Umbrella Tetris

This is my new favorite game, and I call it Umbrella Tetris.

Here is how you play.

First you come to New York City on a rainy day, and you bring your umbrella - this is crucial. Then in the middle of a downpour, you choose a destination several blocks away, preferably with lots of construction and scaffolding between you and your destination. THEN, you open your umbrella and walk down the sidewalk, bringing you into a stunning collision of crowds carrying umbrellas that are bigger than they are and cannot inhabit the same space. This is where the game gets interesting, as you try to lift, duck, sway, lean and dodge all of the oncoming umbrellas, without decapitating the person walking beside you. As I said, in construction zones, with lots of scaffolding, this game becomes much more interesting as the side walk narrows and we introduce into the equation various and sundry steel poles and construction apparatuses.

I call it Umbrella Tetris, and I'm telling you, it's all the rage.

Now, and very brief explanation of how it got it's name... Quite simply it reminded me of a viral video on YouTube that my siblings introduced to me of a Japanese Game Show that they call HUMAN TETRIS. In this game, a contestant in a silver body suit stands in front of a pool of water. Ahead of him is a runway with a curtain at the end, as that curtain is yanked back suddenly a wall begins moving swiftly towards the player, except that there is one human shaped hole in this wall that he must fit himself into, lest he be pushed into the pool of water.

That video and its associated images always come to mind when I engage in a rousing game of Umbrella Tetris. Look it up, and you can laugh too.

It's Snowing

It's bleepity bleep bleep snowing outside.

That's it, I'm going back to California. It's too cold here.

The Weather Card

So, this weekend I had all kinds of grand plans... Riding the mechanical bull at Johnny Utah's, a dog costume parade in the West Village, Pumpkin Festival in Central Park, dinner at some chichi place in the Meat Packing District.

And then it rained.

Saturday was icky outside. Not only was the temperature in that awkward place between "not cold enough for a jacket" and "not warm enough for just a sweater," but the rain was sporadic, alternating between a freakish drizzle-mist and a full-on downpour. Add to that the wind, and it was a very nice day to NOT go outside.

In California, this would not have been a problem. From your house to the car, from the car to your destination, a little drizzle and a gust of breeze isn't going to put you out much. But here in New York, we walk... We walk everywhere.

And walking four blocks to the nearest subway station suddenly seems a whole lot further when you will be battling an umbrella that seems possesed with a desire to turn inside out.

So despite all of my grand plans, what did I do Saturday? I wrote my talk, spoke at a baptism and then curled up under my flannel covered down-comforter and day dreamed. which worked out great, because everyone that I had made plans with, called and said they were basically planning on doing the same thing.

Here's my point, in New York, the "weather card" is a totally viable play, as opposed to places where people drive cars, where I would say the "weather card" is weak sauce.

Cultural Kaleidoscope

One of the things that I've come to love about the city is the way that the world gathers here. Honestly, there is the most stunning kaleidoscope of cultures, customs, languages, foods, religions, clothing and mannerisms. It is something that I have come to love and appreciate more and more - at first it was almost too overwhelming to appreciate.

For example, this week...

Monday I met with the missionaries while they had a pre-baptism lesson with my friend Edward (he's getting baptized Saturday!). Edward is half Haitian, half Trini (as in Trinidad). Our other friend Kentor, who is Haitian as well, is also taking the discussions. After that, Edward and I caught a cab to FHE where I laughed until I cried with my friend Katarina, who is Ukrainian (she even went to Salt Lake to translate for conference!).

Tuesday, I hung out at work with my friend Lawrence who is half Polish, half Jamaican (of all things) and my friend Ray, who is Dominican. After work I went straight to the gym and met up with my new Moroccan personal trainer friend, Younes. After he had me doing squats until I could barely walk, we found a nearby Starbucks and he told me all kinds of stories about Morocco. On the way home I texted my friend Maurice, who is Greek, because it was his birthday.

On Friday I have a management meeting with our Senior Vice President, Cesar (Columbian), the Info Systems manager, Panos (Greek), the Digital Phone manager, Luigi (Italian), the Network manager, Amir (Israeli)... Just to name a few.

And you thought I was exagerating, didn't you?

Home Away From Home

Have I gushed yet on this blog about my hometown?

No? Well let me take this opportunity then, to tell you about Redlands.

Redlands is the perfect home town. First of all, its in Southern California, 45 mins from the mountains, the beach and Disneyland, an hour from Los Angeles. However, it is not like most California towns with their cookie cutter housing developments and depressing white stucco strip malls. Redlands is full of stunning and unique Victorian-era homes with wide wrap-around porches, bay windows, stained glass, steep rooflines and the kind of detail that give each house personality and character. Between these beautiful houses are acres of orange groves that fill the air with the strong scent of orange blossoms. There is a famous picture of Redlands that features a row of orange trees that are towered over by a row of palm trees, towered over by the snow capped mountains. There is an outdoor ampitheatre where they put on musical performaces twice a week throughout the summer for free to the public. The library and the post office were designed by the Smiley brothers, with just as much originality and character as the houses around town. The best and most beautiful building of all is the Redlands Temple, which was dedicated in 2003. There are parks with rose gardens and wide grassy areas. There is an adorable mainstreet downtown lined with local shops and restaurants, which they still close down on Thursday nights for the farmers market. There is still an old-fashioned, but warm and comforting feeling of community identify in Redlands. And as if that weren't enough. It is sunny and warm 360 days a year.

It would of course follow, that such a wonderful place raises some pretty wonderful people - and a few of us got our stars crossed and all ended up in New York... So we took a picture, because we thought it would make our Moms happy to see that we are all friends.

Me, Kate Sonne, Tate Montgomery, and Russell Shafer:


Me: Well, you've all heard my story.

Kate: Is here getting her Master's in education at NYU. I know Kate the best, seeing as how we were in the same Primay and YW classes since we were 8. We even went to Prom in the same group. Nowadays, Kate and I meet up for lunch as often as our schedules will permit. She's still fantastic.

Tate: Tate is actually living on Long Island, but he ventures into the city on occasion. Tate graduated from Loma Linda dental school, but is out here studying a specialty of some kind... Anesthesia, I believe, but don't quote me on that.

Russell: I didn't know Russell so much in my younger days, but we got to be good friends during my 3 years in California after graduating from BYU. Russell lives just a few blocks from me, attends my FHE group, is getting his Master's in Writing at Sarah Lawrence, and basically rocks the Manhattan 8th Ward on a weekly basis.

Hooray for hometowns and the friends that come from them! My little bit of home away from home.

Trash Day

These Boots Are Made for Walkin'

It's boot season...

That time of year when it gets so cold that you need to wrap your body in wool and leather from the knees down if you'd like to keep your apendages until spring. Boots are a mostly foreign concept to me. The California climate that I grew up with simply did not necessitate the converstion from open toed shoes to anything else. No joke, sandals at Christmas time.

Talking about California footware always reminds me of a conversation that I once had with my friend Don. He said that in the winter Californians will wear flip flops, shorts and a hooded sweatshirt... and then drive around in their cars with the heat blasting on their feet and the windows rolled down with their hood up. I like that mental image, and it does remind me of high school.

Now that I am in a place with this thing they call seasons, I find it necessary to adjust. In my past, boots did make cameo appearances in my wardrobe, but they were all for show - no tread and heels at least 3 inches high... My personal favorites are stilletto and made of a gold snake skin. Now, however, boots are a thing of necessity, a tool of survival, and a wardrobe staple. In the not-too-distant-future, New York will have ice and snow on the ground, and my half mile walk from the subway to work won't be getting any shorter. No more platform pythons boots I'm sad to say, combat boots will be required.

I think it may be time for a little more Semper Fi and a little less Aldo.

Perks

There are some fun little perks to working for a very large company (like 86,000 employees large). Here are some that I've experience this week:

1) I had a meeting in one of our offices in Brooklyn yesterday. This particular office is off the beaten path and a little difficult to get to, so they ordered a car service for me. Black sedan from my front door to the office and back. Totally beats riding the subway.

2) Melissa signed up and got tickets to the Time Warner screening of "Nights in Rodanthe." So last night we got to see the flick for free in the private screening room on the 10th floor of the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle. Totally beats paying $13 to see it at the AMC in Times Square.

3) You should have seen the view from the conference room at the office in Brooklyn. It's directly across the east river with a postcard perfect view of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler building. I would have taken a picture, but it would have been a little awkward. I'll be back there again, so maybe next time.

4) Conversations like this:

Boss: "When are you leaving for Utah?"

Me: "Tonight, my flight leaves JFK at 7:30"

Boss: "Oh, you're leaving tonight? Well go ahead and take off whenever you need to then. You want to leave around 3?"

Me: "I was thinking I should leave by 4... is that ok?"

Boss: "Of course! Have a good time."

... I'm just saying, I have a former employer who would have had an epileptic seizure if I had asked to leave at 4.


5) I'm kind of writing this blog post from my desk at work right now... no big deal.

Awesome.

The Male BBQ Obsession

I work with a bunch of MEN.

That's right, I am a lonely XX on a whole floor full of Y-chromosomes. It's true, I do Project Management for the IT department of Time Warner, and Information Technology is a clearly male dominated industry, so it makes sense, of course. But still, they're just so... male. Other than the occasional extra swear word and a lingering tendency to swagger, this doesn't really affect my job so much. Most of the time we all just go about our business and get the work done.

When it DOES become apparent however, is when we go to eat.

When I went to schedule the team dinner a month ago, where did they want to go? Wildwood Barbecue

When the vendor came to town and wanted to take us to dinner, where did they want to go? Angelo and Maxie's Steakhouse

When the boss came around and took a bunch of us to lunch today, where did they want to go? Duke's Roadhouse

Now, I'm not complaining exactly. The food at all of those places was fantastic. I'm just saying that for a girl who eats mostly vegetable soup and chicken salad, I find that for my entire life I have underestimated the male obsession with red meat. Hamburgers, steak, fillet mignon, ribs, pulled pork, pigs in a blanket, buffalo wings, and cheese steak with a side of bacon please. Of course it doesn't hurt that the food in New York is straight-up amazing... and we happen to work in the Flatiron District, known for its great restaurants.

Since I'm so hopelessly outnumbered on this one, I've taken up a "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" attitude.

Can you pass the BBQ sauce?

NY Profiles: Melissa Bannister

Melissa and I became instant friends when she came to work as the business manager for our department. At first we bonded because, hey, there are only so many girls in the IT department, so we've got to stick together - but we soon discovered all of the things we have in common: a love of shoes and an appreciation of fashion and good shopping, a fascination with the city and all of the adventures it has to offer, a similar attitude towards dating and the search for the right guy, and a tendency to dream big and then go for it.

Melissa is a smart cookie with a subtle but sharp wit,a willingness to try new things and a sincere ability to see the best in people.




Name: Melissa Bannister
Age: 24
Occupation: Business Manager
Hometown: Charleston, SC
Years in NYC: 1 month

Why did you come to New York?
Why not?! I'm a city girl and having lived in Washington, DC for so ong, it was the only next next move that made sense.

What is your favorite thing about New York?
I absolutely love the variety and unlimited everything that this city has to offer.

What's the weirdest thing you've seen on the streets or the subway?
In this city, nothing is really weird.

Have you had any "classic" New York moments?
Many. My favorite: After the worst day ever, while trying to hail a taxi, I was drenched by one that flew through a puddle. And of course, I was wearing white.

What is your favorite place in the city?
Central Park, Madison Square Park, the East Village

Favorite thing about life here that is unique to New York City?
Circling back to my answer about my favorite aspect of the city --- the fact that there is so much to see and do at all times.

Do you have a favorite neighborhood?
Chelsea and the East Village, for sure. The Lower East Side is very quickly growing on me, too.

What is something that surprised you about New York?
Dating...

Favorite food or restaurant in the city?
Sweet potato french fries. I LOVE the fact that virtually every restaurant here serves them.

The best borough is:
Manhattan, of course.

Mets or Yankees?
This season, the Mets, hands down.

Advice for someone coming to visit:
Plan ahead and prioritize what you'd like to see and do. There's so much that even living here I feel as though I miss out on a lot.

Advice for someone moving here:
Rest well for the last couple months before your move or else keeping up with the pace here will be very difficult (Spoken from experience :)), save up a nice amount before moving (expenses will be MUCH higher than you could have ever imagined), and prepare to have the time of your life!