Yum.

Went home for a week for a nice little vacation and ate all of the following:

G&D Pizza +2
Cadillac 5 Theater Popcorn +3
Culver's Chicken Strips
Salad + Soda from The Shay
Mom's home cooking

My tummy is happy.

Only in New York...

I am heading to JFK in a few hours to go to Chicago to go see my bro graduate tomorrow (Go Matty!), but I saw this on my lunch break and had to share.

He looked so unsteady! We wanted to flag him down and ask him questions like "How do you get on that thing?", "How do you get off that thing?", "What happens if you have to stop?" but we didn't want him to fall.

I told Carmel that there must be a unicycle launch pad and landing pad in NYC somewhere.

Movies I Really Wanna See

There are quite a few movies that are coming out that I really wanna see, including the following:


The Soloist Opens April 24th
Starring: Jamie Foxx and Robert Downing, Jr.
Plot: Journalist Steve Lopez (RDJ) discovers former music prodigy and now homeless Nathanial Anthony Ayers (Foxx) who dropped out of Julliard after developing schizophrenia. A unique friendship is formed as Lopez tries to help Ayers find his way back.
Why I want to see it: Robert Downing, Jr. has been giving his A game for the past few years and this movie looks like no exception. The film looks very moving and (hopefully) uplifting.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Opens May 1st
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schrieber, Taylor Kitcsch
Plot: X-Men Origins: Wolverine tells the story of Wolverine's crazy past. From his complex relationship with Victor Creed (Schrieber) to his involvement with the Weapon X program, we learn all about Wolverine's violent past while seeing his romantic relationships and some of the greatest X-Men characters (Gambit! Taylor Kitsch!).
Why I Want to See It: Because I am a crazy-obsessed X-Men fan and have been since I was young. Because Hugh Jackman was born to play Wolverine. Because Gambit will be in this movie. Because even I don't know everything about Wolverine's past!

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian Opens May 22nd
Starring: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Hank Azaria, Owen Wilson
Plot: Ben Stiller returns to the role of Larry Daley, this time at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. When the Museum of Natural History is closed for renovations, the museum pieces are moved to the Smithsonian for storage. Daley infiltrates the museum to rescue Jedediah (Wilson) and other characters who have been shipped there by mistake.
Why I want to See It: Because the firs tone was adorable! I think I'm gonna see this one on Imax.

Away We Go Opens June 5th
Starring: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph
Plot: Away We Go is a story of an expectant couple who travels across the US to find a place to raise their family and along the way, find connections with old family members and friends.
Why I Want to See It: John Krasinski looks awesome with his beard. Nah, just kidding. I think this is going to be a good movie, with a great story and even greater acting. I'm a bit nervous about Maya Rudolph in a dramatic role, but I think she can pull it off.

500 Days of Summer Opens July 17th
Starring: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Plot: A typical story of boy meets girl, however, when the boy falls in love with the girl who doesn't believe in true love, we are taken on a romantic journey into their year and a half long relationship.
Why I Want to See It: This movie looks like a refreshing take on the romantic-comedy genre. Not to mention Zooey Deschanel is ridiculously cute and I've loved JGL since 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Where the Wild Things Are Opens October 16th
Starring: Catharine Keener, Mark Ruffalo
Plot: An adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story, where Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world--a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler.
Why I Want to See It: Because it looks awesome.


Honorable Mentions: Star Trek, Transformers 2, and other various summer blockbusters! Yay for mindless entertainment!

The Conan O'Brien Experience

What: Best Day Ever
Where: 30 Rockefeller Center New York, NY
When: Thursday, February 19th 6:30 PM through Friday February 20th
Why: Because it's Conan O' Freaking Brian


As most of you know, Conan O'Brien, who has been the host of Late Nite with Conan O'Brien on NBC for the past 16 years, is heading out to LA to take over for Jay Leno on the Tonight Show. This means that Late Nite with Conan O'Brien will be no more. When I heard this, I attempted (to no avail) to win tickets to a taping. So when the last week of shows rolled around, I realized if I wanted to see a taping of it, this was my last chance. I waited in the stand-by line on Monday February 16th (which was President's Day and I was off work) but that was a bust. So, on Thursday February 19th my friend Carmel and I decided to go for broke and camp out for tickets.

On my lunch break, I ran up to Rockefeller Center to see if anyone was in line yet. To my surprise, nobody was there! So, Carmel and I , happy and raring to go, planned on going to our department's beer pong tournament, then camp out. However, I was a little nervous that while we were throwing ping pong balls into cups of beer, other fans would be lining up for tickets, so instead, I ran up to Rockefeller Center after work to check out the line. There were 6 people in line, so I snagged my place and called Carmel to tell her I wasn't coming to beer pong and to come meet me when she was done.

It was cold. Really cold. But I met some great people right off the bat. We talked about Conan and joked around. Around 9:30pm we ordered pizza to the curb.


Around 10pm Carmel showed up. Not long after, none other than Conan himself walked out of Rockefeller Center and started towards 6th avenue!

We screamed at him. Invited him to eat pizza with us. Someone yelled at him to do the string dance (which he did) and he started walking in the other direction. Carmel then ran after him and asked him to take pictures with us. He did!

It was pretty much amazing. When Conan put his arms around us, he purred in a very-Conan like way, which resulted in me laughing and the following picture. Also, see the grip he has on me? Rawr.


It was a long night but we entertained ourselves with Scattegories...


and by watching Conan by stealing someone's internet. Thank you, you kind fool around Rockefeller Center who doesn't password protect...


and by trying on helmets....and by taking random pictures....

And by watching these natures scenes on the TV's in one of the window displays. They had bugs, birds, animals, and a drunk polar bear in a field of flowers?

We were also joined by not one, but 2 local TV stations including this reporter from NBC 4 NY.


The other TV station was NY1, a local NYC news station. Click to see me on the phone in my red/orange coat and Carmel being interviewed.


It was a long night, but we had fun.

Finally, the sun was coming up!


We received our numbers (I was #8!) at 9am and headed to work. I worked from 9am till 3pm and attempted to stay awake. Around 3pm I headed back to Rockefeller Center to get in line. Once there, I met up with another stand-by liner and we checked in. Because I was in the top 15, they gave me a guaranteed ticket! This pretty much never happens, but I called Carmel to tell her to get there ASAP and she received one as well. Here are our bracelets.

We had about a half hour before we had to get in line to go into the studio, so we made some I Heart Conan shirts.

And Carmel was interviewed, again.

We walked into the studio and grabbed second to the front row seats! It was amazing!
We kept looking to see if our stand-by friends were in and THEY WERE! YAY. There was a warm-up guy who come out before the taping and everyone was pumped. You could feel the excitement in the air. Then, Max Weinberg and the Max Weinberg 7 came out and started playing. We were dancing in our seats and being dorks. I swear, you'd think we were all on Oprah's Favorite Things show by how everyone was acting.

Conan came out and did his monologue and showed a video of John Mayer. Then, Will Ferrell came out in his George W. Bush get-up which quickly devolved into Will Ferrell ripping off his business suit revealing his tiny leprechaun outfit.

He then proceeded to rub up against Conan. This, of course, made us explode.

After Conan's monolouge, there was a commercial break and he walked to his desk. I stood up and pointed to my I Heart Conan T-shirt. He started pointing to himself and making a heart on this chest with his hands a la Dr. Evil from Austen Powers. Then! THEN, HE BLEW ME A KISS!!! Conan O'Brien blew me a kiss!! I reached out to catch it and this guy in front of me stole it! Conan looked at him and shook his finger. It was hilarious.

One thing to note is that when they were showing the old clips, Conan just stood there. He watched some of them and laughed, but I found him so intriguing because he was mouthing the words to some of the bits. He looked happy and emotional.

Andy Richtor was there and it was nice to see them together. While the White Stripes played Conan sat on the steps looking very reflective. It was emotional all around.

Another interesting thing is that the studio is much smaller than it looks on TV. Conan took apart the stage again and handed out some pieces of the stage. I didn't get a piece, but that's OK (that's what she said). Also, there were a bunch of people lined up in front.

Conan ended the show with a farewell to the staff and other various people. He mentioned David Letterman and Jay Leno. I teared up when he mentioned New Yorkers and how nice they've been to him. He ended it on a great note, mentioning that he wasn't going to change his style just because he was going to be on at an earlier time.

After the show, all the stand-by people took a picture.

And some of us, even though we were all going on no sleep, went to get some drinks.


All in all, it was an amazing experience. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'm so glad I was able to do this. I made some new friends and had a blast. I will never forget this and I'm glad I could share it with my friend Carmel!

Cinema Week

This week I shall call Cinema Week because I will be going 3 times! Yikes! I am seeing Fanboys tonight and Confessions of a Shopaholic tomorrow night. On Tuesday I went with my friend to the IFC theater in the village and saw all of the Oscar nominated animated shorts. It was pretty cool cause I've never done that before and they were all really great. I have a hard time deciding which one I think should win. They also showed some other top contenders and past winners, but here are the nominees for this year:

Lavatory Lovestory Russia

The simple animation of this short which is done in mostly black and white, tells the story of a lonely lavatory attendant who dreams of romance. This one was very cute.

Oktapodi France

This short is animated in a vivid, Pixar style. The 3-D animation brings two octopuses to life. When one is purchased by a chef, the other leaps out of the tank to save her from the clutches of the skilled cook. Oktapodi was cute, but was over a little fast for my liking.

Le Maison en Petits Cubes Japan

I think this one was my favorite. The animation was done in a delicate hand drawn style which suited the poignancy of the story. Le Maison en Petits Cubes tells the story of an old man flashing back on his life after his village is flooded.

This Way Up UK

The Tim Burton dark style in this short complimented the story of two mortuary employees who go to great lengths to transport a body after their hearse is destroyed. It is visually playful and engaging and I loved the storyline.

Presto United States

This animated short has been seen by a larger audience already because, I believe, it preceded Wall-E. While more slapstick than the others, Presto, about a rabbit that turns the tables on his magician, was still endearing and full of heart and had my laughing a lot.

Because I have been going so often, I have been eating popcorn for dinner a lot, which is a bad thing, but also not.

Real food for dinner

"Do you know what I use my oven for?" "Warming your pants in the morning?" "Yes! And it feels good."
So, the name of my blog is getting to be somewhat of a lie. As I posted about below, one of the things I want to do this year is to cook more. I've never been much of a cook. At all. It's mostly because I am so freaking lazy sometimes, but also because I'm not very good at it. Buuut, I'm being a good girl and have made myself dinner (and by made, I don't just mean preparing boxed mac and cheese instead of a frozen meal, I actually mean cooking) the past two nights.

Tonight, I'm making pork chops slathered in mushroom soup and having a baked potato with a side salad and a large glass of ice water with lemon. Part of the plan is to make extra so I can have it for lunch too. I'm becoming a house mom guys!

Might not sound all that appetizing to some, but it's a lot better than a Lean Cuisine, that's for sure. Sorry I don't have any pictures. It took awhile to make and by the time I was done, I just wanted to eatt!

I think the main thing about my 27 Things list is that I'm not really doing it as a New Years Resolution. I don't mind if I don't keep them all, in fact, that's why there's so many. It's just the striving to do them--the process, if you will--that I'm enjoying. I like the fact that I feel more in control over things and that I can change myself and my actions if I just decide to. Yeah, I'm getting a little deep, soooo, here's a picture to offset that.
Chef Lindsey! Tee hee.

Reading Jane Austen makes me feel girly

I got this book from Barnes and Noble online and I love it. It's so pretty I want to eat it.


I'm actually going to re-read Emma first (because that's the first one I read) but only after I finish North and South.

My glasses are really only there because my camera refused to focus.
Also, I'm starting a list of things I'd like to accomplish this year. Not really New Years resolutions, per se, but things I want to do. The list isn't finished yet, but it's a start. I do realize I put 2008, but that's because it'll probably take me till March to remember to write 2009. There are 27 because that's how old I'll be (gasp!)