cateinthecity: October 2006

10.31.2006

Candy

"I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow could be my theme song. Because when I am hankering for something sweet-it's candy that I want! So on today of all days, I salute candy.

Don't get me wrong, I like my fair share of ice cream, cookies and cupcakes too, but nothing beats the sweet satisfaction of pure sugar. Peanut M&M's are my downfall, but throw in some Kat Kats, Twix, Snickers, Jelly Beans, Starburst, Skittles, Sour Patch Kids, Reese's Pieces, Jolly Ranchers, Tootsie Pops, Gobstoppers or Red Vines and I just melt faster than a Hershey Kiss in Phoenix.

So hand over the sugar and no one gets hurt!

PS: Happy Halloweenie!

10.29.2006

Saturdays

I just love college football. There is nothing like spending a Saturday in the Fall watching your alma mater take on a dreaded foe in a battle of brawn and athleticism on the gridiron!

I love the history and the rivalies. I love the amateurism of college sport and the pride and dedication the players put forth for their schools. I love the band, school spirit, matching uniforms, fans with painted faces, drunk co-eds singing the fight song, cheerleaders, pom poms, mascots, friends, hot dogs and even the $5 sodas. I just love it!

USC is my favorite, of course... But since I don't get the chance to get to that many games these days I often spend my Saturdays with the alumni club in a sports bar to watch the games.

USC vs. Nebraska - September 16, 2006

This past weekend I went to DC to see my other alma mater, the University of Maryland, beat Florida State. A group of us from Business School tailgated on campus and then watched the game from behind the end-zone - right behind SuperTerp!!! Good Times were had by all.

Good Times, Good Times...

Maryland vs. Flordia State - October 28, 2006

10.24.2006

Skaters

A couple of weeks ago, I took Minnie for a nice long walk in Central Park on a Sunday afternoon. The sun was shining and the air was crisp. The park was packed with people on skates, people with strollers, people with kids, people with dogs and people, in general, trying to escape the reality of the city be engrossing themselves in nature.

I used to go to the park all the time when I lived on the Upper East Side. I would exercise on the track around the reservoir or watch kids play baseball in the Great Meadow. This time, I entered from the south, past the zoo, up the literary walk all the way to the Bethesda Fountain and the Boathouse. This is my favorite section of the whole park. Minnie and I sat at the water’s edge watching all the people in rented row boats, caught a dramatic play and ate some ice cream on a stick – Minnie had dog treats…

As we found our way back we came across a band of roller skaters. Good ol’ fashioned roller skaters! Turns out it is an organized group of people who block off a section of road in the park every weekend from April until October. The Central Park Dance Skaters Association literally makes a roller rink complete with a DJ booth in the middle! The skaters varied in style, experience, dress and nationality. I felt like I was watching a real life version of Fame! – Except there was no competition.

Most of the skaters were really good and looked as though they were dancing on ice. They were all pretty good and just danced their way around the rink feeling the rhythm of the music and like they didn’t have a care in the world. They were out to have fun and to entertain – and that they did!

Only in New York kids, only in New York…

10.19.2006

Fear

I have a lot of fears, some legitimate and some just plain ol’ paranoia. I am not a person who is running scared or anything, but often I wonder about some of the facets of my life and how they will affect me in the future. I have found that when it comes to daily, non life-threatening fears, I have absolutely no control.

For instance, I fear that I will one day be hit by a taxi cab in New York. These guys have one thing on their mind – getting their fare. Whether they have a passenger to drive to a destination or whether they are looking for a passenger to pick up, they only care about the fare. They go as fast as they can through the streets of Manhattan, make their own lanes and seem perfectly willing to run down anything, or any person, who stands in their way. I am actually surprised that I do not hear about more taxi-related accidents here in New York!

But forget taxis, I have a new city fear. I fear that one day I will be hit by a bus. A big, huge, blue and white city bus. The other day while I was crossing the CROSSWALK, and legally at that – green walk sign and everything – I touched a bus. TOUCHED A BUS! This guy was going to turn the corner and make the light, and his bus is obviously bigger than anything that might be in his way, so what does he care what he runs over? Not that reaching out to the bus with my hand was going to stop it, but when the rest of your body is paralyzed in fear of being flattened like a pancake and damaging your Jimmy Choo’s, a hand is about all you can muster to save yourself.

So now I steer clear of buses. Give them plenty of room I say. I just hope the next time I cross a crosswalk the traffic cop will use his whistle to get the bus driver’s attention!

10.13.2006

Seriously

Grey’s Anatomy is a really good show. Seriously.

It’s my favorite show on television. I don’t know why since I am not in the medical profession, but I guess it just goes to show that it really isn’t about medicine anyway!

I suppose that I am attracted to the show and the characters because they are close to my age and they are all struggling. I love the fact that every character is flawed, whether it’s by their own insecurities, vanities or egos.

Last night’s show was the best of the season thus far! Frankly, I was getting a bit tired of Izzie’s dramatic act of losing Denny. She had been his fiancée for what – 2 hours? But now she has some closure through the phone message to his parents and he’s left her over $8 million. Where did he get all that money anyway? Hopefully now we can see her get back to work and interacting with her friends.

Meredith is my favorite character on the show. Pretty much because she is the most flawed, but she is who she is and it seems that she’s accepted it. Last night she was totally strung out on morphine and we got to hear her thoughts out loud. She had the perfect opportunity to go with the “better” guy, but she went with who she thinks she wants. Just proves that it is always easier to go back to what you know then on to the unknown.

Another reason why I like the show is that the characters bring their personal lives to work. We saw that with Addison when she lost some of her objective toughness with a patient, and again with Burke trying to accept his injury. I think that, on the majority, people mix their personal and professional lives. It’s really hard to leave things at home when you go to work, or at work when you go home. It’s an inevitable part of life and, even though the subject matter may be unrealistic, makes the show itself easier to relate to.

Seriously. Grey’s Anatomy is a really good show. Seriously.

10.10.2006

Minnie

Minnie the Mighty Dog. That is what I named her. The name just seemed to “fit.” I am beginning to think that Diva, however, would have been more appropriate to describe her!

Minnie will celebrate her 2nd birthday somewhere around October 31, and in many ways, she is still very much an infant who looks at the world with big, bright, innocent eyes. But as time has gone by, she has matured and become independent in a way that only Minnie can.

On Minnie’s first trip to the city, she looked up at the tall buildings like a first-time tourist. Standing at a scant 3 inches from the ground, I’m surprised she didn’t just jump in her carrier never to see daylight again! She used to run in fear every time a bus went by, become disturbed every time she heard the honk of a horn and had no idea where to go pee with no grass around.

Now, after a year of city-life, Minnie has adopted the city like anyone who moves here. She struts - yes, struts - down the street like she owns it, knows all of the doormen on our block, curbs herself to conduct her business, barks at anyone who appears threatening in any way, and ignores any stranger who pays attention to her - a sign of a true New Yorker!

While Minnie has developed a tough exterior on her way to being very much an ALPHA dog, her eyes still hold that brightness and innocence of a child. If she is in an unfamiliar place or around people she does not know, she will run behind my legs for protection. If she is tired, she will climb on my lap or lie next to me to cuddle. If she wants you to pet her, she will roll over on her back so you can pat her tummy, And if she wants to play, she will reach into her basket for just the “right” toy, usually a squeaky one, and beg me to play.

I have all sorts of nicknames that I use for her depending on what kind of mood she’s in. I’ll call her “Super Pup” or “Peanut” or “Piglet.” When we are out about town, people will yell “hot dog!” or “frankfurter!” or “sausage!” because of her recognizable shape. But whatever you might call Minnie, you can bet that her playful personality, dark brown eyes, soft velvety ears and wiggly tail will melt your heart and make you smile.

10.09.2006

Life

Life ... is an adventure. Whether you realize it or not, life takes you on a path that can weave in an out of all situations, climb you to the highest peaks and hit you down to the lowest valley, and take your emotions on a tailspin through the cycles of happiness, sadness, grief, anger, wonderment, elation, satisfaction and peace.

When we think of adventure, we tend to think more of the activities we participate in and the places we go. We think of fun and excitement and uncharted territory. More often than not, it seems that we plan “adventures” as a way to escape our daily lives and the hum-drum. But every now and then, the planned and the unplanned collide in a way that can alter the course of your existence and then you find yourself living a new adventure that you had never even dreamed of...

In the summer of 2004, I went to China for a business school study abroad program. There were only three people from my class in the program, myself, Cynthia and Tuan, so the three of us kind of stuck together. Our school had asked Cynthia if she would meet a potential student from China while in Shanghai. She agreed and one night she and Tuan met the girl. That girl brought another potential student named Lei. Lei enrolled in our school and soon enough, she and Tuan were an item.

Tuan and Lei recently announced their engagement and they plan on getting married in Lei’s native Shanghai next year. In the meantime, the two both landed jobs in Hong Kong and moved there last month where they are now adjusting to a new country while making a home for themselves.

Who would have thought that a subject as boring as semi-conductors could send you on a new adventure and change your life forever! Congratulations, Tuan and Lei!

Me and Tuan on the Great Wall of China at Mutianyu

10.08.2006

Christmas

What? It’s only October you say? I thought so too…but the marketing geniuses at Xmas R’Us already sent out their supply of Santa Hats, Red Stockings and plush snowmen. So if you’re keeping up, Christmas is coming to a store near you!

I was in Duane Reade yesterday. (Duane Reade is a chain drugstore that’s found on more corners in New York than Starbuck’s.) Just as I walked in the front door past a whole big, glorious shelf of Halloween candy, an employee came out of the back room with a big red cardboard display of plush, fuzzy stuff. By the time I left, there were three displays by the front door and the Halloween goodies were being moved to the aisle of promotional items of yesteryear.

I had been out walking Minnie before I walked into the store. I was on the sad side because I noticed a bit of yellow on the leaves of one of the trees. That morning, the heat came on in the building and, outside, the air was crisp and chilly, but still sunny. You know-“sweater weather.” In my defiance of the advent of colder weather, I was wearing flip-flops in efforts to try to soak of every drop of sunshine trying to hold on to any bit of Summer that might still remain. I was telling myself that I was going to have to accept that Fall had arrived and mourn the end of Summer. And then “BAM” – just like that. Fall was over and Winter had arrived.

Poor Thanksgiving – it’s totally gotten lost between all the miniature candy bars and marshmallow snowmen…

The Sun shined on the Boathouse in Central Park today - one of the last 75 degree days we'll have for a while I am sure...

10.07.2006

ALPHA

Alpha - The first letter of the Greek alphabet. It also means the beginning or first or highest-ranked. In the past, I have been called Alpha for my willingness to lead and to get things going. That, I simply attribute to being a Virgo! In other words, my very polite friends find me bossy...

I had a lot of ideas for a name for a blog, but it seems that, as always, I am one step behind the eight-ball...as most of my ideas were cliches, all of my ideas were already taken. Eventually, I chose "Alpha Blog" because it is a derivative of a nickname that reminds me of "good times."

I have been told by my BF that a blog can be therapeutic. The "alpha blog" will be about my life in the city and trying to find my place in a bigger world. I plan on sharing my days, my nights, my thoughts, my fears, my ideas, my observations, my adventures and my dog, Minnie.

I'm sure that as time goes by, my blog will take shape with a theme, personality and a mind of its own. I invite you to leave comments and suggestions to be a part of "Alpha Blog" which, by name, is destined to be the best blog on the Net!

City-dweller with floppy-earred companion seeks enlightenment by uninhibited online diary. Not yet middle-aged, but lives in fear of wrinkles, age spots, gravity, memory loss and overall pending mid-life crisis. Works hard, plays hard. Enjoys napping, eating peanut m&m's, skipping the gym and rearranging her shoe closet.

Name: cateinthecity

Location: New York CIty

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cateinthecity