back to the motherland

so it was my first trip back to the nyc this weekend... and it was, by all accounts, a blast... this was really just intended to give me a taste... i'm going back for two weeks in august, complete with a trip to the FIP, but even this little tease will tide me over until then.

some great times were had - surprise party for LL on friday night in tribeca, a cute little brunch find in the east village on saturday afternoon, followed by the LARGEST frozen margs i ever did see!  benny's burritos, you better work.

saturday night saw continued shenanigans at another birthday party, but it was early to bed to make the most of my 72 hours in the city... topped off with an amazing introduction to the highline... manhattan's newest resident and chelsea's finest... a converted elevated railroad track turned into a chi-chi park.  amazing.

and while i happily dreamt of $1.50 slices of pizza and $3 pashminas on my flight home, i know that nyc will always be there for me.  a few new adventures (and a few more cheeky pints) still await me here in the land of lads and lager.

what is it about sex and the city that still makes me laugh?

such a trite thing to say, i know.  i guess it's the fact that i (like millions of you, i know) see a bit of each of the four ladies in me.  or that no matter what rerun they are showing on one of the hundreds of channels that i get with virgin media, i have a chuckle or two.  suffice it to say, a few episodes of SATC gets me through the week with a smile on my face.

i *heart* the heath

hey there faithful readers - it was another lovely weekend in the city of london - i managed to stay outdoors as long as possible and got some great rays.  saturday it was back to london fields (see previous post) for some giggling at the fashion choices of my fellow east londoners and a pint or two with DL at the cat & mutton - tee hee hee. 

but alas, my house keys decided that they wanted to spend a little bit more time in the park and didn't make it home with me.  after a trip out to east ham to see lesia the cleaning lady who had a spare set, the weekend was finally back on track.

sunday was another adventure outdoors, this time to hampstead heath.  HH is just a few stops north on the northern line, and it consists of a series of parks and ponds that have been around since the 900s (yes, that's more than 1000 years ago).  one of the things that HH has kept over the years is a series of single-sex ponds, which you can imagine is a big hit with london's queer set.  i was just happy to be there, soaking up the sun, listening to GaGa on some ipod speakers near by and munching on some snacks from the tesco's down the way.  the single-sex aspect was just icing on the cake. :)

a couple of more observations though to help you set the scene:

1) aussieBum, like Lady GaGa, is everywhere.  unfortunately, the bodies that are usually seen in aussieBum ads, are not.

2) you apparently are not allowed in the park unless you have an open container of some sort.  that is what london's take is on the open container laws we yanks are more accustomed to.  i like.

3) the other big fans of male-only swimming ponds (besides the obvious)?  Hasidic Jews!  because apparently they can't swim in a pond where women may be menstruating.  i'm not kidding.

so, definitely adding HH to my top london picks for sure... 

only in london

into the 2nd of the summer bank holiday weekends here and things could not be more delightful... i can't believe how nice the weather is... and what better way to spend it that discovering new neighborhoods!

today was spent in broadway market with an old but new hoya friend... lots to take in, from the delish lunch we had (cold meze platter and lamb with turkish beer) to the delightful sights and sounds of the market and london fields near by...

a couple of things to note:

1) apparently it is totally fine to start a bbq in the middle of the park.  forget the english obsession with safety... open fires do not qualify as a hazard, or so it seems.

2) apparently it is also fine to hang outside a pub all day (love the name - "the cat and mutton") with your 2 children... strollers and Stellas, what a combo!

but, hey, i just got here.. and what do i know... i mean, hot and jellied eels sounds pretty damn tasty to me!

not-so terrible tuesdays...

yes, i've been absent a bit, and sure, you can believe all of the stories you heard of my matt's mitteleuropa adventures... even that last one... but sometimes, it's the everyday that makes me smile...

there used to be a time after a long weekend of debauchery that i would hit a case of the 'terrible tuesdays'.... ie., after going "full on" for a period of 72 hours, i'd be back at work, still on the (figurative) high from the weekend... and then tuesday came around.  we used to call it "terrible tuesday" because that's when the walls felt like they were comin' a tumblin' down, two days into the work week.  you didn't want to eat, you couldn't focus at work... shit, you couldn't even get out of bed.

and even after some shenanigans this past bank holiday with elee, today was anything but terrible.  in fact, it was one of the most pleasant days i've had here in london so far.

highlights included:

1. getting out of bed, no problem, and hitting the gym

2. enjoying my favorite somerfield cereal and fat free yogurt before work

3. a "cheers, thanks luv, thanks very much, ta" from the lady at the canteen this morning when getting my starbucks (and i'm only 1 red stamp away from a free drink!!)

4. a good update with my boss, who seems to be pleased with me

5. a very productive meeting with a co-worker today, who is working a very complicated project but who is doing a fab job and makin' me proud

6. a postponement of a meeting i really didn't want to have

7. an interesting new combo at the canteen salad bar this morning: cucumbers, watermelon and feta cheese.  i like!

8. BOOKING MY TICKETS HOME IN AUGUST (and only 3 months away to a week in the pines)

9. a chat with a long, lost friend back at the Tower... who really needs to update her facebook page more

10. and, to top it all off, seeing and hearing my favorite london tube singer today at euston station... this woman's voice gives me the chills, and today it brought an extra smile to my face when i heard her sing one of my favorites -- definitely worth the fiver i gave her!

And, for a bonus round... getting home at 7:30p and it was STILL LIGHT OUT!

not so terrible, eh?

ttfn

commercial break

the same day i found out that there will be a sequel to SATC next may, i find myself channeling my inner carrie bradshaw - in front of my laptop, preferring a marlboro menthol light to carrie's reds...

and of course, it just so happens to be that comedy central has an 'omnibus' of SATC episodes on the telly... kettle on?  feet up? let's roll...

tonight's episodes include the one were carrie gets fixed up by her married friends with this guy who can't wait to get married... miranda pretends to be one-half of a lesbian couple to impress her boss... charlotte is toujours hopeless... and samantha fucks the cute doorman at charlotte's apt building.  an oldie, but goodie...

followed by "land of the twenty-something guys" ... this one's for sure a classic, not just because it's the first time that carrie goes out on a date with big, but because charlotte is faced with getting it for the first time... from behind!  she summons the girls for a cab ride around town to help her deal with her "crise du cul", and the lines are timeless!  my fave - the cab stops short, the girls go flying, and charlotte asks "what the heck was that?" miranda's always astute reply - "a preview!"

love you, ladies...

 

march madness

wow, it's been a little bit of time, huh?

well, lots to update you on... 

since we last blogged:

as they say, march comes in like a lion... and with it, comes a lot of visitors too!  this month brought 4 actually: 

- my 2 dear friends from lewes, delaware, jm & rp... who ironically i (sorta) met for the first time nearly 3 years ago in another euro-fun capital, amsterdam.  as jm&rp weren't staying with me, our time together was brief but big on fun!  introduced them to one of my fave dining places on the cheap, gaucho grill, which is a funky little chain of trendy bistros for the carnivore set.  best part there was watching rp try and order a vodka martini from our polite, yet bewildered waitress... Apparently, the phrase must not exist in the polish language... though i find that hard to believe... poles are not that different from brits in certain proclivities..

- my friend from the big apple via the deep south, jr... who was here on official business actually... the definition of which expanded later to: 1) discovering girls aloud (ok, NOW do you believe me?), 2) demystifying the concept of "music on demand" and 3) determining that pretty much everywhere you go on a friday or saturday night, you're bound to find people who have had a few cheekies too many.  glad he came, hope he comes back soon.

- and last but not last, dj jb from TO... who was here on a bit of a layover en route to italy... some people have the life!  jb and i had only a brief couple of days together, some of the time being spent in my old stomping grounds south of the river in vauxhall.  remember the early days of cheeky pint!  it's where it all began!

and so as march came in like a lion, i'm looking forward to it going out a bit more like a lamb... 'cause as i look at the calendar, i see that we'll have a few more visitors to welcome in the weeks ahead!!  april showers will be the least of my worries!  :)

onward and upwards...