hilariously shocked

so i've just had 2 hilarious incidents happen today that i feel i must share.

i had Con Law this afternoon, and since it's the beginning of the 2nd term, it's just sort of trudging along, doing the same old ho-hum, discussing Marbury v. Madison. you know, the usual. at the end of class, Professor Hellerstein begins talking about when he was practicing in the 60s and 70s and how outrageous a time it was and the impact it had on the legal industry. He had lawyers in his office driving those crazy tie-dyed VW bugs and getting arrested for carrying a roach to meet their client in jail. The most outrageous story he told was about how he and a bunch of lawyers and other activists of the doctor caliber went at midnight to a judge's house to get an ex parte order to allow him to enter Attica immediately after a riot. After they obtained the order they were on the road in one of those crazy VW vans when they got pulled over by about 20 state troopers. One of the van's passengers told professor that the troopers looked like they would search the van. The professor responded "so what?" and was advised the van had about half a pound of marijuana. luckily, the order the judge signed also stated that they weren't to be interfered w/on the federal highway so ultimately the state troopers ended up escorting him and the group to Attica while they carried the marijuana. Crazy.

after class, i went home and just chilled out, watched some Ellen and saw something even more incredulous. Lilly Capeheart, the lizard whisperer. Seriously, if you saw this you would've laughed too. she hypnotizes lizards. and she's a little kid. and then she puts the hypnotized lizards in hilarious outfits and scenes.

productive saturday

so i'm usually a big bum on the weekends, i'm not sure why. i just like lazing around and having no obligations/requirements/ deadlines. i'm sure law school's made me this way. which is why when i actually have a productive saturday, i've of course got to write about it.

on this legendary saturday Gohm and i decided to go out for brunch, already a big step up from the usual Bagel Bob's (which i love too, don't get me wrong, but i wonder if we would go as often if it wasn't right under his apt). we decided to check out something new and trekked over to Annie's which had received rave brunch reviews. when we approached the restaruant there was already a crowd outside and the hostess advised us it would be at least a 20 min wait. however, have no fear b/c those hostesses are all business at Annie's. If they call you and you're not there, they move right now so we sat after only about a 10 min wait. this place has an extensive brunch/breakfast menu and they mean business. they have everything any body could possibly want. varieties of pancakes ranging from plain ol' buttermilk to peach/pumpkin/berry dream and the same goes for their waffles. omelettes? french toast? you've got it. Gohm went for eggs benedict (although there was one version involving filet mignon that i was dying to try) and i got pumpkin pancakes, a poached egg and a side of sausage. for $3.50 the sausage side really isn't worth it but the pumpkin pancakes were really good, perfect balance of pumpkin and cinnamon (not too overpowering). Gohm's eggs benedict were ok but he claims Bar Tabac's is much better. the overall verdict for Annie's? i liked it. it had a nice comfortable atmosphere and the variety is very refreshing. it's a little pricey for brunch but eh, it's NYC.

after our brunch we headed to the eye doctor for Gohm to get an annual check-up. Gohm graciously let me in to the exam room while he got his test and i got to see him dodge the glaucoma test machine. hilarious. you ever see that episode of Friends where Rachel hates the eye doctor and keeps pulling away before the puff of air occurs during the glaucoma test? well, i had a very similar experience but Gohm's was even funnier. i've been forbidden to share it but let me just say that from the moment he sat down in front of that machine i was having trouble stifling my laughter.

later that night we went to Ithaka a Greek restaurant near Gohm's apt. this place was so so so good. we just popped in thinking it was pretty casual but the place was packed and we had to wait a bit before getting a table. however, completely worth it. we got keftedakia (seasoned meatballs)for appetizers, which were very savory and delish. as entrees Gohm got the grilled lambchops and i got arni youvetsi. omg. everybody should experience this entree at least once. it's cooked in a clay pot and filled w/orzo and tender lamb cubes all simmered in tomatoes. sort of like greek version of spaghetti. one of the best things i've ever eaten and will definitely be returning for. the place is a little pricey but the atmosphere is very nice, dimly lit and live music plus the staff was great.

i almost forgot to add the most productive part of the saturday. after dinner we headed over to Tin Lizzie and met up w/T for drinks. this bar is definitely starting to grow on me. 1st of all they do 2 for 1 specials from 8-11 on friday and saturday nights. plus they have the best guest bartenders. why are they the best? b/c they're totally clueless. when Gohm and i got there i ordered a bailey's on the rocks and he ordered a hennessy neat. after asking whether that meant w/ice, the bartender then said they may not have hennessy. Gohm pointed out the bottle to her and then said it's usually poured in a cognac glass which of course she didn't know. i explained it's like a wine glass but shorter and wider. she then proceeded to pull out a wine glass. we told her to put it in a regular short glass which she did, up to the rim. literally the thing was overflowing. then came time for the bill in which she wasn't very good at giving correct change or charging the same amount. she was an awesome bartender.

bring on the Post-Its

so the Bobsey twins were apparently bitching about how the George Foreman grill in the kitchen was greasy and gross and lo and behold, there was a post-it taped to it today w/a note in essence saying if Wifey/i use it then we have to clean it b/c it's gross. of course, this was actually directed at me since i'm the only 1 aside from them who used it. however, let me be clear that the only thing i used the grill for on the 3 occassions i used it was to toast bread and grill some garlic, neither of which are greasy foods. so hmm, i wonder who are the people making the grill all gross and grody? yep, the Bobsey twins themselves, particularly Tweedledum. however, Tweedledee must feel awkward telling her to do it so instead they bitch about how i used it those 3 times and how Wifey and i don't take care of the place.

Wifey was pretty pissed about this considering she cleans the kitchen the most and she's requested they not wear shoes in the kitchen and they refuse to abide. sigh. when i saw the Post-it i started to get flashbacks about my 1st apartment in hoboken and how that crazy roommate was so offended when i left her a note.

aside from this recent development it's just exams and more exams for me. i found this on-line and find it surprisingly accurate:

Is your birthday day 17 of the month?

Your Life: You neither want to be interfered nor have the desire to mess with others' life. But you are friendly and occasionally a party animal. You are always in a circle of friends. You often do things in your own way that occasionally go beyond the acceptable limit. People may find you childish and not very attractive in that sense.

Your Love: Your fun-loving character attracts opposite sex. Many of those are great.You often find yourself trapped among a few great guys while you have to choose only one.

want to know what you are? Click here.

or how about this one?

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and haste but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling. Friendly and solves people's problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivate oneself and the others. Sickness usually of the head and chest.

what about you? Click here.

ok, back to work. i've wasted enough time.

ghetto hotpot & friggin inari sushi

so cross #2 off my christmas list! yea!!

yesterday went to the Apple store to check out ipods and Sephora to check out make-up for christmas presents w/Bubs (yes i know it's early but sometimes you just gotta so that you can make informed decisions). afterwards we went to Chinatown so i could purchase ingredients for a ghetto hotpot since i don't actually have the pot yet (hint hint christmas present mom and dad) and was just gonna make the soup and throw in some udon and all the other fun ingredients. luckily i had Bubs w/me or else i'd never have been able to carry all that stuff home. we got lots of pork, shrimp and fish balls (i kept embarassing Bubs by screaming "BALLS BALLS" in Kam Man), sliced beef and beef belly, baby corn, straw mushrooms, white cabbage, udon, red snapper, and of course sha-cha. for some reason that's called chinese barbecue sauce even though we never use it for barbecue. weird.

the hardest part was getting inari sushi ingredients for Gohm. finding that aburage (fried tofu) took trekking all over Mott and Mulberry St. poor Bubs, she was starving by that point. finally got it and we headed back to Brookyln and made dinner. the most fun was making the sushi and Bubs was pretty good at stuffing that tofu to the brim w/rice (which is a must b/c we got the canned version and it was sweet so the rice was good balancing it out). i'd wanted to make it for Gohm since he'd requested it and said that his mom would make it for him. i won't go into what happened when he arrived b/c that's just too sad and he would be mad. regardless it was fun and hearty meal (soup was delish w/chopped garlic, sha-cha and chopped scallions for flavor) to make w/o being too unhealthy.

x'mas list

1. large bag/purse: i need something that i can use as an overnight bag that's not a duffel bag/backpack and can hold a textbook/two but not look like a hamani (grandma)

2. digital camera

3. long hooded black wool jacket

4. puffy vest

5. black fleece jacket

6. sweaters for the winter

7. fun stuff from sephora

8. hot pot (yes, like the chinese hot pot, i want to start making my own)

9. memory board to put pics and momentos up

10. pea coat

11. benetint blush (it's so cool!)

12. long-sleeved sweater shrug

the pics are for reference only (plus blog entries always seem boring w/o them)and anything in bold is still unpurchased to date. and i'm sure i'll think of something else to add. can't wait to go shopping for everybody else this year (even tho i'm super broke) b/c i've already got some good ideas. and let the shopping begin!!

procrastinating

ack, i don't want to write about whether customer lists constitute trade secrets in California! so, i'm taking a little break from my legal memo. so i haven't seen that many movies lately, but the last 1 i did see was The Prestige, i know, i know, that was like a month ago! bite me. i'm slow w/the updates. anyways, to see it i finally went to the UA theater near me, and while the theater we sat in was small, it didn't detract from the movie at all. i really really liked it. it's 1 of those i-have-to-go-back-and-watch-it-again movies because the ending is such a twist. when i finished watching it i couldn't stop talking about it (always a sign of a good movie, unless you can't stop talking about it b/c it was so bad of course). it's a little slow in the beginning but the ending makes it worth it.

went out to more yakitori on st. marks on friday w/friends. ran into Snoopy which was really weird. we were trying to figure out the wait for Yakitori Taisho (insane on friday nights, 40 minutes!) when all of a sudden i heard someone saying "cousin! cousin!" (my nickname from their loveboat days. let me be clear, i didn't go on loveboat, but they did). i turned around and there was Snoopy. i'd heard that he'd recently broken up w/his gf of 3 years or something, but he must not be too sad b/c he was there w/some girl. anyway, the meeting was pretty random. i'm always surprised when i randomly run into ppl on the street in NYC. ultimately we all decided to go to Kenka b/c the wait was only 20 mins. had a feast and then headed to out for drinks at Nightingale (loungey place w/a pool table, nothing special but they did have a photohunt which Debs and Wifey were in love w/being photohunt virgins).

making up for lost time; Gotham party; Yakitori Taisho

who knew school could be so encompassing? in order to try and make up for lost time, i'm gonna do something old and something new in this entry. i've got time, my civ pro professor is recapping monday's lecture.


a while back i got to go to Angelo and Maxie's Steakhouse w/Egg through Debs who had been invited to Gotham Magazine's celebration of their 100 Hottest Bachelors in NYC. so we got dolled up and headed over. i love events like these b/c everything's free and it's just fun to go to (although Debs would beg to differ since she has to do it for work). Egg and i chased the hors d'oeurves around (yummy mushroom stuffed w/crabmeat, filet mignon, steak tartar and teeny tiny lambchops) and drank 1 of every drink (wine, Parrot Bay rum cocktails and Stella Artois). i had a great time w/Egg pretending to be other people and concocting hilarious stories about Asian businessmen.

now some current events. went to Yakitori Taisho on monday w/Kiks, who i haven't seen in prob a month (wow does time fly). got to catch up on all the gossip and current events which is great. but you know what was really great? the food. omg, i really really loved it. the place is cramped, swelteringly hot and you'll inevitably smell like the smokey grill. so worth it.


so, obviously, this place is known for its yakitori. we got a good assortment (set A-includes chicken meatballs, chicken skin, chicken gizzard, pork and chicken chunks. everything was good, but i wasn't that much in the mood. and you definitely have to eat the chicken skin asap and that thing is all grease). we got some octopus balls (octopus in the shape of balls you pervert). however the 2 things we got which i want to eat again and again is the grilled salmon rice ball and the mentai potato. OMG. the potato is steak fries served w/spicy cod roe mayo and the rice ball is grilled and crunchy on the outside w/salmon in the center.
one of the best and cheapest dinners i've had.

celebratory dinners

in order to celebrate Gohm's new job, i took him to Jovia for dinner last night.

the restaurant was very nice, great setting for couples dinner. the food was great and i felt really healthy after eating it (after i woke up from the food coma anyways). we got this great seared scallops which was served w/pumpkin/squash. that was great but the most amazing part of the meal was a seared mushroom rissotto w/braised short ribs. OMG Gohm and i both were so impressed w/it. we got pretty typical entrees (chicken and hanger steak) but both were done really well and Gohm literally cleaned his plate (giving all his potato gnocchi to me of course). for dessert we got a pumpkin torta di formaggio. so sweet but so good. and it came w/gingersnaps cookies on the side w/something akin to caramel in the center.

the dinner was overall a great meal by itself but i think part of the reason i really loved it was b/c i got to have it w/Gohm and, on those rare occassions, take care of him and take him out. ......so cheesy...i know....