KR's TOP 5 OF THE DECADE

It's hard to believe that a new decade will be upon us in a few hours. I expect 2010 to bring lots of excitement to the vida loca of KR: college graduation, my first real job, [maybe] my first apartment... 2009 -- and the first decade of the third millennium overall -- was filled with lots of noteworthy events. Let's discuss five of the best things that happened between Y2K and today!

1. Rock of Love, Rock of Love 2, Rock of Love Bus, The Real Housewives [of New Jersey...], Project Runway, Real World/Road Rules Challenges, Jersey Shore... The reality TV of the '00s revolutionized my viewing habits. Call me a junkie all you want -- it's an addition that causes no harm but the occasional killed brain cell by way of dumb blonds who vye for the love of a has-been rocker and Jersey girls whose over-use of hairspray can be smelled through the TV. And I love every second of it.

2. Stonehill became my second home. Purple became a way of life. My friends became my family.

3. European excursions turned me into a complete travel bug. The world is quite different on that side of the pond, but even more surprisingly, I was different person, as well: black was a wardrobe staple of mine. London wasn't ready for pink. Luckily, I was there a mere three months. I wore pink on my flight home.

4. Tights became trendy again. They do wonders for a winter wardrobe. I bow down at them. Really. I do.

5. My 200th blog post. Voila!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

ca$h money

First resolution for the year 2010: Learn to shop from my closet. Good news -- I'm well on my way! After an afternoon of shopping out on the mean streets of Long Island, I resorted that my inability to find "the" perfect New Year's Eve dress was a sign that something better resides in my closet. Sure enough, it does... but in my DORM ROOM closet! Now it's time to get a little crafty with what I've got...

Watching a Movie With Me... and Jude Law

Watching a movie with me is pretty disastrous when you're looking to get really "into a film." (Also, who says "film" these days anyways?) I don't know the meaning of "be quiet!" and I always have questions about the plot, characters, or where I saw a certain actor or actress before. Plus, my attention span is a tad limited, and I have a tendency to fall asleep mid-movie. However, for the few movies that I actually find myself "getting into," kicking back with some popcorn alongside yours truly can actually be pretty fun! Case in point: yesterday night, my fellow and fabulous KR and I had a hot date to see Sherlock Holmes. Clearly, I was in it for the Jude Law scenes -- of which there were many, by the way! Robert Downey, Jr. played the famous detective with a Jack Sparrow-esque swaggar, while the overly attractive Brit donned a 'stache and played the perfect sidekick of Mr. Watson. While the plot was a bit convoluted, my attention was hooked from the get-go: I mean, let's be serious here: how can you fall asleep in front of a movie when Jude Law is on screen?!

Today, I'm off to another, even hotter date with my new boyfriend, Jim. And by Jim, I mean gym. Any by hotter, I mean the uncomfortable, get-me-off-this-freaking-treadmill kind. Hey, maybe my new "toned" and terrific self will make Mr. Law leave Siena for a second time...

Fail of the Day

On a whim, Mamaduke suggested that I make a lunch reservation at the one semi-fancy restaurant in the semi-boonie town of Easton, MA for the big graduation day... which is more than FIVE months away. Apparently, all the other mamadukes of Stonehill's 2010 class had the same idea: the place is already booked solid! What a fail!

On the upside, though, tonight, my friends and I are off to Novita, a place I blogged about frequently when I was a semi-regular during my summer "daze." Winos unite: this place has an unbeatable selection. I might even depart from my go-to glass of Graff Riesling Spatlese and try something new.

In other news, my new place to visit this break is Pipa, a tapas y mas restaurant in the Flatiron District. While Christmas shopping last week, I spied through the window of the hotspot and was sold by the restaurant's ceiling: it's entirely covered in chandeliers! I was sold. Who wants to go!?

A big announcment

Ladies and gentlemen, I am in love. Seriously! The irresistible combination of brown eyes and brown hair has never been so perfectly presented. Obviously, the newest object of my lust has me completely head-over-heals -- and armed with a [not so] new life mission. He's 6'2" of divine man. And, he's also a New York Ranger. While I never really toyed with the idea of dating a Canadian, I might have to open my romantic prospects to new, international avenues for the next decade to accommodate the Kanuk. Therefore, life goal #327, DATE A NEW YORK RANGER, has been altered to read DATE DAN GIRARDI. Number 5 never looked so good! We first fell in love when we made blissful eye contact: I gazed into his stunning peepers, so magically magnified on the screen atop the ice in Madison Square Garden, as the television-version of his brown beauties hypnotized me. It was a perfect start to the game. I plan to scare his girlfriend away with my signature Long Island Death Stare, and swoop in for the steal, dressed to kill in killer heals, and armed with an arsenal of hockey trivia that would make even Wayne Gretzky proud. It's a sure fire plan.

Let's back track for a minute, though. I never, ever write about sports, so I should explain myself a bit. My love of the New York Rangers was instilled at a young age, simultaneously alongside an intense hatred for the New York Islanders. My die-hard, season-ticket holding superfan of a father would have it no other way; to support the Islanders would be to eat the forbidden fruit -- you just don't do it! Therefore, I took a liking to Jeff Beukeboom, the big, bold #23 (who, like my new love, was also a defenseman from Canada), and rooted for the team alongside my dad throughout my childhood. I even named my first goldfish Beuk after the aforementioned enforcer of the Rangers' 1994 Stanley Cup-winning team. (Beuk only lived two weeks; our affair was brief but beautiful.) Anyhow, years went on, and despite the NHL's diva stint a few years back, I remained a blueshirt faithful. So, this year, in giving the Christmas present to top all Christmas presents, I gave Dad and the sis tickets to the day-after-Christmas game. And it wasn't just any game: it was a rivalry-ridden Rangers-Islanders face-off. Clearly, I had to buy myself a ticket, too.

Two minutes into the game, hotshot Sean Avery, notoriously known for being the most hated player in the league, was already beating the guts out of the first Islander who checked him into the boards. Apparently, the crowd at the game was the rowdiest the Garden has seen all season. I like to think it's because we were in town, egging Avery to continue his nasty -- but highly entertaining -- style of play. (Ironically, the fist-punching, trash-talking, screen-setting player also has a keen interest in fashion, so he is another Ranger that I'd consider dating to fulfill Life Goal #327. However, as a blue-eyed beauty with a metrosexual swaggar, he's not so much my type. For now, I'll stick with Mr. Girardi, who would probably buy me shoes and boots and bags and more, rather than suggest the trendiest way to accessorize.)

While the game didn't have a happy ending (the Rangers tied with 46 seconds left in the third period, but were brutally robbed in sudden death, four-on-four overtime), Dad, AR, and I had an awesome time. We screamed, we cheered, we high-fived, and we joined with others who believe that the Rangers can once again shower New York City with tears of joy after winning the Stanley Cup again. And you can bet that I'll be wearing #5 when they do so!

Also, to prove that I haven't gone totally "boy" on you, I have to mention yesterday's dinner! On a whim, the fam and I attempted to get a table at Becco, the famous Chef Lidia's Hell's Kitchen restaurant. Sure enough, we were graced with a seat and chowed down on the spot's specialty Sinfonia di Pasta, which I assume is the reason why most Becco reservations come with a one-month wait: for $23, you get UNLIMITED quantities of THREE DIFFERENT pastas, following complimentary bread, olives, salad, and antipasto. The vino was gooooooooooooooood, too, which made the experience even better.

Tomorrow, I'll write about shoes or something. I need to counterbalance all this hockey chatter!

Merry Christmas Eve!

As predicted, I can't say I've done anything that screams "I HAVE TOTALLY GOT TO BLOG ABOUT THIS" since I've been home, but regardless, the past week has been a pretty fabulous start to my month-long Christmas Vacation. In summary:

-I watched all 13 episodes of Glee via an assorted collection of media streaming websites, and experienced 13 kinds of my own personal glee in the process. Maybe it's because I, too, was a complete theatre nerd in high school, or because I now have a whole new repertoire of shower songs, or because that guy who plays Finn is seriously dreamy, but Glee is some quality TV.

-I spent an afternoon with BT gallivanting through SoHo. After lunch at a hole-in-the-wall cafe, we zigged and we zagged through each block of Manhattan's chicest neighborhood, window shopping, people-watching, and trend-spotting. Speaking of trends, I made an impulse purchase of Madewell's "Ex-Boyfriend Jean." Ripped, rugged, and ready to hear Dad's "Why-the-heck-did-you-pay-for-jeans-that-are-ripped" commentary, they're awesome in the "these-are-so-not-me-but-I-still-love-them" kind of way.

-AC hosted her traditional Christmas bash, complete with baked brie, red velvet cake, Veuve Cliquot (compliments of ML), and a music mix of Mariah, Britney, Kelly, and all the other gals we've grown up with. The highlight of the evening was, by far, was the C family tree: fresh from a forest chop-down, it filled two-thirds of her living room.

Have a WONDERFUL Christmas! =)

Everything short of a sailboat

Two cars, four trains, and some oh so necessary Taco Bell later, I made it back to New York, finals free and relaxation ready -- just in time for the blizzard that is currently blanketing Long Island with fluffy, plan-canceling snow. But Brooklyn terrace parties and roof top mingling with D-list celebrities aside, my trip back to the isla larga was fairly eventful. Here are some highlights from the epic journey:

Car ride #1: JT drove her silver Chevy Equinox, which will henceforth be referred to as Mikey, by the way. JT played too much country music. JT wore and communicated via a blue tooth ear piece. I made fun of the blue tooth ear piece, text message-confirmed plans to ski down Stonehill's Donahue Hill, perfected my performance of the gibberish-sounding part of GaGa's Bad Romance, and wished NB a Happy Hanukkah. (NB acknowledged the fact that she's my token Jewish friend. Awwwwwwww.) Best of all, though, when JT made the necessary switch from country classics to radio show-stoppers, Empire State of Mind came on Z100, just seconds before we traversed the Connecticut-New York Border. We sang along as the Concrete Jungle welcomed us home.

Train ride #1: Upon the MetroNorth from Croton-Harmon station in Westchester County, Grand Central Terminal bound, I sat alongside Christian Siriano's voice twin. Take that as you wish. It was nothing short of amazing. Though his voice twin wasn't nearly as stylish as Project Runway's favorite tranny, he was still pretty flipping fabulous! I also passed Ossining Station and felt like I was Don Draper, fresh from an extramarital tryst. It made me feel a lot more glamorous. (And for the record, I just had to sing "Glamorous" in my head to spell that right... Come on, my brain is FRIED!)

Train ride #2: I'm a Penn Station gal through and through, but HOT DAMN: Grand Central looks GORGEOUS around the holidays. I almost took a picture of the decorations, but had to regress: I already looked like enough of a tourist with a Vera Bradley duffel on one arm, and a Vineyard Vines tote on the other, despite the fact that I was donning my ferociously chic, yet slightly lumberjack-esque, Italian leather boots. (I felt so Serena van der Woodsen, circa the first episode of Gossip Girl!) And yeah, I made it to the Times Square shuttle alright. Obviously, it was not on time.

Train Ride #3: Times Square Station at 9:30 PM. Mad dash to the downtown 123 train. Squeezed in just in time. Sat next to a he-she wearing an eye patch. Enough said. I surprisingly wasn't pick-pocketed, despite the fact that my wallet was pretty visibly snatchable in Manhattan's busiest subway stop. Note to self: improve money-guarding capabilities. You shop and spend too much to make "donations" to NYC's less-than-stellar, Artful Dodger-emulating characters.

Train Ride #4: Ah, the good ol' Long Island Railroad. Ah, good ol' policy activity in Jamaica station. Hey, at least I didn't sleep through the drama... ;-)

Car ride #2: Dad was waiting for me as I got off the train. I sat shotgun as we drove the treacherous two blocks home together.

So there you have it: I took everything short of a sailboat to get home. We'll see if anything blog-worthy comes up while I'm snowed in for the nest few days...

The girl is a machine

Ginger-haired genius CO'C is a long-time pal of mine who is currently a first-year med student at Northwestern University. If someone should blog, it's this chick. Her [condensed] posts would go something like this:

December 15th: Huge anatomy final tomorrow. I'm going on a pub crawl through Chi town to prepare.
December 16th: Went for a run along the pier before my final. Such a beautiful sunrise. I LOVE LIFE!
December 17th: Just read and replied to 150 e-mails. I love gchat and checking everything off my to do list. I LOVE LIFE!
December 18th: Just bought tickets to see some random indie band that no one's ever heard of at a venue that no one's ever heard of in celebration of the A+ I just got on the anatomy test I didn't study for.
...
December 17th (one year later): That random indie band that no one's ever heard of and that random venue that no one's ever heard of are now all the rage! The band is even performing at my "I Cured AIDS Party!" I LOVE LIFE!

Despite jokes that the girl is a machine, I think what keeps her going is her eternal optimism. This Christmas season, I urge you to all embrace the CO'C way. I have no doubts that the aforementioned celebration of a cure for AIDS will certainly involve my favorite ginger's intelligence. Here's a little snippet from a quick chat we had today:

CO'C: test in 15 hours. am i currently: (a) studying diligently; (b) aimlessly surfing the internet; (c) christmas shopping; or (d) drinking?
KR: d. duh.
CO'C: haha b, c, AND d actually
CO'C: though im late for the d
CO'C: ciao!

What a gal.

Achieving the Impossible

I like to think of myself as a pretty responsible person. While, much to Mamaduke's dismay, I'll still rage the weekend away despite the onset of a cold, or navigate the labyrinth of a subway system in NYC while flying solo, most of the time, I make the right decisions. Namely, I'm often a champ at staying on top of my work, despite countless commitments that keep me busier than the gift wrap department at Macy*s on December 24th. However, this semester, I was hit with more work during finals that I've ever had in my four years at Stonehill. Somehow, though, I made it through: my 15 page Shakespearean analysis of Romeo and Mercutio's homosocial bond (zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz) is closerthanthis to completion, and I couldn't be any happier!

PS: This procrastination post goes out to DS and JD, two strapping young Stonehill gents who helped me maintain a moderate semblence of sanity as I spent my day in a deep, academic trance... Yeah. Right. ;-)

the divine accent

Here's a little snippet of something that helped me smile today: "I just said 'dog' in the worst NY accent I've ever had. It's seriously time to come home." I may have mentioned before that my darling friend LS is a current Vet school student at Ross University... in the Caribbean. For the first time in my life, I'm happy for the snow, slush, rain, and wind of Easton, MA. Beachy breezes would be far too distracting to the 21 pages I'm yet to write, and the remaining two exams I'm yet to take.

And, to top things off, I drank coffee today for the first time in about three months. My hands won't stop shaking.

On the upside, though, I think I'm very well fueled for the all-nighter that might have to occur...

Three days left, and three weeks worth of work to complete... See you on Wednesday!

Finals...

The only thing getting me through the next week of endless tests, papers, stress, and sleepless nights is the Tory Burch sample sale that I'll be attending less than 12 hours into my one-month return to the concrete jungle where dreams are made of. And perhaps this video, too. It's an oldie but goodie that pretty much sums up the magic of knowing a true Brooklynite around Christmastime.

MR. STONEHILL

The show was a HUGE success and by far my favorite college experience to date. The boys were too cute. I'm in such withdrawal!!!!! =( Here's a little pic of the hosts of the event. Arent' we precious!?

Buying into the bootie trend

...via eBay, of course! I don't know if I've mentioned my absolute love for the online auction site on my "creative outlet" here or not, but take this post as a prime example of my appreciation for the site that's a musical click to any recessionista's ear. These Tory Burch "Leigh" boots were a friggin' steal! Any mix of beastiality (hello croco print!) and patent leather is per-fec-tion!

lily allen + glee

Lily Allen is easily a concrete fixture on my top-five list of musicians. She's brutal, she's honest, she's a Perez Hilton regular, and she's hilarious, so what's not to love? (Joining Ms. Allen on that list is Billy (duh), followed by the Goo Goo Dolls, Gin Blossoms, and The Beatles. What can I say -- I'm an old man who loves the era of acid wash jeans, sprinkled with a bit of millennial, girly angst!) Lily's songs are just about as inappropriate as that green dress Jennifer Lopez wore to the Grammys, back when P. Diddy was both Puff Daddy and dirty ridin' lover to the aforementioned Jenny from the Block. But let's think for a minute: J.Lo would still be roughin' it in the South Side Bronx if not for that scandalous dress and its infamously plunging neckline.

In the same fashion, Lily pushes musical boundaries, and it gets her noticed. Smile, which is probably the one Lily Allen song with only one explicative, was featured on tonight's episode of Glee. (Of course, the word "kissing" was substituted for something else. Use your imagination. This is a PG blog whose most loyal readers are Mamaduke and Aunt K.) While I'm no "gleek" (yet... hulu and I have a marathon date over Christmas break), the pop covers on the show are quite amazing. I was very psyched when ML texted me about my favorite Brit's showstopper on the musical dramedy this evening. Enjoy! I hope it makes you smile! It certainly helped me cope with the recent announcment of Ms. Allen's finito singing career. :-(