Tonight is the West Village Chorale’s annual Messiah Sing, and I’m going for the second year in a row. This year my Grandma is coming down to the City and we are going together. My grandmother is my favorite person ever, and I am so excited! If you come, be sure to find us at intermission and say hello!

The details:

487 Hudson Street in Manhattan
It starts at 7:30 and you should arrive before 7:15.
Admission is $12, and $10 for seniors and students – no sales in advance.
You don’t have to sing (but it’s more fun if you do!)

The Brooklyn Flea is hosting a holiday gift fair in Manhattan every Wednesday – Sunday on December 2-6 and then 9-13. After that, they’ll be there every day from December 16-24. Hours are Noon – 7 except Wednesday when they are 6 – 9.

They’re even serving beer crafted by the brilliant Brooklyn Brew Shop (look for them in an upcoming episode of Hey Brooklyn, they sell DIY brew kits that aren’t cheesy). Even Stacy London came by to have a cupcake!

You should check it out if you’re around. More info by clicking the postcard.

I went to a meeting today and had to commute home in rush hour Manhattan traffic. It was tough; twice I missed the subway by mere seconds and once I had been waiting right where the doors open, but people shoved me out of the way and the doors closed on my face and arm. “Ah!” I shouted, “THE SUBWAY DOORS ARE SQUISHING MY FACE!”, except, of course, it sounded like, “Tha! TH’ THUBTHAY THORS THAR THUISHING THY THACE!”

Someone behind me grabbed my left shoulder and heaved, thank god!, and with another big yank I was able to rescue my handbag which was half in my hands and half on the train in danger of going downtown without me. I thanked my quick-thinking rescuer and scowled (painfully) through the windows of the subway at the people who had shoved me aside and were going merrily on their way with their faces unbruised. Assholes.

I took another subway in the wrong direction, and then, because I took so long getting home, Rob left our home subway stop where he was waiting for me with the car and I had had to walk seven blocks in the rain. And the drummers! My god.

There were these guys with bongos that got on the subway to “entertain” everyone with their music, hoping for thank you money. Ok, fine, it’s New York. I expect that, and usually it’s pretty cool to stumble upon a car with musicians. But they’re drummers. DRUMMERS. The first (only?) requirement of drumming is that you need to have rhythm. These guys did not. I wanted to hit them with my purse and yell,

“One!” *smack* “Two!” *smack* “Three!” *smack* “Four!” *smack* LEARN TO COUNT TO FOUR!”

But these guys were “free stylin’”, which is to say they were too, ahem, “chemically altered” to keep a beat. The noise made me feel slightly crazy. I changed subway cars to get away from them, but at the next stop they moved, too, and I had to go back to the first car to get away from Annoyance, the musical.

During my switch, I realized I was on the wrong subway, so when it stopped I found the correct one, an endeavor that involved all sorts of complicated shenanigans. When I finally got myself sorted and found a seat on the correct subway, I heard drummers on that one, too. Like the first guys, they sounded awful. I thought to myself, “How many off-beat drummers could there be in this city right now?” and then I saw them and kind of froze for a second, horrified. It was the same guys.

I was going to move but I figured there was no point. They’d just find me again. I sat glumly, shoved between two fat people, and endured them pounding on their instruments like drunks (which they probably were).

The drumming stopped and they took off their caps, walking up and down the car hoping for money. “A small donation would be appreciated,” he said to me, smiling.

I seriously hate this city sometimes.

I’m a huge fan of homemade, cheap or free costumes that rely on creativity, rather than a purchased costume that looks cheap and is actually expensive.  I wasn’t planning on being anything for halloween but the spirit caught the best of me as I was getting ready for the parade, and I pulled together a costume last second.  I think it came out pretty good.  I went as a mad scientist,

and Rob revised his tried and true ninja costume, which I think is hilarious.

His ninja costume is really a tee shirt, and my rocking mustache was made from a few bits of scarf fringe that I crazy-glued to a piece of scotch tape. The hair is all my own… it really does get that big.

The parade was awesome, but LONG, and we had to get there early to get a good spot meaning we were there for several hours.  I forgot how deeply I hate the standing around, crowds, cold and waiting of parades.  Next year we plan on being IN the parade; the revelers marching seemed to have way more fun.

Sarah Palin was a popular costume.  One was walking around with her boyfriend dressed as a polar bear that had been shot, another saw spotted a stranger in a moose costume and they instantly staged a photoshoot together.  Several were walking around, pausing every few minutes and squinting into the distance shouting, “Hey Look!  I can see Russia!” and many of them had tiny devil horns poking out of their Sarah Palin wigs.  I love New York.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Halloween!

For the first time in a million years I’ll be carving a pumpkin without Jen. So sad! We would always carve while watching the greatest movie ever.

A few weeks ago we went “family pumpkin picking” with Rob’s parents, sister, nephew and niece so we could get Rob’s parents to pay for our pumpkins spend time with the family, and I got a huge pumpkin with the intention of making it a jack-o-lanteren.  I’m not sure what I want to carve into it, though, and I’m kind of tired, and almost don’t want to be bothered.  Because I was raised believing that Halloween is a holiday of THE DEVIL! and is therefore FORBIDDEN! and will send you TO HELL! if you celebrate it, I don’t have a lot of sentimental attachment to doing Halloweeny stuff.  I do plan on venturing out to the city tonight, though, camera in hand to capture the shenanigans.  There are rumors of a remake of the Ferris Buller’s Day Off parade scene in the Village.  I love this city!