Sunday, March 29, 2009
A good book
is a great thing. Just finished reading Laura Lippman's What the Dead Know, the first book in a long time that I haven't been able to put down. It was a well written mystery novel with just the right amount of twist so that I kind of guessed but was still satisfied to be right. Great to escape into a fictional, if dark, world and be held in the hands of a good writer.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Chillin' with Time Out NY
This was a fun experience that happened out of the blue yesterday. J & I decided to go to Joe's Dumplings, a touristy and hyped up dumpling house in Chinatown. We figured it was a Tuesday at 7pm and we would be early enough to avoid the annoyingly long line that usually snakes out of the restaurant. When we got there, we were seated right away at a ten person table as they often do in Chinatown.
We ordered our soup dumplings right away and then lo and behold three guys were ushered to our table, one of whom was snapping photographs right and left. Of the other two, one was a writer for Time Out New York and the other was a chef. They were doing a piece on restaurants that let your bring your own booze and had the lofty goal of going to four places in one night- and were starting said night at Joe's. This elite press corp got their soup dumplings in seconds while we stared in envy (after all we had got there a good ten minutes before them and yet waited ten more minutes for our dumplings!).
We ordered our soup dumplings right away and then lo and behold three guys were ushered to our table, one of whom was snapping photographs right and left. Of the other two, one was a writer for Time Out New York and the other was a chef. They were doing a piece on restaurants that let your bring your own booze and had the lofty goal of going to four places in one night- and were starting said night at Joe's. This elite press corp got their soup dumplings in seconds while we stared in envy (after all we had got there a good ten minutes before them and yet waited ten more minutes for our dumplings!).
Here's the article in TONY: http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/restaurants-bars/73456/byowine-at-new-york-city-restaurants-feature-article/2.html
On a side note, the soup dumplings were larger and soup-ier than my favorite Chinatown place Green Bo, but other than that not that different and certainly not worth a long wait. Maybe it was our glutionous looks that prompted the writer/chef to pour us tastes of the red and white wines he brought and solicit our humble people-of-the street opinions. But my taste of fame was brief- soon another family joined our table with a blindingly cute and charming Shirley Temple-esque five year old who completely stole the show.
The photographer explained his dream of a job. He was a food photographer and often went to five plus restraunts on any given day doing food press and gobbling up all the deliciousness. On that note, J asked him for Japanese recommendations and the photog rattled off a list of downtown eateries that we have to try now. All in all, a fun reminder on a bland Tuesday that I live in NYC. Sometimes the city likes to remind you just where you are.
On a side note, the soup dumplings were larger and soup-ier than my favorite Chinatown place Green Bo, but other than that not that different and certainly not worth a long wait. Maybe it was our glutionous looks that prompted the writer/chef to pour us tastes of the red and white wines he brought and solicit our humble people-of-the street opinions. But my taste of fame was brief- soon another family joined our table with a blindingly cute and charming Shirley Temple-esque five year old who completely stole the show.
The photographer explained his dream of a job. He was a food photographer and often went to five plus restraunts on any given day doing food press and gobbling up all the deliciousness. On that note, J asked him for Japanese recommendations and the photog rattled off a list of downtown eateries that we have to try now. All in all, a fun reminder on a bland Tuesday that I live in NYC. Sometimes the city likes to remind you just where you are.
Monday, March 23, 2009
My evening as a Gossip Girl
One of my friends convinced me to go out in New York City, to a fancy restaurant no less, dressed up like a school girl. No, this was not Halloween. It was another weird/fantastic NYC deal. The story is that this swank restaurant on the Upper East Side- Park Avenue Winter- had been featured in an episode of Gossip Girl. To promote the show and the eatery, they were offering a deal- a free meal for those who dressed up like school girls. So against my better judgment I threw on a tie, pearls and a short skirt and headed to the UES.
Park Avenue Winter becomes Park Avenue Spring on March 31st and so on. When we went it was decorated in white light, bare branches and arctic decor. And filled with a whole bunch of school girls. It turned out to be an amazing night and a great deal. For the $20 tip I left, I got a scallop appetizer, a whole lobster main course, a glass of wine & a towering angelic dessert of lemon angel food cake and fluffy cloud like cotton candy. I also got to observe a full restaurant of Gossip Girl fans and wonder at the motivation of giving away a $100 dinner to twenty somethings who can never afford a dinner like this. Either it was brilliant or folly, but it sure was a good time.
For more news and pics about this event:
http://eater.com/archives/2009/03/genius_gimmicks_gossip_girl_at_park_avenue_winter.php
Park Avenue Winter becomes Park Avenue Spring on March 31st and so on. When we went it was decorated in white light, bare branches and arctic decor. And filled with a whole bunch of school girls. It turned out to be an amazing night and a great deal. For the $20 tip I left, I got a scallop appetizer, a whole lobster main course, a glass of wine & a towering angelic dessert of lemon angel food cake and fluffy cloud like cotton candy. I also got to observe a full restaurant of Gossip Girl fans and wonder at the motivation of giving away a $100 dinner to twenty somethings who can never afford a dinner like this. Either it was brilliant or folly, but it sure was a good time.
For more news and pics about this event:
http://eater.com/archives/2009/03/genius_gimmicks_gossip_girl_at_park_avenue_winter.php
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Arg...in a good way?
A company that I interviewed at TWICE before I got my current job emailed me today asking me to come in for an interview for a new job. This is flattering in the sense that they obviously like me although they decided not to hire me TWICE. It it not good because it makes me nervous in an economy like this- ie what if I lose my current job (knock on wood many times over) and I missed this one by a hair? That would be highly annoying.
But there is nothing I can do about it because I remain completely loyal to my current job (which hired me after ONE interview) and believed that I was a good fit. So I guess the only solution is to write back a polite, friendly email explaining that I am already employed and hope that if that status changes at some point they will consider me again.
The rub is that of all the the jobs I interviewed for, and there were too many to count, this is the one that I really wanted. It would have applied to both my major and minor and was in the very intersection of my interests. My current job is good for me because it's a totally new and different direction; the universe pushes onto interesting, curving paths sometimes. I've already met some people who have been laid off and decided to take it as a challenge from the universe to change up what they are doing with their life. Brave people!
But there is nothing I can do about it because I remain completely loyal to my current job (which hired me after ONE interview) and believed that I was a good fit. So I guess the only solution is to write back a polite, friendly email explaining that I am already employed and hope that if that status changes at some point they will consider me again.
The rub is that of all the the jobs I interviewed for, and there were too many to count, this is the one that I really wanted. It would have applied to both my major and minor and was in the very intersection of my interests. My current job is good for me because it's a totally new and different direction; the universe pushes onto interesting, curving paths sometimes. I've already met some people who have been laid off and decided to take it as a challenge from the universe to change up what they are doing with their life. Brave people!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
If only...
Everyone has if onlys in their life. If only they could find the perfect job, find Mr.Right, lose weight/gain muscle, if only they could get to Paris or buy that pair of shoes/tech gadget then EVERYTHING will be better. Then life will be perfect. Every other pain will simply float away.
In New York, the line I see all the time is "if only I had the right apartment." New Yorkers are relentless in their quest to find this perfect gem of an apartment that has a miraculously low cost and large living space, in a perfect location in the heart of all the action but somehow still quiet and serene. And with a washer dryer unit. How many times have I heard that this new apartment is going to banish all roommate problems, make everything cleaner, improve social lives, banish memories of exes and propel the renter into a state of perpetual bliss? Even I am subject to this dream of the perfect apartment.
But it is so hard in NYC to achieve any of this! Maybe it's the challenge that really inspires the apartment fantasy. each improvement in living space only fuels the fire. if only...
In New York, the line I see all the time is "if only I had the right apartment." New Yorkers are relentless in their quest to find this perfect gem of an apartment that has a miraculously low cost and large living space, in a perfect location in the heart of all the action but somehow still quiet and serene. And with a washer dryer unit. How many times have I heard that this new apartment is going to banish all roommate problems, make everything cleaner, improve social lives, banish memories of exes and propel the renter into a state of perpetual bliss? Even I am subject to this dream of the perfect apartment.
But it is so hard in NYC to achieve any of this! Maybe it's the challenge that really inspires the apartment fantasy. each improvement in living space only fuels the fire. if only...
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Dollhouse
I love this new show! Joss Whedon did a great job- with Dollhouse he's got another well written, episodic formula that allows him to milk season long drama while allowing each episode to delve into different cultures and styles. I hoping against hope that this show doesn't get canceled. It is so enjoyable and dependably smart.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Listening to Kelly Clarkson's new CD
mmm...love that girl! cool songs- some co-written by Katy Perry- some that sound influenced by the Pipettes and Duffy. a new Kelly cd is always a treat :) my fav american idol
Monday, March 9, 2009
Adventures in Hoboken
New Jersey is really a whole different world. I ventured out to Hoboken this past Saturday because they celebrate St.Patrick's day early so as not to compete with NYC- or to have more excuses for extreme drunkenness and revelry.
Now, I have never been to Hoboken before. So I wanted to see what it was like. And it was as if I had entered the township of Abercrombie & Fitch. I arrived into a world of white twenty-somethings bathed in all shades of green and levels of intoxication. Hoboken is cute in a precise middle America kind of way. The streets are lined with olde ye towne sorts of shops that run the gamut from McDonald's, Starbucks and the Gap to Hoboken Antiques and independent bakeries and bars. On the day of the parade, bagpipes and green beads and giant Guinness hats were everywhere. I think I saw more straightened hair, double eyeliner and t-shirts-with-witty-sayings than I ever have in my life. It was like leaving New York and heading back in time to college. Only a state college (that sounds snotty and it is. i cannot deny my own nerdy elitism).
The thing is, despite all this pre-judgement and the alien like surroundings, I had a blast. I drank five beers in six hours (and some of that was from a keg!), went to three different parties, played beer cup games, climbed onto fire escapes, ate Cheetos and philly cheesteak and made random conversation with frat/sorority types. and it was fun. maybe I miss college...or I miss what college could have been if the people I partied with didn't tend to discuss Foucault and problematic social constructions when drunk.
Anyway I plan to throw my own St.Patrick's day party this Saturday and go out in the city on Tuesday. Here's to the Irish who know how to party when poor!
Now, I have never been to Hoboken before. So I wanted to see what it was like. And it was as if I had entered the township of Abercrombie & Fitch. I arrived into a world of white twenty-somethings bathed in all shades of green and levels of intoxication. Hoboken is cute in a precise middle America kind of way. The streets are lined with olde ye towne sorts of shops that run the gamut from McDonald's, Starbucks and the Gap to Hoboken Antiques and independent bakeries and bars. On the day of the parade, bagpipes and green beads and giant Guinness hats were everywhere. I think I saw more straightened hair, double eyeliner and t-shirts-with-witty-sayings than I ever have in my life. It was like leaving New York and heading back in time to college. Only a state college (that sounds snotty and it is. i cannot deny my own nerdy elitism).
The thing is, despite all this pre-judgement and the alien like surroundings, I had a blast. I drank five beers in six hours (and some of that was from a keg!), went to three different parties, played beer cup games, climbed onto fire escapes, ate Cheetos and philly cheesteak and made random conversation with frat/sorority types. and it was fun. maybe I miss college...or I miss what college could have been if the people I partied with didn't tend to discuss Foucault and problematic social constructions when drunk.
Anyway I plan to throw my own St.Patrick's day party this Saturday and go out in the city on Tuesday. Here's to the Irish who know how to party when poor!
Friday, March 6, 2009
No Ben but some Jerry!
I saw Jerry scooping ice cream at an educational conference today. He was being a real ham and people were taking pictures with him. The line was too long otherwise I totally would have had Jerry scoop me up some Whirrled Peace :)
Monday, March 2, 2009
snow much for spring
and march welcomes nyc with many inches of snow. thanks. at least it makes the city quieter!
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