Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, and welcome to today's installment of "Why I love my coworkers."

To celebrate this festive day, Bethany and I decided to dress up in costumes. But instead of dressing up our real persons, we dressed up our WeeMee persons. (For those who are unaware, a WeeMee is a little cartoon that you can create to look like yourself and then export to be your AIM Buddy Icon.)

Bethany and I made it a competition...winner takes all!

Here are our photos:

Jamie before (Go Dawgs!):

Bethany before:

Jamie after (bonus points for me because my ghost flies?):

Bethany after:

Obviously, Bethany won. I mean, how is a little friendly witch supposed to compete with a roller-skating flying Mardi Gras fish?! Sigghhhh...

So Happy Halloween from Bethany and Jamie's WeeMee's...and from us and our (unintentionally) matching Target sparkly Halloween pumpkin t-shirts.

Verse of the Day

"I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten...

You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,

And you will praise the name of the Lord your God."

Joel 2:25-26

I recently heard a sermon on Joel 2:25, and I must admit - I have never given the book of Joel much of a thought. I know it falls somewhere near Obadiah and Jonah and other small prophetic books, but I don't actually believed I've ever studied a verse or passage from the book.

The pastor who mentioned the locust verse (Lon Solomon of Emily's home church in DC) had an incredibly compelling story. He was born to a Jewish family, he later became a fratty party animal and eventually drug dealer, and he dabbled in a variety of Eastern religions. Eventually, tired and suicidal, Lon met someone who introduced him to Christianity, and he went on to pursue a relationship with Christ and, obviously, become a pastor.

Lon stated that Joel 2:25 was his "life verse" when he first became a believer, and he referenced it in relation to why, in Christ, we can have hope. In the context of his life, he had claimed the fact that God would restore his wasted youthful years and make something beautiful of them. During his sermon, Lon stated confidently that the Lord had done just that.

This verse is so filled with hope that it brought tears to my eyes as we sat in the service. How blessed are we to serve a God who repays us for the years that the locusts eat? Sometimes the locusts come from out of nowhere, and we can't understand why our crops are the ones that have been eaten. Other times, we make choices - careless, hurtful, irrational choices - that result in years and years of wasted time. Either way, though, the realities of life often result in pain and loss...days, weeks, even years when we feel cheated, robbed or disappointed by the path we have taken.

But as we stumble through life, wondering and questioning what God's plan is, we can find hope in the fact that God will never take anything away from us without returning it tenfold. It may be much further down the road, and the locusts may still eat away at our lives, our hope, our faith, or our joy, in the present. But we can hold firmly to the truth that he will not only return what was stolen from us, but will satisfy us with more than we ever thought imaginable.

And we will praise the name of the Lord our God.

We hold these truths to be self-evident

Courtesy of April, I discovered this lovely little nugget of a blog post...it's so perfect, so beautiful, so profound, that I had no choice but to copy it myself -

When the economy is on the skids and the world looks uncertain, I take comfort in falling back on the rock solid truths of life. The truths I've come to know are these:

• I love College Football.
• I love Georgia.
• I love Winning.
• And I hate the Gators.

The countdown to Jacksonville is on!

April's blog also alerted me to the fact that there is a dedicated Wikipedia site for the Georgia/Florida Game, ie The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.  I particularly like the sections on "2007:  The Celebration," and, of course "University of Georgia Fall Break Controversy."  Haha.

GO DAWGS!  

Gators wear jean shorts.

Angie, don't hate me.

Tuesdays with a Twist

My friend Jessica recently lamented that Tuesdays are her least favorite day, and I couldn't agree more. Yes, Mondays can be brutal, but at least a) you feel rested from the weekend and b) the day usually goes pretty quickly since you're catching up on work and catching up with friends about their weekends. Once you get to Wednesday, you're at the hump, and it's all downhill from there. But Tuesdays - ack! You still have 80% of your week left, and it's typically a dry, boring uneventful day.

To remedy the awfulness of Tuesdays, Jess had a brilliant idea to make every Tuesday a day to do something interesting and/or out of the ordinary - or, "Tuesdays with a Twist." Last week she voted, and today she tried her first Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. I like her idea so much, that I have decided to give my own Tuesdays a twist, too.

For today's installment, I continued my Broadway streak and went to "Spring Awakening." I don't know if it should really count, since I was given tickets through work and they just happened to fall on a Tuesday, but hey, I'm new at this. Anyhow, the show is one of my favorites and will be closing soon, so Bethany, Lauren, Emily and I thought it would be great to get one last visit in. It gave me something to look forward to all day and was, I must say, a great way to spend a Tuesday night! And now, it's time for bed...look at that, it's already almost Wednesday!

Close to Home, Part II

If you're on Facebook, you've already seen my roommates' and my DC photos (probably four times over since we all created albums). If not, though - enjoy!

Saturday morning at the Potomac Day Parade, Starbucks in hand!

Emily's brothers in the parade. She has such a sweet family!

Roommate photo shoot...Potomac had THE most beautiful fall leaves.

We got to go to Chick-fil-A! Hannah and I were excited.

In Annapolis at the Navy football game...this is Emily's brother's company.

Go Navy!

We all went a little crazy at the Goat Locker, the Navy store.

Quote of the Day

"New York is all about what could be,” says David Cloyd, a 34-year-old musician who moved to the city from Austin ten years ago.  “You know:

The potential.
The possibilities.”

He’s echoing, of course, the aspirational mantra that’s lured a million hopeful dreamers to New York before him. 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.

- Adam Sternbergh, New York magazine

Saturday, what a day

Today was a jam-packed Saturday!  As I mentioned yesterday, Lauren and I went to a HSM3 screening this morning.  Let me just say - it was awesome.  OK maybe not Academy Award worthy, but definitely Teen Choice Award contender.  If you haven't seen any of the HSM's (and you are a fan of Saved by the Bell meets Grease meets Hannah Montana), I strongly suggest you bump 1 and 2 to the top of your Netflix queue.  You will not be disappointed, and once you're a fan, I might even let you borrow my Wildcats/#14 t-shirt that I got at the screening.

After the movie, I went out to Long Island City with friends to cheer on the Dawgs.  It was a rainy, windy (like, super windy - at one point, my hair was sticking out like Einstein, my umbrella was totally inverted, and I'm pretty sure my shirt flew up to a less than ideal position) day, which made it a great day to hole up and watch football...especially when it was a solid Bulldog victory like the one we had over LSU.  We even got to see Josh's Time Warner commercial, at which point the bar went crazy and the bartender gave him a drink at the house to celebrate his newly-found celebrity status.

After the game, I beelined over to Times Square (read:  RAN through the subway tunnels and rain) to meet Emily and Hannah for a Broadway show, "August: Osage County."  Any special purpose?  Nope, not at all.  We just decided that New York has too many exciting things to offer, too much to do, to simply sit back and let it all pass us by.  So we got impromptu tickets at TKTS and enjoyed a Saturday evening show.  "August" is a new dark comedy that recently won both the Tony and the Pulitzer for Best Play, and I think all three of us would confidently say that it lived up to all of our expectations.  It was a thought-provoking look at humanity and family, and I agree with Emily who said, "I will think about that play for the rest of my life."

And now I'm back at home, exhausted from a long but fantastic day.  Time to watch Don Draper and Coldplay on SNL...got to get ready for the concert on Monday! 

A fall Friday night

Tonight my roommates and I hosted a little fall dinner party. We each invited 2-3 people over to create a wonderful little hodge podge of friends, acquaintances and total strangers. Hannah had a delicious recipe for La Madeleine's tomato basil soup, and we grilled some grilled cheeses on the stove and George Foreman.  Of course, we filled the apartment with pumpkin candles, pumpkin napkins, and anything else fall/pumpkin-ish we could find.

We had a great time chatting...we even planned to watch a "fall movie" (like When Harry Met Sally or Rudy), but sat talking for so long that we didn't quite make it.

As we were wrapping up the party, our across-the-way neighbor Hanna called across to us and invited us over to eat some pumpkin oatmeal chocolate cookies.  We hopped across our floor and visited with her for awhile.  Just another reason I love New York...you make friends in all sorts of ways, including through open windows.

Off to bed...Lauren and I are having a slumber party!  We just watched at least five Britney videos on YouTube, but we've got to hit the hay...we're going to High School Musical 3 with National CineMedia at 9am!  :)

Only in New York #5: Neighbors Bare All

Y'all.  You know how on Friends they have Ugly Naked Guy?!  Well, at Initiative, we have Ugly Naked Girl.  Okay, actually I won't say that she's ugly, because a) that is not nice, and b) she is too far away to see her face.  Nevertheless, though, she is a girl (or actually, a middle-aged woman) and she is NA.  KED.  

We've named _____ Naked Girl 'Hilde.'  Hilde lives in an apartment building directly across from our office, one floor down.  Every day, like clockwork, Hilde takes a shower, no, sponge bath, at 10:30am.  Oh, and did I mention her shower has a window?  A BIG window?

To make matters worse, Hilde's shower window has blinds.  We can see them.  However, the blinds are not closed; they are scrunched up at the top of the window, at all times.  Also, Hilde either has an itty bitty shower (quite likely in New York), or she gets in the shower every day and thinks, "Hmm, how close to the window can I stand?"

Hilde's escapades are an office phenomenon.  Poor thing, everyone knows about her.  Right around 10:30am, you know she's there...and because our offices have large windows that face directly to her, sometimes she's almost unavoidable.  It's quite disturbing and bizarre and fascinating, like a train wreck or the comeback of parachute pants.

Today, we had the thought that perhaps Hilde would be able to see a sign if we posted it in the window.  I'm a fan of, "Please close the blinds," although I'm sure my coworkers could come up with something a bit more creative.

So lesson learned.  Always close your blinds.  You never know what crazy New Yorkers are watching you, learning your schedules, giving you a nickname and, perhaps worst of all, blogging about you.

Phoebe: Oh hey, you guys, look! Ugly Naked Guy is putting stuff in boxes!
Rachel: I'd say from the looks of it, our naked buddy is moving.
Ross: Ironically, most of the boxes seem to be labeled clothes.

Rock stars

Tonight, TV Guide hosted a party at Johnny Utah to celebrate their latest 30 Rock cover.  Lauren and I went after work to see some friends and catch some mechanical bull riding (to watch...not to participate).

At the party, we were lucky enough to have a few good celeb sightings...no Tina Fey or Alec Baldwin, but instead - 

Jane Krakowski

and Jack McBrayer (aka Kenneth the Page)

30 Rock is THE show right now, but I confess that I don't watch it.  I've heard it compared to The Office and Arrested Development, though, so I'm positive I will love it once I eventually get caught up.

Any 30 Rock fans out there?!  Tina Fey is a hot tamale these days.  

(I can't resist...)

A perfect fall evening

Cozied up in my room,
Pumpkin Spice candles lit, 
Building heat is on, so a window is open,
Reading a book,
Listening to classical music,
Drinking a cup of Constant Comment tea.

Dilemma of the day

Today, Bethany and I had a little spy mission. (Have I told you about how we are spies? I think it started when we were trying to guess a piece of elusive "news" from our former boss, and the tradition has continued ever since. I typically go by the moniker "Jack Bauer," from "24," while Bethany is "Sydney Bristow" from "Alias." Recently, Lauren was inducted as a spy. We call her Julia Child...yep, that's right. Julia Child.  Did you know Julia Child was a spy?!)

Sydney and I needed to go to Magnolia Bakery to pick up a gift.  Since the uber-charming original in the West Village was, oh, an hour away, and the slightly-less-charming-yet-still-in-a-true-New-Yorker's-neighborhood Upper West Side location was no closer, we opted for the brand new midtown location at Rockefeller Center.

Herein lay our ethical dilemma.  Okay maybe "ethical dilemma" is a bit overdramatic...perhaps more of a socioeconomic quandary.  See, the original Magnolia Bakery used to be a hidden treasure, locked away deep in the heart of an exceptionally non-touristy neighborhood.  The word gradually got out, and the UWS store opened, but it still maintained some level of New York authenticity that can only be found beyond the confines of midtown.

But all of that changed with the Rockefeller Center location.  It would be like putting a Five Star Day in the food court of Georgia Square Mall.  No longer does the bakery convey "family-owned," "charming," or "homemade"...suddenly, it's very clearly only about "money."  

Now, I'm no stranger to business, so I can hardly blame them.  But a piece of the Bakery's charm died when they opened their doors in one of the most highly-trafficked tourist locations in the city.  Tourists used to visit in drones, but at least then they were researching and seeking it out in a very out-of-the-way area.  Today, though, Bethany Sydney and I had a conversation with a woman who asked us, "What is this place?  Is it famous?  I just wanted a piece of cake!"  Arghghghgh, she pierced my heart.  

True New Yorkers are nothing if not proud of knowing about the little unknown non-touristy restaurants, bars, shops and neighborhoods.  You will NEVER, for example, find someone who lives here eating at Bubba Gump Shrimp or in Times Square unless absolutely necessary.  And when the whole world finds out about something that we thought only we knew about, it really gets our goat.

So this is the sugary sweet dilemma of the day.  Do we travel a half hour out of the way to the original out of principle alone, which seems silly?  Or do we just sit back and accept the fact that chain stores and franchises and tourists are a reality, and just because someone found our little secret doesn't mean it's any less sweet?  

Home again, home again

Well, sadly, we are back from our trip to DC (which means I am typing with a normal keyboard...ahh). As I think back to our weekend, the words that come to mind are "magical," "charming" and "lovely." We spent the afternoon at the Navy game in Annapolis, which was a memorable experience, then stayed for dinner with Emily's brother and his friends. Annapolis is SUCH an adorable city, and we're already plotting another trip back.

Today we went to church with Emily's family, followed by a delicious brunch. We even got to meet her spunky little grandma Nootie! All too quickly, the day passed and it was time to head to the bus stop. We got back late this evening and promptly decided to watch a New York movie (One Fine Day" won out) to get us back into city gear.

I'll share all the deets (and the results of the 9A photo shoot) tomorrow, but right now it's time for bed! Why is it that the best weekends are always the most tiring?

Close to Home

We're off again! After a wonderful morning in Potomac, MD - complete with the Potomac Day Parade and a trip to Chick-fil-A - we're on the road to Annapolis. It's Navy's homecoming, so we're all set for the football game and, hopefully, a flyover. We'll be staying afterwards for dinner with Emily's brother Isaac and his friends.

We're having a lovely weekend so far...the fall weather and leaves could not be more perfect. I'm missing Athens and the UGA homecoming game, but a day of college football with friends in Annapolis is surprisingly making me feel close to home.

Go Navy, and Go Dawgs!

On the Road Again

I am taking advantage of the wonderful world of technology by blogging from my iPhone. Total nerd alert, I know, but I am committed to posting something everyday. It just might be short, uncreative and, God forbid, misspelled.

I am currently on a bus with my three roommates to Washington, DC. We're headed down for a relaxing weekend in Maryland and the Navy football game in Annapolis. We feel kind of like we're on a college road trip.

Stay tuned for tales from the capital! I'm sure we'll have some crazy stories and, most likely, a photo shoot.

I'm lovin' it

Things I'm loving right this fall/this week/today:

1. Saturday Night Live.  On Thursday night.
   
2. iBowl on my iPhone.
3. Purple.
4. New York Magazine's Gossip Girl blog. 
5. Shop it to Me.
6. Manchester Orchestra.  Check them out here.
7. Amy Ryan (aka Holly Flax) on The Office.  
8. Brightly colored tights.
9. Netflix's Community Page (thanks Lauren!).  
10. New York Milkshake Company.  Four words - Best.  Grilled.  Cheese.  Ever.
11. The Strand bookstore.  THE best place to kill time on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
12. Wearing my glasses.
13. Bus travel.

More details to follow.  Well, maybe...depending on the level of interest in above items.  I do promise not to write an entire post on why I like my eyewear.

Time to pack for Washington, DC with the roomies (see above, #13).

  

CNN + Jamie = Politics

One of my favorite things about my job is that, once a month or so, Rolling Stone and US Weekly host "celebrity" luncheons at their office.  The luncheons are typically for 50 - 75 staff and advertising peeps like me and include an interview with an editor and a group Q&A.

Since I've been with Initiative, I've attended a great slate of luncheons - Sheryl Crow, Jennifer Hudson, Apolo Anton Ohno and Juliette Hough, Counting Crows, Milo Ventimiglia, Jordin Sparks.  Each of them has included fascinating moments, for better or worse; my favorite was Jennifer Hudson breaking out into a gospel song upon request (awe-inspiring), while the worst/most awkward was Adam Duritz from Counting Crows going off on a crazy rant ("I almost didn't come here today...") because Rolling Stone gave "Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings" a bad review.  

Today's luncheon, though, was a different kind of "celebrity" - CNN's "Best Political Team on Television," Wolf Blitzer, Campbell Brown, John King and Jeffrey Toobin, interviewed by Jann Wenner, founder, editor and publisher of Rolling Stone.  Never mind the fact that I've eaten couscous with my favorite band, American Idols and Olympians; the political coverage by these best-in-class anchors made me giddier than ever.  

Depsite Jann's presence, the team practically interviewed themselves as they discussed cable news network bias, the debates, polls and the statistics behind them, and, of course, what will happen on November 4.  (For the record, all agreed that, save a Hail Mary from McCain, Obama's got it in the bag.)  Regardless of political leaning*, I don't think anyone left that room without being thoroughly impressed and charmed by Wolf, Campbell, John and Jeff.  I even loved the the statistician they brought in tow to discuss how CNN projects states on Election Night, but hey, I'm a nerd.

Is it too late to pursue a career in broadcast journalism?  Maybe folks at Fox News would take me...

* Due to the outright liberal agenda of Rolling Stone, and the more questionable liberal "tendencies" of CNN, I'm pretty sure I was one of three conservatives in the room.  At best.  :)

The Sound of Music

Two weeks ago, New York magazine published a special 40th Anniversary issue.  In it, they covered the culture of the city over the last four decades.  The issue was chock full of riveting stories from old mayors, beautiful photography of actors who call New York their home, tales of bygone affordable real estate, and more.  The issue occupied my time for the entire flight from New York to Atlanta.

The most fascinating piece I read, though, was in a brief interview with Tony Kushner.  In it, NY Mag asks for a "Favorite New York noise."  Tony's answer?  "When the subway brakes are engaged, they sing the first three notes of 'There's a Place For Us' from West Side Story."  Now, I know this seems like a very random thing to note; however, I HAVE THOUGHT THIS EXACT SAME THING EVERY TIME THE SUBWAY HAS EVER COME TO A HALT.  Seriously, I would not and could not make this up.  I read this interview on the airplane last week and immediately had goosebumps shoot down my spine.  I have never told anyone that I thought this, and I always thought it was in my imagination.  All the while, though, I've hummed "Somewhere" to myself whenever a train screeched into the station and then went on my merry way.

Curious as to whether anyone besides Tony Kushner and me had had this same thought, I did a bit of Googling, only to find the following in an article from Muse magazine, January 2004, by Randy Kennedy:

Singing Subway Trains

Generally, the only music that subways produce is the kind so discordant you want to cover your ears: the screeching of the steel wheels, the whining of the brakes, the annoying ding-dong sound that means the doors are closing.

But several months ago, a friend of mine swore that he heard his subway train singing an actual song-or at least the first three notes from one. Specifically, he said, he was almost sure that the notes were from "Somewhere," a song in the famous musical West Side Story.

The first lines of the song are:

There's a place for us,
Somewhere a place for us.
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us
Somewhere.

If my friend, Roy, hadn't been a clinical psychologist, I might have questioned his sanity. He was questioning it a bit himself, wondering if he was imagining things the way psychotic people do. "Am I getting the secret message?" he asked himself.

But then I heard from other people who also had heard the notes being played by a generation of brand-new trains that had just begun to run in the subway. As the trains pulled out of the stations, they made an ethereal sound, sort of like the sound made by rubbing your finger on the rim of a crystal glass. First there was a low note, followed by a very high note and then a slightly lower note.

One day, finally, I heard these notes myself, and I agreed. They were definitely the first three notes from "Somewhere":

There's a place . . .

How about that?!  So not only are Tony Kushner and I on board on the "Somewhere"-singing subway train, but apparently so many people have thought it that Randy Kennedy decided to document it in a kids' science magazine.

I know it's silly, but I feel a connection to the other New Yorkers who hear "Somewhere" when the subway halts.  From now on, whenever the subway sings those beautiful three notes, I will pause, look around the platform, and wonder who else (in the midst of commutes and rush hour and newspaper-reading and traveling) is hearing the sound of music, too.  

No Place I'd Rather Be

While I was at home for the last week, my blog (believe it or not!) came up several times.  Each time, it seemed it was a compliment accompanied by a complaint..."Jamie, I love your blog!  Why don't you write more?" or  "Jamie!  I really enjoy your writing.  Can you stop writing about Project Runway and just write about your life?"  In the interest of keeping things, well, interesting, I have decided to oblige with another go round of 30 Blogs in 30 Days.  And, because I am so totally over this season of Project Runway, I'm jumping ship on the recaps for the final three episodes.  (But let's just all agree that Kenley is the most annoying contestant ever; we all thought Jerell could of won it all so we're bummed he got kicked off; and we like Leanne's clothes the best, but she's just so darn boring.)

To kick off my blog-writing initiative, I can think of no better topic than the fact that I have just returned from 10 glorious days at home in Georgia.  You know I love New York like a person or a melon, but nothing compares with just being home.  While I was at home, I went to the lake for my best friend Lindsey's bachelorette party...we hung out on the dock, cooked dinner (let's be honest, I just ate it), danced around the living room in old prom and bridesmaid dresses (it was as silly and fabulous as it sounds), sat on the porch, talked, and just had a great time celebrating together.  

Throughout the week, I was partially car-less, resulting in some very relaxing mornings with coffee, Baby Mama on Comcast On Demand, and, of course, rossword puzzles.  I also got to catch up with friends and family, practice my driving skills (turns out it is like riding a bike) and drink so much sweet tea that it's still pumping through my veins.  And finally, this past weekend, I had a spend-the-night party with the girls at Jen and Kevin's house, and we then headed to Athens for a glorious day of tailgating and a football victory.

Driving through Atlanta, tuned in 24-7 to Kicks 101.5 (don't forget, I haven't laid eyes ears on a radio in months!), I heard the song "Sweet Southern Comfort" not once, but twice.  Kind of unusual for a song that came out five years ago, no?  I considered it meant to be, and am now listening to old Buddy Jewell as I type...

Misty sunrise in my hometown,

Rows of cotton bout knee high,
Mrs. Baker down the dirt road,
Still got clothes out on the line,

Erwin Nichols there with Judge Lee,
Playin checkers at the gin,
When I dream about the Southland,
This is where it all begins

From Carolina down to Georgia,
Smell the jasmine and magnolia,
Sleepy Sweet home Alabama,
Roll Tide Roll,
Muddy water, Misssissippi,
Blessed Graceland whispers to me,
Carry on, Carry on,
Sweet Southern Comfort carry on,

Catchin catfish on the river,
Chasin fireflies by the creek,
Kissin Gary Williams sister,
On the porch Homecomin week,

With rusty cars and weeping willows,
Keepin watch out in the yard,
Just a snapshot of downhome Dixie,
Could be anywhere you are,

In Carolina or in Georgia,
Open arms are waitin for ya,
Louisianna yellow rose of San Antone,
Arkansas, Mississippi,
Old man river whispers to me,
Carry on, Carry on,
Sweet Southern Comfort carry on,

As I sit here I'm surrounded,
By these priceless memories,
I don't have to think about it,
There's no place I'd rather be,

In Carolina or in Georgia,
Smell the jasmine and magnolia,
Sleepy Sweet home Alabama,
Roll Tide Roll,
Muddy water, Misssissippi,
Blessed Graceland whispers to me,
Carry on, Carry on,
Sweet Southern Comfort, carry on

I know my hometown has no rows of cotton, and most clothes are dried in a dryer, and right now I'd rather DIE than say "Roll Tide Roll."  But thinking about Georgia and catfish and magnolia trees and the comfort of home will always bring tears to my eyes, a smile to my face, and the assurance that there is, in fact, no place I'd rather be.

ps  I tried to name this post "Southern Comfort," but as any good Southern girl would expect, I have already used it.  Foiled!

pps  Happy Columbus Day!