Christmas 2012

Christmas was a most excellent affair. After seeing the size of my parent's rented apartment down the road, we decided that it would be a much more appropriately sized venue for all Christmas celebrations. Especially as I had invited Steph, her friend Shawn, Frans and Michelle to the party. The day before me, Mum and Lauren sat down and planned the menu -

Chicken and prunes
Timon's Meatballs
Ham
String beans
Lauren's special salad
Prawns
Pumpkin Pie
Icecream
WINE

Michelle offered to bring pasta salad and eggnog (which turned out to be the hit of the party!) and Steph brought cheese and snacks. We bought a ton of supplies at the 99c store and Dad went overboard in buying wine glasses. I felt everyone should be content drinking out of plastic cups but Dad insisted. We did the food shopping, along with a million other last minute folks, at Whole Foods down the road. Mum couldn't resist a few extra bits and pieces and we ended up with smoked salmon, two pumpkin pies, a special cake for pumpkin-allergic Frans and oodles of treats.

The night before Christmas everyone stayed over at our apartment, Mum and Dad in the bed, Lucy on the couch, T and I on the sofa bed and poor Lauren on a makeshift floor bed. We watched Smokey Mountain Christmas and built a wicked gingerbread house that tasted like cardboard but looked like a dream. Check out Lauren's pics here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.10150433378157307.358316.612547306&type=3

On Christmas morning we shared presents and setup for the party. I spent a good half an hour going from 99c store to 99c store in search of die that I had forgotten to buy for my special Danish Christmas game. We enjoyed all this great food and greater company, ate ourselves stupid, crafted a spectacular sangria out of some nasty undrinkable wine and laughed through two present games. Frans and Michelle went off to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show and Timon went to Harlem to hang out with his visiting Melbourne friends, Andrew, Danielle and James.

All in all I think it was a total success. And I can totally recommend the no-stress last minute approach to the food. We ate like kings! The only disappointment was that the sun shone all day and there wasn't a speck of snow to be seen.

The Mann Family take New York

During the month of December I took on the mammoth project of watching 25 Christmas films in 25 days. If you read my stuff on Digital Hippos you may be aware that I failed in my mission and only reached 19. I did watch about 3 more than that but never got around to the reviews. That's because my entire family arrive on December 21 for 2 weeks of sight-seeing, eating, Christmas and New Years Eve. As you can imagine, I spent the two days before their arrival madly cleaning and making the necessary preparations (much to Timon's boredom). I arranged for my parents to rent an apartment 1 block from ours and my sisters would be sleeping on our newly acquired sofabed (refer to earlier post on this nightmare). The rented apartment was slightly stressful because I found it on a non-regulated website and had already handed over masses of cash in the form of a deposit, sight unseen. Luckily when we checked in on the morning of December 21 the place was clean and pretty cool - much bigger than our own apartment - AND it had a washing machine. We set it up with new bedding (the existing stuff was yuk) and stocked the cupboard with tea and coffee. Back at our place we decorated the Christmas tree and made some dinner for later.

When we arrived at the airport we had some stressful moments trying to figure out which area they'd be arriving in. Seeing my parents walk through the sliding door was pretty exciting and all the anxiety just went away. Timon went and found the guy who would be transporting us all back to Manhattan in a fancy limo! Yes, that's right - mum had asked me to organise some special transport for the weary travelers. It was awesome to a) not have to get back on the subway which takes over an hour and b) see the city from a new, fancy viewpoint. When we arrived at my parent's apartment it was bucketing down with rain in the perfect New York welcome.

The life of an unemployed expat

We never did go back to Philly but something from Philly came to us ... Sophie! Having left her acting studio under stressful circumstances, Sophie decided to spend her last US days with us in NY. We did plenty of fun stuff together, most notably a tour of the UN (with Lucy's bestie Steph who was interning there) and a visit to the WestSide Market, the most exciting supermarket I've been to in a while. Hey, I really like supermarkets.

The UN was pretty special - I'd never given it a thought and was pleasantly surprised by how cool it was. Granted we were on a secret VIP backstage tour so that probably made it cooler. Steph took us down onto the main floor of what looks like a superhero filmset with gold walls and podiums and everything. I learned a little about how the UN works and even discovered some countries I've never heard of. I was tempted to steal a UN pencil from the podium but didn't think getting arrested was a good way to go. Not with my parents arriving so soon.

Sophie stayed with us until the eve of my family's arrival on the 21st December and a fun time was had by all. It's nice to get to know people you (used to) work with in an outside of work situation.

Sometime around this time Durell and I hosted a Farewell Greenacre Park Fried Chicken Party. Durell had long been promising me a feast of fried chicken, prepared in his portable deep fryer, so we made it happen. Everyone assembled in the man-cave below the park and we chowed down on Scott's Super Guacamole, fried chicken and Julia's Trick Vegemite Scrolls (the trick was that noone knew it was vegemite until I told them!). Margaritas were made and Scott even brought out a Four Loko or two. Sophie crashed the party and regular Jack's alum joined in, including John Cho, Dan and Sydney. There was plenty of merriment and some very inappropriate jokes but in the end we put everything back together (so Charles wouldn't know) and went our separate ways. The sad end of an era :(

The final thing I remember from before my family arrived was the Kava Christmas Party. Held onsite, the party was catered by the cafe which meant delicious salami, cheese and basil pesto mini sandwiches and lots of awesome wine. We got pretty drunk pretty quick and spent most of the night photo-bombing Timon's workmates. The night ended at the Brass Monkey (bar around the corner) with Dwight be poured into a taxi by his fiance and Timon and I staggering home full of nachos and wine. It's really awesome that Timon ended his NY employment at a great place with great people as opposed to that hellhole that shall remain nameless at the South Street Seaport. Starts with a J and ends in Acks.

                                              Timon with his boss John and cook Chris

Philadelphia Phun

On the 2nd of December Timon and I packed a small bag and jumped a megabus to Philadelphia. We were off to visit our IMAXian friend Sophie, who has been living in Philly since August, honing her craft in an acting studio. We had tickets booked to her show on the Friday night and intentions to party hardy for the rest of the time. Of course, the early bus was an hour late when we arrived at the megabus queue which meant that more than likely our bus would share the same fate. Luckily, there was enough space on the late bus for Timon and I to squeeze on and arrive in Pennsylvania at our estimated time. We both slept uncomfortably most of the way (you know when you're sitting next to a stranger and you don't want to touch them so you sleep paranoidly, jerking your head up every 5 minutes?) and drove into Philly with the sun streaming overhead. Sophie met us at the station and we walked down a main street for 15 minutes until we reached the subway. Philly appears to have 2 major subway lines - one that runs vertically and one that runs horizontally across the city. Handy if you live just off one of the lines, which Sophie does.

Once in South Philly we chilled at Sophie's digs (the biggest house I've been in for a while) and found a cafe nearby for brunch. Timon sized up the coffee selection, being the espresso snob that he is now, and deemed it ok :P I heartily enjoyed my turkey and goat cheese sandwich and we left feeling satisfied and jolly. Sophie had to leave the house at 6pm to prepare for the performance and we tagged along, taking in a quick coffee near the theatre. Then T and I split off and found a cheapo pizza parlour for a quick dinner. The audience at the show was small and we sat in the back row on uber-uncomfortable pews (the theatre is a church). The play was interesting, sad and confronting and Sophie stage-drowned twice! Grim! We waited around after the show and took Sophie home to stretch, gossip about IMAX and finally sleep.

The next day T and I were on our own and we eventually found our way to a cafe for breakfast and some bad coffee. We walked around the city centre and went to investigate a tourist info place where the souvenirs were cheap and there was a 3D, 360 degree movie screening just for us (tourism was slow). We walked into the theatre one by one and unbeknownst to us, our photo was taken on entry. The film was about Benjamin Franklin and all that American history stuff that isn't so exciting when you're foreign. At the end they put up our pictures a hundred times each, making for a fair few giggles. I suspect that if the audience was larger than 2 then the effect would be less creepy.

Outside we spied the under-reconstruction Independence Hall shielded by scaffolding and the Liberty Bell hiding inside a new enclosure. Instead of queueing for ages we spied in through the window and were content with a sneaky photo. We jumped in cab and went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art whose famous steps can be seen in Rocky. In tribute there is an awesome Rocky statue at the bottom.

We relaxed at the top of the stairs for half an hour, enjoying the brisk but sunny day and the incredible view while avoiding the guy who wanted money to take our photo. Then we walked around, found the Franklin Institute, rejected its high entry fee, found coffee instead and eventually made our way to a bar to meet a friend of a friend JP.

We spent the next 7 hours with JP, eating and drinking our way around the city, from bars to his house to bars again. We had a pre-drink drive around the city and spent forever trying to find a park near his 3 storey apartment. We enjoyed giant Philly cheesesteaks from Jim's where the staff are super-rude and the steak stews on the hotplate alongside raw mountains of meat.

  

Recommendation - get the American cheese, not the whiz! JP showed us endless hospitality but even his charm couldn't get us into a dive bar when we didn't have our passports :( We met up with a couple of his friends, played some pool and dabbled in DJing at his digs. When Sophie finished the last show of the evening we collected her and went home to bed, late again.

Our final morning in Philly was spent drinking even more coffee and waiting around in the wrong queue for the megabus home. At least this time we got to sit with each other. My impression of Philadelphia was entirely positive and I was charmed by the architecture and quaint one-way streets. According to JP, Philly is a more dangerous city than New York but we didn't get that vibe. In fact, we're heading back there this week for a double-dip!

My Jack-Off

The Saturday after Thanksgiving was my last ever shift at Jack's Coffee - Greenacre Park. Despite the total and utter boredom of the last few months, I'm grateful for getting to know Charles, Durell and my fellow work prisoners - Colleen, Duncan, John, Meghan, Sydney, Daniel and my Sunshine-rescuer Scott. It was a crazy rollercoaster ride with some staffers lasting only weeks. I am proud to be the last remaining original G-Ateam member but also sometimes wonder if I was duped. My wage rose from $10 an hour to $12 and my interest in coffee maintained an even keel at zero. I learned a lot (I had a lot of spare time for crosswords, sudoku and reading the newspaper) and I ploughed through many library books. I watched a few films (The Eagle, Blade 2, That horrible cave-diving-everybody drowns one) and threw out my fair share of expired milk. I cleaned the stir-brewer umpteen times and the espresso machine less than I should have. I mopped maybe 3 times. I ate too many croissants and West Coast Chicken sandwiches and devoured a tonne of Aunt Rosie's cookies. I drank lots of tea, lots of hibby and started an addiction to bad, burnt drip coffee sweetened with agave (it's better for me right?). I burnt my belly, my leg, my foot and my hand and rocked out short shorts when they could well have been a health code violation. I wrote a solid chunk of film reviews and most of the blog entries you've read up until now. I finally made friends with Harvey, with only a week to go.

I did my best in cleaning and packing up the junk in our tiny kiosk so that we wouldn't leave a lasting mark on Greenacre Park. Surely, most people didn't even know we were there to begin with. I've met some total nutjobs and some sweethearts and way too many Australians for this to be New York. I'm going to miss my uncomfortable wooden stool and the unflushable toilet. Most of all I'm going to miss my all-day chats with Durell and watching him and Charles take down disobedient park dwellers with just a look.

Greenacre Forever!

Post-Thanksgiving Party

The evening after Thanksgiving I had a date with an old friend from UNCG, J.Scott. He is currently living in upstate NY and was down in Manhattan for a couple of days. We arranged to meet up at Greenacre around the end of my shift. After a late start (10am) and a very dull day I locked up shop and finished my cleaning duties. J.Scott and friend Karishma (another UNCG alum) showed up and I surprised them by appearing from the hatch near the waterfall. We walked around mid-town for a while until we found a coffee place and sat there chatting until they closed at 5pm. Then we caught the subway to Karishma's temporary home on 14th Street. It was a huge novelty for me as the building she's staying in has an elevator! No trudging up 5 flights of stairs after a long, hard day. We sat around on a giant comfy couch drinking white wine and catching up on the news of 4 years. I've spoken regularly with J.Scott since I left North Carolina in late 2007, and we met up early this year when my sisters were around, but I've not had much contact with Karishma. We watched a bit of Men In Black while I was getting excited over the 900+ channels on the TV and waited on the arrival of a 3rd party person - Ransome.

We finished off the extra-big bottle of wine and headed deep into the West Village to a felafel/kebab restaurant called moustache. I believe there was more wine and delicious food but my memory is hazy. From there we met up with Timon and John Cho at the Brass Monkey bar around near the High-Line. I ordered warm pumpkin pie with whipped cream for dessert and watched as the boys played Connect Four. The pie was good in the beginning but as the pumpkin flavour took over it was rather sickly and sat in my stomach like a big pile of mashed potato. Or pumpkin, I guess.

From the bar we walked to Ransome's apartment which he shares with an absent Craigslist housemate. The apartment is HUGE, with a separate kitchen, loungeroom, bedroom and super-massive studio/rumpus room. Oh yeah, and there's a built-in sauna (I've since seen one of these in an eighties film so I'm thinking they're fairly dated but still crazy cool). We alternated between the sofa and the rooftop outdoor furniture, spying on a dude in a singlet who should have closed his curtains. From the roof Ransome pointed out an apartment building over the road that was supposedly inhabited by the great Jennifer Aniston at some point. We also spent a long time debating the merits of cats over dogs. It was a most excellent evening where old friends met new and we all drunk ourselves into a stupor.

Thanks for making the trip JScott. You narrowly avoided being dead to me.

Happy Turkey Day

I was beginning to worry that we would have no plans for Thanksgiving and end up sitting in our apartment with the lights off, crying. Luckily a hail mary pass from John Cho saved our Thanksgiving Eve and a last-minute invite from Frans and Michelle rescued our Turkey Day from being a lonely affair.

On Wednesday night we trundled out to Brooklyn for a pre-thanks dinner with John, his gf Sasha and Durell. John has this awesome 1.5 bedroom place with a huge living space and even bigger kitchen. He had prepared a table full of treats including mac'n'cheese, a roast chicken, cranberry sauce and homemade pita. Timon and I bought wine and beer and we chow'd down, representing healthy Aussie appetites, for a couple of hours. It wasn't a super late night but I must have been drunker than I thought, because the next morning I woke up with a killer headache.

I'd been planning on attending the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade because, well, it just seemed like the thing to do. The parade involves many giant balloons that are escorted down Central Park West and Broadway to end up outside Macy's in Herald Square. Most parades in this city tend to favour 5th Avenue which is much further from our apartment so it seemed very convenient. Alas, it would have been more convenient if the parade started at noon. We ended up leaving the house at 11am and by the time we got to the starting point the final balloons were making their way down the street. People were flooding the subway in an attempt to get home so we battled our way through to catch a fleeting glimpse of the back of some elf balloons. To be honest, we were never going to get up at 7am to stake out a claim on the street so this picture seems like a fair reward for our laziness.

It WAS a spectacular day for it, considering the day before had been grey and rainy. We enjoyed the sunshine and walked our way up Broadway from 66th to home. We stopped by a diner and had omelettes for brunch, along with the millions of other parade-watchers. The rest of the day was spent watching movies (me) and playing Skyrim (timon). By 7pm we were walking out the door, back to Brooklyn for a fancy turkey feast at Frans' restaurant Aurora (he's a chef). We met up with Michelle, her sister Melissa and partner Simon who are visiting from Sydney. Sadly for Frans he was stuck in the kitchen all night but we enjoyed cauliflower and lobster soup with caviar, quail on lentils with a foie gras crostini, roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and veggies and veal cheeks with polenta and mushrooms. And wine of course. Dessert was a warm chocolate cake with berries. Yes, it was the most expensive meal Timon and I have had ($80 each after all was said and done) but it was nice to be grownups for a change. We can eat $1 dumplings for the next two months to make up for it!

I'm not all that sure that Thanksgiving is a holiday that should be celebrated with total abandon as it seems to entail a dark history for the native Americans. But, I don't really know anything about that so I'm going to take a day off work and share a bottle of wine with my special people. I'm very thankful for the opportunities I have to live out my dreams and I'm so very thankful to have the best guy next to me while I do it.

Spontaneous Awesome

I had been having a rough couple of weeks. Things seem so far away but at the same time are rushing upon us with harrowing speed. My family's visit seems like an eternal wait but the scary notion of leaving our apartment here is just around the corner. Timon is settled into his new job and comes home every night raving about coffee in its various forms, giving me a lesson even when I don't want one. My job is winding up (we'll be closed forever in 2 days) yet each shift drags on interminably. It's become so clear to me that when something has no future enduring it is a living hell. I've also been struggling with the fact that my closest friend here has vanished from my social life and is too busy with his own demons to drink the world away with me. I show up with Timon's friends, but being a plus one is never the same.

Last Saturday I was sitting on the couch having arrived home from work at 4pm. I knew I was facing another long night in front of the TV, alone, as Timon had a late finish at Kava. I'd already downed two glasses of red by 6.30pm and the doldrums had well and truly set in. I turned to Facebook (as you do) and saw an update from the Ani DiFranco group I subscribe to - "Ani in concert tonight, W43rd St New York, tickets still available". I clicked on the link and saw that the concert started at 8pm AND it was in midtown. After a brief "Oh I'll be missing Iron Chef" thought, I got up, got dressed in 5 minutes and was out the door. 30 minutes later I was sitting in row O of the orchestra with a great view of the stage and a $5 bottle of water.

The upshot of this story is that sometimes New York is so incredibly rad. I sat there completely enthralled by Ani, enjoying songs I normally enjoy with my headphones on, sharing the joy with a theatre full of people. The concert was over and done before Timon finished work. Normally, I would have bought my ticket 6 months in advance and have forgotten about it until the week before. There was something so much sweeter about the spontaneous decision and the city that made it possible. I love you subway, I love you midtown, I love you Facebook and I love you New York!

Old friends in a new city

In a city of gazillions it is always nice to see a familiar face, even if it's one you haven't seen in years. Early November lined up two opportunities for us to share a drink and a laugh with some Melbourne alumni.

First, I noticed on Facebook that one of my best friends from high-school (and primary school for that matter) was in New York for the hairdressing Olympics. I extended the invitation for her - Lyndal - to meet me in Greenacre Park for a free coffee and a chat. We ended up talking for 2 hours, despite the freezing weather, and it was just like old times. There was A LOT to catch up on seeing as Lyndal has had a child and a marriage in the interim and I now live in New York. We met up with her husband Bradley outside Moma and, due to my lack of bar-knowledge in the city, we ended up at Blockheads drinking $4 margaritas. Thank god for Blockheads. Two drinks later and I had to head off to a press screening of Melancholia. Now that was a head f**k. I do not recommend watching that film on the tipsy side. Although the liquid courage enabled me to strike up a conversation with a critic I've seen around. I'm not sure if I made a friend or if he thought I was a drunk idiot. Time will tell.

I have been feeling a little starved for friend attention lately as Scott is MIA, working hard on his new life. When the opportunity to see Lyndal and the Bradley came up again I jumped at it. Both Timon and I were working Saturday so I arranged to meet them in the west village after 5pm. The bar I picked off the internet was tiny and packed so we ended up at Mole for, you guessed it, happy hour margaritas. We spent a few hours hogging the bar and getting progressively smashed-er and telling all kinds of stories. Then I decided we needed dumplings. Note to self: perhaps don't eat dumplings when you are drunk because you ignore how hot they are and how spicy Siracha is and you end up with chapped lips. Probably also wise to avoid shopping at Forever 21! It was a totally rad night, one I'm keen to repeat back home.

The next week saw the arrival of one Emily Tantau. Esteemed Blockbuster colleague and wino friend of Lucy, Emily had been touring the States and was finishing up in Harlem. Unfortunately but not surprising (after 3 weeks of non-stop partying and travel) she was sick as a dog. After a rather fancy lunch date at Per se (not me!), Emily found her way to our apartment and hung around eating pasta bake and watching the food network. the next morning I was infested with sick germs, although to be fair they probably came from somewhere else. It was kinda scary though as I'd only seen Contagion the week before!! Em and a couple of her travel buddies made their way onto the set of Jimmy Fallon that afternoon so I went up to her Harlem digs to watch the show. Timon joined us after work and we ate dodgy 24hour buffet food and drank lots of wine (to dry up my nose you see). I definitely wish I could have spent more time with her, but I'd arranged the Niagara trip so we bade her farewell on Monday night.

Who's next I wonder???

Sometimes it's embarassing to be a tourist

Especially when you're in a large tour group of people who blatantly ignore instructions from guides and don't pay attention to the details. Let me back up a little here......

I have a Top 5 list of things to do in the USA (this time around). Right up there is a trip to Niagara Falls. As is always the case when you live somewhere, you put things off, maintaining that you have enough time to do it later. Well, time is ticking. I finally came to realise that if we didn't go to Niagara Falls soon we would miss it, or simply freeze over if we went in winter. I found a 2-day bus trip that would take us to the Falls via the Thousand Islands so I booked it! Alas, we had left it too late to go on the Maids of the Mist boat that takes you right up close to the falls :(

We met up with the bus bright and early on Wednesday morning, in Chinatown. The demographic of the group was - old, cranky, foreign. Red flag. Timon and I kept a high level of enthusiasm because, hey, we're fulfilling a life goal! Our first stop was a McDonalds in Pennsylvania where I sampled the legendary McRib (nothing special). The tour guide spoke in English and Chinese to accommodate most of the group (but not the Spanish speakers who were very grouchy about this). We were treated to an on-board movie - Jackie Chan in The Spy Next Door. The second film - Jackie Chan in The Karate Kid. I'm going to go out on a dangerous limb and say the latter was not the worst thing I've ever seen. There are some huge departures from the original but that made it easier to watch - I could forget it was a remake.

We arrived for the Thousand Island's boat trip as the sun was beginning to set. T and I sat up on the top deck to get the best view. So did everyone else. This would have been fine if everyone listened to the boat lady and remained sitting for safety and so that everyone could see. But they didn't, they completely ignored her or sat down when told only to stand up 2 minutes later. So in between the snippets of info there was lots of yelling. We bailed and found a quieter spot to sit in the hope that we could distance ourselves from mega-obnoxious tourists. The boat lady took us all for a ride when she told us to look deep into the water to see a special formation. We couldn't see anything! Turns out it was the international border between the USA and Canada! Jokes on us (although when you have 40 intense photo-hungry tourists leaning over the edge perhaps it's not the best of jokes). We saw some mansions that Americans call castles and lots of beautiful scenery. All the islands (1700) are privately owned and go for millions of dollars. You cannot access them safely in winter because the lake freezes over. Weird setup.

We finally arrived at our dinner destination around 8pm. The tour packet indicated that we were free to eat with the tour or find alternatives. There were zero alternatives to the dodgy Chinese buffet place the tour company had arranged. It was spew times ten. The restaurant had the most depressing food and decor (we're talking cubes of jelly for dessert) and I was mildly disgruntled at this point. After a heinous dinner we drove to Niagara Falls to catch a glimpse by night. It was worth ALL the pain of the day - we gazed over the American Falls which thundered over the edge, taking my breath away. The casinos (!) in Canada shone bright lights over the water, illuminating the power and beauty of the formation. LOVED IT!

The hotel was surprisingly nice and T and I relished what little time we had away from the group. In the morning it was back on the bus early, with the promise of breakfast at the Falls. Unfortunately the cafe was closed when we arrived. We split from the group and walked over the raging river to the main, most famous part of Niagara - the Horseshoe Falls. It was almost impossible to see them through the mist and spray that drenched us from head to foot. They have a more severe look than the rounded waves of the American Falls and they are equally terrifying. We took a mountain of photos which you can see here.

The next treat was a film in the Legends of Adventure Theater. It was an IMAX film (non-3D) about the myths and dangerous feats performed at the Falls. I can honestly say I've never seen people take flash photos of a cinema screen before, while a film is running. After they were asked not to. IDIOTS. Sadly, when we got back to the bus the lunch place was also closed so we starved until we arrived at the stupid Corning Glass Museum at 1.30pm. T and I sat out of the museum and glass blowing show in favour of eating and drinking oodles of wine at the restaurant. A good decision.

We arrived home around 8pm. By my count, that's 2 hours of sightseeing and approximately 20 hours on the bus. And 2 Jackie Chan movies (the 3rd was The A-Team). On Wednesday we were so excited to get out of the city and see something new. By Thursday I could not have been happier to be back.

It's becoming way too clear how hard it will be to leave this city.

Halloween Parade 2011

After we road-tested our costumes on Saturday night and collected a few more supplies on Sunday we were ready to march in the West Village Halloween Parade on October 31st. Ruby et Violette alum Erica had planned to meet up with some friends so she dropped by our place first for pre-drinks. Timon and I had been watching costumed kids trick-or-treat their way down our street, hitting up shops instead of apartment buildings (Phew! We didn't buy candy). We left the house around 7pm and rode the subway downtown with some interesting characters. Everyone really gets into the spirit here and the vibe was exciting. We got off at Spring Street and walked down a few blocks until we could join the mass of people waiting to be let into the parade. We waited and waited. For at least half an hour. But there was plenty to look at - jellyfish, lots of Super Mario Bros, chinese dragons and all the normal slutty costumes. We finally hit the road and joined in the parade behind a couple of floats. We marched for what seemed like hours, snapping photos and enjoying the applause of onlookers. We danced to music pumping out of various floats and were regularly pushed into line by policemen doing a very good job dealing with such crazy, disguised revelers. When you think about the amount of fake weaponry out there on Halloween it must be a scary assignment for cops. Somehow I lost my plastic blade about 5 minutes in so I was no threat to anyone.

 By the time we were shepherded off the road I was exhausted and my feet ached. Right at the end I heard a distant voice calling out 'Jack, Jack' and to my complete validation - my costume was finally recognised!! Timon was super jealous :) We walked further and further, appreciating the mammoth effort many took in creating awesome costumes, and jumped on the subway home. Timon and I decided to stop by The Sunburnt Calf to see Frans and Michelle. Michelle's company was hosting a Halloween/Melbourne Cup do. Sadly, we couldn't afford the $35 cover charge so ended up heading home for an early night. Also, I remembered how much I hate horse-racing, especially anything to do with the Spring Carnival!

Food adventures

I really love reading about the food adventures on Frannie's blog so I thought I might share some of the memorable meals we've had in the last couple of weeks. With the impending arrival of my foodie family (December 21!!!) I've decided to get out and sample as many different restaurants and cuisines as I can so that I can offer them more than $1 dumplings. Groupon, LivingSocial etc come in handy by providing us with half-off coupons so dining out doesn't completely break the bank.

The first new place we tried was Huey's Diner. Offering New Orleans fare and 24 hour service, we went along one lunchtime, armed with a coupon for 1 appetizer and 2 mains. The decor is a step up from your average diner and actually reminded me of many a cafe in Melbourne. Our server was lovely and didn't harass us every five minutes which is always appreciated. For starters we had deep fried mac'n'cheese balls because - who can resist? I thought they kind of sucked, especially with the ranch dressing dipper, and the serving was paltry. I have been taking the opportunity to try completely new things at these places so at Huey's I ordered shrimp creole and Timon had chicken fried steak with mash. The meals were fairly straight up no-frou-frou home cooking but for the regular price the servings were underwhelming. My shrimp creole was tomato-y and a little spicy and I really enjoyed it. I would have liked a little more rice to temper the richness of the creole but I cleaned the plate. Timon said his was a little salty, but the fact that he has been hankering for a shnitzel for months made up for it. Ultimately I don't think we'll go back here, purely because of the prices.

Next up - Freda's Caribbean and Soul Cuisine. I purchased a $20 coupon for this restaurant because I'm not familiar with the style of food AND it is only 4 blocks away from our apartment. We traipsed up there one very cold night and almost walked past. The decor is minimal, the sign is impossible to see and the lighting was low. There was a giant flatscreen mounted on the wall (which destroys any ambience) and canteen style tables and chairs. We hesitantly opened the door and the woman told us to sit anywhere. The menu is small but super cheap (main with 2 sides $8) so we just went for it. I ordered jerk chicken with cabbage & carrot, chickpeas and potatoes. Timon ordered brown chicken (?) with mac'n'cheese  and string beans. There was homemade lemonade and sorrel on the menu but I was bluntly told they had none. The service was nothing to write home about but the food was great. My jerk chicken was crazy spicy and I couldn't get the woman off the phone to give me some water but it fell off the bone and melted in my mouth. With the coupon our meal came to $1.25! I'll definitely be going back - it's quiet and the food is interesting (I still don't know what some of it is) and delish.

Walking home from Freda's we noticed a a super cute Southern-style restaurant up near the park. Seems that we've not done enough exploring of our own neighbourhood! I grabbed a menu and decided we should definitely go back when we weren't full of Caribbean food. The chance came this week when I had an early screening and could meet Timon for lunch. I hadn't had a chance to print off my coupon so we just crossed our fingers that it would be good enough to try twice! The decor was adorable, all red and white checks and country chic. We were lucky to be there before the lunch special expired so we ordered homemade meatloaf with mashed potato and southern-fried chicken with fries. I also ordered a cup of seafood gumbo and some spoonbread punch. The punch was bright pink and came out in handled jars. It had an indefinable taste but I loved it! Timon ordered a coke but got punch, I'm not sure he was as impressed. The gumbo was hot and awesome - chunks of fish swam in this thick, peppery soup. I'd go back for that alone. My main was a little disappointing but Timon's fried chicken looked and tasted great. For a fiddly white-meat eater he struggled through the first piece, but the second was a huge, perfectly crispy breast piece that he was not keen on sharing. While the restaurant was pretty the service was not so welcoming and at some point the music went off and it was deathly quiet. We decided to take our dessert home - coconut layer cake and red velvet for T. I think if we take the fam to Miss Mamie's Spoonbread Too we'll definitely go for lunch, if not just for gumbo, punch and cake!

After Timon's last shift at Jack's on Sunday I met up with him downtown and dragged him to Party City for some Halloween accessories. We struggled to find somewhere decent to eat (places were packed from the extended brunch crowd) and we stumbled across Pita Joe. The tiny cafe is set up like a chain although it turns out there's only one. I ordered red lentil soup, which came with a small pot of hummus and a pita, and a pomegranate mint lemonade. Timon had a chicken fillet pita with hummus, lettuce and fries. Everything was AWESOME! The pita was so fresh and soft, miles ahead of the cardboard you get in the supermarket. The hummus was chunky yet creamy and the soup was hot and deliciously savoury. The chips were super thin and crispy, freshly made to order. But the star of this brilliant show was the pomegranate mint lemonade. I would take the subway to Union Square just for that, which is saying a lot. I know Lauren is not a fan of anything with the floury falafel texture so I'm not sure how she'll like it - but we are definitely going back (she can have the lemonade).

A Moral Dilemma

On Wednesday night I was invited to a pre-Halloween gathering in the Bronx that very same night. Not wanting to spoil my costume for ACTUAL Halloween I made do with my Swans jumper and socks. Lame, I know - but warm as toast. I also grabbed two bottles of red for $2.99 each and a chocolate cake from the supermarket. When I arrived (Timon was at work btw) I was greeted by a genie looking Sydney and a 'blind' Scott, complete with Robocop glasses. They had prepared a veritable feast of vegetarian delights including vegetable ceviche, brie slices and potato soup. I added my cake to the pile of gingerbread cookies and grabbed my first mojito of the night Also in attendance were the new BX housemates Julie and Liz, Dan from Greenacre and a couple of other girls. Syd's grandma was also there (she's young and sprightly and drank me under the table). The weather was perfect, crisp and cool, perfect for outdoor movie watching. Scott set up the laserdisc projector in the yard and we enjoyed Die Hard whilst eating and drinking and chatting. A Sunshine Cinema alum Albo turned up as a skeleton and I had a nice talk with her. I remember her as being one of the coolest people at that joint (bar Syd and Scott of course) and it's a shame I didn't get to know her better. From what I can tell she's a mega film geek like myself.

At around 9pm Timon and Tim showed up, having spent an hour trying to get free drinks at bars around their work. They came toting a 6-pack of Fosters and joined the party. You must understand, it's a big deal for anyone to make the trek to the Bronx. Especially if they live in Brooklyn and work Downtown. So big ups to Tim for having faith in good times. I need to cut this story short - around 11pm the party was winding up so we headed to the subway. Timon felt a bit queasy but once he hit the fresh air he agreed to catch the train as opposed to a taxi. We left Tim on the downtown 5 platform and jumped on the 2. All was going well until just before our stop at 96th. Timon was looking decidedly green and I asked if he needed something to maybe spew in. I emptied this large, reinforced envelope I was carrying (I collected my mail on the way to the BX) and handed it over. Seconds later, while the train was stalled between stations, Timon made us of the envelope. While I was mortified and turned an instant beet-red I stayed by his side and stroked his back like a good girlfriend. A lovely woman in scrubs offered us some napkins which I grateful accepted. We jumped off at the next stop after what seemed like an eternity and Timon felt better. But he still had that envelope in his hand. Now while the envelope was reinforced and padded it seems, understandably, that it wasn't built to contain stomach fluid. As he was carrying it to the bin, in slow motion, the envelope collapsed, spilling spew all over the platform.

Now here's my moral dilemma. I looked down and walked really fast in the other direction, leaving Timon to sheepishly discard the sopping mess in his hand. It was a knee-jerk reaction. I instantly felt terrible. What if that had been my child!? Is that how I'm going to react when I'm out on the town with a toddler and it spews everywhere? Catchya?? Oh yeah, I also buried my face in my hands. Not very supportive.

But when you think about.....it's Timon who should feel guilty right? Right??

Latte art

To me, latte art is stupid. Mostly because I am completely inept at it. For those who are scratching their head, latte art is that wiggly pattern that comes on your fancy cafe coffee (as opposed to chocolate dust on a cappuccino). It relies on perfectly steamed milk, in both quantity and texture. Then comes the pour. I'm not so bad at the milk steaming - these days I rarely spill it everywhere. It's the pour that gets me. Too fast, too slow, too much wrist - it's a complicated business. I also have no patience for the past time which means I'll never get better. Someone who values the art highly and loves to practice is Timon. And he's pretty damn good. I hear all these tales of double rosettas and hearts and whatever else you can create with crema and foam. I also get to see them because whenever he's up at my store he's wasting my milk on lattes (he also takes photos if for some reason I miss one). I think I possess just the right amount of disdain for something cool that I am rubbish at.

There are a whole lot of people that take latte art seriously. For that matter there are people who compete at National Barista competitions. Last Thursday night Timon and I found ourselves in the East Village, coming off a round of dumplings, looking for entertainment. Timon's friend and workmate Tim texted that there was a latte art comp going down near Union Square - and that he'd be competing. So off we went to Joe's, a regular coffee shop that had closed down for the event. There were free beers and lots of people and a big screen on the wall so we could all see what was going on. The draw was big and many would play off the the championship. The prize? A grinder. And some coffee I think. I could see that Timon was itching to sign up but ultimately found the crowd a little too intimidating. Tim's friend was first up and he went down in a great ball of flame. Tim's other friend went up (he's a National competitor) and trounced his opponent. Finally, Tim's go. The shot was prepared and ready, the milk was steamed. And.......fail. He knew it was over before it began.

That excitement was about all I could bear and I left the boys to their commiserations and beer. I hear the competition was tight and that Tim's other friend dropped out in the penultimate round. It was a fairly ridiculous experience, but all in the name of charity. I can't begrudge that.

Here is a pic of Timon's best efforts:

Scott's back....finally

I'm writing this a little late because Scott actually re-joined us here in the Big Apple at the very start of October. The first thing I did was enlist him to help me hire a van and drive to IKEA, Brooklyn to collect a sofa bed. I'd had this plan in mind for a while and had stubbornly refused to pay $100 to get it delivered. For three reasons - 1) the sofa bed was only $150 2) it's hard to coordinate days off with random deliveries 3) I don't like to tip big and it's hard to avoid when some guys drag a sofa up 5 flights of stairs.


I spent ages researching van rental places online and decided on some place on W96th. Scott, bringing with him an American drivers license and credit card, met me and we went and signed up. Of course, what seemed like a good deal soon ballooned with the inclusion of all types of insurance add-ons. AND we had to fill the van with gas on return, which is pricey ($4something a gallon). But it was too late to turn back, the adventure was on!! Until 10 minutes later when we realised Scott had been driving in the wrong direction thinking he was about to hit the West Side highway. We hit Central Park. We got back on track and the Google-Map recommended trip of 20 minutes took......an hour and a half. The one thing I do like about car traveling in the city is the view. I'm so used to seeing nothing but the dark insides of the subway tunnels that I forget what the world looks like from a car. We spent about 15 minutes in IKEA selecting the sofa and waiting in line to pay. Scott indulged in their famous hotdogs and we were off, trying not to get lost in the labyrinth that is Brooklyn.

We dropped off the furniture and collected Timon before heading back to the van drop-off place. Which has its own gas station. But if you don't fill up the van personally they charge you an extra $3 a gallon. I thought that was fair until I realised the gas station is literally in their driveway. Lazy buggers. All in all (plus the taxi to Greenacre for recovery margaritas) the sofa-bed cost me about $250. So not really cheaper than delivery. But I felt justified and I had an adventure. Thanks Scott!!

What a handsome devil

Ziggy

For anyone keeping track - we have a new cat! Poor Rosie was returned to the shelter last Friday. Some would say it was because she pooed on the rug. Others would say it's because her time was up and she was ready for a forever home. Both may be true and Rosie will be missed.

We took the opportunity of a cat-free apartment to do a thorough clean. A full, under the bed, mop the floors for the first time all year clean. With chemicals and everything. After that the loneliness crept back in and Timon was jonesing for another cat. We found ourselves in Union Square on Friday after work and dropped in to Petco just to make inquiries on a new foster. We ended up with Ziggy (nee Rascal), a white cat with a black eye patch. He is quiet and terrified as he's spent all of his rescued life in a cage and the wide open space of our tiny one-bedroom apartment is freaking him out. Please note that we had to change his original name because my family had a cat called Rascal for 12ish years and the pain of recollection was too great. Also, I couldn't think of any good nicknames we didn't use for Rascal 1 so it had to be changed. So far, apart from the sheer terror, he seems to be doing OK. He uses the litter tray (phew) although he did manage to carve a huge gash in it somehow (we buy the disposable aluminium roasting trays because they're big enough for the morbidly obese cats in this country). He has also not made a noise which is lovely. I will post photos as soon as possible but for now, here's this:

Cronenberg, Fassbender and Olsen

Even though I've complained about the pretentiousness of some of these press events, I really cannot complain about the celeb sightings that go with. After A Dangerous Method earlier this week Timon and I were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime eyegasm, Michael Fassbender in the flesh (actually, in leather), up on stage alongside director David Cronenberg. Truth be told I was more excited about Fassbender but after the press conference I was a total convert. Cronenberg was funny, charming and really, really smart. Fassbender was handsome and a little cheeky. But Cronenberg was the star, by far.

I have these mini-moments sometimes when I realise that just one of these experiences would be enough to satisfy our whole trip (for me anyway). But they just keep-a-coming!

After the screening of Martha Marcy May Marlene there was a press conference with the objectionably pretentious director and the gorgeous and surprisingly buxom younger sister of the Olsen twins - Elizabeth. Otherwise known as Lizzie. She's a strange creature, beautiful actress, but every so often her face morphs into her sisters'. Also odd because she is much taller and curvier than those twins. Like human sized.

Crazy lookalike right?

Be careful what you wish for

Life throws you some curveballs sometimes. Now that I'm spending so much time in darkened rooms watching weird films I'm beginning to question my desire for the task. Film reviewer - that's the dream right? The thing is, when you turn something you love into a job, it becomes a JOB. Ew. All of a sudden, instead of putting on pants and walking to the subway to make it to a screening in time, I really just want to stay at home. But then I'm overwhelmed with guilt for being so ungrateful for the opportunity. So I go and wait patiently in the lobby with what are becoming the same old faces of old, obnoxious film critics that loudly extol the virtues of this and the value of that. It's impossible not to eavesdrop partly out of curiosity and the need to validate my own opinion but mostly because I can't hear anything else over the din. One guy announced that all British films should have subtitles for American audiences. British films, as in spoken in the Queen's English. I found out through one of these diatribes that I'm attending these screenings in the company of critic royalty. The problem is, this guy is 75 and seems to have lost his grip on reality. Sure, use your 50+ years of knowledge and experience to inform your criticism, but your opinion doesn't matter all that much if it doesn't consider changing worldviews. Newsflash! It's not really OK to slander ethnic minorities. It's really given me cause to wonder about the nature of reviews and how to frame my judgments. I suppose it depends on who you write for. It's my never-ending battle between the popular and the academic parts of my brain.

BUT - I will continue to give it a chance. I'm trying hard everyday to expand my list of contacts so I can score invites to some of the bigger releases. My soul is suffering a little this week from so many dark arthouse films. I need to go and see Real Steel just to relieve my heavy heart.

Between NYFF and regular screenings this is what I've seen this week:

Blackthorn
Trespass
The Skin I Live In
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Carnage
A Dangerous Method
London Boulevard
Drive

I have My Week with Marilyn tomorrow and Texas Killing Fields (sounds pleasant) and then Comic-Con start son Thursday!!!

AFL Grand Final night

We watched as Brisbane tumbled hopelessly down the ladder. We watched as the Swans rallied but lost to the Hawks in the semi-final. We watched and prayed that Collingwood and the Eagles would get smashed. One did, one didn't. Timon has read everything written on the AFL season this year and even contributed a player profile to some footy blog he loves. So come Grand Final day we were ready to party. We found a local Aussie pub that would be hosting the game, complete with free meat pies at half time. The place was called The Sunburnt Calf. We invited everyone we know to join us, to celebrate a sport that's near and dear to both of us. Everyone declined. It might have been the 12.30am start time, but more than likely they're just jerks. Ever frugal, we had pre-drinks at our apartment and got good and jolly. We wore our Lions and Swans tees and braved some torrential rain (does it ever stop in this city) in the quest for AFL.

The pub was the same as every sports bar in this town. Narrow, not enough seats and TVs over the bar. Hellish in other words. Luckily, we proved eager enough and the waiter guy got us a table out the back where there was a big projector and screen setup. Lucky again that he was a Geelong supporter so we know we'd be amongst friendlies. I had my concerns that Timon would get into a punch-on with any Collingwood fan so it looked like we were safe.

I have to say, I was really excited. There was something about seeing all the Facebook updates about Grand Final parties in Oz that made me feel closer to everyone at home. It also made me a little homesick later in the night when I was on the downslide of drunkeness. We started a tab (always a mistake) and began enjoying beers and ciders and steak sandwiches and fries. It was mega fun cheering loudly and obnoxiously. Most of the crowd was Australian and most were barracking for Geelong. Collingwood supporters were very quiet indeed. Of course there were moments of tension and a surprising sense of sympathy when I saw the faces of Mick Malthouse and his players. It's amazing and a little bit crazy how serious everyone takes the game. Don't get me wrong, I take it seriously, especially when the Swans are playing, but it's all a little bit silly right?

A funny thing happened - a girl came and sat next to us and introduced herself. She said she was a Sydney supporter but was from Melbourne. Timon introduced us, saying he was from Melbs too and I was from Ballarat. The girl then explained that she was from Buninyong, but always tells people Melbourne because hey, who knows where Buninyong is?! It is one hella small world. She also asked us to take claim of her beer if asked because she was underage!

We made it home in one piece although I don't quite remember how. All I know is that Timon still can't talk and it's 2 days later.

Random moments

*I really miss lamb. I didn't realise how much until T and I met up with his workmate Mark at a bar near their work. The bar was New Zealand themed and I ordered a lamb burger with feta. Lamb is a fairly rare commodity in New York, perhaps because there are so few sheep. But man, would I murder a lamb roast right now.

*I saw an Oscar the other day. I arrived early for a screening at Sony and was chilling in their lounge. I was sitting back in a giant leather armchair, looking out over midtown when I spied a display cabinet. There, all shiny and gold, were 3 Academy Award statuettes, gleaming at me. One was for "From Here to Eternity", one for Eva Marie Saint and I can't remember the last. But what struck me was the tragedy of having these awesome Oscars in the same cabinet as cheap Green Hornet and Bad Teacher merchandise and props. Surely Sony must have produced a few more notable films in the time between From Here to Eternity and Bad Teacher?

*We bought our tickets to Europe in January! FINALLY! Timon is scheduled to fly to Amsterdam on the 2nd Jan, leaving me in New York with my family. I will be flying to Copenhagen on the 7th Jan to help Ida celebrate her 30th birthday. I'm so excited I might bust. From there we will meet up in Germany and farewell Timon's friend Tom and head to Poland. Then we have to make our way to England somehow because we're flying home from London on the 30th Jan. That means we also get to see Freyja and her new dorm room. If only Ross hadn't moved to Abu Dhabi it could have been the trifecta of awesomeness. Good one Ross.

*I went to my first NYFF screening the other day. Luckily I arrived a geeky hour and half early because by 3pm the queue went half way around the block. Apparently every writer and press jerk wants to see the opening film of the festival. I have been surprised at the age of people at these things. I am definitely in the young bracket and I'm nearly 30. It seems that most film reviewers are middle-aged to old men. This screening (Carnage, dir Roman Polanski) was full of white-haired old women. Weird. 

*In lieu of getting tickets to the Arrested Development Panel (which is today btw and I'm very grouchy about it) the PR woman for the New Yorker Festival offered me a ticket to a Beyond 3D panel that was held yesterday. I went along and listened to 4 special effects masters talk about their jobs and various projects they'd been involved in. One guy did Star Wars, Jurassic Park, The Abyss - one did Black Swan and Limitless - one did Avatar, Tintin, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the last guy did all the Harry Potters. It was interesting to hear their stories although I rarely had any idea about the technology and techniques they were talking about. It's mind boggling. One little kid got up and asked them how they made the spells shoot out of the wands in HP. Aw, bless.

Celebrity Spotting

I have had a pretty full schedule of preview screenings and there are even more to come in October (New York Film Festival and CMJ Film Festival). Timon decided to accompany me to one for Take Shelter a couple of Mondays ago. We got up early and made our way to the Sony Building on Madison Ave. We waited. And waited. Turns out I had taken us to the wrong venue - it was at Magno more than a few streets away and we'd missed the first half an hour. Sad, yes. Serendipitous? Also yes. Because while we were sitting in the grand Sony lobby, waiting on a PR rep that never came, we saw MOLLY MELDRUM. I turned around and saw this giant cowboy hat standing at the front desk and it was none other. Looking way to old to be wearing a tight black tee and fancy bejewelled jeans, Molly was there for an appointment for god knows what. I ogled, Timon laughed and neither of us said anything to him. In hindsight maybe he would have liked being recognised. I didn't want to look unprofessional in front of the PR rep (who was on the other side of town). An opportunity lost, maybe. But still an excellent story.

Following on from that Timon and I found ourselves at the Lincoln Center for the premiere event screening of Guests of the Nation, a silent Irish film from 1935. Lovingly restored by the Irish Film Institute and accompanied by a fancy orchestra, the film was introduced by one of the most famous Irish dudes (not Bono). GABRIEL BYRNE. I should backtrack a little and tell you that we were invited to this event as press and I'm not sure how I convinced T to go. So we watched a couple of modern silent films (2005,2011) that were accompanied by live music and foley artists. Check out my review on Digital Hippos for all the deets. But then, out comes Gabriel Byrne all shaggy haired and handsome. A true silver fox. He ummed and ah'd through the first bit of his intro but then wooed me with his charm and silky, incomprehensible accent. The film itself was a bit tragic but the evening had already attained legendary status in the highlights of my life.

The Usual Suspect

The Archer Variety Hour

On Saturday a couple of weeks ago T and I went to the only place we ever go in Brooklyn - The Bellhouse. If you can cast your mind back, The Bellhouse is where we went to see The Lion King sing-a-long many moons ago. For this particular Saturday we had bought tickets to The Archer Variety Hour, a comedy panel with the stars of the animated series Archer (check it out, it's awesome). It was particularly exciting because the guy who voices Archer himself, H.Jon Benjamin, also voices Bob from Bob's Burgers. Amongst other things. We went out super early to make sure we got a seat and ended up having a few brews at the bar. When the crowds started coming in we jumped on the line and ended up with front row seats. People you may know from the cast include Aisha Tyler (I'm pretty sure she was the only black chick on friends ever), Jessica Walter (the old mum from Arrested Development) and Chris Parnell (30 Rock). Apart from needing to pee the whole time (damn you cider!) I had a brilliant time. The show started with each cast member performing a 'talent'. Tyler's did impressions, Benjamin pretended to play the guitar and Walter and Parnell read creepy ads off Craigslist. You had to be there. Then they all came out and sat and the host (Eugene Mirman, the voice of Gene in Bob's Burgers) asked questions. Aisha Tyler was pretty drunk and hilarious and the whole thing was awesome.

Side note: Lucy told me about an Arrested Development Panel coming up as part of the New Yorker Festival. I sat online for an hour before the tix were available and then got through to a queue and then they were SOLD OUT. Not cool.


Here are some pics:

New York Comic Con 2011

I just can't wait until October 16 to tell you about this - let me set the scene.

Yesterday I was at work, reading as I always do the free daily papers. An ad for New York Comic Con 2011 caught my eye. For the unaware - Comic Con is basically a big nerd-gasm convention for all things super geeky (comic books, sci-fi, fantasy etc). I jumped online and checked out the line up. Felicia Day huh? Timon will be excited (me not so much as I don't like other redheads battling for supremacy in my boys mind). Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Lou Ferrigno (The Hulk), Kevin Smith, Kevin Sorbo, Frank Miller, John Landis and the hot Kal Drogo from Game of Thrones. All VERY EXCITING indeed. I immediately texted Timon and demanded that we buy tickets. He investigated and discovered that we could apply for press passes, giving us access to everything for free. He went ahead and applied for both of us and we received email confirmation not long after. Man oh man oh man - Digital Hippos is our golden ticket! We are all set for the exclusive press day plus the weekend as well (we'll miss Friday because of the Arctic Monkeys concert in Atlantic City - equally awesome).

I'm feeling like a very, very lucky girl right now.

 Felicia Day and Jason Momoa

Why midnight screenings are not fun

Being a conductor of IMAX midnight screenings for over a year I genuinely thought they were fun, exciting experiences for fans. I have also attended a couple myself, most memorably the Star Wars prequels in Ballarat. But there are a couple of things I forget to remember. Being in charge is way more fun - you get to plan the event, know what's going on, be in control (mostly) and not have to stand in line for 2 hours. Also, knowing someone who works at the cinema and sneaking in the back door just before showtime is awesome (thanks Zoy!). Queuing outside the cinema, on the cold, hard concrete for 2 hours sucks. So does being stuck in line while people check in their mobile phones. So does finding decent seats and having to watch every person after you walk down to the 'RESERVED' seats, try to sit down and be told off by the usher. Since when did 'reserved' become foreign language? My conclusion - people are stupid. Especially in large groups. We had a small row in front of us where people had left one vacant seat at each end. A nice couple understandably requested that the group move one way or the other so that they could sit together. You would have thought they asked for them to kill one of their own. The girls on one end didn't want to move behind a slightly taller guy. The ladies in the middle didn't want to surrender the middle. It was painful and I had to sit on my hands to avoid a smackdown. Since when did people become such jerks? I wished I was in charge, wielding my radio and torch, so I could get my bitch on and boss those jerks around. Or evict them.

The pain wasn't over. The prizes came out. Trivia. Maybe I'm just being a grinch because I didn't care to win a DVD boxset of Family Guy Season Whatever. That's what the internet is for. But the audience went NUTS. There was screaming and actual rage when the host passed over them. It was a disgusting display. And come on, it was midnight and I had to get up for work at 6.30 - hustle it along please! In my time at IMAX I always felt that people liked to win prizes - now I know they were just dying for the show to start and cursing me for my obnoxious microphone chatter.

I should mention what the show was - it was the premiere preview of the new Family Guy season (10).I did get a free t-shirt out of it (the screening was also free) but it was hardly worth the agony. The episode - was a laugh, I must admit. There is one hell of a penis enlargement joke right at the end. Look out for it.

Julia Mann: Member of the Press

Monday was my first proper press screening, and boy was it exciting. Timon had to work so I was on my own. I found my way to East 55th and the Sony Building. I crossed a fancy looking foyer and jumped in an elevator up to the 7th Floor SkyLobby. I checked in at the front desk and waited (I was super early) on a plush leather couch, watching the comings and goings of lucky Sony staff. Around 2.30pm a guy came out with a list of names and crossed each of us off, handing us little yellow tickets so we could pass security. We went up again and came out into a luxuriously carpeted area, lined with black and white photos of old movie stars, brand new film posters and comfy leather couches. The security guard directed us to the private screening room, which had over-sized green seats, some with extender-legs for uber relaxing. I selected my seat, halfway up to the left, and waited while maybe 15 other people wandered in. It's fair to say that film reviewers are a big bunch of geeks, and on this day predominantly middle-aged white guys. The film started without an ad or trailer to be found and 90-odd minutes later we had seen Gus Van Sant's new film - 'Restless'. You can read my review at www.digitalhippos.com.

On Tuesday Timon and I went to see 'Gun Hill Road' downtown. I found out, to my pleasant surprise, that the cinema is one of the few in town that offers a student discount. Thank god for Melbourne Uni student cards that expire in 2012! We had been meaning to see this film for ages because one of Timon's regular customers is related to the director. The theatre was near-empty and the film was grim, but enjoyable. It starred Richie Valens' brother from 'La Bamba' and Carla from 'Scrubs'. It was set in the Bronx and it was cool to see recognisable scenery.

On Wednesday I was on my own again. I had received an email confirmation of my press credentials for the New York Film Festival and went in to collect my ID. It's all fancy with a colour photo and lanyard. It gets me in to all press screenings before and during the festival, along with subsequent press conferences. To say I'm excited is an understatement. Timon signed up when he heard how cool it was going to be - and he collected his ID today. I had some time to kill so spent an hour in Chipotle eating corn chips and guacamole. I had cased out the next location - the Magno screening rooms on 7th Ave. This screening ('Weekend') was much busier. I find it a little bit intimidating watching a film with a room full of reviewers. Every time one of them makes a note I wonder what they're writing, what they've seen and OH MY GOD should I be writing too? I also wonder who they are and who they write for. I should introduce myself I suppose...
Tonight (Thursday) Timon and I are headed to a midnight screening of the new Family Guy season premiere. It's a previews ahead of the release in late September. We supposedly get commemorative t-shirts and the opportunity to win prizes. I'm 100% relying on T for trivia answers.

So far Friday is un-booked by film screenings. It's not a night in though - we have plans to teach Sophie C how to act drunk. By getting drunk. Hopefully I can retain a little dignity this time.

Post 9/11

Not only did I not stay home on 9/11, I ventured into the belly of the beast.

The Saturday evening prior we decided to head out to Williamsburg to meet up with Frans and Michelle for drinks. Timon spent hours before that completing the Australian tax forms online and as a result we didn't end up leaving our place until 10pm. We almost never go to Brooklyn and we absolutely never go out at that time of night. We should have known right then that the night would end badly. We rolled up at The Rabbit Hole (Frans ex-place of employ) around 11pm and started catching up with the rest of the party. The bartender was generous due to our affiliation with Frans and the wine, beer and whisky was flowing. I even partook in a tequila slammer with loft-mate Trudon. Huge mistake. I can't say it wasn't my fault but the free-pouring shots that the bartender gave out made it hard to track drinks and alcohol consumption. By the time we left the restaurant in the direction of some club I was ...blotto. Yeah, that's the word. I remember searching desperately for Timon, who turned out to be enjoying the beer garden with Frans, then spewing in the bathroom. That was it for me and Timon escorted me, messy and sobby, back to F&Ms. I woke up in the middle of the night next to T on a pull-down sofa with Star Wars music blaring from a speaker. By the time I woke again the other boys were passed out on various chairs with the DVD menu screen looping over and over.

Hungover and in the same clothes as yesterday T and I walked our way through Williamsburg to the train. Despite fresh terror warnings the week before we had no choice but to catch the subway across the river and back into Manhattan. We ended up at a seedy diner not far from Timon's work, eating pretty nasty food (with a cup of tea straight from heaven) before I left T at Jack's and subway'd all the way home. So inadvertently I had ended up right in the heart of all the 9/11 shenanigans. Jack's Front Street is a 5 minute walk from the World Trade Center memorial and site of the still-in-construction new skyscraper. Lucky for everyone, and no big surprise really, the day was uneventful (besides the ceremonies and mourning of course). My only disappointment was not being able to see the light memorial from our roof - I did the next best thing and watched it on TV.

Never Forget

As you'd be aware (especially if you live in this country) the 10th anniversary of 9/11 is coming up. As loathed as I am to add to the overwhelming media attention this day is receiving, I feel compelled to voice an opinion. Being Australian, the events of 9/11 faded from my brain relatively quickly after the news reports died down. I've gone on living my life with its own special challenges and experiences with only the occasional memory provoked by film references. It was of great surprise and some level of contempt that I realised those events still feature highly in the collective consciousness of the USA.

'Highly' is an understatement. In the past two weeks my television and daily reading have been overrun with documentary specials, news coverage, tabloid exploitation, editorial musings and front page rants about everything and anything to do with 9/11. Yesterday I was tricked into watching "Remember Me", a film starring Robert Pattinson that I switched onto half way through. It wasn't until the last 5 minutes that I recalled the ending - Pattinson peering out the windows of his father's office on the 100-something floor of the WTC as they cut to a teacher writing that infamous date on the blackboard. None too subtle. But also oddly affecting. For all my stone-hearted forgetfulness, it took a Twilight vampire to drive it home and I got that gut-wrenching feeling of sympathy that the other media sources had failed to instill.

So Sunday is the day. The city will be locked down due to the presence of President Obama and countless other dignitaries. Downtown Manhattan will be a nightmare to navigate (sorry Timon!). Our friend Scott will be taking to the skies, home to Michigan, as flights on 9/11 are the cheapest you'll find. I will be home with the cat, trying in vain to avoid any and all coverage. Who am I kidding - morbid curiosity will most likely win the day. I'll probably also subscribe to paranoia and text Timon every 5 minutes just to make sure his store isn't exploded.

The rainy season

It has not stopped raining in September. I'm definitely not complaining because the rain washes away the sun. It doesn't always deter the humidity however. Where are we at then:

Giant kitty Rosie has proven herself a terrible house guest. After not eating for 4 days she finally tried some wet food - only to get mad diarrhea, spew on the floor, pee in the bath and poo on our bed! It's trying times in the Mannopoulos household.

Both Timon and I are furiously researching, playing, watching and writing for Digital Hippos. There is something great about the rush from seeing an article published on the homepage - and extra credit for getting your piece rotating on the banner! It's pretty rad. Here is a link to my latest:

http://digitalhippos.com/film-review/drama/review-the-debt

And Timon's: http://digitalhippos.com/gaming-review/xbox-360/review-ugly-americans-apocalypsegeddon
 
Please support us by 'Liking' the site (for those of you on Facebook), reading our reviews and even making comments on the bottom. Every hit counts towards us eventually getting paid!

We ordered me a little tiny wee laptop (sadly not a Macbook Air - they are so expensive!) so that I can write during my downtime at work. May as well do something productive in the hours I have no customers. It almost makes me feel like I'm getting paid to write! The laptop arrived on Tuesday but sadly did not work. We've ordered a replacement so fingers crossed it arrives tomorrow AND works. I will be eating leftover muffins and salads from work for the next 2 months to make up for the splurge but I think it's worth it. Timon's Mac weighs a tonne and he needs it as much as me.

We've been cinema hopping more than ever, piling up review fodder for the site. We saw an Attack the Block/The Debt double feature on Friday followed by Warrior on Tuesday and Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles for me on Wednesday. I can't wait until the preview screening invites come rolling in (soon, baby, soon)! I also spent the afternoon volunteering at MOMI on Sunday and was inspired to write a piece on the Jim Henson exhibition out there.

I met up with T last night after work and we walked over to St Mark's Place in pursuit of a killer hotdog. I received a couple of freebies for this place called Crif Dogs - a hot doggery that boasts bizarre combos. The line was out the door when we arrived but we stuck it out and received a Chihuahua and Good Morning dog for our efforts. Mine was a bacon wrapped dog covered in avocado and sour cream while Timon's Good Morning was bacon wrapped topped with a fried egg. We rounded out the meal with tater tots. Not bad, but probably not worth the wait. And definitely not with the $5 price tag. Thank you coupon websites - sometimes your endless spam pays off!

A New Hope: Episode Four

What would I do without Timon? He ditched a well-paying job and traveled to the other side of the world with me, braving -16 degree weather, foreign languages, David Hasselhoff and paralysing New York wages in pursuit of a dream. And because of him I am one step closer to mine.

I mentioned a few blogs ago that Timon had found an internship position at review, news and editorial website Digital Hippos, writing articles on music and gaming titles. In a stroke of awesomeness he promoted me to his boss and I now find myself on staff as a writer in the film department! I have the opportunity to write reviews, conduct interviews with filmmakers, put together news items, write editorials and generally spout off about films I love/hate. While the position is yet unpaid I have already been lining up press passes to upcoming film festivals in the city and negotiating free passes to regular screenings. It is the most exciting, scary and challenging prospect this side of moving to the other side of the world and braving -16 degree weather, foreign languages, David Hasselhoff and paralysing New York wages. This opportunity is a bright and shiny ray of light in an otherwise dreary career outlook.

Please check in with the website every so often to read both of our dazzling articles of writing gold. We'll post updates on Facebook when something new is up!

I think we make a pretty awesome unbeatable team of hotness - I love you baby!

Safe and Sound!

Well we survived. It was actually rather pathetic. We locked the doors at 1pm on Saturday and waited with baited breath for the waters to rise. And waited and waited. I crawled into bed at 1am with high expectations. Nothing but steady rain came down. When I woke the next morning the sun was shining and sky was clear. I guess I'm glad really that we didn't lose power and our belongings were all dry and we didn't have to eat the kittens in a mad act of starvation. And I'm sorry that others weren't so lucky.

We almost closed Greenacre on Monday because the subway wasn't running. But after some very early morning texts and phone calls I dragged my butt down to midtown around 10am. Everything looked the same and there was no more water on the kiosk floor than when Durell and Charles water the bricks (this is horrifying to my drought-hardened sensibilities!). Ultimately Hurricane Irene was nothing to write home about.

The last few days have been same old same old. Been to work some, been at home some. Sophie left our apartment for Philly on Tuesday afternoon and we headed up to the Bronx for a home-cooked dinner by moi. Timon and Scott worked on nerdy boy computer stuff and I slaved in the kitchen. Scott is having housemate difficulties at the moment and rarely leaves his room on the top floor. He is almost completely self sufficient up there so I was rather tentative about braving the battle zone downstairs. Luckily he wasn't home. Dinner was delicious (thank you Zoy pasta) and I gorged on wine and candy treats for dessert while we watched Hanna (Eric Bana!).

Yesterday was our last day with the 3 kittens Randall, Callie and Leonard. They have been the most gorgeous, loving, affectionate and needy kitties we've had this year. Yes, they've also spewed nearly every day in new and mysterious places but when they snuggle up under your chin you forget all that. They did not enjoy the subway ride down the Union Square but relaxed once at the shelter. I was horrified to spy Wario lying in a cage, yet to be adopted! I thought for sure all those kittens would be gobbled up in an instant. Everyone keep your fingers crossed he finds his forever home soon.

In return for our kitten exchange we received one giant, grey with white paws, behemoth lady cat called Rosie. She is the LOUDEST cat I've ever heard and we were almost evicted from the cab on the way home. She spent the evening chilling out in the bathroom and has slowly and curiously explored the rest of the apartment today. She has allowed some patting and one quick smooch but is still finding her bearings. Timon is a pretty good cat whisperer so hopefully she will settle in quickly. I anticipate that she will only be with us for 2 weeks. Let's make them happy ones.