The 25-year Old

Bronwyn and Thanksgiving

So with all my Thanksgiving traveling plans not panning out, I got to spend extra, extra time with my good friend Bronwyn who left me for Texas many months ago.

I don't know how Bronwyn and I became friends... it was at the Omni. She visit taught me...once? Maybe. And then one day we went to a party together and it blossomed from there! She is hilarious and fun, and I miss her terribly. (Why did she ever leave? No one knows.)

Anyway, when I got back from New York, Bronwyn and I have tried to make plans nearly every night she's been here, which has been so great. We've seen movies: Unstoppable and Tangled. And eaten at Cafe Rio and Iggy's. And walked around the mall - where she helped my friend James get commission on her sister's Christmas present - and then we played Rock Band. We celebrated my birthday and mourned her last night at Nickel City last night; got hopped up on sugar and then headed to Comedy Sportz (an improv comedy team that specializes in Provo/LDS/Utah culture).

It's been so much fun to have her around to do things with and I'm really hating the idea of her going back to Houston. Hopefully, I can convince her to move back to Utah in April...or maybe I'll just join her in Texas. Ah! I love her!

Side note: Picasa (Google's photo storage/editing system) launched a new thing called Picknik, that has more advanced photo editing capabilities - hence the picture posted above - and I'm really excited about it. I might have stayed up EXTRA late playing with it. I've always edited my pictures before posting, but now... Don't trust any picture I post to actually be me. I have blemish remover, teeth whitener, eye enhancement capabilities and I'm not afraid to use them!

But also... Bronwyn is really this pretty. I didn't have to use any of my tools on this picture , except add the turkey! (Ok, ok... I brightened up our eyes, because I can! But that's it, I swear!)

Oh, and for those of you wondering: 

I thoroughly enjoyed my four day weekend. I think that every week should have Thursday and Friday off... it's the best idea ever! You can get so much accomplished! I didn't... but I COULD have. And that's what is important. I did do a lot of writing, actually. Which I'm happy about, because I've had a bit of writer's block lately.

I spent my Thanksgiving at my Uncle Dennis'. My grandparents got super lost, and were even later than I was. My grandma brought me a sewing machine for my birthday, and I'm itching to get to work on it... but I haven't yet because I've been writing and playing! 

The food was good - though, really Mom, I'm going to have to start shipping your rolls out to me. Or maybe just stop being so lazy and attempt to make them myself - and plentiful. I saw my cousin DJ and his wife Jenny, and that was great! The last time I saw DJ, he was sitting in a booth at IHOP, and it has been several years ago. 

The only bad thing about crashing somebody's Thanksgiving is that on Friday, there are no leftovers! Worst plan ever. Next year, I'm going to either be in Ohio, or I'm bringing a big enough purse to stuff extra servings in it for later.

Also, I did not get enough pumpkin pie... or pecan pie! Or Cherry Cardinal Dessert!.... just kidding. I don't care about the Cherry Cardinal.  

So Not Excited

Has anyone looked at a birthday with less enthusiasm than I am looking at tomorrow? I do not think it is possible.

“When childhood dies, its corpses are called adults and they enter society, one of the politer names of hell.”  Brian W. Aldiss quotes

“Birthdays are merely symbolic of how another year has gone by and how little we've grown. No matter how desperate we are that someday a better self will emerge, with each flicker of the candles on the cake, we know it's not to be, that for the rest of our sad, wretched pathetic lives, this is who we are to the bitter end. Inevitably, irrevocably; happy birthday? No such thing.” Jerry Seinfeld quotes

New York City

This is my trip in a nutshell. I loved every minute of it.

I love him:

I've missed Colin so much! I'm just glad that he is coming back to Provo for a few last months before he makes New York his home. It was so good to see him and go explore the sights and see how he's been living the last few months.

I love Brooklyn:

I love the architecture:

I love the subways and their amazing impromptu concerts:

I did not like the girl who tried to sing O Holy Night. She wasn't that good, and she was trying to get me to give her money by singing Christmas songs... Please. The mariachi band was really cool though, and I would have given them money if they had hung around long enough, because I liked them quite well. The acrobat gangsters... eh.

I do not love the subway stations... because I'm still confused by them. I'm lucky that I had Colin to show me around, or I would have never gone anywhere.

I love Central Park. Especially in late fall. And the weather was really, really great too:

I love the high line:

And the Esplanade:

I love Broadway:

Especially, In the Heights. Which is what Colin and I saw on Friday night. It was pretty fantastic. And we must have gotten the best possible cast - because when I later looked up youtube.com videos, they weren't nearly as good as the people we saw...who were really, really great.

I love this picture:

I do not love Time Square. Too busy; too touristy.

I love the history:

Ellis Island

And the art:

Metropolitan Museum of Art

I love the food:

Rice in Brooklyn is the best thing I've ever tasted. I had this Indian curry with raisins, chicken, yogurt, almonds and bananas. I was a little worried, but Colin's roommate Jason talked me into it (it wasn't hard, I just took his suggestion and went with it) and I'm so glad I did. It came with Thai black rice, and it was sooooooo soooooooooooooo good.
This cupcake is dense, moist and delicious (also from Brooklyn). Bon Chon had the BEST chicken I've ever had. It's not really Korean, but it is soooooo yummy. And then the Shake Shack, which made the best cheeseburger I've ever tasted.

And I love what New York stands for as related to our county:

A land of freedom. A land of opportunity. A place where you can go and make something of yourself. It is an incredible place with all sorts of peoples, cultures, religions, backgrounds. There are rich and poor. I heard no less than 10 different languages walking around, and it was incredible. Truly a melting pot.

It was a great trip. So great, I even considered living there. And then I went grocery shopping and realized that I couldn't afford to buy bacon. I don't even buy bacon in Provo, but for some reason, that was a deal breaker for me. That, and the fact that all my favorite places (Central Park, the Esplanade, etc.) were the places that you could actually get away from all the people. I kept waiting for NO people on the subway, and it never happened, of course.

But I would not hesitate to go back and see more shows. And more history. And more art. More food! And more of everything. I thought it was so great!

First Observations

!!!!!!! I'M IN NEW YORK !!!!!!!!!!

I think I was so nervous this morning, that I didn't dare sleep through my alarm, which is really good considering we just made it to the airport. Luckily, I was all checked in and ready to go, I had no problems with security and I literally just walked on the plane. I also tested out using my passport, which was great to know that I'll be able to get through security without having to break out my soon-to-be-expired license when* I go home for Christmas.

*if


There have been lots of stories on the news about the new scanners that see right through your clothes and how they are mandatory, unless you want to subject yourself to being felt up by TSA. A lot of people are unhappy with this, and I am among them. I think it is invasive and unnecessary. However, whilst Salt Lake City airport does have the new scanners, they aren't mandatory - yet - and so I didn't have to worry about going through it. They do have the technology, though, because I'm pretty sure I've gone through one before. (Unless it was in Ohio... but now I can't remember. I really just try not to think about it too much...) All of these measures that are meant for our safety... ugh. I'm not really one of those people that shares the philosophy of "better safe than sorry" or anything, because I know that I am not a terrorist, or even so much as a security threat, and so yeah, I feel really inconvenienced when they want to look through my clothes or "pat" me down or refuse to let me bring my perfume and shaving cream because they don't meet the required liquid regulations...

Anyway, I love the airport in the morning. People are cranky. I don't know why. The man who made my smoothie - worst smoothie of all time, by the way - was in no way willing to offer a "good morning," smile or...anything. I also saw a man walking around with a flannel cream colored shirt with elk drawings on it, and coordinating camouflage pants. Oh, Utah. I wish I had a picture, because really, I think they should take that look to fashion week.

Upon boarding the plane, I noticed that ALL of the flight attendants were OLD. I've seen a few older attendants in my day, but... not all of them, and not all of them close to retirement age. The man was sort of funny. He would get on the intercom and say, "Good news, everybody!" and then proceed to tell us some pretty good news (e.g. everyone boarded the plane on time, and so we left early; we arrived almost forty minutes early, etc.) but then he finished up his joke with the Geico tagline, and I lost all respect.

I slept for most the flight, but was wide awake when I landed and I must say that that I was extremely disappointed that I did not have a window seat. I would have loved to see the city as we were flying in. I kept trying to get a look, and the guy that was sitting next to the window pointed out three large container ships that were likely bringing in products from China. The ocean looked awesome... at least the part that I could see. At first I thought I was looking at a pod of whales, but I'm sure it was just really big waves, and I guess that's cool.

Because we were early, we had to go on a passenger car, which was this... box-like structure that would lift all the way up to reach the plane, we boarded it, and then lowered down and drove. It was seriously nuts. You couldn't see the driver....

I wandered around the airport for a while, listening to all the different languages and seeing all kinds of people, which I love to do anyway. I was so nervous that I was going to get lost, but I found the air train OK. I was told that I could buy a metro card at the airport, but I didn't see a kiosk so I just hopped on a train and hoped that I would know which stop to get off... I didn't, but I chose a stop that had a very cute, very helpful (and likely gay) man who noticed I looked lost and told me to get on a train - which WAS different than the one I had been on - so that was really, really nice.

The subway was SCARY. Not the people. They all seemed cool. And there were a lot of delicious looking black men... seriously. Colin had warned me that the subway conductors spoke in ebonics, but... it was like no ebonics I ever heard. Are people actually meant to understand them? I am certain that even the black guys on the train had no idea what he was saying. Luckily for them, they knew where they were going.

I managed to get off on the right stop, but once I got off the subway, that is where the trouble started. I found the numbers that I was looking for, but no red lines (like I was told there would be) and no "John Street," which is what I was looking for... So I finally just picked an exit and made my way aboveground. Honestly, I do not like subway stations.

Once again on ground level, I began walking, hoping to just bump into the street I needed. Colin was in a meeting and unable to assist, and my GPS was not picking up any satellites. (Thank you, tall buildings!) So I was on my own and decided to enjoy walking around. Which I did. I saw St. Paul's church and Trinity Church and knew that I was on the wrong path when I hit Wall Street and the giant bull. And, I'm pretty sure I walked past the World Trade Center site... but that is unconfirmed. But I watched people take pictures and then I found a map. As far as maps go, it was helpful, but completely turned around. I had to think backwards in order for it to tell me anything. So I turned around and headed back down Broadway, and found the street I needed.

My first meal experience was an Lenny's. I had a roast beef sandwich, and either I was starving, or it was seriously the best sandwich I've ever had. I am sated and pleased with my purchase.

My overall impression is that the City is nice, but... I am a small town girl at heart. I kept waiting for the subway to empty out, but it only got more and more full! I like to sit and observe, but I don't think anyone appreciated me...I think they thought I was trying to listen to their conversations or something, but that wasn't the case. Anyway, there are tons of people here, obviously, and they all stand on the outside of their buildings and smoke. But for the most part, I've noticed that everyone is really friendly.

Now I am awaiting Colin's arrival and we are on to the midnight showing of Harry Potter.