la vida steffa

HalloWEEZER!

2009-10-29T11:54:00.006-04:00

I love Weezer... ever since '94 with the release of the Blue Album, and anyone who has visited a home of mine (before Brooklyn) should remember my huge W wall hanging. (Thanks Angy for buying said wall hanging and promptly handing it over.)

Terrible photo of me... but you can see the Weez on the wall.

Anywho, Weezer is playing a show in NYC on Saturday - Halloween! The second tickets went on sale, I snagged a pair - good thing, too, because they sold out super-fast.

... And then my friend called and invited me to a super exclusive 220 fan show courtesy of iHeartRadio.com. Unfortunately, Paul couldn't make it - so sad!

The House of Weez rocked a short set... kicking it off with a Rivers + orchestra rendition of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida." THEN the full band did the unexpected and played "Why Bother" from Pinkerton; Weezer rarely plays anything from Pinkerton, so this was a treat. 2 new songs and 2 classics rounded out the set, and I'm now ready for the Hammerstein Ballroom Saturday night for my HalloWEEZER extravaganza!

... Oh, and I'm definitely considering purchasing a WUGGIE - the Weezer Snuggie, of course.

oh, and this is awesome for CSI fans... just click on the image to zoom and then proceed to chuckle.

We (apparently) Did The Mash!

2009-10-27T21:59:00.001-04:00

Best EVER!

Thanks Melissa!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Steffa-Effa!

2009-10-25T19:23:00.008-04:00

Linus: He'll come here because I have the most sincere pumpkin patch and he respects sincerity.

Sally Brown: Do you really think he will come?

Linus: Tonight the Great Pumpkin will rise out of the pumpkin patch. He flies through the air and brings toys to all the children of the world.

Sally Brown: That's a good story.

Linus: You don't believe the story of the Great Pumpkin? I thought little girls always believed everything that was told to them. I thought little girls were innocent and trusting.

Sally Brown: Welcome to the 20th century!

My mom should love this post...

When I was maybe 13 or 14, my mom made the executive decision that we would no longer purchase real punkies to carve. She, instead, purchased a plastic, electric punkie that lit up all on its own... since Angy and I were old enough not to entertain ourselves with such childish (read: messy) tasks. Sadness filled our hearts. Angy loved carving the punkie, and she always cleaned the guts. I, on the other hand, loved the carving but refused to do any of the gut-cleaning. (For me, this brings to mind the story of The Little Red Hen but never mind that now.)

Somehow, and I really don't know how, my mom has never lived down this story. For Angy and I, we relive how ridiculously we acted as kids. For my mom, she relives the memory of the fake Christmas tree simultaneously.

Anyway, after many, many, many years... Paul and I carved a punkie tonight! Not only did I help carve the thing (the eyes & nose are courtesy of moi), but I helped gut it... AND I toasted the punkie seeds. DELICIOUS! (Lots of salt, thank you.)

Our Brooklyn buds, T&D, cleaned and carved alongside us. Paul & I actually bought a little punkie carving kit (this one), and within minutes (literally), all of the carving pieces broke. The only piece that remained intact was the gut-scooper - also known as the 'orange spoon,' also known as the 'least useful tool in the kit.' Oh well. Butter knives did the trick. Each punkie is a sight to behold. Much pride. Much pride.

Killin' time...

2009-10-24T17:35:00.003-04:00

As it turns out, I'm a teensy bit sick. Not flu-sick or anything... Just a hefty cough and a slight sore throat (and maybe a fever and dizzy spell here or there).

Anywho, today we had planned to go see Where the Wild Things Are since I've been going stir-crazy the past couple of days (sick girls stay home). Plus the CMJ Music Festival ends tomorrow, so we wanted to hit up an Au Revoir Simone show tonight. First, though, I convinced Paul to treat me to breakfast. About 3/4 into the walk, I coughed up a lung... then about 3/4 through the line, I felt dizzy; I thought that just maybe I would pass out right there and then... but sure enough, I hung on... Though the entire situation was embarrassing; I sat on wet chairs and ground; I lay my head on the counter as Paul stood in the waiting line. The owner inquired about my well being not only while we were in line but also while we ate. Paul made the executive decision that I am not yet well enough to be in public.

No movie. Boo.

Believe it or not, I feel far worse for Paul than I do for myself. For 1, he has to hear me complain about being slightly sick and then just seconds later reassure him that I am not sick. Plus, he lives for weekends... seriously. He gets down if we do not adequately fill up weekend days with amazing adventures. Today, though, has looked something like this (rather than the afternoon movie and evening rock show we had planned on)...

After returning from breakfy, I napped for a couple of hours, and my dear husband cleaned our apartment... including unpacking from our week in Phoenix. Isn't he a doll? And then, he let me make a grocery list for the week but refused to let me join him on the journey. He's a doll and then some, no doubt.

Anyway, he's been ridic-productive (and unfortunately for him, productivity that involves cleaning the house does not equal fun nor adventurous), while I have napped, read, played on Facebook... and now, while he's at the store, I'm blogging and sharing my new hairdo with ya'll... and coughing a little bit too.

Yep, it's true.

2009-10-22T18:43:00.004-04:00

We're weirdos.

Fall & Randoms

2009-10-13T11:11:00.010-04:00

Okay, so Blogger totally kills vibrant photos... Blurgh, I say. Anyhoo, Fall is in full swing in the northeast, so I thought I'd share. We've actually rented a cabin a few hours north of the city for a weekend in November. Can't wait to roast marshmallows and make ooey-gooey s'mores!

In other news, I saw Ivanka Trump on some terrible morning show speaking about her new book, and man, that lady is composed! Are we really the same age? I now realize why she's a gazillionaire and why, well, I'm not. (You know, aside from the whole gazillionaire-father thing she's got going on.) Does anyone want to invest in sending me to her Charm School alma mater? Or maybe I should start by reading her book... and practicing my ol' SAT vocabulary.

Aaaaannnnnd my bestie's Dad was on Glenn Beck (Blech, more like) last night. Word to having a celebrity in my extended family!

How can you not love these pups?!

2009-10-11T09:34:00.004-04:00

Seriously, Paul and I oooo'd and aaaaw'd over these commercials. Adorable.

Yeah, Diana!

2009-10-02T09:32:00.002-04:00

My new Diana F+ camera rocks in its plastic-lensed glory. Love it... Paul picked up the first roll from processing this week, and while they're not all awesome, I am dreaming of what I can create with my new dear friend.

Same Ol' Steffa

2009-09-30T16:55:00.003-04:00

I wrote this on Christmas in 1998. My friend, Brie, found it recently and knew that I would appreciate it, so she sent it to me... She also sent me a letter that Paul wrote to her that I'm forbidden to publish due to embarrassing handwriting... The handwriting is that funny.

Anyway, this cracks me up for so many reasons. It proves that I've always been the same combination of wacky, dramatic, happy and loving of Paul!

Enjoy... and try not to be too embarrassed for me.

Reliving Our Youth - One Punk Rock Show At A Time...

2009-09-18T21:28:00.004-04:00

Every now and again, a band from our punk-rock-teenagedom tours through NY. It's always hilarious b/c there's never a soul in the club under the age of 26... and yet we all rock out as though we're still 17.

Last night was one such night. A high school fave of mine, Face to Face, blew through NYC, and we were lucky enough to get tickets. I actually purchased tickets months ago - the day they went on sale to be exact... and Paul and I just knew that we were totally going to forget about the show until after it passed.

Fortunately, we didn't forget. Fortunately, I had my oh-so-lovely point-and-shoot camera, which took some sweet video. Fortunately, neither of us were injured, and the camera was fine too... even though I was elbowed on the top of my head, and my precious camera was accidentally slapped by some girl.

Many funny moments occurred... There's just something about a group of pushing-30s to late-30s and early 40s rockin' out to punk rock that just seems hysterical. I overheard and participated in many a convo about 'back in high school' and 'what was it - 1997 - or something?'.

But three things stood out for me, and I'd like to share...

I was never a mosh-pit-girl per se, but every once in a while I would jump into a more happy-go-lucky pit (as opposed to an angry pit). This really only happened during my most fave bands... Last night, I kept thinking, "Hmmm... It doesn't look so bad during this song." Or, "There's that slower part coming up." I tried to convince myself that it'd be okay, but some things kept popping into my mind that I never had to think about back in '97 (or whenever)... "I'd look pretty bad if I showed up to my meeting with a black eye tomorrow." "Hmm. I have to catch a flight on Saturday, and I have so much work to do tomorrow to get ready for a week off, so I really can't afford to spend time in the ER or in pain with a broken collarbone."
As I walked out of the venue, I heard a fella in a similar vein say, "Yeah, I totally wanted to crowd surf, but I have more expensive things in my pockets than I did when I was younger... Yeah, I didn't have credit cards back then. It was basically, 'Hey, Dad! Can I have some money?' So if I lost something back then, I could just ask my Dad for more money."
Face to Face is playing another show in NYC next week, and Trever Keith (lead singer) asked if anyone in the crowd had enough money to go to that show too... Pretty much everyone in the crowd cheered and raised their hands to which Mr. Keith said, "I love punk rockers with a bank account!"

That pretty much sums it all up. We've (mostly) all (mostly) grown out of the whole punk rock lifestyle - with the late nights, angst and crazy fashion sense, but we're all trying to keep it alive even if just one night a year when a fave band from high school comes to town...

My spare time...

2009-09-13T11:45:00.000-04:00

I may be the biggest time-waster ever.

A Laborless Labor Day (and then some)

2009-09-10T17:49:00.010-04:00

It wasn't a photogenic week for me.

Labor Day Recap

Paul had Thursday through Monday off because of the looooooooong hours worked the previous few weeks. I decided to join him on Friday with a pre-Labor Day vacation day. We enjoyed one of the greatest weekends in existence... it's true. We even celebrated by staying up late on Thursday!

Friday - Coney Island with some friends. You know what that means... Delicious hot dogs and chili-cheese fries. Mmmmm! Pat, Paul's co-workin' bestie, ordered a corn dog with sauerkraut. Didn't work out quite as he had planned (as I'm sure you can imagine).

See what I mean?

The very beginning of our Dorney Park adventure!

Saturday - Dorney Park & Wildwater Kindom in Allentown, PA with a friend. Paul and Brad rode vomit-and-death-inducing rides, while I took photos with my delightful point-and-shoot. I rode the 'kiddie' roller coaster, and I must admit that it was the most terrifying ride of my life... No, really. Anyway,there were 0 lines on the rides, and we figured out that everyone was at the water park... The water park was a blast (x10), but seriously, what fools - they could've ridden every single ride in less than an hour.

They rode this for me b/c I was obsessed with how deadly it looked.

They were literally facing the pavement on this - 90 degree angle for 175 feet. Can I get a "where's the vomit?"!

Seriously, the highest drop ever... Ugh! No thank you!

I was almost convinced to go on this ride. Maybe next time...

Admittedly, this is not my best photo, but c'mon, I had been wave-poolin' it up!

Sunday - A deliciously relaxing picnic in our one and only Prospect Park.

Monday - Fun times in Manhattan spending my b-day gift cards and a deliciously raucous picnic in T&D's 'hood park.

Sadly, the long weekend had to come to an end... soooooooo sad. But you know what follows a long weekend? ... ... ... A short week, of course! Can you believe it's already Thursday?! WOOOT!

Oh, and last night I prepared Chicken Curry for dinner... as in INDIAN food. How astonished are you? PLUS, T&D brought us awesome place mats from their trip to India, so the setting... er, table-scape was uber-authentic.

Lil' Frenchie...

2009-09-03T07:31:00.001-04:00

Poor lil' guy

French Bulldog Can't Roll Over - watch more funny videos

The Non-Diet

2009-09-02T20:08:00.006-04:00

(Aiko, we desperately need to take some new photos.)

Aiko & Corey will be married in 3 short weeks! That's 3 short weeks until Paul and I head to Waikiki - huzzah! The plan was for me to be in tip-top bikini shape by the time our beach vacation arrived, and seeing as how I've had 6 or so months to prepare, this should have been easy.

Too bad a) I'm lazy, b) I eat ice cream for a living and c) I have no willpower.

If I weren't lazy, I would have exercised like I had promised myself. If I did not eat ice cream for a living, I would not have needed to exercise quite as much. If I had willpower, I might know the difference between marketing ice cream and eating ice cream for a living.

Oh well. I'm round, and I've dealt with it. In the short term, though, I created a plan/non-diet to a) punish myself for being so lazy & weak-willed over the last 6 months and b) feel less flabby in 3 short weeks.

My regimen - a) be less lazy (which includes brisk walking a few days each week, crunches & girly push-ups), b) realize that I promote ice cream for a living - not eat it and c) dig deep in the depths of my being to find some willpower.

I am on Day 3 of no ice cream... Day 3 - in those 3 days, I have visited 8 or so ice cream shops - now that is willpower, my friends! Plus, I've done some brisk walking, crunches, push-ups and jumping jacks. Never mind the fact that I had 1.5 donuts on Monday plus 1 delicious mini-marzipan and some delicious chocolate pudding (that tasted like frosting - yum) yesterday... Just forget those because they don't count as ice cream.

3 days down and 18 to go...

Angeloober-Goober Came To Town!

2009-08-30T11:39:00.006-04:00

My dearest sister, Angeloogie, headed to NYC for the weekend. We watched "Hannah Montana the Movie" and rocked out pretty hardcore during "The Climb." Plus, we (kind of) learned a new line dance courtesy of our adored, Miley Cyrus.

We even watched "Bring It On - All Or Nothing." Definitely one of the worst movies of all time, but oh-so-perfect for sister watching.

We went to the MoMA and the Brooklyn Bridge. We dined at Shake Shack and Joe's. We traveled to NJ for a gallant night of jousting by the knights of Medieval Times.

All in all, it was a great weekend (despite the grey skies and rain).

Miss you sissy!

Evidence that you shouldn't let your sister fuss with your hair.

Why I <3 NYC

2009-08-24T20:06:00.003-04:00

We may have rude people, humidity, graffiti and litter... but c'mon!

Feelin' Good...

2009-08-24T11:52:00.004-04:00

I don't know what it is, but I'm feeling good and positive... such a change from the last month or two. Maybe I'm just super excited that my sister's heading to NYC on Thursday (super YAY), but I woke up at 6:55 today ready to move. I washed the dishes; I cleaned the shower; I made Paul's breakfy (well, found the cereal fixins and poured the juice)... Before 830, I was going through email and getting work done.

Man, I hope this optimism and positivity stays around!

(Yes, I've been a bit of a crank lately... Paul may not admit it, but it's true.)

(OR - how in the world did I forget about this - maybe it's b/c my dear friend Shanda wrote awesomely nice things about me... She's so rad.)

Our Friday night in Manhattan

2009-08-16T22:26:00.005-04:00

Friday night was interesting. When Paul arrived home from work, we were both itching to do something outdoors. The weather was beautiful, and seeing as how NYC has had the saddest summer ever, beautiful weather is not something we take for granted.

We threw ideas back and forth... Coney Island fireworks? Park Slope? Nothing really excited us... until I thought of this magical place that we went to last year. The city erected a pop-up park near the Brooklyn bridge as a viewing spot for a waterfall installation, and it was fabuuuu*. The park was right next to the water and offered decent food at a cheap (enough) price. It seemed to be the perfect mix of going out while keeping it low-key.

So I said, "Paul, is that park still there?" To which he replied, "No, it was just there for the installation." "Hmmm, that would be perfect." "Well, we could go down to South Street Seaport." (as I peruse the outdoor hot spot section in the Time Out New York) "There's Water Taxi Beach, and it has cheap food... Oh, but it looks like there might be some party thing with cover tonight." "Eh, we'll try it."

When he offered that last one up, he really thought it was a great idea. And it was... kind of. Of course, when we arrived, the door guy tells us that there's a $5 cover. We turn around and debate whether or not we should pay cover to sit on the sand with cheap food. Ten minutes later, we decide - sure, why not. Then the lady swiped our card for the cover... Nope, not $5 but $10 each! I was outraged; I don't pay cover for restaurants. That's absurd, and he said it was $5... "Well, before 8pm, it is $5. It's 822pm now." "Yes, but we were here 5 minutes ago*." "That would've been 817pm, so it still would've been $10." "I understand what you're saying, but he told us it was $5." Oh well...

So we go inside. At this point, I'm noticing that people are really dressed up to be going to a little outdoor park. That's when it hits me... Ooooooooh! This barricaded area is a bar-slash-nightclub! What?! My whole world shattered for a moment... but, but, but it's a beach... It's called Water Taxi BEACH.

Nope, I was wrong. Now, obviously there's no beach in Manhattan, but I wasn't thinking a swimming beach. I just pictured a little plot of sand with some river rocks forming a natural barricade between the water and the sand... Boy was I wrong.

Neon palm trees lit the sandy plot of land. A DJ spun some awful electro-dance tunes. Folks danced the night away... DANCING?!?! At a beach?! Oh geez. Obviously, we are not nightclub regulars. Wait, what? You say you didn't know that? Well, as the Beatles would say, you "should've known better."

Clearly, I should've known better.

So what did we do? We ordered some dinner at the little food shack (fish & chips for him, a hot dog and watermelon for me)... We sat down at a picnic table sitting on the fake (as in, non-naturally occurring) sand... I bobbed my head to the weird tunes. We chatted up some Germans sitting next to us; they knew it was a nightclub. Most importantly, we played cards for hours.

I have a feeling that the other clubbers thought we were off our rockers, but we had a good time (even after the $20 cover mishap), and I continued my HUGE winning streak at Deuces Wild.

*fabuuuu = fabulous. Say it with me - fabooooooo. Not fabU.

**Yes, I know that it had actually been 10 minutes, not 5, but regardless it was after 8pm when he told us of the $5 cover.

A career change is in order...

2009-08-15T19:47:00.008-04:00

Introducing the first SBS/PDS Productions short film...

Enjoy!

(Are you sad that I have a video camera yet?)

(I use the term 'short film' loosely here...)

Home Videos from Paris

2009-08-14T11:41:00.004-04:00

C'mon... you know you're laughing. We're a riot.

(If you're wondering why this took so long to post, it's b/c I had to figure out how to convert the AVI file to an MPEG.)

(Oh, and I'm sure that those riding their dear Segways have dignity too... they may have just misplaced it for the moment. No worries, I would so rock a Segway for a short time, and I would certainly make fun of myself while doing so.)

The Family... is a group of nut jobs!

2009-08-14T10:16:00.002-04:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Jeff Sharlet

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Spinal Tap Performance

Really?! Have you heard of this? I must read The Family. In the words of Miss Gwen Stefani, "This bleep is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S!"

Preach on, Mr. Sharlet!

Mom, shield your eyes...

2009-08-08T19:59:00.003-04:00

It has made a comeback...

(The Batman shirt from my seventh grade Savers shopping trip, that is.)

Another knife fight...n

2009-08-04T10:17:00.006-04:00

Last night while chopping onions for my delicious chili, I cut myself worse than I ever have before... OOPS. It kinda hurts, and it doesn't look so great either.

Man, am I a genius...

Know what I did after holding tissue to the cut to stop the bleeding??? C'mon, guess!

Nope, you're wrong; I did not go running down the street bawling and screaming, "OWWWWWW! I NEED AN AMBULANCE!" ... Rather, I kept chopping the onion... then the green pepper... then the garlic.

... And the chili was delicious!

(Super sorry for the grotesque photo, but I had to show you what we're dealing with.)

The Schizophrenic Weather of NYC

2009-08-02T13:10:00.007-04:00

NYC has failed to see a real summer this year. June and July had 2x the average rainfall... Nuts.

One never knows what to expect on any given day. The fortune tellers known to some as "meteorologists" cannot seem to get it right, as many days of the forecast have the icon that shows sun, rain and clouds... Clearly, they just don't know.

All day Friday was cloudy and rainy. Friday evening, the rain stopped, the sky cleared, and the streets dried. Saturday was gorgeous; the beach was packed. This was only our 2nd beach day of the year - sad, but we enjoyed it thoroughly. I awoke this morning to grey skies; the first word out of my mouth was, "NOOOO!" I decided to shut my eyes and fall back asleep. I kid you not when I say that with the lights turned off, our apartment (which gets A TON of natural light) looks as if it must be 9pm outside. I've never heard louder thunder, and, of course, it's raining. The sun will not shine today.

Friday night's beautiful sky... The clouds parted.

Saturday's sky - not a cloud in sight. Sunshine, oh how I love you.

The Weather Gods are not hearing my plea for real summer weather, and I hear that unless there is a HUGE warm front in August, the summer of 2009 will go down as the coldest on record. REALLY?!

Can I get a loud "UGH" from everyone, please?

Sunday - why are you so ugly?

Embarrassing x 10!

2009-07-27T18:36:00.003-04:00

7.26.09 6:28pm

So I was calling a bank's 1-800 number today when I accidentally misdialed.

The phone rang and then picked up. I expected to hear, "Welcome to XYZ Bank's Telephone Banking System. BlahBlahWahWahBlah."

Instead, I heard not words but sounds. Heavy sounds. Loud sounds.

...

It took me about two seconds to realize that those sounds were pretty much X-rated, and I must've accidentally called an erotic hotline or something. I about died.

To top it off, I misdialed by 6 numbers...

SIX. Numbers. No, not one, two or three... SIX. How is that possible?

You know how sometimes when you're typing on the keyboard and not paying attention, you start typing gibberish b/c your fingers aren't on the proper ASDFJKL; keys? Well, sometimes I do that with phone numbers.

This time, it was a big oops. Oops times ten, as I like to say.

Now, I think I should call Verizon to ensure that I'm not charged anything for my misdial, but I'm SOOOOOO embarrassed that I'm not sure I can man-up. The conversation will sound something like this:

Verizon: "Thanks for calling Verizon Wireless. How can I pretend to help you today?"

Steffa: "Hi, yes... I accidentally called a porn hotline today, and I want to make sure that I'm not charged for it."

V: Accidentally, 'eh?

S: YES, ACCIDENTALLY. The call was all of 5 seconds.

V: Yeah, I hear that one all the time.

-Click-

Guess I'll have to get over it and just call... this time ensuring that all of my numbers are correct before pressing 'Send.'

7.26.09 8:13pm