Yes We Can

What a speech. What a night. What a refreshing change to have a chance at having an intelligent, articulate President.

Barack summed it up best: “It’s not because John McCain doesn’t care,” he said. “It’s because John McCain doesn’t get it.”

All Louie All The Time

So the real reason I haven’t been blogging lately is that we finally picked up our French Bulldog puppy, Louie from the breeder in Massachusetts.

We both took time off from work (a sort of self-imposed paternity/maternity “but for dogs” leave) in order to get used to him. The last 5-6 days have been a blur (dog walks/meeting other dogs/dog owners, buying stuff for Louie/accidents/successes/people stopping us on the street to pet him/a trip to the vet/visiting doggy daycare/training him to be alone) and I never thought I’d be using the words “pee”, “poop” and “potty” so much with a puppy. Nor did I necessarily envision getting up at odd hours to take him out to perform the aforementioned “p” words. I certainly have a new appreciation for all parents and dog owners!

The first couple nights were a little rough but we’ve gotten pretty good at getting him to go to the bathroom outside (with the exception of a couple indoor accidents). He’s been remarkably good at: sleeping through the night, going to the bathroom outside, and socializing with other dogs and people. He’s not so good at: separation anxiety.

We love him though and are constantly stopped on the street as people just want to meet him. We feel like he’s adding to our lives already as we have to jointly care for him. And we’re finally getting to meet lots of people in our neighborhood. It’s amazing how a puppy can broker relationships like that and how we’re just meeting these people now. We should’ve gotten him 2.5 years ago when we moved here!

Nevertheless, we are happy to have him be a part of the fam. Looking forward to an interesting journey with Louie.

On Leaving New York City

UPDATE: Thanks to my boy J.C. for pointing out the recent Times article that speaks of transplants adjusting to NYC.

Adam Sternbergh’s recent New York magazine essay titled “Where the Urban Life Is Going Cheap” really struck a chord with me.

After all, off and on throughout the 2.5 years we’ve been here, I’ve railed against life in NYC. It’s a love/hate in it’s truest form. In the past, I’ve complained about the 5 Stages of Living in NYC and pined for cities like San Francisco and our old home city, Chicago.

Lately, we’ve been complaining more and more about NYC, though it must be noted that summers in New York have a way of making everything seem worse. Don’t get me wrong, we love our neighborhood Park Slope and cherish the friends we’ve made here and there is absolutely nowhere else like NYC. We love the restaurants. We love the diversity of people. We love the cultural/entertainment and professional opportunities.

But after a while it does sort of beat you down. So we try to enjoy the moment and the fact that we are here right now. Because it’s possible that we won’t be here next year around this time. And, of course, fall is just around the corner – a time when I typically fall in love with the city all over again. But where would we move? I do worry about jobs opportunities elsewhere and less liberal and less ethnically diverse surroundings.

In the meantime, there is food for thought. Excerpts from Sternbergh’s New York piece that resonated with me are below:

“And in exchange for this promise of limitless possibility, this tantalizing what-could-be, New York requires of these dreamers that they pursue two simultaneous lives: the romantic, invigorating, spectacular life you imagine for yourself, and the expensive, often dispiriting, intermittently grueling day-to-day life you have to lead in order to keep that dream life alive. This is exhilarating. This is exhausting. This is what New York is all about.”

“But I am here to tell you that this is not a story of defeat. Rather, it’s a story about choices. It’s a story about reaching that pivotal moment when the dream life you imagined for yourself in New York no longer seems attainable or attractive, or simply no longer seems worth the wearying chase. It’s a story, admittedly, about the kinds of people who have the luxury to move away, just as they once had the luxury to choose to move here; that is, people not pulled to one city or another by family obligation or job transferral, but rather by some grander idea of who they are and where they might best fit.”

“Living in New York may be more expensive than ever, but let’s face it, it’s always been hard. That, oddly, is part of its appeal. You test yourself against the stresses of the city. If it’s not the expense, it’s the overcrowding. If not the overcrowding, then the crime. If not the crime, then the tension, or the roaches, or the smells, or the guy screaming obscenities at you for no reason on the stifling subway platform while you wait for a train that’s jam-packed and twenty minutes late.

So people talk idly of leaving. They talk of Portland, or Berlin, or Toronto. (Okay, I talk of Toronto.) Or they secretly hold on to their own personal Buffalo: a hometown they occasionally investigate, just to check in on housing prices. They imagine new lives for themselves in a kinder, cheaper, easier, more manageable mini–New York. A place that’s cosmopolitan but not nearly as crowded. A city with a few good, if not world-class, restaurants. And maybe some extra alluring touch that’s peculiar to their tastes: an intriguing arts scene that’s just under the radar, or easy access to tall trees and open air, or the promise of a backyard that’s bigger than a Twister board.

But the problem is, you can’t simply leave New York—you have to quit New York. You have to admit to yourself and the world that you’re packing it in, calling it a day, turning out the lights. You have to walk away from, as Joan Didion put it, “the sense, so peculiar to New York, that something extraordinary would happen any minute, any day, any month.” (It should be noted she wrote that in an essay about her decision to leave New York.)”

So I’ve Read

I’m slowly rediscovering my interest in topics other than our new puppy, so been catching up my issues of New York.

Nathanael Johnson writes about Dr. Alex Hughes and his bid to make Function drinks a must-have on store shelves.

Michael Idov tells the tale of political turncoat Joe Lieberman who, although a Democrat, is campaigning for Republican Prez candidate John McCain. Which reminds me, doesn’t Joe Liberman look like Senator Palpatine from Star Wars? Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so as I found this on Google search.

 

Parents’ Visit to NYC

My parents visited us a little over a week ago and we had a good time showing them the city and spending some time with them. Here’s a rundown of the visit:

Thursday: Pick them up from JFK. Catch up a little bit at our apartment and then head to lunch at Brooklyn Fish Camp. Afterwards, we walk up Union and grab some Italian ices at Uncle Louie G’s. Then we check out the stores along 5th Ave. including: Scaredy Kat, Cog & Pearl, Goldy + Mac, and Bob and Judi’s Collectibles. That night we ordered in some Chinese food from Hunan Delight.

Friday: Take my parents into Manhattan and to the Upper West Side. Have a nice brunch at Sarabeth’s and then proceed to visit the Frick Museum and the American Museum of Natural History. That evening we have dinner at Telepan.

Saturday: Make a trip to midtown and get spectacular views from the Top of the Rock. Also visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral since we are in the area. For dinner, we enjoy Ocean Grill and then attend a jazz performance from Trio da Paz at Dizzy’s Club in the Time Warner Center.

Sunday: Chill out at our place and host brunch for them. Play Guitar Hero with my brother. Relax and order pizza in.

Where I’ve Been

Damn, Gina it’s been a while since I blogged!

So, where’ve I been?

Well, first of all, I had my parents visiting about a week ago.

Then, we finally picked up our French Bulldog puppy from the breeder last Friday.

Needless to say there hasn’t been a lot of time to blog, though there certainly has been lots of inspiration for blogging.

Hoping to catch up soon…

Even Neil Diamond Rides the Subway

Saw this on Gothamist and thought it was pretty funny…

One More Week…

Until young Louie comes home to Brooklyn.

Tuesday at The Daily Show

 

On Tuesday, we headed to a taping of The Daily Show. My wife had VIP tix from the last time she and a friend tried to get in but didn’t make the cut. Although we were the first set of people to be seated, we still waited for a total of over an hour. Once we were brought into the studio, we had great front row seats to the left of Jon Stewart’s desk (about 10 feet away from him).

Like many shows taped before a studio audience, there was a pretty unfunny guy warming up the crowd (and shamelessly hitting on a blonde in the crowd from L.A. who had her mother with her).

Later, Stewart came out for a brief Q&A with the crowd prior to the taping. Once it began, it was a funny show and interesting to see how he (like Colbert) pretty much nails things in the first take (in fact, do they ever do anything over?). The only downside was the guest who was a Republican Senator from Florida (Booo!).

Afterwards, we checked out a nearby Mexican place called Lime Jungle where I had some tasty arroz con pollo.

Where I’ve Been

Wednesday – Flew to Boston for a work event. Had a hell of a time getting back to NYC. After my flight was cancelled and I was informed that the next one would be 4 hours later, I got a ticket on a different airline. Of course, that flight proceeded to be delayed by an hour each hour until I ended up taking off 3 hours later. No wonder no one likes air travel anymore.

Friday/Sat/Sun – Travelled to Dayton, OH for our friends’ wedding (BC & LP). It was a good time from the rehearsal dinner to the ceremony and reception and brunch on Sunday. The weather was beautiful too. Congrats to B&L!!!