely and amusing comments to some of my fave posts; Dixie, for sharing her own blog with me and continuing to encourage me to write, write, and write . . . ; Tifany, for nominating me and remaining one of my most loyal readers; and of course, my family and friends for continuing to read my online journal and to attentively listen to the joys and heartaches that I've experienced during this massive move across these United States of ours!

I now nominate the following individuals:

• Stacey, cause she needs to spend more time keeping us all informed
• Colorado Mimi, who's now pulling double duty of delivering news for her and my mom
• Lisa, who is just now discovering her own hidden talents on a newly minted blog
• Mel, who still manages to get creative with her blog and two toddlers!
• Alex, who, after reading her blog, inspired me to make my own move to NYC
• Dixie, who is a dame and she knows it . . .
• Kim, cause she's just as in love with her blog as I am

And, now I must make my grand exit before the music begins playing . . . and, for those of you nominated, don't forget these rules for passing along the feel goodness--

1. Post the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate 7 other people for this award and add links to their blog.

Mad Men On The Streets of New York

Well, under the streets of New York, technically. . . To promote the 2nd season premiere of Mad Men this weekend, AMC had actors portraying 1960's advertising executives in the subway under Madison Ave today. See that subway car behind them? It has also been wrapped inside from floor to ceiling with views of Grand Central and the stars of the show. Quite a special treat (you know, being a marketer and all . . .) for my evening commute tonight. Damn, I wish I had cable!

Happy, Happy Birthday Kyle

I can't believe it! You're getting to be all grown up . . . Happy 13th!

I Thought You Were Amazing

George Michael made a stop in New York this week as part of his first American tour in 17 years; and, I was there soaking it all in! When he made a guest appearance on the American Idol season finale last month and announced his summer tour, I just knew I had to be there! I guess all the rest of his American groupies agreed with me, because tickets were difficult to come by. Luckily, I found an affordable pair on eBay--even if they were in the nosebleeds.

The evening proved to be an adventure from beginning to end. I dragged Karen along with me (even though her level of fanaticism pales in comparison to mine). The anal-retentive, ultra organized, control freak in me had the entire evening laid out perfectly. Karen met me at my office and we quickly found a little Thai place for dinner before the show was to start promptly at 8pm. Karen, who dropped her phone on the train tracks last week, told me that the phone had been located and asked if we could stop by the Lost n' Found office to pick it up on our way. No problem, I thought to myself; we've got plenty of time! I grabbed my phone, iPod, work badge, purse and headed downtown. After a little difficulty finding the Lost n' Found office, Karen was finally able to regain ownership of her phone. Mission accomplished! We headed to dinner. 6:47 pm

Aura, a small Thai fusion spot on 9th Ave, had decent food, but horrible service. From the moment we entered the joint, our server seemed to have it in for Karen. But, it wasn't all for naught. We paid the bill (including a 10% tip that ignored Karen's relentless arguments urging me to leave 0%) and began our walk back toward Madison Square Garden. Since we had some extra time, we opted to stop in Burgers & Cupcakes next door to see what selection they had available to satisfy our sweet teeth. I glanced at my watch; it read 7:25 pm.

The guy behind the counter quickly became the apple of both our eyes when he added a little extra "sugah" in each of our pastry boxes. He gave us each an additional mini cupcake free of charge. With a 'wink and smile", he gave us our change and sent us on our way, with each of us strangely attracted to him and a promise from each of us to return very soon.

We casually walked up to Madison Square Garden at 7:40 pm, ready to get settled in our seats. I reached into my purse for the tickets. After a few empty swipes, I walked over to the steps, threw my cupcake box at Karen for her to hold it, and proceeded to empty the contents of my purse on the ground. NO tickets! In a bit of a panic, Karen calmly said, "It's OK, we can just cab it really quick. We still have time before the show starts." I replied, "I know exactly where they are!". So, like the distant (really distant) cousins of Marion Jones, we ran to the curb, hailed a cab as quickly as we could, climbed in and . . . sat in traffic! We finally arrived at my office building 15 minutes later after several chants in the backseat of "I am not worried. . . I will not miss any of my favorite songs . . . this concert experience will be everything I want it to be, if not more." (ie. more of me practicing The Secret.)

I instructed the cab driver to pull over to the curb and wait for me while I ran upstairs with the promise to immediately return with a "nice, big FAT tip." I pulled out my work ID and ran into the building, caught an elevator to the 40th floor, bee-lined for my desk, and pulled out the tickets from the bottom drawer. With my heart racing, my brow laced with sweat, and the tickets in my hand (and nothing else), I ran out of the building, crossed 44th St, and stopped abruptly at the door of the cab parked at the curb. With my hand on the door handle, I stopped myself from opening the passenger door when I saw someone in the backseat that looked nothing like Karen! In a sheer and utter panic of realizing that Karen was not in the cab I left her in, and that my purse, cell phone, and most importantly my pastry box were with her, I twirled my head around me searching the dense crowds of Times Square! After about three minutes, I finally found her standing on the side of Broadway nearly a block down. 7:59 pm

Karen explained that the driver didn't want to wait for me, so she kindly paid him and waited for me on the curb. We were able to find another driver and waged the southbound traffic back to Madison Square Garden, finally arriving at 8:21 pm. Luckily for us, Mr. Michael was being quite the diva and had delayed his show. We got settled into our seats and had to wait until he finally took the stage at 8:35 pm. But, it was definitely worth the wait!

George played most of his fan favorites, including Faith, Amazing, Father Figure, Spinning the Wheel, Outside, as well as Wham! hits like Careless Whisper, and Everything She Wants--even covers for Roxanne, Kissing a Fool, and more. After singing for nearly three hours, he finally closed the show with that favorite anthem of every gay man of the 90's--Freedom! And, while poor George is starting to age a little with a gray stubble beard and clearly visible hair plugs, his singing was, as the NY Times said, "as buttery as ever". This concert experience was indeed everything that I wanted it to be. My only question: am I the only one who was disappointed that these songs failed to be included?

• One More Try
• Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
• Heal The Pain
• Praying For Time

And, for those of you wondering what became of the pastry box filled with sugary goodness---it was apparently lost somewhere between 34th and 44th. You've got to admit it, I wasn't chanting any good wishes about my cupcakes . . .

I've Got the Best of Both Worlds

My BFF Miley is in town this week for a press tour. She's been busy with her jam-packed schedule, including performing this morning at Bryant Park for the Good Morning America show. I just wasn't in the mood to camp out overnight to get a seat at the taping. And, since I didn't get to see her perform this morning, I was afraid I was going to miss seeing her altogether this trip. But, luckily as I was leaving the office today, I saw that she was taping a segment for TRL right outside our building. I got a few pics and then said "Hi" to her as she passed me in the lobby. (She's the one in the pink hat.)

Yes, We Are An Interesting Looking Pair

The Subway is crawling with them. . . the streets can sometimes be overflowing with them. . . Times Square is home to some of the most peculiar breed of them . . . no matter how much you try to seek them out, they only seem to show themselves when you aren't paying attention. . . and, when you eventually notice them, you're still not quite sure you believe your eyes. . . character actors.

This morning I walked into the subway like I do every morning on my regular commute. The heat finally turned up today and so I sat down as quickly as I could on the bench by the train platform and continued digging in my purse for my electric fan in the hopes of relieving the sweat dripping from my forehead. A few minutes later, a young woman passed directly in front of me and completely turned her head in a downward stare as she went by. She followed it up with a second look over her shoulder. It was the strangest thing; all I could think was that I must really be quite the sight with my dripping makeup! I turned to the tall gentleman sitting next to me and commented, "Apparently, we look very interesting."

He slowly removed his sunglasses, turned to me with a sly smile and replied, "I guess so." It was in that moment that I finally recognized him and he knew it, too.

I decided to make a joke of it and said, "Well, I couldn't tell if she was staring at you or me, to be honest."

He snickered, winked at me and said, "She was definitely staring at you, I would say." The train pulled up to our station and we both hopped on different cars. Edward Herrmann and me, that is. We hopped on two different cars and went our separate ways. But, I like to think we became fans of each other this morning.

Has That Board Been Waxed?

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Yes, that's a surfboard on the 6 train heading Uptown. I haven't seen a surfboard since last Summer in Cali. And, I certainly don't know of any local beaches that offer good surfing. . . it was amusing nonetheless. And, a testament that absolutely nothing is a surprise to me anymore in this city.

Vatten taxis ar sval!

I had the day off today and decided to begin the hunt for furnishing my adorable studio. And, what better place to furnish a small space than IKEA! Our new IKEA just opened in Brooklyn last month and so I was also able to turn my list of needed furnishings into a mini vacation out of the City too! The bonus: IKEA is right on the water! It's in an old docking warehouse off the East River. So, I grabbed a yellow taxi and set off! I grabbed a yellow water taxi, that is!

The view of the South seaport was beautiful and during my 20 minute ride I was able to take in breathtaking views of the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline. And, while I admired a nice chaise, a few lamps, and some much needed drapes, I didn't have the space or energy to carry any of it back! But, yes, I still managed to walk out of there spending about $35 in kitchen supplies that I needed. Really, I needed all of it! (I just keep telling myself that . . .)

The view of the Manhattan skyline from IKEA

Lady Liberty from aboard a NYC yellow water cab

What's the Secret? I guess it's worth the read . . .

Well, no luck on winning tix to see Bon Jovi. I'm sad, I'm disappointed, and now, I'm scrambling to make plans for Saturday night. I guess I will have to settle for the Jersey Boys on Broadway . . .

I'm Livin' On A Prayer

Bon Jovi is performing a FREE concert next Saturday in Central Park to help celebrate the All-Star game this month. And, while the park is large, it's not big enough to fit the entire tri-state area of the original Jersey Boys' fans. A limit of 5000 tickets has made the concert experience an entire lottery process. But, I am going to win . . . I just know it!

What's With The Seinfeld Diner?

Karen asked me to help her move into her new apartment today. After we unloaded all of her suitcases and spent an hour figuring out how to install her A/C unit, we explored her new neighborhood seeking out a local lunch spot. And, just as we exited the subway and were trying to decide between Cuban or Italian, we saw a tour bus pull away from the diner across the street. I quickly pointed and said, "hey, isn't that the Seinfeld Diner?" Needless to say, our choice had been made . . .

Karen and I have been trying to find our very own "Seinfeld Diner" since we got here--a neighborhood spot that we could call our own with good food, low prices, and an atmosphere that was conducive to hours of chit-chat . . . we had no idea it would turn out to be the Seinfeld Diner! My only complaint--no biscuits and gravy on the menu!

I'm Proud to Be An American!

So, since this was going to be my first 4th of July in the City, I had the entire day planned with activities, sight seeing, and celebrations all about town. Unfortunately, as the week of our beloved country's birthday neared, one by one most of my friends left town and ditched my elaborate plans. So, Bryan and I were the only ones left to see them through. But, alas, I lost excitement in my own plans as well when the weather man forecast soggy skies all weekend. So we decided to keep it low key and to concentrate on seeing the nation's largest fireworks display only.

I packed us a delicious picnic spread complete with homemade brownies and we headed to Brooklyn for a prime viewing spot near the East River. And, even though the show finally started about 20 minutes late, the fireworks were pretty, the food delicious, and luckily, the rain was light, nonetheless constant. (We didn't realize how wet everything was until we tried to pack it up?!)