Only in my family ...

After spending 3 days in sunny Arizona together, you'd think we could manage to pull-off at least one frame-able photo (...or not so much!)

The Bouquet Toss

I’m really not a cynic or a hater by any means … but I could definitely do without the bouquet toss tradition.

Come on now; let’s get serious … the goddam thing serves two very lame purposes:

1. The opportunity for the guys to evaluate all potential ass for the evening (meanwhile hoping the one girl with giant ta-tas will continue to jump up and down)
2. The “neat” chance for women to corral around the great hope that a medley of orchids is somehow going to bring Prince Charming and a little bling-bling their way …

Personally, I prefer to dodge this like the draft and catch a cocktail at the bar … just being honest :)

Packing & Praying

(Friday-Sunday: March 7,8,9)
_____________________________________________________________________

There is no question about it … I am by far the worst packer in America … hands down.

Case in point -- this past weekend:

PURPOSE OF TRAVEL: Cousin Timmy’s wedding in Scottsdale, AZ :)

TIME SPENT PACKING: Roughly 3-5 minutes

Per usual, there was absolutely no thought process behind my “pack-job” for this event … it all just seemed so logical at the time:

• Cowboy Hat (obviously)
• Dress for rehearsal dinner (duhhhh)
• Dress for wedding (clearly)
• 4 bikinis (an absolute must … there’s nothing worse in life than putting on a wet bathing suit!)
• Swimming goggles (another “must have” … all the cool kids under 8 wear them … therefore, so should I)
• Digi Cam (no brainer)
• Cell Phone Charger (ditto)

I mean who really needs a toothbrush, cosmetics, and clean underwear?

So thanks to the sun, I sported a few hundred new freckles (in lieu of make-up) and scored a “breath freshening kit” from housekeeping (…niiiiice!)

All was fine and dandy until mid wedding ceremony, as we bowed our heads to say the Lord’s Prayer; I could see my strawberry bikini bottoms through my dress and couldn’t contain my laughter :) Classic!

Moral of the story … always wear sunscreen ;)

Dear John Frieda ... I think I love you!

(Thursday, March 6)
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Confession: I spent $6.99 on this “Brilliant Brunette Light Reflecting Shampoo” stuff the other day and I am totally memorized by the fact that it actually works!

I like to consider myself to be a relatively smart person ... but how the hell does one go about making a light reflecting shampoo?!?

I would like to meet the inventor of this fabulous hair soap (…and then breed with him!)

The Belly Ache of All Belly Aches :(

(Wednesday, March 5)
______________________________________________________

Fuckin' peeps ;)

The Margarator ... One Word: BRILLIANT!

(Monday, March 3)
____________________________________________________________________________________

Is it considered "Indian Giving" when you conspire with others to get your roommate a present that you yourself have been dying to own?!?!

Shhhhhhhhh ;)

The Big House (East) Competition

(Sunday, March 2)

I'd like to a propose a competition of the highest seriousness ...

Q: You talkin' to me?
A: Yes, you! You little blog reader you

Q: Whatch you talkin about Willis?
A: I'm talkin about a contest in which you have the opportunity to submit a design to create quite possibly the best outdoor drinking facility on the Lower East Side of Manhattan :)

Q: Is this Heaven?
A: It very well could be! Please take a moment to review the (Maize and) Blue Print provided of our very own "upper deck" ... a.k.a your blank slate

Submissions due: Friday, 3/28
Winner will be announced on baseball Opening Day: Monday, 3/31
Prizes will be awarded for all sorts of awesomeness :)

Although it is technically "off-season", we must all remember that college football is a religion and Saturday is the Holy day of obligation ... help build our church!

Alright desiiiigneeeers ... MAKE IT WORK!!

I Promise ....

(Saturday, 3/1)

Dear Digi Cam,

When I turn 30, I promise that I will not make you take "Kodak Moments" such as this:



I do NOT promise that I will stop eating pizza late night -- however, I will do my best to do away with these New York Pizza Delivery shenanigans ;)

Love,

"Happy" Leap Year!

(Friday, 2/29)

So I went to buy a pop from the corner store (in need of a little 4pm pick-me-up) and there was this white envelope under the front door of my apartment:

Man ... I thought I was bummed by the fact that McCain continues to gain all sorts of Republican trust...but this, this is a whole new kind of bummer :(

I wanted to call our Landlord Manny and be like...

"You didn't even knock? Just a drop-and-run, eh? What ever happened to 'service with a smile'?!? For 3300 bones, you couldn't have thrown in a Wall Street Journal? (which I probably wouldn't have time to read but it would have been a nice gesture!) Or maybe a few Andes mints? (my personal fav) Even a measly little fortune cookie wouldda done the trick! But, thanks for the envelope, Manny! Much appreciated. Happy Leap Year Friday to you too. We'll be sure to deliver your treasure chest on time."

Ugh!

Stacey Hall ... Wannabe Zoo York City Landlord

Peanut Labs, Inc. New York, NY

www.peanutlabs.com

An Apology Letter

(Thursday, 2/21)

Unfortunately, last night/this morning I had to take the red-eye home from Seattle to Chicago to attend my grandpa’s funeral services :( To make matters worse, I had to layover in Dallas from 4-5am. (As I was on a bereavement ticket, there was no other option. Blahh)

Irritable, tired, thirsty, hungry, hung-over … the flight attendant came by to offer beverage service cerca 6:47am:

Flight Attendant Lady: Can I offer you anything to drink?

Stacey: Diet Coke, please.

(Flight Attendant Lady begins to pour DC from 12oz can into a midget sized plastic cup overflowing with ice)

Stacey: Can you just give me the whole goddamn can of pop?

Irritable, tired, thirsty, hungry, hung-over … there’s NO excuse … I should have simply apologized there and then but I was so infuriated with the dixie-cup of coke that I just completely snapped :(

So I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to the flight attendant lady. Wherever you may be right now, please know that I am truly sorry. Aside from my ex-boyfriends (and a handful of others), you too have undeservedly gone victim to the wrath of Stacey Hall.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to tell the peeps at American Airlines that they should just let their passengers have the whole can of pop. In return, I promise never to verbally assault any of your employees ever again :)

The Lunar Eclipse

(Wednesday, 2/20/2008. Issaquah, Washington)

Tonight I was having a beer at my new favorite bar
called "The Rolling Log Tavern" ...

Howby,
(my new crazy-haired cowboy-wanna-be drinking buddy)
told me that "We have to check out the moon right-quick!
There's a lunar eclipse!"



He then proceeded to tell me that
"the last time he saw a moon like this
was back in 1963 when he was 9 ..."

I really want to believe his stories
but I do fear that my new friend with a funny name
is a little high on the crack cocaine.

But, I love him nonetheless ;)

Happy President's Day!

(Monday, 2/18)

No one in Washington works on President's Day because "it's the biggest ski day of the year!" (duhhhh)

So "work" today was held at the Summit at Snoqualmie Pass ... http://www.summitatsnoqualmie.com/info/winter/environment.asp

Considering I am the only person on the team who has ever lived East of the Puget Sound (and haven't gone skiing since I was in Breckenridge, CO and knocked the wind outta my stomach so bad in an F- attempt to snowboard) I came prepared with a solid list of legit excuse as to why I will be the one sledding ... down the bunny hills ;)

I also found salvation under the "resort tips" section of the website that there are 3 bars within the Mountain Lodge :) Yessssssss

All was going smoothly until I decided to take off my training-wheels and hit up a Black Diamond. The run was called "Pacific West" but it might as well been called "Pee-cific West" because that's pretty much what I did the whole way down ;)

Confession...

(Sunday, 2/17)

Today I listened to the entire Weezer CD on my iPod (and I even replayed several tracks such as “The Sweater Song” & “The World Has Turned”)

.... Am I in 7th grade?!?!?

I LOVE SEATTLE!

(Saturday, 2/16)

I just wish it wasn't so far from home :(

Sexist = Me?!?!

(Sunday, 2/10)
____________________________________________________________________________________

Today, as I was getting off the plane from New York to Seattle, I popped my head in the cockpit to thank the Captains (per usual)

I said “thanks guys!” and then the strangest thing happened … my head turned back to do a double-take because there were no “guys” in the cockpit … just two chicks … two FEMALE pilots! Man oh man I was psyched :)

I turned back and said, “thanks ladies!”

While waiting at the baggage claim I thought, “Am I sexist?!?!” … The fact that I assumed there would be at least one male driving the plane? … The fact that I automatically said, “thanks guys”? …. The fact that I physically did a double-take?!?

Please, allow me state for the record: although I am the only female in the city of Manhattan not voting for Hillary Clinton, I swear, I’m really not sexist. Really!

Anonymity

(Sunday, 2/10/2008)

The most exciting part about exploring a new city is the anonymous feeling that no one here knows me:)

The feeling that I could do a somersault down 2nd Avenue and not one person would say, “Oh my god, that’s Stacey Hall ... I went to pre-school with her. She used to eat glue.”

The feeling that I could sing out loud on the subway and not one person would say, “Is that Stacey Hall? Ugh. I went to grade school with her. She used to play the trombone like a loser.”

The feeling that I could wear my prom dress to Penn Station and not one person would say, “That girl looks like Stacey Hall…I went to high school with her. She used to be in the Sign-Language Club. Ha!”

The feeling that I could randomly walk into this store I’ve never heard of called “West Elm” at the corner of 17^th & 6^th Ave and ….

“Stace?!?! Is that you?!?”

…. and run directly into my roommate Rachie from study abroad Florence :)

Apparently anonymity doesn’t exist.

So maybe I’ll refrain from somersaulting down 2nd Ave, singing on the subway, or wearing a crazy costume to catch a train … maybe... at least for today ;) 

Meant to be :)

(Saturday, 2/9)

Admittedly, I am not a very religious person … I’ve never “seen God” or been “kissed by an angel” in the middle of the night.

But I do believe in spirits and especially in signs … signs that subtly show up in life and provide affirmation that you are in fact, on the “right track”.

Some may call them “chance”, “coincidence”, “a twist of fate”, or just “luck” … but I call them signs.

I had MANY doubts about leaving Chicago … until I walked down my new street this afternoon only to discover this mural:

I really am home ;)

Perspective

(Saturday, 2/9)

While sitting on boxes in our living room, Alyssa & I played a little "neighborhood spying game" …

Given the best part about our apartment is all the windows, we put them to use!

Secretly peering at the guy in the window directly across the street …

Stacey: That boy is cute! He has been sitting at his kitchen table now for hours. I bet he’s probably studying for a test. He’s probably gonna be a doctor … a heart surgeon!

Alyssa: Or, he’s probably just got two broken legs and can’t stand up.

Stacey: You’ve been living in Manhattan too long … I’m not playing spy games with you anymore. Bitter Betty! ;)

It really IS huge!

(Friday, 2/8)

Similar to sex, using the word “huge” as a descriptor for a New York apartment can be a very relative term.

But Alyssa was absolutely right … our apartment really IS huge!

Like the Incredible Hulk huge*

Like King Kong huge*

Like William “The Refrigerator” Perry huge*

*Not gonna lie, I’ve never really been with the Hulk, King Kong, or the Fridge … but I’m gonna go out on a limb and bet that they’re all pretty well hung ;)

Welcome!

The Kitchen

The soon-to-be eating/bar area

My bathroom :)

My work-in-progress bedroom/home office

The soon-to-be living room

Alyssa's Bathroom

Alyssa's Bedroom

Our very own private terrace!

Looking down onto our Street from the terrace

Welcome to NYC: HALL, STACE

(Thursday, 2/7)

All my fears that Zoo York City would be filled with (cold-hearted, unfriendly) Midwest-haters were appeased in an instant when the nice man at American Airlines handed me my plane ticket:

Not for Stacey … but for Stace … like me and Manhattan were already on a nickname basis :)

Maybe I’d get there and they city would be all, "Welcome home, Stace!"

Maybe I'd get off the plane and we’d chest-bump like besties!

Maybe we'd do a little hip-check like we've know each other for years!

Maybe we’d hug-it-out like we hadn't seen each other in ages!

Or maybe it was just a computer typo ;)