Here's a Tip For Ya!

Tipping.
Can anyone explain this to me?
I tip my server, I tip my hairdresser, I tip the driver/shuttle guy... but when did it become that we have to tip everyone?? People at fast food places have tip jars. I get a letter to tip my newspaper person. Why? Why do we have to tip? Aren't people doing the jobs they were hired for? Some say it's a courtesy, a thank you. Well isn't me making use of you (keeping you/your company in business) a courtesy? I could have gone with someone else!!
I'm In all of my working years I never got a tip. If I went above and beyond I still didn't get a tip. Isn't a doorman's job to get the door? He gets paid to do that, right? So why is it expected that I give him a tip?
Living in NYC can crush you at Christmas time. You've got your front door people, the maintenance people, the mail person....it's a lot of people. Even if you gave everyone $20, where we lived it would have been close to $200 or more! And our front door people didn't do any door openings, they were just desk people.
We're supposed to tip our cab driver, yet we don't tip the bus driver. Aren't they essentially doing the same job, one just has more riders (and a bigger vehicle!)?
I don't get it. I will continue to tip my hairdresser because she has scissors and I don't want to be bald...my newspaper delivery person...probably not.
Call me cheap, that's okay. I've been called worse.

Is There An Interpreter In The House?

In an attempt to lighten up the blog and resume my duties of celeb craptainment blogger, I found this pretty amusing piece, courtesy of www.abcnews.com. It's pretty hard-hitting, journalist award worthy stuff here...okay, not in the least, but it definitely made me laugh out loud a couple times!! Oh celebs...why some people try to emulate you, I'll never know.

"Every time I'm not wearing my ring, people think I'm getting divorced. That's crazy! It just didn't go with the dress. Divorce is not -- and was never -- an option." -- Actress Jennifer Lopez to In Touch magazine, Jan. 11, 2009, on her marriage to singer Marc Anthony. This is her third marriage. She has been divorced twice-- to Ojani Noa and dancer Cris Judd.

"So, where's the Cannes Film Festival being held this year?" -Christina Aguilera, 2000, to the cast of "Saturday Night Live" backstage

"I think gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman." - Arnold Schwarzenegger, 2003, in an interview with radio host Sean Hannerty during the California gubernatorial campaign

"The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation's history. I mean in this century's history. But we all lived in this century. I didn't live in this century." - Dan Quayle, Sept. 15, 1988 during a press conference in Moore, Okla., in answer to a question on the Holocaust

"I can see Russia from my house!" -- Comedian Tina Fey impersonating Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on "Saturday Night Live," broadcast Sept. 13, 2008

"When I pictured heroin, I pictured some crazy crackhead with no shoes under a bridge. You never think that is going to be you. And it never was me. I was never under a bridge, and I always had shoes." - Nicole Richie, 2007, Nylon magazine

"I can't really remember the names of the clubs that we went to." -- Shaquille O'Neal on whether he had visited the Parthenon during his visit to Greece in 1994 to Sports Illustrated

"What's Wal-Mart? Do they like make walls there?" -Paris Hilton, 2003, on show "The Simple Life"

"I think the 'Clueless' movie was very deep. I think it was deep in the way that it was very light. I think lightness has to come from a very deep place if it's true lightness." -Alicia Silverstone, 2000 to the Sunday Telegraph. She was nominated for Britain's annual Foot in Mouth award, honoring the celebrity who makes the most baffling verbal statement.

"It's really hard to maintain a one-on-one relationship if the other person is not going to allow me to be with other people." -Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses, 1989, Rolling Stone

"Too many ob-gyns aren't able to practice their love with women across this country." -President George W. Bush, Sept. 6, 2004, while discussing malpractice lawsuit reforms

"All of a sudden you're like the Bin Laden of America. Osama bin Laden is the only one who knows what I'm going through." -R. Kelly, 2003, after a court hearing on charges of child pornography

"Smoking kills. And if you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life." -Brooke Shields, 1982, during interview to become spokeswoman for a federal anti-smoking campaign

"I love religion. I remember whenever the book "The Da Vinci Code" came out, the Discovery Channel did this three-night piece on it that I TiVoed and then watched eight times." - Jessica Simpson in 2009, Marie Claire magazine

"Maybe 100." -- Sen. John McCain, in a January 2008 town hall meeting in Derry, N.H., discussing how many years U.S. troops could remain in Iraq.

"All of them, any of them that have been in front of me over all these years." -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, responding to a request by CBS anchor Katie Couric to name the newspapers or magazines she reads, broadcast Oct. 1, 2008.

"I get to go overseas places, like Canada."' -Britney Spears in 1999, to the Toronto Star, when asked about the perks of fame.

I think Dan Quayle's quote is my favourite, but Axl, R.Kelly and Brit-Brit...you all made me chuckle and shake my head a little too. Thanks for the fodder!

You Better Watch Out...

Just 3 months to go...so have you been naughty or nice?

Two Thumbs?

How often do you go to the movies? We maybe go twice a year. This year we've seen Cloverfield (Mark liked it, not me) and ...I think that's it so far. I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't go again in 2008. We're just not big movie people. I used to go to the movies ALL the time when I was living at home, and on my own (pre-married days). Not sure if it was the completely opposite movie interests between me and the husband, or the outrageous prices we encountered while living in New York City that hindered the outings. Whatever it was, it made me think about what kind of movie made me HAVE to go see it RIGHT.NOW. I've come up with an answer. None. Seriously. It used to be that once a movie left the theatre, it came out on video a year or more later. I remember going to see Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet when it came out in the theatre (one of my favourite movies) and thinking "I MUST own that movie". That was 1996. Flash forward to 1998, living in Victoria, BC. Walking into HMV and asking if they had the video in stock. I was surprised to find out that it could be ordered but it would cost about $100. Or I could wait 3 months and it would be released to stores for $25 or whatever it cost back then. These days, it takes what? About 6 months to go from big screen to DVDs at Best Buy? Why pay $10 or so to go to the theatre when I can wait, pay $4 to rent it and be disappointed at a fraction of the price? I guess there is nothing out there that screams "See me NOW" to me, And I am too cheap to waste $10 on a movie that will probably leave me shrugging my shoulders (see: Cloverfield).

What movies would some people be a little tepid about admitting they love, but secretly have DVDs of them stashed behind today's hits? Me? Neverending Story, Flight of the Navigator (I still need this one), Labyrinth (yes Mark, I know David Bowie and the unnecessary crotch shots startle you to no end), Goonies, Lost Boys (can't believe they are updating this without Corey Haim!!! What is this world coming to??)... OK, so I don't shy away from admitting I love these movies..I will also admit to loving Bring It On (the original - it sucks me in when it is on USA) and Bend It Like Beckham (HIlarious!). I am not ashamed.

So what movies make you flock to the theatre for the newest release? Have you ever slept/waited in line for a movie to open just so you can go on opening day?
What movies do you secretly (or publicly) love that might make people think twice about your taste?
Or do you only go to the movies for the buttered popcorn?

Confessions

I am about to share with you something that may knock the wind right out of you.
You might want to sit down before you read any further. Mind you, if you're reading this, it means you're at a computer, which probably means you're already sitting down....so I guess we're covered!!
Ok, here it goes, deep breath... ready?

I miss New York City.

Phew! It feels a little better to finally get that out in the open.

Now let me follow that up with the WHY part of N.Y.C.
The holidays are quickly approaching which means the Rockettes have already begun performing their Christmas Spectacular. I LOVE this show! I went the past two years and wanted to go (SO BAD!) this year!!! It's the 75th anniversary show - it's an EVEN BIGGER Christmas Spectacular - how can I miss it?!!! We had planned on coming out for a visit, pretty much so I could see the show, but it just didn't work out. Instead Mark gets to fulfill his wish list and go to NASCAR in Florida. Now don't get me wrong, I am excited to take our cruise that follows, but every time I see an ad for the Rockettes, or someone we know in NYC blogs that they went and saw the show, my heart whimpers.
Christmas was the only time that, if someone asked me if I liked living in NYC, I would respond with a yes. Nothing against NYC (okay maybe a few things), but it just wasn't my city long-term. I can see why people would love it - I just don't fall under that category (and no it's not because I am from some small, isolated town in the tundra covered arctic of Canada and can't handle the big city!).
I didn't mind the crowds quite as much, or the people pushing everywhere you went. I loved to stand at Rockefeller Center and stare at the light shows on Saks forever. Carol of the Bells is my favourite Christmas song, and it just puts me in the Christmas mood. I loved walking to the subway on my way home from work and be standing on the corner of 48th and 5th when the music would start and the lights would come on. I would cross the street, and move off to the side, just to watch the show for a few minutes before heading home. I loved looking at the window displays in Bloomies, Macy's, Saks, and all the other department stores. Seeing the tree all lit up at Rockefeller as I walked to and from work always provided some Christmas joy - even melting away the hatred I felt for the lack of sidewalk etiquette that New Yorkers possess. Even the Thanksgiving Day parade got me an itsy bitsy bit excited, mainly because it meant there was only about a month until Christmas. When the first snow fell, and I would walk out of my apartment and see all of the trees and grass covered in front of our building - for a split second NYC actually looked clean!! The vendors in their booths at Bryant Park and Union Square....I never bought anything, but we would always go walk around and "window shop", even if there were a gazillion people running into you every which way. It was Christmas!!
The one other thing I am having a hard time coming to terms with that we won't be doing this year....Thanksgiving dinner and our Christmas party!!! It was great cramming in as many family-orphaned friends that wanted to come over to eat turkey. Everyone brought a special dish, we all ate too much food, and had a great time. The Christmas get together, with all the goodies, people standing in the kitchen, hallway, probably even the bathroom because there wasn't enough room (probably because our massive Christmas tree took up half of the apartment!!)... we sure are going to miss everyone who would come to them and wish we could be there this year to do it all over again.
Those are my NYC holiday memories.
I am sorry I am not going to get to experience them this year.
We'll be coming out for a visit in January or February...maybe we can do it then! :o) Everyone loves Christmas in February!!
So, yes I miss New York, but only at Christmas time. Any other time of the year...I'll pass.

Now you know my secret.

Rainy Days

What do these three images have to do with each other? Well, if you live in NYC you can probably easily put them all together. Yesterday we had a lovely afternoon and evening of rain. I don't mind the rain, it doesn't make me sad or grumpy I actually like when it rains. However, living in NYC, when it rains, the streets become dangerous. Granted, a typical street on a given day/time does not necessarily look the street in the picture, but it sure feels like it! Now add an umbrella for every person walking down the street and it is like an obstacle course, with the losers risking body parts being lost, eyes being poked out, and downpours of umbrella rain. NYC isn't known for it's etiquette (in my opinion) and that is never more evident than when it rains. The first thing you notice when umbrellas come out, is the sheer massiveness of said umbrellas. Everyone here owns the jumbo size golf umbrella and feels they must use it even when they are by themselves. I see nothing wrong with these umbrellas, but use it like an HOV lane... when there is more than one of you!!! These things take up half the sidewalk, making it quite difficult for another person, let alone another person with an umbrella to pass by (imagine if two of these massive umbrellas tried to pass at the same time? Yo'd have chaos!) Perhaps it might not be so bad if people would learn to share the sidewalk (with or without an umbrella). If you are passing another person, and you each have an umbrella, it is very easy for one person to lift their umbrella up a little higher and the other to lower their's, thus making passage easier for everyone... no umbrellas htiting, no being poked by an umbrella spoke, easy, simple, and injury free. Also, please don't decide to de-raindrop your umbrella when there is someone in close vicinity to you! Noboday wants to be sprayed by the rain that has collected on your umbrella. It is quite easy to politely shake off the rain from your umbrella without claiming casualties. And please... when you are entering the subways, could you close your umbrella BEFORE you enter the stairwell so that you don't poke my eye out when I am coming up the stairs and you are coming down the stairs? It would make my life easier to continue one with two semi-functioning eyes.

This is just one of my NYC petpeeves when it comes to Etiquette and the City.
Here are some of my others:

• people who walk like the dead in the middle of the sidewalk
• people who walk like the road runner and then stop dead in their tracks in the middle of the sidwalk
• spitting in public
• littering
• subway door crowders (you know who you are!) both trying to enter the train and standing in the train, not making room for anyone else to get on
• the people who get out of their seats on the train 3 stops before they need to get off, just so they can position themselves in prime train exiting locations
• bags and purses that remain on people's shoulders on a crowded (armpits in your nose crowded) train - take them off your shoulder!!!
• people who cut in front of you trying to get on the train, like they don't even see you standing there, just so they can try and find a seat before you!
• when you are waiting for the train and there is tons of room on the platform but someone has to come and stand directly beside you like it was the only place in the world that allowed standing
• people who push their way to the front of the crowd to get on the elevator first and then stand right in the doorway so that they can be the first off, but don't make it easy for anyone else to get on the elevator!! (same goes for the ladies on the Roosevelt Island red bus - you know who you are)

Well... I am sure I have many more petpeeves, but I don't want to make this the world's longest blog entry, so I will quit now while I still possess the slightest amount of optimism! If I have left off any of your favourite NYC pet peeves let me know!

Back in the Bustle

So this weekend was the whirlwind trip to Minneapolis!!

We flew out early Saturday morning, and it was jammed pack from the moment we stepped off the plane. We had to go pick up the rental car and hurry over to our first apartment appointment (like the alliteration Suzi?). It was in Bloomington, close to the MoA. It was a decent place, nice amenities but the apartment seemed neglected. The price was good... but we had to hurry on to appointment #2. We pulled into the lot, walked into the lobby, the management people weren't there (thankfully), and we bailed. It was a dump!! Who knows, maybe we missed out on some sweet apartment, but I highly, HIGHLY doubt it!

Anyway, we picked a one bedroom plus den that has a 6 month lease, so if we don't like it... see ya! We also got a $200 gift card to Target! AND it has a Washer and Dryer IN the unit!! Very good selling point if I do say so myself. And how funny is this... we are moving from NYC to Minneapolis, into an apartment complex called.... The East Village! So now we can say we've lived in the East Village (no one needs to know the difference!).

So it was a productive trip, and thankfully Mark won't have to live in a hotel for a week or two! He should be in, on his comfy new air mattress by Wednesday!

Minneapolis is a nice city. They have a cool downtown, lots of restaurants and shops and suburbs if you don't want to be in the city. We drove around a lot (some on purpose, some not on purpose), saw the WalMart White Trash Central in St. Paul, were reminded of what a normal LDS ward is like (who knew old people went to church??) and had milk and cookies at the hotel we switched to! Let's just say... the Ramada is usually a decent hotel to stay in, but not the downtown one in Minneapolis... go to the Normandy Inn instead, trust me. It was so bad, it made my picture of the day!

So Mark has started work there, and is enjoying it so far (as much as you can after 1 day). Hopefully I will be able to find something shortly I get out there. We met some really nice people who gave me some places to check out, and apparently the job market is really good right now, so it looks promising!! I'll put some pictures from our trip up a little later...