Macaron Day

Oh boy...this macaron was amazing...salted carmel/chocolate something or other

Yesterday was Macaron Day in NYC. It's an official day, guys. Participating bakeries were handing out free macarons all day. All you had to do was walk in, say "I'm here for macaron day," and they handed you one of those glorious french cookies. I went with my friend Tracy. Between us, we ate somewhere between 16 and 18 macarons from 7 different bakeries all around the city. It was awesome. Indulging in those pastel sugar bombs was the perfect way to kick off Spring, which is officially here! 

Also: 

We met Zac and Leah's baby and she was pretty perfect...love that family.

I made a Twitter account for my food blog, so if you're into that sort of thing, you can follow me so that I don't look pathetic:)  I'm still trying to figure it out- I thought I'd erased the whole blog while trying to add a button to the site. It was pretty scary...I wanted to throw up a little bit but then I called tech support and they were able to restore it. Phew. 

Vocal Rest

Last week, I was bragging to Daryl about how I never get sick...then I knocked on wood. Exactly 2 days later I woke up with a horrible sore throat. And the next day, I completely lost my voice. Gone. I forget how much I talk until I'm unable to. I've been sooo quiet. I find myself keeping most of my thoughts to myself because it's not worth tearing up my vocal cords and it takes so much energy to get them out in whisper form. I have to carefully process every story, observation and revelation to determine whether or not it's worth the effort...and it's usually not. I think this means that I say a lot of random, unimportant things.

Today I woke up with a lot of gunk in my chest. I've been coughing and hacking away...I wasn't too sick to get on a train and eat brunch in Brooklyn, though. You see, this was Daryl's first Sunday off in 2011. His work schedule doesn't usually allow us to partake in NYC's beloved brunch scene. We went to this place called Buttermilk Channel that I've been wanting to try for awhile now. They had some of the most amazing pancakes I've ever eaten. I need to figure out how to make those. I really wish I had taken some pictures.

I really love certain parts of Brooklyn. There's a quaintness- a great neighborhood/family friendly vibe that we just don't have here in Hell's Kitchen. We talk about moving there someday when we want kids. There are a lot of babies in Brooklyn...a crazy number of babies. There are also a remarkable number of pregnant women walking around (which makes sense). Speaking of babies, some of our best friends (Zac and Leah) had their first baby (a little girl) a week ago. We are so excited for them and can't wait to meet her.
Daryl and I have been to Babies R Us a few times looking for registry gifts and we literally walk around in awe (and terror). Babies need so much stuff (or at least this is what the baby superstores would have you believe). So. Much. Stuff. Like, ridiculous things. A $1000 stroller is apparently a somewhat common purchase. (I get it...it's a status symbol thing, like a car- but it's dumb). Anyway, I'm not quite ready to spend my paychecks on burp cloths and breast pumps, but it's fun to have a baby in my life to buy the fun stuff for.

I'm back!

Are you still there? Sorry I've been MIA for awhile (like, the whole month of February...it's a short one though). I've been keeping really busy with work and my other blog and I've clearly neglected this one. But I'm back. I'll write some more soon. Until then, here are some pictures of my neglected dog-child:

Hi, I'm cute. 

Don't go to work, mom. Stay home and sit on the couch with me.

My life is hard, guys.

I love my dad.

I'm happy right now.

Yup, this is the life.

I Feel Gross

A few things have contributed to this:
1) I've been on set a lot lately, which means free food, which means that I go CRAZY with the snacky foods that I refuse to purchase or keep around the apartment. It always tastes so good at the time.

2) I've been cooking a lot (as usual), only Daryl hasn't been home to help me eat stuff. Since it's so cold out, all I want to do when I'm not working is stay inside the apartment and eat whole batches of things. I ate a dozen coconut macaroons in a day in a half.

3) I have not wanted to go to the gym because a) I'm tired from working b) it's too cold out c) it's too crowded with all of the resolution-keepers d) I'm flat out lazy.

I'm still eating like it's the holidays and it has taken its toll: I'm lethargic, my skin's a mess and my clothes are becoming a little too snug for comfort. I actually looked into doing a juice cleanse. Seriously. I considered forking over 60 dollars a day (for 3 days) for juice. Crazy, right? That's what I determined after I came to my senses. $180 for three days of juice!? It's immensely popular, though.

Because I'm cheap (and...reasonable, maybe) I've decided to simply be more aware of the foods that I put into my body...a DIY detox of sorts. I'll eliminate dairy, sugar and carbs for a day or two and then I'll try to eat more veggies, etc. For $180 bucks you can buy a really nice juicer (which I don't have room for). You could also buy a a lot of clothes, several nice dinners, a ton of groceries... Unbelievable.

Today I ordered a bunch of vanilla beans and saffron online and I'm pretty excited about that. Because I am really exciting like that. Some girls buy shoes/handbags/jewelry...I like groceries.

It's a Snow Day

...well, it's a snow day for some New Yorkers. I am working today (not that I'm complaining. work is good). Thankfully, our little man is feeling much, much better. Too bad we don't know know what was wrong with him in the first place/how to prevent him from getting sick again. Onward...

So, I am a very unorganized person. I did not make a New Year's Resolution this year, but gosh darn it, I AM GOING TO GET ORGANIZED IN 2011!!!.

We went to Ikea this weekend and purchased a wardrobe that is going to change our lives. I also bought a shoe organizer, some pantry shelves and a dry erase board. I know...I am exciting.

It's a new year

Man, it was hard coming back to New York on Monday. We had such a great time on our holiday; lots of eating, cooking, playing, relaxing and catching up with friends and family. As my mom always says, at some point you have to go "back to reality." Our reality happens to be cold and stinky and crowded at the moment...but at least we missed the trash pileup left behind by the massive snowstorm that hit while we were away. Don't get me wrong, I Heart NYC...I really do. And I would miss living here if I lived elsewhere, but sliding back into the swing of things after vacation is always an adjustment. 

Our year is off to an expensive start. It looks like Larry has finally ingested something that his iron guts couldn't deal with. We had to leave our little man at the Emergency Vet Clinic this morning, and he's spending the night there. We just visited him and he looked so sad and miserable in his little cage with an IV hooked up to his shaved leg. We don't really have any idea how he ended up getting so sick and the vet couldn't be sure either. It basically started yesterday with explosive watery diarrhea and we rushed him to the ER when it turned into leaky bloody puddles all over our apartment. It was pretty scary; I was a nervous wreck at work today. What amazes me is how many things he managed to ingest without ending up in the ER. Luckily, the vet thinks that he'll be fine and that he'll be able to come home tomorrow.

In happier times...even though that doesn't appear to be the case. Larry hates Christmas, you know.

So our first major purchase of 2011 ended up being a major bummer...but totally worth it at the same time (I guess...it also feels like they're ripping you off because they know you're going to pay up). The fact is, we'd do just about anything for that little guy. I'm just glad that Daryl was home when all of this went down. 

It is way too quiet in this apartment without all of that snorting :(