You Know You Are Old When.......

I am so happy that I am in tonight! This is my first night home since Sunday. I have not eaten a normal dinner all week. I have not had time to just relax and do whatever I wanted to do. So I am elated that I am sitting here for the last 2 hours in my pajamas catching up on all that I need and want to.

Hurray for being old(er)!

Whooooo Hoooooo! Beertopia!

KDP is such a trooper. Not only did she leave at 6:50 am in the morning to go from LB to da' Bronx, but she hopped the #2 subway to meet me at Penn at 4:30. The woman has some energy level, let me tell you!

We were on our way to the Pourhouse to join in for the 2nd Annual Beertopia. Fifty beers on hand. We bought tickets to try 12 and then purchased pints as well. The bar is surprisingly big. Well, its small in the front and then leasd down a hallway to a back area that has another section at the back of that. Don't ask. Just go see for yourself.

We got there at 6pm. When it was supposed to start. The place was pretty empty. There was no signage up. Hmmmm.....did I get the date wrong? Well, we had hauled it all the way there so we may as well have a pint. I ordered the Sam Adams Winter White ltd. It was pretty good~~as far as beers go. KDP had a Goose IPA. Absolutely terrible! Needless to say, she drank less than half of it.

At about 6:30, there is an announcement: "Join us for Beertopia at the back bar!". Huh? Why weren't there signs? Where was the crowd? Oh stop asking questions & just go to the back bar!

So we walk to the back & see that there are a number of seats. We grab two and the flier that has the listing of 50 beers, both bottled and draught, and ask how it works. The bartender points me to Stanley, the guy at the other door. He has the tickets. I got tickets for us and went back to begin the tasting.

Here's what I sampled:

Purple Haze......raspberry beer....good but nothing like frambois
Amarit...............a beer from Thailand that smelled a whole lot worse than
it tasted. I could actually order it and drink it.
Asahi.................japanese beer that tasted like (what I imagine) urine.

Blue Point Blueberry......so good!
Blue Point Toasted Lager..........okay but a bit too bitter for me
Brooklyn Pennant...........yuck
Carib Lager.......................a caribbean beer that reminded me of Corona without the after-taste
Hoegaarden.......................like bad ginger ale
Hitacho Ginger.................if you enjoy ginger, this is one for you
Kona Fire Ale...................ah...Kona.....good but a bit 'hoppy' for me
Magners............................more of a hard cider & went down very easily
Pacifico.............................very lime-y


We left at 8:15 in hopes of having KDP on her 8:56 train home. We ran to the subway station and flew down the stairs (all in my cute red suede boots, mind you) and made it on to the R. We stood there for two minutes & then heard "This train will not be moving any time soon. There is debris on the tracks past Lex. Station. Please cross the track & wait for the next train." Uh-oh. I said that 'debris' is code word for 'body'. Just a guess.

We cross the track & wait. For a it. And at 8:40 the Q arrives & we're saved. Or so we thought. We hop on and it sits there. For a bit. And then it finally moves. I said to KDP "Go on without me. Catch your train. I'll talk to you later." I have trains that run all of the time. If she didn't make her 8:56, the next was at 9:56. Just as the words leave my mouth, we stop. In the tunnel. We haven't even hit 23rd street. Why are we stopping? Oh wait......we moved. A little. And now we crawl. All the way to the 34th & Herald Square station. The train pulls in at 8:58. She missed her's.

We strolled back to Penn & grabbed coffee at Starbucks. While sitting there, this so-not-goodlooking guy sits down & is on his phone. He sees us looking at the newspaper & asks "What are you reading?" So we respond. He then goes on to ignore his cellphone....with the call still in action....and have a conversation with us. There as a cute picture of a pink & white beanie baby on the page & he asked what it was. I told him it was a bb and he said "Ugh. Waste of money." I said "I want it. I love pink things". He asked "Where would you put it?" I said "In my car". His reply? "I won't allow you to buy that. It's stupid." I said back "Well, thank goodness you do not control my money." He didn't seem too thrilled by this, but whatever. He wasn't remotely attractive anyway. He finally left & I ran across to my train....leaving KDP to wait 7 minutes by herself.

My ride home was uneventful. But, I was in the 5-seat spot with a mother & daughter.....the daughter was close to my age.....and the mother fell asleep with her head on the window. When we pulled in to the Westbury station, a guy, about 30-ish, walks past our window & punches the glass where this woman's head is! The daughter looks at me and says "Did you see that?!?" I said that I had & we commisserated about 30-yr old losers for the next couple of minutes until my stop came up. I can't believe the nerve of some people.

Cozy Mel's.......the only guy with whom I am currently cozy

I haven't seen Crak in ages! So it was only a matter of time until we managed to match up our busy schedules & grab dinner. Wednesday found us meeting up at Cozymels. Or Cozy Mel's as some of the waitstaff like to say it.

We met in the powdered sugar snow parking lot at 5:00 and went in to the oh so empty restaurant. We snagged a booth (that could have fit six easy & also would have allowed us to take naps while a family of 4 sat & ate) and began the two hour gabfest.

She gave me my first birthday present for '08. Sweet! I got a Prada Nursery Rhyme book, a shopaholic drinking glass, something that I can not remember at the moment, and maui mint gum. I love how she remembers that I get hooked on our travel themes & they stay with me. Right down to my candy.

We ordered & ate. And ate. And ate. My meal was huge! Yummy chicken enchiladas. And a salad. And that good rice that they have. I was stuffed.

And tired from laughing. And talking. And laughing some more.

We were there until 7 when I had to leave & go to work. Blah.

I love how an afternoon or evening out with one of my friends makes my jaw and stomach hurt from all of the laughing & talking. That's why these people are my friends!

Working Women's Luncheon.....I Am In LOVE With The View (Lounge that is)

Codegirl had this bright idea to go in to the Marriot Marquis to a luncheon for 'working women'. I am not the Gloria Steinem....NOW type, but I am up for a day off of work & trapsing around the city for a lunch & lecture. And I enjoy adventures with Codegirl. She is hysterical on a regular basis so I wanted to see her in action in the city.

We met up at her house at 9:30ish and she wanted to drive in. I have driven with her before and usually she is pretty good. But--put her in the city & it's a whole other story. The cab drivers have got NOTHING on her. I saw my short life pass before my eyes a few times.

We managed to make it into Midtown without too many close calls and found AMAZING parking. Right across from the Marquis. For $20 for the day. Seriously? It must have been marked wrong but who cares?

We went inside & called her sister, Jerseygirl. She came in for the luncheon & shopping, too. I have met her before & we hit it off immediately. The three of us headed up to the 6th floor to sign in and get our goody bag. That really is the only reason to attend some of these events....the food & the goody bag. In the bag was a package of 100-calorie bagels, mints, perugina chocolate, a notepad, a coupon to test drive a Lexus &, if you do, you get a $100 amex card. I have to remember to sign up & go do that.

There were over 40 tables with ten people at each one. Pretty crowded and yet it didn't feel that way. We sat & they began the program immediately by bringing out the host & the quicky introduced Katie Couric, the guest speaker. I am not a Katie fan. However, she took me by surprise. She was witty, sarcastic, and very into anecdotes. I was torn between my chicken & risotto and listening to her. I am still not a fan, but I have a whole new sense of respect for her.

The program ended promptly at 12:00 and we went out & mingled some more. We then decided that we wanted to check out the revolving lounge that they have on the 43rd floor and it didn't open until 5:30--that meant killing time in the area. Easy to do on a dry day in the proper attire. Not so easy to do in business attire, heels, and rain. But we came up with a plan.

We took a cab to Sax 5th Ave. and did some shoe shopping. Well, Codegirl & I browsed while Jerseygirl shopped. She bought an adorable pair of Burberry galoshes. She immediately put them on because her cute shoes were hindering her ability to walk. Ah! Another woman willing to suffer for fashion just like me.

We got tired of that and headed back out on to the street. Where the rain had picked up. We wandered a bit further up (10 blocks to be exact) and found the Disney Store. It was raining, we had no umbrellas, and my shoes didn't want to go further. So we popped in. And found out that it was the release party for the Broadway show "The Little Mermaid". They had the leads for Ariel, Sebastian, and Ursula there singing the songs. It turns out that the three of us are HUGE fans of 'TLM' (ooh! I just realized that my initials and my fave disney movie are identical!) and wanted to stay and listen. We also stuck around for the q&a but decided to skip the signing portion and see if we could get a cab (in the rain mind you) back to the Marquis. We walked a few blocks before Codegirl could hail one & had it take us back to where we began our day.

We were hungry, wet, and tired and figured it'd be easier to eat at the hotel. So we went up to the 8th floor and ate at one of their diner-type places. We laughed & talked more & Codegirl began grilling me about every aspect of my life. Her sister joined in and I kept laughing & telling them to stop interrogating me. They'd laugh to and go right back to it.

We laughed a lot & waited until 6:00 to take the quick ride up to the 48h floor to -----Tada! --- The View Lounge. I was so giddy, I could barely contain myself.

We were seated & ordered. I had a caribbean rum hot chocolate. It was three types of liquor, hot chocolate, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and coconut shavings. Delicious & delirium. That's how I describe it. It was so pretty, so tranquil, and so romantic up there. Making me pine away for a guy who'd want to go and spend an evening doing something like that with me. The view? Loved it! I want to inquire about moving in up there for a week. That's all I want. Just a week. You know, like the guy who moved into Ikea? I want to go and say up there all day. And watch the city go by. Too cool.

It was well after 8 when we began our trek home. Oh no...........more zany driving a-la Codegirl. I was scared but too tired to hang on for dear life. I finally rolled in close to 10. The plans are in the works for the next luncheon. I don't know why I have to state the obvious. Who wouldn't want to do this all over again?

Deep in the Heartland

I grabbed a bite at the Heartland Brewery today. Crak & I were supposed to eat there way back (two years ago to be exact). When we attempted to eat at the one in TS, they had a private event taking place & we were quickly escorted over to their sister restaurant, Spanky's.

That's where "Backpack Boy" ate all of our sourcream.

I digress.

I had been planning on going to Heartland one day & figured today was the day. I am on this beer & wine tasting kick........dreams of becoming a sommelier. So I went and sampled a glass of their Harvest Wheat & an order of their bbq quesadillas. I don't know what they use for the wrap. It wasn't a tortilla. It was all light & flaky & yummy and not heavy like so many can be.

Mmmmmmmmm....................yummy goodness. My goal is to go to each one in the city, sample a different brew each time, & see what the difference is between the restaurant offerings. I may gain a few pounds, but it's all in the name of research.

I'd Like To Thank The Academy.......

I wrapped up at work as fast as I could today so that I could go in to see the Oscars exhibit at the GMA Studio in Times Square. The Oscar statues arrived last Friday and will be on display until tomorrow. I wanted to know just what an 8 lb. award of gold feels like in my hands since I am not in a field that hands those out to the best & brightest.

I hopped the train in and hauled it up the 10 blocks in the cold, anticipating a line a city block long. I got there & found nobody. How is that possible? It's the week that all of the children are off from school. It's the week that many parents take the vacation & head into Manhattan to entertain themselves and their kids. When everything else is packed, why isn't this? I was soooooooooooo happy!

I walked right in & up to the statue and asked the person behind me to take my picture. There were two HUGE guards on either side of the tethered little man and a woman who wouldn't assist with photos.

This was tighter security than the airports. No kidding.

But what a great exhibit. Not only did they have this one to stand with & simulate what the Academy winners get to experience, but they had two cases with statues. One case was the process of how it is covered.....the different layers that make this man so valuable ($$-wise) and so weighty. The second case had fifty on display and those will be given out at the '09 awards.

And yet another bit of history has been explored. I'd like to thank GMA for opening their doors, the Academy for allowing "regular people like me" to hold such a prestigious award in my untalented hands, and to Oscar.....the man of the hour. Without all of you, I would have had a mundane afternoon.

Love the Dress......All 27 of them!

I am adding another movie to the list that will have to be purchased on it's release day & will spend many a day playing in the dvd player. "27 Dresses" was such an adorable flick. James Marsden..............I can't get enough of him. "The Bella Mafia" was my first encounter with him and while he scared me with his twisted mind, he intrigued me and has stuck with me ever since. Seeing him recently in "Enchaned" was great! He was so corny and while his Jim Carey-esque facial movements irked me (can not stand JC) I noticed that I was still hooked on this talented individual. And now, just a few weeks later, here he is again.

The movie? Adorable. The cast? Great. The dresses? Like backstage at a dance recital with ruffles and lace and head pieces and colors....and more ruffles but typical of a local production. Their karoake rendition of "Benny and the Jets"? Like so many weekends out at dive bars.....too many to count. Making this film easy to relate to and one to go see.

A Forward of a Forward of a Forward (that I had forwarded to me from my mom)

When you have a "I Hate My Job" day

Try this:

On your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal thermometer made by Johnson&Johnson. Be very sure to get that brand.

Change into very comfortable clothing and sit in your favorite chair.

Open the package and remove the thermometer.

Now, carefully place it on a table or a surface so that it will not become chipped or broken.

Now the fun part begins.

Take out the literature from the box and read it carefully.

You will notice that, in small print, there is a statement:
'Every Rectal Thermometer made by Johnson&Johnson is personally tested and then sanitized.'

Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times "I am so glad I do not work in the thermometer quality control department at Johnson&Johnson."

Have a nice day and remember, there is always someone with a job that is more of a pain in the ass than yours!

Happy Valentine's Day

While I do not have a special someone to call my own, I do have many valentines this year.

To my family: Thank you for your love, support, nurturing, and patience. Without all of you, I would not be the individual I am today. For that, you are all special and I love you.

To my friends: Thank you for the great times, memories, commiserating, rebel-rousing, amazing stories, cocktails and nonsense that keep me coming back for more. KDP, Crak, Blonde, Codegirl, LTN, Ultimate Shopper, MIU, even JW & Cowboy(who I have not spoken to in 3 weeks but still deserves).................all of you are the best group a gal could associate with & I am beyond lucky.

With love to you all on this hallmark-y romantic day. Know that you are special to me!

Happy Valentine's Day!

On The "I Hate Them" Kick

This semester, it has been student after student challenging me on what I do and why they don't think I am fair. One was ill and could not submit work to the online class. They had a week and did not do it. Five questions and three posts to a discussion board. But they had time for lengthy emails.

The next one couldn't do the work because their child was sick all week.

A third said it wasn't their fault that they couldn't buy the book the first week and that it wasn't their fault that they waited until the last minute to try and complete/submit the work when they had six days and then found it a bit difficult and missed the cut-off. That was my fault, I was told.

It wasn't her fault that she has family problems and can attend her traditional classes but can't do the minimal work for my online class. And when I did not give the extension she thought she should have, she went over my head to the provost. Who never asked her if she met with me face-to-face.

I had one who was mad that he failed a test so when I went to collect it, he shoved it to the floor. I stepped over it and he asked me, infront of the class, "Aren't you going to pick that up?" I said "No" and kept on going. He won't return until I explain to him why I didn't pick up his (shoved to the floor) paper.

The last one is one who refused to turn in a test when I said the time was up. He waved me off and told me to go teach my lesson and that he'd submit it when he was ready. I said "Forget it" and then taught my lesson. I took the paper with me and tried to tell him that I had to speak with the provost to find out if I'd be supported in not grading it (sick I know) and when I got that support, I sent the email a stating just that.

The student found out tonight, a week later, because he doesn't read his emails and received his ungraded test back. Doesn't he send me an email telling me that I am not resolving his issue so he's going over my head to the dean?

Why is my job being threatened? I always say that if I wasn't a woman, I wouldn't have half of these problems. And I am not one of those gloria steinem/NOW totin' people. But when I discuss these students with their male professors, they do not have any issues with them. When I discuss it with female professors, they are hitting that same wall I am.

Well, dean or no dean, provost or not, I am not budging. Call me Gibraltar.

TCA Continues..........but can I go?

I received an email from the TCA saying that we can apply to be considered to attend another workshop. In Australia. Or South Africa. Or Thailand. I can do the first two.....I'd actually be thrilled to go to S. Africa with a group and a purpose.



However, I am not skilled. At. All. I can take video.......like any other person who picks up a camera. You know, soccer mom style. I have learned how to upload it, edit it, add tracking, and I learned so much. As I keep saying, I survived. But I am not on the level that so many of my classmates were attaining and could pull of some great footage if and when they go on this next excursion. I'd give my right arm to go. Heck, I'd give anybody's right arm to go. But I have to be realistic. I need to practice. A lot. And have feedback and criticism before I could even think of filling out such an application to go on such a life-changing trip.



I have a goal now for the next year. I just hope they still have such an offer and an extension to those of us left in the dust!



If any TCA people are reading, let me know who is going so I know who to bug for a souvenier and pictures!

Where's My Winter Wonderland?

I LOVED last night's snow. It was absolutely exquisite! And I mean that. It was the first real snow we had...............even though it was only an inch. But, I love that snow. The texture. The chill it creates. The way that everything becomes pretty and peaceful.

I was actually running errands in it last ngith. It was an adventure, to say the least. But it is so much easier to go out when everyone else is now staying in. Things are accomplished much more quickly. And I'd go out on a snowy day over a rainy one any time.

I went to bed with that tranquil blanket outside....and got up to the teeming rain and flood that is now taking over. EW! Tell me I actually have to go to work in this? Can you say jeans and sneakers? There is no way I am getting all dolled up to go out in this. Betcha less than half of my classes show up. And who is the foolish one then? ME! For not staying in.

Grammys? Shammies? What Was That Last Night?

What in the world has happened to the Grammy's? I must admit that I only caught the end of it, but what I saw was head-shaking nonsense. I saw Kanye West win & give some arrogant speech. He glared (through sunglasses) at the camera and said "You gonna play the music on me?"...because he was not finished giving his speech. Everyone gets an allotted timeframe for their speech. Why should he get any longer than everyone else? It's not like he won Album of the Year. Had he taken the top category, then fine. But he didn't.

The Foo Fighters? They won, too? Over Daughtry? Who has had an amazing run this year? And what was with the Foo guy in the jeans & tshirt sitting with his feet all curled up on the seat? Grow up, buddy! You are at the awards show of the year for your industry! Act like you know how to conduct yourself in public.

Poor Amy Winehouse. While performing, she looked terrified & drugged up. Her dancing? Looked like a little girl wearing mommy's heels for the first time as she shuffles down the hall to show off her (lack of) balance. And what does it say about an industry & society when they vote for best record as that of one about rehab.? Doesn't that warrant worry and cause for concern rather than a grammy and glorification?

"Prof." Will. I. Am.? He's a professor? I didn't know. And I couldn't follow his "S to the P to the E to the E to the C to the H". It lost me.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED Kid Rock with Keely Smith. They were too cute together. And her voice is still AMAZING! Aretha Franklin is gorgeous yellow. She always pulls off class and elegance. Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and John Foggerty.......fabulous. Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban. Okay...anything with those two names is going to be impressive and bring tears to one's eyes. Tina Turner..........nothing else to say. She performs to the utmost every single time & never misses.

But, for a 3 1/2 hour show.....this was just a small chunk that adds up to a few "hits" with a TON of misses. Alas, the remainder of the show was not one that impressed.

"She's Just The Flavor Of The Week"

So the mystery of 30-something (well now we have to add 40-something) men continues. I mean, I have had NO luck with any of the ones I had met. Thus....my single status. I think about the Blonde & her rude little Pocket Cop that we had met way back in Huntington. And his friend, The Infiltrator. He & Crak tried a go at it a couple of times, but , alas, he turned, too.

This weekend it was KDP's turn. She has a ski share and met the guy who owns it last year. Random flirting occurred over the summer. Nothing came of it. She was all set to go up to the ski house two weeks ago and the flirting began. Yippee! She had a fun weekend with Ski Guy. And then? Nothing.

Any emails he sent her way were all business. She went back up this weekend & it was the same business-like treatment. As if nothing had happened two weeks ago and they weren't even back at "Square One". They may as never have flirted at all.

What is going on here? Four single, professional, good-natured, good looking women who are looking for some sanity in just one man and we can't find anybody? Why are 30-something men (and those in their 40's) trying so hard to extend their youth? What is so bad about growing up? Behaving responsibly? Moving forward with life? Why the constant games, deceit, nastiness, and immaturity? And it isn't just chance encounters. This is every time.

People need to get over themselves. They need to stop being so insecure, realize that they are not as special as their mothers told them, and grow up. It isn't such a bad thing. It's actually rather nice!

"Lipstick Jungle" or "Glossy Urban"?

I was anticipating the first episode of the latest Candace Bushnell book to be aired on t.v. this past week. "Lipstick Jungle", starring Brooke Shields, reminded me a lot of where "Sex & the City" left off. We have two women who are married, kids, big salaries, and high living. The marriages are not going so well, the kids are reasons for them to not "have that drive" any longer (as stated by a male boss in that first episode), and the jobs afford them luxuries and lunches with friends....but not much time to work on anything else. The third character is a single gal who is a fashion designer. She had a rough show at Fashion Week in Bryant Park, cried to her friends, drank, and then got a random call from an obscenely wealthy man who happened to be in the audience that night and thought she was attractive. So she goes to lunch with him, to bed with him on the second date, and then has to fly to Tokyo for a business meeting that doesn't go too well & cries to this stranger on the phone who sends a private jet to bring her back. Right into his arms.

Yeah. Believable.

While the show has fantasty-life potential, it's just another glossy fashionista facade that most women can not even begin to emulate without putting their grandchildren in debt.

Crunching Duff

I have the BIGGEST school girl crush on the "Ace of Cakes" guy....Duff Goldman. I am finding myself scheduling activities around his show. Sad, I know. But true.

I like everything about him..........his sense of humor, his laugh, his wit, his talent, and his friends. He has his friends working with/for him at his establishment down in Baltimore. They strike me as the kind of people who would just hang out with anybody who has a good heart. They all have skilled hands and an eye for crazy detail.

But Duff................ah Duff. He just seems like such a sweetie. A total "Ace" in my book.

Loving Lunch Dates

Two weeks ago, I was so lucky & so happy to have a lunch date with Crak. Like real professionals get to do! The bonus was that Codegirl was randomly passing by & saw us in the window & then she joined us.

This past week, I lunched out with The Brown Rose. She & I have similar schedules on Tuesdays & Thursdays and can now go out & get away from it all, even if it is just an hour. And lunching with fellow coworkers is always fun because they are so different outside of the corporate walls.

This week, JMayo and I have one set up. I didn't see much of him in the fall and really haven't had a decent conversation with him in over three months. He ran our fac. development on Friday and, infront of everyone, says "Hey Grotter! I have some news for you! When are you free?" great...........I sink as all heads turn in my direction and Codegirl made some heinous noise that she makes whenever she sees him. It's all in good fun & an inside kind of thing, but had me rolling and some raising eyebrows.

But I am so looking forward to lunch this week, too! I feel like such a grown-up!

The List...a work in progress

1. sweet
2. thougthful
3. kind
4. witty
5. gentle
6. easy to laugh with
7. good-natured
8. intelligent
9. patient
10. good listener
11. good relationship with family
12. has interests/hobbies
13. open to new ideas
14. calm/relaxed
15. loves animals
16. loves travel
17. enjoys and appreciates the 'little things in life'
18. good with money/budgets
19. wants to give and receive 100%
20. at least 5'7''
21. adores/wants children
22. wants to be an active role in a child's life
23. has some religious belief
24. wants to grow as a person & as a couple
25. has good friends/old friends....courtesy of Crak
26. is not easily influenced by his friends......courtesy of MIU
27. can hold a conversation......courtesy of the Elementary Fireman
28. enjoys spending time with his famil/my family/me!.......courtes of the Elementary Fireman
29. can cook (gourmet would be nice)......again....the ElFireman....who put a lot of thought into
this for me
30. what I truly want is a best friend

Hmmm.............I've come up with 24 (now 30) things that I want. A hundred? I'll have to think about this. What did I miss? Give ideas/suggestions if you have any!

I Was Supposed To Make A List?

I was able to catch 'Oprah' yesterday and she was focusing on how to bring positive things into your life. And one segment of the show was titled "Love List". Martha Beck wrote a column for O Magazine and it is called just that. It focuses on a woman who made a list of 100 qualities she wanted in a partner. She then put the list away and went about her life. Some time later, this very man, possessing almost all of the 100 attributes, walks into her life.

She goes on to say that you should make such a list of your own. Write the list, look at it a bit, and then put it away. By doing this, you know what you want, have affirmed it with writing, do not need to dwell on it because it is already written down, and then the Universe knows what it is you are truly asking for. Now there are two possible lists you can create: the shallow "needy" list, which she says never works, or make a list for your 'core of peace'. This is that list with true qualities in a person...not looks or money.......but thoughtful or good sense of humor.

Is it that easy? Why didn't anyone tell me I had to make a list? Isn't that what I did last year around this time? I did not get anyone that closely resembled it, otherwise I would not be doing this now. Hmmmm.......do you think the Universe just sees my mental health as a sick game?

NY Miracle Workers

Superbowl XLII Champions

New York Giants

17 - 14 over the NE Patriots!

Congrats Big Blue!

Giants All The Way!

Go Giants!

Big Blue will pummel those Pats any day.

It's Time To Move To Where Nobody Knows You When....

I was at Roosevelt Field Mall yesterday and had a coupon for a free lipgloss at Victoria's Secret. I went in to the store and found a pair of panties that I wanted. But they didn't have any in my size on the table. So I turned to the sales associate, who was straightening the merchandise, and I asked her "Excuse me, (dangling the desired pair from my fingers) do you have this in a _________". What? Did you think I'd divulge my size?

Anyway, she turns towards me and begins to say "Let me................" and freezes. She says "Oh my god! I am so embarassed." And I realize that it is a student I just had at Farm back in the fall. I freeze, too, and then say "Why are you embarassed? I am the one waving underwear around and now you know what size I take. I should be the one embarassed".

She giggles nervously and a coworker comes over and then she introduces me as "this is my professor".

DRAT!

So I said, "Well, to keep this from being more awkward, I'll let you help someone else". I put the item down and walked out dying a bit inside. That beats all now, doesn't it?

Cops in NYC, hosts & waiters, random approaches in Penn and the mall, but my unmentionables? This is now where I draw the line and something needs to be done.

I'll Eat At His Mesa Anytime

Today marked the last day of Restaurant Week here in the city. I have gone in for the last four and was not about to miss this time. I saw that Bobby Flay's restaurant, Mesa Grill, was on the list and have been interested in trying out his southwestern fare.

So, rain (buckets & buckets of pouring rain) and all, I was headed in for my 1:30 lunch reservation. I love RW because it allows a gal like me, who loves to eat and enjoys good food, to eat and enjoy on a budget. And the restaurants on there, his included, can be pricey if you want to truly enjoy some of the items that tempt you.

For $24.07, I had a three course meal. I started with a chop salad that had romaine, tomatoes, two types of beans, cubed cheese, olives (yuck), and tortilla strips in it. I ate everything but the olives.

My main dish was a 16 spice chicken that was actually sweet. I'd swear that it had brown sugar all over it & was just melt in your mouth good with the potatoes that were mixed/blended with some green vegetable. I'd say it was broccoli but it wasn't.

To finish it off, I enjoyed the profitterolles with vanilla crunchies and spicy chocolate sauce. And when he said spicy, he meant it. I am a chocoholic and like my candy sweet. So I was a bit leery -- to say the least -- of this spicy concoction on my yummy dessert. It was actually good. Until it settled in the back of my mouth and lit the back end of my throat on fire. Yup.

My meal, had this not been RW, would have cost $34. And I was more conservative in my choices. One of the lunches offered was $20. Just for the main dish! So, whoever ordered that was making out really well with their appetizer and dessert thrown in.

Now I am chomping at the bit for the summer one to be here. I plan on hitting at least three reswtaurants and sampling all of the goodness they have to offer.