Downtown-Chic

Life. Men. Alcohol. Shoes.

Friday, April 13

Move over Ben & Jerry

I am admittedly a wino... An open bottle of red, translates to an empty bottle of red. I could hardly contain my excitement when last night I learned of wine cellar sorbets -- an entire line of sorbet made with wine and champagne.

I kid not, the flavors are:

Red:
• Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 Central California
• Zinfandel "Late Harvest" 2005 Central California
• Pinot Noir 2004 New York

White:
Champagne N.V. California
• Riesling 2004 New York
• Sauterne N.V. New York

Blush:
• May Wine N.V. New York

Who needs the calories of Ben & Jerry, when you can get a buzz with calorie-conscious sorbets. Summer just can't come fast enough for me.

Tuesday, April 10

My morning routine

I'm very particular about which subway car I board when headed to work. I always get on the second car, first door of the train. When I transfer, I walk upstairs and around the staircase board the middle door of the car that stops in front of me. This way I'm dropped off right in front of my exit.

I'm a creature of habit. Which isn't a bad thing, until someone infiltrates your routine.

When I was dating the Producer, I learned that he was a "last door on the first car of the same train" type of guy. So after we broke up, I knew to avoid the first car at all costs -- lest I have a morning encounter.

Over the last couple weeks, he's been popping up in my car. At first I was unnerved and annoyed. However, it happens so often now (once or twice a week) I hardly think anything of it. He has also taken to e-mailing me. Usually inane, stupid comments about what we discussed on the train -- and he ALWAYS initiates it first.

After our encounter this morning, he took it a step further.....

"What time do you want to meet at the subway tomorrow morning? Good luck at work. Don't work too hard. If things free up, <my movie> plays tomorrow at the <NY theater>. If not, let's grab a drink/coffee sometime..."

Why is this guy trying to weasel his way back into my life? Go away! An unavoidable subway encounter is excusable, because there are only so many subway stops on the LES and I am not walking to another stop just to avoid him. But to INTENTIONALLY hang out, that is too much. I am going to have to break it to him that I don't hang out with ex's.

Really, he should know better.

Saturday, April 7

Finding Balance

Achieving balance in New York is a near impossibility. We're always pulled in a million directions. Yet, today, I found balance. Three hours at the Fulton Street Bathhouse and everything stressful slipped away.

I've always avoided bathhouses, as their scandelous pasts were of little interest to me. However, when a couple strong cocktails on Friday night did little to relieve my anxiety and stress from the past month, a friend suggested I meet him at the bathhouse on Saturday morning.

This morning, a group of us spent 3 hours, sweating it out in the dry heat sauna where the "regulars" taunted us for sitting on the lower benches. When this heat became too much, we moved into the steam room, where it was completely acceptable to douse yourself in buckets of ice water when the heat overwhelmed. In a third room, we hid behind clouds of eucylptus-scented steam and wrapped it all up by plunging ourselves into a heart-stopping pool of ice cold water.

It was so un-New York, I felt like I spent the day in Minnesota, enjoying a scandinavian-sauna-and-rinse. Balance achieved.

There are no words

To say I've been busy is an understatement. I feel like my life for the last three weeks has been run by an endless stream of work demands, emails and phone calls. I am not convinced that this isn't some type of god sent intervention to keep me from wasting money or something, but honestly, I haven't one interesting thing to say that isn't work related. Even if I try to separate myself, there is nothing but work babble. And that shit is boring.

Hence the blogging silence.

I can hardly look at my computer screen without thinking about the 3 other projects that I should be finishing. So this weekend, I am taking a good friends counsel and am headed to those NYC Russian (or is it) Turkish baths I've heard so much about.

I little separation and forced relaxation... Exactly what is need for re-inspiration.