Spring 2009 in NYC

Mobile Post

2009-07-11T21:16:00.001-05:00

Yup I am back playing tap defense on my iPod. The silver spoon setting makes everything so much fun. I remember days past that had zero options and of course I was terrible. Look at all those politicians.

Paint it Black

2007-12-05T20:16:00.000-05:00

What's that story about painting the metal picc black & calling it wood?

De-Lish Pizza

2007-12-03T00:22:00.001-05:00

My White Pizza Recipe:
1 8" Whole Wheat Boboli Pizza Crust
Light Mayo
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Shredded Chedder Cheese
Ricotta Cheese
Mushrooms
Onions
Hot Peppers
Bacon Bits

I preheat my toaster oven to 450 degrees.
Then I spread a thin layer of mayo on the pizza crust.
I sprinkle the parmesan, mushrooms, onions, peppers, bacon, and whatever else is around and then add a little more parm.
Finally I add some cheddar and top the pizza with some ricotta.
The oven should be hot by now, so I toss it on the rack and wait until I smell it. Maybe 10 minutes? I don't know. I just know it's finished with I smell the cheese melting.

The prep time is about 10 minutes, so it's a quick meal.

Photos

2007-11-18T21:28:00.001-05:00

Coffee at my neighborhood DD.

Flight of the Conchords DVD wrapping. This is now in my practice room. It's very motivational.

Some art next to an atm in Penn Station.

Movie trailors in front of our building.

More movie trailors.

The small theater stage at UDel right before T's faculty jazz concert started.

The light fixtures in the lobby of the new music building at UDel. This was taken just looking up. Very cool.

So THAT'S Where I Can Buy VESTS!

2007-11-12T17:27:00.000-05:00

Went on a road trip and ended up at Blair factory outlet store looking for coats in Delaware. Actually I was just tagging along. I was astounded at the amount of vests with "things" on them. So this is where a certain type of "woman" does her shopping. You know, she has cats, is sweet as cherry pie, and probably a bit psycho as well. Many things were answered that day about type of shopping/personal style dynamics. Wow. Actually, my grandmother would be very comfortable wearing stuff like this. All I could find was a robe, but it was a great long robe. perfect for winter. Hey, Delaware is TAX FREEE!

My Sea Monkeys (The Start) and Pets That Are Not Mine!

2007-11-04T18:36:00.001-05:00

Bought some sea monkeys and they hatched in their funky little metro! Um, just wanted to say that after being away for 4 days, I am left with 1 monkey. Booo. What happened???? Update: they died! Super boooo.

My sister and her boyfriend have a large family of pets. I didn't take photos of the 3 ferrets, but here are the others.

This is OJ the fish. He's large. He won't eat while you look at him. He freaks out.

This is Petey the turtle. He lives in a "tabletop" aquarium. He will follow you around begging for food. I guess that's strange because I've never seen a turtle beg for anything. He has personality...or so they say.

Finally this is Ella, the newest member of their family. She is a 7 week old English bulldog. Very cute.

Passive Aggressive Me

2007-10-28T20:09:00.000-05:00

This woman is talking too loud and too long. Her voice is very high and child-like, but I guess she can't help it. Actually, Dr. Drew would ask if she was molested as a child. Do you guys remember that stuff on "Love Line?" I do. Some woman would always come on with some problem and if she had a high voice, he would ask if she had some past issue of abuse. 99% of the time they said yes.

Interesting. Anyway, I think she may have noticed that I snapped a picture and settled down.

Etiquette people, etiquette. And I am quite passive aggressive. Have I had the "ear spray" conversation yet? Where's my tape recorder.

Just Another Train Ride

2007-10-28T19:38:00.000-05:00

As you know I ride NJ Transit a lot. Not as much as those who go back and forth for work, but I do have a somewhat regular schedule. Here I am riding the train back to NY listening to Studio 360 on my iPod. What would I do without it. My favorite podcasts are This American Life, Good Food, Splendid Table, and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me since I can leave them on and usually get to my destination by the time the show is over. HOWEVER, I am a fan of David Musto's podcast, La Dolce Musto. Short and sweet.

Unfortunately I had to turn the volume way up when that annoying woman came and started talking on her cell. In aggravation I played Cubis 2 until I felt bad that my click wheel was making too much noise. I love Cubis. I used to be into Vortex, which is what I switched to when I started feeling guilty, but if I had a choice, I'm all about those little colorful blocks.

Lego, Cupcakes, Catholics, and Goldfish

2007-10-28T19:28:00.000-05:00

A snapshot of Lego Star Wars II...they are in disguise. Funny, right? Yes, I am STILL playing it. Slowly but surely I will finish it.

I had a birthday. Good god. My mom asked what type of cake and I went for cupcakes. It was a good choice!

A Catholic? procession on 51st between 8th and 10th on October 14th around 8pm. Lots of guys hauling this down the street with a full brass band. I watched for awhile and thought it quite interesting.

Big headed goldfish at a PetSmart.

Cold in the City!

2007-10-12T20:22:00.001-05:00

Well, I am sad to see summer go because today was cold and I know winter is fast approaching. Sigh.

Center City Opera Theater: Liebermann Opera from the Pit

2007-06-11T23:59:00.000-05:00

This was taken during intermission of Lowell Liebermann's new chamber orchestra arrangement of his opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray. The Venue was the Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center (home of the Philadelphia Orchestra) in Philadelphia, PA. It was great to have the composer there for the rehearsals and performances, too especially since his contribution to flute repertoire is very significant.

A recent review (in which both David DiGiacobbe and I are named) can be found at the City Paper.

Other reviews can be found at the Philadelphia Daily News and at the Philadelphia Inquirer archived portion of their website, however you have to pay $2 to view it. I have it on email, so I can send it to you if you want.

A little background can be found at the Courier Post Online

Zamboni at Penn Station

2007-05-02T19:04:00.001-05:00

Washington Square Park South

2007-05-02T19:02:00.001-05:00

Bronx House

2007-04-21T13:50:00.001-05:00

My teaching studio at the Bronx House.

2007-04-21T08:26:00.001-05:00

Pottstown Symphony Educational Outreach Concerts. 3 concerts per day for 3 days. We were stationed at Pottstown High School, Spring-Ford Area High School, and Owen J. Roberts High School. Very fun and challenging. Rosalind Erwin is our music director.

Dancers, narrator, craziness all around. The repertoire for this series was Popper: Hungarian Rhapsody for Cello with 16 year old cellist Grant Kot, Maggio: Simple, and Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. In the past we have performed 1919 version of Firebird and Copland's Rodeo. Before I was called to play, the performed Peter and the Wolf and I heard Scheherazade and I am sure other exciting pieces that young children would love.
Picture from the back of the hall as students arrive at Spring-Ford Area High School in Royersford, PA.
A view from my piccolo chair. The entire auditorium was packed!
Flutists Kati Haynes Gulde and Kaj Hansen. Oboists Jill Haley and Dave Schneider. I think Kati was trying not to laugh.
Kati and Kaj humoring me.
Derek Foster, horn player extraordinaire.

2007-04-18T20:36:00.001-05:00

I took this at mcd this morning. Creepy. It is now my wallpaper on my phone.

Nor'easter 2007

2007-04-17T22:10:00.001-05:00

This photo is of the retaining wall at my mom and dad's house that came crashing down during the heavy rain. Clearly it was not installed correctly since there are no supports seen. Crazy. I forgot to change the resolution on my cell phone.

My grandmother's basement flooded again, but really badly.

This has nothing to do with wet weather. Hanging outside NY Woodwind and Brass on 48th in the city. Todd and I went in to try some Haynes flutes that we saw on ebay. Sam Ash still creeps me out.

Family News

2007-04-14T14:59:00.000-05:00

My sister is finishing a nursing program in NJ and went into the hospital for several days because she had severe abdominal pain. Turns out that they found a rather large tumor somewhere in her colon and they are not sure if it is cancerous. Not a really good thing since she has to have surgery to get it removed and then tested. So she is going to try to finish her last month of class and then have surgery. From what she tells me the doctors think it's rather strange that they really couldn't tell if it is cancer and that it's not a common cancer found in someone who is her age. If it is cancerous (lymphoma) she will have to go through chemo after the surgery. They also found that one of her kidneys is enlarged. Hmmm. Luckily she'll go see specialists in Philly later in the week and then go from there. I think we are all very stressed out here since we don't really know anything. Sigh. I am very concerned.

So basically that's the news. Hopefully it won't be anything serious.

New update: Turns out is was a weird appendix thing and had surgery to have it removed. Whew.

First Moblog Post

2007-04-08T18:26:00.000-05:00

I can't help but try out new blogger features. So I just sent a photo I took with my krzr to my blog. I will have to adjust the resolution in the future.

tokidoki

2007-04-05T22:59:00.000-05:00

If you know me, you know I love anything "tokidoki." Check out the website here but you have to go visit the flash site. The link is on the front page to the right. After that go visit vianet.it. Both sites are amazing examples of what happens when you put great art and excellent flash production together.

Mental Blogging

2007-04-05T21:47:00.000-05:00

I realize I am a terrible blogger. I mean, I even made a promise to update my blog regularly as my New Year's resolution. Of course that never happened. I am quite good at mental blogging though. I see and hear such interesting things and blog about it in my mind with the full intention to write about it later, but of course the end product is nada. I guess I just like to talk to myself. At what age does the mental dribble start to come out of my mouth and I am considered a crazy person?

I do think it's better to be crazy in NY than in a small suburb. It's more accepted here. Crazy people make NY, NY, right?

So as you may know I am finishing a Master's degree at NYU. I finished my last paper today. All I have left is a presentation and my flute recital. Good stuff. People ask if it's worth it and I think that it is. I'd rather be doing something that is educational rather than nothing. Maybe it's the ultimate form of procrastination. How about going for that Ph.D.? Maybe later.

I'm eating nachos again. See my sexy Chipotle recipe below. They taste good anyway. I am really craving another cup of coffee. So far I had a large cup from Sev and a hot chocolate from home. It's 11pm now, so maybe I should go out. It's so cold outside.

Anyway, I still have to blog about Edward Scissorhands. I'll compose the draft in my head in the meantime.

Vonce Video: Todd Groves at Birdland

2007-03-08T22:44:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I know. What the heck. Here is the link for the video of Todd Groves playing at Birdland in NYC with Michael McElroy singing "Vonce", a tune of Jeff Blumenkrantz. Peter Donovan is the bass player and Sean McDaniel on drums. The evening, which was 11/20/06, was great. The band backed up Jeff on piano and the other singers on the program were Mary Testa, Alysha Umphress, Victoria Clark and Liz Callaway. Vonce.

Remembering Lunch Menus

2007-03-08T21:59:00.000-05:00

Remember lunch menus back in middle school? A whole month of lunch already pre-designed. We knew what were are going to get and couldn't wait for taco day (on Thursday) to come!!!! Rib-B-Que? Yeah. Awesome. I remember meal tickets and Styrofoam trays. Milk cartons that wouldn't open. The realization that I could never be President (thanks to trivia written on those milk cartons) because I wasn't born in the States and then realizing that all the stuff they told us in elementary school (You can do/be anything!!!!) was crap.

Actually people are mean to each other in middle school. We are almost different people then or at least I hope we are all better people now than we were then.

Pants-Off Dance-Off?

2007-02-12T22:02:00.000-05:00

Has anyone else caught this show on tv? Average people strip in front of a screen that has a music video playing. It airs on FUSE. I just have to say that it is wack and strangely captivating!

New Year's Eve

2006-12-31T23:18:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year's everyone! This the my report of New Year's Eve 2007 from Hell's Kitchen. Right now the apartment is filled with the sound of helicopters, singing and sad sounding air horns and noise makers. Which is quite impressive since we rarely hear anything from the street.

We kicked back and just chilled. Had some dinner at a local brick oven pizza place and walked

around a lot!

The Day Before New Year's Eve!

2006-12-30T22:09:00.000-05:00

I just went around and took some pictures. Yeah, this is a Christmas tree. It's a very pretty one.

Nahui Ollin Candy Wrapper Bags: Thanks to Olga Abadi

2006-12-23T21:08:00.000-05:00

Today was a big day for me. In fact, it was an amazing day.

I didn't have to teach, so I slept in and went shopping. Then had a great dinner at Trattoria Pesce Pasta and went shopping again for the last time.

Anyway, the reason for this post is simple. I found another great bag I just had to buy. A couple days ago we went shopping at Bryant Park, which is between 5th and 6th and runs from 40th to 42nd Street. This is one of my favorite places to visit during the summer. Washington Square Park is great and I spend a lot of time there, but Bryant Park has GRASS...and I'm not talking about weed.

So as you may know, other than ice skating and fondue, the park has tons of little shops, just like at Union Square, but not as crowded since there is more space to walk and browse. I ended up buying two candy wrapper bags for my sister...

and my best friend.

I'm not sure what I did with the receipt, but I think they were around $50 each. The style is Dancing Queen which is a smaller version of the Martini style and they are made out of candy wrappers. They are hand woven in Mexico using Mayan traditional techniques. More information can be found at Nahui Ollin and is the product of designer Olga Abadi. They seem sturdy and durable and just look amazing in person.

I liked them sooo much I went back today and bought my own bag. Considering this helps promote recycling and I haven't heard any bad press about the company, I am totally loving the purchase. The guy who I talked to there (and probably freaked him out cause I told him I was back to buy one for myself) even gave me a free (yeah, free) mini! The High Heels style

(shown above) was $79 and the Itsy Bitsy is about $24, I think.

I took my bag out for a spin tonight and it worked out really well. I think if you cram a lot of stuff into your purse this isn't the right size for you, but I am very basic so all of my stuff fit quite well. I think the little one will work well to carry my cash when I am not using my mini Prada bag.

This does not mean that I have retired my tokidoki bag. No sir. Tokidoki is a line of LeSportsac bags that are just fun! After much consideration I dropped the $130 for the Bella bag pictured here in the fall and still totally love it. I am so happy for these silly superficial things.

Where Have All My Mittens Gone?

2006-12-18T17:36:00.000-05:00

See this pair of mittens? Notice that the tops fold back so your fingers can be free! Convertible baby. Don't they look warm and snugly? For $18 bucks at Urban Outfitters, they were a toasty deal, but I never really had a chance to wear them because the first day out I lost one.

Then a few days after that I lost one of my regular gloves. I am disappointed and really sad. Maybe someone will get me anothe pair before the cold weather kicks in.

Can't Find Your Friend? Break His Door Down!

2006-12-11T21:53:00.000-05:00

So long story short. My neighbor was not home the other night. His friend thought he was and proceeded to bang, pound, kick and throw himself against the door until he broke into the apartment. Oh there was a lot of name pleading and "I know you're in there" and "Let me in." Yes, he busted the doorknob to get in and found.....nothing since my neighbor wasn't there. Please keep in mind that my neighbor is subleting, so it isn't even his apartment. The cops came. I believe a report was filed. The cops had to treat it like a stranger breaking in, but all I know is that whoever busted into the apartment called the guy he was looking for from the guy's apartment wondering where he was and said he was going to go down to meet him. I'm sorry, but I really don't think any of my friends, whether or not I was in a relationship with them, would ever do that. My neighbor did show up with a friend (who sounded just like the person who was on the phone and incessently calling his name) who didn't confess to the cops that it was him. Shrug.

Skinny Jeans

2006-12-11T21:18:00.000-05:00

I was thinking about getting a pair of skinny jeans, like black 80's or earlier retro style. You know, that kind that is totally "in" these days. Then I remembered that I think tall people, taller than me anyway, look good in them and I just am not that fond of straight legged or even tapered pants. You can visit skinnypants.com for a company that makes pants that make you skinnier. Different than the Gap I mean.

So what about leggings? A flutist from NYU says they are great and the best thing to come back in a long time. Maybe she's right. I went to Urban Outfitters today and almost bought a few, but I had second thoughts and put them back. I just think of how leggings can be a bad idea. Please see the following pictures. I think that leggings should be used with skirts or biggggg sweaters. Wear them alone only at the gym or exercising!

Banksy

2006-11-25T23:00:00.000-05:00

Current TV, my channel of choice, ran an interesting pod about the graffiti artist, Banksy. Controversial and provocative, I am intrigued with his work and motivation for his creations. Check out more info online and start a discussion. There is truth in his commentary.

Quick Nachos

2006-11-14T23:25:00.000-05:00

Here's my recipe for quick nachos when I am hungry and have leftovers from Chipotle.

Ingredients:
Nachos
A Chipotle salad

Directions:
Buy chips.
Go to Chipotle.
Order a salad with whatever you like. Request a top for the salad before you leave the line.
Eat most of salad, or at least all the lettuce because leafy greens, once doused with anything liquid, do not keep well.
Bring home leftovers.

Make sure left over salad is well mixed: basically beans, cheese, meat, juice, etc.
Place small portions on nachos that can be arranged in one layer on aluminum foil.
Heat in toaster oven. I usually just spin the toast dial to medium rather than choosing an actual heat setting. I just want to melt the cheese and warm the meat/juice.

Yum.

nihao ma?

2006-11-14T00:13:00.000-05:00

Many people in NYC speak more than one language. We come from everywhere. From my observations there are many Asian people who speak at least two languages (not just Asian languages) and there are many who only speak English. When I meet someone I try not to assume they speak a specific language. So....I really dislike it when non-Asian people speak to me in Japanese or Mandarin Chinese. This happens a lot.

Tonight I walked into the McDonalds on 43rd and 8th to buy a cup of coffee and there was a man (to clarify, a Caucasian guy) mopping the floor who greeted me with a happy nihao ma? I was like, ummm...smile. He tried to have some type of brief conversation and I just wanted my coffee. He also said something to me when I was leaving. He seemed so proud of himself. I have no idea if he was fluent. He definitely knew more than me, but I have a feeling he only knew some simple catch phrases.

So, I really dislike when people try to catch my attention by saying hello in Chinese and Japanese. The only people who do this (so far) are loitering folk, those asking for money, on drugs (maybe), or drunk. Perhaps this paints a decent picture.

If you are not Asian, my observations may not make sense, but I bet you find yourself in similar situations. Something parallel. Leave a comment with your story. Oh yeah...I'm Korean.

American Pie

2006-09-05T02:25:00.000-05:00

I love the pie from the Food Emporium which is a grocery chain here in NY. I've never seen them in central or southern NJ. So they have apple pie that I like to drench in whipped cream or any other type of redi-whip. Man, Family Guy and Apple Pie. How perfect at 3:30 in the morning. "The life of the wife is ended by the knife." Ohh, Pee-Wee's Playhouse is on.

Pommes Frites and My Tots-Panfried, Please

2006-09-02T21:57:00.000-05:00

I love my tots and after hating to pre-heat the oven I started pan frying them. I must say that it is quite tasty and I highly recommend it if you too enjoy an extra burst of crunchy flavor. Also check out
Pommes Frites because I have to get down there. Not only was this shop on The Food Network's "Unwrapped" but it was also on "The Secret Life Of" and I happened to catch both episodes back to back. Way cool because I love putting stuff on potatoes including sandwiches. I'll let you know how it goes when I am down there this week. Um did I mention that I really liked "Feasting on Asphalt." Alton Brown is very engaging and I felt bad when he had his motorcycle accident. :(
Todd and I went to the newly refurbished Tony Luke's up the street from our apartment. The goal was cheese steaks. The biggest question was how to order? Traditional Philly Geno's/Pat's style. Anyway, it was ok. I had a chicken cheese steak wiz wit, but the chicken was too chunky. Great meat, but I like it a bit more mangled and flattened. Sounds strange, I know.
Finally, I am thinking about investing in a good set of kitchen knives. Not a block of knives, but at least a utility and paring knife. I am beginning to relize that a crappy knife is just baddddd.

Kitty is a Hamster

2006-08-06T01:44:00.000-05:00

hats and rocketboom

2006-07-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

Friends, I need to buy a hat. I'm not talking about a sombrero, Easter bonnet, or Amish/Mennonite bonnet for that matter, but rather a good ol' fashioned baseball hat. You know...embrace my hip hop side. Any recommendations? I was thinking red, but black would be great. Mayyyyybe pink. So many options.

So big news that hit me like a "ton of bricks" (if I may be so cliche) was that my idea of Rocketboom has been shaken with the apparent firing of host and co-owner Amanda Congdon. If you are unfamiliar with Rocketboom I WOULD HAVE recommended you check out the website, but first I think you should check out Amanda's blogger site here. Something dirty went down folks.

I first checked out the podcast form of Rocketboom when I saw it on CSI. I had no idea it was real, so I googled it and was hooked after that. Great content, funny and innovative, her show entertained me daily as I rode the subway to and from various locations in NYC.

BUT on one of my trips to the Bronx I was catching up on some past episodes and found out that she was GONE! So I just read up on her blog and am trying to make sense of it all. I know it sounds crazy, but I like what I like. Shrug.

If you want to catch a funny podcast, check out NPR's Story of the Day concerning "ear spray." You can find a link here.

Update on my cold....still no voice. It was a bit better today, but I am still too embarrassed to order my own DD coffee.

project runway

2006-07-12T20:04:00.000-05:00

Good god, project wunway, umm...runway is back on!!!!! I persuaded Todd to sit and watch both episodes, though I am not sure he will stick around since they just started. I am hoping that a DD run is in order a bit later tonight.

I have a cold, but did you notice it's summer out there? Makes no sense to me why I have one. I've been taking airborne to combat my symptoms, so hopefully it will work out ok.

dunkin donuts

2006-07-08T21:27:00.000-05:00

I am in love with Dunkin Donuts coffee. I just went out to grab a cup from the local one a couple minutes from my parent's house and I am sooo happy. I never really visited any DD before teaching up in the Bronx. As it so happens, if you take the 2 to Pelham Parkway there is a shop on the corner, so I starting going there and taking my breakfast sandwich and coffee to Bronx House on Sat mornings.

I find something very satisfying about coffee in general even though I usually drink it at very bad times, like during late night diner outings. I'm glad that I don't drink it everyday though. I don't want to be that dependent upon coffee to wake me up in the morning.

dislike

2006-06-22T23:08:00.000-05:00

I dislike crusty can openers. Just because it can be used multiple times does not make it exempt from being cleaned.

the dislike posts

2006-06-22T22:34:00.000-05:00

Yes, I was tired of forever checking "ignore all" for spell check so I have ventured back into proper capitalization. As I am preparing a late night snack, I have realized that there are actually things I dislike strongly. I think it will just include the things I disdain in separate posts so you can ponder how much you think I HATE (yes, I ventured to use this word) whatever it is I, um, dislike.

I've learned in NY to categorize cockroaches. In Haddonfield, NJ you can see some large ones down on Kings Highway late at night when the trash is waiting to be picked up from in front of the downtown stores. However, it is only in NY that I can place them into size brackets.

While wandering the streets of Hell's Kitchen at night one can spot a series of sizes: 1-5. 1 is smallest 5 is just anything really big. I found that 5 is not AS common as a size 1 or 2, though I did see a size 4 struggling to right itself in the vestibule of a favorite diner down in Greenwich Village. Yes...good god, I still ate there. I mean, how many bugs, hair, dead skin cells and the such actually fall into our food that we know about? Can't really be sure. So a hefty size 4 wasn't going to deter me from eating my fried egg, cheese and bacon on a round roll with a side of fries and a cup of regular coffee with half and half and sugar.

Point is that I generally dislike cockroaches, but I'm not going to cry about them.

summer

2006-06-09T00:51:00.000-05:00

it seems as though summer is right around the corner. it is time for a new blog. i can't seem to compile my thoughts together in a concise format and half the time i think of something to talk about, i forget it by the time i turn on the laptop. i tried to leave voice notes for myself on my old school motorola phone, but as it turned out, they were so cryptic i forgot their relevance and meaning! am i destined to be forever "shoulda couldha"?

yup. probably. note to self: spell check does not like words that are not capitalized correctly.