BUZZ! from Home Alone. Yep.

By now it was almost a week ago, but I still consider walking Devin Ratray (Buzz from Home Alone!) down a red carpet (kind of) a major highlight of my internship.

I know you're probably wondering, how can there be a "kind of" red carpet. Well, it was a swanky Swatch event, so of course the carpet was black. Lame. Nevertheless, it was such a cool experience, and what kid from the 90s doesn't want to hang out with one of the actors from basically the coolest movie of all time.

Just don't go in his room.

Well, walking someone down the red carpet (kind of) doesn't mean schmoozing the press while escorting them to the end and then ditching them for a cab, your empty apartment and a pint of ben and jerrys. No, sir. It means going INSIDE the venue, schmoozing with important people and a trip (or two) to the open bar. It also means a gift bag at the end of the night. I'm just saying.

Ok, America's Got Talent is on and I lost my train of though but you get the idea.

Things I Learned This Week

1. Fax cover sheets are a waste of paper. I mean, you just throw them away as soon as you send the fax. Can't you just write on top of the first page or something....?

2. Crumbs Bakery has AMAZING cupcakes. I was trying to eat healthy but that all obviously went out the window when my friend Meg brought cupcakes from Crumbs over last night. I might have eaten an entire extra large oreo cupcake .... 

3. Reality shows are not real. I know, I know. Some of you are saying, DUH. But hey, I give people the benefit of the doubt. Or at least I did until I watched "NYC Prep" on Bravo last night. One word: pathetic. The conversations are forced and awkward, and these 15 year olds are wayyyy too concerned about social status and getting married. Maybe that's what Laguna Beach looked like when it first came out and I was just stuck in that teenager stage along with LC, Lo and Stephen, but I can't imagine that's how teenagers really act. (P.S. This doesn't mean I'm going to stop watching reality shows ... I'm just saying ...)

4. American Idol auditions aren't as bad as they seem. Ryan Seacrest lies. Or is it Simon Fuller? Whatever. Either way, aspiring Idols do not have to wait in line for two days before auditioning. In fact, you only have to wait a maximum of two hours to register and then you get to go to your nice comfy hotel room until the next day when you're called back to the stadium to actually sing. No tents and awkward friendships with the weird guy dressed in a scuba outfit in front of you in line. It's true. I have a primary source.

5. Jersey is not all that bad. I say this with reservations because I've spent the entirety of my college career picking on people from the dirrrrty dirrrttty (two of my roommates and best friends). However, I traveled all the way down to Cape May for the holiday weekend (a place which many new yorkers and northern Jersians wouldn't consider "down the shore" but it's true folks, it exists) and it wasn't half bad. Good bagels, great beaches and perfectly mixed margaritas made my time as a Jersey girl quite enjoyable.

6. I really want a puppy. Enough said.

Cooking For One, or The Lack Of

I haven't blogged in about a week and, quite frankly, I don't really have anything exciting to talk about. However, the big 4th of July weekend got me thinking about cook outs and family BBQs, which got me thinking about how wonderful and delicious food can be, which got me thinking about how pathetic my cooking has been this summer.

Moral of the story: Cooking for one stinks. 

It's hard. Not only is it hard to get ingredients that will stay fresh for the extended period that I'll have them, but it's also hard to think of good recipes. The reason for this? I don't like left overs. Most recipes make enough for about 4 people or more, which I'm simply not down with. In order to make the recipe, I have to make large portions that I can't eat and they result in leftovers (I don't like math, so cutting down the portions is not an option). 

Ok, sorry for complaining. I'm hungry as I'm writing this and have absolutely no food to eat. Delivery? I think so.

Rain, Rain GO AWAY

Let me share a little secret with you - IT NEVER STOPS RAINING IN NEW YORK CITY. I know, I know. That wasn't exactly the most subtle, secretive way to put it, and I'm sure it really does stop raining in nyc, but certainly not while I'm living here. I can honestly say there has probably only been 3 full days of sunshine since I've moved to this organized chaos, and I simply do.not.like.it.

Here's what I'm looking for: 73 degrees, low humidity (I simply can not stand another bad hair day), sunshine, a few clouds, a gentle breeze and absolutely, positively no rain. Not a single drop.

If the big apple could grant me this one, seemingly simple wish, it would go up about 10 points in my book. Instead, it's stuck in the miserable weather bracket with the one and only, Syracuse. Now that I think about it, maybe this miserable weather is following me for a reason. Maybe it's the kind of weather I'm meant to live in. Maybe it's trying to tell me that I should actually leave my hair curly every day instead of straightening it ...

chirp chirp

Well, I never thought this day would come. My entire family is officially on Twitter. Not only are my mom, dad and sister currently "tweeting," but my aunt, cousin, brother-in-law and grandpa are also sharing 140 character updates. 

Now, I must explain to you why this is such a big feat. When I first signed up for twitter about three months ago, not only did my entire family not have accounts, but they couldn't even tell you really what it was used for or why anyone should even have it. When I think about it, neither could I. It took awhile for me to get the hang of what I should really use twitter for, and once I did, I spread the word. After five months of convincing, my mom, sister and brother-in-law finally set up accounts this morning, and we are officially a twitter family. 

Who knows, maybe they'll all abandon twitter in the first two weeks, or be pulled away by some other form of social networking site that's more than likely in the in the development stages as I type. But, I must say, it's kind of refreshing have my family so immersed in technology. Maybe my mom will stop bugging me about facebook now. 

So, welcome @valtigh, @ptigh, @htigh, @catmcd6, @ktmcd920, @bustifarm and @riouxcf!

Sincerey,

@artigh

"Going Green" in the Big City

On the way home from the Woody Allen movie premier the other night, I was talking with Ana Ortiz  (I'm such a name dropper muuahahaha) about the benefits of going green. We discussed the normal trends such as trying not to drink bottled water, bringing your own bags to the grocery store, the beauty of public transportation, etc., but it wasn't until today that I realized I think I'm really doing my part to save our environment.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm no Captain Planet, but the superhero in me does come out from time to time. For example, every morning. :) Instead of stopping at Dunkin' Donuts or Starbucks to get my morning fix of caffeine, I've invested in an espresso machine, espresso beans, skim milk, a little coffee mate and a reusable Starbucks iced coffee cup. Yes, it's reusable! Imagine your typical iced coffee cup: Now add a double layer of thick, insulated plastic, a screw on lid, a sturdy straw, make it all dish washer safe and viola! 

Here's where I must admit that I first purchased the mug to save myself a little money by making my own coffee. However, now not only do I save a few bucks every morning (which is an amazing thing for an unpaid intern), but I'm using one less plastic cup a day, five less a week, and 260 less per year. That's pretty good, right? Well, I'm pretty proud of it anyway.

I must say, I'm not trying to toot my own horn. In fact, I think that these small things are becoming a sort of trend in our society, and most of my current environmental habits come from the way I was raised. Turning off the lights when I leave a room, using a "sierra cup" instead of buying Poland Spring in bulk, making a compost pile with my dad and eating the vegetables from our own garden were some of the things I grew up with. Today, with a "save the earth" mentality, I'm glad I was raised with an environmental conscience. Even if it was because my parents were children of the 60s ...

TIME FLIES!

Well, today is my nephew's 6th birthday. SIX. Not only is he six, but also just finished Kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN. I'm pretty sure he just had his first birthday party yesterday, so if someone could tell me what happened and where all that time went, that'd be great. thanks. Ugh, time flies.

Thinking about how quickly that little man grew up (he thinks he's so old that now he skips the "aunt" and just calls me Ali) makes me think about how fast everything else in my life seems to be going. I'm 21 now. I never ever ever thought that day would come. Growing up in the time where you and all your friends have been 21 since you were 16 (you know what i mean), it seemed that the day when you could actually feel 100% confident walking into a bar was light years away. Well, here it is and I must say, it kind of sucks. When I walk into a bar I barely get asked for ID anymore! Ugh, time flies.

Coming with the territory of being 21 also comes the depressing fact that I'm going to be a senior in college this year. I think that may be the most shocking of all. Honestly it feels like just yesterday was 2006 and I was having my high school graduation party in my back yard. Now I'm going to be living in a house with four of my best girl friends and applying to "real people" jobs in less than a year. Ugh, time flies.

Disclaimer: I'm not trying to be depressing about life, because I really can't wait to see where it takes me. However, is this what they mean by having a mid-life crisis?