V is for Visitors

(Whatever happened to that alien show, btw?)

So this weekend was craziness. We had friends from Ohio, Providence, and Texas all visiting and all meeting up on Friday at CC Music Factory's housewarming party. Good times were had by all. Then Saturday some of us had a recovery lunch party at Momofuku Noodle Bar. Finally, I had an excuse to spend $16 on a bowl of ramen, a bowl that I had heard so much about and been meaning to try for ages. Behold:
Mmmm porky deliciousness! We all decided it was very good, if a little salty, but not so amazing that we would be returning each week. Plus we had to wait like an hour for a table. But I'm glad we went! The hamachi and foie gras we all shared was also delicious.

Saturday night was slightly more chill. Sunday was for brunch! Went to a little restaurant near our apartment and had to wait again... for like an hour. Grr. I'm starting to not be a fan of eating out during the day on the weekends. Luckily we were smart and made a reservation for dinner (Soho Park! Such nostalgia for my old neighborhood again!) and it worked out very nicely, considering there were 10 of us and that's usually not the greatest number to go out in.

I'm very much looking forward to the end of this week, weather wise. A repeat of Prospect Park playing on Saturday seems imminent. Tonight should also be awesome, as our (mine and J's) wife (Danny) is making us paella for dinner and we have that to look forward to when we get home from our long, wearying days at work. And sangria? Perfection.

I tweeted this

but I will post it here for my non twittering friends (no pressure! it's just another giant time suck, I swear you're not missing anything!)

Things I am Excited About:
--Spring weather (slash Mister Softee, obvi)
--Friday's party
--Depositing my tax refunds once I get those checks
--Friends visiting this weekend
--Mom visiting in April (which means, therefore: Tim Burton exhibit, Eating Tour, Top of the Rock, and eatingggg)
--Books 5 and 6 in the Sookie Stackhouse (aka True Blood) series that are sitting on my desk, waiting for me to read them on the train
--Having next Friday off of work!

Thing I am Both Excited and Terrified About:
--Finding a new apartment and having to move out

I know there's still a week of March left, but my calendar for April is already filling up and it's going to be awesome. Can't wait. Let's fast forward to Friday night, shall we? Kthanks.

Happy St Patty's day!

It is a fine and sunny 60 degree day in NYC, and the revelers are already out in full swing. But I thought I would commemorate this Irish holiday differently... with POETRY. That's right kids, here's some WB Yeats for your Saint Patrick's Day pleasure. My favorites:

HE WISHES FOR CLOTHS OF HEAVEN

HAD I the heavens' embroidered cloths,

Enwrought with the golden and silver light,

The blue and the dim and the dark cloths

Of night and light and half-light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet

But I, being poor, have only my dreams;

I have spread my dreams beneath your feet;

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams...

THE OLD MEN ADMIRING THEMSELVES IN THE WATER

I HEARD the old, old men say,

"Everything alters,

And one by one we drop away."

They had hands like claws, and their knees

Were twisted like the old thorn trees

By the waters.

I heard the old, old men say,

"All that's beautiful drifts away

Like the waters."

(c) William Butler Yeats

What I wouldn't give for a pint of Magners and to be traipsing across the Galway coastal countryside right now....

Dear Real Estate Market,

Please stay crappy for at least another three months. Or, better yet, get crappier! Because we have our hearts set on moving back to Manhattan, and if this cannot happen because rents are once again over-inflated and impossible to manage on an assistant's salary, well we will be very sad. And please don't send any brokers our way that would like to swindle us out of money, in the form of a broker's fee or any other hidden fee crap. We will not stand for that.

Prepare to be hit come early May! Prepare to be conquered! If only you knew how much I want to get this over with RIGHT NOW... but alas, we must be patient. And as the air turns warm and the sun shines on our faces with the promise of spring and rejuvenation, we rub our palms together in anticipation of the task before us. We set our brows with determination! We scour the Craigslist ads until our eyes blur the images of renovated kitchen tiles and stainless steel appliances and exposed brick all together! We calculate and recalculate rent and utilities costs and still, probably, end up weeping at the thought of all the moneys lost to simply dwelling in a dwelling!

Bring it.