Things I’ve learned.

Let everyone off the train or bus before you try to get on.

If you want to wear high heels, carry them to where you are going.

How did people know to carry umbrellas?  It’s time to start checking the weather like real grown-ups.

Never EVER set your beer down on the pool table.

An elver is a baby eel.

There is a severe shortage of decent baseball gloves for left handed players.

The best time to wear a striped sweater is all the time.

Happy Lovey Dovey Day

February 14, 2009 was my first Valentine’s Day as the new Natalie Jane Wood.

The Boyfriend’s “Make Natalie Feel Special and Loved” plan covered the entire day.  He managed to incorporate typical Valentine’s Day gifts in a thoughtful and Natalie specific way.  No roses and heart shaped candy boxes here.  Plus there was more.

It began with tulips.

This was followed up by chocolate.  Delicious, German, coffee and hazelnut infused chocolate.

We wanted to avoid the “table for two” evening crowd so we went to Ottomanelli Steakhouse for lunch.  Do you even need to ask what we ordered?

We then spent a couple of hours at The Gin Mill.  We drank Stella, watched a basketball game that seemed to have an eternal 11 point spread, and enjoyed each others company and conversation.

We both felt the need to walk off the beer, so we strolled for a bit and grabbed a yummy latte at aroma.  Alece, if you ever have the chance to try it, you should.  You may just view Starbucks in a whole different light.

We were about two blocks away from the final event for the day and stopped at a little bar where a band was playing with no cover.  They were pretty decent, but took a u-turn into country and the bartender lady was snarky.  So we left.

Mercury Lounge.  Otis opened for Urban Sun.

There was funk.  There was dancing.  There was sweat.  Can The Boyfriend dance?  The answer is yes.  Yes he can.

Does The Boyfriend make me feel special and loved?

Yes.  Yes he does.

Why not Google?

1. Type in “[your name] needs” in Google search.

Natalie needs a nightie.

2. Type in “[your name] looks like” in Google search.

Natalie looks like that truck driver from Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.

3. Type in “[your name] hates” in Google search.

Natalie hates shoes.

4. Type in “[your name] goes” or “has gone” in Google search.

Natalie goes to the dark side.

5. Type in “[your name] loves” in Google search.

Natalie Loves Danny Noriega To Death

6. Type in “[your name] eats” in Google search.

Natalie eats goldfish!

7. Type in “[your name] has” in Google search.

Natalie has a diamond of a dumping.

8. Type in “[your name] works” in Google search.

Natalie works the runway..

9. Type in “[your name] lives” in Google search.

Natalie lives for golf.

10. Type in “[your name] died” in Google search.

Natalie died in the Indian school fire which she started while BBQing that 97 year old prawn she stole from Paulies brother after he died in the NZ car crash.

11. Type in “[your name] will” in Google search.

Natalie will be performing live on March 21st.

Food: Jamaican

I’ve been considering adding an angle to posts in which I mention restaurants or other activities.  A review!  There is a chance that some of you might visit this city someday, even if it isn’t to visit me.  I might stumble across some things you shouldn’t miss, or maybe some you should avoid.

So I will begin with last night.

A friend from work has been wanting me to try Jamaican food.  She was born there and moved to Jamaica, New York.  The places she is used to were too far away for an evening after work, so we went to Negril Village on the recommendation from another coworker.

The first thing I thought when I walked in the door was, “Woah, this is the swankiest place I’ve been in.”

The menu was a little pricey for one who considers a $7 sandwich a treat.   The entrees ranged from $18-$26.

My friend got the Curry Boneless Chicken Roti, which she only finished half of.  She let me take it home because as she said, “my mom probably made chicken curry tonight anyway”.

I got the Jerk Chicken Sandwiches.  “Spicy grilled breast of chicken, grilled pineapple, avocado, mango chutney and guava spread.”  Oh my.  Oh my.

They also had fairly good happy hour specials.  I had a $3 pina colada and her mango mojito was scrumptious.  (I had a taste.)

So, let’s see.  I should probably come up with some categories here.  Five ninja monkeys is too good to be true while zero ninja monkeys is deplorable.

Atmosphere:  4 Ninja Monkeys (-1 monkey for being a little hoity toity)

Food: 5 Ninja Monkeys

Drinks: 4 Ninja Monkeys

Service: 5 Ninja Monkeys

Location: 5 Ninja Monkeys (easy to find)

Music: n/a

When I got home, my friend sent me a text to see if I got home safe.

Also, her mom had made chicken curry for dinner.

Happy New Year!

I didn’t think I would be saying Happy New Year for another eleven months.

That’s because I didn’t know I would be going to the Chinese New Year parade.

We stood at the corner of Canal and Mott in Chinatown and watched the first half of the parade.

Quick!

Which of the following did I NOT see?

While we waited for the parade to start, we heard a man ask “Where did you get those?”

We turned around to see a little boy with a box of snaps.  He held one out.

“Do you want one?” the little boy asked.

“Sure!” said the man.

After he walked away, the father said to the boy, “Next time say ‘I’ll give you one for five bucks.’”

Do I know you?

One day, a Natalie was walking to the G train from work.  As she turned the corner and approached the entrance, she noticed two guys standing.  They were lingering and chatting.

Natalie paused to look and realized that she knew the young man wearing glasses.  She immediately started going through the catalogue of her life to see where she could find him.

She looked again, and again as she slowly walked by.  She even willed him to look at her, but there was no flash of recognition in his eyes.  She walked past.

She stopped at the top of the stairs and thought about approaching him, but the G train is a finicky beast and she didn’t want to miss it.

Down into the station Natalie thought.  As she swiped her Metrocard, she thought about the situation she remembered seeing him in.  As she found a spot on the platform, she seemed to remember he didn’t talk much.  And that maybe he wasn’t wearing glasses.

As the G train approached, she realized why he didn’t recognize her.

Because she didn’t know him at all.

Because he is this guy.

Random

This is a Facebook thing that I keep seeing and was tagged in.  Obviously, I’m breaking the rules by posting it as a blog and NOT tagging people.  If you read this, consider yourself tagged.  Then, do not feel obligated by my tag.  This isn’t “Tag!  You’re it!”.  It’s more like “Tag!  Take a turn if you want, cause it would be swell to hear some random things about you, but if not, that’s cool too……”

RandomShare

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 10 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

1.  I hate air freshener sprays.  This was recently confirmed by the floral spray that someone brought into the office bathroom.  Ugh.

2.  I often have dreams where I’m missing out on something huge because I can’t get ready fast enough.  My shoes disappear, my eyelashes fall out, I can’t find my pants…. if it’s not one thing, it’s another.

3.  I have tiny hands and feet.

4.  I have a lot of white and gray hair.  It’s starting to show because right now I’m not willing to spend money to get it colored.

5.  I take vitamins.  A lot of vitamins.  The week before I got really really sick?  I didn’t take vitamins.  The day I started feeling much much better?  I started taking my vitamins again.

6.  I have a hard time holding on to details.  This makes me sad.  I forget conversations quickly.

7. I bruise easily.

8.  A college education is still a huge dream of mine.

9.  My dream job would consist of going to school, traveling the world, and writing about all of it.

10.  I have never done karaoke.

11.  I won’t always initiate it, but I love hugs.

12.  I used to be a puppeteer.  Loved it.  Would totally do it again.  (Would probably need to start working out.)

13.  I HATE HATE HATE running, but I’ll walk all day long.

14.  I have never been able to really find a perfume I like, so my “scent” changes depending on which Bath and Body Works lotion bottle I am currently working through.

15.  Until recently, any dreams I had involving my little brother (who is not so little) were about me protecting him.

16.  Since we are on dreams, I often have dreams about groups of people.  I’ll have dreams about elementary school and everyone is there.  I’ll have Teen Mania dreams and people I haven’t seen since then are there.  So the most random people will be on my mind because they popped up in a dream.

17.  I have a hard time answering the question “So how was your day?”

18.  I want kids….. at some point.

19.  If you really want to know me, you really have to dig.  I open up about some things so quickly, that people tend to think they have me figured out much sooner than they actually do.

20.  I’ve gotten flowers once.

21.    That was also the only Valentine’s Day (as an adult) that I’ve gotten anything.

22.  I’m much nicer than I want to be.

23.  My favorite news section is Science and Technology.

24.  I wanted to be a diplomat or a missionary when I was young.

25.  This list took me all day to complete.

Ankular Support

I grew up in Michigan, so one might assume that I’m well acquainted with how to participate in winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, or ice skating.  However, my experience starts and ends with sledding.  And snow angel making.  (That requires athletic ability to get up and out without ruining the snow angel creation.)

The only thing I’ve ever sprained is my wrist, and that was during rollerskating, which I feel is very similar to ice skating.

So when The Boyfriend suggested ice skating, I cringed a little.  But this wasn’t just ice skating.  It was ice skating with The Boyfriend.  In Central Park.  In the snow.

So we headed to Harlem and took a stroll through Central Park to a skating rink.  The conversation was easy.  We walked through the gentle snowfall, with hardly any company, save the few hardcore runners.  We mourned the absence of a camera.

At the rink, my skating was rough.  Within two minutes I could feel my ankular areas cramping up.  (I’m confused that spell check is not correcting “ankular”.)  The Boyfriend gave me a few tips and within minutes I was skating pain free.  By the end, I was cruising and I didn’t fall once.  Although I almost did, but was saved by a timely grab.

So overall, it was really one of the most romantic days ever.

Ice skating.  In Central Park.  During a lazy snowfall.  Skating side by side and holding the hand of A Wonderful Man.

Sigh.

Good Question

According to the monkey mono poll, it would appear that I have a compassionate readership.  He would greatly appreciate the blended bananas, I am sure.

A dear friend asked me the other day, “When in your life were you the happiest?”

I answered without pause.

“Right now.”

I know the most extraordinary, generous, and loving people.  You wouldn’t even believe how blessed I’ve been, and the unexpected ways God has chosen to remind me that He cares for me and is taking care of me.  I have friends who bake me cookies, cook homemade soup, bring me movies, give me massages and tangerines when I’m sick.

This morning I went for a walk with The Boyfriend in this brisk New York weather (15 degrees F) and heard Romanian, Irish, Italian, and Spanish accents within a matter of a few blocks.  I live in the most diverse, entertaining and tumultuous city in the country, and I’ve found an interesting, intelligent, attractive (stopmenowcauseiwillkeepgoing) man to explore it with.

I have specific goals and a specific plan for this next year, and they free me to enjoy where I am now.

In fact, I think this is the perfect occasion for a Carlton Dance Compilation.

It’s Never Too Late

When I first arrived in New York for classes last summer, I made a little discovery.

An artist named Erik Bergstrom.

I would stop by his booth in Union Square almost every weekend, and even bought a few prints as gifts. His work is really eye catching and whimsical, but what makes visiting his booth an experience is the story behind each picture, and his delivery of the story.

Since I can’t introduce you to Erik, here is Erik’s art. You can read some of the stories when you look at the art under “Buy Stuff?”.

It is my dream to own all of them someday. Meanwhile, enjoy.

I know you will.

You always do.