Remember me?

Stefan, David and Paula- do you remember this linoleum??!?!?! Jen's aunt had the same stuff in her kitchen in Halifax.


And people in NY= remember this stuff?? It's called snow. They also had this in Halifax. And they don't have it here. But apparently there was 11" of it this weekend in Vermont- where I will be enjoying next weekend skiing.


And this last picture is of my valentine's date in Halifax. Jen and I went out for dinner with her parents before I went to visit my Grandma. Maybe not the most romantic night- but a good one.
Also I wanted to post the pic of my hair pre-cut. I got it butchered again this weekend. V upsetting but I won't bother posting about it. Just refer to last March- there'll be an entry in there ("Some perspective" and "Nope it's still horrible") and it's basically the same story. Rinse and repeat.

Stealing this thing from facebook... of 25 things about me.

I'm at work (quelle surprise) and procrastinating (another shocker) so am doing this activity which has been running rampant on fb recently. You're supposed to write 25 things about yourself- tag people- they read it and write and it goes on.
But I have friends who aren't on facebook that do read my blog and why cut you out of the love?? It's a ridiculous exercise- but you all love me- so why wouldn't you want to know more about me?!??! You might learn something.

25 Random Bits of Useless Trivia About Me:

1. Every cute 'saying' I have, I stole from someone else (eg. meow meow meow, quelle surprise)

2. Every time I see a fire truck/ambulance etc I say a prayer.

3. I believe I'll be a single mom. At least that's how I envision it.

4. I can't sleep with my feet trapped under my the bed covers- the covers HAVE to be untucked.

5. I actually prefer a duvet to a quilt (this is meaningful because my Mom owns a quilt store) BUT I've discovered that if I put a quilt ON TOP of a duvet it is actually better.

6. Until very recently I wouldn't alllow ANYTHING to go on top of my duvet. You wanted to sit on my bed? You had to pull the duvet back to sit down.

7. I kind of believe that we dream the future. (A little bit)

8. I like hugs more than kisses. I hug everyone. Even people I don't know that well which throws them off. I think I get it from my Mom and my Dad.

9. When I was growing up I secretly thought it was so cool that my last name was different than my Moms' last name.

10. I do what Paul does and unconsciously mimic other people's accents. You can even tell a difference from when I moved to Toronto from Calgary and to New York from Toronto.

11. I was born in Calgary but consider myself a Maritimer because I spent every summer in New Brunswick when I was growing up.

12. Many of my friends are 'foodies' but I would be completely content to eat the same food every day. It's just fuel. In fact that's what I do. In Calgary I used to have rice for lunch (for 2 years) nearly every day) and in Toronto it was sushi- for about 2.5 years. Right now it's a turkey sandwich from starbucks.

13. Except for Peanut M&Ms. I love those like heroin. (or at least how I imagine I would love heroin... I hear it's pretty addictive). People probably don't realize the extent to which I like to eat them. I think the most romantic proposal would be if he gave me a bag of Peanut M&Ms ("Mega" variant- they don't actually exist anymore) and the ring was buried in the bag. Of course I'd probably eat it before I realized what it was. And I do realize that this is not so much "romantic" as it is "sad".

14. I have dreams about losing my teeth all the time. Only I'm not 80- I lose them in the middle of a meeting on a Tuesday. So I really hope that #7 is wrong.

15. My first boyfriend was when I was 19. I didn't date in high school. (I also didn't wear contacts, have straight teeth, wear make-up or know how to dress until after HS. I wonder if there's a correlation??). Even now I don't date that much.

16. I have been a part of an annual Christmas potluck dinner with a group of 7 other girls for the past 16 years. I cherish those friendships. One of those friends I've had since I was 4! (Incidentally I cherish all of my friendships)

17. I got into my career by accident. If Eric hadn't walked into the GAP that day...

18. Even though I love travelling I find it exhausting and lonely and hard.

19. After University I went to a semester of bible college, used to attend church 6 days a week, and volunteered as a Sunday school teacher.

20. I don't like wine. Red or white. Though I'll drink white if I have to. But I just don't like the taste. Everyone freaking LOVES it and I just don't get it??!!

21. I don't love New York (blasphemy right?!) but think it's cool to live here for now. I have NO IDEA where I'm going to go next. I just know that I don't want to live anywhere that I've already lived- as I feel that's going backward.

22. I fall in love VERY EASILY. And often. oh wait- this is supposed to be stuff people DON'T know about me...

23. When I take paper towels from a dispenser in a public washroom I always have to take 3. I don't know why. Now tell me something: now that you know this about me, how does it change how you feel about me?? What sort of deeper understanding do you have of me that will enable our relationship to be more fulfilling??!

24. The top thing I look for in any relationship (friendship, partnership etc) is laughter. And not just you making me laugh, but me making you laugh too.

25. People always tell me I've very photogenic and tho I doth protest too much, I secretly agree. But ONLY from certain angles!!!! Isn't that horrible of me?! : )

So so sad

I have an unhealthy love for the iphone. Those that know me know this. And they will attest to the fact that I :

- Wanted the iphone a full year before it came to Canada
- Bought the iphone the day it became available in Canada
- RELUCTANTLY had to give it up when I moved to the States and then didn't (and still haven't) shut up about how much I miss it
- Miss it more than I miss some of my friends

It's a bit of a sickness really.

So last Christmas I bought an ipod touch as a lesser replacement. And it is less- much less- but at least it made me feel somewhat tied to my beloved iphone.

And now it's missing. I don't know if it got taken off of my desk last night or if I left it in the cab or if it felt out of my pocket. I know that it's sad and lonely to be apart from me and, even though I think it's a lesser kind of sad version of the iphone, it was my lesser kind of sad version and I'm sad and lonely to not have it.

And I really have no perspective about this- I KNOW that there are worse things in the world than losing/getting an iphone stolen and that at the end of the day it's just a 'possession' and there are bigger things to ...WHATEVER I WANT MY FREAKING IPHONE BACK (er ipod touch) THIS SUCKS!!!!! I'M SO MAD RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ugh.

New artiste

Ok she's not new- but she's new to me.

A friend of mine introduced me to the work of a new artist last night. Her name is moira mcnair and she is based out of the UK. I love her work- and I love her method. (a method which I'm not going to share as I don't know how "intellectual property" applies here...)

Check her out at:
http://www.moiramcnair.co.uk/

Emails

You might have noticed I haven't been sending out emails lately... I'm sorry!!! I'm just really busy- and away. And away. And busy. But mostly just away.
I'll try to get better! (P and L and J I'm thinking of specifically)
xoxooxo

Out East

I was in Halifax and Moncton this weekend- visiting friends and family, and seeing snow.

I went to Halifax to see an old friend Jen. She and I lived in Toronto at the same time for a year and both moved away last Fall. I had seen her since the move and, once again, we saw one another and it was like no time had passed (that's my MO with this girl- we can go YEARS without seeing each other and then get together pas de problem).

We went out for a great dinner at Onyx (I'm having AWESOME luck at dining out lately) with friends I'd been hearing all about and was glad to finally meet, and then we went for a drink at a way too young for me bar- trying to hunt down my cousin Chris who was MIA. He was at a gay bar- and didn't want to tell me that's where he was in case I was weird about the whole gay bar scene. HAH. Clearly this guy DOES NOT know me!!!

Jen and I drove to Moncton on Saturday and I saw my Grandma. She is in the hospital having tests right now- but doing really well. She's in high spirits, has good colour in her cheeks and is just acting the cautious way you're meant to when you're 84. I have to say - I was very, very glad to see her. I showed her pictures of baby O on my ipod touch- and she said, in a very serious tone, "this is a very cute baby. Isn't she Nancy? She's a cute baby." She is Grandma : )
(Nancy is my aunt- who was also in town. And we had a chance for some one on one visiting- which was unusual but very welcomed).

I loved visiting the maritimes because it was home. Because it was family. Because it was snowing. Because it was everything I'd been missing.

And now I'm back at work. When I get home I'll upload some pictures.

The Slopes

I went skiing this past weekend - for the first time in about oh...8 years. The worst part is I've BEEN to ski hills and just haven't skied- and now am wondering why?! I love skiing! And I'm actually okay at it. My form is complete crap and I have to think about what I'm doing, and my skis are practically the length of my feet... but I can get down the hill, get a little speed- and I have fun doing it.

And though I am a Rocky Mountains' snob they do have some decent hills in Vermont (I've heard). The hill we went to this weekend was pretty small with mostly manmade icy snow... but it was great to just play in the fresh air. And to be honest- I needed a small hill to get my ski legs back.

In two weeks we're going to Killington, Vermont. I think next year we might plan a proper trip and do Aspen or Colorado...maybe Banff!

More of my favourite things

1. Old friends I've had forever
2. Old friends I've become reacquainted with
3. New friends
4. The song "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. If you say you don't like it- you're lying.
5. Accomplishing something really hard. You think you're not going to get through it but you do.
6. Family. I love my family- I have a lot of fam and most I don't get to see often- but they are in my thoughts ALOT.
7. I LOVE my new face lotion from Lancome - it's uber expensive and even though I know better I believe it's doing something great for me.
8. Running
9. Writing
10. Light. Sunlight AND the light from within.
11. Smiles and a kind word.
12. Hugs

laugh out loud funny

Did anyone watch "The Office" after the superbowl? I've been watching the show for a few years now and used to be a big fan. This year, however, I was feeling quite 'meh' about it- thinking that the show had gone too crazy and lost it's spark.
Tonight I watched the latest episode online and I have to say that the opening sequence was the funniest TV I have seen in years. The chaos of trying to escape "Dunder Mifflin" during a simulated fire actually made me laugh out loud.

Santiago

Santiago, Chile was such an amazing experience. The hotel was so beautiful and the airport... well the airport- what can I say??!?!

And the car taking me to the airport... nevermind the car taking me FROM the airport!!!! Oh and the office... man the office was spectacular... but listen to me rambling...

...ah Chile... good times.

This is the sunset just outside the airport.

I can't even deal

Look how CUTE SHE IS. Seriously though- no baby ever existed who is as cute as her right? RIGHT?!?!?! COME ON!!!!

Bonne experience

I'm quite quick to complain about bad experiences but don't share the good often enough... (is that because they don't happen as often?! sh Sarah... we're being positive here).

This weekend I've had two really good experiences of which to speak of:

1. The Spotted Pig
http://www.thespottedpig.com/

Though we had to wait nearly 2 hours for a table we found a nice cozy spot to sit and have drinks by the bar. The service started out quite slow, but we'd anticipated that and set our expectations quite low. The food was awesome- especially the brussel sprouts (or as I dubbed them - the "Butter sprouts") and the waiter was really nice. When our shoestring fries took too long to come out- the next round was on him. We'd had enough to drink by then and settled on a compromise of a warm delish ginger cake.

2. Resto
http://www.restonyc.com/about.asp

Today I went to brunch at this lovely place on the east side. They actually take reservations (not many places do) so we were able to sail in and sit down. I ordered a belgian hot chocolate- with a breakfast of granola and yogurt. I had VERY high expectations for the food as I have a granola/fruit/yogurt favourite at "Bonjour Brioche" in Toronto. Today's dish did not even come close to measuring up. The granola was one type of flake, with almonds, and the "fruit" was 4 pieces (ok- 5) of banana. And they served it with a giant serving spoon. And didn't bring out my hot chocolate until after I'd asked for it twice. Ok I know this doesn't sound very good... but it's not the server's fault the food wasn't great- and she was quite pleasant. And without us asking another very cute waiter brought us a bowl of "blood Orange" sorbet- compliments of the house.
And that was very nice.
And the sorbet was very good.

So we will go back- and I will try something else on the menu that perhaps does have a hope of exceeding expectations...

I hope these experiences become the norm and not the exception because it's nice to have friendly people serve you... and have positive experiences to report.

Washington, DC

I haven't been around much lately- I've been in Washington and Chile. I went to DC for the weekend leading up to the inauguration. I'd never been and it was really cool. I actually loved it. I hadn't realized that Washington was so far South- and carries with it a certain colonial charm. I loved the architecture and the vibe (especially this weekend). My friend Kristina lives there and she's best friends with my good friend Ashleigh (who I used to sit next to at Leo). So we all met up for the weekend.
This is us in front of the White House.


The first day we went touring around the town. There are no skyscrapers in the city because no building is allowed to be higher than the Capitol building-which was cool. It gave the district a small town feel. We saw the White House- which was cool... and then headed home because it was freezing cold. That night we went out dancing- but made it a relatively early night since we had so much tourist stuff to do the next day.

The White House.


This is Capitol Hill from far away.


The second day Ashleigh and I went to some museums and then to "The Mall" (no it's not a mall- its' a stretch of land between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol Hill- with the Washington Monument in the middle). It's where the "We are one" concert was held. Though we didn't get close enough to see him live, we did hear Barack speak. It was pretty cool although I did feel as though his speech was filled with also-rans and platitudes that held no meaning "We will triumph" "we will overcome" "This nation is a great nation". It's as though the speech writer just culled bits and pieces of speeches from MLKjr or JFK... but people seemed to suck it right up. And perhaps in these hard economic times it's nice to go back to the words of simpler times???
The people in the Mall at the concert.


The Washington Monument.


The Smithsonian is made up of a series of museums all within a 1mile radius. This is between the American History museum and the Natural History museum.


The main space at the Natural History museum.


The third day we went to the American Air and Space museum and then toured around Capitol Hill and soaked in the atmosphere building up in anticipation of the following day. Though I wasn't able to be there for the actual inauguration I read on CNN that there were 1.8 million people in attendance, breaking the record of 1.2 for Lyndon Johnson's inauguration.

In the Space Museum.


Capitol Hill


All in all it was an incredible weekend! Although I'm not American it was still exciting to be a part of this History and feel the excitement of a new dawn (speaking of platitudes...)

And the skies open up...

Something kinda exciting happened to me today... I received an expense cheque from December, put it against my long standing line of credit AND THE BALANCE IS NOW ZERO!! NOTHING!! NADA. I DONT OWE ANY MONEY!!! A DEBT I'VE HAD FOR TEN YEARS IS NOW GONE!!!!!!!!!

So ...er ... I think that's good news. I'm pretty stoked about it.

And my love grows stronger ...

... for Starbucks. We did have a rift last year- I admit it. But we mended that and I think we're better for it. I stepped back a bit and wasn't so crazy with my 2 times a day visits. I thought: "no starbucks- you're not getting the best of me. Just a piece of me. Once a week."
Until now.

But first, some background: a few years ago Starbucks had this beverage called "Sipping Chocolate." It was so rich it was served in little espresso cups. It had the caloric value of a large cheeseburger and the consistency of tar. I LOVED it. But it failed to find an audience and disappeared after just a few months.
Fast forward to present day (or rather last Saturday) and I was at a Starbucks eyeing the menu- feeling a hankering for something other than the uje : decaf tall non fat meow meow meow. And I spied "The Signature Hot Chocolate"
"What is this?" I asked.

Ok I'm going to fast forward this part- because it's really not all that interesting... except to say that the flavour and richness of the sipping chocolate had FOUND IT'S WAY BACK in the form of a skim milk hot chocolate... and Starbucks has found it's way back into my life.

What are you doing this weekend?

I am going to Washington DC this weekend for the inauguration festivities!!!

More Miss O

Here's Miss. O checking out her "eye spy" quilt... courtesy of some of my Mom's very generous and thoughtful friends. (Or did Mom make it??)

And Here's to You...

I finally saw the movie "The Graduate" this weekend. I was particularily interested in this movie as my friends frequently call me "Mrs. Robinson" due to my predilection for younger guys (hey I admit it). I'd heard that the the movie was a great love story...which I assumed was between the Mrs. and the young dashing Dustin Hoffman.

Boy was I wrong.

Mrs. Robinson is HORRIBLE. And I mean seriously, seriously wretched.

She basically bullies Dustin's character into a loveless, soulless, meaningless affair. He's a cowering, shivering wreck of a boy who gets sucked into this thing he doesn't understand and can't control and which eventually almost destroys his life.

She's mean, contemptuous, unhappy and uses this poor boy for her own needs without thought to his own.

Really??! I'm Mrs. Robinson?!?!?! Really??!?!

Christmas 2008

I'm finally "home" (though I don't think of nyc that way) after a 2 week cross Canada journey. I spent Christmas in Calgary and New Year's in Toronto. Of course the visits were too short and I didn't get to spend enough time with my friends and family- but I still got to see most and get sort of caught up. I didn't get to see my bro Stefan (his first Christmas away because he had to work) and friends Leigh and Lori (they were also away) but there will be time in 2009...
I was going to go through my trip day by day... but after writing a few paragraphs I started to fall into a coma... here are some pictures instead.

The first group of pics are from my annual 'girls' potluck. There are 8 of us who have been friends since high school (some from elementary... and some even earlier than that!) who have gathered together for a dinner every Christmas. This was our 16th year- and Sandy created the most amazing gift for us- by creating a book with pictures from the last 15 years. It was so beautiful and really made us reflect on the past (horrible hairstyles) when we were a bunch of single high school girls, to now where we have families and children. Not to be too nostalgic or anything but it made us thankful for what we have. We missed our friend Jen- but she was in Hawaii- not feeling too sorry for herself I'm sure.






This next batch is the family- and Olivia's trip out to a University of Calgary's basketball game. Her Dad (my brother David) is a big ball player so we thought we'd come out and cheer the team on. This first picture is three generations- Grandma, David and Tanya, and O. Claire and Shawnee gave O her first pair of Nike running shoes- which were a big hit.






These last pictures These last few are from Rob's NYE party... this is at the end... for some reason Jen is hiding in this one. There is a good one where you can see her- but I look like I have 3 chins... so I'm not putting that one up!!! : )



There are many people I didn't get pictures of (Mom, Cliff, Paula + family, my other Toronto friends) but I didn't carry the camera around with me everywhere!!!!!

Coming home

I've been unusually excited to come home for Christmas this year... and not sure why. I mean I've been away from Calgary for 6 years now...so this not being home thing isn't unusual...but I realized today that it's been a YEAR since I was home for any length of time (my one day trip in July doesn't really count)- which is the longest I've gone without being in Calgary before.
AND I'm also looking forward to not just being in Calgary- but being in Canada... there is much I miss about my home and native land.
I just hope my flights aren't delayed tomorrow...

Finally some pictures of NYC

It's been a pretty dry blog the last couple of months as I haven't been posting any pictures... it's just been my ramblings. I used to be quite disciplined about always having visual aids to supplement my rantings but it's hard to put a picture to "I hate Citibank".
I went wandering around the city today and took some photos...

...of my street and my first apartment in New York...



...of central park and the Plaza hotel...



...and the tree at Rockefeller Center. The one with the two people in the middle of th e skating rink was taken JUST after he proposed (on one knee). Kind of sappy but also a tad romantic.

Toronto 1 / NY 0

I went to the New York philharmonic yesterday to see "Handel's Messiah" (I think I've seriously mentioned it about 16 times in the past couple of weeks or so). My expectations were high- this is something I go to see every year and it's usually a beautiful performance. And my assessment of NY? Not as good.

The principal performers were amazing and obviously at the top of their game. The musicians were wonderful... though my ear is not disciplined enough to tell one top class philharmonic orchestra from another.

What was disappointing was the chorus. The best part about Handel's Messiah is the large chorus singing throughout- especially when they sing "Hallelujah" near the end of part 2. It's incredibly majestic and inspiring.

The choir in Toronto was 200 strong. The one in NY?
40.
Of college students.

I thought that perhaps they would be stronger singers and what they lacked in numbers they would make up for in skill. But that was not to be the case.
You need the numbers to be overwhelmed by the sound.
I was not overwhelmed or inspired.

But it was not all bad. Like I said the music was still beautiful. It just wasn't as awesome as performances I've seen in Toronto.

Christmas Tradition

Tonight I am going to see Handel's Messiah at the Lincoln Centre. It's an annual tradition and as part of the tradition I usually take a friend as a thank you for something. I'm taking my good friend Rose this year- as a thank you for ALL she's done for me during my move. My aunt once said to me that two of the most stressful things in life are death and moving. I've had a big move before (Calgary to Toronto) and it was pretty easy- but moving to New York was a bit more stressful. I don't know why- but maybe because it's a new country, it was last minute etc... and it's been made so much easier by having Rose here. She's been absolutely amazing and thoughtful and above and beyond in making my transition as seamless as possible.
She went to meet my roommate and check out my apartment before I moved here -to make sure I wasn't moving into a ghetto place with a crazy person. And she's continued to include me in her activities, introduce me to her friends and make me feel welcome, loved and at home.
Thank you Rose!!!
I'm looking forward to tonight- we'll see how the NY Philharmonic measures up to Calgary and Toronto. : )
ps. It's finally SNOWING!!! It looks like there WILL be snow for Christmas here in NYC afterall.

New Look

Oh and yes- you might have noticed my blog has been 'updated' with a fresh new look. A country look yes- harkening back to my country roots. A little bit of nostalgia in the crazy busy city... in a few months I'm sure it will be all black- but for now enjoy the flower power.

I downloaded the background courtesy of a blog called "LeeLou Blogs" - a new friend of mine from Texas (Laine- her blog is called "Sugar and Spice and can be linked on the right side) told me about it.

http://www.leeloublogs.blogspot.com/ Is her blog- and you can download many different colours/backgrounds. It's pretty cool. Thanks Laine and thanks LeeLou. (yes LeeLou).

Making the effort

Now that I've figured out the subway system, am not feeling completely overwhelmed at work, and have settled (mostly) into my home I'm ready to start exploring New York and taking advantage of all it has to offer.
I'm starting at the bottom of the pyramid and working my way up. (The generic easy to access standard activities are at the bottom with the more esoteric stuff at the top)
Yes there is the shopping. Yes there are the restaurants. Yes there is Broadway. And I've done those.
But there is also world class music, art, (indie)theatre and comedy in which to partake. There is the more mainstream fare that I'm beginning to see:
The New York Philharmonic is performing Handel's Messiah and as part of my Christmas tradition I'm taking my friend Rose. On Sunday I went with a friend to see one of the world's top pianist- Daniel Barenboim at the Metropolitan Opera House. He gave three encores-such love from the crowd and he was AMAZING. I've never seen anyone play the piano like that. I was literally spellbound.
And in the new year I want to start exploring the 'underground' or 'indie' spots for art and music- bands, up and comers etc... That's what New York is all about. That's what New York has to offer more than any other city- and while I'm here I want to be a part of it.
On a personal note (what is this blog if not personal?) I was even thinking of taking an improv class. Can you imagine?!??!! A friend's friend just took a class and as part of the exercise they had to put on a show in front of family and friends. I went last night... and while it wasn't exactly SNL there were still some comedic moments and I admired their bravery. Something to think about...

Um that's it. Just wanted to share.

I heart new york cuz it's easy

I went to a tasty delicious Indiana restaurant tonight called "Mantra". A good friend of mine had her birthday party there. It was an intimate dinner party of 8. I was oh- about 2 hours late.

Why?

Because this restaurant- lovely as it was- was in New Jersey.

NEW JERSEY!!!!

I drove out there with crap directions from crap google maps, to a made up fake address from the crap restaurant web page. I swear to Jesus (as He was probably watching me and laughing as I drove around for 2 hours) that I drove nearly to the border of Canada and back. Eventually I just gave up following my "directions" and drove around aimlessly- thinking "oh this road looks like it might lead to a restaurant called "Mantra"- I'll just turn here."

And of course it didn't. And I'd eventually turn again at a junction that looked "familiar" (keeping in mind of course that I've never actually been to Jersey- so nothing could possibly under any circumstances look familiar unless perhaps I retained some memories of my previous life as a sewer raw who lived in new jersey and entertained young children by fulfilling a dream of working in a kitchen as a sous chef).

Finding nothing I recognized, I called my friend for help. She asked if I'd crossed the Washington bridge because they were 10 minutes away from it. I'd crossed it. About 1.5 hours earlier. Crossed it and almost looped back to it again. (The bridge was like a beacon beckoning me home with whispers of love "Sarah you don't want to be in New Jersey... lookit me- the bridge- I'm here. It's so easy for you to cross and come back home to the safe easy streets of New York City...") Since I was so close to said bridge it was easy to find her with the right directions.

I'm glad I persevered... I didn't let Jersey win. I found the restaurant, joined my friends for dinner. Had a good time before hauling ass back to the city. And at least the traffic was on my side (funny enough- not a lot of people heading INTO Jersey for a Saturday night).
And lest my friends think I didn't have a good time- I really did. It was good food and great company... well worth the journey.

I think next time I'll recommend a place in the city. : )

Not for the sensitive ...

I am in love with SNL again. It had a few (dozen) rough years where it was mostly unfunny sketch comedy appealing to ... I don't know what. But in the last couple of years I feel it's regained some of it's more intelligent and sophisticated humour- especially as of late as they've parodied the US elections (too bad they didn't cover the Canadian elections as well... I'd love to have seen their take on Harper though he's mabye too bland to be entertaining).

There is one not ready for prime time player who I am in particular like with- Andy Samberg- and if there is ANYONE in New York that I would love to see/meet- it would be him. This guy is brilliant. Goofy, smart and uber funny.

He just did another digital short (similar to his "Lazy Sunday" rap and "D*** in a Box" efforts) and it's fantastic. It's crude(ish) (just after I said this crew of talent has gone away from that I am appearing to contradict myself) but very smart and polished in it's execution. Mostly it had a good beat and made me laugh. It's gotten about 5 million views in the last week on youtube so clearly I'm not alone in my appreciation.

Watch as long as you're not offended by the mention of certain body functions...

One of the lucky ones

I just to say... I love my job. I've been fairly lucky throughout my life (knock on wood) that I've never really had a job that I hate. I've never dreaded going into work on a continual basis (obviously there are moments or times when I have- who hasn't?!) but for the most part I've really liked what I've done and who I've worked with.
(noted exception is J from my old agency... he knows who he is!!)

But here... well I was a bit nervous- big new york agency and all that... but it was really like coming home. The people are smart and kind and supportive and AMAZING. And the clients are smart and like to challenge but also respect our agencies' opinion and want to work with us not against us. And the work we're doing is good and strong and intelligent. I'm just really happy to be here, be part of this team and doing the work that I'm doing.

yay life.

Citibank is the WORST BANK IN THE WORLD

I joined Citibank because they are the bank partnered with my employer. I have had NOTHING but trouble with them from the first day I signed up for an account. I think they are horrible and their customer service, while friendly, is completely useless. They constantly debit money from my account- don't know why it's done and then reverse it. Then they do it again. And the phone service doesn't help so I go in. And when I go in they say they will fix it and they don't. I HATE them. I have been in to see them about 6 times because they have screwed up pretty much everything it's possible to screw up in opening and maintaining an account.

I have received nothing but great service from Bank of America.

But Citibank??? They suck.
Don't use them.
Avoid them.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

It's Thanksgiving Day in the US today. And it's a bigger holiday (for people traveling to see family etc) than Christmas. A colleague of mine told me he thought it was because it was a non religious holiday that everyone could get behind. Makes sense.
The holiday doesn't really mean a lot to me - I celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada a few weeks ago so today was just a day off. However I did decide to partake in the festivities and go check out the parade. I naively thought- oh it's similar to the Calgary Stampede parade... (which I haven't been to in 10 years) there will be crowds and it will be busy... but the 2.5 million people will be spread out over 40 blocks- so I'll be able to see what's going on if I show up halfway through. HAH!!!! I did end up getting a good view, (actually close to what I expected) but the people... oh my gosh the people... it was insane.


I took the subway down and came up to the surface at Times Square- with masses of people. I walked over to Broadway where I caught the last 45 minutes of the parade. I saw the Shrek balloon and some others- and got to see the grand finale of Santa's sleigh and his reindeer. It was actually pretty cool to be there among the millions (literally) of other people...
My brother suggested I take my camera- which was a great idea- but I forgot it. It's too bad because I would've like to take a picture of all of the people in Time's Square.
Also I thought I'd share a new picture of baby O baking. She's only 7 weeks old but already baking cookies. She's ALREADY outshining her aunt who makes cookies using Pillsbury. yikes.

It's the most wonderful day of the year ?

It's that time of year again... Black Friday (my first) is this week and the Christmas shopping season officially begins.

I thought I'd share some ideas of what I would like. My ideas are a bit different this year as I'm living in a tiny apartment and have no need for anything... but I have thought of a few things I'd like:

- Kerastase shampoo and conditioner (the one with the white packaging and ORANGE lid)
- Lulu Lemon gift certificate
- teapot (not a kettle but the pot)
- President's Choice Moroccan Mint Green Tea (it's my fave tea and they don't sell it here)
- A thin knit black turtleneck sweater (medium)
- Books
- the Killers new CD
- magazine subscription - Nylon

And there's another site that has really good gift ideas- for me or for anyone on your list:

It's a site for Plan Canada- where you can purchase gift donations for various developing nations around the world.

https://plancanada.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1334

If the link above doesn't work visit - www.plancanada.ca

You have to order the gifts by Dec 11 in order to receive your gift card by Dec 24 (though you could always order the gift online and then download/print off the gift card).

Happy shopping -and wish me luck this Friday!

Nice things do happen in new york

To date my overall impression of people in new york has been quite grim. The people I deal with directly (at work and friends of friends etc) have been wonderful and friendly and kind etc... But the people I deal with on a casual basis (waiters, hostesses, people on the subway) have been rude and horrible and mean. Saturday I met two exceptions.
The first one was a girl in the TD Bank. I went in to inquire about getting an account in order to transfer my credit history. The line up was long with no end in sight. The woman coordinating those waiting offered to help me herself since the people meant to be helping all seemed to be taking a break at the exact same time. When she didn't have an answer about the credit history- she actually called the credit office herself to make the inquiry on my behalf. This might seem like normal customer service, but rest assured that in nyc, this was way above and beyond the call of duty. In my experience the person would either not help or b) say "oh we don't do that" (no matter what the request is- generally the response is- oh we can't/won't/don't care to help you).
The second incident of kindness was at Schiller's restaurant in the West Village. I was meeting a good friend of mine there- who was in from out of town (TO) and some of her friends.
The place was loud, crazy and super busy (but fun) - and as a result our waitress was 'abrupt'. I ordered a wine for me and another friend who was on her way (in order to make it look like she was already there- another thing in ny is they won't sit you until your entire party is present) and she brought out a half carafe. As we neared the end of dinner she brought out another half carafe, filled my glass and threw it on the table -leaving the bill and not saying anything.
I though this odd, as I had not ordered anymore wine and in fact my friend wasn't even drinking the wine- and I didn't know if I NEEDED another 3 glasses to myself (it turns out I really did).
I thought this was just another example of new york presumption and a waitress's efforts to get a bigger bill... and therefore a bigger tip. So I called her back and said "I don't think I ordered this wine and I don't know if it's the same as before and I'm not sure I want it" (I'd already drank half of it btw). She said "It's the same and you're drinking it... but I didn't charge you for it."
Sure enough, upon inspection of the bill, there was clearly no charge for this extra half bottle.
I felt like a jerk. But I wasn't expecting something so nice, generous and thoughtful. And yes she did get a good tip. And I got a good lesson. (just kidding- I really only got a good hangover)
Net net- Maybe I've given ny a harsh judgement. Maybe I need to relax and give ny another chance. Maybe ny is not so mean, rude and horrible afterall.

All together now- take a deep breath

Inhale
Two days before I started working at Ogilvy in NY the DOW dropped 700 points. This, I was told by my accountant friend, was significant. And ever since then it's been constant non stop stories of companies shutting down, laying people off and declaring bankruptcy. Stores are closing, offices are downsizing, and the unemployment rate is rising.
And where does that leave me?
I don't know.
I know I'm not safe. No one is. I know it's not me personally- I haven't been here long enough to make either a bad impression or a good one. Sigh -it's just life. And giving away mortgages.
If I do lose my job I'm going to pack up my stuff and head to India for 6 months. This could be a dream come true!! (Not entirely-as I do love my job here...)

How else are things going? Here is a mini update (fully recognizing that I haven't done a full "I've moved to nyc" update...maybe not such a bad thing):

My roommate did a massive clean up of the apartment yesterday- which was wonderful. It's starting to feel like a home and I might even post some pictures of it soon. There is still a bit of work to do but it's coming along.

I discovered something lovely in my neighbourhood the other day- something that frees me from doing laundry EVER AGAIN. I hadn't done laundry for a month and was running out of clean clothes. I went to the laundromat on Sunday (the first time I had graced the doors of a landromat in 9 years) and after 4 minutes left. There were no available washing machines and I couldn't wait. My roommate told me that I could drop my laundry off at the dry cleaners and they would do it for me (so I just had to pick it up all nice and clean and folded) for $1/lb. Using the machines in the laundromat was going to cost me $5/load. This service worked out to be $6/load. SOLD! Done in one day. LOVES IT!!

And in other news- I do really love my job. I'm still struggling with the process side of things- because it's new and it's fairly convoluted. But I know that's just something that has to be learned- and I'm getting there. The people I work with are crazy supportive and smart and I'm just glad to be here.

And my last bit of great news is that I got my plane ticket home for Christmas on POINTS. I booked it a week ago. For people who use airmiles they know that it's unheard of to get a ticket on points this close to Christmas!! I'm going to Calgary Dec 24, Toronto Dec 31 and then back to NY Jan 3. I can't wait- I haven't been to Calgary since last Christmas (except for one day in July). Thats the longest I've ever gone not seeing my friends in Calgary (I've seen most of my family in other events throughout the year). I'm looking forward to going home (and to my other 'home' - Toronto).

But until then we're still busy and there is (still) work to be done.

Exhale

All Olivia, all the time

Now I don't want my blog to become all about my neice- and nothing else... but it's pretty hard to avoid when she's so freaking cute!!!!!!!

Dad & Baby

Here's a good picture of David and Olivia on a recent visit to Paula's house in Calgary.

And so it begins ...

I am back at work and it's busy and crazy and lots going on and I'm loving it. I missed being busy.

All we need is love

Alright...so I've been dealing with something lately... the details of which I won't get into. Though many of you know, it's not worth ranting and raving about on-line.
Net net- there was a person in my life that I was quite fond of. He decided he didn't like me so much and treated me not so nicely. I retaliated in a way very unlike my normal behaviour and he responded in kind.
Throughout all of this I became quite angry at him. (And probably also angry at myself). Angry and full of hate.

What did that get me?

It got me a couple of months of being angry, and ranting and raving at anyone who would listen (and who eventually stopped listening- who can blame them?!). It got me bad, negative moods and errant behaviour.
The anger spread and started taking over other aspects of my life. Like the disease that it is... it started infecting friendships, relationships and my personal sense of peace.
I've always been a fairly optimistic and positive person. And have coached others to be the same. Filled with anger and hate I became the person who said "I don't care. I'm tired of being the bigger person- let them admit they are wrong. I'm a victim! I don't care what they want- what about what I want?! Poor me, poor me, poor me!"
Very ugly.
And exhausting.

Which brings us to today. Or rather- last night.
I was sitting on my couch, plotting revenge and being miserable and suddenly this thought just came to me. You have to forgive him. You have to love him.

Now this person doesn't want my forgiveness. This person definitely doesn't want my love. He hates me and never wants to see me again (I KNOW- ME!!! Can you imagine?!?!) but nevertheless that's not the point. The anger and hate exists in me because I'm holding onto it. And I can't let go of it until I choose love over this.

And so I did.
And immediately I felt that weight come off of me. I literally felt light again. And thought to myself "oh... there you are" (meaning me). The happy, optimistic and good person was back.

And I don't need to have contact with this person or make a grandiose gesture of forgiveness, because that's for me, and he's seeking neither of those things. I apologized to this person weeks ago. And whether not he accepts and forgives as well... well that's for him.

I have to say though- it's SO MUCH BETTER!!!! Love and forgiveness rock over anger and hate.

Check me out!

One of my last jobs at Leo Burnett was to work on a campaign for our pro-bono client "Greensaver". They are a company that does energy efficiency audits on homes to ensure that they are as environmentally efficient as possible. Not just to be socially conscious but to save you money (that's my sales pitch!).

Anys... we did this transit/subway poster campaign for them- which is in market right now. It's definitely different for the category as it's light and tongue in cheek- versus all the usual heavy handed "we're all going to die unless you change to energy efficient lightbulbs!!!" rhetoric.

Here is the online banner ad featuring yours truly...It's kind of small and when I get a copy of the final image I'll post it as well. The thought bubble says "Now my carbon footprint is as stylish as my shoe collection."

Olivia Kostecki

Can't write right now but wanted to post more pics of the baby... She's so cute.

And her name is...

Olivia!!! She's a little bit scrunchy right now but in a beautiful way! And yes she looks like a baby... but she's MY baby... or my baby neice... : )

I'm going to Winnipeg to see her tomorrow and will post more pictures afterwards!

xo

IT'S A GIRL!!

Born at 7:17am and weighing 8.5ish lbs...

Her name is "Baby"... okay it's not- but that's what they are calling her for now!!!

: )

Rogers is the devil

I signed on to Rogers phone services 10 years ago. At that time I didn't have a credit rating so I had to provide a deposit of $200. When my contract ended and I left, they kept $70 for outstanding costs. But never mailed me the cheque for $130. Despite a year of repeated calls and assurances they would. So I blacklisted Rogers for eternity... until this year.

They got the iphone. I wanted the iphone. So I RELUCTANTLY signed up again.

Now I've moved- and I'm in a country that Rogers does not service. And I am having to pay $500 for the cancellation of this policy. Awesome.

I told them about the previous money that Rogers still owes Sarah Kostecki... but of course they didn't care.

I hate them. Don't use them. Don't sign up with them. Don't support them. There are a million other providers out there (well in Canada only 2) but STILL... the phone is not worth the aggravation of dealing with this NIGHTMARE.

Incommunicado

The one thing that I will say is that I am incredibly disconnected from the world. My cell phone is still my Canadian phone and picks up what service it feels like. When it picks up AT&T it's great and functions (mostly) but when it picks up T-Mobile there is NO SERVICE. I do have Internet at night but it's also pretty slow and unreliable. (tonight it seems to be working okay- knock on wood).
I don't have a phone at work. And the phone at my corporate housing only let's me make local calls. Normally this wouldn't be a problem but my brother and his GF are having a baby- IMMINENTLY - and I need to be accessible!!!

It's just frustrating is all.

My first few days.

One thing that people think of when they think of New York City is the pollution. You know... it's a concrete jungle and full of smog and dirt. Everything is processed, dirty and loud (all true)... but none of that bothers me. In fact those are all things I love about this place. What bothers me is the CIGARETTES! Everyone freakin' smokes and they all smoke on the street and as I am walking down the street to get to work I have to breath it in. It's gross.

What else can I say about nyc?? Well I love the fact that I live here because I don't have to stress out running around like a fool to see and do everything.. because I know I have time. I LIVE here. I'm not just visiting. I am here permanently. It's so weird. I had dinner with a friend the other night who moved here 7 months ago. She said that she's just started to feel as though she lives here.

I met my roommate on Tuesday and I loved her- she's awesome. I saw my apartment... and it has a lot of potential. It just needs a few coats of paint and some light. I live in the Upper East Side- 3 blocks away from the park. There are tons of shops and dry cleaners around my house (seriously- I don't understand why there are so many dry cleaners...). And despite all the cleaners- I love the neigbourhood. It's just like you would imagine when you think of New York. And I actually love the idea of living uptown and coming downtown to go out.

I met one of my neighbours today. His name was Mark- and he was super friendly. He's lived in the building for 16 years. Apparently the Marx brothers used to live in my building (on the fourth floor- I'm on the 2nd).

Ok- it's time for the VP debate. It's on about 7 of the 9 main channels so I think I'll tune in. I do live here and should pay a bit more attention to what's going on.