All Hallows' Eve...

Halloween is creeping up right around the corner. Which means as I write this I have a bag of Candy Corn on my desk and I'm happily munching away. I'm really excited for dressing up this year. Unfortunately it's only a couple of days away and not surprisingly I'm still totally indecisive about my outfit for the festivities. Last year I went as Smurfette, complete with blonde hair, blue skin and a cute white dress - which was awesome until it rained.

So I've been going back and forth trying to find the best costume for a variety of events - our company party this Thursday (going to fuerza bruta at the Daryl Roth Theatre in Union Square), a house party in Brooklyn on Saturday night and then of course the big parade in the Village on Halloween night. The shortlist below...

Couples' Costumes:

• Juno & Paulie Bleeker
• Super Mario & The Princess
• Mary Ann & Gilligan
• Johnny and Baby (from Dirty Dancing)
• Jessica & Roger Rabbit
• Waldo & Wenda (from Where's Waldo)
  

Just for me Costumes:

• A bunch of Grapes
  
• Magenta from Rocky Horror
• Pippi Longstocking
• Nancy Kerrigan
• Sailor girl
• Flapper chic
• Madonna in the 80's
• Jem (from Jem and the Holograms
• Christine O'Donnell
  

As of 6pm today, I think I'm going as Grapes to my work party and Juno for the weekend when my very wonderful boyfriend is going to be in town showing off his short shorts! Teehee :)

Need More Cowbell!

So I’ve decided to take on another physical challenge this summer. On July 23rd, I’ll be participating in the Tri-State Trek bike race - which helps raise money to end ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). This will be is even more extreme than the Bike MS: City to Shore ride that I participated in last October (77 miles from Cherry Hill, NJ to Ocean City, MD.) This new race starts off in Newton, MA at 6AM on Friday and goes all the way to UConn on the first day. Craaaazy!

Although it's a 3 day ride ending down in Westchester County, New York, I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't be able to survive the entire event so I just signed up for the one day race - "Velo de Virden". Hopefully we will have ideal weather conditions of approximately 100 degrees and I'll be able to sweat off about 15 lbs. Just keep your fingers crossed that it won't rain horrendously that day and I won't be able to race.

No pressure, but I would VERY MUCH appreciate your support if you can manage it. My fundraising page - trying to meet a goal of $250: http://www.als.net/tw/?p=1183

Also in case you’re interested in joining me on this crazy adventure, here are the event details: http://www.tristatetrek.com/html/ride_overview.php

Wish me luck -I'm going to need it! :)

Workin? On my fitness!

I recently started going to a personal trainer in downtown Manhattan at this new fitness club called Work. So far I've been about 4 times and I've learned quite a few valuable life lessons from my trainer friend - let's call him "G".

G's Rules to Live By (and my snarky comments below):

1. No eating anything after 7pm
- Not so realistic in my line of work, when I typically leave the office around 7

2. To lose weight, workouts won't really help you. You have to 'deprive yourself'.
- Which I translated to: start developing an eating disorder.

3. Oatmeal for breakfast and tuna salad for lunch everyday
- Eating that healthy sounds boring and very monotonous. Plus no sweets?

4. You can only eat grapefruit (or any other fruit that has squeezable juice), absolutely never allowed to eat a fatty fruit like bananas
- F U. I like bananas, they are full of potassium and goodness.

5. One must go to the gym only in the morning time, otherwise it's a waste to workout at night because you are just burning off the day's food intake
- I hate the mornings, full stop. Plus I have only 3 channels on my TV so I have to go to the gym at night to watch something other than C-SPAN.

6. Go tanning (he's especially insistent on me lying face down?)
- Too bad skin cancer runs in my family and I'm not too keen on melanoma.

7. Have your nails polished & pretty
- He's seriously obsessed with my nails and likes to comment on them each time he sees me.

8. Fight like a boy in the ring
- I actually like this rule. Boxing is fun :)

9. Don't workout the same muscles two days in a row
- I guess this makes sense but I really just want to get toned arms and flat abs damnit!


Given that these individual sessions are quite costly, plus I think G is bordering on being mentally abusive it's probably a good idea for me to just go back to walking on the treadmill and watching my favorite reality shows at night.

Who's with me??

My new "HOOD"

I should have known better and probably less naive as to the way things were going to be...

But I signed my year lease and now officially live in the affluent, polo shirt wearing, small dog carrying, Starbucks on every other block, preppy overly-white Upper East Side of Manhattan. I was honestly still shocked by how goddamn expensive everything is from groceries to the closest Chinese take-away spot. I mean it's the same MSG filled (and delicious) broccoli with garlic dish that they make in Brooklyn for about half as much - right??

That being said, I'm not about to learn how to cook a week's worth of meals for one. I was perusing the magical interweb at work today and found a useful list of UES restaurants to check out:


American (new, regional):

• Alice's Tea Cup Chapter II (soups, sandwiches, tea house)
• Central Park Boathouse: Don't come here with high food expectations, but do come here for the unbelievable scenery~grab a drink at the bar while you watch lovebirds canoeing in the pond
• Post House: They call it a steakhouse, but I'm not so sure that I'd eat a hunk of beef in this uber fancy environment~lovely setting for brunch~perfect for quiet conversation
• Swifty's: The ultimate Upper East Side brunch joint~eat your eggs in intimate quarters surrounded by professional ladies-who-lunch and their Wall Street hubbies
• The Wright at the Guggenheim Museum (New American)

Bagel:

• Pick-a-Bagel: Grab your warm, homemade bagel with a hefty slab of schmear and walk over to Central Park to enjoy it at a park bench

Bakery:

• Two Little Red Hens (bakery)

Chinese:

• China Fun: Perfect food for a hangover, breakup or girls-night-in-pig-out~greasy and heavy, but super delicious

French/bistro:

• Bistro Chat Noir: French served in a beautiful, bright atmosphere~grab brunch then head over to Central Park, which is just up the street
• L'Absinthe: Gorgeous French serving tasty bistro fare
• Sel & Poivre: French fare served in a homey atmosphere~great prix fixe dinner special!

Indian:

• Tamarind: Delicious Indian served in a casual setting with wonderful outdoor seating in the warmer months

Italian:

• Serafina Fabulous Grill: Decent and reliable Italian with a vast menu of familiar favorites~warm and charming atmosphere
• Uva: Great place for small bites and wine or a full meal~Italian food served in a charming atmosphere~make sure to try the cheese with black truffles!

Mediterranean:

• Beyoglu: Fantastic Turkish/Med served in a pleasant bi-level space~hummus, Greek salad and mezzes to die for

Mexican:

• Burger One (burgers, Mexican food)
• El Paso Taqueria (Mexican)
• Maya: Haute Mexican served in a cool atmosphere
• Mustang Grill: A great summer hangout...grab a table outside and sip on tasty frozen 'ritas and chomp on chips and salsa
• Taco Taco: Mexican that's just about as authentic as it can get in NYC~charming, festive and small space

Middle Eastern:

• Ravagh (delivery): Delicious Persian cuisine serving wonderful grilled meats, dumplings, breads & dipping sauces

Pizza:

• Mimi's Pizza Kitchen (delivery): Some of the city's best pizza by-the-slice
• Totonno's (delivery): Dishing out some of the city's best pizza pies~great penne a la vodka, chicken/eggplant/meatball parmesan sandwiches, house salad & homemade tiramisu

Sandwiches/salad/soup:

• E.A.T: Truly delicious food-to-go made with the highest quality ingredients~something for everyone to enjoy
• Le Pain Quotidien: Belgian bakery/cafe serving great sandwiches, salads, soups & pastries~eat-in or take-out

Sushi:

• Sushi of Gari: Definitely listed in The Lunch Belle's top-five sushi restaurants in NYC~fantastic rolls served in a no-frills atmosphere

Vegetarian:

• Candle 79: The Belle's pick for some of the best vegetarian cuisine in town~make sure to try the polenta fries~chic atmosphere

Now I just need a dinner companion! Any single, good-looking, interested men folk with wicked awesome Boston accents willing to come down for a good meal? :)

Things we leave behind...

So I'm pretty much all moved into my new studio apartment in the trendy UES and luckily for me the last tenant left behind quite a bit of random stuff...

* 35 cents under the mini-stove

* Shiny maroon shower curtain & super tiny bathroom trash can

* Pantry items: Canned soup, olive oil, sauces

* Dishes made circa 1980s and other random kitchen stuff - a few utensils, cooking pot, bowls

* 7 pairs of size 12 men's shoes in the cupboard

* Ginormous wood framed mirror with matching nightstand & fold-out kitchen table

* Bar of christmas chocolate left in the fridge

* Cleaning supplies & step ladder

* Take-out menus, dry cleaner card, lighter

* By far my most bizarre find was located under the sink in a Strand shopping bag - a frame with an envelope of pictures & a sentimental note attached to the back. (Out of respect I will not post what this girl wrote but trust me it was entertaining) To my surprise these pictures were of a half-naked chick who had decided to artfully pose with a piece of plaster painted on her torso. So thoughtful? Apparently this dude who lived here didn't think so because he left it behind. Now I'm not sure what to do because it seems wrong to throw it in the trash after so much love went into the present but I very much doubt that Salvation Army would enjoy receiving that particular donation.

Thoughts?

Volunteer Abroad

Direct flight from New York to Costa Rica: $325.42

Weekly fee for the IVHQ reconstruction program in San Jose: $285.00

Spanish classes at Máximo Nivel: $85

Ray-Ban sunglasses from the mall in San Pedro: ₡89,150

Spinning class taught all in Spanish: ₡1,500

Movie ticket to see the Informant with Spanish subtitles: ₡1,000



Being called a gringa while walking down the street............... PRICELESS!

My Buried List

Because I’m a 14 year old girl at heart, I still watch quality MTV shows like Real World, Jersey Shore, and True Life. Most recently I saw the first episode of The Buried Life with these 4 tan cuties who have big hearts and ambition to live their lives to the fullest. I would love to be on that bus traveling across North America and not have to sit in an office all day in front of my computer (ah, to dream). I just looked up their Buried list online and cherry picked the ones that I want to do before I kick the bucket (which hopefully won’t be for a long while):

3. Get a tattoo

4. Start a dance in a public place

6. Be in a Hollywood movie

7. Plant a tree

8. Ride a bull

9. Destroy a computer (I would love to do that right now!!)

13. Help someone build a house

19. Write a book

23. Learn how to play an instrument (besides the recorder)

25. Drive across North America

27. Give a stranger a $100 bill

28. Send a message in a bottle

30. Make a big donation to a charity

32. Get something named after you

34. Pay for someone’s groceries

44. Catch something and eat it

48. Skydive (actually I’m too chicken to do this but I might bungee jump and pee my pants)

51. Climb a large mountain

52. Go on a blind date

56. Write an article for a major publication

57. Spend a week in silence

61. Draw a mural

62. Be in a protest

68. Swim with sharks

75. Be a contestant on a gameshow

78. Fall in love (with a non-douchebag)

84. Run a marathon

88. Jump off a waterfall

92. Learn how to surf

93. Ride through the desert in a dune-buggy

97. Be in a boxing match


I better get started soon...