Polar Opposite Perfection

Awesome NYC.

This past weekend Dr. H and I went adventuring in New York City to two could-not-be-more-different activities. Since both were absolute Manhattan perfection, I figured I'd let you all in on the secrets!! 

The adventuring began on Friday night, when Dr. H and I went to see Queen of the Night, an immersive theater experience which was honestly, beyond explanation. When I heard that Randy Weiner, the unique genius behind The Box and Sleep No More (an in-an-"abandoned hotel" interactive production of Macbeth which I saw/loved several years ago) was at it again, I was quick to scoop up tickets to the first of Queen of the Night's 6 week limited run. 

The show, hosted in the recently renovated (and truly stunning) Diamond Horseshoe theater beneath the Paramount Hotel in midtown is loosely based on Mozart's Magic Flute, but is best described as "an immersive-cirque-dinner-theater-orgy experience". Moments after checking my coat, I was snatched away from Dr. H by a costumed gentleman who (completely in character) required that I imagine I was being snuck into the party (I was. We raced through the hotel lobby and down a back stairwell where he introduced himself as "Master Q" and led me past a series of characters and finally into the main supper club/theater space where I eventually found Dr. H). The space itself is dark and sexy, the  inventive cocktails (included in your ticket price) flow freely and people are invited to touch, look and explore before being escorted to various large tables for the main performance which is a wild combination of acrobatics, dance, acting and feasting (mid-show massive trays of beef ribs, suckling pigs on spickets and bird cages over-flowing with lobster are brought out and you are invited to feast on what's placed on your table or anything else you wish to walk around and procure). The show evokes your curiosity and an open-minded sense of adventure is absolutely required (nudity, slow dancing with strangers, hugging and being spoon fed dessert by a cast-member are all part of the gig!) but the circus-meets-theater-meets-dinner format is wildly exciting and not to be missed! (NY Times review HERE, Wall St Journal HERE).

For a complete change of pace, on Saturday, Dr. H and I had our most adorable niece and nephew come visit (their periodic sleepovers are a favorite treat for all 4 of us!) and we adventured over to CMA, the Children's Museum of the Arts to check it out. The hands-on museum amazed me and at ages 6 and 8, my kiddos were perfectly able to participate in the wide variety of activities from learning how to do stop-motion animation to painting chinese new year dragons and creating "musical Van Gogh" with old cassette tapes!

Ball Pond up top, entrance/galleries down below

And one of the nicest things about the museum is that each activity station is fully staffed with (impossibly patient!) artist employees who explain everything the kids need to know and assist them as they engage with the project at hand. Parents (or aunts and uncles!) can relax a bit and rest assured that the kiddos are getting a fully entertaining, educational and creative experience. And though going berserk in the Ball Pond (a room stuffed with various size/color yoga balls) was probably the kids' favorite part of the day, I think the animation, clay, painting and art-making made an impression too:) For a great kids activity in NYC, be sure to check out CMA.

How much is TOO much?

Dr. H and I watch A LOT of tv. I say this without embarassment because while we have some pretty serious boob tube habits, we also have some self-imposed limitations which I choose to believe balance us out. First off, like an adorable old couple, we have our “programs” and we always make a point to watch them together. It’s a mortal sin in my house to watch Dexter alone; Parks and Recreation is just not as funny without Dr. H next to me... We approach 95% of all television watching as a team - TV is the perfect way to spend time together without having to do anything. Second, we do not have a television in our bedroom. There is one tv in our home and it’s in the living room. Growing up, my parents never allowed me to have a tv in my room and I’ve come to view the idea of television in bed as an obstruction of bedroom zen (it worked mom!) When we stay at hotels, tv in bed is a treat and when we’re home if we want to watch something, we do it side by side (or at least side by “he/she’s on the computer”side). 

As for our less brag-worthy habits, the advent of DVR has made watching television so convenient and efficient (no commercials!) that we rarely miss an episode of at least a dozen different shows*. From Premium Channels (how do people live without Showtime and HBO!?) to good old basic cable, we’ve got something recording every night of the week. We don’t always turn the tv on (thanks iPod!) but on average I’d say we’re soaking up around 2 hours a night. Is this too much? Do you think our “good” habits make up for the fact that the sheer number of hours spent in front of the tube could lead to a serious case of zombie brain? Here’s to hoping.

*What are we watching you ask? Dexter, Californication, Shameless, Bored to Death, Mad Men, Family Guy, The Office, 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Parenthood, Glee, New Girl, Jersey Shore, Up All Night, So You Think You Can Dance, Tosh.O, Grey’s Anatomy and Gossip Girl (Those last two are Dr. H’s favorite shows to nap to). 

Image via Pinterest

Annnd we're back!

Hey there everybody! Welcome back to your regularly scheduled merry programming. How are we doing on this lovely winter Tuesday? Personally, I'm suffering from a major case of the post-holiday “ho-hums”. I just made this term up, but I think it describes the feeling perfectly. It’s that “I just had an awesome [insert holiday/vacation/fun activity here] that I’d really been looking forward to, now it’s over and I’m back to real life which isn’t bad, it’s just not as awesome as [insert same holiday/vacation/fun activity here]”. Are you familiar with the “ho hums”!?

I had a wonderful long weekend celebrating, relaxing and doing a whole lot of nothing with my family and now I’m just... ho hum. I find it so difficult to get back into the swing of things after wrapping up something wonderful and long anticipated! It’s like I need a buffer day between vacation and reality. Topping off my ho hums is that most of my closest friends are STILL on vacation, including my bestest bud Dr. H, who is currently in Florida. I’m jealous and sun tan-less. 

How do you recover from the “ho hums”? I like to find the next fun activity and start thinking about how awesome it will be immediately. I try to always have my next awesome activity on the calendar because even if it’s far away, knowing that it’s out there helps win the ho hum battle. Fortunately, I don’t have to wait long this time because I have a New Year’s weekend getaway right around the corner! (Only 70 hours away, but who’s counting!?)

(Note: those 2 Tiffany lovebirds are NOT having a ho hum day).