Stellastarr*

Yes, I'm still alive.

So, Andrew made it back from Hotlanta and gathered up a couple of people to see Stellastarr*. ("My Coco" is a good one.)

Before the show, we went to Artichoke and got some pizza. I bet you can't guess what kind of pizza they are known for...Artichoke, yes! We waited in line for about 30 minutes, it was kinda ridiculous, but once I had my slice, I was okay with the wait. After Artichoke, we jumped in a cab and went over to Off the Wagon to meet more people. Claire, a friend from UT was there. It was nice to see her again.

We skipped the opening bands - The Postmarks and another group. I forgot the name of the venue but it was the perfect size. The acoustics were good and we were able to get pretty close to the stage which was nice. They played a good set and we all had a good time.

Oh, and it turns out that a woman I work with is good friends with the band. Apparently they have Friday night ritual and frequent a bar near my place in the village. I definitely plan to crash the party before I head back to Texas.

Lesson Learned

• Go to more concerts.
  

dw

Reunited And It Feels So Good

My family came to NYC to visit me. Aren't they precious?

They were here for 4.5 days and did just about everything tourist do in the city. We started off by going on a few bus tours and we went ALL over God's creation: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Harlem - you name it, we drove past it. Surprisingly, I learned a lot from the tour guide. For instance, Central Park is completely man made - all of the plants were placed there and the lakes can be drained with the flip of a switch. I think one of the lakes was already there, though.

I think it is important to note that the weather was absolutely beautiful for the duration of their trip. In June, it rained something like 23/30 days. While they were here: nothing but clear skies.

We went to the Apollo Theater in Harlem and saw the memorial wall for Michael Jackson. It was an amazing sight to see. We went down to Chinatown, too. My mom and sister haggled with the vendors as though they were natives and walked away with some nice stuff.

While I was at work, they went to the Museum of Natural History and Central Park. DeMarcus, my brother, was adamant about going to the museum. Christina, my sister, couldn't have cared less. They had a good time, though.

Our final dinner together was spent at P.J. Clarke's on the Hudson. The food was delicious and it was great to sit down with everyone and relive the experiences of the past few days. I'm
glad they made the trip up here. It's always nice to see familiar faces. :)

Lessons Learned:

• I need to explore more of the city
• Family in town = free food (and everything else)
  

dw

Independence Day

I celebrated Independence Day with Taylor and a few of her roommates at Pier 54 on the Hudson. The fireworks didn't start until 9:30 p.m., but everyone knew to get there very early if you wanted a decent spot. We got to the pier around 7:45 p.m. and got a spot close to the water. I made friends with this really nice German lady and Taylor's roomies befriended an older couple whom invited them to meet up for breakfast one day (who says people from New York aren't nice?). The show was good. I didn't like the fact that the building blocked my view a bit and that the wind blew debris into my eyes. It was a fun time, though.

I took a picture so y'all could get a feel for the crowd - it was packed. I love the fact that the woman in the blue shirt and black vest smiled for my picture.



After the fireworks, we went to get something to eat at Pop Burger. The food was pretty good and the music selection wasn't too bad either. As I walked back to my place, I stepped into a store to get some water because I refused to pay $3.75 for a bottle of VitaminWater at Pop Burger. I hear the frantic pleas of a woman as I leave the store:

"Oh no, no, no, no! Please, don't do that! Put it up, put it up, I say!"

I was a little startled and proceeded with caution. I walk by and see a women and 5 kids in a semi circle. In the middle of the group I saw a little boy with his pants around his ankles as he hosed down the sidewalk. People on the street egged him on as his mother rushed to pull his pants up. Oh, kids.

My family is coming into town today; I know I'll have some good stories about their trip. Stay tuned.

Lessons Learned:

• When watching fireworks, stay away from Pier54. Buildings block your view of the show and debris will get into your eyes.
• When you gotta go, you gotta go - just probably not on the sidewalk.

dw

Greg's 25th & FAILED InternBar

A friend of mine, Greg, had his 25th birthday on Thursday night. The party was at a bar in the Lower East Side and drinks were free for most of the night. I met a bunch of financial types and luckily knew just enough about capital markets and hedge funds to fake my way through decent conversation. Oh, and I ran into Alex at the party - he graduated last May and is now living in Chicago. We chatted for a while and you wouldn't believe what he is thinking about doing - joining the Peace Corps. Those of you who know me know that I've considered joining for some time. Anyway, I'll write more about that later.

So...Alex and I said our farewells and headed off to an InternBar party. Now, InternBar parties have been a little hit or miss for me. When they are good, they are awesome and when they aren't good - I'd rather be at home in my bed sleeping (yes, I went to one that was that bad). We get in a cab and make our way to midtown which worked out nicely for Alex because his hotel was only a few blocks away from the venue. We get to the bar around midnight and find the place completely dead. Who pollutes my Facebook inbox with reminders about a party that ends before midnight? Pathetic.

The night got better when starving Alex went into a store and tried to buy a box of granola bars. The exchange between Alex and the cashier went a little something like this:

Cashier: "Is this all?"
Alex: "Yea, just this box of granola bars."
Cashier: "That will be $7.38."
Alex (looking as though someone had just set his left hand on fire): "I'm sorry, how much? There is no way that costs $7.38."
Cashier: "Yes."
Alex: "Oh, well, never mind then."

Lessons Learned:

• Fake it 'til it comes. Know enough about varied subjects to speak to anyone about something remotely interesting.
• InternBar = epic FAIL! (sometimes)
• NYC is expensive - deal with it. Although, $7+ for a box of granola bars is out of control

dw