Need Some Hope

Life's been to insanely busy to really write anything these days. I've seen a couple of great shows. A few CDs that have been on repeat include Delta Spirit's Ode To Sunshine, which is an AWESOME CD! And Josh Rouse's Subtitulo ..both of which I'm psyched that they are so good because it's been such a long time since I've been able to listen to a whole CD from start to end over and over (and over). I saw Delta Spirit open for Dr. Dogg at the Maxwell's a few weeks ago and they brought down the house so to speak. It was amazing. When I was at the show I couldn't help but comment how I felt like I was in a room full of mountain people; but I don't want to bucket the whole room into one category because I do admit that I think I also saw a fisherman, a hunter, and a blacksmith in the mix. So it was to no surprise that the liner notes in the CD said:

Recorded in a cabin.

So I've been addicted to this wine from Australia - Hope. I've had a lot of Hope these past few weeks. A new wine store down my block was sampling a few bottles and this was one of them. So what if I have a problem? I'm beginning to think I need help. What ever happened to the corporate limit? Wasn't it 2 drinks?

My boss came to town a few weeks ago and after a dinner with the team [after a few drinks] I vaguely remember dessert. In fact, the next day my boss commented to me that we went over what the average per person rate was, as to which I responded:

Me: How did we go over? Didn't we only do the $22/person package?
Boss: You forgot the incidentals.
Me: What incidentals?
Boss: The Merlot?
Me: The Merlot??
Boss: You DON'T remember the Merlot??
Me: OOOH! The Merlot? Yeah...(I did remember, it was pretty good...)
Boss: Yeah! After your second glass you started talking to Matt in Spanish!
Me: I don't even know Spanish.
Boss: Well you were also to the waiter in Spanish and you two were having a conversation.

So folks, looks like I know Spanish. There's Hope for me yet.

So a new favorite restaurant as of recent is the much admired and respected Cuba, where we ate more than we should but, nevertheless, the Oxtail was excellent as well as the Sangria. Think of a home cooked meal. Think Martino's up a few notches and less heavy (i.e. not an evident amount of oil and butter).

I also saw a reunion tour of Superdrag a few weeks ago at the Filmore (formerly known as our beloved Irving Plaza). That was a way awesome show as well and was one of those shows that got me listening to all their songs again.

Another satisfying meal was on a biz trip up to the evar-exciting Rochester where I stayed at the Marriott. By the time we got there (we drove) we were so drained that we ate at the hotel restaurant, which is not a bad thing since it is known for being really good anyway.

I has some filet - medium rare and boy did they do me right!

Somewhere along the hustle and bustle, we also paid some guy on the street $5 to write us a poem. Can't say you do that everyday, but if he ever published it into a book, at least we can say we have an original!

Other than all that, nothing too new and nothing too exciting. I'll leave you with a picture that I really like. The kids were really hyper at this shoot. I would wear these socks to work if it wouldn't be such a career killer. Maybe I could use the cold weather as an excuse...I'm not a fan of the 80s fashion comeback, but I'd do these legwarmers...

NYC Chocolate Show

gustaux
Originally uploaded by shaman8933.

So at the 200 NYC Chocolate Show the award for the best chocolate goes to Gustaux French Chocolate Truffles. They have a web site (www.gustaux.com) but it seems to be temporarily unavailable.

The best ports and dessert wines goes to these in this order:
1. Quay's Starboard - Batch 88
2. Elysium
3. Essensia
4. Electra

But that may point out my problem because the order of alcoholic content are 20%, 15%, ??%, and 4% respectively. Other members of the present party seemed to enjoy my #4 better so go figure.

www.quadywinery.com
www.vya.com

weekend update

Before much time goes by, I need to give the weekend update.

Thursday we got throught the list this time at the Verve! We went to their wine tasting with a few friends from work. It was a lot of fun and we stayed there later then we ever have stayed there before.

Saturday I slept in and it felt great. I can't remember the last time I just slept because I could. Saturday evening we went to the Alfonso's Medical School Graduation party, a friend that I've known from college. I can't believe 4 years went by so fast! On our way there we went accidentally went on the express lane on the NJTPK and we missed our exit. So then we tried to get off the same exit going in the opposite direction, but that side seemed to have skipped that exit. So frustrating...we pretty much went all the way back to get back on the other side to get of the right exit. That part of the NJTPK is very poorly labeled, by the way. I think I need to invest in a GPS or something. A ride that should have taken 20 minutes ended up taking twice as long...

Anyway, his mom managed to secure tents so that they could continue to have it ourdoors. It was a nice party and I don't think I knew anyone there besides him. We did however got into a really nice conversation with a family friend of his. We talked about everything from travel, sushi, colleges, music, etc. Another hightlight of the night was the jazz band. The guitarist said he remembered me from the Fonz' NYU Graduation party. I asked if they did requests and they did Tangerine for me! I love that song! Ivan also requested some songs and they played them too...I have to ask him again what they were.

Sunday was a nice day too. We woke up early and went to the driving range in New Brunswick. I am not very good at golf but Ivan is pretty good though. I'd like to get better but Sunday proved to me that that will be after much trial and tribulation. Afterwards we drove around looking for the Short Hills Mall, we eventually found it and we got the The Office Special (British version). I really liked the last episode. This is such a funny series and such quick-witted humor. It seemed that the show started out so funny and there were parts of it that became more and more serious and kinda poignant. You should watch it if you get a chance - it's probably right up there with Arrested Development. We also got some maps for our vacation.

Later we went walking to Hoboken. It was a pretty nice day so we wanted to enjoy some of it before the weekend was up. I finally got a picture of some art/graffitti that appeared on one of the street nearby. What do you think it's suppose to be? I'll tell you what I think it is after you tell me - that way I don't lead anyone on.

We ended up watching a girl's softball game. It was a lot of fun to watch but we both couldn't figure out who that guy was on the field. It's an all-girls team and there's a boy wearing big jeans and a huge t-shirt. What's that all about? The other team also had an extra player between 1st and 2nd base...2 short stops perhaps?

Then I got an unexpected call from Loren and she invited us to a Vietnamese restaurant in JC!! It was one that she took me to a long time ago when she lived next door to me in college. Loren & Don met us by the park (Thanks guys!) and the ride to the restaurant in Loren's car can only be described in a picture:

Ahahahaha.....The food there was great! We had some trouble getting all the condensced milk out of our cups (as you can see from the picture), but once we did, we devoured the iced coffees.

When we left he restaurant it was pouring! Luckily, they drove us home too! Thanks again!!!! You guys are loads of fun and we are looking forward to the Sushi place too! ;-)

P.S. We kinda weren't expecting to see anyone we knew, which is why we looked so fluffy.

Hookah in da Hood

Again cars are just a wasted expense. On Friday I stopped by a dealer a few towns over that said they do roof repairs (the 2 places near my work don't do it) and they wanted to replace the whole top for $1,000. I declined. Watch me replace it just to have someone poke more holes in it. Such a catch 22. I am going to try a different place that one of the dealerships near work recommended and see if they can just patch it. At one

point I was considering putting waterproof bandaids on it for the novelty of the idea, but I'm sure many would think I'm nuts if I did that. I would consider replacing it if they had crazy colors or patterned roofs. That would be awesome.

Other than that, it was a very fun weekend. I visited my parents on Friday night for dinner. On Saturday I spent the whole morning cleaning and I finally went to get my car washed! Loren and Don came over and got to see my place too! =) I think they may be my first college friends to see my place, besides Juan. It was fun to chat with friends! They even left a note down stairs next to our on-going game of hangman.

Elvia came over too and we went to La Isla to eat. I finally got to try their Cuban Sandwich and it was excellent! It may have possibly been the best Cuban Sandwich EVAR! Elvia had the Arroz con Pollo and she said the rice tasted like paella rice...and it really did! They also have the best Cafe con Leche, it is so good that you don't want to put any sweeteners in it.

We walked around, went into a few shops, and got some wine before heading back. When we got back Adam came down and all 4 of us cabbed our way to the Abbey Pub in the hood.

I don't know what was up with the cab driver but the cab kept jerking as if he was accelerating and braking. After the first block, I was thinking that if it continued then he was probably drunk and I was going to request for him to let us out. Then he couldn't' find the place and insisted it was this funeral home - I thought he wanted us to get out there! That was definitely not going to happen as there was some shady characters hanging on the corners. Luckily Adam was sitting in the front and is very good at being demanding.

anyway, when we finally got there the place was pretty empty but it was really cool! We had drinks and appetizers and vanilla raspberry mixed in our hookah. I had a French Kiss Martini and it tasted like fruit juice, a very dangerous trait for an alcoholic beverage to have. Then we came home and drank the rest of the wine and made some cinnamon rolls.




Sunday we got bagels at the Bagel Smashery and sat down in the park by the water by Frank Sinatra Drive to eat them and enjoy the weather and the New York City view. It was such a nice day!

Later Sof came by and we all went to visit Ivan's parents before they left for Florida. We ate Easter dinner at his sister's new place. I can't believe how these past 3 years have flown by so fast and how much has changed! It was so sad when we were saying our farewells and we were all teary-eyed and trying not to cry.

They really have helped all of us out a lot, from emotional support and monetary support to delicious nutricious food, family events such as family BBQs and his dad spending time with Ivan and going to play golf together, his mom keeping such a role-model home and giving me tips from cleaning to girly things, his parents visiting us and sharing dinner with my parents when they would visit. It was really refreshing how openly the communicated with their kids and it inspired me to be more open with my family. Not having them nearby anymore makes me feel lonely in this state again (it reminds me of when I moved out of NY to central Jersey and didn't really have complete mobile access to see my own parents). I can't imagine what a transition that must be for the rest of the family. We are all really happy that they have reached their goal and that they are doing something for themselves finally after raising all their kids and ensuring they were on their feet before they left. I really hope that one day if I ever have kids that I can be as good as a parents as our own parents!

We are going to visit them in a few weeks while we are in Orlando, so I'm hoping that seeing them in their house will cheer my hunny up.

What's [Gross] in My Cup: wrongodongo & cataldi madonna

Today, wrongodongo was discovered to be on its way out.

It was actually pretty good while it lasted. What do you think that's suppose to be on that cartoon's head?

That's rediculous.

This one from Italy was really good but was way on its way out the next day...forgot to cork it. I blame the director of suspicious activity for not mitigating this risk of gross intoxication.

He reportedly was "way too busy" with operation power failure.

What's in My Cup: Luzon Verde 2004

It seems that a majority of the online population alway posts what they're "currently listening to"...while I have stong feelings about music, I am going to put a new spin on things. Instead of telling you what I'm currently listening to, I'm going to tell you what I'm currently drinking.

The most recent drink is a red wine from Spain by Luzon Verde 2004 called Jumilla.

No Lunch Outs!

So after a long weekend, I feel as if I will never drink, eat, or spend money again (in order of importance).

This mess may have begun on Tuesday, when we took advantage of Hudson Restaurant Week. The Brass Rail makes some great crab cakes and who doesn't like crab cakes? Perhaps it was the pitcher of sangria we should have held off on or the chocolate dumplings. Or maybe it was that wine tasting on Thursday where I discovered a new love for white wine.

2006's outlook compare to 2005's baseline of wine consumed may provide some competition. I blame my co-workers for getting me started. Coming out of college I was probably the most dry person I knew, except for almost all the EGW participants, save one. Those 4-5 weeks I was in Belgium (work-relate) introduced me to a whole new world of controlled over-indulgence1., good alki1., and extremely fashionable clothes.

Friday was suppose to be the well-anticipated-for Media Night Out. We intended to also re-take advantage of Hudson Restaurant Week again, but instead ended up at Ruth's Chris, where 2 Medallion served Medium rare opened myself up to jokes by their "friendly" wait staff.

The wine was plentiful as well as well as the martinis.

My Chocolate Explosion dessert I would recommend to anyone. It was well worth it even though it provided another opportunity for the wait staff to add on to their earlier joke.

Saturday provided me with the opportunity to retrieve my car from the dealership. It was the first tune-up I have receive since becoming a car owner and a licensed driver. It was expensive but everyone says it's worth it. I'm sure it is, but the day I brought it in I recalled why I was able to save (and spend!) so much money when I was in college.

Kelly, Vaughn [N... are you crazy busy right now?
Kelly, Vaughn [... I need to go pick up my car.
Martinez, Sandr... lol
Kelly, Vaughn [... I'm serious.
Martinez, Sandr... my car is at the dealership too!
Kelly, Vaughn [... hahahaha
Kelly, Vaughn [... man.
Martinez, Sandr... millenium VW
Kelly, Vaughn [... impossible!

Not only am I paying so much money on gas, car payments, and insurance but also maintenance. If I were to get a job accessible through public transportation, I would probably save about $8,000 a year, conservatively. That's a lot of money.

I tried to be more frugal for the rest of the weekend, did my piano thing for 2 hours, and even made some healthy version of Southern Fried Chicken, which was baked with Special K and some other ingredients and walked about 5 miles through the rain. It was a nice walk despite the weather, but I ended buying a skirt that I loved (and didn't regret). We even found some Nag Champa and a new facial mask to try. That was shortly followed by the purchase of two bottle of white wine, one of which we'd drink while watching that Family Guy Movie.

Saturday was additionally defeated by Sunday, where we were defeated in my first-ever game of Beer Pong. I have never heard of Beer Pong, by the way, until I entered the work force1., thus adding more evidence to the corruption of me by Corporate America.

Also, if anyone asks, we drank the other teams beer and didn't pour it down the sink... Unit 1 is 50/50 in believing that and we will leave it at that.

Our pre-gaming provided some damage as well as the bets I didn't win.


I don't think my hunny won anything either but we were happy we were next to each other on the paper. By the way, I've never bet on football before, but someone at work explained this grid once to me while she was soliciting bets for some sports game (or something).1

Yay!

So, anyway, the lessons learned from the weekend include:
1. I don't like beer
2. I don't really like to watch football either
3. Football fanatics make loud TV-watchers
4. Ruth's Chris is the place to go for steaks
5. Corporate America will lead to my downfall
6. Don't bet cookies on football

So, to make a long story short, as a part of my cost-savings initiative, I will not be eating out this week. =)

1. Corporate America will lead to my downfall.