The Almost Perfect Phone...

I love my iPhone. Like, really can't imagine life without it now. I can admit this because I know most people who have the iPhone feel the same way. It is totally addictive and I will never be able to go back to a standard cell phone.

It really does everything; I have work email, personal email, music, Facebook, Betty Crocker recipes, GPS, the Internet....plus all the apps I could get but haven't discovered yet.

But then, I found a flaw. And my Blackberry loyal friends were happy to know that the iPhone is the nearly perfect phone, not 100% perfect.

The only thing that makes it slightly less than perfect is that you can't wear gloves and operate the touch screen. So, phone use in the winter is either limited to indoors or freezing hands.

I can't live without using the phone in the winter, and I'm always walking around trying to do things on it. A half-way solution is what JCrew annoying calls a "glitten": gloves with the mitten fold over piece so that when using the phone, only the tips of the fingers get freezing cold.

My glittens (I cringe when using the cheesy name, but don't know what else to call them) have allowed me to call people, send emails and texts, switch songs and check maps in the freezing Northeast winter. Thank goodness, though I am surprised there isn't an app or an accessory to help enable glove use on the touch screen, surely others have faced this challenge.

Once I upgraded to the glittens in December, I was much happier because I had my phone use back. Now, if only winter would go away and I could put the glittens away, I'd be an even happier camper!

Blog: 19 - Gym: 2

Part of my goals for 2009 were to keep this blog and go to the gym more.

The above score is the awful truth; I like blogging a lot more than I like going to the gym. 19 posts since 12/31/08 (this makes 20!) and only 2 trips to the gym.

But in my defense, I am not a total couch potato; I walk 0.9 miles (or so says Google maps) each way to and from work and play tennis every Monday night. It is just hard to motivate myself to go to the gym, by myself, to work out.

I had fun last night when I went, so I am going to really hold myself to going more often. But no worries, the blogging will not slow down even if the gym going picks up.

Fightin' a Cold

Whenever I have a cold, I turn to the Christovich Family remedy. I'm sure part of it is placebo effect because it is what my parents gave us when we were little and sick so there is a definite comfort level, but I also think it really helps the body.

The official remedy is drinking orange juice with sprite or 7Up, mixed together. The vitamin C of the OJ is definitely a cold buster and it keeps you hydrated when you need it most. It kind of tastes like Orangina (the european soda), but definitely not like orange soda like Fanta.

My dad used to make this all the time for himself or us when we were stuffy and congested. And I'm a fan now when I'm sick, I've even bought the ingredients at work to mix at my desk to help me feel better.

I also remember when someone else in the house was sick, occasionally getting to have the second half of the soda left in the fridge. This is back when we used to get to split sodas like on the weekend as a special treat. I wish more parents did that with their kids now, Americans really drink too many soft drinks.

But this weekend, the cold I've felt coming on finally hit me, so I stocked up on OJ and 7Up. I swear it works because I'm feeling a lot better than I did yesterday, though the mucinex and extra sleep probably also helped. :)

I love Vermont (Part 2)

So I misunderstood the snapfish fees for downloading, I just got 7 hi res jpegs for $0.50. I can afford that, and I understand the need to make it a business.

So here is the second part of skiing! This shot shows my hesitation but also the intense level of concentration on the slopes. It was also taken on the first day of skiing, my first trip down the mountain after ski school after I'd already fallen because I couldn't slow down. Just trying to defend myself against the lameness of my action shot.

Whenever I told people I was learning to ski, they said all you have to remember is Pizza/Fries. Because you make a pizza wedge with your skis to slow down/stop when you are first learning and then you should ski and turn like fries (skis parallel). I actually didn't really ski a lot in the fry position, but I did okay with the pizza.

Here's the whole group at the end of skiing on Sunday, it was a successful trip; everyone skied about as much as they wanted and the only injury we had out of the 5 of us was Kate's bruised toe because she had one boot that was too small on Saturday. And that mountain behind us in the picture; I skiied down it multiple times! For a long time, I thought I didn't want to ski. For the most part, I was too scared and thought having already had knee surgery, it wasn't the sport for me. But when your friends all ski and want to plan a trip, you either try something new or miss out on the fun. I am really glad I tried it and will try to get better. I don't think I'll ever become a serious skier aiming for double black diamond trails, but I'll be on the 2nd Annual Killington trip next year. And I have great friends who let me move at my super slow ski pace and helped me learn.

Snapfish isn't free....

Snapfish doesn't let you save other people's pictures from their site for free now. I'm pretty bummed, it was a good way to share and then order what you wanted or save the ones you like to use for Facebook, blogs, etc.

So, I need to figure out a good way to get pictures from people without spending $0.25 a pop to save from Snapfish or harassing friends and family constantly to get them emailed. I think Picasa lets you save....but I don't love the interface as much as Snapfish.

Anyone have any other good alternatives?

And once I figure out how to get pictures off of Kodak or Snapfish, I can share some really priceless skiing pictures. :)

When time feels slow

You know how sometimes time feels like it is moving slower than normal? Like when the 5 minutes you wait in line to order food or go to the bathroom feels like forever, because there is nothing to distract you from the waiting.

I used to always think the 1 or 2 minutes waiting for the washer to finish was the worst, because you'd sit there watching it, wondering how 1 min, made up of 60 seconds, could really be dragged out so long. But again, it is because there is nothing to do but sit there and stare at the washer in the laundry room in the basement.

Yesterday I realized when 30 seconds can feel long. When you are showing a new 30 second commercial to your clients. And suddenly, it feels like a very long time because you are waiting for the reaction when it is over. At least watching it is entertaining, but still makes for a long half- minute.

And then on the flip side, I always think it will take forever to unload the dishwasher (and mind you, I can put everything away without taking more than one step in my kitchen) but then I'll put food in the microwave, unload the DW and be amazed that I finished before the food is ready.

Hope reading this post felt quick and refreshing, it probably only took you a minute!

I love Vermont (Part 1)

So there is beautiful Vermont, with fresh snow and sunlight. The ski weekend in Killington was great! A group of five of us drove up Friday and returned Monday. It was so nice to get away out of the city (though we did miss the nearly 60 degree Sunday in Manhattan) and Vermont wasn't too cold, wasn't too stormy and had optimal ski conditions on Saturday.



Skiing was good; I am not a great skier, but considering that I learned Saturday morning in Ski School with the adorable John (adorable because he was probably 60 years old and shared story after story about his successful past students) and was able to ski down real mountains, not the ski school course, both Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday, I'd say it was a success. My biggest problem was that the Ski School course was so easy and mild that I came out of there with a ton of confidence, ready to conquer a mountain.



Part of why I am not a good skier is because I am a scardey cat. I had a couple of moments of panic where I either froze at the top of the mountain or mid-way down. And other times I just let myself go really slow, even when it was perfectly safe to go a little faster. But, I didn't get hurt, I had fun, and I'm interested in skiing again, so I think the fearful approach works okay for now. Next year, I will have to push myself a little harder.

This is the condo we rented for the weekend. It was a one-bedroom, one bath with 5 women staying in it. It was a bit cozy, I was sleeping on an air mattress in the kitchen, but the price was right and there was a free shuttle to skiing and a free shuttle to the bars and restaurants and a gas fireplace for the heater. What more could some city girls ask for?

Everywhere we went, people were so nice and helpful. I don't know if I've been jaded by New York and people's attitudes here or if Vermont is just filled with wonderful people; either way, I felt like everyone wanted us to be at their restaurant, on their bus, next to them at the bar, etc. But it felt like the world's smallest town; we saw the same people in various places, so you had to be nice to everyone, because you never knew when they'd show up again.

I love Vermont Part 2 posting will have action shots of me skiing and a couple of more stories about adventures on the slopes!

Schwoop Schwoop Schwoop

Schwoop is the sound of skiing, according to Rachel in season one of Friends...you know, where she saves all her tip money (plus what the friends chip in) to go skiing her first Thanksgiving in New York.

Anyway, I am off for a ski weekend; first time ever, so hopefully I'll be able to schwoop. Details post trip for sure!

The obsession continues!

So the famous dip that I've continued to rave about since I tried it in December had a big weekend this past weekend. I know that it was served for at least 5 Superbowl parties, including my own.


And I've heard, there was some dip envy.


You know, people bring their famous dip that everyone loves and usually the first one gone to the party, then this year, the Buffalo dip became the favorite and was eaten fastest. It is really just so tasty, and of course, better when it is hot and fresh out of the oven.


I do also love that Jenna (one of the five who made it this past weekend) calls it the white trash dip, which is a pretty good name for it, when you think about the ingredients.

My other favorite dip story (and yes, I am truly obsessed, if I have stories about this dip) is that my nephew who is a year and a half licked the pan clean of dip when my sister made it. And she did the full cup of hot sauce. Wow, that kid loves condiments.

Now all I have to do is find another occasion or sporting event to make the dip, or cut down the recipe and make an individual portion for dinner some night.

PS- I think the link at the top on "dip" should link back to my prior post...if it doesn't, I tried and will hopefully figure out how to link correctly in the future.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

I went to see Confessions of a Shopaholic tonight in a preview screening courtesy of Daily Candy. I have known about this movie for a while and didn't plan to see it in the theater because I felt it wouldn't be worth the $12.50 to see a movie in NYC. [and yes, that is really how much it is....insane!] But at the chance to see it free, and prior to the release, I was there.

I am a longtime fan of the adventures of the Shopaholic, AKA Becky Bloomwood. The original book, Confessions of a Shopaholic is so funny and cute, I've re-read it a few times and will re-read it now that it is top of mind with the movie out. The character is likable even though she has one crazy scheme after another up her sleeve. The franchise expanded, and I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I've read them all. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan was equally as good as Confessions, then Shopaholic Ties the Knot was pretty silly but still cute, Shopaholic and her Sister was AWFUL, but dear Sophia Kinsella brought back some of the lovable Becky in Shopaholic Has a Baby. Anyway, I digress....the movie:

The movie was cute and entertaining, though occasionally a little dumb. The story was different from the books but kept the likability of quirky Becky. She is a financial journalist who is being hounded by debt collectors because she is a total shopaholic, on credit cards no less. Part of me had a hard time watching her swim in debt and be so into designer wear when the economy is so not funny right now. But at the same time, we all can relate to temptation and she didn't really come off as greedy. There were some character developments missing; like Becky's unfashionable yet apparently independently wealthy roommate. I happen to know her back story from the books, but if you watched the movie, you'd be confused as to what Suze does/is. And it's too bad because she is a great character in the books and is very 1 dimensional in the movie.

If you are in need of an entertaining chick flick, I recommend seeing. If you are saving your money for a new pair of boots without worrying about the debt collectors, I say wait to rent. :) But you will laugh and smile for sure.

The Story of My Life

I can pretty much guarantee that anytime I am making a specific recipe or buying groceries that will deter from the usual standards, I have to go to two grocery stores. One never has all the ingredients I need/want.

Now, to clarify, I am not usually looking for anything out of the ordinary that you would think would require a special trip to say, a specialty store. Instead, it is the opposite. I can buy the most random things at my main grocery, such as matzo ball soup in a can, Stromboli, mallow mars, chicken sausage, parsnips....the list goes on of things I wouldn't normally look for at the grocery store. But when I'm looking for things like spice cake mix, green tea, frozen bread dough....never at the store I'm at.

This weekend, I was buying all the food for my Superbowl party. I was hosting and was making the bulk of the food, so I needed ingredients for Turtle brownies, Chili, Buffalo Chicken Dip, and Veggies and dip. Nothing too crazy. Guess what I had to go to the second store for...diced chilies in a can for the chili. There is a very small Mexican food section in every grocery store near my apt. (nicely located next to the Jewish section, I must note) and my main store normally has the chilies. But this time, no luck.

Anyway, it just baffles me that literally every time I have a specific list for the store, I either have to substitute or eliminate something or make a second stop. Or, like this past weekend, sometimes the store doesn't have a product it normally carries.

Apologies for the grocery gripe, but at least I can laugh at it. :)

TLC has been MIA

Apologies for the lack of posts. Obviously, I know a blog is more fun if you update it...but I had a lot going on. So, I'm back on track.

To pick up where I left off, driving while in CA for work got easier though I did get lost a couple of times. I was there for a print shoot and a TV shoot and they both went really well. I was glad that we had no unexpected changes, catastrophes, crisis' or anything else that would add stress to the trip. The new commercial (one of three we shot) should be on air w/o 2/23 assuming there are no hiccups along the way in production. We stayed in a nice hotel but worked a lot; 12 hour days most days.

While in LA, I saw a few stars. We were at the Four Seasons watching the Screen Actor Guild Awards, which was on a 3 hour delay from the actual event, so as we were leaving we saw Tracy Morgan show up, award in hand. Also saw Mickey Rourke and Evan Rachel Wood getting out of a limo together. I also had Tina Fey and some other 30 Rock writers on my flight back. Very cool to see them and to see the SAG statue award up close.

And I've been back in NY for a week, still need to do my laundry, but I have groceries and crock pot leftovers, have caught up on about half of my TV shows from the DVR, and am all caught up at work, which is how I now have time to blog.