I found out yesterday that my good friend Alex was not accepted into the Spanish exchange program and therefore will most likely not be studying in Spain next year. This presents a predicament for me: If I have no free room and board in Spain, where am I going to spend this year's BIG vacation??? So, to all my friends around the world, if you want me to visit you, let me know! These AAdvantage miles and passport are burning a hole in the pocket of my favorite tight-ass Euro jeans....

I watched a program called The New Americans on the tube last night (in lieu of regularly scheduled reality TV, an essential part of my Monday evenings). It's about several independant people who are on their way to America as immigrants, one from the Dominon Republic (who wants to be a baseball player), one from Palestine (marrying a Palestinian-American), and a family from Nigeria (father is a chemical engineer, mother wants to be a nurse). I found this show intriguing because it put my opportunities and my past into perpective compared to people around the world, as opposed to my normal comparison with people like me (college graduates who've had a relatively simple life). Watching that show made me thankful for the opportunities I've had, the job I have (this is a hard one to be thankful for sometimes) and for the lifestyle that I am able to live....

Since I've gotten so used to getting so far behind, I thought it'd be prudent for me to try to get back on track with a multi-weekly blog. So, here she goes...

Uncle Mike's in town this weekend for a trade show in Manhattan. It's been a few years since I've really talked to him, but we met up last night for dinner at Druids, which was a very nice restaurant in the middle of an otherwise typical bar. But the crowd was older, the volume was mellow, and the food was great. Uncle Mike: a die-hard Libertarian, Scientologist, Harley-Davidson-riding, leftover hippy, all wrapped up into one man. Although he never graduated from high school, he is quite intelligent and has lots of stories about him pushing his civil rights all the way to the breaking point, such as when he insisted on sitting on his car trunk after being pulled over for making an illegal turn and remained there despite the officers (apparent) illegal orders that he had to get back into his car. It took the officer unhitching the semi-automatic at his side from it's holster and pulling out his night-stick before Mikey decided that maybe it was better not to be confrontational and get back in the car. But, that's Uncle Mike for you :).

This morning I met up with my nameless friend / manager / boss / counselor for a "counseling session" at one of the nicest brunch spots in the city, Balthazar. After downing a few slices of some of the best bread in the city, I muscled a platter of pallet-pleasing eggs florentine into my belly, washing it down with fresh grapefruit juice and a fresh bottle of euro-water (Pellegrino, of course). No expense was spared during this "counseling session", as important subjects were discussed, ranging from "People Skills" (dating), "Firm Profitability and Performance" (the wages our co-workers who are quitting are making), and our own Career Goals (strategies for getting out from under "The Man"). It was a very educational morning....

What I've done the last week:
Alex and Verena arrived Friday, brought Asbach and chocolate
Ate falafels, met Henrich, took it easy, went to bed early
Saturday: Ate some bagels, went to Central Park, played some soccer with the Germans, went to the Coffee Shop at night for some Mojitos and to visit Loretta
Sunday: Strolled downtown, visited Soho and the Villiage, ate some awesome French Onion soup, made mushroom and chicken pasta with cream sauce for dinner along with bell pepper and fresh veggie dip
Monday: Two and a half hour commute to work, went to Delaware and returned at night at about 7:30 for some fresh veggie pasta and some more dip. Rented "Seabiscuit"
Tuesday: Same two and a half hour commute to Delaware, returned at night at about 8:30 having already eaten leftovers from Panera (lunch). Watched some reality TV (Real World) and a show about the 100 Hottest Hotties on Earth
Wednesday: St. Patrick's Day! Finished up some important work in Delaware and after my two and a half hour trip home, me and the kids met Paul and Cathy ate Molly's in the East Villiage for dinner and catching up. Afterwards, we did a pub crawl down 3rd Ave and returned home around 2:00am.
Thursday: Day off! Yea!! We slept in late and called to have bagels delivered to our door (New York style). After lunch, we headed to the United Nations Headquarters midtown east. Did a tour, did some shopping and walked to Grand Central, took the subway home. 8:00pm we saw Rent, I think Alex and Verena were surprised at how good it was, I still think it's one of the better shows on Broadway. Afterwards, we did some shopping in Times Square before everything closed.
Friday: Alex and Verena had to move out because Sandy and Daniel were arriving. They arrived at 8:30. Alex, Verena and I went to Barking Dog Luncheonette" for an "American" breakfast of pancakes, bacon, sausage, etc. while Daniel and Sandy got a nap after their red-eye. After they woke up, we went on a walk to Central Park (Guggenheim), SoHo, Greenwhich Villiage, down to the WTC, Battery Park (Statue of Liberty view), Wall Street, and up to the Brooklyn Bridge, quite a trip for one day. I forgot my cell phone! For dinner, we went to Caravan of Dreans, one of my classic favorites featuring vegan cuisine, with Sean Murphy after a few of Milaukee's Best and some Asbach and Coke. Afterwards, met up with Alex, Verena, Paul, Cathy, D, and Cranny at Fondue for some Sangria and chilling out. They were playing Old School on the big screen in the back. Following that, we headed to our favorite local bar, Brandy's for some piano playing and singing. Then went home, Alex and Verena went to Paul and Cathy's.
Saturday: Ate bagels, couldn't get ahold of Alex, tried to go the Empire State building, but found an anti-war demonstration occuring on Madison Avenue, so we did that instead. After walking about five blocks in an hour, we decided to go back to the Empire State building, but by then the line was 2 hours long. We took the subway to 28th St. and checked out the Flatiron building, the oldest skyscraper in New York (1902). Aftwards, we went to Union Square for the farmer's market. We went to Heartland Brewery for some beer; messed up Mamma Mia, ate at Samba Sushi and drank at the Coffee Bar, which turned into a club around midnight.
Sunday: Brunch at another favorite: Noho Star. I think we all enjoyed the scrumptious, weird food there. I ate polenta with basil drizzle. Alex and Verena went shopping on Broadway for Von Dutch and Cons, Sandy went to the airport (one hour train ride to the airport), Daniel and Bunkin joined me for a dessert and tea at Teany. Walked down to the Brooklyn Bridge, crossed it into Brooklyn, took the subway back, took the subway up to Harlem/Spanish Harlem, checked out the scene for 9 blocks, hopped back into the subway and headed back to the apartment. Relaxed at home for once, watched a movie on TV.
Monday: Woke up early and took Alex and Verena to Penn Station, where they Air-Trained it to the airport in Jersey. I headed back to my apartment, Daniel and I went to the Bagel shop for a bagel and met up with Bunkin. We tried the Empire State building again, but it was still too long. Went to Herald Square, Times Square. Ate soup at the Soup Kitchen International, straight from Seinfeld. Some of the best soup I've ever eaten. Walked up to Columbus Circle and then headed to the WTC, Wall Street, and Seaport Villiage. We bought tickets for Phantom of the Opera at TKTS. Went back uptown where Daniel and Bunkin headed to the UN for a tour and I ran errands. Got a cell phone software upgrade, bought some books, bought a Brazil soccer beany, checked out a German grocery store, and headed home for a nap. Ate typical NYC hot dogs at Papaya King and typical NYC pizza at Roma Pizza before heading to Times Square for Phantom. Afterwards, went to The View atop the Marriott Marquee for a few drinks and late night scenery. I got to bed at about 1:00am and got a few hours sleep before my two and a half hour commute to Delaware.

I'm drained!!!

Well, just over a week since I've blogged last and lots of stories to tell. My old roommate from California, Jeff, was in town with his girlfriend and we were hoping to hang out, but he was quite occuppied roaming the streets and experiencing the city, which is hard to blame him for :). We did catch up with him on Saturday night sometime around midnight at a swanky hotel bar in SoHo called The Hotel Grand. It was quite upscale, but intruiging nonetheless. They had a nice little lounge area to sit back and have a few drinks while listening to some DJ tunes playing everything from mixed AC/DC to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

But let's back up a few hours. Friday night my roommate and I went to one of our favorite culinary spots, Penang. It serves Malaysian food and the atmosphere and setup is just mellow. Cathy swears that they are a chain (like Olive Garden), but that is still up to debate. Apparently, there may be one other Penang in the Villiage and possibly another related restaurant in both Boston and Chicago. Sounds like a stretch to me, Cathleen! After dinner, my roommate and I met up with one of his friends and headed over to The Gaf, a local establishment that had quite a competitive dartboard. I'm not exactly Taunto with the arrows, but I had a few good shots, none of which were intended ;o)....

Saturday was quite a mellow day. Other than cleaning up my room a bit and working on my taxes (depressing!), I didn't do much during the day. That night, Paul, Cathy, D, and I headed down to the Lower East Side for some dining. Paul's pick of the evening was Paladar, a "Nuevo Latino" fusion restaurant. I made one of the poorest culinary decisions in New York yet when I ordered a quesadilla and a salad rather than a full entree like grilled quail (I had a late lunch). While the quesadilla wasn't too shabby, it was still a plain old wild mushroom quesadilla. I was hoping for a Nuevo Latino quesadilla, but I guess there's no such thing! The others certainly enjoyed their meal, however, and I imagine that I'll return again sometime to try out the quail...

After dinner, we went to our favorite LES hangout, TEANY, where I saw my first pop superstar in the flesh -- Moby himself! Moby is the owner of the tea shop and the wait staff actually asked him and his guest to switch tables so that the four of us could sit together. After being distracted by having him less than two feet away from my back, I settled in for the standard Teany Chino, a roasted nut flavored tea in a cup of warm milk. It's heaven in cup!!

Sunday night we headed over to Cafe Mozart, one of our favorite dessert cafes, located in the Upper West Side. We got up there late, but met Jeff and his entourage at around 11:00pm. We are OWNED by the desserts they have on tap there. It's like a drug....

Speaking of drugs....well, not really. Maybe I was on drugs when I decided to go to my first spinning class that began at 6:10am on Tuesday. I've always wanted to take a spinning class, but it never worked into my schedule real well with work (and eating and playing raquetball and...well, you get the idea). I tried to get some of my coworkers to go with me, but no! I had to go solo and show up to class pretending to be in shape. After about 15 minutes, I was dead tired and had to take it easy for the next 35 minutes. But, it was a great workout and something that I might give some thought to in the future. The biggest drawback was that my butt was sore! Those seats on the bike are not exactly padded, and neither is my arse!

Alex and his girlfriend Verena from Germany are coming to town tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to their week and a half stay! They don't know it yet...but I'm going to take them to see Rent on Broadway. They're poor college students and I'm just going to have to be their sugar daddy for the week :). It should be interesting commuting daily to Delaware from NYC, but it's worth being home to see my international buddies. Alex has promised to have dinner on the table waiting for me when I get home for letting them stay. Hey, you won't hear no complaints from here....

So are pleated pants really out of style? The fashion experts in my life seem to think that they are, and there are snippets of information on the media channels I frequent (internet and TV) that seem to indicate that this is the case. For example, Carson Kressley, the fashion expert for the Fab 5, says that he has never liked pleated pants, ever since he was a kid. But does that make them out of style?? I am not so sure. Because almost everyone I work with is still wearing pleats. I've even seen cases of triple-pleats! Regardless of the fact that they are either or out of style now, I am not a big fan. I dislike them so much that the last two pairs of pants I have purchased (up until yesterday, anyway), were BOTH pleated! ARRGGHHH! I can't help it, department stores sell almost exclusively pleated for some reason. Maybe they are still in style?? I haven't checked out my neighborhood Prada or Gucchi, so I can't say whether the fashion leaders are still selling them....

It's been a while since I've significantly blogged. I went back to California last weekend to visit my folks and some friends. I got home on late Friday night, went to sleep, woke up the next morning at 6:30 (gotta love the time change), did some shopping, got my hair cut, ate some real Mexican food (downtown LG), did some more chilling, and went to San Francisco to visit some other friends from work. Abhinav and I went to a Greek restaurant in North Beach, where we proceeded to order a plate of appetizers big enough to feed the homeless for the next year. But before it had arrived, we had ordered our entrees, which practically went to waste because we were so full from the appetizers. Talk about gluttony....

After Greek, we went to my friend Ewa's house where we had a pre-party before we went to a Mardi Gras party in the Lower Haight district of the city. The party was rocking, tons of people, tons of underage drinkers, and lots of socializing. After hanging out there for a few hours, we headed over to Grubsteak, one of San Francisco's premier late-night dining establishments. There's nothing like some ham, eggs, and potatoes to fill you up at 3:00am!

On Sunday, my parents made some awesome homemade waffles for breakfast with yogurt and fresh fruit toppings, in addition to some fresh breakfast sausages. Man, was I stuffed afterwards. To help work it off, dad and I went for a hike in the Los Gatos hills near the Guadalupe Dam. It was a pretty nice day outside, but not quite as nice as Saturday. Despite the fact that I've been exercising (relatively speaking) and roaming the streets of NYC, it was enough of a hike to raise my pulse a few beats. Following the hike, we headed back home, where I was treated to a salmon dinner. Grilled salmon with a paprika/cumin rub (oooh, sounds Hungarian!) along with some rice and vegetables. It was awesome! I had a 10:00pm flight that night, so we had to head out pretty early and cut the evening short, unfortunately....

Note to self: Next time one travels for two weeks straight with only one pair of work pants, it might be a good idea to avoid spilling half a Snapple on oneself. One should check to make sure that the lid of said Snapple is actually secured to the top of the bottle prior to shaking it.

And if one is going to spill Snapple all over oneself at lunch in front of one's co-workers, one should make sure that the pants are at least pleated, not one's nice, non-pleated wool pants....