Our NYC Abode

In the blink of an eye, this summer has come and past. In less than a week, we will be headed out (driving, not flying) to our neighbors to the north and then moving to our new home in Virginia. I recently realized that after several promises to certain parental units, I still had not posted a video of our apartment! So here is a short tour of our NYC residence in the good ole' International House. It's been a fun place to call home this summer!

We once were found but now we're... LOST

Over the past few weeks Emily and I have unearthed the mythologically complex world of LOST. The ABC TV series has already had four seasons and so we are catching on late in the game, but we are catching up quickly thanks to abc.com's full episode viewing capabilities. And we are not the only one's who have been victim to the series' addictive narrative. The warp and weft have also caught Greg and Kristen in its inexorable web. The plot seems simple enough: a plane crashes on a Pacific island and the survivors are bent on getting rescued and off the island. Well, the writers have promised six seasons so I guess we should have known that it wouldn't be so easy. Four seasons in and several nights in front of a laptop plugged into an alarm clock for speakers and we still don't know entirely what is going on. True, we do know the characters fairly well (in fact, we are pretty certain that one of the characters from the show, Sayid, is also Emily's hairdresser). They've been introduced to us through flashbacks and we've seen them interact with each other; however, each episode brings out more questions with the new understanding we have for the characters.

In short, we are addicted. So, Emily and I have discussed why we think that we have bitten so hard on a hook with a slow-reeling fisherman. One of our theories has to do with Russian novelists. Have you ever read a Russian novel from the 19th century?

Chances are that it wasn't a quick read and that it was almost infinitely complicated. Such novels appeared episodically in traditional media each week and the readers were left with an appetite to read next week's post. This served everyone well: the publishers were ensured a high volume weekly readership; the writer could make considerable money if he could somehow make his "books" interminable; and the reader had a healthy dose of entertainment. I think that the creators of LOST have tapped into this far better than any other series that I have personally viewed. Sitcoms seem to reboot every week with little plot development and other dramas haven't piqued my curiosity enough. So here we are in 19th century Russia waiting for our next new instalment. Unfortunately for us we only have three episodes left to watch for season four and season five doesn't begin until February! I guess we'll have to allocate our time to other endeavors. :)

you know you're living in a non air-conditioned apartment in NYC in the summer when...

5. You look forward to taking cold showers (and this is coming from a girl who loves her water scorching hot).

4. You wish it wasn't illegal to jump into the radioactive-green-colored ponds at Central Park

3. You sweat watching your husband play Wii.

2. Anything that would potentially warm you at night (blankets, sheets, your husband) ends up in a discarded heap on the floor--sorry, Richard.

1. You look forward to the fact that you get to stay in air-conditioned hotel rooms on vacation equally to how much you look forward to going on the vacation itself.

Tour de Central Park

Richard took the day off work today, and we decided to rent bikes and take a quick jaunt around Central Park--something we had been planning to do for two months but had never gotten around to it. We rented cruisers (complete with wide-set handlebars and brake-by-pushing-back features). It was a great (and quick) way to see all the little-known sights of Central Park. Did you know that Central Park houses a ginormous swimming pool, about 30 tennis courts in a row, baseball fields and several nice restaurants? Apparently, in our minds, it was just... a park. To walk through and buy overpriced water and ice-cream. Sorry we underestimated you, NYCP.

This is a video I took while on my bike. Forgive us for not wearing helmets, Mom.

Boo Yankees!

Last night, we traveled to a far away place (midtown) to see Damn Yankees (which will be referred to as Boo Yankees! from now on). Tickets were only $25, which was a definite plus, as was the fact that some of our favorite stars were performing in it. Jane Krakowski, best known (to us) as Jenna from 30 Rock, played the sultry Lola, and Sean Hayes, the actor who plays Jack in Will & Grace, played... well, the devil.

We gave the performance a "thumbs sidewides." Although the aforementioned actors were funny and clever, the play itself seemed to go on forever, and our seats had limited view. BUT, it was totally worth it to see our lovely Jenna perform live! Only in New York!


Lost fans will appreciate how the video opens...




After the performance, we decided to extend our date and eat a Forbidden Broadway Sundae at Serendipity, as per the recommendation of our intern friends, Adam and Becky. Sadly, when we got there, we found that there was an HOUR wait! At 10:00 p.m.! Go to bed people, seriously. Hopefully we will still be able to eat there before we leave!

P.S. YES, I learned how to link in this blog, and YES, we are blogging more often than each month! Woo hoo!

Happy 4th of July!

As Emily realized yesterday, this is the last "first" holiday that we will spend together (the last 4th of July, Richard was in France and Emily was in Utah). We have been together more or less since last Pioneer Day, so this officially ends the first year of our adventures together. We decided to celebrate in style, and what better place than America's hometown (err, sort of), Beantown!



We came in late Thursday night, happy to escape the bus (where we were sitting next to the bathrooms... leave the rest to your imagination). We stayed with the wife of one of Richard's friends (he is doing an internship in China), and she was extremely hospitable to us. We enjoyed a tour of Boston on the "Liberty Trail," and got in just in time (2:00) before they closed the gates for the 8:30 performance of the Boston Pops' 4th of July Celebration. It was sure worth the wait. Kat was excited to see the Rascal Flatts perform live (Emily and Richard, less excited). But hearing the Pops play "The Stars and Strips Forever" while watching an awesome fireworks display over the Charles River was DEFINITELY a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Watching them setting up for the nationally-televised show on CBS

A Rascal Flatts pre-show interview

During the performance... it was AMAZING

We love America!

On Saturday, we visited a few more sites and bought matching sweatshirts (because we are THAT cool), and then (after falling asleep on the way back home) had a relaxing evening eating order-in Chinese food and watching a movie.

Overall, I would give this trip a Thurman "diagonal thumbs up." (I would give it a "thumbs up," but all of the duck tours were sold out! Bummer!)

Hope you all had a great 4th!