Weekend Of Perkes

Word of the week (brought to you by Mike Perkes): Medium.

I'll use it in a sentence. The above, is more than a medium picture of Mike Perkes.

My first interaction w/Perkes upon greeting him:

Me - "You look skinny!"

Mike - "Stoooop. I'm medium."

Later on...

Me - "What's the dress code for this place?"

Mike - "Medium."

Even later on...

Me - "How much do you like this new girl on your radar?"

Mike - "I like her just medium."

Last weekend Mike came to town for a week-long business conference in Westchester, but before heading up to 'town' we had a day together in the city.

We started with brunch with Diddy at Sarabeth's. A success.

Then we met LuLu in the park for 3hrs worth of talking and waffles with Spekuloos from the Waffles & Dinges cart. Delightful.

Then we walked home, ordered supper in, and made cookies while watching "The Switch" (Mike's new favorite movie). Bravo.

Suddenly our night was MAJORLY interrupted by Reggie's brother, Rupert Geppetto Turnblast, showing up at MY house. That's a LOOOONG trek from 83rd and 1st, but somehow he managed. We went to 3... I repeat, THREE drugstores at 12:30AM looking for a specific kind of mousetrap, but only found the 2nd best kind which is really disturbing. Mike says I will probably never see Rupert again, but maybe he's just telling me that to keep from hearing me scream obscenities while perched on the arm rests of my furniture. Not good. None of it.

The next morning, I was accompanied to work in a cab by/Perkes on PWC's dime. Approved.

Three facts about Perkes, only one of which is a lie. Can you guess which one?

Once took in a steam w/John Travolta.

Once performed in a Las Vegas 'Show Girl'-type act.

Once worked with a residing prison inmate named "Mike the Maniac."

Let's be real - Mike was never in a show girl act.

Mike came back to the city on Friday night and he, Laura, and I had THE MOST DELICIOUS burgers at The Spotted Pig followed by a salted caramel milk shake - that's right, I said it - at The Chocolate Bar (all of this highly recommended by yours truly). The only way to top off this night was with laughs and more cookies at home with Angie & Jen and Dave & Em. Laura had a sleep over with us that night and Mike told us bedtime stories. It was glorious.

Truth: The next morning we awoke to Mike watching 'You've Got Mail'... and cured our food hangover with... more food; brunch with Mike's super smart 17yr old sister and her Yale friends. I know, smancy-pants, all of 'em!

('SMANCY-PANTS' = smarty-pants + fancy-pants, combined... seemed better than 'farty-pants').

On the way to brunch, we saw a pigeon with gum stuck to the bottom of his foot and then wondered if all the other pigeons laughed at him behind his back. I mean, we did.

On the way back from brunch, we walked the girls through CP and dropped them off at the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Met.

I forced Mike to become addicted to FNL and I think it worked. He now loves Coach Taylor as much as I do, but he BETTER not act on it. Or I'll have to cut a B and he'll have some serious explaining to do to the ladies of Dallas, Texas.

(Me making cookies for our FNL watching. I wear blankets, not pants.)

Later that night, I met up with him and ex-coworker/boss, Tien at the Renaissance Hotel bar in Times Square (GREAT VIEW!). Needless to say, it was love at first sight and now Tien and I are besties. Good job Perkes. You have no idea what you've just created. Ever seen Rob & Big? Yeah... I think that's possibly very offensive... to myself.

Mike and I came home and had 'girl talk' til 2AM and then I ditched him today for a day at Long Beach with the actual girls.

Me, Emilee, Diddz, Amy, Sandra, Teresa, and new friends Megan, & Brooke had an AMAZING beach day filled with spf, gossip, and PB&Honey sandwiches while Mike was being babysat and brunched by Rachel.

A little more QT together and now he has left. He was forewarned, he is no longer welcome to visit if he is just going to leave again. Those are just the rules.

The weekend of Perkes was a medium success.

FALSE.

It was a VERY LARGE success.

Mike was only made uncomfortable once (maybe twice) the whole weekend by my pantslessness and girly talk of the nether regions.

He has now admitted to taking this pic of me during one of my naps.

I'm obviously only a medium hostess.

~Kare*

The boys...

There are A LOT of things I miss about home and suburb living...

My garbage disposal.

My family.

My hot tub.

(in no particular order)

And these two...

I mean really...

~Legs*

A real life conversation with Yelz...

This is what Diddz and I would look like as either old lady friends or a lesbian couple... with lesbian puppies.

A few weeks ago I over heard this...

Yelz: Paula, did you get my email this morning?!?!

Diddz: Oh, yeah. Congratulations.

Me (intrigued): WHAT EMAIL? Congrats on WHAT?!

Yelz: Oh. I finally conquered the next level on Angry Birds.

Really?...

This has been a real life conversation,

brought to you by,

~Kare*

I still want to be a ballerina

Lincoln Center, post Ballet.

~Legs*

Diddz graduates Improv Level 1

Saturday I met up with Rusty and Andrea at Ft. Tilden (specifically located in... BFE). It took me a little over 2 hours to get there, but it was worth it for the "country beach" aspect (which we all know is MUCH better than any other kind of beach... right? Good - glad we're all on the same page). We laid out, ate grapes, used a port-a-potty, and caught balloons that drifted onto shore.

Rusty recently graduated from NYUCD so Andrea and I felt it appropriate to re-gift this wash-up balloon to the new Doctor.

I had Diddy's first (and apparently last) improv show to get to, so I left the beach rather early with Rusty and we had mind blowing conversations on the train while eating Oreos.

I had done my hair like this (see first pic below) for Duffy's improv show the night before, worn it to the beach like this that day, and was now wearing it (mostly due to my lack of prep time and partly due to the fact that I kind of loved it) to Diddy's show. I've been practicing my braiding techniques as of late... here (below that) is a result forced upon Diddy, by me, from a few weeks ago... maybe months at this point.

I was SUCH a stage mom at Diddy's show with my flowers and video camera... I'll have to get pictures from Yelzy (who I would like to clarify "was there" - she's been feeling left out after being in DR for the last two weeks and missing from the blog). I have post-show shots from her, but what you all REALLY want to see is proof of Diddz' stage presence which is CRAZY good and effortless! I missed capturing the first few seconds of her monologue on video because never in a million years had I imagined she'd step up and volunteer first, but she did. I was suprised, only because I could NEVER do improv, at how comfortable she seemed in front of an audience.

Bravo Didders. Bravo!

All us girls came together and we couldn't help from holding our breath/covering our mouths and holding hands when Diddz was on stage because we felt so nervous for her. It was completely unnecessary because she had no fear and was AMAZING! And also because it wasn't going to help anything anyway.

Sandra, Me, Diddz, Yelz, and Lu.

See, Yelena was there.

Afterwards we went to Mustang Sally's for drinks and laughs and bachelorette discussions.... wait. What? Did I mention Yelz was gone for the last two weeks AKA last two episodes?!?

No judging.

We got no pictures of the boys and there actually were some.

Congrats on graduating Improv Level 1 Diddz! You da best!

~Legs*

It's Father's Day...

Dad, I love you too much.

Your "rescue mission" will always stand out as one of my greatest examples of parenthood. Thanks for all you do for me and our family. You are loved and appreciated!

Hopefully you'll get your card tomorrow...

Johnny B. Goode,

~Your Kare

Weekend udpate.

I know, I know... I cant believe it either, but I've been a little social butterfly as of late... trying to get myself out of my comfort zone and be a grown up. Don't worry, I still stay in and watch Bachelorette with the girls like my normal pathetic self, but I'm really trying here!

Saturday night, Diddz and I met up with Rusty and crew for some late LATE night dancing at La Caverna.

When leaving, the worst cabbie ever, possibly in all of the world, wouldn't drop us off at our respective homes leaving me to walk home in heels past drunk strangers at 3AM; one of which told me my legs should be insured for 10K$ each... You win some, you lose some.

Here's Ryan. Obviously SUPER excited to be dancing with my gum chewing self (not a snaggletooth as could be depicted from this photograph). Not.

Then Sunday was the NBA Playoffs at Kent's. Remember Dancy-Pants? Here she is with her boyfriend, Dirk, and her Texas Sheet Cake cheering on the Mavs... WHO WON! Go Mavs!

She may or may not have streaked around the block of 95th and Riverside afterwards... but definitely not. Though she should have.

Sunday had also been the Big Apple BBQ. So Earl showed up...

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Like this.

Gross.

Love,

~Legs (all $20,000 of 'em)

The NYC Ballet

Last thursday night I met up with Fernie and new friend, Whitney, for a night at the ballet. I was super excited because I haven't been to the ballet since living in NYC AND it was at Lincoln Center (possibly one of my favorite places/buildings in the city).

I wore my most sparkly ballet flats, pink lips, and a bun, naturally.

Afterwards, we took pics in front of the fountain which was highly entertaining to the other ballet attendees since we twirled around and posed in our best ballet form (more pics to come hopefully).

When I was a little girl, and not-so-little girl, I wanted to be a ballerina.

Here's a little something... I STILL want to be a ballerina.

They get to dress pretty, twirl around a stage on their tip-toes, wear lipstick, and in these repertoires, dance with boys.

Boys who...

hold their waist while their spinning,

catch them when they leap,

and hold their hand, ever so slightly, for balance.

Swoon.

It's so romantic I might throw up a little.

Without a male dancer in my life, I LIVE for nights like this with girls like these.

~Kare

Official start to summer.

Last weekend was my first official NYC summer weekend of the year.

Friday was BEAUTIFUL.

Every one of my girls was out of town or busy, forcing me to spend the day in the park ALONE... with Harry.

I got super jealous when I saw a little girl across from me drop trou under a tree by the baseball fields and I watched as her nanny pulled out a port-a-potty and she just went. Just like that. No fear, no performance anxiety, she just peed and then ran off to continue playing while her nanny poured the bowl into a trash bag and tossed it. I had been holding it for hours to avoid losing my sweet spot in the sun... where was MY port-a-potty hoarding nanny?!

Saturday was our first Long Beach trip of the summer. I went with my RustyPants and DancyPants and about 10 other people.

Ryan and my cankles. They make a cute couple, don't they?

This is what I look like eating 5 Guys on the train home from Long Beach.

Next stop, Penn Station.

Then came Sunday... Meet DancyPants (Andrea). She's from Dallas so needless to say, she's a BIG Mavs fan. We watched the game at the boys' and my favorite thing about watching with her is that she changes her house seat according to her anxiety level at any given moment.

Cue Andrea's Game Seats Montage:

Welcome summer, I'm glad to see you... Please be good to me this year.

Love,

(as Ryan would say) Canks*

Johnny B. Goode

1961 was a good year.

It birthed Doug, Kenny, Maryann, and Susan Gholson (and also my momma).

Here's a small recap of the partyin' that went down on Saturday to celebrate the milestones.

Go, Johnny, go!

P.S. Stay tuned until at least the 4minute mark to really rock and roll.

~Kare