Valentine's Day...

I know a lot of people think Valentine's Day is a joke, a media scam to get people to buy chocolate and cards, but I really like it. Why not celebrate love and friendship? And, if it's a reason to receive chocolate, why would I have a problem with that?!?! Marcus and I are going to watch a Rangers game at MSG tonight and then go to dinner somewhere tomorrow night. He got me a lovely box of chocolates from Switzerland, on his most recent trip to go skiing in France and to attend some business meetings in Geneva. Chocolate---good chocolate is probably the best gift ever. I made him a card (see photo) which was fun, because I love origami. Yesterday I watched this "documentary" called "Whores' Glory"....I feel like the point of documentary is to present both sides of the story as they happen and through interviews...of course the filmmaker's opinion can shine through...but overtly staged scenes are a no-no...and I felt like throghout this film there were weird, unnatural staged scenes. Then there was a john having sex with one of the prostitutes---well, given the full monty shown, I can attest atleast that was legitimate. Woah. Speaking of "The Full Monty"---isn't that a fun movie??? So Marcus and I have been slowly, but surely trying to renovate our apartment. We've been here over a year, but things move slow! My sisters have been really helpful. Most recently we finally replaced our old vertical blinds with new shades and they look great! What's next...hmm so many things---the bathroom, the closet doors...I stumbled upon these cute dry erasable best in show ribbons----aren't they cute?! Happy Valentine's Day and may you enjoy the best chocolate of your life!!!

New Year, Big Changes

It's 2013! And with the new year comes change. I found out that a few friends are moving away, my very good friend Anthony and his wife just moved to Los Angeles, and my very good friend Jessica is heading back to Australia, where she grew up. I'm happy for all of them, but also it does sadden me because I'll miss them. But it sounds like they are going to be happy, which is great. I myself got myself a new job, which I hope brings me peace in my professional life. It's a good hospital with great medicine and management. As a result I'm scaling back at my current job so I can be part time in both places. Marcus and I went to Aruba before Christmas and had an incredible time. Aruba---perfect weather, friendly people, good times! I would go back in a heartbeat. We enjoyed the beach, our hotel, great food, and we got to go to the Donkey Sanctuary! I got to assist a local veterinarian, Dr. Ricardo Contreras, with a donkey neuter and talk shop with him. It's always fun to meet veterinarians in other countries and talk about how they practice. When I travel I love to try to connect with fellow veterinarians. As for the Donkey Sanctuary, if you ever go to Aruba, it's totally worth it to visit! We spent hours there, and we met the volunteers and the owner and you can tell the donkeys are well cared for and happy. Such funny animals. As for the hotel we stayed at, we stayed at Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts, and oh my God---what a great place. Relaxed, quiet, considerate and customer service oriented without being over bearing, and adults only. We loved it there. As for the many places we ate, one was crazy---deep fried goodness taken to a new level. It's a local spot called Zeerover's Fish Bar ("pirate" in Dutch) in Savaneta...you get there, you pick how many pounds of freshly caught fish you'd like, and then you take a seat in an open air restaurant by the water, and wait for crazy, almost sickening amounts of deep fried fish. I don't think I could do it again, but we were glad we went. Augh---I wish we were back in Aruba...aahh Aruba...anyway today I just finished watching a very interesting movie---called "Skin". It's based on the true story of a woman named Sandra Laing, who is the daughter of two Caucasian Afrikaner parents, but herself appears to be of African descent. Her parents fought to have her classified as White, and they swore she was their biological child. It follows the complicated and painful upbringing she had....worthwhile to watch.

Damn You Crumbs!

I recently went to Crumbs to satisfy my need for baked product and chocolate. So I got a chocolate butter cream and vanilla cake cupcake. But upon reaching the register, something alarmed me. I saw the Starbuck's logo...then I looked up at the drink menu and saw Starbuck's drinks! AAAHHH....they have switched to Starbuck's coffee! So disappointing, really. Not good stuff at all. Which leads me to my next point...I don't understand that. Because Starbuck's originated in Seattle, and I must say, the people of Seattle know how to make a great cup of coffee...we could learn a thing or two in some places here in New York. So how did Starbuck's, seemingly the one place in Seattle that doesn't know how to brew, may it big??? P.S. I may need to sacrifice myself and do a side-by-side comparison between the Magnolia and the Crumb's cupcake...hmm...

Hiatus Ended?

The past few months have been busy...and I have neglected my beloved blog. Marcus and I recently watched the movie "Argo", which was enjoyable.

The big event that happened most recently was Hurricane Sandy, apparently the worst storm to hit The Tri- State area in quite a while. We live in downtown Manhattan, and although our building was fine, we felt the long term effects of the storm even after it was gone. Power and water were off for four days, and then when we got those back, we didn't have hot water or heat. Finally now we have those...I have never wanted a hot shower! Right after the hurricane, the streets of downtown Manhattan were out, and people were walking around with flashlights. It was a little eery. And since it was difficult to get transportation anywhere, we resorted to walking a lot of the time. My family out in Westchester only got power and heat back today, and it's been over a week. Luckily though we weren't seriously affected like so many were, I cannot even imagine. Now that things are returning to normal more and more, I'm enjoying the things I took for granted before: a hot shower, running water, and that love/hate relationship I have with the NYC subway system! Since my neck issues, which has been over a year, I haven't been able to work out the way I wanted for a number of reasons. Today I decided to try spinning, since my physical therapist said it should be fine. It was great to be back, but I took it easy and left after 30 minutes, which is what the instructor wanted me to do...and I must say, I have to be seriously out of shape...because I haven't been that worn out and nauseous post workout in a very long time!

Honey, Summer, Films...

Summer is coming to an end! I can't believe it. But things are good. Marcus and I harvested our honey from our beehive this past week! And it's great. We were able to borrow my mentor's extractor to do it. Lately I've been trying to take advantage of our Apple TV. I watched "Sleeping Beauty" yesterday---good, but depressing. Then today I watched "The Skin I Live In" on Netflix. I liked it. Almodovar films are always so twisted. Today Marcus is taking a quick trip to Sweden to hang out with his friends. I am going to go to a friend's place for a BBQ, then hang out with my family. I am looking forward to more movies, too. I've been taking full advantage of our Vitamix

and I'm lovin' it!

Who or What Is Irina Palm?

It was a kinda humid, kinda sunny, then very thunderstormy kinda day in NYC. I cleaned up, met up with friends for lunch, worked out, and then found a flick on the Sundance Channel called "Irina Palm". I really liked it...but it was one of the most unexpected plots: a grandmother takes a job giving hand jobs in a sex club to pay for the really expensive treatments her dying grandson requires. Who knew??? Anyway, this weekend Marcus and I are going to learn how to extract honey from honeycomb. Because it looks like we may actually get a small batch of honey this summer!

Summer Catch Up

Woah, have I been negligent to my beloved blog. It's already July. In the past few months, my family has been busy with our hive. Marcus and I are the primary beekeepers, but my other family members are involved in one way or the other. So far the hive is thriving, which is great. But sometimes dealing with the growing number of bees can be intimidating and overwhelming. And bee stings aren't fun, especially when you are suited up, and working with the hive, and can't stop what you're doing. Oh well. I now have a beekeeping mentor who has been really helpful, and we MAY get honey this year...let's see. I've been watching a lot of movies lately...we just watched "The Help", which I enjoyed, and I watched "The Constant Gardener" a few times. A totally disturbing movie I checked out was "We Need to Talk about Kevin"...hmm what else...Stephen and I checked out the beach in Far Rockaway, and that was fun. There was also a decent spread of food and drink on the boardwalk, so I was thrilled! I got to see my good friend Jennifer who's almost done with medical school. So excited for her. Having been through vet school, I sympathize so much for the things she has been through. Augh. Recently my best friend Terry-a and her hubby bought a house! My sister Jennifer re-did her kitchen and it looks wonderful. The other day a bunch of my vet school friends got together and ate dinner at BLT Burger. Caroline, my sister, was out last Friday night and stayed at our place for the night. She slept in the murphy bed in our second bedroom and apparently it was very comfortable! Score! She was the first person to sleep in there. What's next? Marcus and I are traveling to Sweden and I'm going to watch him run the Stockholm marathon. Okay I gotta be better about blogging.