Falafel & such.

Tara {recent pro-blogger} said that I haven't been blogging enough lately, so here we go! Truthfully, my week has been a lot of fun- the kind of fun where you get up super early, get to work super early, work really super hard all day long, and then get home super tired and fall asleep at 8:30pm, only to wake up at 5:30am the next morning & hit "repeat" so you can do it all over again. It has been that kind of week. I was SO tired on Monday night- I asked Mike if we could cuddle for "just a few minutes". "Cuddling" immediately turned into "sleeping" for me. I woke up a while later, in bed and in my clothes & makeup. Mike brought me one of my Neutrogena face-cleansing cloths {thanks Tara- love them} so I could "wash" my face, then I immediately laid back down and fell back asleep until the following morning. Like I said- it's been that kind of week. I haven't cooked a thing either. The only meal I've eaten at home this week was on Monday when Mike was nice enough to cook up a stir fry we luckily had in the freezer from Trader Joe's. We were both so tired when we got home last night that we gave up on anything requiring an oven, microwave, toaster or frying pan & instead used our cell phone to order Mexican food from the comfort of our couch. That's sort of how my week has been going, but that's okay. It's Wednesday. We're almost there. I have a big event in the city tomorrow night for work {a large cocktail reception I'm putting on} and will likely be home around midnight. Someone fetch me my Red Bull!

Speaking of work - I had a big meeting today that I've been anxious about all week. It ended up going better than I could have ever imagined. It was a 1-on-1 meeting with the 3rd most senior partner at my firm, definitely worth some stress. He actually said "great" and "excellent" a few times {this is big}. I came out completely unscathed, and maybe even did really well, so Mike & I decided it was cause to celebrate- or at least a good reason to get out of the apartment on a weeknight. We ended up choosing a hole-in-the-wall Turkish place nearby called Kebap G. We both ordered Falafel, and it was delicious. Oh- and I should mention that the menu had an entire section crossed out using duct tape & that there was a single framed & autographed picture of Anderson Cooper on the wall. Random. Anyway, tonight was a lovely warm night, so we decided to take a nice long stroll down to Pinkberry {yes, we are slightly addicted & yes, it really is that good}. Tonight's version: Kiwi, Raspberry & Coconut. Yum.

Continuing the food discussion {sort of}, my tummy has faded from the color of a lobster to the deep pink of a watermelon jolly rancher. Maybe a radish, but perhaps not quite that bright. I am dutifully applying aloe every night, and consequently waking up sticky every morning. I haven't peeled yet, but I'm sure that is to come. Point being- I'm surviving, and no longer in pain despite the fact that if I'm wearing a white tshirt you can see pink. Lesson learned. I'll buy spray-on SPF 35, I promise.

In non-food news, I'm about halfway through A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. I read it on the train, on the subway, and when I'm walking in between. I can't put it down. It's quick, it's witty, it's painfully sad, incredibly funny, and remarkably honest. I'm not finished yet, but I recommend it. Thoroughly. My only warning- there's some language. Okay, a lot of it. Mom, don't read this book. You won't like it. But I'm letting it slide, maybe justifying it for artistic reasons. The book is raw. Like I said- I love it.

Random: I decided today that I love New York because no one is really from New York. I meet people from all over the world just about every day. Today- the falafel man from Istanbul who explained the difference between a Doner Kebab and a Shish Kebab, and my firm's driver who is from Portugal. I was talking to him this morning, and as soon as I asked where he was from, he catalogued all of the many achievements of Portugal over the last 500 years. He's clearly very patriotic. Sometimes I feel very generic in the city, but then again- the look I get when I tell people that I'm from Spokane, Washington is enough to remind me that I too am unique. The food available is a significant reminder of the melting pot in which we live. We had Thai food Saturday, Mexican food on Tuesday, and Turkish food tonight. I realize you can probably do this anywhere {except maybe in Coolin, ID}, but can you find it all on ONE BLOCK? I think not. I promise that I like NYC for more than just the food, but let's face it- I haven't gotten out much this week.

16 days until we go to the lake {again}. We're excited to hike the Wigwams, have breakfast at Elkin's and actually experience water warm enough to swim it {it's a bit chilly until mid-August}. Most importantly, I'm excited to finally CUT MY HAIR. This is getting ridiculous. The longer it gets, the shorter I want to cut it. Who knows what I will do. I tend to decide right about when I sit down into the chair...