Amy Twelve

Woah!

2005-09-28T10:34:00.000-07:00

This crocodile was found in New Orleans swimming down the street. 21 FTlong, 4,500 lbs, around 80 years old minimum.Specialists said that he was looking to eat humans because he was tooold to catch animals. This crocodile was killed by the army last Sundayat 3:00 pm, currently he is in the freezer at the Azur hotel. The contents of its stomach will be analyzed this Friday at 2:30pm.

You Know You're From New Orleans When...

2005-09-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

Your sunglasses fog up when you step outside.
You reinforce your attic to store Mardi Gras beads
Your baby's first words are "gumbo" and "whereyat"
You save newspapers, not for recycling but for tablecloths at crawfish boils
When you give directions you use "lakeside and riverside" not north & south
Your ancestors are buried above the ground.
You get on a green trolley car to go to the park and a red one to the French Quarter
You listen to holiday songs such as "the 12 yats of Christmas" and "Santa and his reindeer used to live next door"
You walk on the "banquet" (sidewalk) and stand in the "neutral ground" (area of ground between a two sided street) "by ya mommas" (by your mother's house).
Someone asks for directions and you stop and help them with a smile
You start an angel food cake with a roux.
Watching "Wild Kingdom" inspires you to write a cookbook.
You think a lobster is a crawfish on steroids.
You think boudin, hogshead cheese, and a Bud is a bland diet.
You think Ground Hog Day and the Boucherie Festival are the same holiday.
You take a bite of five-alarm chili and reach for the Tabasco.
Fred's Lounge in Mamou means more to you than the Grand Ole Opry.
You have an *envie* for something instead of a craving.
You use a "..3" washtub to cover your lawn mower or your outboard motor.
You use two or more pirogues to cover your tomatoes to protect them from the late frost.
You use a gill net to play tennis, badminton, or volleyball.
The horsepower of your outboard motor is greater than that of your car motor.
You pass up a trip abroad to go to the Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge.
The four basic food groups are boiled seafood, broiled seafood, fried seafood and beer
You are asked to name the holy trinity and your reply is "onions, celery, bell pepper."
You let your black coffee cool, and find that it has gelled.
You describe a link of boudin and cracklins as "breakfast."
Every once in a while, you have waterfront property.
Your mama announces each morning, "Well, I've got the rice cooking ... what will we have for dinner?"
None of your potential vacation destinations are north of the old Mississippi River Bridge (US 190).
You refer to Louisiana winters as "Gumbo Weather."
You get a disappointing look from your wife and describe it as, "She passed me a pair of eyes." You think of gravy as a beverage.
You greet your long lost friend at the Lafayette Regional Airport with "AAAAAAAYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE."
You sit down to eat boiled crawfish and your host says, "Don't eat the dead ones," and you know what he means.
You learned Bourre the hard way: Holding yourself upright in your crib.
You don't know the real names of your friends, only their nicknames.
You give up Tabasco for Lent
You worry about a deceased family member returning in spring floods.
You don't learn until high school that Mardi Gras is not a national holiday.
You push little old ladies out of the way to catch Mardi Gras throws.
You leave a parade with footprints on your hands.
You believe that purple, green, and gold look good together
Your last name isn't pronounced the way it's spelled.
You know what a nutria is but you still pick it to represent your baseball team.
You like your rice and your politics dirty.
No matter where else you go in the world, you are always disappointed in the food.
Your loved one dies and you book a jazz band before you call the coroner.
Your accent sounds nothing like Harry Connick, Jr's.
You can sing these jingles by heart: "Rosenberg's, Rosenberg's, 1825 Tulane;" "At the beach, at the beach, the Pontchartrain Beach..."
You ask, "How they running?" and "Are they fat?" but, you're inquiring about seafood quality and not the Cresent City Classic.
When a hurricane is imminent, you have a lot more faith in Nash Roberts than some Super Doppler 6000.
Your town is low on the education chart, high on the obesity chart and you don't care because you're No. 1 on the party chart.
Nothing shocks you. Period. Ever.
Being in a jam at Tulane and Broad isn't the same as being stuck in traffic.
Your idea of health food is a baked potato instead of fries with your seafood platter.
You have to take your coffee and favorite coffeemaker with you on a three-day trip.
You have sno-ball stains on your shoes.
You call tomato sauce "red gravy."
Your middle name is your mother's maiden name, or your father's mother's maiden name, or your mother's mother's maiden name, or your grandmother's mother's maiden name, or your grandfather's mother's maiden name.
On certain spring days, Crawfish Monica is your breakfast.
Your house payment is less than your utility bill.
You've done your laundry in a bar.
You don't show your "pretties" during Mardi Gras.
You wear sweaters in because it ought to be cold.
Your grandparents are called "Maw-Maw" and "Paw-Paw."
Your Santa Claus rides an alligator and your favorite Saint is a football player.
You suck heads, eat tail, sing the blues and you actually know where you got them shoes.
You shake out your shoes before putting them on.
You don't think it's inappropriate to refer to a large adult male as "Li'l Bubba."
You know why you should never, ever swim by the Lake Pontchartrain steps (for more than one reason).
You cringe every time you hear an actor with a Southern or Cajun accent in a "New Orleans-based" movie or TV show.
You have to reset your clocks after every thunderstorm.
You waste more time navigating back streets than you would if you just sat in traffic.
You still call the Fairmont Hotel, the Roosevelt.
You consider garbage cans a legal step to protecting your parking space on a public street.
You fall asleep to the soothing sounds of four box fans.
Your one-martini lunch becomes a five-bloody mary afternoon... and you keep your job.
Being in a jam at Tulane and Broad isn't the same as being stuck in traffic.
You're walking in the French Quarter with a plastic cup of beer.
When it starts to rain, you cover your beer instead of your head.
You eat dinner out and spend the entire meal talking about all the other good places you've eaten.
You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from New Orleans.

Support the Gulf South from Los Angeles

2005-09-24T18:27:00.000-07:00

The following is a press release, concerning fundraising program my sister Kathryn created in Los Angeles. If you know anyone in, around or visiting the area please circulate this to let them know. It's a great way to give what you can to the Gulf States and be seen out and about at the same time...

LEADING LOS ANGELES RESTAURANTEURS UNITE
TO RAISE FUNDS FOR THE RED CROSS AND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY GULF-SOUTH RELIEF AND RE-BUILD EFFORTS

LOS ANGELES-based New Orleanians Develop Program That Will Allow
Customer and Staff Participation in Fundraising Efforts

LOS ANGELES (September 16, 2005)—New Orleans natives and restaurant-industry veterans Kathryn Wittenburgh and Brandon Boudet today announced the launch of Wine & Dine Aid, a fundraising program endorsed by some of Los Angeles’ leading independent restaurateurs, including: Sean MacPherson, Dave Reiss, Steven Arroyo and Boudet’s business partner Warner Ebbink. Proceeds will be divided equally between The Red Cross and Habitat For Humanity.

Wine & Dine Aid was conceived of by Boudet, a Los Angeles chef who trained in several of New Orleans’ finest restaurants, and Wittenburgh, a third-generation native of the Crescent City. The Wine & Dine Aid program will feature and promote a different restaurant and/or bar on a select night this Fall. Participating restaurants / bars will donate 50% or more of a day’s profits directly to The Red Cross and Habitat For Humanity.

“The 300-year old city of New Orleans is one of the great culinary centers of the world and re-building it will take many years,” states Wittenburgh, vice president of Sean MacPherson’s Committed restaurant group. “Our friends and colleagues in the restaurant industry understand the need bring help to New Orleans and its neighboring cities as quickly as possible. We hope to achieve our collective fundraising goal of $100,000 through a group effort.”

The schedule of events is as follows:
Sept. 22 Jones Hollywood
Sept. 24 Bar Marmont
Sept. 26 Swingers-Hollywood
Sept. 26 Cobras & Matadors, Hollywood Blvd.
Sept. 26 The Counter
Sept. 27 The Brig
Sept. 27 101 Coffee Shop
Sept. 27 El Carmen
Sept. 28 Dominick’s
Sept. 28 Swinger’s Diner, Santa Monica
Sept. 29 Beechwood
Oct. 3 Broadway Bar
Oct. 3 Cobras & Matadors, Beverly Blvd.
Oct. 4 Golden Gopher
Oct. 5 Three of Clubs

Also participating in the program (dates TBD) are local LOS ANGELES favorites Firefly, Habana, Match, Powerhouse and Liquid Kitty. Participation dates will be posted on the Wine & Dine sister Web site http://www.roundupforrelief.org/.

Wittenburgh has coordinated an additional program, entitled “Round Up For Relief” which will allow customers to “round-up” their meal or bar tab to the next dollar—or beyond. The program goal is to accumulate small donations to create a large relief fund. This program encourages staff donations to build the fund as well.

For additional information, including the Wine & Dine Aid schedule of events, “Round Up For Relief” locations and daily updates on fundraising efforts, please visit: http://www.roundupforrelief.org/.

Media contact:
Joy Goldman (323) 664-8574

Hurricane Deja Vu

2005-09-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was suppose to be in Houston visiting with my sister Kathryn and my mom's side of the family. Last time Kathryn and I were suppose to meet up was for her Birthday in New Orleans a week after Katrina hit. Once again she had to cancel her flight in to see us due to a Hurricane. Maybe it's time we go out to Los Angeles, there maybe an earthquakes but I doubt we would run into another hurricane.

This morning waking up felt very similar to the morning of Hurricane Katrina. Rita brought dark heavy clouds, wind gusts of 50 mph and lots of rain. Mom started getting cabin fever early this morning which made for a pleasant afternoon. Water continues to pour into New Orleans through a couple of breaches in the levee.

Fiance 12 had to sleep over at my apartment last night because power on his side of town was wiped out.

School for Monday has been canceled, don't worry though the LSU vs. Tennessee is still scheduled. The PMAC at LSU is again turning into a triage center to accomidate the people in Lake Charles that were hit hard.

Instead of the nightmare continuing, it feels as if I'm reliving it all over again.

I need a break...

I need to get away!

The Beginnings of Hurricane Rita

2005-09-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

I woke up in the dark gloom that is lingering over Baton Rouge and went to school this morning for a test. Yes, LSU is the only school open in about a 60 mile radius and now the winds are getting worse that the street signs were falling down all around me. At one point I was pushed from one end of the sidewalk to another.

After class I decided I would use my break to back home fior a bit! Home is currently fiance 12's apartment, so I can be more accomidating to my family who are still living in my 1 bedroom apartment.

I came back and started channel surfing and I keep hearing one bad happening after another. A bus carrying evacuees out of Houston from a elderly home caught on fire and killed everyone inside, the industrial canal levee in New Orleans has 30' of water re-flooding the 9th Ward and New Orleans East (where my parent's lumber yard is), and now they have tornado watches here in Baton Rouge. Needless to say I have decided not to go back to campus!

From what I hear it's only going to get worse because the hurricane keeps creeping closer to the coast.

So much for creating a life that is "normal" again.

To the American People...

2005-09-13T15:43:00.000-07:00

"Dear America,

I suppose we should introduce ourselves: We're South Louisiana.

We have arrived on your doorstep on short notice and we apologize for that, but we never were much for waiting around for invitations. We're not much on formalities like that. And we might be staying around your town for a while, enrolling in your schools and looking for jobs, so we wanted to tell you a few things about us.

We know you didn't ask for this and neither did we, so we're just going to have to make the best of it. First of all, we thank you. For your money, your water, your food, your prayers, your boats and buses and the men and women of your National Guards, fire departments, hospitals and everyone else who has come to our rescue.

We're a fiercely proud and independent people, and we don't cotton much to outside interference, but we're not ashamed to accept help when we need it. And right now, we need it. Just don't get carried away.
For instance, once we get around to fishing again, don't try to tell us what kind of lures work best in your waters. We're not going to listen. We're stubborn that way. You probably already know that we talk funny and listen to strange music and eat things you'd probably hire an exterminator to get out of your yard. We dance even if there's no radio. We drink at funerals. We talk too much and laugh too loud and live too large and, frankly, we're suspicious of others who don't. But we'll try not to judge you while we're in your town.

Everybody loves their home, we know that. But we love South Louisiana with a ferocity that borders on the pathological. Sometimes we bury our dead in LSU sweatshirts. Often we don't make sense. You may wonder why, for instance - if we could only carry one small bag of belongings with us on our journey to your state - why in God's name did we bring a pair of shrimp boots? We can't really explain that. It is what it is.

You've probably heard that many of us stayed behind. As bad as it is, many of us cannot fathom a life outside of our border, out in that place we call Elsewhere. The only way you could understand that is if you have been there, and so many of you have. So you realize that when you strip away all the craziness and bars and parades and music and architecture and all that hooey, really, the best thing about where we come from is us. We are what made this place a national treasure. We're good people. And don't be afraid to ask us how to pronounce our names. It happens all the time.

When you meet us now and you look into our eyes, you will see the saddest story ever told. Our hearts are broken into a thousand pieces. But don't pity us. We're gonna make it. We're resilient. After all, we've been rooting for the Saints for 35 years. That's got to count for something. OK, maybe something else you should know is that we make jokes at inappropriate times. But what the hell.

And one more thing: In our part of the country, we're used to having visitors. It's our way of life. So when all this is over and we move back home, we will repay to you the hospitality and generosity of spirit you offer to us in this season of our despair.

That is our promise. That is our faith."

2005-09-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

New Orleans fighting fire, wind, and water.

Are these really our leaders?

2005-09-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

Below is an email my sister Kat sent to me today. I can't believe that our country's priorities don't align with their own people...Americans.

Hastert: Rebuilding New Orleans "Doesn't Make Sense"
Quoth Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Speaker of the United States House of Representatives: Lawmakers have to ask themselves if it's worth sinking possibly billions of federal dollars into rebuilding New Orleans, a low-lying city which would remain a vulnerable hurricane target even after clean up, House Speaker Dennis Hastert said Wednesday.
"It doesn't make sense to me," said Hastert during an interview with the Daily Herald editorial board. "And it's a question that certainly we should ask."

____

However, as a member of the House that has approved billions of dollars to fund the intiaive in Iraq, it apparently makes perfect sense to this politician to spend the billions of federal dollars to rebuild a foreign land that we helped tear down. Interesting, the priorities of our elected officials.

Any consideration of not rebuilding New Orleans is no different to me than a suggestion that we should have just left the site of the World Trade center a vacant lot. Ridiculous.

I’m terrified about what will happen to my home town…

Kat

HURRICANE KATRINA AFTERMATH

2005-09-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

If you are a breathing human-being, I'm sure you've heard about the largest national disaster to ever hit the United States...Hurricane Katrina. This blog will now become a place for me to post my overwelming emotions which include frustration, anger, and remorse about the injustices of the beauracracy to my hometown of New Orleans, LA. I also have a lot of hope that it will rebuild and rise out of the water again.

Please keep the following people in your prayers and thoughts for they have not been found or heard from since the hurricane hit:
The Arceneaux Family - Chalmette, La. (St. Bernard Parish)
The Brown Family - Chalmette, La. (St. Bernard Parish)
Emma Jean "Tiny" Haten - New Orleans, La. (Jefferson Parish)

The following is a letter I sent to friends that have called/email wondering about our well-being:

Thank you for all your calls and emails, the communication black hole doesn’t help much during this unimaginable disaster. It is really hard to see these images on TV of the city I grew up in.

Fortunately, all of my family is accounted for, and spread from Houston to Atlanta. Currently I am living in my 1 bedroom apartment with my parents, sister and our chocolate lab. It looks like this might be our living situation for the next 3-4 months due to the fact we cannot get back into the city with the standing water.

My younger sister Michel was currently in her senior year of high school in New Orleans and went around Baton Rouge this week looking for a new school to enroll in for this semester or maybe the remaining year.

Baton Rouge, the city we are currently living in, is completely inundated with people from Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. At night I have been volunteering with the Red Cross at LSU’s temporary Triage Center, which facilitates medical needs before the disabled are transported to other shelters around the country.

The past week has been really rough hearing one bad piece of news after another through local media sources. The news keeps coming like ripples in the water that not only did a massive category 4 hurricane blow through our city, but the aftermath with breeches in the levees to looters going through businesses and residences, and now with the congestion (of all the people) in Baton Rouge there is civil unrest here.But all this bad news does not hinder the efforts of most native New Orleanians to go back home.

Many began going back into the city today to see their communities and to check on their houses to take what belongings they could recover. I think Anne Rice said it best in her Sunday piece in the New York Times entitled Do You Know What It Means to Lose New Orleans?

“I know that New Orleans will win its fight in the end. I was born in the city and lived there for many years. It shaped who and what I am. Never have I experienced a place where people knew more about love, about family, about loyalty and about getting along than the people of New Orleans. It is perhaps their very gentleness that gives them their endurance.
They will rebuild as they have after storms of the past; and they will stay in New Orleans because it is where they have always lived, where their mothers and their fathers lived, where their churches were built by their ancestors, where their family graves carry names that go back 200 years. They will stay in New Orleans where they can enjoy a sweetness of family life that other communities lost long ago."

We will rebuild New Orleans again. Though this disaster is something I never want to remember, this past week has been filled with experiences and emotions I will never forget.

LL teaches us something new...

2005-08-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

“That’s because - You’re a Yenta, you’re a Yenta, you’re a Yenta!” (word of the day: “Yenta”)

“Men are easier than women. Women are stupid.” (hold me back, hold me back…I’m going to slap him!!!)

“He’s a Putz! Do you think he can stand that shit? He’s a Putz!” (What shit? Your shit? Because I know I can’t stand it!)

And the best…

“She’s a school teacher like you are a mouse keeper. You know I was a school teacher once…”
(I don’t want to know about that fantasy of yours’ LL and didn’t you say the other day that you use to a singer? Hmmm singing teacher maybe?? LL was a music teacher?!!? Yeah just like I’m am an old, loud Jewish man.)

looky here...it's a new post!!!

2005-08-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hooray a new post! It has only taken me 2 weeks to get back to blogging. This is mainly because I have been so busy out and about, but partly do to the fact I don’t like getting on the computer at home since I’ve been staring at the computer for 9 hours working and now I have permanent eye bleeding.

Anyway, family 12 came into town about a week ago and we had a jam-packed weekend full of food, touristy stuff and wedding dress shopping. Some of the highlights on their trip to NYC include: dinner at Balthazar, the ferry ride to Staten Island, a Yankees Game (with amazing seats…thanks Dad), the musical Wicked (Mom waited in line for 4 1/2 hours), dress shopping at Saks and Kleinfeld…I’ve found two amazing dresses but I’m indecisive about which is “the one”.

By the way, I’m really missing Fiance 12! But I’ll see him when I return to Louisiana’s State Capitol this weekend.

Wait a second…that means, six more days till I see him. Aahhhh!!! Six days left in New York??!!?? This summer has flown by! It feels like yesterday I was up on a rooftop in the East Village watching the fireworks light the sky, but it was a month ago. Time really does fly when you live in a city as fast paced as Manhattan. Well just means I have to pack everything in this week like more shopping, my final week at work (oh, how I’ll miss LL’s coffee talks), lunches in the park with the girls from work, and sleepless nights out in the Village with Klaudia, Karen, and in the UES with Jessica and Cat.

Wow, lots to do guess I better get to it!

LL's relationship rant yesterday

2005-07-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

How to treat your woman with LL:

"Look it up you got the wrong definition!" (Debating the word snob, because his girlfriend is telling him he's a "snob")

"Every time you say something it's even more ridiculous than the next. You're so stupid!" (This is when I would hang up and never call again, but she keeps coming back for more.)

"You are the stupidest girl I have ever met in my life! "You are crazy and vindictive."

"Don't talk excitedly to me, I can't handle it. When you call me calm yourself."

"I have ten girlfriends. I don't tell them about the other women. So don't tell me about you men." (Eeeeeewh! LL having 1 girlfriend is too much for me to handle.)

"You don't have to tell anything to anyone unless you're married!" (Oh, is that how relationships work?!?)

"Snob, snob, snob, snob, snob, snob, snob, snob, snob." (aaahhh! I never want to hear this word again!)

"We can't all be rich!" (Ain't that the truth!)

"Don't talk excitedly to me, I can't handle it. When you call me calm yourself." (LL, that’s how I feel every time you speak! Practice what you preach.)

not enough "office space"...

2005-07-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

I'm sure every office has one. He's repetitive, overbearing, has an abnoxiously loud indoor voice, and rabbles on the phone about of every aspect of his life. The girls in the office refer to him as "Loud Larry". For the past couple of days I've been emailing them some tidbits of LL's threatening, sage advice, medical history, preaching, jewish terminology and most of all the screaming he communicates in most of his telephone conversations with clients and business partners. This is because my cubicle sits directly facing his, yikes!!! Most of his babbling cannot be explained and our reactions vary from rolling our eyes to letting out a loud laugh. Enjoy!

Coffee Talk with LL:

7.12.05 (15 minute time period)
"He’s trying to be cute! He’s testing you…"
"You know what a ‘setz’ is?"
"SEAN!!!!" (screaming at the top of his lungs, 4 times)
"She senses that I'm fed up. She senses that I’m fed up. She senses that I’m fed up. Yeah!!! Cause I’m fed up!"
"That’s the last bip, bop, bing, boop resort!"

His sign out lately has been...
"Office."

"You going to meet me bud in the off.? With rosie palms?" (no clue what this means???)

7.18.05 (5 minute time period)
"I'm not trying to be a 'huhhuah' !" (not sure of the spelling but there's a bunch of spitting that goes along with the word)
"Oh, babe you don't want me to be hurt do you?" (spoken in a woman's voice)
How many jewish mothers does it take to change a light bulb, barry? right, right ,RIGHT!" (followed by the sounds of rattling pills from a side desk drawers and a big gulp)

His Calvin Klein perfume is quite overwelming today!

easy like sunday morning...

2005-07-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend I started off running but burnt out fast! I made big plans to attend American Ballet Theatre’s Giselle. It was tragically beautiful and included most of the cast from the movie Center Stage. Another surprise was that one of my dance classmates from New Orleans has joined ABT's company and was in the chore that night. Weird…it's a small world after all. I wanted to go directly to bed and sleep after a long week of coloring combined with the heat of dorm. But Klaudia and Darron talked me into going Uptown with them to Merchants (a cigar and Jazz bar). Three bourbon and cokes and a couple of cigarettes later I was into the music and the party. The next day I opened my eyes to bottle of glistening water that Klaudia had gotten for me and rolled over again in bed. Later in the afternoon I squinted at the light coming through our dorm window and I was drenched in my own sweat…damn that humidity and no a/c in Rubin Hall
Saturday I laid out on a rolling hill listening from afar to the New Orleans music coming from SummerStage in Central Park. I fell asleep again and awoke sweating again but this time with imprints from my knit blanket on the right side of my face. Lazy afternoon continued on with some reading and bed at 11:00pm. The following day Klaudia and I ate brunch at Figaro’s sidewalk café and a trip to NYU library. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory topped off the weekend on Sunday and what do you know, I went right to bed following the movie. L-A-Z-Y!!!

vicious cycle

2005-07-11T08:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend I got some energy back through Friday’s 12-hour night of sleep and a Red Bull. Saturday I spent 2 hours at the gym, running off all that dark chocolate I consumed at the office during the past week. Then I went out in the Meatpacking District with the New Orleans crew. We created our own dance floor amidst the posers lining the banquettes and walls of Pop Burger. I also learned of my erogenous zone (my elbow) according to my astrological sign, from a Birthday boy at West.
Yesterday I did a lot of recouping and then saw the movie Heights with Klaudia. I’m still blown away by the screenplay, the actors and the reality of the film. It’s an independent movie with a plot bordering that of Closer but so much better. It is filmed in New York and brings you full circle into lives of different lovers. I definitely want to see this one again.
Today it’s back to work and I have been moved to a new desk for the third time. I love musical chairs, wonder what other surprises this week will bring.

2005-07-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

4th of July from a rooftop in the East Village

2005-07-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

Baseball Game in Central Park

2005-07-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

Fiance 12 and I at the Lever House

2005-07-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

The cantilevered Citigroup Building

2005-07-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

The Arch in Washington Square Park with the Empire State Building in the distance

NXS

2005-07-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

I need more energy! This city is draining…too much eating, partying, and working and now my pants are too tight. I mean I walked at least 20 miles around the entire island this past weekend with fiancé 12. I should have at least stabilized…right?!?

Oh yeah this weekend…let’s see it consisted of drinks out with the LSU architect alums, breakfast while watching a pee-wee baseball game in central park, a trip to the pet store where I was on the verge of spending my entire paycheck on a teacup Maltese because his teddy bear eyes were crying out “please take me away from this God-forsaken place”. Once fiancé 12 talked me down from the purchase considering I live in a dorm and couldn’t hide the his barking, we continued on to SOHO looking in vintage clothing stores and jewelry stores --- for his wedding band. Nothing fit our budgets. (Money was a huge issue this weekend…there were quite a few tiffs on this subject between the two of us. This will continue to be our most challenging issue but we're working on it.) Continuing on we walked to the East Village and wondered about, finally the pain in our backs and the heaviness in our feet were too unbearable so we turned back to the dorm. After a sweltering hot afternoon nap…we went uptown to take a look at some of NYC’s famous architecture including the Lever House and the Chrysler Building. Other stops during our busy weekend included a crazy morning in Chinatown, pizza in Little Italy a street fair in SOHO, dinner at Sushi Samba with dessert following at Pure, drinks at a French café with Klaudia and Karen and a whole lot of downtime in the dorm. All in all it was a very successful weekend and though the salsa dancing never happened…we did enough to satisfy my need to explore this city for at least a week.

wonderland

2005-07-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

Magic wands, magnetic lassos, a sparkling diamond, chocolates...

Sounds like a fantasyworld right? Nope, just another day in the office.
Photoshop is now an intergral part of my life along with the
engagement and the all important chocolate during the monthly pms.

Fiance-12 is on his way to Manhattan as I write. Big plans to lounge in the dorm, eat our way through the next 3 days and wonder through museums and markets are set. I may even drag him to a Salsa club this weekend to practice for our wedding dance, and he will love ever minute of it! We'll see what happens...

2005-06-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

my small corner of the world for the summer

2005-06-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

Top of the Guggenheim

2005-06-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

chaos during a fire next door

2005-06-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

Wishing I lived up there

2005-06-30T19:40:00.000-07:00

Klaudia and I sweating and having drinks at a sidewalk cafe

2005-06-30T19:38:00.000-07:00

The NYU dorm minus a roommate

2005-06-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

Cat, Cherene and I posing with Irish boys in front of The Arch in Washington Square Park

From the Big Easy to the Big Apple

2005-06-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

I did it.

I finally followed through with that promise to myself that I would get out of town and move to Manhattan. Truthfully, the first week was rough. A southern girl coming to "the big city" isn't the smoothest transition. Some of the adjustments I've made in the last 3 weeks include:

1. The hospitality factor: no walking down the street smiling, making eye contact and absolutely NO saying "Hello" to strangers. When you initiate this kind of behavior people perceive as negative and think you want something from them. No looking for friendly smiles back in this city. On a good day you may get a nod, but look for nothing more.

2.The obvious hustle and bustle has proven to conflict with my laissez e faire attitude from New Orleans. I found this especially true at work the first week, but the adjustment will prove beneficial when I get back LSU's design school in the fall. Senior year I will be pumping out those projects left and right and be proficient in Photoshop thanks to Beth.

3. NYU dorms: roommate status. Up until Sunday I was living in a 5 person suite by myself. I not complaining about the bathroom to myself or the privacy factor that this entails, it was the fact that I was alone in this big city with no one to talk to. That plus the fact that I had a Marilyn Monroe moment the first day I was here had to be the worst part of moving here. But that has been solved with the arrival of my roomie Klaudia. If you thought you were an over achiever just come over and meet Klaudia. She is originally from Peru, grew up in Switzerland, went to college in the states, and is in Grad School for Sociology and Documentary Films. She also speaks 3 languages...French, Spanish and English. Let's just say I was feeling like my life was a bit irrelevant in this world after we had our first conversation together. Since then we have meshed really well and have bee partying in the city non-stop...Even on school nights!

4. My aching feet: anyone who tells you that Minolo stiletto heels are a must in Manhattan must have flip flops stashed in their Hermes bag. Everyone close to me knows I have an addiction to shoes. This addition can be fed in New York but they would sit looking pretty in my closet do to the amount of walking I do everyday. Maybe that's why taxis are so popular...

5. So much to do and see, so little time. I know I'm stating the obvious when I say, this island is huge! I'm currently living in Greenwich Village and love every block within it. I see why people stay within in one neighborhood all their life. Everything is accessible food, bars, cleaners, groceries, movies, shopping within 2 blocks of me and there is so much more to explore. Every weekend I seem to walk right into a street fair and splurge on food, jewelry and clothing.

Can't wait to explore this city more with the 3 day weekend ahead!