To flee or not to flee...that is the question.

So I have a week of vacation that is as yet unplanned. Week 1 of the vacay has already been allocated to California. Week 2, however, is completely open to interpretation.

I've been thinking of a few things:
1) Fleeting trip to Peru (with main goal of seeing Machu Picchu) with the following itinerary: Fly into Cuzco/tour Cuzco (depart Sunday night/arrive Monday - Day 1), Machu Picchu (Day 2), Fly into Lima/Lima (Day 3), tour more Lima (Day 4), Lima/return to NYC (Friday night/arrive Saturday - Day 5). Yes, I have Fairmont/Swissotel hotel vouchers for Lima (hence the Lima-ness at the end there). I'd probably book a package for the Cuzco/Machu Picchu portion because that would be easiest in terms of hotel and getting my butt up that mountain. Total cost of flights (NYC --> Cuzco --> Lima --> NYC), hotel and Machu Picchu package, give or take a couple hundred, ~$2100.

2) Cruise. I know I know...a total cop-out. There's something to be said about having everything figured out for you and eating as much as you want, whenever you want, then going to lie on a deck with a book. Based on my available dates, it'd be a five day cruise from NYC up the Canadian coast to visit St. John and Halifax (never been to either). I've solicited cruise bids from this website and they are quoting ~$1070 for a balcony stateroom for just me, not inclusive of tips, etc.

3) Round trip to somewhere random, tropical, and not necessarily high on my list of must-see/must-do, but suitable for an escapist approach (e.g., Costa Rica, the Bahamas, etc.). Considering I've been to Belize and Fiji (not to mention the Omani beaches), I'm not sure if I need another beach vacation. Then again, there's something to be said about lying on a beach with a book - similar to the cruise escape idea. It does sound nice...and would be pretty affordable. I'm seeing under $1000 or so for flight and hotel, 5 days/4 nights.

4) Do nothing?

*shudder*

Pretend I didn't say that.

5) I'm open to suggestions. Anything from the night of June 13 to the night of June 19. Any ideas?

Nico has something to say.

And I'm thinking of creating a blog for him to say it.

Um...categorize this under "cat lady"...?

Epic Timing

My Blackberry died. (See immediately previous post.)

Is it possible to curse an electronic mobile device?

Blackberry: 10 Things I Hate About You

This week I went to a free creative writing workshop to see if I wanted to start taking classes with this program. It was pretty good, and I ended up writing a short blurb on our favorite modern technological leash: the Blackberry. The prompt was to write for five minutes about something uncommon that you hate. I'm sure many of you will understand.

"The red blinking light of my Blackberry haunts me. It's funny to think that the Blackberry did not exist ten years ago - at least, it didn't exist in my world. Now this electronic manacle is constantly and without question always there. Movie theater? There. My brother's graduation? There. On a date? There - along with me, furtively typing in a bathroom stall. How can one two-and-a-half inch by three-and-a-half inch device bring so much pain? The red light blinks. It could just be another administrative announcement - or it could be the end of my life."

Meh.

I got the shaft at work. Nice to feel so (un)appreciated.

This is an experiment.

So as some people know, I bought an ab-fab Prada bag about a year ago...and it is purple. And as many people know, I am typically anti-purple - just don't like the color, to be honest.

So out of curiosity, I googled my bag to see if it was still available (and to check that I really did get an amazing absolutely unbelievable price when I got it on sale at Barney's). Turns out there is NO online picture of my purse.

Thus, my experiment.

My purse: Prada Vitello Daino Bowler in Viola

My picture:

Now I'm gonna go Google it. :)

Jury Duty

And not the Pauly Shore* movie, either.

So I got a jury duty summons. Awesome. A GRAND JURY duty summons. One of my coworkers mentioned he knew someone who served on a grand jury for 30 days.

Yes, 30 DAYS.

I can just imagine the conniption the head partner is gonna have if that's how long I'm out.

I've never done jury duty before. Thoughts?

*P.S.: Whatever happened to Pauly Shore??

Deal of the CENTURY

So I just got back from spending Thanksgiving in San Francisco. As of Wednesday morning, I did not know I would be there. Allow me to explain: It wasn't until I got into work and looked up a flight on a whim that I discovered flights back to SF for Thanksgiving were INSANELY reduced. How insane?

I flew back for $240 roundtrip (tax + fees included).

Yes, $240. Like I said - INSANE. The only explanation I can think of is that, at the point where people are looking up flights that take off within 24 hours, they obviously are indifferent as to whether they fly out or not...which puts the onus on the airlines to convince/incentivize these people to buy a ticket (provided the airlines have empty seats still available, of course).

Being back in SF was great, and Thanksgiving with the fam was actually a lot of fun. I got to catch up with a lot of my aunts, uncles, and cousins, most of whom I hadn't seen since Christmas of last year. We played some card games at my dad's side of the family (Apples to Apples and Bang!), and my aunt made a wicked apple pie. On my mom's side, all of us cousins picked names for Christmas gifts, but the twist is that we are stuck with a strict $5 limit (before tax and/or shipping, thankfully).

Honestly, it was all very American-flag-waving-homemade-apple-pie (as, in fact, there was courtesy of my aunt) traditional holiday, other than a few dishes of eggrolls, dumplings, Chinese broccoli, and sticky rice, that is. It's funny to me (not in a ha-ha way, but in a hrmmm - something to think about) to think that we are but a generation or two away from our immigrant F.O.B. generation.

How long does it take for a family to lose its cultural roots? And how ironic is it that it will likely be later generations who want to find them again?

888 Week!

888! Very lucky!

I hesitate to jinx it, but this week has been pretty...lucky!

I raffled (or, more accurately, my friend raffled and gave to me) into amazing seats for the New York Rangers v. Phoenix Coyotes hockey game on Monday. ($210 each tix!) (Side note: Doesn't a "Phoenix hockey team" sound on par with a Jamaican bobsled team?*)

*bonus points for naming that movie!

Then...I found out I won a free night at a Fairmont hotel - ANY Fairmont hotel in the continental U.S./Canada. (~$400/night) I'm leaning towards one of these two. Lovely, no?

(Well, I should have outright won two nights, but due to a mixup in the back office, I am splitting the prize with the other person, and I'm STILL ELIGIBLE to win two nights for future contests - a good thing!)

FINALLY, I raffled (or, more accurately, my friend at work raffled and then can't end up going) into half-court Club seats for the Knicks OPENING game tomorrow. ($240 each tix!)

So that's like...winning a buncha money without doing anything! Cool!

Thoughts on which Fairmont hotel I should choose? Old Quebec looks beautiful... :)

How much is that doggy in the window? (Ruff ruff!)

On Sunday, I walked my dog through Brooklyn.

"What dog???" you may ask.

As part of Improv Everywhere's latest outing, 2000+ people walked invisible dogs throughout Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill on what turned out to be a surprisingly pleasant Sunday afternoon. After awaking to a damp and rainy morning, I was expecting to be fairly miserable while spending the afternoon outdoors. However, Mother Nature cooperated, and the outing was so much fun!

Here is my account of the afternoon, with my favorite encounter copied below:

I was walking by a place of religious service, and it had just been let out. A group of old guys were on the steps. Corky the Yorkie-mutt had just stopped to sniff a tree nearby.

Old Guy 1 – Lady! Hey lady!
Me – Hi there! What’s up?
OG1 – What…what is this?
Me – He’s a dog. His name’s Corky.
OG1 – But I mean…what IS this?
Me – A dog. I got him at the shelter.
OG1 to OG2 – It’s a dog. Do you see it?
(OG2 shakes head.)
Me – He’s very friendly. (pats near Corky’s head)
OG1 to me – Do YOU see it?
Me – Of course. He’s right here. He’s black and brown. (wiggles leash a little)
OG1 is taken aback – He’s…he’s moving.
OG1 to kid who walked up – The dog is moving.
Me – I think he likes you.
OG1 – Can I touch him?
Me – Sure. He’s friendly.
(OG1 bends down.)
OG1 – I…I don’t feel him.
OG1 to group – Do you see the dog?
(Everyone in group is either bewildered and frowning, bewildered and giggling, or shaking their heads.)
Me – Maybe he’s shy.

*****

Finally (because everyone loves pictures!), here is Corky (my invisi-Yorkie-mutt) hanging out with a feline friend. :)