thanksgiving continued...

More Thanksgiving!

food!

 Yay Thanksgiving. 

halloween!

 I know it's late, but here's some pics of Halloween.  Nick and I were scrambling for costumes at the last min, but I think we did alright. I'm Lauryn Hill and he's me, so we were Lauryn and Lauren.

Yah.

Autumn in the city

 It's hard to explain, but I love fall in the city. I think this city is made for fall. Of course, I'll always love summer the most, the hot days and how gritty and dirty it is, but the city is never so beautiful as it is in the fall.  

The weather is crazy in the fall. Rainy/sunny/cold/perfect/warm. It's foggy and hazy most mornings, and since fall is our busiest season, I get to see the sunrise almost every day. The sun here is so much steeper than in Missouri, and it makes the leaves glow, everything has crazy long shadows, and sometimes, especially in the morning fog, the way it hits on buildings and trees makes them look fake, like a painting. 

The leaves are gorgeous. They are crazy bright.  They are so pretty they even make ugly midtown streets look good.  And when it's quiet, which isn't often but it happens, all you hear is the rustling of leaves. 

It's hard to capture how nice it is here in a picture. You can't jump over puddles with me, or hear the leaves, or feel the insane wind that is always happening. I love walking down the streets in my neighborhood, they're so peaceful. I can't capture all that in a picture, but here are some attempts anyway from the last month.

Summer End

Thought I'd finish up summer before moving onto fall. 

fires and videos

I went to Kansas and Colorado, as you may or may not know. 

Unfortunately, my computer is not letting me get to my photos. It would let me upload these videos though (ugh, don't even ask). So here are some videos of driving by a forest fire. You're welcome for the great soundtrack. 

 

We accidentally drove past these fires coming back from Rocky Mountain National Park.

And to get some idea of the smoke, here is a view of the hills in the morning when we stopped for gas in Boulder, well before we had any idea there were fires anywhere.

And here are the same hills only hours later.

But really my favorite video of the trip has to be this one. Driving through Kansas may be boring to some, but watching this video on a crowded subway it just seems beautiful and calm.

  

And finally, what I made for dinner tonight, because I'm proud of how good it turned out:
 

Oven roasted pork chops, fried apples and onions. Not pictured: Apple cider cooked with white wine and spices.  Can I make up a german name for that? Apfelweissgluehwein? Sounds great!

waves and water

I have never considered myself a beach girl, but I think maybe I'm starting to understand it. 

just another saturday met adventure

Today, Nick and I spent our morning at the Met. We both didn't have to go in to work until the afternoon, so it worked out perfect. 

exploring

I've lived in NYC for almost 2 years now. I have an apartment that I love going home to. I have friends in my neighborhood and we have favorite hangout spots. I am no longer exploring this city. 

roomies

night on the fire escape

Summer dayz luv

It's August, and you all remember what that means:
Best Month Ever!!

phone views

I  meant to post some pics of my trip home, but they are all on my hard drive which I left in my apt (i'm soaking up the free wifi at Starbucks).  So here are the pics from my phone.

why I love the world cup

It's all Evita in my neighborhood!!
This is exactly what dragged me into soccer in the first place, the fanatical crowds.
Apparently I live in the spanish quarter of Astoria (I had no idea) and it is going nuts!! I watched the game in a bar not far from here with some friends, rooting for the Netherlands actually after all but flipping a coin to decide (Germany was my fave and they were already out. I let my ipod chose who to root for and it came up with Holland, 1945 by Neutral Milk Hotel. A sign!).  It was fun and loud and all, but I walked out to fairly calm streets. Not so once I got to mine. I could hear the crowds chanting and cars honking from a block away. And this little Evita scene is right in front of my house. Even now, a few hours later and two blocks away I hear car horns and drums (where did they even get these drums?!).  I know I should be annoyed by all this but really I'm delighted.  These insane celebrations are exactly the reason I love soccer!! After putting up with people making fun of baseball all the time, it is nice to be watching a fun sport with people who really care!
Videos to come. The wifi at starbucks is pretty slow.

home

I like books more than anyone I know.
Books don't just remind me of the story that's in them, they remind me of where I was when I read them.
I brought back a lot of books with me, and nothing in New York so far, even Nick, has made me feel more at home.  When I see the spines of my Little House books next to my Roald Dalh I feel like I'm back in grade school, staring at my bookshelf as I try to go to sleep. Life of Pi reminds me of late nights on Pat's couch petting Ben.  Suite Francais is me sitting in Starbucks after Anton in Showbuiness rehersals.  Cat's Cradle is always English Class, and A Farewell to Arms is always a summer day in Germany, falling asleep by a pool.  To Kill a Mockingbird is me sitting at the kitchen table a million times, but Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is just the nervousness I felt flying into NYC for the first time.  My Little House books will always make me think of Sarah, just as I always think of Mimi when I read the Mildred D. Taylor book she bought me (Road to Memphis in case you don't remember).  My Narnia books are from Pat and about a million of my books I convinced Mom and Dad to buy me at the Borders in Sunset Hills.
Maybe someday the books I've accumulated in NYC will remind me of my time here, but for now having my books with me is like having old friends. My apartment is finally starting to feel like a real home.
And while I'm on the subject, if someone finds my copy of Voyage of the Dawn Treader, could you mail it to me? I thought I grabbed it but it was just Prince Caspian.