Thursday, April 23, 2009

Spring is here! (Hopefully)


It's supposed to be 80-something degrees this upcoming weekend, and this morning, there was actually a fair amount of sunlight streaming into my apartment through the windows. My sister-in-law was telling me last night about the amazing garden she's cultivating in Austin, and I felt pangs of desire to start my own. So here's my effort at my own urban garden.




I've planted seeds for rosemary, parsley, oregano, and basil. This weekend, I'll try to get some more pots to start seedlings of okra, cucumbers, and maybe even some flowers. I'd like to grow tomatoes and eggplant again as well - I had a lot of success with those plants last summer. We'll see how the New York summer fares for this stuff.

I have the tiniest little fire escape which will barely house these guys once they germinate, and the weather gets consistently warmer. It's plenty for a single gal like myself, though.

This plant is my lonely little gerber daisy that had beautiful brick-orange colored flowers last week. I think it'll bloom again soon, but for now, it's adding a necessary bit of green in my drywall and brick apartment.





Recap of my parents' visit: It was a lot of fun having them here. My mom took over the kitchen and my dad fixed and/or put together whatever he could in my apartment. The result - a well fed and very organized Manashi. They even bought me a small dining table, which my cousin was good enough to help my father put together. Good stuff. My parents went out to Jackson Heights one day and stocked up on Indian snacks and spices (which, apparently, I did not have enough of.) My cousin was also in town on Easter Sunday, and we all went to the Met and walked through Central Park that day. I sent my parents to see Blithe Spirit, which I raved about in a previous post. They enjoyed the play quite a lot, and I was just relieved that they got the jokes. My mom and I went to see a new Broadway show - 9 to 5 - which we both loved. The funny plot, solid acting, spectacular sets, and catchy songs all came together to make a really fun show.

(Above photo taken from the Roundabout Theater Company's website.)

And finally, last Sunday I went, with some girlfriends, to see The Philanthropist starring Matthew Broderick and Steven Weber. I really enjoyed it, but most people in the audience (my pals included) didn't really get the point of the play. It was one of those heady, absurdist plays that doesn't really have much of a plot, and I liked the subtle nuances of the oddball characters. Moreover, I was quite excited to see Matthew Broderick on stage. Steven Weber was very effective, too - I thought he made a fantastic network head on Studio 60, and it's wonderful to see him playing roles that differ from his carefree, never serious character on Wings.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Hooray for high speed rail!


I have to post this link which outlines Obama's plan for a high speed rail system. This is something I have longed for since I first went to study in England, many years ago. I loved the idea of just getting on a train and being in another country within a few hours. I went to Paris on the Eurostar so many times when I lived in London, and it was so much easier and more comfortable than dealing with the airport lines and security checks, not to mention the long-distance journeys out to the airport. I have fantasized having an efficient train system in this country - it would be so nice to jump on an overnight train and be in Atlanta the next day. No fuss, just countryside views and a place to plug in my laptop. I am not so naive as to think this plan will pass instantly, but I am thrilled that someone is finally lobbying for this type of system. Here's hoping it comes to fruition someday soon.

Friday, April 03, 2009

Busy, busy, busy

I haven't been posting much because I haven't really been taking a lot of pictures lately. The weather in New York has been absolute crap, and it hasn't made me want to do a whole lot outside of my apartment. I did go to the Frick Museum with some friends a couple of weekends ago. The Frick is a beautiful mansion on 5th Ave. overlooking Central Park. It was owned by a millionaire who was also an eccentric art collector. The collection contains a large number of Dutch masters, among other paintings and sculptures. My friend Dante and I were more interested in the architecture of the house. There seemed to be little buttons and secret panels all over the place. Unfortunately, we didn't get to peek inside the panels or push any of the buttons, but we enjoyed our visit there.

I have been seeing a lot of shows lately, too. Last month, I saw Guys and Dolls with Lauren Graham and Oliver Platt. Frankly, my Gilmore Girl obsession is what drove me to pay a ridiculous amount of money to see this show. It hasn't been getting very good reviews, and my two theater buff pals said it was "just ok." Yet, I went to see it anyway. I have to agree: it was pretty mediocre. Of course, the music is solid and excellent on it's own, but it wasn't enough to make me love this show and recommend it to my friends.

Graham, of course, is charming and lovely, but Platt was just flat. I didn't care about his character one bit, and if I remember correctly, in the movie, he's kind of the underdog that you ARE supposed to like.


My girl friends and I made a day of it, and we had a good time overall. We started with brunch at the Eatery in Hell's Kitchen, and then we did a little browsing and shopping around Times Square and even had time to grab a drink before the show. So it was a fun day out. Here's a pic of me and Alana at the restaurant. She's getting her groove on with that cool hat.

Last month, I also saw Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit which was delightful. It stars Angela Lansbury and Rupert Everett in a very British comedy of errors involving prankster ghosts. I highly recommend this show to anyone. Also, Lansbury is a theatrical icon, and she is hilarious as spectral specialist Madame Arcati.

This month should be full of more posts... my parents are coming to visit, and the weather is starting to look up. Hopefully that means lots of touristy activities, and more shows to come.

*Photos totally pilfered from the internet - except the one of me and Alana. Our friend Jena took that one.