hangin' tough

So, my mom and I re-lived our teeny bopper days at the New Kids on the Block concert last night at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, and let me tell you, we had an amazing time. We stood up the entire time, screaming, singing and dancing to their hits from the 90s, and songs from their newest cd, The Block. We had great seats, dead center in the third row of the first tier behind the orchestra. These seats were great for the entire show, but especially for when the guys sang their song "Single" from little platforms in the middle of the audience. Joey McIntyre stood on this center platform literally one seat away from me. I felt like I was 14 years old again. We all screamed and sang, and I even held his hand for a few seconds. We definitely had a moment. Be jealous.


Overall, they sounded fabulous, danced great and put on such a fun, energetic show. When the audience is singing and dancing to your new songs just as much, if not more, than your hits from the past, that's when you know you've made a real come back. And that's just what they've done.

Check out the video that I took below of the famous "Hangin' Tough." The sound quality isn't great, but the energy of the guys, as well as the audience, was amazing, even after being on stage for almost two hours. NKTOB forever!!

reflections, part 1

One year ago today I was anxiously arriving at JFK, clueless as to what the next 11 days would bring. One year ago today I was checking in, getting my boarding pass and passing through security, unaware of how this trip would affect me. One year ago today I was meeting new friends and reconnecting with old ones, not knowing that the bonds I would form with these people would be life long. One year ago today I was experiencing every emotion possible all at once; a feeling that would stick with me throughout the weeks ahead. One year ago today I was not the same person I am right now.

One year ago today I was on El Al flight number LY022 with the Mayanot 41 Taglit-Birthright group my way to Israel for the very first time, and I was about to embark on a journey that would change my life forever.

my first time (at citi field)

This weekend I went to my very first game at Citi Field, home of my New York Mets. I know what you're thinking. "She calls herself a fan? And she hasn't been to Citi until May 30th?" And yes, I admit it was very late in the season to be going to my first game, but that's just the way it goes sometimes. The problem isn't a lack of desire to go on my part, but rather a lack of someone else to go with. But this weekend, I had a taker - my dad!

All I can say about Citi Field is "amazing." I had a smile plastered on my face as we walked around field level, seeing everything from brick oven pizza vendors to the famous Shake Shack. I loved the open feel of the space - we were inside the stadium, but there was a breeze and sunlight pouring in. The view from even the seats furthest from the field were amazing, and I could imagine the view from just about anywhere in the stadium being great. Our seats were in section 130 - field level just before the left field reserved seats. We only couldn't see one little corner of left field, and had to turn our heads to see the diamond, but overall they were great seats. As 1:30 p.m. rolled in, so did the shade, which gave us some relief from the hot sun baking us since 12:30 p.m. when we sat down. It was a tough day for Mets baseball - no Wright, no Reyes, no Sheffield. And let's face it - we got creamed. But overall, it was a great first-time-at-the-new-ballpark experience, and I can't wait to go back.

I do have a few questions/complaints that I've seen/heard around the Mets blog community before: What is with "Sweet Caroline" and why no "Meet the Mets?" Singing "Sweet Caroline" I can deal with, but "Meet the Mets" is a Mets game staple and I felt lost without it. Is this any every game kind of thing? Or are they just playing it certain games? What's the deal?

can't contain the excitement

My personal blogging has taken a serious backseat to: a) personal tweeting, b) blogging for work and c) tweeting for work. I am just in social networking technology overdrive. And I have to admit, I like it. It's exciting getting e-mails that random companies and organizations are "following" me or my office. It's fun seeing who is "re-tweeting" or replying to my tweets. I'm really enjoying learning all the ins and outs of these new sites and tools. Honestly, it's one of the most exciting things going on in my life right now...sadly.

Actually, that's a lie. I finally booked my trip to Puerto Rico to see Vic, which is incredibly exciting, and scary all at the same time. My first reaction is definite excitement, and then I remember I have to fly there and back alone - something I've never done before. Scary. I'm really glad I'm doing it though. I need it. I need to go see Vic, since I haven't seen her since late February. I need to have a nice, relaxing, fun vacation. I need to escape my life for a little while. And I need to take the trip alone for the experience, and to know I can do it.

The trip isn't for a few months, but we're already planning for it. My reflectively white skin might actually melt off, but I'll just have to deal with that and bring lots of SPF 70. I'm going for 8 full days (and 2 half days - getting there Thursday evening; leaving the next Saturday afternoon). Vic will be at work for some of those days, but I'll be a good wifey and have a hot meal waiting for her when she gets home. I plan on doing a fair amount of cooking and baking while there - we'll see if that actually happens. The days Vic is home will be spent on the beach, with her roomates and friends, going out in San Juan, shopping, etc. It's going to be a lot of fun, I'm sure, and I really can't wait. It can't come soon enough.

tweet tweet

Well, I've done it. I've joined the twitter bandwagon. I have to admit I was hesitant at first. I didn't understand it. I didn't see what all the fuss was about. I didn't want to be a part of it. But I caved a few days ago, and decided to join the masses in the twitter revolution. I have to admit it; I am hooked.

Being someone who watches a lot of TV and has an odd obsession with knowing about other people's lives, twitter is right up my alley. I am currently "following" John Mayer, Miley Cyrus, Oprah, The Mets and others. Whether it's actually them who are "tweeting," or an assistant, or some fake person posing as them, I don't know. But it's fun to know what these people are doing on a day-to-day basis. It humanizes them, and I like that. It's also sort of creepy reading about the daily activities of these people who don't know you at all. It's slightly like spying, but I guess they know what they are broadcasting to the twitter community, so it's not such a violation.

Of course, I'm also following people I actually know, and even have a few followers myself. If you want to hear about my thrilling life, follow me at http://twitter.com/acurleegirl.

take me out to the ball game...

Baseball season is underway! If you didn't know, this makes me very, very happy. Baseball is summer. It's a roast beef sandwich and carvel ice cream in a mini helmet. It's the Mets. And this year it's a whole new ballgame (pun intended.) We have a brand new stadium. And definitely a brand new attitude. This is our season. (Yes, I am taking ownership of the Mets as my team.)

We've started off strong, even with a minor setback this afternoon. And Monday is opening day at Citi Field. I'm really excited, and even though I won't be there, I'll be watching...and most likely yelling at the TV.

I didn't get season tickets, mainly because I don't really have anyone to go to games with on a steady basis, and also because the packages were mighty expensive. But I really want to go to a bunch of games this season, and test out lots of different seats in the new stadium. At Shea, I knew where I liked to sit in a reasonable price range. I was comfortable there. I knew where to park, where to go. I belonged. Citi Field is unfamiliar territory. I don't know where I prefer to sit. I don't know what food to get. I don't know the best place to park. I definitely need to explore. In fact, I can't wait to explore.

So, who wants to go to some games with me this summer?

round up

So my birthday came and went. Life has become one blur of events to another. My birthday was indeed a wonderful celebration, bringing together friends from home and work (and missing friends from college). I had a night filled with intense laughter, due in part to my bubbly, crazy, wonderful friend Makenna, who constantly brings joy and fun to any situation simply with her presence. The next night was an absolutely delicious dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Mim's, with my family. And of course, the birthday weekend ended my favorite way - with ice cream cake. Yum.

Since then, work has been incredibly busy, which I am actually quite thankful for. With the economy in such ruins right now, and with businesses and jobs suffering, I am glad to be busy at work. I am glad we're holding up pretty well. And I am glad to feel fairly safe and secure.

Last night I headed into the city with my friend from work, Kim, and her husband, Steve. We met Makenna and a bunch of her friends at Butter, a very trendy restaurant in the Village, for Makenna's birthday. We had a lot of fun, as always, and ate for hours. Tomorrow is Makenna's actual birthday, so I baked her lemon poppy seed cookies, since she absolutely loves lemon poppy seed cake. They came out really well, so I hope she likes them! I really love baking. This upcoming Fall, I'm considering taking a 10-week baking and pastry arts course at the Culinary Academy of Long Island. It's a continuing education course held on 10 Saturdays for six hours each. Even though I already know a lot about baking, I think it would be really great to learn all the fundamentals and get a chance to really learn how to bake all types of desserts from cookies to cakes to breads. It's a lot of hours spent baking and costs a considerable amount of money, so we'll see how I feel about it after the summer.

This upcoming week includes a really big event for me at work, so it's going to be a bit hectic, but exciting. It's one of my favorite annual events, as well as one of the most stressful, so I'll be both happy and sad when it's over. Wish me luck!