I admit it. I've been sucking royally at posting this week. If I told you I was drowning in a sea of invoices would you excuse my absence? No? Not so much? How about if I give you a nice long entry filled with pretty pictures and fun updates? Better? All forgiven? OK good.... here we go!
So Saturday I had brunch with Alice and Bethany. It was just wonderful! We ate at Bond45 in Times Square which is not my typical location choice, but I was pleasantly surprised! A bunch of the old Planet Hollywood gang works there now, so it was great to see all of them! Marvin kept the mimosas flowing (surprisingly not terrible for the diet as far as alcoholic beverages go) and a thin crust pizza with Ricotta and Mozzarella cheese, roasted tomatoes and arugula. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
The pizza was probably not the best thing for the diet, but I was careful the rest of the day.
What?
I was!
OK, so then I went aaaalllllllllllllll the way out to Astoria at the end of the N train which is actually only about 25 minutes. Really not that far. But it's at the end of a line so that makes it SEEM far. I got off the train and was pleasantly/disappointedly surprised at how much I liked the area. It was really adorable. Lots of little shops and boutiques and restaurants. There was a Dunkin Doughnuts in the neighborhood which is a must-have for any future neighborhoods. There was a nice mix of people of different races, ages, life styles. I really loved it. Unfortunately, I knew none of my people were going to come that far to see me. Which was sad. But I figured if I could get into a livable place for hundreds less than the 2 places I've seen so far, then I could suck up the 30+ minutes it would take to visit them.
So I walked down to Liz Realty only to be just terribly disappointed. First, the places was a madhouse. Nobody seemed to know what was going on. I couldn't tell who worked there and who was a potential client. I was told that no, they didn't have anything for under $1300 available at the moment, and that they get very few EVER.
This cannot be possible. All the way out here in East Jabip, Queens and I'm still expected to pay Manhattan prices?! Who do these people think they are?!
I bet you think something great is going to happen now, don't you? Like an apartment of my dreams just happens to open up 15 minutes closer to Manhattan and now I have pictures of the place and my signature on a lease to share with you?
You're wrong.
NOTHING. I filled out an application and left. On my way to the train a tiny piece of something blew into my eye and I couldn't see. My eye was watering, my incredibly perfect makeup was smudging... horrible! I got home and rinsed out my eye, went to the couch and closed my eyes to let it rinse out naturally.
I fell asleep for 2 hours. It was glorious!
Sunday was a much better day! Ready for some pictures??? READY?!?!
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| What has 2 non-opposable thumbs and hung out at Central Park with me on Sunday? |
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| THIS GUY! And there's my incredibly white foot and odd looking calf to prove I was there! |
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| It got a bit sunny for Mr. Ollie... |
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| Ollie and his mommy, Terri :) |
After the park, we went to a late brunch at Gina la Fornarina, and amazing and adorable little cafe on 82nd and 2nd ave. We got to eat outside since it was so beautiful! We both had paninis, Terri had a veggie panini and I had a salmon and creme fraische panini with mescaline salads and a passion fruit and citrus iced tea. I would have taken a picture, but that would have meant putting down my food for any length of time...
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Edited to add: BLOGGER sucks, and deleted the rest of this post so I'll do my best to fill in the rest...
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So, then we met up with two of Terri's friends, Jessie and Tammy. Lovely ladies who were coming from the Met where there is an Alexander McQueen exhibit which you can read a bit about here! Although we had just devoured amazing Paninis, I had been looking forward to 16 Handles for.... like.... WEEKS!
Terri keeps telling me about this place she goes for fantastic frozen yogurt and how she has it for dinner and the last, like, 20 times I've asked her to go, she's JUST had some! So unfair! So I was NOT allowing this opportunity to pass me by! 16 Handles works like this... You grab yourself a bucket. They call it a cup, but that hardly does it justice. Then there are 16 flavors of frozen yogurt in soft-serve machines. You choose however many different flavors and amounts you'd like. (Get it 16 flavors... that you pump with the machines that have those handles... 16 Handles.... you get it.) All of their frozen yogurt is non-fat, low-fat, sugar free, premium low fat... it's really amazing! And you don't even feel bad for indulging! And they have screens above each flavor describing the flavor and it includes a nutrition chart... AWESOME! From there you move on to the toppings. They have EVERYTHING! Fresh fruit, cookie dough, cake, graham cracker crumbs, whatever you would put on ice cream. At the end they weigh your bucket and that's how you are charged. AMAZING! So delish! And I have now found my guilt-free snack for this summer!... and beyond obviously...
OK, so we finish that and are sufficiently full. Terri is lacking work-appropriate attire, so we decided to head to a boutique called Pookie and Sebastian. Adorable! And right now they are having a sale so Run, Don't Walk! While most of the clothes and accessories there were WAY out of my price range, there were a few items that were very reasonable. Terri got 3 wrap dresses, the most expensive being around $60, which is totally do-able. And they were great basics to add to her wardrobe. So it was successful. I also tend to enjoy that boutiques are very doggie friendly, and even carry dog treats for their doggie patrons... adorable!
After shopping I headed home. I gave myself a mani-pedi. I watched some TV. I just relaxed. After being so discouraged about the apartment thing I decided it was time to start looking for a roommate. Not my top choice, but I'd rather have another human being in my house than live in the slums. So I posted a roommate wanted ad to Craigslist.com. Here's hoping that pans out!
Monday I got to work and was just sort of wading through invoices. They weren't overwhelming yet, but they were starting to build up... high tide was coming! (Did I take this too far?)
Here's where it drives me crazy that this post was deleted because I KNOW I wrote something about Monday, but I can't remember. Because in my old age my mind is slipping. GRRR!
OH WAIT I REMEMBER NOW!
After work on Monday I went and had drinks with my very first client in NYC, Sanaa Hyder of ZH Collection! Sanaa is the designer and mastermind behind this handbag company, and is just a total sweetheart. We had drinks at The Modern, which is a super cool space. The wine was Delicious, the company superb. We talked about some potential future events for her new line coming out this summer (So keep your eyes open, it's sure to please!). Mostly it was just great to catch up with her.
OK, then Tuesday came along. I wasn't feeling great, nothing major just a little off. And I couldn't really shake it all day. But I did have something... a bright snarky light at the end of my Tuesday tunnel! It was Jen Lancaster's book signing! YAAAAAAAAY!!! If you aren't familiar, help yourself out by checking out Jennsylvania.com. She is lovely and funny! And snarky to perfection.
My original intention had been to buy the book AFTER the move. Save some money, and not move yet another book from one apartment to another. I took "Such A Pretty Fat", my favorite book by Jen, for her to sign instead.
This is where I was foiled. And whoever came up with this sales tactic... bravo. You got me. I got to Barnes and Noble in Union Square. I rode the escalator to the 4th floor. And I was a little surprised. The event was roped off..... WITH SECURITY GUARDS?!
Wait, what? This is serious. This is no joke. So I approach one of the security guards to ask how this whole thing worked because, honestly? I didn't realize the security risk associated with book signings! Good to know!
The security guard asked me "Have you bought the book yet?" "Not yet", I replied. "Oh." She said, sort of looking at me strangely. " Well, people that actually BUY the book get preferential seating and can go into the seating area now. But if you choose not to buy the book like THESE people," and she points to a short line of individuals, "You'll be let in maybe 10 minutes before the event starts. IF there is still room."
And I was in an instant panic. What if Jen saw me standing in that line?! I had bought the rest of her books and was planning to buy this one! Just not tonight! Would she think I was cheap? Or not a great fan? Would she reject me when I took my old and tattered book up for her signature?? AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, THE PREFERENTIAL SEATING?!? I NEED PREFERENCE! I NEED TO BE SPECIAL! POINT ME IN THE DIRECTION OF THE NEW BOOK PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!
$27.00.
On a book so I could sit in uncomfortable seats longer. On a book that I was going to get in a month when it was a bit cheaper. On a book that was in hardback when I prefer paperback.
Just take my credit card. Do it. Before I change my mind and lose my "Special" "Preferred seating"-ness. God.
Just take my credit card. Do it. Before I change my mind and lose my "Special" "Preferred seating"-ness. God.
There it is. The book.
So I sat on the uncomfortable "preferred" seats, trying to figure out what so damn "Preferential" about them, while three really awful girls behind me spoke horrible probably-not-truths about mutual friends and people they were observing in the general audience. Including, but not limited to, the girl sitting a row over from me who was nothing short of perfectly beautiful with long blond hair, sun tanned skin, an adorable and classic outfit and a handbag I might actually kill for. The girls behind me were saying something about it being last season's Betsey Johnson dress... um... really Humpty Dumpty? You're trying to pass those shoes off as something more recent than 1997 and failing. How are you going to judge that adorable and stylish girl! The negativity was nearly overwhelming and..... I mean.... you've read the blog. You know how I am. They put me to SHAME. It wasn't snarky as they were trying to pass it off, laughing snidely at each others "clever" anecdotes. No, it was just bitchy and uncalled for and made them look awful to everyone within earshot. Which, in case you were wondering, was basically the entire store, because the woman in the middle would SCREAM IN A LOUD SCREAMY VOICE OVER ANYONE TALKING WHEN SHE DECIDED SHE HAD SOMETHING TO ADD. Horrific.
But then it was all better, as Jen Lancaster came out and read a excerpt from her book. She was hilarious and I loved hearing her voice reading her own words as she intended them to be heard. Of course, the horrible girls behind me said something about her not being a great reader. Really? Are you on the New York Times Best Sellers list? No? Then STFU!
She answered a few questions from the group, and was hilarious, of course. Then we all got in line for her to sign our books. I got to meet Jen 2 years ago in DC, but hadn't been able to attend the actual reading. Such a shame. It's totally worth it. We got closer to the front. Jen is really good at this kind of thing (I'm not calling her Jen because I feel incredibly close to somebody that probably doesn't remember my face. I actually call her Jen Lancaster in regular conversation. But It's a long name to type repeatedly... that was probably more of an explanation than you needed. Moving on...), and she talks to each person that gets up there. So it's my turn, I put my books on the table next to her, hand the lady from Barnes and Noble my phone to take a picture. Jen immediately compliments my necklace (What up buy-1-get-1-75%-off from NY and Company!) and then this is snapped:
Please ignore my ghostly look and terrible hair. I TOLD YOU I DID NOT FEEL WELL!
Anyway, we chatted about the blog that Jen, in part, inspired and she encouraged me to keep writing and I would find my voice. I admitted I wasn't sure where I fit in when people like herself, and amalah and The Bloggess were the people inspiring me. They are just such funny ladies! And have such unique styles! I... should probably gain a little confidence at some point. I digress.
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| There it is! |
... and she was even kind enough to sign my old tattered book too. I am telling you, people. PEOPLE. Get these books! I used to have to put the book away on the Metro in DC because I'd be laughing so hard I'd be crying, and people would start to stare. But even after I put it away, I kept remembering what I'd read and laughing harder and harder and it looked even WORSE than having the book out and laughing at IT! Then I was just.... laughing to myself.... Ugh. So worth the public humiliation! I'm telling you!
So anyway, after that, it was after 9pm. I was beat, not feeling great, and still had to stop by the gym to weigh myself for today's post. I was just gonna go in, get my weight, and head home. But then I got there and I convinced myself that I was THERE which is a major part of the battle, so just do SOMETHING! Even if it's just 15 minutes. Do something. So I changed.
If we're being honest, and I like to think we are, I was dreading this. You guys. I had PIZZA. I had 2 brunches! I skipped the gym over the weekend! AND Livestrong.com had added 400 calories to my daily intake after I recalculated things. I felt certain there was no way I had lost anything. In fact, I was horrified that I had gained, and in my second week on this thing I'd have to report a gain! To... like... EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD. And that was awful. But I had to do it. I promised myself no more excuses. I'm doing this, and I'm going to do it until I achieve my goal. So get on the scale, dammit!
And I did. I stepped on, and slowly bumped the one pound marker until it leveled out.
-2 pounds baby!!!
Which makes it -4.5 pounds total! That's fantastic! I was so happy! Livestrong appears to really know what it's talkin about!
So this news inspired me to work out for 35 minutes! Granted, it was all elliptical. But we take what we can get!
For this week, the plan is to try to get out of my elliptical rut. So I came across this workout on Pinterest.com, which I am going to have to tell you about in a later post because it's just too fabulous to try to cram into this already over-stuffed post. But I digress... here's the workout that I found:
Kind of cool, right?? Definitely good for the lower body and core, which is awesome. Should pull me out of my rut if I can keep doing this at least once a week. Good times! Now must be on the look out for upper body workouts...
I don't know why, but that reminded me of this:
Fast forward to the bit where Carrie is making a mental note at 1:03. If you had heard what "...must be on the look out for upper body workouts..." sounded like in my head, you would get it. No call me crazy, smile nicely and walk away.
OK, now I'm off to write the NEXT post about my little project I finished that blogger ALSO did away with. Is it bad that I'm taking this as a personal attack on my writing? Like maybe Blogger doesn't think I'm worthy of posting so it's just deleting my stuff? Is that weird? Are you calling me crazy and smiling nicely again?
Okey dokey then.
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