Have a Nice Day!

I have just a few minutes until my car arrives to take me to the airport (yes, again) and I just had to take the opportunity for this quick blog entry:

This morning, I arrived at my office building and pressed the button to call the elevator. Within about 10 seconds, another woman rushed up to the elevator bank, looking generally mad at the world, grumbling and loudly sighing. She kept pressing the button on the wall even though it was already lit. A few seconds later, the elevator arrived and she practically hockey-checked me aside to get in the elevator first.

She pressed the button for the 42nd floor and before I was even completely in the elevator, she was already pressing the "close doors" button. As I reached up and pressed the button for the 37th floor, she glared at me and heaved another loud sigh.

The elevator stopped at my floor and before the doors even opened, she was once again furiously and repeatedly pressing the "close doors" button. I laughed good-naturedly and joked "Let me get out first!"

To which she replied with a loud "SHUT UP!" and another nasty glare.

As I exited the elevator, I turned to her and with the brightest smile I could muster, said "I hope your day gets a lot better!"

And after the doors closed behind me, I cursed her under my breath.

November was Lovely in June

Last weekend, Special K and I went to see David Mamet's new play, "November", on Broadway. Concerned that the performance would feature only understudies (since we went on the Sunday afternoon of the Tony Awards), we popped by the theater box office to to make sure the original cast would be performing. We were assured they would and as we turned to head back to TKTS to get tickets, a woman asked us if we needed two seats -- she had three tickets, but her two friends had been unable to come at the last minute. She gave us the two orchestra level seats for $50 each and the deal was done.

November was an absolute treat, as most David Mamet productions tend to be. The script was clever and witty, the audience punctuating the performance often with belly laughs. Nathan Lane was impeccable as a mostly clueless, but ironically shrewd, President Charles Smith whose biggest concern is why he's not going to have a library named after him (and how he's going to explain THAT to the First Lady). Both Laurie Metcalf and Dylan Baker were also excellent in their roles, portraying top level staffers with quirky personalities of their own.

We thoroughly enjoyed the performance and would highly recommend it. Such a refreshing theater experience after Grease the weekend before.

PS (I am finally off the phone with the cell phone company after 44 minutes of trying to solve a billing issue while intermittently being put on hold... with really bad Muzak.)

Yes, the Cable Company STILL Sucks

Just when I thought I couldn't have any wackier issues with my cable than I've already had, the cable company outdoes itself yet again. Out of the blue, last week while Special K was visiting, my cable service decided not to offer me any channels that didn't fall between 400 and 494 on the guide. Which means that basically ANY channel I wanted was not available. Sometimes, I could trick it into giving me another channel by keying in the number directly, but then as soon as I tried to navigate to another channel, I'd get a nasty "Video Signal Blocked" message scrolling ominously across my TV screen.

Before I called my buddies in customer service, I did all the things they normally suggest -- unplugging the unit from the wall, slamming it against the wall (just kidding) and waiting a few minutes to plug it back in. When I did get the cable company on the line, you will not be surprised to hear that they had NO IDEA what the problem was.

They are sending out a technician.

Sometime next year.

The end is near.

PS. (My cell phone company also sucks -- I have been on hold with their customer "service" division the entire time it took me to write this blog entry.)

Happy Father's Day!

A big Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there, especially all those new dads who get to celebrate Dad's Day for the very first time!

But an extra special shout out to my very own Dad in Calgary who's probably just about finished building an ark to escape all the rain they've had recently.

One of my favourite Dad memories is from when I was just a little girl -- I'd stand on my dad's feet (he'd be in shoes, me not) and he'd hold my hands as "we" walked around the house with me giggling my head off.

Thanks for everything, Dad!

Pure, Unadulterated Bliss

After weeks on end of airports, airplanes and hotels, I figured I deserved to pamper myself at least a little bit. So I pointed and clicked my way around BlissSpa.com and with the help of the booking agent on the phone, decided that this past Saturday, I would sign myself up for a treatment called the Oxygen Herbie. (Almost sounds a little bit inappropriate, doesn't it?)

Far from inappropriate or anything untoward, Herbie turned out to be a 105-minute facial (that's right, 105 minutes!) that started out with the esthetician rubbing down my body with scented oil and then wrapping me up like a burrito in shiny foil and hot towels where I remained for nearly the next two hours while she scrubbed, exfoliated, toned and moisturized my face.

And of course when she suggested an add-on moisturizing seaweed mask (with add-on charges of course), I simply smiled and nodded, knowing that the mask would just extend my own personal bliss for another 20 minutes or so.

Just over two hours after I arrived at Bliss Spa on 57th, I emerged with a fresh, glowing face... and lucky me, was then expelled into the 97 degree heat and my new "glow" was quickly replaced by plain, old sweat.

Spell-unking

In the last few days, I seem to have come across more random spelling mistakes and grammar usage issues than usual. (Part of it is due to the fact that I'm in the middle of reviewing resumes right now and it amazes me how many people do not either spellcheck nor proofread their resumes or cover letters.)

Here's a sample:

On a resume: "I want to work in a fast past environment."
(I really need candidates who want to work in the present.)

On another resume: "Created and implemented repoire and customer development techniques"
("Repoire"? Do you mean "rapport"? Not sure you can really implement rapport.... or repoire for that matter.)

On a giant poster in my gym, advertising the personal training services: "Positivily changing lives"
(Bet that was a $500 dollar spelling mistake.)

In one of the little stop-and-go restaurants on 9th that serves a variety of Japanese fare, this label was on a number of rolls in the cooler: "Phiradelphia rolls"
(That is just plain cute.)

And finally, at another restaurant on 9th, the handwritten portion of the menu that featured the specials also featured these gems: "Grill sparragus", "Calomatto olives" and "tamatoe mesclum salad".
(I really wanted to order the sparragus just to see what would actually be delivered to the table!)

Hot Town, Summer in the City

-- 100 degrees today.... in fact, it's still 87 degrees now at 10:00 at night. Ugh. As soon as you step outside, it just feels like you're walking in a hairdryer switched on to "high".

-- When it's 100 degrees outside, air conditioning helps, but not as much as you might think.

-- The city smells like urine, fermenting garbage and just plain old heat.

-- I don't know how people could possibly have been sitting outside on the patio of Maison (or anywhere) today for lunch. In this heat, you wilt even sitting still.

-- This heat is scheduled to last most of this week...

Hopelessly Devoted... to Mediocrity

So, you all know by now that one of my favourite ways to soak up a couple of hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon in NYC is to swing by TKTS around 1:30 pm (once the line has abated) and see what sorts of tickets are still available for that day's matinee performances. Since it's been ridiculously hot in the city this weekend (above 95 degrees), I decided to go see a show yesterday, as much for the air conditioning as for the culture.

I ended up with a ticket to see Grease on Broadway and I was actually really looking forward to it because, yes, I grew up in a generation of pre-teen/teen girls who knew all the words to ALL the songs and could practically recite the original movie line by line. (In fact, we used to act out the movie at sleepovers -- Unfortunately, I often ended up as Sonny or Doody. My friends were VERY literal at that age and there could NEVER be a raven-haired Sandy. I mean, COME ON.)

I settled myself into my first row mezzanine seat (if you are flying solo, you can get excellent tickets 20 minutes before curtain) and got ready for 2 hours of "yippity boom da boom" and "tell me more, tell me more". I also thought this particular show would be interesting because the Danny and Sandy leads came from that reality elimination-style show "Grease: You're the one that I want".

Unfortunately, I was pretty under-whelmed by the whole spectacle. It wasn't awful, by any means, but it wasn't fantastic. I thought the choreography was sloppy oftentimes and the singing was good, but not amazing. Also, at one point, "Danny" kind of slipped during "You're the One That i Want" and slammed against the 50's diner counter -- honestly, it really was barely noticeable... but still.

The best part of the show was actually the fact that I was surprised to see Taylor Hicks (of American Idol fame) as the Teen Angel and he sounded great.

But the bottom line? That's fifty bucks and two hours I'll never get back.

What Kind of Shoe Are You?

After having watched SATC last night, I figured this "what kind of shoe are you?" quiz was very a propos!

Spiderman and Sex

Good sex AND a superhero on the same night. What more can a city possibly offer? Ok, I may be using the term "superhero" quite loosely (and "sex" for that matter) -- I am, in fact, only referring to the absolutely INSANE man who scaled the outside of the NY Times building in Times Square this evening. Actually, to be perfectly accurate, he was the SECOND man to scale that building TODAY.

Earlier today, a french stuntman who has reportedly climbed dozens of buildings around the world ascended all 52 floors of the Times building by climbing up the horizontal rods that adorn the outside which are intended to shield the building's offices from heat while still letting in light. Tonight, a copycat climber pulled the same stunt. Neither men wore harnesses or any safety equipement and both were arrested as soon as they made it to the top.

And what does this have to do with sex? Well, Alyssa, Ally, Sally and I were on our way down 8th Avenue to the Regal theater in Times Square for a "girls' night" to see the new "Sex and the City" movie when Alyssa first noticed a couple of helicopters hovering in the 40's. At first, we brushed it off as traffic reporters, but then as we walked another block, we noticed that more and more people were staring up at the buildings and more and more helicopters were appearing.

I heard someone say "There's a man climbing that building!" and I looked up to see exactly that -- a real life Spiderman about two-thirds of the way up the side of the New York Times building. By now, literally thousands of people had spilled onto 8th Avenue and were all watching uneasily with cell phone cameras in hand. We stopped to watch and as he hoisted himself the last few feet, a collective cheer went up from the crowds. (Probably just as he was being cuffed and read his rights by NY's finest.)

Just think, if we'd walked down 7th instead, we'd have missed the whole thing!

PS (As an aside, Sex (the movie, people, the movie) was fabulous and made me silently thank the universe for the presence of great girlfriends. Love you all, ladies!)

omg, omg, OMG!!!

I met Sia for drinks/dinner tonight after work and while walking to the restaurant from the office, I was trailed for two blocks (two LONG blocks) by a fellow pedestrian who was engaged in a fairly animated cell phone conversation... and of course, I was treated to half of that conversation.

Here's where I tuned in:

"Oh my God, he's a really good friend of mine. And he is a GREAT kisser!"

(pause)

"Girl, he's gonna owe me MORE than one, that's for sure!"

(slightly longer pause)

"No, I still haven't heard back from that audition... I mean, like, I just don't know what I'm going to do. They should totally at least call me back. Well, like, whatever. If you, like, hear anything, will you let me know?"

(pause)

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my GOD!!!!"

(pause)

"No WAY!"

(pause)

"Get OUT!!"

(pause)

"How ARE you, anyway???? I haven't talked to you for so long..... oh wait, oh my God, a really hot guy just walked by me! Honestly, I think I should follow him."

And then he turned the corner as I went straight across the street and so I'll never know if he decided to follow the hot guy or not.

Ahhhhh..... New York

After exactly a month's absence, it's really nice to be back in NYC again. NYC is kind of like an old, soft comfortable sweater that you can just relax into and always know that it's going to fit perfectly. Even the frayed edges and cuffs just add a certain charm.

What have I missed about the city?

I love the fact that I can walk to work and walk home again (weather permitting, of course!). I'm quite happy to not have to worry about sitting in traffic and I'm certainly not broken up about not having to pay over $4.00 a gallon for gas.

I'm happy that I only have a two block walk to the grocery store and that it's easy to slip down the street to pick up whatever I feel like eating. So European! Ooh la la!

When not in NYC, I miss the fresh fruit stands that populate the sidewalks at regular intervals. They're a perfect place to pick up some breakfast, lunch or a snack. And a banana that would cost $1 in the cafe at the base of my office building only costs 30 cents at the street cart. (And he'll sell me two for 50 cents! What a deal!)

I also love how easy it is to be social and meet up with friends here... it's easy to get pretty much anywhere in the city after work and you can have a drink or two (or more!) without having to think about whether you're driving home or not.

There is a palpable energy on the streets of New York and it gets under your skin and makes you want to keep insanely busy, going out with friends, seeing the latest museum exhibits, checking out the hip new restaurant down the street... and on and on and on. Then at some point, you exhaust yourself enough that you have to retreat to your little slice of personal Manhattan paradise for a bit while you recharge and get ready to do it all again!

I love this city.

WHERE Does the Time Go?

I can't believe it's already June. JUNE. As in, nearly half way through the year. I guess this is what happens when I spend a ridiculous amount of time on airplanes traveling all over the place.

This was May for me:

New York -- 2 days

Orange County, CA -- about 12 hours* (12 pretty fun hours with Special K, Dougie Fresh, PJ and JD)

Vancouver -- 2 days

San Diego -- 2 days

Silicon Valley -- 3 days

Orange County -- 2 days

Silicion Valley -- 2 days

San Diego -- 5 days

Columbus, OH -- 2.5 days

Calgary -- 5 days (fun mini-break back home with the parents!)

San Diego -- 1 day

Silicon Valley -- 2.5 days

Orange County -- 2 days

And now, exactly one month after I left, I am finally back in NYC.

I have to also say that it's getting more and more obvious that the airlines are really cutting corners under the financial/fuel cost pressures they're facing. Twice, I've been on JetBlue flights where my TV set didn't work. Twice, I've been on AA flights where the light above my seat didn't work. (THAT was lovely on the way back from Columbus at night when ALL I wanted to do was read.)

And as if the airlines weren't already nickle and diming us to death, now AA is going to start charging a $15 fee for your first checked bag. That's right, you can no longer check a single suitcase without having to fork over even more cash. I also learned that about three weeks ago, the fee for changing your flight (i.e. even before you pay any difference in fare) has now gone up to $150 from $100. Sheesh.

* It was actually cheaper (a LOT cheaper) for me to book two separate tickets on two different airlines (one leg from NYC to Long Beach on Jet Blue and the second leg from Orange County to Vancouver on United/Air Canada) to get to Vancouver from the east coast than it was to book the trip straight from NYC to Vancouver.