television star!

Okay, I deserve girlfriend-of-the-year award. Last night I stayed up way past my bedtime (midnight! on a school night!) and watched a good hour of rap music videos (and we're talking less Jay Z, more Gucci Mane) to see a full segment on Erik and his company on MTV. How proud am I?!?!? I could just gush all day long, but I don't, for the sake of my friends and family. Luckily, no one reads this blog (except maybe MaryBeth. Hi MBPD!) so I can go on and on to my heart's content. Did I mention that he rushes my cat to the vet with me, always makes my blue moods go away, and helps support his family without ever complaining? Swoooooon!

Edited to add: Here's a link to the clip.

brooklyn thanksgiving

I love, love, love spending a few days at home. That means I have time to make homemade pumpkin-cinnamon rolls and snuggle with Monkey.

philly half-marathon

Holy cow, we really did it. Even though there were bumps along the way (Anthony was fighting a cold, a crazy work project kept Sarah from running the month beforehand), we all did a-mazing this past weekend. Each one of us scored a personal record! The course was scenic, the crowds were fun, and the weather was perfect. Even though it's super intense, I love races now. There's so much more to it than running fast. I enjoy meeting up with friends every weekend to train, setting a goal and being awestruck when you achieve it, and laughing about the shared experience (whether that's due to sweet people with adorable babies and kidnapper vans or unfortunate running wardrobe choices). Plus, the post-race pumpkin ale is pretty sweet, too.

giving thanks

Today I am most thankful for...
* True friends who don't judge me and pick me up when I'm feeling blue.
* An awesome boyfriend who is also the best cat father a girl could ever ask for.
* Faith in myself.
* A sweet one-toothed cat.
* My health and ability to love openly and unconditionally. I have my parents to thank for that.

life lesson

Today I did something pretty sucky. It was thoughtless and not nice—though unintentional and not malicious—and I am disappointed in myself. :( The silver lining is that I'll walk away with a lesson and that I managed to follow this piece of the Dalai Lama's advice: “When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.” The other good thing about life is that there's always a tomorrow, and that means you can always strive to be a better person.

my week

Ever since my best friend Amie and I moved to different cities nine years ago, we've emailed almost every day. And when one of is having a crazy time, our favorite saying is: "What a week I'm having!" (preferably with your eyes all squinty and your arm crooked like Eugene Levy's in Splash). That's exactly how I feel about this week. Here's the Cliff Notes version:

On Sunday...a group of us cheered our friends Mara, Christina, and other runners in the New York marathon. Then Amanda and I jumped into the course and knocked out 7 miles through Brooklyn and Queens, then over the Queensboro bridge to Manhattan. We finished our 13-mller back over the WB bridge, and then I collapsed at home.

On Monday...After working like crazy, I went with Alice to the premiere of The King's Speech at the Ziegfeld theater. Harvey Weinstein, Helena Bonham Carter, and Colin Firth (!!!) all gave short speeches. The movie is amazing, BTW. Oscar-worthy.

On Tuesday...Monkey was bleeding from her mouth so I skipped a photo shoot I was supposed to go to and rush her to the vet. Many hours, lots of nerves, and hundred of dollars later, we found out she had a mouth infection and lost all of her teeth, save one. Poor snaggletooth!

On Wednesday...I popped by Glenna and Tony's amazing fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association before ringing in four happy years with Erik at Choptank. Phew!

four years!

One day, nearly four years ago, I went to a hip-hop magazine party with my friend Glenna. We sipped free drinks, gossiped about life, and bobbed our heads to the deejay. Near the exit, a boy gave me his business card out of nowhere. I didn't think much of it—until he called. He was quietly confident, and made a joke about designing Jamie Foxx's album cover ("I'm going to give him so many abs that he'll look like a centipede!"). This guy is hilarious, I thought, and agreed to go on a date. Now, there are certain moments that define your life—like those slow-motion, cinematic scenes in the movies—and meeting Erik by the Astor Place cube is one of mine. His smile, his eyes, his warmth—all of a sudden I went from nonchalant to very, very nervous-excited. That first date turned into many, that guy became my boyfriend, and somewhere down the line, Erik turned into my best friend in the entire world. I admire his courage and confidence, love his passion and humor, and am grateful for his loyalty and kindness. Happy anniversary to us!

this week's lunch money

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

When it comes to money, you could say I'm my father's daughter. China's Cultural Revolution forced him to live on the bare minimum, and his frugal traits have passed down to me. That, coupled with the fact that I live in an expensive city on a not-so-ostentatious salary, makes me crazy cheap. I'm obsessed with Mint.com. I bring my lunch every day. I always take the subway. But I've been thinking about people less fortunate than me a lot lately, and I've realized that I'm ridiculously blessed with a warm home and food at every meal—things that I often take for granted. I donate my time and cash as much as I can (especially proud of my cancer fundraising!), but lately I've been a bit remiss. That's why I've decided to start a "this week's lunch money" campaign for myself. Once a month, I'll make a meal instead of going out or resist buying that cute new shirt and put that money to a worthy charity. This week I put my dollars to Project Medishare in support of my friend Laura, who is helping fight cholera in Haiti. Just as suspected, that made me feel so much happier than any shiny new bauble ever could.

P.S. The video has nothing to do with the post. I just love it.

giving thanks

I'm finally catching my breath after an exhausting week. There seemed to be something crazy in the air...or was that just me?! Hm, probably the latter. In any case, the dust is finally lifting and I'm getting psyched about all the fun stuff lined up this month: Cheering on my pals in the marathon, celebrating fake Thanksgiving (pictured here) and the real one, and running my own half-marathon. Yay! And, speaking of giving thanks, I have been thinking a lot of my friend Laura lately. She's a nurse who works with Project Medishare in Haiti. She's there now, with her husband, helping to battle the cholera epidemic. I couldn't be more proud to call her my friend.