chocolate memories.

having grown up in chicago, there are many places that i have special memories about and miss. one of those places that i will never get to experience again is Marshall Fields, the elegant and magical department store that covered an entire city block on state street. (of course there were many branches of the store all over the city and the suburbs, but the state street store is the landmark!)

i remember my mom calling me out sick from school in junior high to go christmas shopping there. the store was sooo huge! it was amazing just wandering around! we would have lunch in the beautiful Walnut Room - i can still smell the soup wafting through the air ...
my mom would always get two of the yearly christmas mugs. everything about fields felt glamorous! they even wrapped your gifts in beautiful boxes (you would keep these sturdy boxes forever!) and when we would leave, we would walk around the whole store and look at the beautiful windows. it was magical!

another memory of fields is their house chocolate, Frango. mmmmm...... little bites of chocolate-minty lovleyness! Frango's used to be made in Chicago (on the 13th floor the marshal field's state street store). it was a sad day when it was announced that Frango would relocate their kitchens. the demand was just too high to accomodate the old factory. the new production site would be in Pennsylvania. Mayor daily of chicago was upset and wanted the chocolates made by a local chicago chocolatier.

the final straw and the demise of a wonderful era was when marshal fields was bought out by federated department stores - aka the horrid Macy's. fields is now called "Macy's on State Street". Horrible!!!! makes me sick. (and i'm not the only one who thinks this! look here!

back to what started me on this trip down memory lane.

shane and i were browsing through macy's last night when i saw a familiar site at the cash wrap. stacks of the dark green boxes!

are those frango's, in new york??? i forgot for a moment about the acquisition and the candies seemed out of place. then it all made sense to me.
it was exciting to be able to purchase the candies that i would always bring back from chicago on visits home, but something didn't seem right. it was a little out of place. this elegant candy next to a messy, dirty, uninspiring cash wrap at macy's. it just lost something.

i bought the chocolates anyways!

they didn't taste exactly the same, a little dry, but they were still nice.

marshall field's and frango, you will always be in my heart!

this is the life!

People say, "why did you move all the way out to yonkers? What's out there?!"

Well, let me tell ya. What can be better Than relaxin' on the metro north, drinking a vodka and tonic from the bar car, and listening to a little tesla and slaughter!



Now, this is a commute!

sweet!

camera envy.

last night, shane and i adventured to greenpoint, brooklyn to the polish national home - home of the warsaw, a huge, old, concert venue. you see, i like to make christmas go on forever, so by taking him here, shane finally got to appreciate one of his christmas presents ... tickets to see camera obscura!


(flashback to christmas morning!!)

the night should have been filled with nice tunes, an easy going crowd, and of course tons of picture opportunities!

turns out i had my grumpy pants on. i just had something to say about everything!! but come on, can't a girl have a bad day?!?

let's just start by having a look at some of my photos from the evening.
you all know that i loooove to take pictures at concerts, even if i take the risk of having my memory card taken away! and i have taken pretty good pictures as well! i know they aren't the best, but they were good. well, then i go and get shane this ultra cool, 10.0 megapixil, sony cybershot, and suddenly my pictures look like shit! i have competition!!! i don't like this at all!!!

here are some of my measly photos. i am too embarrassed to post many of them.


this one actually isn't that bad, just trying to get the stage and the backdrop.


a bunch of heads - oh wait! the band is in there too.


a slightly better photo of the band.

ok, on my behalf, these really weren't the best photo-taking conditions. the audience stood flat all the way to the back, so i really couldn't see very well since we were in the middle. also, the warsaw didn't have the best lighting, and usually i can get the good photos when there are lots of good lighting. so no biggie.

but aside from my jealousy of shane's crystal clear and close up shots, i was just annoyed with most of the people around me! these 2 douches behind us were really getting on my nerves! how can i best describe them ... ok, well you know the type, some typical a-holes, from the south, maybe Tennessee or something, maybe frat boys, who go to a place with a specific type of people that you know will be there (a concert with tons of emo-hipsters for example!!!) and just loudly make fun of all of them! WTF!?! why go! they just kept saying how dumb everyone was and making fun of them, when in reality, they were the people that stood out! plus, i really hated the fact that they had that real southern, "eeeooooooowwwww - yeeeehaaaawwwww!" after each song.

then my feet really started to hurt. why must i wear cute shoes to a concert??? why?!?! every time ....

plus, the concert was loooooooonnnnnggggg ......!!!!!!!!! i mean, the opening band played for over an hour! duuuuude!

don't even get me started with the coat-check-line-jumper!

but i had fun! really! they played my favorite songs and i had $4 vodkas!!!

then we had to schlep all the way back home.

we have to wait in grand central for about 30 minutes for our train.


shane peruses through his photos.


it's crazy to see grand central so quite at night, when during the day is packed and people are bustling all over the place!


at least we had time to try out the whispering gallery. you are to stand at opposite corners of the corridor and then you can hear each other whisper. shane demonstrates here. he doesn't realize i am right behind him!!!
and it works!

just to let you all know, after a semi-good night's rest, i was in a much better mood today! i didn't get mad at anyone today!!!

oh, martha!

on tuesday, anita, lauren, michael, and i were invited to spend the morning with the queen of the kitchen (and just about everything thing else), Martha Stewart! well, actually, we sat in the audience of her morning tv show.


we arrived bright and early to martha's chelsea studios to wait in line for our tickets. we were then told to leave the studio and come back in a half an hour. we couldn't wait outside. where should we go? the staff suggested dunkin' donuts. so off we went.

we could tell from the conversations around us that there were definitely some regulars here. they knew all about what was going to happen during the show and were buddies (or at least thought they were) with the crew.


we were soon corralled into an open room where we waited once again. the room was decorated with huge photos of martha's many dogs and cats.


well, martha wouldn't have been much of a hostess if she didn't offer something to eat! there were several trays of soft, doughy scones. they were good, just strangely shiny! but after being shuffled to dunkin' donuts, we really weren't all that hungry anymore!

warning!!! the most unexpected thing about the whole experience happened when i went to the bathroom right before we were escorted to our seats ...
the women's bathroom smelled sooooo horrible! i almost couldn't even stay in there, but i really had to pee! i seriously think that martha would have been embarrassed to know that her facilities stunk like someone just took their first morning shit in there! at least give us some potpourri or oust, something!!!

so were finally made it to our seats and we seem to have been stratigicly placed by our clothing and gender. lauren, michael, and i all were wearing shades of reds while anita had on a blue and pinky-red printed sweater. she was next the the blue-tops to her right - it blended nicely. michael had to sit on the end, spread out the males!


anita gets excited for the show!


michael shows his excitement!


pre-show pose. see the coloring??? strategic!

the show itself wasn't the greatest. it's really luck of the draw which show you get to go to when you reserve tickets. this show was mostly about weddings. whatevs. it was actually taped live and the segments went quickly. i thought it was most exciting watching all of the behind the scenes action - how they set up for eatch segment, how they fuss over martha and her hair. this cute and energetic little guy, joey, was the guy who would warm up the crowd and tell us when to applaud and "oooohh" and "mmm" in between segments, he would had out goodies junk from his random prop bag to the most energetic folks in the audience.


lauren was lucky enough to get a bag of biscuit mix!


after the show it was question and answer time with martha. here she is with joey.


ahhh, the smile! she had this perma-smile on for most of the show, even during the breaks as she stood there. i guess she had to look ready at any moment!

we were excited to find out about our free gifts! we were handed our issue of Martha Stewart Weddings along with a a flowery book of Inspirations by Preston Baily as we left the studio. hmmm .... not so great, martha! next time, give us food!!!

unfortunately, i couldn't get my vcr hooked up, but anita taped the show and said that we made it on the air! i can't wait to see! aparently they show back episodes online, but at this point, they aren't up. if you have a tape, i would love to see!!!

millie, it's cold outside!!!

It finally got cold here! Time for mills to bust out the cold weather gear!


She likes her striped fleese. All ready to go!


The cold wind gives mills crazy powers! Check out the running shot!


Back inside for warmth and a treat. Baby carrots, yum!

(if you can't tell, I love taking action shots of mills!)

dying for a drink!

on friday night, anita, brooke, and i finally get to meet up for a few drinks. yay!!! anita picked out death and co, a new bar that opened in the east village.

after walking past the ominous heavy wood doors, you enter a fairly small, yet not over-crowded space that is reminiscent of an old speakeasy. there is very soft jazz music playing, though you almost don't hear it. i would have liked the volume turned up ever-so slightly. the bartenders have been snatched up from various hot spots throughout the city, so they really know their stuff and pay attention to details when making your drink.

i ordered my first drink from the menu. a mig royal. hmmm.. didn't really like it.
but i'm still on my champagne kick, so i go a champagne cocktail next.

always pretty, the sugar cube creating bubbles. but i didn't like this drink either!! it kind of tasted like a spring time candle. maybe i don't like bitters.
brooke ordered a very dirty martini. (her first ever!) see in the picture the mini carafe set in a bowl of ice, her extra martini! a 3-in-1 drink!

the conversation got emotional! i don't remember what we were talking about (maybe the fact that there is not flash photography allowed in the restaurant!) but as i slammed my delicate glass down on the table, the stem broke!

oops!

so yes, they had a silly little rule where they didn't allow any flash photos in the restaurant, so i went to the only place where they couldn't catch me ... the bathroom!


ha ha! suckers!! just try to stop me!

after waiting forever for a table, and by now, about to knaw at the lovely wooden walls out of hunger, we were finally seated. we read about all of the great "small plates" they serve. let me just warn you, they are very small plates. do not plan on getting any type of a meal here! as brook put it, they are "teasers"!!


my favorite, the proscutto wrapped pear! aka "bacon pear!!!" - what i gleefully shouted to the waitress!


bites of mac and cheese. definitely good, though it was seriously just a small spoon full.
(yikes! almost caught in the act! my flash went off here!!!)


this was also very yummy, filet mignon wrapped around ... something! (don't remember!) loved it!

we were at a crossroads, stay and drink and be tempted to order more overly priced bites, or really curb our hunger and go someplace else for a bite.
decision? hit the road!!! anita and i made our way to pomme frites for a tube of yummy fries to top off the night!

all in my head.

as the week went by, there were several things that i though of and meant to blog about. but alas, there was no time!
here is a collection of thing i came across during the week that struck me as strange or just plain stupid and i thought i would share with you:

• i though that people carried around those dumb little dogs to pretend like they have a baby? but then, when you finally have a baby - or two - should you put the dog down and carry the real thing??
  

• while watching fox news earlier this week ( i know, i know! i was just flipping around channels!), they had this ridiculous segment showing how palisades mall is a potential terrorist threat and needs to be more secure! WTF! this is just another way to instill fear in americans! i'm sure terrorist are secretly plotting to blow up a fucking mall in the suburbs of new york! they would definitely be hitting a powerful american institution.

i can't find the story on the fox website, but here is a related article.

• i had to go to the doctor on monday - don't worry! i'm just fine! but i have new insurance and had to find a doctor, quick, who accepted my new plan. (always a difficult task!) since i didn't have time to research new doctors all day, i decided just to go to DOCS, the walk-in center that has offices all over the city. i heard that they were fine for normal, easy visits. ew. highly NOT recommended! my doctor was soo gross! in fact he had a big hole in his dirty old shoe!! like a homeless man! i know it wasn't some prestigious place, but come on! doesn't a doctor get paid enough to buy a new pair of shoes? unacceptable!

• and i discoved a new (old) band this week while perusing through iTunes. if you totally want to rock out, check out rock goddess !!! they completely remind me of my motley crue, lita ford, vixen, headbanger days! these girls can belt it out! listen to their new album,

the original rock goddesses
on itunes.

treat of the day.

they always say that you should make a list when you go to the grocery store to prevent yourself from buying all of the junky, eye catching, bad for you food that you don't really need or want - especially if you are hungry.

yeah, i never do that.

that is why i always over spend at the grocery store!

but this was a pretty good find! while walking the isles at stew leonards, mesmerized by all of the colors and fresh food, i came across this in the dairy isle. dulce de leche milk! hmm .... sounds tasty and sweet! chocolate milk with a hit of carmel!?!

yum! only a small glass is needed to fill this chocolate desire!

finally.

vew from the mt. vernon west train platform.

so the fist snowfall of the year happened last night here in new york. wasn't very exciting or wintery. actually pretty ugly and depressing. i can't wait for the fist real snow! you know, all white and fluffy ... and a lot of it! when will it be here???!!!

the men's warehouse.

in efforts for complete world domination, banana republic is now offering a men's big and tall selection (online only).

for a limited time only, free shipping to
midwestern states!!!

trainwreck!

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(click on pic for more!)

brit brit has a new man, and he has slighltly k-fed-esqe similarities! why do girls always fall for the bad boy, and when will poor britney ever learn!

so fancy.

remember that seinfeld episode when elaine's boss, mr pitt starts the trend of eating his snickers bar with a knife and fork? it was mad! who does this? why must you be so fancy?

i think mr. pitts long lost neice was on the metro north today. i look over to the other seat to find this woman, struggeling to pour her cranberry juice into a plascit cup, out of the small, since serve bottle. completely unnecessary! i snickerd (no pun intended!) and was just waiting for someone to plow through the isles and knock that red juice all over her clothes.

all it took was a second. someone bumped into her arm. she looked up all annoyed, like "jeez! watch out! i'm pouring juice!" but nothing spilled.

she continued to drink and pour ...

so odd.

i love NY

i fully admit it, was as obsessed with the flavor of love last fall. i couldn't get enough of flavor flav and all of his bootyliscious bitches!

craziness! i was stoked to find out that our beloved New York was given her own dating reality show after 2 failed attempts with flav! everyone loves new york! that crazy bitch that always gets what she wants ... well, except her true love, flav.

the highly anticipated i love new york aired last night on vh1, finally! and it was quite a show!

here are a few of the highlights:


naturally, a grand entrance was made by miss thang! god love her!


and check out her little "personal assistant". a wacky, gay, latin guy named chamo WTF?!?!?!?
ok, so the premise of this show is the same as any other reality dating show. a bunch of guys who are dying to have their way with this disaster fight over her with each other to be that last man standing. typical scenario. here we have 20 morons from all walks of life. your rough-necks, thugs, herbs, afro-centric dude, dorky white guy (or two!), latin, italian, and everything in between.

the exciting part is when there is a special guest appearance by ...


you guessed right, new yorks mom!!! the devil herself!


yes new york, be afraid! be very afraid! remember how she messed everything up last time???


(flash back to flavor of love when the beast went ape-shit on flav! poor flav!)

will she ruin everything again?!?!

well, after meeting and drinking with all of the men, we find out that new york has her heart set on the thug of the bunch. a complete a-hole, moron who can barely speak. what a winner. naturally, mom hates him and wants him out! (the only thing she was ever right about!)

the highlight was when the thug, aka Chance, gets in a very heated argument with the dork, mr boston, over talking to NY. this suburban dork holds his own against the city boy!


but will he still be picked at the end of the night???
ahhh, the tension!


chance waits as well. who will be picked??

go figure! they both get picked this round and continue on with NY! of course, this will make great tv!

ohhhh, i can't wait til next week!

welcome 2007!

new years eve began with shane and i walking up to a very long line for a very "underground" party. we were hearing from people in line that the bar was already packed inside, no where to move. they weren't even giving out free champagne anymore.

what was this?! we aren't going to wait in line for at least an hour, pay $25 to get into a crowded club that didn't even give a champagne toast! to top it off, nick and sarah (the other half of the groovies) had some atm malfunctions and were out of money for the night!

what to do. it was already nearly 11:00 and we are in lower manhattan without a plan.

so, slightly annoyed with the turn of events, we jumped in a cab and headed back home to yonkers. yep, going back to yonkers for new years! not something you hear very often.
we decided to go to ">the frog, the best bar on mclean avenue.
but wait, i was seeing a light at the end of the tunnel ...

what did the sign say in front??? karaoke night!!!! yeee haaaawwwww!! now that is how i like to do it! plus a bunch of shane's friends were there, some that i haven't met yet, so it was fun! not too crowded, we were runnin' the place!


champagne was the drink of the evening for me - all night long! i have decided that it is the best choice for me, a fun, happy drunk! never sloppy! like a lady!


brian and siobhan dancing away. a little fact that i was unaware of, apparently the irish aren't that into karaoke! whaaaa???? let me have my way and i can change their minds!!!

everyone pose on the "red wall"!! (so very misshapes!)




and now is the time when i was ready for my debut at the frog!

my opening number, don't stop believin' by journey!


i got up on stage and sang my little heart out!


awwww yeeeaaaahhhhh!

but wait! soon it was time for the count down to 2007!

and who was my first and only kiss of the new year? my one and only (gush gush! i know!)


since i got the party started, those that said they wouldn't do it, started singing!


but they had to pick the longest song known to man, that damn meatloaf song that is like 12 minutes long! brian is seen hear holding himself up on the ledge - just can't take anymore!


"you da man!" "no, you da man!"

they couldn't hold me down!


a little styx ...


some steve perry ...

and the reprise!

the people were asking for it ...


i had to bring it back! don't stop believin'!

the night was complete.

it was going to be a very good year.