my favorite (dc) things

This weekend I made the journey back to D.C., my 2008 summer home, to visit some friends and get a much needed taste of the (almost) South. It was a quick little trip, Chinatown-bus style (my DC Metro fare for the weekend cost more than the roundtrip busride back and forth to NYC... god bless the Apex bus!). I loved visiting the city I got to know this summer. I even got to see my old house in Petworth (for more info on the best neighborhood in DC, check out this great blog) and I visited an ice cream shop near and dear to my heart, Beveragemania. I worked at this Petworth staple all summer and grew very fond of their cheap shakes and lovely owners, Joy and Leonard. Lucky for me both were working when I stopped by! I loved seeing them again. I also had a fantastic dinner at Busboys and Poets-- I had only been there for drinks before, but their food is both affordable and inventive. Whoo hoo for weekend getaways! 

On a sidenote-- during one of Eric's nights off last week, we saw a free concert at The Living Room in the Village. My man knows my taste in music well and he knew I'd enjoy seeing Sydney Wayser, a singer-songwriter whose music sounds like it could accompany an entire season of Grey's Anatomy. Check out her stuff-- support your local musicians! 

It's been awhile since we've updated... lame. Things have been busy, but that's no excuse for blog-slacking. 

Lots of exciting things happening in our lives. Here's a taste:

1) I would like to announce that Eric has successfully become a part of the team behind the New York Times website, and I couldn't be prouder! :) However, the job does come with a bit of a price... he'll be workin' the graveyard shift five nights a week. Yes, times are a-changin'... and so will Eric's (and my) body clocks... but such is the life of a successful journalist. Tonight's his first night on the job-- I wonder what he's doing right this minute? 

2) Halloween in NYC is quite the production. Having lived in Chapel Hill, home of the South's largest Halloween celebration, for the past four years, I'm used to some pretty ridonkulous happenings on the 31st. To be honest, Franklin Street's insanity got to be a bit much for me... dozens of shady men with videocameras taping all of the scantily clad college students combined with random grope attacks really was a bit much. Eric and I spent this year's Halloween celebrating in the Village with our friend who attends NYU Law and I'm happy to report that it was a really great, family-friendly time. Only a few PG-13 moments, and they all occured after midnight. We tried to get a peek at the Halloween parade, but didn't have much luck seeing anything, so ended up walking around admiring the various costumery. Oh, and did I mention what we went as? Eric was Joe the Plumber, complete with baldness (I did NOT approve of that decision) and I was a very pregs Bristol Palin. We were certain that we'd see plenty of Joes and Sarahs around, but to our surprise there really weren't many! I'm going to take that as a good sign. 

3) I took my first yoga class in about six months last week and I was super sore for three days. The class was so intense-- people were standing on their heads and folding up into pretzels while I was busy trying to balance on one foot. New York yoga = way over my head. 

4) My BFF from high school, miss Jeanie, came and visited last weekend and we had a splendid time shopping, attending the Martha show and eating at yummy restaurants. I love having visitors because it gives me an excuse to do fun things! 

5) Election day is in two days. Have you voted yet?? 

a night out, puppy-style

Few things in life give me such joy as the act of sharing the music I love with friends. Especially in a live setting -- heads bobbing, performers sweating, bass reverberating -- there's just a visceral pleasure in seeing your favorite music playing on the senses of those you've proselytized. It's partly ego -- they have you to thank, after all -- but I like to think it also stems from a deeper desire to ensure that good art doesn't go unappreciated. I want talented independent musicians to grow their listenership so I can say I was there first, yes, but also because they deserve it. And I want my friends to reap from the music the same joy I do.

That's why last night was such a thrill. Katie and I, along with friends Harper and Ellen, ventured out to the Bowery Poetry Club to see one of my favorite young bands, a fusion collective called Snarky Puppy. I'd met some of the guys from Snarky years ago, and I've watched them develop from an interesting modern jazz outfit into the vein-busting rhythmic bememouth they are today. Last night's show featured eight of the 29 (yep, 29) musicians who subbed in and out of the lineup on the group's latest release, Bring Us The Bright. 

Despite a tardy start time that frustrated those of us who actually had work in the morning (present company not included), the evening was an unequivicol triumph, on both musical and evangelical grounds. The band's skin-tight grooves, jarring syncopations and dazzling array of sounds left me buzzing the remainder of the night. And just as satisfying, my companions were similarly riveted by the performance. Katie grinned and glowed. Harper danced in his chair, even getting up to shake the bandleader's hand afterward. Ellen -- well, I wasn't really sitting next to her, but I think she dug it. The point is, I'd won some new converts to the Snarky Puppy cause. And it felt good.

winter wonderland

The ice skating rink has officially been constructed in Bryant Park (I can see it out the windows across from my desk). Winter is officially here!

AHHH!!!!

The thought of ice skating and snowflakes and twinkly lights is really exciting. But after December 25… the great white North will officially turn into my wintry hell. After four years of enjoying glorious spring-like weather (while my brave Great Lakes family told me about five feet of snow and treacherous patches of ice) I am entirely unprepared to face down a northern winter. Blech.

Perhaps you’d like to hear about our weekend? Saturday night Eric and I went out to dinner with my friends from UNC, Julia and Mathieu, who happened to be in the Big Apple. I’d heard about this Indian restaurant called Panna II in the East Village. All I knew was that they had a penchant for decorating with string lights and that there was some kind of competition going on with the restaurant next door. I had NO IDEA it would be the crazy experience it turned out to be! We walked up to the address, where there were not two, but three identical Indian restaurants all mushed together. At the doorways of each were these Indian hosts who were absolutely determined to get us to come to their restaurant. They all shouted over each other trying to convince us that the other restaurants were bad and theirs were “the best.” Thank goodness I knew which place to go in, because had I not I would have been really confused! Inside Panna II (which is about the size of a shoebox), there are millions of lights strung everywhere. It’s like a jungle of crazy lights. At one point during dinner, they actually turned off all of those lights and turned on a disco ball and then sang an Indian version of happy birthday. It was fabulous. Plus it was dirt cheap and pretty delicious too—I’m absolutely taking all of my future houseguests to this place! Only in New York…

What else… we also painted Eric’s new bedroom this weekend, which used to be this hideous mix of maroon and navy (with random patches of white… cute). Because the room is teeny weenie (as in 6 ½ feet by 10 feet) there used to be a loft up for a bed as well. Eric decided to forgo the joys of fort-building and took it down-- good choice, honey! So anyway, even though the room is ridiculously small, the ceilings are about 14 feet so there was a lot of work to do. We had to prime the whole place first and then we picked a nice tan for the lower portion of the walls. And now the place is lookin’ good! Go us.

And now a tip of voting advice… THIS is super important!! If you’re voting in North Carolina, you MUST fill in the bubble next to your choice for President, EVEN IF you’re filling in the bubble below to vote straight ticket. If you don’t, your vote for Prez won’t be counted!

walking amongst the stars

These past few days have been star-filled (and super fun). After a two month drought of famous peeps, let's take a quick inventory of the star sightings that have occurred in the past 48 hours.

-Martha Stewart
-Yo Yo Ma
-Mayor Bloomberg
-Dylan & Cole Sprouse (of Big Daddy and Disney Channel fame)
-Martha Stewart
-Ellen Burstyn
-Alan Kalter (announcer on The Late Show)

Seriously... that's an impressive list. I'm impressed just looking at it. Last night Eric and I attended a Yo Yo Ma benefit concert at Carnegie Hall. I'd never been in there before-- it is so, so, so beautiful. And huge! We were up in the nosebleed section of the top balcony, which is actually higher than the top of the stage. The sound wasn't amazing, but what a view! Yo Yo played with the Sony Symphony (composed entirely of Japanese Sony employees... yeeeeah Suzuki kids!) and all of the benefits went to several New York music charities. He played the Dvorak Cello Concerto-- keepin' it classic-- and just completely poured himself into it. It always blows my mind how much of a team player he is. There he was, on stage with an amateur orchestra, and he treated it as if he was playing with the New York Philharmonic. He's such an incredible musician and entertainer. I'm totally psyched that he's got a holiday CD out, called Songs of Joy and Peace, with all-stars like James Taylor, Renee Fleming, Dave Brubeck and Diana Krall. FYI, we're just 16 days from the official start of the holiday listening season. That's Nov. 1, baby. Take off the Halloween costume and put on some Bing Crosby and Muppet Family Christmas, in my book. I'm looking forward to adding some Yo Yo to the mix!

Eric, you totally need to blog about our BYOB hilarity last night.

Ooo, another celebrity connection... I'm officially just one step away from Perez Hilton. I was in the studio today when this interesting election prediction was shared with the world this morning!

what if mom friends me on facebook?

The Motherload blog on NYTimes.com raises an interesting quandry: If my mom wants to add me as a friend on Facebook, should I accept? 

On the one hand, I like to think that I have a close relationship with my mom. Loving, even. But: Facebook friendship makes one privy to all sorts of salacious life details that, frankly, I'd rather not have to explain to Janet Bishop. Not that my Facebook photo albums show me galivanting around the nightclubs of Chicago wearing the skimpiest of clothing. (Yes, Sarah, I've seen the photos.) Siblings on Facebook create their own unique challenges, a fact that I recently learned when my sister Julie sent me a friend request. There, the benefits of seeing photo albums of our baby niece Claire far outweighed any potential embarrassments resulting from adding Julie as a friend.

On the Times post, blogger Lisa Belkin pinpoints a fundamental tension with letting your parents into your Facebook world:

• Is it a diary? (Something that parents shouldn’t read, except for when maybe they should?) Or a conversation with friends in the living room? (Open to anyone standing nearby?)

  Kids themselves don’t seem to agree. Many of my friends have children who happily “friend” them — and me. My 16-year-old niece, in turn, pretends she has friended me, and doesn’t think I know that she has barred me from some of the more interesting parts of her Facebook.

  And my own sons? The older one has blocked me and I haven’t even bothered to friend the younger one. Let them have their private clubhouse. Because what I have learned from my own time on Facebook is that there is nothing terribly private about the place at all. When everything you do is being broadcast to hundreds of acquaintances, secrets wont stay deep or dark for long.

Sarah, I hope you're reading this. Although like you, I'm thankful that Mom and Dad haven't yet realized that setting up a Facebook account is so easy, even centegenarians can do it.

P.S. Can we appreciate the fact that Mrs. Belkin refers to her niece's profile as "her Facebook?" Oh, adults. Even when you get it, you don't get it.

night at the museum

Last night, my good friend Mo and I, being the grown and sexy women we are, hit the club.

You may be asking yourself, which club did you "hit"? Perhaps the always-bouncin' 95 South, conveniently located on Franklin Avenue? The Brooklyn YMCA?

Nope and nope. Even nerdier (and more awesome).

The Museum of Natural History was hosting one of its monthly DJ parties, and because Mo's aunt is the coolest, we had free tix! So we techno grooved the night away in the midst of the most random and eclectic crowd ever (aka girl wearing ear plugs so she could get her techno jam on directly in front of the huge speakers...) and even got to take a break to watch a movie in the planetarium, second-grade style. Except there was booze.

Interesting facts I learned while at the planetarium party:
-Sun spots are the coolest parts of the sun at 8000 degrees!
-Mo's sister weighs absolutely zero on the moon!
-I did weigh something on the moon! (Ouch!)
-Techno is really, really hard to dance to!
-Sarah Palin walked with the dinosaurs!
-If an asteroid was coming toward right the earth, we could send a space shuttle to fly right next to it for like a hundred years and it could POSSIBLY change the course of the asteroid because of it's gravitational pull and save humanity! Sweet!

in paradise/at madiba

Wow... so much to update on. Where to even begin? I guess I'll start with my incredible adventure to the dirty Jerz yesterday. I'm visiting schools for the Robbie program up here, so each Friday I trek out to a few high schools to meet with some overachieving rockstars. But yesterday's trip was special because a) I don't have my car down here any more, so I took NJ Transit (a real live train that runs for the most part ABOVE ground) and b) New Jersey was totally nice! I mean, yes, I did know that the state is not all one huge sewage treatment facility, however, I wasn't expecting it to be SO picturesque and lovely. Maplewood, NJ was a lovely place to be on a fall day. :)

Some restaurant updates, because I ate out not once but TWICE yesterday (that's unheard of, in my book)-- before making my next high school stop at the NYC Lab School, I was in Chelsea and had lunch at this lovely little spot called Paradise Cafe. Sandwiches were great (read: when I bit into mine, a large chunk of avacado fell out, which for me means I automatically love it), the staff was friendly and it just had a really nice, relaxed vibe. The prices were slightly expensive-- what else is new-- but it had garage-door type opening in the front that was rolled up to allow the tables to spill out into the sunlight and the lunch-goers to do some serious people watching. I saw a tiny dog wearing four sneakers, for example. Typical.

But as special as the cafe was, my second eating out experience was extra-super special. Eric and I checked out Madiba, the only (as far as I know) South African restaurant in NYC, conveniently located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

Oh. My. God. It was so incredibly delicious.

Madiba was the first South African restaurant in the US and it's got a distinctly ZA vibe as soon as you walk in the door. The interior is decorated to resemble a shebeen, or township bar, and there are South African flags and photos everywhere. We sat outside on their sidewalk seating, which was great because the weather was so warm yesterday. The menu had tons of delicious options that brought back a flood of memories, from baby back ribs with monkey gland sauce (Eric's choice) to a delicious mince meat pie called bobotie (my favorite). Several members of the serving staff were South African Xhosa speakers, so I got to ask our waitress if I was pronouncing the word "umngqushu" on the menu correctly (and I did! it's "umn-gu(click)-shu"). Plus, the true test of a good ethnic restaurant is if people of that ethnicity actually eat there-- and we were surrounded by people clicking away in Xhosa all night. And, the icing on the cake is that part of their proceeds is sent back to South Africa into the Ubuntu Education Fund and the Ethembeni School of the Bli

My absentee ballot came from NC yesterday... so I'm gonna go vote. Woot!

movin' on up

Guess who just found a place to live in posh Prospect Heights? This guy.

After a grueling search (I visited two places), I have finally found the apartment of my dreams. Great location, great building, and (I think) great roommates. The room is tiny but includes a lofted bed, and the rest of the place is huge and nicely decorated with vintage furniture. I think I might paint my room--any color suggestions, my loyal readers?

In other news, I just got a couple story assignments from Duke Magazine, my alumni glossy. I'm profiling a jazz pianist and a male model, which gels nicely with my areas of expertise. 

why I have alice water's card in my bag

Maybe if you’re not a foodie you aren’t familiar with the name Alice Waters (but you should be, regardless). I don’t have the energy to list all of the incredible things she’s done here, but she’s a huge deal in the food world and I got to not only meet her today, but hear her speak for an entire hour as one of just three other people in the room. (!!!) She’s such an incredible visionary and listening to her opinions on everything from getting your kids to eat healthy foods (if they grow it and prepare it, they’ll like it!) to the upcoming election (she told us she talked to Michelle Obama about putting a vegetable garden on the front lawn of the White House) was so interesting. I left feeling really inspired—she has this teeny tiny little voice (and a matching teeny tiny body) but the things she says are so deep. It made me want to run out and buy her book, The Art of Simple Food. And now I’m daydreaming about dining at Chez Panisse (if I ever get out to the West Coast/become filthy rich).

did you just threaten the yaris?

If I read your post correctly, Katie, you threatened that the Yaris had "better last long... OR ELSE." Or else what? You'll waterboard the poor beast? I, for one, think the Yaris deserves your love and affection, not threats.

Now that we've got that important matter cleared up, on to the debate. I agree that it was an underwhelming affair. Mostly because John McCain insists on sticking to his well-worn talking points (clamping down on spending, victory in Iraq, tax-raising liberal communists), rather than engaging Obama on the realities of the country's problems. Many commentators miss the McCain of 2000. Clearly he's a different politician in 2008, but what about the McCain of this year's Republican National Convention? The speech he gave that night was a serious admonition of his own party--have we heard that kind of "straight talk" since then? McCain had the opportunity to change the race by laying out the failures of the Bush administration and staking his claim on a new course for the country. He squandered it. Hard to make a strong case against Bush, I guess, when you're surrounded by former Bush operatives.

But let's get off politics for a second and turn to a more neutral, mixed-company sort of  topic: music. Last night, Katie and I paid a visit to Barbes--a low-lit watering hole in Park Slope--to see guitarists Charlie Hunter and Doug Wamble. In the interest of brevity, some talking points on the show:

• Charlie Hunter's records don't always impress me, but seeing his seven-string in a live setting is whole different animal. Those hands never stop moving.
• I like Doug Wamble--especially his old-timey singing--but he needs to lay off the clean electric. 
• The last time I saw drummer Bill Campbell, he was the focus of a very avant-garde quintet at the Tea Lounge, with lots of wild, dynamic ups and downs. In this setting, he was more subdued, but no less interesting.

And finally, today's Yiddish word of the day is schlep. It means: "to proceed or move especially slowly, tediously, awkwardly, or carelessly." And it's used in this hilarious--but 100 percent inappropriate--Sarah Silverman video.

wife swap

Is anyone else noticing how Cindy and Michelle flip flopped on their political dress colors tonight? I have to say, the sparkly red really becomes Michelle. Cindy in a blue dress suit... eh. I'm ambivalent. 

So Eric, what do you think of tonight's debate? Personally, I was kind of bored. Now, I'm not the most political person ever, and I already know who I'm voting for... so to be truthful, I'm not exactly taking in these debates with an open mind. However, I felt like the amount of voting record back-and-forth between Obama and McCain tonight got annoying. McCain even admitted that he knew that we, "his friends," didn't enjoy hearing the he said/he said tug-of-war (and then went on to do it once again).... I've just heard these voting record attacks one time too many. As an idealistic young person, I did love Obama's shout out to us and his call for individual sacrifice. Nice. 

And now, here's an unrelated shoutout in the form of an internet poem to my boo, Yaris the Caris, back in Rochester... love you baby! Momma misses you!!! 

"Oh little yaris, how I want you sooo bad!
But unlike the rich kids, I can't get you from my dad.*
So I'll work and I'll save and I'll get you some day,
And you better last long, for what I'll have to pay."

*I did, in fact, get my Yaris from my dad (and mom). However, I am not a rich kid. But Yaris, regardless, you'd better last long... OR ELSE. 

What’s up, doc?/The Aveda “Experience”

Unfortunately, I had to visit the doctor last week for a recurring foot problem. After placing a few phone calls to my home doctor/insurance company, I finally got approval to see a podiatrist—but where in this big, big city to go? I don’t really know anyone here who’s seen a podiatrist (because most of my friends aren’t old women/extreme athletes/major klutzes who drop their laptops on their toes), so I wasn’t sure where to start. I decided to hit up Google Maps to see if there were any doctors near my work and ended up finding Grand Central Podiatry. I have to admit, I was nervous about going to a doctor that I had read no reviews on and who was located in a mainly residential building with office hours after 5 p.m. (and who could get me in on the very day I called!). Sketch. But I’m happy to report that I had a really fantastic experience. I was seen by Dr. Roger Hans (his website is hansfeet.com) who was a total pro, even with a really nervous gal like me. And I think my feet problems are finally solved—at least until he finds something else wrong with ‘em and tries to convince me to put lifts in my shoes (I can barely fit my feet in my shoes all by themselves!). So if you’ve got foot issues, I totally recommend this place.

Let’s contrast that to my other appointment last week… my haircut. First of all, I’m a total cheapo when it comes to my hair. No dye, no fancy cuts… I’m a pretty low key hair girl. When I used to live in North Carolina, I’d get my hair cut at the Aveda training institute. I did have friends that had bad experiences there (after all, you are getting your hair cut by students), but I’d always had really good experiences. So I thought, well, if I had good haircuts in a small town in NC, I’m sure the hairdressers at the Aveda school in NYC must be really, really good… right? Uh, no. Let me just give you some highlights… it was my hairdresser’s very first time cutting a paying customer’s hair… she looked through a giant pile of study flashcards before picking up the scissors… and her hands shook the entire time she snipped. I felt totally sorry for her and I really tried to be nice about it (after all, someone had to be her first customer, I guess!), but it wasn’t the best experience ever. I’m thinking next time it might be worth the extra dough to go to a real salon… if you know of any cheap but good places in NYC to get your hair did, let me know!

post (eric's) post

me:

haha. you sound like a huge loser.*

you have no job and you curse strangers out in subway stations

jesus.

who are you?

Eric:
i didn't sign up for this to be belittled!

you're a mean blogger

*Eric isn't really a huge loser. I personally have never witnessed him cursing out anybody, especially strangers (and the reason he "erupted" that one time was completely called for). Plus, he's hot on the trail of a several great jobs. I kiiid, I kiiiid!

A New Yorker? Me?

Hello everyone out there in Internetland. My name is Eric Bishop, and I am a New Yorker.

After four months of living in Brooklyn, it still feels odd to say that. For the majority of my life I've been a Chicagoan, and for the most recent five years--an undergraduate degree and change at Duke--I've been a faux-Southerner. But a New Yorker? Aren't New Yorkers supposed to have dark-rimmed glasses and vaguely ethnic faces and important-sounding jobs? I have none of those things. (Hopefully a job soon, more on that later.) But yes, in June I moved my things up here and started an internship at Esquire. I was living the dream. I'm not sure I was really a New Yorker, though, until late August, when I cursed out a complete stranger in a subway station. Everyone's got their New York Moment--mine just happened to erupt fiercely and publicly, in front of several confused onlookers. 

So here I am, along with my girlfriend Katie. Together, I'd say we make a fine couple of bloggers, inadvertant gentrifiers, still-potent musicians, semi-journalists, absentee voters (NC for Obama, baby) and unlikely New Yorkers. We like it here. I think we'll take our shoes off and stay awhile. 

the next stop is...

Moving to New York City wasn't exactly on my short list of things to do. Having grown up in Rochester, I felt like I'd already done the "New York thing"-- sure, I couldn't see the State of Liberty from my bedroom window growing up, but I felt like I'd checked the Empire State off my list.

But despite my passion for planning, things didn't exactly turn out the way I thought they would. After graduating in May, I moved to Washington while Eric (my co-blogger and partner-in-crime) decided to pursue his journalistic dreams in the Big Apple.

Well. That threw a wrench in the works.

And while I really enjoyed living in DC (more stories to come about that later), I surprised myself by not hating NYC when I'd come to visit. In fact, I completely fell in love with the previously unseen, unexplored and untamed* borough of Brooklyn, where Eric lived. So in August, I sold my things, rented a minivan (with fold-down seats... god I love minivans!) and settled into my new home straddling that fine, delicate line between Crown and Prospect Heights. For the first month, it was kind of hard. But now (I was just telling Eric the other day and he's going to be happy to see that I've actually put it in writing!) I'm starting to come around to it again. Brooklyn's pretty cool. So we're going to write about it.

Now here's my interesting Yiddish fact of the day (after all, we do live in Crown Heights...) did you know that it's actually spelled "farklempt" and not "verklempt"? As in, "Just the thought of my dear old dog Sammy is making me all farklempt." Oi! I had no idea!

*by me