Who's Scoffing Now?

About a year ago, I posed the question on this very blog about a single girl establishing a registry. That's right - no marriage or baby for the reason - just a single, career-minded girl with the challenges of building a home by herself. A lot of people I'm sure read the post and rolled their eyes, some scoffed, and some responded - saying it was just poor form.

Well, I just did it a month ago - and ALL my Christmas gifts were off my registry. My mom even told me she was GLAD I posted what I wanted - so she didn't have to beleaguer herself with guesswork. Everyone wins!

Heather after Company Christmas Party

Sad Irony

So, on my 31st birthday I'm sitting in a work meeting and my blackberry vibrates. I look at the email and it's an invitation to be profiled for the "Who's Who Under 30" feature for the magazine, Fast Company.

I took my fist and smashed that blackberry into little itty bitty bits.

And This?

You better...
I'm So Excited!

Remember this?

Of Course You Do...
Happy Tuesday!

So Far, So Great...

The Reviews Have Been Relatively Kind...

New York Times:

A Perky Debut for the Fox Business Network
By ALESSANDRA STANLEY

ON Fox Business Network, the sky isn’t falling — it’s the ground that is going up.

The mood on Rupert Murdoch’s latest television venture was so giggly and upbeat that it belied its own crawl, showing sinking stock prices.

For the inaugural show, the FBN anchor, Alexis Glick, asked Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton a few perfunctory campaign questions via satellite, then went down to Times Square to interview an entrepreneur of the day, the Naked Cowboy, a guitar-strumming singer who says he earns $250,000 a year serenading tourists in a cowboy hat and underpants, and much more in merchandising and record contracts.

“No matter what you think at home,” Ms. Glick, formerly a temporary anchor on the “Today” show on NBC, said, giddily holding up a souvenir hat and briefs. “You can make a small business a reality.”

This is not a network that caters to money managers or day traders. FBN provides economic news for people who don’t follow the economy very closely and hate to hear bad news. Sunny, informal and downright perky, Fox Business Network comes off as a blend of CNBC and a fifth hour of the “Today” show— with the underlying political drumbeat of Fox News. (Global warming is natural and so are tax cuts.)

CNBC didn’t ignore its new competitor yesterday. Throughout the day, ads for CNBC popped up on FBN, including a glowing testimonial from John F. Welch Jr., the former chairman of General Electric, which owns CNBC.

When Mr. Murdoch first announced his plan to create a rival to CNBC, he said he wanted to offer viewers a more “business friendly” network. That was puzzling at the time, because no one has ever accused CNBC stars like Jim Cramer or Maria Bartiromo of being anticapitalist. But not even they could match the ebullient spirits of FBN’s on-air personalities.

Anchors described record oil prices with a lilt, they delighted in the fall of the dollar as a boon to American exports. The network even created its own stock market index, called the Fox 50, which tracks 50 companies with popular products, including Amazon.com, Home Depot and Yum Brands. (The Fox 50 finished the day down 7 points — not down as far as the Dow Jones or Nasdaq.)

Mr. Murdoch has said that the newspaper he is acquiring, The Wall Street Journal, caters to Wall Street while his business network intends to serve Main Street.

CNBC began its midday program, “Power Lunch,” with a standup inside the Four Seasons, a Manhattan restaurant patronized by the likes of Peter G. Peterson, chairman of the Blackstone Group, and Barry Diller. FBN at noon flipped to a live shot inside the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.

Neil Cavuto of Fox News has his own show on the new business network, but it was Bill O’Reilly of “The O’Reilly Factor” who laid out FBN’s business model during a cameo appearance. “You want to basically have fun,” Mr. O’Reilly told the anchor Cheryl Casone. “Its so intense, the whole business world. The more fun you can have with it, I think the more people will watch.”

It was hard to muster a lot of fun explaining the $100 billion superfund that the country’s three largest banks have said they will create to shore up the market for mortgage securities.

Eric Bolling, a former financial news commentator who left CNBC for FBN, took quickly to the buoyant spirit of his new home. The superfund could have “a positive impact,” he assured Peter Barnes, a morning anchor. Mr. Bolling uttered the word “bail,” then corrected himself, saying that the superfund could “put a calming tone on the market” and have a “real upside.” When he said that the technical process was “complicated,” Mr. Barnes reminded him warningly, “no jargon.”

FBN makes a point of avoiding technical terms and Wall Street argot. The anchors on CNBC’s morning show “Squawk Box” sit across from each other in their shirt-sleeves to mimic the look of a trading desk, and anchors speak against an electronic backdrop of charts and stock prices.

The hosts of the FBN morning show sat aligned on a curved banquette. A conversation about business blogs on the Internet was set around a wooden tea table, with bookshelves of magazines and newspapers in the background.

Five o’clock is “Happy Hour.” To inaugurate that segment, the anchors Cody Willard and Rebecca Gomez sat in the bar of the Bull and Bear in the Waldorf-Astoria and chatted about business against a backdrop of vodka bottles and blondes. Yesterday, they congratulated Ivanka Trump on her new line of jewelry and sampled ice wines and cheese.

The stock market can close, but on Fox Business Network, the fun never stops.

BusinessWeekPower Lunch October 17, 2007, 4:02PM EST Fox Business Channel: A Great Start
The channel has a few rough spots. But it's fun to watch, which may well draw the nonbusiness and younger viewers Fox seeks
by Ronald Grover

You can understand the confusion. Here I was, channel surfing in search of Rupert Murdoch's newly launched Fox Business Network, and I'm suddenly watching The Donald's 25-year-old daughter, Ivanka Trump, showing off a new line of diamond jewelry. Bracelets instead of bonds? Well, get used to it. The Fox Business Network ain't your grandfather's business channel. And that's the point.

Sure, the News Corp. (NWS) offering has the look, feel, and gravitas of the other business news channel, the incumbent CNBC, controlled by General Electric (GE). Fox has its own "Money Honey" reporting from the New York Stock Exchange floor in Nicole Petallides, who doesn't have the stature of CNBC's Maria Bartiromo but works the floor with the same gusto. Yet Fox Business, which promotes itself with on-air promos that declare "finally, a second opinion," also has a guy named Cody Willard.

Co-anchor Willard, a former hedge fund trader, is Fox Business' long-haired, all-black-wearing alter ego. Along with longtime Fox News correspondent Rebecca Gomez, Willard patrols the Bull & Bear bar at Manhattan's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, grinning through FBN's after-market-close show, Happy Hour. Mixing interviews with out-of-nowhere investment pearls, Willard chomps cheese during one segment, flaunting his, shall we say, romantic abilities while crowding a table of friends. Willard also ogled Ivanka Trump in a segment in which she talked about real estate, The Apprentice, and those gaudy baubles.

Be Very Afraid
Does Fox Business have a chance? You bet. And if I were top NBC executive Jeff Zucker I'd be hustling full-time to stay ahead. FBN may have just a third of CNBC's households (for now, FBN is available only on a little more than 30 million households served by the country's satellite or cable TV systems), but that's temporary. Especially since Murdoch is famous for spending and spending big to launch his progeny.

Wanna spice up the opening bell? Try a little Price Is Right takeoff. Do viewers really want to see anchors Tom Sullivan and Cheryl Casone guess the stock prices of Google (GOOG) and Wal-Mart (WMT)? I don't know, but I did.

Sure, not everything works. The pre-market show, Money for Breakfast, looks like a coffee klatch at Grandma's house. Five folks stuffed on a single coach, with each trying to sound profound. It was one kibitzer too many for me. But when the show turns to Eric Bolling, who runs down the hot business blogs, the show comes to life with the kind of sparkle that will no doubt bring in the younger viewers Fox specializes in luring.

What FBN Gets Right
Murdoch's grand vision of bringing sometimes thick business news to the masses is never more evident than when FBN sends one of its reporters through the hallways of a half-built condo in Chicago to showcase the difficulties the builder is having finding money to complete the project. Yup, the guy is in the crosshairs of a national economic disaster.

There's no mistaking this for anything but a Fox offering, with the best and not-so-swell inspirations of Roger Ailes, Murdoch's top news lieutenant and perhaps the smartest guy behind a camera. The channel's graphics are loud and busy—with a sliding data line on the bottom of the screen that looks less like a ticker than some leftover NFL scores from Fox Sports. But whoever invented the Fox Fifty—and I'm betting it was Ailes—hit pay dirt, spotlighting 50 top stocks for closer FBN attention.

Ailes seems to have also imported his Fox News touch, which gives business news added lift in what I'm betting will be a successful attempt to bring nonbusiness-news watchers to his channel. It's pure talk radio, and it hews to the right, like much of what News Corp. offers. America's Nightly Scoreboard anchor David Asman skewers liberal Democrats for the mistake of one second-level congressional aide who encouraged House staffers to get inoculated before going to NASCAR events. Is that business news? Who cares. It was totally engrossing TV.

I'm sure Ailes & Co. are working to smooth out what seemed to be some less-than-wonderful technical moments. Scenes of onlookers and clattering of plates at the Bull & Bear were chaotic to the point of distraction. The picture was a little fuzzy and the sound occasionally muffled. But FBN already has some big-league advertisers—TD Ameritrade (AMTD) and LendingTree among them—and I'm betting others will come calling soon enough for a cable channel that is going to expand the entire business-news category through its clever segments and substantial market coverage. Murdoch clearly wants to bring business to Main Street, NASCAR, and younger folks who like to mix stock chatter with their after-hour cocktails. After one day on the air, I'm betting he's already headed into a bull market.

Grover is Los Angeles bureau chief for BusinessWeek.

New York Mag:

Fox Business Network: It's Gold!
No, literally — it's all about gold. Rupert Murdoch's new cable channel ran multiple segments on gold in its first week, which we thought was a little weird. But after we watched the hundredth paid advertisement for gold (damn watching TV in real time!), we thought, maybe it makes sense. If your sponsors are talking about it, why shouldn't you? Anyway, you may be wondering how on earth we happened to notice something like that. It's because we have been watching FBN every day, ALL WEEK. Yes! We love Alexis Glick, Neil Cavuto, and their motley crew of optimism pirates. They're irresistible (especially young NYSE floor reporter Nicole Petallides, who makes rival Maria Bartiromo look like the Jessica Tandy in Driving Miss Daisy) and their financial joy is maddeningly, confusingly infectious. After the jump, our other favorite FBN moments from a week of watching.
• They have this amazing regular feature where they ask viewers "What would you do with a grand?" Then, once people e-mail in their ideas, they make fun of them. Genius!
• They love puns. Hottie midday host Connell McShane introduced a segment on McDonald's thusly: "All the critics out there say their products are filled with fat and calories, but Wall Street's thrilled with it's fat profits!" Not to be outshone, reporter Jenna Lee told McShane that she loves McDonald's for its flavor, too. "It is fat with a P-H," she shot back. "For sure!"
• They make it personal. "I'm a wino," admitted host Tom Sullivan during a special on investing in wine. "I've always been a wino. I love good wine. Not the cheap stuff, the good stuff." Indeed.
• They're hip and up to date. "Didn't Radiohead just give away their album for free or something?" Cherly Casone asked on Wednesday. No really, we're not making fun. For someone on a Fox network to even remotely be aware of that is literally astounding.
• They have good taste in music. Today, during changeovers from segments on the twentieth anniversary of the great Black Monday stock-market crash of 1987, they played Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now." That's right. Let them say we're crazy – what do they know?
• They truly have the best guests. We're not talking about business legends like Warren Buffet. We're talking about Charlie Daniels, Jermaine Dupri, Ivanka Trump, the Harlem Globetrotters, and the woman who invented "Take Your Daughter to Work Day." Take that, Larry King!

Just so you know, this isn't going to be like our obsessive recapping of Gossip Girl. After watching FBN for a week, we noticed upsetting changes in our habits. We started caring whether a stock was in the "Fox 50," we started getting emotionally involved in the NASDAQ as a "comeback kid," and we began speaking in an outside voice to people who were sitting two feet away from us. So never again. But it was fun while it lasted.

Gulp

NYC Celebs

Jon Bon Jovi isn't living on a prayer... he's eating a sandwich on the UWS! His skin, blemish-proof. 9/20

Not Bueller's Day Off... but Bueller's day on the subway. Broderick waited for the F train with me! 9/16

Vartan Gregorian on Liberty

"America is not an actuality, but is a potentiality. We have to remember that the Universe is not going to be seeing somebody like you again in its entire history of creation. So it’s up to you to become a dot, a paragraph, a page, blank page, chapter in the history of creation."

Party Hat

Tomorrow's my last day at ABC News, and to celebrate - I'm going to put all other parties to shame.

Seriously - I am going to shake off all the stress of the past 1.5 years and party NYC-style.

If you want to join what's sure to be legendary partying, let me now. And oh yeah - you better be ready to BRING IT.

Nugget

Just thought I'd pass along this little nugget:
When someone is getting ready to quit his or her job, calling him or her "short-timer" is neither clever nor funny.

Moving On... But Where?

So yesterday was my first personal training session with Sonja at her new gym... 83rd Street, the steroid injection of Manhattan gyms. Muscles were everywhere, mechanical contraptions I cannot even fathom, guys grunting, and chicks tight as... well, tight. Sonja and I laughed through our session - she's become such a good friend, and she managed to kill a pinched nerve from a neck-cram 12-hour nap I pulled off to quash some major weekend partying.

At the end of our session - as Sonja stretched me out, she asked me: "So, you've only got like 15 days in your apartment. Where are you going next?" I stopped, and then felt the wave of anxiety build and then reverberate. "Oh yeah, I have no idea where I'm going. Thanks for reminding me. I'm still in denial," I thought. Leaving the gym, I almost had a panic attack.

Sonja also told me I'm beyond ready to "graduate" to the next yoga level, which I'm completely apprehensive about. I kinda liked destroying all the people in my current class. Now I'm just going to be the off-balance girl that everyone snickers at in the locker room while eating their protein bars...

Vesting in Nesting

In the early days of a relationship, there's a lot of 'nesting' going on - and as we approach Autumn it's a good time to examine the dating ritual in its peak season, in all its glory as well as how events in the nesting period can also foreshadow failure.

1) Couch Crashing. If you're nesting, you're sure to have many Netflix nights! The movie-watching-with-your-sweetie ritual is one of the fastest ways to gauge another's level of intimacy. Whether it's two feet of dead air between you - or in a weird-moving-watching-uncomfortable-but-still-pleased-with-physically-tight-pretzel-knot during a first flick - you pretty much know where you stand in terms of intimacy by the end of the movie. Now if only you could pay attention to the movie's plot rather than obsessing about the other person's proximity to you...

2) Kitchen Tools. Of course nesting Netflix nights aren't complete without nesting snacks - which leads to the inevitable, "Let's cook up something together!" In this nesting ritual, you can get a glimpse into your honey's gastrointestinal goodness - by simply opening his or her fridge. There, you can find out if your lady is a chocoholic - or if your man has stockpiles of that weird protein powder stuff in those obnoxious plastic keg bottles. Of course - culinary skills and the ability to makes meals on-the-fly is also on display. My secret nesting weapon in this arena has always been a simple dip - made by just mixing salsa and cream cheese. Make it the next time you nest and you'll be in love FOREVER, or - as in my case - until he decides to cheat on you...

***Sidebar: Friend Nate and I both strongly advise against making any kind of soup and/or chili with your sweetie during the nesting period. It's a recipe for disaster.

3) Clean It Up. The fridge 'nest test' can also be a good barometer on how clean/dirty a person is. Chances are, if you're invited over to your sweetheart's place - he or she has cleaned/picked up his or her room and Netflix viewing spot. But has he or she cleaned the fridge?! Yep - check here - because you never hear ANYONE say, "I'm so excited this chick is coming over. I have to clean my fridge!"

4) Shopping Together. Yep, this is a BIG-TIME nesting ritual, and it seems when you're first dating someone - running random errands magically evolves into something FUN. Yes, those trips to the dry cleaner or pet food store suddenly become opportunities to chat up the in-house tailor or browse pet store aisles and remark how cute cat toys are becoming. This is indeed a magical nesting time, which you can be sure will evolve to shopping at stores you would never think about entering during solo status. Girls can expect Best Buy, Home Depot and guitar stores on the list, and guys - well, strappy sandal shoes and overpriced scented candle stores are in your future. I once went to a Vespa store - A VESPA STORE - for OVER an hour! I also sat with a dude while he contemplated what new tire rims to purchase (and even more shocking, I actually CONTRIBUTED to this conversation!).
Caution: Sometimes in the nesting period you will lose part of your brain.

If you're a guy, you will be quizzed on color schemes and textures. If you're a chick, you'll get your fill of shiny electronics and tools. But this is all OKAY - after all, it is the nesting period - where EVERYTHING is perfect.

5) Crisis Averted. As long as you're nesting, nothing really bothers you or gets you down. Getting a $100 parket ticket suddenly becomes fun fodder over dinner. An accident that wipes out the whole front of your car becomes the scene-setter for a "Damsel in Distress" 2-person play - which both sides are happy to play. Together, you belly laugh over spilt milk. You also fall over each other to be the first one to clean up all that milk.

6) More Nesting Goodies: pumpkin carving (for the first time since age 14), Christmas tree hunting even though you don't have ornaments, buying ornaments and trimming tree, board games, little around-the-house projects, checking out each other's music collection and forcing yourself to really dig some of his or her favorites, downloading his or her music collection, taking naps together, exploring reality TV until your find "your show", getting lost in a local farmers market, IKEA trip to furnish the imaginary place you are starting to share in your head, ice cream consumption

***Sidebar: Would advise against going to any Haunted House attractions during the Autumn nesting period. I did a haunted house with a guy around this time last year as part of what I thought would be a fun nesting activity. He - not the attraction's resident ghost - became the only thing that disappeared...

Nesting is a hopeful time for anyone looking to embark on a relationship. Here's hoping your next nesting period with that new special guy or gal is all it could be AND more... sans the soup-making and Haunted House attraction. It's so fun to Invest in the Nest!

In closing, be self-aware enough to know NOT to get yourself into a relationship - just because you want to reap 'nesting' rewards. Friend Nate did this, and warns against the logic... or lapse of logic...

WHAT'S YOUR BEST NESTING?

Of Course

Of course the one night I don't feel well - sending Keenan and his sister, Kayla - off to the Sunday night Comedy Cellar show is the night that Chris Rock shows up and decides to do a surprise set.

Next Newsroom

Hitting the Biz cycle.

In Your Face!

My Facebook obsession keeps growing - and some of the NYC group names are hilarious:

- God I hate the MTA
- Boyfriends Suck
- I Don't Care How Comfortable Crocs Are, You Look Like A Dumbass
- Magnolia Cupcakes Are Overrated
- I Must Admit I LOVE Little Debbie
- I Secretly Want To Punch Slow Walking People In The Back of the Head
- Everything I know about Basketball, I learned from One Tree Hill

Lodging

I'm still looking for an apartment and I forgot how much the whole stupid NYC process stinks. *They call it a broker because after one, you're broke.

Inner Child?

While getting a blowout today - I started talking to a customer's 7-year-old kid. We played "I Spy" while she waited for her mom's pedicure and I got my tresses in shape. During conversation - while she played with my snake ring, she quizzed me a bit:

She asked if I was rich - I said no.
She asked how old I was - I said 30.
She asked if I was married - I said no.
She asked if I had a boyfriend - and I said no.

She then said, "You'll never get married or a boyfriend because you're 30 and you're old now."

I sank behind my bangs - while simultaneously wanting to drop-kick the brat.

upDATES - downDATES

Blitz of dates recently has me gearing up for the massive Pity Party blowout I'm throwing this weekend...

1) Bland Bob - investment consultant - country club rich - has golf group and poker buddies - has no sense of humor - he loves Maryland and is a Terp, which the Virginian in me finds appalling. next.
2) Earsplitting Nick - from Trenton, NJ - pronounces 'that' as 'dat' - jersey accent harshens throughout night - he drives a Firebird - I pay for everything. next.
3) Hipster Chris - supposed to go watch Chris the DJ spin tomorrow night in Brooklyn... but since I haven't spoken to him since his invite two weeks ago - I don't even want to go.

Yep, it's really sad folks.

Male Confirmation

Alex got got confirmation from her outspoken man-cousin - who says with certainty that most men with any self-dignity will not date a smarter woman - or one who makes more money. He actually said this... out loud. It's no longer an internal theory... it's out there.

A Dressing Down by Make Up

Sign of aging: foundation alone no longer does it; you have to wallet dig for concealer.

The Bachelor Still A Bachelor...

What? The latest 'Bachelor' couple didn't work out?!? You don't say!
Let the snarkfest for the next season begin!

Hipster Chris

So, had a date with my first pseudo-hipster the other night:

I was prepared for a guy who wore all black and had a shaved head. I was prepared for a guy who was too cool to laugh at my silly jokes and overall clumsiness. I was prepared for a liberal-minded "philosopher" who wanted to spout off social injustices and 'what's wrong with the media'. I was prepared for a guy who wanted to use his DJ status to showcase his cool and underground music playlist. I was prepared for aloofness, cool factor, and mystery.

The only thing I got that I expected was all black clothes and a shaved head. The rest was actually great.

We spent 4 hours at an E. Village bar - relaying and relating. It was momentous, as this hipster dude and moderately preppy blow-out girl actually had a lot of fun.

Got home around 1am - and he had already written me an email, which was nice. He's invited me to one of his spinning shows next week in Williamsburg. That leaves me just enough time to perfect a red stripe in my hair, buy leggings, and purchase some sort of asymmetrical shirt. Hipster mecca here I come!

Me No Sleepy

You know you're in work too early when you arrive 1.5 hours before Space Shuttle astronauts even start their day.

Yep

The news business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs.

Nothing Particular

THE SIGN
Yesterday, friends and I talking about the protocol for firing people. News is similar to financial services sector - you know you're in trouble when you arrive at work to find the Head of HR waiting for you in the front lobby. That's pretty much the sign. That got us thinking - what if the Head of HR was wearing a grim reaper costume?
THE 411
I hate that when you call 411 now - and if you just need a street address - you don't get the address. Operator instead automatically hooks you up to the phone number - and charges you to get an address texted to you. The fleecing of America...
VERBAGE
Speaking of texting, my friend Alexis will be appalled to learn that "text" is now a bonafide verb, recognized in the dictionary.
NERDS
Friend Ben is a new dad, and he seems more excited that his daughter's name is a palindrome than the fact that he has a daughter. We actually did high-fives over the name last night at dinner. Can you guess it, smarty pants?
DADDY WARBUCKS
Friend Steve bought me a $30 hairband at Barney's yesterday, and I tried on a $6000 quartz ring. Yeah - Ridiculous. Can't wait to sell out and marry for money. Until now, I've been a fool to fall for love - and that's gotten me alone and contemplating cats... lots of 'em.
BLACKJACK BLING
Forgot to mention, but last week - I nearly quadrupled my money at the Blackjack table in AC! I'm considering a career change.

WADE-A-MINUTE

Pouring down rain this morning. A newspaper delivery man was wearing waders. Random sight in Midtown.

I was like, "Look at that moron. Great, great, great idea and where can I buy some?"

Mick Dundee and Me

Just when you thought your luck can't get any worse, you round a corner.... and sometimes, just sometimes - there's a great new adventure.

Last night - while leaving Belgian Blah - I got outside Bryant Park and turned a corner to wait at a light. Then, out of nowhere there he was - a floppy hatted, curly-haired cutie. He said, "Excuse me, do you know where Times Square is?" I told him that I was cutting through Times Square on my way home - and I'd walk him there.

This is the part that gets fun. Being in the middle of Times Square for the first time is pretty mind-blowing. Add about 20+ if you're from a different country. He was from Australia - so of course, besides being slayed by the accent - I was kinda excited to see him in Times Square.

At first glimpse of lights galore - he was pretty overwhelmed. But it was great seeing something I take for granted and consider a maddening tourist trap. He actually said, "I feel like I'm walking into a Video Game." Yeah, he was funny too.

So he takes picures, and I offer him a beer at the top of the Marriott Marquis revolving lounge (I know - totally touristy - but totally mind-blowing for an Aussie). After that, we're kinda buddies for the night. He's traveling around the world solo - and we have a lot to talk about. He then offers to take me somewhere for a beer.

We hitch a horse-and-carriage in Midtown and take it to Rudy's bar of all places. There, we laugh at our pub peers, play random songs on the jukebox with microphone singalong - we play a few practical jokes on each other - and we get into a mustard fight. So much fun.

We stay up until 7am back at my apartment - laughing and visiting, and ultimately passing out. We grab lunch around 1:30pm, head to the Whitney Museum (which is closed, darn the luck) - and part ways, promising to be email pals.

Overall - it was such a nice time getting to know a new, cool person. I'll drink to Belgium boy... who in a way, made it all possible.

Throw Me Over

Last night was Night #1, Dating Anew, 'Back on the Horse"

Subject: Belgian Diamond Importer
Meeting Place: In front of the NYC Public Library, 6:30pm
Destination: outside bar at Bryant Park

Besides me sweating through a blowout in a humid, crowd-infested NYC rush hour traffic - I was excited about this guy - a fix-up first date. I had a picture, and thought he was cute. Also - he was from Belgium, and I like their chocolates.

Shortly into date, Fantasy and Reality Collided. It wasn't pretty.

He looked down on me from his Belgian beak when I ordered a Corona. He told me that he was soon taking a vacation with his on-again-off-again girlfriend. WHAT IS THAT ABOUT?! He told me a lot of things. It was horrible - and I was like "Why are we doing this? Why are you on a date at all?" I somehow morphed into his best guy friend or something - where he was telling me the last girls he dated - the soon-to-be-happening fabulous vacation with established lady friend - and asking me for advice. It was weird. We sat there for 2.5 hours. We parted, and I was sooooo relieved.

Brother in Djibouti

From Chris today:

We made touchdown at 3 am yesterday and it has been pretty much non-stop since. In the mornings it feels like you are in Amazon because warm/humid air blows off the ocean, and in the afternoon when the sun sets up it feels like someone has a blow dryer 2 inches from your face. In short, its hot. Anyway, I just wanted to send you a quick email to let you know I'm here and all is well for now. Take care and will get in touch with further detail later.

*His experience with the intense heat sounds exactly like an Allison blowout!

Box Office Beaut

Our entertainment reporter, Bill Diehl - says The Bourne Ultimatum is absolutely fantastic... adding that his wife, who doesn't like action movies - was blown away and "hanging on for dear life" during certain scenes.

I can't wait.

In other news, Jon Voight was in our newsroom yesterday - plugging his new tween movie, "Bratz." Yes, Academy Award winner Jon Voight was plugging "Bratz." Paps pix of him outside our building. His hair is perfect.

Somewhere Between Night and Day

3 hours sleep. Not functional. On 2nd cup of iced coffee.

Upon getting out of the cab sometime between 4:15am-4:20am, I actually said, "Have a nice nay."

You Think Your Schedule Stinks...

Typical workweek for me.
All different times, all different tasks.

Browne
Sun 8/5 - 12pm
Mon 8/6 - off
Tues 8/7 - off
Weds 8/8 - 6am
Thurs 8/9 - 430am
Fri 8/10 - 430am
Sat 8/11 - 12pm

It's really like staring down the barrel of depression.

Hilarity Ensues

Heather alerted me to this hilarious moment - Beyonce taking a stage dive. Sony yanked it pretty much everywhere on the web before I could catch it. But my good friend Ben did some digging:
http://my.break.com/media/view.aspx?ContentID=337789

This is just embarrassing: http://www.bestweekever.tv/2007/07/26/holly-hunter-bravely-takes-on-worst-celebrity-interviewer-ever/

When you care enough to send the very best:
http://www.someecards.com

Yummy Kimchi

Last night, headed to Koreatown with Heather to get some real Korean cuisine. Friend Kenny had promised to take me to Koreatown... but Kenny promises a lot of things... and I wait for no man. Heather was game enough for the gastronomical adventure.

Koreatown is awesome because you feel like you're in the middle another country, but it's not overwhelming and confusing like Chinatown. At least that's my opinion. It's also about 7 blocks away from my apartment, so that's clutch.

We had really great homemade dumplings at Mandoo bar... and a lot of Korean vodka. Overall - amazing experience. It's my new favorite Koreatown restaurant, though it's my only Koreatown restaurant so far...

Quitting

I had a pretty big moment today - or at least it was big for me. I passed a trash can and tossed half a pack of cigarettes away. A night out on the town usually means I dip into the tabs again - and since I pretty much go out every night - I'm now dipping into the tabs a lot. I got a dressing down on the subject from my trainer, Sonja last night... and I really have nothing to negate her on.

Anyway, quitting will be very difficult for me. I've got an stressful job - and I party a lot. But I've never felt the desire to really stop until now. This effort is going to take a lot of work - and I need my friends. I'll need tough love - like grabbing my lighter and throwing it down the sewer, like breaking a cigarette from my mouth and spitting in my face, like crumpling up the brand new box that I have bought and stomping on it. Yes, I will need my friends.

I will need friends with wills of steel - when I try to twist their words and manipulate their moods so that I can light up guilt-free. I will need sneaky friends who follow me to the ATM - running RECON to make sure money is all I take out. I will need a workout buddy besides Sonja to make sure that I'm always active - or have an active plan. I will need friends with children to be around me constantly, so that I don't fall to the urge. I will need random emails of support. This will pretty much be the hardest thing I've ever done.

A Sale?

Talking to my friend's fiancee and she tells me they're getting ready to raid a wedding store that's going out of business on the UES. I am actually tempted to go and raid this store myself - even though I lack the essential element in getting married. Sad, right?

Breakdown Brink

Here's the set-up:

I am in DC - without car, running around - and without a way back to NYC.

I stop in a Kinko's and log onto the internet - hoping to secure a last-minute Amtrak ticket back to NYC tomorrow.

When Amtrak asks me to pay - I open my wallet and see that my ATM/Debit Card is gone.

I start flipping through my purse - freak-out forming at the thought of my lost credit card - floating around out there... anywhere. My thought turns to the last time I used it. I can't remember. FFFRREEEAAAAAAKKKKKKKK OOOUUUUUUTTTTTT MMMMOOOUUUUNNNNTTTTSSSS...

I think about how long it will take for me to get a new ATM/Debit card back - NEARLY A WEEK in most cases! I think about the pain of using checks to get cash. I think about how I'm going to manage a bulk cash payment now - to get me through the week of waiting for a new card. FFREEEEEAAAAAAKKKKKKK OOOOOUUUUUTTTTTTT BBBUUUIIIILLLLDDDDDSS.

I log out of the Kinko's computer, and I start thinking about what I need to do next. I come up with Plan A, Plan B, and even Plan C. Then... as I log out... my ATM/Credit Card pops out of the self-service machine. Yeah, I forgot that I used it to get on a computer in the first place.

I need a vacation.

Home

In DC and it feels wonderful!

The Sweetest Thing

this morning... on the way to work... in a cab.... talking with a friend on the phone... i start crying... the taxi driver leans over and gives me a tissue. sometimes, i really love this city.

Am I on Mars?

Just now on 'The View' Barbara Walters told Ashley Judd that she was one of the greatest actresses of all time. What is that about? Maybe she's the best "over-actress" of all time; "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood." What's in Barbara's coffee mug?

On the Fritz

my camera, "the tank" broke beyond repair.
i still don't have another ipod.
my cell phone plan expires soon.

i'm technologically bankrupt.

Olivia's July 4th pictures

She sent me these pictures to showcase her superior photo-taking skills. Blasted - they are better than mine! Thanks Ol!

One Night of Fire

One Night of Fire starts on Bkln Bridge and ends up at Coney Island.
Alex and I commit to trek, so we have a bubble contest on the train.

Alex becomes bored with the bubble blowing contest.

Fire Dancers, Stilt Walkers, and Neon Cowboys on the beach!



The Wonder Wheel to overcome my fear of heights!



'Dog stop before the trek back to Manhattan.
Push-up Contest on the Train
Avenue Q actor!
Kitty pose to fetch a fella!
Tired and Goofy!
Heaven & Hell - in love
Fabu-looking Rock Star Alex
Greasy Hair Rock Star Allison

Siobhan's Big 3-0!

Kiwis Rock

Favorite, funny stuff:
Flight of the Conchords

Brian Ross Continues to Freak Me Out

Umm.. this isn't good. I'm going to have to start rollerblading around town.

Exclusive: Terror Commander: U.S. Attack Will Dwarf London Bombings
July 13, 2007 4:37 PM
Brian Ross and Maddy Sauer Report:
As senior intelligence and law enforcement officials met again today in the White House Situation Room to deal with the "summer terror threat," a top terror commander said an attack was coming that would dwarf the failed bombings in London and Glasgow.
Taliban military commander Mansour Dadullah, in an interview to be broadcast on ABC News' "World News With Charles Gibson," said the London attacks were "not enough" and that bigger attacks were coming.
"You will, God willing, be witness to more attacks," he told a Pakistani journalist in an interview conducted just four days ago.
Just last month, Dadullah presided over what was termed a terror training camp graduation ceremony in Pakistan, supposedly dispatching attack teams to the United States, Canada, Great Britain and Germany.
In this new interview, Dadullah talked about the ease with which he and his men operate inside Pakistan.
"We have many friends," he said. "It is very easy for us to go in and out of the tribal areas. It is no problem."
Indeed, the rugged mountains of Pakistan have emerged as a safe haven for al Qaeda and the Taliban.
"They are the central front for al Qaeda," said Seth Jones, who studies the area for the RAND Corporation, a national security think-tank. "They are the area al Qaeda has based its international and regional operations. It is a very serious threat to the U.S. security," he said.
Pakistan continues to deny al Qaeda enjoys a safe haven in its territory.
"The problem is people don’t understand the local environment," the Pakistani ambassador to the United States, Mahmud Ali Durrani, told the Blotter on ABCNews.com.
"Pakistan is doing more than its share. We have done a lot, we have captured a lot, we've killed a lot, and we continue to do it not just for your sake, but more so for our own sake," he said.
In testimony before Congress this week, U.S. intelligence officials were straightforward in saying they believe Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan and freely operating there.
"It's not that we lack the ability to go into that space," said Tom Fingar of the office of the Director of National Intelligence.
"But we have chosen not to do so without the permission of the Pakistani government," Fingar told members of Congress who demanded to know why the U.S. did not take more decisive action against a known enemy.
U.S. officials say Pakistan consistently denies the U.S. military permission to go after known al Qaeda training camps.
The situation has grown even worse since February, officials say, when Vice President Dick Cheney traveled to Islamabad to demand Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf take action. 
"Their (al Qaeda's) situation is actually better today than it was even then," said the RAND Corporation's Jones.
"The U.S. has provided $5.6 billion in coalition support funds to Pakistan over the past five years, with zero accountability," said Congressman Patrick Murphy, D-Calif., at the hearing.
"Why is Pakistan still being paid these large sums of money, even after publicly declaring that it is significantly cutting back patrols in the most important border area?" he asked.

Another Secret Party!

The invite:

Our best moments are ignited by simple ideas. You are
invited to be a part of a renegade parade of guerrilla art
and performance, spontaneous acts of kindness and
indelible moments of beauty. In this era of conflict, One
Night of Fire is our indulgence in the best we have left.

One Night of Fire

Fire is our metaphor for the blood and fervor that this
city seems to celebrate and choke with every passing
moment. Dozens of artists and performers are collaborating
to create the experience we love: a free-form carnival of
decadence, risk and grandeur.

Expect: crews of drummers + stilt walkers + fire spinners
+ renegade aerialists + fireworks & rocketships + gifts of
liquor + brass march bands + a liberated water-front + the
unending spectacle of sparks and flame shining in the
faces of you, me and a thousand of our friends.

In an era of darkness, we light our own flame.

The Theme: Fire. Liberation. Paris, July 14th 1789,
but this time it's the battle for Brooklyn.

Dress: In white (the more costumed the better, you are the
Angels that keep this city alive and untamed.)

Bring: Drums, Parasols, Refreshments (discreetly), Music,
Gifts to Share, Friends, Lovers and your Metrocard.

You will receive another email at 3pm, with more details.

Late, But Great

Daniela takes me to the Jersey Shore!

More Than Meets The Eye

Saw late-night "Transformers" showing tonight, and it was pretty awesome. A little long, and you have to be prepared for some mega-battle scenes, but overall - special effects were worth the ticket. Also - it was awesome to see Optimus Prime in action. I remember him and his catch-phrases well... my favorite... "Autobots, let's roll."

Sidebar: Reminded me of a time when I was playing charades with some friends a couple years ago, and someone had the painful task of trying to impersonate Optimus Prime. It was hilarious. We were all so confused as to what he was doing when trying to "transform." The guy who tried to do it still gets ribbed every time we see him. Drop a Transformer in the charades hat the next time you play.

Best Night Ever!

So last night after I got jazzed up by Roger Waters' performance, I was gearing to go out. Alex proved her party pulse by lobbying the Secret Party. These parties are put on in illegal warehouses, where fire dancers show up - along with a mass of humanity. She only knows about these parties because she gets an email right before the event. This is a portion of the invite:

On Saturday, July 7th Danger takes Manhattan. For your illicit pleasure we've taken over a massive new venue within the city of dreams. Prepare yourself for an all night explosion of fallen angels, public scandal, instant fame and performance perfected.
You are invited to: The Righteous & The Wicked
Saturday, July 7th @ Rebel - 251 West 30th Street
Details: http://www.thedanger.com

The Righteous is Hedonism:
You are the angels that keep this city alive. Come costumed as seditious saviors, cherubs or your best manifestation of fallen angel

The Delirious Spectacle:
At the climax of the party The Lady Circus viscerally displays the true meaning of miracle. Expect a full sensory spectacle dosed with a spectacular sense of Danger. You might get teased - you will be touched.

When we got there, this is what we ran into:










The night was amazing - definitely the most fun I've ever had in NYC. I danced a week worth of cardio - made new friends - and heard amazing music. Can't wait to do it again!