#best restaurant gift cards nyc

[unionsquarehg]

Benefits of Choosing Private Dining for Your Next Event

New York City – The dining-out culture remains unfazed, thanks to private dining restaurants that create safe avenues for eating outdoors. As the hospitality industry slowly regains its footing, patrons are coming back to their favorite spaces, eager to reconnect with their family and friends. Regular dining is now widely accepted, with restaurants offering more safety precautions when it comes to serving and setup. Experts, however, still recommend a more exclusive dining option for safer celebrations, which makes private event restaurants in NYC more in demand.

In contrast to casually reserving a table, private dining in New York requires more planning and is more expensive. However, its benefits outweigh the costs.

Versatile rooms, a variety of functions

Private event restaurants in NYC have special bookable spaces that allow guests to dine in exclusivity, whether they are a small group of people, or a grand crowd of family and friends, coming in to celebrate a special occasion. Union Square Café, for example, has private and semi-private spaces that could accommodate their patron’s needs—from a classy, semi-private Alcove that seats 10 people, to Park & Irving, which offers seating for at least 30 guests, with a cocktail bar nearby.

Everything is set up for you

While self-hosted parties would require much time and trouble in putting up the decorations, the same cannot be said with private dining in New York. Guests can easily walk into the elegantly dressed rooms designed to impress. With interiors that reflect the restaurant’s brand—rustic spaces with big wooden beams that add a sense of nostalgia to the setting; old-world glamor that stars glittering chandeliers and cozy chairs; or al fresco dining that takes inspiration from the lush botany that surrounds it—patrons can comfortably settle down in their seats without any trouble in sprucing up the space. There's little need to decorate these elegant event spaces, but you have the option to personalize the room by emphasizing colors and adding centerpieces of your choice. Talk to the restaurant about personalizing the room to match a certain theme.

Customized menu

There is the joy of coming back to a restaurant for their favorite menu. And then, there’s a whole new level of delight when it comes to having the ability to customize it. Hosts can have their input in their exclusive dinners, whether it’s switching up the entrée, adding a few more courses, and picking the grand finale: the dessert. A professional dining team can assist them in their decision, most especially when picking ingredients, pairing wines, and ensuring that meals can match the guest’s dietary needs.

Most private dining restaurants in New York have tasting sessions for patrons to select their menu.

Top-notch service

Other than exclusivity, what makes private dining events in New York more special are the staff. With a diligent, knowledgeable team handling all the work, hosts can ease their minds from the worries of setting up the space, catering, and service. The staff is also significant to making the event run smoothly. It’s their attentiveness to everyone’s needs—from refilling the glasses, clearing up spaces, assisting with the audio-visual components, and much more—that create a delightful overall experience that will make guests want to return and experience their cordial treatment.

It is important, therefore, that the dining team is composed of skilled, well-trained, and dedicated employees who carry out their work with exceptional grace. To find out whether a private dining restaurant is composed of such people, seek customer reviews. The experiences of former and present patrons can attest to the service a particular dining team can provide.

Create better memories

With concerns about decorations and food out of the way, private dining guests can focus on the one thing that matters: their company. Important milestones such as birthdays and anniversaries can be celebrated with ease. Engagements and wedding receptions are delightfully pleasing with glamorous décor and an outstanding menu. Corporate events run smoothly with the help of the staff standing by, and smaller crowds experience dining on a whole new level.

With the help of private event restaurants in New York, patrons can experience the sheer delight of being looked after, with exceptional food served in tastefully exclusive rooms.

How to start looking for private dining in New York?

Begin with trusted recommendations. Ask friends and family for private event restaurants in New York, or head to Google for nearby suggestions. Guests can also try redeeming the best restaurant gift cards in NYC. This way, one can have a feel of the place, the taste of the menu, and the experience of the restaurant’s service. With the many exceptional event spaces in New York, that perfect private dining experience isn’t far out of reach. 

Emphasizing New American cuisine with hints of Italian influences, Union Square Café is the brainchild of renowned restaurateur Danny Meyer, lodged in the heart of Manhattan. A James Beard-awarded restaurant and a New York favorite—as proven by Zagat Survey across its many editions—Union Square Café has its doors open for casual dine-ins, as well as private dining experiences for those with extraordinary tastes.

Originally published at - https://ext-6178389.livejournal.com/885.html

[this-brownie]

04.20.24

A reflection of Jenifer’s past birthdays

2016- After college (when all my friends graduated anyway) and after I had come back from Boston, I felt like I had a new lease on life and wanted to celebrate everything. I don’t think I ever got a chance to celebrate Jenifer’s birthday during high school because it was in the summer and her parents were too strict about letting her leave the house. Once I called and her dad picked up and said she couldn’t come to the phone (he probably just didn’t want anyone distracting Jenifer from her studies) and I got too nervous to tell him “ok, wish her a happy birthday from me.” Jenifer said her parents never acknowledged her birthday. After graduating she had a little bit of freedom so I wanted to make her day special. I researched nice restaurants that had beautiful views, great food but weren’t too expensive. I wanted all her friends to be there but some didn’t live in the city, and some people I didn’t know, so I ended up gathering mostly our mutual friends. I reached out to them to plan it which day and time works for everyone. Jenifer and I went shopping and I wanted us to match- I persuaded her to get a wife dress with red roses on it, which would go along with my white crop top designed with red roses. We then went to the salon near her house to get our nails done. The day of the party was a lot of fun. I made a reservation for 12 at The Penthouse, a rooftop in LIC that had a view of the NYC skyline and queensboro bridge. I invited Nadiya, Naomi, Pear, her bf at the time Mo, Rajiq, and her friend Sam (?). All the girls went out to take photos after we ordered our food. I was upset that I didn’t get such a nice photo with Jenifer but she didn’t have the patience to take any more because it was hot and our makeup was sweating off. All the food we got was really good especially my dish- it was a small portion of French toast but I was so excited about this group hangout that I didn’t mind giving everyone a bite of my food and inadvertently leaving two bites left for myself. I remember the server was taking too long to bring our bill so I flagged her down, when I walked back to our table I noticed everyone was staring at me. When I asked them why, Jenifer said you walk so professional, you look more like the host than she does. I had gotten Jenifer a cute birthday card with a sun on (bc she’s sunshine) and made sure everyone signed it. I was so upset at myself after because Mo had gotten her a stethoscope as a gift which was delivered to my house but in my confusion I forgot to bring it to the party.

After that Naomi had to leave because she had another engagement. The rest of us took a cab to Steinway to this spot that sold churro ice creams, and I think the 7 of us honestly just shared one lol. Nadiya left after that, and we found a hookah bar nearby to lounge some more. A few of got drinks- I remember I ordered this blue kamikaze and it got me drunk. Thankfully I didn’t feel sick from the smoking. Eventually pear and Mo had to go. I thought the rest of us would also leave but Jenifer wanted to keep the party going. We ended up going to ktown for bbq. It was me, her, Rajiq and her friend. When the host seated us I secretly told her it was Jenifer’s birthday. So when the server came in with some freebies and wished her a happy birthday, Jenifer was pleasantly surprised and asked how she knew. The server made eye contact with me and I nodded no; she cleverly responded “oh, you have a glow on your face!” on the spot. The food was sooo good, and so filling. We could barely move by the end of it. It was an expensive day but so worth it and the fact that Jenifer didn’t have to bail early was the best part. It felt both like an adventure and an accomplishment. Succeeding in gathering the group for a cute celebration, and then continuing on spontaneously. What normal people do when they don’t have crazy restrictions from their parents. I don’t remember how we got home I guess we took the train back. Writing it out now, it doesn’t seem like I put in SO much effort but maybe I was just less organized back then so it felt like a lot of work putting it all together. It hurt when Jenifer posted a single photo of herself of the night and captioned it as “thank you everyone” without personalizing it to me. Like my effort went unnoticed and unappreciated.

The next year I skipped the stress of organizing a large hangout, and decided to have an intimate experience with just us. I didn’t want to just go to some restaurant bc that wasn’t special enough. I chose a cute but not expensive place for high tea- neither of us have been and we had always wanted to go. We couldn’t just show up of course, we had to dress the part. I searched through many stores and finally found a pair of cute dresses for us at Top Shop. A pink wrap dress for me and a blue one for her. She paired that with white stockings and brown flats, she looked sooo cute like Alice in wonderland. The restaurant itself looked casual which I didn’t like but our food was yummy. The first tier was savory tea sandwiches, then warm scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream, and finally some mini sweets. I think our conversation went fine, we were both excited trying high tea for the first time. I was annoyed that we didn’t get cute photos after. The restaurant didn’t make for a nice background, and we asked a few strangers outside to snap photos of us but none spent enough time getting the perfect shot.

The year after that Jenifer got me a couple gifts for my birthday- a sweater and a book of rupi kaur’s poems. She said she wanted to get me something to “beautify my body, mind and… and something else bc it felt incomplete” but she wasn’t sure. I actually really liked that idea so I emulated it (and made it better for her birthday). This was when she got super busy with med school so she couldn’t visit in her birthday. I saw her a couple months later to give her the gifts I got for her. I found this book online—I can’t remember for the life of me what it was about or what it was called, but I vaguely recall it being filled with beautiful women from around the world. I only buy myself things out of necessity but that was one thing I reallyyyy wanted. Anyway. That book was to beautify her mind. I also got her a bath bomb from Lush that she said she loved, especially because she always wanted one but couldn’t justify the splurge. Funny that we’re willing to splurge on things for others and not ourselves. This gift was to beautify her body. The last gift, I figured out, had to beautify her soul— I found this really cool painting set (don’t rmmbr the image) that was numbered so the person just has to fill it in with the corresponding colors to create a masterpiece. Jenifer was really into painting at that time and I felt proud that these gifts were specially chosen for her. She ended up losing to book at her ex’s place (he refused to return it to her after they broke up), and she never finished the painting.

The year after that I remember I was sick of doing nice things for her birthday and feeling like she didn’t put in as much effort for mine. It was either not seeing me on my birthday, planning anything nice, or giving me gifts that I felt were subpar. So I went very low effort this year. I collected various mini gifts, most of which I can’t remember, which included a mini cactus (since she was staring to get into plants), a beauty brush with a beautiful mermaid holder, and some makeup or jewelry I think. I picked up a cake from Martha’s, the berry Napoleon, her favorite, and made my way over to the Bronx where she was staying with her bf at the time Mo. I also met Vanessa for the first time that day; I really liked her and thought she was sweet and bubbly.

Then covid hit and I was away for months. After I got back I was super excited to find opportunity celebrating everyone. I had gotten used to cooking and making things from scratch so I wanted to create a super cute high tea party for Jenifer. I got to work creating a menu, thinking about how I wanted to design the table, and all the things I needed to buy to execute the idea. I wrote out a grocery list and the steps and timing needed for everything (which I dropped at Key Food but thankfully was able to recover). For the savory tier, I made four kinds of tea sandwiches- pesto chicken and tomato on white bread, cut into squares; turkey, apple and Swiss cheese on rye bread, cut into rectangles: sliced cucumber and smoked salmon with cream cheese cut into circles; and butter chicken cut into triangles. I made two types of scones, a savory cheese and a sweet blueberry, which I argued either store bought clotted cream, strawberry and apricot jam. The scones were sooo delicious despite being underbaked by a minute. I had ended up cutting my finger extremely badly (I even cut through nail) and this slowed down my work tremendously. Jenifer was getting hangry at that point and she said I was out of time, she was coming home. I also made a mini ‘quiche’ that were phyllo cups filled with mushroom and egg, topped with shredded cheese. They were so good omg. For the last tier, I made chai flavored macarons which I colored baby blue; I made them the night before to let the thing meld overnight. I took some premade Madelines and jazzed them up. I glazed some with orange zest and juice, and others I piped on cookie butter and sprinkled with blue sugar to make it pretty. I also cubed up some pound cake, topped with sweet whipped cream and either a raspberry, sliced strawberry or blackberry. So pretty. For drinks, I served regular black tea in a plain, white teapot I found at Bed Bath. I wanted something cuter, but nothing was available. It still matched the overall aesthetic tho. I put the cream in a cute, clear glass bottle I found, and the sugar went in a decorative small, blue and white pot Levi got for me from Amsterdam. I readied some welcome drinks for us, using this “Tiffany Blue” lemonade recipe that I had saved for literal years. It was a mixture of blue curaçao, lemon juice, sugar and bubbly. We cheers’ed our glasses in Jenifer’s honor. I decorated the rest of the table with baby blue tea lights, white rose candles, gold stars and pink roses. I also printed out a page with a beautiful photo of her face and wrote happy birthday. I was so proud of myself, with how everything looked, and the fact that I accomplished everything I set out to do. I told Jenifer and Vanessa I had made everything from scratch, and Jenifer pointed to the Madelines and said, “even those?” Levi laughed and said wow, you pinpointed the only thing she didn’t make. That comment annoyed the bell out of me but I didn’t dwell, in that moment anyway. Later Vanessa’s boyfriend Evan came over and when we offered him food he said he was too full to eat. He ended up having a bite anyway and said “oh…if it’s gonna taste like that, I don’t mind” heart eyes, I feel appreciated, thank you Evan. I spent about two days trying to execute that high tea… Jenifer didn’t rave about it. She didn’t post about it either because it didn’t fit her aesthetic.

Side note, everyone pissed me off that year because I went out for everyone and no one did shit for me.

In February I got Pear $100 worth of balloons pink balloons, matching cute pink and gold paper plates and cups, flowers and a $200 spa gift card, along with a necklace I had gotten her from Istanbul.

In April I went invited fimo over for her birthday and also fariha and Amin since she didn’t have a lot of friends then. I decorated the basement with streamers, balloons, a happy birthday banner, a “lil ho” balloon sign, and flowers. She said she never really had brunch so I prepared an elaborate menu. I served mini bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese, along with cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, cucumbers and avocado. I made a overnight baked French toast topped with sweet cinnamon crumbs; spinach and wheeze egg frittata garnished with tomatoes and greens; flank steak with a pesto sauce; and mini hashbrown style potatoes. For sweets I served Madelines, cinnamon buns, croissants, and fruits like blueberries, green grapes, strawberries, and mangoes. I also had a bottle of champagne, a rosé, hot coffee and orange juice.

For Amin’s birthday, o took him skydiving- an activity that was on his bucket list for a long time. I paid for our round trip bus tickets and the Uber that took us to the spot.

For my birthday that year, everyone forgot to even wish me lol.

In 2021, I went to Philly for the weekend and got Jenifer a box of macarons for her birthday, because I later paid $300 for her tattoo. On paper the weekend was great because we did a lot of stuff, got dressed up, and ate a ton of good food. I took the bus there after work and Jenifer was feeling extra enthusiastic because she had either just broken up with, or was deciding to break up with, her Turkish boyfriend Samer and wanted to celebrate hard. She suggested we go to Morimoto, a high end Japanese place, and when I told her that it was a bit out of my budget, she said she’d cover the bill. We put on makeup, and got dressed in matching silk tops-mine silver, hers navy- paired with black miniskirts and black heels. We both looked beautiful. Once we got there we had a drink each and ordered a lot of food—some beef that we grilled ourselves, lamb chops, sea bass and a cheesecake for dessert. Everything was really yummy! She got pretty tipsy with the one drink but was in a good mood having fun. When the bill came it was really high and I could tell it was too much for her so I said we can split it. I had fun anyway.

We made our way home and did our skincare and played with her cat miso. I can’t remember what we talked about. I’m sure some of it was Samer, but it didn’t drag on. We talked about other, more positive things. The next morning we got dressed and went for a walk. We matched again- I wore a white halter top which she helped me tuck into a Hunter green pencil skirt. She didn’t mind going in underneath to adjust my top and underwear. She wore a black tank top with a white tennis skirt. We went to this place for breakfast where she started thinking about Samer again and crying. I partly felt bad but also annoyed because I had hoped my arrival would have meant we could escape thinking about him. One of the employees saw her and sent a thing of berries with a note saying “better days are coming” which was super sweet and cheered her up a little. We then walked near the water and lounged on the grass and took pics. I was feeling a little checked out from all the Samer talk but still feeling okay. We came back home and Jenifer wanted to go ice skating- I think to distract herself. I wasn’t super into it but I said I’d go if she wanted. Then she decided she wanted to smoke a bit of weed which was a bad idea because then her feelings really came crashing down. She asked over and over why Samer mistreated her, why he didn’t make her feel special on her birthday, why he didn’t return her calls, why didn’t he love her the way she deserved even though she gave him so much energy and effort. I told her he was immature and an asshole and didn’t value what he had. But it didn’t matter. Jenifer was broken—not matching into a residency program, not being able to rely on her parents for emotional support, not having close friends around her. She felt so alone all the time that she couldn’t bear the thought of her relationship not working out either. I sympathized with her, but I also felt dragged down from having the same repeated conversations. She wasn’t ready to listen, or wasn’t capable, because she needed to hold onto something. Facing the truth meant she’d be alone again. Samer was one of many failed relationships and I’ll admit I got tired of hearing about them. Maybe because I wanted to feel equal in our best-friendship and when she lamented about her partner it made me uncomfortable sharing happy things about my own. This slowly chipped away at how openly I could talk with her, to the point where every time she talked about Samer I stopped feeling empathetic and just felt angry at her being selfish even if it wasn’t her intention. After she cried it out, she felt like she didn’t want to waste the night so we went out to eat at an Asian restaurant in Chinatown where we got skewers and sushi. We wore black tank tops with plaid miniskirts. We later got dessert, I remember having a mango pancake filled with whipped cream which was light and delicious. Eventually I went home, feeling despaired and unfulfilled that our rare best friend weekend was tinged with such sadness. That we missed an opportunity to connect to each other. I posted photos of us in honor of her birthday with a cryptic caption—to even happier days.

In March 2022, when she amazingly matched into Brown for her anesthesia residency, I tried to celebrate the accomplishment by getting cake and drawing a white coat on it. I also got her flowers, soju and candles— all matched to a light blue color theme. The year before when she graduated from med school I bought a cake to her while she was at her parents house since they rarely celebrate occasions.

In 2022, I was away traveling during her birthday so I only saw her in September. I collected a bunch of gifts from around the world like gold rings from Italy, crystals from France and perfumes from Egypt. I went to visit her in Rhode Island and she couldn’t even let me stay over, I think because her mom ended up visiting. I spent the night camping with IV. It was one of the worst nights bc I slept poorly, and there were bugs and I hate the fucking outdoors. We met her boyfriend Tanner who was a bit reserved at the time bc he was feeling awkward. We went to the supermarket to get some food- this is when Jenifer borrows a belt that I got from Paris (which she has not returned to this day). We had a picnic by the water which was really nice. It was a sunny day and the water was gorgeous. We stayed a few hours before making the drive back home. It was a little frustrating because I got the least about of time with the person I’m supposed to spend the most time with.

This past year I spent a lot of time away, like half the year actually. I saw Jenifer in august right before I left to Israel for four months. IV drove to providence where we spent most of the morning circling around bc Jenifer either doesn’t care or doesn’t plan her time properly. She was two hours late to the hotpot restaurant we eventually met up at. I don’t even like hot pot. She showed up with Tanner, which I know was bc of logistics but still meant we didn’t have quality time with each other. I gave her all the gifts I’d been storing for her throughout the year—some chips and noodles from hmart, Bengali chips, chocolate, earrings, a handheld mirror from Bangladesh, along with a wooden picture of me and her, three seashells from cox bazar beach, a little light, Tomorrowland notebook, a tight nude colored dress, a sexy brown crop top from Sydney, a cool shaped vase that I painted pink with strawberries, a belt from Paris (which I wanted to exchange with the Paris belt she ‘borrowed’ and supposedly lost), some nail gems, tea and face masques.

Tanner said shit how do I top that? I appreciated him saying that. She paid for dinner.

[thisislizheather]

March Magic 2023

Above Photo: Nothing better than this view

I do a million things the month of my birthday and I never regret it. Some people roll their eyes at the phrase “birthday week” or “birthday month” but those people tend to be supremely unhappy and I express my sympathy towards them. Here’s what happened in the birthday month!

The best tweets of the month can be found over here.

I recapped how I did with my winter list of things to do.

I made my new seasonal spring list of things I’d like to do.

Loving the new tomato leaf candle from Trader Joe’s as well as the great new sweet carrot cake from Bath & Body Works.

Above Photo: Tomato leaf candle from Trader Joe’s, March 2023

Above Photo: Sweet carrot cake candle from Bath & Body Works, March 2023

Ice skating in March with friends? Always a good idea.

Above Photo: 75% of us bought skates for this hahahah, it’s called FRIENDSHIP

You know the food blog Grandbaby Cakes? She just put out a new cookbook and the two main things I want to make from it? The salted butterscotch apple whiskey snacking cake as well as the chocolate pecan pie shortbread bars. 

If you have a NYC/Queens/Brooklyn library card, are you aware that you can get free tickets to museums all over the city?

I have made this chicken marsala at least three times this month, it might be my favourite way to eat chicken.

Above Photo: Chicken marsala should legally be eaten once a week

I bought this Banana Republic Factory funnel-neck sweater in black as well as white because it legit makes me feel like I have a 401k.

I know zero about coffee, but I’ve done this heating-the-press up method a few times now when I make iced coffee and I think it might taste better when you do it?? Nathan claims there’s no difference, so I might just be argumentative?

In love with the tomato potato chips from Eataly.

Above Photo: Available at Eataly, NYC

Will I ever use this pasta mold from Zara Home - or will I watch it sit on a kitchen shelf each day for twenty years while I yearn to be the type of person who uses a pasta mold?

Love this short article: Want to Lead a Better Life? The Secret Is in the Cemetery.

I had brunch at Quality Eats and the short rib hash was great, but really just inspired me to make it at home.

Above Photo: Short rib hash, Quality Eats

In birthday discount news…

Are you aware that Target gives you a measly 5% off one item on your birthday?! It’s so insulting, I wish they’d just do away with it altogether, it’s pathetic. Why are brands becoming such ingrates when it comes to customer loyalty?

I went to Ulta for my free March birthday gift and they were “out of stock” at TWO locations. And nothing was offered in its place. SWEET.

Milk Bar is supposed to offer some kind of birthday something, but since their loyalty “program” is so new, none of the employees have been taught what the benefits of the program even are. WHAT IS HAPPENING?? (Sidenote: am I the only one who think their cookies suck?)

You know the bra store I love, Journelle? They got rid of their birthday month discount, too! So I guess all these companies have decided that our collective slow march towards death with include ZERO BIRTHDAY PERKS. Cool cool cool.

I tried the crab rangoon March special at Mimi Cheng’s and they were only all right, why is everything disappointing me lately? They weren’t terrible, just too cream-cheesy. While we’re on the topic, on what planet does crab need cheese to accompany it? Seems dumb.

Above Photo: March Special (crab rangoon dumplings), Mimi Cheng’s

I also tried this newish Croatian restaurant in Astoria, Selo, and it was absolutely nothing special. I may have to stop giving such credence to the critics at Eater.

My niece Layla got me an incredible birthday gift - a ticket to Tao of Glass, which the New York Times called “a fantastical and often moving tribute to the composer Philip Glass and the power of art to flow through our lives.” IT WAS SO GOOD. Philip Glass was even there on opening night, which was too exciting and I was floored by the whole evening. God, I love it when someone knows you so well and can arrange the most perfect gift.

Above Photo: March 2023

I bought new jeans after maybe a decade and I can’t be more in love with these ribcage straight ankle Levi’s I got.

Some things I’ve watched: 

Tusk: I absolutely hate when American directors talk about Canada in their films, it’s always embarrassing. And jesus, the dialogue in the scene with the girlfriend: has Kevin Smith ever spoke to a girlfriend before? Needless to say, I severely hated the entire movie. I hate torture stuff. Weird that even needs to be said because doesn’t everyone? Johnny Depp was terrible. One of the most originally awful movies I’ve ever seen.

Scream VI: THE WORST SCREAM OF THE ENTIRE SERIES. I vowed not to even see this because I remain #teamneve but Nathan insisted so I begrudgingly went. What a shit show. It was terrible. I’ll never go to another one again, which is a little sad but also fuck everyone involved who thought it was an acceptable idea to move forward without Neve Campbell.

Frantic: I didn’t even know it was a Polanski movie until the end since Harrison Ford was the main draw here. It’s actually a great idea for a movie, but it just trails off midway through so I can understand why no one talks about this movie.

Succession: So I’ve only seen the first few episodes and here’s the thing… it’s legitimately a bad show. The dialogue is so terribly written, I’m actually confused why people praise it so much. NOBODY CALLS THEIR SIBLING SIS. Words can’t express how much I hate the camera work. Shiv’s American accent is wildly bad. I know we’re all desperate for a good show to watch, but the lies need to stop. This is unwatchable.

I’m not sure that I can even speak about it, but I went to a private rehearsal of a play with Michael McKean and good god, I love that man. I met him afterward and he was so kind and lovely, it was unreal. I mean, it’s Mr. Green for god’s sake.

So in love with these new USPS railroad station stamps. I may or may not have made a list of where each station is incase I ever find myself in that city so I can see it in real life.

Above Photo: Can I meet and hug the person who came up with this stamp idea?

I’ve been looking for a real fur coat for a few years now and I finally found her at Exile Vintage in Toronto. It was such a steal because the inner lining was shred, but my mom sewed it all up and it’s absolutely perfect now. So excited to throw out my faux-fur teddy bear coat from Marshalls that every. single. woman. owns.

There was an insane sale at Steve Madden in Soho and I got these new wedge heels for $16. To be clear, that’s $8 PER SHOE.

Above Photo: But can they replace my Terminators? Time will tell.

I saw the new Broadway play Shucked and… yikes. Yes, it was corniness taken to a whole new level, but parts of it were okay. If you love Rodney Dangerfield jokes, then this production was made for you.

Above Photo: March 2023

I also saw Pictures From Home with Nathan Lane and it was slow at first, but really picked up and got good. Love that man.

Above Photo: March 2023

I made a tres leches cake and words cannot describe how heavenly it was. Even if you suffer from dairy issues, I’d recommend that you pound a few Lactaids and eat this immediately.

Above Photo: Tres leche cake

I finally had lunch at Wayan (Jean-Georges’ son’s place) and I can’t wait to return. Best dishes: the corn fritters, the spring rolls (maybe my favourite at any restaurant ever), the lamb kebabs and the chocolate chip cookie with cheddar ice cream. The crab fried rice (which I was most excited for) actually wasn’t anything that special, though.

I had my birthday dinner at The Grill in the Seagram Building (the office building from Scrooged) and it was so great, if not insanely priced. The pasta appetizer was the most incredible thing we ate - they used this crank-type machine table-side to make the broth for the pasta sauce out of MEAT BONES and I can’t stop thinking about it. The other highlight was the gluten-free zucchini cornbread, which was magical. The only downside? Do not get the crab cake - $50+ for the most underwhelming appetizer of your life.

Above Photo: Pasta appetizer, The Grill (a must order)

Above Photo: Vowing to wear more tulle on a daily basis

The Mets promotional giveaways were announced if you care!

Some spring recipes I’d love to make:

Lemony Green Pea Fritters with Cottage Cheese

Banana, Pecan, Coconut and Chocolate Chip Blondies

Cadbury Egg Blondies (I’ve never even made a blondie before, but the urge is strong this season)

Lemon Almond Pudding Cake (love a texturally weird cake)

Carrot Cake Ice Cream (no ice cream maker needed)

Spring Couscous Bowls with Lemon Feta Vinaigrette (I made this last year and it’s spring in a bowl)

Things I’m looking forward to: I visited the insanely gorgeous Kings Theatre in Brooklyn so I’ll do a post about it this week, finally trying the bone marrow gravy at Hawksmoor, I have to get my hands on the Easter Dove Milk Chocolate and Peanut Butter Eggs, I’m trying to get a last minute lottery to see the Phantom of the Opera in its final days, I will find all of the NYC cherry blossoms, seeing the rooftop exhibit when it opens at The Met on the 18th, and finally going on a tour of the old City Hall subway station (this has been a dream of mine for years).

If you’ve got any interest in reading last month’s roundup, you can see what went down in February over here.

Above Photo: Baby Dog witnesses snow, March 2023

[yrhuef]

Kite flying sorry I can’t I have plans with my kite shirt

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Kite flying sorry I can’t I have plans with my kite shirt

If you go straight from Kite flying sorry I can’t I have plans with my kite shirt just wear your work clothes so you don’t seem fussy. Otherwise, it depends on what you normally wear to work, and the venue. If you wear a suit and tie to work, but the party is at a casual bar or restaurant (a place where on a normal night people would wear jeans) then dress down and wear jeans and a sweater with clean sneakers or leather dress shoes. if you have a casual work place where you wear jeans or a work uniform and the party is at a nicer venue specifically for parties (like a banquet hall) or a nicer bar/restaurant then dress up and wear slacks, a sweater and dress shoes. If you are really really unsure, ask your colleagues what they are wearing. If everyone is unsure wear clean dark black jeans (these could look like dress pants in the dark) a sweater and dress shoes. This outfit would fit in anywhere. In NYC just wear all black and you’ll look chic and appropriate.

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Homepage: limotees    jeeppremium  telotee

Gearbloom is your one-stop online shop for printed t-shirts, hoodies, phone cases, stickers, posters, mugs, and more…High quality original T-shirts. Digital printing in the USA.

Worldwide shipping. No Minimums. 1000s of Unique Designs. Worldwide shipping. Fast Delivery. 100% Quality Guarantee. to cover all your needs.

By contacting directly with suppliers, we are dedicated to provide you with the latest fashion with fair price.We redefine trends, design excellence and bring exceptional quality to satisfy the needs of every aspiring fashionista.

WHAT IS OUR MISSION?

Gearbloom is established with a clear vision: to provide the very latest products with compelling designs, exceptional value and superb customer service for everyone.

We offer a select choice of millions of Unique Designs for T-shirts, Hoodies, Mugs, Posters and more to cover all your needs.

WHY SHOP WITH US?

Why do customers come to

Well we think there are a few reasons:

BEST PRICING

Fashion field involves the best minds to carefully craft the design. The t-shirt industry is a very competitive field and involves many risks. The cost per t-shirt varies proportionally to the total quantity of t-shirts. We are manufacturing exceptional-quality t-shirts at a very competitive price.

PRINT QUALITY DIFFERENCE

We use only the best DTG printers available to produce the finest-quality images possible that won’t wash out of the shirts.

DELIVERY IS VERY FAST

Estimated shipping times:

United States : 1-5 business days

Canada : 3-7 business days

International : from 1-2 weeks depending on proximity to Detroit, MI.

CUSTOM AND PERSONALIZED ORDERS

Custom orders are always welcome. We can customize all of our designs to your needs! Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

PAYMENT DO WE ACCEPT?

We currently accept the following forms of payment:

Credit Or Debit Cards: We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Diners Club, JCB, Union Pay and Apple Pay from customers worldwide.

PayPal: PayPal allows members to have a personal account linked to any bank account or credit card for easy payment at checkout.

[ezcater]

Give Thanks to Your Team with Thanksgiving-Inspired Catering

Working during the holiday season can be incredibly hectic, but the payoff always feels worth it in the end. Who says you can’t have fun while continuing to meet company goals? One way to keep your team engaged while celebrating the season is through corporate catering. Why not plan a Thanksgiving celebration at the office? Whether you’re searching for Portland catering or planning a party in Cincinnati or elsewhere, here are a few ideas to keep in mind.

Throw a Thanksgiving Party Did someone say party? There is no one-size-fits-all formula for the best office Thanksgiving party. Variables like team size, food preferences, company culture, and more will determine what makes your Thanksgiving Party a success. It could be anything from a casual, low-key get-together to unwinding with drinks at a local bar and grill or an elegant conference space with formal catering. Just be sure the food is good. Give Thanks to Your Team Your organization relies on your team’s hard work and diligent commitment. A Thanksgiving celebration should be about showing the team how much the organization values them. That should include a practical giving of thanks. A personal note of thanks, appreciation, and a gift can go a long way. That gift could be a surprise bonus, a gift card, or a present related to their hobby or interest. Cater a Thanksgiving Feast As important as giving thanks and showing appreciation is, when people think of Thanksgiving, food is always the first thing that comes to mind. That can set a high bar for Thanksgiving catering. Make a point to cater food that the team will love from a favorite local restaurant. Choose the Thanksgiving Food the Team Wants What kind of food should you order for the event? Choosing food your team members will be excited about should be the priority rather than standing on tradition. Ask them what kind of fare they’d like to have. If they’re looking forward to the nostalgic comfort of a classic Thanksgiving dinner, bring on the turkey and cranberry sauce! However, there’s nothing wrong with leaning into your team members’ favorite sandwich catering option if that’s what they’re craving. Organize Fun and Charitable Activities No party would be complete without a few activities, right? Treat your team members to activities they’re going to enjoy. That could be giving each other silly presents based on inside team jokes. It could be a team movie night with popcorn and hot cider. Since Thanksgiving is about recognizing what everyone’s thankful for and the appreciation of your fellow Americans, consider giving back. Provide an opportunity for your team to volunteer for a local charity, fundraise for a good cause, or organize an in-office canned food drive. About ezCater Are you looking for the most delicious local food choices for your next team lunch or event? If so, ezCater is here to ensure your business has the food you ordered when you want it. Plus, they make ordering as easy as possible. For over 15 years, ezCater has helped companies nationwide feed their team. They have created a network of over 100,000 restaurants across the U.S., allowing you to cater events of any size confidently. Plus, ezCater delivers 24/7 customer service, makes special orders easy, and provides access to intuitive tools to track food spend easily. Whether you’re looking for the best Los Angeles, NYC, or Cincinnati catering options, ezCater has you covered. Choose the most effective catering platform in the country at https://www.ezcater.com/ Original Source: https://bit.ly/3A5cUod

[brooklynfamilydivorcelaw]

The Best Schools in Brooklyn, New York

Brooklyn, New York is an exciting place to live. It has great restaurants, many cultural attractions, and lots of history. Brooklyn is home to over 2 million people who live in more than 140 neighborhoods. But what about education? Is it possible for your child to get a world-class education in this great city?

Brooklyn New School

Brooklyn New School

Address: New York, NY 11231

Phone number: +1 718-923-4750

Grades served: 6-12; grades 9 and 10 are the only ones that have a mandatory uniform policy, so if your child is in either of those grades, be sure to ask about the school's dress code before enrollment!

Name of Principal/Headmaster: Ms. Cruze

Percentage of students who meet state testing standards for English Language Arts/Literacy and Math: 98% (academically gifted), 80% (gifted), or 60% (honors). The school sends out a report card every semester to parents which includes how their children performed on state exams. If your student was in one of these groups and didn't perform well on an exam, they will contact you immediately with ways they can help him/her perform better next time around! The teachers at Brooklyn New are very caring and want nothing more than for each student to succeed academically -- if someone needs extra help outside class hours or during lunchtime breaks then there will always be someone available who can provide support!"

Berkeley Carroll School

Berkeley Carroll School is a private school in Park Slope, Brooklyn. The school focuses on arts, science and technology education. Berkeley Carroll has a diverse student population that includes both boys and girls. Its impressive list of alumni includes actors Alec Baldwin and Jimmy Fallon as well as novelist Jonathan Safran Foer.

Berkeley Carroll School was founded in 1983 by the Society of Friends (Quakers) to serve students from kindergarten through eighth grade who live within its catchment area of southern Park Slope including parts of Flatbush Avenue, Prospect Heights and Crown Heights

Packer Collegiate Institute

Packer Collegiate Institute is a private New York City girls' school that offers grades 9-12. The school was founded in 1854, and boasts an excellent academic reputation, with only 20% of applicants accepted each year. Students come from all over the world and study in small classes taught by expert faculty members. Packer is located in Brooklyn Heights, one of the most desirable neighborhoods in NYC.

Midwood High School

If you're looking to go all the way, Midwood High School is the place to be. Since its inception in 1930, the school has produced some of New York City's most highly regarded scholars and artists—and even a few political leaders. With over 4,000 students, Midwood High School certainly has its share of great alumni; however, it also boasts top-notch facilities and an atmosphere that makes learning fun.

Brooklyn Technical High School

Brooklyn Technical High School is a public high school for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) located in Brooklyn, New York City. It was founded in 1853 as a technical school for boys.

Brooklyn Tech is housed in a 2-story building designed by C.B.J. Snyder in the neo-Gothic style that opened on October 20th, 1916 with 723 students; today it serves more than 5500 students from all five boroughs of New York City who are admitted through an entrance exam administered to seventh grade students each June.[1] It is one of three specialized high schools operated by the New York City Department of Education (DOE) serving grades 9 to 12 on its campus at 29 Fort Greene Place near DeKalb Avenue on the border between Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.[2]

These are the best schools in Brooklyn

It's no secret that New York City is home to some of the best private schools in the country, but did you know that Brooklyn has some of the best private schools in New York? With so many options to choose from, it can be hard knowing where to send your child. We've put together a list of the five best schools in Brooklyn that will help you decide which one is right for your child!

Saint Joe's Prep School

Saint Joe's Prep School is an all-boys Catholic high school founded by Italian immigrants over 100 years ago. A large portion of its students come from low-income families and underrepresented communities around New York City—including Bedford-Stuyvesant, Harlem and Brownsville—and receive need based financial aid from St. Joseph’s Foundation. The students at Saint Joe’s receive intensive college preparation through small class sizes with dedicated teachers who have years of experience working with at risk youth; they also participate in community service activities nearly every day after school hours through their social justice program called “Our Mission Is Justice."

The schools in Brooklyn are some of the best schools in New York, with many offering a great education and opportunities for students to grow. If you are looking for a school in this area, consider these options!

Brooklyn family and divorce lawyer at Gordon Law, P.C.

At Gordon Law, P.C., we are dedicated to helping you through the difficult process of divorce or family law. We have years of experience in family law and know how to navigate the legal system in your best interest. We provide a wide range of services, including:

Divorce - Divorce Lawyer Brooklyn will work with you to understand your goals for the divorce process and help you achieve them.

Family Law - Our Family lawyer Brooklyn will work with you to understand your goals for the family law process and help you achieve them.

Child Custody - Our Custody Lawyer Brooklyn will work with you to understand your goals for child custody and help you achieve them.

Contact us today for a consultation about your case!

Gordon Law, P.C. - Brooklyn Family and Divorce Lawyer 32 Court St #404, Brooklyn, NY 11201, United States 347-378-9090 https://www.nylawyersteam.com/family-law-attorney/locations/brooklyn

[sarahlynnirl]

Losing my best friend - Sugar Daddy culture is not empowering

I finally feel strong enough to talk about this and hopefully get some love, support, and reassurance from other women who agree that this is fucked up. I’ve never been “terfy on main” before so here goes. (TW child abuse + SA but no graphic descriptions of SA)

My mother is a narcissist who financially and emotionally abused my father and myself, with some additional physical abuse of me, for as long as I can remember. My dad made plenty of money but my mom controlled it all and made sure it didn’t go towards anything for me beyond the bare minimum required not to look obviously guilty of child abuse and neglect. I met Kiara (not her real name) when I was a junior in highschool and she was a freshman. Her mom was a single Korean woman doing her best to support Kiara and her 2 sisters while also running a Korean restaurant. My first jobs were a summer camp counselor and fitting room attendant at Forever 21. I would spend the last scraps of my paycheck making sure Kiara was able to order a full meal when our friends went out to dinner, buying her little gifts, and generally trying to keep us both as happy and healthy as possible.

When Kiara graduated highschool her mom drove her into Koreatown New Jersey, got her a room in the apartment of an acquaintance, and basically left her to fend for herself. Kiara spoke barely any Korean. She began working at a Korean salon where she met Ariana (not her real name). She had a NY cosmetology license, not an NJ one, while Ariana was an illegal immigrant from Korea so they were both overworked, underpaid, forced to work overtime, paid under minimum wage, and deprived of their tips. They couldn’t report or complain about this since they were both working illegally.

Kiara had to pay rent for the one room she occupied despite her land lady yelling at her, walking into her room while she slept, banning her from having friends over, and reporting to her mom if she spoke to a guy on the phone or a guy dropped her off. I was working at a restaurant in my college town on top of my classes and doing my best to keep surprising her with little gifts, but neither of us had enough disposable income to afford to visit each other. This was really difficult for me as she was my favorite person in the world and I was used to spending every second with her when we both lived in upstate NY. Ariana got them both to start using SeekingArrangement for one time meet ups with Sugar Daddies where they were paid anywhere from $200-2000 for sex. “The first time I ever did it I walked out of the hotel and just screamed because I was so disgusted and I was thinking about his wrinkly skin touching mine and all I wanted to do was get in the shower and scrub it off but I had $1000 cash in my hand for a couple hours of work which was so crazy and kinda made it all worth it ya know?” - Ariana to me

I was immediately skeptical and a little grossed out but Kiara genuinely seemed happier. She was buying new clothes for herself, ordering food to the apartment when she was hungry, and taking trips into NYC to have fun with Ariana and her friends. By the beginning of the summer of 2019, Kiara had found the Sugar Daddy who she would establish a long term agreement with and who ultimately ended up completely supporting her. I’m not going to say his name here but if people want to know it just ask, I am willing to share. He moved her into a much nicer much bigger apartment with Ariana as her roommate. He paid for me to fly up and visit her, and all of our activities during this vacation. I’m so sorry I’m so sorry I’m so sorry. I wish I shoved the money back in her hand before it was too late, I wish I worked harder and longer hours and got us an apartment in Florida and paid both of our rent. I’m so fucking sorry I didn’t listen to my instincts and allowed her to brush off my concerns. It was the most freedom we had ever had, I ran around NYC by myself while she was at work, and my ex took the bus to NJ from upstate NY and joined us for a few days. I feel so selfish but I also didn’t know how bad things would get.

One night Kiara and I went to NYC for dinner with her SD and she took the bus back to the apartment because she had to work early the next morning. It made sense for me to stay in the city because I was supposed to visit my friend at NYU the next morning. In the Uber to his apartment alone with him he was drunk and high and I very clearly looked scared shitless. At this point she was 19 (but she had looked that way since age 17 and I doubt he would have minded if she was lying about her age), I was 21 and he was 44. He seemed offended by my discomfort and was basically like “jeez relax I’m not gonna touch you, I really care about Kiara I think she’s so amazing, just go to the guest room and sleep, make a left to walk to NYU when you wake up.” I peaced the fuck out of there early the next morning.

After that summer Kiara and Ariana quit their jobs at the Korean salon and sugaring became their sole incomes. Ariana was still doing one time meet ups, not nearly as financially stable as Kiara, and got herself into a lot of credit card debt that to my knowledge she’s still in. At this point Kiara was flying down and staying with me in Florida so often that people at my college thought she went there too. I also wasn’t working at this point because college had gotten harder and my ex was fucking up my mental health real bad. He had given me a coke problem and Kiara sending me “grocery money” was enabling me to continue. I wasn’t honest with her about where all the money was going. During Halloween week we didn’t know that she couldn’t just snort molly (MDMA) with the frequency I was doing coke, she ODed, my guy best friend took us to the ER, it was so fucking scary, she got IV fluids for 2 hours and made a full recovery, she stopped doing molly, I kept doing coke. I’m so sorry :(

In November her SD paid for us to take a trip to Cancun Mexico. He was with us for the first part of the trip and this is where things started to get really bad. He tried to be my friend and act the way a boyfriend of my best friend who was my age would, but it was creepy and wrong and I was so uncomfortable. He asked about my drug use in a way that was gross and shamey and basically him seeing me as the “coke whore” stereotype...while continuing to buy me more coke. He also brought and gave us ecstasy pills. He asked really invasive questions about my relationship with my ex, why I stayed, my sex life, etc. It felt like an uncle asking me these questions, I did NOT wanna talk about any of this with him. But from what I did say it was very clear to someone with 44 years of life experience that I had an abusive mother, an addictive personality, and was in an unhealthy relationship. He offered to set me up with an SD friend of his looking for a sugar baby. I of course declined because I always knew this was a boundary I wasn’t willing to cross. No matter how bad my addictions got I would NOT give up that piece of myself in return for money.

In this part of Mexico, drugs that were only given with a prescription in the US were available over the counter. Kiara and I got a little box of 1mg Xanax with my money. My ex had given us Xanax a couple times in NY and we had fun with it, but at this point in time we did NOT have a problem with it. We had bought one bar, broken it in half, and each took half one night of Halloween week and called it “xanpires”, but this wasn’t something we were scripted or buying regularly from plugs. We went to dinner with her SD, we got up to go to the bathroom, and she immediately slipped and hit the ground. I was like woah did you take one of the xans and forget? Because we were supposed to tell each other if we were taking one so we could look out for each other. I was never mad at her! I never wanted money from her! I was just a little concerned, and once I determined that she was safe we thought it was kinda funny that she had taken a xan without realizing and started joking around about it. Her SD of course didn’t understand how a 19 year old and 21 year old girl joke with each other because he was a creepy old man, decided that we were “arguing”, and got up from the restaurant, walked across the street, bought a 90 count bottle of 2mg xans and gave it to me. This was honestly the most irresponsible way someone has ever treated me in my life, and this is coming from someone with an abusive and neglectful parent. Google “benzo withdrawal” if you’re not familiar with it.

We went to a different hotel, and Kiara and I both took xans and blacked out. I passed out on the guest bed, while Kiara was awake but in a conscious blackout. I woke up on the couch on the balcony (which was fine, it was comfy and I saw the sunrise over the beach. The gross part was that meant her SD had picked me up, put his hands on my body while I was unconscious and carried me out there). I remembered that at one point I had woken up, wanted to go to the bathroom or get something from inside, caught a glimpse of what I thought was them having sex, and went back outside. I mentioned it to Kiara and she had no memory of it whatsoever, she thought all she had done was gone to sleep. She was rightfully pissed the fuck off that her SD had taken advantage and done things with her while she was blacked, screamed at him, he gave us a half ass apology, and bought us more stuff (buying our silence). He finally flew home and we got to enjoy the trip with just each other, but I was careless with the dosage of a drug called tramadol, and I ODed with my head in her lap...I’m sorry. When I woke up I was hallucinating, hearing voices, crying hysterically and terrified. Kiara called my ex who asked how many mg I took, told us I was 100mg short of the amount that would require medical attention, made me laugh, and told me to go to sleep. I recognize how scary and unfair to her this was and I really do take responsibility for my actions. The day I was supposed to leave I did ecstasy, hooked up with a guy from Canada, and tried to skip my flight. She was mad because like yeah what the fuck. She got me on the flight, the ecstasy comedown hit, and there’s pictures of me crying in the airport because I hated when we fought.

I was supposed to stop in Miami, then fly back to my college town but while in Miami I texted my granny that I was “sad and really didn’t feel good and could she and my uncle visit me at the airport and bring my uncles dog?”. Her parenting instincts went off that something was very wrong, made me skip the flight, picked me up from the airport and took me to her house where I immediately threw up and ran an extremely high fever that night. She said it was one of the scariest nights of her life and she kept checking on me to see if I needed to go to the hospital. She drove me back to my college town where my guy best friend took me to the ER and it came out that Kiaras SD, in addition to giving me drugs, had also allowed me to drink Mexican tap water throughout the entire trip. I was treated for that + given chlamydia meds just in case since I’d had unprotected sex in a foreign country. I was fine, promised to do better, Kiara forgave me, things started to go back to normal. Except I had begun taking Xanax daily to deal with the anxiety of the illness...and she had a trip to Bali planned.

During that trip things managed to get even worse. She was there with her SD and another Korean friend and her SD was pressuring her and guilting her into sex, isolating her from her friend, going through her phone, and becoming extremely aggressive. She would call me crying and having panic attacks and I would walk out of class to try to comfort her over FaceTime. She did not have panic attacks before this trip. She begged to go home early because something was very wrong but he said it was a waste of money and kept her in Bali until the planned end of the trip. I think it was almost a month. She sent me a recording she secretly took of him screaming at her and her saying “don’t touch me, don’t grab me like that, leave me alone”. When she got back to the US I was begging her to stop. I was so worried for her safety. I said the money wasn’t worth it, we’ll get jobs, please just stop. I’m pretty sure he read those messages. We also had a suspicion that he had installed spyware on her phone but were never able to prove it. At this point I also reached out to my dad for help and his response was basically “I don’t care, not my problem, focus on school”. I reached out to my granny who absolutely cared, but her response was “I’m sorry but I can’t afford to support her, I have to focus on taking care of you, if she won’t stop this you’ll have to stop being friends with her”.

I went home to New York for winter break, suffered through my first round of Xanax withdrawal and was truly trying to get better but my ex manipulated his was back in my life and got me addicted again....but now this bottle of 90 had run out. I went back to my college town, got scripted, and was copping street bars when my script inevitably ran out early. What comes next is blurry for obvious reasons. We moved to the town in Florida my granny lived in and got an apartment together. The female friends she made in our town (my current home) she got most of them into sugaring and using SeekingArrangement. Things deteriorated super fast at this point. I was struggling hard, failing my online classes, and eventually got completely financially cut off by my parents. My granny was paying my half of the rent and my puppy’s vet bills but I was too embarrassed to admit I couldn’t afford groceries. Kiara was pressuring me hard to go on SeekingArrangement but I still refused. I would sit on the floor of the bathroom in a towel after I showered and just cry because the steam made me nauseous and dizzy since I wasn’t eating.

I met my current boyfriend and something just started to click: I didn’t wanna live like this anymore. The mom of a friend from this town who also refuses to sugar landed me an interview at the gym I currently work at, I fought for the job, and I got it. Now I knew I didn’t wanna be completely fucked up all the time anymore but I was still doing enough Xanax to keep me out of withdrawal. The 2mg that had blacked me out at the beginning were now just barely enough to keep me functional. Kiara and I were fighting frequently and bad by this time. She and her partner in sugaring, Mena (not her real name but pretty close to it, fuck this bitch fr) were expecting me to keep how they made their money a secret....from friends and guys that I saw every single day. They both very obviously did not work and were flexing new cars, designer clothes, and cash all over their social media. Kiara thought she could cover her ass by saying she dealt drugs but it was also obvious that she wasn’t putting the time into that to come up with the amount of money she had. The only one dealing drugs was me, and not enough to do anything flashy, just enough that in addition to my work money I was usually getting enough to eat. But there were still some times when the previous weeks paycheck had run out and I was having my first meal of the day at 3pm after someone had bought adderall from me. We had our serious serious fight where she threw my stuff in the lawn and I lived with my current boyfriend full time for about a couple weeks since my bedroom at my granny’s was getting refloored when this happened.

By January 20th he was concerned by my Xanax problem and wanted me to seriously try to stop. At the time I started tapering because I wanted the girlfriend title but I’m forever grateful for him giving me a reason, even if it was a shallow one, because I just needed to START. We tried to reconcile once, despite boyfriend and guy best friend begging me not to, and of course the same problems reappeared, we had another serious fight and haven’t spoken since.

Now the fog is clearing and today I’m 96 days clean of xanax, 16 days clean of all benzos, and 19 days clean of gabapentin (what was keeping me from having a seizure while quitting benzos). But it’s hard because being out of the fog means feeling all of my emotions, even the really bad ones. This past week I’ve been waking up and crying sitting in front of my mirror trying to put my makeup on for work and it just drips right off and I have to start over. She was my best friend for 8 years. My favorite person. My partner in life. I loved her more than anyone.

My boyfriend and guy best friend are pretty uncomfortable when they hear someone express an opinion of me that’s “Kiara’s side of the story” and I don’t correct it. Both of them saw exactly how bad it got near the very end and don’t get why I don’t defend myself more or tell people about her letting my dog eat dab (THC) wax while she was supposed to be watching her and having to be rushed to the animal hospital TWO separate times. (She’s a Pomeranian and the highly concentrated THC was super dangerous to her tiny little body). Yelling at me and giving me the silent treatment because less than 48 hours after my SA she expected me to drive her to a hair appointment in Miami and I woke up late and didn’t get her there on time with traffic. Me begging her to be there for me when it felt like everything was falling apart and I self harmed for the first time and her leaving me to go on a vacation to Orlando with a girl we didn’t even really like. Me not wanting to sleep in the apartment alone after my SA and her not letting me sleep in her bed anymore, her and Mena just dumping me at the neighbor’s so they could continue to sugar, party, and see guys our age at night (this sounds super awful but neighbors roommate —> current boyfriend. He kept me safe until I felt better, was really sweet and careful, and I was the one to make the first move). There’s more but I really don’t like talking about it, after the abuse she went through and I assume is still going through, I expect her to be pretty damaged and not have it in her to treat people right all the time. Not exposing every bad thing she’s ever done to all our mutual friends and acquaintances is kind of my last gift to her.

I also admit that sugaring wasn’t responsible for everything that went wrong. Loving an addict is difficult and exhausting and I went through it myself with my ex. I was also out bi and she was “probably straight, maybe a little bi-curious” in her words. But when she was drunk or on Xanax she’d kiss me first...we had done more than kiss but only during 3somes with a guy. I don’t know, I think I loved her more than I was supposed to and some of the stuff she’d say made me think she saw me in a way she really didn’t. When we first moved to this town I had a thing with a girl and expected it to be no big deal but things here were different than up north. I got called the d slur for the first time by someone who wasn’t joking. It was like getting slapped I was so shocked and hurt, I truly didn’t think that happened anymore. I think she saw what happened to me and kinda closed off that part of herself because she didn’t wanna experience that herself. She stopped making out with me at bars and parties after that and it made me sad and maybe a little jealous. But I really do blame her SD for basically “breaking her”, for handing me that first bottle of free Xanax, for a lot of other little things that I can’t possibly include because this is already way too long. This is my first time even saying this much. Feel free to add your own experiences or thoughts on this or anything you’d like. [I’m prepared to get death threats or called a SWERF or whatever but I don’t care, now that I started talking about this I’m not going to stop.]

[heatherjeff]

2020 Book List

It has been ages since I have written and, like everyone else, there seems to be a bit more unstructured time in my everyday life. It makes perfect sense the impetus for a return to blogging is books, reading is fundamental! 

My friend, KDaddy, annually shares the list of books he’s read. The first time I noticed his list I was thrilled, took notes, commented on how happy I was, and proceeded to read many of his recommendations. When it became clear 2020 was going to be a little different books became an even bigger part of my days as well as an escape from the grind of the news and the pandemic.

When KDaddy tagged me with his book list this year, it occurred to me I have a little platform where I can post my own year in review. Books are the best and reading has served me well my whole life, 2020 was no exception.

First, a few facts. This year I read 35 books, for comparison I read 24 in 2019. That makes me happy especially since there are not a million things about 2020 to invoke a sense of accomplishment. I have long kept a book journal since my title and author memory is similar to a sieve. At the start of the pandemic everyone in my house was gifted a kindle, I was not a fan of the plan, paper books are my love language. As this time has worn on, the kindle has proven to be a brilliant and magical purchase. Libby is a completely modern wonder and the next time I am in NYC I will, for sure, treat myself to a library card from that library system.

With no further ado let’s talk books.

Definitely Read:

The Nightingale: A Novel by Kristin Hannah

Two sisters reacted to the unfolding atrocities of WWII in very different ways. Both were fierce, suffered in ways unimaginable to most of us, and illustrated the many ways women are impacted by a war. Such a powerful read.

The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman

Great read based on a true story about a teenager who became pregnant. Her family forced her to give up her baby and it was placed in a mental institution for the sole reason the child was an “orphan”. Many more plot twists follow, this was a gem of a book.  

Women in Sunlight: A Novel by Frances Mayes

This book kicked off as total cliche and morphed into complete life goals. Three older women, all single for a variety of reasons, strike up a friendship and move to a Tuscan Villa. I want to be them someday in Italy living with the locals.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

YA This came highly recommended from my youngest. It opened his eyes to the world in a huge way and he was very committed to sharing this story with all of us. William is a complete force of nature and against (truly) all odds changes the trajectory or his family, his village, and his life with ingenuity and desire. Love this book so much.

Little Fire’s Everywhere: A Novel by Celeste Ng

Heard so much about this book and completely loved it all. So. Many. Plot. Twists.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

YA read from my kid, a MUST read. This book was chilling on a 1,000 different levels. Race, police profiling, education, culture- Nic Stone packed it all in and it opened my heart and sparked some good conversations in our home.

Girl, Woman, Other: A Novel by Bernardine Evaristo

This thoughtfully constructed book was a gift from another reader friend and is one of my favorite reads of the year. It shares multiple first person layered viewpoints from British women who span every part of society. Great read.

Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Let’s be clear, I love Ann Patchett. Love. Whenever she authors a new novel I am jazzed and the Dutch House is no exception. The house becomes an actual character in the story and has everything to do with the brokenness of family who moves into it.

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight

Unpopular opinion, I am not a fan of Nike. I am a tremendous fan of Phil Knight’s innovation and hustle. Phil is a visionary and expert storyteller.

The Tatowist of Auschwitz: A Novel by Heather Morris

The novel is based on interviews with Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew who used his position of relative privilege to positively impact the lives of as many fellow prisoners as possible. I had to read this book fast since it impacted my sleep, which it should. Incredible read.

American Dirt: A Novel by Jeanine Cummins

Ooofff, this book is hard to read. I started and stopped because I could not sleep and opted to read it during daylight hours only. It is seriously terrifying in a million ways. It is about a family who has to flee from Alcopulcio to the United States due to extreme violence from the local and very well connected drug cartel. This book is a testament to the grit of illegal immigrants and an eye opening read about the terror they face.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

True story of Bryan Stevenson’s quest to navigate the criminal justice system in the rural south where he aims to help the most disadvantaged in the system. Timely, eye opening, and full of action items we all need to help with for the betterment of our society.

City of Girls: A Novel by Elizabeth Gilbert

Books by Elizabeth Gilbert are some of my favorites and I was concerned when I started this book, it was a struggle. It came together and I ended up loving it. A story about NYC in the 1940’s centered around a girl/woman who is sent to live with her aunt at her playhouse full of showgirls. It was such an unrelatable read, it transported me to a time I have never really considered and it was a trip worth taking.

Totally Enjoyable:

True Colors by Kristen Hannah

Reads like YA fiction and I loved it. It’s about a ranch family, their horses, land, siblings, their live father and deceased mother. It is not deep and is a fun read.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

This book was intense, fun, & slightly scary. A “hen party” in a, literal glass house, becomes the scene of a murder.

The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin

This is a fun read about two best friends who become doctors together and then the plot thickens. Can’t say more, it is complicated.

Freud’s Mistress by Karen Mack

This was my last library loan before the pandemic. It is a fascinating read based loosely on the dynamics of Freud’s family, drugs, affairs that feel a bit like incest, a huge male ego, this should not sound familiar in any way!

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

YA, loaner from my kid (which came to my nightstand highly recommended). This is a sweet, sweet love story of two teenagers who have very different backgrounds and lots of big feelings. The whole book takes place over the course of one day.

It All Comes Back to You by Beth Duke

This was a surprise hit and it sucked me in. The story is about a nurse in a retirement community who befriends a resident who lived a big life.

The Queen’s Fortune: A Novel of Desiree, Napoleon, and the Dynasty That Outlasted the Empire by Allison Pataki

I admit, I am a fan of royalty, it is so intriguing and this book was completely spellbinding. The story is based on Napoleon's France and it was messy.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

NF This book is amazing. A poor black woman has cancer cells removed from her body, these rapidly reproducing cells become known as HeLa cells and change the trajectory of modern medicine. There are so many consequences from this seemiling small discovery and the impact to the medical world and to Henrietta’s family are far reaching.

The Woman in the Window: A Novel by A.J. Finn

Read this in one day at the beach, I was sucked into this story of Anna Fox and her salacious neighborhood drama.

The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin

I know I liked this book and made a note about the “pause” taken over the summer when the kids in the family basically ran wild. That’s all I’ve got.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

There was a ton of hype around this book and it is well deserved. Glennon tells it like it is and, like it or not, she has a lot of points that hit. I read this on my kindle and think I would have liked reading the physical book more.

This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

Short stories from Ann Patchett? Yes, 100% yes. The story of her relationship with Lucy, of Truth and Beauty: A Friendship, was wonderful as was the explanation of her book store in Nashville.

After You: A Novel (Me Before You Trilogy) by Jojo Moyes

I have zero idea that Me Before You was a trilogy! It is a total candy read, you are not going to learn much about your soul or the universe, but it is fun and better than TV. And yes, I will read the third book in the trilogy because candy is good! 

The Saturday Night Supper Club by Carla Laureano

Also a trilogy, another happy surprise. This book is fun, another candy read, and so appealing. When I was a kid I wanted to have a restaurant so this story made my heart happy. It is a bit too clean, a bit cliche, and an enjoyable read.

Daisy Jones & The Six: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This novel will transport you to a land of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. I read this was loosely based on the story of Fleetwood Mac, true or false, this book captures a moment in history and reads a lot like a play and is completely enjoyable.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

This is the book written before Little Fires Everywhere, similar deal-  family strife/mystery, kind of riveting with lots of twists. Solid read.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb

NF, look at a therapist who finds herself in need of therapy. It is kind of a russian doll type of read with layers, upon layers, hidden within each other.

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

YA, another loaner from my kid. Such a great book about a kid who wants to be a chef and express herself through her cooking. She is a teen mother living with her abuela, it is a heartwarming book and I love the main character’s spirit.

Sidenote: schools around here are closed for the duration yet students can reserve library books and go to the local library of your choice where their school librarians greet them, warmly, in the parking lot for a drive by pick-up. It is a wonderful and much appreciated service being offered to our kids.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

This book is ridiculous, it had a strong start, went sideways but was fun and overall enjoyable. The premise is nine people descend upon an exclusive health retreat. The woman who is in change morphs from motivating to overlord, obviously.

No Thank You:

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

YA read, loaner from my daughter. I did not like this one bit, it made sucide seem so glam. Glad I read it and am always happy when my kids share books with me and I will always hate stories of kids’ suffering.

There There: A Novel by Tommy Orange

This book was hard to follow, had too many characters, and there was a very dark thread that I did not enjoy.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

This book hit me at the wrong time this year. The dystopian nature felt a little too close to home. I know it is a work for the ages but it was all ouch.

Wow, that felt good to reflect on and process. I have never really looked for threads in my own reading and knew a few things already but like seeing the balance of candy books and hard, timely topics. All in all I feel great about my 2020 reading list and hope there are titles that interest or resonate with you too. Here is to libraries reopening someday in the near future so we can browse the shelves with abandon.

[unionsquarehg]

The Importance of Checking If Your Private Event Venue is Convenient for Your Target Audience

It's always exciting to plan a private event party. You get to look at the best private dining rooms in NYC and try to imagine their potential as your celebration's venue. It's fun to see new places, taste signature menus, and consult professional dining teams who can help make the event possible for you. This may even lead you to your new favorite restaurant!

Of course, there is pressure, too. You don't just choose a private event restaurant in NYC for personal preferences. You want your guests to enjoy it, too. But this can get confusing. After all, there are so many factors to consider when taking care of your target audience. How can you be sure that your private event venue is convenient for them?

Here are some factors that will help you check whether your selected private event restaurant is right for them.

You have chosen the right-sized room

Size is the first thing you want to consider when choosing a private event restaurant in NYC. You don’t want to pick a large room for twelve people—that would make the party feel scattered and distanced. Too small of a room, however, will make the event feel crowded and uneasy. It’s important, therefore, to consider the size of your crowd when it comes to selecting a private event space.

Semi-dining spaces, like Union Square Café’s beloved Alcove, are tucked away from the main hall, usually sectioned off by a divider. These allow you to still get the restaurant's ambiance, but minus the chatter by the rest of the crowd.

On the other hand, private dining rooms are exclusively separate spaces that give you and your guests total privacy. This means that instead of being seated at a reserved table, you can move around and enjoy each other's company without being disturbed. The best private dining rooms in NYC come with a staff to look after your needs. It's a whole new level of indulgence that is delightful to experience every once in a while.

Your room fits your event type

There's no one size fits all private dining space. These rooms differ in both form and function, and it's for a good reason. For an evening with a small group of friends and family, semi-private dining spaces easily fit the bill. These usually accommodate a crowd of ten, comfortably seating them at a separate table with a lovely view of the restaurant.

For social clubs, corporate meetings, and smaller crowds of twenty to forty, a secluded private dining room is a must. You want a quiet atmosphere for you and your target audience to enjoy. These private rooms often come with audio-visual technology to ensure that showcasing presentations is a breeze.

For larger parties such as wedding receptions, award ceremonies, and annual work parties, a bigger event space is required. The best private dining rooms in NYC offer their entire floor for an exclusive buy-out so that an audience of a hundred (or more) can be comfortably seated. Cocktail-style parties allow more flow, opening the floor to more guests. Just like private dining rooms, these event spaces are manned by the restaurant’s professional staff to ensure that the event runs smoothly.

Accessibility to your guests

One of the key elements event planners often forget is the location’s accessibility to its audience. You want to consider how convenient it will be for your guests to discover and get to your private dining venue. In order to do that, it’s best to select a location that is adjacent to where many of your guests reside, or pick a spot that is close to the city’s transportation. A good parking space for anyone who will be bringing their cars is a considerate choice, not only for the guests, but this factor is also crucial for your suppliers, especially if they are bringing in equipment or decorations. Consider a loading or parking space for them.

Bonus: the space fits the theme

Your choice of private event restaurant in NYC speaks of the caliber of the party. An established, well-known venue is more likely to create a good impression on your guests. Choose an event space that radiates with the great things New York has to offer: great food, exceptional service, and a stylish venue that can be dressed to meet every theme.

The Bottom Line

Celebrations are made more memorable with a happy, satisfied crowd. With a plethora of the best private dining rooms in NYC seeking to impress you, finding the right event space for your needs is essential. Consider the size, suitability, accessibility, and style of the room, and you’re sure to leave your guests completely dazed and impressed.

Union Square Café, the flagship brand of Union Square Hospitality Group, is one of New York’s highly awarded restaurants, ranking #1 on Zagat’s Most Popular Restaurants in New York nine times. Its private dining spaces include semi-private dining at the Alcove, and an exclusive private dining room, Park and Irving, smartly linked to its bar. Union Square Café also has some of the best restaurant gift cards in NYC. Discover the joy of dining at New York’s best! Reserve today.

Originally Published at - https://union-square-hospitality-group.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-importance-of-checking-if-your.html

[dangerousfoxfest]

Collide Chapter 6-Resolution.

Hi all, Happy 2019. As promised the 2nd chapter of today. Enjoy hope the answers have been worth the wait. 

Summary: This storyline takes place after Tariq was not found and the MC name was never cleared. Liam has received news that Madeline who is Queen, has been involved in a car accident in America.

Its a long one 3310 words. 

“Pregnant?” Liam asks “How far along?

“Judging by in her blood results, first trimester possibly 8 weeks” the doctor replied

Liam nodded and began to leave the room. He wondered if she knew, was this the reason for the sudden interest in starting a family-an heir to the throne, Liam shakes his head as he continues to the waiting room. He had to speak with Adelaide, there was so much to sort out.

On return to the waiting room, Liam noticed that Kimmy and Carol had left. Fear hit him “where are they?” Liam asked Drake. “Maxwell took Kimberly for ice cream” Drake replies “she likes dancing almost as much as him, they’ve hit it off somewhat”

“Riley’s mum was okay with Maxwell taking her?” Liam asked shocked.

“Well I think that you being king swayed the whole can the group be trusted thing” drake replied

“She knows I’m a king?” Liam asks

“She does now…Maxwell told her” Drake answered.

“Where is she now?” Asks Liam

“Visiting Riley” Replies Drake.

“Why bring a child to the hospital?” Liam asks shaking his head

“Childminder running late so she was to be collecting here….. Maxwell cancelled it” Drake Replies.

Liam nods and sighs sitting down. She should have told me Drake; how could Olivia keep something as important as that from me?

“I don’t know Liam but she kept it from us all…..but she must have had her reasons Liam….you know Liv…she would never ever….”

“Save it Drake” Liam snaps “I’ll never forgive her for keeping my child from me”

“Liam just speak with her.” Drake concedes “she’ll have her reasons…..besides your angry at the wrong person….Riley never told you either!”

 Liam stands up as he says “I’m going to see where Riley is” Drake nods. After asking at the front desk for Riley’s room, Liam knocks in the door which is answered by Carol. Liam walks into the sterile looking room, Doctor Evans was present with a nurse who was priming the pumps administering the drugs to Riley. Riley lay in the bed her head covered with a carefully placed bandage. Her mouth was invaded by an ET tube connected to a ventilator. Her gown was lowered at the shoulder to reveal a central line connecting the IVs to the numerous beeping machines. Tears fell from Liam’s face, walking over to Riley he leans over to lightly kiss the available space at her mouth, as he does he whispers “why didn’t you tell me we have a little girl…. she’s so beautiful….just like her mother…”

 Liam rests his head on hers for a second before standing straight. “Dr Evans, I think it can be safe now to provide me information on Riley’s status” Dr Evans looks at Riley’s mother who nods. “Yes, your majesty” Dr Evans nods “Miss Holligan was in the back of the car, she was not wearing a seatbelt and suffered extensive injuries. She was brought into the hospital, she went into full cardiac arrest on route to the hospital, however we managed to get her back. There was a significant bleeding on the brain which our neurosurgeon managed to stop in theatre, however it will take some time for the swelling to subside and also to know if there is any long-term damage” “long term damage…” Liam asks “you mean brain damage” Dr Evans nods in agreement.  “Just now” Dr Evans continues we have placed her in a medically induced coma give her body and brain time to heal…… In addition to the head injury we’ve had to remove Miss Holligan’s spleen, and she has liver lacerations…. I won’t lie to you….her injuries as you can see are very extensive and the next 48 are crucial.”

 Liam holds Riley’s hand even tighter squeezing it before bringing it to his lips and kissing the back of her hand. “If you have any questions you can call me, here is my number” says Dr Evans as he holds out his card. Liam takes the card and places it in his pocket as Dr Evans leaves the room.

 “So” Carol says as Dr Evans leaves “how exactly does my daughter know you? And why haven’t you been involved in my grand daughters’ life”

 “I don’t know where to start” Liam replies “but I hope you can answer some things for me too.”

 “Let’s start with the google headlines….shall we” Replies carol holding her phone up showing pictures of Liam and Riley, placed in a headline next to a picture of Riley and Tariq, with the words “Cheat: Future King Humiliated” Carol eyeing Liam said in a stern voice “I’ll have you know my daughter would never cheat…..your a fool to believe this rubbish”

 “I didn’t” he responded “it’s a long story, I’m not sure Riley would want her mother knowing…”

 “Liam she’s my daughter, she may still di..” Carol says breaking herself off Liam bristles at that sentence “if you want to be a part of my daughter and grand-daughters life, you’ll tell me…. what in the hell has been happening with my daughter”

 “Your right there’s been enough secrets” he sighs

 Liam discussed how he met Riley, social season, the scandal, the break up, The wedding to Madeline, no contact for three years then the accident.  “……I never knew about Kimberly, I don’t know why she never told me….. I would have gave up everything for them if I had known…” Liam continues “maybe that’s why” Carol reasons “ do you think Riley would let you give up everything????”

“I would have gained far more than I would have lost” Liam replies. “Can I ask do you know Olivia Nervakis?” He continues

“yes, I do” Carol replies. “She’s a friend of Riley’s and Kimmy’s god-mother”

“What” Liam asked shocked “her god-mother? ....you mean Olivia has been to New York to see Kimberly?”

“Yes, she has every few months or so….at least until she had Thomas…. why who is Olivia to you” Carol asks Liam

“Just a friend…. or I thought she was” huffs Liam

“Well she has always made sure Kimberly has the best, health care, clothes, she was even talking about Kimmy learning to horse ride….and oddly the art of war….. I mean really” Carol laughs.

Liam could feel himself getting annoyed at how much Olivia had kept from him.

 Knock knock…Carol got up to answer the door, breaking Liam from his thoughts. Drake was on the other side asking if he could visit. Carol nodded allowing Drake to enter, as he does Drake informs Liam, Bastien is looking for him. Drake makes his way over to sit on the seat Liam just vacated. Drake holding Riley’s hand asks Carol about her condition. As Liam leaves, he hears Carol relay that same doctor information he heard earlier.

 “Bastien any news” asks Liam “Adelaide and Regina have discussed the press statement to be released, it requires you to look over it for any changes.” Liam nods “Bastien can you have the guard prepare the precision route for the funeral. We’ll fly Madeline home when doctors release her body…however in the meantime we’ll have to have the staff organise her funeral….Adelaide can have a free reign in this….let her give her daughter the send off she wants…..Regina can monitor the plans….just in case Adelaide goes on the attack”

“Very good, Sir” Replies Bastien. “One more thing, Lady Riley’s friend is downstairs wishing to see Her. We’ve stopped him at present from coming up”

“What friend?” asks Liam

“Daniel, Sir” Bastien Replies.

“Daniel” Liam lights up” Carol said earlier he was working with Lady Riley before the accident, he can maybe give some answers to this whole situation”

“Very good, Sir. Bastien turns to leave and meet Daniel.

 Sitting back in the waiting area Maxwell has returned with Kimmy. Liam and Kimmy spent some time getting to know one another drawing with some paper and crayons Maxwell had bought her at the gift shop. Maxwell and Drake had already left and were escorting Adelaide to their hotel which Bastien had arranged. Bastien entered the waiting room. “Your Majesty…. we have to act now!”

“Bastien what’s wrong?”

“Sir, Tariq was the driver of the car. He’s here in the hospital

“What!” Liam exclaims!

 The night of the accident

It was a busy night in the restaurant. Riley and Daniel were rushed off their feet. The restaurant was one of the best in NYC, seating 100 people, often reservations had to be done weeks even months at a time. It was certainly a million miles from the dive bar they worked in three years ago. As Riley and Daniel busied themselves at the restaurant, they missed her entering through the door. Riley was clearing a table and looked up “that bitch” Riley mouthed in shock raising her body, did that mean he was here….. Liam was he here. Her stomach flipped….the panic what if questions were asked….questions….scenarios all rushed into Riley’s thoughts….just as ready to walk away….otherwise known as hiding….she saw him….walking towards where Madeline was sitting. Tariq.

Anger coursed through Riley she was going to kill him…the hell he put her through…Daniel followed Riley’s gaze….he had known about Madeline….Tariq…all of it. Riley had confided in him when she needed his help to find a job. He rushed over to her before she did anything silly…. he didn’t want her losing her job. “Think about this Riley” Daniel warned “be savvy”

“I’m going to kill him, and bitch slap her about this restaurant” Riley responds

“Riley you’ve found him…after all these years, if you blow this chance, you’ll never get it again…. think of Kimmy” Daniel pleads.

Then Riley realised Daniel was right “what’s Madeline doing with him? Here?” No one was suppose to have seen Tariq in years. She would have known if Tariq was back at court Olivia would have told her. “She’s known all this time where he’s been” Riley says in a low voice to herself…”she knew!”

“How long do you think she’s known?” Daniel asks

“I don’t know but I am going to find out” Riley replies. “But first payback”

Riley takes out her phone and takes a picture of Madeline and Tariq, sitting relaxed at the table, smiling. Then jackpot, Madeline leans over to kiss Tariq. *snap* Riley takes a picture and immediately hides around the corner, so Madeline and Tariq would not see her and see where the flash came from. “What are you going to do with them “Daniel asks

“I’m going to send them to someone who owes me…big time” Riley replies “please let me still have her email address”

“Whose email?” Daniel asks

“Ah got it” Riley says gleefully

“You owe me this one! Do what you will with the pictures, however you all did not spare me such grace” Riley sent off the email.

 Present day

“Where is he?” Liam asks

Liam and Bastien phone pinged “the statement must be released, but I haven’t looked over”

Liam looks at his phone wide eyed “king Liam betrayed again” with a picture of Madeline and Tariq kissing “lothario noble scores again with kings love” the picture of Madeline feeding Tariq from her fork. There was no doubt in the pictures Madeline and Tariq were involved. It left no doubt now who the father was of Madeline’s baby. “This is a mess…..We better see Tariq….where is he?” Liam asks. “3rd floor” Bastien replied.

Both Liam and Bastien made their way to see Tariq. “Oh nurse, how is he?” Liam asks as he point to Tariq through the glass. “He’s doing well…came through surgery very well” the nurse replied.

“Can you get the doctor to see me please?” Liam asks

“Certainly” the nurse responds.  

Liam enters the room to see Tariq, lying there with some IVs connected to him. He certainly did not resemble the condition Riley found herself in. Tariq turned his head as he did his eyes opened and he startled. “Liam?” Tariq questioned

“Tariq” Liam answers in a very stoic tone “what the hell has been going on with my wife?”

 Night of the accident

“I have to get answers” Riley informs Daniel

“How?” Daniel responds

“He must be staying nearby if I find where he’s staying, I can speak to him alone” Riley responds “even shake him up with those pictures.

“But Riley” Daniel prompts “you already emailed those pictures. They aren’t leverage anymore”

“Yes he doesn’t know that….not yet anyway” Riley answers.

Riley thinks for a moment. “I’m going to find his car and hide in it, the valet must have parked for him…. yeah  I’ll find it and hide see where he’s staying.” She continues

“Riley…” Daniel reasons but by then Riley had already gone.

Present day

“We were in love” Tariq Replies

“Love…” Liam scoffs “that woman wouldn’t know the meaning of the word”

“You don’t know her like I do” Tariq responds

“You got that right, I certainly never fucked her” Liam bitterly said “But as she was pregnant it would appear you did!”

Tariq eyes fell to his hands ”yes, she was going to tell you…she wanted us to be together”

Liam laughs “you actually believe that don’t you”

“Yes, why wouldn’t I” Tariq answers

“yes well I suppose she would have to tell me eventually….as her attempts for us to start a family have failed” Liam answers “ she couldn’t hide it forever.”

“Start a family” Tariq asked confused “no she didn’t want that she told me…she wanted me”

Liam laughs “oh wake up Tariq, she was using you….keeping you….the affair their must have been some advantage to her”

Then it dawns on Liam “oh…I see”

“See what?” Tariq asks

“How long ago did you and Madeline start?” Liam asks

“You mean fall in love” Tariq corrected. Liam sat stone faced at the naivety of Tariq

“We began to fall in love 2 years ago, but we met up again before she left for Cordonia’s homecoming ball” Tariq continued.

“But that would mean before Madeline and I married?” Liam responded “after the wedding shower” Liam rose from his seat anger filling him “she knew where you were???......All this time she knew”

 “Yes, I suppose” replied Tariq “Madeline turned up at my apartment, she said found me though some shoes I had bought from a designer shop here”

“So, you continued to hide like a coward…. To keep ruining Lady Riley’s reputation?” Liam shoots back

“It wasn’t like that…. Madeline…said you had sent her, telling me to keep quiet” Tariq responds

“You believed that?” Liam asks

“Yes…I did…she was born to be queen why wouldn’t I? She made me realise the damage a commoner could do to the monarchy and by me hiding away…Riley couldn’t be an embarrassment to you or the monarchy if you choose to end the relationship…..Madeline said you wanted to end it…but didn’t know how… I was giving you the perfect get out clause” Tariq continues

“Tariq you are an idiot! She played you! And you were happy to be played. Had I not been forced into that situation I would have married Lady Riley. Madeline knew that and seen her opportunity with you.

“I should let you know.” Liam continues “The press are aware of your affair with each other….so this is what you’re going to do…..you’re going to release a statement revealing the truth of Appleyard three years ago….After that you’re on your own I don’t care what else is said…..or revealed you both deserved each other.” Liam walked away from Tariq closing the door behind him.

“Organise a press statement from him” Liam orders Bastien

“Sir it’s not the best….” Bastien counters

“ENOUGH” shouts Liam “I’ve had enough of people controlling what I do….. get it done” and with that Liam walks away

Over the day the press were informed of Madeline’s death, so far the press shocked but were sympathetic to the King, so badly betrayed by his Queen who unfortunately paid the ultimate price with her life during an illicit encounter. There were still questions why Lady Riley was in the car from them. But for Liam it was clear she had hidden in the car, in order to confront Tariq at his home. However, it wasn’t yet clear why the was tragic accident happened.

 The night of the accident 

Riley was hiding in the foot well of the car. She was lucky it was dark She could easily be hidden under a rug in the back seat. Eventually Tariq and Madeline entered the car. Madeline was gushing over Tariq, it was enough to make Riley want to vomit. During the journey Riley could hear Madeline and Tariq discuss the baby. Riley couldn’t believe her ears. She had so much leverage now. But needed proof. She set her phone to record the audio. Then an overconfident Madeline began to laugh, “what’s so funny?” Tariq asks.

“That stupid American and her child” she scoffs

“What?” Tariq asks

“Lady Olivia got a call from her credit card company regarding the NY Presbyterian hospital” Madeline laughs

“When…what are you talking about” Tariq asked confused

“When…three years ago…do keep up…” Madeline huffs

“How did you know this? Why is it even important?” Tariq asks

“Because…..I heard Oliva’s PA tell her the credit card company wanted to verify the hospital charges” Madeline continues….”Olivia didn’t look sick….so I took a visit to the hospital…..it took a while…..had to pretend to be that awful woman”

“Pretend to be who” Tariq asks his confusion escalating

“Who….lady Olivia…..Lady Olivia..lady…”Madeline laughs “found her didn’t I”

“Found who…lady Olivia? Tariq asks

“NO!!!! Lady Riley……” Madeline shouts “lying there asleep in bed, in a nice small room on the OB ward…..she didn’t see me….but I seen her……little wretch….thought she could steal my crown…. I knew she would try and tell him….. but ha ha…. I stopped that…..so predictable…..turning up to his room, there she stood so shocked when I answered…all I had to do was to arrive at Liam’s room early enough to have breakfast…. Make it look like I’d spent the evening…. the meeting was a great rouse to do that…..and simply wait for her to turn up…..block her…..

 Riley sat in the back of the car…. Anger pulsating…..

 “The fact Liam left for a shower and I was able to strip to my underwear without him knowing what was going on…..was icing on the cake….perfect….I couldn’t have planned it any better….well I did….you know what I mean….” Madeline gushed.

 “Madeline…you mean to tell me Liam has a child…somewhere and you knew” Tariq asks

 “Oh who knows” Madeline answers no clearly no longer boasting of Her exploits….a little worried she revealed too much.

 “Madeline” Tariq reasoned “you can’t…”

 Tariq and Madeline began arguing over what Madeline had done. The shouting continued over several miles. The noise was explosive, suddenly Riley feels the car skid, her body jolts shaking violently. She is thrown to the roof of the car back to the footwell and then again and again as the car rolls and rolls. The car stops and as Riley turns her head…. she sees the lorry…..as if in slow motion she sees it coming towards her…….*smash* Riley’s world goes dark.

Present day

Liam sat by Riley’s bedside for hours holding Riley’s hand praying that she would wake up. Riley’s mum had taken Kimberly off home to bed, Liam promised to call her if Riley woke up. Maxwell promised to babysit first thing in the morning allowing Carol to return to the hospital. Carol had been playing some of Riley’s favourite songs from her phone in the room, wasn’t difficult to do using Riley’s thumb print to unlock the phone. The doctor said to them voices and familiar sounds might help her, there is a chance Riley could sit hear.

As Liam sat there the song ended and he waited for the next one…suddenly there was a familiar voice rebounded around the room…. Madeline talking about her baby….. so, she did know about it Liam thought…she was trying to trick him…. pretending the baby would be his, the heir to the throne……The sound of Madeline’s voice continued to vibrate around the room laughing “That stupid American and her child” Madeline scoffs “What?” Tariq’s voice was next…. the conversation continued “Lady Olivia got a call from her credit card company regarding the NY Presbyterian hospital” Madeline laughs “When” Tariq asked confused…. Liam sat there in shock….hearing the whole conversation….the argument afterwards and then suddenly the accident….screams from the phone filled the room….tears fell from Liam’s eyes. He began to sob uncontrollably. Liam felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, as he turned, he saw Olivia, standing there tears in her eyes. She too had heard it all.

Tag List: @fluffy-marshmallow-heart heart @blackcatkita @flowerpowell @furiousherringoperatortoad @blznbaby @lodberg @innerpostmentality @princess-geek @choices-addict @ao719 @carabeth @thequeenofcronuts @blackcoffee85 @jovialyouthmusic @perfectprofessorherokid​ @annekebbphotography @fluffy-marshmallow-heart​ @hopefulmoonobject​ @stopforamoment​ @leelee10898​ @bobasheebaby​ @indiacater​ @furiousherringoperatortoad​ @editboutique​ @gibbles82​ @choiceslife​

[csykora]

how did nastya and alex meet?

“What, just because I have subscriptions to like a dozen Russian gossip magazines you think I’d know—“ I said, and then had to give you that one.

The magazines weren’t needed, actually, because Nastya and Ovi met while they were both working in the US.

I’m answering this one because 1. once again a hunch lead me to an obnoxiously cute story 2. Nastya Shubskaya is a public figure.

[via @nastyashubskaya]

@ anyone who thinks they know what the inside of this relationship is like: 

Nastya was already a millionaire before she met Ovi.

It matters that she’s a financially independent woman. We shouldn’t really throw words at women we think are dependent “trophy wives” either, but factually, even if you measure people’s relationships that way, she’s not one.

Her father Kirill Shubsky is a shipping magnate (her mother Vera Glagoleva was a popular Russian actress.)

She attended VGIK film school in Moscow (the oldest film school in the world, fun fact) and graduated in 2014. It’s possible she would have bumped into Ovi in Moscow—that photo is from a restaurant Ovi also likes, but they didn’t, because Ovi’s a romantic goof. After that she moved to New York City, as much as she seems to live anywhere that isn’t an airport, since she continued to commute back to Russia for modeling work.

Note: we were trading dire predictions about the idea of flying back and forth from Moscow to DC while pregnant/post baby but the woman is a fuckin professional flyer

In 2014-15 Ovi was in New York for New Year’s, which is a big Russian deal.

It seems like he spent at least one of those nights with the Russian ex-pat circle in NYC for their New Year’s, gazed deeply into Nastya’s eyes, may or may not have managed to speak, knowing Ovi, but definitely hung on every word, and it was exactly as magical as that New Year’s card.

In February he posted this very small glamour shot, which I assume he cropped out of a group holiday photo someone had just sent him because otherwise…whatcha doin, Ovi:

Yeah, three heart-eyes emojis. 

God, the man’s smooth.

Nastya’s love of travel saved the relationship: she came down to DC to put the moves on Ovi, and he posted this picture from his kitchen, which I recognize by the feeling of beige despair it evokes in me and also from every relationship milestone photo they have taken in there:

with the caption 

Моя девочка,спасибо что ты появилась в моей жизни !!!очень дорожу тобой

My girl, thank you for walking into my life!!! I really cherish you

And so began a love story between the sides of their faces and those chicken-wire cabinets:

Paint your walls.

Anyway, right, in August 2016 Ovi missed a schedule appearance and Nastya posted this selfie of them wearing white, with no caption expect three heart emojis.

Russian gossips’ hearts all skipped a beat, and everyone decided they had gotten secret-married. 

RMNB scoffed a fair bit: “Because she wore white she must therefore be married. Not a strong case, but there is some evidence from other sometimes credible Russian sources suggesting that this news is – at the least – plausible.”

They had gotten secret-married. 

Ovi wore jeans for the occasion, which, you know, success, honestly. 

He later posted that picture and a picture of the rings with the caption, “This is happiness.” 

[via @aleksandrovechkinofficial]

Then they got married again last summer, and then this summer they got pregnant and Ovi brought her the traditional anniversary gifts of ‘silver’ and ‘encouraging all his best friends to strip for her entertainment’

as...I understand it, anyway

[injeok-blog]

Roh Suha: Survey

What is your character’s name? Nickname?

Birth name: Roh Suha English name: Susan Roh Nickname: Sue/Su

Does your character have any birthmarks? Scars? How did they get them?

No birthmarks. A few moles on body: back of right calf, left ankle, hip, ring finger. Only scars to note are a burn the size of a kidney bean on her knee, several mosquito bites on her legs, and scratch-marks on her left wrist from a minor fall she’d taken off the back of her second boyfriend’s bike.

Who are your character’s family? Are they close?

Father: Roh “Jimmy” Joohyuk, 74. Chairman and Co-founder of Oh+Roh Architects. Member of the Architectural Institue of Korea and the Korea Institute of Architects. Lecturer at University of Seoul. Warm persona despite tight-lipped face and towering disposition. Level-headed, with the comportment of a monk. Suha is very close to him and admires him most.

Mother: Heo Yeeun, 70. Recently retired anesthesiologist. Practical but emotions are in constant flux. Known to hold grudges. Spends most of her time these days hiking and photographing nature. Hopes to see one of her photos published in the National Geographic someday. Suha is fairly close to her, but they do butt heads from time to time.

Younger brother: Roh Suhyun, 32. Hair stylist. Unabashedly outspoken. Bright, feigns idiocy. In a long-term relationship with boyfriend from university—they had been fellow pre-law students (before Suhyun dropped out to pursue his current line of work). Scares Suha because his intuition is always fuckin’ spot-on. Suha is very close to him.

Describe your character’s closest friends/types of people they surround themselves by.

Suha keeps a large circle of friends around her at all times but the majority of her friendships are superficial/prolonged only by some lingering sense of obligation and because sometimes you need to get out of the house and see someone other than your whining kid or your husband’s dumb face. Regularly lunches with work friends (current coworkers, former employees who moved on to start their own practices, clients she clicked with) or classmates from SNU and Cornell. Suhyun is her best friend. Her neighbor, Heesun used to work alongside Sewon until she decided restaurant business was more her flavor please don’t mind the pun. Together they bitch about him with reckless abandon.

Where was your character born? Where have they lived? Where do they call home?

Born and raised in Seoul. Father was just starting to get a name for himself, mother had just started residency at the hospital. Home was a small apartment in a well-to-do neighborhood south of the Han. Six years later, family moved to a slightly larger unit just a few streets away, to accommodate for another little one. Family’s final move took place after Suha’s matriculation to SNU, to a single-story home in Yongsan-gu designed by Suha’s father.

Lived in NYC for a few years after graduating. Lived in Ithaca, New York, to finish a master’s program. Returned to Seoul and lived with family for another two years until engagement in 2010. Commissioned a fellow architect/former classmate to design a small house in Hannam-dong, where she stayed with husband until their separation in 2016. Currently living in a two-bedroom loft in Daechi-dong.

Where does your character go when they’re angry?

To the office. To the gym. Work and working out are the only two things that will take her mind off her boiling rage.

Does your character have any phobias?

Gets squeamish at the sight of blood.

Describe your character’s most meaningful past relationships.

Wouldn’t consider any of the relationships that came before her marriage meaningful—just necessary learning experiences.

Age 17: Her first boyfriend. Stupid attractive and otherwise completely vacuous and unable to hold a conversation. 3 months.

Age 20: A heartthrob (none of her friends agreed with her on that) from Busan. Stoic, short of words. A truly fear-inspiring face, with a protruding jaw, high cheekbones, and long monolids. Emotionally unavailable unless drunk, which was most of the time anyway so maybe in retrospect he was actually very emotionally present. Helped her mature. 2 years.

Age 23: A go-getter. Felt like she was constantly in competition with this guy. Unhealthy relationship, but did get her past her career slump/minor existentialism. 1 year.

Age 27: An Asian-American guy from Denver, Colorado. Enthusiastic, spontaneous, and fun-loving—but a total smart alec. 7 months.

What’s in your character’s refrigerator right now? On their bedroom floor? On their nightstand? In their bag/wallet? In their garbage can?

Fridge: Two tupperwares of banchan: kimchi and pan-fried potatoes with pepper. A carton of eggs. Leftover shrimp vindaloo from yesterday’s lunch. A drawer full of vegetables: cucumber, radish, spring onions, kale, broccoli, asparagus. A drawer full of fruits: strawberries, blueberries, apples, pears, grapes, melons. Whole milk plain yogurt. A carton of coconut water and two bottles of sparkling.

Bedroom floor: Hardwood floors and a pewter cowhide rug.

Nightstand: A lamp and a Byredo candle, Tree House scented.

Bag: iPhone, keys, wallet (+ daughter’s photo at eighteen months), two pens, a pack of mints, tissues, two hair ties, Sensai lipstick in #16, Garrett Leight sunglasses, ibuprofen, hand sanitizer, a fine-tooth comb, a few spare pads, her business card, a compact, hand lotion, band-aids, tweezers, and two flash drives.

Garbage: Banana peels and other miscellaneous food compost.

Look at your character’s feet. Describe what you see there. Does your character wear dress shoes, gym shoes, no shoes? Ratty socks, or slippers knit by grandma?

Manicured toes unpainted thank you very much under white socks under The Row white lace-up sneakers.

When your character thinks of their childhood kitchen, what smell do they associate with it?

Sesame oil comes to mind first and foremost—mom had always been liberal with it. Spice did not feature heavily in the diet as both her parents and brother had a low tolerance for it (much to the chagrin of Suha’s bolder palate), so chicken soup and other clear broth-based meals were customary.

Your character is doing intense spring cleaning. What is easy for them to throw out? What’s difficult for them to part with?

No sweat: most everything printed on A4; tabloid magazines; Christmas cards; anything that’s been relegated to the Reject portion of her closet; discolored/damaged cook and bakeware; museum pamphlets; airplane tickets; electronics; gifted perfumes

Second thoughts: cookbooks that she’s been meaning to flip through; kid’s crafts projects; baby shoes; high school mixtapes; polaroid photographs; dad’s handwritten letters, sent during her studies abroad; vintage hand-me-downs from mom

It’s Saturday at noon. What is your character doing?

Finishing up a morning bikram yoga class; picking up Saeeun from Sewon’s for some wholesome mother-daughter grocery shopping; fixing a simple lunch or cutting up fruit while Saeeun’s occupied with the iPad.

Your character is getting ready for a night out. Where are they going? What do they wear? Who will they be with?

Likely checking out the opening for a new shop or show—alone, now. Black’s the easiest and the first thing she’ll reach for until she remembers that Maison Margiela dress she’d plucked off the off-season rack last Sunday.

What is your character’s greatest regret(s)?

Not speaking up for a girl who’d been ostracized from her third grade class for having cleft lip. Not being able to provide a full family for Saeeun. Letting her marriage break down—not having done more.

Is there anything your character was/is currently obsessed with?

Speed-walking on a 5% incline on the treadmill; using her milk frother for perfect vanilla lattes; (dancing to) old bossa nova records.

What is the trait your character likes most about themselves? Likes least?

The good: integrity. Probably her guiding principle. The work relationships she fosters, the foundations for a new plan, the flatware on her table, the food she puts into her body, the specs on her car, the hairstyle she decides on for Saeeun. Everything requires a heavy dose of intentionality and integrity.  

The bad: impatience. Her tendency towards perfectionism manifests in other, less productive (re: destructive) ways. Has a hard time keeping that fuse unlit.

Does your character have any medical problems?

Suffered some hair loss back in university thanks to a crippling case of clinical depression (lost another good chunk from the anxiety wrought by the hair loss itself), but the time’s passed and her follicles are in tip-top shape along with the rest of her health.

What kind of car does your character drive?

2015 BMW 3 Series Sedan in black.

What fragrance(s) does your character use?

Imaginary Authors’ Saint Julep (2017) is the current casual go-to—sweet mint, tangerine, bourbon, and sugar cube. Her classic pick is MEMO’s Moon Fever (2007)—bitter orange, lemon, sage, vetiver, leather, and tonka bean.

Does your character own any pets?

No. But her brother and his partner own a massive chow chow named Diablo, who also happens to be the sole reason she never visits. It’s essentially wild. How they manage to keep it on a leash is beyond fathoming.

Describe your character’s educational and work background.

Education: Public school, then foreign language school. Always kept to herself. Selfishly smart, why don’t you share, kids used to say. Finally took a peek out of the shell over the course of her short-lived first relationship. Crawled out of it for good and let all hell loose after getting The Acceptance Letter, i.e. the crowning achievement of her childhood. Nearly flunked out of SNU her first year but cleaned up her act and just barely made it to Dean’s List. Her reputation at work/shining referrals thereafter landed her a place in the graduate architecture program at Cornell.

Static work history: Oh+Roh (Seoul), Partner, 2014– Oh+Roh (Seoul), Senior Manager, 2012–2014 Oh+Roh (Seoul), Senior Architect, 2009–2012 Oh+Roh (Seoul), Architect, 2008–2009 Richard Meier & Partners (NYC), Architect, 2004–2006 Richard Meier & Partners (NYC), Architectural Intern, 2003–2004 Oh+Roh Architects (Seoul), Architectural Intern, 2002–2003

What did your character grow up dreaming of becoming?

An ice cream store owner. Then a rocket scientist.

How good of a singer is your character? Dancer?

She can carry a melody, but there’s no technical finesse to her delivery. Never had time to humor afternoon noraebang trips. Solid dancing skills. Took ballet as a kid and picked up dance again after grad school as a fitness hobby.

What is your character’s political affiliation?

Left-leaning. Voted for her girl Sim Sangjung in the 2017 election.

Which countries has your character been to?

For school: USA For work: USA, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Brazil, Mexico For leisure: USA, Japan, China, Hong Kong, France, Germany, UK, Italy, Spain

What cuisine is your character’s favorite? Dish? Dessert?

Cuisine: Mexican, Indian, Sichuan Dish: Galbi-jjim Dessert: Mango sticky rice

Does your character have a sweet tooth?

Unfortunately. Has to keep herself in check.

What genre of film does your character enjoy?

Animation. Must have been Saeeun’s doing. Before her, it’d probably been crime or action or thrillers but she also could just be making this all up.

What are some of your character’s pet peeves?

People who interrupt (hypocrite), bad table manners, slow walkers (especially the ones that refuse to walk in a straight line so it becomes impossible to pass), “irregardless” and “I could care less”, humble bragging.

What are some of your character’s bad habits?

“I told you so”, never admitting that she’s wrong or apologizing when it’s too late, pulling out her phone at any given moment.

[shabnam27]

5 Best food delivery service in nyc

Trying new restaurants can be expensive, but with food delivery service in NY you can try all kinds of different restaurants that you would never get a chance to visit otherwise. If you are looking for the best food delivery service in nyc, then look no further because we have you covered.

1) GrubHub

GrubHub was founded in 2004, it is an American company with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois and provides online food ordering services for local restaurants. Grubhub has over 70k restaurant partners across 1000 cities, they also offer gift cards, promo codes and packages. Grubhub offers convenient pickup and delivery from more than 20,000 local takeout restaurants and stores.

When you use Grubhub for ordering your favorite foods online, you can also choose from various other services including online ordering for grocery items, meal planning and customer loyalty program called “Grubhub rewards”.

2) Tasty

Tasty is a restaurant delivery app that allows you to order from hundreds of different restaurants that may not offer their own delivery service. This means that you can get anything from a delicious slice of pizza to Chinese takeout right on your phone. Plus, if you’re looking for a specific meal, Tasty makes it easy to search by category or just browse through the menu.

3) Seamless

Seamless is the oldest player on this list, having started life as an online ordering system back in 1999. It’s since grown into an entire company, with both an app and a website that help people order food from restaurants near them. The company even manages dine-in restaurants that don’t have their own delivery system set up.

Seamless has expanded beyond New York City into other cities in the Northeast, including Boston and Washington D.C. It’s also launched a new product called “Seamless Home,” which allows customers to buy groceries online for same-day delivery.

4) Traditional food delivery service

Traditional food delivery services like Foodler have been around for a long time and continue to be popular for good reasons. They’re offering decent service at a reasonable price, and they’re easy to use. But there are other options too, and many of them are more than worth considering.

The food delivery service market is evolving fast and has become more competitive than ever before. These days, it’s all about convenience, speed, and quality of food.

5)  Blue Apron

Blue Apron is widely recognized as one of the best food delivery services in the country. The company provides all the ingredients you need to cook delicious meals. Blue Apron sends you recipes and sends you fresh ingredients so you can make delicious meals at home. Blue Apron is a great way to learn how to cook and to keep your eating habits healthy and interesting.

You’ll receive all the tools you need to go from novice to pro when it comes to making great meals.

[fmpseenandnotheard]

Artist Research...

(1) Boogie-Street & Documentary Photography...

Boogie will blow your mind.

The native of Belgrade, Serbia got his start began documenting rebellion and unrest during the civil war that ravaged his country in the 1990s, and the experience seemed to have a profound effect not only on him, but on his work as well. Though Boogie now resides in New York – he arrived in 1998 – all of his work still carries the urgency and thought-provoking depth of a war-torn country.

Perhaps it’s because Boogie’s latest photographs focus on lives torn apart – from the runaway smoking crack in a drug den that used to be a hospital to the gang member caught in a moment of tenderness while cuddling his newborn child. Boogie appears to have shot everything, everywhere. Beggars on the streets of Caracas, Skinheads in Serbia, birds caged by power lines in Tokyo – the world looks more moody, evocative and meaningful through Boogie’s lens. Every detail takes on a life of its own.

Unsurprisingly, the photography world has taken notice – Boogie has published five monographs and exhibited around the world. He shoots for high end clients, renowned publications and countless awe-struck eyes worldwide.

Daniel: Tell us about yourself, where did the name Boogie get picked up and what’s the story behind it?

Boogie: I’m 40 years old, born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia, moved to NYC in 1998 after winning a green card lottery; I’ve shot a lot, published 5 monographs so far, had some interesting solo exhibitions. My nickname was given to me by my friends some 20 or so years ago after a character from some scary movie.

Daniel: You do a lot of “candid” or better yet documentary photography. Are you always geared with a camera where ever you go?

Boogie: Of course, I’m a photographer, that’s what I do

Daniel: Lots of Gangs, Drugs, Skinhead photography. That screams trouble, are you not afraid meeting with these people, taking their photographs? Have you ever encountered trouble? – How do you approach these people at first?

Boogie: While I was photographing gangsters, skinheads, junkies, it never crossed my mind to be afraid. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to get those photos. People can sense fear easily – plus, I don’t think any photo is worth risking your life for. I encountered some minor problems, but nothing serious, after all I’m still here. I always listened to my instincts, they kept me safe.

There is no recipe for approaching people. You either have it in you or you don’t. Usually if you treat people with respect they’ll be OK with you.

Daniel: You’ve recently signed a deal with HBO’s new show “How To Make It In America” what were your feelings when you first heard HBO was interested in featuring your photography, and what do you think about the show?

Boogie: It was a great gig, I met some very interesting people and got to know how the movie industry works. I haven’t seen the show, just the pilot, which I liked.

Daniel: Here’s a funny question wrapped around the HBO show – so When did you know you finally made it, as a photographer in America

Boogie: ‘Making it’ is very relative. I made it as a human being cause I have a great family and get to do what I love.

Daniel: Have you ever thought of shooting film?

Boogie: You mean moving picture? If so, while working on this HBO show, I realized that being a director of photography is an amazing job. Maybe the only job in the world I would trade for mine.

Daniel: What is your connection with photography, your personal life, and your photographs of poverty?

Boogie: Maybe the way I grew up led me to see things the way I do? I guess so, everything you go through in life has a purpose and influences what you become in the end.

Daniel: Tell us about the shoot in Brazil Sao Paolo, how was it?

Boogie: It wasn’t ‘a shoot’, I just packed my bags and went there for a week. very intense, I shot in some scary neighborhoods, I published a book after, all good.

Daniel: What was Mexico like, where did you visit?

Boogie: I was in Mexico City with a friend of mine Adrian Wilson … it’s an amazing city, great energy, great people. Al these horror stories they tell you before you go there are bullshit. Although I’ve been in some neighborhoods where I was afraid to shoot even from the car. But you have areas like that wherever you go.

Daniel: I know you’ve visited Cuba, Istanbul, Tokyo in addition, what is it that you learn from these trips?

Boogie: Travels are always great experiences, seeing how other people, other cultures live is priceless. It humbles you in a way, makes you appreciate what you have more.

Daniel: Lots of black and white, lots of flying birds. What is it that you like the most about Black & White?

Boogie: No idea, lately I also shoot a lot of color.

Daniel: Which gallery is your personal favorite?

Boogie: You mean on my website? everything there needs an update …

Ref: bloginity.com

Robert Frank

Influential photographer and filmmaker Robert Frank has died at the age of 94. He died of natural causes on Monday night in Nova Scotia, Canada. His death was confirmed by his longtime friend and gallerist Peter MacGill.

He was best known for his 1959 book The Americans, a collection of black-and-white photographs he took while road-tripping across the country starting in 1955. Frank's images were dark, grainy and free from nostalgia; they showed a country at odds with the optimistic views of prosperity that characterized so much American photography at the time.

His Leica camera captured gay men in New York, factory workers in Detroit and a segregated trolley in New Orleans — sour and defiant white faces in front and the anguished face of a black man in back.

Photographer Robert Frank holds a camera in 1954. His photo book, The Americans, changed the way people saw photography and the way they saw the U.S. Frank died on Monday at the age of 94.

Fred Stein Archive/Getty Images

Influential photographer and filmmaker Robert Frank has died at the age of 94. He died of natural causes on Monday night in Nova Scotia, Canada. His death was confirmed by his longtime friend and gallerist Peter MacGill.

He was best known for his 1959 book The Americans, a collection of black-and-white photographs he took while road-tripping across the country starting in 1955. Frank's images were dark, grainy and free from nostalgia; they showed a country at odds with the optimistic views of prosperity that characterized so much American photography at the time.

His Leica camera captured gay men in New York, factory workers in Detroit and a segregated trolley in New Orleans — sour and defiant white faces in front and the anguished face of a black man in back.

Trolley – New Orleans, 1955.

Robert Frank/National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Maria and Lee Friedlander

The book was savaged — mainstream critics called Frank sloppy and joyless. And Frank remembered the slights.

"The Museum of Modern Art wouldn't even sell the book," he told NPR for a story in 1994. "I mean, certain things, one doesn't forget so easy. But the younger people caught on."

Eventually, the photographs in The Americans became canon, inspiring legions. Photographer Joel Meyerowitz remembered watching Frank at work early on.

"And it was such an unbelievable and powerful experience watching him twisting, turning, bobbing, weaving," Meyerowitz said in 1994. "And every time I heard his Leica go 'click,' I would see the moment freeze in front of Robert."

Restaurant – U.S. 1 leaving Columbia, South Carolina, 1955.

Robert Frank/National Gallery of Art, Washington, Robert Frank Collection, The Robert and Anne Bass Fund

Ginsburg was a friend and photography student of Frank. He also starred in Frank's first film, 1959's Pull My Daisy. It was based on part of an unproduced play by Jack Kerouac and featured the author as narrator.

Pull My Daisy, and the other experimental, autobiographical films Robert Frank made, were his reaction to a restlessness he felt around still photography.

"In still photography, you have to come up with one good picture, maybe two or three," he told NPR in 1988. "But that's only three frames. There's no rhythm. Still photography isn't music. Film is really, in a way, based on a rhythm, like music."

Yet Frank's films shared a lot with his photographs. They were personal; they evoked emotions as much as they told stories. They're like home movies, and he made more than 20 of them before returning to photography. By then, he was a legend, acknowledged as an inspiration by such noted artists as Ed Ruscha, Lee Friedlander and Garry Winogrand.

What comes through in all of Frank's work is his ability to catch a moment. And that came from truly looking.

"Like a boxer trains for a fight, a photographer, by walking the streets, and watching, and taking pictures, and coming home, and going out the next day — same thing again, taking pictures," Frank said in 2009. "It doesn't matter how many he takes, or if he takes any at all. It gets you prepared to know what you should take pictures of.

_______________________________________________________________________

(2)  Weegee (1899 - 1968)

Biography

Weegee, born Usher Fellig on June 12, 1899 in the town of Lemburg (now in Ukraine), first worked as a photographer at age fourteen, three years after his family immigrated to the United States, where his first name was changed to the more American-sounding Arthur. Self-taught, he held many other photography-related jobs before gaining regular employment at a photography studio in lower Manhattan in 1918. This job led him to others at a variety of newspapers until, in 1935, he became a freelance news photographer. He centered his practice around police headquarters and in 1938 obtained permission to install a police radio in his car. This allowed him to take the first and most sensational photographs of news events and offer them for sale to publications such as the Herald-Tribune, Daily News, Post, the Sun, and PM Weekly, among others. During the 1940s, Weegee's photographs appeared outside the mainstream press and met success there as well. New York's Photo League held an exhibition of his work in 1941, and the Museum of Modern Art began collecting his work and exhibited it in 1943. Weegee published his photographs in several books, including Naked City (1945), Weegee's People (1946), and Naked Hollywood (1953). After moving to Hollywood in 1947, he devoted most of his energy to making 16-millimeter films and photographs for his "Distortions" series, a project that resulted in experimental portraits of celebrities and political figures. He returned to New York in 1952 and lectured and wrote about photography until his death on December 26, 1968.

Weegee's photographic oeuvre is unusual in that it was successful in the popular media and respected by the fine-art community during his lifetime. His photographs' ability to navigate between these two realms comes from the strong emotional connection forged between the viewer and the characters in his photographs, as well as from Weegee's skill at choosing the most telling and significant moments of the events he photographed. ICP's retrospective exhibition of his work in 1998 attested to Weegee's continued popularity; his work is frequently recollected or represented in contemporary television, film, and other forms of popular entertainment

[isaiahrippinus]

We Asked 15 Wine Pros: Which Bordeaux Offers the Best Bang for Your Buck?

As one of the world’s premier wine regions, Bordeaux’s main focus is Cabernet Sauvignon- and Merlot-driven blends. While Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot make regular appearances, the region is also known for producing small amounts of white Bordeaux, as well as the lusciously sweet wine known as Sauternes.

Bordeaux is divided into three regions — the rival Left Bank and Right Bank, and Entre-Deux-Mers — each with its own distinct terroir. As a result, deciphering Bordeaux’s many variations can be tricky. Add Bordeaux’s often intimidating prices, and it’s not hard to understand why oenophiles on a budget often shy away from its wines. However, a great bottle of Bordeaux doesn’t have to break the bank.

To ensure that approachable Bordeaux is on the radar for every drinker, VinePair asked wine professionals around the country which bottles of Bordeaux present the very best value.

As bars and restaurants continue to navigate the coronavirus pandemic and reopening phases, VinePair asked the bartenders and drinks professionals below to provide a virtual tip jar or fund of their choice. More resources for helping hospitality professionals are available here.

“Château d’Armailhac, Pauillac, Bordeaux, France 2016. One of the great values, especially when great older vintages can be found. An elegant Bordeaux with the technical expertise of the team behind Château Mouton Rothschild.” — Jhonel Faelnar, Wine Director, Atomix, NYC

“I think the wines of Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste have been getting increasingly better without huge jumps in the price for some time.” — Rusty Rastello, Wine Director, SingleThread, Healdsburg, Calif.

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“This is an easy one… if you are looking for well-known, high-end Bordeaux — best bang I’d suggest [is] Brane Cantenac. If you want lesser-known Bordeaux at a more accessible price point, Chateau Biac or Haut Bailly.” — Carrie Lyn Strong, Wine Director/Sommelier, Casa Lever, NYC

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“If you are a fan of Bordeaux, I recommend looking to Southwest France for value wines. Buzet, a small appellation known for its Merlot and Cabernet blends, offers really great wine for a fraction of the cost that you would pay for great Bordeaux. [The] 2016 Mary Taylor Wines Buzet punches above its weight. You get those wonderful aromas of tobacco, black fruit, and leather that invoke Right Bank comparisons. It retails around $18.” — Etinosa Emokpae, Wine Director, Friday Saturday Sunday, Philadelphia

“Château Beauséjour ‘Pentimento,’ Montagne-Saint-Émilion. This wine tells a story. It’s made by the first American female making wine in Bordeaux. I had the pleasure of working with the winemaker, Michelle D’ Aprix, at Bin 14 wine bar when she was traveling to France several times in the year to produce her first vintage. It is named Pentimento after one of her favorite books, “Pentimento,” by playwright Lillian Hellman. Just like the memoir muses on the people and experiences that have had a profound influence on her life, Michelle felt the same with her first wine label. The wine is farmed and made using little to no intervention for each vintage. [It’s] a wine that can be enjoyed upon release — no aging required — while pleasing Old World and New World palates alike.” — Madeline Maldonado, Beverage Director, da Toscano, NYC

“Château Haut-Segottes Saint Emilion Grand Cru (Cabernet Franc, Merlot). [Chateau Haut-Segottes is] owned and operated by Danielle Meunier. Smoked cherries, cigar, and peppercorn make it feel distinctly Bordeaux. Great with rich and rustic food but still light enough for other cuisines.” — Emmanuelle Massicot, Assistant General Manager, Kata Robata, Houston

“White Bordeaux. Probably not what you were expecting, I know. But if you haven’t spent time drinking the white blends of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle from Bordeaux, you’re missing out. Graville-Lacoste Graves Blanc is a delicious blend of mostly Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, with just a touch of Muscadelle.” — Theo Lieberman, Beverage Director, 232 Bleecker, NYC

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“This is a little tricky because the casual wine drinker tends to equate Bordeaux with unrivaled decadence and sophistication, which isn’t entirely untrue, but it’s certainly not the case across the board. The Cabernet-driven wines of Margaux aren’t the cheapest, but they’re consistent in texture, intensity, and quality.” — Kyle Pate, Sommelier, Tinker Street, Indianapolis

“2019 Château Le Bergey, Bordeaux, France ($12). Biodynamic and Bordeaux aren’t two words you often hear in the same sentence, unless you’re talking about this wine. It has everything you could want from a classic Cabernet-dominant blend and tastes like it should cost three times the amount — but doesn’t, which is great.” — Luke Sullivan, Head Sommelier, Gran Tivoli & Peppi’s Cellar, NYC

“Château Larruau, Margaux 2015 is an elegant and sophisticated Bordeaux that offers exceptional value. [The] estate is located next to Chateau Margaux, but the Larruau is a fraction of the price.” — Marsella Charron, Sommelier, The Harbor House Inn, Elk, Calif.

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“Château La Garde from Pessac-Léognan in Bordeaux. Roughly equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, this wine explodes from the glass with violet, blackberry, and smoky notes. It’s structured and full with great minerality and firm tannins. Retails around $25.” — Matthew Pridgen, Wine Director, Underbelly Hospitality, Houston

“For value Bordeaux, I often go to the Côtes, but customers in the restaurant are often more familiar with Medoc, so I generally steer people to Château Castera. I’m fascinated by its history, dating from the Middle Ages, and I think being Merlot-predominant, it’s much more versatile [than] many Cab-based Bordeaux wines for pairing with multiple dishes. I generally can find this wine with a few more years on it than the current release of other wines, which customers appreciate.” — Jeff Harding, Wine Director, Waverly Inn & Garden, NYC

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“Clos du Jaugueyron (any bottling). Bordeaux is big business. Dealing in large quantities can lead houses to make choices that sacrifice long-term vineyard health for short-term financial assurance. However, there are some winemakers who are doing things in a more old-school way, focusing on sustainability and rejecting chemical use — perhaps none better than winemaker Michel Théron of Clos du Jaugueyron. His entry level Haut-Medoc can be found for under $50 most places, while his top-of-the-line Margaux bottling will run you just shy of $100.” — Andrew Pattison, Beverage Director, Sushi Note, Los Angeles

“Château Biac is located in Cadillac, in the Entre-Deux-Mers. When the Asseily family acquired and revived the estate in 2006, the vineyards were rethought and now have dedicated old-vine blocks for Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. The wines are full-bodied and juicy! The structure and complexity definitely rival the growths of the Left Bank. For more bang for the buck, go for the Felix de Biac, the little sister to the flagship.” — Stefanie Schwartz, Sommelier, Portale, NYC

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“Best Bordeaux for the price — Château Potensac or Château Ormes de Pez.” — Zac Adcox, Advanced Somm, indo, St. Louis

Donate: The United Sommeliers Foundation

The article We Asked 15 Wine Pros: Which Bordeaux Offers the Best Bang for Your Buck? appeared first on VinePair.

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