The New York Men In My Life

When I wake up in the morning on a work day, I know I have at least five things to look forward to over the course of the next five hours.  Five men, that is.

My 47th street doorman always knows how to start my day off right.  When I am leaving the building on my way to the subway, I look to my left, and there he sits.  He always waves and wishes me a great day at work, and no matter how much of train wreck my outfit may be, his smile makes me feel like a runway model.  Every woman should have a little Jose ego boost in the morning.

My AM New York newspaper man catches my attention next as I walk between 44th and 43rd street.  I must say that I only take the newspaper when he is passing them out.  I believe he may be partially deaf, and there is something about him that makes me so happy.  His demeanor is ALWAYS pleasant and encouraging, and no matter how menial of a task it may be to pass out newspapers to uptight, rushed New Yorkers, he never fails to do it with a smile on his face.  So I gladly take my newspaper (even though the only thing I really read is the horoscope and latest celebrity gossip), he wishes me a great day or weekend, and I proceed to the subway.

My Dunkin Donuts man knows exactly what kind of coffee I like to have every morning.  Since I have been visiting him every day for the last year, the process is quite simple.  I walk up to the counter, he sees my face, and proceeds to make a medium coffee with cream, sugar and caramel.  He never judges me for starting off my day with something so fattening.  The cashier doesn't even have to tell me the price anymore.  I hand her my $2.00, she hands me my nickel, and our transaction is complete.  It's that simple.  Two blocks to the office, and I've already had a great morning.

My security guard man in the Brown Brothers Harriman building where I work loves to wink.  At first I thought it was just at me, but then I realized I wasn't the sole object of his affection.  As soon as I enter the building, I get a wink, a smile, and a "have a great day miss".  Occasionally I will forget my building access ID, and he gladly buzzes me in even though this is totally against building security protocol.  He has also given me an umbrella to use when I am unprepared for rain.  Love that guy.

My Kuma is my favorite man of them all.  After a few grueling hours in the office, it is time to rejuvenate at lunch time.  I make my way to a sushi restaurant right around the corner from the building, an establishment that somewhat resembles a crack den.  However, they have the best sushi (and lunch special) in the entire financial district.  Kuma has worked there for 20+ years, and is quite a legend to the older generation of Wall Street.  Not only does he know my name, he knows what I like to order and I don't even have to ask.  He knows a lot of personal things about me, for that matter, and I am okay with that since he is around 65.  He makes regular comments about men in this city being stupid because no one has snatched me up yet.  And an added bonus...sometimes I don't have to pay.  I simply adore him.

So there you have it.  Most girls settle for one man, but I have five.  Five that make sure I am doted on, informed of current events, protected, provided for, well fed and caffeinated up.  What more could you ask for, really.  I am one lucky lady!

I met a Huxtable!

This week is Fashion Week in New York for the spring 2012 collections.  While attending the gala in the Hamptons a month ago, I had the privilege of not only meeting, but commuting back to the city with the designer B Michael.  He was such a pleasure to be around...very personable, sweet and down to earth and actually extended an invitation to his show during Fashion Week.  So tonight I put on the skinniest pants I own and some snazzy boots and went!

For those of you who just joined the blog, I actually was a volunteer at the Fashion Week this past February and worked my tail off at three different shows.  I must say, I definitely prefer being a guest instead.  The hall was much more accommodating than those at Lincoln Center, yet still chic and fabulous. I sat third row back in the second section from where the runway started.  As soon as I took my seat, I looked up and there sat Phylicia Rashad, aka Claire Huxtable, directly across from me.  She literally took my breath away.  I think I had to blink like ten times just to make sure it was her.  Also in attendance was Cicily Tyson (most recently from The Help), Desiree and Tamara Tunie (as well as several others I did not recognize).  It was quite an exciting group!

B. Michael had around 25 pieces displayed in his collection, and I loved the majority of them.  His style is simple, elegant and refined and the palate he used was divine (mostly pinks, yellows and oranges).  My favorite selection was a white pin striped pant with a very fitted pink tweed blazer....perfect for work.  His preferred target markets are the "professional woman" and "ladies who lunch", although he has dressed stars like Beyonce, Halle Berry and Serena and Venus Williams.  B. Michael began his career on Wall Street, and was the son of a real estate broker and CPA from Connecticut.  It wasn't until he was older that he tapped into his creative side, and begin to design for Oscar de la Renta.  Most high fashion just doesn't make sense to me.  But his designs were practical, yet inventive, and can be worn exceptionally well by most women.

After the show (which only lasted about fifteen minutes-typical), instead of heading for the most direct path out, I went around a set of chairs just to be able to exit by Ms. Rashad.  I had my camera out and was preparing what I wanted to say, although I thought it may be impossible to get her attention.  Not so impossible, after all.  I walked right up, shook her hand and said that I had admired her talent and class for as long as I could remember and that it was an honor to meet her.  I asked if she would mind taking a picture with me, she obliged and I can honestly say that I can die now.  What a dream come true!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary New York!

Even though I recently posted a top 10 list in my entry about Irene, I couldn’t let the “It’s my 1 year NYC anniversary” post happen without one.  As of Monday, I have officially been a New Yorker for one year.  And the following are my top 10 favorite moments (this should be especially helpful for those of you who prefer a summary of the last 60 entries):

10. Day trip to Governors Island with my small group, complete with biking, a picnic, and acrobats

9.  Spending my inaugural night in NYC at the U.S. Open match (Federer)

8.  The discovery of my penthouse piano conveniently located on my block

7.  The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade

6.  Volunteering at the annual Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in February

5.  Standing shoulder to shoulder with Tina Fey while filming an episode of 30 Rock

4.  Sightings: John Voight, Mary J Blige, Geoffrey Rush, Meg Ryan, Tea Leoni, Jason Hoppy, Kim Kardashian, (Anthony)

3.  Attending my first gala in the Hamptons, in honor of the Soledad O’Brien foundation

2.  Concerts: Amos Lee, Needtobreathe, STP, Aretha Franklin, Allman Brothers

1.  Filming Man on a Ledge with Sam Worthington, and being among four people selected to be featured in a scene by the director himself

What a great, wonderful, exciting, amazing, blessed, lucky, adventurous, unbelievable, intense, exhilarating year this has been.  And I wouldn't change a thing about it!

My perfect man

My perfect man would be a military hero by day (Marine, Army or Air Force), a fireman by night.  He would play the guitar and the drums exceptionally well, and sometimes his hair would be short and other times, long.  He would be a surfer, handyman, skater, and great with children and old people.  He would be tall, slender, slightly muscular, multi-lingual and look good in a beanie.  He would enjoy traveling, concerts, shopping, talking, not talking, hanging out with my friends and family, eating, cooking for me, vacuuming, ironing, needlepoint, going to the movies, and reading Jane Austen novels.  He would encourage me to eat bread and chocolate-all the time.  He would be a good guy, but also a bad guy, and be able to cry without seeming like a girl.  He would be a mixture of Prince Eric and Daniel Larusso, with a tad of Pacey Witter thrown in for good measure.  I am not needy, nor am I asking for the world here.

I love my family!

First of all, I would really like to know why they never made a “Family Reunion Vacation”  where Clark and Ellen Griswold take Russ and Audrey to grandmothers house (obviously well before Summer Vacation where she is dead on the roof of their car) to see family they haven’t been around in years.  Wouldn’t this have been a perfect addition to such a series?  Complete with introductions to cousin Eddie’s parents and Griswold family tree t-shirts.  And of course, Aunt Bethany would recite The Night Before Christmas as a blessing and Lewis would potentially have his real hair. 

My family reunion was nothing like the train wreck that would be, thankfully.  The only noteworthy thing I have to mention about the trip down is the gentleman who decided to stick his huge, harry, naked belly in my face as he was loading about ten pieces of luggage above my head on the plane.  He was only about three inches from my face, and his shirt was obviously not long enough to cover his food baby.  I guess you could say he belly blocked me.  I also would like to add that I love the Baltimore airport.  Not only is it one of the cleanest, most spacious ones I have ever flown in to, they also have good ole fashioned rocking chairs in the waiting area.  It’s almost like a classy Cracker Barrel. 

Everything went smoothly at the actual reunion, most notably the food.  Last year there was a tiny mishap with the ribs, but this year they were on point.  I probably ate my weight in them, as well as about twenty different varieties of casseroles.  I love a good casserole.  It’s not something I get often anymore.  Whenever I mention the term in NY, people automatically assume I am referring to a potpie.  The more my food is combined, the better.  I have been known to create a mean mashed potato/black eyed pea/cream corn/baked bean concoction on more than one occasion. 

  

One of my favorite things about being around family are the conversations that take place about my dating life.  There always seems to be a new kid on the block that they suggest I reach out to, or even consider marrying (before I've even met the guy of course). And the older I get, the more interesting their selections become.  In my early to mid 20’s (when the pool of available men was at its peak), they were tossing around ideas of doctors, lawyers and engineers.  More recently, it has become those that just have a job, have all their teeth or are breathing independently without the assistance of a ventilator.  Also, they are full of suggestions as to how to attract the attention of someone of the opposite sex.  “Cross your legs”, “don’t sit like a man”, “don’t unbutton your pants at the dinner table after you’ve eaten a big meal” are just a few of the nuggets of wisdom I have been offered.  I am surprised there is not a dating website where family members manage the search on your behalf.

It was great to see everyone, including my great aunt from New Mexico who I haven’t seen in probably 20 years.  She is in her mid 80s, and such a joy to be around…very laid back.  I think we ended up having around 50ish people there, and thank goodness for the fans!  I believe it reached 100 that day, so we were grateful for some sort of relief.  Two days later, it’s 60 and guess who decided to only pack summer clothes?  Also, we definitely had remnants of a hurricane, and guess who forgot to pack an umbrella?  I looked like a real peach this morning as I walked in the rain, with a garbage bag over my head, to a nearby office park to pick up a car I was borrowing for the day.  Regardless, it was such a great weekend and I almost hesitate to go back.  But part of me is just a little excited about it…