The perfect day
Tuesday, March 11, 2008

We arrived at JFK at 6:03-an hour later than scheduled. I sat in the middle seat on the plane which meant that anytime I fell asleep, my head flopped over too far and woke me up. Or if I rested on my husband's shoulder, as soon as I'd fallen comfortably asleep, he shifted. Essentially, I was miserable. But no matter...we were home. We got in the car and I immediately dozed off. I'm sure it was no coincidence that I didn't open my eyes again until we were in the city. They cracked open long enough to let the high rises welcome me home. There's nothing that I love more than driving into the city at that time of day, before the hustle and bustle has completely taken over. The sun rising over the buildings is a reminder that it's a new day in this land of possibilty and anything can (and will) happen.


We arrived in the West Village at 6:36 and promptly crawled into bed. Is it completely deranged that the construction of the new apartment building across the street lulled me to sleep? I awoke 5 1/2 hours later to watch "Lost" and eat an egg and cheese sandwich generously picked up by my mother-in-law. There are no egg and cheese sandwiches like NYC egg and cheese sandwhiches. No one else knows how to make them the way New Yorkers do.

We got dressed and ventured out for my favorite kind of NYC afternoon...the kind where you just wander and let your feet lead you wherever it is that you're supposed to go. The air was brisk enough to feel refreshing but not cold. We ventured down Bleecker, stopping in my favorite stores and admiring new ones (thank you Tommy Hilfiger for my new 350 dollar boots on sale for 99.99. I love a good bargain.)


Every time I walk down the streets of Manhattan I feel high. It never goes away - I am invigorated, alive, and on top of the world. I find myself breathing more deeply, walking more quickly, wanting to go places even when I have no place that I have to go.


After a jaunt through the West Village and a stop at my favorite coffee shop, Panino Giusto, for a perfect latte, we headed home. I looked at about 20 stores I could have gone into but it was just day 1...there was no rush.


At 5:30, we went to a pre-theater dinner at old standby, Orso, with my in-laws and my sister. And then we were off to the theeee-ah-tah to see August Osage County.

A. Maz. Ing.

Honestly. You can not miss this work of art. Tony awards are going to abound but more than that, I was riveted from start to finish. A genius piece of theatre about relationships and families and the truth of it all. And if you think you're fucked up, you'll leave this feeling shaken up, but normal. The second act is the most riveting act of theater that I have EVER seen. Period. Beg, borrow and steal to see this one, baby. It's the best and most exciting play I've seen in a long time.

But also know that it will leave you fairly frazzled. After the show we wandered over to meet our friends at their new restaurant, Nizza. Along the way, we talked about the show in partial sentences, unable to fully express our thoughts. I didn't realize how my heart was racing and my mind was reeling until we sat down and I couldn't hold a proper conversation for at least five minutes. I was literally a babbling idiot. In order to calm my nerves, I decided to order my new cocktail of choice, the very appropriate Manhattan. I had my first Manhattan at Thanksgiving in 2007 and I've never looked back. It's fitting that my favorite drink and my favorite place are one in the same. Anyhow, we sat down at Nizza and once we both finally relaxed, had a fabulous evening of catching up with our friends, not to mention a delicious post-theater meal. I was starving - as far as I was concerned, "dinner" was lunch and this was dinner.

Nizza is a sexy atmosphere and a fabulous option whether or not you're seeing theater. The menu is conducive to sharing small plates which is my absolutely favorite way to eat. The socca - a crispy chickpea pancake, was a perfect combination of salty and sweet and the broccoli bruschetta was piled to the ceiling with the delicious topping. You can't go wrong with the talleggio panini with fig marmellata. Figs and tallegio? To die for. But my favorite, by far, was the focacette - fried ravioli filled with gooey cheese. Oh. My. God. I could eat these every day for the rest of my life and not get sick of them. My ass would get sick of them, but my taste buds would not. At this point, you could have rolled me out of the place, but I had to taste the pasta al pesto which used flat wide noodles with a perfectly savory pesto. And once I tasted, I couldn't stop. (There's no use for self control when you're visiting New York City.) I didn't even get a chance to taste the tomato soup with fresh ricotta or any of the mouth watering pizzas...which clearly means that I'll just have to go back on my next trip! And I highly recommend that you do too...

I love being with friends and having so much to say and to talk about and gush about and be thrilled about for each other that you practically choke on the air. And then what is it about New York that makes you feel like you can drink anyone under the table? Two manhattans and several fabulous stories later, we poured out of Nizza with satisfyingly full bellies.

Something happens to me when I'm in New York. I can stay up for HOURS. In LA, I fall asleep on my couch at 10. Despite the fact that I'd barely slept, my body clock was all sorts of fucked up, I'd just seen a 3 and a half hour marathon of an emotionally depleting show, and I'd had two extremely strong cocktails, I was still up for more. We hopped in a cab downtown and met Aisha at Employee's Only. But determined not to ruin the following day with a hangover the size of the entire island, I refrained from any more Manhattans and hydrated myself with water. At 2, I left my husband behind to play with one of his oldest friends while I journeyed home.

This is what I love about New York. At 2:15 on a Friday night, the city was a pulsating mecca of life. I barely noticed that my feet were hitting the pavement - it literally felt like I floated down the streets of the West Village, once again breathing in the crisp air, feeding off the energy of those around me and giving them mine right back. The street lights flickered and the cabs raced by and I played my New York game of seeing how many blocks I could walk without having to stop to wait for a light at a cross walk. The night was on my side and I made it home without having to stop once. It's a good thing too because my body was flying through the streets with such excitement and movement that it felt as though stopping was impossible.

I pranced home, downed a bottle of water, and let my head hit the pillow. I had to be up at 9 for tomorrow was a new day and I wasn't willing to waste much of it with sleep.

Panino Giusto, 551 Hudson between Perry and 11th
Nizza, 630 9th Avenue between 44th and 45th, 212-956-1800
Employees Only, 510 Hudson between Christopher and 10th, 212-242-3021

Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 5:45 PM 1 comments  

Labels: , ,

I heart New York
Monday, March 10, 2008

It's always hard to leave when there's no set date to come back. And the excruciatingly long plane ride back to LA doesn't help matters.

Then again, sometimes the universe (my universal go to expression for the explanation of that something somewhere that gives you the message you need exactly at the moment you need it...) hands you an attitude adjustment on a silver platter. Tonight that was an episode of "Sex and the City" followed by an announcement from the pilot that we'd be landing almost an entire hour early. And as if that weren't enough, tbs then announced yet ANOTHER "Sex and the City" episode to remind me that yes, I did have to leave NYC tonight. But I had four of the best days ever filled with the kind of conversations that satiate your desire for your closest friends, the kind of culinary delights that make you forget that the restaurants in LA can't possibly compare, theater that makes you pulse race and your mind reel and your eyes brim with tears, walks through the West Village with the boy I love reminiscent of the days we first met. There was no way I could fit it all in in 4 days...there were good friends I tried to see and couldn't and good friends that I didn't even tell I was there...but I sure as hell tried.

After all, when you've only got 81 hours in your favorite city in the world, there's no time for sleep. I can sleep now that I'm back in LA.
--------------------------
Sent using BlackBerry

Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 9:07 PM 0 comments  

Random musings from a jaunt to Starbucks
Tuesday, March 4, 2008

I grabbed a coffee before a meeting last night. Well, it was actually a tall nonfat extra hot decaf mocha and no, I can't say that or write it without laughing at how ridiculous that sounds. Clearly I was at Starbucks (not Coffee Bean because many of you know how i feel about that). So I'm waiting for my ridiculous cofee extravaganza and there's a book called "Beautiful Boy" sitting there as part of the whole Starbucks move to not only rule the world of coffee but also the world of entertainment. (And for the record, I do prefer the indie coffee establishments but every so often, I succumb to convenience.)

SO. I pick up this book, Beautiful Boy, which is a father's account of his son's struggles with meth addiction. I take a look at the inside flap and get sucked in. The book is an expansion of an article that Sheff wrote in the NY Times Magazine about how his "good kid" turned to a life of drug addiction and Sheff's OWN struggle with being addicted to saving his child. I'm already in and then I read this quote:

"Sheff's story is honest, reflective and deeply moving. Sadly, it is a story all too relevant for our troubled times. When one of us tells the truth, he makes it easier for all of us to open our hearts to our own pain and to that of others. That’s ultimately what Beautiful Boy is about: truth and healing." --Mary Pipher, Author of Writing to Change the World and Reviving Ophelia

I read it again. When one of us tells the truth, he makes it easier for all of us to open our hearts to our own pain and to that of others. I love this woman. I love this man for not being afraid to share himself so that others can feel less alone. I have been thinking about this since I read it last night.

Is it as true for all of you as it is for me? That at the end of the day, all I really want is to be surrounded by truth rather than smoke and mirrors and walls of perfection.

That's all.

Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 12:17 PM 4 comments  

Labels: , ,

Innocence Lost
Thursday, February 28, 2008

She awoke that morning, just as she would on any other - the southern exposure allowing the beautiful streams of fall sunlight to shine in. She had prime Manhattan real-estate...southern exposure and a half block from the park. So what if that southern exposure came through a single window which led to a fire escape which made the size of her miniscule apartment exponentially bigger? She was in Manhattan with a place on the Upper West Side. Plus, she had high ceilings.


Still half asleep, she climbed down from her lofted bed and shuffled over to her radio to turn on NPR - the first ritual of her morning routine. She never really considered the fact that she was just about to get in the shower so there was really no need to turn the radio on until after as the words would go unheard. This was her routine. It was just the way she did things. She directed the toothbrush toward her mouth, demanding the minty-fresh feeling to help her rise and shine. She stuck one foot in the shower as she gave her final spit into the sink. The two were close enough together that this posed absolutely no problem at all.


She continued her morning routine, only occassionally bumping into the stove which was directly across from her dresser as she opened and closed drawers, trying to figure out what to wear. It was pure coincidence that she wore flats on this day. Most days she could be found strutting the streets of Manhattan in 3 inch heels. She may have chosen differently had she known the number this would later do to her knees. Or she may have chosen exactly the same. But on that particular morning, she had a new pair of tan leather slides calling her name and she wanted to get a wearing or three in before the weather turned cold.


As she slipped into her new slides and slid a fresh coat of gloss on her lips, her normal NPR morning edition was interrupted. She would have missed it had she still been in the shower. She may have missed it if she'd left just a minute earlier. But as she walked toward the radio to shut it off, confusion seemed to ensue on-air. There was an accident and no one was quite sure exactly what had happened. A plane had crashed or accidentally flown into the top of the World Trade Center. She froze as she listened to the words. A horrible accident they exclaimed. Not sure how this could happen. Accident, accident. Over and over they said the word accident. They reported that they had no more details at that time and they would update as they received them. And then, they returned to their regular broadcast. She stood still for a moment wondering how on earth a plane could fly into a building. But they were reporting an accident. A horrible accident indeed...


And then she picked up her bag and was on her way, out the door in her fresh new leather slides on a beautiful September day in Manhattan. She thought about the plane and the World Trade Center and this accident as she walked the block and a half cross town to catch the bus. She thought about it until she saw her bus on the block ahead and she broke into a slight jog in hopes of making the bus. With a smile on her face and the sun at her back, she bolted across the street, grateful for her flats, momentarily able to relish in the sun and the day. She had no idea she was relishing in her final moments of true innocence.

Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 4:04 PM 1 comments  

Labels: , ,

Classifieds
Monday, February 25, 2008

LOST: the ability to sit patiently while waiting for life to proceed as planned at a pace that I sometimes have no control over. If patience is found, please return it to owner as quickly as possible. In fact, if you can let me borrow some of yours, I would greatly appreciate it.

Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 5:52 PM 2 comments  

Labels: ,

Structure
Friday, February 22, 2008

Lately it seems the thoughts are coming so quickly and rampantly that they start to overlap each other. They accelerate as though they're going downhill without breaks but by the time I get myself to the computer, they're gone. There are remnants, general themes left swirling around. But the lines of prose that popped into my brain as I walked down the street or watched my friends from a slight distance or breathed deeply in downward dog...they're all gone. Poof. Disappeared into thin air and I can't think of anything remotely smart or interesting to say.

Normally, the more I do, the more I want to do. I am stimulated by activity. But the writing is seemingly undone right now. I am invigorated and excited and exacerbated - all at the same time sometimes, but I'm struggling to translate it to the world, to words.

I think some of it stems from my lack on anonymity. There are things that I'm not sure I want to share with those that know me as much as I am willing to expose to the few dear readers I have that only know me from my words on the page. Because with those that are just a part of each others lives via the blogosphere, there are no attachments or expectations. We read each other because something grabs us. Because we can relate to each other or because we entertain. We experience new and different things through each other but also, we relate to each other and feel less alone. We sometimes live vicariously, but we also live parallely. There are no judgments or expectations. I feel good when something great happens for them. I can relate to many of their wants and hopes and fears. I read other blogs and they're anything but simple, but my relationship to them is simple. They are simply a name attached to a whole world that I get to know and see solely through their eyes. I read them with compassion and desire to know more. To understand who they are and what they are experiencing in their lives. Sometimes I long to reach through the internet and hug them, tight and close - the kind of hugs that people don't give often enough these days. Not one of those half hugs or the hug where they stand with their body about 200 feet away from yours and then gently tap you on the back with their other hand. Hugs are meant to wrap two people together. Sometimes I ache so deeply from the words of another person that I read that I want to wrap my affection around them and give them a hug. Sometimes they bring me to tears with their ability to expose themselves, to relate their worlds and their wants and their hurts and their triumphs so brilliantly.

It's actually quite simple. It all comes down to the ability to be vulnerable. And this is a medium that allows that in ways that being with other people sometimes does not. I'm aching for vulnerability these days. I rejoice in sitting with people who aren't afraid to admit that they don't have the answers. I am proud to be the person to ask for help. I love exploring life and the world with others. I feel stronger admitting that in moments I am weak. I am uninterested in putting on a good face - especially in this LA land of so many good faces under false pretenses. I don't live a perfect life (I know that's totally shocking...heh. heheh.) and I don't feel the need to pretend I do either. And I want to be around people who appreciate that. Because that is just real. And how do you truly squeeze all the juice out of life unless you're being real and true? I've liked my OJ fresh squeezed since I was 3 and I like my life that way too - pulp and even a few seeds here and there.

I told you - it's all swimming in there bursting to come out but unable to come together with beginnings, middles, and ends. But maybe that's because this is all just sort of open ended. In fact, I'd venture to say it's just the tip of the beginning.

Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 3:24 PM 1 comments  

Labels: , ,

Not quite ripe for posting
Wednesday, February 20, 2008

I've been a little inconsistent lately. You can take that to mean whatever you want.

It's not so much that I don't have anything to say as it is that I've got so many things and not a lot of time to sit and sort through them effectively. I've been up and down and back up again - sometimes in a single day. I'm having intense conversations - the kind that help you grow and see new perspectives. I'm learning new things about people in my life and about myself - some of them amazing, others I wouldn't mind not knowing. (The things, not the people, although occasionally I come across one of those too.)

I'm busy at work which means that my head is actually getting more creative but with less time to sort through it and get it on the page. I think once this week is over and I'm less jet lagged, I'll get back on track. But I'm finding myself enjoying where I am more and more these days rather than thinking about where I'll end up. I'm going to sit in this moment and enjoy it, allowing myself to take it all in and process before I spill it back out.

So for tonight, I'm continuing to mull - the day's events, the week's events, the year's events thus far - and I'm not going to comment on any of it quite yet. Because the thoughts aren't quite ripe. But when they are, I promise to give you something juicy.

Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 10:45 PM 1 comments  

Labels: ,

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)