Too funny :)

When I receive "snail mail" I admittedly get psyched!

However, when I receive "snail mail" from Cody ...

I admittedly just get straight-up nervous.

Previous "gems" in her repertoire of surprises include:

Oh yes, the time she sent the book,

with the following page dogeared:

And the note: "Maybe this is what scares them all away? "

Or there was the infamous postcard from LA:

With the simple note of, "MEOW!" on the inside

(no signature)

So this morning, when I saw that the bright orange envelope chillin' in my mailbox was from my oh-so-caring "pen pal",
I proceeded to open with caution ...

Aaaand then proceeded to laugh hysterically :)

HAPPY FRIDAY FRIENDS!!

Hope you're staying warm wherever you may be

Although belated ...

I wanted to thank my seeeeeeester Jamie for coming to coming to visit over MLK weekend :) Since we are related and therefore one-in-the-same, neither of us remembered to take ANY photos while she was here. Bust! Digital evidence aside, it was so much fun sooo Jamers, hurry back!! Love you

It's official, I'm in love!!

... with a turtle :)

For exactly a month now I have had the absolute pleasure to watch Mikey. His rightful owner (Christa the fabulous) will be coming back to get him in February and I'm not gonna lie, I'm really gonna miss the little fella :(

More so I think I will miss our daily routine, which goes a little something like this:

7:15am

Me: Goooooooooooodmorning Monkey Man!!!

After which Mikey immediately retreats to hide under his fort, peeping his head out (seemingly scared shitless, as if I might whip on a Speedo and join in the tank ;)

7:25am

Me: How did you sleep? I heard you moving your rocks around all night. It sounded like you were sending turtle-text-messages in the wee hours. Who were you callin?!?!? ;)

Mikey: Nada (remember, turtles can't talk and 'Finding Nemo' wasn't actually real. Bust)

8am

Me: Ahhhh, are you huuuungry Mister Monkey Face?!?

Mikey:

8:01am

Mikey closely examines the pellets

(not-so-secretly wishing they were pizza)

Cerca Noon

Me: If you were a teenage mutant ninja turtle, which one would you be? I would have been Michelangelo. I feel like you would be Leonardo -- he was pretty bad ass! Just as long as you don't say Master Splinter -- me no likey

Mikey: Nada

Cerca 3pm

Me: Are you cold? I always wonder if you hop on your turtle tanning bed because you're cold or if you're just pruned from being in the water all day? You don't look pruned though. And with your shell and all I can't tell if you get the goosebumps. So that's why I wonder, are you cold?

Mikey: Nada

Me: I think it's awesome that you can live both in and out of water. I can only hold my breath for like 20 seconds, max. But I would live in the bath tub if I could. Just sayin ...

Cerca 4pm

Me: Do you think you're from Australia? I wish you were from Australia. I've never been.

Cerca 5pm

Me: Would you rather date a Mermaid or an Angel fish? Or if you're gay I'm totally cool with that too. You can tell me, I really wouldn't judge. Promise!

Mikey: Nada

****

So ya, needless to say I'm gonna miss my friend-with-shell.

But he's here now so I'm ever thankful for the great company :)
  

One of these things is not like the other ;)

Caught this today on my walk to the Post Office,

made me laugh :)

My Favorite Things (January Edition)

For your reading pleasure ...

Fiction:

Non-Fiction:

Fun :)

Musical Awesomeness ...

Nick Howard's latest:

Ingrid Michaelson's latest:

"Must" Haves ...

Ok I know this sounds strange but some brilliant human has invented THE best scalp massager on the planet. It's a must have, believe me!

So they don't necessarily need to have a rainbow flare,
but a trusted pair of Wellies are a must as well!

Best Yummy Snack ...

It's like you're actually biting into apple sauce!

Best Random Whatnots ...

The Kirkkland pen that looks like a pencil :)

Porcelain paper plates!

Don't be fooled, they are totally breakable ...

believe me when I say that

And last but not least,

Gnome-Soap-on-the-Rope ...

Obvi!

Finally "figured" it out! Thank you, Google :)

Question: Why do we refer to NYC as "The Big Apple"?

Answer: John J. FitzGerald, born in 1893, was a horse-racing writer for The Morning Telegraph in the 1920's and was the first to popularize the term 'The Big Apple.' While on assignment in New Orleans, FitzGerald overheard African-American stablehands refer to New York City race-courses as 'The Big Apple.' FitzGerald loved the term so much that he named his racing column 'Around The Big Apple.' The title to the column became synonymous with the New York City racing scene.

A decade later many jazz musicians began calling the City 'The Big Apple' to refer to New York City (especially Harlem) as the jazz capital of the world. Soon the nickname became synonymous with New York City and its cultural diversity. In the early 1970's the name played an important role in reviving New York's tourist economy through a campaign led by the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau. Today the nickname 'The Big Apple,' which replaced 'Fun City,' is the international description of our city and is synonymous with the cultural and tourist attractions of New York City.
Therefore, it is only fitting that the southwest corner of West 54th Street and Broadway, the corner on which John J. FitzGerald resided from 1934 to 1963, be designated 'Big Apple Corner.'

Thoughts on the #1 Human Truth

I have no qualms admitting that I stay in most Friday nights. And when I say "most", I mean just about every single one of 'em.

Maybe it's because I'm now ~10,500 days old ;) but mainly it's because both my body (and bank account) direct me to chill the f@%# out, and refrain from the public. Hahaha

So I've made a habit of it to have a phone date with my Grandma Stella the moment I finish work each and every Friziday noche :)

But tonight was different than most. Tonight was somehow even more spectacular and insightful than normal. Because somehow tonight, the most amazing 92 year old on the planet, bestowed more upon me than I could ever thank her for.

When I called Grams she answered in the same "perfectly Stella" fashion as always ... "Helllloooooooooo!" Mind you, the woman does not have caller-ID (nor would she know how to use or read the mechanism if granted), she just kind heartedly greets each and every person, unconditionally, with the same welcoming voice :)

But tonight, for some reason, when she heard my voice on the other end, she almost immediately began to cry :( Needless to say, I felt HORRIBLE and asker her why she was feeling sad. And in return, in her "perfectly Stella" fashion, she said to me, "Oh Stacers I'm not sad -- I'm just so happy to hear from you. Ahhh, listen to me crying like a baby. Here I am at 92 years old, and I can't help but to love being loved!"

Our conversation went per usual after that -- meaning, it lasted all of 5 minutes before she said, "I should go now, this long distance call must be costing you an arm and a leg!" (... along with caller-ID, things such as "free night and weekend minutes" are simply not within her willing-comprehension ;)

After we hung up I thought to myself, "Wow -- NINETY TWO years old and all she really wants at the end of the day is to be loved." (insert deep breaths here)

Talk about a human truth!

My God, "just" to be LOVED. Think about it ...

It's why we call home (and vise versa).
It's why we check our phones at least a hundred times a day in not-so-secret-hopes for a missed text or email.
It's why our grandparents give us too much of everything.
Why we listen to slow music (and MeatLoaf is a gazillionaire)
It's why we drunk dial our ex's.
Hell, it's why we get drunk (and screw) in the first place ;)

It's why we have babies, be it planned or not.

Why romantic comedies are the #1 genre of all time.

The root of the reason that a bartender pours ya a lil' extra ...

and hence therefore, why we leave tips :)
It's why your boss announces an unexpected half-day in July.

(and maybe a little bit why we work so hard to begin with)
It's why we seek approval, strive to fit in ...

Why we "play house", "put on a happy face"

Why we "do the dance", and "put on a show".

It's why we host parties, have bridesmaids, buy dogs ...

For heaven's sake, it's why we HUG :)

Because at the end of the day, the fact of the matter is that love is a return investment. And holy-hot-damn take my word when I say that if you've ever had the guts to give it, the "ROI" on love is ab-so-fuckin-lutely priceless!

Because when it comes to love, I strongly believe it's the only thing that is "chicken" nor "egg" ... we need it to come first, we need it to come second, and we need it come ALWAYS. We need to love and most of all, we need to be loved.

So whether it's simply signing off with an "XOXO" or saying it straight to the one that means most in your life, do me a favor and send a little love out into the universe today ...
You could use it, he or she could use it, and let's just face it,
the whole g-damn world could really use it, right about now :)

New Years Eve Wknd (12/31/09-1/3/10)

Now that I've had some time to digest it all,

I think I'm ready to share the tales of NYE wknd.

It began with a visit from several besties ...

(thank you Mega/Sammers & Hutch/Spy for coming!)

And although I've never been one for formal,

ya gotta admit that 2010 has a nice ring to it,

so we broke out the little black dresses :)

and then it was GAME ON for countless cocktails!

and then yes, some more cocktails ...

Until it was time to start making balloon hats ...

(PS BTW, thaaaaank you Rachie for the Clown Kit!)

so to be stylin' when shouting ...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

After midnight there were many photos taken

(none of which will be posted to the Z-Do-Da ;)

Let's just say this little blogger decided to

take the action of "getting trashed" quite literally ...

Uff, not my best moment(s)

So sure, the New Year brought a hangover

(nothing new)

but it also brought Miss Mega's NYC baby shower!!

Hoorraaay :)

"No Hablo"

"Hoboken" NJ Baby!

"Go Blue!"

Happiness :)

And since Zoo York City clearly has "nothing"

more to offer, we took it upon our selves

to mozy on in to yet another local watering hole ...

to do it all over again!! Yeeeehaaaaaaa ;)

(poor prega-Mega, what a trooper!!)

After which, a whole lotta

Catch-Phrase, Darts, and Charades ensued ...

and as if we couldnt've just called it a night,

kareokee and sake-bombs "snuck" into the line up as well.

Obvi ;)

But have no fear, this tale does not end there ...

for what would a real 48 hour bender be

without stumbling across Mike Tyson's tiger?

and the "borrowing" of a bag from the wall
which proclaimed: I LOVE ALEJANDRO

But as they say,

it's not over till the fat lady sings!

However in our case, it wasn't over until ... oh yes,

that moment when an under-aged Chinese girl put a

Lion King towel over her head and pretended to be Simba.

As for the teen who played "Nala" ...

no comment

(feel free to click on this pic for full digital awkwardness)

But all's well that ends well!

And I must say that if 2010 continues as it started,

it is in fact, going to be a very, very Happy New Year :)

The End Beginning!

Delay of Game ...

Ufff, things have been nutty on my end.

Game on tomorrow for sure!

Christmas in January :)

Alyssa & I decided to make it a tradition to exchange gifts in January, when all the Holiday chaos has subsided a bit.
Besides, it extends the fun, ya know?!

We never decided to make "immature" the theme,

it just kinda happened that way ... again ;)

But I love my new Sesame T

and I could tell she was super psyched

about the Dining Table Ping-Pong kit :)

Confession:

I may never leave the apartment once we get this set up!

So I guess now that Christmas is officially over,

it's time to take town the tree :(

Bust

Mikey :)

I'm pet sitting this month for Mikey, my neighbor's turtle.

And I must admit, every time he crawls on top of his rock

I freak a little, worried that he may try to escape!

But more so, I think I'm just jealous that he gets to sunbathe

via lightbulb ... it's kinda like a ghetto turtle tanning bed ;)