Celebrity spotting #2

So today for lunch some of the Senior Managers took some of the staff out to lunch at Carmines. It's really good family style Italian food. We ate soo much. Well while we were eating Lorraine Bracco came in. I didn't recognize her, but everyone in my group did. She was the psychiatrist on the Sopranos.

Living in the public eye

I read this article today in the New York Times, Get Out Your Handkerchiefs. Or Maybe Not., and it really got at something I have noticed walking the streets. I have too walked passed people weeping sitting on a curb in the middle of the day, sharing an intimate moment right in front of the subway station, rolling out of bed to walk their dog, and getting sick in a crowd. Without the privacy mobile (i.e. your car) nor a corner to go around and be out of sight you tend to see everything. I too have that neighbor across the alley. Mine cooks in his underwear- to each their own. I have also learned that while New Yorkers will turn their heads and give you the privacy you need in the middle of everything, they will also help you out as soon as you ask.

I haven't had the public breakdown yet, but I did forget to remove the underarm tags on my new jacket one day. As soon as I got on a packed subway car a nice lady pointed it out and removed them. She then went on for the rest of the ride about how nice my jacket was and almost erased my humiliation. And when you make your trip to the big city just remember that trips and tumbles in the subway stations are never acknowledged because we have all been there (excluding of course if someone is actually injured).

Brunch & Dunst

I went to Brunch today in Chelsea with my friend Leslie who I know from Mizzou and her sister. Brunch is a big deal in New York City. So I had heard, I hadn't taken part until today (I've had brunch just hadn't brunched). Although "Brunch" implies a meal in late morning- between breakfast and lunch- in NYC the brunch often occurs after the ordinary lunch time. More of a linner or lupper if you will. Most restaurants serve a brunch on Saturday or Sunday and a lot of them have special menus with mimosas, bloodymarys and the like.

So after a very entertaining and yummy brunch. I had an omelette with avocado and beans, so good. I decided to walk through Central Park on my way home. I wondered a different way than usual and then remembered that the Alice in Wonderland statue was somewhere near where I was- so I went about finding it. I found it with out much trouble it is near 5th ave and the 70's near the little boat pond. I walked up to the statue and was going to take a picture, but these people were sitting on it and I thought, well oh well and commenced to reading the little quotes surrounding the statue on the ground. Just parts from the book when the mom of the children climbing on the statue says to the woman on the statue "do you know you look like Kirsten Dunst" and the guy makes some snide comment and then the mom says "You are Kirsten Dunst aren't you?" and Kirsten goes "yes" So I had my first random run in with a famous person today and almost didn't know it. So then I went ahead and took pictures of the statue ; ) Now the girl could of been lying but she really acted/sounded/looked like Kirsten.

Haircut

I got my first NYC haircut today. I know what your thinking... you've been there since July! Well I was a bit intimidated and I trimmed my own hair a few times, but I couldn't really keep going any longer; my hair was really looking bad so I took the dive and called up a place near me that I didn't think would be too expensive. Well I was wrong. While I am sure I could easily pay 12 times as much somewhere else in town. I was still expecting to pay less than I did, but that is what I think about almost everything in Manhattan. A good deal takes a new meaning. Well if I spread the cost over the eight months that I didn't get my hair cut it really turns out to be a good deal no matter where you are from. The guy was really good, because I went in like I almost always do and said ummmm... shorter? blunt? different? And he had an opinion unlike those ladies at Snip and Clip or Cost Cutters. So now that I have built up the anticipation, here is what my first NYC haircut looks like:

It's COLD

The last few days have been cold! Walking everywhere really makes you notice the weather more. Although I continue to have the problem of bundling up and then walking fast and end up burning up by the time I get to the subway and have to start taking my hat, gloves, and scarf off. Lately the rush hour sidewalk traffic has been bothering me. Remember when coming out of a building and merging into traffic you must get up to speed first and don't suddenly stop in the middle of the sidewalk without checking to see if someone is behind you. Also try to walk in a straight line and walk to your right, pass to your left.



I bought a rug the other day when I was out in Queens trying on bridesmaid dresses. When I got it home I was inspired and rearranged my living room and got an extension cord to hide my tv cords (kinda). I really like the new arrangement and now have some carpeted floor space (woohoo).

I've also been knitting a lot because it is too cold to go out (ok I might be exaggerating a little). These are the socks made from yarn I bought in Peru. I wore them earlier this week and they were warm and fantastic : ) Now I am working on the socks from the pattern and yarn Betty brought me back from her trip to Australia/New Zealand. I am one sock done.

This is one of my favorite signs you can find in the subway. It is a notification that they subway has been sprayed for rats. Often you can see a rat running around right under the sign. And the date on the sign is sometimes years ago.

A Sunday Stroll

The sun was out today so I decided to take a walk and explore the Upper Upper East Side. Turns out there isn't much up there once you past 90th street but housing authority buildings. I saw two schools like this one. This one looks kinda boarded up, but I couldn't quite tell if the school was still in use or not. I just couldn't image going to elementary school in such a mammoth place.



This was just a yard area next to a building with a bunch of furniture.... Someone's living room.

I started to walk towards Central Park and saw The City Museum of New York so I decided to go inside. I really enjoyed this museum and recommend it to anyone that wants to know more about the history of New York City. There was an excellent video that showed and told the development of the city from when the island was inhabited by Native Americans to today. The video claimed that the first commuters and the first suburbanites were in NYC. Rich Wall Streeters moved out of Manhattan and onto Brooklyn very early on and took a ferry across and a buggy to work.


This is a gypsy robe. People that always perform as part of the chorus are called gypsies and whenever a new show opens the person in the cast that has been in the most shows gets this robe and wears it around for good luck. They then add a piece from their show to the robe before passing it on to the next opening Broadway show.



They had these ink sketches there that were amazing... I really fell in love with them, but now I can't remember who did them : (


I had never been to Central Park above 79th street. I now know that was a mistake. This is part of the 6 acre formal garden. It was pretty with everything almost dead, there were pictures of it in the spring/summer that were full of flowers, I can't wait to go back when it is in full bloom.

This is a lake in the most northern part of the park. Those buildings are the southern part of Harlem.

As I was heading home along the park I ran into a movie set for the film with the working title "International." Fifth Avenue was shut down and all these cars were just sitting there. Then the called "Action" and the all drove and then "Cut" and the stopped and proceeded to reverse back up the street. As I got closer they "asked" me more and more to cross the street and get out of their way so I did. But I did walk by their holding area and saw four old men actors but I couldn't tell if I knew any of them.

NYC 2 DC 2 NYC

Matt, my friend from grad school was in DC for 24 hrs so I decided to join him for 19 hours. I caught a bus that stopped right out side my work building and rode it down to DC. I took 4 1/2 hours to get there and 4 hours to get back. Although I heard all kind of stories about the bus it was mostly uneventful and a pleasant experience. I got to Chinatown DC at 7pm and took the subway to old town/king street to have dinner with Matt and some of his friends. From there we headed to a bar and met up with some other friends from grad school. The next morning I called and convinced my cousin Dave to hang out with me. We went to the Building Museum where he took the fabulous pic of me that can be seen above and we saw some amazing chairs. We ate lunch at sushi go-round. You sit at a bar and sushi comes round on a conveyor belt and you just pick the ones you want, ingenious. Sarah met us there and after a trip back to their place I got back on the bus and was back in new york by dinner time. The only downside of the whole trip was this guy who got on in Baltimore. He sat by me and then proceeded to talk on his phone for the next three hours!!!!!!!!!

Northeast EY Transfer Pricing Group

Most of the Northeast EY TP group at the Bryant Park Ice Rink

Christmas in Missouri

Who is this man with is eyes close you may ask (DAVE)... It's my Dad working on our Christmas Puzzle. It is a John Deere Farm scene, took us about four days.

Our cedar tree and some presents, woo hoo

Kristen at the Plaza in Kansas City... we did a little shopping and eating- it was COLD
Me in my insulated overalls and carhat jacket- never looked better : ) and one of our cats in front of my house (or my parents house)
Some 4 wheeler action- this is Dad's new one. It has shifting on the handle and not with the foot!

New Year's Eve

When I left work around 3 people were already lined up and camped out in Times Square. The streets were closed and there were thousands of cops waiting. I took some pics then watched the ball drop on tv like the rest of you : ) It was nice to see it at midnight and not eleven. I went to a friends apartment for dinner and then we went to a neighborhood bar to ring the new year in.

Up close, can't really see anything
The tips of the 2008 sticking out
There it is, but wait we are so far away we can't see it
Crowd and stage
People buying 2008 glasses on the street.