A Hawkeye View Of Gotham

New Cookie Dough Apartment

As most of you already know I am moving to a new apartment here in the city on January 23.  The economy collapse has been good in the sense that rental prices have dropped and there are bargains to be had.  I am moving to a lovely luxury building on the Upper East Side (email me for precise address). 

Here is the lobby.

This is the bedroom.  The view is north.  I am on the 40th floor! 

 

This is the living room. 

The kitchen.  It will have all new appliances installed before I move in.

The bedroom again!  It is 20 by 10 and has two closets!!!

The bathroom!

 
I am really excited because the apartment has 850 square feet and a washer/dryer IN THE UNIT.  It also has 5 closets.  There is room for a small dining room set and big windows for Nermal to look out of. 

The hallway.

You are all welcome to come visit me any time and stay on my lovely pull-out couch and use my automatic ice maker for ice cubes and wat-tah!!

Love,
Laura

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all my faithful readers!  I am here in PA and we have just opened stockings and are getting ready to do presents!  Can't wait to see what lovely gifts await me.  More later.  Hope everybody is enjoying their Christmas morning!

Love
Laura ~~

Happy Christmas Eve!

Greetings faithful readers.  This is just to let everybody know I have arrived safely in Bethlehem, PA and am tucked away here for the holidays.  My bus ride was uneventful.  I took the subway to the Port Authority and hopped on a 6:00 bus, arriving in Bethlehem at 7:50.  It was a speedy bus that stopped only in Clinton, NJ before dropping me off at my destination. 

I am now here in PA with Alex, Eddie, Dad, Amanda, and Amanda's good friend Raina.  Everybody arrived safely last night and today we have a mix of last-minute shopping, dinner, and an evening service at the Moravian Church.  And of course the Christmas Eve tradition of a reading of "A Christmas Carol."  We've all been good this year so let's hope that Santa comes!

More later. 

Love,
Laura ~

Christmas in Manhattan

Here I am ice skating at Rockefeller Center (for the 2nd time this year!) for the Quadrangle Holiday Party.  Below, with my coworker's son, Harry:

And here is the scene at Lincoln Center before the annual Nutcracker Family Benefit which raises funds for the School of American Ballet.  Guests see a performance of the Nutcracker, and afterwards the kids are allowed to come up on stage and view the scenery close up.  Then they meet all the performers, in costume, and have a lovely lunch on the Promerade.  I worked this program last year and my responsibility was to stand on stage after the performance and make sure nobody toddled off into the Orchestra Pit.

 

And it would not be Christmas in New York without visiting the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall.  This was my third time seeing the Rockettes, I believe, and it was the best show yet.  They change it up each year a little bit and this was a really good combination of Rockettes and Clara and Santa and the Jesus Scene.  It's Christmas up the wazoo. 

   

 

   

Before you have kids...tips 10, 11, and 12

Test 10 - TV

1. Learn the names of every character from the Wiggles, Barney, Teletubbies and Disney.
2. Watch nothing else on television for at least 5 years.

Test 11 - Mess

Can you stand the mess children make? To find out:

1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.

2. Hide a fish behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flowerbeds and then rub them on clean walls. Cover the stains with crayon. How does that look?
4. Empty every drawer/cupboard/storage box in your house onto the floor & leave it there.

Test 12 - Long Trips with Toddlers

1. Make a recording of someone shouting 'Mummy' repeatedly.

Important Notes: No more than a 4 second delay between each Mummy. Include occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet.
2. Play this tape in your car, everywhere you go for the next 4 years.

You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Opening Night Nutcracker

I have never actually been to the opening night of the Nutcracker as it always falls the day after Thanksgiving when I am out of the city.  But I found some photos, and especially like this one , as it "highlights" a new Apprentice, Callie Bachman, as a Snowflake.  She is the petite, blondish girl in the front and center of the pack.  Callie is from Des Moines, Iowa (although I never knew her because she is about half my age!) so I enjoy watching her career from afar.  Her younger brother is a student at School of American Ballet here in the city as well.  Photo courtesy of Paul Kolnik.

 

I've been watching the casting online and was delighted to see several debuts on December 13, many of which I predicted!  Erica Pereira will debut as Sugar Plum and Katie Morgan as Dew Drop.  The best part is that I am scheduled to volunteer that day, so I will get to see them all!  Yippeee!

Thanksgiving 2008 - Pix Part II!!

 

   

 

   

 

 

   

 

Thanksgiving 2008 - Pix!

 

   

 

   

Before you have kids...tests 7, 8, and 9

Test 7

 - Repeat everything you say at least 5 times

Test 8

- Grocery Shopping

1. Go to the local supermarket. Take with you the nearest thing you can find to a pre-school child - a fully grown goat is excellent. If you intend to have more than one child, take more than one goat.
2. Buy your weekly groceries without letting the goat(s) out of your sight.
3. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.

Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Test 9

- Feeding a 1 year-old

1. Hollow out a melon
2. Make a small hole in the side
3. Suspend the melon from the ceiling and swing it side to side
4. Now get a bowl of soggy cornflakes and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon while pretending to be an aeroplane.
5. Continue until half the cornflakes are gone.
6. Tip the rest into your lap, making sure that a lot of it falls on the floor.