Trekkies

Adam got us tickets to see the new Star Trek movie on an IMAX screen. Ginormous screen. Pretty exciting stuff. The only catch was the only tickets he could get were for the Saturday 10 am show. All the other shows were already sold out (a week in advance!) Only in New York. I didn't even know that you could see a movie at 10 am.


This is what it looked like when we walked up to the theater at 9:20 am. Yeah, there was like a hundred people waiting in line. The theater wasn't even open yet. Have to say, GREAT place to pick up men since the audience was like 80% male. That is, if you are into that kind of Sci Fi lovin' man.


Here's our posse. Adam and Dan are Star Trek nerds (our Sci Fi lovin' men). Nell and I have never seen any of the Star Trek movies or any episodes of the tv show.

It was a GREAT movie. It was the perfect action movie. I would put it up there with Star Wars. Good-looking actors, interesting plot line, intense and satisfying action sequences, funny jokes, good character development, light on its feet, didn't take itself too seriously--just a good, good movie. I was surprised. I don't usually like action or Sci Fi or never had any interest in Star Trek. But I am a Trekkie now.

Afterwards, the four of us went out for lunch and then walked about the Central Park Zoo.

On the walk home, Dan noticed this street sign. It made us very happy. This picture is not doctored.


Live long and prosper.

Burger Club

I am not much of a burger eater, but I like this idea for a Burger of the Month club that I read about in The New York Times today. Wouldn't it be fun to meet up with your friends once a month to eat and rate burgers and then host a nifty web site about your experience?

Does there need to be a Cupcake of the Month club?

Giant Cheetos

I am sure that you know by now that I would take sweet over salty any day. Don't get me wrong, put a bowl of Doritos in front of me and I can eat the whole thing. But usually, I go months without putting a single chip in my mouth or even thinking about doing so.

Yet for some reason, I have been captivated by the brilliant new snack-food invention: Giant Cheetos. Ever since I saw the commercial, I have been dying to have one (or two or three).

The problem was that I couldn't find them anywhere. In a week's time, I tried two grocery stores, Target, the Devil's Den, and nothing! Suddenly, the urge for a massive cheese puff was getting unbearable. After reviewing an online message board, I discovered that someone found them at Walgreens, which is where I finally got them. Phew!

What did it taste like? Well, like a Giant Cheeto. What did you expect? Sure, you have to open your mouth extra wide to eat it, but really, you just get more of the artificial cheesy taste, the Styrofoam texture, the gunk stuck in your teeth and the orange dust on your fingers. If you want a more detailed analysis, I suggest you go here.

I feel like I could go on living now that I had one, and I could live on never having one ever again. But if they were in a bowl in front of me, I would definitely go for it. Though I prefer the skinny, crunchy Cheetos over the puff (giant or regular) any day.


The moment I have been waiting for!


Going, going....


Gone!


Dan gets his Cheetos fix.

Ode to Brian

On a rainy and bad-hair inducing evening, Dan and I ventured to Brooklyn to Brian's going away party. Brian lives ten blocks away from me, but his party was taking place an hour away at Zombie Hut in Brooklyn. Luckily, Brian is the type of guy who you'd travel an hour in the rain all the way to Brooklyn for his going away party without complaint.

Brian and I met in high school. He was three grades below me, but we became friends by doing plays and musicals together. Those two years I did high school drama were some of the best times in my life, and the people involved--people like Brian--was really what made it so great. I usually was delegated a few lines here and there, but Brian had a beautiful singing voice and always had the leading roles. He was a star (still is).

I didn't do the best job staying in touch with most of my high school friends, but for some reason, Brian was the rare exception. I am unsure why except that our lives kept bumping into each other. I remember emailing him sometimes when I was in college. After I graduated, I went to visit him at UPenn for a weekend of beer drinking at one of those parties where someone played the guitar. One day, when I was working in New York and still living in New Jersey, I discovered Brian standing at the train platform at Convent Station. He was commuting into the city, too. And that's when we became commuting buddies. During the hour long trip, we would spend the first ten minutes talking and catching up and the next 50 minutes bobbing our heads in sleep.

Eventually, we both moved to New York City, and sometimes lots of time would pass where we didn't see each other, but I knew I could always count on Brian for good times and his yearly Christmas card. He has the best taste in cards. We would get together to do fun things like rock out at Brandy's Piano Bar or watch All About Eve or go to JG Melon's to eat hamburgers. Brian likes to talk about musical theater and France (He looooves the French), and I could spend hours talking about musical theater and France.

Brian has the best laugh. He laughs at things that you wouldn't expect someone to laugh at, which makes ordinary things much funnier. I always laugh when I am with Brian. Movies are the best with Brian. All About Eve was freakin' HILARIOUS.

So, Brian is leaving New York City. He met a great guy who he's been dating for a while and is moving to Colorado to be with him. I am happy for him but sad for me. Then again, since our friendship has lasted despite the odds, I have no doubt it will continue to do so. I wouldn't be surprised if our lives will bump into each other once again.

I feel these pictures are a good representation of what it's like to hang out with Brian:








I was not drunk in these pictures even though it looks it. As we were taking these pictures, Brian said, "I feel like my head is so big and yours is so small." That's why I was laughing so hard. Looks like he was wrong.


Brian had invited some other high school drama people to the party, including my friend Bob. Haven't seen that guy in like five years, maybe more. I love how every time I see Bob, he fondly talks about the time when I was a senior and he was a freshman and I would drive him home from play practice. I love my drama peeps.

I also met a sweet girl named Raina. Hi Raina!

See Dan run

Today was a big day in our household. Dan got new running shoes.

Dan likes to keep things for a long time. He prides himself on doing this. I think nothing gives him more pleasure than saying, "I got this item five/ten/fifteen years ago and look how great it still is."

His running shoes were one of these items. He's had the same New Balance sneakers for 10 years. Dan does not run as often as me. He goes through phases where he will run regularly or not run at all. But whenever he is on a running spree, he will lace up these ancient relics and say, "Aren't these still great?"

The answer has always been no. I mean, I run a lot and know that it is important for a runner to replace his shoes often--at least once a year or after running 400 miles--or they cease to be effective. Dan's running shoes were way past their prime. They were old, worn down, dingy--just horrible, horrible shoes. When is the last time you have seen a running shoe made entirely of leather with no breathable mesh? Probably ten years ago. I mean look at these shoe laces:



Dan would have to use a pen to poke the shoelace through the hole because the ends were so frayed.

"But they only cost $29."

"Yeah, I get it. So get a new pair." We have had this conversation for five years--which means they were horrible even five years ago.

Lo and behold, Dan finally decided today that it was time for a new pair. The last time he went on a run, his feet and knees ached a little which alerted him it was time. We went to Modell's. He tried on two pairs of shoes. He picked up a new pair of white New Balances for $34. We tested them out by running on the East River Promenade, and he said they felt good.

I saw that Dan threw out his old pair in the garbage.

"What, you're not going to donate them to Good Will?" I asked him. Then it dawned on me. No one, not even a homeless person, would ever want to wear those awful shoes. And Dan knew it, too.


The good and the ugly.

Dress shopping

My mom came into the city today, and we went wedding dress shopping. Last week, I popped into a bridal store by myself, thinking I could handle it on my own, and that's when I realized "I need MY MOMMY."

Dan doesn't get the concept of wedding dress shopping. When I told him my plans with my mom, he said: "Well, what if you find a dress already? Are you going to bring it here? Where are we going to keep it? You're going to show it to me, right?" It was cute, really. I guess guys really don't know about these things.

Mom and I went to three NYC bridal salons today, including the famous Kleinfeld Bridal. I have heard very mixed reviews of this place. Some people I know loved it and found their dream dress there; others told me to stay far, far away. Since my mom and I went to New Orleans, I have started watching TLC's Say Yes to the Dress, so I knew that I had to go for the experience. And I have to admit, I was kind of excited when show regular Nicole popped in during my appointment to tell me how great I am.

Yeah, that's right. If you are ever feeling down, just go shopping for your wedding dress. There, you will discover that you have a body that looks good in everything, that you are absolutely stunning, that the very dress you have on is TO DIE FOR, that congratulations, you are one beautiful bride. You will be requested to stand on a platform in front of the big mirror. People are called over to look at you. Everyone who walks by you will oooh and ahhh.

The over the top moment for me was when Ronnie, the co-owner of the entire joint, whom I actually recognized from the show but I acted totally cool, stopped by and asked if he could show me off in a gown to his two friends who were visiting the store. When I told Ronnie that the wedding was in New Orleans and a little about Dan, he said he was totally coming. Everyone loves New Orleans and Dan.

Another thing that Dan probably does not know about wedding dress shopping is that when you try on these wedding dresses, Kleinfeld and elsewhere, half the time, you are in a room in your underwear with a strange woman you just met and as if you are a child, she helps to dress you. Since most wedding dresses are massive, the sales woman will unzip the dress for you and fan it out over a platform, so you can dip one foot in. Then you awkwardly balance on that one leg, trying to get the other leg over the big dress and into the hole. This can be kind of wobbly experience, which may force you to grab onto the woman's shoulders, flinging your boobs into her face. Then she pulls the dress up. Most of the dresses--which are samples--are on the smaller side, so you just hope and pray that it goes all the way up. Lucky for me, it did most of the time, but there were definitely sticky moments of feeling stuck in a dress. And then you have to talk about how much it costs. It's a very emotional experience. Do you understand why I needed MY MOMMY?

P.S. No, I didn't find "the one." Well, maybe. I am still looking.

Honey buns

In my free time, I organized my clipped recipes into a little binder and rediscovered some things that I want to cook and bake. Since Dan had to work all day Sunday, I decided to spend the day making Martha Stewart Living's honey buns. They were not hard to make, but it took hours.


Here's me kneading the dough. I told Dan this is the reason why I needed a KitchenAid mixer because you can use the machine for 10 minutes or work the dough by hand for 20 minutes. Because I excelled at the hand kneading, Dan wasn't very convinced. It was a good arm workout. And yes, I am wearing a shirt that says "Cute as a cupcake." My friend Gerda gave it to me.


I am recently experimenting with yeast, which Dan says "smells like band aid." I am fascinated how it makes the dough grow. After kneading it, this is what it looked like an hour later.


I rolled out the dough, and spread the filling on top-- in this case some creme fraiche, marzipone cheese and chopped pecans. Then you roll it up and slice into little buns.


The buns have to sit and rise again. They are sitting in a healthy bath of butter, corn syrup, honey and sugar.


Hot out of the oven.


I know that when Dan really likes something I make he says, "MM." Not "mmmmmmm" but a short, brief "MM." There was no "MM" this time even though he ate two buns. I actually don't really like these sorts of sweets very much so I wasn't surprised not to love them, but they were good. The recipe had me create extra dough to freeze, so the next time I make them, I think I will make the filling and topping with a cinnamon--not honey-flavored--take.