Cathy's Visit

Cathy came out to hang out with some of my coworkers at karaoke tonight... Realized we didn't have a photo together except in front of theaters. Here's a cute one!

Annie

Cathy found us tickets as part of the Broadway week promotion. 2 for 1 in row K of the mezzanine. Fortunately it isn't selling week, so we got to move to row C, right on the center aisle.

The show was good... The kids were very talented. But I didn't love Katie Finneran as Miss Hannigan.

Zzzzzz... So sleepy

Taking the train home from dinner I could barely keep my eyes open... Having trouble even completing the blog... Picture is boring, but wanted to document the time I got into bed. The Lakers game hasn't even tipped & I'm going to sleep?? Goodnight. Zzzz.

Cinderella!

Fabulous! I haven't enjoyed a musical this much in ages. What a treat. Songs were great, sets were fun, singing was excellent, even the costume changes were amazing.

Cathy happened to notice they had last minute tickets for 40% off at the Brooklyn tkts, she trekked to get them & we were lucky enough to sit in the 6th row (though very stage left).

There was a surprise proposal during the curtain call, audience members were called on stage to make their broadway debuts and their friends in the mezzanine has 4 signs that said "Will you marry me?" Cute.

We also ran into a distant cousin of Cathy's mom outside while taking photos.

A truly unexpected night...

Cupcakes

I have been prattling on about dessert since Cathy arrived... So today she grabbed a sampler of mini cupcakes from Crumbs! Yahoodle for dessert!

Picnic and Ivy League Hoops

Cathy and I saw the matinee of Picnic. Not an amazing show, but I'd rank it higher than some of the others I've seen this month.

This evening we saw some Ivy League action on the basketball court. A friend of Cathy's that went to UCSB with us is an Asst. Coach for Columbia & left us some tickets. The gym was tiny compared to the Thunderdome. There were about 5 points scored in the first 10 mins. Cathy and I kept commenting, "at least they are smart". I sat behind a very large man who I learned was a former Cornell basketball player. He was nice to look at & talk to during the game. ;)

Cornell ended up pulling off a win after losing a huge lead which made for a far more exciting ending than the start.

We joined the coaches, alums and recruits at a post-game gathering. All in all a good night.

First Snow Day

First snow of 2013.

Hooded puffy coat to keep me warm, but wrong boots... Felt like I was going to slip and fall every step!

Reminded me of my trip out to NYC to interview for my first job, 9 years ago... I slipped and fell crossing Park Avenue and had to wobble out of the road before incoming traffic killed me. That seems like an eon ago!

Pig Heaven

Table of pigs at dinner tonight at Nancy Lee's Pig Heaven. Hilarious assortment... So cute & so tacky!

The Heiress

Jessica Chastain, she's in the Help and Zero Dark Thirty. Dan Stevens, he's from Downton Abbey. The play was okay. I wasn't angry at it. Was a fun period piece. Glad I saw it, wouldn't go again.

Malfunction

Jared, one of my colleagues, has an entire Facebook album of these signs where the man and the hand come together, not actually indicating whether or not it is safe to walk. I stopped seeing them so often, but I must have seen 15 different ones today. Maybe because it is so cold? Here's the one on the corner near my apartment...

MLK Day View

Mostly the same view all day. I got the DVR down to 36% by 6PM. Love a Monday holiday at home!

Take It Down

It's January 20th, I think the deadline to remove Christmas decor has come and gone. Pathetic!

Comedy Show

Met Aimee, Andrew, and Shawn for a comedy show at EastmVille Comedy. Janeane Garafalo was not impressive, but I enjoyed Sam Morrel, DC Benny, Mike Britt, Judah Friedlander... Jim Gaffigan wasn't on the original lineup but dropped in and did a surprise set. Fun night, especially with free tickets!

East River View

Visiting a friend's apartment... I'm in love with riverfront views. Nothing noteworthy... Just saw it out the window.

Miserably 40

Robin & Jordan serenade André for his 40th at Cornerstone karaoke.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Even sitting in the nose bleeds of the rear mezzanine, through 3 acts and 2 intermissions... I enjoyed watching Scarlett Johansson & her cast mates, tonight.

The playbill was nicer than the theater marquee today.

Dinner?

I wasn't very hungry tonight... So I tried a new snack from my Target sale loot. De-lish-us! My new favorite snack! But probably doesn't qualify as dinner!

Working til Midnight

My day will end without a good photo to post. So, demonstrating my day, I am sitting in the dark office with only the light from my laptop and my desk light. Sad face.

I Heart Target

I do serious damage at Target...$208 today!

Between the sale items, last season's clearance items and bulk products that cost a small fortune in other stores in Manhattan, I take full advantage of my trips to Harlem to hit up Target. Here's the haul that made it home, piled in the hallway after 3 trips from Christine's car. (We also stopped at my office to drop stuff off there first). Ten bags home and two bags at the office.

$60 and a Milkshake

I went to see Fuerza Bruta tonight. One of my co-workers had asked me for discounted tickets to take his wife for Valentine's day.

I failed to find them tickets for Vday, but came across 4 free tickets for this weekend. Ordered them, invited Shawn to join us, and planned to meet them at the box office. Alan and Christine were prompt, I gave them their tickets and told them I'd see them inside.

While standing outside waiting for Shawn, I met a couple who were flying back to LA at 11pm, tonight. They were arguing because the 7pm show was sold out. They were begging to buy people tickets for the 10pm show in exchange for the 7pm tickets.

I offered to sell them my [free] tickets. So, I didn't see the show... But made $60!

No good marquee photo of the show, or playbill to post, but instead Shawn and I took our $60 and went to Stand4. I finally got to try the toasted marshmallow milkshake that Michael Symon loved. Yum! [more on the meal on my You Ate That blog]

The Wicked Years

Started a new book series today. I loaded all 4 books on my kindle app & had no idea which one to read first.

Fortunately, google helped me solve my problem. We'll see how long it takes to get through them all!

Glengarry Glen Ross

Al Pacino had top billing but Bobby Cannavale was far superior. Great show. I've seen it 3 times over the years and have never really understood how it ends. I think I'll have to check out the movie and see if I can gain some clarity.

Filipino Food!

A trip to Queens Philippines, Tito Rad's for delicious Filipino food. Couldn't decide on which photo to use, so the first of many collages! More details about the photos on my other blog...

Mulchfest

Last night, after D&D, David & Meghan helped me take the Christmas tree outside. Sadly, when I left for work, the tree was still there, waiting to participate in mulchfest. According to the NYC Christmas tree recycling website: All of the trees will be chipped into mulch that will be used as ground cover to nourish plantings across the City.

Is that a TBBT joke or are you serious?

Cathy made plans to visit New York. While making plans for theater tickets, she asked me if there were any nights that were better than others. I said, I have D&D on Monday nights, but any other day is fine. The following conversation made me laugh:

Cathy: what is D&D?
V: Dungeons & Dragons.
Cathy: is that a TBBT joke or are you serious?
V: Hahah serious!
[attached photo]
V: This is LITERALLY happening at my apt as we speak.

Closing Performance

I think Norbert Leo Butz is phenomenal. I love watching him on stage. I feel so fortunate to have seen him in the final performance of Dead Accounts. He, Katie Holmes, Judy Greer and their cast mates ended with a bang. First of many Broadway shows in 2013.

First Mother's Kitchen of 2013

The first Saturday of every month, I wake up early, put on yoga pants, a T-shirt and sneakers. Pack a bag full of aprons, kitchen towels, bandanas, take out containers, bottles of water and snacks. I go to the upper west side to work in Mother's Kitchen. We work really hard chopping, washing, prepping, cooking and serving from 9am to 6pm and I go home to shower & crash. Today's photo shows the service line. Volunteers and beneficiaries together. It feels great to help the community.

Last Bit of Christmas Decor

Thought I'd pay a bit of homage to the beautiful cards from my friends and family before packing up the last bit of Christmas... Truly the end of the holiday season, until next year, decor.

Corner Skylight

Light reflecting off of the skylight in the corner of my bedroom. Thought it made for an interesting composition.

Sad Socks

My favorite socks are ruined. Sad news. Immediate needs: new favorite socks & a pedicure. Odd end to an odd day.

Itsy Bitsy Visitor

First Photo of 2013. A spider visited my bathroom. I took his photo and washed him down the water spout.