Happy 2007!

After a long, relaxing weekend in the greater DC area (pics will be posted very soon!), Mark and I are back in NYC. We're settling down to ring in the new year in quiet style. The last time I didn't have big plans for New Year's Eve was, I think, in 2003 when I was stricken with the stomach flu and spent the night on the McGarr's couch! But we had a few fun nights out over the past week, so I'm actually ready to do not much of anything. Tomorrow I'll break in my brand-new Nano and Nike-plus system (thanks, Mark!) and start the year off healthy with a long workout. The gym actually opens at 5:30 a.m. for the crazies; we probably won't be making it there 'til 11ish.

Happy New Year!

Christmas has arrived on Christopher Street!

Over the weekend, we got our Christmas tree, courtesy of the Hoboken nursery (yes, we did get our tree in Jersey!). We splurged on a much bigger tree this year--all of six feet! (Gigantic compared to last year's three-footer). After all of the ornaments were hung and the lights were strung, I coerced Mark into a mini photo shoot. You'd think we could find better things to do with our time! Hah hah. More pics of the tree are below.

Finished product!

Loading up the car

Mark checks out the best Christmas trees Hoboken has to offer

Cutie Pies!

I've been really horrible with blogging lately, and I apologize. I think just because I've been busy at work. But no excuses! I need to pick up my game. I have some pictures to post later on, but in the meantime, I just had to share this adorable new picture of Sophia and Lucia. Christmas Cuties!

Corinne's B-day Par-tay!

Photos from the BEST party ever! (Thanks, Jo!)

Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was fantastic! Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to pull off this amazing four-day affair. I think I'll need another day or two to recover enough to write more, but for now, my pictures are below.

Thanksgiving 2006

We Are...Penn State!

Over the weekend, Mark and I were two of the 108,000+ fans on hand to witness Penn State's last game of the season. We met up with his 'rents and Erin for a quick pre-game tailgate (breakfast from Sheetz! Gotta love some Shmuffin action first thing in the morning!)
before braving the chilly temps for the game. The game wasn't the greatest display of either team's talent, but we were all happy to have PSU come out on top. And I was happy to join in on all of the cheers and Penn State traditions I've grown to love since my first game with Sissy...I was excited to find out that they still rock out to Zombie Nation, play "Hey Baby (won't you be my girl)", and all of the other staples that make those games so fun. And speaking of fun, afterwards the Flynns provided an awesome tailgate. With chili to warm us up and hyper brownies to maintain our energy, it was the perfect spread! To see more pictures from the weekend, click on the link below.

Penn State

A pic of Debb and I at the Born to Lead Awards. Debb is the assistant to CG!s publisher, so we're on the phone with one another about 15 times a day, easily. We try to keep eachother sane amidst our crazy jobs!

Born to Lead!

I realized too late last week that I forgot to mention the big event I attended for work. Bright and early Monday morning, I was at the Supper Club (right next to the Hotel Edison, where my parents sometimes stay when they're in town, and home of the diner where Grandpop loved to eat!) for the Born to Lead Awards. Each year, CosmoGIRL! honors about ten young people who are--as the title indicates--leaders. This year's crop of "real girls" (non-celebs) were absolutely amazing: as high schoolers, they started schools in Vietnam, raised money for Darfur, tutored underpriviledged immigrants--over-achieve, much?! My role in being there was basically to escort two of the girls from their hotel to the Supper Club. From that point on, I sat around, schmoozed with Lance Bass (being honored for being, well, gay) and Eve (not as approchable as Lance...not helped by the fact that she had an entourage of snippy girls, while he was just his his assistant), and hung out with my co-workers. Fun! Here's a pic of the stage with our December cover. It's on newsstands Tuesday--go out and pick up a copy and read more about the Born to Lead winners!

Weekend Recap

We ventured down to the greater DC area this weekend for a quick trip. The purpose? Mike's 30th Birthday party, but we squeezed in visits with our 'rents, too. We hit the road Friday night,made it to Silver Spring a little after midnight, and received a warm welcome of fresh banana bread (baked by my dad) awaiting us in the kitchen. Karl came with, and at her urging, we rose early Saturday morning for a 5K race in Kensington. With the crisp weather, gorgeous sunlight streaming through the trees that dripped with technicolor foliage, and a lovely course throughout Rock Creek Park, we were happy to have participated. We didn't stick around long enough to see if we won any awards (age group awards, that is--the ubiquitous Gaithersburg Russian Runner Ladies contingent was on hand to snag the top prizes); instead, we went back and had a delicious breakfast with my dad before visiting with Jeanie, Aleta, Ella, and baby Philip.

Mark and I then zipped into DC to check out Chuck's new bachelor pad in the Quebec House, right off of Connecticut Avenue (great location!). Being back in that area made me a bit wistful for the old apartment--DC is just beautiful at this time of the year! Chuck's place is great and very roomy for a studio.

After that, we headed into Fairfax for dinner with the Flynns. Mark's 'rents had just returned from a trip down south to work on houses damaged by Katrina in Mississippi, so we got to hear all about their adventure. Then we had a yummy meal before heading out to the real reason we were in town: Mike's party! Greg hosted at his amazing house in Falls Church--and I was so excited to see Lonnie and Corinne, plus a bunch of other friends we hadn't hung out with in a while. We spent most of the night ogling Greg's exquisite taste in decor, his phenomenol handywork, his impressive tidiness, and, well, you get the picture. His house belongs in a magazine. (Hmmm...maybe I can pull some strings to get him in one...!)

We partied late in to the night and awoke Sunday morning to head back up to NYC so Mark could make his 4 p.m. Lacrosse game. Another great weekend!

Pictures below!

Lovely Day

Maybe because it's Friday, or maybe it's because I'm in need of some overdue luck, but today seems to be starting off delightfully. First, I get a free coffee at Starbucks. Then, two pages from a script that I blamed myself for losing last night magically appear (and their temporary disappearance was sooo not my fault!). Now, all I need is a winning lottery ticket and I'll be all set!

Happy Friday!

Party On...

This week has been a long one, but in a pretty good way. There've been a lot of events happening around the city, and I've been lucky enough to attend a few. Lots of late nights, good food, and people watching. No wonder I'm exhausted tonight!

On Tuesday, when I went to Cosmopolitan's Halloween party at Buddah Bar. This is a pretty swank spot near Pastis, and one that I really wouldn't have a reason to frequent on a regular basis. But the party beckoned, and off I went down cobblestoned Little West 12th street to this cavernous Pan American-themed restaurant/club. Misinformed that no one would be dressed in costume, I wore a dress and high boots, while almost everyone else donned elaborate garb. Editors hailing from over 50 countries were in attendance, along with staffers from both CosmoGIRL! and our big sister mag, Cosmo. The first person I spotted was legendary editrix Helen Gurley Brown. At 84, she now edits foreign editions of the magazine, and is still whip-smart (I've seen firsthand the typewritten critique letters she sends to my editor). Amazing. Later on, Bec joined me, and we mingled, costume-spotted, and nibbled Asian goodies until "our eyes got heavy" and we walked home together.

The next night, Wednesday, I met up with Mount roomie Shannon to hit up a party celebrating the launch of piperlime, a shoe website owned by the Gap. It was at the Hotel Gansevoort, again in the meatpacking district. As we walked up to the hotel, we noticed the bright lights and red carpet, and none other than Rosario Dawson being interviewed. Rachel Zoe, celebrity stylist and the host of the party, was sauntering out in a floor-length, one-shouldered gown! Immediately, I felt underdressed. But up we went to the penthouse bar with its sweeping views of the Hudson and Hoboken, and were spoiled by an amazing spread of Sushi, passed Hors'doerves, and a delicious dessert bar including creampuff lollipops. We literally rubbed elbows with Lucy Liu, and just missed a Vanessa Manillo spotting (she was there when we were, we just didn't see her). Sure beat Wednesday nights at Ott's in Emmitsburg!

Finally, tonight Mark and I had an impromptu dinner party. Well, I did the inviting (the sisters) and Mark did the cooking. He whipped up a scrumptious meal of salmon marinated in honey soy, a vegetable medley of aspargus tips, potatoes, and onions, and Bec's Quinoa. For dessert, rich chocolate chip cookies from Jacques Torres. Can't get much better than that!

The partying will continue into the weekend, as Mark and I are heading down to DC to help Mike ring in his birthday...recap and pictures to come on Monday!

Happy Halloween!

Could the BE any cuter? I wish I had a costume like this to wear tonight! So comfy!

Weekend in Pictures

Google has a new photo sharing site, which I've been meaning to check out. It seems pretty cool, so I've gone ahead and posted some pictures from our weekend in the Adirondacks.

Check them out (the slideshow is a neat function; and my captions pop right up on the screen). Let me know what you think!

http://picasaweb.google.com/swassner

Exactly one year ago today, Mark and I were married in front of 125-plus of our closest family and friends. It may sound cliche to say this, but it was truly the best day of my life as everything--from the flowers arranged by Jeanie to the programs done by Bubba to the day-after brunch provided by Philip and Aleta--was absolutely perfect. If only we could live that day over and over again...

Here's a photo from the day. 365 days later, we're not as glamorous (especially not tonight after our cold, rainy weekend in the Adirondacks!), but just as happy!

Costume Conundrum

Next Monday marks the start of Cosmic, an annual gathering of all international editors and publishers of Cosmo and CosmoGIRL! We publish in countries like Indonesia, Holland, Japan, England, and Russia, so it's a pretty big to-do once all of these women come into town. I didn't think I'd have any part in this event, considering it's just for EICs and Publishers, but yesterday my entire staff received an invitation for a Cosmic Halloween Party at Little Buddah, a swank bar on Little West 12th, which borders the West Village and MePa (that's the Meat Packing District). The party is actually on Halloween, meaning we'll be in the heart of all of the craziness that becomes the Village on October 31, meaning I need to find a costume. Considering the attendees of this party (i.e. the women who write those "1,000 ways to please your man" stories), I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of "sexy" bunnies, angels, butterflies, devils, cats, etc. You know, throw on a leotard and fishnets, add some wings or a tail, and prance around in 3" heels all night. Not quite my style, especially since my boss and other higher-ups will be there. Plus, I don't even know how dressed up people are going to get. (I can just imagine a "Bridget Jones Diary" moment where I walk in wearing some over-the-top get-up and the rest of the crowd is in jeans and t-shirts!).

So, I need to think of something neutral and safe; and going by the Cosmo standards, "Fun and Fearless" (and, obviously, female). What should I be?

Andy has posted some pictures of Philip III on his blog. You can really see his resemblance to Philip II when his eyes are open--big and blue! I especially love the pic of Aleta holding him and he's staring up at her like he is so content to be in her arms. Check 'em out! (Link is to the right).

All in a Day's Work

As I wrote about in my CosmoGIRL! Blog entry the other day, I've finally accepted that fall has arrived. This means that it was time to do the dreaded closet swap in which I unearth the various body bags from beneath the bed, remove the wintah clothes I not-so-carefully packed into them the season before, and replace the lovely, light-weight, brightly colored summer garments that I've been holding on to for a few weeks too long. (Hey--it was warm enough to wear a sundress just last week!) This process usually takes about six hours, and yesterday's attempt was par for the course. I spent the entire day washing, folding, hanging, sighing (deeply), grunting, and wishing for just an inch more storage space, of which we have oh, none of! (It didn't make things better when Mark and I checked out the apartment for sale across the hall, which had a walk-in closet! What I would do for one for those!)

After the seemingly endless process, I was so darn proud of myself, I took a picture of my auxilliary closet. I forgot to take a before shot, but I can guaruntee that it wasn't this neat! My folding skills picked up from Lady's Foot Locker back in the day sure come in handy!

Baby Philip!

Mark and I visited Aleta, Ella, and baby Philip yesterday in York, PA. We had a lovely ride down--the leaves are just starting to change and the golden sunshine made everything look beautiful. Bruce, Andy, Jeanie, and my 'rents were there, too, so we had a great time together. Later on in the evening, Andy made a delicious steak and baked potato dinner, and then we headed back up the road to NYC.

Baby Philip is perfect in every way. We hardly heard a peep out of him and he slept soundly practically all day. Here are some pictures of him--doesn't he look like his dad?

And hopefully this'll work...I took a short video of him while he was stirring in his sleep...it's low quality but you'll get the gist. Click here to see it.

Precious!

Ashley and Sissy have both sent new pics of their babies! They are all getting cuter by the day.
Here's Sophia, and Lucia, and Jack, below.

Grandpop has been gone for a year now, and I still expect to see his lanky body shuffle down the hallway when I'm in University Towers, or crouched over his tractor in the field at the farm. These images are still ingrained in my conscious and I suppose they will forever remain there.

I will probably never stop expecting to see him, or Grandmommy, or Philip, or anyone else we've lost. But I feel comforted in knowing that years from now, I'll still be able to close my eyes and recount those sacred moments when they were here with us--making us laugh, smile, and feel loved.

Announcing the newest addition to our family!

This morning around 8:00 a.m., Philip T. Calder III made his grand entrance into this world. He weighs over 8 lbs and reportedly looks just like his dad! Aleta is doing well and is recooping at the hospital in Baltimore. And despite thinking that she now has a baby "sister," (she'll figure it out soon enough!) Ella is said to be adoring her new brother.

I hope to meet my newest cousin next week, and hopefully I'll have lots of pictures to share then.

Friday Night: Mark's Birthday Dinner

Carnivores delight at the Old Homestead, one of the meat-packing district's oldest restaurants and arguably the best steakhouse in town. And since Mark is a card-carrying member of the carnivore club, I figured this restaurant would be a fitting place to celebrate his birthday on Friday! I had to avoid the topic of his birthday for most of the week so I could create the illusion that I didn't have anything planned. Little did Mark know that I had arranged an evening at the "restaurant with the cow out front" (as he called it for a long time before we moved here). So we walked over there after work on Friday and enjoyed an amazing meal! My petit filet mignon with a side of mashed potatoes was delicious, and Mark loved his gotham rib steak! During dinner I surprised him with his actual present, which were tickets to the Redskins-Giants game on Sunday.

Saturday: Street Performances and Strange Exhibits

One of the benefits of being a Hearst employee is having unlimited free entry to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. So on the gorgeous fall Saturday that we had this weekend, I convinced Mark to head up to the Upper East Side to check it out. So we mozied our way up there, stopping to buy some running shoes and grabbing bagels along the way. When we got to the Met, the usual crowd was gathered on the steps in front of the building. As we got closer, we noticed that they were all watching these two guys do a breakdancing/gymastics/overall craziness act. We decided to watch for a bit, and just as we sat down, I feel a hand on my arm. One of the guys in the act was looking for a "diva" to take part in the grand finale. I don't know what kind of diva vibe I was giving off, but of all of the hundreds of people in the crowd, they picked me. I was reluctant (and embarrassed) to go with him, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. So next thing I know, I was sandwiched between a British girl and a guy from China in front of a group of people from everywhere in the world BESIDES Manhattan! Ahhh...I was TOTALLY part of a tourist trap! I just prayed no one I knew would see me standing up there...

Oh, why was I standing up there, you ask? One of the guys in the act used me and my two new foreign friends as a barrier over which he did a flying flip! My camera was in my bag (which was with me), so I don't have any pictures. Darn. That'll probably never happen to me again! When I was finally released from my duties, we made it into the Met and saw some amazing exhibits. Pictured are the works of Contemporary Chinese-born artist Cai Guo-Qiang, Transparent Monument, a large sheet of glass at the foot of which lie replicas of dead birds; and Move Along, Nothing to See Here, a pair of life-size replicas of crocodiles cast in resin, pierced with scissors and knives confiscated at airport security checkpoints. They're currently on display on the Met's roof top, which offers amazing panoramic views of the city.

Saturday Night: Anna visits

Anna and her friend Andrew visited us on Saturday night. We met up with two of their other "RHS" (that's Ridgefield High School for those who don't know) friends at Tortilla Flats and all squished into a booth while enjoying a pitcher of margaritas and 80's music. After a while, Mark and I headed home while the other guys hit up the Lower East Side. Fun times!

Sunday: Let's Go 'Skins!

On Sunday, we celebrated Mark's birthday with a trip to East Rutherford, NJ, for a Giants/Redskins matchup! We had a great view of the game--too bad the 'Skins didn't deliver (they lost, 19-3. Ouch!). But it marked the first time Mark had seen a professional football game anywhere outside of RFK or Fed Ex field, so at least the trip was notable for him even if his team didn't gift him with a win!

Good thing we are quiet fans (Mark was doing a golf clap throughout most of the game!), otherwise we'd have been booed all the way to the parking lot like some of the more raucous 'Skins supporters in the crowd.

Happy Birthday, Mark!

A big birthday shout-out to my main squeeze (hee hee)!!

A Chocolate-charged Sister's Summit

Leezie, Karl, Bec, and I held a Sister's Summit at Max Brenner, Manhattan's new headquarters for Choc-aholics. The menu is LOADED with decadent sweets including everything from banana split waffles to warm chocolate soup. Step inside and your nose is filled with the aromatic scent of fresh chocolat a la Hershey Park's Factory Tour. It's pure ectasy. And aside from a minor mishap involving Karl's dinner, we had a great time (and I was bouncing off the walls for the rest of the night!) Some pictures of our delicious feast--melting heart chocolate cake, chocolate pizza, dark chocolate and vanilla ice cream, and tons of toppings--are below.

Ula dipping in to the Melting Heart Cake

News from Ashley!

"baby Jack Joseph arrived on Thursday,
September 28 at 9:27 PM.

He is 7 pounds 10 ounces and 20 inches long."

Judging from this pic, I think Jack takes after his dad, Joe! Too bad he wasn't born a day earlier, or he'd share the same b-day as his mom...and if he had a kid on his birthday, they'd all end up on Good Morning America like these folks.

Congrats, Ashley and Joe! (And happy belated b-day, Ashley!) Can't wait to meet the little guy!

Corinne Comes To Town

We had a great time with Corinne this weekend! We squeezed in a night out at Dublin, lunch at Blind Tiger, shopping in Soho, a movie (Science of Sleep), dinner at Wild Ginger, a stop in a cabaret, a few more movies at home, and a Felicity marathon. Oh, plus a lovely walk up the West Side en route to the bus depot, where we saw her off--and back to Bethesda.

Thanks to Corinne for an awesome weekend!

Corinne and Danny

Blind Tiger, 9/30/06

Weekend

Just a quick second to write—this week has at times crept by and at other times moved remarkably fast. The fact that I've been walloped with a cold hasn't helped, but I'm feeling better now and am ready to have fun! This is the first weekend in a while that we have no triathlons, no plans to visit Maryland and Virginia (or other states!), and just a few piles of work to do. Corinne will be our houseguest for the next two days, and I can't wait just to toot around town with her and enjoy the lovely, crisp (I love when I can actually say the weather is crisp!) autumn air.

Not sure what's in the cards in terms of plans, but I'm sure we'll find plenty to keep us entertained...we always do!

As you can tell from the pictures posted below, I spent the weekend with my brand-new "first cousins-once-removed" (let's just call them my nieces), Sophia and Lucia. Stella and Joe were visiting as well, so Sissy and Erik had a crowded house. The lengthy journey (six flights!) was completely worth it--I'd fly cross country any day to see these beauties! Here they are in their "bopsie" pillows, which they seem to love...where can I find one of those for myself? :-)

One last thing: on my last leg home (redeye from LAX-JFK), I thought I might see one recognizeable/famous face. Little did I know I'd be boarding a star-studded flight! On board were none other than Reese Witherspoon (tiny, casually dressed, looked much younger than she is), Sarah Silverman (just as crazy/funny in person as she is on TV), Lily Tomlin (I was dying to tell her how much I loved "The Incredibly Shrinking Woman), Julia DiPandi (E! Talking Head and Botox Queen), and another actor who was familiar looking but I couldn't place his name

Sleeping Beauty II

Sleeping Beauty I

These girls are loved!

Mirror Images

The Many Faces of Lucia

Mother and Daughter (Sophia)

Perks of the Job

Unlike National Geographic, where I could never answer "yes" when people asked I got to travel, I can now say that meeting teen heart throbs is just part of the job here at CG! (A popular question). See below for proof...that's JC Chasez, formerly of N'SYNC. And look who he has his arm around! Sigh!