Does Anyone Watch the Weather?

I get it. It’s December and customarily, December is mighty cold, especially in the great city of New York. If I remember correctly, this time last year we had already had a few massive snow storms and were necessarily bundled up. HOWEVER – this is not last year people – and there is no blizzard outside! This past week has been in the upper 50’s as have many of the previous weeks. We have even seen some 60+ degree weather this month. Now, I know that I tend to be shall we say…slightly hotter than the average Jane, BUT that still does not excuse the excessive outwear I have witnessed recently.

Let’s take today for example. When I left my house this morning the Today Show had already told me that at 8:00am it was already 54 degrees with a high 56. So, when making my selection of appropriate outerwear I chose my stylish, yet practical, red H&M trench coat. It is warm enough to protect me from a slight chill but is not designed to protect me from a freak snow storm. No gloves, earmuffs or even scarf were necessary on this fall like brisk morning. Apparently, I was one of the only people in the city to look at the weather before leaving my house because everyone was dressed as the abominable snow man, ESPECIALLY those that are clearly not from the area.

People were bundled up with their massive down coats with lined fur hoods zipped up to their noises. Their scarves are wrapped tightly around their neck and their hands are protected by gloves. I also saw quite a few ski jackets, snow boots, ear warmers and those stupid animal hats that have “gloves” attached.

Seriously people, get a grip! I know, I know, I, like you, would LOVE to get more use out of the beautiful Michael Kors down jacket that I purchased this fall (which I bought for $100 less that it was marked for!) but it is just not appropriate.

Yes, it is similar to the coat I mocked earlier but I'm not wearing it in 55 degree weather!

I know you people own TV’s or have the internet, AND, if you don’t – or don’t speak English as many tourists don’t – I’m SURE that when you step out side and realize that it feels like FALL that you could take off a layer or two and stop living in a false reality. THANK YOU.

On a side note: I have a HUGE bone to pick with Mother Nature, or Global Warming, whoever is currently processing complaints. Winter is MY time of year. It is the one time that I can look forward to NOT sweating on my way to work (besides for when I entered a heated building or bus) and can wear all the cute winter clothes I own. But NOOOOOO you think you’re cute and have completely messed with my favorite time of year. Now, I have to find ways to “dress” for the season without sweating my ass off and sit with my fan constantly on at my desk because the heat is pumping at the office because it’s supposed to be cold. Enough is enough. Please accept this as my formal complaint. January better not fail me, or you’ll be hearing from my lawyer.

P.S. – Yes, I am blatantly ignoring the fact that it has been 21 days since my last post. This has been my month from hell and I have been busy. Deal with it. THANKS! J Love you, mean it!

Cha Cha Changes

They say that copying is the best form of flattery so I am going to flatter my bff Heather and take inspiration from one of her most recent blog posts. Let’s talk about hair.

For those that know me well, they know that I LOVE to change my hair. Sometimes for the good, sometimes for the bad but always for something different. For awhile I used the changing of my hair to get back some control in my life. You may not know this about me, but I’m a bit a lot of a control freak. So, sometimes when other things in my life are out of my own hands, I find another way to take it back -and usually that means taking it out on my poor head. Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane shall we???

We all remember this oldie but goodie!

No more perm, but eventually a little shorter with some blonde highlights

Brown and a short...short bob

My mom's personal favorite, NOT...blonde!

We have Heather to thank for this one! No more blonde for her wedding!

Finally a little darker and back to my natural hue

Let it grow let it grow let it grow!

Add a little dash of red(ish)

Well recently I decided to make another change, to say the least. However this time it wasn’t because I was feeling out of control, or was testing an experiment to see if blondes have more fun, but it was more practical. Recently my hair had become VERY long, quite possibly the longest it had ever been. Although I loved my long locks, they were starting to weigh me down and look a little less flattering. I have VERY thick hair and sometimes when it gets to long it starts to just hang…and not in an attractive way. On top of that, as you all know, I am constantly hot and found that my hair was not helping my case. For a few work events I’d spend hours getting my hair just perfect and after being at the event for 5 minutes it was glued to the back of my neck, curling – not in a good way – and eventually ending up in a ponytail. I just couldn’t manage to keep it long and professional at the same time so I decided to take the plunge. Ten inches later this is where we are…

The evidence left behind

Tada!!! The final product! Short and professional! (and much cooler!)

I’m very happy with the change and have even been able to do a couple different cute things with it. I’ve cut my hair drying time in half and have been left with healthy hair that is PERFECT for twirling, my favorite thing to do!

I know this is the point where I’m supposed to ask if you love it or hate it but to be honest, if you hate it I don’t want to hear it…10 inches is going to take a looooooong time to grow back!

Jersey Strong

I had a very interesting conversation with my boss the other day. We were on our way to a meeting and were having a conversation regarding the Friday dress code. First I need to give you a little background on my boss. She is quite the pit bull and is EXTREMELY blunt, she makes me look timid. Sometimes I think she would really benefit from having a filter – I’m not even going to say a better filter because literally one does NOT exist – but I am currently in no position to tell her that. She LOVES judging which is why we probably get along so well because lets be honest, I can judge with the best of them. What makes her sharp tongue even better is that she’s a very short/petite Italian woman in her early 50’s with a pixie haircut (she sorta reminds me of Peter Pan, like the Cathy Rigby version but only because of her hair.. and come to think of it her hair is red so that’s a terrible example, but I digress…) and one would expect her to probably be much more tactful than she is. But lucky for me, I think she’s hilarious and we get along famously – thank god – she loves my sarcasm and allows me to be myself (within professional reason). Anyways I’ve almost moved completely off topic…back to my story.

Like I said, we were discussing our Friday dress code. Most people in the office on Friday’s wear jeans; however my boss is not the hugest fan of them. She is really fashionable and is one of those women that I can’t picture wearing a pair of jeans, let alone owning a pair. Because of her distain for jeans in the workplace, my colleague and I (who started a week after me) have both refrained from casual Friday that is unless, our boss is out of the office. One afternoon, on a Friday, the topic of jeans came up and I decided to take the plunge and ask her if we could wear them. She kinda just stared at me, begrudgingly said yes and I thought it was over. Success.   

Now we are at Monday, on our walk. She brings up the jeans topic and thus our convo unfolds:

G: So, I’m ok with you guys wearing jeans, but they have to be good jeans.

Me: Ok, how do you qualify what “good” jeans are, other than I’m assuming no holes.

G: Well, they have to be dark, cannot be skinny, can be boot cut if you want, and I’d prefer trouser style.

Me: Hmm ok, those are a lot of parameters but I think I can handle it.

G: Also, they can’t have “stuff” on them.

Me: “Stuff” what do you mean “stuff”?

G: Ya know, they can’t have like gems, or like embellishments on them.

Me: You mean like they can’t be bedazzled?

G: Yea, none of that crap.

Me: G, do I look like someone who would wear bedazzled jeans, I would never do that!

G: Well…. You are from Jersey….

Me: WHAT! ( and then I pushed her…)

G: Yea well I don’t know what you wear in your own time….you people from Jersey can be a little questionable.

Me: (I stared at her with my mouth wide open for a while) I don’t know what to say.

G: Yea well, I’m just saying…

As I sat there slightly offended, I thought for awhile. Thankfully, she confirmed that I do dress very well for work so she’s not 100% surprised that I don’t have bedazzled jeans. But I did begin to think back to my pre- Virginia days and admit to myself that yes, I, Samantha Watson, was at one point a little bit of a Jersey girl…well at least as far as my hair was concerned. As many of you know during high school I had the brilliant idea to perm my hair. Why none of my family or so-called friends stopped me, I will never know, but at the end of the day I was pretty sure that I looked damn good! To make matters worse I insisted on holding on to my Jersey bangs as well – made for a really awesome combination.  I’ve joked before that one of the best things about going to school in VA is that by Christmas break of my Freshman year I realized how terrible I looked and finally made a change. But now, many years later, I have come to terms with my “past” and can look back at myself and laugh. So, I invite you all to laugh with me and have a few gems to share with you.

 

At least Zach and I both look awkward here...

My mom says I look like a Springer Spaniel here...and yet she didn't stop me...thanks Mom.

Yea Carrie and I are real hott! Can you feel that sizzle?!

Poster from my Graduation Party...lots of Gems here.

Close-up of my Senior Picture. If you look close you can see the acrylic nails that were color coordinated to match the shirt. At least i straightned the hair here, but the bangs are there to stay!

I was even brave enough to show my boss these pictures. And, with that, in true G form, I leave you with this:

“ Wow, those are awesome! Are you wearing bedazzled jeans in any of those?????????”

VA in the Big Apple

I’m a little late on this, I am very well aware, but sometimes the best things in life are worth waiting for. Or at least that is what people with patience have told me, however that is not a virtue that I possess (nor does anyone else in my family – well maybe my dad, but only on a good day).

Two weekends ago two of my very closest friends from Virginia came to visit me in the big City(s).  Becca and Kendayl took the bus up from Arlington, VA into NYC. They came in on Friday evening so I decided to stay in the city after work and have dinner with one of my best friends Kerri (brown haired Kerri as I usually reference her). We had a fabulous dinner and she did a great job keeping me distracted as I waited anxiously for my friends to arrive. As the time was approaching I shot Kendayl a text and told her to let me know when they were going through the Lincoln Tunnel so I knew when to leave to meet them. Something that I thought was a simple request turned out to be slightly more complicated for my Southern friends. Please see the below text message exchange…

After Kerri and I were finally able to stop laughing, I got in a cab and went to meet the girls. In the meantime, I needed to call and share this hilarious exchange with my parents. As I am explaining to them what Kendayl had sad, I can see the cab driver laughing in the rear view mirror. After I hung up the phone, he politely waited a few minutes before finally speaking.

Cab driver: “Did your friends really think you could walk through the Lincoln Tunnel?”

Me: “Yes sir, they did. They’re from Virginia, so they’re a little special.”

Cab driver: “But, I don’t know of any tunnels you can really walk through? Have they been in a tunnel before?”

Me: “Yes, they have. They are near the Ft. McHenry Tunnel in Baltimore.”

Cab driver: “That is a very large tunnel. How can they think that?”

Me: “I’m not sure sir… I’m not sure…”

They hadn’t even arrived yet, and I knew it was going to be a great weekend! We finally met up, had quite a laugh over the tunnel confusion and headed back to Hoboken. We had an easy Friday night and went to sleep as we had a big Saturday ahead of us.

Kendayl was a very brave sole and immediately after waking up she headed out for a 7 mile run around Hoboken. (She was training for her first marathon that she actually ran yesterday!! Congratulations Kendayl!!!!) As I am not much of the outdoor runner – or really much of a runner at all for that matter – I told her it would be easy and she’d figure it out. Thankfully she did and made it back in one piece, a little dizzy but in one piece. Hoboken is only 1 square mile, so she did a lot of running in circles! Once she was home, we got ready and jumped on the bus into the City.

We entered the City at Port Authority, so we were just a few blocks away from Times Square. While in Times Square we saw not only Elmo and Spongebob, but Minnie Mouse and Grover. The characters were out in full force!  While touring the city we:

·         Went all through Times Square

·         Visited the Hershey Store

Kendayl in her heaven...Everything Reeses Pieces!

·         Walked past my office (our floor is locked on off hours so no visiting my cube)

·         Bought LOTS of pashminas on the street

·         Stopped and watched street drummers

They were incredible, we could have stayed forever!

·         Walked all down 5^th Avenue looking at all the storefronts

·         Stopped by Rockefeller Center

·         Strolled through a street fair on Madison Avenue

·         Braved the crowd and toured through FAO Schwartz

Kendayl and Fancy Nancy... apparently some character first grade teachers know about.

Barbie Foosball table. Can be yours for only $25,000!

·         Day dreamed at the The Plaza

Pigeons outside The Plaza

·         Walked briskly through Central Park

Remember that sign I talked about in "I Spy"?? I found it in a magnet! "I'm not REALLY a Bitch...I just play one in your life!"

·         Walked down 7^th Avenue to the Path Station

It was quite the busy day filled with tons of walking, laughing and catching up. To top off our fabulous day, the girls were lucky enough to experience one of the best things cities and public transportation has to offer…. Crazy people! On the Path ride home, we were graced with the presence of a lovely woman who stood RIGHT in front of us and had multiple conversations with herself. By multiple I mean she switched into about 3 or 4 different persona's all in the span of our 15 minute ride.  She looked very normal at first – except for her lack of stalkings with her very short dress on a not so warm day.  The moment the train took off so did she. She began talking in many different tones and talked a lot about someone named Frank, and was very upset with some weasel who had swindled her out of some money. She also was not a fan of her three sisters who are always leaving her out of things. It was bizarre to say the least.  

On our walk back to my apartment, we of course stopped for Kendayl to take a picture in front of Carlos Bakery, otherwise known as the Cake Boss. Although she would have loved to go in, Becca and I refused to wait in the 3+ hour line just for her to get a treat. It’s just a bakery people…you are across from the greatest city in the world… go explore it and stop blocking the sidewalks of Hoboken!

We came back to my apartment, rested and cleaned up a bit and headed out for dinner in Hoboken. We grabbed a late dinner with my best friend Carrie and then went to a few different bars in town. We had a great girl’s night and then headed back to my apartment to crash after a long, fun filled day.  Sunday morning we enjoyed our extra hour of sleep thanks to daylight savings, walked around Hoboken, grabbed some brunch marveled at the skyline and headed back into the city to say our farewells. 

View of NYC from Hoboken

 It was a quick weekend but absolutely wonderful. I loved every minute of showing my friends my new world, and enjoyed even more how pleased they were with being introduced to it. We could not have had better weather (thankfully the sun was on, right Becca!), or better company! It meant so much to me that these girls came to visit me and graciously put up with me showing them everything and anything! Can’t wait for them to return this spring for some Broadway!

Proud Big Sister

So I know that we all think we have the most amazing siblings and parents and yadda yadda yadda but I truly do have the most amazingly talented little brother. Some how the “gene” gods decided to give Zachary all of the good ones:

·         Big blue eyes – they force you to say yes to his every request event if you realllly don’t want too. But for some reason, no matter what all he has to do is bat them and all your better instincts disappear and he gets his way. Now before you say it, yes, I am aware that I do have very beautiful and captivating blue eyes as well… however, at least up until this point in my life, they’ve never made anyone do something for me. Maybe I should work on that.

·         Skinny – the kid is literally so skinny that he HAS to wear skinny jeans. He’s been wearing them since before they were popular because baggy ones look incredibly stupid on him. Thankfully he can actually really rock them. I never found it fair that he got to be the skinny one, shouldn’t the girl have gotten that right?! When I was a baby I was really fat…like legit really fat and to make me feel better my mom always told me that everyone has a fat period in their life and that was mine. So obviously as a typical big sister I informed him that since he was a skinny baby he’d be fat one day when it was really inconvenient. I think this may end up being an empty threat….

·         Talent – Zach is one of the most talented people I have ever met. Not only was he a star soccer player and captain of his Varsity soccer team he also is an exceptionally talented musician. Growing up my parents had always hoped that he would go to college on a soccer scholarship and continue his love for the game; however Zach had very different plans in mind. While still playing soccer he began to teach himself how to play guitar. He eventually began lessons and started a band. When it became time for college Zach had one college in mind: Berklee College of Music in Boston. Berklee had a lot to offer Zach, except for soccer. Although I’m sure my dad’s dreams were crushed for a quick hot second, he knew that this school would allow Zach to pursue his other talent and his real passion, Music. Zach got in and after 2 full years, he took a summer internship in LA working for a couple record labels. As soon as he was there he was quickly bitten by the bug that is LA and there was no turning back. He has spent the last 4 plus years perusing his dream and doing everything in his power to make his dreams come true. Zach not only plays guitar but he is the lead singer, song writer and music composer for his band, Lucy Ryder.

In February of 2011 Zach and his bassist Dane decided that they needed to try a new scene and picked up their lives and moved to Austin, Texas the “Live Music Capital of the World.” They found a new lead guitarist and drummer and are on their way once again to making it to the top. However, there is one more quality about my brother that I truly see as his best:

·         Determination – No matter how hard things get, or how far away in the distance his dreams seem to be he NEVER gives up. He believes in his talent and his passion and is determined to do whatever it takes to make this happen. It takes a whole hell of a lot of courage to do this and I’m not sure that I could do the things he has. He picked up and moved to LA without knowing a sole and turned around a few years later and did the same thing in his move to Texas. I know that it’s been tough for him being so far away from our family and it sometimes feels like he’s not “apart” of it, but the truth is, without him, we’re just three people…he  completes us and makes us a family. At the end of the day, Zach… you really are my hero. You’re the one that gave me the courage to pick up my life and move to where I’d be happy, and I can’t thank you enough for that push I needed. I love you little brother.

Me and Zach in Austin, TX this summer

When I started writing this, I really didn’t mean for it to turn into such a mushy mess, so my apologies to anyone that wants to poke their eyes out after reading this. But when I think of how proud I am of my brother, I just can’t help it. We are two of the most opposite siblings you will ever meet, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. He keeps me from taking myself too seriously and I think sometimes I bring him back down to earth. I may be biased, but I think my parents did a pretty good job!

Anyways….! The whole point of this post was to share a video of Lucy Ryder’s most recent show played on Halloween. It’s a new song and I personally love getting to see him perform. Hope everyone enjoys it!!

Like the new look?!?!

So my friend friend Dara re-designed my blog for me! What does everyone think???

I am completely in love with the new logo she created for me and she did it without any direction (I was supposed to give her examples of things I liked and totally forgot so she did it on her own)! I’d love to hear feedback and if anyone has suggestions.

In the meantime, check out Dara’s blog. She updates it frequently with other designs she does for friends and for fun. I’m so lucky to have such a talented friend because lord knows I would have never been able to do this on my own.

Thanks again Dara!

Sucker for a Deal

There’s nothing in this world that can beat a great weekend with family and your oldest, closest friends.  Although there are hundreds of things I love about being back up in Jersey, the best part is being so close to my parents and my best friends.  This Columbus Day weekend I spent time with my best part of Jersey.

On the Friday night I met up in NYC with four of my best girlfriends, Erin, Kerri, Leigh and Sally (Alex you were missed!).  We spent the evening seeing both Leigh and Kerri’s new apartments and catching up on old and new stories while drinking wine. I think the most amazing thing I can say about my friends is that although we all are very different and have changed so much over the past 15 years or so of our friendships, we are still able to come back together and fall into the comfort of our friendship. We’ve all gone through a lot with each other and have found a way to let our relationships grow and change along with us. We can spend hours telling old stories and laughing at the stupid things we did in high school and then immediately jump into the stupid things we did with each other last month. We don’t rely on the friendships we used to have. We look back on the memories and are thankful for the new ones we’ve created with each other. However, for as close as we all are to each other now geographically, our crazy lives get in the way and we don’t all get together as often as we should. Good thing we made a pact to get together once a month!

Love my girls!

After a great night with my girlfriends, I went back my parent’s house for the night. I had not been home since before I started my new job and I really missed my dog Abbey…Just kidding…I wanted to go to my favorite restaurant one last time before it closed for the season as well. Just kidding again! Of course it was because I missed my mommy and daddy and what’s the point of living 45 minutes from home if I can’t go see them whenever I want?!  We went to dinner at the Dover Grill where I ate wayyyy to many cheese fries, but it was well worth it. They are only open from March 15 – October 15 so it was imperative that I got in one last bacon cheese hot dog and crinkle fries with cheese. Yes, I know you are judging me right now, but until you have experienced it, don’t knock it. It is well worth all of the calories! But, it is probably a good thing that I live a good 45 minutes away from there! After my delicious dinner, we came back home, visited with my favorite neighbors then got a good night’s sleep.

Now, I’m sure you have all heard of Groupon. Well, my dad Larry is who they invented it for! If it’s on Groupon, there is a 75% chance he’ll either buy it or send it to me telling me I should buy it. If it’s a deal for food, the chances are 100% that he will buy it. One day I’m at work and I get a call from Lar asking me if I’ve ever been to see the Bodies Exhibit. I said no, wondering where this conversation was going and then, there it was.  Of course Lar continues with, “Well, I was on Groupon today,” ahh there it is “and they have a great deal for the Bodies Exhibit. I was thinking you, mom and I could go, you in?” I said yes of course, I mean dad was paying, so it was a no brainer. So that Sunday seemed like the perfect opportunity. The weather was beautiful and it was one of the first weekends we were all available. We took the Path in from Hoboken, walked down to South Street Seaport, and enjoyed the exhibit. It was really fascinating and since I actually took the time to read the signs, I learned quite a bit. Did you know that every drop of your blood passes through your heart every minute? Betcha didn’t!!! After the exhibit we grabbed lunch on the pier, did some people watching and headed back to Hoboken. The only thing that would have made the day better would have been if my little brother could have joined us. Zachary, are you done with Austin yet…NYC is calling your name! Anyways, I started to feel a little under the weather on Friday evening and by Sunday afternoon I felt like I had hit a wall. I kissed my mommy and daddy goodbye and crawled into bed for the next day and a half. Thank god for long weekends! The next day my best friend Carrie took me to the doctor; another positive of having my sister so close. Only she would drive 2 hours with me round trip to take me to the doctor while I was hacking my brains out and snotting all over the place on her day off. Thankfully the doc gave me some meds and now, almost a week later; I’m finally starting to feel better. Or maybe it’s not the drugs, maybe it’s the good friends and family I have around me. Nahh as much as I love them, I’m pretty sure it’s the drugs!

Bad Blogger

I, Samantha, have been a very bad blogger. I could tell you it’s because I’ve been really busy at work, or because I’ve been sick for the past week, but at the end of the day, those are just excuses.  So I won’t tell you all of those things (even though they are true), and instead I will just tell you that I vow to be a better blogger and to no longer allow my work or my dying body to get in the way of my devoted readers. I feel comfortable saying that I have devoted readers only because I have received numerous threats over the past two weeks, I won’t mention any names….cough, Heather…cough, cough, Becca….for not updating my blog regularly.

Any ways, I know that I promised a recap of my trip down to Virginia.  I can’t lie; I was a little bit nervous about going down. My first trip back to Virginia since moving was in February and it did not go as smoothly as I had hoped. Part of it was that I didn’t go with the greatest attitude and was not in the greatest emotional place at the time, probably not the best recipe for a successful trip. I spent a good portion of the two days in tears and vowed on my drive back to Jersey that I would never go back again. Once back in Jersey, I regained my composure and decided that when the time was right, id give it another shot.  Grace’s first birthday seemed like the ideal time for me to make my return. So, I took a deep breath and decided that hey, at least it can’t be worse than last time!

Thankfully I was right. I had a great trip from start to finish. I had a wonderful time staying at my friend Becca and Ryan’s house. They recently moved in together and it was really great to see the “home” that they have made for each other. Becca and I spent tons of time catching up and just enjoying each other’s company.  We spent Saturday afternoon with my best guy friend Zack. We had lunch and saw his incredible apartment.  After running errands in the afternoon and relaxing a bit we went back to Zack’s and had drinks with lots of old friends. It was the perfect venue to catch up with people before enjoying the night out.

Sunday was my long day. I started out by grabbing brunch with two of my old co-workers, one of which just had a beautiful baby girl. It was so great to see them both and to hear how wonderfully they are doing.

Christine and her beautiful daughter Kaitlyn

I left from brunch quickly and jetted down to Leesburg to meet up with Heather to help her set-up for Grace’s first birthday party. Heather did such an amazing job getting everything together for the party. The theme was “Curious Grace’s Birthday” and let me say, she sure knows how to take advantage of a theme. Everything went together perfectly and you could tell she spared no expensive for her little girls first party. I must say, after seeing the pictures, my own mother felt as though she was quite the underachiever for my first birthday.

Momma and her birthday girl

She finally let me hold her...for a few seconds at least!

Grace enjoying her treats.

My best friend Carrie made a cake that I brought down for Grace. Isn't she talented?!

I immediately left from the party and went to Rockville, MD for dinner with my cousin Derek and his fiancé Catherine. Derek and I keep switching geographic locations. While I was in the DC Metro area, he lived in NYC. When I moved up to Hoboken/NYC, he and Catherine moved to the DC Metro area. Apparently we are doing our best to not live near each other. But, when I was in VA he was always so good at visiting me while he was in the area so I want to try and do the same and visit him whenever I can. Catherine’s birthday was on Monday so we went out to dinner to celebrate. It was so great to see them and I feel really lucky to have so much time to get to know Catherine. She and Derek are perfect for each other and I’m so excited for her to join our crazy family next July. I hope she’s ready for all of us!!!

Aren't they so cute?!

All in all it was a wonderful weekend. I finally saw friends that I had not seen in almost a year and tried to squeeze in as much as possible in 48 hours.  Next time however, I think I need at least 72 hours. Although I was exhausted, the trip was a success, especially because there were no tears!  No tears = a successful weekend!  Now…I think it’s time for my VA friends to make their way up to Hoboken/NYC.  I promise we don’t bite… that hard ;)