Rammer Jammer

Every true Alabama fan should make a pilgrimage to Mercury Bar in New York City at least once in his lifetime. I promise you, if you can't be sitting in Bryant Denny Stadium, then the next best place to be is NYC. Our Tuscaloosa tailgating skills come in handy - everyone knows if you want to get a good table, or just a seat for that matter, you have to arrive several hours before kickoff! What can be better than three hundred crimson-clad fans packed in a bar, cheering at every play, waving pompoms and high-fiving, singing audience-led "Yea Alabama" and "Rammer Jammer" cheers...there is more spirit here than in Gallettes or any frat house on campus!

What's so fun about it, too, is that everyone is family. We all share a love nobody else up here understands. We were commenting tonight how fast the weeks seem to go by now that football season has started. "We're living for Saturdays," as one guy said.

And as long as Bama keeps winning, yes we are!!


Celebrating one of many Alabama touchdowns during the Arkansas game!


The anticipation and thrill of the final second victory!! Could you hear our screaming in Tuscaloosa??


When the score was final, every person in the place sang Sweet Home Alabama as loud as they could!

I get by with a little help from my friends

What a fun summer it's been to spend time with friends from home in New York City! Gray, Joy and Haley, Kristen from DC, Annie from LA, Damion from Hong Kong, Mark, Betsey, Eve, Jessica, Elizabeth, Greg, Nicole, Lu Lu Louise, Shana, and Ansley - twice! All the visits have been so special - whether days long or just a few hours! Seeing each has rejuvenated my spirit and warmed my heart.

Okay...who's coming to visit next?! :)

Remembering September 11th

With all the excitement of the fashion shows yesterday, I would be remiss to not mention the six year anniversary of the September 11th attacks. I had been anticipating the date since the beginning of September - wondering how it would feel to be in New York, how those who were here the day it happened would act, if police presence would be heightened, and if I would feel safe. My dad called me Sunday to "remind" me 9/11 was coming up and I needed to be careful. I told him I might take extra precaution that day and walk to work instead of taking the subway. I hadn't heard any tips or warnings of what to do, so I wasn't really sure how I should act. Something about the date falling on Tuesday, the original day of the attacks, made it a little more eerie (if that's the word to use).

I tried to notice a different feeling from people I encountered on the street, a different attitude in the way they went about their day. Honestly, it seemed business as normal...I took the subway (just too much rain to walk), and there were so many people on the subway I actually saw the train sway as people unloaded at 51st Street. Those who watched the Ground Zero ceremony and other 9/11 coverage on TV commemorated the day more than the average New Yorker. Sure, I heard of an event scheduled for Times Square, and several people talking of little ceremonies to happen at their office, but, for the most part, it seemed people remembered the day privately and had the attitude of looking forward rather than looking back.

I think I was expecting a day or two of people being overly kind to each other, like the week when the attacks happened. For me, I remembered the day as I always do, I was sitting in my 8 am supply chain management class in Bidgood Hall. The guy in front of me turned around and whispered that a plane hit the World Trade Center. I thought probably a little helicopter nipped the side or something. I had never been to New York when it happened, so I really wasn't even sure where the Towers were or what it meant. I remember going to my next class in ten Hoor and seeing chalk boards rolled out in the hallway alerting ROTC students of their responsibilities. What is going on?!? I kind of started to freak out, and then the phone calls started from my dad and others concerned about my safety. Back in Bidgood, the lounge area was packed - and everyone stone silent. We watched as the chaos unfolded. I'll never forget it. The shock, the disbelief. Elizabeth and I were roommates at Harris Hall that year, and I remember just watching the footage for days. It's surreal for me to look at pictures of the attacks now - those buildings are images I see everyday, and to think of that horror happening is just mind blowing.

While the attacks are remembered for most of us as a horrible day, there are thousands of people who live it every single day. Kathryn Hart told me about a funeral she and John went to for a friend's daughter who was killed in the World Trade Center. It stunned me to think of the people whose lives have not been the same since that day six years ago.

The weather today is pristine - bright blue sunny sky - just like the day the attacks happened. I hope the New Yorkers who experienced the terrible events first-hand can enjoy this beautiful day as a gift of hope and not a memory of the past.

NYC Fashion Week

Thanks to my sweet roommate Cameron who works at a fashion PR firm, I got invited to two really great fashion shows! Monique Lhuillier was at 11 am in The Tent at Bryant Park where the main hub of Fashion Week action takes place. I used my lunch hour to head up there for the festivities. It was a rainy day, but it wasn't so bad since the subway entrance is at the end of my street and I exited a block from Bryant Park. I left my big red galoshes at work and wore my leopard print heels - had to try to glam it up a bit!


The Tent at Bryant Park

Once inside the tent, I had to wait in line for about 20 minutes - all the shows start late, or so I've learned. I was supposed to be standing room, but just before the show started there were empty chairs so I got to sit! It looked exactly how you'd expect - the long runway with photographers at one end and the audience on each side. There was a group of photographers in the middle of the runway taking pictures of celebrities on the front row. (Thankfully, I had sat down by a girl who was as star struck as me - she said it was okay to take pictures, so I snapped away - otherwise I would have been trying to play it cool!)


Leann Rimes (in tan) and her husband, Michelle Trachtenberg, Asian woman in gray - is that Tia Carrere?, and Ivana Trump!



We thought this woman looked like Judith Light from Who's the Boss...I'm not convinced though.

In between our front-row scanning and celebrity watching, there was a fashion show going on!

I love the picture of the model in front of the throng of photographers!! Can you imagine! :)

The models were unbelieveably skinny, had terrible posture and the most expressionless faces ever! I remember thinking I would HAVE to smile when I got to the end of the runway if I were them! Oh - and I only noticed one girl trip up on her skirt.

The show was over pretty quickly - maybe 15 minutes?? I needed a lot longer to get good pictures, but oh well! :)

Back in the main area of The Tent, Carmen Electra was broadcasting for Full Frontal Fashion. She's very tiny!


Carmen Electra

Back on the street, I had just put my camera back in my bag and opened my umbrella as I waited for the light to change so I could cross the street. Who pops out of a town car FIVE feet from me but Ivana Trump! I saw her bleached blonde hair and saggy, skinny, tan legs trotting toward me as she hopped into another town car and sped up 6th Avenue. She was so close to me I could have grabbed her, but it all happened so fast all I could do was stand there with my mouth open!!


So, I thought I'd already had a pretty fun day and was pleased with the celebrity sighting I'd been able to do. But next on the show list was Just Sweet - Jennifer Lopez's new line! It started at 9 pm and was in a warehouse on W 21st St between 10th and 11th Aves. Again, supposed to be standing room, but when they finally ushered us into the room, we were quickly directed to split up and fill seats. The chairs were set up all over the place (not the typical look of the earlier show). The path for the models zigzagged through the crowd. I was on the front row on the stretch just before the models went backstage.

Oh, but let me back up. When we walked through the black curtains into the room, the first people I saw were the cast of "Fashionista Diaries" on Soapnet! We're addicted to this show, so I had to keep myself from talking to them like I actually know them!



Fashionista Diaries cast - from right to left: Tina in red, Laurie is blonde behind her, Andrew in white jacket, Bridget in front of him, Janjay with her back to me, and Rachel looking to the right.


Just before the show started, Tommy Hilfiger slipped in! I watched him quite a bit, but I couldn't get a good picture! The show was really cool - I loved the models' bright make up and long hair, and I marveled at how their skinny mini legs could balance on their platform stiletto heels!


The models entered here and walked straight down the main runway to the photographers, then zigzagged twice back up through the crowd and turned a corner by me to exit. I had to keep my feet out of their walkway, I was so close!

And then...J. Lo herself!! It was so exciting!! It was complete chaos in my world during her parade down the runway! My camera battery was dying, so it took like 40 million years for the camera to get ready to take another picture! I was more concerned with my camera than watching her, so I really didn't get the full J. Lo-watching experience! You'll have to take my word for it that right after this picture of her walking back up the runway was taken, Marc Anthony stood up and they hugged and kissed about 15 feet from me! It was so upsetting - I would have had the perfect picture!



J. Lo entering and pausing for applause before walking the full length of the runway and back.


Though I missed my primo pic, this one of Marc Anthony will just have to do!


Rebecca and Shaina

I went to the show with Shaina who lives in my building and Lauren. Even Lauren was a bit star struck, and she never is! ha! We also saw the singer Mya - walked right by me and I didn't even know who she was! I'm the worst celebrity spotter ever!

http://www.style.com/fashionshows/powersearch/results?&ca=search&site=style&designer=design_house203

http://offtherack.people.com/2007/09/13/jennifer-lopezs-sweet-fashion-show/

www.justsweet.com

My Park

My favorite spot in New York is one I had never even seen or heard of until I moved here. I don't think I'd ever really even noticed it on a map of New York. It, like several people who have meant a whole lot to me in my life, found me, and I remember the very first time we met.

It was on June 5 - my second day of work when Mary Jane and I walked together in the morning. We passed by and I was immediately struck by the cuteness of the little green oasis in the middle of the bustling streets and tall buildings. I guess you could say it was love at first sight!

Madison Square Park has been my joy. Lauren and I have spent our lunch break in the park practically every day this summer. It's a popular place for everyone who works around there; some days we have to walk a lap or two around the pathways, trying to find room for two on one of the many benches. Often the benches are so full that we can't be picky with our seats, and we will take one in the sun or near the dreaded pigeons. Lauren's better at shooing the birds and squirrels away than I am. She's also better at watching the time than I am. She says one day she's just not going to say anything about when it's time to head back to the office just to see if I would actually sit out there all afternoon!

Wouldn't you want to sit outside all afternoon if you were lunching in the shadows of the Empire State Building?!!

One of the reasons the park is such a popular lunchtime spot is because of Shake Shack. It's a burger, fries and milkshake "shack" in the southeast corner of the park, and people LOVE it! The line is always wrapped onto the sidewalk, and still, the people wait! I got a burger after work one day and then understood the obsession.

The line begins...and keeps going and going!!

The Shake Shack eating area - when it's not so packed, Lauren and I try to grab a table for a more "civilized" lunch than our normal benches!

I don't know exactly what it is about the place that I love so much. I guess it's a combination of everything. I see all types of people there - groups of coworkers, punky-looking teenagers, nannies with other peoples babies, young and old couples, homeless, little kids at the children park and dogs at the dog park. I see all kinds of things going on there - a little girl walking on stilts high above everyone's head, people reading or writing in journals, grown men dressed in button ups lying flat on their back to rest in the grass, couples getting engaged (saw it happen twice!), people exercising or practicing karate, someone on the phone crying, camera crew filming scenes for a show. I see all sorts of events happening there - Big Apple BBQ, weekly author readings and book signings, summer concerts in the park, U.S. Open viewing area.

For several months this year there is an art exhibit in the park - aluminum tree and rock installations. I'll admit, the first time I saw the silver trees, I thought, "How in the world did they wrap those trees like that!!"

I love the small snippets of life I see happen on a bench or a little patch of grass, contained within the beautiful trees and paths and fountains, contained within the streets and buildings that enclose the park to create a little sanctuary where you can escape to your own thoughts and feelings.

If anyone ever wants to dedicate a bench to me - make sure the plaque is on one in Madison Square Park!

Perfect Day...Gameday!

This morning I woke up to Fall! It was one of those days you want to soak up, breathe in, capture in a bottle. The air was crisp, the sun was vibrant, the breeze refreshing...although I was walking down the concrete streets of New York, I felt like I was high on a mountain with my arms flung wide and head thrown back singing, "the hiiiillllls are aliiiive, with the sound of muuu-sic! (aaaa-aaa-ua-aa!)" It was one of those days when there's a feeling in the air that immediately takes me back to the handful of other absolutely perfect days I've enjoyed.

Can't you just feel the day in the deep blue sky?!

Adding to the beauty was the knowledge that today was GAMEDAY! Thoughts of my parents heading down to Tuscaloosa and setting up their tailgate, the campus coming to life with all the fans, the band out early to practice on Butler Field. The first words out of my roommate's mouth were, "It's gameday!" And it wasn't just Alabama fans feeling it - as I walked down the street I heard cheers and band music and saw a big Michigan flag hanging above the entrance to a bar. (The Michigan fans were happy when I saw them, I'm glad I didn't walk by a few hours later!)

It was a really fun first game for me at the Mercury Bar. The excitement of the few hundred New York fans made up for missing the frenzy of the tens of thousands of fans in the stadium, plus I got several text and picture messages from friends at the game. The messages from those at home made me a little misty-eyed, but they mainly made me smile and laugh and be so thankful my heart can be in two places at once.


http://www.al.com/sports/press-register/pfinebaum.ssf?/base/sports/1188638498117310.xml&coll=3&thispage=1

Roll Tide Roll!

Oh, how sweet it sounds! Three words so commonplace in Alabama but tough to come by in New York City. Imagine a world where there isn't radio talk show after talk show after talk show to keep you up to the minute on every move of the team and the coach. The nightly news headlines don't begin with how the team looked at practice, or the tailgate rules changes, or how campus is ready for the thousands of fans.

A few weeks ago I saw a guy on the street wearing an Alabama shirt - I happily exchanged "Roll Tide!" greetings with him. Other than that brief encounter, I rely on my roommates and a few trusty Crimsonettes and Bama friends - and, of course, my die-hard Daddy! - to keep me grounded in Alabama thoughts.

I love the story of when my dad and I were kind of butting heads last fall over my wanting to move to New York - he was firing off all his reasons why I shouldn't go, and I was doing a pretty good job of answering each with a reason to go. Finally, it was like he couldn't think of any more protests, so he shouted, "Well, how will you go to the football games?!!" I just rolled my eyes and huffed away and said, "Who even cares?? I just won't go! It's not a big deal!"

The next day I did a little investigative work and found the Greater New York Alumni group - they meet every weekend at Mercury Bar and watch the game together. I emailed him the link and said, "Well, maybe I can watch the game with these people!"

Last night the UA chapter had a kick off party with all the SEC schools' New York chapters. Alabama was the best-represented school and gave the loudest cheers - of course! Paul Finebaum flew up here to talk football with the group, and it was so good to hear his voice (did I seriously just say that?!) and learn of his predictions for the season and updates on the teams. I looked at the crowd while he was speaking and noticed many people were leaning forward, like they were thirsty for football talk - I guess our Southern souls are suffering from the deprivation! With so many Southerners in one spot, it was a wonderful time of conversations filled with "hey y'all" and "I grew up around there" and "who do you think will take the SEC?"

Yes, funny what I already know I'm going to miss about game days - the green grass, the sweltering heat, the anticipation, the incessant talk, the abundant Alabama paraphernalia, the all-day tailgating, the sounds of the band, the roar of the crowd, the "evaluation" of the Crimsonette costumes and routines (okay, I may be the only person who does that!), the "Roll Tide's" heard all over campus, the friends, the way my dad likes to get to the stadium SO early and watches the game so intently while listening to the play by play on his headphones, clapping and shouting as needed. I know if I were in Alabama, I wouldn't be appreciating everything about Alabama gamedays - it would be just another season of football, another reason to buy crimson-colored outfits and spend the day in Tuscaloosa.

So, Daddy, for the record - I do care, and although I can watch the game with other fans here in the big city, I'm looking forward to sitting by you in Tuscaloosa at a game very soon!

Dolo - This pic's for you!

Oh - and I love this article in Sports Illustrated by Rick Bragg...and the quick mention of the Crimsonettes!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/ncaa/specials/preview/2007/08/21/saban0827/index.html

"It's a little on the chilly side here"

Have you ever even heard those words uttered in the month of August?? They have been cause for me to feel guilty over the last month while talking to my parents or friends in Birmingham. Sure, we've had some humid and mucky days here, but nothing like the 100+ heat at home. The extremes in the weather conditions were most obvious tonight when I called my parents to report I was wearing jeans and a long sleeve sweater, and I was shivering so much I couldn't stop! They laughed and couldn't believe it since it was still in the high 80's after the sun had gone down there!

If this weather is possible in August, what am I going to do when it's really winter?!

Big Red Galoshes

I've never had rain boots before, so I didn't know the fun I was missing out on! It's been raining since early morning and is forecasted to continue all day. As Matt Lauer said on the Today Show, "it's raining up, down and sideways in New York today." What more perfectly chilly, dreary, rainy day could I ask for to debut my new shiny red boots?!

I was a little apprehensive about wearing them - should I have gotten shorter or taller? shiny or matte? bright color or classic dark? solid or pattern? The decisions had been eating me up! But after several rainy day observations of girls on the street and detailed consultations with experienced New York friends, I decided to just go for it!

Right out of the apartment door, I saw a little boy in his big galoshes, and he looked so cute stomping down the sidewalk in them! I let my red rain boots take over...puddles were a delight; I could just keep scooting on down the street without tiptoeing to avoid a splash or leaping over a gutter river. People in regular shoes looked at me enviously, while others in rain boots shared knowing smiles with me.

Rain boots -- the shiny red lining to a rainy day!

Hey! I know you!

One thing I don't think I'll ever get used to is walking down the street - or going anywhere for that matter - and seeing a million different faces and not one of them being familiar. Everywhere I went in Birmingham: the mall, the walking trails, events, restaurants - you name it, I would see someone I know. Someone from college at the mall, someone from church out walking, someone from high school at a restaurant, someone from work at a football game. You get the picture. If it wasn't someone I knew personally, it was someone who is friends with my parents or sisters or cousins...there are just a handful of us Mummerts in Alabama, and you can bet I'm related to them if you meet one!

Anyway, I'm accustomed to hearing a horn's "beep, beep!" and turning to wave at the friend passing by in their car. I can count the times on one hand that I was on the strip in Homewood during the day and did NOT see someone I knew! So, of course, when I hear "beep, beeps!" here in New York, my initial reaction is to turn and see who's saying hello. After two months, I'm still trying to train myself not to whip around with a big smile and wave at whomever, since it's always just a cab driver announcing he's coming on through the intersection whether you're ready or not!

You can imagine my delight when I was in South Street Seaport last weekend and saw a friend of mine! I know I made the biggest production of "Well, how are YOU?! Imagine running in to you here!" Then a few days later I saw another friend while I was running along the trail by the East River. It was just like when I used to see friends at the Lakeshore Trail. Yesterday I saw Lauren and Jake on the street - we both screamed with excitement of having run into someone we know in New York! And later I was sitting in the park and a guy I know from church came up to say hello!

Okay, so four people over the course of two months isn't that great, considering there were probably a few times in Birmingham I logged four random run-ins in one day, but still. For New York - and for still being so new - I think it's fabulous!

Oh, and I can now add a celebrity to my run-ins list: I said a very cool "hi" to Jimmy Fallon from Saturday Night Live when I saw him Saturday morning as he walked out of the gate of Gramercy Park. Definitely can't say I ever did that in Birmingham!


* Disclaimer - No, I didn't act like a tourist and take a picture of him! I just found this on the Internet for those who aren't familiar with Jimmy Fallon!

Casablanca...Must Die?!

Casablanca in Bryant Park - sounds so nice, doesn't it? It's a lazy Monday night, perfect sunny summer day, not too hot...did every person in the city have the same thoughts?! I have never seen so many people crammed into such a "big" space! What was so funny was how small groups of friends would be sipping wine with a few little appetizers to share, and another group would be sitting on top of them doing the same - there was no walkway, no end of our blanket and start of yours...just people on top of people on top of people!

We enjoyed the festivities of people watching and just being part of the craziness for an hour or so. Finally it was dusk, the movie started, everyone cheered, we watched about 15 minutes and then decided we couldn't hear it and our booties hurt! We had big plans to rent the movie and watch it in the comforts of an apartment, but our good intentions turned into an evening of watching John Tucker Must Die...ah, classic movie watching at its best!!

Coney Island

Coney Island didn't disappoint! My desire to visit the famous spot has been heightened by everyone telling me this is the last summer Coney Island will be Coney Island - "you better go while you can!" Developers have bought much of the area and soon high rises will go up and the battered amusement park will be "cleaned up". We took the subway there - the last stop in Brooklyn. It took about 50 minutes from midtown. The first thing we saw out of the station was Nathan's Hot dogs - good thing because we were starving, and you know I can eat some hot dogs!!

Nathan's is famous for its hot dog eating contest on the 4th of July. There's even a screen outside the building to countdown the days to the next contest, and it has stats of who has eaten the most hot dogs. I'll be honest - I didn't really like my hot dog, but my hamburger was yum, and yes - I ate them both!!

It was fun just to walk around and see the park - it felt like we'd stepped back in time! But we did make a point to ride the Coney Island icons - the Cyclone wooden roller coaster and the Wonder Wheel Ferris wheel. The Cyclone was so much fun we road it twice! The second time around I kept my hands in the air on the big drops - or, at least I tried to!!

And the Ferris wheel gave us the coolest views - downtown Manhattan in one direction and the packed beach in the other.

A trip to Coney Island wouldn't have been complete without a peep at the side show "freak shows"! The nail in the nose, the snake dancer, the wolfman tightrope walker, the sword swallower, the contortionist, the fire eater...they sufficiently geeked me out and made me lucky to be able to leave them in their dark little building. It was the freako's walking freely on the beach that I was a little more worried about!

Small Group in a Big City

I'm so thankful to be part of a small group called "Kindred Harts". We meet at the beautiful apartment of the Harts and have such a nice time eating, talking about the sermon from Sunday, sharing what's going on in our lives and just relaxing in a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. I almost feel like I'm back in Birmingham at Gay and Frank's house with all my sweet friends at Bible study!

Although the group has been meeting since last fall, they welcomed me right in and have been such special people to know. Last week I was looking around at everyone as we were sharing prayer requests or praises, and I realized how God brings hearts together that need to be together - even in a city of millions of people!

New York Summer Storm Recipe - Serve Steaming with a Splash of Water

Ingredients:
Rain
Humid Air
Lightning
People
Mass Transit
Sweat

Directions:
Combine 2-3 hours worth of rain, lightning and tornado warnings at 3 am. Let stand til morning. Toss in a few million people trying to get to work. Block off all subway lines because of flooding from earlier rain to create a tight mixture on the streets of your people/rain combination. (Chef's note: though rain has stopped, the puddles and raindrops from scaffolding will keep the people moist during this step.) Pour sweat into the combo on the streets - varying amounts, but enough to soak mens' dress shirts and melt ladies' makeup. Add smells "to taste" - I use either meat kabob sidewalk stands or blocked up sewage. Delay mixture in steaming oven until one hour after scheduled work start time.

And wa-la! An entire city serving worth of stories of morning adventures to work!