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!!