Thoughts on Sleeping

I'm not a very good sleeper ...
believe me, I've tried just about every trick in the book.

I know I could just call a doc and get meds to knock me out. Problem being: I know that the aforementioned doc will give me these meds ... and then tell me I shouldn’t drink when using. Given it’s technically summer now – who are we kidding here?!?!

My friend Jamie believes she has the remedy to my sleep issues:

“Count sheep, Stace. Each has to be dressed in a different outfit. And each has to do the limbo in a different way. Not one can be the same. By 10, I guarantee you’ll be out cold!”

Let me tell ya, I have tried this alleged cure to tame my spaz brain but by 10, I might as well have been out buying cold beer ...
the parties in my head are off the hook!

For example, one time the sheep that came dressed as a lama invited his hippo friends. And the Marilyn Monroe-hippo called her rhino buddy who came "plus one" with a giraffe (obviously). And you just know shit’s gonna get weird when you’ve got a giraffe wearing jockey’s doing the limbo in your living room!!

Sometimes I party in my dreams with my animal friends until the wee hours of the morning. And just when the Zookeeper comes to break it all up, my mind calls it a night … finally ;)

(My friend Brandy illustrated this for me ... isn't she great?!?)

Ya Gotta Love the Windy City ...

Because only in Chicago, can the weather manage to plunge 31-degrees between Monday and Tuesday, yet the Cubbies can still manage to pull off a W :) Yessssssssssssssssssssss

Sweet Home, Chicago!

I would blog and post pix from my best friend's bachlorette party over the weekend ... but in the case anyone involved would ever like to run for office, I shall refrain from doing so ;)

After being back a few days now, I've made a list of things I miss most about home ... it goes a little something like this:

- Seeing friends, old and new, that make me laugh endlessly :)
- Walking the lake front (while secretly wishing I owned a condo on Lake Shore Drive, a pontoon boat, and stock in Castaways)
- Stopping into the Field House to give the bartender a hug
- Eating at Tarascas (only to be strategically seated in the back because the owner says, "Please don't take offense to this, but you girls are just so loud!")
- Bikes riding through the forest preserve with my fam (while constantly making fun of my mom's unbelievably nerdy bike helmet)
- My dad's pancakes for breakfast
- My sister's famous salad concoctions for dinner
- My brother's ability to do absolutely nothing, and be praised for it ;)
- Wagner Farm
- Dairy Queen
- Driving a car (and parking directly in front of where I need to be!)
- Hanging out with my Grandma Stella and hearing her say things like, "Oh, that's a bunch a bunk!" and "Come on now, that's for the birds!" or (my personal favorite) "Do you have a boyfriend yet? Just be smart. Why buy the cow if he gets the milk for free?" (Awesome)
- The list goes on ...

Needless to say, it's a fact that I miss Chicago ... a lot

But I must admit, after seeing all the American flags raised yesterday in honor of Memorial Day, I felt incredibly proud of New York. The way the city has collectively rebuilt with such resilience and spirit post 9/11, has brought honor to our entire country :)

So, at the end of the day, I feel incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to experience and embrace the best of both!

Chicago: A+
New York: A+

Happy Memorial Day!

Underground Treasures

Arts for Transit is a program that commissions mosaics, sculptures, and other hidden treasures underground "to help make each MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) station unique & beautiful*"

(*hahaha, "beautiful" ... really?!?! That's quite a generous term considering we are talking about the Zoo York City subway system)

Regardless, I think this program is great :)
Kudos to them! Keep doin' what you're doin'!

So far, these pieces done by (the incredibly awesome) Tom Otterness are my personal favs:

Only in Manhattan ...

A Real First ...

Not only do I have the best friends,
but my friends have the best jobs!

So whereas last week I went to the movies by my lonesome,
last night I went to the new Indiana Jones movie with:

(Insert theme music here)


Ashanti ...

Calista Flockhart ....

And Indiana Jones himself!

(If I worked for UsWeekly, I'd totally caption this photo something super lame like, "Look! Harrison Ford eats popcorn just like us!")

I wonder if the red carpet celebs also went out after and proceeded to consume waaay too many Miller Lite drafts?

Did they also come home only to find their Clean&Clear face wash was empty and therefore opted for Ivory soap instead?

I wonder if Calista also wears Old Navy jammers and forgets to set her alarm? (Indiana Jones, not so much ... he's infallible, it's a fact)

How does one actually become an Adventure Archaeologist?!?!

Who knows ...

What I do know is that George Lucas must have been smokin' some damn good ganja when he wrote this script, and Steven Spielberg pretty much blew his load with the special effects.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, I'm not gonna lie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) should have been exactly that ... the last crusade ;)

Definitely a rental

Stupid People Crack Me Up!

This is by far my most favorite recent posting to OverheardInNewYork.com

Guy: Wait, what part of New York is Chicago in?
Girl: What?! Chicago isn't in New York! Chicago is its own state.
Guy: No, it's not a state! It's called the "Windy City."
Girl: Oh, right. I guess it is in New York then.
Guy: Yeah.
Girl: Hang on, I'll look it up on my Blackberry.

-- Overheard at Fordham University

My Googley Eye Crew ... So Far :)

http://www.myspace.com/googlyeyecru

Happy Victoria Day!

Today is Victoria Day in Canada ... it is celebrated on the last Monday before or on May 24 in honor of both Queen Victoria and the current reigning Canadian sovereign's birthdays.

When googling to find out more about this public holiday, I learned that it is not just a Canadian event ... Victoria Day is also celebrated and observed in Scotland & the Cayman Islands.

Hmmmmmm ... I'm sorry, but if you live in the Cayman Islands ... isn't EVERY DAY a freakin' holiday?!?!

R.I.P.

Dear Jawz,
You were a really great fish.
Like, a really really really great goldfish.
I'll never forget the 34 days we got to hang.
I'm so very sorry I overfed you.
Rest in peace buddy ...

P.S Do you miss me?!? I miss you :(

(I wonder if that Sugar Glider is still for sale?!?!?)

Those Who Stay Will Be Champions

Even though I only weigh about a buck forty ...

I still get psyched every time I walk out my front door ;)

Extreme Home Make Over :)

Day One ...

Day One Hundred :)

Then ...

Now ...

Before ...

After ...

February...

May :)

"Suite" 5A

VISITORS WELCOME!!!

Thoughts on Art & Poetry

While we're on the topic of the Beat Generation ...

My favorite poem ever written is “Why I’m not a painter”
by Frank O’Hara.

The first time I read this I was at Michigan. I remember reading it once, and then over and over again ... I still love it to this day :)

Why I Am Not a Painter

I am not a painter, I am a poet.
Why? I think I would rather be
a painter, but I am not. Well,

for instance, Mike Goldberg
is starting a painting. I drop in.
"Sit down and have a drink" he
says. I drink; we drink. I look
up. "You have SARDINES in it."
"Yes, it needed something there."
"Oh." I go and the days go by
and I drop in again. The painting
is going on, and I go, and the days
go by. I drop in. The painting is
finished. "Where's SARDINES?"
All that's left is just
letters, "It was too much," Mike says.

But me? One day I am thinking of
a color: orange. I write a line
about orange. Pretty soon it is a
whole page of words, not lines.
Then another page. There should be
so much more, not of orange, of
words, of how terrible orange is
and life. Days go by. It is even in
prose, I am a real poet. My poem
is finished and I haven't mentioned
orange yet. It's twelve poems, I call
it ORANGES. And one day in a gallery
I see Mike's painting, called SARDINES.

As a result, this is my most favorite painting:

(Sardines, Michael Goldberg, 1955)

That in mind, it comes as no surprise that my second favorite painting in the world is Mark Rothko’s “Orange”:

But even though I love both “Sardines” and “Orange” madly, there may be no greater work of art than my third favorite “painting”…

Tee hee :)

The Neatest Thing Happened this Morning ...

Every morning I walk up Avenue A and make a left onto 2nd Street ... this is my daily route to Gracefully
(a.k.a Home of the bestest muffins in America!)


Today however, I decided to walk on the north side of the street because that was the sunny side of the sidewalk :)
And low-and-behold, as I was looking at all the apartment entrances,
my eye caught this plaque:

I was so taken back by how awesome this is/was!!


Holy wow ... Allen Ginsberg, one of the most renowned poets and activists of the Beat Generation, once lived and wrote history, just 2 blocks from my apartment!!! How incredibly cool :)


I'll never look at 170 2nd Street (or my copy of "Howl")
the same way ever again!

Check out Ann :)

...my other tree-friend (Arbor) is not quite as photogenic ;)

February (taken on the day I moved in!)

March

April

May

Other Fun Facts I Love :)

* All porcupines can float

* In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase, "Goodnight, sleep tight!"

* The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV:
Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

* In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down!" This is where we get the phrase, "Mind your P's and Q's"

* 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

* It is impossible to lick your elbow (... Take my word for this one!)

A Real First ...

So I went to see the midnight showing of "The Visitor" at the Sunshine Cinema on Houston Street ...

Honestly, I wasn't feeling weird at all that I was alone (I secretly love going to the movies by myself!)

I arrived right at 11:59pm (so not to miss the pre-views ... I secretly love those too)

Cherry coke ... check
Swedish Fish ... check
Popcorn (with extra butter) ... check-check!

I walked in and ... there was absolutely no one else in the theater.

I figured people would trickle in casually late ... but no one did!

So it was just me
At the movies
Feet up
Phone on (why not, right?)
Chillin' with the big screen :)

Hahahaha -- How Bizarre!

Ya Learn Something New Everyday!

Coming back from New Jersey Sunday night, we pulled up to the gas station ... and no one moved an inch.

Delirious from weekend, I was admittedly on a good one-minute-mind-delay. But then, after two minutes, I was kinda like, "Uhhhh, guys? I fear the gas isn't going to up and pump itself."

And then, outta no where, I heard the tank beginning to fill!!

I thought to myself:

WTF?!?! None of us have any money ... why the hell are we paying the full-service price?? Isn't gas expensive enough now a days?!?!
Are we in a bad neighborhood now? I could swear I just saw a Banana Republic! Should I lock the doors?!?

And then the voice of reason said, "Relax, Stace! It's illegal to pump your own gas in New Jersey"

WHAT?!?! This is hysterical :)

Well, Hello there Mister Gas Pumping Man!!

I wanted to say, "I have no clue why you pumping our gas for free and not making me get out of the car, but thank you!!" And I wanted to tell him that if I owned a car myself, I would definitely move to Jers!
(But don't worry, I refrained)

So, for anyone else out there who was a virgin to this little known piece of awesomeness, here's the scoop behind this entirely outdated law:

The "Garden State" is one of two states where it's illegal to fill 'er up yourself. Only gas station owners or employees can pump gas in New Jersey AND Oregon. NJ passed the law making it illegal to pump your own gas in 1949. At the time, legislators felt it was too dangerous to have untrained people dispensing such a flammable liquid. Today, proponents of this law argue that it creates jobs and customers like full service (... namely, Stacey Hall! hahaha)

Confession:

I slept through my yoga class this morning.

Not the kind where you wake up at 9am, look at the clock, and scream "FUUUUUUCK! I overslept!"

It was the kind where I woke up at 6:45am, looked at the clock, looked out the window, saw rain, pressed snooze, and consciously elected sleeping over stretching .... ya, that kind.

Honestly though, the thought of doing the downward dog and several sun salutations just wasn't doin' it for me today.

And I really really like this yoga studio ...

And I really really like Ani, my instructor lady ...

But as long as we're on the topic of confessions ... I must admit, this one instructor (James), kinda freaks me out a little bit

(Sorry, James ... Just being honest!)

Inspiring :)

Tonight I went to the Cutting Room for the CD release party of "Something to Talk About"




Three things to note:

1) This venue of Chris Noth's (Sex & the City, Law & Order) may be "Big", but Nick Howard is the real deal. Not only was the show fantastic, but he is such a class act. You simply can't help but to hope that "it" happens for him!

2) Aside from the fact that the Cutting Room is one hell of an inspiring place ... I thought it was one hell of a cool concept. One minute we're watching live music, the next I'm playing "I've Just Seen a Face" by the Beatles on the Jukebox, and then onto a fierce game of Pac Man ... seriously, does life get any better?

3) Not gonna lie ... I kinda wish I'd never drunkenly smashed my guitar in half on a whimsical bet in '05 ... then again, looking back, that may have been the "highlight" of my rockstar career ;)

Point of blog: http://nickhowardmusic.com/

I promise you will not be left disappointed!

God Bless the First Amendment :)

... and beautiful sunsets

Political Agendas Aside ...

I thought this was pretty damn cool:

Over the Weekend ...

I found three more!

The Difference a Year Makes ...

Last year, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, I tried to rent a donkey ... but no such luck :(

This year, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, I tried to weasel my way out of a Market Research conference ... but no such luck :(

So, instead of playing umpteen rounds of flip cup with my friends (while wearing a pancho, sporting a sombrero, and pretending to ride a horse-on-a-stick) I was out mingling for work (sans costume).

After the conference, everyone was game for margaritas so we headed to a local Mexican joint and the next thing ya know, I find myself chattin' it up with this cute little Chinese man.

Our conversations went as such:

Chinese Man: Hi, my name is Sun :) I'm representing the Fangyuan Company.

(Shake hands)

Me: Hi, I'm Stacey. I'm here with Peanut Labs.

(Exchange business cards)

Me: I'm sorry, did you say your name was Sun?

Sun: Yes, my real is Manor Zhuang but no American pronounce right. So I go by Sun Wha. My English is very poor. This is my first trip to New York to make business.

Me: Well I think your English is great! You wouldn't want to hear my attempt at Chinese ;) Where are you staying?

Sun: The Chinese Consulate.

Me: Oh. Can't say I've ever been there.

Sun: Can you please tell me, what is this sour drink we drink?

Me: It's called a margarita.

Sun: Neat. This make me feel happiness. Can you please tell me more of your Western Culture?

Me: Absolutely! What would you like to know about?

Sun: Can you please first tell me, does it hurt to have metal stick in your nose?

Me: Oh, my nose pierce? Nope, doesn't hurt a bit!

Sun: And your husband, he does not mind it?

Me: Can't say I have a husband. But if I did, I would hope he would like it.

Sun: Why you no husband?

Me: Hmmmmm ... how long are you in town for? That may take a while to answer ;)

Sun: So, you no children then?

Me: Nope.

Sun: So you are not Morman?

Me: No, not Morman ... not Morman at all. I like to drink the sour drink ;)

Sun: You clever funny! I do not get all your joke. But you make me happiness :)

These classic exchanges went on all night ...

... I have no clue what Sun is doing in this picture but it continues to crack me up!

After a few more sour drinks, Sun decided to "hang loose" and take off his suit coat and tie!

(In regards to "pre-picture rituals", I often times wonder why the Peace Sign is to the Chinese like "Say Cheeeese!" is to Americans ... but I suppose that's a topic for a whole separate blog)

So, long story short ... I am meeting my new friend Sun tomorrow at the Chinese Consulate to talk about the capabilities of our two companies.

I thought maybe we could meet again at the Mexican joint to talk shop over another margarita (or ten) ... but no such luck ;)

FELIZ CINCO DE MAYO!