oOoOo, so *minimalist*

I suddenly got really fed up with how this blog looks. We'll see how long this version lasts...

Do I miss new york city?

I get asked this question once in awhile. Six months after I moved here (which was at the end of June), my answer was an emphatic NO. My thoughts never fondly strayed to NYC. Ever. I was just so glad to not be there anymore. Once in awhile while driving in my car, I'd think, "whew, I am so glad I am not stuck in a hot and smelly subway right now!" or when I'd be at the grocery store, I'd get stuff on great sales and then think, "wow, I am so glad I'm not spending twice as much on crappy produce!"

But enough time has passed now that I can see things a little more clearly. I've realized that there is one huge thing I miss about NYC. And, at times, I miss it a LOT. And that is the snobbery. I really miss the snobbery. NOT the hipster irony that follows the snobbery...but just the snobbery. Because deep down...I'm a total snob.

No, I don't love highbrow culture like opera or classical music or off-broadway plays or art galleries. In fact, I find those things to be kind of boring. But I do miss the general feeling of "worldliness" NYC exudes. I'm not talking about diversity--actually, I think Los Angeles is a lot more diverse than NYC in a lot of ways--but I'm referring more so to a general awareness of things going on around you on a larger scale. I'm not sure if I've pinpointed it down exactly, yet. But I think NYC feels like a member of the world whereas LA feels like a member of the U.S. That might have something to do with the entertainment business being so big and insular here. Did that sound snobby? You bet...because I'm a snob.

catchup

I am soooo behind in my posts. Here's a quick summary of things that happened since Thanksgiving 2010:

1. N and I went to the LA auto show downtown. I'd never been to a car show before, but super cheap tickets came up through Groupon so I thought it would just be a fun new thing to try. And it would give us a chance to sit in a lot of different cars since we were thinking about buying one soon. It was interesting--we sat in the Ford Fiesta (which was at the top of our car purchasing possibilities) which I found incredibly suffocating. Something about how the interior is designed (all swoopy and egg-like) made me feel like I had no space. I also sat in a Mini Cooper for the first time ever, and I thought it was fantastic.

2. I became an aunt! Hannah was born on December 1st to my sister and my brother-in-law. I went up to the Bay Area to see her and learned more about babies than ever before...which isn't saying much since I knew absolutely nothing about them to begin with. This pic is of the first time I've ever fed a baby. One thing I learned: newborn babies don't (can't) do much, but they do burp and fart a lot.

3. N and I watched Black Swan. LOVED IT. One of the top movies of 2010 for me.

4. We didn't decorate for the holidays, but I did make some paper ornaments by using a combination of instructions here and here. I like working with paper.

5. N, Stewie, and I flew to upstate New York for the holidays where we had a great time spending time with family members and catching up. Stewie really liked sitting under the Christmas tree for some reason. And N's dad was nice enough to teach me how to use a lathe! I'm not sure why, but I've always been drawn to the lathe. Check out my impeccable wood turning technique in that photo.

6. And finally, last week N and I went whale watching off of Long Beach! Once again, this was a Groupon Travelzoo deal (something very similar to Groupon) I came across for 2.5 hours of whale watching for 2 people for $29. It was the first time both of us had gone whale watching. I'd seen humpbacks and dolphins in Hawaii, but that was by accident, so that didn't count. We got REALLY CLOSE to a gray whale. Within 50 feet, I think. We followed it in the boat for a good hour and it was amazing! It kept coming back up for air and fluking over and over again. Awesome.