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Rockefeller Center

This is going to be my third Christmas since I moved to NYC. Time flies! Last Christmas I was living in a studio apartment in Brooklyn, so now that my living room doesn't work the night shift as my bedroom, I wanted to get a tree. I got a little 4' tree and some decorations, and my mum brought me the tree skirt I made back in the day when she visited Saturday. I had to get kitty-proof ornaments (read: no glass) and so far Lily has only pulled 2 bells off to play with. I was really excited to decorate-- I've been downloading Christmas songs for days, and even bought Swiss Miss, whipped cream, and a blue tin of cookies like my nana used to buy.

Can't wait to start wrapping presents! (Although I'm going to have to move the cats off the fleece to make room for them.) I hope everyone is enjoying all of the magic the city has to offer during the holiday season! It's my favorite time of year, for sure.

I'm spending the holiday with family in New Hampshire (more photos and inevitably hilarious stories coming soon). I've had a rollercoaster year, and have had a lot of time for reflecting on what's most important. Despite some heartaches and tough breaks, I have a lot to be thankful for! I have an amazing family, great friends, a fabulous apartment, and the cutest kitties in Queens. I feel so lucky that I live in New York City, that I find inspiration in my life every single day, and that I have the opportunity to see amazing theater, live music, and everything else that makes NYC unlike any other place in the world. I'm wishing everyone a warm home, a hot meal, and loving family and friends to share it all with! Happy Thanksgiving!

I've been wanting to bleach my hair for a while now... ya know, complete the whole "Alice" transformation. I have a lot of time off over the next couple months with the holidays and vacations, so I finally went for it. I got a Manic Panic bleaching kit from Ricky's, and after some words of encouragement from my mum, I mixed it up and combed it through.

My roots which have never seen color lightened up right away, but the ends, that have been dyed black, were pretty stubborn. After 2 hours I was afraid of the damage to my hair, so I rinsed... and it was yellow. At this point it was nearing midnight. I had a bus to Boston at 7a, so after a little hesitation I headed to the 24-hr Duane Reade. I was afraid to bleach again, so I got a "light natural blonde" (and some snacks to fuel my after-hours efforts...)

After another hour, I rinsed and dried, and it still wasn't the shade I was going for. I had to quit the coloring for the evening, since I still hadn't packed for my trip up North (and my scalp was not very happy with me). I had achieved a Jersey Shore-esque shade of blonde, ha:

After just 3 hours of sleep, I headed to my bus with my taxicab-colored hair. I got my dad to detour off the highway to a Newbury Comics in Salem, NH, to get a toner. It still didn't lighten up as much as I would like, so I'll be bleaching it one more time when I get home. But here it is after all the efforts so far:

As the weather gets colder, our activities tend to shift to the indoors. Sure we love to ice skate, bundle up and take walks through the park... but how about a day of exercise and fun inside? Brooklyn Boulders is such an awesome place, whether you go with friends, your boy, or a party. The place has walls for all different skill levels, and staff to teach you the basics. It's $20 for a day pass, and $10 to rent shoes and a harness. Graffiti covers the walls, and the benches are painted to look like subway platform signs. It's got a really cool, laid back vibe.

I had climbed before, but got a refresher on how to tie climber's knots and belay. Once you learn, you're tested. You each have to climb the wall while the other belays, then the climber in instructed to suddenly let go of the wall, so the belayer can feel what it's like to catch a falling climber. It's a little nerve-wracking to let go of a wall from 20 or 30 feet up... even trusting that your friend will catch you. It's a great way to spend an afternoon or evening, and is definitely addicting. I can't wait to go back!

I've been wanting to go apple picking all season long, and finally went with not a week to spare. We went to Masker Orchards in Warwick, NY- it's absolutely beautiful up there! I went to Masker's late last year, so I was familiar with the area and the farm, and knew they'd still have lots of apples.

We rented a zipcar and stopped at Utopia Deli for sandwiches and sodas so we could picnic at the orchard. Thankfully the sun came out, but it was still pretty chilly eating outside. Once we got moving (read: skipping and jumping and climbing trees) we warmed up. 

It was determined that I ate 16 apples while we walked around. I think it was more like 4, but it felt like 16 when I had a stomachache on the drive home.

I can't remember the last time I climbed a tree, and this one was perfect. I regretted not having had our picnic in the tree (don't doubt me, I would've made it work somehow).

The apples at Masker's are seriously huge. (And yes, that's probably apple #14... erm... 4 in my left hand). We had a really fun day! It's great to get out of the city every once in a while and enjoy the outdoors. I was particularly silly, limbo-ing under branches, skipping around and dancing on bales of hay. I even found a perfectly tiny apple, named him Fred and tucked him in my pocket. Guess it's good to let the kid out every once in a while!

We hauled home a ton of apples, and I'm planning on making a couple pies and an apple cake (I'll post the recipes!). Another great day!

So apparently my silliness at the orchard was documented... after hearing of my Bahamas limbo championship, my company forced me to defend my title: