glucklich freitag!

There has been a lot of debate over the iPhone versus the BlackBerry but in the past I was always content with my sidekick. Well not really. The track wheel was always a pain in the arse. Now though, after the battery wouldn't last more than 2 hours without dying on me (no exaggeration either) it was time for an upgrade. I wasn't happy about T-Mobile's service either. Not the customer service part -- they've always been helpful to me. But the actual reception. AT&T gives me service even when I'm underground! That is extremely useful, as I seemingly underground constantly LOL.

So I got the iPhone :-) I worked with a very helpful guy over at the AT&T store at the Rockefeller Center Plaza. Ask for Edgar Diaz. He really seems to care about his customers! I got a pretty good deal too, I like to think. So this is love at first sight for me and this phone. The touch screen can be a bitch for texting but it's easy to get over that.

In other non-technology news, my neighbor gave birth two weeks ago! Deirdre is 3 years older than me and we lived three houses down from each other our whole lives. (Well, I moved 2 years ago but my parents still live there. And sometimes, I feel like I still do too!) It's nostalgic almost when someone achieves such a milestone as becoming a parent because you remember what they were like way back when. Deirdre also attended the same high school as me and was in the same year as my good friends, Anthony and Kenn. Small world right? Anyway, I've yet to see the little guy but most of my family has. They say he looks just like her. Ah, gotta love how excited babies get everyone. I also give Deirdre credit for keeping the gender a surprise (from herself, too) for 9 months! Turned out to be a boy -- Braden. I give her a lot of credit. I don't think I could wait! Actually I know I wouldn't....haha.

School is back in swing here. I've taken to riding the LIRR to class and slumming it home because I always had a problem arriving early to school for morning classes since I work nights. And the LIRR really saves my ass. But even with my disability card, I noticed yesterday it's taking a toll on my wallet LOL. So, I'm gonna slum it today by train and bus since my history class isn't until 1pm. I also have to give Ben in the disability office credit for really helping me this semester with accommodations. He got me permission to not do the oral exams in my German class. Meaning when she asks us a question in German and we have to answer, she will have to write it and then I'll answer. Not sure if my professor is going to actually follow through -- I have a feeling she'll just keep repeating until I understand what she's saying because she's determined like that. That is not a knock on her; I actually think it's a great thing. She really seems to care that we learn German and actually be good at it!

By the way, the title is supposed to mean "happy friday!" but I have a feeling I may have done something wrong in translating it LOL.

and the winner is...

What did I say about Kris Allen winning Idol?! Oh yeah! The thing with Adam being runner-up is that the dude is a superstar already. He doesn't need the show. The underdog definitely deserved to win here :-) I thought it was a great finale. Between Norman's psuedo performance, the return of I-cry-at-everything-Tatiana, all the Idol/celebrity duets and the Bikini Girl/Kara faceoff, it was entertaining from start to finish.






I passed my Art History final with a B-! (And that's my overall grade). Considering I failed this class at Queens College, this is nothing short of a miracle. To say I crammed when it came to memorizing the miniscule details is putting it lightly. I am happy to say it paid off. The problem with the other Art History course was the professor over at QC was so...how do I put this. I think he thought he was the god of Art History. He took himself so seriously and made everything complicated. My professor at QCC really broke it down and made it easy.




I also scored a B in my Critical Issues in Health class. I'll probably get something similar to this in my Sociology class (exam was today, just finished) because my last two exams I received a B. *keeps fingers crossed*




And that is the last I'll talk about school, and happily so, for the next few months because... summer vacation has officially started!!!




Oh...and I already have 4th of July plans. Some things are good to know ahead of time. BBQ in the Bronx. Hopefully Chris stays away from firecrackers this year....mwhahahaha. Let's just say last year he pulled a Jackass stunt.



And on a parting note, I leave you with a new drink I discovered and absolutely love. It's close enough to the real thing. Can't ya smell that Caribbean breeze from here?!

barely getting by, it's all takin' and no givin'....

I'm definitely getting hit with a case of end-of-semester blues. I have two weeks left, 3 finals, 3 papers and desire the size of a peanut to get it all done. But I will anyway...speaking of which, I got a B on my Sociology exam! Prof. Gorman gave me my grade late because he said he forgot to grade it after I took it. Haha...nice. Glad to see I'm not the only one who procrastinates!



My latest 'thing' is 9 to 5 the musical. I really really want to see it. On my way home from work a few nights ago, I saw audience members stagedooring after the show so I caught sight of Allison Janney, Megan Hilty, Stephanie J. Block and Mark Kudisch. I've heard nothing but good things about it so hopefully they do lotto so I can try catching a show some time before my Disney trip. I really do not feel like dishing out $100+ for a show again! You can learn more about the show here. While we're on the subject of musicals, I thought I'd compile a list of all the musicals/plays I've ever seen on Broadway, which really now that I'm thinking about it, is not very long. And it's not in order since I can't remember when exactly I saw them. I am no Almanac ;-)


1. Cats
2. Rent (twice)
3. Movin' Out
4. Footloose
5. Saturday Night Fever
6. Shrek
7. Equus
8. In the Heights
9. Jersey Boys
10. Beauty and the Beast
11. Xanadu
12. Hairspray (4 times)
13. West Side Story
14. Cyrano de Bergerac
15. Tarzan
16. Seussical the Musical





I think this is pretty much it. Tarzan and In the Heights are a given, for those that know me. I think what really got me into musicals was Footloose. I was about 13 or so when I saw it, maybe a little older and I think I went about 7 times. It was a great musical, too. Shame. Michael Cavenaugh, who did the piano for Movin' Out was phenomenal!





Looking forward to Idol tomorrow night...Rat Pack week! (No surprise that there are five contestants left.) I'm pulling for an Allison/Adam finale. The only reason I mention Adam is because I know he has a huge fan following, so realistically I have to add him. And although I was rooting for Kris for the first part of the season, I have become a serious Allison fan after re-watching old performances. We'll see what happens.





On a parting note, I would like to wish Grandma Esther a speedy recovery. She fell and broke her hip, resulting in her needing surgery tonight. But last I've heard she is doing good. God Bless her. She has the determination of a bull. She'll outlive us all =P

here, there, everywhere.

My health professor let us out 40 minutes early today, which is a good thing on any given day but more so especially when it's 66 degrees out. He wanted to know where I was the class before spring break started. I was slightly embarrassed to admit that I had completely forgotten there was a class! The Friday before, I had slept over J.D's place and when I woke up, I had just enjoyed my cup of coffee, was changing and at promptly 10A.M, noticed the time and it hit me: I forgot to go to school. Seriously, who does that?!

Anyway, tonight I am hitting up Medieval Times. It's a belated celebration of Anthony's birthday, which was on the 6th of this month. I haven't been there since a class trip in the 6th grade! So I'm really looking forward to that, if only to eat with my hands =P

Robyn and I were talking about saving up for a two bedroom apartment and then renting out the second room. But it would have to be someone we trust. I can't imagine posting up an ad on Craigslist. You don't know what kind of crazies are out there...even though that's how I found my current apartment. But I just wanted to take the time out to acknowledge I am lucky to have my sister in my life and to be able to call her a friend as well as a sibling. She has saved my ass so many times, I lost count. And she'll never judge me, even with a gun to her head.

Yesterday, Tiffany and I met up with her friend Jacob, who hails from Seattle. This is his first trip to New York City and so far, he's been having fun. I asked him if he's seen any stereotypes about this place proven true and he made a very good point when he said the stereotypes about NYC can happen any place. But it was funny when he showed us a text from his friend from home that asked if Jacob's seen any dead bodies yet or has Law & Order been lying to him. LOL...I'm happy to say I have never seen a dead body or been mugged or anything along those lines, and I've lived here for 23 years! We went down to the West Village to have crepes at Creperie. I got the one with raspberry puree and bananas. HEAVEN. Then we hit up a nearby Thai restaurant called Beyond. No complaints at all and the lychee mojito Tiffany & I had was so freakin' good. She treated us really well that day -- thank you Tiff!!! Next weekend we want to visit Mi Nidito. It's my favorite Mexican restaurant and they have drinks called Elmo, Lemon Drops, Scooby Snack...I can't wait!

The Good Son on a Good Day

I passed by a Blockbuster the other day and for some reason, The Good Son came to mind. Being that it came out in 1993 when I was 8 years old, I didn't remember much of the movie, just that I LOVED it. Instead of Netflixing it, I figured I'd go to the Movie Master, also known as Jonathan. Whaddya know, he had it! On VHS no less. So we watched it today and YOW! I forgot how evil Macauley Culkin was. And how cute was Elijah Wood? I'm sure my 8-year-old self swooned over him. I poked around IMDB and found some interesting facts:

- Michael Klesic was originally cast in the role of Henry Evans in 1988. The film was soon later put on hold due to lack of funding. A couple years later Jesse Bradford was cast as Henry Evans because the original child actors had grown to old for their parts. The project was once again put on hold and the same problem happened. Then, was once again re-cast and finally shot and released in 1993.

Jesse Bradford? "Swimfan" Jesse Bradford? Huh.

- Richard (in picture) and Connie are played by Macauley's real life brother and sister.

More

I want to start rewatching my old favorite movies. Remember The Hand That Rocks The Cradle? Another of my favorites! And who can forget Hocus Pocus? Yeah, that's right. I loved SJP way before the Sex and the City era!

While on Austin Street today, I popped into Banana Republic to get this shirt on sale. It's absolutely gorgeous and I figured I could wear it on Easter...and for John, Jr's Christening...and nights out...in short, I plan on putting it to good use! Not only that but I picked up a pair of trouser jeans that are nothing short of a great fit. Holy cow. Could it be? Am I saying goodbye to the American Eagle era? Subconciously, I don't want to dress like a teenager anymore. Although I'm sure I'll be 80 and still wearing jeans, a plain white tee and converse sneakers :-)

I should be getting as much sleep as I can since I've got a Sociology exam in the morning. But considering I just got home from work, it's time for some Idol courtesy of DVR. That beats sleep by a mile. Though something tells me I won't be saying that when I wake up in the morning...

What would Matthew do?

Not to knock my professor but this Art History class has got to be the worst way ever to spend 2 & a half hours. At least I had something to offer to the discussion, since we briefly touched early Christian art, including the one off to the left (Matthew the Evangelist). The professor wanted to know what the Gospel represented and I was kind of appaled when no one raised their hand to offer up the answer. "The word of God," I said. "The Holy Spirit guides Matthew as he writes." What I didn't notice until the professor pointed it out, was a little angel drawn in the upper right hand corner. It looks as if it's being drawn into Matthew's ink cup. Brilliant work of art if you ask me! I like most Christian paintings. It was a wake up call hearing the professor talking about the reasons behind the painting as if they were assumptions. To me, they are facts. The gospel isn't "the word of God"; it is THE word of God. Oh! Best news of the day: I passed the midterm with a 75%! I know that doesn't sound great compared to a 100% but this isn't my best subject so I am proud I did okay.

Moving on...

The first time I ever heard of Jodi Picoult was in 2005, when my sister was a senior in H.S and didn't have time to do her English homework. She asked if I could read a book for her. That book was Picoult's The Pact, a fascinating, almost modern day Romeo and Juliet with a twist. From then I was a lifelong fan. On the 3rd of this month, her new book Handle with Care was released. Immediately, I was hooked. This one gets a 2 thumbs up from me. I got through it so fast because it just sucks you in. The only book of hers that was hard for me to get through was Vanishing Acts but when I gave it a second try, it sucked me in too. Handle with Care is the story of six year old Willow, who was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or what you may know as the brittle bone disease. Or if you haven't heard of that, surely you've seen Sam L. Jackson in Unbreakable? Anyway, Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe, Willow's parents, are struggling to make ends meet. Charlotte decides to file a wrongful birth suit, to ensure financial security for Willow for the rest of her life. Of course, drama ensues when you find out who exactly she's suing and so on. I was not happy with Charlotte throughout most of the book but by the end, I understood why she did what she did. I'm not going to include a spoiler, just in case you accidentally lay eyes on the next few lines, but I was not happy with what happens at the end. Still, a beautiful story that I really recommend! What I love about Picoult's books is that you always learn something new from each one. You can tell she challenges herself as a writer and I love that. She's definitely one of my literary heroes.