Family Christmas Brunch

For the past few years, my Aunts have hosted Family Christmas Brunch at The Friars and its one of my favorite days of the year. Holidays get increasingly complicated when you get married, it seems (we're headed to Albany this year) so it was so nice to see everyone in one place.

This is less of a post and more of a glorified photo dump. Sorry in advance if you don't come here to see pictures of my cute family.

I love this picture so much. Its a good thing they didn't both have their Vitas, otherwise they would have been cooperatively killing a dragon like they were at Thanksgiving.

Alexander is all about the selfies.

Two and a half year old babies are no joke in the lifting department!

Me and my godmother! Selfies forever Aunt Lau...selfies forever. My red cheeks are courtesy of some apple that was in a drink I had. Conclusion: I am actually allergic and should stop eating them (not shown: my bloodshot eyes 20 minutes later).

Alyssa is Jonathan's absolute favorite. Sometimes he just sits in a group of people and yells "ALYSSA!" This picture is after Alyssa chased him all over the place, including up two flights of stairs. She was not impressed and he was not tired.

Alyssa's birthday was the day before (23!) so we had ice cream birthday cake for her! According to her, it had the "perfect combination of cake and ice cream!".

See you next year, Friars!

My Mom is not in any of these pictures because she took basically all of them. Mission next year: take the phone away from my Mom. 

Bullet Proof Vests, Vacuum Cleaners and Bingo with A Drag Queen

This weekend was really one for the books in terms of hilarity.

On Saturday night we slept at John's Aunt and Uncle's house. Uncle Paul happens to work in law enforcement and happened to have a bullet proof vest hanging in the guest room where we were sleeping. Did you know that bullet proof vets are not knife proof? They're not! I would definitely want the bullet proof/knife proof combo situation (does that even exist?) but I guess the bullet proof one was okay to use while pretending to fight crime in their living room.

On Sunday I got into an epic battle with our vacuum cleaner. John had gone to his last day of work on a production of Parade that he was doing so I decided to turn on some Call the Midwife and start cleaning our house in preparation for Sidesmas (which is this weekend!). We have this dust that we use on our carpets that gets all the cat hair up and makes the whole house smell great (its most definitely full of chemicals, but I'll do anything to make our house smell like clean linen). Anyway, I put the cats in the bathroom and threw the dust all over the carpet. I waited 25 minutes, I turned on the vacuum and proceeded to watch as our fancy vacuum blew the dust all over the place. Which is exactly the opposite of what a vacuum is supposed to do. 

I Googled our vacuum (obviously) and read 3 step by step tutorials and watched three videos on how to take it apart and fix it. I got the thing totally apart, cleaned it all out, cried while Joe died from the ulcers on his leg (you kill me, Call the Midwife) and then prepared to put the whole thing back together. Except I couldn't get the head to re-attach. I tried for a full hour and I will not lie to you: I cursed and cried and yelled and then gave up in an exhausted heap. 

Then Becca came over and tried. And tried and tried. And we watched another video. We gave up after I used her hand held dustbuster to get most of it up (a good friend will bring you their dustbuster in an emergency). John came home four hours later and got it together with one firm push. I was never more thrilled and more enraged in my entire life. 

See all the dust? 

After giving up on the vacuum, Becca and I went out to dinner and then met two of our friends at Ginger's for happy hour drinks and some Bingo with a Drag Queen Host. We started the evening with a blue shot (because why not on a Sunday night) and some ciders. 

Before Bingo started, we thought it would be a good idea to get double Gin and Tonics and to tell the man running the show that sure, I would make the lights flicker when someone won and of course Veronica would ring the bell. 

I have a somewhat crippling fear in Bingo (and really all luck drawn games...I'm a mess during a raffle) that I will think I have won, but then have my card check will have not won. And then everyone will think I'm a big, fat cheater and jeer (totally rational, I know). Its a lot of pressure and frankly, I prefer not to win. But YAY Becca won! That was fun enough for me, I think. We yelled and screamed and flickered the lights and she got a picture with a super pretty Drag Queen named Lola that I can't find anywhere. HOORAY BINGO!

Inflation Celebration!

Last Wednesday John came to pick me up from work and we made our way to the Upper West Side in the pouring, freezing rain to see Macy's Inflation Celebration!

My Aunt Lau used to take me to see the balloons get blown up (before it was an official Celebration, I think) when I was a kid. There were a few years that I even got to see the balloons the night before and then again the next morning as they marched down the city's streets. John had never been, and since this was the first Thanksgiving Eve that we were in the city together, we decided we had to go.

We took the B to 81st Street and when we got there, the station was already crowded and it was only 4:30. The cops were so helpful though, and we made our way up the stairs and into the rain to see the balloons. When I was a kid, we would go late, around 10:00 but since it was raining everyone online said they would go up earlier and they were right! This is what we saw as soon as we came out of the subway.

One of my favorite thing about watching the balloons go up is that usually the ones that have faces look like they are sleeping. Look at Sponge Bob!

And Papa Smurf is like "Guys, I am so hungover I had such a rager last night".

It was so cold and rainy but overall it was very well organized. There was a flow to the walking traffic and at the end of it, you ended right back at the entrance to the subway.

After a slightly harrowing subway trip home, we went to one of our favorite restaurants in the neighborhood. Earlier in the week, John had driven past and seen their Christmas decorations. "You will LOVE it" he said when he walked in the door. He knows me pretty well!

RadioLoveFest at BAM: IRA GLASS IN PERSON!

Two years ago John and I went to a movie theater in Long Island to see a live broadcast of This American Life. It ended terribly. So when NPR announced that RadioLoveFest would be at BAM and that This American Life was going to be there, I was more than a little excited. But then the tickets sold out. SOLD OUT. I was devastated!

BUT THEN Facebook told me that they were adding a 10:00PM show! "That is so late," I thought. "BUT IRA GLASS IN PERSON!" I screamed to myself.

And then I looked and there were still seats in the second row available! And so, with barely a second thought to the price (which honestly was fairly reasonable) I bought those tickets.

I felt confident in my purchase because unless Ira dropped dead of adorableness and/or journalistic brilliance in the middle of the performance there was basically no way we were going to have to leave halfway through like the last time.

On Saturday I was so excited that I made us get there more than an hour before the doors opened. We went across the street for a drink (because apparently we do that now?) and at 9:30 I told John we had to go in. He kept telling me that we weren't going to lose our seats because you know, they were assigned, but I was insistent.

That was a mistake though, because the good people who work at BAM had no idea how pushy NPR listeners are. They also did not have a plan to allow the 7:30PM audience out while letting us in. It was a hot mess in that lobby with a lot of pushing and mild aggression but then, we were in! And the stage was SO close! I've never sat in the second row for anything and I think I had an unrealistic understanding of what that location meant. What it means is that there is only one row between you and the stage!

Here's my thing about public radio: I love it. And I listen to it a lot: in the morning when I put my makeup on, on my walk to the subway, when I'm at work, while I cook dinner. Literally all day. I listen to it live,  John listens to it (though less than I do) and my Mom listens to it and every week we say "Did you listen to This American Life this week?" If we're in the car together on a Sunday, we listen to it.

So to see Ira Glass say "From WBEZ Chicago its This American Life...I'm Ira Glass," was a big deal! I almost died and I squeezed John's hand so hard he got mad! Ira Glass gives me mutant strength!

You basically feel like you know these people (or maybe I'm just a weirdo) and then there they are in front of you saying the words you hear them say every week!

The show was great. Philip Glass was in the opener. THE Philip Glass (who is apparently Ira's cousin). They did a musical adaptation of this story they did a year ago about a kid in Florida who fell for an undercover cop at his school who was posing as a student. He got marijuana for her and ended up arrested with pleading guilty to a felony. Mike Birbiglia was there and told a story that required a roller skating mouse and Ira being dressed up as a cat. 

There were two musical performances by Stephin Merritt. Halfway through the first song John leaned over to me and said "I think that's the guy from the Magnetic Fields" AND IT WAS. We LOVE The Magnetic Fields. Admittedly we are not die hard fans because we didn't know the name of the lead singer but they are one of the few bands John and I agree on and he was there! Needless to say I loved every single second.

This is how happy I was at the end. Also, the man behind me is an insane combination of John's step-dad and his Uncle Paul.

I've already decided what I'm seeing next year at RadioLoveFest! Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me (which was sold out this time), This American Life, The Moth and Radiolab. Mission: front row tickets next year for This American Life for me and my Mom.

In conclusion: Saturday night was the best night ever and Ira Glass you are a dreamboat.

Austenland Screening

Last night, Teress and I went to the Hellogiggles screening of Austenland! We both read the book, so we didn't go in with high hopes.

Earlier in the summer, Teress told me about a book signing with Lauren Graham. We both left the office too late, and I barely got in (standing room only at the back of the crowd) and Teress got shut out. So last night, we were determined to get into this screening, especially since I got an email saying they overbook them.

Needless to say, we left the office at 4:59, jumped on the F Train and were at the theater by 5:15. Where we promptly found out there the sign-in table didn't even open until 6:30. So to Katz's Deli we went!

Have you ever been to Katz's? I had not and neither had Teress, so we were total rookies. Luckily, there was a nice gentleman behind the counter who kept calling us "baby" who helped us out. We split the brisket sandwich and I ate just about that whole plate of pickles. I feel I would have enjoyed the experience more if I had gotten a knish? Overall though, it was a good dinner and ALERT its cash only!

At 6:15 we promptly returned to the theater to find out that they had already started checking people in! FEAR NOT we still got tickets. We were just about the happiest people in the world AND we somehow ended up in the front of the line walking in, so we got great seats!

Teress and I had spent the past two days at work talking about how incredible it would be if they gave us the totes that Kerri Russell is holding in the movie poster. We walked into the theater and there were the totes! We were so giddy, it was like someone had given us gold.

And guys...Teress' boyfriends' name is Darcy! Best day ever.

The movie was adorable! Totally cheesy and predictable, but it an adorably charming kind of way. It was a million times better than the book, and I highly recommend that you grab your girlfriends and go see it this weekend! Thanks to Teress for such a fun night!

Happy Weekend!

Something I Forgot I Did: Fuerza Bruta

During my blogging hiatus, Becca, Shannon and I went to Fuerza Bruta!

Fuerza Bruta is this super strange participatory show in Union Square (I think the theater used to be a bank?). I think its a good thing I've waited so long to write about it though, because I couldn't decide how I felt about it after we left. I've had some time to think about it though, so I feel adequately prepared to review it for you.

When you walk into the theater, a voice tells you that at points of the show you're going to be asked to "move with the sets." At that point I looked at Becca and said "I'm definitely not going to like this". There was also noises that sounded like gun shots (not my fave in a dark room filled with people) and flashing lights. Epileptics beware (no, seriously I wouldn't recommend it).

There was no dialogue during the show, though from what I gathered from the dancing and yelling the plot was about young people in a fast moving world? The show was also pegged as a dance show, but I think there was really only six minutes of dancing and really it was just the same step over and over again (the dancing was pretty intense though, so major credit to the dancers).

And then this happened?

A giant inflatable pool is above your head and people swim around and bang on it so the water flies all around. And finally, there is a chance you will get sprayed with a hose. I didn't because I was toward the back, but if you are in the front you've been warned.

Conclusion: I didn't like it. It took me two months to decide but I definitely didn't like it. It is an experience, though so maybe I would reccommend it, but only if you get a Groupon like we did. Love me a Groupon!

MoMA Rain Room

The first weekend in June, John's sister Laura came to visit! I love when Laura comes to visit and I especially love when she visits and wants to do fun things in the city!

I had been dying to go see the MoMA Rain Room for weeks, so clearly this was the perfect weekend to do it! John bought a MoMA membership for the explicit reason of being able to line up two hours before everyone else. Despite our VIP status, we still waited for what seemed like 6 hours but was actually more like two.

We were so, so, sweaty and gross. Thankfully the last part of the line is inside the actual Rain Room, which is dark and air conditioned...thank you, MoMA!

Here's what the Rain Room is! Its a room where you walk under falling water, but you don't get wet! Before we got to the Rain Room, John was pretty positive that the rain was actually light. I told him that I had read a bunch of blog posts and articles about the Rain Room and I was absolutely certain that it was real water. I was right!

I really loved the Rain Room and I would go again before it closes on July 28th if it wasn't for the line (we can get $5 tickets because we bought the membership, otherwise tickets are $25 per person).

Its things like the Rain Room and bringing out of town-ers to it make me extra excited to live in Brooklyn. Sometimes the city is annoying...like on days when I have to move my car because of alternate side parking, or when its very hot in the subway or when I want to drive to a Target to accidentally spend $100 (why no Target that is not filled with humans, Brooklyn?). But I really do love living here and having people come for the weekend make me love it even more.

Hooky Day with Your Aunts

Sometimes, on a beautiful first day of Spring it is important to take a (previously scheduled) hooky day off from work. This is especially advisable if your Aunts and Fiance can also play hooky and spend the day with you!

Here are the steps to take to make sure you have a proper hooky day: 

1. Have a bagel on the subway 

2. Get off the subway at Columbus Circle and marvel and the fact that you are hardly EVER in Columbus Circle! 

3. See a one woman show! Though I'm pretty sure Ann counted as a one woman + one voice show? Thoughts from people who have seen it? 

4. Exit Lincoln Center and happen upon the set up for the premier of The Great Gatsby (I do not understand the hype, friends. I just do not understand the hype). 

5. Eat an obscene amount of guacamole. Seriously is there a better food than guacamole? I think not. 

6. Take the long walk back to the subway and Columbus Circle and marvel at how lucky you are. 

My First Book Signing: Someday, Someday, Maybe

Two weeks ago (I KNOW FAIL BLOGGING) I went to my very first book signing with my friend, Ashley! We saw Lauren Graham, who wrote a book called Someday, Someday, Maybe. And guys, Anna Quindlen was the moderator. My Mom LOVES Anna Quindlen. It was a pretty exciting night!

We were one of the last people they let in, so we stood in the back, but we were beyond thrilled!

When she was done speaking, we waited on line for her to sign our books. The girls behind us were kind of weird and they kept spouting out random Lauren Graham facts. Such as, did you know she only has half siblings? So say the girls behind us.

I asked Ashley if she would support me if I broke out into the Gilmore Girls theme song as I approached the table. You know the song, the one me and my Mom sang every week at the beginning of the show? Ashley said she wouldn't, so I chickened out, but it would have been epic.

"IF YOU'RE OUR ON YOUR OWN, FELLING LONELY AND SO COLD...ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CALL MY NAME AND I'LL BE THERE ON THE NEXT TRAIN!!!!"

Anna Quindlen was also signing books so obviously I got a copy of her new memoir for my Mom. No one was asking her to sign anything though, so when I went up to her I had to interrupt her conversation so that she could sign my book. It was super awkward but also super awesome!

I haven't started Someday, Someday, Maybe yet (I've got a serious book queue going on) but I'll let you know when I do!

Squirrels in My Car

My car battery was super dead on Saturday when we tried to take my car to shopping in Long Island (Target with a parking lot oh how I have missed you!). We decided not to deal with it then, so yesterday I woke up and called AAA.

The woman who helped me on the phone told me that the guys would be to my car in 15 minutes so John and I threw on real clothes and ran around the corner. The AAA guys were unbelievably helpful.

They ran some super serious diagnostics and then told me that there was no saving the battery but that they would replace it for me for $149! Great, sir. Honestly, I would have given them $700 if it meant that they would do it then and there. Take note, AAA.

After they replaced the battery, the guy told me to come look at some things to keep an eye on. Blah, blah, blah something about my alternator, blah, blah, blah, there is squirrel poop under your hood. Say again, sir?

What's that you say, blog readers? You don't believe me? Well you're welcome I took pictures.

Car owners beware! When its cold, rodents and vermin climb under your car's hood and warm themselves up/poop everywhere. Richard, the AAA guy, told us that once he got dispatched to a car near Prospect Park that hadn't been turned on in six months (alternate side parking tickets?). When they opened the hood to jump the battery, there was a giant pile of leaves and a POSSUM JUMPED OUT OF THE LEAVES. IT HAD CONSTRUCTED A NEST UNDER THE HOOD.

So gross. Can't deal. Vermin poop in my car. Happy Monday.