500 Candles

So when I left off (one hundred million years ago) we were still without power.  Friday afternoon we walked back from work, had dinner at home and then walked down to City Winery.  I love this spot and had gotten an email they have a generator and were having a NYC movies marathon.  It started at noon and featured  "When Harry Met Sally," Ed Burns’ "Sidewalks of New York," Woody Allen’s "Manhattan," and Scorsese’s "Taxi Driver."  Nice lineup!  We missed the first few but arrived for the beginning of "Manhattan."  I’ve seen it a million times but was super-psyched for "Taxi Driver."  Surpassed every expectation I had – every frame like an oil painting.  They had a limited menu available so we got olives, a cheese plate, and their NYC Taxi Cabernet.  Love the name and the wine’s really nice too.  The room was lit with 500 candles and the gentle flickering of the movie projector – overall an amazing night. I really appreciated their hospitality and the warmth they offered to us as their neighbors, even in the midst of calamity.

Saturday morning the power came back around 8:30am.  S took a shower and we walked up to Times Square to meet my mom.  We’d had plans for ages to see Grace, a Broadway show, so we met up with her for brunch and the show.  Apparently this week some inebriated person puked off the balcony onto the people below in the orchestra section, so glad that didn’t happen.  Paul Rudd and overall show were both pretty good too, bonus.  We had drinks afterwards, then dropped my mom off at Grand Central Terminal.  Did some shopping at Joe Fresh and got two dresses, really loving their aesthetic/pricing lately.  I have a $25 gift card they sent me when they first opened in NYC so will be back again to use that I think. When we got home I took a bubble bath and after that it was really nice to just cuddle up and watch online television.  We didn’t do much the next day and went to bed early in preparation for an early morning the next day.

Monday morning we started up with a 6am intense bootcamp workout.  It alternates running HARD on a treadmill at various intervals/inclines, etc and doing floor work with weights and body resistance.  That’ll get you going!  Really good class.  We’ve been going Monday through Friday each morning for the past 3 weeks and have already seen great results. I think I will go through January and then ramp up on swimming again.  This looks to be another ambitious year but I guess they always are.  They say you should do something every day that scares you but for me just a few times a year works well enough.  I am also hoping the boot camp gets me into a good sleep pattern, but it hasn’t yet.  Monday night was supposed to be the New York Public Library’s annual Gala but it was cancelled due to the storm. The next day we had bootcamp again, then I worked and after work had a tour of Grand Central with my mom.  We saw all the secret spots, from the very tip-top of the terminal to the hidden tracks and treasures many stories below ground.  Amazing.  Dinner afterwards in the balcony which was very very nice.

Tuesday I cooked dinner (crumbled turkey lettuce wraps) and then Wednesday I think I worked late.  Thursday I had a work dinner but very nice, at an old but Michelin starred resto.  A bit tough to wake up the next morning for bootcamp and then a long day but it was Friiiiiiiiiday!  After work we went home, I tried on lots of clothes that had arrived from online shopping, and we went out to a ton of galleries.  I was way overtired so kind of lit after the first glass of wine, but we still managed to hit a few more places and then the after-party at Mister H at the Mondrian.  Completely random experience complete with hipster um, little person working the door, and an unsolicited lapdance from a girl I did not know.  Left fairly early, then hit Baby Grand, my new favorite bar even though I hate karaoke.  I was totally zonked to the point where I couldn’t even talk, but completely starving so we hit Burger & Barrel on the way home and then I fell asleep during the 5 minute cab ride.  Saturday/Sunday I have no idea what I did, nothing listed on my calendar.

Monday we were supposed to go to a movie screening but I was dying from a cold so we did not go.  I cancelled everything including bootcamp Tuesday through Thursday and did a minimum of work until I felt human again.  Oh, actually on Tuesday I had some in person meetings at our midtown offices so was able to keep my skills sharp by dodging throngs of shrieking teen girls and enjoying the vocal stylings of One Direction.  Somehow I could still hear both from 40 floors up and doublepane windows.  Feeling better in time for wine-soaked work dinner on Thursday night which made for an interesting but still strangely fun bootcamp the next morning.  Friday night was pretty chill, then we had dentist appointments on Saturday morning, then saw the new James Bond and had a beer and a burger at Shake Shack for dinner.  Sunday we went to Williamsburg to see an apartment, which was a very nice triplex with two balconies and a terrace with beautiful city and water views.    Good value and great space but I don’t think I can do the Brooklyn thing.

Monday was a boring work day, Tuesday was a short day but very fun because I met up with friend Dana from grad school who now lives in Mexico City at Red Farm for dumplings, drinks, and good conversation.  S met up with us afterwards and we hit L’Amant afterwards for more amazing drinks and craic.  We definitely need to go visit her there, it sounds so fun!  It was a bit hard again to get up for bootcamp the next day, but so worth it.  S left for upstate and I worked from home, then went to the library and grocery store.  Very chill night in with my books and a glass of wine.  Went to bootcamp by myself the next morning, but the 6am class was cancelled so I got to sleep in an extra hour – yay.  I meant to get showered and head up to my parents’ place right afterwards, but instead I lay around, made myself and omelette, and took a nap.  Got ready in time for the 11:50 express train, which worked out well because my sister’s boyfriend happened to be on the same train so she only needed to make one station run!

Very nice lunch with my family – ate lots of turkey, mashed potatoes, mashed yams, and peas!  Yum!  Lay around by the fire reading while my fam watched football.  Around 9pm I ate the leftover mashed potatoes and stayed over at their place.  My parents went to the airport around 5pm and my sister dropped me off around noon.  Hung out at home, then went to late bootcamp since the early class was cancelled. I like the afternoon bootcamp but I think the instructor is a little easier than our morning guys.  He was very sweet and peppy though and has the added bonus of having dated my favorite New Kid on the Block.  Ha!  

After bootcamp I walked back home, made a protein shake, and ran myself a bubble bath.  So relaxing.  I read in the bath until the water got cold, then showered off.  Then I made some sliced pears baked with cinnamon and tucked into bed.  I stayed up too late reading again, slept way in, and before I knew it S was home!  We hung out a bit, then had dinner and headed off to City Winery to see Melissa Ferrick and Mike Doughty.  Melissa Ferrick was awesome, but Mike Doughty kind of a loser jerk. Oh well.  We had some good snacks and wine and headed home at a reasonable hour.  Overall win!

Slept in nice and late on Sunday, then headed out to see an apartment in our neighborhood.  Very nice duplex with outdoor terrace, no view but very quiet and it’s condo, which is so much easier than co-op, especially for a second place.  I think it’s a little overpriced though for the space/area but I’m not really sure how exactly to quantify the outdoor space.  I like it, but how much is it worth?  Breakfast afterwards then a nice lazy day.  Stayed up way too late and only slept a couple of hours before bootcamp but we rocked it out.  Now I’m at work and need to force myself to be productive – my office is freeeeeeezing so I may go home a bit early to take my last few calls before I turn into a popsicle.  I hope for a healthy dinner and an early bedtime tonight!

* Boy band mentions – 2
* Food mentions – 15
* Alcohol mentions – 7
* Bubble bath mentions – 2