10.31.2006

Happy Halloween!



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

10.29.2006

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!

10.24.2006

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?

10.19.2006

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).

10.16.2006

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!

10.15.2006

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.

10.12.2006

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.

10.08.2006

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.

10.05.2006

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

10.03.2006

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!

10.01.2006

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