Awaiting the Arrival of 2011

The end is near.  The end of the year that is.  This weekend the country will be ringing in the new year and welcoming a 2011! 

It's only fitting that to celebrate such a momentous occasion to have an outfit that reflects this! 

One big item I think we are going to see a lot of is the Jumpsuit! 

I am already aware of 2 people who will be wearing one.  

I was thinking a black sequined mini with a cute top, but unfortunately my shoes have gone to shame.  This weekend is already foreshadowing to be quite the challenge.

While attending the trendy parties in Brooklyn with Bre, I know my outfit won't even compare to the coolness of her jumpsuit! Can't wait to see what I end up coming up with! 

More importantly though, this will be the first NYE that I haven't spent at home in a very subdued environment.  I will be in the city, on my own, with some of my good friends!  Oh, what a night!

Pictures of the night to come with more on how the night actually went...

Snowed In!

For any east-coaster the term "Snowed In" I think has become an understatement.

This past weekend NY, Boston, Philadelphia, DC, and North Carolina all got hit with 11-16 inches of heavy snow and winds.  For me, this was a blessing in disguise!

I came home for Christmas and, being the first time I was able to come home since my move to the big city in August, I was more than excited to step foot into the Indianapolis airport and get into the little red truck to come home.  With a house full of family and friends over the course of three festive days, I was a little bummed knowing that I would have to pick up my things and return back to the city, without having anytime alone with just my brother, mother, and father.  But little did I know God & Mother Nature were teaming up to come to my rescue!  On Saturday night I received a notice saying that my flight for Sunday had been cancelled.  Over the past two days there were a total of 6,000 flights cancelled due to the snow and wind that was part of the Blizzard of 2010.  I wasn’t alone and I was most certainly not upset.  I admit, I did stress a little over not being able to really get caught up at work and have a relaxing week in the office, but the extra time with my family has been well worth the cancellation chaos!!!!!

Food

One of my favorite things has to be food, and NYC is the best place for any foodie.  They say that this city has everything and to me, I'm starting to really believe this.

S'Mac-located in the heart of the East Village on 12th street is S'Mac.  A resteraunt dedicated to the wonderful dish of maccaroni and cheese.  I am a big fan of Mac-n-cheese and as a kid this was one of my favorite meals.  S'Mac serves all different flavors and varities of this classic dish.  I had one served with grier cheese, mushrooms, creme sauce, and olives.  The little girl beside me had the original and just kept saying to her father, "Dad, this is just the best food ever. I could eat this all day long"  He just laughed.

Crisp- Conveniently placed right outside of my office is Crisp.  A falafel and chickpea restaurant.  They choose to serve their food in packaging that they call "The Crisp Handbag."  How cute is that

OST-Again on 12th Street is OST Coffee house.  I have no idea what those three letters stand for, but I know that I met a friend there the other night for coffee and a boost of caffeine after a long day of Christmas shopping.  It is so cute inside.  Very small but everything is served with a smile.  :)

A Couple Thing

Well, while living in NYC for the holiday season I have noticed that during the holidays it would be perfect to be in a relationship with someone.  Being ready for a relationship and finally settled down in my own life with my apartment and my job, there have been days when I really wish I had a special person to go out and do things with.  I have a whole list of activities that I think would be perfect dates or activities to do as a couple.

 -Ice Skating in Central Park, Rockefller Plaza, or Bryant Park

-Going to see the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Plaza

-Attending the ballet to see The Nutcracker

-Going out for hot chocolate at a quaint café

But sometimes as a single girl you have to “get over” the fact that you don’t have somebody to share all of these experiences with.  If I dwell too much on not having someone there I would miss out on the Joy that each of these experiences can bring.

One of which is going to see the famous Christmas tree uptown.  In the center of Rockefeller Plaza NYC puts up a huge Christmas tree with toy soldiers and tons of lit snowflakes all over the buildings.  6^th Avenue is decorated with all sorts of Christmas lights and holiday symbols.

What Really Matters

At Macy’s every year the employees are given numerous opportunities to give back to the city.  One of those ways is by getting a gift for an underprivileged child.  It’s so sad during the holiday season to hear about children who won’t be receiving anything for Christmas or may not even have a warm coat to wear during the winter.  Macy’s has been holding a coat drive since the end of Thanksgiving.  They also received hundreds of letters written to Santa, from children in a public school in Manhattan. 

I decided to take a letter and participate in the gift donation. I was given a letter that was written by a fourth-grade girl who wanted a baby doll for Christmas. 

As I entered Toys-R-Us to pick out the gift, I immediately thought that the experience in purchasing the toy was going to be awful.  It was crowded; I was hot from having my winter coat on inside; and I had no idea where to even begin to look for the baby.  She had requested a very specific baby and after a few minutes of asking around I was finally able to find it.  J It really touched my heart when I was able to spend a small amount of money on a girl whose present would mean so much to her. 

It really shows you what truly matters.  We need to remember that the Christmas season isn’t just about gifts and money and presents and pretty decorations.  It’s about the hope and giving back to those who need help.  There are so many elements that we have to bear during the winter months and the holiday season.  Buying presents shouldn’t be one of them.  

Snicker-Doodles

My Aunt is one of the sweetest persons I know.  Her heart is so big, it’s just waiting to jump out of her and I am pretty convinced now that one of her favorite things is to surprise her niece ad nephew with care packages!

I received a box at work today that was filled with candy and Christmas ornaments to decorate my tree with. 

But the one gift in the package that I really loved was the box of Cinnamon Muffin Mix by Tastefully Simple.  But without having a muffin tin it’s pretty hard to make muffins.  I decided to turn the recipe into a mix for Snickerdoodle Cookies; a childhood favorite of mine.  Enjoy!

Mix dry muffin mix with egg, milk, and butter. Stir until dough-like material forms.

Mold batter into 1inch balls and roll in cinnamon mixture.  Place on cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes

Yummy!

Santacon 2010

December 11, 2010 was a day in NYC I will never forget.  A day when Purdue's Breakfast club came to the Big Apple in the version of Santa Clause.  All throughout the country every year on a specific date Santa Clause comes to cities such as: Chicago, LA, and NYC.  According to the Santacon website the actual definition of Santacon is: Santacon is a non-denominational, non-commercial, non-political and non-sensical Santa Claus convention that occurs once a year for absolutely no reason.


The Preparations:

You Better Watch Out…

It’s time to get ready, cause Santa’s comin’ to town!

1. Make a costume.
   You can be an elf, a holiday ninja, a Santasaurus, a Hannukah Harry or a Santa Palin. Use your imagination! Just don’t wear your fucking jeans.
2. Join Santa’s Twitter.
   Santa will be tweeting some of his locations throughout the day.
   Text “follow santacon” to 40404 to have tweets sent as texts to your cell.
3. Prepare your libations.
   Holiday cheer is best enjoyed from unlabeled bottles that can be capped and safely stowed away in your sack of toys. Don’t get ticketed!
4. Buy canned food.
   Please bring two non-perishable food items for Santa’s food drive.
   They will be collected at the first stop.
5. Download your XXXMas carol songbook.
   Double-sided PDF booklet for printing or Single-sided mobile version for smartphones.
   Make extra copies for your friends cause Santa loves to sing.

The Rules:

• Morning of Santacon
  Countless studies by the North Pole Institute of Yuletide Studies indicate that Santacon is 97% better when you start at 10 am. But before you reach the start point, make sure you:

  1. Eat something.
     It’s gonna be a long day, so put some fuel in your sleigh.
  2. Buy a Metrocard.
     If you don’t have an unlimited card already, get the 1-day FunPass.
  3. Hit an ATM.
     Bar stops will be too crowded to run a tab.
  4. Dress for a marathon.
     Comfy shoes. Layers. Seriously. Santa walks a lot and wants to be comfortable everywhere from the North Pole to the stripper pole.
• During Santacon
  It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Do your part to keep it that way.

  1. Pace yourself.
     Your friends don’t want to spend their Santacon cleaning the puke outta your beard.
  2. Follow the candy canes.
     The folks with the tall candy canes can help you get to Santa’s next stop.
  3. Tip your bartenders well.
     Or burn in Santa’s Special Douchebag Hell for all eternity.
  4. Bust out the carols.
     Remember that carol book you printed? Use it!
  5. Don’t get arrested.
     Dressing like Santa does not exempt you from city, state and federal laws.
     This includes open container violations!
  6. Don’t litter.
     Santa likes his elves dirty and his streets clean.
  7. Check in on your friends.
     If you brought ‘em, you’re responsible for ‘em. Don’t send your wasted 22-year-old cousin on the train back to Ronkonkoma by herself!

Despite all of the regulations we had a blast. It was me and five others touring the city in red and green with tinsel and santa hats! What an experience. We must have seen thousands of little Santas.  Needless to say our spirits were jolly and bright as we fa la la la la'd throughout the city!!

 

Tis the Season to be Jolly!

Well, we have entered the Holiday season! Upon my arrival to work today, this is what I found:

Our lobby was decorated so pretty with a Menorah ready for the Hanukah season and Christmas trees for the Christmas season.   

Regardless of the lobby decorations, there isn't any snow on the ground and besides the lights everywhere at Macy's, it doesn't even feel like Christmas. I  haven’t even begun to think about what I am going to get for people for Christmas. I know my mom doesn’t want me to spend much money, and I actually don’t have that much money to spend, so it will be interesting to figure out what to get people. 

I also need to start creating my own personal list.  Thus far, I have told my mother that I don’t even really care about the presents I’m getting, but that I’m so excited to come home and spend the holiday with my family!