Jadyn in the City-January 26-30, 2006

My "Bitch" came for another visit. This time she was fortunate enough to have good weather and exciting things to do.

On Thursday, after an awful day of traveling, we enjoyed a delicious meal at Trio. Click here for more details.

Friday, was a better day for the little one. While I was at work, I put my "Bitch" to work. That's right, she did my laundry and took my clothes to the dry cleaners. She was then rewarded by having lunch with moi! We got a quick bite to eat at Keats, a pub next door. I went back to work and she explored midtown--Macy's, Times Square, H&M, etc. By the time she was finished shopping, it was 5pm and time to start the weekend! Woo hoo! Let's get the party started...quickly (and boy did we).

Steve was heading home to the " 'cuse" (that's short for Syracuse) for the weekend, so before he departed JFK, we went out for wings and beers.

We borded the subway, bid a dieu to Steve and then the Tichy women continued down to Greenwich Village for the evening. We went to the "Comedy Cellar".

This place was awesome--an initate setting in the basement of a restaurant, with a capacity of about 50 people. We listened to about 5 (somewhat famous) comedians for about 2 hours and laughed like hyenas. (Jadyn is still laughing.) The comedians were from: "The Best of VH1 series", "Connan O'Brien", "Letterman", "Chappelle Show" among others.

After laughing so much, we were wide awake and decided to head to the Local--Doc Watson's--for a nightcap.

A few hours later it was Saturday morning. With not much sleep, I did my sisterly duty and made chocolate chip pancakes--the perfect meal to start any Saturday.


We hopped on the subway and went down to Union Square.

From there we walked to Washington Square.

Here is the famous arch of Washington Square.



After meandering through the streets of Greenwich Village (again), we found ourselves following the scent of freshly baked cupcakes and (somehow) ended up at Magnolia Bakery.

The cupcakes we DEVOURED we scrumptious. I had the vanilla with vanilla frosting while Jadyn enjoyed the chocolate with vanilla frosting. We definitely satisfied our "snack attack" (referring to the "Chronic of Narnia" SNL rap song)



After gorging ourselves on cupcakes, we backtracked and found the Peanut Butter & Co. place. This is the cafe that serves nothing but PB sandwiches....You know I found my heaven.

We had to find this place because Jadyn bought me their cookbook for Christmas. Every recipe includes peanut butter. Yum, yum.

From there we walked to SoHo and made of pit stop in Kate Spade (of course) for the little one. Unfortunately, no "Jadyn's" were available in the current collections.

After SoHo, it was onto Chinatown...oh, and wait...Little Italy too(it's only one street surrounded by Chinatown). We walked Canal street before heading back on the 6 train. As we were walking around Chinatown we came across this restaurant named "Jobee". We had to take a picture for our brother, Jobe.

Dinner time was spent at an amazing Thai restaurant in my neighborhood called Spice. This place is highly recommended.

Post-meal, it was onto the Bowery Ballroom for the "Honey Brothers" Concert! AWESOME!



From our spot in the balcony




Sunday, we spent around midtown, specifically around 59th street (where all the shops are located).


We went to Bloomingdales, where Jadyn purchased her very first "Big Girl Jeans"! I'm so proud, Jadyn! (Doesn't her ass look amazing!)



After dropping money on jeans like flies on cow poop, we worked up an appetit and went to Serendipity.

We had their infamous "Frozen Hot Chocolate" and delicious food.

We were so stuffed after leaving Serendipity we walked around in the rain to a few more stores (including the Home Depot with the doorman) and made our way back home.

Steve finally made it back into the city and we went out for a quick bite and drinks before calling it a night.

Monday, Baby went to the Guggenheim while I worked. She also walked around Rockefeller Plaza and ended up watching a "Soprano's" scene being filmed. I guess Tony and Carmella go ice skating... (Tony--center with black hat and black coat--and Carmella--blue coat and white fur hat)

After Jadyn watched hollywood in the making, we met up for lunch and then it was time to put baby back on the plane home. Bye, bye Baby! Come visit again soon.

Wining & Dining with Britney Larson-January 26, 2006

My old pal Britney Larson was in town for business this week. I was fortunate enough to wine and dine with her last night. We went to a quaint restaurant called TRIO in the Murray Hill neighborhood. Steve and Jadyn (who is visiting from home) joined as well. It just so happened to be "Restaurant Week" in NYC so we took advantage of the prix fixe menu-3 course meal for all! Brit and Jadyn ordered the mushroom chicken (or so we think that was the translation) and though they both HATE mushrooms, the meal was still enjoyable. And, the company was even better.

It was great to see you Brit! Come back and visit anytime soon.

NFC Championship: January 22, 2006

DETROIT, here we come!

From SI.com:

SEATTLE (AP) -- Fans chanted "Super Bowl, Super Bowl" as Shaun Alexander carried the NFC championship trophy down the field at Qwest Stadium, a joyous trip that was 30 years in the making.

Alexander, a killer defense and playing on a field where they didn't lose this season, all combined perfectly Sunday to help the Seahawks rout the Carolina Panthers 34-14 in the NFC title game.

"I think we got people excited about football again here in the Pacific Northwest," coach Mike Holmgren said. "They're all coming to Detroit with us, everybody in the stadium's coming. They were great for us all year. Home-field advantage in this place means everything."

In this case, it means the Seahawks (15-3) will meet the Pittsburgh Steelers, 34-17 winners over Denver in the AFC, in the Super Bowl. That game will be played in Detroit on Feb. 5 and the Steelers already are favored by 3½ points.

Alexander, the league's MVP, came back from last week's concussion to rush for a team playoff-record 132 yards and two touchdowns, and Seattle pressured Carolina stars Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith into oblivion.

"We have an unbelievable team, an unbelievable group of fans," Alexander said. "Prayer works. I get knocked out and guys step up. One guy goes down and another guy steps up."

The Seahawks picked off three passes in winning their 12th straight home game and shattering the fifth-seeded Panthers' stunning postseason road run.

"We're not done yet," said quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who was 20-for-28 for 219 yards and two scores. "We've got another game we've got to go win."

A game the Seahawks only approached once before, losing the AFC championship game to Oakland in 1984. A dozen years later, then-owner Ken Behring was planning a move to Los Angeles.

But current owner Paul Allen stepped in, eventually getting Qwest Field built. And Holmgren, now the fifth coach to take two franchises to the Super Bowl, put together the NFC's best team.

"We've come a long way, it's taken five years to put this group together," Alexander said. "Now we are one of the elite teams."

The focus in these playoffs has been on the spectacular success of the road teams, with Pittsburgh becoming the first sixth seed to make a Super Bowl. Carolina (13-6) had beaten the Giants and Bears on the road, and an all wild-card Super Bowl appeared very possible.

Until about 16 minutes into the NFC championship game, when Seattle led 17-0.

"I don't know if we ran out of gas," Panthers coach John Fox said. "I'm not sure what the problem was. Their defense played tremendous. We knew we'd have our hands full with their offense.

"We didn't play well enough in all three phases to win," he said.

While Alexander paced the ball-control offense, it was the defense that really carried the Seahawks. It yielded only 62 yards, three first downs and no real threats in the first half.

Then, with Carolina desperate, Seattle allowed virtually nothing until it had a 20-point lead.

Holmgren, who won the Super Bowl in 1997 and lost in 1998 with Green Bay, praised his defense last week for the enormous pressure it applied to opponents all season. That defense was always in Delhomme's face, helping force two first-half interceptions that were decisive.

"We've always got a chip on our shoulder, they always say the offense has to pull us through, " defensive tackle Chuck Darby said. "But in order to win games in the playoffs, we knew our defense had to step up."

The Panthers weren't helped when starting running back Nick Goings was sidelined in the first quarter after a massive hit by linebacker Lofa Tatupu. They already were minus their top two runners, Stephen Davis and DeShaun Foster.

The Seahawks had their horse, though, and by the second half, they could turn to Alexander. As he always has this season, he delivered some big runs as the crowd chanted "M-V-P, M-V-P."

Hasselbeck finished off the Panthers with a gorgeous pump fake that had cornerback Chris Gamble on all fours. Darrell Jackson caught the 20-yard pass for a 27-7 lead, and it was time for Seattle fans to celebrate.

"I was at the Super Bowl last year just hoping that one day we'd be able to get there," Allen said. "I may seem like a mild-mannered guy, but my gut was churning inside: 'Let's win this game. Just win this game. We've got to win this game."'


League MVP Shaun Alexander returned from last week's concussion to run for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images
Alexander grabbed the George Halas Trophy and hauled it to the end zone as majestically as he totes a football. For all of his record 28 regular-season scores, this carry meant the most.

Allen raised the team's 12th man flag before kickoff, then waved a white towel to whip the crowd of 67,837 into a frenzy. What really got the fans going was when Holmgren sent in backup quarterback Seneca Wallace as a wideout, then Hasselbeck threw to him. Wallace, one of the better athletes in the NFL, made a superb over-the-shoulder catch for 28 yards.

One play later, Jerramy Stevens slipped uncovered down the middle for a 17-yard TD pass.

Josh Brown made it 10-0 with a 24-yard field goal set up when Delhomme forced an ill-advised pass for Smith into triple coverage and rookie Tatupu speared it. His 21-yard return got Seattle to the Panthers 20.

On the next series, Delhomme's lollipop throw for Keary Colbert instead fell into the waiting hands of Marquand Manuel, who weaved through traffic for 32 yards to the Panthers 17. Alexander swept left for 15 yards before his 1-yard run made it 17-0.

Then the dynamic Smith broke free on a 59-yard punt return down the right side. An official threw a flag for a block in the back, but after a long discussion, referee Ed Hochuli announced there was no foul, and Carolina was within 17-7.

But the Panthers weren't making any miracle comebacks. Led by Tatupu and Manuel, plus the fierce pass rush -- Rocky Bernard had two sacks -- the Seahawks dominated up the middle. Smith, who made 12 catches for 218 yards in last week's win at Chicago, managed just five catches for 33 yards.

Of course, the Panthers almost never had the ball; Seattle held it for nearly 42 minutes. And after Michael Boulware got the Seahawks' third interception -- surpassing Delhomme's career playoff total -- late in the third quarter, all doubt was removed.

Alexander added a 1-yard scoring run, and Drew Carter's 47-yard TD reception meant little for Carolina. To finish it off, Smith fumbled on a reception in the final two minutes.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Edward 40 Hands-January 20, 2005

It was a typical Friday night and everyone was exhausted from the work week. Steve, Drew, Maria, her work friends and I went out for a drink in Midtown. We had a few laughs and many drinks! We needed some grub, so we went and had gyros. It was at this fine food establishment Steve convinced Drew, Maria and her friend Kyla to come over and play Edward 40 Hands under the tent. I knew we were in for trouble.

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Those who have never played Edward 40 Hands, these are the materials:

-2 40 oz bottle of your favorite malt liquor per person
-tape, usually duct tape or strong packing tape

You're probably asking: Why do you need tape?

The answer is you tape a 40 oz bottle of beer to each of your hands. Instead of "hands" you have "40's" (like Edward "scissor" hands, hence the name of the game).

The purpose of the drinking game is to drink all 80 oz. of delicious malt liquor before removing the tape.

The major obstacles of the game: weak blatters and light-weights. If you have either you're in for an interesting experience....(fighting urges to pee and having the ability to puke and rally)

____

Now that everyone knew what they were getting into, and a quick stop at the 40's store and we were good to go.

Unfortunately, no one had a camera to capture the evening, but hopefully you get the idea based on this stick-figure drawing.

This is Drew, Steve and Chris with their 40's taped to their hands.

To entertain ourselves while drinking we played a game of Charades. It was funny watching everyone act out a person, place or thing with 2 40's taped to their hands...there a little beer spillage. And, I have to admit, the guys were pretty good. I think it's fair to say they beat the girls.

I was impressed with everyone's performance: Drew and Chris didn't pee once! Job well done.

Steve, on the other hand, overcame the 2 obstacles mentioned above! Props to Steve.

Hope all had fun!

I definitely recommend this game to anyone who wants get wasted.

New Year's in Boston-December 29-January 1, 2006

Steve and I drove up to Boston Friday and met Vigdis, Dave, Lance, Jen, Mike and Judy at Jacob Worth's downtown . There was a sing along to Mel, the Piano Man, playing oldies. Favorite tunes: Sweet Caroline, Ruby Tuesday, and Lola..la la la la LOLA! After we closed down the sing-along bar, we headed to Backbay to a new lounge called Match. There we met up with Dave's buddy Darek and girlfriend Sarah, who were up from CT, and (the other) Steve. Moet et Chandon filled our champagne flutes for the pre-New Year's celebration. Here's Vigdis...I think she's regretting what she just did...

After Match we hit up (I think is the ONLY) the afterhours club, Rise. After several hours (and John dancing with a plastic blow up doll), I was reminded why I am not into that scene.

We woke up Saturday at 1:30pm (NO LIE) and went out to breakfast at Cafenation! Crepes and coffee are the best way to start the day! Then Steve and I went to chez Diolosa in Lexington! We gave Olivier a ukulele from Hawaii.

After the tour of chez Diolosa and catching up over a glass of rose, it was time to prepare for the big night. The celebration, hosted by Sidd, required each of us to bring a snack and drink of choice.

Steve had a vision and made decorative chocolate covered preztles. Yum, yum.

My drink of choice was the infamous "Snowball", complements of my grandfather. I cannot disclose the recipe, as it is a family secret, but I can tell you there is a ton of vodka! They ended up getting quite a few people wasted. Grandpa Doug would be proud
Everyone gathered around the bar. My snowballs were a big hit!

Bryan, Liesel, and Vigdis. Carrie. (the other) Steve, Sidd and Lance.
Voila the group anxious for the countdown and Dick Clark's return to the New Year's variety show. And Everyone gathered around the bar!
Carrie, Sidd and Jen. Oliver and Lance. (I think Lance is trying to recruit Olivier for the next sing-along. American Pie is everyone's favorite. And Steve tipping his hat off to the new year.

...and the ball dropping...3, 2, 1. Happy New Year!

And it's 2006!

The couples: Vigdis and Dave, Carrie and Sidd, Lance and Jen. The Diolosa's and the little Ramsey. Steve and Jaren

Mazel Tov to the New Year!

For more pictures click HERE