Sex and the City, the Movie

I love good books and good shows. I identify with the characters and miss them when the book or show is over.

I was SO glad to see my friends Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha again on the big screen last night. Although the critics panned it, I loved it.

I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it. 

The only thing I'll mention is that I was thrilled to recognize my building in one of the scenes!

A Couple More Birthday Pictures

Two of my friends -- and sisters to each other -- invited me for a picnic lunch on the roof of their apartment building on Sunday, complete with cake!

It was so windy, we couldn't light the candles on the rooftop, so we came inside for the cake portion.

I had so many calls and text messages from friends and family near and far for my birthday. Thanks to everyone. I felt very loved.

Fleet Week

NYC gave me a great birthday present...Fleet Week! I went on a pub crawl with several girls and decided to try and get my picture taken with as many men in uniform as I could. Very fun.

Grateful but Perplexed

I've been neglecting my blog. If you're reading this, thanks for checking back.

I watched my niece and nephew go through a bounce-house obstacle course at their local Deutchenfest last Sunday, and I feel like I've been going through something similar lately here at work. Just as I finish one small task or come to the end of a [mostly productive] meeting, I get hit by another obstacle and turned in another direction. It's like I'm treading water but not making any progress towards the shore. Well, at least I've still got my head above water!

As our country slides further and further into recession, and I hear about friends of friends here in NY that have been laid off, I'm thankful I have a good job and no lack of work. And with the ever-soaring gas prices, I'm glad I don't have a car!

Nothing really new on the dating front. I've been amazed and a bit overwhelmed with all the profiles being sent to me from eHarmony, but nothing has materialized into a face-to-face meeting yet. One of the things that strikes me as funny about their site is the "Close Match" function. Either party can decide to close the match for a number of reasons. I try to be honest with my reasons, such as "no chemistry" or "feel our values are too different." I don't take it personally when someone closes a match on me, but I keep getting the following message:

One of the hardest things about any new relationship is deciding when or if you should continue forward in a relationship.
[Guy's name here] chose to permanently close communication with you for the following reason(s):

• Other

What the hell?!? Can't you be honest? (They have 18 different responses to choose from.)

A Family Full of Tauruses

Man, it's freakishly early. I'm blogging from my blackberry, which is always a challenge, sitting at the Newark Airport, waiting for my flight to board.

I got up at 5:45 this morning. Ugh. But I did it because I love my family so much, and I'm so looking forward to seeing them all.

Yesterday was my sister Jenn's birthday. Today is my dad's birthday, and Saturday marks my nephew Colin's 5th birthday.

Bras and Baseball

What do these two things have in common? Nothing, except they were the highlights of my weekend.

On Saturday, I made it uptown to the Upper East Side to a lingerie shop called Intimacy that I've seen featured on How to Look Good Naked and What Not to Wear. True to everything I had read online, they personally fit you for the right bra by looking at you, naked. It was more than a little uncomfortable, but I left with some beautiful lingerie that maximizes my assets.

On Friday, I met a couple who are here for the summer from England. (Their company has offices in both countries and is letting them work from NY for three months) We hit it off, and they invited me to join them in enjoying some free tickets they had gotten through a colleague for the Mets game on Sunday. The seats were really unbelievable. We were in the first and second rows just off the field behind first base. I'm not a huge baseball fan, but we had a good time shouting with the crowd and enjoying famous Nathan's hotdogs. I'll post a pic of Sarah & Scott later.

7th of May

1. This is the first week I haven't had to wear a light jacket. As everyone told me, spring is beautiful in the City. I'm enjoying the blooms and sunshine.

2. The warmer weather means the subways are starting to get warmer, too. The air just seems to petrify down there, and the humidity makes the air feel heavy. It's amazing I still have any makeup still on by the time I get to work.

3. As much as I'm enjoying springtime here, I have been pretty homesick lately. May is full of family birthday celebrations, Mother's Day and fun gatherings back in Texas. Plus, my grandmother and great aunt are facing another difficult transition as elders. My heart aches to be with everyone. At least I'm going for my nephew Colin's birthday in a couple weeks.

4. I've heard from a few people over the years that occasionally, eHarmony will tell someone they can't find them a match! (Wouldn't that be awfully depressing?) They send me new matches every day, and I'm weeding through the profiles. Hopefully more to report soon...

5. I found out I'm allergic to latex. Not pleasant! Fortunately, things that are made from latex also come in other varieties.

6. I love living alone, but there are times when it would be helpful and much appreciated to have a man around. In general, most men do seem to be more mechanically inclined than women, and there are always little things that stump me. Like how do I get the stopper out of my bathroom sink so I can clear the drain? I know I could ask the super in the building, but it bothers me I can't figure this out.

7. I'm a decent cook. I have a few recipes that really amaze people. But I don't enjoy cooking as much when it's just for me. It's so nice to have someone to cook for. Fortunately, a certain friend has come over once a week in the past couple weeks to indulge me.

NY con mi amigo Daniel

I had so much (too much?) fun with Daniel this past weekend. It was great having him here and showing him around, but I really felt my age (12 years older than him)! I'm exhausted, but happy.

He arrived on Friday just as I was finishing up work. We took the subway down to my apartment to drop off his stuff, and he remarked how impressed he was that I've figured out all the underground transportation. He also said many times that he personally just could not NOT have a car. (He loves cars.)

We were out late on Friday, visiting many different fun, happening places. Saturday was a bit rainy, but we went up to Central Park and later had dinner at this Italian restaurant that had been recommended to me. The food was great, but as your typical NY restaurant, it was a small place (long wait time), and the wait staff was pretty snobby!

Yesterday, our choir performed at church. I was really pleased with our performance. I still get a bit nervous just before the service starts, and I'm still a bit surprised I'm now singing soprano, and regularly hitting F's. There were 6 of us -- 2 sopranos, 2 altos and 2 men. And the harmonies are really coming together.

After church, Daniel and I went to the Statue of Liberty. It turned out to be a gorgeous day, and we took many pictures.

[Added later]

Quote from this weekend:

Daniel: There are a lot of BEAUTIFUL people in New York. And there are a lot of ugly people.

Me: We've got something for everyone!

How They Reel You In

Recent emails from eHarmony:

"Your Soul Mate may be waiting and we don't want you to miss out on meeting him. "

"I noticed that you have received matches but have not yet reached out to communicate with any of them. Are you a skeptic?"

"eHarmony's Compatibility Matching System™ has found this highly compatible match for you based on our rigorous 29 Dimensions scale."

How can one resist?