Christmas MeMe

Ok, I admit, I've been tagged with another MeMe but as I started writing it, it came out all Bah Humbugish. I mean, No. 1 was "Christmas is not my favorite Holiday!" So I trashed it and when I received this one today, I went for it. I hope it appeases my MeMers. An old friend in Virginia sent it to me who doesn't even know I blog. Perhaps it's time to tell her a little secret.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?

Wrapping paper for most; although I have been known to let the shop use their cute little bags and fill it with tissue also.

2. Real tree or artificial?

Real. Which this year is sitting right next to my computer. Who knew I was highly allergic to pine? I did. The kid and hub had it all decorated by the time I got back from NYC.

3. When do you put up the tree?

Whenever I get around to ordering it. I have, in the past, ordered from Williams Sonoma and then it arrives mid December. This year, I went straight to the source and ordered from the Cartner Family tree farm in North Carolina. It came in two days and is the prettiest and freshest tree ever. In Virginia, we used to go to a farm and cut our own. Those days are gone.

4. When do you take the tree down?

Normally the second week in January. We celebrate Ukrainian Christmas on January 7 (usually in NY) and we take it down the following week. Now as far and other decorations around the house, who knows. When I get utterly sick of them.

5. Do you like eggnog?

Not the real stuff. But I have had a couple of eggnog coffees from SB. I like the flavor just not the richness of the real McCoy.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?

Tough one. I remember receiving a portable cassette tape player/recorder. I woke up before anyone else, had to be 1973 (I was barely 13) (the brothers were already over getting up early). I opened it and proceeded to tape record WGTB's (goes way back to DC independent radio from Georgetown University--it was the best station ever) Christmas morning broadcast. I remember hearing John Prine for the first time and recorded his song Christmas in Prison. OMG. I took that recorder everywhere. I recorded everything! I even recorded an entire concert of Alice Cooper; and they let me bring it in!! Geesh. The hub and I found all of my cassettes that had been up in the attic when we cleaned mom's house out two summer's ago. I wonder if they still play. I'll save that research for another day.

7. Do you have a Nativity scene?

Yes, many, many, many! My larger on came from my honeymoon in Rome. I bought the main pieces of the set and have added to it over the years. Friends from all over the world send me little ones. I have a tiny one, would fit in a tablespoon, that came from dear friends in Mexico City. I have pewter ones, copper ones, clay ones, one on a coin, one in a paper mache flower. Well, you get my drift. I have them every where.

8. Hardest person to buy for?

Brother Jim. He has such impeccable tastes and he normally buys his own stuff all year so it's difficult. This year, after his trip here for Thanksgiving, he so enjoyed my XM, I decided that's what I was going to get him. And I did. Then my cousin bought him one for his birthday! Gee wiz. I had to go to a backup plan last minute. Boo hiss James.

9. Easiest person to buy for?

Mom. She loves clothes. I normally get her some new sleeping attire (she has always loved PJs). This year I'm going to get her some new Merrick shoes. They slip on easily and are nice and warm for her.

10. Worst Christmas Gift you ever received?

My boyfriend, at the time, got me this 5 foot bear! I was, say, 19!! at the time. What in the world was I going to do with a huge stuffed bear? Well, I still have it and the boys enjoyed it while they were small. But, c'mon.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards?

No. I used to but I have run out of time. Now I do New Year's cards to all my loved ones. I enjoy it so much more. There are just too many things going on at Christmastime. I still write notes in each one. I find it quite rude receiving one of those printed cards with the family's name and not as much as a signature. Not a miss you. Not a Love, so and so. Just pop that sucker in the mail and be done with it. What's the point? (See, this is how my other MeMe went.) I do, however, love receiving Christmas letters that are chock full of what families have been up to in the past year. But even those, should be signed. grin.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?

It's not really a Christmas movie, but we watch The Sound of Music every Christmas Eve. It's just so wholesome. (I did like Elf though.)

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?

Whenever. This summer, I saw something cute for my niece and just got it. I normally lose it before December, but this time I didn't! Yay! But, the bulk of my shopping is a week or two before Christmas.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?

No. But I have taken something back and exchanged it. (Sorry, hub.)

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?

Sweets. I keep them front and center throughout the season. I used to love Stollen made by two bakers in DC--Tivoli's and Watergate Bakery. But since leaving, I have given up finding anything remotely close here in Tennessee.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?

As many lights as can fit of all denominations.

17. Favorite Christmas song?

I can't say that I have one. All the traditional ones bring tears to my eyes (church does too) so I enjoy the more obsucure ones. Say, Root Boy Slim's Christmas at K-Mart? (I know, I'm ghetto from way back. Root Boy was one of our local yocals.)



19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

Nope

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?

Used to have an angel until the boys got to a certain age and vetoed it. We now have a star.


21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

One small present Christmas Eve and the rest very early Christmas morning.

22. Ever sneak and check out your presents before Christmas?

Nope, never. Honest. Although my brother Jim showed me where my parents hid all the toys--in our basement wash tub. Boo hisssssss Jim!!!

Now, anyone who wants to, go for it!

A very special thank you to Shelley who sent me a disk full of vintage graphics. The dunce kitty above is from her set. I love it!

A Big Blogging Welcome to Jeanie!

We have wonderful new blog to visit in Blogland. Jeanie, who I know from the ATC group I'm in, has just started her own blog--today! Already, she has outdone herself with several posts. She is the sweetest person, and you will instantly fall in love with her and her beautiful home. (Not to mention, she has already given us recipes!!)

And, so, in honor of her arrival, please take a slice of luscious Apricot Nectar pound cake. It's simply delicious. (And no, I didn't make it, silly. Does it look like something I made? I wish.) Well, yes, I'll join you in a slice. Don't have to twist my arm.

Now rush on over to The Marmelade Gypsy and give her a big hearty welcome. Welcome Jeanie! I'm so happy to have you in Blogland to visit with.

Good Santa vs. Bad Santa

Phew! Done. I got all my boxes shipped today. I have to admit, I have found the past two days a tad harrowing. Yesterday, as I was at my computer, it dawned on me--DUH--only a week until Christmas. Which meant I needed to get all my presents in the mail. Not having any family local is a pain during present-giving-time. I had thought ahead and got all the stuff sent to the New York area; but I hadn't even thought of my Virginia family. Eeeegads. And so, today, I finished everything up because of course there was that lone present that I had to find and purchase and wrap and box and mail, etc. Done. Lord have mercy, my speed demon came out in me today. (Well, it's normally there, but I was just a little more anxious than I normally am.) I can't say that I was really Bad Santa because I continued to keep my smile and didn't curse anyone from my car as they drove 15 miles an hour in a 35 (I normally do 45). But my thoughts were that of Bad Santa. Under my breath and in my head the words were spurting through my brain, "C'mon, I gotta get to UPS BEFORE 5, C'mon, be a man, just pull out and go, they have breaks, they'll stop! C'mon, move it!" But thank goodness, no one here on earth heard my thoughts and I kept a smile on my face; and if I did burst a word out, it was to a tune playing on the radio and I tapped my finger to it so no one knew I was really being Bad Santa. I think my guardian angels were fanning me with their wings because I could have been worse. With all of that nonsense said, it's done. Woo hoo. I have to admit, I think I did make a world record of door-to-door and then return from UPS. Let me tell you, I have the UPS system down. I jump in there, click in my name and password into the computer, go to my address book, pick a name and BAM! (as Emeril would say), print that label and pass it on to the counter. Boom, done. No dazed look in my eye. Some folks get in there and just freeze--not knowing the "UPS system." Finally, after several years of doing it, I think I finally have it down to a science. That's one thing about getting older, you learn how to do things efficiently. Well, sometimes.

I forgot to post on one of my brother's birthday gifts to me, which I adore. I had first found Wiener Bronzen while we were in Brussels last year. There was a shop window full of the sweetest display of tiny little sculptures. Of course, I wanted to start with an entire set; that is until we went in and found they were all made of bronze and hand painted and found out the price (oy), we only purchased two of the less expensive ones. I could almost hear the sales clerk "Stupid American."

So, needless to say, when I opened my little red box and found a piece of Wiener Bronzen, I was so excited to add it to my little collection. Aren't they all just darling? Now mind you, they are all less than an inch in size. Can you imagine painting them? I can't.

My brother John got me two dvd's on Zappa Plays Zappa which I have yet to watch because I keep misplacing them. I spoke to him the other day, via IM, and told him I had them just didn't know where they were. When I hung up from him, daig if they weren't right on my desk the entire time. Now, they have moved once again. One day, and I can't wait, I will find them and sit down to watch. He says Dweezil was phenomenal as John went to the show in DC. Most excellent. I tell you what, if Dweezil continues to show, I'm going to have to make a trip somewhere to see it. Especially after my brother says it was so good. Hmmmmm. If you are a fan of Zappa's music, there is a Zappa radio link on this site. I wish I had known about it earlier. I spend an endless amount of time trying to get my Zappa music from my computer to play for my brother Jim while he was here. I never could get it copied on to either my iPod or on a disk. It was excruciatingly frustrating, to say the least. Now I know where to go for random Zappa. Here.

Now to be even more random, here are some shots from The Factory at Franklin. It used to be a stove factory way back when. Now, it has some artsy stores and The Viking Store which is shown in the photo above. Love it. I think I'm gonna have to take some of their classes in 2008.

This guy is pretty new to the place, I think. I think I would have noticed him if he had been there, don't you?

And last but not least, my mom's flowers of the month. Aren't they the prettiest!

PS Amy, I owe you a call. I just got your message from my cell today. Eeeeek. Love you --GGC.

Wrap Wrap Wrap Away

Got some more items off in the mail today. I finally got my act together and gathered Shelley's winnings for guessing where I was last week. She's going to Santa Fe! How fun would that be. I hope one day I can meet her there because that is one spot of the world I've always wanted to visit. And, I have yet another brother in Albuquerque to boot!

This is my wrapping station--the guest room. Bella is inspecting it to make sure everything is where it should be. I should put a card table in there this time of year. One day, I'm sure I'm going to cut the comforter when I'm cutting the paper. Every time I move the scissors, I think, "Now, is that paper or cloth?"

I finished a couple of projects last night. Wooohoo. My fingers look like I've been playing in mud. They're stained with brown antiquing medium. Lovely. I'm sure people are just shuddering at the thought of how dirty I look. (I know I was.) I'm going to take a long hot shower tonight and clean them all up. Well, maybe a bath. Our shower is stopped up. I've been using Drano, but it doesn't seem to be working. You know men, they just keep using it regardless of how high the water gets. EW. Guess I better get a plumber out here if it doesn't go down tonight. Joy. Always sumfin when you have a house.

Tonight I made a black bean soup from my America's Test Kitchen cook book. It was so good. It was so easy and fast as it called for canned black beans. After you cook everything, you take three cups of the soup, blend it in a blender and then put it back with the rest of the soup. Now that's speeding up the process! I'll have to remember that the next time I make my all-day red beans and rice! The soup was delicious, of course. And you know men, "Soup? No substance." And so, I always make them grilled cheese. I could live off soup and a piece of bread. Yum.

My amaryllis are blooming, at least two are. I always wonder why they never open up at the same time. They're all going to be so pretty though. I just love them this time of year.

Well, it's midterm week for the boys. Can you believe the school year is already half done? I remember while working at a small school in Virginia, as soon as Christmas is over, the year just buzzes by. Woooosh. Yay! Guess I better get moving and help the kid with his grammar exam tomorrow. Yuk. I'm getting too old for this stuff. I did make some hot cocoa to help, hopefully. (PS That's not cognac--my brother makes his vanilla from it. Yum.)

Tiz' the Season

No pictures, please!!! Prima donna. I think Miss Bella is getting full of herself. Should have named her Brittany or Lindsey.

Sigh. I got our gifts off to the nieces and nephews on the NY side today. Glad that's out of the way. I'm going to try and get upstairs this afternoon and do a little crafting before Christmas comes and goes. I'm behind in that area, as usual. Ho ho ho. Tiz the Season to be behind.

On Friday, I made some Snickerdoodles. Mmmmm. They were good, if I do say so myself. I am not a baker. But, that is my New Year's resolution (even if it is before New Year's). I thought to myself, "Cookies, make some cookies!" I normally wait until Christmas Eve to make my famous (truly) chocolate chip cookies. Have to leave them for Santa, ya knowz. But hey, I have this brand new kitchen and what better way to break it in than to start trying new things. My mom used to always make snickerdoodles. The schools always served them at lunch. There's nothing better, well you know what I mean, than warm snickerdoodles. And so, that's just what I did. They were still warm by the time the kids got home from school. And the house smelled good and bakeryish.

Snickerdoodles

• 1/4 C vanilla sugar (or regular if you don't have vanilla)
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 1 T cinnamon
• 2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 2 t cream of tartar
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, room temp.
• 1/2 C shortening
• 2 large eggs

1. Heat oven to 375 (f)
2. Combine 1/4 C vanilla sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish for coating and set aside. (I actually had to add some more mixture for my jumbotron size balls.)
   
3. Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl, set aside.
4. Beat the butter, shortening and 1 1/2 C sugar together in large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 5-6 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly mix in the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Give the dough a final stir with a rubber spatula to make sure it is combined.
6. Using cold wet hands, roll 2 T of dough at a time into balls, then roll in the cinnamon/sugar to coat and lay on two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 2 1/2 inches apart.
7. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and just beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10-12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking.
8. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or tranfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Before turning sheet, they are big and puffy. Isn't the cinnamon cracking pretty?

After they have cooled a bit.

Of course, I can never make small cookies and mine always come out jumbotron size with squared corners because of it. With my smaller ovens and cookie sheets, I must learn to make smaller ones. Geesh. But, I remember my mom's would also come out squared as they would always meet each other and she would cut them apart. Fond memories. Now that woman, she could bake!

I sent half over to our neighbors and the rest we ate all weekend. They were so good to just walk by and pinch a corner to nibble. (Perhaps that's why they came out squared!) An entire cookie wasn't bad either, mind you. Needless to say, they are all but gone. And get this, the hub had never had snickerdoodles before! How sad is that? Pretty darn sad, I say! I don't think it's a Southern thing, is it?

On Saturday, I went out to our local dairy farm that I have only recently discovered and picked up loads of milk. We were supposed to have some nasty weather and I like to have milk on hand for hot cocoa. I guess I'm over my overdose in NYC because it actually sounds kinda good right about now--my cocoa anyway. Lord, not MarieBelle's! Oooooooof! The drive is as pretty as pretty can be. A lot of our roads here in Middle Tennessee are carved in between mountains. I love looking at the rock sediment as I pass through. Amazing.

To keep the house smelling especially festive this time of year, I have my potpourri on the stove. The teenager finally asked me today (after it's been simmering for almost a week), "What are you cooking in that?" ha. I had some old apple cider from Thanksgiving, some old orange juice, old oranges, limes, etc. that I used. I also had some expired mulling spices that I threw in the pot. The smell is amazing. I simmer it all day, adding liquids as needed, whatever is ready to be thrown out. (I don't know about yours, but my boys will put an entire bottle of juice back in the fridge even if it only has a tablespoon of juice left in the bottom! grrrr.) I peeled the old oranges and limes and threw the meat down the drain for good smells there also and used the skins in the pot. Throw in a couple of cinnamon sticks for good measure, and it's good to go. I close the lid at night and start it up the next morning. Yummy. It also adds a little humidity to the dry winter heat.

Ok, I think I better get myself upstairs before the sun begins to set. Fa la la la la.

The Faerie Queen Strikes Again

Yesterday morning, as I sat at my computer trying to recapture my trip to NYC in a post, I heard a little noise from the front door. When I peeked out the window, I saw little elves trying to lift this small box up to the doorstep. I ran around the back with my camera and tried to sneak up on them. Of course they all scattered when they saw me, except this little one that got trapped underneath. I gently lifted the box and it was gone in a flash! I'm happy it was a light box! Poor little thing.

I then saw the box wrapped in pretty gold and yellow paper. It had my name on it. And it was from none other than Queen Vallen. That rascal!

When I placed it under the tree, I think Bella could smell the little elves. She was quite the curious kitty. Distant at first but then she felt it was ok to investigate closer. She sniffed and sniffed and then began tearing at the paper! Bad little kitty.


I opened the box and the sweetest little tag sat on top of tissue. Bella quickly took it away and I had to chase her down to recover it.

Tucked inside tissue paper was a cracker! Oh Val! It is so sweet! Of course, I will wait until Christmas to open it and it now sits proudly on the tree. It's the prettiest part of the tree by far. (I did put it up high enough to keep it from Bella.)

And then there was a playing card with a cardinal (Virginia's state bird), my favorite bird, on the front. Thank you Val, from the bottom of my heart.

It is truly a magical time of year. I am so happy to have Faerie Queen Vallen in my life. She continuously spreads magic throughout the land, not only during the Christmas Season but throughout the entire year. Bless you Val (and your little elves).

Ralph Lauren and More

One of my brother's classic looks is straight out of a Ralph Lauren window. Impeccable, to say the least. Casual British royalty meets classic American aristocrat. Of course, he looked the part, as it should be, walking Madison Avenue. Me, I wore all the black I could conjure up in an outfit. lol. (Looking like I belonged more on 5th than Madison.) I can't, and never could, pull off any fashion styles. Well, perhaps the Laura Ashley dresses in the early 80s; but that was long ago. So be it. I've accepted it and have moved on . . . to black.

Therefore, of course, one of our stops was the Ralph Lauren store(s) (if you can even call them stores). We first went into the smaller Polo sportswear store where we browsed through the sale items (still very steep) and the winter resort wear one would wear, say, in Aspen. Of course, I took lots of pictures of the windows with the wintry outdoors motif. They were very lovely. When we exited and Jim pointed to the mother of all stores across the street, I couldn't believe it. Wow. Now, this is what I'm twalkin' bout.

The Ralph Lauren Mansion, as it is titled, is an 1890s mansion on Madison Avenue that was abandoned way back when. I have never been able to understand how any home, none-the less a mansion on Madison, can "fall into disrepair. " Which is exactly what happened to this gorgeous property until Ralph purchased it in the early 1980s and fixed it up. And fix it up he did. Oy. You must click on the link above and read about it and see the slide show of the inside. The staircase alone made my heart pitter patter.

Of course, the windows outside were beautiful also. The opulence and grandeur of the old-world architecture and details of the entire mansion were breathtaking. Even if all of Lauren's items were removed, the interior could stand on its own. Although, I have to admit, I do love his English-style home decor style. I loved this little nook up on the home furnishings' floor. I felt like sitting down and taking a cup of tea. This little spot was part of the St. Germain Collection (click to view gorgeous videos). All the interior shots in the various videos and stills were taken at the Mansion. And so, you see my excitement in the beauty and magic of it all. Sigh. I purchased a book entitled A Room of Her Own, which I cannot wait to delve into. It had me written all over it and called to me until I finally picked it up and carried it throughout the mansion in my arms while the brother shopped for fabric to cover an old chair he has.

After leaving The Mansion (grin), we headed back down Madison where we spied the Juicy Couture store. My niece Madeleine would think she had died and gone to Juicy heaven if she had been there.

We passed the beautiful Villard Houses (right), now part of the The New York Palace Hotel, previously The Helmsley Palace Hotel made famous by the notoriously nasty Leona Helmsley in the 80s.

It was then a beeline to the Paul Stuart store, another one of my brother's favorite haunts and fashion preference. We spent all kinds of time roaming the floors and he picked up a few items. (Val, I think this tin foil gown could be in order for your next ball. Get out the Reynold's Wrap!)

Strolling down Madison, I spied a shop that I had written down on my little note pad as a possible place to stop. It was a chocolatier named MarieBelle's. A sign on the door said "Best Hot Chocolate in NYC!" It had turned chilly and so we stopped in for a cup. Oooooooof! OMG. It was soooo rich, I kept adding water to it and it never did get drinkable for me. We also ordered the crepes with caramelized bananas and cinnamon. I could barely taste it from the chocolate! But I could tell it was delectable, just the same. I say, skip the hot chocolate and go straight for a piece of chocolate or crepe. I don't think I will ever think of hot chocolate the same. Jim and I had quite a chuckle over it. The chocolates from MarieBelle's are little pieces of art. We both bought a box for friends and we were back on our merry little way. Would we ever eat again? Of course we would. Although, we really didn't need to. Ooooooof.

We finally made it back to the hotel, put our feet up for about an hour and then, yes, headed out again for dinner. We went to the concierge desk and asked for suggestions--within walking distance. She suggested JoJo's, back again to the Upper East Side, a mere 10-12 block walk--but not 20-odd block walk to Ralph Lauren's Upper East Side (not to mention back), thank goodness. I don't think I could have made that schlep again! It was all worth it. We got a table upstairs, which I hear are the best in the place. We had an end table which was right near the front windows. Fab. We received our menus. The brother was like, "OMG." Wha? "This is one of Jean Georges (Vongerichten) restaurant!" He had mentioned the chef's name over and over since he had arrived. Myself, I've never heard of the man, sorry Jean. I'm not quite the gourmand my brother, not by a long shot. Again, it was a magical moment. As if the NYC gods had lined up for us once more to make this trip a most memorable one.

And then, it began. Allow me to set the scene. You can see by the photo (not mine) on the right how intimate the seating is here. And it just so happened that as we sat, the couple asses next to us were being served their dinners. The woman be-otch began her rant. "The food came out way too fast. This is totally unacceptable. I cannot believe how fast the dinner came out. I CAN NOT BELIEVE . . . " Jim and I tried to contain ourselves and continue our conversation but this woman would not end. She went on, no lie, for over ten minutes! The waiters tried as best they could to satisfy her, even taking the food back to the kitchen and bringing it back later--at a more suitable time for her, I suppose. OMG. I have never witnessed such a temper tantrum by an adult in all my days. She was even "herrrrumph"ing and flailing her arms. Poor soul. Must have a horrible life. What gives any person the right to try and embarrass another--this time being the waiters--in order to draw attention to themselves? And over a meal? Puuuuleeeeze. Again, I felt really sorry for them. After they finally left, Jim and I had a good laugh over the entire episode. I'm sure they're ears were ringing. We all should have stood up and applauded their exit. (Shame on me.) No, shame on them. Really now. Tsk tsk. Anyway, we enjoyed our dinner in spite of them.

Our dinner consisted of:

Appetizers (in which we shared):

Fois Gras: Green peppercorn terrine, haricot vert and lemon zest salad
Warm Asparagus: mescaline salad, mushrooms and avocado

Dinner (in which we shared again):
Jim-- Skate with winter vegetables and smoked bacon vinaigrette
Me-- Roasted chicken with ginger, green olives and coriander and chick pea fries

Dessert (we shared):
Warm apple crumble, cardamom ice cream and green apple sorbet

My hat's off to the chef. Now I know Jean Georges! The flavors in each dish were both intense and subtle making each bite an adventure. It was the most delicious fois gras in my life, the chicken had a slight crunch to the skin even though it had a wonderful sauce on it and was as tender as could be. I enjoyed the green apple sorbet (still od'd off the chocolate, I'm afraid) while the brother enjoyed the rest of the dessert. I asked him to make green apple sorbet for next year's Thanksgiving instead of his usual cranberry. Yum.

We enjoyed out stroll back to the hotel, stopping by Bloomies' windows to take a peek without the crowds, ogled over the Ferrari's and Maseriti's in the showroom on Park Avenue and even spotted one of Jim's favorite shoe stores, Belgian Shoes.


Yes, we went back the next morning to both stores. He bought me a pair of shoes, I bought him a new Ferrari. (hehe, I wish I could.)

We ended our trip with lunch at the hotel's restaurant. Beautiful white amaryllis adorned the tables. We found out that next year, the St. Regis will be opening a new restaurant "Adour" with renowned Chef Alain Ducasse. Again, Jim knew the name, I didn't. Which only means, we will have to come back again next year, no?

I jumped in a taxi (now adorned with flowers) to Newark, he strolled back to Bergdorf's. All the way, I reminisced on our wonderful two days in NYC. It was one of the most memorable trips I have ever had. I'm glad though it was only two days. Another day would have killed me (and my aching feet). grin.

I miss ya brutha. Hope you had a wonderful birthday.