Times Square Memo

Dear Drunk Times Square Party-goers:

Please, get out of my backyard.

Love,

A Frustrated Times Square Resident

P.S. Seriously, we love you tourists - you're what make this neighborhood special. But, please, develop some manners.

What I Got for Christmas

On Christmas morning, I began unwrapping my gifts from Wife. First I opened a toothbrush. That was followed by deodorant. Of course there was a tube of toothpaste. Next I got a couple packages of underwear and undershirts. Yes, those were all real gifts, but I can't complain, because Wife knows how to pick out great gifts for me. Fortunately, here so does her work. Here is a gift her company sent home for me:



Here is another one:

One Atheist's View of a Gideon

A Gideon (an organization of business men who distribute Bibles) gave a Bible to outspoken atheist Penn Jillette. If you are familiar with Penn, you know he is a man who boldly speaks his mind. Here is a video of him sharing his thoughts on the experience. I found it very interesting.

It's a Cold, Cold World

Sure enough, it snowed on Friday. We didn't receive the six inches of snow on Friday that the optimistic weather reports promised, but we did get quite a bit.

Saturday afternoon Wife and I enjoyed playing in the snow and ice at Central Park (along with a few thousand of our closest friends).

On Sunday morning, we walked to church in the snow. But something happened while we were at church - it rained. The rain managed to melt a good portion of the fluffy white stuff. Fortunately, our apartment overlooks a garden, which remains covered with snow, so Wife continues to live in bliss.

The weather has now turned even colder. This morning, we walked to work with the thermometer reading in single digits. Wife is thrilled that the cold weather is putting a layer of ice over her precious snow to "preserve the pretty."

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

I am so excited that I just can’t seem to fall asleep. My wonderful little Acuvue Weather Forecaster keeps popping up with a severe weather warning. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE MORE SNOW! In fact, tomorrow we are expected to have over 6 inches of snow with more to follow throughout the week. Could we actually have a White Christmas?

I know that there are many of you reading this blog right now thinking I am a fool - you are yelling at the computer or shaking your head in disbelief. But I cannot help it. I love snow. There is just something about it that makes me so happy. Maybe it reminds me of my days as a kid building snowmen, sliding down the big steep hills or building snow angels. I am sure that if I had to drive in the white fluff, my opinions would change rather drastically.

The only negativity about snow, when you live in Manhattan, is the day after when the snow has been pushed up against the sidewalk ledges and you have to cross a major street (my mind turns to 42nd) leaving you to step in a huge, yucky puddle of slush.

It finally began to feel like Christmas on Tuesday when we received our first few flakes. My coworkers know (and do not quite understand) my love of snow and my eager anticipation for the first snow. All of Tuesday morning, I was getting teased that it was snowing, but when I looked out the window there was nothing but an air conditioner. At approximately 12:30, I had to go see our CFO and as I walked out I heard “the boys” (as I’ve affectionately named my coworkers) encouraging me to look out the window. Sure enough big, FAT flakes were falling down from the sky. At that time Husband called me to make sure I wasn’t missing our first snowfall. As strange as it may seem to many of you, seeing the snow made my day. Thankfully, the snow started back up that night so I could take a short stroll through the beautiful white fluff.

After all of that, you can imagine my excitement to learn that we are expecting huge snowstorms in the next couple of days. Starting tomorrow morning, NYC will hopefully be covered in a blanket of white snow.

Surprise Cake Gone Wrong

It took me a minute to get this, so make sure you read the story under the picture. Rumor is that really did happen, and this is a real cake from Walmart. This cake was a surprise from someone leaving a job at an insurance claims office.

Okay so this is how I imagine this conversation went:

Walmart Employee: "Hello, Walmart, how can I help you?"

Customer: "I want to order a cake for a going away party this week."

Walmart Employee: "What you want on the cake?"

Customer: "'Best Wishes Suzanne' and underneath that 'We will miss you.'"

White Cold Stuff

Today, we experienced what Wife has been eagerly anticipating for the last several months.

I walked home tonight in the snow. I learned a shocking truth: snow is really cold. It is a new lifestyle to walk inside and try to brush all that white stuff out of my hair, off my coat, off my glasses, out of my eyebrows, off my shoes, and out of my collar.

Upon entering our apartment, I was greeted by Wife as she sat gazing out the window, clapping and squealing, "Look at all the pretty snow." It takes very little to entertain us, which is quite fortunate because this little bit of snow will undoubtedly have melted when we awake.

The Song of My Life: I'm Billing Time

This song goes up there on my list of funniest songs ever. It is written and performed by the talented attorney vocal group Bar and Grill Singers.

Sung to the tune of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time," it feature hilarious, but true, lyrics such as:

If you come to my office or call my phone,
I'm billing time.
If you stop me at parties to whine and moan,
I'm billing time.
If I think of you when I am all alone,
I'm billing time.
If you're late for appointments,
I will be waiting and billing time.

(Actually, I don't bill my time for when I think of the client when I'm all alone...generally).

Carnegie Deli

There was good news and bad news. The bad news is that last night, soon after I finally got home about 8:00 in the evening (an early night for me), my Blackberry started buzzing with a message telling me I was needed to work on a big project all day today (I probably would have been disappointed, but Wife had to work all day as well).

The good news is that the client I was working on bought me dinner from Carnegie Deli. Carnegie Deli is known for their outstanding sandwiches, but they are also known for their ridiculous prices (it's a bit of a tourist trap).

Soon after Wife and I arrived in New York, we walked by Carnegie Deli as an angry patron was screaming about how he just paid $45 for a burger, fries, and soda. That was the last time Wife and I contemplated eating there. Well, today my client bought me one of their corned beef sandwiches (one of the things they are particularly they are famous for).

I thought the tales of the size of their sandwiches were exaggerated - they are not.

For those concerned with the cost, this sandwich only set the client back a mere $14.95.

Getting in the Holiday Spirit

Though both Wife and I had to spend most of the day at our respective offices, we spent the evening taking in some of the best Christmas scenes the City has to offer.

We started out going to see the famous tree at Rockefeller Center. Here's my summary of that experience: ridiculously, freakishly, insanely crowded. That's all I have to say about that.

We moved over to another crowded area to see displays at Saks Fifth Avenue, which was probably the most impressive portion of the evening. Last week, we spent plenty of time enjoying the Macy's holiday experience. Frankly, Saks probably beats them.

Last year, Wife desperately wanted to see the laser-light show at Grand Central Station. Unfortunately we didn't make it last year, so we decided to stay her permanently just so we could experience the light show. Wow...that was overrated.

Finally, we perused over to Bryant Park to see the tree, watch ice skaters, and browse all the little holiday shops. This evening, we started getting our first snow flakes. All we need is a white Christmas to make the scene complete. Without a doubt, nobody does holiday spirit like New York City.

Our Inside Joke with Sam Waterston

On tonight's all new Law & Order, the episode ended with Jack McCoy, Sam Waterston's character, remarking, "I'm too old to play Hamlet." To the uninformed, that may sound like a typical line in the script, but understanding the background reveals an inside joke.

Early in his career, Waterston played the title role in Shakespeare in the Park's rendition of Hamlet. This year, Shakespeare in the Park once again performed the same play. Again, Waterston played a leading role - but in 2008 he was too old to play Hamlet, so he instead starred as Polonius.

This summer, Wife and I had the privilage of watching Waterston's memorable performance, where we learned that Waterston may be too old to play Hamlet, but he's still more than capable being the star of the show.