"I'm Blind, I'm Deaf, I Wanna be a Ref"

I just got back from the Rangers game (3rd game of the 2nd round series, vs. Buffalo), and WOW, do I have a lot to say about this game! The Garden was rocking! First of all, GO RANGERS and their 2-1 win late in the second period of sudden-death-overtime. Second of all, this game should have easily been 3-1 Rangers going into the third period had it not been for the horrific officiating. From the first dropped puck, the refs continuously called bogus penalties on the Rangers, failed to call obvious penalties on the Sabres, got in the way of the plays, and made innaccurate calls on icing and off-sides. Just to give a sense, after regulation time, the Rangers were called for 8 penalties whilst the Sabres were only called for 2. It seemed the Rangers were constantly down a skater, and one of these penalty-kills ended up in the goal for the Sabres. Even worse, a Rangers goal went under review and was waved off because the puck was apparently intentionally kicked in. Feel free to review the play yourself. There was no deliberate kick whatsoever, but rather a Ranger who skated into the goal box, an allowable play and an acceptable goal. And it's not just me: here's a quote from another blogger, a Flyers fan, nonetheless!: "That game [Rangers/Sabres] was god awful. from the miss goal and on top of that the miss hooking call on that play. to phantoms callsToday was an embrassment for NHL. I cant believe two referees on the ice can't make the correct call on ice. Sabres are Bettman's puppet team and everyone knows it. God, I miss that Barabro Special, that probably would be more entertaining than that embrassment at the Garden. Long Live Barbaro!"

It was the kind of game where the less-than-mediocre officiating took away from the fun of the game. It was also extremely one-sided and, at some points, so ridiculous, we were laughing from the seats. 'Coincidentally', it's known that the NHL is unofficially supporting the Sabres to win the whole thing. The Sabres are the prime example of the new NHL ideal: A successful team from a small town with a small paycheck. Honestly, the NHL is suffering in so many ways; they are losing their fan base, and based on the ridiculous and unprofessional officiating at the Garden, I can see why. The NHL better get their act together, and it better start with those guys in stripes who can unfortunately decide a game more powerfully than player talent.

My Life: A Summary

It's been a busy few weeks around here and I figured I'd summarize some of the highlights.

-First and foremost, we did get a few days of spring in! It's since gone back to dampness and rain with a chill in the air, but why dwell on details?

-I had two wonderful weekend days basking in the perfect weather. Last Saturday, I finally got to explore my new town. I found stores and restaurants that will do as replacements for some of my favorite places from my old neighborhood. I found a store that sells Stuart Weitzman shoes, and another that has the skincare lines 'The Thymes', 'Pre de Provence', and 'L'Occitane.' Oh, and a lovely old-fashioned intimates store. On Sunday, I met my friend Floria for brunch in the city (my favorite thing to do in New York), and then we walked around. I hit up the Mets Clubhouse store and we basked in the sun in Bryant Park. On my way back to Penn Station, I bought these great slingback sandals (I got the black ones).

-I went to my first Mets game of the season, and watched them crush the Rockies. I had cotton candy and delightfully felt like an 8-year-old again! Let's Go Mets!

-I got to see my cousin Annette, who was visiting from Austin. My brother met up with us for awhile; they two of them haven't seen each other in almost 3 years! We got drinks and then sushi in midtown. It was great seeing my cousin!

-I had fondue for the first time at Annie and Jordan's place. It was so good, and I ate way too much! I also met the cutest baby (who belongs to Floria's friends Mimi and Nat).

-Today I'm going to the second round playoff game between the Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres. The Rangers are down 2 games to 0.

-I found good pizza in my town!!! Reminiscent of the pizzas in Italy, this was somewhere between the size of a regular pie and a personal pizza, with a super thin crust. I got it 'Margharita', meaning fresh mozzerella, fresh basil, fresh tomato sauce. Yummy!

Review: 'inoteca

Last night I met up with some friends to try 'inoteca, located in the lower east side. The concept behind 'inoteca is to bring new and different Italian wines to the table while enoying a simple meal. The night definitely had its ups and downs: The wait was frustrating, to say the least (about an hour and a half) - I shouldn't even complain because the subways made me late so I only waited an hour; Amanda was the one waiting for the full 90 minutes... What made the wait a little more frustrating was the wierd sewer smell coming from the streets...

We were finally seated in a not-so-primely-located table in the basement and given a waiter who was a little scatter-brained (at one point, he explained that he had to excuse himself to address the espresso that he had spilled!) but still nice!

BUT, despite these setbacks, I really liked this place! The plates are small and meant for sharing, and the menu has lots of antipasto and cured meat choices. We decided on splitting a truffled egg bruschetta dish and a salad of beets, fennel, oranges, hazelnuts, and (my favorite), a generous helping of romano shavings. Then, we each ordered a pannini, only able to finish half. We split the panna cotta for dessert. Being that 'inoteca is also a wine bar, I decided to try something completely new to me: a red spumante. I was expecting it to be like a rose champagne, which has a pink hue, but this was the color of a dark red wine, just bubbly! It was delicious (Its name is Lambrusco La Luna, for those of you interested...). I also capped off dessert with a glass of delicious, sweet Muscato wine. The prices were very reasonable; the paninis and small plates were all around $8 or $9, and there were many glasses of wine available for around that same price. I'd definitely recommend giving this place a try, but maybe going a little earlier when there may be less of a wait.

If April Showers....

bring May flowers, then what do May flowers bring?

Pilgrims!!!!... Just thought I'd try to get a laugh in there to help deal with the "spring" we're having so far. For those of you out of touch with the weather in the northeast, we had a few days of 65+ weather a few weeks ago, but it's been in the 40's ever since. And now, a nice big fat juicy nor'easter is going to hit us and it's going to coincide with the highest tides of the year. That means lots and lots of rain and coastal flooding for those of us (like me!) who live by the shores. Beach erosion is also expected. I guess I shouldn't complain being that those people about 100 miles north and west of me are expected to get their April showers in the form of lots o'snow. So, for those of you lucky enough like me to be living in the northeast, keep your heads up, your umbrellas open, your basements dry, and just remember: in a few months you'll be so sick of the summer heat that you'll be praying for winter! Oh, and make sure your car's sunroof is closed....

Uncork the Champagne!

Since starting this blog, I've tried to chronicle my own life and my day-to-day adventures. Within these past weeks, I've also had many friends and family members reach milestones for which I am so happy to be able to share with them. It is now with pride that I share them here:

Annie: graduated from Harvard with a Masters in Architecture while receiving high honors on her dissertation.

Mike: married his soul mate Tara (and I had to heartbreakingly miss the wedding because of the icy roads and bridges out here). Best of love now and always.

Floria: about to embark on a new professional adventure as she leaves Nickelodeon for a career with CBS.

Diana: about to enter into home ownership with a beautiful condo in Florida (not to mention an excuse for vacations for me!).

Erica and Brian: expecting their second child this fall!

My cousin Jillian: Just got engaged to her high school sweetheart Anthony! Congratulations! I've been asked to be a bridesmaid and I can't wait for the big day in November 2009.

It's a Small World After All....

I just returned from a 'mini-holiday' to Walt Disney World with my friends Amanda and Diana. Despite the large crowds, undisciplined, wild, and screaming children, and a heat wave, we had a great time! We stayed at the Boardwalk Villa which is decorated to evoke a feeling of a bygone era of early-century seaside resorts. My favorite part of the resort was the balconies we had that overlooked the boardwalk (perfect for people-watching!), the EPCOT ball, and the fireworks. Being that we had all been to Disney before, we just visited the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. The rest of the days we spent leisurely: shopping at Downtown Disney, high tea, curling up on the balcony with a good book. We even met up with my aunt who was staying at the same resort (It really is a Small World!). Just as I was getting into real vacation mode, it was time to come home (greeted of course, by a forecast of snow....).



Here's me, Amanda, and Diana posing in the oversized sofa. And here's Amanda and Diana after we got hit by the 'water canon' on Splash Mountain. Needless to say, we were so soaked that dry clothes had to be purchased from a gift shop. Not happy campers....


In EPCOT, Diana and I enjoyed some Pomegranate Kir Royales in Paris.... our European sophistication continued at high tea in the Grand Floridian.













One night we went to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for an African buffet dinner. Everything was delicious, but the highlight was the lodge itself. It's nestled in the midst of a savannah, with giraffes, zebras, and wildebeasts roaming around. What will Disney think of next?





And of course, we caught some classics: I got a photo-op with Goofy, we admired Disney characters made out of shrubbery, we paid an homage to the classic rides and sites...