New York, New York, it's a horrible town...

Just kidding! Honestly, though, I could have done without yesterday completely. Let's talk for a moment about how Jamie brought the WRONG COAT to NY in February. Right now the wind chill is 5. That's right. 5. That's a single-digit number. I am currently indoors, typing in gloves a la Rolf, wearing my "spring coat" (because when I got here, it was in the 50s), and a have co-worker's coat over my lap.

So, yesterday I woke up with one of the worst migraines I've had in years. I blame Hooters and their spicy, spicy wing sauce. I'll just go ahead and file ordering those wings under "What Were You Thinking?" I'm sure it's full of MSG and other non-food substances that spell poison to Jamie's delicate system.

My prescription medicine stipulates no more than 5mg in 24 hours. I took 5mg in 4 hours (that's two doses, 4 hours apart). I was dizzy and nauseated and sensitive to light and noise (so of course, trade-show set-up was absolutely the best place for me to be) and I was just certain I was going to have to find the nearest hospital for a shot. It took, I'm not kidding, 4 hours from my second dose for the pain to subside. That's 8 hours total of me working in debilitating pain. People I didn't even know were asking me if I was OK. By the way? LOVE to be told "you look horrible!"

Soooo, I ended up feeling better by the time I got off work, natch, so I had Italian comfort food at Da Marino (no, he wasn't there) and going to bed by 10pm. YAY for 8 hours of sleep!! Oh, and yay for Da Marino, a favourite of mine before it ever appeared on Sex & the City. I had a lovely salad of arugula, endives, fresh shaved parmesan, and pears with a lemon/olive oil vinaigerette, and spaghetti carbonara - yeh, I know how fattening it is, but it's my favorite.

Today is a light work day of 9 hours (pay no attention to the fact that it's Sunday) and I have date night with Tom, and since I am well-rested and migraine-free, I'm could not be in a better mood (well, I guess I could be if I wasn't working at all, haha!). Chumleys (third down) here we come! Oh, and Krys, don't hate me... but he's taking me to Pastis for dinner. *wink* We'll go back- I'm a sucker for a good sancerre.

Update: Tom totally flaked on me. Grrrr. I mean, he had a semi-good excuse, which wasn't even "Jamie, it's 12 degrees out and I'm in Brooklyn and you're in Times Square" - which would have actually been plausible, so I'll let him slide. This time. *raises eyebrow* I actually usually love to stay in on Sundays for take-out and television, but since I'm staying at the Hotel Crappy McCrappy, I had to get out for a bit. I took my book to Saigon 48 and had pad thai with the locals. Ibym "locals".... "western european tourists." Hey, I'm in Times Square, remember?

No West Wing for another MONTH. Oh, funny TwoP moment: in this week's 24 recap, M. Giant said ""My wife will have a considerable problem with that," Logan says, wishing that he had Jed Bartlet's ability to phrase that kind of sentiment without sounding completely whipped." Bah! Logan is such a tool. How did he even get to Veep status? Same way as Bingo Bob, I imagine. How diluted has our political system become that both fictional and real-live white men can rise to the seat of ultimate political power by being the least objectionable candidate?

I hope I can stay awake for Grey's Anatomy.

New York, New York: It's a wonderful town!

The Bronx is up and the Battery's down!
The people ride in a hole in the ground!
New York, New York: It's a wonderful town!!!

I do a lot of walking around in a lot of cities while listening to my iPod. There's just no place to do it like New York. It's one of my all-time favorite things to do. I can't seem to put into words my love for this city- the charm, the grit, the culture, the ambience, the power, the MAGIC... I love it. There's just something mystical about New York City. Pop on your headphones and get lost in Manhattan: the smells and the sounds and the subway and the Park and the diversity and the arts. It's truly the melting pot that America set out to be. There's no place like it on earth.

I've always said the only Americans more prideful about their place of residence as Texans are New Yorkers. I would also argue that New York City and the Republic of Texas are also the two places that have the most songs written about them. I have playlists for both... and even though my Texas one is longer, I love my "I *heart* NY" playlist more. Every single song is poignant and heartfelt; the entire collection just makes me happy:

1) Theme Song- Sex & the City
2) Sunday in New York- Bobby Darin
3) I Guess the Lord Must be in New York City- Harry Nillson
4) NYC- Cast, Annie
5) New York- Ryan Adams
6) New York State of Mind- Billy Joel
7) The Eyes of a New York Woman- B.J. Thomas
8) New York City- They Might be Giants
9) Manhattan- Ella Fitzgerald
10) Angel in Manhattan- Ellis Paul
11) New York, New York- cast, On the Town
12) The Only Living Boy in New York- Simon & Garfunkel
13) Autumn in New York- Billie Holliday
14) New York, New York- Frank Sinatra

Next weekend I get to share my love of New York with Krysten, who is coming to visit! I could not be more excited -- playing tour guide in NYC is one of my greatest joys. I hope she won't find me too geeky, but I already have a full itinerary of my favorites. I can't wait to experience them with her.

I leave you with lyrics to hands-down, the best scene in the Broadway play Annie, which they tragically cut for the John Huston/Albert Finney/Carol Burnett/Tim Curry/Bernadette Peters otherwise-jewel-of-a-movie version (it was too "dated" and was replaced with "Let's Go to the Movies"). The whole song lauds the excitement, but when the Broadway hopeful comes on at the end, she really captures the hope and the magic of the city, and I get a little catch in my throat every time. Anyone can follow a dream in New York. (PS> you'll find it fitting that I am currently writing this post from the Best Western on 48th between Broadway and 8th... while pirating wi-fi from the Ritz across the street. *weg*)

WARBUCKS:

NYC, what is it about you?
You're big; you're loud; You're tough...
NYC, I go years without you
Then I can't get enough:
Enough of the cab drivers answering back
(In a language far from pure)
Enough of frankfurters answering back
Brother! You know you're...
In NYC - Too busy, too crazy
Too hot! Too cold!
Too late! I'm sold, again, on NYC.

(spoken)
Come on you slowpokes, we gotta get to the Roxy before the prices change!

New Yorkers:

NYC!!!

GRACE:

The shadows at sundown
The roofs that scrape the sky!

New Yorkers:

NYC!!

WARBUCKS/GRACE:

The rich and the rundown
The parade goes by...

WARBUCKS:

No other town has the Empire State and a mayor five-foot-two
No other town in the whole forty eight
Can half compare to you!

New Yorkers:

Oh NYC!!!

WARBUCKS:

You make 'em all postcards

WARBUCKS/GRACE:
You crowd, you cramp
You're still the champ
Amen For NYC!

New Yorkers:

NYC!!
The shimmer of Times Square!
The pulse, the beat, the drive!

The city's bright
As a penny arcade
It blinks, it tilts, it rings

ANNIE:

To think that I've lived here all of my life
And never seen these things!!

New Yorkers:

Oh, NYC!!
The whole world keeps coming
By bus, by train
You can't explain their yen
For ...

STAR-TO-BE:

NYC!!
Just got here this morning
Three bucks, two bags, one me!
NYC,
I give you fair warning:
Up there, in lights I'll be
Go ask the Gershwins, or Kaufman and Hart
The place they love the best
Though California pays big for their art
Their fan mail comes addressed to NYC
Tomorrow a penthouse
That's way up high
Tonight ... The "Y"
Why not?
It's NYC!!

ALL:
NYC!!
You're standing room only!
You crowd, you cramp,
You're still the champ
Amen For NYC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that frog is killing me.

OK, it's 1:30 am and my alarm is going off in 5 hours... but I have to say:

What in the Dharma (TM Shelly) is going on next week on LOST? ROCK. ON.

Also, this is No Day but Today's 100th post!!!!!!

Do I get, like, a big cake or something?

There are many things I want to blog about, including those hieroglyphics on the number countdown when Locke got too close to the 108 minute deadline (the hell?), being home, living alone again, my mom's 1963 statement regarding her future children's household chores, a drag queen named Sweetie, and China's censored Google site... all coming your way soon. I've been distracted by boxes and Bed Bath & Beyond and trips to Goodwill and cabinet knobs and the Method line of cleaning supplies.

Coming at you live tomorrow from New York City. XOXOX

Help!

OK, I need some boy help. Not help WITH a boy, help BY a boy. Or, even just someone who is more "handy" that I am, which honestly, could be a 4-year old girl or maybe even an orangutan.

So, I got new cabinet knobs for my kitchen. They're pretty sweet. They look like this:

I installed most of them ALL BY MYSELF, using my new girlie power drill and I think, if I may say so, I did a pretty nice job.

So, they have a long screw, (or bolt? not sure of the correct terminology) that doesn't have a hole in the head, and it goes through the knob and has a nut on the back side, like this:

The old knobs had regular Phillips heads that screwed into the knob itself on the other side of the cabinet door. Well, I also got knobs for the doors to my kitchen but I just realized that the knobs on the doors are double-sided, so they screw into each other, like this:

So, my question is, how can I install the red knobs onto my doors, since they don't actually screw themselves, but need a nut??

Just for the record, I am not fond of home improvement. Although I did install a towel rod in the bathroom yesterday. And similar cabinet knobs in coke-bottle green. This is just not a hobby I can get behind.

Can anyone help a damsel in distress??

Overheard.

I have unpacked 8 boxes today. *bow* I need another bookshelf. I have SO MANY BOOKS. I feel like maybe I could weed some out and take them to Half-Price Books... but it just seems wrong somehow. I can never bring myself to get rid of a book, you know?

I went to TCU this morning to meet with the College of Nursing, the Admissions Office, and Financial Aid. It was sooo strange to walk around campus. They all looked like babies. I don't feel like I went to college that long ago, but it was well before the age of ubiquitous cell phones and little white earbuds. The quote of the day was: "I don't think she miscalculated; she just forgot to add."

My landlady is 83 years old, and has managed this building for over 50 years. Her name is Esther and when I went into her apartment to pick up my keys, I noticed she was reading Bill Mahr and a bulletin board displaying every democratic political button since the Truman administration. Including one of Bush and Cheney that says "Weapons of Mass Deception." Ha! Crazy, right? She also had a large cross-stitched "SHALOM" on the wall. She is a character.

So, yesterday, she knocks on my door and asks how I'm settling in. I said "Fine, thanks for asking. I'm just unpacking and cleaning." She answered, "Well, let me know if you need any help with anything. Except unpacking or cleaning." Bah!! I love this woman already. I should make a recurring article entitled "The Sass of Esther."

OK, this has been a nice break, but I have books to unpack. *sigh* Tonight was going to be an incredibly pivotal Monday night for me.... the first time I will have EVER seen The West Wing Monday Night Marathon on Bravo in my own home. Then I looked at the schedule and noticed there was no Monday Night Marathon. Wha' happen'??

Bed, sweet, bed.

I'm in my own bed, on my own mattress, for the first time since Memorial Day. Obviously... the bed was first on my list. There are still boxes everywhere, cables all over the place, bare walls, etc. But I am SO GLAD to have my things back!! It's like Christmas over here! Oh, speaking of Christmas, I had asked my parents to wait until I moved to get me a present, since I needed so many things, and I got these. Ace-high!! For myself I bought a santoku knife and 10" chef's knife. I swear I could spend a cool coupla thousand on new kitchen gadgets.

I spent my first evening alone in my new place. I ordered Chinese from the one menu I've received so far, and not only do they have excellent crab rangoon, but they have spicy sesame chicken!! Yummmmm!! It was a little expensive but at least 3 if not 4 helpings. I'll stay on the search.

I put up some of my bathroom and some of my kitchen, did 2 loads of laundry, and took out 3 loads of empty boxes and crumpled up newspaper. The Post, most of it. I also DVR'ed my first 2 shows ever, so that was a big step.

But my BED!!! It's sooo comfortable. I wish I could sleep in but alas, I have a meeting in Ft. Worth tomorrow at 10am. *yawn* Meaning, I should get some sleep. Good night, mattress. Good night, alarm clock. Good night, lamp. Good night, moon.

The End of the World as We Know It, Part 2

My throat hurts from almost crying for the entire last hour. I'm still kind of in shock, actually... even though I called the ending exactly- it was still incredibly suspenseful. I've been on the edge of my seat... and I paced during the commericals. At one point I was actually wringing my hands. I didn't know people that weren't novel heroines did that.

My Valentine Love to the cast: First of all, my love for Dr. Bailey knows no bounds. Izzy? Smokin' hot. T.R. Knight? If Tom Cavanaugh doesn't follow through, will you marry me?? Ellen Pompeo, I adored you in Moonlight Mile and I think you're real cute, especially your little raspy voice. But please, sit down (with Teri Hatcher) and have a hamburger. Chief? You'll always be Director Kirsch to me... but kudos on a great episode. And Dr. McDreamy... you're kind of an asshole, so it's a good thing you have that beautiful head of hair and those soulful eyes to confuse us.

Will my Valentine please get me the first season on DVD??

a week late and a lot of dollars short....

OK, not long to write at the moment, but I just watched the last two weeks of Grey's Anatomy and

OH

MY

GAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a nervous WRECK after "The End of the World as We Know It (Part 1)".... I'm not sure how I can get through tonight's episode. My stomach is in KNOTS. *deep breaths*

OK, honestly, I got my parents to the airport this morning, went to church (and there was a LIVE sheep there, and I met my mom's cousin's daughter's husband, more on that later), talked to Krysten about LOST, and went to Jul's to watch all that TV (Tom, I also finally saw the last 2 week's of Gilmore Girls and yowza on the ending of that ep you e-mailed me about... but it got eclipsed by Grey's Anatomy) and now I have to run over to my friend Caroline's. I haven't done a THING here in the apartment and it needs it soooooo bad.

These are the times when my insomnia comes in handy.

boxes boxes everywhere and not a drop to drink

Yeah... that's a beer. THAT's how tired I am. That, and I can't find my corkscrew. Big props go out to Ree-an, Scotticus, Jule, Amy, and Bill for their help unloading the truck. Especially for not dropping my television.

I'm exhausted, and feeling a bit daunted by all the boxes. We actually got a lot done: my bedroom looks great (8 months without my bed and I. can. wait. 2. more. nights...) and the TV/DVD/DVR/modem is all set up, so that is a huge, integral step. Tomorrow, the kitchen!

I had 2 moles biopsied today. *frowny face* One on my chin and one on my neck. That neck skin is a little more sensitive that I had anticipated; it's bothering me a bit. I should have the results in about a week. So I've been walking around all day with bandages on the areas, and Scott was all "did someone clock you in the jaw?" Yeah, you shoulda seen the other guy.

My new coffee pot is frickin' awesome. I just set it to start brewing at 7:15... and since I'm sleeping in the living room I will wake up to the lovely smell. Oh, and Krys... the function you were talking about? It has a clock that for the first 2 hours after it's brewed, keeps the time like a stop watch, so if someone walks into the kitchen and wonders "how fresh is this coffee?" he/she knows whether it's 30 minutes old, or 2 hours old, or if the clock is back on, more than 2 hours old. I don't know why it's that big of a deal, since the caraffe keeps it hot for at least 5 hours that I have seen. Today I brewed it at 7am, and came home at 1pm and had a cup!! OK, so it wasn't piping hot at 1pm... but it was hot enough, and that's 6 hours! Rock.

OK, I have to get some sleep. Another looong day ahead of me. Kisses... and if you live nearby, come over and see me before I leave for New York on Thursday! Yes, that means you!!

Quick Update

Hey kids, quick update from the coffee shop I've been frequenting. Fingers crossed I will have internet at my house by this afternoon.

It's cold, raining, and my furniture should be here in just a few hours. Fun times. So far since I've been in Dallas, I've had sushi with Erin, lunch with Scott, coffee with Ryan, spent $300 at Target, had 2 moles biopsied (more facial scars, natch), and bought a fabulous new coffee pot. I ran water through it yesterday to clean it out, around 4pm, and when I got in at 11pm, I poured a cup and it was still steaming hot, yo! I love it!! Also, you can set it to be ready when you wake up. ROCK.

Oh, and the USB ports on my new laptop don't work. I'm pissed.

I'm on my way home to wait for the cable guy. XOXOX