This Weekend

I went to Friday's Knicks vs Lakers game at Madison Square Garden with A. and we got to see first-hand what all this Jeremy Lin hype was about. Wow and to think that this talent was just sitting around waiting to be noticed.

Letters M, N, W, and Y were added to the Souvenir Foto School project.

I washed practically every textile in my house (clothes, bed sheets, couch covers, curtains, carpets) out of fear of having bed bugs. It took nearly four hours and too many trips up and down a fourth floor walk-up.

Two days later, I realized that I probably don't have bed bugs. I get one more mysterious bite though and I'm out of here.

The Painted Veil so did not end as I thought it would...

I started taking advantage of NY Sports Club's 30 Days for $30 deal along with Anonymous. Painful but fun.

Whitney Houston passed away at the age of 48. My sister sent along this video of the Dubai Fountains synchronized to "I Will Always Love You" today and yes, I cried a bit.

So Let Me Finally Tell You About My Weekend

These photo-filled posts take me quite a while to create (which is why there's an ever-growing list of travel posts that get put on the back burner), but I really wanted to show and tell you about my weekend because it was just so good. Last Thursday's post had me feeling a bit spazzed because of allergies and an impending deadline, but luckily writing the story was a breeze. I'm actually quite proud to say that it's for the fourth issue of Anthology magazine! (Remember my write-up on the premiere issue last year?) (Okay, just read the comments and apparently Intense Guy is a bit of a psychic!) Six months after meeting co-founder Meg Mateo Ilasco (and Joy Cho) at a "Creative, Inc." book signing event and expressing interest in contributing to her new mag, I landed an assignment. All has been going well and hopefully I'll get another chance to write for a future issue. I'll be sure to let you all know when the story's out.

Because I was scheduled to work for BET.com on Sunday and then hanging out with friends that night, I treated Mom and the sibs to a Mother's Day outing a day early. It was a bit of a slow start and my intentions for lunch quickly turned into an early dinner, but it was such a nice time. We rarely ever eat a meal together let alone go out to a restaurant as a family so this really meant a lot. Everyone behaved, we shared some laughs and I'm proud to see that my "little" brother has begun to shed his "too cool for everything" act. Guantanamera's Cuban cuisine was delicious and that sangria? So sweet! (The flan was just meh though.) I really want us to plan more moments like this. You hear that, sibs?!

Because things often have a way of, um, escalating when the parentals get together, I decided to keep the restaurant event to just us four and that was all right by Dad. Besides, right after the meal, I was taking him and A. to the Mets v Dodgers game at CitiField. The sappy girlfriend in me just wanted her dad and boyfriend to bond some more so what better way than by taking them to see their favorite teams go up against each other and then drag home a loser and a winner? Dad teased A. pretty frequently and came out the victor, but A. was a good sport about it all. He really likes my dad. Or maybe the poor guy was still feeling defeated about the Lakers' third loss against the Mavericks in the NBA playoffs the night before.

Aside from having a fun time with these two foolios, I also got to see three friends at the game: our friends Zack and Jona and my grad school BFF, Kimmie, who regularly covers the Mets and the Yankees and gave us a quick tour inside the press box. Sweet, huh? Actually, it was pretty quiet and just lined with tables and chairs with people tapping away at their laptops, but for a moment I was cool by association when A. called Zack right up to tell him all about our Amazing Adventure.

Sunday morning, I woke up early to start posting stories onto BET's site while lucky A. slept peacefully in my room. I somehow convinced him to stick around until the end of my 9-to-5 shift by letting him watch the Lakers game on my computer. Too bad that was the game that finally ended their season. What a letdown.

But thank God for friends right?! A. had organized a trip to Brooklyn Boulders to teach some buddies how to rock climb and show off his Spider-Man skills. Although he'd originally intended to teach some how to belay, his plans were foiled by some surprise cockamamie rules at the center (something about liabilities or whatever). So he belayed all of us and then found someone who could do the same for him. Then we did some bouldering, or climbing without ropes, for the rest of the time. All in all it was a great night, albeit late as their cheaper off-peak hours are from 9-11 PM, and I'm happy to note that I'm getting quicker and more confident climbing up. Unfortunately, I still shriek and shake on my way back down.

So, was your weekend as exciting as mine was?

Images: some images courtesy of Damaris Ramos and Zack Hample

A Quick Trip to Yankee Stadium

Yesterday morning, A. asked me if I'd like to head to last night's Yankees vs. Orioles game with our friend Zack. A fun and spontaneous trip with the bf to finally see the new stadium and watch Zack in ballhawking action? "Sure!" I immediately replied. We got our tickets and headed over to the ballpark right after work for the 7:10 PM game. The weather was threatening, but we hoped the drizzle wouldn't pick up before the game was through.

Unfortunately, the rain started to come down as soon as we found Zack, who had already caught three balls from some Orioles players, had given one away to a little girl and was now in the middle of a phone interview for a Phillies blog, but we weren't going to let a little water scare us away. So we stood in the outfield bleachers under our umbrellas taking photos and waiting for the game to begin. Twenty minutes later, the game was officially called off. *womp, womp*

We hung around for a bit and joked about our luck before heading to Zack's to watch baseball and basketball 'til 1:30 in the morning. By the way, he's meticulous when it comes to recording details of every game attended, so go and read his blog entry about last night's game-that-didn't happen here. Oh and guess what? I later found out that my sister, her boyfriend and coworkers were also by the stadium to attend the game. Too bad I didn't know beforehand otherwise I would've swung by Billy's Sports Bar to say hello.

Image: Zack Hample

Zack Hample, Baseballs and It's a Small World

So here's a little story I've been sitting on for the past year. Remember that baseball book I mentioned at the 8:51 pm and 9:25 pm marks during the debacle known as live-blogging the 2008 All Star Game? The same one I later added to Merc3069's guest post on the Perks of Being a Sports Babe book roundup? Well imagine my surprise when, in late 2009, I walked into A.'s apartment for the first time and spotted the very book Mr. First had given me two years before.

"Omg you have this book?!" I exclaimed grabbing it off the shelf.
"Open it up," he replied from the kitchen.

Inside, the author had written "For A., who's already such a big baseball geek, he (almost) doesn't need to read this book. Thanks for making the writing group more fun, and for talking so much baseball with me." Not only did he know Zack Hample, but they were actually friends. And now I'm lucky enough to call him my buddy too.

Over the last year I've attended the writing group Zack created nine years ago, meeting in different apartments, hopping around the city and discovering a whole new circle of great friends. We'll write for an hour (sometimes I do and sometimes I just think about it), introduce ourselves and then give feedback to those who choose to share their work with the group. Well for the better part of two years, Zack has been sharing snippets as he worked on his third book "The Baseball: Stunts, Scandals, and Secrets Beneath the Stitches." This man has pored over every sentence in that book, fighting for interviews and uncovering secrets in the MLB ball-making industry that it's almost hard to believe that it was FINALLY released today! (He was even sweet enough to mention A. and me in the acknowledgments.)

Now I know not all of you give a crap about baseball (and you're probably nowhere near as obsessed with this sport as Zack is), but every time he read us a chapter from his book, you couldn't help but be intrigued or genuinely amused. It makes for such an entertaining read that even non-baseball fans will be able to glean something new without getting lost in a sea of stats. The best part (well, after the section on freak accidents caused by baseballs) comes at the end when he gives tips on how to snag your own Major League ball and as the world record holder for the most snagged game balls (4,662 to date), I'm going to go ahead and say the guy knows what he's talking about. As to what he does with all those balls? Well he gives some away to children at the end of every game he attends and he uses his yearly totals to raise money for the non-profit charity Pitch In For Baseball. Pretty stand-up guy, huh?

Incidentally, I never did get "Watching Baseball Smarter" back from Mr. First. After I returned it in a fit of breakup madness, I couldn't bring myself to ask for it back...until last summer. But by then the book had already gone missing. Last night he sent along a text during his part-time shift at his local Borders saying, "I see your bud has a new baseball book out tomorrow so I'm making sure it gets a good spot on the front of our new paperback table. He's representin' in [here]." I guess that makes up for it.

Image: zackhample.com

Happy Friday!

I feel like I finally managed to work a full week and now it's time for yet another long weekend. Before you say anything I should explain that I'm on as a contractor. Ergo, no work, no pay. Still, I won't mind getting some time to rest and turn my attention on a couple other things like painting, bowling and dinner with friends and playing with the new toys I finally connected and installed. Oh, and staying warm and cozy. What do you have in store this weekend? I mean other than checking out these links I stumbled upon...

A "Should I work for free?" flowchart.
Custom-framed Polaroids.
The United States of movies, TV shows and food.
I'd watch more basketball if every play looked like this.
For the Facebook obsessed.
Disturbing but cool zombie stationery.
Design goodies like a swinging dining table, a rainbow house,
freshly-flaked bar soap dispensers and free printable calendars.
Red glitter cake.
A touching airline story.

Image: imgfave.com

I Can't Seem to Stand Still

No, really! The last couple of weeks have been so packed that if it weren't for my phone's agenda, I would've lost my head by now. I thought I'd share some of the craziness via picture overload of the following events:

New York Comic Con * Greetings from MochiMochi exhibition * Martinique press event * Creative, Inc. book party * A.'s birthday! * a short contest (I was actually taller!) * a friend's reading * baby shower after baby shower (congrats to Anonymous' sis for her cuuute baby boy!) * writing group meetings * lots of baseball watching (P.S. I haven't watched a single Phillies game this season. Guess that phase is over.)

Not pictured above: figuring out cute work outfits, A.'s discussion group meetings and my newest card designs.
Coming up next: a weekend trip to D.C. with A., employee perks (I'm about to hit up every museum in the city) and perhaps a visit from Mr. First's mom...

Images: some taken by Anonymous and Zack Hample

How Was Your Weekend?

I approached the weekend without any plans in mind...until Friday 5 PM when A. suggested we rent a car Saturday morning and just drive up to Boston for the day to catch the Dodgers v Red Sox game. "That would be absolutely crazy," I said. "Let's do it."

Friday

We had dinner at Republic down in Union Square - a noodle restaurant A. referred to as "the college kid's version of Momofuku." My wonton broth noodles were amazing with tasty shrimp, pork and veggie wontons, glass noodles and a bunch of delicious greens. A. kept saying I just added two extra days to my life with every spoonful of what was easily the most satisfying meal I'd had all week. And the Asian basil lemonade was so refreshing after finishing a big bowl of soup.

With our tummies full, we walked across the street to Union Square Park. The night felt perfect: breezy with a nearly-half-full moon illuminating the sky, fireflies, voices and music floating in the air. You know that crazy feeling of happiness that swells your heart and leaves you without knowing what to do with yourself so you just sit and stare at this person with a goofy smile on your face hoping that just for a moment time would simply stop? As we sat on a bench, his fingers wrapped around mine and my head nestled on his shoulder, I realized yet again that this is how I feel whenever I'm with him.

Then a damn smoker sat down next to us and lit our romantic moment on fire.

Saturday

A. and I picked up our rental car early in the morning and set off to Boston. He was looking forward to his first drive along the east coast and we were both excited about our first trip together and finally catching a game at Fenway Park. It was so much fun and hilarious at times, but it wasn't all peaches:

- Never has the difference in our music preferences been more apparent than it did during the nine or so hours we spent in the car. Every time I found a song I could sing along to on the radio, it would be met with a "This is stupid." I think the man needs to lower his standards a bit.

- Our GPS kept wanting to get stolen by taking us through the sketchy back hoods of Boston. Hearing A. go off on "her" ("Recalculate this, b*+¢#!") was worth it though.

- The Dodgers lost at the bottom of the ninth (still a great game!), it was blazing hot and we were dead tired on our drive back, but you know what? I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. We got to travel together and have a mini getaway adventure. We embraced spontaneity and experienced new things together. And even when we were tired and cranky we managed to get home (and find parking) without biting each other's head off.

A sign of the trip's success? The next morning A. said, "So I'm thinking in the fall we rent a car, drive up to, say, Vermont to watch the leaves change colors and then stay at a small bed and breakfast. Would you like that?" Love.

Sunday

The car had to be back by 9 AM so once again we were up and out early. We kept the weekend's spontaneous spirit going by grabbing breakfast at an Upper East Side creperie I'd been wanting to check out all week. Details on that shop to come, but it was so yummy, I can't wait to go back! We spent the rest of the day resting and recuping and every now and then I'd smile and say, "We went to Boston yesterday..."

Happy Friday!

Colorful photos + jotted thoughts = The Sweeterie

Fun engagement pics with DIY backdrops drawn in chalk.
These little happy girls are so cute and way easy to make. I'd like one on my keychain.
The story of my procrastinating life.
Artwork made with staples, push pins and packaging tape.
Would you ever put your face on a condom wrapper? (via Jezebel)
A girly mobile made with things around the house.
Loving these dry erase board and sandwich baggies DIYs.

Oh, and congrats to Toojie for her beautiful baby girl and A.'s home team for winning the NBA Championship last night! Hope you all have a lovely weekend and great time with your papas!

Images: trufflegirls.com

"Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)"

This is also time for me to start taking belly dancing classes and tantalizing the world with my moves.

Shakira and South African group Freshlyground teamed up to record this year's World Cup anthem and I find it so infectious, I dare you not to get up and jump around. It almost makes me wish I were a soccer fan just so I could get swept up in the excitement of it all, but for now it does a great job of hyping up my mood and fighting off this week's stress.

Waka waka, eh eh! So who's going to be glued to the TV starting tomorrow?

P.S. The video will also raise money for 1Goal, a campaign calling on world leaders to provide education for 72 million children worldwide by 2015.

The Phillies and the Lakers

I've a confession to make: I haven't watched a single Phillies game all season. I don't know how many wins they've managed or where they've played. In fact, I've been losing interest in the team altogether. When Roy Halladay completed that perfect game weeks ago, that was the first time I'd seen them in action and that was only at the bottom of the ninth.

I guess it doesn't help that deep down the reason why I started cheering for them was because I still wanted a connection to Mr. First - who, by the way, still keeps me up to date on his beloved team whenever he decides to e-mail. I guess now that time has blurred up our ties so much, I don't need to cling onto the past as hard. I'm ok with letting that go.

Now A. is from L.A. and in his eyes Kobe aka "The Lakers" can do no wrong. Before he popped into my life, I'd never seen an NBA game and now here I am slowly pushing aside the team I rushed around to see win the 2008 World Series and hoping the Lakers win the finals this week. It's becoming less of a forced activity as I've just started watching the games on my own or checking the score first thing in the morning as forecast into A.'s mood for the day.

Sports have been so important in these guys' lives and somehow they've manage to wrap me up in it. I'll still automatically check if a random guy's red cap has a "P" on it and I'll perk up if a Phillies game is on at a bar, but I've noticed that the closer I get to A. the looser my grip gets on the Phils.

That said, I wouldn't mind if basketball season were over before I got too caught up in it.

Images: sportsblog.projo.com and masslive.com

Yankees Win World Series

What you wanted more?

Blah. I'm going to bed :(

(You did good, Phils.)

P.S. I can't believe the season is over...

Yankees Win World Series Game 2

Game 2: Yankees 3, Phillies 1

Boo to that. Hopefully the Phils have better luck on their home turf on Saturday.

Phillies Win World Series Game 1

Game 1: Phillies 6, Yankees 1

And pitcher Cliff Lee handled the entire game beautifully!

Image: toucharcade.com

Phillies Head to the World Series!

Again!!! Hollerations!

Game 5: Phillies 10, Dodgers 4

Now we wait to see if they'll face the Yankees or the Angels.

Oh, and NLCS 2009 MVP goes to Ryan Howard this year :)

Image: frontpagenews.us

NLCS 2009 Update

I haven't written any Phillies updates because I know it'll put you foolios right to sleep, but here I come bearing pictures of hot men in the hopes of distracting you long to enough to school you on the goings on in the sports world.

For the few who want to be in the know, the Phillies and Dodgers are squaring off again in the National League Championship Series. The first three games (in the best out of seven series) have been as follows:

Game 1: Phillies 8, Dodgers 6
Game 2: Phillies 1, Dodgers 2

And last night the Dodgers got their rear ends handed to them lovely when the Phillies swept Game 3 winning 11 to 0. Zilch. Zip. Nada. ¡Ay, que pela!

Oddly enough, Dad (a Dodgers fan when the Mets don't make it) has been pretty quiet throughout the series. Maybe he learned from last year?

Game 4 is currently in play and right now it's tied at the end of the 4th. I'll return with the final score later!

Oh and for those who don't give a crap about baseball, it's ok. Just keep drooling over Phillies second baseman Chase Utley and Dodgers right fielder Andre Ethier. (See what I just did there?)

UPDATE: YESSSSS!!!!! Game 4: Phillies 5, Dodgers 4

At the last minute, the Phillies scored the two winning runs!! Good God was that close! We just need one more game...

Image: nymag.com

Nugget News

Ok, real talk: I've been semi-slacking on the blog front. I've been too busy doing what I'm actually paid to do (for the bills, the bills are calling), working on getting some side gigs, getting sickish over and over, settling into a new commute routine and, frankly, just being plain ol' tired.

I've had a ton of blog post ideas, but no time or energy to write them at night and schedule them for the following days. So here are some in small easy-to-digest bits.

*****

Know how out of the loop I've been? I didn't know the Phillies became the NL East Champions for the third year in a row (though that was expected) and have already started playing the Rockies in the Division Series. They won yesterday's game and lost tonight's.

Image: armchairgm.wikia.com

*****

I read about this Turkish photographer/cab driver on CNN.com yesterday morning. He drives around Istanbul in his taxi and snaps shots of the poor and homeless usually juxtaposed with ads of happy, rich and smiling models. His mission: to flash a light on Istanbul's gritty streets and let the voices of those who live there be heard. See his striking images here.

They reminded me of my volunteer days when we'd drive around midtown at night and serve food to the homeless in the area. Sometimes we'd leave sandwiches and oranges next to them as they slept just feet away from the fancy stores on Fifth Ave. Always seemed so backwards to me.

*****

Has anyone been watching The Hills or The City? I'd never seen the latter before this week and fell off The Hills mid-last season, but my main questions are:

1. Why does Spencer suck at life so much?? Why did that fool marry him?! He obviously still has no regard for her input (since he went ahead and put a deposit down on that house without asking her first) and he keeps being a complete [expletive] to the neighbor's little boy.

2. Why doesn't he get with Kristin Cavallari instead? Because she has no morals either.

3. And finally, can someone please explain to me why Olivia Palermo (from The City) feels so entitled at her sweet new job at Elle? Oh wait, apparently it's because she's filthy rich and doesn't need to scrounge around for money. I actually gasped when she told her editor that if she didn't like the accessories she brought back for the story, she could "go do it herself."

*****

I went to a fun media event last night (and another one less so this afternoon). These things can either be interesting or unbelievably boring and luckily yesterday's was a really good one. As should've been expected: it was held by a popular online dating site. Hey, if they made me reconsider the benefits of joining one, then you know they were good! I met some great people, which is nice since I tend to become socially awkward if I'm around cliquish people. I also ate fantastic hors d'oeuvres and got my drink on at the open bar (though I was a bit hesitant at first because everyone around me was sipping Perrier. But after a while - and some encouraging from the PR chicks I was standing around with - I ordered an "Ooh, fancy!" apple martini.)

Car service whisked me to the penthouse locale and back to my Bronx apartment, much too tired to attempt a post.

Of course there's more, but it's almost 9:30 PM and I'm going to have to force myself into bed earlier if I'm ever going to feel better. Hope everyone's week has been lovely!

P.S. I know it doesn't look like I'm slacking since somehow I've managed to post every single day, but I just feel like I am. (Actually just realized that I didn't miss a day like I'd thought.) How bloggers manage to go a week without checking in and still survive is beyond me.

Little Girl Teaches Dad a Foul Lesson

At last night's Phillies game, a dad caught a foul ball that was hit up into the bleachers by Jayson Werth. He passed it on to his 3-year-old daughter...and she threw it back out! I think I would've made her go fetch it.


Little Girl Tosses Back Foul Ball - Watch more Funny Videos

UPDATE: Lucky little Emily and her dad went to the Today Show this (Thursday) morning. She received a Phillies jersey with her name on it and he got an autographed ball. When asked if he was going to be a foolio again, he said, "I'm going to hold this for myself." Lesson learned! (Thanks Intense Guy!)

Mets v Phils: A Lovely Little Beatdown

This afternoon's game was freakin aaawesome. (Please sing that last word about two octaves higher than normal.) The sun was shining, the Phillies were running, the Mets were scared - it was beautiful.

The game kicked off with two 3-run homers by the Phils at the top of the first inning (talk about a sweet start) and after practically pitching to the whole lineup, the Mets pitcher had to be retired before finishing the first inning. By the way, Pedro Martinez did very well. At least he didn't foul up being a former Mets player and all.

At the bottom of the ninth with no outs, I thought the Mets had a chance to catch up on the Phils' 9-7 lead...that is until Bruntlett stomped on those hopes and dreams. The game ended so quickly I didn't even know it was in fact over until the Phillies fan behind me squealed "triple plaaay!!" like a little girl. Hee hee :)

P.S. I don't think Dad likes it when I take him to these match-ups. Not my fault the Mets are slacking. But we still had a great time and he got to see his boy Pedro pitch...even if it was for the opposing team.

P.P.S. Must make a note to go to future Mets v Phils games in the afternoon instead of at night. There were way more Phillies fans in the crowd today so I didn't feel like a loser (rooting for the winning team) or scared for my safety.

Pedro Martinez Signs with the Phillies

Today former Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez signed a one-year $1 million contract (along with $1.5 mil in extra goodies) with the Phillies. The 37-year-old Dominicano (who hasn't pitched a game since the World Baseball Classic in March due to an injury) had this to say about the move during his press conference:

"As far as embracing the Phillies fans, I think I'm going to have a lot of fun, because they seem to be really wild. And I'm a little bit out there, too. I think we're going to match up really well. But I can't do anything with the hate you feel for the Mets or Mets fans. That's between you guys."

And Dad thinks he's real slick. After refusing to the see the Phillies when they come for their four-game series against the Mets in late August, tonight he asked, "Do you think Pedro will pitch when they come?" He'd better not even...

Image: sports.yahoo.com

Well That's Because the Mets Suck

Last night, on the car ride back to my house…

Dad: Do you know if the Phillies are coming into town anytime soon?
Me: They won’t be back to play the Mets ‘til end of August.
Dad: Ok, then can you please not invite me to those games?
Me: Why? Are you scared ‘cause the Phillies beat you guys in all three games this weekend?
Dad: No…it’s just…I’m so disenchanted with the Mets these days…
Me: Aww… [to self: Muahaha!]

Friday: Phillies W 7-2
Saturday: Phillies W 4-1
Sunday: Phillies W 2-0

But the Marlins are way too close to the Phillies in the NL East standings…

Image: metsmaniac.com