Photo Op!

Recently I've learned the importance of carrying a camera with you. Had I done this, I could have captured the following moments in my life:

1. A pack of pirates. Dixie and I went to Spring Daze on Saturday and saw a group of people dressed as pirates. They were walking out of their caravan of cars like it was totally normal. Eventually, we realized that they were actually an act scheduled to perform at the event. I was slightly sad that they weren't just pirate enthusiasts who carried out this fashion everyday, but was excited to watch the performance. Thanks to the miracle of the Internet, here's a picture of them.
2. Brainy the mascot. For some reason, a brain mascot was walking around Spring Daze as well. Evidently he/she couldn't see very well and someone had to hold Brainy's hand the whole time. To make up for not having my camera, I poked Brainy with my finger. (No worries - Brainy was very squishy, so I don't think he/she noticed.)
3. I can't even remember what the third thing was. See - that's why I needed my camera.

Taking a bite out of the Big Apple!

New York was a blast! One of the things that surprised me the most is that it really does look just like it is depicted on TV: tall buildings, stores upon stores, city blocks, the subway, etc. I've posted some pictures, so feel free to check them out here and here.

I was very proud of my navigation abilities on the subway. It was definitely a unexpected perk since I tend to be directionally challenged. As a matter of fact, when I told my mom what a good job I did, she replied, "Really? That surprises me." Granted, I was fastidious about checking and rechecking the map, which did nothing to help erase the giant "tourist" stamp on my forehead, but we successfully maneuvered around town without getting on the wrong route.

Highlights of the trip:

• Buying an "I love NY" t-shirt. Okay, this may not belong at the top of the list, but it is something I have wanted for a while and was pleased to get it for 3 bucks from one of those hole-in-the-wall joints.
• Seeing what New York is actually like. Walking the streets, navigating crowds, seeing the diversity, etc.
  
• Going to the Met. It is huge, and the time we spent there flew by. You could spend days there and not see everything. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the sampling I saw. Side note: I highly recommend audio tours at museums. They're great because you get added info that's not on the description plaque, plus you can walk around and look at things while still listening.
• The subway. It's efficient, relatively easy to use, and fun. I'm sure the "fun" element would wear off, but for now I give it 2 thumbs up.
• Broadway. It's probably a good thing I don't live in NY because I would want to go to plays all the time.
• The hotel. Ahh, Hotel Chelsea. It is definitely not your average hotel: very boho chic.
  
• The Young Designer's Market. I've decided that if you can spin me a tale about your product, I am much more apt to buy from you. For better or for worse.
  
• Sightseeing. When I am in a new place, I have to admit that I go into tourist mode. I want to see the sights and do the things that brochures talk about. I take tons of pictures and have to recharge my camera battery every night. So imagine my glee at riding the double-decker sightseeing bus in New York. It covered upper Manhattan, downtown Manhattan, Brooklyn, Harlem, and more.
  

Lowlights of the trip (I had a good time, but there were a few less-than great moments):

• Pillows at the hotel. The hotel changed our reservation from 2 rooms to a suite. That was fine - it was actually better for us to all stay together. Hooray! The room was great - very big, 2 (tiny) bathrooms, kitchen, piano, etc. As a matter of fact, according to the bellhop, Ethan Hawke used to stay in our room. However, we moved from 3 double beds to 2 double beds and pullout couch in the room change. When I called for linens and pillows to make up the couch, I was brought 1 pillow. I explained that I had 2 people for the couch and therefore needed 2 pillows. The guy sighed and said he had a hard enough time scrounging up the 1 pillow, but he would look. He called back and said that was it. He had given us the last pillow in the hotel. I think to myself: "How do you not have pillows in a hotel? Go to a Bed, Bath, and Beyond, yo. I guarantee you will need some." Anyway, there was a long pause on the phone. He said nothing; I said nothing. Finally he said he could bring us a rolled up blanket to use. Thanks. Special shoutout to Dixie: she was a trooper and used it. Still, I would definitely recommend the hotel and would stay there again.
  
• Plane ride home. The flight was only 1 hour and 9 minutes. But thanks to the little family behind us, it was a long 1 hour and 9 minutes. Poor Katie had goldfish thrown at her. At one point, the mom and dad let their kids run around in the aisle. I did an impression of the little boy's whining voice when we deplaned, and the lady who had to sit beside them turned around and agreed with me. Ha!
• Hocking my 2 extra tickets to Spamalot on the street. It was stressful, but at least I got them sold. I sold one of them to a guy named Vinnie. It was very "New York" until we found out he was from Mississippi.

Coming soon to a blog near you...

I've had some requests for a post about my recent New York trip. I can't promise anything great, but yes, I will be posting about my little vacation soon :)

The delay is due to a thing called "that bug that's going around." I am the newest member of the club. As a result, I've had a fever, etc. which is severely hampering my ability to do, well, everything. Except sleeping - I've found I can do tons of that!

As a matter of fact, I'm deteriorating, so I think I've sat up too long. More later!

New Skills and Kept Fingers

This weekend I gained a new skill: soldering. Well, "skill" may be a bit too strong of a word. But I did it, and no one got hurt. I would consider that a success.

I was volunteering at an amateur radio convention, and there was a booth where you could make your own antenna. My mom, who was also volunteering, wanted one and asked if I could make it for her since she was busy.

It was not the easiest thing I've ever done. As a matter of fact, in moments of frustration, I kept telling myself that. First, I had to make cuts in a wire using the dullest razor blade ever. No worries - I managed to keep all my fingers! Then came the soldering. After a quick tutorial on how to use the soldering iron (my favorite rule: "don't touch this part - it's hot."), I got started.

I don't know yet if the antenna actually works, but we'll see. The soldering was pretty cool. Challenging, but cool. The instructor told me that I did a beautiful job on my first joint. Beginner's luck? Probably, but I'll take it!

It was actually somewhat fun. And maybe this can be a backup career. After all, let's remember the advice Robin Williams' father gave him when he said he wanted to be an actor: "Wonderful. Just have a back-up profession like welding." (Source: IMDb.com)

Judging a Book by Its Cover

You know how they say it's hard to judge a book by its cover? Let me tell you what is even more difficult: judging a movie by its DVD case.

Lately my roomie, Dixie, and I have been renting some movies with varying degrees of success. When you're walking around Blockbuster, it can be challenging to find a good movie. Sure, we've found some good ones, but we've also gotten some duds. Duds that were so bad, we could feel ourselves losing brain cells by the minute. That comment was for you, Michelle Pfeiffer. (Michelle, in case you read this: Please don't take it personally. But that one romantic comedy - I think you know the one I'm talking about - was not good.)

When you're looking at books, at least you can read a few pages before making a decision whether or not to buy/check it out. Not so with movies. Suggestion for Blockbuster: find a way to let customers check out a few minutes of a movie. Reading the back of the case is not sufficient; those writers can always find something nice to say.

A Cookie with a Message

Lately I've been getting a lot of fortune cookies. Well, 3 in the past 3 weeks. Since I normally get zero fortune cookies in a month, that qualifies as "a lot."

It's not so much that I am eating tons of chinese food; a new chinese buffet opened near work, so one of my coworkers brings me a cookie every Friday. Plus, I ate at Tao in Las Vegas and got a cookie there. That fortune was surprisingly worthy of "Sin City" and did NOT come true ;)

But one fortune that came from the local buffet has given me pause. I cracked open the cookie to read, "You love life very much." To really hammer home the point, it included a smiley face on both sides of the sentence. It made me wonder, "Do I love life very much?" Of course, some days I would probably answer one way, and other days would say the opposite!

Perhaps the better question is, "Do I love my life very much?" The first question seems a matter of circumstance - things happening to me outside my control. But the second question deals with the life I create. Am I pleased with my choices, attitudes, actions, etc.? I've kept that tiny slip of paper on my desk, and honestly, I can't seem to throw it away. Who knew that a cookie would make me think so much! It was much easier to deal with the one from the buffet that said, "A romantic evening awaits you." :)

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Viva Las Vegas!

This week I went on a business trip to Las Vegas. It was my first time there, and I had a wonderful time. We worked hard, but we also got to see a lot. A perk to Vegas is that just by walking to dinner, the conference center, etc., you can see a million things!

We stayed at the Venetian. It was fabulous - the bathroom alone was probably the size of my bedroom!

In truth, you could probably spend all of your time in one hotel. The Venetian alone had multiple shows, tons of great restaurants, a mall, gondola rides, pool, spa, and more.

One of the highlights of the trip was the Cirque du Soleil show, "KA," at the MGM Grand. Our seats were amazing - I kept thinking I was going to get taken out by an acrobat. That part was not so great ;) Check out this link for a little video about the show.

Things I was not prepared for on this trip:

• I didn't realize that Las Vegas was 3 hours behind us (not 2). As a result, I was perennially out of it.
• The long plane ride. On the upside, we got lots of snacks from the flight attendants to keep us fed and happy.
• The fact that Las Vegas is all about hotels. You go to look at hotels. All the best shows, eating, and shopping are in hotels. We went to Caesar's Palace, MGM Grand, the Flamingo, and New York New York. As a matter of fact, just to get to the conference center, you have to walk through hotels!
  
• Chatty cab drivers. All the drivers I encountered loved to talk. I found that I could get by on the whole ride without having to talk a lot by asking 2 crucial questions and 1 statement: "How long have you lived in Vegas? What brought you to Vegas? I bet you've seen a lot of changes in the city." Spread them out and you'll be set.
• How fabulous my hotel room was! Here are a few pictures of my room, me, and the hotel.