We'll turn Manhattan...into an isle of joy.

leserin @ 2006-05-04T11:53:00

2006-05-04T15:56:18Z

Blossoms blossoms everywhere...

Last Saturday Amber and I made it over to the BBG just in time to catch some late day rays highlighting more than 100 Cherry Blossom trees on the Esplanade. It was magnificent!

preview...

2006-05-03T21:01:51Z

Sunset last night (sigh)...

Preview of the Cherry Blossom festival (plethora of photos to come):

Tonight Laurie is taking me to see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the Roseland Ballroom. That should make for an excellent story (unless I get eaten alive by the punk rock!!)

A Few Announcements...

2006-04-29T16:52:04Z

Good Saturday! It is 65 and unbelievably beautiful in the great state of New York today. Amber is on her way to Brooklyn and we'll be spending the rest of the day at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden at the 25th Annual Cherry Blossom festival. Many photos to come...

Now on to this morning's announcements:

First, this journal will shortly be relocating and you will receive notice in the next week, if you don't get the new link please email me (erin at eringee.com) and ask for it (I will preapologize to any readers I leave off the notification email list, I am sure it will be an oversight. That or I don't want you reading my new journal...ha.)

Second, I've been having this great conversation about music with a few friends lately...talking about best artists of all time and best albums and songs we could listen to for all eternity. I've made a short lists of my personal 'best albums of all time' and I thought I'd stick them here for kicks and hopefully that will inspire folks to tell me a few they love and in a perfect world I'll get turned on to some new great stuff!

So here's the short list:

Patty Griffin's Living with Ghosts
Counting Crows - August and Everything After or Recovering the Satellites (major tie - I'd like to combine both)
David Gray's White Ladder
Fiona Apple's Tidal
Indigo Girls' Strange Fire
James Taylor's Greatest Hits (I'm sort of cheating there, but the hits album really is my favorite of his)
John Mayer's Room for Squares
Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Paul Thorn's Ain't Love Strange
The Police Every Breath You Take
Simon & Garfunkel - the Essential S&G
Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life

I just had to stop myself, I was laughing realizing I could add ten more and it's so far past a short list! I really love a lot of stuff...but that's a good start. Those are albums I could listen to every day, they each songs that have great significance in my life and really speak to me about a time or place or person that means something dear to me.

Creepy

2006-04-24T21:18:52Z

So, some may remember that the very first weekend I moved to Brooklyn, I took a stroll in Prospect Park on a balmy Sunday afternoon around dusk. Upon finding myself lost in the internal guts of the ramble (which I would later learn is gay cruising ground and, perhaps aptly, named the Veil of Cashmere - I'll let you interject your own amusing remarks), I was promptly approached by a cop on a bike and told that I was in a dangerous area of the park and that he would like me to exit the park immediately before it got dark. His foreboding tone led me to nearly run (once getting pointed in the right direction) the half mile back out into civilization.

Flash forward to the 5 o'clock news on New York 1 today: there was a stabbing in the Veil of Cashmere area of the park last night, it's the EIGHTH DEATH THERE IN THREE YEARS?! What. Apparently in '03 there was a 'string' of killing there by a man in a NINJA SUIT! All 8 killings are assumed hate crimes and all are UNSOLVED! Granted I'm not a middle-aged African American man (as are all victims) and I'm not a gay man out cruising (which while the news did not overtly state this was the fact, they showed a photo of the latest guy to turn up dead and said 'we aren't sure if he happened to be gay' - and he was wearing a silk purple top and a diamond the size of my eyeball in his left ear).

Anyway, I guess the point of this story is: I'll save walking in the park for well-lit Saturday mornings with friends.

leserin @ 2006-04-20T15:50:00

2006-04-20T20:07:43Z

Unfortunately I was, apparently, too lazy to take photos of the following fun nights out:

Last Friday night Laurie and I finally got to attend our long-awaited Death Cab for Cutie concert at Hammerstein Ballroom (which conveniently for Laurie is one block from her apartment!) The night started with a very 'wholesome' dinner at the Webster for Laurie and I and her coworker Eric (also attending the show). Mac and Cheese and hot dogs were the night's menu, I opted for a plate full of the former only.

After dinner we headed over to Hammerstein and joined hundreds of other Death Cab fans for a great live show and a little booze. Franz Ferdinand was actually the headlining act and while Laurie and Eric stuck around I started my long trek back to Brooklyn.

Monday night Laurie and I again headed out to hear some live music. That night, Sia was on the menu. We met in front of the Bowery Ballroom and headed into Chinatown (or at least toward its outskirts) for great, great sushi at a tiny hole-in-the-wall joint I'd heard good things about. With only three tables and one waitress, we stuffed ourselves into the corner and then proceeded the stuff our faces with sake and sushi and beer and fried ice cream. Thrilled by the cheapness and the goodness, we spent the few hours before the show laughing and indulging. Then we headed over the venue again to pick up the tickets and check out the end of the opening act. Sated and a bit tired I think we both were experiencing a pretty low energy level waiting for Sia to take the stage (the amazing Australian singer is likely an unknown to most of you - but you may recognize her voice if you're a Six Feet Under fan and have seen the final season - her beautiful, beautiful song called "Breathe Me" plays in the final scene of the final episode and she thanked the show and HBO for 'saving her dying career' at the very beginning of her show - which received a good laugh and a round of applause from the audience).

She took the stage in a beautiful white cotton dress with eyelets all over and a big smile on her little pixie face. The little Aussie then proceeded to captivate a room full of jaded, too-hip-for-their-own-good New Yorkers for more than an hour with her unreal and incredibly powerful voice. Her recorded music does her no justice, she is one of the most amazing talents I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing on stage. She was also funny and self depreciating and engaging. All the things great performers should be. The show was capped off by the passing out of 3-D glasses and a special light show for the encore. Quite the experience it turned out to be.

The last bit of my update is a tasty bite. Tuesday night my friend Lauren took me to dinner as a goodbye of sorts (though we’ll see each other shortly in Paris she wanted to commemorate our time in Park Slope together). We headed to Brooklyn Fish Camp down on 5th Avenue. The weather was an impeccable 65 degrees after sun down, and in dresses and little more we opted for garden seating.

Sweet little wooden tables and chairs scattered the yard and candles glittered everywhere. Lauren insisted we gorge as it was a celebration, so we proceeded to share lobster knuckles, an Old Bay shrimp boil and a lobster pot pie (and lest I forget the crisp pinot grigio and the warm pear tart to finish). It was a wonderful meal and a wonderful time. I am so excited to spend more quality time with Professor Lauren while she teaches in Paris this summer. It will be nice to have her captive if for only a little while since I barely get to see her here in New York (with a new novel coming out and a new job teaching at Rutgers in Camden, NJ – a two hour commute from here – she isn’t around much).

Sunday in the Park

2006-04-20T19:38:02Z

A couple of weekends ago Amber came over to help me 'mark things off the list of life' which I've been doing a lot of lately.

We spent more of that beautiful Sunday wandering through the far reaching ends of Prospect Park.

At the bird sanctuary:

Amber had to convince me to ride the carousel - sometimes I'm such an adult...I was really glad I did it:

Notes from the North...

2006-04-20T19:08:13Z

I have a lot of updates to make, they'll be in no particular order and probably a jumble pouring from my scattered brain, preapologies for everything to follow...

Easter Sunday Amber and I chose to celebrate the holiday in our typical fashion (which is anything but typical) by ignorning tradition and doing something we deemed fun. We headed to the Jersey Shore and ended in Asbury Park, a 50s hot spot that has only recently begun a resurrection thanks to some optomistic developers. Many of the abandoned spots still sit empty on the boardwalk and give the whole place a beautifully eerie forgotten feeling.

Getting lost driving out of Asbury Park did afford me the opportunity to stumble on Tent City, which Amber explained is a very old part of the city (many tent homes have been in shore-going families for generations). The blocks and blocks of unairconditioned tent-front homes are stuffed full of summer beach goers from Memorial Day through Labor Day:

We stumbled on a 50-year-old Howard Johnson run by a 100-year-old Russian who insited he could 'make anything you want' and thus didn't have a menu:

H2O

2006-04-12T17:39:23Z

I've had cause lately to think about water a lot and why I love it so. My new obsession is The Deadliest Catch on the Discovery Channel. I don't miss an episode of the documentary-type exploration of Alaskan crab fisherman's death-defying seasons at sea. I also like to listen to Billy Joel's "Downeaster Alexa" (about fisherman) while I watch. I play it quietly in the background and think about what a life at sea would be like.

In thinking on my primal draw to the ocean, I remembered that Cancer is indeed a water sign. I did a little research and I found that:

Water Signs are intuitive, sensitive and feel more intensely than the rest. They are emotional and nurturing and, like a river, run deep. Water is also about compassion and understanding, since the receptive talents of these individuals are remarkably high. Those graced by Water love to take their sense of the world and translate it into the artistic. They desire aesthetic beauty -- and for everyone to be happy as a result of that beauty. Much like still water can become stagnant, however, an inactive Water Sign person is not a Water Sign person at their best.

The flip side of this dreamy Water world is the tendency of these individuals to brood. Water Signs are susceptible to mood swings, and, at their worst, they could become self-indulgent, controlling and hostage to a fantasy world. This also brings up the ability of these folks to see things more clearly than others. Call it psychic, if you will.

Water Signs are emotional, empathetic, receptive and feel things deeply. Alternately calm like the sea or possessing the force of a torrential rain, the emotions brought forth by this Element are plentiful, indeed.

Uh, yep. About right.

Fun little exercise...

2006-04-11T22:05:23Z

Go to Wikipedia and type in your birth date (no year, just month and day: i.e. July 6) and search it, on the resulting page choose what you believe to the most interesting event, birth and death that has occurred on that day.

Mine (which is, uh, July 6th):

Event:
1785 - The dollar is unanimously chosen as the monetary unit for the United States.

Birth:
1925 - Merv Griffin, American game show developer and television show host (always thought it was freaky he and I shared a birthday)

Death:
1971 - Louis Armstrong, American musician (b. 1901)

Woah is Mouse...

2006-04-11T21:46:07Z

So this morning my mouse (as in computer mouse) breaks...at the time I'm on a 9am activation with a client (an activation is an hour-long call where I open up a Mail Dog account for someone and then train them to use it). About midway through said call my computer starts acting possessed...files start opening, browser windows start closing, I assumed that I'd been hacked and someone was suddenly controlling my machine (I don't even think that's possible - but one never knows). I tried to remain calm and continued to train the new client without seeing what he was seeing (since I no longer had any control over my machine and couldn't walk through his account with him), he didn't seem to notice that I was acting erratically (as he has no basis for comparison).

When I got off the phone I managed to mess around with the computer enough to realize it was in fact just a broken mouse (though I've never had a mouse break in my long history of computer use - proving I work too hard these days), it took me most of the day to work out a trip to Radio Shack (it's at the other end of the neighborhood so I had to cut out about 40 minutes to get there and back) so I had to do multiple client calls and other miscellaneous tasks using only keyboard commands (talk about a brain exercise). When I finally got to Radio Shack I walked in to see three employees waiting to pounce, the one who got to me first kindly directed me to the mouse shelf. There were four choices, two were 9.99 and two were 19.99, they were all Radio Shack's brand and all seemed about the same, save for the last of the more expensive selections that was small and quite sleek looking. I am sure everyone can guess which I chose.

So I take my new small and sleek mouse home, cut it out of its impossible plastic entrapment and then plug it in...the cord is about 1/4th the length of my dead mouse's cord. Huh...

I think on this, roll the mouse around, wrinkle my nose at this unacceptable limitation and retrieve the plastic casing from the garbage. Turns out it's sleek and cute cause it's supposed to be used with one's laptop. Turns out Radio Shack won't take it back cause I cut it out of the packaging.

Now I have a cute sleek mouse that won't reach up to my desk top so I have to lean down and use it on the floor, no joke. This is quite a sight.

It's been quite a day.

filling the void...

2006-04-11T03:11:20Z

This game is utterly infuriating and yet fascinating:

Move the box around

If you last more than 18 seconds you're supposedly doing brilliantly...you get better the more you do it, I played about a dozen times until I got good (you'll start to notice the pattern) and lasted 25 seconds.

April Showers...

2006-04-05T15:48:09Z

It's snowing! Like hardcore, big flake, major snow storm. I can tell NY 1 (24 hour news channel) is as surprised as the rest of us. They showed a live shot from their station camera in Chelsea and the news anchor that was doing the weather at that moment gasped and said 'oh my!' when she saw the live feed, it was pretty funny.

SNOW! Lots of it. And I just put my boots and coats away.

Working through Life

2006-04-05T03:37:13Z

"Sometimes drowning is the only way you can remember how to breathe." - erin gee

I walked up Berkeley Place tonight toward the park and noticed how some of the tulips in the plant beds in the fronts of the brownstones on my block are starting to bloom. Then I came upon a cherry blossom tree just starting to flower up on 8th Avenue. I headed down Prospect Park West and into the north end of the park. Most of the trees are still barren, but some early blooming magnolias caught my eye. The sun was dipping down over the west end of the park, coloring the visible tippy tops of the big, beautiful brownstones that line that old-money-filled street a shade I imagine the Burnt Sienna Crayola should be, but never is. There was a family on the great lawn playing baseball, I stopped to watch the youngest son bat and smiled when he got a great whack down toward his mom on "third base" (a jacket). I walked on further and found a group of teenagers lounging on the grass next to their haplessly strewn bicycles, playing cards and laughing about something a teacher said to one of them.

As the sun got lower and sent glittering golden rays through the bank of trees that encase the park, I watched people start to slow their jog or peddle their bike at a more relaxed pace as the last moments of day dissolved. I decided to sit on a bench and actually watch the sunset, I couldn't remember the last time I'd done that (certainly not in all the time I have lived in New York). It was amazing, my photographer's eye really appreciated the incredibly warm light making the brown stones of the brownstones the richest color. I wouldn't have imagined a sunset without a beach could be so beautiful, I'm glad I was shown otherwise.

Walking home I listened to my lungs pull in air and release it and enjoyed how good just breathing felt. In the midst of my turbulent life, it was nice to remember to breathe.

Matadors and Cheese...

2006-04-04T20:04:22Z

Saturday Laurie came out to Park Slope and though it was rainy and a bit gross, we headed down to 5th Avenue to secure some tasty cheeses from Bierkraft in order to make the most of our afternoon stuck indoors. We got four new cheeses (I think either the smoked cheddar or chipotle cheddar was the favorite) and then added added crackers and beer (the makings of a perfect afternoon). We watched "What the Bleep do We Know?" on recommendation from Aunt Janie in an earlier post (it was indeed highly interesting - so much so that I'm buying a book on quantum theory and attempting to gain a deeper understanding of what is now a very interesting topic to me).

By late day we were dancing around the apartment and up for anything, so when Laurie's pal Ginger called to invite us to a 'gals night out' in the Village, we kindly accepted.

Getting ready:

On the way:

I invited Amber in on the fun and we all met at Matador in the heart of the West Village (where the sangria is strong and the Latin music is stronger). After a few glasses of the red stuff we all decided a night of karaoke in Little Italy was in the stars. Laurie, Amber and I (joined by Ginger's roommate) headed over in the first cab, securing a table and a few spots in the singing line up at some bar in Little Italy (the name of which escapes me - I'd been drinking half the day, please forgive me) that is apparently quite famous as it's associate with The Sopranos in some official way (and had the maffia clientele to back up that claim).

Total Eclipse of the Heart:

The night ended with cab hailing and laughter and everyone getting home in one piece...always a good sign.

Tidbit

2006-04-03T15:33:07Z

Interesting:

On Wednesday, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06.

That won't ever happen again...in our lifetime.

I revised that statement due to smart and friends and family pointing out it will indeed happen again...we just won't be around to see it (or will we?)

A Weekend with Mom

2006-04-03T00:17:03Z

Last weekend my dear mama got to stay at the Waldorf and bum around Manhattan with me.

We decided to have a weekend of 'all the stuff we've never done' in New York. We hit Grand Central and had lunch at the famous Oyster Bar the first morning:

The amazing clam chowder won best taste of the entire weekend. In the afternoon we walked through midtown a bit, peeking in the lobby of the Chrysler Building to admire the art deco decore (this is the lobby ceiling):

Then I dragged my mom through 7 level of Macy's (but it was worth it as I successfully found the wrap dress I've been searching for).

Sunday morning we met Amber for brunch at Town before heading over to the theatre district to catch the matinee of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels:

After the show, mom and I headed to Chelsea to see Beth, David and Brian. They made us a lovely dinner and we sat in their beautiful loft and chatted about topics ranging from public high school acceptance in New York to 9/11 conspiracy theories.

Monday morning we caught one of those big red double-decker sightseeing buses for an 'uptown tour' (Time Square, Upper West Side, Harlem, Upper East Side, etc), these are just some of the sights...

Searching for something...

2006-03-24T19:18:43Z

I've had two really interesting conversations today with two very different people in my life (or rather three people, but only two conversations).

The first was about truth telling (this reminded me of the happy hour I attended my last night in St. Pete over the holidays - in which Aunt Janie was asking everyone what the truth was...Uncle John's answers were my favorite. His funny answer was "whatever you can get away with" and his serious answer was "the easiest thing to remember") and how in your heart there is an honest answer to every question. For every problem you have, every decision you are faced with, there is an overriding truth at the core that will guide you...and that truth is all that matters.

I've been faced with deciding where my life is headed in the last few weeks, I've done a lot of analyzing and option weighing and pro/con list making and I didn't realize until my conversation earlier today, that none of it matters...the truth is all that matters (whatever that truth may be). In the wise words of Gloria Steinem, "The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off." And ain't that the truth...

The other conversation was similar in its nature though driven by different motivations and had with people very different than the first person I was talking to. This conversation was about decision making, and how as humans we have a desire to convolute decisions with details and what ifs and potential outcomes, when the truth of the matter is (there's that pesky truth again) a decision is only as hard as you make it. And things aren’t always black and white, but they're usually pretty simple. Once again, if you're honest with yourself about any decision you have to make in life, the answer is fairly simple...and the rest of it (the ramifications if you will) are just gravy.

Now, if I could just uncover the truth and stop making decisions so complicated life would be just great!

Happy Hour

2006-03-24T01:43:03Z

Dottie had me over for wine and cheese tonight, we talked about her Naval Commander husband and our wacky neighbors and how fun decorating for the holidays is (her Easter decorations went up this week, I apologize for missing the St. Patrick's Day display - I'll have to start carrying my camera through the building at all times).

She wasn't too keen on being photographed herself, so I'll have to let her warm to the idea, but just imagine the few decorations I snapped spread across every flat surface in her entire apartment.

It's good to have neighbors, you never know when you'll need a new fuse or some pistachios.

In other news, my beloved hair stylist moved to Mexico (leaving the salon a cryptic note and no forwarding information apparently)...so left to my own devices I bit the bullet and cut my own hair, I see all of the imperfections so I don't know that I'll do it again, but I did okay:

Life is trial by fire...

2006-03-23T23:41:40Z

I can say with near certainty that I am currently going through some of the hardest days of my life (to date). I'm faced with major decisions and major events that are changing the landscape of my life and my future. I lay awake most nights, looking out the window at the Manhattan skyline and wondering what my next move is...what the right move is.

Tonight I'm going to go to Dottie's for 'wine and cheese' and gaze at her new Easter display and hopefully forget about the gravity of my current state and laugh a little. And I hope that laughter creates some levity in my soul, if for only the cocktail hour.

Another year older and deeper in somethin'...

2006-03-23T20:22:46Z

To commemorate the beginning of Laurie Burket's 23rd year on earth a 2-day celebration was held the 19th and 20th of March.

On Sunday Laurie headed down to the Slope for some really good shopping and some really good Sangria. She made some excellent vintage finds before we retired to Santa Fe for an afternoon and evening of drinking, eating and making new friends (much like any other day at Santa Fe, but with more celebrating and louder laughter).

In addition to this being a traditional birthday celebration, in which one ruminates over their life thus far and the direction it’s headed, we were also cheering for Laurie's first response from a law school...which as you all may have heard was a big YES! from New York Law:

Laurie models one of her birthday finds, a combo scarf and vest (aptly dubbed by Laurie a 'varf'):

With the first pitcher of sangria under our belts (or rather, in our bellies) Laurie calls Australia on the pay phone:

At this point we start making new friends (Bert the lawyer - a recent grad of New York Law School himself - there are no coincidences in life, are there? and his companion Capris) and getting free drinks (some Brazilian thing not unlike a mojito but much stronger) from John the Bartender (yes, this is The John the Bartender):

During our second pitcher of sangria (when Laurie got into deep and detailed conversation with Bert about the NYLS staff) John and I played a rousing game of Hang Man:

Feeling like four hours at any bar was enough, Laurie and I ordered our dinners to go and headed back to my place to catch up on some good television and relax.

On Monday (Laurie's actual 23rd birthday) we met at M1-5 (a bar in SoHo that Laurie and I accidentally stumbled into one night a few months ago) and enjoyed the company of many of Laurie's coworkers from D.E. Shaw and other assorted friends. Laurie had mango martinis and a good time:

Today she's off to ski with her dad, I hope they have a fun and safe trip and that she had a fun and reckless birthday!

Oh my darling holiday...

2006-03-17T14:20:53Z

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!

See how Irish you are - I did terribly considering my love of the country.

30 questions that no one would ever ask you

2006-03-15T20:44:52Z

I liked this survey because it's a bit different from the ones that circulate around via email all the time and many are open for interpretation:

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
What happened while you were sleeping!? (my hair was OUT of control)

2. How much cash do you have on you?
I never have any, nor do I right now, which is funny because both of my parents think you should ‘always have cash on you’.

3. What's a word that rhymes with "DOOR?
Bore

4. Favorite planet?
Earth

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your mobile?
This was funny…I had to go get my phone, it is Toby.

6. Where's 6?
Nowhere in my closet.

7. What shirt are you wearing?
haha – my home made “Burkets Make it Happen” shirt from the Key West trip

8. Do you "label" yourself as anything?
A woman, a daughter, a friend…

9. Name the brand of shoes you're currently wearing?
Classic Chuck Taylors (black)

10. Bright or Dark room?
Naturally lit and it’s mid-day (the room I’m in right now).

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
The person I stole it from is a very good friend, a solid person.

12. Tuesdays coming, did you bring your coat?
I do not understand this question in the least. But I’m going to go with yes, I always bring my coat.

13. What were you doing at midnight last night?
Sleeping, soundly.

14. What did your last text message you received on your mobile say?
This survey must have originated in jolly old England. To answer the question: I don’t text, I don’t believe in it.

15. Where is your mailbox?
In the breezeway between the two entry doors to this building…five floors down which can be a burden when I forget to check the mail on my way in or out.

16. What's a word phrase that you say a lot?
I was told recently that I have been saying ‘lackluster’ a lot lately – I generally take a fancy to a certain word and use it a lot for a little while and then move on to a new one…I think ‘lucent’ is next.

17.Who told you he/she loved you last?
Amber actually.

18. Last furry thing you touched?
Wow, I don’t remember…I guess the bottom of my broom when it had dust all over when I swept the other day…it was kind of furry. Maybe a bath towel? But I don’t really consider that ‘furry’.

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?
Illegal? None.

21. Favorite age you have been so far?
Wow, this is really hard, I really thought about it a long while…26 was good, it was full of a lot of changes for me and I remember feeling really satisfied with where my life was headed…though I think this year (my 27th year) I’ve become a better person than I’ve ever been, I feel like I might finally be understanding who I am…which I think is pretty big.

22. Your worst enemy?
Oh goodness, myself…no one is as critical of me or as mean to me as I am to myself.

23. Current thing on your desktop?
On my literal desk top are the following: pencil holder with pens, a scissor, chopsticks, ruler, highlighters and other assorted long and thin things that fit in a pencil holder, my phone, my computer monitor, two computer speakers, my checkbook, my little bill holder thing with bills and notes and other mail in it, my Word of the Day calendar that Renee gave me for Christmas that I love, my 50s lamp, two metal coasters from Ali, one has a class of icy Diet Coke sitting in it, my iPod Nano and it’s direction booklet, a couple of CDs, and this set of Joel Osteen inspiration discs that Toby sent me.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone? I said goodbye to a client on the phone just moments ago, she runs Salt Spring Centre Yoga on Salt Spring Island off the west coast of Canada…I was thinking she probably has a really good life (she sounds like she does).

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be?
Oh, I’ll take the million thanks.

26. Do you like someone?
I like a lot of people.

27. The last song you listened to?
I am listening to Drew Holcomb’s “When I’m With You” right now.
Some lyrics:
If I had a million lovers, I trade ‘em all for just one night with you....with you I can be myself, with you I don't have to be somebody else....It's like putting on my favorite pair of shoes...I like to be with me when I’m with you."

28. If the last person you spoke to was getting shot at, would you jump in front of the bullet?
If I knew one of us had to take the bullet I’d probably let her take it, especially if it was meant for her…she’s just a client, I might envy her life but I wouldn’t give mine for her.

29. If you could punch 1 person in your life right now, who would it be?
I might slap a few people (slap some sense into them), but I have no desire to punch anyone, I just don’t feel that strongly.

30. What is the closest object to your left foot?
My printer.

On this 14th Day of March...

2006-03-14T16:09:28Z

Got this in an email today and while typically this sort of thing would annoy me, it was actually quite clever. From my friend Brian:

There is a dangerous virus being passed electronically, orally and by hand. This virus is called Worm-Overload-Recreational-Killer (WORK).

If you receive WORK from any of your colleagues, your boss or anyone else via any means - DO NOT TOUCH IT. This virus will wipe out your private life completely.

If you should come into contact with WORK put your jacket on and take two good friends to the nearest pub. Purchase the antidote known as Work-Isolator-Neutralizer-Extractor (WINE). The quickest acting WINE type is called Swift-Hitting-Infiltrator-Remover-All-Zones (SHIRAZ). Take this antidote repeatedly until WORK has been completely eliminated from your system.

Forward this warning to 5 friends. If you do not have 5 friends you have already been infected and WORK is controlling your life.

Update: After extensive testing it has been concluded that Best-Equivalent-Extractor-Remedy (BEER) may be substituted for WINE but may require a more generous application.

So, yeah, amusing:)

Also, it currently sounds like WW III is going down in the halls at 191 Berkeley Place...this begs the question: how many men from the maintenance company does it take to switch out the D battery in the smoke detector on the 4th floor?

I think I am FINALLY better after 8 days (yes EIGHT) of the stomach flu. While I thought myself on the mend late last week I was apparently sorely mistaken and thus aptly punished for this misstep all weekend. I spent the first over-60-degree weekend this year doubled over on my daybed watching anything but the Food Network (which is doubly tragic as that is usually what amuses me when I'm ill).

Lastly, a Dottie story:

So as many of you may know (and many of you have even met), there is a lovely older woman who lives in the apartment below mine, Ms. Dorthea Something (I can't remember her last name right now)...AKA Dottie. Dottie is about 85, with fiery red hair and a penchant for fire men and holiday decorations.

So far I have been privy to her explosive celebration of Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and now…and the current display takes the cake by far…St. Patrick’s Day. About three weeks ago I left my apartment one afternoon to find this lovingly taped to my door:

I happened to pass Dottie in the hall later that day (as I often do, she’s quite the busy retiree, often leaving her fourth floor apartment and zipping up and down the stairs multiple times per day) and thanked her profusely for the kind gesture. She noted that “Erin” was a “good Irish name” and that she’s really “turned out” the decorations this season, turning her apartment into an “Irish castle” because she thought it would make me happy. She then insisted I come down and visit as soon as possible.

Life gets in the way of such pleasures, but I finally found myself well enough to visit last night. Now, if I’d been truly in a clear frame of mind I would have taken my camera, but all I can tell you for now is that I fully plan on getting down there with it before the end of the week (though Dottie assured me last night that because she’d spent so much time putting up nothing short of 50 different types of Shamrock-infused decorations throughout her living room and kitchen, she planned to leave it up until it was time for Easter…which according to Dottie’s Holiday Decoration Calendar is approximately two weeks after St. Patrick’s Day)…

I don’t know if I’ll be ready…

The whirlwind tour...

2006-03-09T17:25:44Z

Last weekend my dad came to visit and in two very full days of walking I showed him as much of the island as any one person can likely stand in a single weekend.

Friday:

Friday morning we started with a walk through Park Slope, down 5th Avenue to Los Pollitos II, purportedly the best Mexican in Park Slope. The soft tacos stuffed with shrimp and chorizo and fish were quite tasty and the margaritas were just sour enough.

After lunch we toured more of Park Slope, walking clear down to the other end of the neighborhood to catch the F train into the city. A few stops later we found ourselves in my old stomping ground on the Lower East Side. I showed off my old apartment building and a bit of the old neighborhood before we headed west across The Bowery (through kitchen supply row which is always amusing) and over into SoHo. We walked through the heart of SoHo, down Prince Street past Lombardi's (the oldest pizzeria in America, still cooking up pies in their original coal oven) and into Chinatown. In Chinatown we wandered up and down all the side streets, going in and out of interesting markets.

A few black and whites on Canal Street:

After the sun set we headed back to Brooklyn for a little relaxation before dinner. Deciding that proximity mattered after such a full day, we decided on dinner at Geido, a well-liked local sushi joint just four blocks from my apartment.

While waiting for a table at the bustling Geido, we were joined by two on-duty NYPD officers in the warm vestibule. Moments before their appearance we’d noticed a gentlemen clad all in camouflage had stood at the sushi bar and waved his arms and moved his body a bit strangely. Most of the patron’s attention was certainly focused on him, and apparently this concerned the chef/owner enough to call the police. Not wanting to ‘make a scene’ the policemen remained in the vestibule with us until my father asked them if they’d like him to go into the restaurant and get the chef’s attention. They were happy to have him offer to do that. When the chef joined us all in the small waiting area (we’d also been joined by two more waiting diners, it was beginning to feel a bit like being a sardine) it was clear his feathers were ruffled, but without a clear reason to remove the strange diner, the officers decided it best to wait out the situation. At that point we were seated and the officers left and the bird man finished his sushi relatively quietly.

After dinner we hopped next door to The Chocolate Monkey where some lively karaoke was taking place. We judged the talent American Idol style (mixed with a little Live at the Apollo booing) and winced through some of the same repeat offenders on their third and fourth turns at the mic.

Saturday:

Saturday morning we got up bright, if not that early, and headed into the city once again. We went straight to Union Square to enjoy the biggest Green Market in the city. We sampled farm-fresh goat cheese (so good we bought some) and bought fresh baked goods for breakfast.

From Union Square we walked over to 5th Avenue and uptown a while. We stopped in at ABC Carpet and Home to stroll through their 6 enormous levels of home goods.

After all that retail browsing we were ready for lunch and happened to be blissfully close to Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill. We both opted for the brunch menu, I loved my Ranch Style Eggs Tostada with a Crispy Flour Tortilla, Ancho Chile Tomato Sauce + White Cheddar Cheese almost as much as my dad loved his Spicy Chicken Sweet Potato Hash with Poached Eggs + Green Chile Hollandaise.

After that hearty meal we walked some more, making our way over to a train that would shoot us uptown. We landed in Columbus Circle, which is home to the relatively new Time Warner Center (the Circle sits on the southwest corner of Central Park). We headed into the TWC, home of a few level of high end shopping and many more levels of offices, but most notably the location of Thomas Keller’s Per Se, as well as most-expensive-sushi-money-can-buy's Masa.

A few shots from inside the TWC:

Afterward we walked through the southern part of Central Park a while, the day was shaping up to be pretty nice (overall we had great weather, sunny and no rain, but a biiiiit brisk, and I have the wind burn to prove it). Coming out the southeast side of Central Park we caught another train, this time Brooklyn-bound.

We spent a couple of hours regrouping before a night at the Spice Market.

With 9pm reservations (the earliest slot they had even though I called a month ahead) we worked our way back into the city and over to the Meatpacking District around 8. We got to the restaurant about 8:30 where we were meeting Amber and Laurie. Amber and Randall came in right on time and we all chatted for a bit until Randall had to take leave. Laurie arrived fashionably late and very fashionable, as always. We four had cocktails and waited for our table (and in true Spice Market fashion it wasn’t ready until 9:30). The Spice Market (which some may remember as the location of my end-all-be-all celebrity sighting…Will Smith and Tom Cruise seated about 10 feet from me with the cast of Queer Eye just around the corner and Rocco DiSpirito in the ladies’ room) serves Pan Asian Street Fare with a healthy dose of theatrics. We ‘built our menu’ with our beautiful (though not too attentive) server. We all shared spicy Thai wings, spring rolls, curried duck, fried monkfish, curried pork, amazing halibut and some other stuff I’m probably forgetting.

A night at the Spice Market:

After an adventurous dinner Ms. Burket left us in favor of sleep. But, Amber and I took my dad downtown in the Village for a little taste of New York cabaret. Rose’s Turn (the first bar I even ventured into in Manhattan while visiting Amber some 6 years ago) is a New York institution. A basement-level piano bar that seats all of 30 folks in the heart of Greenwich Village, the bar is known for the talent it attracts into the audience (Broadway stars might be seen singing a number or two on a night off), but even more so for the talent behind the bar (all employees must not only mix perfect cocktails but sing a set sometime in the course of their shift).

Sunday:

After a night out that didn’t let us sleep until nearly 4am, Sunday morning was a bit slower. We hung around the apartment a bit and waited for the appropriate hour to hit the neighborhood pizza joint (11am) as there is nothing like a bit of grease and carbs to cure a hangover. After pizza we headed around the north end of Prospect Park and over to the Brooklyn Museum. In the Museum we enjoyed some good Egyptian art and a lot of solitude (probably the best thing I have to say about the BAM is that you don’t have to elbow through the crowds to see any given work of art, as I have always had to at the Met).

After the Museum we walked through Prospect Park and then back out in Park Slope. We took a thorough tour of my dear 7th Avenue, examining all the interesting food shops.

In the late afternoon my dad decided he would head back out into the neighborhood to acquire some fun foodstuffs for dinner. The plan was to put together a fun tasting and watch the Oscar’s. I got to lounge a while as he acquire the makings for the best risotto I’ve had to date (shrimp/scallop/squid/asparagus/red pepper) and other fun foods (olives, grape leaves, mini mozzarella balls…oh my!)

We ate our feast and critiqued the attire on the red carpet, happy to be off our feet for the first time all weekend.

On Monday my dad headed back to Charlotte and I got back to work (only to promptly come down with the stomach flu, which I think has nearly done me in this week, but I’m finally able to sit up right and type today…so I hold out hope for a future in which I’m not dead).

question this, question that

2006-02-28T23:43:22Z

Hey all, it's been a little while since I did A LIST!! You know you love it.

Feel free to do your own in the comments (any or all of it, as it's pretty long at 100 questions - you might want to take a bathroom break and get a drink before you start)...

001. How many keys are on your keychain?
three

002. What makeup do you wear on a daily basis?
lipgloss

003. Is your AIM away message on?
I don't use AIM (for anyone who's unsure of what AIM even is - I know my audience well - it's AOL Instant Messaging - a rage with all the kids)...

004. If you could eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I'd go Mexican for sure...something that comes with guacamole for sure...probably veggie fajitas...or maybe shrimp fajitas...with lots of fresh salsa and margaritas please...

005. What curse word do you use the most?
shit

006. Do you own an iPod?
two of them

007. Who do you talk to the most each day?
myself

008. What time is your alarm clock set for?
i don't use an alarm clock (though my internal waking mechanism rouses me about 8am)

009. Have you ever bid for something on ebay?
lots of things...lots of pretty shiny things...but, twas in another lifetime...

010. Do you wear flip-flops even when its cold outside?
no

011. Where do you buy your groceries from?
the bodega, key foods (two locations), the green market, dag's, whole foods...

012. Would you rather take the picture or be in the picture?
both, i love self portraiture

013. What was the last movie you watched?
Stage Beauty, this morning actually, for the millionth time.

014. Do any of your friends have children?
Yes, a few very close friends have young children.

015. If you won the lottery, what’s the first thing you would buy?
a bottle of dom to celebrate.

016. Has anyone ever called you lazy?
Mmm, i don't think so...well maybe my mother when my room was messy when i was younger...

017. Do you ever take medication to help you fall asleep faster?
tylenol PM how I love thee...

018. What CD is currently in your CD player?
Who has a CD player anymore! But I'm currently listening to The Honorary Title as Laurie and I saw them in concert last night and they were so good!

019. Do you prefer regular or chocolate milk?
hate chocolate milk...HATE it, little known fact about it. So, regular, obviously...but skim.

020. Has anyone told you a secret this week?
I've told myself a few...

021. When was the last time someone hit on you?
Sunday night.

022. What did you have for dinner?
Haven't had it yet, but I'm making creamy chicken with corn and okra from my trusty Weight Watchers cookbook.

023. Do you wear hoodies often?
not often.

024. What color is your car?
it's big and silver and shiny and I carpool with 7 million people a day.

025. Can you whistle?
excellently

026. What is your favorite Christmas//winter movie?
ELF! I love smiling, it's my favorite....

027. Do you make your own jewelry?
I have, yes.

028. Have you ever participated in a protest?
Yes, in college.

029. Who was the last person to call you?
A client a few minutes ago.

030. What is your favorite ride at an amusement park?
The Double Dragon (at Universal I think?) where if you sit in the front coaster you think you're going to collide head on with the other coaster about mid-way through the ride...it is the best rush ever.

031. If you could eat anything right now what would it be?
if the calories didn't count: home made macaroni and cheese, I need the comfort...

032. Have you ever dated one of your best friends?
yes

033. What area code are you in right now?
718

034. Did you watch cartoons as a child?
yes

035. How big is your local mall?
what mall?

036. What is your job title?
jill of all trades

037. How many siblings do you have?
DRU

038.Would you ever sky dive?
perhaps

039. What are you allergic to?
cats, dust and some unidentified citrus something...i get this terrible reaction when i eat certain dishes with tomatos and certain citrus-based salad dressings (and when I ate hummus once that had a citrus undertone)...it's terrible, i think i'm going to die from asphyxiation for about 5 minutes and then my throat opens up and i'm fine.

040. What is your biggest regret?
I really sat and thought about this, I don't think I have one big one...lots of little ones that I try to not let bother me. Regret, perhaps only rivaled by envy, is the most useless and terrible emotion...don't cry over spilled milk, just clean it up and carry on.

041. Have you ever had Jamba Juice?
No, but I’ve had Jamba Java…someone may read this and understand that.

042. When was the last time you laughed so hard your sides hurt?
Probably weekend before last at Amber’s house…I’m sure we laughed that hard about something. There’s rarely a time we’re not in tears at some point.

043. What movies do you know every line to?
None, proud to say…but perhaps Chasing Amy (or other Kevin Smith selections) would come closest. And I only ever quote from Playing By Heart (for the record)…which if you haven’t seen is very much worth the effort of renting…

044. Do you own any band t-shirts?
I don’t think I do anymore…

045. What is your favorite candle scent?
Lavender

046. How many aunts and uncles do you have?
I have two aunts and two uncles who are living…

047. When was your last plane ride?
January 6th or 7th I believe…

048. Do you crack your knuckles?
A lot.

049. How many chairs are at your dining room table?
Two

050. What is your favorite salad dressing?
I love just balsamic vinegar on most salads…or a freshly made vinaigrette of any kind

051. Do you read for fun?
All the time

052. Can you speak any languages other than English?
I am attempting to revive the French left in my brain…but I’d say one of my biggest regrets (going back to the earlier question about that) is that I have never become fluent in another language.

053. Where is your cell phone?
Right in front of me on my desk.

054. Do you do your own dishes?
Every day

055. What color is your bedroom painted?
Pale yellow

056. Are your parents divorced?
yes

057. Have you cried in public?
yes

058. Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop?
desktop

059. Which do you make: wishes or plans?
both

060. Are you always trying to learn new things?
absolutely

061. What messenger programs do you have?
ICQ to communicate with my programmer in Sofia, Bulgaria every day

062. Do you shower on a daily basis?
yes

063. Are you currently wanting any piercings or tattoos?
I always want them, but I’m past that stage in life…

064. Do you believe that the guy should pay on the first date?
No, it’s all circumstantial…

065. Can you skip rocks?
I bet I could…

067. Have you ever been to Jamaica?
no

068. What do you like to snack on at the movie theatres?
Something I smuggled in myself and didn’t pay $5.50 for…

069. Who was your favorite teacher?
In college I had two wonderful professors (one in each major) that acted as mentors: Dan Bagley (advertising guru and life guru) and Dell DeChant (religious studies extraordinaire)…I miss conversation with them both…

070. Have you ever dated someone out of your race?
yes

071. What is the weather like?
Windy and cold

072. Would you ever date someone covered in tattoos?
Perhaps

073. Do you have an online journal?
You’re reading it

074. Did you ever play Capture the Flag in school?
yes

075. What was your favorite class in high school?
I never had a favorite subject, it was always driven by the teacher…so I just remember specific people I liked being taught by…

076. Do you sleep on your side, tummy, or back?
Stomach, completely face down and all night…

077. What personality trait is a must-have in the opposite sex?
Humor…if you can’t laugh at life with another person, fuggetaboutit…

078. Have you ever been attracted to someone physically unattractive?
yes

079. When was the last time you slept on the floor?
When my bed was located there about 5 months ago

080. What is your favorite alcoholic drink?
I adore great champagne, but only for special occasions. I drink vodka on the rocks with a lime and sometimes with tonic or soda mostly.

081. If you were born the opposite sex, what would your name have been?
I don’t know, you’d have to ask my parents…but I’m guessing Andrew…of course then what would my brother have been…

082. Do you like your living arrangement?
Very much

083. Has anyone ever called you spoiled?
I certainly hope not

084. What is your mothers and fathers hometowns?
St. Petersburg and Ocala, FL, respectively

085. Did you ever go to the same school as your parents?
no

086. How many hours of sleep do you need to function?
To function, four, to thrive, seven

087. How much is gas where you live right now?
no idea

088. What was the last thing to scare you?
A creepy guy on the subway the other night

089. Do you own a Playstation?
no

090. How many times have you brushed your teeth today?
Twice

093. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
Oh goodness, I’d guess I have 40 in my possession currently, but at one time I had about 100 before I moved.

094. Are your days full and fast-paced?
Depends on the day

095. Did you ever get in trouble for talking in class?
A few times

096. Is there carpet, wood or tile in the room you're currently in?
wood

097. Were you a "planned" child?
I have no idea, I’m guessing sort of…

098. What is you mom's name?
Ann

099. What is your dad's name?
Richard

100. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
Twenty-eight years of age. Scary!