You'll never see them again
There are certain restaurants and hoods in Manhattan that can remind you of a bad date or old flame and there’s that certain concern that you might run into them again, since you may still frequent the same places or have the same subway route, etc. Well, let me put your mind at ease, you will never see them again! Yet, you’ll still run into old school chums on the subway and every day friends, it’s one of the miracle’s that is New York City!

I was speaking with a girl friend of mine who says she is so surprised that she never runs into her ex, considering she has similar friends and goes to the same places, but two years later no run-in.

I’ve also had my fair share of dates, yet have never run into any of them again, phew. I’ve done the looking over the shoulder too. Meanwhile last week I unintentionally ran into my friend Stacy on 50th Street and a girl I had went to college with on the E train. How is this possible? I don’t know but so far it has rung true.

Link: Spank the Monkey I can do 327 mph! lol.

PS: My Film School Rejects DVD reviews are now getting picked up by Blog Critics. My latest are on the films Prime and North Country

Keep your mitts on
New Yorkers have to continually maneuver around some icky situations in the city, from dog poop left on the street, throw up outside bars, pee puddles in the subway stations, never mind the general germs from the millions of people that pass on a daily basis. I carry anti-bacterial gel in my purse to use after hanging onto the poles on the subway trains during my commute. I often leave my gloves on to avoid the sharing of germs, but then my nice gloves get just as icky. I'm far from being a germ-a-phobe but it just makes sense to be a bit cautious as to what you touch while on public transit.

I'm obviously not the only commuter to be concerned, just last week City Mitts debuted, the "germ-free solution to city and subway grime." Granted you can wear any gloves during your ride to protect from touching germs directly, but the nice thing about these is that they have grips on them to avoid slipping and falling on riders around you and they are also light weight and thin for warmer weather use.

They come in black and silver or black and pink and are made from a new antimicrobial microfiber, embedded with silver ions, inside and out, which prevent growth of bacteria. I first saw the gloves at the Shecky's event last week and have since spoken with the Founder, Emily Beck.

She said, "I was always that person on the subway trying to balance themselves on one finger so I wouldn't have to grab the slimy pole. City Mitts kills germs inside and out, looks cool and sleek, and gives you one less thing to worry about--just grab the pole!"

Still not sold on the idea? The New York Daily News found on the subways: Feces and skin infection at the Penn Station ticket machines, e.coli on the R train, urinary infection on the C train, diarrhea on the 7 train and influenza & cold virus on the #4 train. ewww!

Besides City Mitts there is also the TranStrap, which could be used as a more of a manly alternative to protecting against germs while on public transportation.

DVD Review: Yours, Mine and Ours

Seems Like Old Times
My college friend Jacquie is in from Boston and staying with me this weekend. She had business in the city on Thursday and extended her trip so she can hang a bit in the city.

When taking a taxi to my office, she hailed the same driver that she had from the day before and he remembered her and where he dropped her off even. In all my years here I can't recall ever riding in the same taxi, what are the chances even?

We spent the very warm Saturday in Central Park without jackets trying to find the Bethesda Fountain. Eventually we did after going from the east side to the west side and then having to phone a friend to look up the exact location on the Internet. Here's a photo of Jacquie before the fountain and one of me in it (it's empty this time of year).


That night we headed to Canal Room to see Debbie Gibson perform at their I Want My 80s Party. She started off with a bunch of jazzy Broadway hits, which we actually enjoyed a lot, especially the Cabaret song "Maybe this Time." Then she moved onto the pop stuff after a 10 min break. She looked great, very skinny, rocking different wigs & weaves for the different sets and full of energy. We were right next to the stage near a VIP seating area, which during intermission Olympic skater Sarah Hughes came in to sit down at with a group of other girls, apparently it was one of their birthday's. The crowd otherwise consisted of some sketchy people and some Gibson stalkers.


Guest Blogging: I took notes during my office's annual networking event and typed up a recap on their corporate blog, Toasting Digital Defrost: A New York State of Mind

NY News: Littlejohn's blood was found on plastic ties that bound Imette St. Guillen I say we cut off his "little John." The graduate student's murder was horrible and has many of my friends in the city concerned. My mother called me to remind me to not walk home by myself late at night and Jacquie said she was nervous about it this weekend while visiting too.

Shopping at Sheckys Girls Night
Two of my girlfriends and I went to Shecky's Girl's Night last evening at the Puck Building (the same building they use to house Grace's office in Will & Grace). It's this big shopping event where jewelry, handbag and clothing designers/vendors come to display their wares, plus free cocktails and a goody bag when you leave. We had to pay $30 in advance, otherwise it's $45 at the door.

As soon as I walked in, the first booth that I stopped at, I bought something. I have no willpower! It's a beautiful necklace with a gold plated leaf and pink stone that hangs low on my chest and only cost $25. The rest of the night everyone kept complimenting me on it, so I guess I made the right choice. It was designed by Jennifer Young, whose website is unfortunately not up yet, but I'll post it when it is. My friend K bought a really cute handcuff charm and Angela got a nice green purse to use as a portfolio holder for her head shots. All three of bought these $3 no slide slim headbands from Scuni, because apparently headbands are coming back. The ones we got have little rhinestones on them too.

After those purchases we signed up for raffles, got some free samples, sipped from little bottles of Virgin vines (The Shiraz wasn't bad at all) and rummaged through our goodie bags, which included a full bottle of Skin Milk face scrub, which is really light and moisturizes. I'm going to buy their regular hand lotion as well, I had tried it on there and it was very smooth and had a fresh scent.

Just when I thought I had made it clear with just those two purchases, I also snagged a black long sleeved shirt from Candid Couture that has a pink heart and says "If you break it, you buy it." ($15)

News: A friend of mine from J-School, Dana Lerner, wrote about Sheckys Girls Night back in November, to read it check out Fashionistas Flock to Shecky's Girls Night Out

The Superstar Pastry Princess
I wrote the following article for my food writing master's class last year at NYU and am honored to say the pastry chef that I profiled is also my friend. She has asked me though to not to use last names or restaurant names on my blog though, because she says the business is cut throat and the head chef just fired someone for speaking to a local paper without permission, and especially since, and I quote her "your blog gets more hits than a French whore *grin*." Bon appetite!

By Tara Renee Settembre

When you are the pastry chef at a five star restaurant in Maine, which is frequented by elite guests such as the Bushes, the pressure is on. There is even more to prove when you are the only female cook in that kitchen too. But when the Boston Globe reviewed the establishment last summer and found the cuisine just average, except for the pastries and desserts that is, which were rated as excellent, well then victory is sweet, literally.

While the other chefs read the review out loud to a chorus of groans, the six foot, 26-year-old, Jeanie, who trained at the Baltimore International Culinary, finally felt vindicated after years of harassment and abuse in the male dominated kitchens.

“I felt sort of like the evil step child when the review came in. It separated me from my team a.k.a. the guys in the kitchen. I was back to being the pastry princess and not one of them anymore. So in that aspect it sucked. However, behind closed doors I was doing some serious praising of myself for coming so far and not getting slammed. It was a sense of real accomplishment,” admits Jeanie.

On her initial interview at the restaurant, the chef told her she had three strikes against her. “He said, ‘You are a woman, an American, and on top of that a New Yorker,’ not something they liked, but then he opened the door and introduced me to the rest of the staff,” says Jeanie with a laugh of recollection about her 12 hour interview, where she joined the cooking team for a day and had to come up with new recipes on the spot based on different regions of the globe. (read more)