Love at First Sight

Net Galley where have you been all of my life? I think this will be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

Summer?

Over the last few days the weather has finally perked up here at the Shore. A few days ago I ventured out to sit in the sun, but on the advice of my mother I skipped the sunblock. Lesson learned: Mommy doesn't always know best... or at least she doesn't when she is a 6o+ year old beach bum who is phobic about sunblock usage. I now look like a weirdly striped lobster, because of course I had my head down reading the whole time.

Radioactive coloring aside, the time in the sun and pretty new sundresses like these,

and the devouring of e-galley copies of Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz and Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton, (both excellent new YA "coming of age at the beach" stories that you should check out), have all left me dreaming of an old fashioned fun summer where anything is possible.

I forgot two things though; 1. I'm supposed to be an adult, so bittersweet summer experiences aren't quite the same as they were when you were 16, and 2. I'm a Jersey Shore local.

No. It's not at all like what you see on TV. The Shore crew immortalized on MTV are what we like to call Bennies. They are the bane of the local's existence and the cause of much resentment. Though Bennies bring a certain boon to the local economy they also bring increased traffic, heavy New Yawk and North Joisey accents, and a sense of entitlement. Find me a Jersey Shore native who openly embraces all Bennies and I will eat my most favorite hat.

Fortunately for us poor locals, bennygohome.com was born. Check them out. They are both cathartic and awesome.

So though on one hand I am ready for summer, I realize what I am truly ready for is a summer that exists only in my dreams. Now if you'll excuse me I guess I'll go sniff some Coppertone and listen to some Jimmy Buffett in order to gather my strength for what will really be coming.

New York, New York

There are three things I have always wished I could do:

1. Sing really well
2. Dance
3. Surf

We'll talk about #3 at a later point.

#1 and #2 are born from my deep, deep, some may say genetically induced, love of musicals. Nothing makes me happier than a musical, and unfortunately lately, I don't get to see as many of them as I would like. I'm a Broadway baby who can't really afford Broadway or round trip NJ Transit tickets anymore. Yet, the time comes when one has to say enough is enough, and just go for it.

Last night, credit card balance be damned, my mom and I headed into the city to see How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. This is a show I grew up listening to, and though Robert Morse will always be J. Pierpont Finch in my heart, how could I say no to seeing Daniel Radcliffe try the role on for size?

It was a fun girl's day. By 10:30 when we got back through the Lincoln Tunnel, my credit card was in flames, but it was all worth it. I'm a Midtown girl, have been from the age of 3. 42nd to 50th Streets from 6th to 9th is the one place where I never, ever get lost. After some shopping we headed to 44th street to go to an old favorite St. Andrew's pub. It turns out St. Andrew's old location is now an Irish pub called the Long Room. Still a good time, even if the hot guys in kilts are now two blocks up on 46th street!

Good food, icy cold cider, and brand new sundresses happy vibes were the perfect appetizers for the fluffy musical theatre warm fuzzies that hit as soon as I stepped into the theater. The bright lights, colorful costumes, and catchy songs were the perfect escape from the grayness of every day life. Every body who is feeling blue should immediately go see a musical.

... and you know what, Daniel Radcliffe was pretty darn awesome. He danced his butt off and kept up with the male chorus members who have probably been training for years. He voice was pleasant and he brought the right amount of charm to the part. If I had the chance I would have told him all this, but the threat of being trampled by other autograph seekers was all to real.

P.S. John Larroquette was hysterical, and the guy who played Bud Frump was absolutely spectacular!

I Went Overboard!

In celebration of the fact that I could read for fun again, I visited the library the day after I finished grad school. I carefully constructed a list of books that I wanted to read that were available and a list of the books that I wanted to request/ put on hold. Both lists were REALLY long. In addition to going to the library I also belong to Bookswim and I received a new shipment the same day I brought home eight library books. Three days later the phone rang. The library had two books from my list ready and waiting for me. Two more days go by and the phone rings again; now they have four books waiting for me. This cycle has repeated over the last three weeks so I now have 3 BookSwim books and 15 library books at home. The Bookswim books haven't been touched because they don't have a due date and I feel like I am playing Russian Roulette with library due dates. The pile of books is stressing me out! Any time spent not reading feels wrong! So until further notice I will be reading as fast as I possibly can ...

Oh and Book Expo is in a month. I can feel the eye strain already!