Question ...

Is anyone else as disturbed by the "Bump Its"

as I am?

One Thing To Do Before I Die ...

These two just announced they are coming in concert TOGETHER!

One of the things on my list of things to do before I die

is to see Billy Joel in concert.

And what a better way then to see him with Sir Elton!

I think I am going to need to go.

A Cruel Twist of Fate ...

It is a pretty well known fact 

that I have endometriosis and poly cystic ovarian syndrome.

(I know, lucky me, right?)

After I had a major surgery for it almost 5 years ago,

I joined an endometriosis society

so that I could stay on top of the latest and greatest.

And although there are a few weirdos involved,

and they did try to sell me a tote bag

that said "I have endo!" on it,

(Where is it ever OK to carry that around?)

I have gained a lot of useful info from them.

Because I have had a few "endo episodes" the last few months,

I decided last week to start a special diet that had been 

recommended to me.

And let me tell you ...

I can only have 15 g of sugar a day.

When you really start looking at all your food

you realize that EVERYTHING has sugar.

Even my daily vitamin has 5g of sugar!

Needless to say it has been hard to find things to eat.

But I have been finding my groove,

and it actually hasn't been that bad.

Until in a cruel twist of fate...

these arrived on my doorstep.

How dare they?!?

They are taunting me from the top of the fridge!

But don't worry.

I am winning the battle.

I Have Been A Slacker Blogger Lately ...

because every spare moment I have had

(which hasn't been a lot)

has been spent checking in with

Joey, Pacey, Dawson, and Jen.

Last night I finally finished the entire series. 

And now I pledge to my friends to quit talking about it,

referencing it in everyday life,

and comparing myself to it.

(But before that pledge begins,

can I just say that it was 

the BEST series finale ever,

I was sobbing,

but I was left feeling that the story was completed perfectly,

and there were no unanswered questions.

I love when you know what happens to all the characters you have grown to love.

And way to go Pacey!)

And now the pledge begins,

and my lips are sealed.

Days 4,5, and 6 of the Vacay

Here are some highlights of my last 3 days in my favorite city ...

This show was brilliant!

Hilarious!

A cast of 4 playing all the characters in a fabulous

old school who-dunnit.

I laughed very hard and very loud.

I then walked here.

Bryant Park.

I really think it is one of my favorite parts of the city.

I love that it is so small and quaint.

I love the charm of the fountain and the  carousel.

I ate a salad from PAX and read.

It was heaven.

That night we went to Madison Square Gardens

to watch them play.

It was a fun game.

We saw Howard Stern

(whose hair is even more out of control in real life!)

And we saw some of the cast of "Gossip Girl"

which made me happy,

because let's be honest ...

he really is my secret boyfriend.

Sunday was church.

It was fun to go to the singles ward and

catch the great vibe there.

Monday before I left I stopped by this place,

and got a dozen of these to take home.

They came in a big clear bag, 

and you would be amazed at how many people

at the airport wanted to be my friend!

They are so yummy and so divine.

I cannot even tell you!

On the second leg of my trip home I ended up having a middle seat.

(Thanks a lot Orbitz for not mentioning that my flight was not non-stop.)

I had carried the dang cupcakes so far already and was tired and grouchy,

and really not in the mood to sit between two people

and try to protect my precious cargo.

A guy came and sat next to me in the aisle seat,

and I was just praying that no one else would come.

Prayer answered!

As soon as they said they were closing the cabin door,

I leaned over and said to Mr. Aisle Man,

"Hey, you don't smell or anything, but I am going to move over."

"Oh, yeah totally. No problem."

"Um, do you care if my cupcakes take the middle seat?"

While smirking and suppressing a giggle he responded, 

"Well of course not!"

"Thanks," I sheepishly responded.

After takeoff he leaned over and asked,

"So are those million dollar cupcakes? What makes them so special that they need their own seat?"

I let him know that I was just trying to be a nice roomie and co-worker and

bring a small taste of NYC back to the people at home.

I told him that we loved cooking and knew

they were a hot commodity.

He said "Well, if you like cooking then you probably know my girlfriend."

I was thinking to my self.

I don't know who you are, let alone your girlfriend.

He told me that he was just coming back from having spent the weekend with her,

and proceeded to pull out his camera to show me her picture.

And this is what I saw...

That is right folks.

Anna from "Ace of Cakes" !

I almost died.

I actually think I squealed out loud.

We spent the rest of the flight talking,

and he told me all that he learned while spending the last few days at the bakery.

I got the inside scoop,

and let me tell you,

it was fascinating!

Thank goodness for those cupcakes,

or we probably never would have talked.

It was a fabulous end to a fabulous trip!

Fortune Cookie ...

I went to Chinese a few weeks ago with a friend,

and this is what my fortune said ...

"A short stranger will soon enter

your life with blessings to share."

I thought it meant a leprechaun

would bring me a pot of gold,

but alas it didn't come true.

Maybe I am going to get my own

Gnome-mobile.

Day 3 Of The Vacay ...

We got up and went and stood in line at the South Seaport TKTS to get some tickets for a few shows.

We then went to Sunshine Sweet Bakery 

for these.

YUMMY!

I loved the lemon.

Next was the Clinton Street Bakery for a little brunch.

So cute!

Then it was this place for some shopping!

I loved the wooden escalators.

We also went to Conways,

and I am pretty sure that I caught 12 communicable diseases while there.

We then got to go see this!

It is in my Top 5 favorite shows,

and this revival did not disappoint.

It was phenomenal!

Great music, big dance numbers, and a great cast.

I think I smiled through the whole thing.

There were a lot of people that I recognized in it ...

Does he look familiar?

He is the commercial king!

And hello! It is Nacedo from "Roswell" !

But the highlight of my night ...

was seeing her perform live,

and then meeting her in person after.

Lauren Graham, a.k.a. Lorelai Gilmore!!!

I wanted to ask her if Rory liked her time on Obama's bus,

and if she and Luke were doing well.

I wanted to ask her if Kirk had come to see her in the show,

and how the Dragonfly was doing.

It made me so happy that she was so nice in real life.

The best part of the show was Titus Burgess and Mary Testa singing 

"Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat".

BRILLIANT!

Really?!?

A few weeks ago we had a patient who was laying in our movie room.

We have a TV on the ceiling that allows patients to watch a movie of their choice while they are getting their work done.

We had a grown woman in there who said she didn't want to watch a movie.

No biggie.

But the previous movie was still playing on the screen.

It was "Ratatouille".

She asked us to turn it off,

because she is scared of rats.

REALLY?!?

Ratatouille scares you?

Come on!

Happy St. Patrick's Day ...

and Happy Birthday to my mother!

(Here she is pictured with her favorite child ... me.)

In honor of St, Patty's I give you a few of my fav videos honoring this holiday ...

Really?!?

Who lied to the amateur sketch artist and the crack head lady?

I was in love with Sean Connery when I was little because of this scene.

My sister and I wore out the tape of this movie.

I loved it and loved Jasper!

Day 2 Of The Vacay ...

Day 2 started with a morning stroll through the Financial District.

I loved watching all the "suits" rushing to their jobs.

I then took the subway to meet Lyndee in Greenwich Village.

On the subway I met Omar.

Omar told me that I need to be grateful for President Obama in my life,

because he was going to start a draft,

and even though I am a woman I am going to be picked to go.

But I should be happy, because not only will I get to serve my country,

but I will also learn to drive a tank.

He then proceeded to talk to his imaginary friend.

I met Lyndee and her friend here for lunch during a beak in between their classes.

I loved this place!

It was a fun, funky place,

and we had a yummy Philly cheese steak wrap.

Lyndee then took me to Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man,

for one of these. 

A dessert pizza that was to DIE for! 

So divine!

I then set off on my own for a stroll through Central Park

and an afternoon of walking through the 

Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I could spend days in this place.

I spent most of my time in the Modern Art wing,

the sculpture garden, and the Renaissance wing.

I was sad when they announced they were closing, and I had to leave.

I got on the subway to head and meet Lyndee.

The express train was closed down due to construction,

so instead of taking 15 minutes to get home it took over an hour.

The train was packed, and I was lucky enough to get a seat.

Until ...

 

a man who looked a lot like this guy came and sat next to me.

He proceeded to sing 

"All the single ladies, all the single ladies.

All the single ladies, all the single ladies."

over and over for the next hour.

It was really hard to keep a straight face,

and I was really happy to get to my stop.

Next I was off to meet Lyndee here...

to see Shrek,

and see Sutton Foster live!

I won't lie.

It wasn't my favorite show,

but there are a few really good songs,

and I loved seeing Sutton.

Then we went here for dinner.

Every time I am in NYC,  make it a point to go here.

Ellen's Stardust Diner.

I love it because the waiters and waitresses all sing while serving the food.

It is always such a  fun place.

We fell in love with this guy, Ben, who kept singing One Republic songs.

So good!

Start Spreading The News ...

Just so you know,

this blog is about to come my travel log.

So if you are not interested,

don't read the next 4 or 5 entries.

Last week I jumped on one of these,

and flew here.

NEW YORK CITY!

It is one of my favorite places on earth.

We landed an hour early!

But, of course, there wasn't a gate ready.

After sitting on the runway for about 20 minutes,

Raul, the flight attendant, made the following announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to park out between the runways,

and bus you all into a gate,

like a bunch of ghetto children into the suburbs.

Welcome to New York."

I laughed very hard.

While waiting for my luggage in the baggage claim,

a pigeon flew in and started dive bombing people who were waiting.

It was like a scene from "The Birds",

but with a lot of foul language said with a New York accent.

I then climbed into one of these.

It was a mini van, so I was really hoping that it was 

the cash cab from that TV show.

But my drivers name was Jin,

and the cab smelled like urine,

and had a weird sticky stain on one of the seats.

I got to my destination,

and met my old roomie Lyndee!!

It was so fun to see her.

After getting my stuff situated, 

and getting directions from Lynd,

I jumped on one of these,

and went uptown to Times Square

to see this.

And my life was changed forever.

It is no secret that I love the theater.

I love that feeling of anticipation and the energy you feel

while sitting in the audience waiting for that first

note to sound from the orchestra pit.

"In The Heights" was AMAZING!

I sobbed through the second act.

It was so refreshing to see something original,

that wasn't "Disney -fied" .

It was brilliant and such a wonderful story.

Robin de Jesus was fabulous.

I have not stopped listening to the CD since I saw the show.

If you can't tell,

I loved it!

I then took the subway home,

and stayed up way to late catching up 

and giggling with Lyndee.

This Is The Life ...

Right now I am staying here,

on here,

which is next door to this place,

and 5 buildings down from here.

The New York Stock Exchange.

Which right now is surrounded by a lot of these,

and these.

I went for a walk this morning to enjoy the pretty morning

 

and grab one of these.

I chatted with the doorman about the weather, and then came back upstairs 

to stare at this view,

and get ready to go see the matinee of this.

I wish this was my real life!