#359 - Eat Best Lobster EVER

Rhode Island Lobster at Fulton's

 Today I spent $68.00 on the lobster you see pictured above.  We were at Fulton's Crab House in Downtown Disney.  This was easily the best money I have EVER spent on food.  Nuff said.

#360 - Pretend to be Spring Breakers

Ukulele.  Cocoa Beach.  Insanity.

This photo was taken closer to dusk when a lot of the crowd had dissipated, but let me tell you...  Cocoa Beach on a Sunday during the school year is NO JOKE.  My friends who live in the area have been to this spot several times and claim to have never seen anything like it.  I'm talking full on MTV Spring Break with tents and drinks and girl-on-girl beach boxing matches.  If I could get anything "20-something" out of my system, it was this.

One thing I've begun to dislike in my late 20's is this feeling of being "too-old" to be somewhere.  What is the deal with that??  For our entire lives prior we've felt like we were right where we needed to be.  We were the in, hip, with-it generation.  Suddenly I'm watching kids doing keg stands who were Kindergartner's the first time I went to a frat house.  I'm like five years older than LADY GAGA!  It sort of sucks.

None the less, we tried to move past our bitter "back-in-our-day" attitudes and enjoy the show.  My best friend (who I have previously referred to in this blog as "The Boss") even wound up in conversation with one of the Sunday regulars.  He asked where we went to school and upon finding out we had graduated (cough* six years ago *cough) wanted to know what we had majored in.  Awesome.

New York City has a way of making time stand still in your middle twenties.  You still live a lot like you lived in college.  Most people have roommates.  You're often faced with a choice of happy hour or dinner (where HH typically wins).  Your furniture is all from IKEA and you don't expect any of it to survive till your next apartment.

I think this is why the impending "30" number is such a slap in the face.  What have I been doing to prepare for "grown-up-dom" all this time?  Sure I have a career of sorts, but I hardly feel independent or "set".    I guess I just have to be thankful to have bought myself some extra time in youth.  That I have had the wild wonderful experience that is New York living and trust that it will all come in time.

#361 - Complete the "Drinks Around the World" Challenge at Epcot

Evil Seagull in the Italy area at World Showcase

This was a major bucket list item and I am SO HAPPY I chose it as my official birthday celebration.

A huge group of us took this on and more than half of us actually finished.  The goal is to have one drink in each of 12 countries at Epcot's World Showcase.  We all wore matching shirts and really embraced the cheesy goodness that is Disney!!

The stops along the way are Mexico, Norway, China, African Outpost, Germany, USA, Italy, Japan, Morocco, France, UK, and Canada.  Yes.  We had at least one beverage at them all.  We also came away with a few wearable souvenirs (who doesn't need a rickshaw hat or viking helmet?).

Just about every country had a beer that was authentic to the region.  We tried Casa Beer from Morocco and something called "Safari Amber" in Africa.  We were told that the latter is actually brewed exclusively for Disney by Anheuser-Busch and you can only get it in the parks.  Pretty cool!  Other highlights were the Avocado Margarita in Mexico (I know this sounds weird, but I swear it's amazing) and Limoncello Slushie in Italy.  I actually had vino in Italia - but all my tour buddies assured me it was the best!

The Drink Around the World website was a really good resource for planning our trip.  We also got a few tips from friends who had attempted it before.  The best advice is to stay hydrated (it's HOT in Florida!) and don't get too caught up to eat.  I found that this was not much of a problem since you're confronted with some of the best treats in the world at every stop!

I feel like this was a great addition to my 365 because it's one of those things you can really only get away with in your 20s.  Some day I will be back and doing Disney "family style" and I'll know I never missed out on a thing.

362 - Get a Ukulele Serenade in an Airport

Panda plays a tune on his "Ron Jovi" (Ron Jon) Ukulele

 Well - so much for a fun-filled first night in Orlando - but we DID have fun.  All five New Yorkers were trapped in JFK airport on a FIVE HOUR delay.  I love you JetBlue, but, REALLY?  I guess I should be thankful we got there at all.

We made the most of it though, and it may have been the most fun I've had trapped at an airport!

Day 363 - Treat Self to a Slightly Overpriced Mani/Pedi

Complimentary "Girls Night Out" Cosmo @ Dashing Diva

So... my nails don't look the greatest here (the shot is pre-manicure) but I am very happy to cross the Dashing Diva experience off my list!

I'm not sure why this chain has intrigued me for so long.  Maybe it's all the pink.  Maybe the DD exclusive line of polish choices.  Maybe (and most likely) the promise of a free cosmo with a Thursday evening treatment.

By contrast, what I've been held back by are the prices.  Most of us know that nails are one of the few bargains to be had in this city, and I've typically opted for the last minute quick-and-dirty variety.  Here and there, though, I think it's a nice thing to treat yourself.  And at $50, pre-tip, it's not like we're talking about TOO extravagant a spend.

The divas threw in a handful of extras that make the evening feel a little special.  In addition to the aforementioned cocktail, you're asked to choose an essential oil for use on your hands and feet.  I chose lavender while my roommate went with peppermint.  These were deliciously aromatic and R also got an "invigorating" tingle from her choice.  The atmosphere of in the salon was also a big plus for me.  Shamefully, I'm still one big Barbie-loving moth drawn to a pink-on-pink flame.

Was it the best mani/pedi I've ever had?  Doubtful.  Overall, the treatments were a bit shorter than some I've had in less flashy salons.  I also felt like the techs were a little aggressive with pushing pricier treatments and add-ons.  My nails do look great, but only time will tell how they'll stand up to a weekend at the beach!

The point of this experiment, though, is not to love love love everything I try.  I might even hate some of it.  The point is to cross off as many of those "things I've always wanted to do" and "things people say you must see" as I can while I have the time and freedom to do them.  I think tonight's experience certainly fits that bill! 

Were this not enough for day 363, the roommate and I also went for dinner at Seven's Turkish Grill post treatment.  I tried several new dishes including zucchini pancakes and something called "yogurtlu adana kebab".  It basically amounted to ground lamb kebab over delicious homemade croutons soaked in a yogurt sauce.  All pretty tasty - I'd definitely order each again.


Here's hoping the double whammy yesterday makes up for my probable lack of any major excitement today.  I'll be flying South!  Can't wait to see what kinds of sunshine filled adventures I can find.

Finished Toes (with a little beachy hipster photo adjustment)

364 Days to Go... A Date with Green Day

Marquee at the St. James Theater

Welcome to day two of my year long journey.

Tonight's 20-something adventure: enjoy some of the best music of your teen years on Broadway.

As I mentioned yesterday, I have actually seen this show once before.  I almost considered it "cheating" on the challenge because of this fact.  My rationale, though, was that this performance would be different because it featured Billy Joe Armstrong - front man for Green Day and the real driving force behind this play.  I could not have imagined how right I would be.

The performance was just as good as the first time.  The music moving, the dances energizing, the story poignant to our generation in a way that you can't quite describe with words alone.  What I was most amazed to see, though, was the how the simple presence of BJA affected the audience.  The songs were all too familiar, but something about the merging of those lyrics with that familiar face and voice brought out the maximum amount of emotion.  His appearances effectively brought us all back to the days of listening to Green Day records in our high school bedrooms. 

After the show, he performed a solo version of Basket Case from the Dookie album (easily one of the cornerstone records of my adolescence) that had the entire audience crooning along.  It made me think about fame and about music.  About how crazy it must feel to have this massive crowd of strangers all intimately familiar with your life and work.  To have them looking up to you - or at least at you - for answers about life and emotion and community.

On our walk home, my boyfriend raised an interesting question.  Do you think movie stars or musicians are "bigger"?  My gut response was movie stars.  It doesn't get any bigger than Will Smith or Angelina Jolie.  Those are your "A-listers" who have the most power in their Hollywood circles.  They enjoy an elitism that most musicians do not.

He, however, argued in favor of music based on the experience we had just had.  After some thinking, I have to agree.  Music transcends generations and sticks with you in a way that a movie never could.  I can name countless songs and artists from my mothers youth, my youth, my present.  We still perceive many of these talents as  insightful, groundbreaking, tragic, or familiar.  I can scarcely say the same for films and actors from generations gone by.  Sure, there are exceptions.  We all know Marilyn Monroe and Jimmy Stewart and Vivian Leigh.  I would dare say, though, that few civilians are fanatical about any one of their bodies of work.  By contrast, we are often loyal to musicians for years.  Collecting every record, memorizing every word.  We are able to get close to our musical idols at their live performances and become further convinced that they are familiar.  That we are the same.  You'd be lucky to ever cross paths with Nicole Kidman.

The whole thing has redirected my attention to a long buried item on my life's to-do list: "Learn to play a musical instrument".  I'm not counting that 6 months of piano lessons when I was 7 or the 2 years as a saxophone player in the middle school band.  I want something with more of a rock'n'roll edge - like guitar or drums.  Something that makes you want to jump and shout and dance.  Lucky for me I have 364 days of new things ahead.  Add it to the list...

Birthday Dinner

Panna II for birthday noms!

In the spirit of my goal, I decided to try a some new things last night.  Pineapple poori, a little extra spice added to my paneer, and a sweet shiraz called "Jam Jar".  I also made a pact with my friend Katie to try the Man v. Food featured, prepared with a gas mask, super duper spicy-spicy Phaal at Bricklane Curry House.  I sincerely hope I don't damage any internal organs in this pursuit.


Tonight, however, I'm going in a different direction with my goal.  At countdown day 364 I'm going to see American Idiot on Broadway.  I've actually seen the show once before, but this performance will feature Billy Joe Armstrong from Green Day.  I'm interested to see if and how the show is different and excited for my BF to watch it for the first time.

Two days down... so far, so good!

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

365 Days of 20-Somethings

One of 10 Yellow Tulips given to me by my co-workers today. =)

Today is my 29th birthday.  This means that I have exactly 365 days left as a 20-something.

They say that 30 is only the beginning, but I see it as a major milestone toward "real" adulthood.  You can't be a 30-something and be all without direction and "finding yourself" and mess.  Or, more precisely, I don't want to be.  At the same time, I'm not sure I'm ready to give up those freedoms.

My solution: find something fun/exciting/new/scary/challenging/eye opening/beautiful in every day for the next 365 days.  Some days this may be major.  Some days this may be tame.  Either way, it's a way of holding myself accountable.  A way to make sure I don't squander these remaining days of my youth.

So today, day 1, I'm taking the time to appreciate all the amazing people I've had the pleasure of crossing paths with in life.  From the co-workers who surprised me with cake and flowers to my uncle who mustered the strength for a phone call just one week after heart surgery.  Those people who I may not have spoken to in a decade, but who took time to write "Happy Birthday" on my facebook wall.  I have had a very pleasant day reminiscing about my memories with them all.  Small as the gesture may be, I feel so lucky and humbled to have had the opportunity to learn something from each of these amazing and unique people.

In kind, I will be spending my evening with some of my great friends here in New York.  Indian food, BYO vino, and great company.  A great kickoff to what may prove to be the greatest year yet!