Prepping for Irene.

Well, here we are.

Prep started late last night with an emergency midnight snack. We had to get our strength up for all the work to be done today.

[Grilled cheese and fries from the Green Kitchen Diner]

All the grocery stores, Duane Reades, and hardware stores are completely out of chips, bread, water, and oh so many other essential items. And most of them have been closed for the last few hours. We are buckling down for Irene.

The worst part of today's prep work?

No coffee.

[Well, not really. We got coffee around the corner from the Green Bean Cafe around the corner.]

Gillian and Natalie are here, and we are settling in for at least the next 24 hours. We spent most of today making last minute trips to the grocery store for more bread (the only remaining options were English muffins, pita bread, or hamburger buns) and keeping our eyes out for potential hurricane boyfriends.

Friday's five things: Hurricane Irene edition.

In case you haven't heard...

[Hurricane Irene's predicted path... right through Manhattan]

This big ol' Hurricane Irene is supposed to barrel up the Eastern seaboard and right through New York City as a Category 2 or Category 1. While I'm a little scared, I'm not sure how much is media hype. I am on a pretty dense block and out of the flood zone, so I think I should be fine... But still, I think my friends are going to come over and we'll hunker down through the storm together.

[With a stockpile of beer]

[And tuna... and applesauce... and other "non-perishables"... like Twinkies]

I'm planning to post pics/blog throughout the storm as long as we have power and internet... Stay tuned for tomorrow night as we watch movies, read all the magazines in my apartment, play cards, and make tuna sandwiches... It sounds like it will start Saturday around midnight and we will get the worst of it on Sunday, maybe even into Monday morning.

[I'll be reading Wither by Lauren DeStefano this weekend]

As for today, I'm excited to finally pick up my custom frames from Michaels. I will have completed apartment pics soon! I am finishing up my shopping for the storm today and having a "last supper" at Chipotle. One last indulgence before being stuck inside all weekend! Although, we may order/pick up pizza tomorrow night if we can before the storm hits... We'll see.

[Oh yeah, I bought my first flashlight yesterday. Get ready for a strenuous weekend, Brookstone Twist Light, get ready]

Friday's five things: 4th of July edition.

I turned in my final assignment for my summer class today. Finally. I now have just over 2 months off with NO OBLIGATIONS WHATSOEVER... outside of work... I'm off to Washington, DC/Maryland tomorrow to spend some time with my bestie B, my brother, my cousins in VA, and some other friends & sorority sisters from college.

I'm excited for B's family's Maryland crab fest tomorrow, brunch at Logan Tavern with my fam on Sunday, the Nationals vs. Pirates baseball game with my sorority sisters on Sunday, and then just chilling out for the rest of the weekend.

We'll hopefully see some fireworks somewhere on Monday/set off some of our own and try {not} to burn down B's neighborhood...

Can't wait for continued shenanigans with my bestie.

Love this beautiful cake from Glorious Treats. It looks really complicated, but I think I could even pull it off in my tiny NYC kitchen next summer for the 4th. I might even make it for Labor Day this summer, just to see if I can...

{photo via Glorious Treats also}

Also, I was in Minnesota last weekend {pictures to come next week when I finally take them off my camera} and went to pick up a new pair of Minnetonka Moccasins. They're made just minutes from my house, but have somehow become really popular in NY and DC in the last few years. Well, partially due to the fact that J.Crew has started some kind of partnership with Minnetonka Mocs and does a few special models each year {like these, that cost twice as much as the originals}.

Anyway, they were out of the style I wanted at our local Foursome boutique, but my mom ordered them for me, and I can't wait to get them! {Get your own from Zappos.}

I'm off to pack, get the kitties set for a long weekend alone, and try to squeeze in a workout of some sort before eating {delicious} junk food and drinking margies all weekend.

Epic summer tk.

I'm getting so excited for this summer. The Summer Friday schedule was just released at work (which, of course, just happens to work in my favor this year after the chaos that I walked into last year), and I am busy planning the next month/entire summer full of fun activities. Here's how the calendar looks so far:

5/7 - Kentucky Derby (actual plans tk, but no doubt it will be something fun)

5/17 - seeing HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING on Broadway, starring Daniel Radcliffe

5/18 - Theory sample sale at Clothingline

5/21-22 - the Taste of Nolita, including samples from 7 restaurants and drink specials at a few bars

5/23 - Young to Publishing Group happy hour to kick off BookExpo America at The Frying Pan

5/26 - my parents arrive for Memorial Day Weekend; we're seeing SPIDERMAN: TURN OFF THE DARK on Broadway that evening

5/27-30 - tourisming, good meals, brunch, family time, etc. with my parents & bro

6/23-26 - home to Minnesota for a weekend at the lake

7/4 - 4th of July at Coney Island, including the Nathan's hot dog eating contest. I must see this once in my life.

7/15 - Harry Potter 7 Part 2

7/22-24 - visit D.C.? Maybe?

8/?? - one week during the month of August will be the Central Park Film Festival, which I thoroughly enjoyed last year and CAN NOT wait for this year. I want to try and go to at least 2 or 3 of the movies this year!

9/2-5 - Minnesota for Labor Day weekend, which may just have to include a trip to the Minnesota State Fair

And lots more tk. These are just the bare bones of the fabulosity that is summer in NYC and Minnesota.

What are you looking forward to this summer??

Friday's Five Things: Snow, etc.

I actually accomplished something last night! I knocked off one of the essays for the department scholarship application that has been hanging over my head for the last week. One down, two to go! (All this to get someone else to give me money to go to school... what happened to good old begging?)

And then I woke up this morning to this:

My block was covered in snow! It makes me happy to see it, since it's so pretty, but then I took 2 steps outside my door and remembered why I hate walking in snow... but it was pretty...

I am carrying my new Lucky Brand purse today. I got it last weekend at Macy's (I can't find the exact style online, but here's a similar one). I love this bag! It's the perfect size, and feels so loose and casual for my fave casual Friday outfit (jeans + tank top + plaid blouse + black pointy-toe flats).

Spicy chicken udon soup from freshday on 48th street. This is my fave lunch in midtown Manhattan, in my opinion. For $7, I get a huge container of soup jam-packed with real grilled chicken breast (not the leftover random dark meat that some places use), udon noodles, broccoli, mushrooms, chives, tempura piecse and some other vegetables that I don't recognize. I can't exactly figure out the calorie content of this, but all the ingredients seem pretty innocuous on their own, so I accept it... and love it!
Because I haven't mentioned it yet, I seriously love my new phone. I have had the Droid Incredibly by HTC on Verizon for about 3 weeks now, and I love it! Since my camera is broken, all of my (terrible) photos have been coming from my phone (the camera is great; it's the photographer that is the problem!), and I've been using my phone for everything from my calendar to accessing SparkPeople (a FANTASTIC food/exercise tracker/healthy living program) to GChat. I adore it! Get yours here.

And lastly, I'm excited to go out tonight. I have been pretty lame for the last two weeks and now, I'm so ready for a pink, girly drink. I'm going to a poetry reading (at a bar nonetheless) for a friend tonight and most likely a friend's housewarming party tomorrow (and writing scholarship app essays in between, of course).

Have a good weekend everyone! Martha Stewart Sundays will be back this weekend with some sort of closet organization breakdown... since I WILL be cleaning my closet Sunday morning!

Why I Love New York Wednesdays: New Year's Eve

So, as part of this "goal" (not resolution!) to give my blog more structure, I present you with Why I Love New York Wednesdays (to accompany Martha Stewart Sundays). I'll come up with fun ideas for the other days soon... that I can commit to... hopefully!

I got this idea from a recent article in New York magazine, Reasons to Love New York 2010, which covered some events from this year, current popular trends in fashion, food and culture, thought patterns, as well as NYC perennials.

So, why do I love New York this week?

New Year's Eve, of course! There must be a reason why the entire world descends on NYC to celebrate the new year, right? Well, this year I found out for myself. I shared the streets with a few of my closest friends, some random Swiss guys, a handful of crazy people, and a WHOLE BUNCH of tourists, and I had a great time.

(Gillian and me @ Cellar Bar @ The Bryant Park Hotel)

In my trip to and from dinner at Per Lei on the Upper East Side, to the Bryant Park Hotel, to Grand Central, and back to the Upper East Side on Friday night/Saturday morning, I can't believe the sheer number and diversity of the crowds that I saw. As much as I normally hate crowds and tourists, I didn't mind on Friday night. Everyone was just having a good time. New Year's Eve here is such an institution--it's like everyone kind of knew what to expect, or at least had gleaned some of the right expectations from pop culture.

My expectations were completely met. I wouldn't say they were exceeded, but I think I was realistic about the night. I had a fantastic dinner with my friends at a classy neighborhood resto, fought the other UESiders for a taxi downtown, mulled about on the sidewalks with the aforementioned tourists, New Yorkers, and crazy people, and attended a swanky party complete with 5 hours of open bar at a beautiful hotel, and (happily, if not slightly drunkenly) found my way to the Subway at 3 a.m. with no hope of finding a cab home. It definitely ranks up there with some of the best nights out in my life, but I wasn't exactly blown away.

But I guess that's what I expected. So, I come out of my first New Year's Eve in NYC extremely satisfied, and completely in love with this city not necessarily because of my own experience, but because of the way that New Year's Eve here is such a phenomenon in itself--because of the experiences that other people have had here, and fantasize about having here, and will hopefully someday have here on New Year's Eves in the future.

Plus, where else can you drink for 5 hours+, stumble to the public transportation of your choice with your new Swiss friends, and know that 1.5 million people are doing the exact same thing in the greatest city in the world?

The year in review.

I feel like this year has flown by. So, so much has happened in 12 months. January 1st, one year ago, I was freezing my butt off trying to haul all my clothes and furniture up four flights of stairs into my first apartment. Here are a few highlights from the year:

1. My first apartment, completely newly renovated before I moved in, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

2. Hammie & Misko. I have 2 adorable, naughty, smart, cuddly kittens. And I've had them for almost a year with no (major) disasters!

3. I started my first full-time job in May. After being an unpaid intern for 4 months, I worked my @ off to impress the right people and got the job offer. I now love what I'm doing everyday and love going to work.

4. I am halfway done with my Masters! As of fall 2010, I have completed 24 of my 42 credits toward my graduate work. Besides all the group projects, I really enjoy what I'm learning and can definitely see how it applies to the things I'm doing every single day at work.

5. New & old friends. I'm happy that I ended up in NYC because it's so easy to hop a train down to DC and visit my besties from college or for them to come see me. I've had some amazing times in DC, Maryland, and New York this year with amazing friends like Becca, Tamar, Endrit, Jen, Arden, Amanda, Jess, and so many more!

(me & Becca in February outside the Met)

(me & Krista before her wedding in Minnesota in July)

(with Becca & Endrit on top of the Kennedy Center for my graduation in May)

I've also made amazing friends this year at NYU: Gillian, Natalie, and Charity have really made this year great for me. I love my Subway rides and bagel dates with Nat, lunches all over Midtown and one epic trip to IKEA with Gillian, and all the wine and adventures (blowing off yoga) with Charity. (See The Birthday Weekend of Bad Behavior for more examples of fun with friends)

(me & Charity at the NYU SCPS Semi-Formal, i.e. Grad School Prom last spring)

(with Gillian, Erin & Natalie at Coney Island this summer. Charity was there too! She was taking the picture!)

6. Last, but not least, I'm so happy with how much I've actually seen my family this year. My parents and brother have come to visit me quite a bit, and I've made it home several times as well. When I moved last year, I had no idea how often I would actually be seeing them. And especially now that I have to take PTO every time I want to come home! My aunt & uncle in New Jersey have also made a big difference for me this year. They've really helped me out by bringing me groceries and such things or by picking me up and getting me out of the city for a night! It's been a very busy year, and I couldn't have gotten through it without the help of my family!

I have a lot to look forward to in 2011. In March, I'm meeting my friends from high school, Erika & Jenny, in Paris for 6 days, then visiting my friend, Arden, from GW in Copenhagen. I am planning to come home to Minnesota for a weekend or two this summer to spend some time out on the lake! And hopefully, I'll be planning a trip this fall with Natalie, perhaps to Las Vegas or somewhere else warm & fun! Also, hopefully various friends (like Krista&Brady!) will be coming to NYC to visit me.

And a happy New Year to all! I'll be spending the night out on the town with Jess, Amanda, Ashley, & Morgan (all from GW) & Gillian. Here's to a fantastic evening in the GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD!

The Birthday Weekend of Bad Behavior.

This is a little late, but I was hoping I'd have a chance to upload my pictures from my camera before I wrote this post. But instead, I've been stuck in Minnesota for an extra 3 days due to the outrageous weather in NYC. 2 weekends ago for my 23rd birthday, my best friends from college, Becca & Tamar, came into town to celebrate with my in NYC. It turned into a wild/amazing/super fun birthday weekend and I'm so happy that my friends could make it! So, instead of my own amazing pics, here are some jacked from Tamar's facebook album instead to illustrate the highlights of the weekend...

Laughing hysterically on Friday night after the first Evening of Bad Behavior. It was a long and hilarious night that resulted in basically a tour of all of the East Village and SoHo by way of bars, clubs, and friteries. (me, Becca)

We spent Saturday touring and taking Gossip Girl pictures, like this one at the New York Palace Hotel. (Tamar, me, Becca)

We made a run through Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree and skating rink and to fight our way through the hordes of people. It also made me realize how much I hate tourists. (Becca, Tamar, me)

Saturday night started off at the Stumble Inn, joined by my friends from NYU. (Gillian, me, Sara, Laura, Erin, and poor Natalie was cut off!)

This was also at the Stumble Inn... group photos as the night continued were harder and harder to come by! (Becca, Tamar, me)

It was a fantastic weekend, and I intend to share more of my fabulous photos as soon as I get home to NYC and am reunited with my camera cord to upload my photos! Coming up next: The Best of Christmas 2010, What I'm Wearing New Year's Eve, New Year's Resolutions, and The Year in Review. (Hopefully... we'll see what I get done in the next 2 days!)

Countdown to birthday/Christmas/New Year's/freedom.

Being a young professional apparently means being overscheduled.

There's A LOT going on this week: It's the start of finals week of my 3rd semester of grad school, my 23rd birthday is Wednesday, my 3 besties from college are coming Friday morning from Maryland, California, and Montreal for My Big Birthday Weekend of Bad Behavior, and it's Sales Conf at work this week.

For you non-publishing folk out there, that means a week of the pub office (my department) presents 75 books to our Sales & Marketing departments... and repeats in 6 meetings spread over the next 4 days. 75 x 6 = A LOT OF BOOKS/A LOT OF TIME SPENT IN MEETINGS. It also means I will be away from my desk for virtually the entire week, getting none of my other work done, and answering zero incoming emails until Thursday at 3 p.m. when it's all over. AND THEN I am responsible for completing a massive meeting minutes packet & change memo for everything that comes out of Sales Conf.

Which means no chance of doing homework at work this week. (Although, I DID find time to blog during lunch...)

On the bright side, though, Friday-Sunday, I'll be laughing/eating/drinking/shopping/playing NYC tourist with my best friends in the entire world, and then next Wednesday night when finals & work are all wrapped up, I'll be heading home to Mpls for Christmas. I'm excited beyond words for the weekend; I just have to figure out how to survive this week first!

What's better is that every single one of my friends working full-time while in grad school is experiencing the exact same thing right now. It's nice to know I'm not the only one with a crazy schedule... and somehow, we'll all get through it.

Central Park Film Festival.

Last night made me feel like a real New Yorker.

I went to the final evening of the 2010 Central Park Film Festival last night with my girlfriends Gillian and Charity. It was such a great event! They set up a giant screen at Mineral Springs (just north of the Sheep's Meadow) on a field that is sort of a natural amphitheater, all downward sloping to create a perfect viewing situation. It's fenced off, and they open the gates at 6:30 for the 8 p.m. movie.

We arrived around 6:15 to find a line already 100 people long at least, and at 6:30 people were practically running to stake out their spots with blankets and picnic baskets. It was wild!

We had our own great little picnic, but part of the fun was checking out what the other movie-goers brought for their dinners - a great range of Chinese takeout, Central Park hot dogs, Whole Foods takeout salads, homemade sandwiches . . . it's funny to see New Yorkers do "picnic" food. Fabulous.

Yesterday was the last night of the 5-day film festival punctuated with a showing of Woody Allen's 1979 Manhattan. I had never seen it, but I'm glad I did! It featured really iconic images of New York, and every time one of these images came across the screen, the entire field of picnicking New Yorkers cheered and clapped.

Walking home from the park last night, I believe, I felt like a young, social, happy, pretty, single New York girl more than any other time in the past 9 months.

Oh, hey, it's almost August.

So the thing about being a young, single, working girl going to grad school... is that by definition, my life is SO busy. Also, because I just moved here in January, all of my friends/family are always coming to visit me, and thus, making me even busier.

My friends from NYU all refer to it as "revolving door syndrome." NYC is just a great place to visit for all of our families & friends, so we're constantly having visitors - which means constantly cleaning our apartments for when our mothers come to town, planning amazing weekends of tourism-filled-fun, going out partying hard-core when our college roommates are staying with us, and eating expensive, decadent restaurant food on culinary tours of the city when our foodie brothers come to visit.

Which is all great in moderation. But there is no such moderation in "revolving door syndrome." One visitor leaves, and the next one is already arriving. Don't get me wrong - these are all people that I love very dearly coming to visit me. But man, it's draining!

Notice, in the last 6 weeks of no-blog-posting, I've crossed about 10 things off my NY to-do list because my wonderful mother and best friend both came to visit recently and played tourist with me!

Up next for me: Looking forward to a relaxing August. I'm done with summer classes next week, and have almost an entire month off to catch my breath and focus on just work, hitting the gym, and sleep.