history in the making

hey, america. happy birthday!

in honor of your special day, we spent the day yesterday at the international nathan's famous hot-dog eating contest.



s had done his research, and we knew we needed to get there somewhat early in order to get a good view of the contest. we showed up around 11:30 am (it is supposed to start around noon) and were able to squeeze in close enough to get a view of the left side of the stage. there's quite a bit of pre-show (got to give those espn talking heads time to speculate about kobayashi's odds), and we immensely enjoyed the dancing hot dogs. after a half hour of bad emcee jokes and ineffectual cheerleaders, the eaters took the stage to pumped-up music and bios like "the mayonnaise-eating champion of the woooooorld!" while something like 10 people competed, including an old man and a couple of women, as well as a possibly-retired rapper who had entertained the crowd during the pre-show, the real contest was between "america's son" joey chestnut and the injured-yet-still-fearsome takeru kobayashi. the two have squared off on multiple prior occasions, and seem to trade titles back and forth. (i highly recommend reading their bios, if only for the hilarity. they discuss their training regimens, previous world records, and other ridiculousness typically reserved for actual sports.) after the introductions, there was a big count down, and then they started the shoveling. (at that point i turned to s and said "so now we just watch them eat for ten minutes?" he just laughed at me.) it ended up being remarkably entertaining, as i felt a kind of disgusted awe and began cheering along with everyone else. seriously. the emcee would yell "and joey chestnut has just eaten TEN hot dogs in ONE minute!" and the crowd would go wild. this year, they both managed to get down 59 hot dogs in the regulation ten minutes, for a history-making tie. the overtime round required one to eat five hot dogs faster than the other, and joey just barely eked out a win. (an OT that favored his start-strong, finish-weak style; had it been to eat more in a certain amount of time, i think kobayashi, even injured, could have pulled out a win. but that's just my amateur opinion.) it was over quickly, and the crowd didn't stick around to watch the closing ceremony.

we wandered along the boardwalk, avoiding the fried clams and freak-shooting, and eventually ended up near the wonder wheel, which at 150 feet is the tallest ferris wheel in the world. i wasn't about to jump on the cyclone (the scary rattling wooden coaster), so i convinced s to go on the wheel with me.



it's a fairly calm, slow ride, but you do get a great view of the beach and surrounding area, and we enjoyed sitting on top of the world for awhile. once we got back down, we strolled around a bit more, looking at the rides and snack shacks and old posters. i had wanted to come to coney island before it's changed by gentrification, and we got to see a little bit of everything it's known for; dirt and grime, games, rides, an old-fashioned freak show. i don't know how to feel about "the future of coney island"; on the one hand, it's kind of a gross place. on the other, it's always been that way, it's sort-of famous for being proud of being that way, and i don't agree with the need to clean everything up. i'd like to go back, if only to take more pictures and maybe to work up the bravery to ride the cyclone. s considered a hot dog (in honor of the day), but the wait was at least a half hour (everyone else was feeling honorific), so we headed home to eat.

the former co-inhabitants of boyland moved out to a former furniture factory in greenpoint and they've carved out a recording studio and some bedrooms on one of the floors. (it's really an amazing space, although the entrance leaves a little something to be desired. let's just say i'd rather visit.) their building has an incredible roof, with amazing views of manhattan, so last night we camped out up there to ooh and ahh over the fireworks. last year i spent the fourth in d.c., but i honestly felt the display here was more beautiful and inspiring. i'm not particularly patriotic, but i do love fireworks. (as ls and i agreed, i like to feel the boom.) we were a little far away to feel anything, but we had an excellent vantage point, and watched the fireworks explode over the river with the skyline in the background. it rained a little, but, intrepid city-folk that we are, we stood around under umbrellas watching the fireworks light up the sky. there were people i knew, and people i didn't, but i felt no shame in clapping my hands with glee over it all. i felt proud to be a new yorker, at the very least.

hip! hip! jorge!

saturday was the most beautiful day i have seen in a long time here in nyc, and it was perfect timing, too: we went to the yankees game. yankee stadium is in it's last season (you could see the cranes slowly building the new ballpark just beyond left field) and i just had to see a game in the stadium my grandfather used to go to. i bought s tickets for his birthday back in march, and all week they kept predicting rain, so when we woke up to blue skies and sun, i knew the day was totally blessed.

yankee stadium has its own subway stop, it's own little world. the surrounding streets are devoted to baseball paraphenalia (my favorite store: stan the man's baseball land for men, women and children.) we entered through gate four and climbed slowly to the top of the stadium, seated high above the field (sorry again, sweetie) with a view of green plaid fields and miniature men in white. it was a perfect, gorgeous day, and despite the cold breeze, i was happy in my new hat, pretzel in hand, nestled up against my love, watching the bronx bombas (as s liked to say. he does a good silly accent, that boy.)

they lost, the yankees, though not as pitifully as they almost did. we were down 6-1 for a lot of the game, until jorge posada sent some runners home. the crowd went totally crazy, which is of course why we go to sporting events in the first place, that joy in shared victory (they've done psychological studies about it, how happy people can be when their teams are winning.) the guys behind us were a powerful cheering section, going horse with their cries of "here we go yankees, here we go!", "john-ny dam-mon", and my favorite "hip! hip! jorge!" we had a yankees family in front of us, mom and dad and sons and daughters and a granddaughter, all in hats and jerseys, noo yawk voices calling down the guy carrying hot dogs. i felt like we were a part of the crowd--no one knew we weren't just as die-hard as them (i think i put on a pretty good show, too, jumping out of my seat at the exciting moments.) it was just such a perfect afternoon.

i took the cutest pictures of us in our matching hats, too. if i give up on my psuedo-anonymity (i mean, only my friends read this anyway), i shall post them.

best weekend ever

some weekends, i think, are really fun and relaxing and you see people you like and have fun. some weekends are productive--you get some chores done and feel good. THIS weekend, however, was a fabulous combination of the two.

thursday: s and i went out to dinner at the delicious miracle grill, this cute little southwestern place in park slope. i like anything with tequila, but the limon fresco was particularly good. we had one of those big relationship talks over dinner, too, and i was further reminded of why he is so important to me, why this relationship is the best i've ever had (and ever will have.) i took him out for amaretto sours at 12th street bar and grill, which i like better in the daytime. (it's quieter, with fewer dudes watching basketball on tv.) but it's a nice spot, and it feels like a neighborhood place, which i like a lot. we ambled home to push a few epis of house m.d. and fell asleep.

friday: i had an appointment to get my taxes done, which i know sounds all fancy, but i had five jobs in three different states last year, and i am not so good with the math and the numbers, so i walked down to colacino partners and handed over my w2s. s had to bring me my checkbook, so in thanks i took him out to brunch at dizzy's, which is one of my favorite neighborhood spots, and usually packed full of local families. we ate and chatted and squeezed out to head home so that s could go to work. i did laundry (the machine is finally fixed) and then headed into manhattan to the park avenue armory (which is such a cool building) to meet up with a friend from work, bhr. he's also a former art history major, so we had a great time discussing the pieces in the whitney biennial. (unless you read this and go sunday, you've missed the chance to see some very cool stuff, at least at this satellite space.) i particularly liked the piece by mk guth, ties of protection and safekeeping (2007-08), an interactive installation, where the artist had people write on red flannel in response to the question "what is worth protecting?" (which of course provides a multitude of responses, some faux-profound like "children" and some silly like "catties are god's favorite creatures," which really made me laugh.) the flannel flags were then braided into long ropes with artificial hair and strung around a room, so that the pieces brushed your shoulders as you walked through. it looked like a strange set-piece, and i liked the feeling of standing in a room strung with wished-for protection. also worth my free admission was dj olive (gregor asch)'s triage (2008), a tented room with cots that we laid down on in order to listen to the soundscape. it was a totally different way to experience an installation, and i loved listening to the piece. (also, this middle-aged asian tourist was totally freaked out by a woman who had fallen asleep experiencing the piece. she didn't believe us when we told her the woman was real and just asleep, and got really close to her, just to check, and then jumped back in fright and ran away when the sleeper turned her head. then the woman took pictures. it was hilarious.) last night was the co-worker park slope happy hour no. 2, as organized by myself and ls, another work friend. bhr and i took the train to bar tano, a totally cute bar on a not so totally cute corner. my owf, her boyfriend (whom i had not yet met, but really liked), my neighbor, his roommate and ls were all there, and we had a nice evening talking work and non-work. (i also had the most delicious drink ever, the tano, which is muddled orange, whiskey, triple sec and some other things. to-die-for, i thought. i know this now sounds like the weekend of acohol, but it wasn't really.) after a while, and being joined by another co-worker, we decided to get mexican food and hang out at our apartment. the six of us converged on boyland and ate, drank and played wii for a few hours. i really really like the group i've met at work. the young contingent, at least. everyone is a lot of fun, creative and smart and looking to find new ways to hang out. (next up: basketball on the roof playground.)

saturday: s and i spent our morning in ritual, eating bagels, drinking coffee and watching tv. (i love our saturday morning tradition. i look forward to it every week.) i mentioned i wanted to clean up the kitchen before we did anything else, and my off-handed comment turned into an intense afternoon of spring cleaning. i scrubbed the kitchen and did four more loads of laundry, s cleaned and organized the bedroom, and together we tackled the living room. (the bathroom is its own beast, to be done sometime this week.) it feels like a new apartment (almost), and i took great delight in opening the windows and letting in some fresh air. now i am blogging and he is talking to his parents, and soon we will settle down for the night.

i love getting to do new york things, like experiencing some art or getting a drink with co-workers. but i also like doing things that remind me that this is where i live, and this weekend made me feel really at home.

things about today that made me happy

+ i am a big time nerd for real estate. i love looking at and considering property (when i lived at home, it was my mother and my hobby--we went out every weekend looking at places she and my father could potentially buy. ah, to be in their price bracket.) anyways, s and i are moving (due to a long list of complaints about the current place, including the reason i am blogging the living room and not from the comfort of my usually dry bed) and that means i get to look at apartments. i spent the morning touring studios with mk, and fell in love with a brooklyn heights one bedroom. keep those fingers crossed. (by the way: do we think a 12% brokers fee is criminal? that's $2200 people. i think that's highway robbery, even if colin is the nicest.) i have included a photo of my (hopefully) future bedroom. you know, where the magic happens. as they say on cribs.

+ i got to go to tisserie, the cutest little coffee shop in union square. their tartlets look like little jewels, and while i have never had one, i think they are the prettiest, cutest desserts ever. plus they make a delicious almond latte.

+ i met a good friend of mine from college at said tisserie, for coffee and theatre talk. he's a playwrite, a great one, and likes me as a person and as an actress, and wants to collaborate on something, which makes me extremely happy. i miss acting, i sincerely do, and i think i was hoping i wouldn't feel that way, but it keeps getting stronger. having someone in my life who encourages me as an actress (and is not a member of my family) and has the means to really get something going is inspiring.

+ we then met up with a dear friend of mine from college who was in town on spring break (ohh, the jealousy i feel!) we went to dinner at heartland brewery (what with this being a midwest reunion and all) and talked about old friends and had a lovely evening. i trained uptown with him and braved the rain and times square to see him off to his show. this is one of the best things about living in new york: everyone wants to come to new york, so everyone visits me, and wants to go out in my city, which means that i get to see people i otherwise would never get to. which is great, since i miss my friends a lot.

+ s and i came home together and watched lost and talked apartment. now he's looking for jobs and i am typing away, and soon we will snuggle under the blankets and talk future. and nothing makes me happier than that.

what made you happy today, blog?