I promise there were some cool things that happened during the second half of 2012. For example, my sister got married and it was a super fun party and my mom danced to Gangnam Style (not pictured, unfortunately).
Showing posts with label my life is awesome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label my life is awesome. Show all posts
Monday, December 31, 2012
...and a Happy New Year.
I promise there were some cool things that happened during the second half of 2012. For example, my sister got married and it was a super fun party and my mom danced to Gangnam Style (not pictured, unfortunately).
Monday, April 25, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Moving Day, it's Moving Day.
Well, tomorrow is. And I will probably be singing this all day long.
After two years in our current apartment (and three years, for me, in that neighborhood), we:
are leaving The Heights. I've spent my entire time in Manhattan living in what most of my coworkers basically consider Canada ("Don't you live in the Bronx? I'm pretty sure that far north is considered the Bronx"). And while our new neighborhood may not have a Broadway show based around it, there's still a certain amount of street cred that comes from saying that you live in Harlem, right? I mean, sure, the neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying and the realtors are still trying to make "SoHa" happen, but I think it counts.
While it's smaller than our current place, the new apartment is gorgeous and I am super excited about this move. Here are 4 reasons why (in no particular order):
1. We'll be much closer (walking distance in most cases) to like 90% of our friends.
2. Central Park is a 5 minute walk away.
3. Full-sized washer and dryer in our apartment (!!!!!!!!!!). This is virtually unheard of for a New York apartment, and after three years of laundromats I feel I am being rewarded.
4. The bus to Costco and Target stops around the corner. Churros anytime I want!
Last night as I left my friend Karrie's apartment following our usual Thursday night TV/bonding sesh, I was grumbling about making the hated 45+ minute trip home. Then we both squealed, "LAST TIME!!!" in unison and my excitement returned.
Between this and the fact that it is 70 degrees and sunny outside right now, it is taking all my willpower to concentrate on work today.
After two years in our current apartment (and three years, for me, in that neighborhood), we:
are leaving The Heights. I've spent my entire time in Manhattan living in what most of my coworkers basically consider Canada ("Don't you live in the Bronx? I'm pretty sure that far north is considered the Bronx"). And while our new neighborhood may not have a Broadway show based around it, there's still a certain amount of street cred that comes from saying that you live in Harlem, right? I mean, sure, the neighborhood is rapidly gentrifying and the realtors are still trying to make "SoHa" happen, but I think it counts.
While it's smaller than our current place, the new apartment is gorgeous and I am super excited about this move. Here are 4 reasons why (in no particular order):
1. We'll be much closer (walking distance in most cases) to like 90% of our friends.
2. Central Park is a 5 minute walk away.
3. Full-sized washer and dryer in our apartment (!!!!!!!!!!). This is virtually unheard of for a New York apartment, and after three years of laundromats I feel I am being rewarded.
4. The bus to Costco and Target stops around the corner. Churros anytime I want!
Last night as I left my friend Karrie's apartment following our usual Thursday night TV/bonding sesh, I was grumbling about making the hated 45+ minute trip home. Then we both squealed, "LAST TIME!!!" in unison and my excitement returned.
Between this and the fact that it is 70 degrees and sunny outside right now, it is taking all my willpower to concentrate on work today.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Starstruck.
Sometimes my life is so fancy that I can hardly stand it.
Last week they started arranging a portion of our office to use as a movie set.
I suppose that is just one of the perks of working at a glamorous music company in New York City, right? We knew that The Pfeiff would be shooting here but weren't sure who else from the cast would be in the scene. You can imagine the hearts set aflutter around the office when this teen heartthrob showed up:
I walked into the office kitchen to prepare my oatmeal this morning and there he was, piercing blue eyes and all.
P.S. Apparently my dad was about as nonplussed by this news as he is by "Justin Beaver" (sic). I'm sure he'll come around once we officially announce our engagement.
Last week they started arranging a portion of our office to use as a movie set.
I suppose that is just one of the perks of working at a glamorous music company in New York City, right? We knew that The Pfeiff would be shooting here but weren't sure who else from the cast would be in the scene. You can imagine the hearts set aflutter around the office when this teen heartthrob showed up:
I walked into the office kitchen to prepare my oatmeal this morning and there he was, piercing blue eyes and all.
P.S. Apparently my dad was about as nonplussed by this news as he is by "Justin Beaver" (sic). I'm sure he'll come around once we officially announce our engagement.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Witchcraft and Wizardry, Part 2
The next morning was slightly more leisurely as we knew we'd have all day at the Magic Kingdom (we wanted to stay for the fireworks, which weren't until 9pm). We got up feeling much more rested than the day before and went to breakfast before continuing on to the park. Arriving at the Magic Kingdom (both Florida and California) never fails to make me feel like a little kid, so we were very excited as we drove in through the absolutely enormous Disney complex. Seriously, there are miles and miles of parks, hotels, parking lots, etc. It's amazing.
The park was pretty crowded, and it felt all the more so because of the legions of strollers everywhere. Being in the park again made me nostalgic for when we had come the previous year with the whole fam for my parents' anniversary. I definitely missed having the kids there this time, but I was pretty glad I didn't have to wait in the hour-long line for Peter Pan's Flight. Win some, lose some, I guess.
We had a great time running around all morning, one of the highlights being our ride on Splash Mountain. Becca skipped out of line at the last minute, despite our protestations that we "probably" wouldn't even get wet. We were cruising along just fine until our boat stopped right next to the falls. It was only a couple seconds, but it was enough--another boat flew down the slope and its tidal wave of a splash drenched us. Becca laughed at us afterward and then we went and got soft serve and stood in the sun while we tried to inconspicuously let our pants dry out.
Doing a jig in honor of my mom while in line for Pirates of the Caribbean.
By early afternoon we had done most of the things we wanted to in the park. Since there were still hours to go before the fireworks and the parade, we were trying to figure out what to do in the meantime. "So... do you guys... want to go see a movie or something?" We checked showtimes and oh, how interesting, the theater at Downtown Disney is showing Deathly Hallows every half hour. I mean, we might as well, right? Ridiculously, there is no direct transportation between Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney (we asked four different Disney employees, all of whom gave us different--though all equally convoluted--directions). But we eventually made it to the theater a few minutes before the next showing. It was just as excellent the second time around.
We got back to the park in time to go on a couple more rides before the parade and the fireworks. I don't care how old you are--if you aren't at least a little affected by the fireworks exploding over Sleeping Beauty's castle while "When You Wish Upon A Star" plays, you probably have a heart of stone (maybe I'm getting a little choked up right now just thinking about it, don't judge me). Standing there with two of my best friends in the world, I couldn't help but think that if we'd known back when we were five that someday we'd go on a vacation like this together--no parents, staying up ridiculously late, eating whatever we wanted, and running around amusement parks--it would have totally blown our minds.
On Sunday, we had to say our goodbyes to Krissy as she left to go back to California and Becca accompanied me back to New York for Thanksgiving. We were all sad for the trip to be over, but we had so much fun and I could not be happier that we really did it. Which just goes to show you that sometimes the most ridiculous ideas end up being the most genius.
More pictures here.
The park was pretty crowded, and it felt all the more so because of the legions of strollers everywhere. Being in the park again made me nostalgic for when we had come the previous year with the whole fam for my parents' anniversary. I definitely missed having the kids there this time, but I was pretty glad I didn't have to wait in the hour-long line for Peter Pan's Flight. Win some, lose some, I guess.
We had a great time running around all morning, one of the highlights being our ride on Splash Mountain. Becca skipped out of line at the last minute, despite our protestations that we "probably" wouldn't even get wet. We were cruising along just fine until our boat stopped right next to the falls. It was only a couple seconds, but it was enough--another boat flew down the slope and its tidal wave of a splash drenched us. Becca laughed at us afterward and then we went and got soft serve and stood in the sun while we tried to inconspicuously let our pants dry out.
Doing a jig in honor of my mom while in line for Pirates of the Caribbean.
By early afternoon we had done most of the things we wanted to in the park. Since there were still hours to go before the fireworks and the parade, we were trying to figure out what to do in the meantime. "So... do you guys... want to go see a movie or something?" We checked showtimes and oh, how interesting, the theater at Downtown Disney is showing Deathly Hallows every half hour. I mean, we might as well, right? Ridiculously, there is no direct transportation between Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney (we asked four different Disney employees, all of whom gave us different--though all equally convoluted--directions). But we eventually made it to the theater a few minutes before the next showing. It was just as excellent the second time around.
We got back to the park in time to go on a couple more rides before the parade and the fireworks. I don't care how old you are--if you aren't at least a little affected by the fireworks exploding over Sleeping Beauty's castle while "When You Wish Upon A Star" plays, you probably have a heart of stone (maybe I'm getting a little choked up right now just thinking about it, don't judge me). Standing there with two of my best friends in the world, I couldn't help but think that if we'd known back when we were five that someday we'd go on a vacation like this together--no parents, staying up ridiculously late, eating whatever we wanted, and running around amusement parks--it would have totally blown our minds.
On Sunday, we had to say our goodbyes to Krissy as she left to go back to California and Becca accompanied me back to New York for Thanksgiving. We were all sad for the trip to be over, but we had so much fun and I could not be happier that we really did it. Which just goes to show you that sometimes the most ridiculous ideas end up being the most genius.
More pictures here.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Witchcraft and Wizardry, Part 1
So a few months ago I went on the best vacation ever and then I never wrote about it. Sad.
My sister Becca, our best friend Krissy and I have made a tradition of seeing the midnight showing of every new Harry Potter movie together (we've been friends for 21 years, so we feel very comfortable with each others' nerdery). Aside from my mom's homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, this is my favorite tradition of all time. So last spring, when the trailers for Deathly Hallows started showing up, we were trying to figure out how we'd be able to see it together. Now that we're adults (ha), we all live in different states. Then the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened in Orlando, and Krissy sent us an email that said, "When can we go?" Oh, wouldn't it be awesome to go when the movie came out?
It was kind of a joke at first. But then we thought, no, seriously, LET'S DO THAT. And the anticipation began. We spent the next few months planning and getting excited. At one point, Becca was faced with the possibility of having to take a flight with two layovers that left really early in the morning. "It's okay," she said. "If Harry can fight Voldemort, I can do this." I like her.
Anyway, we all flew into Orlando on that Thursday. After getting everyone picked up at the airport and dropping things off at our hotel, we headed to theater where we had tickets to the IMAX showing at midnight. We had a great time catching up and wasting time waiting for the movie to start. Around 11:30, Becca left to get popcorn since the line at concessions was crazy (there were several midnight showings in the theater). By about 10 to midnight, there were still a bunch of people in front of her in line, and she started freaking out, so Krissy went to wait with her. At midnight they were just barely getting to the front of the line and were worried they'd miss the beginning of the movie, because the previews had started. I texted them each time a new preview would start so they'd know they had a couple more minutes. As the IMAX countdown appeared on screen, I frantically called them to tell them to get back to the theater. Nobody picked up, but as the countdown ended, I saw two little figures sprinting along the bottom of the theater with popcorn in hand. They collapsed into their seats just as the title screen came up. A true Potter miracle.
The next morning we got up early-ish after about 5 hours of sleep to walk over to Islands of Adventure. We got there right as it opened and headed straight for the Harry Potter section. Turning the corner and seeing Hogsmeade village with Hogwarts castle in the distance was seriously my 13-year-old dream come true. Everything was so incredibly detailed, it felt like we had walked right into the movie.
Besides a kid's coaster and a couple other attractions, there are two main rides: the Dragon Challenge roller coaster with two interweaving tracks (so you see other cars whiz by you) and the Forbidden Journey ride, which is part virtual reality, part Indiana Jones-style thrill ride. The line for Forbidden Journey weaves through Hogwarts castle, so you get to spend time looking through the classrooms, Dumbledore's office, etc. Both rides were awesome, and we spent the morning going on each a few times and looking through all the shops.
After lunch at the Three Broomsticks, we decided to go to the other parts of Islands of Adventure for a bit. None of the park was especially crowded (our line wait time averaged about 10 minutes), but the HP section was by far the busiest. And we hardly saw any kids there--it was mostly people our age or slightly older. We came back to HP land for another time on each of the rides and to get some Butterbeer.
Butterbeer, which I MUST figure out how to replicate.
Around 4pm, we were feeling pretty exhausted, so we decided to call it a day. I will say that as fantastic as the park was, I do hope they expand it at some point. All day we were coming up with awesome ideas for more rides and attractions, which is just proof that they should hire us for these things.
In line for Dragon Challenge.
Leaving at the end of a glorious day. I call this one "Accio Hotel".
Back at the hotel, we collapsed and took naps for an hour or two. When we woke up we considered going to a different movie that night, but we were all too tired. Instead, we opted for dinner at Sweet Tomatoes (an old school favorite) and watching a movie in our hotel room. Our 24 hour Harry Potterpalooza was everything I'd hoped it would be, and my only complaint is that I do not live there.
My sister Becca, our best friend Krissy and I have made a tradition of seeing the midnight showing of every new Harry Potter movie together (we've been friends for 21 years, so we feel very comfortable with each others' nerdery). Aside from my mom's homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, this is my favorite tradition of all time. So last spring, when the trailers for Deathly Hallows started showing up, we were trying to figure out how we'd be able to see it together. Now that we're adults (ha), we all live in different states. Then the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened in Orlando, and Krissy sent us an email that said, "When can we go?" Oh, wouldn't it be awesome to go when the movie came out?
It was kind of a joke at first. But then we thought, no, seriously, LET'S DO THAT. And the anticipation began. We spent the next few months planning and getting excited. At one point, Becca was faced with the possibility of having to take a flight with two layovers that left really early in the morning. "It's okay," she said. "If Harry can fight Voldemort, I can do this." I like her.
Anyway, we all flew into Orlando on that Thursday. After getting everyone picked up at the airport and dropping things off at our hotel, we headed to theater where we had tickets to the IMAX showing at midnight. We had a great time catching up and wasting time waiting for the movie to start. Around 11:30, Becca left to get popcorn since the line at concessions was crazy (there were several midnight showings in the theater). By about 10 to midnight, there were still a bunch of people in front of her in line, and she started freaking out, so Krissy went to wait with her. At midnight they were just barely getting to the front of the line and were worried they'd miss the beginning of the movie, because the previews had started. I texted them each time a new preview would start so they'd know they had a couple more minutes. As the IMAX countdown appeared on screen, I frantically called them to tell them to get back to the theater. Nobody picked up, but as the countdown ended, I saw two little figures sprinting along the bottom of the theater with popcorn in hand. They collapsed into their seats just as the title screen came up. A true Potter miracle.
The next morning we got up early-ish after about 5 hours of sleep to walk over to Islands of Adventure. We got there right as it opened and headed straight for the Harry Potter section. Turning the corner and seeing Hogsmeade village with Hogwarts castle in the distance was seriously my 13-year-old dream come true. Everything was so incredibly detailed, it felt like we had walked right into the movie.
Besides a kid's coaster and a couple other attractions, there are two main rides: the Dragon Challenge roller coaster with two interweaving tracks (so you see other cars whiz by you) and the Forbidden Journey ride, which is part virtual reality, part Indiana Jones-style thrill ride. The line for Forbidden Journey weaves through Hogwarts castle, so you get to spend time looking through the classrooms, Dumbledore's office, etc. Both rides were awesome, and we spent the morning going on each a few times and looking through all the shops.
After lunch at the Three Broomsticks, we decided to go to the other parts of Islands of Adventure for a bit. None of the park was especially crowded (our line wait time averaged about 10 minutes), but the HP section was by far the busiest. And we hardly saw any kids there--it was mostly people our age or slightly older. We came back to HP land for another time on each of the rides and to get some Butterbeer.
Butterbeer, which I MUST figure out how to replicate.
Around 4pm, we were feeling pretty exhausted, so we decided to call it a day. I will say that as fantastic as the park was, I do hope they expand it at some point. All day we were coming up with awesome ideas for more rides and attractions, which is just proof that they should hire us for these things.
In line for Dragon Challenge.
Leaving at the end of a glorious day. I call this one "Accio Hotel".
Back at the hotel, we collapsed and took naps for an hour or two. When we woke up we considered going to a different movie that night, but we were all too tired. Instead, we opted for dinner at Sweet Tomatoes (an old school favorite) and watching a movie in our hotel room. Our 24 hour Harry Potterpalooza was everything I'd hoped it would be, and my only complaint is that I do not live there.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Adults.
and
with
I could not be more excited. And yes, I will be 26 years old by that time--why do you ask?
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