New Year’s Eve

Tuesday 1 January 2013Tuesday 1 January 2013 kristyAbbita, Chih., Chihuahua, Devin, family, happy new year, mami, Mexico, Vanessa2 Comments

Tonight a bunch of my family went out for dinner and dancing to bring in the new year. At midnight, my mom, my aunt Menry, and Vanessa whispered, ‘This is your year’ when they hugged me, and my heart skipped a beat every time. And I couldn’t say anything back because I didn’t want to ruin my mascara.

I missed Devin a whole lot, especially during the dancing. But then Menry said, ‘Colecciono momentos mágicos. Creo que este es uno’, which reminded me so much of something my grandmother used to say. And then the band played the first song Devin learned in Spanish, and my aunt Martha exclaimed, ‘La canción de Devin!’

I remembered what it was like to kiss my Abbita on the cheek to wish her a happy new year, and I imagined what it will be like to kiss Devin at the stroke of midnight. And I thought about how the people you love stay a part of your life forever.

This year I finally ate all twelve of my grapes and made a wish for each one. At 12:30, my aunt Menry said, ‘We have to go because we’re getting up early tomorrow’.

But the whole family stayed until the party was over. Like we always do.

Happy new year!
kristy

So you say you want Christmas time in the city

Monday 24 December 2012Thursday 27 December 2012 kristybagels, Bryant Park, Candle Café, Christmas, Christmas time in the city, family, FAO Schwarz, holidays, Magnolia, New York, Rockefeller Center, The Highline, Vanessa, Zara6 Comments

A few weeks ago, my cousins Vanessa and Josh came to visit me. When I asked Vanessa what they wanted to do, she said, ‘Christmas stuff’ and also ‘more Christmas stuff’, so that’s what we did (it didn’t take a lot of arm-twisting). And when the weekend was over, I thought, ‘Hey, this would make a great little Christmas tour of New York’. I called up Vanessa to ask her if she wouldn’t mind writing up a little something about what we did, and after just the tiniest bit of begging, she agreed. So now, without further anticipation, I present for your consideration…

The First Official smoothliminal Guide to Christmas Time in the City

(Commentary by Vanessa. All pictures from Google because it’s Christmas and we’re busy.)

1. Candle Café (at 75th Street & 3rd Avenue, Upper East Side)

Kristy’s philosophy is that everyone should eat at the smallest restaurant possible when they visit New York, so we went to Candle Café, which is adorable and tiny. Tiny! Clearly this perspective is influenced by my current address in the wide and spacious southwest, but I was impressed that they manage to produce such good food and attentive service in what is basically a hallway. Also, my sister-in-law had her first ever vegan meal and loved it, so clearly our visit was an epic success.

•

2. FAO Schwarz (at 59th Street and 5th Avenue, Upper East Side)

Then we made our way to FAO Schwarz (and not, as my father-in-law assumed when pulling up, to the Apple store… to which 5/8 of the occupants of the van exclaimed “You don’t know me!” and tried to hide their iPhones). We were half-and-half divided on whether it’s cool for FAO Schwarz to sell “BYOB” cans to small children (“Bring Your Own [gummy] Bears”––so funny! So not appropriate! See, I’m still conflicted).

•

3. Rockefeller Tree (on 50th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, Midtown)

To conclude our evening, we made our annual pilgrimage to the Rockefeller Tree. This is my fourth year running, and this year’s visit compared favorably to other years in the ‘weather’ category (it wasn’t freezing!) but less favorably in the ‘exciting events observed’ category because last year we witnessed a marriage proposal on the skating rink. Although this year we did watch a pair of MARRIED Cuban men unsuccessfully try to pick up a pair of not-born-yesterday Mexican women (¡bien hecho, mujeres!).

•

4. Murray’s Bagels (at 13th Street and 6th Avenue)

One interesting tidbit I learned about NYC living this time around? Apparently many New Yorkers don’t start their workday till, like, way late. So even though we didn’t get to Murray’s Bagels for breakfast until 9:30, we were still just in time for the breakfast rush! My review: delicious, and huge.
•5. The Highline (on 8th-10th Avenues, between West 14th and West 30th Streets)

So, one time my sister-in-law really, really wanted to take us to the Highline. She talked about it all day. But then, when we got there in the evening, it was closed. Ever since, I’ve been super curious to go to this little park, and we finally did, and it was amazing. Quotable moment from the Highline: we saw the side of a building covered in what looked like mirror and rusted metal, prompting Kristy to exclaim, ‘Oh! I read about this. It’s art.’

•

6. Ice-skating in Bryant Park (on 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues)

Here’s what you need to know about ice skating in Bryant Park (or anywhere, probably): MAKE SURE YOUR SKATES ARE LACED TIGHT. We didn’t figure this out until we were almost finished and Josh’s legs are still recovering from the war-wounds. Also, I didn’t realize how smooth and wonderful this ice is until I went ice skating at an uncovered rink in downtown Phoenix that’s essentially a piece of plywood with a veeeryyy thin layer of ice on top. New Yorkers, you have it so good. This was the most Christmassy thing we did in New York, what with the ice, the Christmas songs playing, and the general mood of festivity and cheer. I loved it.

•

7. Bryant Park Holiday Market (on 42nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues)

After skating, we were starving so we ate the most delicious arepas and soup. Kristy also introduced us to kombucha (or whatever it’s called), which tasted… healthy.

•

8. Zara (on 42nd Street at 5th Avenue)

After lunch, we hit up Zara for some Christmas shopping. Normally I adore Zara, but I’m extremely displeased with the company at the moment because I bought a skirt with the cheapest zipper known to man that broke the first time I wore it. Oh yes, I did just blog about it, Zara customer service!

•

9. Grand Central Station (at 42nd Street and Park Avenue)

We had time for one more thing before we headed to the airport, so we went to check out Grand Central Station. At this point things started to get a little rush-y, but we did take a minute to pick out the constellations on the ceiling and take pictures and generally admire the building.

•

10. Magnolia Bakery (on the lower level of Grand Central, 42nd Street and Park Avenue)

For the very last of our adventures in the city, Kristy treated us to not one but TWO treats from Magnolia bakery, because that’s just the kind of person she is. One hop over the subway gate later (what? it wouldn’t let me through and the train was leaving! I swiped my card, I swear) and we were Jersey-bound. You know how sometimes when you’re saying goodbye to someone it’s better to do it in a mad dash of packages and coats and two flights of subway stairs so you don’t cry? This was one of those times. We love you, Kiki! Can’t wait to see you at Christmas!
•Visit Vanessa’s blog here: holasunshine.wordpress.com

Merry Christmas, everyone!

P.S. Don’t worry if you can’t make it to New York by tomorrow, the best part about Christmas in the city is that it lasts well into January.

P.P.S. Let me know if any of these pictures are yours. I’ll happily credit the photographers or remove them.

It’s been a minute.

Friday 7 December 2012Thursday 10 January 2013 kristyeveryday, New York, rambles, wooden pencilsLeave a comment

Like I mentioned previously, I’ve been working as a temp(orary office assistant).

I recently finished an assignment at a historical society. That office is filled with archivists who wear blue smocks and write in pencil–and not mechanical pencils either, the yellow wooden ones that need sharpening. And guess whose desk was the Official Home of the Office’s Only Electric Sharpener. Yes! Mine (how did you guess?). I really liked that honor because it meant that sometimes I got to talk to the archivists who are generally a quiet and reserved bunch.

I got to know quite a few people in the office, actually, and once suggested that we order lunch from a nearby restaurant, which caused quite the commotion. We talked about it one day at lunch, and word spread around the office, and the next day six employees came prepared, with cash in hand. The restaurant has this on-line order form that you use to pick the ingredients in your meal, and that morning my desk was transformed into an Order Kiosk abuzz with people comparing Brown Rice to Veggie Brown Rice, and discussing the merits of Cauliflower and Cabbage. Even those who weren’t ordering gathered around, voiced their opinions, and witnessed the miracle of ordering lunch. And the best part is that at lunch, people actually talked to each other.

And for days after, people talked about the lunch. I got asked what I ordered and if it was any good and if I would recommend the restaurant. Some people told me it had been A Great Idea.

A few weeks later, it was my last day. Two of my favorite co-workers took me to lunch at Coffee Shop, a restaurant in Union Square that fascinates me. Its décor is so mid-century that you almost feel transported to a 1950s American diner only most of the servers are aspiring models, so they all wear the trendiest clothes and artfully mussed hair, embodying everything that is ‘Now’. And oh yeah, the menu is largely Brazilian food (?!).

We had a good lunch and at the end I told them how much I’d liked working there. They in turn told me how much they’d liked working with me. Then, one of them said, ‘The office will be so quiet!’ and the other nodded fervently.

Totally a compliment, right?

Riiiight?

Cartoon City, U.S.A.

Friday 23 November 2012Tuesday 8 January 2013 kristyart, Austin, GIANT THINGS, monuments to mundanity, TexasLeave a comment

Once I went to visit some rad friends in Austin, Texas. They lived behind a cupcake shop with a giant rotating cupcake on top. And down the road was a gym with a bulging muscular arm sticking out of it. A further drive away was a food co-op with a dinosaur on its roof. And in the other direction, a restaurant with a giant burger being towed by a car…on its roof. The city was positively teeming with giant things! But all the Austinites I talked to hadn’t really noticed?

It was weird. I mean, if I drew the Austin skyline it would be giant boxes of fries next to a giant zebra dressed as Carmen Miranda next to a huge boot next to a giant cowboy hat next to a huge boot (there are lots of big boots). If the average Austinite drew the skyline, s/he’d probably draw the state capitol and some buildings.

My mission was clear. I had to go to Austin to appreciate all the under-appreciated things on top of buildings. I ended up living there in the summer of 2010. I lived in a cool co-op and did a cool internship. But the rest of my waking hours were spent visiting all the oversized monuments to mundanity and taking one picture of each of them with a disposable camera. So diligent was my quest that I ended up visiting the studio where all these monuments are created. Being eye-level with something intended to be seen from far below is a really cool experience. I hope you get to try it sometime.

And now, pictures (though not all of them because I misplaced half).

Atomic Tattoo — Oh you know, just a tattoo shop with a skull-head octopus pirate.

Boot — I saw so many giant boots that it was hard to decide which one to photograph. I ended up snapping this shot last-minute in bad lighting just before leaving. Oh well.

10-Gallon — Some giant things are independent of their buildings, but they still rule.

Nick N-Nick Nick N-Nick Nick Nick Nickelodeon — I’m absolutely certain this thrift store is sponsored by mid-90s Nickelodeon. It is my very favorite.

Lamp — A streetlight named floor lamp. (That’s my friend Leah pulling the chain.)

Graduating Children — Jury’s out on whether these were actual kids in caps and gowns hanging out on top of a building or just replicas.

Blue Genie Art Industries — The home of all the best giant things. They don’t usually have visitors, but they let me have a look around. I think this place should be on the official tour of Austin.

Thank you, Austin!

You’re probably dying to know what I was for Halloween

Wednesday 14 November 2012Wednesday 4 November 2015 kristyAesop's fables, city mouse, country mouse, Devin, Halloween7 Comments

Last year I decided Devin and I would be City Mouse, Country Mouse on account of the perfect suitability of that description. Sadly. I wish I could claim country-mouse status, but the truth is that I learned to feed chickens from Beauty and the Beast, and once I packed a bag of long summer dresses for a visit to Devin’s family farm. I thought it would be so romantic, wearing flowing dresses that undulated in the wind just like all those stalks of corn… Devin’s mom took one look at me and declared, ‘You’ll have to be extra careful about the ticks.’

So yes, Devin obliged and we dressed like characters from a fable by Aesop. We didn’t win any costumes, but I’m pretty proud of those ears I made.

What were you?

Borders

Monday 5 November 2012Sunday 4 May 2014 kristyborders, cousins, family, Mexico, Obama, politics, Romney, transnationality8 Comments

babyfirstbatch — Baby cousins with our grandparents, circa 1990.

Though I’ve lived my whole life on both sides of the U.S.–Mexico border, I didn’t understand what a border was until I was eleven years old. That summer three of my cousins were allowed to come back from Chihuahua to Texas with my mom and me. I have ten cousins, four of whom are very close in age to me. I call them my first-batch cousins because we were all born one after the other. Then the parents waited a while and then came the second batch. Some of my second-batch cousins don’t like these designations, but it just makes it easier for me to communicate which cousins I’m talking about—because I talk about my cousins all the time. I can’t help it, they’re just that great!

Anyway, the summer before sixth grade almost all my first-batch cousins were allowed to come visit me for two weeks. Caren couldn’t come because she didn’t have her visa renewed in time, and you need a visa to come to the United States from Mexico. I was so excited! I was going to get to show my cousins my life in Texas. We’d just moved into an apartment complex with two pools and a playground and we would ice skate and go to Six Flags and go to the mall! It was the first time any of my cousins visited me instead of the other way around. But Caren couldn’t come. She didn’t have this little piece of paper. There was no way to get it in time. She couldn’t come.

Continue reading “Borders” →

Hare Krishna/Hare Krishna/Krishna Krishna/Hare Hare

Sunday 21 October 2012Wednesday 21 November 2012 kristyfeminism, high school, mami, memories like the corners of my mind, New York2 Comments

hare krishnas in union square — Hare Krishna devotees chanting in Union Square

This week while shopping at the Union Square farmers’ market, I heard the joyful sound of Hare Krishna devotees chanting and playing musical instruments.

The first time I heard the Hare Krishna mantra was actually on my First Real Date. It was the first time a Boy picked me up in a Car and drove on the Highway to take me to a Restaurant that he had Planned to take me to. You know, a real deal grown-up date. He even ironed his shirt before putting it on. I know this because his best friend informed me of the fact at school on Monday.

My mom was super chill about the whole thing. If you know my mom at all, even if you have just met her for twenty seconds, you would expect her to take pictures to document the momentous occasion, but nope. She might have told him to drive safely, but that’s all. No big fanfare. It was like she held back all her motherly love and concern to let me practice being an adult.

We went to a vegetarian restaurant attached to a Hare Krishna temple called Kalachandji’s (pronounced “kahl-la chand-ees”. Say it out loud, it’s important to the rest of the story). The food was delicious and the restaurant was beautiful. I’ve only been back once since then, but I remember the taste of the tamarind drink, the smell of flowers and hanging plants, the big stone fountain, and all the little candles flickering on courtyard tables.

When I got home my mom asked me where we’d gone. I told her the name of the restaurant (kahl-la chand-ees, remember?) and went to bed.

A few years later I told my mom I wanted to take her Kalachandji’s (kahl-la chand-ees, though surely you’ve said it out loud by now) because I’ve never found a more ethereal restaurant.

She looked at me square in the eye and said, “Okay okay, tell me about where you went on your first date”.

“This place called Kalachandji’s”.

“Yes, tell me about ‘College Undies’ “, she said, her eyes wide with worry.

Can you believe it? For YEARS, my poor mother thought I had my First Date at some sort of knockoff Hooters! I can imagine how I would react if one of my younger cousins told me someone took her to a restaurant designed to encourage the objectification of young wimyn. I’m pretty sure I would give her the third degree quicker than you can bat an eyelash. I’d probably also hunt down that boy and give him a mile-long feminist reading list.* In the process, I might lose my cousin’s trust for good. In short, I’d have the exact opposite reaction that my mom had. My mom trusted me.

And that’s how we know my mom is a Cool Mom, through and through.

*Susan J. Douglas’s Enlightened Sexism would top the list. Douglas asks, “How can The Bachelor have survived to a thirteenth edition? How is Hooters still in business?” And why aren’t more people asking these questions?

The Subway of Burritos

Sunday 14 October 2012Thursday 8 October 2015 kristyNew York, rambles3 Comments

On Friday I treated myself to a burrito bowl from Chipotle (no endorsement implied). Since I was by myself, I either got to witness a love story unfold or just eavesdropped on the people sitting at the next table. Your interpretation depends on how much you like to dramatize real life, and we all know where I stand on that.

The people sitting there were a guy and a girl in their late teens. And the guy contingent (let’s call him Sam) pulled out all the stops to impress his date (let’s call her Jamie). Like, I’m pretty sure he paid for her food and didn’t even give her a hard time about ordering a salad when everybody knows the best part about Chipotle is the cilantro rice. He even asked her ‘What’s that?’ and pretended to be very interested when she answered ‘Salad dressing’.

Sam had obviously suggested the restaurant and asked Jamie for her thoughts on it. Encouraged by her positive response (‘It’s good’), he proceeded to lay down his game and impress her with his knowledge of Chipotle trivia.

• ‘Yeah, I really like it. I’ve always thought that it’s kind of like the Subway of burritos’.
• ‘There are mad Chipotles in Atlanta. Like everywhere you turn, there’s a Chipotle’.
• ‘It has choices, but not too many choices. I think they got kids’ meals, but it’s not on the menu’.

They were both Latin@, so after exhausting the ‘cool facts about Chipotle’ conversation, Sam asked Jamie if she thought her grandmother would like Chipotle. She shrugged. He said, ‘Yeah, I think my grandma might like it’. And then he asked the question he’d been building up to all day. And his voice was a little bit higher-pitched (classic ‘nervous but trying to sound cooly casual’, you know the deal).

Sam: So, do you think you’ll come to the party tonight?
Jamie: Nah. I gotta get some rest.
Sam: What? You like partying.
Jamie: Yeah, but you can’t do it all the time.
Sam: Oh yeah, mmhm, yeah. (Fake laugh like, ‘I know aaaall about that!’) It might be short. You should come.

And then, she switched the subject just like that and asked why he wasn’t wearing his watch.

Sam: Oh yeah, well, I had to stop wearing it ’cause it wasn’t real. My dad gave it to me. It looks cool, but I think I got bad karma ’cause if I see people wearing fakes, I point it out…I’m like, ‘Nahhh’, so I can’t wear it.

Have you guessed the twist in this love story yet? It’s actually a tale of unrequited love. It took all my self-restraint not to hug him and say, ‘She’s just not that into you, friend’. Jamie only said like fifteen words the whole time even though Sam was being polite and asking lots of questions. And that Chipotle-Subway analogy? Inspired! Plus, he made himself so vulnerable by admitting his watch was fake. What kind of person stops wearing his favorite accessory because he believes in karma? A person with integrity, that’s who. I mean, I actually left before they did, so I don’t know for sure that Sam’s love was unrequited. Do you think there’s a chance Jamie was just being shy because she was nervously working up the courage to tell Sam she’s crazy about him? And do you agree that Sam is so cool, asking about grandmas on the first date?

Disclaimer: It seemed blog-worthy at the time.

MILK vs. MILK vs. MILK vs. MILK

Saturday 15 September 2012Tuesday 4 December 2012 kristyalternative milks, cookies, hijinks, milk, roommates, taste test2 Comments

Last time I told you about why I love roommates in general. Today I’m here to write about one of the reasons I’ve loved living with my current roommates. Two words: taste tests.

It all started last October when Marika pointed out that we had a lot of hot sauces & offered to conduct a blind taste test. Anda, Tasha, & I tried five hot sauces without knowing what they were. And since this blog is my personal place for bragging about myself on the internet, I will humbly admit that not only did I correctly identify each of the hot sauces, I also correctly guessed how I’d rank them.

Last Fall, we also developed a love of break-and-bake cookies. I credit Penelope the pitbull who only ate raw chicken (three times a day) for introducing me to the joys of sort-of baking. See, when I moved to New York, we rented a lady’s furnished apartment for a one-month sublet, and even though she hadn’t advertised that she had a dog, the lady kindly left her pitbull behind for us to take care of. Before sharing a one-bedroom apartment for a month with two friends and a pitbull I was fairly sure wanted to eat me, I’d never even thought about break-and-bake cookies. Overnight, my life philosophy became ‘Have a bad day? Pick up a pack of break-and-bakes! Feeling good about the state of the world? Pick up a pack of break-and-bakes! Watching Mad Men tonight? Pick up a pack of break-and-bakes! See a pack of break-and-bakes? Pick up! That pack! Of break-and-bakes!’ Soon our apartment was break-and-bake central. What did Penelope the pit have to do with this? I don’t know. Just go with it.

Anyway, when I saw the world’s cutest cookie taste test on natthefatrat, I felt moved to do our own *break-and-bake* cookie taste test.

lazycookielovers_tastetest — Not nearly as cute but very tasty!

In case you are curious, the cookies were ranked as follows:

Continue reading “MILK vs. MILK vs. MILK vs. MILK” →