The Early Show

Had an amazing time in New York City!!! We had few bumps regarding transportation, errr, thanks Greyhound. Great service. We almost missed our bus on the way there and almost missed the metro on the way back. Apparently the times on the ticket are just guidelines. But life wouldn't be very much fun it everything went according to plans.

We went to an early, yes, very early taping of The Early Show on CBS and appeared on TV numerous times although I have no proof of the fact. My mom taped cartoons instead of the show so we'll never know how great we looked waving at the cameras.

We did however, get a picture taken with the weather man, Lonnie Quinn, so yes, we're practically famous now. We also took a tour of the studio which was, in typical TV show fashion, not nearly as big as you would imagine. The set was rather small and all of it was a product of TV magic. The sofa was customized to be firmer or softer depending on where different hosts sit to make them all appear the same height. The floor was concrete but painted to look like wood. The stage where stars perform is really as big as a closet with 3 sheets of plastic behind them that are colored by fancy lights. The fans stand around the CBS gates in the middle of an open air plaza, so even the smallest handful of people can look like hundreds.

Never believe what you see on you see on the telly.

Hello New York

Off to the Big Apple for the weekend. It's going to be as fun as a barrel of monkeys there.

With all the express buses from DC to NYC why not go? Several bus lines offer unbelievably low prices including:

Megabus
Chinatownbus
Greyhound
Boltbus

Greyhound had the best prices this round, especially if you buy online at least 1-2 weeks in advance. These cheap and easy buses remind me more traveling in Europe than in the States. And traveling in Europe is MUCH easier than here. I just wish we had the equivalent Ryan Air. Sure, you fear whether the pilot actually knows how to fly, and whether you'll make it to your destination; but there's not a whole of complaining for $20 a plane ticket.

Savor the Flavor

In the season of temperatures so cold you can see your breath, runny noses, frost on the windshield, and shivers down your spine, I must ask you: What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Mine is usually chocolate chip cookie dough because of those umptious spoonfuls of cookie dough chunks. Yum.

I used to get in trouble if I stole a bite of cookie dough from my mom and grandma's batter on cookie baking day because of raw eggs in the dough. I suppose it also had something to do with them not wanting me to eat all their cookies before they even made it into the oven. With chocolate cookie cookie dough ice cream though, you can eat the sugary lumps, and it's completely allowed. Ben and Jerry's is good, but so are other various brands--as long as they don't skimp on the cookie dough pieces.

Haagan Dazs' Pineapple Coconut is a flavor I just recently tasted and it was pretty scrumptious too. I also have a fondness for peach ice cream and classic vanilla with real strawberries on the side.

Turkey Hill has a scrumptious Honey Vanilla Granola that tastes just as good as ice cream.

Hershey's strawberry cheesecake is probably on my top flavors list too.

Oh gosh. I love ice cream. I could ice cream every day of the week if I allowed myself; even in the winter. It's just soooo good.

Learning Arabic

I've decided to start learning Arabic, but let me tell you, native English speakers, it's not easy. There are several letters in the arabic alphabet that don't have equivalents in the English language. And vowels make NO sense to me at all. When do I use an actual vowel versus a line signaling a vowel? And why are letters written differently based on where they are in the word? There are different ways to write letters depending on their position at the beginning, middle, or end of a word. Not to mention writing in the opposite direction as well. This seems impossible!

But I'm determined. Although it seems like a daunting task now, I'm sure it will become easier over time. The writing is so beautiful. I can't wait until I can understand Arabic.

If you're a beginner like me and want to start learning Arabic, I recommend this Learn Arabic with Maha on YouTube. Also, this video is a big help with the alphabet for true newbies. And take a peek at this list of basic phrases from Linguanaut to get you started. I think you should join me in learning Arabic so we can complain about how difficult it is together!

Ma’a salama

Big Chess

The turkey has been eaten, black friday deals are over, and Thanksgiving has been forgotten. Now it's back to the grind.

I already miss playing big chess with my dad. The black and white squares were painted on the floor of the hotel's game room and the pieces were about the size of a toddler. Seeing the lines was much more difficult because more than once I made a move and then thought, oh crap, that's not what I wanted to do. When I said check, I though my bishop in line with your king...

Playing chess made me miss gameknot where I played over 362 games in the course of several years. A traumatic loss in only 3 moves (to a high school boyfriend nonetheless) sparked an interest in improving my chess game even though I didn't join the site until years after dating him. It's funny the little things you tie to your self-esteem and never forget. In retrospect, I chalk that horrific loss up to not really knowing the rules; even though at the time I felt as dumb as dirt. It's all a matter of learning the game and developing your strategy. I have improved quite steadily since then, and I shall never lose in 3 or less moves ever again; so if you thought you could crush me in chess, think again buddy!

Ocean City Winterfest of Lights

It was sooo cold today so we canceled our walk up the boardwalk in favor of walking around in warmer places (read: went shopping). My toes were thankful; my wallet not so much.

As soon as it got dark, however, we decided to brave the cold windy weather to attend the Winterfest of Lights, a Christmasy light show at Ocean City, MD. You only really need to go to this winterfest once, but as my parents pointed out, they add a couple new things every year and it gives you something to do.

As it is now after Thanksgiving, I can accept Christmas themed things. I found it pretty annoying that radio stations starting playing Christmas music and stores started setting up their Christmas decorations before halloween even. Let us enjoy one holiday at a time. Geez, people!

What 3 things would you grab in a fire?

This morning the fire alarm of our hotel woke us up. Attention: everybody outside. Fun indeed. A whirl of pajamas, unbrushed hair, and screaming kids from neighboring rooms.

You know that hypothetical situation where you choose 3 things you will take with you if your house is on fire and you have to evacuate immediately? Yeah, well that type of clear thinking doesn't really happen in such a situation anyway.

The three things I grabbed when I thought the place was on fire were my computer (good choice), contacts (probably necessary), and gloves (huh?). I didn't bring other important things like my ipod, phone, credit card, keys, or coat. So much for clarity in the morning fire drill. The alarm likely awakened us because somebody burned Jimmy Dean sausages in their microwave, but still, I couldn't have grabbed more strategic items? Hopefully I'll never have to face that situation for real.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving friends!

I'm at the beach freezing. Brrrr.

I'm also eating at a buffet. This only happens once a year. Turkey beware. I shall conquer.

Now, if only I could find my stretchy pants...