An update...

The past couple of weeks have been crazy busy, and the forecast for the next few isn't looking all that much better, BUT there have been many fun moments sprinkled in. On the 24th, I went into NYC in the afternoon and hopped on over to Maria's apartment on the Upper East Side. It was great because we had a few hours to hang out, catch up and relax before a night out. Around 7, Frauke came over to meet us and head out to Umi Sushi on 31st! She had just moved to the City the Monday before for an internship, and it was just marvelous luck that I was able to have her around for some birthday celebrations. Seeing a friend, especially after a long break, is always so interesting, because there are stories to be heard and stories to remember. I also lucked out, because Louis and Shauna were in town too, AND they took time out of their busy crazy weekend to come not only to dinner but out to the bar later on too. So Maria, Frauke, and I took the subway all the way down to the sushi restaurant, where we met Jess (my housemate), Louis & Shauna, and my brother, Zach! It was so much fun, mostly because of the great company, but also because this place had ridiculous sushi and it was all so good!

After dinner, we went down to the Village to MacDougal Street, where we'd made arrangements randomly with Glenda of ALIBI. This place was not somewhere any of us had been, so we were a bit nervous, especially when we got there and found out it is in a basement, but after all, is there really any better place to go out for drinks and dancing with friends?? Anyways, it was perfect. Glenda had reserved this whole bank of seating right across from the bar and arranged to have our own personal waitress, who was extremely attentive and fun to be around. While a few of my friends got stuck at work (boo having to work late on Saturday nights!), it turned into a really special night, since so many of my closest friends were all in one place. It's always hard to catch up in a crowd and over a DJ, but just being around everyone again made me feel so relaxed and happy. We stayed till we just couldn't pretend to not be tired any more, and the party was still going strong. Maria and I stopped by one of her local dinner's on the way home...perfect ending to a perfect night? Chicken tenders and french fries :) And they were probably my saving grace, but we had so much fun.

This week was full of meetings and projects between work and studying for my last Macroecon test, but all of it went well. The highlight though was having Court come visit for a few days. It's so sad when you hardly have a chance to see very close friends, due to geography, time differences and schedule incompatabilities. But it is also refreshing to see one another when you can, and even more enjoyable to know that with certain people you can go a long time before really catching up and yet not feel estranged. The only hard part is balancing the stories of everything that's happened in between visits and doing new things and creating new stories. That and getting enough sleep! It was also really nice having such a close friend here on my actual birthday. We went to Mediterra for pre-dinner Sangria, and then Allegra cooked an incredibly tasty meal for the housemates and Courtney. It was wonderful! We spent a bunch of time watching movies, walking around Princeton, and catching up over the course of the week. I was sad to see her go this morning, but I consoled myself by knowing that I will be visiting Miss Caroline up in New Haven this weekend and that Court and I will hopefully have schedules more conducive to staying in touch and hopefully (fingers mega-crossed) to visiting. At the very least, there's the almost tangible prospect of my working abroad next summer through the MAGES program :)

Jess, Rich, & I by the Parker House in Sea Girt

Shore to Please

"Shore to Please." That's what it says on the NJ license plates. Well, some of them at least! Last Sunday, after a long weekend of work, I hopped in the car with Jess and went down to Manasquan. We got there around 11 and dropped some things off at Jess's beach house. Then we spent alllllll afternoon just across the Boardwalk at the beach. It was so hot and sunny out, but there was plenty of breeze to make you forget just how warm it really was. Hours later, we went back inside, showered and made a fantastic grilled feast: summer salad, grilled asparagus, grilled ribeye with horseradish and chive sauce, rolls and then dessert with rhubarb custard and fresh strawberries! Oh and a lovely chilled bottle of Reisling. It was great. And I got to meet Lori (one of the other people in Jess's shore house) and Rich (one of Jess's friends of forever ago). We wound down with a sunset drink at the Parker House. Perfect day out with great people :)

The Bride and Bridesmaids

A shower of the bridal variety.

So while I was home last, I had the honor of attending Jaime's bridal shower. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but the whole affair was really nice. Carrie -- the maid of honor -- hosted the shower at her apartment in Quincy, and we had an early summer BBQ. She also arranged for Tim, the groom, to answer some questions about Jaime and then answer some about himself, so that we could play a game about who knew whom the best. It was a lot of fun :) All in all, it was a great afternoon, and it made me glad to see Jaime so happy.

Annie and My Parents

DHS Graduation 06

Going back home is always a treat, although this time it was a bit bittersweet. Annie's graduated from high schol now, and it was such a rainy day that the whole ceremony had to be held indoors at the Performing Arts Center, which is actually a nice facility. Before hand, the tradition is to have seniors conduct the various ensembles. The speeches were all really great, including a satire of DHS as a business...which attributed all future arthritic pain to having been working not at a desk but in a desk. The real highlight for me though was watching Annie conduct the final movement of Dvorak's New World Symphony. She was fantastic and it made me so proud and happy to think that this is what she is going off to college to study. She's really something spectacular.

Group blooooooooooog

Emily is amazing. Dictation. Sheila is amazing. Dictation. And we are going to have an amazing evening, because it's Reunions, because it's so much fun and old friends are the best thing ever. Very cool. And it's even better when everyone and their mom (minus the moms) stays at my house. Because then it really might become Princeton finest brothel. People are going to be jealous that they are not with us. And this is a fine song. It's served me well. It's been a good day. And now we move on to cheddar and stout fondue and all the glory associated with a double power hour in the company of the 30 finest Princetonians. Ever.