In a desperate bid to add more spice, some holiday pictures:

Self portrait of the fam. They had never done the "cram as many people as possible into the shot that someone takes with one hand" thing. I learned from a pro...
My nephew, the pilot.
Evan got Gulpin' Guppies for Christmas. What a great game...
Roommate Kathleen returned (and brought a friend) for some New Years and post holiday fun.

Happy New Year!

You might have noticed my lack of posts. I think I have a cross between the winter blues and blogger envy of my friends who are writing from far away and exotic locales. Actually, there just hasn't been a whole lot going on.

My second NYE in NYC (as I found out New Year's Eve, apparently, is called these days) was spent overlooking the park where we toiled last year to run four miles at the stroke of midnight. The plans this year were a little more relaxing, as fellow Fellow Lesley lives right by the park and has a rooftop perfect for midnight firework viewing. We hung out at her place and at five to midnight, we found ourselves scrambling up 21 flights of stairs to reach the roof before the big moment, because the elevators were too full to fit in. The view of Central Park and all the people below was amazing - at midnight we could hear the crowd roaring. The fireworks were great too (aren't they always?) and then, there was a brawl. Yes, a brawl, on the rooftop of a private apartment building in one of the poshest areas in town. I honestly thought someone was going to be thrown off the roof or killed with a bottle or deck chair to the head. Someone called the cops and in the meantime we got the heck out of there, missing the grand finale. What is wrong with people??? The rest of the night was pleasant, though, as Ryan and I made our way toward Grand Central Station to meet the roommates, who were hanging out in the pub where the local bartender from last year in Queens now makes his living.

Before New Years I met with my aunt Jeanne and cousin Jennifer, who were in town for the holidays, before they ironically left the next day to visit my home in Ohio. We had pizza with my OTHER cousin Glen, who lives in NYC and works at the statue of liberty.

I'm sorry this post is pretty boring. They might be for a while, I think we're in the winter doldrums, although the burst of warm weather this week was a nice taste of spring. Here's to more of that!

Sweet hymns of old, a weary world rejoices...

Merry Christmas!

Rockefeller Christmas fun

Ollies reunited!

Last week I had the honor of having a guest. Molly came to visit and we ran amok in NYC. Well, actually it was too cold to really run amok, but we did the best we could. I showed her some sights, she showed herself some sights while I was at work, we ushered at Blue Man Group, attempted (and failed) to win tickets to Wicked and had our first taste of Ethiopian food, on recommendation of Molly's husband Matt who used to live in New York. Fun times!

Other than that, not much going on here, except I'm experiencing for the first time the world of corporate holiday parties. My goodness, there are so many! These things get expensive! Tonight is the last of three.

Oh, also I saw I am Legend, the movie we saw being filmed near Grand Central Station last spring ("You are able to hear gunshots. Do you not be alarmed – they are NOT REAL…"). I usually don't do scary movies but since I had vested interest in this one, I went with Erika, who promised she'd let me grab her arm during the scary part. The movie itself was ok, scary parts aside and plot holes aside, but the main appeal was the eerie scenes of almost every street imaginable in New York City deserted and overgrown. Creepy. It was also fun see our "our" scene, which was pretty pivotal. It was fun see the tipped taxi from another perspective and decipher Will Smith's shouting.

This is an interesting article about the blurring of government and non-profits. NYC has been using non-profits and private dollars a lot lately, to fund pilot programs like the Conditional Cash Transfer program. The pertinent question, I think, has occurred to me as I am learning more about how city government operates:

Government already contracts with charities to perform work formerly done by government, such as managing social service programs, making charities more like government. Now, as it turns to private donors for voluntary contributions, government is becoming more like charity.

Leaders argue nonprofit funds allow the city to spend money on neglected or experimental programs, but others question whether giving to the government is the most effective charitable cause.

It seems like the oftentimes confusing path of funds from private to public and back to private hands can't be terribly efficient, as there is a cost to each transaction - making the funds like a glass full of water that spills a little over the side every time someone passes it along. Nonetheless, it seems to be a trend, especially under Bloomberg's administration. It makes for some interesting partnerships. Anyway, just thought you might find that interesting.

Going home on Saturday for Christmas! Happy holidays to all.