New Chapter

 

Since the last time I updated this a lot has changed.

We made the hard, but for-the-best, decision to close the restaurant. Just about four hours after we officially decided to close, I got the call that the job I wanted ( I'd been interviewing for it for weeks and weeks) was mine. I had described it to family and friends as the job of my dreams and now that I'm about eight months into it I still agree with that. It's been incredible.

Z is excelling in his new role as a full-time stay-at-home dad. This has been such a benefit to us as I am getting settled into my new position. Previously he and I were taking turns during the weekdays to be home with Little A and then he headed to the pizza shop every night and all weekend. Every weekend. Looking back at it now it really was just too much for us in every way.

And, so far, we're welcoming such exciting plot twists as--for the first time in our lives together--weekends at home (all of us! under the same roof! all weekend!), evening dinner together (all of us! at the same table! every night!) and the ability to make plans for previously unthinkable things like vacations.

There are still some unknowns as we figure out what's in store for us but we're looking forward to the next part of our story.



The lovely photo above is "Vintage Books," a print available for purchase, from butterflyfood on etsy. 
.

He loves it when I call him Big Papi*

Last week I went to New York for a business trip. It was one of the better trips I've had there in a long time, I think the fact that the weather was gorgeous had a lot to do with it. Also, our schedule was perfect. Sometimes we pack so many meetings into a few days that it feels like one gigantic, taxi-dotted whirlwind and suddenly I'm on a plane back home.

This time my clients and I were on our way to meet up with a freelance writer near NYU. That part of town, Greenwich Village, is great -- much more colorful and lively than midtown Manhattan where I usually spend most of my time. Since the Village is home to lots of celebs, including Anderson Cooper, Julianne Moore and Anna Wintour, it wouldn't be unusual to run into someone famous.

We were walking down the sidewalk when a large man in a Red Sox jersey walked toward us and asked us for a hug. I happily gave him one but because I was wearing sunglasses and not my prescriptions my eyes weren't completely sure if I was seeing who I thought I was seeing.

Imagine my surprise that the celebrity I ran into was none other than my favorite Major League Baseball player David Ortiz, a.k.a Big Papi, of the Boston Red Sox.

If you don't follow baseball closely then you may not know that the Red Sox vs. Yankees rivalry may be the fiercest in all of sports. The U of U vs. BYU one may be a close second. It's that bad. So it was a little strange to see someone in a Sox jersey walking around the Big Apple with a huge smile on his face.

What I didn't realize during our hug fest was that a camera crew from the MLB Fan Cave filmed it. I believe this is called, in showbiz speak, "my big break." Since this video launched I have become quite busy/very important/good at 'doing lunch' and am in the process of hiring my own manager.

After the hug that was caught on camera (I'm at 2:40), I was able to talk to him and thank him for signing a baseball for Little A last year (it was a very thoughtful gift from my cousin who works for the team). David couldn't have been nicer.

And I got my best NYC souvenir to-date.




*This post's title was inspired by a comment from my friend Scott.
.

Overheard: Loyal

Me: What did you think of Lady Gaga and her egg at the Grammys?

Him: * glancing up in disgust * Well, it was no Madonna emerging from a disco ball during the Confessions tour, I'll tell you that much. 

.

Overheard: True love

This weekend I was able to meet up with one of my good friends/former coworkers. We had a great time catching up and reliving the crazy stories that happened daily with our former employer. At this company, our boss and his wife worked together and had a, shall we say, tumultuous relationship that made for an interesting office environment.

Our storytelling brought me back to a specific conversation that occurred shortly before I quit. Our boss was out of town and his wife and I were talking about his schedule with this latest overseas adventure.

Me: Wow, that trip he is on sounds exciting.

Her: I know, it really is. But I'm very nervous about it.

Me: You are? Why?

Her: Well, it just sounds kind of dangerous. He's flying around that country in a tiny plane. What if it crashed in the ocean and nobody even knew where to look for them?

Me: * Blinking in disbelief that she actually cares about her husband. My heart is warmed.*

Her: I mean, for me to get his life insurance they have to find a body.


.

Overhead: Documentary

"Well if you would just watch House Bunny, you would understand that not all sororities are like that."


.

Overheard: One-track minds

Below is a transcript of several comments I heard in our open-floor-plan office. All of the comments were not part of the same conversation, but since I heard them one right after the other, it sounded like they were and made for an interesting eavesdropping moment:

Person 1: Are you really going to pee on that?

Person 2: Don't worry, I'm bringing the bag.

Person 3: I just have to tell myself: 'Remember to pass along the poo!'


In case you were wondering, or are planning to ask the health department to make a friendly stop by our marketing firm:

Person 1: Was asking our boss about a free PH-level test she found in a magazine.

Person 2: Reminding our department she is bringing the Halloween candy to the meeting.

Person 3: Talking about how she doesn't want to forget about the rubber dog poo that's on her desk and has been making its way around as the latest office prank.


.

So long, Big Apple. See you next time.

I've worked in New York a lot over the years but this time, as I was preparing to go last week, I realized it will be a while before I'm back as it officially marked the last of my business trips until after the baby is here. I've compiled some of the details of it so that in a few months from now when I'm wearing the previous week's dirty laundry and smelling of milk and baby wipes, I can remember it. My friend & coworker Courtney and I traveled together for a client's event and had a great time.

A list of our Big City highlights follows. We:

- Were unable to get a direct flight from SLC to JFK and had a short, but surprisingly pleasant layover at Dulles in DC. At the airport restaurant we realized we were sitting, practically at the same table because we were so close, next to Olympic Silver Medal figure skater Sasha Cohen. Fortunately, Courtney knew it was her. I kept staring at her thinking she looked familiar and wondering if it's because she vaguely resembled one of my brother's friends. I should be commended for refraining from striking up a conversation to compare her devastating 2002 medal loss to my devastating 1st grade ice skating wrist fracture.

- Stayed in a Radisson on Lexington and 48th. Lex is one of my favorite streets on which to seek shelter because it's just far enough away from Times Square that you're not constantly annoyed by the tourist from Boca who is walking s-l-o-w-l-y up the sidewalk with his head cranked heavenward, mouth agape. While wearing socks. With sandals. Combined with the shorts pulled up to his armpits and the ubiquitous camera dangling around his neck. This Radisson is actually very charming (as Radissons go), and is the recent recipient of an overhaul. I love this hotel because it's small room-number wise by NYC standards, but the rooms are not terribly tiny plus they are clean and modern. And it has a Starbucks.

- Our meeting was a success, we hosted a successful media event at this super cool hotel where we spied a painting by a high school friend of Zach's hanging in the lobby.

- Ate like champs. I've always found it fitting that New York's nickname is associated with food since if there's anything this city is known for (besides ridiculous amounts of shopping opportunities, Donald Trump and his ridiculous hair and really really ridiculous real estate prices), it's the food. For breakfast one morning I enjoyed a bowl of yogurt that was topped with fresh berries that were almost as big as my growing-by-the-minute belly. Some of my favorite eating joints we visited this trip:

Rosa Mexicano: The Lincoln Center location is great. The freshest of fresh guac made right at your table. My dining companions enjoyed what seemed to be delicious pomegranate margaritas and I loved my fresh mango juice. The food was good, too.

Bar Americain: Bobby Flay can cook some mean comfort food. We stopped into his place for chicken pot pies (for Courtney & Jeff) and a bacon/gorgonzola pizza for me. I had to try this cheesy bacon concoction so I could report back to Z, it's part of my ongoing "research" to benefit his restaurant. I'm really generous that way.

Pinkberry: Courtney and I walked for what seemed like miles to get to Pinkberry and it was definitely worth it. The frozen yogurt is extremely, uh, yogurty. Not like froyo that tastes just like ice cream, this has an extra dryness to it that is delicious, especially when topped with fresh raspberries and bananas like mine was.

- Engaged in shopping. Of course, we jetted over to my favorite NYC store of all-time, Lee's Art Shop, at our first opportunity. I picked up two sets of lovely thank-you notes here (and nearly peed my pants waiting for the bathroom to become available. It was a close one. Lots of water drinking + 5.5 months pregnant + lots of walking + few bathrooms = not a wise decision).

Image from leesartshop.com

- Since I am a Project Runway junkie, I just HAD to make it to the designer fabric haven, Mood. Courtney won the BEST FRIEND EVER IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE AND THEN SOME award for humoring my Mood quest. We walked six blocks in the wrong direction, then back up the six blocks then up and down the fashion district's streets until we found the unmarked entrance and the button-less elevator you have to take to get into the three-story store (it actually has an elevator man who uses a crank to make the elevator go up and down! An elevator man!). I found the upholstery fabric I didn't know I had been searching for my entire life, which I shall use to recover an ottoman. This fabric is shown below on a sofa that, as I noticed a few days ago, was in the background for about .05 seconds in an episode of PR (!!!). My fabric is famous.

Image from Moodfabrics.com

- Checked out Fashion Week at Bryant Park where we were short on celebrity sightings but had enough graphic PETA posters shoved in our faces that I can 100% promise I will never, ever, ever wear fur as long as they never ever, ever, make me look at another one of those hideous posters again (not that I ever wore it before. But still.). I also realized that 1. EVERYONE in the fashion industry smokes and 2. I am definitely not hip enough to pull off the plastic sunglasses-sans-lenses look I saw a few fashionista/os sporting.

- Shared a plane ride home with Natalie who was also in New York for work. Fun times and gossip magazine-sharing ensued.

- Were so happy to get home.

Also? I did just fine in my "walking shoes" thankyouverymuch.

.

A giveaway that doesn't suck! (Obvious vacuum-related pun)

Back in April, my office flooded and caused mass destruction to my working quarters. As part of the post-disaster clean-up, an unknown worker brought in a helpful ShopVac to take care of some of the mess.

Award-winning photography by the talented Diania "Double D" Dickerson

This ShopVac has been sitting in the hallway outside of my coworkers' and my office ever since. Seriously. For four months now. Nobody has moved it an inch and for a long time this really bothered me (but obviously not enough for me to move it somewhere else). However, I'm now starting to become attached to it, I think of it as an office pet. Or office R2D2.

My coworkers and I have started to joke about how long it will remain in the hallway before someone finally moves it.

Leave a comment with your best guess as to how long (in days, weeks or months) the ShopVac will remain in the hallway. The closest guess will receive a $20 gift certificate to the world's greatest pizza joint, Z Pizzeria. (And possibly the ShopVac itself.) August 15 is the last day to participate. (It's OK to leave a comment if I don't know you. Chances are I probably read your blog, too.)

Note: My coworkers are allowed to place guesses but cannot influence the status of the ShopVac's hallway residence or else they will be disqualified.


.

Overheard: Sure to replace the "honor student" bumper sticker

Proud Mom: Our son can't talk, but he can make an awesome fart noise.



-

Overheard: Family Values

Girl 1: All I really wanted was for someone to bring those Tootsie Rolls to our meeting.

Girl 2: I'm on it. I respond well to guilt trips; my parents are divorced.

Overheard: Agency Meeting, Fiber Edition

Account manager: Our new client makes a weight-loss ingredient, it's really cool, kind of a high-tech fiber supplement.

Agency partner: Speaking of fiber, I had one of those FiberOne bars.

Account manager: What did you think of it?

Agency partner: It gave me instant farts.

Agency manager: Oh, um, well, you can try this one. It doesn't cause any side effects.

Office manager: But we'll have to make him work outside. Just in case.

Workin' 9 to 5

What a way to make a livin', indeed. I think most people who punch the time clock agree that work can sometimes be no walk in the park. That's often true for me, too, but for the most part I really enjoy my job. Probably because of all the crazies with whom I spend 40+ hours a week (hi, guys!).

Last week I traveled to the lovely city of Secaucus, New Jersey (just as beautiful as its name implies) and the Big Apple itself, New York. Although I didn't have any of my beloved coworkers with me, I managed to have a great time with some of the editors and clients we work with.

One night, I was invited to attend a reception with some client friends and boarded a boat at sunset at Chelsea Piers to take in the Manhattan skyline and Lady Liberty herself. The view was pretty incredible and, I thought it totally appropriate that I was admiring our country's gift from France with my friends from France. They live in Brooklyn now, but still. Coincidence? I think not.




Another night, I went to dinner at Central Park's legendary Tavern on the Green. My favorite part of the evening was the animals carved into the bushes, especially the giant gorilla that stared at us during dinner.

I didn't take this, instead I grabbed it off the Internet

During the day in NYC, I booked it around town (One of my favorite things about NYC? It's a place where my faster-than-average walking speed fits right in.) and met with editors about upcoming stories. Just in case you want to see what the hallways of a major magazine office look like, here you go:


Not super exciting, I know. They were preparing for a bikini shoot, as you may be able to tell in this photo.

The rest of the time I cruised around the city, checking out my favorite NYC stores (no trip is complete without a stop at Lee's Art Shop on 57th and 7th--trust me you won't be disappointed).

Also, I was able to eat pretty well, although there was something crunchy in my chopped Caesar at this place...

Flashback Friday: Swiss Miss, Miss and Mr.

Enjoy this little snapshot I had on my computer, of my fabulous client who lives in Norway but is from Sweden and speaks English, Norwegian, Swedish, French and Italian; me, who is from Price but lives in the far-away and exotic land of Salt Lake City and speaks English, British, Australian, Canadian (in some parts) and South African; and Greg, patron saint of California airports, who is from France but lives in NYC and speaks English and French and probably lots of other things, too because that's just how those Europeans are.

This is the three of us in May in Geneva, Switzerland when we were all there for meetings. We had a great time during the trip, going to lots of dinners and out for drinks. There was usually a group of about 10-20 of us and I was the only American every time. It was wonderful, even with feeling like the least refined person there among all of the incredibly smart, successful, educated and well-traveled people. I'm sure that they, too, were impressed with me and the sophisticated way I held my beer cozy.

Overheard: Serious Confession

Him: So, I've been thinking. I need to apologize.

Her: Why?

Him: Because that day we were at Arby's? I feel like I really pushed the French dip on you.

Her: I've been meaning to talk to you about that.

Maybe it's not half-full, but at least I didn't spill it

As days of the week go, Mondays are not my favorite. Consider that today Zach has a wicked fever, my beloved Ford Explorer is quickly taking a turn for the worse and it’s rainy and dreary, this Monday in particular is not the best way to start a new week.

However, I know I have it pretty easy compared to many people out there. So in the spirit of looking at my glass half-full, here’s a list of the things I’ll be happy to do this coming week:

- Spend time with Marcae and Katie

- Get to see Abby and have neighborhood game night, just like old times

- Paint our baseboards [Editor’s Note: I’m not excited or happy to do this, I’ll just be happy to get it over with. Glass half-full, remember?]

- Take my old clothes to DI—hello, extra closet space!

- Take my shoes to be re-heeled (How in the world am I so hard on them?)

- Be grateful that someone turned in my purse and ALL ITS CONTENTS—including my debit card, American Express, driver’s license, cash and prescription eyeglasses—to the security desk in WENDOVER when we were there this weekend to enjoy the fabulous comedic stylings of Bill Cosby. Thank you, honest citizen! I’m sending loads of good karma your way. And maybe a box of Jell-O.

- Hope that my flooded office is quickly repaired so that I can move back to my old digs and out of our glass-walled conference room. Sewer line breaks really get in the way of productivity. And privacy.

What remains of my water-damaged office. In need of sheet rock and new carpet.

Overheard: Respecting Boundaries

Her: *Opens door* Why is your door closed?

Me: Because I have to get something done and I need to focus.

Her: *Walks in* So you don't want anyone coming in and bugging you?

Me: Exactly.

Her: Well, closed doors don't mean anything to me.

Me: Obviously.

What a diet free of hydrogenated corn syrup does to your attention to detail

Last week and over the weekend, I traveled to southern California to attend this insanely huge trade show where all the new natural and organic food, health & beauty products are revealed. It was a fun time but I was completely wiped out since I have to represent our clients in endless media interviews, not to mention there's not a real, legitimate chemical-packed junk food within a 50-mile radius. And I'm just not used to that. It's kind of a chaotic scene with more than 50,000 people going to this show; getting a cab in Anaheim can be a little tricky once it's time to head to the airport.

So when it came time to go home Sunday afternoon, imagine my happiness when two of my friends offered to drive me to the airport. No waiting in a cab line, just a nice little ride to the 'port with friends. Sounds good to me.

My two friends, Greg and Nico, were leaving Anaheim to go to another city for meetings with our shared client the next day and offered to drop me off since it was on their way. We headed out to the airport about two hours before my 4:59 p.m. flight. Look at me, California! For once I am on time.

We leave my hotel where I had to pick up my bags, and hop right onto the freeway. About a half-hour later, I see a site similar to this:

We're at LAX, the world's fifth-busiest airport. Awesome. Except one thing: I AM NOT FLYING OUT OF LAX. I'm flying out of Orange County's John Wayne Airport. You know? The one 40 MINUTES IN THE OTHER DIRECTION?

Oops.

Apparently in my exhausted state, I overlooked the fact that I didn't tell my friends out of what airport I was flying. I never fly into LAX, so it wasn't even on my radar. They, as luck would have it, always fly into LAX so John Wayne wasn't on theirs.

We immediately flipped around and headed back down the freeway, with me on the phone to Delta the entire way where I was informed that all flights to SLC from both John Wayne and LAX were booked the rest of the night.

Thanks to Greg's superb driving skills, and miracle of miracles--the fact that there was absolutely NO traffic, I made it onto the plane just as they were doing their "last call" page telling me to get my sweaty-from-running-in-3inch-heels-while-carrying-too-much-stuff arse onto the plane or else I was staying in Californ-i-a until the next day (which, I admit there are worse things in the world than being stranded in SoCal, but I really needed to get home).

I made it.

And, just to make it clear that I wasn't in sunny Cali any more, I was greeted upon arrival with a nice cool blast of freezing air. Apparently Old Man Winter decided to head back to SLC, too.

Overheard: Exchanging Morning Pleasantries

Amanda: Get out of here. Go find more banana pudding recipes.

Diania*: I don't NEED a recipe. I have an old family recipe for banana pudding.

Amanda: Oh really? An old family recipe? What's it for, B-A-N-A-N-I-A pudding?


(Editor's Note: Readers should understand that Diania's name, pronounced "Diana," is a family tradition. She is named after her grandmother, whose name was spelled wrong on her birth certificate. And now you have the rest of the story.]

[Update: Diania's name goes back to her great-great grandma. It must be southern thing.]

I think they call this irony

Below is the actual email subject line from a helpful person who let our company know our website had a problem that made things, you know, HARD TO READ.


From: XXXX
Date: February 12, 2008 1:30:21 PM MST
To: XXXX
Subject: you're webiste has some script error on in the news section

Overheard: Family Resemblance

"Wow, your mom is really pretty."

*Pauses*

"Is she your real mom?"