Laura DeWitt's Birthday Party

Wednesday was Laura DeWitt's birthday and to celebrate she reserved two lanes at Frames in the Port Authority Bus Terminal last night. Frames is a fancy New York bowling alley which means that is is luxuriously appointed and offers fancy specialty cocktails. Oh and it costs a lot more than Massanutten lanes. Laura is super generous though, and for her birthday her mom provided the lanes. I abstained from fancy cocktails as my stomach was in an uproar from the Jello shots mentioned in the previous post.

We had two lanes and our own waiter named 'Reddick' who had dark wavy hair and an accent. I told Laura he was my birthday present to her and our party did our best to annoy poor Reddick all night with orders for drinks and appetizers and more drinks and more appetizers.

Without beer my bowling wasn't so great, and I didn't get that second beer boost. We all had a lot of fun and I think Laura had a great time!

The Birthday Girl

Elizabeth and Laura are posing for 'headshots'

Today was opening day and the Blessing of the Rides at Coney Island!! I had to work. Laura took her friend Ashley down but they didn't ride anything, and by the time I got off work and all the way down to Coney everything was closed up again and deserted. I almost feel like Laura was making it up. Soon enough it will be warmer and the rides will stay open and I'll be able to ride the Wonder Wheel. We even tried to go to a boardwalk bar we'd heard about from the guys at 773 but that was shuttered when we got to it. We did get corn dogs at Nathans and then coffee and a doughnut each at Dunkin Donuts in the subway station.

Shot Girls

A few nights ago Laura and I grabbed some pizza after work and then went for drinks at 773. We were talking and watching some basketball and chatting a bit with the regular crowd. Billy, the owner came over and was talking to us about how the bar was having a band Friday night called Memphis Train. He asked if we wanted to come sell Jell-o shots for cash so that he wouldn't have to charge a cover to have the band. We could keep all the tips and he would pay us a little something after as well. Of course we jumped at the chance. Getting paid to hang out at the bar and listen to a band?


Yesterday was my day off. After Laura finished with work I met her, along with our friend Ashley, visiting from Maryland, in Union Square and we went to the movies. We had been anticipating the opening of Hot Tub Time Machine since the first time we saw the commercial on television.

After the movie we came back to our apartment to change for our working bar night. We got to the bar around 9 and it was very very quiet. The band was setting up and the regulars were there but the band crowd Billy had anticipated wasn't there. We got some beers and sat for quite a while talking. Once the band had begun and had been playing a while we headed to the back to fill our trays. We loaded up with dixie cups filled with jello and liquor. We made a round and sold most all of the shots on our trays. Some people were excited and bought a lot, some people were less enthusiastic but played along and bought one or two. We attempted a second round to empty the trays but couldn't so we decided to take them back to the kitchen to sit in the refrigerator for a bit. After another hour we went back for the trays and tried to make another round but everyone who was going to buy jell-o shots had already bought all they wanted. We probably sold a third of the shots that Billy had made for us. It was not the success we'd hoped for for the bar, but we drank and ate for free and the bar payed us more than they took from the cash we did make. When we finally took the trays back to the refrigerator to call it a night we might have thrown a couple back ourselves. We might also have done a little kitchen dancing. I don't wanna say for sure though.


All in all I'd say it was a pretty successful venture. I'd be happy to repeat it if asked. I think we need to go to the bar one night soon and pay for a change!

I Read The News Today, Oh Boy.

This morning on the train I decided to write a blog of 'A Day in the Life of Katy'. I was a little groggy at the time but grew more and more determined throughout my commute. I even e mailed myself notes once I got to work, which is more thought than I usually put into a blog post. Lets see if its as interesting as I was sure it would be early this morning.

8:00 Alarm goes off but Laura is in the shower. Going to work a half hour later messes up the morning flow around here for me. Try to lay in bed and listen for the shower to stop but my radiator is going absolutely nuts. Get up grudgingly to start the coffee.

8:10 Get into shower.

8:30 Our of shower, get coffee, get dressed.

8:55 Head to train station.

9:00 Catch Manhattan bound Q. Its rush hour, still, so even though I walk all the way to the front car I have to stand. Feel grouchy about standing. Try to stake out who will vacate a seat first and stand near them.

9:30 Arrive at Times Square and transfer to the uptown 3. I do not have to stand. I notice a man in Ralph Lauren overalls and wonder why. Feel grouchy about overalls.

9:45 Arrive at work 15 minutes early but notice that the opening person hasn't shown up, leaving me a hot second to do everything needed to open the store. Scramble to open the store by 10. Feel grouchy about scrambling.

10:00 Boss arrives. Manager calls and gives me a to do list to complete. Boss gives me more not so fun clerical tasks. Nobody knows where opening person is.

10:15 Begin tedious clerical task which thankfully involves sitting at a desk.

10:17 Opening person arrives 45 minutes late.

2:00 No portrait appointments today. I begin to wonder if 4pm will ever get here. Feel grouchy about Clerical task and all customers.

4:00 Head home. I get to sit on both trains and read my book which makes me very happy.

5:10 Arrive home, call Jake to say hi. Eat some candy. TV and supper and Facebook await.

Most of my days involve a lot less feeling grouchy. Today was just a crabby day from start to finish. I blame the weather. Also most days I do not do anything clerical although I do do a lot of tedious things. We didn't have any photo appointments today at all so we all had to do those tasks we'd been putting off for a while.

I have a lot of fun things coming up this weekend and also I can't wait to see Jake at Easter time.

Sunshine and Photography

Its been so warm and beautiful the last couple of days. It makes it much easier to feel positive and cheerful, unlike the harsh New York City winter. I hope it holds. I'm certainly ready for nice weather. Apparently so is everybody else. The sidewalk near where I work was so full of people it took me twice as long to get from work to the subway. I had to dodge and weave among all the people walking slowly, four abreast, and chatting.

Today is decidedly cloudy though. Good thing its my day off. I'm meant to do laundry today but I might not get to it. That's bad because the baskets not getting any less full but its such a hassle. I'm getting really good at putting it off.


At work we have been doing training for a month! Since we are offering people a free print to come have their picture taken by trainees we've been booked solid and I've gotten lots of opportunities to take pictures. They want me to begin doing solo shoots after this week! I'm getting better in the studio setting although sometimes I still get completely overwhelmed by the pressure and the baby or child who doesn't feel like performing and the parents who don't feel the need to help or just be helpful. Sometimes I feel like hiding behind a big light until they go away or just tagging out and letting somebody else at work do the pictures and I'll confirm appointments or count the drawer or something I've mastered in my months of not being able to take pictures alone.

It'll be a quiet couple of weeks and then I get to go to Richmond for Easter with Jake. I can't wait!

They Don't Really Celebrate St. Patrick's Day on the Upper West Side...

But down in Brooklyn:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

To Do List

Today I had a big To Do list for my day off.

I needed to clean my room because it was completely and overwhelmingly messy.

I also needed to do my taxes and to cook something with the ground beef I've had in the freezer for ages so that I have something to eat during the day.

First things first though, I needed some sleep.

When I finally got up I set a goal to work on my room for a full hour with no breaks and in the first hour or work I got most of my room cleaned up, just by picking things up off the floor and putting them away!

Then I spent an hour working on my taxes. I had to enter 5 W2s this year! Yikes! I came to a stop there when I realized I need paperwork from my student loans and car loans. I usually love doing my taxes. I put it off and put it off, don't get me wrong, but once I start doing TurboTax I get a little thrill watching the refund box amount get bigger and bigger. I will be happy to finish it this year and get it out of the way.

After that hour I spent another hour cleaning my room and now its all clean.

Since that I've kind of lost steam and haven't started cooking the chili I have been planning for days. I just made myself another cup of coffee and am having a sofa break hoping I get some motivation back. I certainly have been productive today, even if my whole list isn't checked off just yet.

Here's something that makes me smile today:

I love all the Joe's cups Amy has gotten me in Oklahoma. I hope I get to go to Joe's one day. These cups are the best. My new favorite is the pink one.

THANK YOU AMY!

Flat Lydia in Manhattan

Besides being a portrait studio, my workplace is also a scrapbooking boutique. We sell lots of fancy and unique supplies and there are also crafting classes and events regularly. One class they have fairly regularly is Scrapbooking 101. Its a four part series and as an employee I can take it for free. Last time I was busy or out of town, I forget which but this week I got to attend. The focus of this class was painting and during the class I made this layout:



Each of the tags uses a different painting technique that we learned. The picture is from my days at the Yoga Pilates Studio, the place where I met Kris and Maggie. Kris brought in her niece's 'Flat Stanley' doll and we all took a photo with 'Flat Lydia' doing yoga at the studio.

Yesterday at work I had a couple of firsts, all at once. My first head shot photo shoot and my first solo photo shoot. I did really well! Head shots are cool because adults are predictable, adults getting head shots WANT to do what you say to look good in their pictures and the poses are basic and easy to remember. I did two shoots and both customers were very happy with their head shots, and both made purchases. I did another shoot today and the customer was absolutely thrilled with her photos and bought more than she had planned. Its so good to feel confident in the studio. I like the pace of head shots a lot.

Last night after work I was taking the train home when it shut down on me! Apparently because of the rain and wind some trees had fallen on the tracks near my stop and they shut down the whole line. I was four subway stops away from mine and had to walk forty minutes in the wind and rain to get home. Yikes! My umbrella turned inside out so I had to walk without one but the rain wasn't too heavy and there were plenty of other walkers along the way so it wasn't too bad. After I got home Laura and I went to a St. Patrick's Day party at 773. They had corned beef and cabbage and we had a good time hanging out with the employees and making fun of the hipsters. We even found out that our friend John from the bar is our neighbor! He lives in the house on the corner with all the stained glass windows in the front and said we could come grill in his yard during the summer. I love our bar!!

I have been very very achy lately and I'm not quite sure if I'm over-tired, coming down with something or just aging. Tomorrow I have the day off and plan to clean my room and do my taxes. Yuck. I don't think either of these things will help my aching back, or feet or get rid of the stitch in my side. I also plan to make some chili and divide it up to eat for a couple of days.

Welcome to the Johnsons

Yesterday was a day off for me so I got nice and comfortable on the couch in my pajamas and was watching tv thinking about how I wasn't at work when I suddenly realized I was supposed to be at a mandatory staff meeting in half an hour. I didn't have time to shower or anything, just throw on some clothes and run run run to Manhattan just to make it a half an hour late. When I got there it was ok because mostly everybody was late. I wasn't even last.

Last evening I met Laura and India when they got off work and we went to a bar in SOHO called Welcome to the Johsons. I encourage you to click the name and just read some of the reviews about it. I'm not sure anything I write about the place will do it justice but I will say that we almost missed it because the outside looks like something that was closed down 8 or 9 months ago.

Home Sweet Virginia

I'm back. I'm back in New York after the most fun, amazing, refreshing weekend at home. Here's a rundown of the highlights:

Melting Pot with Amy, Jason, Easton, Bluebell, Mom, Sarah and Jake. The best wings I know of, Delicious amazing pizza, and cold delicious beer. Amy surprised me with presents but best of all RAINBOW STRIPED CUPCAKES that were not only beautiful but delicious. At least three different waitresses came by the table just to see them. Also Amy's kids are huge and delightful.

Church! So glad I decided to go. I asked Jake to come with us and thought it would take convincing but actually he was totally up for it. A good service and Jake was tickled with his free mug and holy water spritz.

Japanese Steakhouse with Jake, Mom, Sarah, Gage, Tony, Kristy and Tea. It was Jake's first time ever at a hibachi grill and it was so fun to see his reactions to 'big fire' etc. Also, I mean really, Japanese Steakhouse is delicious. I sure ate well on this vacation.

Oscars and movies at Kris's. With wine. And magazine reading. Miss you Kris!

I made snickerdoodle cupcakes and Picket Fence Macaroni from scratch and everybody ate and loved them both.

Phase 10 at Jessica and Brett's. I could get used to that game.

THE WEATHER!

It sure was hard to come back. I treated myself to a haircut today and got to do two photo shoots. So I am back in NYC, and I have a job to do. Other than that I have a messy room to clean and some upcoming visits (this means you SARAH N and AMY AND JASON.) Oh and Easter with Jake.

The Kellys Take Manhattan

Jessica and Brett came up to NYC to take their daughter Olivia and their friend Georgia and her daughter Mikaela to the American Girl Place, among other New York highlights. I got a chance to meet up with them for dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. I had a delicious hamburger with grilled granny smith apples and a really good time hanging with the Kelly's.

Work's been busy. I'm getting to do more and more photo shoots, and learning a lot. This week we are doing training sessions with twins. Its super hard. After 8 toddlers at a time who'd imagine 2 could get to me, but at one point yesterday I was actually shaking because both babies were crying, nobody was happy and I was in the studio alone with no idea how to soothe, let alone pose, these babies. Hopefully this training will help me build up my confidence in the studio.

Also today I purchased my ticket for a Chinatown bus trip to VA tomorrow afternoon! Can't wait to see my home sweet home!

Sisterly Advice

I've been reorganizing my e mail. A momentous task to say the least. I have all the old Your Hot Olympian of the Day e mails in there for example. Also half a dozen recipes I'm always looking for and can't find. Anyway one of the oldest in the box was this forward from my sister. Its probably been three or four years since I read it but it certainly got me thinking. Looks like I have a few things down, and a few to work on yet. How about you?

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE

One old love she can imagine going back to...
and one who reminds her how far she has come.

Enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own...
even if she never wants or needs to.

Something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour.

A youth she's content to leave behind...
and a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age.

A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra.

One friend who always makes her laugh...
and one who lets her cry.

A good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family.

Eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored.

A feeling of control over her destiny.

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW

How to fall in love without losing herself.

How to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.

How to change a tire.

When to try harder...
and when to walk away.

That she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents.

That her childhood may not have been perfect...
but its over.

What she would and wouldn't do for love or more.

How to live alone...
even if she doesn't like it.

Whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally.

Where to go when her soul needs soothing.

what she can and can't accomplish in a day, a month, and a year.