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Don't Postpone Joy

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If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.
-Anonymous

Those that know me, know that for years I’ve fantasized about owning a Toyota Tacoma. I guess that’s just the cowgirl in me. 😉 Two cars ago, I wanted to get my truck, but talked myself out of it, thinking – “But I plan on having a baby soon, and I can’t transport a baby in a truck!” That was seven years ago and I still haven’t gotten around to having that baby, lol.

Two years ago when my Geo Prizm broke down in the desert, once again I wanted to buy a truck… But unfortunately at that juncture, circumstances didn’t provide me with the time to really shop around, so I went the practical route and got a Corolla. Not that I regret buying the Corolla–that car got me across the country and back, the perfect road trip vehicle. But it wasn’t my dream car.

Baby time is once again approaching, but I find that my desire to be a truck owner has not waned in the slightest. Last Friday, I went to the mall to pick up a few items for Faby’s Bachelorette party, and they were having this huge car sale in the mall parking lot. I ended up strolling through the lot, not intending to buy a car, but curious about how much I could get for mine as a trade-in. Then, halfway down the aisle, I see her. My dream Tacoma. Nice, clean, extended cab, A/C, power windows, power locks, CD, and most importantly, a CASSETTE deck (LOL). And after a couple of hours of deliberations, I said, screw it, I want my dream truck. I deserve my dream truck. So I went ahead and bought my dream truck.

I LOVE my truck! It makes me so happy, every time I walk out the front door and see her sitting there. Yes, some will accuse me of being rather impulsive, but I’m promoting this new life attitude — Don’t Postpone Joy. Too often, we defer our dreams because we ”don’t have time” or “can’t afford it”. But the fact of the matter is, if you want something bad enough, you find a way. There is always a way. I’m tired of waiting for things to be “just right” to start living my dream life. I’m going to CREATE my dream life as I go along. I encourage each and every one of you to do the same. Life is short, people, Don’t Postpone Joy!!!

Uncategorized

Don’t Postpone Joy

2 Comments

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.
-Anonymous

Those that know me, know that for years I’ve fantasized about owning a Toyota Tacoma. I guess that’s just the cowgirl in me. 😉 Two cars ago, I wanted to get my truck, but talked myself out of it, thinking – “But I plan on having a baby soon, and I can’t transport a baby in a truck!” That was seven years ago and I still haven’t gotten around to having that baby, lol.

Two years ago when my Geo Prizm broke down in the desert, once again I wanted to buy a truck… But unfortunately at that juncture, circumstances didn’t provide me with the time to really shop around, so I went the practical route and got a Corolla. Not that I regret buying the Corolla–that car got me across the country and back, the perfect road trip vehicle. But it wasn’t my dream car.

Baby time is once again approaching, but I find that my desire to be a truck owner has not waned in the slightest. Last Friday, I went to the mall to pick up a few items for Faby’s Bachelorette party, and they were having this huge car sale in the mall parking lot. I ended up strolling through the lot, not intending to buy a car, but curious about how much I could get for mine as a trade-in. Then, halfway down the aisle, I see her. My dream Tacoma. Nice, clean, extended cab, A/C, power windows, power locks, CD, and most importantly, a CASSETTE deck (LOL). And after a couple of hours of deliberations, I said, screw it, I want my dream truck. I deserve my dream truck. So I went ahead and bought my dream truck.

I LOVE my truck! It makes me so happy, every time I walk out the front door and see her sitting there. Yes, some will accuse me of being rather impulsive, but I’m promoting this new life attitude — Don’t Postpone Joy. Too often, we defer our dreams because we ”don’t have time” or “can’t afford it”. But the fact of the matter is, if you want something bad enough, you find a way. There is always a way. I’m tired of waiting for things to be “just right” to start living my dream life. I’m going to CREATE my dream life as I go along. I encourage each and every one of you to do the same. Life is short, people, Don’t Postpone Joy!!!

Travel

Big Bear, CA

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So James had a birthday recently, and to celebrate, we headed to the mountains for a romantic weekend in Big Bear. I’d never been there before, but Big Bear is basically Southern California’s version of Lake Tahoe. The quaint little town wraps around the edges of a gorgeous mountain lake, about two hours east of Los Angeles. In the winter, Big Bear is where Angelinos go to hit the slopes and get their ski/snowboard on, while in the summer, people head up to the lake for boating and hiking. If you’re a fan of outdoor recreation, Big Bear definitely has something for everyone.

We stayed in a jacuzzi cabin at the Pine Knot Guest Ranch, which I highly recommend. The accommodations were spacious, clean, affordable, centrally located, with fantastic amenities. I loved our little cabin, which had a full kitchen so we could shop and do our own cooking. Direct TV, VCR, DVD Player, skylights, jacuzzi. Not to mention the cabin was in the middle of the forest, so we could hear no noise but the sounds of nature. A little slice of heaven.

Thanks to the excellent recommendations from Gloria at the front desk, we ate some really incredible food while in Big Bear. Birthday dinner was at the Peppercorn Grille, which was one of the best meals I’ve had in a loooong time. I highly recommend it. We also ate at Jasper’s Smokehouse, which served up BBQ, soul food, and burgers with huge portions (yum!). And breakfast at the local haunt, the Grizzly Manor Cafe, where the portions, once again, were HUGE. I just love good food!

We also took two really awesome hikes while in Big Bear. The Alpine Pedal path is a very easy hike along the lake, about 3.5 miles long. We hiked it after breakfast one morning, and it was lovely. Then later that afternoon we tackled the more strenuous Cougar Crest trail, which was about 7 miles round trip, to the top of Bertha’s Peak, which provided a breathtaking 360 degree panaromic view of the lake and surrounding areas. Man, what a hike. There were definitely moments where I was breathless and winded and wondering if I was gonna make it, but when we finally got to the top, it was so worth it. I just love being out in nature…

All in all, Big Bear provides the perfect mountain escape for those who want to get out of the city, and for romance, it just can’t be beat. 🙂 If you’re looking for something to do in SoCal to appease your inner nature-lover, this is the spot. I can’t wait to experience Big Bear in the wintertime!

More pictures on Flickr!

Astrology

Happy Eclipse Day!

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Well, for those of you that have been following my astrological ramblings, today is a Lunar Eclipse in Virgo/Pisces… What does that mean? It means that things around us are changing… Life stages are ending… Shit is hitting the proverbial fan… It can be good change, or challenging change, but change, around Eclipse time, is pretty much inevitable. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at what’s going on in the lives of those around you. I bet you’ll see a lot of drama, and, say it with me now, Change.

Susan Miller at AstrologyZone wrote a great article on what to expect during Eclipse time. I recommend that everyone read it – you may find it rather enlightening. Virgo and Pisces will be feeling it the most (note to self: call Corey), but from what I’ve read, bumps can expected for all signs. The focus of a lunar eclipse is on endings, so they tend to be a bit more emotional than the solar eclipses (which signify new beginnings). Things and people may pass out of your life as you get ready to move on to the next stage. My advice — let them go. You have to trust that something better is coming to fill that space.

There is definitely a lot of change going on in my life right now. Lots of good stuff, thankfully, and lots of clarity. And fun. I try to be thankful every day for the amazing life I’ve been blessed with, and the wonderful people who dot the landscape of my world. It’s times like these where you find out who your friends are. And I gotta say, the collection of people in my corner are pretty damn awesome 🙂

The Solar Eclipse in Virgo is due on September 11th, and no word yet on if it’s a good one or a challenging one, but it will be paving the way for new beginnings, which I always feel is a good thing. Anyways, I hope everyone has an alright time of it during this cosmic storm… Just remember–if you find yourself struggling, just trust that you are being moved to a better place… It may not seem like it at the time, but it’s true 🙂

McGraw, Travel

Soul2Soul Summer ~ 2007

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Well, Soul2Soul Summer #3 has officially come and gone, lol. As most of you know, I’m pretty much obsessed with Tim McGraw, LOL, and when he hits the road, you can bet I am not far behind. This time, due to finances and a decision to use my summer vacation time a little differently ;-), I had a very scaled back tour — only three shows, and mostly local. But it was still the BEST time, and I have many wonderful adventures (and pictures), to show for it.

My first show was in San Diego on August 2nd, and I was lucky enough to be selected for the backstage pre-party before the show. This is an opportunity for fans to see Tim and Faith up close and personal in a more intimate venue, and even ask them a few questions. Though it was wicked hot backstage, it was still a cool enough experience. The friend I made in line snapped this pic of me with me and “The Man” 🙂

The show itself was Awesome. I think the setlist for this year’s was waaaay better than last year’s tour, and I especially enjoyed having “She’s My Kind of Rain”, “Everywhere”, and “For a Little While” back in the show, instead of “Angel Boy” and “Unbroken”, which I’ve never really cared for. “The River and Me” was also a much appreciated new addition, as that song just freaking ROCKS live. Faith also put “Stronger” in her set, which I think is one of her best songs ever. Why it was never released as a single, I will never understand. She also covered ABBA’s “The Winner Takes it All” which was awesome, and the most visually stunning piece of her set with the monster disco balls casting stars all over the arena. And the two of them opened the show with an amazing cover of Snow Patrol’s “Chasing Cars”, which I just could not get enough of… I swear, the lines “If I lay here… If I just lay here…” have been in my head for weeks, LOL.

The following day I headed out to VEGAS (again) to see the show (again) and meet up with my McGrawGirls. For me, after all these years of touring, the best part of the tour season isn’t even seeing Tim and Faith anymore, to be quite honest. What I really look forward to is meeting up with all my Girls, friends I’ve met on the Board at mcgraws.com, and catching up. Last year we had some massive McMeets in Dallas, Nashville, and Vegas, where we did some major bonding and major partying. Couldn’t wait to see everyone again!

My sidekick for the weekend was Jen, who flew in from Colorado for the event. The last time I’d seen Jen was in 2003 when we spent 7 hours on a sidewalk together outside the Whiskey in West Hollywood waiting to get into a Bread and Water show, lol. But it was like no time had passed at all, and I picked her up from the airport and we headed immediately to the Luxor Buffet (YUM!) to stuff ourselves and catch up on lost time. 🙂 Spent the rest of the night conserving our energy (we were both coming of sleepless nights the night before) and donating to the casino, lol, and more girl talk. God how I love Girl Talk!

The next day, we had a grubbin’ breakfast at the Sherwood Cafe, then laid out by the Excalibur pool before hitting up the spa. A lovely morning of girlie pampering, and oh so relaxing… It actually felt like a real vacation! Then I picked Iris and Karen up from the airport, and we met up with Wendy and Michelle for dinner at the Excalibur Buffet 🙂 More chatting, laughing and catching up. The start of what would turn out to be an amazing evening…

After dinner we headed over to the MGM, which is where the show was taking place. Randomly we wandered into a ballroom right outside the Garden Arena entrance, where Halfway to Hazard was just finishing up a set. Halfway to Hazard is an up and coming duo that has been opening up the Soul2Soul tour all summer. Their debut album just came out on Tim’s new record label, and it’s pretty good! Anyway, the boys were kind enough to pose for some pictures with us 🙂

I love meeting famous people 🙂

Since we had some time to kill before the show started, Jen and I decided to go get a drink and do a little gambling. So we found a cute little lounge near the casino, put some money into the video poker machines, ordered our free drinks, and got to gambling. This time we actually WON some money (Yay!), which put us in a super good mood! But gotta finish those drinks cause we got a concert to see!!!

The show was awesome, of course. Faith had gotten sick in San Diego, so they had to cut the show short and I missed out on all the closing duets. But I got to see them in VEGAS and it was amazing. They sang “Shotgun Rider”, “It’s Your Love”, a rocking rendition of Bryan Adams’ “It’s Only Love”, before closing the show with “I Need You”. The chemistry and love these two have between them after eleven years of marriage is totally inspirational. The two of them on stage together is just magic, and even after all these years, it never fails to bring tears to my eyes…

After the show, everyone made their way to the designated meeting spot for a massive Vegas McMeet!

Can you believe we all met on the INTERNET over the course of the past seven years?!?!. I can’t even tell you how many life-long best friendships have been born on mcgraws.com, but it is a really special thing. The common ground we share in our obsessions with Tim and Faith has provided the foundation for something very real to develop, and I love each and every one of these ladies with all my McHeart!

After the group picture extravaganza, we all went our separate ways, some needing to eat, others needing to rest their feet. Jen and I headed over to the Ghost Bar at the Palms Casino to meet up with Wendy, Michelle, Danna, Kristin, and Belly to drink and party the night away. Okay, the Ghost Bar is now officially my FAVORITE club/bar in Vegas. It’s on the roof of the Palms Casino, off the strip, and has the most amazing view of the City. And the bartenders make the strongest freakin’ drinks! We had the best time hanging out, getting our drink on, chatting and laughing and fighting off boys, LOL. Jen and I literally stayed til they closed the place down, and didn’t get back to the room until 6am… I’m telling you, you’re not experiencing Vegas unless you’re coming home when the sun comes up 🙂

Now driving back to San Diego on 5 hours sleep, with a hangover, was no fun, but it was worth every moment of day-after discomfort. We had the best time!!! I mean, I had just done Vegas a few weeks before with the Casher Men, but this time, with my Girls, it was just waaaaaay more my kinda party. The most fun I’ve had in a really long time. (Jen, I just gotta send you a very special shout-out for being the most awesome travel partner — having you to run around with made everything 20 times more fun! “Get out of my head!!!” LOL We definitely have to do that again soon, xoxo 🙂

Closed the tour a week later in Anaheim… The last show of the tour is always kinda sad, but I take comfort in the fact that I have many memories (and pictures and video 😉 that will allow me to re-live Soul2Soul3 for years to come… Once again, thanks to all my Girls for to laughs and good times, and you can bet I’ll be seeing you next tour!

Full Set of Pics in the Soul2Soul Flickr Album

Travel

Cross Country Tour Revisited…

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It’s hard to believe that this time last year, I was making my way through the Deep South in my trusty Toyota, almost halfway through my life-changing cross-country road trip. Time really does fly, doesn’t it?

Naturally, I’ve been nostalgic for the freedom of last summer. The movement, the changing landscapes, the conquering of uncharted territory… Where every day was an adventure, and I was liberated from any and all obligations… I have never felt more alive than I did when I was on the road, but as much as I’d love to roam aimlessly channelling my inner gypsy, lol, driving across the country again is not the practical and responsible thing to do right now. Next summer, absolutely. 😉 But for now, my ass needs to stay closer to home. Give the car a rest. Spend time with my cats and my Frover. Save money. Man, reality sure does suck sometimes.

But even though I can’t hit the road and head for Destin or the Tetons, I can still revisit the journey in my mind, engage the memories… Live vicariously through myself, LOL. We begin at the beginning. The first leg of my trip took me from California, through the Southwest, en route to Dallas for the Black Writers Conference. For most of this leg, I had The Poet with me, and he was an awesome travelling companion. Definitely a catalyst for many of the changes that occurred. If nothing else, we sure knew how to inspire each other…

Greetings from LA!
Sedona, Part 1
Sedona, Part 2
The Grand Canyon and Beyond
Utah and Colorado
Work Hard, Play Harder (Dallas)
Downtime in Austin
You Can Find Me in the Club (Houston)
McFriends and McGraws (Dallas Again)

It was during the second leg of my trip that I first started to notice the “change.” Somewhere between Sedona and Savannah, there was a profound shift within me. I turned into a completely different person, fully embracing fearlessness and spontaneity for the first time in my life. It was so liberating! I can’t even describe the sense of accomplishment I felt when I arrived at Jacksonville Beach in Florida and immersed myself in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Officially Coast to Coast! Solo Diva Style! And having the time of my life along the way…

I Love the South!
Destined for Destin
Coast to Coast Baby!!!
The Inevitable Crash (Atlanta)
Soul2Soul Summer Rolls On (Nashville)
Chicago, Illinois

Well the third leg of my trip was definitely the most drama-filled, lol. It’s funny how I managed to make it through 15 states by myself and without incident, and then in the home stretch, everything that can go wrong–does. Meg was convinced the bad luck was due to a dreamcatcher I picked up in South Dakota… Sure enough when we took it down in Montana, the bad luck disappeared. But near arrests, flat tires, and roadkill aside, I managed to make it through it all, and home, with my sense of humor intact. And tons of stories for the book 🙂 It was all part of the grand adventure…

Busted in South Dakota
Grand Tetons Nat’l Park, Wyoming
Ride It Til the Rims Fall Off (Montana)
Safe and Sound in Washington State
North Cascades and Vancouver, British Columbia
God Bless the Pacific Northwest
There’s No Place Like Home…

Now that I have some distance from the trip, I can say with certainty that this adventure has been one of the highlights of my life, thus far. I learned so much about myself on the road, and so much about this vast, beautiful country we live in. I want to encourage (and inspire) each and every one of you to make an effort to get out and see some of it. Seize the day, there’s no time like the present. It’s amazing how much a change of scenery can alter your perspective–possibly forever…

More Pics from the Cross Country Tour…

Family

What happens in Vegas…


Just a quickie to post the link to the pics from my latest adventure… The Casher Men (and one Casher Woman) converged in Sin City this past weekend for some good ole fashioned family bonding… Got to help Cousin Doug and Derrick lose their Vegas Virginity, and good times (and very little sleep) were had by all 🙂

Casher Fam in VEGAS

Astrology

Mercury Retrograde, 6/15-7/9

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I’m sorry to have to report that another Mercury Retrograde is upon us. I know, I know, it feels like Mercury was just retrograde, lol. And technically, it was. Unfortunately for us, Mercury goes Retrograde once every three months, for about three weeks. This one is set to last through July 9th. Things will probably be a bit hectic and frustrating for the next few weeks. Just take a deep breath and blame it on the Retrograde…

Those of you that know what I’m talking about, know what I’m talking about. Mercury retrograde tends to cause malfunctions and miscommunications of epic proportions. All things that fall under Mercury’s rule (communication, transportation, travel, technology/electronics) start to short-circuit and break down. Computers crash, car trouble, we lose things, miss our plane/train/bus, have terrible arguments with our loved ones — feel free to blame it all on Mercury Retrograde. Don’t make any major decisions or purchases while Mercury is Retro — when it goes direct, chances are you will second-guess your decision. Information is just too garbled right now. They say the amount of time Mercury spends in retrograde motion corresponds to the amount of time human beings spend asleep. Mercury Retro FORCES us to slow down, even though we’re socialized to “go go go, faster faster.” The best use of a retrograde period is to sync up with the energies… Draw inward, engage in introspection. This is not the time to barrel forward with new initiations, but rather to Review, Reflect, Refine, Reorganize, Reevaluate, etc. In general, anything with a “re” at the beginning of it is a suitable Retrograde activity.

I had almost forgotten about Mercury Retrograde this month, not really feeling it at all, until it hit me this week full force. Man do I want to punch someone. Came into work on Monday morning, after a GREAT weekend, to the rudest and most condescending email I’ve ever received in my life. You know those emails where you’re reading through, and all you can think to yourself is “WTF???” My first instinct was to write back and tell that person precisely where to go, but then I counted to ten and realized that Mercury is Retrograde, and a war of the words is probably not the best idea right now. So I held my tongue best I could. That’s all we really can do in times like these, cause whatever we try to communicate is probably going to come out all wrong. Actually, most of the people I’ve talked to this week have had some kind of a communication-related meltdown with a loved one, (glad to know I’m not alone ladies!), so I’m trying not to take it personally, but man, I can’t wait til this shit is over and everything goes back to normal.

Thankfully, there is a bright side to the Retrofunk. Mercury also has a way of REuniting and REconnecting you with folks from your past, and this time around, I’ve been blessed with some fabulous reunions and blasts from the past. That part has been really fun, and it continues next weekend with an Old Skool Mateo Reunion at Beresford Park and KC’s return to the Mainland… Yay!

Well, I wish everyone the best of luck getting through Retrograde. It’s never pretty, but if we remember to breathe, we’ll get through it. Patience (with yourself, and others) is key. Good luck!

Uncategorized

RENT on Broadway

So like I’ve been saying, of all the things I looked forward to doing in New York, seeing my all-time favorite play/movie, RENT, on Broadway, was at the top of the list… In the simplest terms, I love RENT. I can watch the movie or listen to the CDs over and over and over and never get sick of it. But while I consider myself a huge RENThead, in the eleven years that RENT has been touring and on Broadway, I have never seen the show live. I had hoped to catch the show when it came through San Francisco last summer, but missed it cause I was driving across the country the week they were here. I was determined to rectify this situation while I was in New York.

Initially, James was supposed to fly home a day before me, so I had designated my last day in New York as “RENT Day.” I booked a room at the hotel next door to where RENT is playing (Hotel 41 in Times Square), with the intention of trying my luck in the RENT lottery and catching the 2pm AND 7:30pm shows.

The RENT lottery is the most awesome thing… For every show, 2 hours before showtime they lottery off tickets in the first two rows for $20. You just show up, write your name on a card, and cross your fingers. Well, luck was on my side that day cause I ended up winning the RENT lottery and securing a $20 seat for the 7pm show!!! Score!

I was already giddy and beyond excited that I’d gotten in, but you won’t even believe how awesome it was to make my way to my seat and find I’d been assigned a spot in the FRONT ROW!!! I cannot even believe my luck at this point – being that close to the stage, where I could make genuine eye contact with the actors, it’s such an intense experience. Everything was working out even better than I’d imagined it. 🙂

The show started and it was amazing. Tim Howar was fabulous as Roger (and I got to tell him as much in the hotel bar after the show, lol), and I was completely floored when I flipped through the program and discovered that the role of Mimi was being played by none other than American Idol’s Tamyra Gray. And she was sooooooo good! Overall, the show far exceeded my expectations and I had the most fun getting lost in the music for a couple of hours.

After the show, I spent some time in the hotel bar, and ended up hanging out with David Santana (one of the stage managers), Tim Howar (who played Roger), Crystal Hall (who played Joanne), and Moeisha McGill (ensemble/Joanne’s understudy). They were all totally nice, down-to-earth, wonderful people, and when they found out I was a writer, we had a lovely artist bonding moment smoking on the sidewalk out in the rain… Sometimes you just end up in the right place at the right time…

Of course all this RENT-related serendipity managed to do was add more fuel to my already out-of-control RENT obsession, lol, but I’m not complaining. I can’t wait to go back and see it again, hopefully in August-September when Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal will be reprising their roles as Mark and Roger. All in all, the perfect cherry on top of an awesome New York vacation!

Travel

NYC – Taking in the Sights

Well as much fun as I was having at the BEA, I am not a naturally social person (I’m actually more of a reclusive, lone-wolf type), so I function best with periodic breaks from the schmoozing. Downtime if you will. It was so nice to spend the entire day hard on the hustle, and then get to switch gears in the evenings and explore more of what New York had to offer from a tourist perspective.

And New York has so much to offer!

First off, I gotta give props to the New York subway system. Quite simply, it Rocks. You can get damn near anywhere on the subway, and I found it to be fairly easy to navigate, efficient, and most importantly, cheap. James and I were in Manhattan for five days and we only took a cab twice. I used to have a totally irrational phobia about underground public transportation, but I think New York cured me of that. I am so sold on the subway…

Alright, now on with the adventures… The island of Manhattan is freaking huge, and I wanted to make sure we ventured out of our little neighborhood to soak up some of the culture different parts of the City had to offer. As I said in the BEA blog, one of the receptions brought us up to Harlem. That was cool. Turns out I have quite the presence in Harlem…
LOL. That’s right – it’s all about seeing your name in lights 😉

The reception in Harlem ended kinda early (in New York, 11pm is early… we were getting in after 3am almost every night), so we decided to cruise through Times Square to see what that was all about. And it was just like it looks in the movies, lol.

Bright lights, large crowds, tons of activity. That felt very “New York” to me. Then, serendipitously (as only it could), James and I ended up hooking up with my good friend Omar for a late dinner at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. So Much Fun. James, Omar and I all met last summer at the Black Writers Conference in Dallas, and Omar is one of my all-time favorite writer friends. A Kindred, if you will 🙂 He was in town for BEA too (flew all the way from Brazil!), and had a very successful pitching session earlier that day, so we had lots to celebrate. It was so great to sit in a restaurant overlooking Times Square, eating shrimp, with two of my all-time favorite guys, talking about our books, writing, and commiserating about the ups and downs of the Biz… It was a phatty writer bonding session and I am so glad I have these two in my corner. I can’t wait until we’re all sitting around drinking wine in my NY Penthouse apartment, arguing about who just jumped who on the NY Times Bestsellers list 😉 I love you guys.

I was having so much fun by this point, that I really didn’t think it could get much better. I was so wrong! The following night we decided to head into the East Village for dinner, which turned out to be a GREAT idea. I found this awesome little hole-in-the-wall Italian Restaurant (Frank’s on 2nd Ave btw 5th & 6th – go there!) where we drank wine and had a lovely meal in a scene ripped right out of the movies. Seriously, the setting was perfect — dim lights, amazing ambience, me dressed up cause we were going to the club later – it was so much fun! I can’t even tell you how nice it was to stroll down the tree-lined streets of the East Village in a sundress, on a perfect 70 degree night, full moon and all, marveling at how GOOD life is. Freaking surreal. Then, on a recommendation from Ahna-Kristen (thank you Ahna-Kristin!!!) we stopped at Veniero’s (342 E. 11th, btw 1st & 2nd – go there!) for the most amazing cheesecake and pastries. Oh my God, I consider myself a cheesecake connoisseur of sorts, and that slice from Veniero’s put anything I’ve ever had at the Cheesecake Factory to SHAME! Stupid Good! We ate cheesecake on the subway on our way to Shadow Nightclub 🙂 It was so cheesy perfect, lol. (pun intended)

The next day, since I was battling a wicked hangover (free cognac is the main ingredient in a recipe for disaster ya’ll, lol), we kept things pretty low-key. After spending the day at BEA, instead of doing anything strenuous, we sought out a sports bar in Times Square where we could get dinner and watch the Cleveland Cavaliers try to pull of an upset in the Eastern Conference Finals (They won!). We ended up at the bar at Planet Hollywood, right in front of a plasma TV and it was Perfect. Called it a night relatively early around midnight…

On our last day, before heading to the airport, we decided to head down to Ground Zero. The whole scene at Ground Zero was very… strange. All I could think about was how many people had lost their lives there. I’m glad the City of New York thought to put signs up reminding folks that this is not a tourist attraction. That said, it is very surreal to visit the site of such a historic and tragic event. I mean, I can’t even count the number of times I’ve watched the loop of the Towers falling. But to actually see the hole in the ground where the World Trade Center used to be… I don’t know, Ground Zero will always be a mass grave to me, no matter what they build on top of it. My heart goes out to all the New Yorkers who had to witness and endure such unimaginable horror. I haven’t forgotten…

We rounded out our New York trip by hopping on the ferry and heading over to the Statue of Liberty… Yes, it’s cheesy and cliche, but like the Grand Canyon, it just has to be done 🙂 It was so nice to take in the Manhattan skyline from afar – it was just as I’d imagined it…

And of course the Statue of Liberty. She really is awe-inspiring…
We did so much, but there is still so much more I’d like to do. It will probably take me four trips to NYC before I’m able to see and do all that I want to see and do. But for my grand initiation, the Big Apple did not disappoint. Somewhere along the way, I managed to fall in love… With New York, of course. 🙂

Full set of pics are now available on Flickr!

There is one more installment of my New York adventures to come, and that is my eagerly-anticipated RENT night. I Love RENT. So freaking much. Card-carrying RENT-head over here! Yeah Baby! And I finally, got to see the musical on Broadway. Finally. And it was freaking Incredible But that’s another blog 🙂 Check back!

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