Yeah it's beautiful outside!

A very clever stoop seller (is that the right one? - asks the teacher) wrote messages on the sidewalk for a stoop sale that probably took place this last weekend... I read them as I walked to the subway this morning and had to smile. The first one said something like Hey man, it's been a long time. Then it went on I'm good how are you? To this one. Followed by You should come by and check out my stoop sale.

I'm hoping to convince Seth to take me on a walk here soon. I think I have a good way to trick him into it... Either walk in the park or do the dishes!! ;) I need a little relaxer after spending so much time figuring out plane tickets for our summer travel! Which I am VERY excited for... we booked flights to Portland, Oregon to see Seth's brother, sister-in-law, and our nephew, Phoenix. Seth has to head home after a week in Portland, while I head up to Anchorage to visit my dad's family :) Can't wait to head west!

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Pano of Yesterday's View

This sun burnt me yesterday... And not too long after I had been bragging about last year's success of no sunburns! The weather was too perfect to be inside and after spending time outside drinking an iced coffee, wondering Greenpoint, down to the East River Park, and then ending on the roof of the bar Berry Park, my skin had reached its max of sun! Today, I'm miserable, red, and welted! I am disappointed that I was burnt this year... But now I am reminded!

9 weeks until summer break (not that I'm counting - 44 days). I cannot wait to have many days of time to myself!

PS: Like the cool panorama of the city? My friend, Scott, knows how much I like photo aps and introduced me yesterday! Pretty cool!!

Looking at Art

Yesterday was my first day in a long time to explore the city freely... I didn't have anything I HAD to do, just the things I have been wanting to do. I finally got in a trip to the MoMA (I've been wanting to get there to see the German Expressionism show & to take in the NY Abstract Expressionism - which is being changed soon :(... Plus I wanted to do a walk through of Picasso's Guitars, another favorite special exhibit) Anyway, I am throwing around the question of what role the color black plays in pieces of art.... Here are a few pieces I looked at yesterday at the MoMA. (& for those of you who can't visit the MoMA with the ease of a quick subway ride, have I shared this awesome link with you??? Art Project - by Google... PRETTY SWEET! Just click on the MoMA, or any museum you please!)

Willem de Kooning "Painting"

(I saw on the MoMA website that there is a de Kooning special exhibit coming up in September! I CANNOT WAIT!)

Arshile Gorky "The Leaf of the Artichoke is an Owl"

Bradley Walker Tomlin "Number 20"

A Day of Interesting Commutes

This morning was quite a morning. The train I usually take quit running in Brooklyn. So I changed to the only other train available at the station. Then, I started thinking and stopped paying attention. I missed the transfer I was supposed to make. I ended back up on my regular train heading uptown. I decided to do an above ground transfer from the F train to the 6 line at Lexington. I don't think I've ever done this transfer before and there is something about the green line... If I don't get on the green train at my normal stations, I get completely confused on which way I am going... And of course, I was not paying attention. Next thing I knew, I was on the downtown 6 train instead of the uptown. I couldn't believe my luck.

Then, this afternoon, I was on the train (luckily no trains ran off through route, and I was paying close enough attention that I didn't miss my transfers). This guy got on the packed train and started telling a story to his friends about a time he was on the subway and some guy had his elbow shoved in his back. It was absolutely HILARIOUS! I laughed so hard I was crying! I wish that guy was on the subway at the end of every day.

Cold Sunday & Carrot Cake Muffins

New York is COOOOOOLD today! That wind is bitter. I was so cold that I actually ran to go to the places I had to go to a couple times today!

Despite working most of the day, I made time this evening to try out a new recipe. I was inspired after stopping by this blog this morning... She mentioned making carrot cake, and curiosity got me looking for a good recipe. I found this one on epicurious.com. Below, I wrote out the tweaks I made to the recipe.

Added:
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground clove
vanilla
drained, crushed pineapple
substituted apple sauce and plain yogurt for the oil
substituted powdered ginger for minced ginger
substituted maple cream cheese with a maple cream that was given to me from a co-worker's hometown (This stuff is divine! Maple syrup is one of my FAVES!)

These changes came from the reviews. (Which is my favorite thing about getting recipes from sites like epicurious... LOVE seeing what people do to make the recipe better! I've also discovered how much I enjoy baking & cooking lately!)

And the outcome rating of the cupcakes: YUMMY! Seth and I both loved them (we both just downed 2 each... and I'm sure one or two more will disappear tonight!)

Next on the baking list: Homemade Banana Bread - Just need a loaf pan!

Snow Snow Snow

Some New Yorkers aren't very happy with the slowness of the city to get the snow taken care of... I don't think I have an opinion, other than I wish the path between the trashcan and me was cleared because my paper recycling is OVER flowing. (Not that I could probably fit it in, the paper one looks full and I am SURE they didn't stop to pick it up in the wee hours of this morning... all things considered.)

On my walk to the Coop at around 3:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon, I took a few photos... Thought it was interesting to see the progress of our hood after this storm...
Most roads were not cleared... The main avenue was and the 2 roads around the hospital were drivable (not completely cleared though). An ambulance is stuck on this road...

People were still using the roads to walk on, sled on, play on. I heard one dad ask his kid if she wanted to walk up the street or the sidewalk... Such a cool opportunity for kids to walk in the space they never get to! Of course she chose street!

Some sidewalks were completely cleared (I loved those)... Some were not so much... My toes don't love those.

There was still a but stuck on 7th Avenue. So crazy to think someone was driving that and then had to abandon it in the middle of the blizzard. Hope they didn't have far to go to get to warmth cause getting home in that blizzard couldn't have been an easy task.

Snow Day: A Photo Walk

Seth's Attempt

Upon waking this morning, we were greeted with a window half covered in snow (see previous post ;). It seems to have stopped snowing from the sky, but the wind is still blowing it. Luckily for me, I had no worry about getting to work, being on winter break right now (sad missed opportunity of a snow day though). Seth, on the other hand, did his usual morning get-ready, and off he went. About 5 minutes later, he's back upstairs telling me to come see how much snow we have.

The front of our house hasn't been shoveled, except what Seth started shoveling to get himself out. In spots there's a good 15 inches, up to my knees. He started shoveling and made it out to the sidewalk. The problem was that no one has really started shoveling their walks (except the one lone brownstone above). So Seth decided to shovel out to the road and just walk down the road toward the subway.


He made it. Off I sent him down the road (in his tennis shoes -- what kind of Midwesterner goes anywhere without a good pair for boots? Seth and I both have feet that are quite ill-prepared for this kind of weather! You can also see that his hands are glove-less and his head is hat-less). I'd just made it back upstairs and sat down at my computer with my warm mug of coffee when I get a call from him. He's down the block but headed back up because he forgot his wallet! When I met him in the road, he decided he needed to come up and get his hat and check his email to see if his boss sent something about working from home for the day.

All said and done, he got ahold of his boss and is saving the hassle of blowing snow, trekking through drifts in tennis shoes, and subways that aren't running and just working from home today!

Now I'm wondering what kind of adventure Aisha (a good friend from college) is in for as she boards a bus today and heads for the City! I'm hoping the snow doesn't keep her from getting here... It will definitely affect our plans - but the city is good at getting snow cleared quickly, so hopefully it won't change too much!

My Mr. Big and the Real Mr. Big

Just a quick pop in to share an exciting story from tonight :)

I stopped in Union Square to pick up my Mr. Big (Seth) and walking down the street as we were was the REAL Mr. Big! I was shocked :) and in awwww... I love love love Sex in the City! Plus, I am still always amazed to see these famous people walking the same streets as I do ;)

tired of the rain

dear rain,
i liked you yesterday, yet that doesn't mean you must insist on staying for so terribly long. please pack your bags and head on.
love,
alicia

i haven't actually blogged in what feels like... forever. and i probably won't allow myself too long this evening either. life has just taken over and my free time... who am i kidding?... i don't have free time.

multiple rainy days make me wish i were anywhere else. yesterday, when i took the photo above, i had this feeling like i was somewhere else... living another life... it's the feeling you get in a moment when a memory from a book, a movie, your imagination flashes in your mind and something else almost feels like reality (weird right?) but now, i'm tired of this rain.

and to be quite frank. i am kind of just tired! fall is slowly creeping in and here i am wishing for even cooler weather these rainy days. the leaves are starting to change slowly. the days are getting shorter and i'm already barely seeing the light of the day other than through the windows of a building. but i'm also excited for the new season... i just hope i can enjoy it, really truly enjoy it.

A New Friend

Pretty excited about this new friend! His name is Herman, and it was Love at first sight! Kendra wanted so bad to name him Herman, and it fits perfectly! Let's hope we can keep him alive for a while now!

We got him rocks to match his colors. He also has a castle to swim through, a little fake green plant, and (the best thing of all!) a hammock leaf to sleep on! I've never seen a fish sleep on a hammock, but Kendra swears they can. I hope I catch him snoozing on it! :)

I think he was excited to be picked, too. He wiggled his fins in full speed all the way to his new home! (I think getting a fish today took me back to about age 10. I can't believe how excited I am about this little guy!)

Walking through a Movie Production

I got yelled at today... Well not yelled at, more spoke to in a rushed get out of the way sort of tone. I couldn't help it... I was just trying to see the action... Literally.

This is NOT how the cars park on this road. And it is also NOT a precinct... It's a private high school that's tied with the church just west of it. See all the people at the end of the road in the picture? They are all the movie people.

I'm pretty sure that is NOT a cop.

It's interesting how they change things for movies... Like the name of this building. When you watch the movie, you will think it's a precinct. To be completely honest, the gold letters on the building have me convinced and questioning if it was actually a high school or a precinct... Maybe I'd been confused before ;)

Here's where the cameras are rolling. I'd already been told I had to walk on the opposite side of the road. I just assumed being over there that I'd be fine to walk slowly and watch. Not the case. This is about when I get yelled at... I guess where they were filming was about where I was walking.

Anyway, if you are interested in seeing the movie (look for me in the background - even though I'm sure I'm not there ;) it's called Premium Rush. (but you'll have to wait a while before you can see it!)

Pigeon Guy

Everyone has their thing... This guy has chosen pigeons, and these passers by have stopped to enjoy them with him. We stayed long enough to snap a few shots before hitting the road with a quiver. What is New York City without pigeons? And even though I love this city dearly and I understand the place of pigeons in the city, you won't catch me letting them touch me, let alone eat out of my hand.

Horrible Blogger. Please don't FIRE me!

I've been such a horrible blogger lately! Please don't fire me! Most days, I have not even been on my computer - life has just been too busy for it. Today, I finally feel like I have the time, motivation, and a little creativity to get some stuff done... including the look change (what do you think? I might tweek some more), 2 sets of senior photos were sent off after I finally completed editing them, and even time for a little post!

Of course, there are 200 other things I really should be doing right now (for example: cleaning my house for my guests!) but I thought I'd take a moment and let you know I haven't completely disappeared. So if I haven't been here, where have I been?

• Since I've returned from my extended vacation back home last month, I've been spending a lot of days planning for the new year and attending classes. I have about 7 more days of schedule classes left and will probably have one or two more days pop up for orientation.
• Orientation? Yup... New job. Most of my family and friends know - because it's literally all I've been talking about! But for those of you who don't, I was so fortunate to interview and transfer to a new job (still in the city, but in Manhattan now and not the Bronx). I already feel 1000 times better about this job than I did about my last. I am very confident that the tables will turn and the horrible sick feeling I used to get every morning before work will be replaced with excitement!
• Hanging out with friends... A lot. Summer is such a great time for that!
• Spending time with visiting family. We had almost 2 weeks of parents here and my brother-in-law. It was so nice spending so much time doing family stuff. We'll take that as much as we can get it! (Sometimes I feel like Seth and I are always using our vacation to travel to see family and not to travel just to travel... but after spending time with family, it reminds me how much I value our time together, how important these people really are to me... and I don't think it really bothers me anymore.)
• Photos. Photos. Photos. I did many session while visiting family including 3 sets of senior photos, 3 sets of children, and a portrait session. Which means a lot of work for me editing and preparing the photos! I'm done with 2 seniors and on to 2 of the children sets! Soooo much work (but if you are curious to see some of my senior shots, head over to be a photograph and check them out! Leave a comment to let me know what you think! I love feedback!)

Anyway, now I really need to get my floors cleaned! I just realized the time!! My best friend from high school and her husband are coming in tonight to stay the weekend! I love that this will be the 3rd time we've seen each other this year! The photo above was taken when I was in Florida earlier this year for her wedding... and I thought it would be fun to share :) even if somewhat random!

Comedy in the Park

Remember last week, when I shared a quick post of the Norah Jones concert we saw in the pouring rain? Tonight we were back in the park to Celebrate Brooklyn with a comedy show. As to be expected, it was hilarious! We hadn't planned on going, but a friend from the neighborhood text earlier today asking if we'd be interested. I almost canceled because I'm so exhausted from lack of sleep this week and sickness. Good thing I put socializing over myself ;) because I would have missed out on a great time!

Some of the acts included: Eugene Mirman, John Hodgman, Michael Showalter, Janeane Garofalo, and Jerry Minor. The band Blitzen Trapper played a few songs to end the show, too.

Anyway, off to bed... I think I might have laughed myself to a headache tonight (which is JUST what I needed after the breakdown and stress I went through at work!)

Picnic in the Park

I spent Monday in Central Park, showing off a few of my favorite spots and enjoying a picnic and a few games in Sheep's Meadow.

We also heard a few musicians, which is always a treat!

World Guy

A couple weekends ago, we saw this man, his dog, and the big world moving through Union Square. He's walking for a cause (diabetes awareness? or something... the nerds we are, we pulled out our iphones and punched in the website painted on the side of the world...)

Wine on the Roof

There's no better way to fix a bad day than a roof top, a bottle of wine, a yummy spinach pizza, a good friend, the sunshine, and this view!

Sometimes it's important to drop all our plans to spend time with a friend.

My Husband is Silly

Walking through Williamsburg one evening, we found this on the sidewalk of a deserted street outside one of the many warehouses in the neighborhood.

A find like this cannot be left untouched. Something had to be done with it.

My husband is definitely silly... Which may explain why I love him so much!

**Of course the find was left behind on the sidewalk for another person to stumble upon. I hope they chose to do something silly/fun with it as well.