You're not a biker until you get a flat.

It's been about 4 months since I got my beautiful English-company, Raleigh, bike. I've been riding it pretty regularly. Last week, I rode it from the place I've been dog sitting at to Prospect Park. It was about an 18 mile ride round trip. Today, I rode to Breezy Point. It was about a 16 mile ride. 10 blocks from home, I get a flat. And now I truly feel like a biker. I got through my first catastrophe, even if it was a minor one. Getting through Breezy Point is not very easy. First one has to ride on Emmons Ave, a one lane rode that makes asshole drivers think that it is two lanes. Also, the middle of the street has 45 degree angle parking. After Emmons, you get to Plumb beach. Not bad except in the beginning on it there is no road thanks to a certain hurricane from a few years back and a lazy city that does not care much about its south communities. After that, you get to a bridge which if you look down, you can see the water, the riding space is very tiny so if you move an inch over to the left you are going to hit someone, tip over, hit the water and get killed by incoming boats. Once you survive the bridge, it is only a short bike route ride to Breezy Point. Breezy Point is a strange part of New York City. It feels like you're in a New England town. Every house is a beach house that is surrounded by sand. There is sand everywhere. Every block is private property, so don't you dare trespass. Though I was on the main road, there was no major supermarket nor were there many people. Perhaps they were all on the beach. One way or another, it was a great ride that helped me get away from angry drivers and let me get my patience back. I wasn't even mad when I got my flat. Luckily, I was able to get it fixed within the hour at Roy's Cycles. In and out for only 12 buckaroos. Facts about Breezy Point: Only place in NYC that is not urbanized. It is a quiet beach community. The population is 99% white, 60% Irish Americans, nicknaming it "Irish Riviera" In the 20s there existed a resort that Clark Gable was a big fan of.

Brad Pitt and eating

Tuesdays are usually pretty boring for me when it comes to the "idiot box". There's not show that I'm emotionally attached, there's only a certain amount of times I can watch remixes of "The Big Bang Theory".

Tonight, I came across Spike TV and "Ocean's Twelve". The movie is a bit too eh. But I noticed is that Brad Pitt does a whole lot of eating in films. Watch any of the Ocean's films and you'll notice that there isn't one scene in which he does not eat or drink something. It happens in other films as well such as "Moneyball" and "Fight Club". I'm not the only one who has picked up on this. Vulture.com has a whole article of everything that he has eaten on-screen. Read it here 

BABY MONKEY!!

Overheard on this lovely day

"There's no such thing as global warming, its just really hot in March."

Um...ok. Yea like that's not an oxymoron.

Also, its climate change. Because of the frigid winters we've been having.

A bike! A bike!

I finally replaced my old bike. And its a beauty!

My one birthday present from family and friends. I love it!

Now I can commute to one of my jobs without paying almost five dollars each time. I can enjoy the fresh air a bit more. I cannot wait until it is a bit warmer and I can bike on the boardwalk, along the Verazzanno, Prospect Park, etc.

And my butt will look firmer. YAY!!

23

I celebrated my birthday last week. I am officially now in my mid-twenties. Oy. The happiness from being over-21 has passed.

Unfortunately, I was not very excited about my birthday this year. 23 is such a strange number. It is a prime number. The only interesting pop culture references there are is that Michael Jordan's number was 23. And Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times. Really Brutus? Maybe that explains why I was not very excited. I did manage to go out with a couple of good friends. It was a good excuse. Some drinking, some dancing, some crepe eating. All in good fun!

24, however, I am tres excited for. Its hard to explain but my reason being is because it is a very squared number. (Its my OCD [CDO, really] kicking in). There are many ways one can multiply to get 24. 2x12, 3x8, 6x4, 1x24. You just can't do that with 23. Also, its because the second digit is twice the  value of the first digit. I'm crazy. Very very crazy. Too many Big Bang Theory episodes watched.

Back from oblivion

Whoo! Its been a while since I've written a post. My bad. I've been either too busy, too lazy, or too unimaginative.

Let's seee - what has happened since my last post. The exciting parts (at least for me)
- I went to London
- I added another year to my age
- I bought a bike!
- I started a new job!
- I threw myself back into fit-shape!

London
Ok so London is pretty awesome. I studied there in the fall of 2010. And this was my first time back since. I was there for a week with my mother from Feb. 7th to the 14th (Whoo! I got to miss Valentine's day on both continents, silly commercial holiday!). Our goal was to go and visit my sister and spy on her living situation for our grandmother. Our grandmother is a typical Jewish one. If you don't know what that means - watch this!

                 Courtesy of my friend Gary, aka Baba Fira. Subtitles coming soon, I've been told

If you didn't understand that - its all about trying to feed the grandson and finding out info about his life.

Anywho, back to London. I prefer it over NYC. I'm a sucker for history and that's what attracts me there. Everything just looks so awesome. The city is much smaller than NYC so it seems that everything is a lot more accessible. The food has also improved a lot - there's a bunch more variety. They also label everything that is vegetarian. It makes my life so much easier! Especially in candy land. You would be surprised how much gelatin is in candy - curse you marshmallows, starbursts, skittles, etc! I miss you very much. We'll reacquaint when I'm pregnant.

The people! The people! On how I love them! For the most part, they are all super sweet. They have the tendency to say "sorry" even if you're the one guilty of bumping into them. I do it a lot so its nice to know there's a whole city which does it as well.

And the accents! I am yet to meet someone who does not like the British accent - at least the generic one. I wish I had that accent! Everything just sounds so much  more...proper and rich. British people also have a way with cursing someone out. They get so creative, it probably comes from Shakespeare.

Thank you Stephen Fry!!

Whilst in London, we also went to Brussels. It...sucked. It may be the unofficial capital of the European Union but there's not much to do. Unless you like chocolate and Belgian beer. For 36 hours my sister, mother, and I visited every chocolate shop to exist in Brussels. Why? A. Because its chocolate. B. It was so cold we were constantly trying to find a place to warm up. C. The museums were not something that we wanted to explore this time. D. Its chocolate.

My sister and I were also very keen on seeing the pissing boy - Manneken Pis. DISAPPOINTMENT. The poor boy is no bigger than a dachsund dog!

 

 

Which one is taller?

I'll give it to Belgium though - they know how to make waffles and beer.

If you ever decide to travel to London, I would suggest flying with Virgin Atlantic. They might be a bit more expensive than some other airlines but they are worth it. In economy class, the food is actually edible and served frequently. Also, their entertainment actually lets you choose from a variety of choices of what you want to watch and when. Can't say that American does that these days in economy class. Oh and you're provided with a sleep mask, socks, and a toothbrush. Sweeeet!

Animals do the most adorable things

I am a huge fan of animals. One of my impossible lifelong dreams is to own enough land so I could have my own zoo. My inspiration came when I learned that John Wayne has a zoo as his backyard at his house in Las Vegas.

Had it not been for the fact that I'm a complete idiot when it comes to science, I would have probably gone to veterinary school. But alas, that did not work out. It is probably for the better because had a become a veterinarian, I would be crying on a daily basis from all the animals that I could not help save. I even became a vegetarian because of the guilt I felt from eating animals. But I mean look these creatures, they're just so adorable! They do the darnest things!

Fun Fun Fun

Ellen DeGeneres: Who has the most fun, blondes or brunettes?

Sofia Vergara: The girls with the bigger boobies.

Oh Sofia, you speak the truth. And thank you for giving a new answer to a vain age-old question.

Recommended vs. Suggested Donation

Phew! Its been a while since I've written one of these. Procrastinator at heart!

Today, I got to get my French on with my English best friend. That sounded sexual.....mmmm - I got a dose of French culture on with my English awesomely gay best friend. There, that sounds better.

My friend Paul and I got to enjoy something in New York today that for over 150 years the Parisians have been indulging in. Ladurée - a macaroon paradise. Recently opened on Madison Ave, marking its first American home. The store - very classic and very aristocratic. I was half expecting Audrey Tatuou or Carla Bruni to stroll in. Gerard Depardieu, not so much.

After temporarily going to macaroon heaven, Paul and I made our way to the Met. We both have felt culturally deprived as of late so a museum trip was in need. They are currently having a wonderful exhibit on satires and caricatures. I highly recommend it. If you do happen to make your way to the Met but are feeling slightly immature, you can just do what we did - start comparing Greek statue penises to African statue penises. Big difference. Yes I know, very middle school of us.

What caught my interest in the beginning of the trip was the price of admission for adults - $25! That's crazy - all to see tiny penises and other stuff. We paid roughly $4 to get in. Why? Because the Met has a "recommended" price of admission. This changed not too long ago. Before it was "suggested donation". How much you pay does not make a difference but the fact that the museum their choice of wording seems to have some political backing to it.

"Suggested donation" seems to be that you don't really have to pay anything really to explore the museum. "Recommended" is more like a command - you HAVE to pay something. Shoot, when I saw that, I know I took out another dollar to add to my ticket.  Its more snotty, in my view. Interesting to know what the museum's true reasoning behind the word changing is. Hmm...well off to research.