Which Sex and The City Character are YOU?

This week in NYC it's been all about Sex and the City 2! The premiere, the after parties, parties after the after parties, and sadly I haven't been to a single event. Not that I expected to, but I've felt like a loser lately reading my friends' SATC Facebook status updates over the last few days: Just spotted SJP at (insert swanky hotel here)! or In a limo on my way to the premiere! Hellllo friends, remember me? I'm a great wing woman in case you have forgotten? 

An.Y.way, here's a group pic from the premiere. Lookin' good, ladies! I don't know about you, but I'm happy to see that SJP doesn't have a plant growing out of her head like she did at the London premiere for the first movie. (I believe the Brits call those little hats fascinators?) Her asymmetrical lemon colored dress allows her to stand out just enough without screaming LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME! 

So, if you had to guess, who do you think my favorite character is? I'll narrow it down for you...

Carrie has killer style and just an overall fabulous little Manhattan life (and she's a writer), but....

I'm SO Miranda! Are you surprised? She's funny, sarcastic, smart—LOVE her. I actually have a tank top that says, "I'm a Miranda!" I need to dig it up and rock it when I go to see the movie. Cheesy? Yes. Do I care? No. 

So tell me: Which SATC character are YOU and why? Are you excited for the movie? I've heard mixed reviews, but of course I'm going to see it anyway!

Table for one, please

I know I've probably complained about this before, but one thing that really sucks about "working" from home is the lack of human interaction I get on most days. Yesterday, the only person I had a conversation longer than five words with was the maintenance guy who came to my apartment to put plaster up on the walls. And his English wasn't even too hot.

Plans with my bf fell through, and I wasn't in the mood to try to scrape together plans with friends at the last minute, so there I was, all alone on a Friday night. I didn't have money to do what I really wanted to, which was order in sushi and check out what was playing at the movie theatre down the street, so I had to compromise. Earlier in the afternoon I was given a restaurant menu, which normally I'd chuck into the trash, but the boy passing them out caught my attention by exclaiming, "You gotta try this healthy fast food!" Healthy fast food, eh? Like what, chicken nuggets and fries that won't expand your ass?

So I headed to Spark on First ave near 91st street to see what this new healthy fast food place was all about. (FYI for New Yorkers: They are also opening locations on Lexington at 83rd and 2nd ave at 49th.) The menu had many appealing options like wraps, salads and chicken, salmon and tofu dishes. I went with the whole wheat chicken wrap with brown rice, salsa and mixed vegetables--it was really fresh and yummy, and yep, super-speedy, too! I cozied up in the corner reading InTouch Weekly (poor Sandra Bullock!) and munched away on my wrap. I felt a little lonely as I watched the couple next to me laughing and kissing, but I was content.

Afterwards, I went to Starbucks to work on some story ideas for a website that could potentially turn into a regular freelance gig. (Fingers crossed!) I headed home around 11pm and fell asleep watching My Best Friend's Wedding. What a wild and crazy Friday night!

This morning I woke up feeling refreshed and went to my very first Zumba class. Check back tomorrow for my video recap--I loved it! What did everyone else do last night? Hopefully something more exciting than I did! And do you ever have quiet Friday nights by yourself? Do you enjoy it?

There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like...

home. Yesterday, I had my Wizard of Oz shoes on, only they didn't have the magical powers of transporting me home to Kentucky with a click, click, click of the heels. (Actually, they are Liza's Miu Miu flats from Milan, but whateves. Dorothy would totally rock them.)

Ahh, Kentucky. Rolling hills, smiling neighbors, no one's a stranger, horses. Damnit, I take those horses for granted. It is so green there--it's beautiful. The closest resemblance of home I have in New York is Central Park, and man, that really just doesn't cut it most of the time.

I miss driving, and old friends and chain restaurants and $6 movie tickets, and yes, even the 'burbs. And have you ever tried beer cheese? Or Graeter's ice cream? Or a Kentucky Hot Brown? Yummm. I usually gain a few lbs. when I'm home, but it's always worth it. There really is no place like home.

Tell me: Where are you from? Do you ever miss home, too?

It's my birthday and I can get drunk if I want to.

I always feel conflicted when it comes to celebrating my birthday. I never really want to make a big deal out of it, but I do like having an excuse to get all my friends together in the same room, so I usually end up throwing a party. And if you actually want people to show up, you can't really do it half-ass. Like, sending out an invite a few days ahead of time really isn't going to cut it. I wish I could be casual about it like that, and pretend I don't care if only four people show up (which would be my sister, boyfriend, Jenn and Tiffany), but if that happened, I think I'd cry my little eyes out.

So tonight's the big night (I'm totally singing the BEP song in my head right now). I'm really excited, but also a little anxious, too. Being in the spotlight is a weird feeling. I want to make sure I talk to everyone and take pics and...um, shots. It's a lot of work! But it's worth it. It's the one time of year that everything is all about me, and since I've had to share my birthday with two other people my entire life (I'm a triplet), it's a nice feeling.

The other thing I'm starting to worry about is getting too drunk--especially because I have work tomorrow. I'd like to think that I will be responsible and drink water after every shot and pace myself and blah blah blah, but c'mon, we know that ain't happenin'. I think Liza's worried too--she just emailed me and said, "What are you having for dinner? You should eat a big one." Hmm...I see pizza in my future!

Oh and I got a cute party dress from H&M to wear, along with a headband that makes a pretty big "look at me" statement. I'm not sure how that will turn out, but I'm willing to take a fashion risk.

How about you: Do you like having big parties for your birthday, or do you prefer being low-key? Stay tuned for Photo Shoot Friday tomorrow--it should be a good one!!!

The older I get, the more I have to ask people out. Weird.

I don't know if it's like this for anyone else, but every time I ask a new friend if she wants to get together, I feel like I'm asking her out on a date. In high school and college, it was easy to casually hang out because you're all kinda just lumped together. But now, you have to actually say, "Hey, I've been wanting to try this new restaurant. Want to check it out with me this weekend?" And then that's usually followed with: "I mean, if you want to. But if you're busy, I totalllly understand. I know it's kind of last-minute notice, so it's no biggie if you can't." 

This is also true with people in the industry I want to network with. One PR girl I worked with a few years ago found my blog somehow (love when that happens!) and emailed me. She lost her job recently too, so I asked her if she wanted to meet for dinner to catch up. We met at an Asian restaurant called Republic in Union Square last night, and I totally felt like I was on a blind date. (We had only worked together via email so I didn't know what she looked like). She had told me what she was wearing in an email, but once I got there, nerves set in as I surveyed the restaurant trying to figure out who she was. After a little searching, we found each other. Phew. She was really friendly and totally looked like Jordana Brewster's younger sister. Any guy would have been more than happy with this date!

We had a great time talking, and when my beef/tomato noodle stew arrived, I realized I probably didn't order the best "date" meal. The noodles were really long, and I didn't have a knife to cut them, so I had to try to saw them with my chopstick. There were a few embarrassing moments where the noodles were hanging out of my mouth and I had to quickly suck them up, but I don't think I made too much of a scene. 

While the conversation flowed easily, I still found myself stressing about what to talk about next a few times because I'm not totally comfortable with silence. I asked her every possible question I could think of, and somehow we even got on the topic of her favorite underwear! (Hanky Panky is my fave, too ;). It's been such a long time since I've been on a first "date" with anyone, so it was definitely good practice for keeping my conversational skills sharp.

I had a lot of fun on my "date," and I think there might be a second one. Whether you're networking or just trying to make a new friend, does anyone else feel like they have to practically ask someone on a date in order to hang out?

NYC's superficial bullshit—I'm over it.

In New York, if you're fashionable and skinny, you've got it made. If you are those two things, people will tell you all day, every day just how chic and fabulous and SKINNY you are. Seriously. Oh, and good hair helps, too. Honestly, it doesn't even matter if your mug is fug. 

I don't know, some Manhattanites might disagree with me, but this is the impression I get at every party or event I go to. The girl with the pretty face is not the one being told just how amaaazing she is. And I guess I'm mainly talking about the fashion crowd. My sister and some of my best friends in the city are in the fashion industry, so I kinda fell into this circle by default. (Well, I'm the girl on the outside of the circle peeking in). Going to cool parties can be a lot of fun, but honestly I'm starting to question if it is even worth it—it's certainly not doing good things for my self-esteem. 

Olivia Palermo from The City is stylish, skinny and gorgeous. And she has a beautiful mane. Bitch. I think she's incredibly insecure, though. I saw her at the charity party I wrote about in this post where I got my infamous red bag, and she didn't seem confident at all. She kept trying to join in on other people's conversations, but no one really wanted to talk to her—it was totally awkward. Hmm, I guess even the fashionably elite have their issues.

Sadly, all of this superficial bullshit has rubbed off on me. I'm never happy with my weight, my hair or what I'm wearing. I guess it doesn't help that I can't even afford a haircut and that my D.I.Y. manicure looks like a six year-old did it. I need to find a way to be the best version of myself I can be with the resources I've got right now. I can't keep waiting and waiting for things to get better because even when I do have the money to buy new clothes and go grocery shopping at Whole Foods, I'll have a new set of issues.

Does anyone else feel this way? Do your surroundings or the media have an impact on the way you feel about yourself?

Do you have a pet?

The majority of New Yorkers, including myself, live in apartments the size of a shoebox. So, it's crazy to me that almost everyone seems to have a dog. When I go to Central Park, I see every type of dog you can imagine. There's one huge dog that really looks more like a bear, and its hair is in a thick dreadlock type style that touches the floor. Actually, it looks like mix between a bear and a mop, so I'll call this breed BOP. Even though I've seen this BOP a million types, I can't help but to stare every single time. The owner is a thin little man, and he just walks that huge beast of a dog like it ain't no thang. He might as well be walking a poodle. I was about to say "it's funny," but I think it's more puzzling than funny.

My first apartment in New York was shared by two other girls (Liza, of course, was one of them), and a dog. Oh, and that was a ONE-BEDROOM apartment. That living situation was probably one of the worst experiences of my life. I'm not going to get into the details (the memories still make me shudder), but having a dog in that cramped space definitely did not help things. The dog was not potty trained, so when I'd wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, my foot would be greeted with a fresh piece of slimy dog poop. (This also happened to my mom and friends when they stayed over.) Lovely.

Meet Vivienne--the prettiest, potty-trained pooch in all of Manhattan. When my friend, Joyann, asked me to take care of her this weekend, I happily said yes. I don't know what it is about Viv, but whenever I'm around her, she has me saying things like, "You're such a pretty girl, yes you are, yes you are," in my best-attempted baby voice. You know me. I don't do that shit for anyone--except Viv. She's so cute, I don't even mind picking up her poop when we go out on walks. (Although, I must say, Viv pooped more times yesterday than I'd like to mention. What's homegirl been eating?)

Even though I went to bed at 10pm last night, waking up at 6am was not easy. I probably averaged five hours or so of sleep each night this week, which is definitely not enough. Ohh well, I may just have to treat myself to a grande skim latte to perk me up. I have a full day ahead of me. Right now I'm heading over to take Viv out for a walk, and then I MUST do some form of exercise. And then, I'm working on a reporting assignment all afternoon. (Sorry, can't share deets, it's confidential). All I want to do tonight is go out to dinner and see Couples Treat. It doesn't seem like too much to ask, but I somehow have a feeling it might not happen. We'll see!

Tell me: Do you have a pet? If not, did you have one growing up? (I had a dog. R.I.P. Trippy!!!)