Emily Post would agree

Dear girls who love fitness and gossip,

Welcome.   Isn't it nice that we have a small gym in our building?   I think so too.   You know what isn't nice?   When you come into the gym, see a lone girl on the treadmill trying to push through her thirty minutes (in an obviously painful way) and you decide to turn on the tv at FULL VOLUME, get on the treadmill next to her and then put your headphones on, thereby ignoring the tv.  Why, may I ask, was it necessary to have TMZ blaring so loudly that a girl can't even hear herself think?   Do us all a favor, annoying FIT girls, and either watch tv OR listen to your ipod.   Both are not necessary.

kisses and hugs,
me

P.S.  If you do it again, I will call in my slapping friend from jury duty.

P.P.S.  To make it up to me, you may purchase this for me.  

There, was that so hard?

Jury Duty - NY Style

Lawyer (while questioning potential jurors):  Sir, if you were deliberating and you had a disagreement with another juror about the evidence presented or about what a witness said, would you feel comfortable sending a note to the judge to ask a question?

Potential Juror:  No, I don't argue.  I just slap.

Lawyer:  I am sorry?

Potential Juror:  Talking is for girls.  I don't like to talk.  I just use my fists.

Apparently I looked like I needed booze

Seth and I had a lovely dinner on Wednesday night with our friends Jackie and Tim.  Under the impression that New York City would be vacant the night before Thanksgiving, we decided to brave the crowds at Ippudo, to eat the best ramen in town.   Sadly, our dreams were shattered by a whopping three hour wait.   So much for that genius plan.  

Dejected, we wandered around the East Village looking for another place to eat and drink.   We opted for a restaurant well known for its fried chicken and hour long waits.  Apparently fried chicken doesn't have the same draw as ramen because we walked in and sat down to eat in about 10 minutes. And yes, it was as good as ever.  Normally, I would share the name of this wondrous restaurant, however, at the end of the meal the waiter poured me a serious glass wine and made me promise not to tell anyone where this magical glass came from.   I don't know if I looked liked I need booze or the waiter was in the holiday spirit, but whatever it was, I left a very happy camper. 

must read

i have been accussed of being a fairly obsessive reader.

fine, at times, i am downright maniacal.  i can get so absorbed in a book that i have been known to miss my train stop, ignore seth without even realizing he is talking or walk into incoming traffic (ask my grandma betty about this story).  in fact, i jumped on the kindle bandwagon mainly because my apartment does not have room for any more books and seth was threatening to put my books into my closet and remove my shoes.  (don't ask me to pick between books and shoes.  i can't. i am sweating just thinking about it.)

right now, i am reading a book that anyone who grew up loving 80s music and pop culture must immediately buy.  rob sheffield's talking to girls about duran duran (buy it here) is a hilarious journey through his teen years from 1980 to 1989.  he narrates the story using 25 different songs that were popular throughout the decade.  some chapters are specific memories of what he was doing when he listened to a particular song and others are just general life lessons learned, such as his realization that girls prefer it when a guy actually places the toilet paper on the holder as opposed to leaving it loose on the sink.  while the author is 10 years older me, just about every song he writes about jogs my own memories of what kind of trouble i was getting into when i heard them.  it is well worth a trip to borders to get your own copy.   any guy who appreciates kenny roger's wisdom is a-okay in my book.  (you really do need to know when to hold them).

p.s.  while you are at it, buy his first book too - love is a mix tape - it is a different kind of memoir with much more serious subject matter but well worth the read for an example of some great writing.   he makes you want to be his friend.

p.p.s  seriously rob, call me.  we'll hang out. 

welcome to the party!

a very special welcome to lucy, the coolest baby ever to be born in midland, texas.  i haven't met her yet but i am fairly certain we are going to be the best of friends.  congrats and much love to mary ann and austin on their new addition.   december 23 cannot get here fast enough and likely, i will not let anyone else hold her when she is within 15 feet of me.  

aunt jamie is poised and ready to buy presents.   uncle seth is worried about our retirement funds.

honored

this morning, i was hand picked by the court security officers for the following exchange:

CSO:  good morning!  did you know that sunday is day light savings day?
me:  i did not know, it is a good thing you told me!
CSO:  don't forget that you "fall back" and get an extra hour of beauty sleep (insert dramatic pause here) 

.... not that you would need it!  (cue cheesy joke drum solo)

me:  flattery will get you everywhere (if i baked i would totally bring him cookies).

CSO to other CSOs: see, i told you it would work!

side note:  when getting coffee right after above exchange, pay attention to what you are doing instead of mentally writing this blog post.  coffee on a new, pretty dress defeats the whole purpose of the CSO's joke.

second side note:  these people totally rule

thank you peking duck house

wedding plus photo booth plus clown props equals

awesomeness.

congrats to two of my favoritest people, jackie and tim, on their marriage this weekend.   it was great fun!

rules to live by

when wearing a dress, a backpack can cause the dress to ride up and show the world your business.  mooning newark is generally frowned upon so always hold onto the hem of your dress to avoid any mishaps.

specials thanks to the scary man on mulberry street for pointing out the dangers of the backpack/dress combination.  

the way it was

the new york times posted a very cool photographic history of the subway here.  the subway seems so much more romantic in black and white.

To Whom It May Concern

My sinuses hurt today.   

I believe this necklace is just what I need for a speedy recovery.

Yours til Niagara Falls,

Jamie

http://shop.bingbangnyc.com/collections/necklaces/products/anchor-drop-necklace#

Pups, Pups Everywhere

Please take me home

As much as I gaze longingly at the cute pups that strut around my neighborhood, I know deep down that my life is not conducive to owning a dog.   On more than more occasion I have considered buying a fish or a hamster or even a cat, but then I realized I couldn't get past how much fish gross me out and that hamsters and cats kinda smell.  So I always come back to yearning for a dog.

As an experiment years ago, I bought a gigapet to test my ability to care for something other than myself.   Sadly, the gigapet died within two days when I left it in a drawer and forgot to feed it.  I even managed to kill a bamboo plant by just being near it.  So I am left with fleeting encounters with pugs and bulldogs on the street.

But now, it's like I can have the best of all worlds.   Some genius had the idea to market a pet that I don't need to feed or water.  I predict one person will purchase this and it will be me.

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/index/main,book-info/store,gifts/products_id,8953/title,Port-a-Pug/ 

Shot in the Dark

Dear Mr. Colicchio,

Your new restaurant is quite lovely.   I greatly enjoyed the fried chicken (maybe a bit too much) and your fried provolone was divine.  Introducing horseradish into a deviled egg tickled my fancy as well.   While I certainly appreciate the views of the East River, if you could please just move Riverpark a titch west, say 3 to 5 avenues, that would be peachy.

Sincerely yours,
A Lazy Westsider

P.S.  If the Sauvignon Blanc is the best white wine by the glass, try to avoid running out.

P.P.S.  Offering Reisling in its place is probably a no-no.

P.P.P.S.  Stay bald.  It suits you.

three months

seth just informed me that i haven't posted in three months.  during these three months, i have visited two foreign countries, tried countless new restaurants, coped with a new co-worker, endured 1000 degree heat and very cold rain and started teaching.  how on earth did i let this much time go by?   the incident yesterday with my sandwich alone merits a blog post.   as was my introduction into the world of payday candy bars, which are, incidentally, delicious.

I AM BACK!

just your typical wednesday morning

400am:    Awoken by crippling cramp in leg.   Shout so loudly Seth falls out of bed, reminiscent of Cher in Clueless when she tries to seduce Christian.

730am:    Alarm goes off.   Reach to snooze and realize have been snoozing for 45 minutes and am now late.  Jump up so quickly my leg cramps again.  Hobble to shower.

755am:    Miraculously ready on time.  Realize its raining and leg still hurts. Wear sneakers to commute, ala Working Girl.   Anna Wintour weeps somewhere in the West Village and does not know why.

805am:    On train to work.  Relax in cool, quiet seat. Congratulate self on getting ready in 12 minutes.  Realize my outfit looks like I got ready in 12 minutes.  Curse silently.

807am:    Overhear man speaking on phone saying “Like the Terminator, I will be back.”   Over and over.  Realize man is not on phone but is speaking to commuters.   Man’s voice gets louder and louder until he is screaming about persecution, Jesus and various other philosophies.  Listen to Britney to drown out screaming man.  Fail.

825am:    Walk to work in rain.   Wonder if sick day is appropriate.

Welcome Home

this weekend seth and i flew the coop and headed to hippie town, usa - portland, oregon.   it was an excellent trip deserving of its own blog post (pictures and all).   this morning, however, i was treated to such a bizarre series of events, it deserved a post on its own (thanks to micol for the idea).

when planning this trip, seth and i decided to take the red eye home to get in as MUCH VACATION AS POSSIBLE.  before the actual trip, that idea sounds genius.   in practice, it’s painful.   add in the events below and it is a wonder i am not curled in a ball somewhere. 

we land this morning at 5:00am and the pilot taunts us by telling us how hot it is.  i am cranky and tired and silently cursing the pilot for how funny he thinks 100 degree heat is.  we jet home in a taxi in record time.  home is a sweltering sauna because no one has even cracked a window in my apartment for the past four days.  i try to go to sleep for another hour or so but it is so hot in the apartment it is impossible to get comfortable.  naturally i end up dozing and manage to oversleep.   i catch the train late and get to newark around 8:45 (15 minutes past when i am supposed to arrive at work).   being that i have a 10 minute walk, its 1000 degrees and i am late, i decide a cab is really the only way to go.

i find a cab quickly and we take off. i am optimistic that i might make it to work before 9am.  oh jamie, you are thinking, things cannot be that easy!   of course, the light in front of the train station is broken, refusing to turn green.  i start arguing with the cab driver that he has to just turn on red since it is obvious the light isn’t turning green.  (there is absolutely no way I am walking in this heat so i have resorted to badgering the driver).  mr. cab driver will not turn because he fears getting a ticket.

he then gets out of the cab and starts caucusing with other cab drivers.  they determine that the cabs must move up closer to the intersection so the sensor for the light realizes it needs to turn green.

we move up.

nothing happens.

honking commences.

finally i say "DUDE, JUST TURN."

and then it turns green.

he then tells me that he won't charge me what's on the meter and that i can just give him $7 (the normal fare).  now we are friends again.

we begin chatting and i find out he is a part time cab driver because he is a medical student at UMDNJ.  he tells me he is a physician in haiti but he needs to pass his medical boards here.  he is quite nice so i listen, blah blah (completely unsure whether i believe him, but who cares, he sounds interesting).

he drops me off at work.

and i say "nice chatting with you, good luck."

and he says "why don't we trade phone numbers?"

and i say "um... what?"

and he goes "phone numbers, you know"

so i think he means so i can call him for cab rides!

so i say "why?"

and he says "so we can chat, nothing crazy"

and i say "well, i am married" (feeling totally awkward already) and he responds "i am not married!"

to which i say "well, i am"

and he says "ohhhhhhhhhhh, ummmmmmmmmmm, ooooooooooooh, well, ok"

and he drives off while my door is still partially open. 

i step away from the curb wondering if i hallucinated that exchange, give up and head into the courthouse.  i make a beeline straight for the coffee shop on the first floor only to find that the COFFEE MACHINE IS BROKEN.

mentally, i collapse in a heap of drama and exhaustion and decide its better for me to head home.

physically i trudge upstairs and weep silently at my fate

welcome to new york, baby.  life is never dull.

Joy

It is your birthday. People from all over have called, emailed and sent notes with well wishes. You talk to your family, old and new. Your boss buys you lunch and brings in cupcakes.  Everyone sings.  You wish everything can always be this good.

That night, you come home, watch your favorite ABC Family tween drama and wait to go to dinner with your husband. It is a surprise so the anticipation adds to the excitement.

You walk to the subway with your husband, chattering like a monkey about your day, your dress, your upcoming trip to Portland. He seems a little anxious but you chalk that up to the surprise of the restaurant.

The restaurant turns out to be an old favorite. You get nostalgic thinking of old times. The host says "I have a great table for you guys upstairs.". You think "cool, this place is extra nice tonight."  You walk upstairs and see a large group in front of you. Faces register but then they don't.

You think, "why are these people here that I know?"

"Surprise!"

It dawns on you, these people are all here for you.  On a Wednesday.  In the middle of summer. 20 of your favorite people in the world.  Some have come in from New Jersey, hours away.  Others spent the day
moving.  Some you've known half your life and others you only recently became close to. You see women who are like sisters to you  and the faces of your best friends (you miss a few that are too far away and realize they are there in spirit). You look around and see people from every part of your life talking and laughing. They all know each other and it amazes you.

Your husband has spent time and energy finding the perfect place and the perfect people so that he can finally give you the surprise party  you have always wanted. You had no idea.

And you feel joy, pure joy, the entire night, spilling into the next morning.

vote!

it has been way too long since i lasted posted.   i blame the government for blocking blogs at work!  has productivity really gone up since i can no longer find out which celebrity is wearing chanel?  i am guessing not.

but anyway, today is my birthday.  awesome, right?  the love i am getting from family and friends is enough to knock me over and send me into fits of giggles.  the sun is shining, it is finally under 90 degrees and seth is taking me to a surprise birthday dinner.   life is good and i feel lucky.

everyday when i walk through the streets of nyc and newark, i see that not everyone is as lucky as i am.  so, in the spirit of birthday wishes and love and kindness and all that good stuff i am posting to ask everyone i know to click on this link below and vote for their favorite charity.   the winner gets cold hard cash to fund the charity's work.  it's free and takes just one minute of your time.  easy, right?

http://www.takepart.com/membersproject/vote

me?  i voted for storycorps. http://www.takepart.com/groups/storycorps/137764  its a beautiful organization that is near and dear to my heart.   frankly, any of the charities are deserving.  just click!

line of the weekend

Homeless man on 7th ave:  "girl, you gorgeous, you jewish?"

Me:  "why yes, I am!"

nana-versary

this weekend, seth and i had the privilege of celebrating one year of marital bliss in tarrytown, new york, visiting the stone barns center for food and agriculture and eating at blue hill, the restaurant located on the premises.  we arrived on saturday night and checked into tarrytown house estate, a lovely little hotel about 15 minutes from the farm and restaurant.  the room was quaint, the perfect mixture of old charm while also being well kept.   we were treated to views of the hudson from the balcony outside of our room, where we sat reading and watching the sunset.


sounds perfect?   it pretty much was.


after some much needed relaxation, we headed to dinner.  the meal at blue hill is virtually impossible to do justice.  we were treated to 8 courses of locally grown food, straight from the farm and cooked by some unbelievably inventive chefs.  we ate a wide range of foods including the vegetables and fruits grown at the farm, local fish, soft shell crabs, house made charcuterie and lamb shoulder with baby carrots.   the most inventive dish (and my favorite) was the pasta course.  not only was it perfectly cooked and in an interesting twist made with goose eggs, but the the chef had cured the yolk of an egg so that it resembled reggiano which was grated over the pasta.  by the end, seth had to roll me out of the restaurant and deposit me directly into bed. 


the next morning, seth and i went back to the farm to walk around and take a livestock tour.  we ate some breakfast of quiche at the blue hill cafe (yes, we actually ate again) and spent a few hours walking around, checking out the animals, the plants and the grounds.  i highly recommend a day trip to visit this farm.   only 45 minutes outside of new york city and it is like you have entered a whole other world.


http://www.stonebarnscenter.org/

 

the view from our balcony

    

the little pigs and their mama

the hens who lay the eggs, they had a surprising amount of personality

bees and their yummy honey

the structures at the farm, built in the 1920s

pig + us = happy anniversary!

need, want, must have

http://www.palmercash.com/p-3312-womens-boombox-tee.aspx

presents!

confirmation

in case anyone thought otherwise, montezuma's revenge is alive and well and likes to sneak up on innocent travelers (i.e. me). what started as an exciting girls' weekend away in mexico for a bachelorette party ended with prayers for my life and concern i might not make it home. thankfully, some fabulous ladies in our party took great pity on me and jumped into action to nurse me back to health. i am forever grateful for those strong stomached women and am reminded just how important a great girlfriend is. thanks ladies, i love you and would be more than happy to bring you pepto, water and crackers any time.

note to self - never travel without immodium again.

it's so pretty outside, i want to skip through the park wearing this

Spring by pookie.mcguire featuring Pollini shoes

reason number one to move

in my quest to find my next choice for city living, seth and i have been traveling around the country checking out the possibilities.  while i certainly have a lot more to say about my amazing weekend in chicago with mary ann and austin than this post will reflect, there is one thing that pushed chicago right to the front of the pack.

it smells like chocolate. 

yes, chocolate.  and by chocolate i mean, fresh baked, double fudge brownies that have just come out of the oven.  after investigation we discovered the smell comes from a local chocolate factory, blommer chocolate.   
http://www.blommer.com/

what better way to lure a woman to a city?  i don't even have a fighting chance.

cilantro again? really?

yes, really.  it's a hot debate.  and everyone who knows me sends me tons of articles to either (1) make fun of me or (2) attempt to scientifically explain my utter aversion to it.   this article doesn't add too much to the debate but it certainly makes me feel vindicated for the following exchange:

In a television interview in 2002, Larry King asked Julia Child which foods she hated.

She responded: “Cilantro and arugula I don’t like at all. They’re both green herbs, they have kind of a dead taste to me.”

“So you would never order it?” Mr. King asked.

“Never,” she responded. “I would pick it out if I saw it and throw it on the floor.”

julia child is certainly good company.  VINDICATED!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html?hp

ode to the park

the weather in new york this weekend is the reason people pledge their undying devotion to this city.  it was a perfect 70 degrees, with just the right amount of breeze and sun.  because it is early april, no one knows quite how to dress to avoid being too hot or too cold.  i saw bikini clad girls and shirtless boys starting their tan of the season and other people walking around wearing sweaters and jeans.   the air is electric with the possibility of, well, anything.

this time of year reminds me of the spring when seth and i became friends.  i would trek into the city and we would meet for brunch, inevitably ending up in hudson river park to people watch, talk and sometimes nap. that spring reintroduced me to my love affair with new york city and frankly, reawakened me out a very long hibernation from life.  hudson river park is like a magnet to me now, the minute the temperature creeps into the upper 60s it is the first place i want go.

so, this weekend, after brunch with an old friend, i started walking home and found myself walking west on christopher to meet seth at the park.  as i crossed the west side highway, the sights and sounds of the park came flooding back to me as if i was there yesterday.  the park was filled with packs of the beautiful boys of the neighborhood, bikers, roller bladers, dogs of all sizes, couples on picnics, friends playing clue and chess and people dozing lightly in the sun.   in a nod to spring, it seemed like no one was wearing black; i only saw a sea of bright blues, pinks and yellows.

after reading for a few hours, we were packing up to leave when i heard clapping and cat calls coming from my left.  never one to shy away from a spectacle, i had to investigate the commotion.  to be surprise, i found a large group of people jumping rope, double dutch style.  three women had shown up to the park armed with two jump ropes and challenged a group of boys to see what they were made of.   naturally, the challengers could double dutch like nobodies business and to my surprise, a few of the boys kept up with them.  the crowd encouraged the jumpers to keep up their momentum as well - when someone managed to get into the jump ropes without tripping, they were met with fierce applause.  anyone could try and those who did were nicknamed by the women.  my favorite nickname was "pink sunshine" for a boy in a pink sweater.  it fit.

seth and i stood there for about 20 minutes watching them jump and listening to the cat calls.  somehow those 20 minutes on saturday afternoon simultaneously reminded me of the fun i had in elementary school on the playground and of my daydreams from that fateful spring four years ago.  i firmly believe the magic of hudson river park enables me to conjure up such vivid memories and emotions.  and the smile has yet to leave my face.

at first i thought this was cool

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98695984

but in fact, it's lame.  cilantro stinks.  although maybe living with seth is the reason my sense of smell is dulled.  survival.

happy birthday chuck norris

70 years later and still bad ass.   chuck norris turns 70.  corey haim overdoses.  coincidence?

in chuck's honor, i am posting my favorite norris-isms of all time:

1.   Darth Vadar dresses up as Chuck Norris for Halloween.

2.   Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.

3.   Chuck Norris doesn't sleep, he waits.

4.   If you spell Chuck Norris in Scrabble, you win.  Forever.

5.   What's 30 times Chuck Norris?  Oblivion.

signs

signs of maturity:
1. foregoing a bagel for breakfast for the healthier yogurt option
2. sticking to my exercise plan
3. walking to work this morning in the rain/snow and saving the money from the cab fare
4. realizing i have read just as many non-fiction books as pink books in the past year

signs i am not really as mature as i think:
1. forgetting that i was in public on my walk to work this morning and dancing on the street when a particularly awesome smith's song came on
2. laughing hysterically at the picture of rick in his storm trooper helmet
3. stopping each time the filet o' fish commerical comes on to sing along
4. realizing that the number of tween shows i watch on the CW far exceeds the number of newspapers i read and being completely ok with that statistic

stuff i wish i thought of part 2

http://www.thirdanddelaware.com/

Anyone who knows me can attest to my love (ok fine, obsession) with anything related to fashion.  Second only to fashion is anything related to 80s and 90s pop culture.

Imagine my happiness then, when I stumbled across a website dedicated to the fashion of the tv show Roseanne.    It is like the cross section of all things fabulous.   Brilliant.

my flops abandoned me

And I can completely understand why. I didn't want to leave Rincon either.

a symphony in meat

Take two beautiful steaks from DeBragga.

Add two crazy men who love meat marginally more than their wives.

Add some delicious sides made by one of the wives who can actually cook (i.e., not me).

Voila, Meatfest with the McGowans 2010. This evening ended in a sleepover in Monclair (i.e. Seth passed out) where I was ceremonially kicked off of the couch and ended up sleeping on a recliner.

But it was worth it.

why puerto rico, you ask?

1. Time slows to almost a stop on the beach in 85 degree sunny weather

2. Empty beaches with no beach passes

3. Cerveza?

4. Banana DANG (google it)

5. Julius the sand crab

6. The use of horses as transportation on major roads

7. No mosquitoes

8. The seemingly endless breeze that is just cool enough

9. Bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches for $2.50

And last but not least:

farewell new york

It is with great happiness I announce that I am never leaving this
square of Rincon beach. I will welcome visitors and gifts. I only
ask that my lovely friends watch over my shoes and bags (with the
understanding that any and all bags can be borrowed).
--
Sent from my mobile device

stuff i wish i thought of first

http://sleeptalkinman.blogspot.com/

if i only i had thought of it first! seth talks in his sleep like its his job. just add it to the list of great ideas staring me in the face that i completely ignored. this blog is not to be missed.

new neighbors

this morning, i am coming out of my apartment (reality check - rushing out of my apartment so i don't miss the train) to head out to work. my new neighbor is leaving his place at the same time. in an exciting turn of friendliness, he introduces himself, starts chatting with me and i find out he is from a town outside of pennsylvania where a really good friend of ours grew up.

small world.

so i say, "that's funny, seth and i have a very good friend from yardley, do you know him?"

so he goes, "yes, i know the whole family."

wait for it.

he then says "my older brother played in a band with your friend's brother."

translation: our neighbor has an OLDER brother who played in a band with our friend's YOUNGER brother.

way to make me feel my age through and through on a friday morning. on the flip side, i now have two friendly neighbors who i actually know! that's a first.

Note To Self

Never listen to Lady Gaga's The Fame in its entirety while half asleep on the commute to work. It will stay in your brain for days and days. I have an irrational fear that I will accidentally type out the lyrics to Paparazzi in the opinion that I am drafting.

On a delightful and completely unrelated note, I find this website utterly hilarious and I really don't know why.

http://selleckwaterfallsandwich.tumblr.com/

Hotlanta

Over New Years, Seth and I fled New York City for a weekend getaway to the ATL. There was a lot of drinking, football watching, and naturally, loads of eating. Our hosts for the weekend rolled out the red carpet and let us form our own ass grooves on their couch. Some of my highlights of the weekend:

1. The Waffle House

2. Endless conversations with Eva about which animals live in the Zoo

3. Equally endless conversations with V about the Heineken Kegerator

4. My jealousy of Amanda's shoe closet

5. Clarke and Christy's unbeatable Southern Charm

6. Fried green tomatoes

7. Our Bulgarian drivers

8. A Penn State win in the Capital One Bowl (this is more for Seth)

9. Chik fil-a nugget platter of 150

10. Flying out of Newark airport in 3 inches of snow without any delays

And finally - this masterpiece of a burger from Flip Burger Boutique in Atlanta. They had fried pickles - that's right FRIED PICKLES. This little piece of heaven is called the Southern and consists of a country fried beef patty, house-made pimento cheese, homemade pickles, and green tomato ketchup. When in Rome, right?

Required Reading

I finished this book a while ago and cannot stop raving about it. I have recommended it to anyone who has asked (or even those who have not) for a book recommendation. The writing is simply excellent. Frank Bruni can tell a story that would make anyone want to pull up a chair and listen for hours on end. He makes you want to figure out where he hangs out so you can stare at him until he'll talk to you (hypothetically, of course).

When I finished Born Round, I felt incredibly sad it was over. I wanted to know more (the obvious sign of an excellent story). As a book junkie, my only course of action was to promptly hop on amazon.com to send a sample of Elizabeth Gilbert's new book, Committed to my Kindle (the greatest invention since the ipod).

All of a sudden, I realized, I am finding myself gravatating towards memoirs, which are generally not my normal book choice. Given a week of sleeplessness (sorry Seth, I know I kept you up all week), I started pondering why I am so interested in everyone else's stories right now. My conclusion: not knowing where I am going to live/work in two years is apparently on my mind and I am curious how other people choose their paths in life.

One large caveat to this late night worrying: I know I am lucky. I realized that most people do not have options like this. Seth and I are basically free to move anywhere we want once my job assignment has ended. Even more so, I have someone, my best friend and the man I love, to figure this out with me. I really have no formal ties to New York City (other than a deep rooted love affair with this city which would pain me to break and some amazing friends who would be forced to IM with me). But despite repeating this lucky mantra over and over, that tiny voice that goes off in the back of my head at extremely inopportune times (like 2AM) is actually saying "How on earth could I find myself, at 33, facing such a daunting and scary, but liberating choice? Where does one start? And to that end, shouldn't I know this already?"

Don't get me wrong, part of me revels in the idea of laying a map of the world on the floor of my apartment and throwing a dart (hoping this method does not require a move to the middle of the Indian Ocean or North Dakota) to decide my next move. Another part of me wants to curl up in my current apartment and never leave.

Anyone who knows me well will chuckle as they read this, as I have been talking ad nauseum about this very predicament for quite some time. Those who I ask have offered me some welcomed pieces of advice. Funny enough though, for each piece of advice I hear, more often than not, it conflicts with a previous piece of advice. That can only be the universe's funny way of saying "tough shit woman, figure it out for yourself."

The closest to this feeling I have had in the past was when I graduated college. Back then though, in addition to having no real path and facing a multitude of options, I really didn't know who I was. Upon reflection, it all worked out then. So that must mean, that this will too.

One favor, please. Remind me over the next year of exploration when I look overwhelmed, that, in two years from now, I'll be laughing at how I didn't think I knew where I was going, when in fact, I really did.