Hungry hungry hippo

Oh where to eat where to eat? I've got 3 hungries just looking at all the places I want to go while in NYC! I suppose I will have plenty of time to explore once I move there, so maybe this weekend will be an opportunity to visit some "old haunts" and some I've been curious about for a while. On my list so far...

Breakfast/Brunch at Balthazar. I still dream about the Frisee Aux Lardons with the runny egg on top. Sadly it's not available on the breakfast or brunch menus, but at this point I'll settle for anything, like the basket of pastries or duck confit. Oh wait, we're talking breakfast here. Maybe we'll have to do lunch. :) Yummmm, the world needs more places like Balthazar.

Spanish wine and snacks at Bar Jamon. I have some good memories here that I don't necessarily intend to recreate, I just want some good Spanish wines and ham ham ham! It's such a cozy place to hang out with your lover. Last time I was there, they were playing Arcade Fire too. Can't go wrong with that.

Tapas at Pipa in ABC Carpet & Home. I remember this place being good, but can probably skip it this time around. We'll see...too many others to choose from!

Italian at Lupa Osteria Romana. I've never been to a Batali restaurant despite it being on my list everytime I go to NYC. This one is actually somewhat affordable and still gets decent reviews so a definite maybe.

Nook in Hell's Kitchen. Haven't been here, but I've read it's inexpensive, tiny/cozy/romantic, and BYOB. I have really really high hopes for Nook.

Casellula Wine & Cheese for wine, cheese, and other snacks. Haven't been here either but very excited for this one!

Momofuku Ssam Bar for superdeliciousness that defies definition and a shout out to a UT alum. I think B will like this place even if it looks all trendster and chichi.

Okay that's a good start I think. I'll keep adding to the list as I come across restos I want to try!

Sing Along With Me

Okay, so technically I'm not leaving today, I'm leaving Thursday. And I won't be moving there quite yet, this is just a weekend trip to see B and scout out some neighborhoods, but I can still get excited about it. So warm up the pipes and follow the bouncing ball...

Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today
I want to be a part of it - New York, New York

These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it - New York, New York

I wanna wake up in a city, that doesn't sleep
And find I'm king of the hill - top of the heap

These little town blues, are melting away
Ill make a brand new start of it - in old New York

If I can make it there, Ill make it anywhere
Its up to you - New York, New York

April 15 is more than just tax day

Argh, it's that time of year again...when I have to look at my paltry earnings and ridiculous taxes and hope that I get something back. This is probably the best that I'll have it what with tuition credits, practically no earnings, and no state tax! Yay Texas! But it's still a pain in the butt and I thought I was being smart by converting my traditional IRA to a Roth, but that's causing tax-time anxiety for little ole me.

I won't divulge the other reason April 15 is important, but it holds significance for me so it's not all doom and gloom time. Alas, when it's all said and done, I'm still expecting a little sumpin' sumpin' back from Uncle Sam. One step closer to those Stuart Weitzman's I'm coveting...

Girls Night Out

My friend SA and I like to do MBA-free nights on Thursdays. This usually includes happy hour at SoCo Cafe for their incredible mojitos which are only $3.50 from 2-7pm! And then a quick stumble across the street to Home Slice Pizza, my favorite NY style pizza in Austin. Sometimes we invite others to join us, and sometimes it's just the two of us, but it's always a fun time catching up, venting about the week, and having girls' night out.

Getting excited!

Now that Global is over and I'm down to 4 classes, I can feel the end of my MBA experience drawing closer. It's kind of a sad time for me, hard to get my head around all of the personal growth and changes that have taken place in a very very short 2 years. Thinking about all the friends I've made here scattering to distant places and wondering who I'll end up keeping in touch with. I'll also miss the freedom and flexibility that comes along with being a student. Oh yeah, and Tex Mex. I'll definitely miss Tex Mex!

But it's also an exciting time, a new chapter in my life. B and I have started looking at apartments and I'll be flying out to NY next weekend to explore neighborhoods and spend some time together. Downtown, midtown, east side, west? Oh my, so many choices. And we want to stick to a reasonable budget which seems nearly impossible in Manhattan, but I figure if we're gonna live in NY, live in NY, right?


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Now if only I could get over this jet lag! 3am wake-up calls are brutal and don't do much for "getting back into the swing of things". The only thing that keeps me going is that I'm already halfway through my week and then just one more week before seeing B. Yay!!!

The Doctor Is In

Well, not really. After waiting 45 minutes in the examining room I was really starting to wonder if I was going to be seen. All that waiting for just a little peace of mind that involved the doctor informing me that no, it wasn't malaria and no, it wasn't bird flu, and no, I didn't need to be quarantined. In fact, I didn't even need medicine. My body is perfectly healthy and my immune system was effectively fighting off some sort of virus and she shooed me out of the room faster than a speeding bullet! Sure enough, my sore throat disappeared that day. I suppose I should be thankful, but a little sympathy would have been nice.

Home Sweet Home

Almost exactly 2 weeks after the start of this journey I was back on a plane heading stateside.

Bangkok --> Tokyo (5 hours, 45 minutes)
Tokyo --> Chicago (11 hours, 40 minutes)
Chicago --> Austin (2 hours, 45 minutes)

I was able to switch seats with a nice Japanese man so that I could sit next to BO for both the BKK and NRT flights. Always nice to have someone to talk to on long hauls especially when you discover that they are offering up the EXACT SAME entertainment lineup. Disappointing! I mean really, how many times can you watch Madagascar 2?

Yes, more griping...So I ask you, if you're an airline and you know that all international flights will require U.S. passengers to pass through customs and recheck bags on transfers, why in the world would you schedule 1 hour layovers? Our plane landed at 3:50pm and the line at passport control was ridiculous. I did make the customs officer laugh and he said I "made his day" so that is always a good feeling.

Once through customs I had to wait for my bags, of course mine was one of the last ones off! Then rush over to recheck said bag before hoofing it to Terminal 3 for my 5:10pm flight. What a mess. On the tram heading to Terminal 3 I felt confident I would just squeak onto my flight, but alas, forgot I still had to go through the very long security line. Yes, security. Again. Luckily some people took pity on me and let me cut the 1st class line and I managed to get through fairly quickly. I was the last one on the plane with about 2 minutes to spare. Phew! Well at least I made it because my bag didn't. Oh well, it was just full of dirty, sweaty clothes that all needed to be boiled!

What's the first thing a Texan does upon returning home? TEX MEX! RR came to pick me up and we went straight to Chuy's for dinner. YUM. Margaritas and queso really hit the spot. Got home to a clean apartment that seemed to be in fine order. Chatted with B for a bit -- it had been a few days since we had Skyped so again, really nice to see his face.

Since then, it's just been jetlag and school mostly. My bag did appear the next day so I've spent some time doing laundry, organizing, etc...It'll take a while to get everything back to normal, but with this jet lag, it seems like I'm awake a lot more than I am asleep, so plenty of time to get everything done! Also I've had a nagging sore throat for about 5 days now so I decided to go ahead and see a doc to check it out. Hopefully it's nothing...