Wednesday, November 26, 2008

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Leaving work early today, I treked to Macy's to check out all the pre-parade festivities. The MC's, cameramen, technicians, and other pageantry officials were busy rehearsing the script and camera movements in preparation for the big day tomorrow. Christmas has arrived in The City!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Dude, It's Not Like That!

Happy 16th Niko! We'll get you that driver's license soon enough!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Feel the Burn, I Mean the Sting

My apologies--I am suddenly aware of how many of my postings are about the weather . . . I think it's because for the first time in a long time, my daily actvities are immensely determined by the barometer. The Fall has been really lovely here with just a few cold nights and rainy days. For the most part, we were enjoying warm temperatures into the high 50s and low 60s all the way up until Saturday. Then, "Bam!", the mercury took a dive Sunday night and we are not just transitioning into winter, it has arrived with full force.

I had an early start today and walking to work today was not especially fun. My inability to choose a winter coat finally caught up with me this morning. I bundled up as best as I could with my scarf, gloves, and leather jacket. As long as I was moving I was fine. . . until, about half way to the subway, I felt it. My ears started to sting from the cold. At first it was just a little tingle that made me shake my head side to side; it then progressed to an itch, and finally a sharp sting-- you know, the kind that if the 4th grade bully were to come up behind you and use his finger to simply flick your ear it would cause you to fall to the ground with reverberating pain for an hour!

I finally reached the Viacom building and stepping into the elevator--the screen read the current temp at 27 degrees! I've got to find a matching set of ear muffs for that winter coat STAT!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Française de Film in le Village?

I joined my friend Alla along with two of her friends Saturday night to see a french film at the historic Angelika theater. "I've Loved You So Long", starring Kristin Scott Thomas, was heart wrenching--I can't help but think that the entire dialogue in French probably made it all the more dramatic, as well. I managed to keep from actually tearing up, but Alla said she was crying from the first 15 minutes until the credits began rolling.

The night was unusually warm and so we walked around SoHo for a while before settling in at a Filipino fusion restaurant for some tea and sweet desserts. Cendrillon was a tiny, little shop in a quiet section of Mercer Street, just off Chinatown with a charming ambiance and delicious food. We ordered four of their sweet menu items and shared them around the table. One of the dishes was a black sweet rice (considered a delicacy in Asia) with fresh bananas, dipped in a caramel and brown sugar sauce; it was divine! The chef stopped by our table to chat with us and explained that the rice is only harvested for a short period of time and is served at only the most special occasions like weddings. I felt so special that I got to try the delicious treat.

We stayed and talked politics, literature, and our plans for the holidays. Soon, we were the only ones left and ended up closing the restaurant. What a wonderful evening!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Here Taste This, It's Terrible . . .

A funny sight: the pigeons on the ground are standing by waiting for a morsel to drop from the horse as he eats his oats. . . I liked to think that the conversation between the species went a little like this:

The horse says, "Hey, would you guys get outta here? I'm trying to eat! I only get one break during my shift; I'd like to enjoy it in peace."

The pigeons reply, "Are you kidding us? You complain about only getting one break a day. At least you have a job! And, it provides a free lunch?! Have you seen the price of food these days? This economy has made the tossing of leftover bagels virtually obsolete in this city!"

Monday, November 10, 2008

The Darkness is Suffocating . . .

and depressing. Just so you all know, with the expiration of Daylight Savings time, the sun now sets at approximately 4:42pm. With 5 more weeks of progressively shorter days, the sun will eventually set sometime between 4:15 and 4:30pm . . . it's so depressing. This is the farthest north that I have ever lived--I can't imagine suffering through complete darkness like our "arctic state" neighbors.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Come on People Now, Smile on Your Brother!

I travelled deep into the heart of Harlem to visit the Public Library this morning. Arriving 20 minutes before the doors were to open, I sat patiently on the bus stop bench outside reading my book and waiting for the opportunity to go inside. While sitting there, a few Spanish tourists came by and asked the tall, black woman seated next to me for directions to Central Park. I quietly listened as she asked what part of the park they wanted to visit so that she could give them more complete directions. Speaking little English, the two women passed their tour book to her with the page opened to a map of the park. They pointed somewhere in the middle area that was shaded bright green; the rest of the page was filled with Spanish text.

She immediately confirmed that she could read Spanish--thank goodness! She looked at the map and began to tell them to walk over one block to 5th Avenue and instructed them further to take a downtown bus, which would give them a straight path to the Park. I continued to listen . . .

It was finally when she began mixing "Spanish" into her directions that I intervened. She had accidentally told them that we were on Siete. . . we were actually on 6th (Seis). She continued by telling them that they needed to walk to Seis street and to take the Uno bus. I kindly put my hand on her arm and said, "Well, actually, it's Cinco Ave they want." I turned to her and said, "Yes, you're right; they should take the 1 bus that follows 5th Ave." Turning to the two women, I said, "You want to walk to Cinco Ave and take Uno Bus."

She turned to me and said, "Oh, now you want to say something. Why didn't you talk before now? You know, we have to work together. We have to help each other now." She was of course referring to our new president-elect's speech this week directing us to work together as neighbors and to bring hope back to our country.

I couldn't agree more. We have to work together! And, I was so glad to share this small moment with this woman today, my fellow New Yorker, my fellow Obama supporter--my fellow citizen for change!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

That's KAWS, not PAWS . . .


KAWS, a newly-popular modern artist, opened his new exhibit at the Gering & Lopez Gallery this evening in Manhattan. KAWS, known for his sometimes morbid interpretation of culturally iconic characters, exhibited his most recent works of SpongeBob SquarePants meshed with visually stunning bright planes on oil. I attended the exhibit with Nancy, my new supporting manager. It was a fantastic opportunity to bond with my new teammate from Nick International. It was especially fun for us to see SpongeBob in a new creative light since we see so much of him everyday at the office!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Change Has Come to America

Tears came to my eyes tonight when I learned that Barack Obama will become the first elected African-American president of the United States. As a confirmed Feminist and Patriot, I have always strongly believed in the ideal that "all men are created equal". Today, our country removed all doubt that this ideal could no longer be upheld. I couldn't be more proud of my fellow citizens--I'm sure our founding fathers couldn't either! There can be hope and we can create it. . . "Yes We Can!"

Monday, November 3, 2008

I've Known Her My Whole Life


Yeah, she's my mom. Luckily for me, I inherited her beautiful face and stellar sense of humor. Luckily for her, I was born with just enough of a rebellious side that has helped her perfect her patience and reliance on the Lord!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Buy Rock Band 2, Help Fund My Bonus!

Rock Band, currently one of the few profitable divisions of MTV Networks, launched V.2 in September and became available on Nintendo Wii for the first time ever. To celebrate the launch of Rock Band 2, our Recreation Marketing created a live band tour, featuring the game and live performances by The Cab, Plain White T's, Dashboard Confessional, and Panic! At The Disco. I was lucky enough to win two tickets at a company raffle!

So, I invited Jenn, my former cube mate, to join me on the trek to NJ to see the concert. After nearly 1.5 hours of subway transfers, walking in the cold air, riding the PATH to downtown Newark, and more walking in the cold air, I left with the memory of a killer performance from the Plain White T's, the decision that I need to buy their new album, a ringing in my right ear from the screaming 19-year-old girl over my right shoulder, and the overwhelming confirmation that I've got to pick out a winter coat, already!

So, buy Rock Band and fund my bonus, ergo my winter coat!