Todays lecture topic will be, Scrapbooking, Option or obsession? Part II

Many of you may remember my post regarding my frustration with the lack of scrapbook stores in Manhattan. While I have never quite given up on my quest, I haven't been very pro active over the past year. An old roommate of mine recommended a store a few months a go called Paper Presentation. I haven't really had to the time or need to go look into it until this week. Well, I'm working on some Christmas cards and decided that this may be a good time to check out the store. Paper Presentation is amazing! While it's scrapbooking paper selection is limited (ironic), it has a whole lot of things the other stores in the city don't have. It reminded me of some of the stores in Utah. It was great! Thanks for the tip Leah. I'm only missing ribbon for my cards, but I was told about an amazing ribbon store in midtown. That's tomorrows project. I'm so excited.

A Southern Style Thanksgiving...Maybe?

Ashley was kind enough to invite me to her "Southern" Thanksgiving dinner. Ashley and her two friends (Sarah and Leigh) do not care for turkey, so they decided to go a little non-traditional. After the parade we came back and started cooking. Ashley did almost all of the cooking, while the rest of us served as prep-chefs. It was really fun.

The Menu: Grits (plain and cheesy), Gouda Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole (with a butter pecan streusel), and Low Country Shrimp.
It was absolutely delicious.

From the Other Side of the Street!

I wasn't planning on hitting up the Thanksgiving Day Parade this year, since I had gone last year and waking up early didn’t sound overly appealing. Well, Ashley and her friends that are visiting invited me to go with them last night, and I decided to go. We got up early to try and get a spot. I left at 6:30am hoping to find a somewhat decent spot.

Well, that just didn't happen. I walked all the way down Central Park West and couldn't believe that it was packed so early. I don’t remember it being so crowded so early. I walked back up Central Park West to try and find Ashley and her friends, but couldn't get to them. It was absolutely packed and there was no walk way at all. Before I gave up finding them I decided to try and get to them the back way. I was cut off by a barricade the block right above where they were. I asked one of the personal if I could just get around to find a friend.

He said I couldn't get to my friends, but I could go sit on the bleachers if I wanted. I informed him that I didn't have a ticket, but he said they weren’t checking at the spot I was at, so I could totally sneak in. I was contemplating going back home and watching the parade from the warmth of my home, but decided that I would probably never have a chance to sit on the bleachers again and stayed. I waved to Ashley and her friends as I walked with the mass of people down the center of the street to a place on the bleachers. Let me say that this is the only way to watch the parade. I just wish Ashley and her friends could have been there too.

Sorry for the pathetic pictures. I realized once I sat down that I had forgotten my camera (that is after setting it out so I wouldn't forget it). I'm still a little mad at myself. Oh, well. Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. The Bishop called in the middle of the parade and asked me to talk in church on Sunday. The parade wasn't as enjoyable after that. Oh, well.

Broadway: American Buffalo

-->I heard earlier in the week that American Buffalo might be closing on Sunday Nov 23 (it officially opened on Nov 17...sad!). According to the producer, the show would close on Sunday if sales didn't go up this weekend. I have heard nothing good about this show, but I still wanted to see it because Haley Joel Osment is in it. (I sure love that little guy). So, I ended up getting tickets to see it this week (to show my support of Haley). Maybe it was because I had heard nothing good about it, but I was surprised that I liked it. I had heard that Speed-the-Plow was better, but I would have to disagree. The acting in American Buffalo is far superior to Speed-the-Plow. Haley Joel Osment did an amazing job for his Broadway debut. John Leguizama, who I am also a fan of, did a fabulous job too. I'm so glad I could see him perform. Cedric the Entertainer was also in the show. It was his broadways debut too, and I was very impressed. I was totally blown away that it was his broadways debut.
While the acting was outstanding, I wasn't overly impressed with the story. It was funny and witty, but not the best play I have seen. Once again, I think it was better than Speed-the-Plow. I did enjoy a majority the story, but I just wasn't feelin' the ending. They also swear a lot in it. Not the most swear word infested show, but it was a lot.

Shout-out to MR!

A good friend of mine is doing a giveaway on her blog. She makes some really cute stuff! All you have to is leave your name and a favorite Christmas tradition. You get this cute Christmas ornament! SO CUTE! You can see some of her other stuff at her etsy store. Check it out. I heart you Melissa!

Broadway: All My Sons

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I went to see All My Sons last week. It was amazing! It has to be one of my favorite plays on Broadway right now. I really liked August: Osage Country, but I think All My Sons beats it for me. Cast and set aside, I just love the play of All My Sons better than August.

The cast in All My Sons was phenomenal. J on Lithgow does and amazing job as Joe Keller. It was fun to see him in person. I really do enjoy him. It was also fun to see Dianne Wiest in person. She did a great job as Kate Keller. A surprise for me was Patrick Wilson. I knew the name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t really remember who he was. Well, he’s Raoul from the movie, Phantom of the Opera. While I didn't really care for him in that, he was amazing in All My Sons! Amazing, I tell you! Katie Holmes? Well, I think she did a good job for her Broadway debut. She had some really great moments and then she had some not so great moments. I felt like she was yelling most of the time. I am a bit of a Katie fan, so I loved seeing her. (And no, I didn’t see Tom.)

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We're gonna score tonight

Last Friday, I went bowling with a group of people to celebrate Megan and Leslie's Birthday's. I'm not the world's greatest bowler (far from it), but I do really enjoy bowling. We went to Lucky Strike Lanes in midtown. It was the nicest bowling alley I have ever been to, and the most expensive. I hope to get some pictures from Leslie to show you what the place looked like. This is the only picture I took. I guess Ashley has small feet (6.5) because her bowling shoes weren't like everyone else. We both laughed as the guy behind the counter handed out the shoes and gave her fancy ones with Velcro. She looked so cute in her little Velcro blowing shoes. I was kind of jealous. Those laces can sure be tricky sometimes.

Just Another Day in the Office...

I was walking back to my desk from lunch when I noticed a video on someone’s computer. It was six cute puppies sleeping. I didn't think much of it. Viral videos always sweep through the office on a daily basis, so I thought it was one of those. Later, someone shouted out, "Look! One is playing with the pumpkin!" I turned around to see the same video on everyone's computer. It was the video of the puppies. I asked what was going on, and my neighbor told me that there was a live video feed of puppies online, and everyone has started making it a point to check on them every so often. He sent me the link and I too got sucked into the wonderful world of cuddly puppies. I love office culture! There's just nothing like it!