Mac&Cheese Buff!

(photo via jaunted.com)

I love Macaroni and Cheese. There. I said it. I'm all about the Kraft Mac&Cheese from a box. (Although, Velveeta Shells and Cheese is pretty wicked as well...) I could honestly eat it everyday and not get sick of it. I'm not sure where the obsession emerged, but it had to be somewhere between Kindergarten and 1st grade... My dear mother used to make Macaroni and Cheese for me right before I'd leave for school. (I was in the afternoon Kindergarten class...)

So anyhoo, with my newly-publicized passion in mind, you can imagine my excitement when AmyJane invited me to a little joint called S'Mac (short for Sarita's {the founder and owner} Macaroni) to have dinner with her and her parents. It's a precious little restaurant on the lower east side - sort of vintage-y with some pseudo modern touches. They serve dozens of different kinds of Macaroni and Cheese and they're all quite heavenly. I had the Cajun style and I nearly died at the dinner table, it was that good.

Note to self: just when I think New York City has it all, I'm reminded they really do have it all...

Happy Sunday!

TOMS

I bought a pair. Honestly, I've had my eye on a sweet pair of VANS boat shoes for the past few months, waiting for the right time to strike (AKA: when funds are not so damper), but then I heard about TOMS from a friend at school and fell in love. They're very similar and I can confidently say I like the styles equally, but TOMS offer something special...

Their mission (from the TOMS website)...

One for One
TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we're all about.

Learn more about it. Here.

(My TOMS! They'll be here on Friday!)

Herb and Dorothy - Stamford, CT

A few days ago, Alix invited me to take a trip up to Stamford, CT to see a movie. She said it was a documentary about an older couple living in New York - The Vogels, and their experience as the largest art collectors in the city.

It was pretty awesome!

We hadn't been on the Metro-North yet, so that was an adventure in itself (buying tickets: off-peak vs. peak; track numbers, attractive conductors, etc...). So, we made it on the train and made it up to Stamford. The whole trip took about an hour. (Isn't it crazy to think we can jump on a train for a short ride and be in another state??) Alix successfully navigated us downtown, which may have been one of the cutest downtown areas I've seen in a long time. After we picked up our ticktes, we moseyed across the street to a little pannini joint and scarfed down a sandwhich (we were running a little late...)

Anyhoo, the documentary was sooo much fun to watch! The couple, Dorothy and Herb, is much older now, but they're still very lively and a lot of fun to see in action. They started collecting art after they got married in the early 1960's and continued to collect well into the new century. She was a librarian and he was a post-man. They agreed her salary would pay the bills and his salary would buy the art. Their only requirements - 1. It had to be affordable. 2. It had to fit into their studio apartment. 3. They had to be able to get it home. As you can imagine, their studio filled up quite quickly.

Take a look at this amazing story, here.

(Back to Grand Central after the show.)

Happy Anniversary to Us!

It's been one whole year! Alix and I moved into the Camelot one year ago this week! Indeed, it's pretty hard to believe; the year has flown by quite dramatically. We've struggled quite a bit, but we've had some incredible and amazing experiences as well. We've suffered the ups and downs of grad school and internships, snow and humidity... And we're still alive and kicking. Last night while discussing our anniversary, Alix's friend quipped: "We're so 'Old New York' now..." Ooh, it's true. We may not be authentic New Yorkers, but we still consider the city a slice of who we are in this chapter of our lives. Happy Anniversary to Us!

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Indeed it is a classic. Considering my field of passion, I'm ashamed I have not read it. Furthermore, there's a movie as well - which I have not seen. So, it was my plan to finish the read this summer and rent the movie through Netflix. (It's always better to read first, watch later!)

This book is full of erudite gems. I must sincerely thank my (high school) senior AP English teacher for training my mind to catch the quips of literary geniuses like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ralph Ellison. Mr. McClellan, I'm grateful for everything I learned in your class!

Now then, onto Ken Kesey. The metaphors just jump off the page and into the reader's lap! The language is rugged and chaotic, designed to reflect the babbling nature of patients on a psychiatric ward. Nonetheless, their words make sense. As a student of Psychology, I should question - is this a comment on the negated lunacy of the patients, or the skill of the author?

I could go on and on, but here's a snippet.

"While McMurphy laughs. Rocking farther and farther backward against the cabin top, spreading his laugh across the water - laughing at the girl, the guys, at George, at me sucking my bleeding thumb, at the captain back at the pier and the bicycle rider and the service-station guys and the five thousand houses and the Big Nurse and all of it. Because he knows you have to laugh at the things that hurt you just to keep yourself in balance, just to keep the world from running you plumb crazy."

Summer Film Festival

Last night, we attended the Summer Film Festival at Bryant Park. They showed The Magnificent Seven (for free!). What an amazing experience! Hundreds of people gathered at the park, camped out on blankets with sandwiches and cocktails. The humidity was kind of killer in the beginning, but as soon as the sun dove behind the skyscrapers, the wind kicked up and blew some cool air through the crowd.

British Adventurer a Muse for Mirth

A little adventure is always a good thing. A lot of adventure, too, is always a good thing. I've been reminded more and more recently how much I appreciate those occasions when I toss worry out the window and dive into something totally ridiculous. Any opportunity to improve my character is most aggressively desired. For me, travel is an outlet for adventure. I've got some wonderful travel plans on the agenda over the next few years, which reminded me how much I love this man. I clipped the article from the Arizona Republic back in October of 2007, then perused the web looking for the electronic version. I've never met him before, but I look up to him immensely. After I retire, I'd love to sail around the world and return with scars and bruises - products of my experience. If anybody knows British adventurer Jason Lewis, let him know Lauren in Manhattan would like to have a cup of coffee with him.

*I still have the article, and so it sits on my dresser - serving as a subtle reminder to seek adventure. Every. Single. Day.

The Real Deal

I may have mentioned I've become a fan of the Wonderful World page on msn.com. It makes me feel warm and bubbly - always a good thing. Yesterday, they posted the story of a homeless woman who donated $100,000 to Hebrew University. Apparently, she was living out of a shopping cart in Manhattan and had accumulated over $300,000 working a few odd jobs here and there. After she passed away, she left a lump sum to the school in Jerusalem, leaving amounts to her previous employers as well.

The psychologist in me is wondering what this woman was like - how she behaved and how her life experiences drove her to complete such an altruistic act. According to the article, she was a Nazi Holocaust survivor, passing away at the age of 92. Other than that, very few details are known about her, as she kept to herself most of her life. I have to remind myself as I pass by homeless men and women on the streets of NYC that things aren't always as they seem...

Read about the real deal here.

3-Day Weekend

I've come to seriously love my three-day weekends. I work long shifts Monday - Thursday, then really take advantage of that Friday off. It's pretty awesome. Four weeks from now, however, I'll be eating my words - when school, work, externship, research, and my teaching assistant position dominate my weekdays and weekends - once again.

Here are some of the interesting things we did this weekend...

P.S.1. - Museum of Contemporary Art, Queens

Max Brenner for Brunch

Julie & Julia at Empire

(photo via amc.com)

Drinks @ Abilene, a patio bar in Brooklyn

(photo via abrooklynlife.com)

Ahh, and it's only Saturday... :)

10 Things for August

I've been seriously slacking in the "10 Things" department. In my defense, I was without dependable internet access while I was abroad last month. So, here's the scoop for August...

10 things that make me terribly happy:

1. My independence. After returning home from Prague last month, I had to give myself a pat on the back. I booked the flight, my hostel, arranged for airport pickup, galavanted around the city without a map, and swooped into a pub for a beer the night before my program started... All. By. Myself. :)

2. Washington Square Park. They're done renovating. And, they did a pretty remarkable job. After I spent Sunday recuperating from a weekend of birthday shenanigans with Rachael, I decided to treat myself to a Starbucks and walk through the park. There were half a dozen children swimming through the fountain. Their vibrancy made my heart tinker.

3. Five Napkin Burger.

4. Zumba. Yes, Zumba remains on my list. I found a wonderful studio on the upper west side called Manhattan Motion. I'm pretty smitten with this class.

5. Mama Meyer's trips to NYC. It's been a couple months since my beloved ma has had a layover in the city. She'll be here on Saturday and I'm realllly looking forward to it.

6. Alix coming back from Phx. She just returned last night from her summer at home! We had dinner at Five Napkin Burger to celebrate. (See no. 3.) Then, we chatted away while she unpacked her suitcases. She has a lot of work to do. :)

7. The 500 Days of Summer soundtrack. I saw the movie a few weeks ago with some pals and it was pleasantly surprising. Bonus - the soundtrack is amazinggg!

8. Countdown to Sister and Brother's Trip to NYC. They'll be here at the end of August and I can hardly wait! Naturally, we have some serious debauchery planned.

9. School. Classes start again in just a few weeks and I'm sincerely looking forward to it. I very well might be a student for the rest of my life, but that's hardly something to groan about. Minus my student loans. Laaame.

10. Fresh Flowers. My pal Blake picked up some flowers for me last week to thank me for letting him crash at my place while he perused through the city. They were just gorgeous and filled my shoebox with the most pleasant aroma. Whatever a girl says, "I don't like flowers," she still loves receiving them.

Summer Dress

So, it's been pretty hot outside. And because I walk everywhere, I've been sporting a lot more tank tops and flip flops. (I'm totally devoted to flip-flops.) To spite this dreary weather, I decided to pick up a new dress from Francesca's Collections. Take THAT, weather-man!

And, if the weather continues to behave poorly, I might go crazy with this vintage dress from Ruche.

Wonderful World

A little something to remind us not all news is bad...

Msnbc.com hosts a page called "Wonderful World." Basically, they share nothin' but the good stuff. And, it's pretty darn inspiring. Check it out!

Smitten Kitten

"I'm not an adventurer by choice, but by fate." - Vincent van Gogh

I'm pretty smitten with the village. It's so stinkin' cute down there. There are so many wonderful things to see and do. The last few times I've been in or around Washington Square Park, there have been gates surrounding the perimeter. Apparently, they were renovating the fountain, the arch, the gardens, everything. Well, now - it's looking pretty darn fabulous. After the rain peppered out this afternoon, I decided to take a stroll through the Park. There was a stupendous folk band, a couple guitarists and a tambourine man, singing some golden oldies. On top of it all - I witnessed some pretty amazing tots skip through the fountain, clearly embracing the adventures of their youth. The sun burned away the morning gloom and mist - drafting a very well polished Sunday afternoon.

Happy Birthday, Rachael!

"It takes a long time to grow young." - Pablo Picasso

Yesterday was Rachael's birthday! Not only were we thrilled the sun came out and the weather was utterly divine, we were super psyched about our rendezvous in the village to celebrate. We started at the Slaughtered Lamb Pub. (Rachael has an unhealthy addiction to zombies. This bar fit right into her obsession.) I loved on the "snake-bite" all night. It's a cider drink that's too girly for words. Aaron and I played Pacman and it totally reminded me of Alix! (Alix has an unhealthy addiction with Pacman.) (p.s. Alix is back on Tuesday!)

While we galavanted through the village, we happened across a lovely NYC fire truck. I got excited. (I have an unhealthy addiction to firefighters.) We casually walked on over (in my head, I was totally running!) and took a photo with New York's finest. As you can see, there was an immediate connection.

*Happy Sunday! :)