Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding!

Pic #202 - July 20, 2012

The eChalk Summer Picnic was rained out, so we all gathered at Dave and Busters for some arcade fun. Also, I think I'd be much more productive if I were rewarded with prize tickets for daily tasks.

I'll take two, please!

Pic #201 - July 19, 2012

Hung and his daughter impressed once again with a mean breakfast spread for eChalk! Crepes, omelets, mimosas... the works. 

Must be raining cats and dogs

Pic #200 - July 18, 2012

Came down to the lobby during a crazy storm to find a bunch of scared commuters waiting out the rain. 

MAGIC

Pic #199 - July 17, 2012

In case you've ever wondered what sort of magic changes the ads at bus stops... now you know! Witnessed this bright and early this morning outside my apartment building. 

Leaky Life Trials

Pic #198 - July 16, 2012

A little drip turned into a big problem. Luckily we have an awesome (and gorgeous) super who fixed it right up! 

Breaking GOOD

Pic #197 - July 15, 2012

My biggest accomplishment this summer has been watching seasons 1-4 of Breaking Bad before its season 5 return - subway billboards work! Seriously though, if you haven't watched this show - start now. 

"Running Shoes" - Right.

Pic #196 - July 14, 2012

When was the last time you were walking around Brooklyn and thought, "Man, where can I buy some running shoes?" Well, found them! ;-)

Ouchies.

Pic #195 - July 13, 2012

Had a super duper awful massive headache. The worst. Excedrin... is the best! Too bad they recalled it.

12:12 on the 12th and...

Pic #194 - July 12, 2012

...I got nothing! Another 12th of the month spent at the office. 

In case you forgot, it's 2012!

Pic #193 - July 11, 2012

It's a little late in the season, but this 2012 Graduation greeting card caught my attention. It has not occurred to me until now that I should probably start collecting things that say 2012 on them... 

Mermaids are such lushes

Pic #192 - July 10, 2012

Sesi and I went to Cowgirl Seahorse for dinner tonight, since neither of us felt like going home and doing work. My glass of pinot grigio came complete with a tiny plastic mermaid, and I stole Sesi's so mine wouldn't get lonely. Of course, they were dunked on my first sip... which is how long it took me to realize why cocktail decorations usually only adorn drinks with straws. 

Poety

Pic #191 - July 9, 2012 

With all my free time today, I decided to get a little "poety" with my pic. At every Baideme family reunion, we bottle and cork wine as souvenirs. It's been nearly ten years since the last time I remember participating, and they've invested in some serious corking technology upgrades since then :). I'm definitely glad I was present this year, or I wouldn't have the 2012 variety of the Baideme juice! 

VACATION

Pic #190 - July 8, 2012

S'mores, sunsets... I never want to leave! My parents rented a cottage along Lake Erie in Westfield for the week, and my brother and I are spending the long weekend out here with them. I think it's been about 5 years since we've been on vacation together...

But it seriously doesn't get better than this. 

And... we're back in Westfield!

Pic #189 - July 7, 2012

It wasn't exactly a short walk to find row #12 on the Baideme Vineyard, but obviously worth it. This weekend the family and I headed out to Westfield, NY to visit Dad's side of the family. Back-to-back reunions with the Mutch and Baideme families meant today was chock full of hugs, baked ziti, and stories that began with "Have I ever told you..."

Good times :). 

Yeah, cuz I got it like that.

Pic #188 - July 6, 2012

Every time I see these crazy kids break dancing on the street, I think... sure... I can do that! Of course in reality, I can barely do the Chicken Dance. I guess I'll leave spinning handstands to the pros. 

Anyone need a mattress?

Pic #187 - July 5, 2012

Up for grabs - you can have your very own mattress beau for the low price of 8,000 bed bugs. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, America!

Pic #186 - July 4, 2012

Had a lovely fourth atop the roof of a friend's apartment building on the West side . This Jell-O cake ALMOST made it the entire trek, but it was was so hot, that a few blocks from the apartment the pan started to leak red goo everywhere. Luckily it reformed in the fridge - not as pretty, but just as delicious. 

Street Mensa

Pic #185  - July 3, 2012

Puzzling. Not exactly sure how many bikes are actually in this picture...

Posse Play

Pic #184 - July 2, 2012

After what seemed like way too long a break, posse reunited for game night. We played our favorite game - Catch Phrase! We're willing to bet reality tv producers would pay good money to film us in action... we're kind of a riot. 

Birthday Suit

Pic #183 - July 1, 2012

Tara's biggest birthday wish was to take a trip on the R train out to the Rego Park Kohls. Wish granted! We tried on approximately 47 dresses, and bought more than I'm willing to admit. And yes, we both got this dress :). 

N-E-R-D-Y

Pic #182 - June 30, 2012

Day drinking is a bad idea... fun though it is. Tara and I spent the first half of this HOT day shopping for apartments in Astoria, to no avail. We skipped out on our last few appointments to meet up with Carrie, Mike and Manny at the Astoria Beer Garden, instead. Scrabble, cards, and bad decisions ensued :). 

Beat Ba Beat Ba Ba Ba Beat - Go Bayside!

Pic #181 - June 29, 2012

Sesi's birthday is still a month away, but her present arrived early and I was way too excited about it to wait. If you don't know who the Bayside Tigers are... friendship over.

I guess it's break time.

Pic #180 - June 28, 2012

Usually when I see signs like this one, there is an elevated platform 30 floors up with window washers hard at work. Not today! 

Just Jack!

Pic #179 - June 27, 2012

Rebekkah stopped by to visit with the eChalk lunch crew today, and brought this cutie along with her! Don't worry, he was only in the sun long enough to snap this photo! 

I'm glad this isn't my job.

Pic #178 - June 26, 2012

Not much to say about this one, except it's certainly not something I see everyday. Also, zoomed in, it looks like he's smoking a cigarette. 

Smile worthy

Pic #177 - June 25, 2012

On a whim, I dragged myself out of a funk to go see an apartment on the Upper West Side tonight. It was kind of lame, but someone hung this quote in the hallway. So, the trip wasn't for nothing :). 

If only I had a ballroom...

Pic #176 - June 24, 2012

Do I need this? No. Do I want it? YES. Free in my lobby, if anyone is looking to adopt a piano...

Hey look, ceiling fan!

Pic #175 - June 23, 2012

I'm pretty sure Tara and I have seen 50% of the apartments on the Upper East Side in our search for the BEST ONE. This wasn't it... but it did have a ceiling fan. 

Drip Drip Drip

Pic #174 - June 22, 2012

The Brooklyn Bridge, view from eChalk during a rain storm. It's there, I promise.

How's it hanging?

Pic #173 - June 22, 2012

This is the result of developing a massive pile of clothes for Goodwill!

Packing Cat

Pic #172 - June 20, 2012

Decided that if I'm going to move, I need to get rid of about half of my stuff. I started with clothes, and Franny helped! 

Almost famous in the Seaport

Pic #171 - June 19, 2012 

Sometimes, when you work in NYC, you walk by film crews. This morning, I had to walk through what appeared to be a car commercial on my way to work. However, I wasn't satisfied that's what it really was until I got an aerial view from eChalk's office. 

Hey, Moose...

Pic #170 - June 18, 2012

I've been searching for apartments for the last couple of days, and therefore traversed parts of the city I don't normally see. I came out of one apartment building today and immediately saw this graffiti in a window across the street. Moose was our family dog's name, and I miss him so! I wonder who else was/is named Moose...

Happy Father's Day!

Pic #169 - June 17, 2012

I wasn't able to be with my Dad today, but this made it feel like I was! All over the Upper East Side, someone has written "Become Your Dream" and other feel-good sayings in sidewalk chalk. This is exactly the message my Dad has been passing along to me since I was born, 26 years ago. Makes me smile. 

I did a quick google search - turns out the sidewalk chalk movement has been inspired by a James De La Vega mural on 95th Street. Read about it in this blog post: http://uppereastsideinformer.blogspot.com/2010/03/become-your-dream.html 

Bright Sun and Dark Shadows

Pic #168 - June 16, 2012

I had a wonderful day date with Mom in Connecticut! We did what we love to do... toured a gigantic house that we'd never be able to afford ourselves. This is Lockwood Mansion in Norfolk CT - built in the 1850s and still badass. Mom and I decided it's haunted by a little girl, though, so you might be able to get it for a good price. Also - turned out Dark Shadows, a 1960s soap opera about vampires, was filmed here. Mom used to watch it right after General Hospital :). Check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Shadows

Sandcastles in the... Seaport?

Pic #167 - June 15, 2012

In the Seaport, we spotted a man carving a boat out of sand! There was also this nifty little sandcastle sitting in front of the sandboat. Apparently it's for some sort of TV contest sponsored by the Travel Channel: http://www.travelchannel.com/tv-shows/sand-masters/

There must be a NYC episode in the works!! Keep an eye out.

I wish I was my cat.

Pic #166 - June 14, 2012. 

I wasn't feeling well so I stayed home from work today. I got a firsthand look at what Franny and Zooey do all day, and let me tell you... it doesn't suck. 

Still don't wanna buy a Swatch.

Pic #165 - June 13, 2012

The subway is way more fun when the train looks like a coloring book. Too bad it's just a giant advertisement for Swatch!

12:12 on the 12th! Halfway there.

For the record, I don't actually have any real attachment to June 12th, my half birthday. I'm pretty sure I'd earn at least one face slap if I demanded a celebration for turning 26 and 1/2. But, alas, it is the 12th of June. Six months down and six to go. 

When the 12th of the month falls on a weekday, it makes taking the 12:12 picture incredibly stressful. At 12:12 on a weekday, more often than not I am either a) at my computer reading emails, b) in the elevator or c) in a meeting. EXCITING!

So, today I went out of my way to make sure I was doing something at 12:12 that would not only fulfill the project's goal, but also commemorate the fact that nearly half of 2012 has passed. Though this pic project will go straight through 12/31/12, I think we all know the only date worthy of a countdown (and I'm not talking about the end of the Mayan calendar). 

Pic #164 - June 12, 2012

182 days until 12/12/12! 

Whoops

Guess I've been a little lazy for the last few days and haven't been posting my pics here. They've been on Facebook and Twitter, though, so I still consider the project a go! I'll back date them now :). 

Yeah. Sometimes I forget.

Pic #163 - June 11, 2012

Sometimes I make it through the whole day without being inspired to take a picture. There are only so many pictures I can take on my way home from work... so now I am turning to my fridge magnets! At least this one represents how much TV I've been watching. Now that school is over, I have a queue of DVR'd sitcoms to catch up on. 

What a lovely day for a picnic on the lawn...

Pic #162 - June 10, 2012

Kind of hilarious... Day 2 at the Brooklyn Water Front, and no one seems to care about this sign. 

Smorgasburg

Pic #161 - June 9, 2012

Maryse got a new job working with an awesome lemonade and beverage manufacturer. They run "The Stand" at Smorgasburg, the food stalls at Brooklyn Flea every Saturday. Delicioso! Tara, Tali and I paid her a visit before heading to Annie's birthday party in Williamsburg. 

5.00... what?

Pic #160 - June 8, 2012

Five... dollars? Pennies? High fives? The real question is... do I eat two hot dogs or share my soda? 

Why do they sell these in every Duane Reade?

Pic #159 - June 7, 2012

Who do you think buys these? Just curious... they sell them in every Duane Reade. Must be quite a market for them! 

Got a nut?

Pic #158 - June 6, 2012

 If I were a squirrel, this would be my spot. Found this guy in the park next to City Hall. 

ThisweekonGLEE

Pic #157 - June 5, 2012

I was walking underground on my way home from work, randomly wondering when this season of Glee Project would begin, and BAM. Question answered. Tonight :). I know... my life is so exciting.

Jungle City

Pic #156 - June 4, 2012

Jumanji! These animal fellas are set up and sold on 116th St. six days out of the week... I've never seen them on a Sunday. Maybe they are Noah's friends...

Round of tennis, anyone?

Pic #155 - June 3, 2012

I don't condone hunting... but there's a certain irony here that I can't help but appreciate. Earl's Beer and Cheese on 97th and Park is not an establishment to be missed!

Summa Summa Summa Time

Pic 154 - June 2, 2012

Pinkberry frozen yogurt is one of the only reasons summer in NYC remains bearable. 

I look good with 'stache.

Pic #153 - June 1, 2012

Tara drew the mustache (oops, upside down...), Sesi took the pic, and art was born.