Don'cha know

There's a new blog out there people. Well, there are a lot of new blogs every day, but this one is my sister's blog. Leah is getting a promotion to General Manager of the Nordstrom Cafe... in Minnesota. She refers to it as her exile to the frozen tundra, which I believe is pretty accurate. Seeing how awesome my blog is she's decided to do the same, and chronicle her move to the great north. Let's just hope she doesn't get frostbite on her fingers and can continue to type!

Check out her aptly named new blog, Ya Hey Der, at http://YaHeyDer.blogspot.com/. I've placed a link to the right as well.

Good luck Leah!!!

Happy Festivus!

Cause photos are cool

I just found this little project by photoblogger Dalton Rooney. I don't know why, but I love these pictures taken in my new home town. The Brooklyn Detention Complex is right by my apartment. Don't worry, it's closed now.

I added a link to his photoblog to the right, it's called seriously excited!. Take a look, there's some great stuff there.

Chocolate in a pouch - Awful or Awesome?

I feel I don't really need to ask if this is awful or awesome... I have a pretty strong feeling its unquestionably awful. But these molten chocolate Lava Bars seem to have the hook up. Everyone who's anyone knows that winning the prestigious Convenience Store News Best New Product Award will send your sales through the roof.

This image is from the website, explaining why we should all eat chocolate from a pouch.A few comments:

Point #1) When I think of chocolate in a pouch, I don't think "gourmet." I pretty much assume the experience will be akin to eating one of those awful PoweBar gel pack things. I don't care how much faster the nutrients enter your body, it's still nasty. I also didn't realize it was such a hassle to chew chocolate. Even if you are extraordinarily lazy and don't want to chew your chocolate, you have to wait, what, 30 seconds before the chocolate melts in your mouth? And isn't there something to be said for savoring a piece of chocolate? Why do we need a "CHOCOLATE RUSH?" I myself enjoy a nice piece of dark chocolate from time to time and like that it takes a while to melt. That way I eat less of it. I mean, I enjoy it for longer... before I shove more in my mouth.

Point #2) Is there really a concern about melting chocolate bar messes? Are people carrying chocolate bars in their pockets and ruining their pants? Are these bars marketed to people living in such a climate that chocolate melts the second it leaves an air conditioned environment? Are chocolate bars really seen to be non-portable to the point that some alternative must be created? I suppose I'm just in the minority of people who don't worry about chocolate messes and portability issues. I must be a freak.

Point #3) And... how is this different from chocolate syrup?

One final thought... how in the name of Zeus does a product like this become so big in California? They are supposed to be our country's food conscious. They are the redeemers. They make the rest of our big fat country look good (even if by surgical means). California, you have let us all down. Especially you LA. I expected more from you.

And the winner is....

The winner of the first Strange in the City Photo Headline Contest is: Her headline was: "Arizona Santa Claus Missing - Found on the streets of NYC organizing a Santa Labor Union." Now, I'm not sure why they were from Arizona, but I loved the idea of a Santa Labor Union. I imagine them picketing on Fifth Ave in front of Saks and it makes me laugh. Everyone else; good effort, nice try, better luck next time. More funny photos to come!

Horror of horrors

The Scene:

I'm on the subway around 6:45pm last night, a few minutes from pulling in to my station in Brooklyn. I'm standing with my back to the door, with a bag of groceries between my legs, reading a book. I see this seated woman across from me rise out of the corner of my eye. I don't know why, but I look up. She makes eye contact and asks, "Would you like to sit?"

I shake my head and say, "No thanks, I'm getting off at the next stop." I'm confused because there are a few other people standing, all of whom are closer to her than I am.

She gets up and walks over towards the doors I'm standing by. She says, "I'm getting off here too, but I just noticed you now."

I'm thinking... does she think I need to sit because I have a bag of groceries? No, that's ridiculous. Perhaps she has ESP and somehow knows that my bad ankle is bothering me inside my heeled boots? No, that's even more ridiculous. As I continue reading my book with my head down I notice my sweater. My adorable new sweater that has a little gathering at the stomach that makes it poof out a little before falling to (what I thought was) a flattering A-line cut.

And I realize with horror... this woman thinks I'm pregnant. Noticeably pregnant.

I wanted to turn to her and say "Excuse me, I appreciate your offer, but I'm not pregnant... and I'm throwing away this sweater."

But I didn't, because I know if I ever assumed someone was pregnant when they aren't I would be absolutely mortified. I don't know anyone who isn't terrified of making that mistake. So I bit my tounge with this lady standing next to me for what seemed like an hour, when in real time it was more like 30 seconds, as the train pulled into the station.

Okay, I admit, I was upset. I really love this sweater and didn't think it made me look preggers. I'd received many compliments since it's debut in my wardrobe less than 3 weeks ago, but all the complimenters know me. They are aware that I'm an unmarried child-hating void of a human who would never find herself pregnant. So they can look at just the sweater and know I'm not hiding any baby-bulge underneath. I know it's not my actual shape making me look pregnant. I may have added a few extra pounds since the ankle injury has kept me off the treadmill, but not that many. It was definitely the sweater.

But I love the sweater, and my friends love the sweater, so I'm going to keep it and continue to wear it with joy. But if someone else offers me a seat on the subway I'm sending it off to a special place to be with its elder sweater family.

But are you funnier than I am?

Everyone loves an interactive blog, right? Right. So today I bring you the very first (drum roll please) Strange in the City Photo Headline Contest. All you people out there in blogland can leave a comment with a funny headline for the photo... and I'll post the winner a week later. Seeing as I am a poor New Yorker there is no actual prize, except the overwhelming feeling of superiority over your fellow readers because you are the wittiest of them all. And since this is my blog, I deem who is the funniest.

Without further ado, the first picture:


I wish I could say that I took this picture, but it was my mom who spotted this scene on Fifth Avenue. She and her friend Lisa were visiting New York this past weekend and thought it was pretty funny because this shifty band of half-composed Santas looked like they were up to no good. My Headline:

"Ocean's Eleven Disorganized in NY; Other Five Still Stuck in Tiffany's Revolving Door"

Have at it people.

Awful or Awesome?

This is just awful enough to be completely awesome.

Oh Christmas [Ski] Tree

The Ski Tree is finally finished. As you can see, I went with the green tree with "ski slopes" spiraling down. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I'm looking forward to the years ahead as I collect more skiing ornaments. Someday in the future I'll be able to look back and have fond memories of where and when I bought each one or who gave them to me.

This is my first real Christmas Tree that isn't at my parent's house... guess I'm an adult now. Or something like that. Previous to this I had this sad little gold ornament holder from Pier 1. It was time to grow up. And it got crushed in the move.

On a related note, I've been taking pictures around town of Christmas displays, lights and happenings. I'll build a new photo album soon to share them with you.

No quiero Taco Bell

If you are insane and still eating at Taco Bell beyond the age of sixteen, this is your punishment.

Ah, Christmas in New York

So I'm trying to pick out the perfect Christmas tree for my New York apartment. At first I came across the upside-down Christmas tree, which really appealed to me as it is both floorspace-saving and quirky. And you all know how much I love to be quirky. So I really honed in on (alright, obsessed about) this idea for a few days. But these trees are really expensive! I found a few cheap ones on ebay, but I expect I will be about as impressed by them as the price suggests.

As I continued my search for the inexpensive yet totally amazing upside-down tree I ran across a type of tree I never knew existed; the Manhattan Flatback. Now THIS is a good idea. Why suffer with a small little piddly tree when you can have all the splendor of a seven-footer in half the space. I love it. Hey, you live in New York. You don't have a bay window in the front. You probably don't have a fireplace, or at least a working one for Santa to squeeze his butt down. Your kids aren't waking up on Christmas morning and excitedly running down the staircase to see what Santa left under the tree which is situated in front of your large windows displaying the splendor of the freshly fallen white snow on the lawn. They are waking up, shuffling down the hallway of your 1.5 bedroom apartment to a tree that is backed up to a wall, next to a window displaying plows which are loudly shuffling slush around the streets below to see what presents you placed there which they had previously located because you had nowhere else to hide them but the entry closet. Why pretend otherwise.

How is IKEA not on top of both of these ideas?

But I still wasn't convinced that I'd found the right tree for me. So I looked to my Christmas tree goal. For a while now I've been collecting a few ski ornaments each year. My goal is to eventually have a full-sized Christmas tree with all ski ornaments. I have cleverly called it The Ski Tree. So I thought, what kind of tree do my ornaments want? A white one representing all snow, or a green one with that cottony stuff circling down from the top like a long, winding ski run. I'm still on the fence about which one is best. I think this weekend I will leave the world of online shopping and actually venture out into the real world and see what I find out there. Athough I might have to throw a few elbows out there. You know, 'cause it's Christmas in New York.