Spend a Couple Hours »Ultrasound

As you may know, this March I'm going to become the proud auntie of a sure to be fabulous and amazing little boy (name TBD). It's thrilling and a bit surreal but it became more real when I accompanied my sister to her latest ultrasound. The images are staggering and I love the little guy – who was quite a squirmy wormy – with all my heart.

Today's technology, with its new-fangled 3D imaging is pretty astonishing, and I swear I can already see a bit of a resemblance. The appointment was at Lenox Hill and the staff was very friendly and helpful.

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Posted on October 19, 2009

Spend a Couple Hours »R Kelly

We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!! We are seeing R Kelly live!!

God help me but I do love him.

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Posted on October 12, 2009

Spend a Couple Hours »Oktoberfest Party

It's Oktoberfest Party time again, and it's always tons of fun to host your own. We took over the honors this year, and I feared that meant none of Mike's yummy home-made pretzels – but our good friend Johnny came to the rescue with an amazing dough recipe that yielded in superbly soft results.

We also had great luck at Marlow and Daughters (as always), scoring with a button of soft cow's milk that was a crowd favorite as well as a wonderfully tasty selection of sausages. Throw a little party game madness in the mix and lots (maybe too much for some of us) beer and you've got a great night on your hands.

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Posted on October 5, 2009

Spend a Couple Hours »Wardrobe Makeover

brittany hague shoppingLook at that photo! It's like I am the angel of shopping! No one's ever asked me to help them buy an entire new wardrobe but from the way it went so swimmingly this weekend, maybe people should more often.

Within a couple hours at the Rockefeller Center H&M (which is absolutely the location for their affordable mensware) and Tony had three pairs of pants, three shirts, a cardigan, a sweater vest and a winter peacoat that all look great. Any men in your life needing a wardrobe makeover on a slightly limited budget? I might just be able to help.

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Posted on September 28, 2009

Spend a Couple Hours »Daniel Kitson

I've recommended the work of British comedian Daniel Kitson on this blog before (once right before we saw the amazing Stories for the Wobbly Hearted and another time just for the podcasts) and probably will again any time he makes a rare US appearance. His most recent (and completely sold out) show at Union Hall was part of The Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival (which ends tonight).

Kitson had death on his mind, which may not sound like a great centerpiece to a comedy routine, but his performances are beyond stand-up and he always manages to balance deep, real-life truths and jokes with poignancy and seamless hilarity. I dare you to find a gentlemen (or lady) more deftly combining poop jokes, stories about eating an entire cake and heartfelt memories of a recently deceased aunt.

At the risk of having to again watch the show on my feet because limiting seating fills so quickly, I have to strongly suggest you go to any and all of Kitson's future performances that you can. Beyond overuse of the word 'brilliant', the experience is a bit difficult to describe.

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Posted on September 21, 2009

Spend a Couple Hours »The Renaissance Faire

As is our yearly tradition, today we traveled to the New York woods for the Renaissance Faire. There was glorious weather, costumes galore, and plenty of beers enjoyed in the shaded forest with bestest friends.

Perhaps because of the sunshine, the place was packed with revelers and the money they've racked in has been put to good use. The usual spots, like one of our favorite places in all of New York to beer it up, The Blue Boar and shopping stalls like M'Ladies Panties, shone in a new coat of paint, while other attractions, like the rotten tomato toss and the huge traveling bell machine were brand new.

Jim splurged on some amazing completely customized moccasins from Catskill Mountain Moccasins. They make an actual cast of the foot and take several months to complete the shoes by hand. Shaun and Mike were a bit more conservative with their spending and went home with a souvenir mug and a skull crystal on a rope.

But the fair is more than the souvenirs you go home with, it's an experience that you really should try if you haven't already. The last weekend of the season is coming up, so get your tickets (buy online for discounted prices), throw back some mead, and enjoy a joust or two before it closes!

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Posted on September 14, 2009

Spend a Couple Hours »New Yorker Fiction Podcasts

My love affair with yuppie radio just keeps on going. The New Yorker Fiction Podcast, available free from iTunes, is delightful: every month a celebrated author picks a story from the magazine's archives, reads it, then discusses with fiction editor Deborah Treisman.

It requires an uninterrupted chunk of dedicated listening time, which can sometimes be hard if work is busy, but it's worth trying if you can find the time.

So far I've been captivated by Joshua Ferris (author of Then We Came to the End) reading George Saunders's “Adams”; Jonathan Franzen (author of The Corrections) reading short, funny pieces by Veronica Geng and Ian Frazier; A.M. Homes (author of The Safety of Objects) reading my beloved Shirley Jackson's “The Lottery” and Richard Ford reading John Cheever's “The Reunion”.

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Posted on September 7, 2009

Spend a Couple Hours »Michael Jackson Birthday Bash

I actually missed the memo Spike Lee was hosting a Birthday Bash for Michael Jackson at Prospect Park. From the many flickr photos and the selection of images posted on gothamist, it looks like I missed an Off the Wall good time.

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Posted on August 31, 2009

Spend a Couple Hours »Britney Spears Circus Tour

We're going to see Britney! We're going to see Britney! We're going to see Britney! We're going to see Britney! We're going to see Britney! We're going to see Britney! We're going to see Britney! We're going to see Britney! We're going to see Britney! We're going to see Britney! We're going to see Britney! We're going to see Britney!?I hope she does something a little crazy. I hope she plays all my favorite songs from Blackout. I hope Jim still loves me when it's over.

I also hope the Pussycat Dolls don't go over long.

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Posted on August 24, 2009

Spend a Couple Hours »Take Care of New York’s Trees

Help New Yorks trees! All it takes is your time and hard work. Jim and I spent the morning digging out bricks and bad soil and filling in the area with mineral rich top soil and lobster compost – both bought at the friendly Sprout down on Kent.

The kindness of strangers really came in to play with the project. Some neighbors offered their help in moving big bricks, others offered gloves and to take our bricks away.

Our work is still not done. Next we are getting tree guards installed – there are several iron workers locally that can do the job – and then we plan to plant some perennial ivy.

It's all to help our sidewalk tree thrive in an environment that usually ends up covered in trash.

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Posted on August 17, 2009