NYC Summer

Deadly heat. Odd smells rising from the confines of the metro system. Free music in green places. Rising excitement in the office around 4pm - ready for the weekend. Barbeque wafting in the air, smokey yumminess on my clothes. Flip flops and summer rain. Exhaustion, finding relief in front of the fan. Bare legs and shoulders. Visitors all the time, but the sunset behind Lady Liberty on the Staten Island Ferry never grows old. Lazy dim sum afternoons. Grass stains on the seat of my skirt. Bryant Park movies on Monday nights. Ice. Cold. Beer. Sunglass vendors on the street. Roof parties. Yankees games - all a blur - we can still make it by the 5th inning...$15 for scalped tickets - ugh, $7 beers. Sunburnt and happy. Broken firehydrant that won't stop gushing cool showers over the children of the neighborhood - why doesn't the fire department care? Maybe we'll go camping this year - two in a tent, I can hardly wait. Hiking up Broadway, in a mini skirt, shoes in my hand.

Ode to Jenny

I just realized that I never dedicated a blog to my dear, dear Jen on her birthday on the 17th. We spent her birthday upside down on a handful of roller coasters at 6 Flags in Jersey, so I didn't get around to blogging that day. So here it is. My Ode to Jen...

Thank you, Jen, for all of the following things and then some...

• Thanks for your regular morning kick-in-the-ass to get me to the gym. Sorry you are so frequently unsuccessful! Don't give up on me!
• Thanks for all of the days that you are Key Bitch and all of the days that you make me smile by running past the garbage bags on the street, afraid of the rats lurking inside.
• Thanks for the candy breaks during work and the tofu dinners after work.
• Thanks for the verbal abuse that you know I love and the not-so-sober spooning after a big night on the town.
• Thanks for letting me calling you Jenny (with the Forrest Gump voice) even though I know it annoys you.
• Thanks for the support and encouragement when I need it most and the motherly disapproval when I've bought one too many pairs of jeans or need to clean my room.
• Thanks for being so damn SEXY (not cute).
• Thanks for adapting my Yank accent, despite your futile resistance, and teaching me every Aussie slang word known to man.
• Thanks for Keith! :) Hahahaha...couldn't resist!
• Thanks for challenging me and always showing me new perspectives.
• Thanks for picking up my laundry when I'm out of town!
• Thanks for coming to Scranton, PA with me and opening your heart to my Ghana girls - I love you all so much!
• Thanks for double-monging yourself at Ming, Mang, Mong and running into the glass door - constant entertainment!
• Thanks for having a heart of gold. You are my best friend!

Happy Belated Birthday, my doll!

The Girls

Almost all females have their core group of girls who they really connect with and feel like they could be as relaxed, goofy, or honest as they want with them. Well, this month I've been lucky enough to see every one of those girls in my life!

Late last month, I saw Lynnette, my Colorado girl and gossiped over drinks and sushi. Then I was fortunate enough to enjoy a lovely Sex in the City weekend with Missy, Jen, and Hanna, complete with brunch and Watermelon Mimosas at Popover Cafe. We caught up on each others' lives and enjoyed being together and not miles and miles apart. This last weekend I spent in Scranton, PA, celebrating the bridal shower and bachelorett party of my dear girl, Kim. Kim is one of my dearest girlfriends from my days of living in Ghana. I was joined in Scranton by Jen and Maia (my other best girl from Ghana). Having all 3 of them with me in one place was heavenly, and I was once again reminded of how valuable real friendship is to me.

The great thing about these ladies is that no matter how long we spend apart, we are instantly bonded again the minute we lay eyes on each other. I can't believe how lucky I am to have every one of them in my life.

What a weekend.

Jen said it better than I ever could. To get the full low-down, check out her latest blog.

Happy Birthday, Aaron!!!

It's Aaron's "Special Day", so I thought I'd write a little tribute to the man who has made my time on the MC more challenging, exciting, and special than I ever thought possible. Today Aaron is 26 years old. (A virtual dinosaur compared to young and spirited 24-year-old me!) Here are a few of my Aaron Favorites:

- His love and excitement for Jamba Juice and anything/everything related to California
- His two superpowers, eating and sleeping, of which I think very few can compete
- His willingness to be teased about anything and everything and his ability to laugh at himself when we joke about his super-human-fast speed of speech
- His secret love for gossip (not so secret anymore) even when he's got nothing good to share in return (or just won't divulge it!)
- His hospitality - smoothies, spaghetti, and his brother's free makeup donations
- "Volunteer work" at Half Moon Bay, and letting me drive on the way home ;)
- His devotion to his amazing family
- His "Board" Meetings at the beach
- His ability to help his friends through their hardest times
- His intensity, dedication, and integrity around his job, of which he is amazing at and I will always look up to him for
- His big heart, even when we tease him for not having one, we all know better!
- His inevitable absolute hatred at me for writing this and putting him in the spotlight....HAHA!!! SUCKER!!!

But for those of you who know Aaron, give him a ring or take him out for a drink (if you're in the area)! Have a great day, Aaron! Wish I was there. Have a drink for me!

Glorious!

The weather is epic today.

Looking forward to some sunbathing and reading in the park, with smuggled drinks and bagel sandwiches. Pub crawl on the Upper West Side, bbq and Scott and Joe's, Miami/Detroit Game (GO MIAMI!!!), and who knows...maybe some Tortilla Flats action!

Two MasterCard Trainees, the Mixmaster, and Pammy are all in town. It's going to be a great weekend!

iPod obsession

Okay, so it's true that I'm just now catching onto the trend that everyone else was into last year, but nevertheless, IT'S ADDICTING!!!

Here are some of my favorites:
1. BellX1's "Music in My Mouth" Album (particularly "Tongue" and "In Every Sunflower")
2. Damien Rice's "O" Album (particularly "Volcano", "The Blower's Daughter", and "Eskimo")
3. Citizen Cope's "The Clarence Greenwood's Recordings" Album ("Sideways")
4. Jack Johnson's "In Between Dreams" Album ("Belle")
5. Xavier Rudd's song, "Shelter"
6. Acceptance's song, "Different"

The more I do the iTunes thing the more I realize that my preferred music does all sound really similar. I'm really into a lot of chill grooves, occasionally with a bluesy sound - loads of acoustic guitar (Xavier Rudd, Jack Johnson). Or alternatively, stuff with a really sad, solitary vibe (Damien Rice) with strings and piano. Anyway, I could probably use some more lively stuff. Any suggestions? I like most genres, so I'm open to almost anything!

Weird Coincidence

So get this...

I get an Evite from Asha the other day, and I recognize the name of a guy invited as a guy that was in my LC when I first joined Aiesec Colorado. I think we were only in Aiesec together for a semester or two. I asked Asha about him and she tells me that she plays football with him. Anyway, I emailed him to see if he really is the same guy, and he is! The world is small. Even in NYC.