2 out of 5 nights

This past week I went to my usual happy hour place three nights in a row. In my defense, it was to be social and see friends. Wednesday night I met two friends from school to catch up. Then I went on Thursday to meet a new friend and discuss a possible new job. However, she never showed and I left after finishing my water. Yes, just water. Then I went on Friday for the "usual" happy hour. My roommate and I went straight from our hair appointments. They let me eat my soup that I brought in from another place at the bar. We kicked off the night earlier than usual. It was a fun night. But this isn't my point. The point is that I was at this place 3 nights out of the work week. However, I wasn't there the 2 nights when Paul McCartney decided to go.
That's right the Paul McCartney. Apparently he had been down in Times Square doing some music type thing, then decided to go out for a drink. And when you are Paul McCartney you can't exactly just head to a bar in Times Square. So he went to my bar. And I wasn't there. No, I was there the other 3 nights. The 3 nights when no famous people were drinking at my bar. Just me and the other "regulars".

another day in Central Park

Today my legs are very sore from yesterday's run in Central Park. However, I decided I need to excercise them a little. So I decided to go back to Central Park. This time I was just going to walk through the park, exploring more areas. I went left over to the east side this time. The first thing I noticed is that the path is a little flatter. I think I'll keep that in mind when I run again.
I noticed a small incline and couldn't help but wonder what was up there. What if I was missing out on something? I went to check it out and I'm glad I did. I was not expecting to find a resevoir. It was framed by the contrast of tall buildings. It was completely enclosed by a fence, protecting it. I continued down to the Great Lawn where I went this summer for laying out. Then I headed back home. My legs were starting to protest my walk.
Central Park has lots of paths yet for me to discover. I'm hoping for a few mild winter days so I can keep going throughout the year. It's one of my new favorite ways to enjoy New York City.

Central Park

This week has been beautiful in New York. The fall weather has been perfect with highs in the 60s. While I was stuck indoors on Thursday when it was 67 degrees and sunny, I did have Friday to enjoy another beautiful, though slightly cooler day. My roommate had gone running in Central Park the day before and it inspired me to do the same. As I was running downtown through the park, I was awed by the sights. The trees were various shades of yellow, orange, and red. Fallen leaves covered the still green lawns. I'm really not doing it justice. It's really beautiful. I passed ponds and idyllic paths. The whole time I was running I kept asking myself, "Why have I never gone running in Central Park before?"
My roommate had run all the way from Central Park North to Columbus Circle and back. While I'm pretty competitive and wanted to prove to myself I could do the same, I wasn't sure I could. After all 110th Street to 59th and back is a long way. So I told myself I would run for 30 minutes and turn around. At 28 minutes, I found myself at Columbus Circle. I had done it! I turned around and ran back to where I started. While I've been working out, the most I usually run continuously is 30 minutes. I ran for an hour, but I hardly noticed.
Of course, today I noticed. My legs are pretty sore. Especially given that after yesterday's run I had to go up to the Bronx to visit two different schools for my job. Each school was inconveniently located about 15 minutes from the subway. I got an additional hour of walking added to my already over-the-top workout. But I like to think it is all just part of my marathon training.

2nd annual marathon party

This past Sunday was the annual NYC marathon. My roommate and I once again headed to a marathon party hosted by her aunt. Only this year the party was in Harlem at the apartment of one of the 37,000 runners. As we walked over to the apartment located at just before mile 22 on the route, we noticed only a few runners passed us. They were the top runners of the race.
We arrived at the party only to discover it was a beautiful apartment overlooking a park complete with fall foliage. Most of the party ended up congregating on the balcony (yes, a balcony!) to look to watch the runners passing on the street below. It was from here that we cheered. We yelled for those who looked ready to stop. We yelled the names of those wearing their names on their shirts. I yelled for all who were wearing Texas/UT memorabalia. And of course, we joined the group cheering as Lance Armstrong ran towards the mile 22 marker. He was easy to spot. He was running towards a TV camera, surrounded by an entourage of runners. I know, I saw him.
The whole scene was inspiring. I've already put the goal of running a marathon on my life-list. But watching these people and listening to the stories of others who've raced before, I'm determined to make it happen. So my roommate and I have decided to start training. Not for a marathon, but a half-marathon. After all, I'm no fool. I'm not ready for 26.2 miles. I'm not really ready for 13.1 miles, but it's an achieveable goal if I am determined to do it. Which I am. Even though I love drinking mimosas and watching marathons, I will not settle to only be a spectator. I will train for my half-marathon and after I succeed, I will train for a full one. Wish me lucks. My legs hurt just thinking about it...

my second nyc music show

Last night I went with a group to see K-Fed.
That's right, Kevin Federline. Mr. Britney Spears himself.

Right now you are probably asking yourself- WHY? ON PURPOSE??
Even more, you are most likely laughing.
You are laughing at the insanity of anyone actually choosing and paying to go see K-Fed. You are laughing at the idea of K-Fed trying to be the next Vanilla Ice. But yet, ask youself- if you had the chance to see something so bad, would you go? Like the many trainwrecks of celebrities and wanna-be artists before him, you can't help but wonder if it really is as bad as you think it will be.

It was.

It was so bad, it was good. We had a solid group of very fun people, several alcoholic drinks, and a great attitude. We were going to have fun at this concert. Not even the limited talent of K-Fed could stop us. Outsiders might have believed that we actually were enjoying the music. Not so much. But we were enjoying the spirit of dillusion that filled the half-empty venue. Even as we crowded up to the stage, we had plenty of room for dancing and silliness. As I stopped moving long enough to observe my fellow concert-goers, their looks of horror and stunned disbelief could not be ignored. It was awesome. They looked on with a look that seemed to be asking the question everyone wants to ask, "What the hell is he thinking?" And so I danced my white-girl moves to the white-boy rapper. Neither of us were very good, but we were at the very least amusing to the people who had to watch us.

It was a very fun night.

my first nyc music show

Last night I went to my first music show here in the city. There are always plenty of music concerts and shows going on her. But last year I was usually unable to take advantage of any offerings due to classes at night. This year I haven't had a chance due to limited finances until I secure a full time job. However, there are always exceptions.
I have been a big fan of Joshua Radin ever since I randomly discovered his song "Winter" on Amazon. Since that time, I began listening to more of his stuff. After giving in to the myspace craze, I added him to my friends list. This was how I found out about his show in New York. He was part of the Hotel Cafe Tour which included Cary Brothers as well. I've been a fan of Cary Brothers since "Blue Eyes" on the Garden State soundtrack. Both of the musicians are Zach Braff endorsed, so I knew it would be good.
I invited Julie to join me. I called to find out about tickets and was excited to learn that it was free- first come, first serve. The first musician went on at 8. We got there not long after that. It quickly became apparent that "free" isn't always better. The first come, first serve policy meant we had to stand in line to get in to see the musicians. We finally got through the black curtains at 10pm just in time to see Josh Radin take the stage. We stood there being bumped in all directions trying to enjoy the show. While I did like the music, I did not like the venue. We stayed to hear Cary Brothers immediately after. The minute the last note of "Blue Eyes" ended we bolted back through the black curtain for fresh air and more space.
Given the name of the venue, the Living Room, it was an ironically overall uncomfortable environment. But I enjoyed the music and seeing two great singer/songwriters.

trick or treat

I avoided most of the Halloween festivities over the weekend. I opted not to attend parties or dress up. I was asked if it was because I'm too mature for costumes. Please. Not hardly. I was simply too lazy to come up with an idea and make it. So it was a low-key weekend void of Halloween mayhem.
This City offers plenty of Halloween fun. However, most of it seems targeted towards big kids like me. But what about young kids? I never actually stopped to wonder about how they celebrate the holiday. Last night I stopped by Starbucks for a latte and was surprised when some kids walked in and said "trick or treat". The coffee barista reached over the counter and dropped candy into their plastic pumpkins. As I walked down the street, I saw princesses, witches, ghosts and many more going in and out of stores, cafes, and restaurants for trick-or-treating. How did I miss all this last year? Oh, yes... statistics midterm that night.
As for me, this year I still steered clear of Halloween in the City. I could have gone down to Greenwich Village to watch the infamous Halloween parade. (This city does love parades.) Next year. Instead, I chose something more low-key.