Yes, there really is a blue sky.

It's been a really dreary past couple of months here. Oh, so much rain that I was beginning to doubt I'd ever see the sun or blue skies again. And then, for a welcome, but brief, span of time, they made their presence known last Friday. It was as if Messrs. Sun & Sky were letting me know, "Don't fret, Empress. We are never far away."

Seriously Off My Rocker...............

I was seriously in another world yesterday. I had finished a typing project and honestly thought it was 4:57 p.m. thereabouts. It didn't help that I was chomping at the bit to go home. I was even so bold as to loudly announce to my boss that my day was done and I was leaving. When I got outside, I looked up at the clock and saw 4:50 p.m. I pooh-poohed the hour, thinking to myself they must have messed with the clock. And to confirm their mistake, I hauled out my cellphone. 4:50 p.m. It was right. GASP!!!!!!!

No wonder everyone in the office was staring at me like I had finally snapped! I guess I did!

It's moments like these that I should seriously get on a plane and have some quality me time.

On a rampage again...........

So yesterday, I sidled over to 8th Ave. to get me some Red Mango only to discover that the doors were locked and the lights out. Not only that, but two of the employees were standing by the door looking bewildered. There was an official looking document pasted to the glass from the Marshal and it said something about it being Landlord owned, legal blah-blah, and more legal blah.

Well, I was flabbergasted. How could they shut down the location closest to me??? What happened???? I thought they were doing well! How could they do this to me???? What the heck am I supposed to do now for a decent fro-yo fix? Don't they realize that this is the next best thing I can have in the frozen dessert category - the first being Hagen Dazs, but we all know why I can't anymore. What did I do to deserve such cruelty? (See how I make it all about me?)
Back to the office in a huff. Mind you, I'm feeling crappy as it is getting over the incredibly potent baby germ cold my niece was darling enough to give me. This little incident just broke me.

Shot off an e-mail in the comments section and stomped off to finish a project.

After returning to my desk, you could imagine my utter surprise when I picked up a voice message from a live human based at the local corporate offices of Red Mango!

Returned the call this morning and conveyed my surprise to Maureen. She was very sunny and pleasant and asked what had happened. I quickly explained. Well, she explained to me that no one knew what was going on at that location and she made a series of phone calls to find out what happened. Without going into too much detail, she assured me that the matter is being resolved and the Theatre District location will reopen very soon. She also thanked me very much for taking the time to send that e-mail, without which no one would have known what was going on.

Well, the conversation ended with her taking my home address in order to send me coupons in compensation for the inconvenience I "suffered". Oh and a few minutes later, I get another message from Maureen letting me know that 8th Ave. location is now open.

Hee-hee! It's a good day. :)

06/16/2009: Got a letter apologizing for my "inconvenience", along with coupons from Red Mango. Three. Get any size yogurt with up to three toppings. Hee-hee-hee! Color me happy. :)

The Empress' Twitty-ness knows no bounds.................

As initially posted in an e-mail to friends:



Put my little card wallet in what I thought was my pants pocket.
Went to the little girls' room to do what no one else can do for me.
As I tidy myself up, I noticed that something was floating in the Porcelain Throne that had no business floating in the Porcelain Throne.
The humiliating part - explaining the reason why to the nosy parkers who saw me rinsing off my wallet and credit cards.


Sigh……….. I have hit a new high - or, better still, low - that I thought could never be reached. :(

Two Cities

Here's a little thought. Decided to walk to Penn Station while eating Red Mango and that set me to thinking about my three week stint in Palo Alto. And that got me to thinking about the differences between the two. Aside from the fact that they're on opposite coasts, there were two overwhelming (in my little brain) differences.

First and foremost, the noise. In Palo Alto, even the cars seem quiet. No car horns blaring, no construction noise, no loud people crowding the streets. Everything was sedate, the pace slow.

The second was the smell. Oh, the incredible smells that one encounters in New York. And not all are pleasant. Some smells are not meant to be smelled. It makes me worry how they originated.

Ah, and there was one other aspect. Since I was staying at the Garden Court Hotel (lovely spot), I was able to walk up and down University Avenue at my leisure. And by walk I mean NY pace leisure. The locals were visibly baffled at the crazy creature racing down their serene streets. NYers certainly aren't known for leading slow paced lives. But I digress. As I "strolled" in Palo Alto, I would glance and admire the cute little shops - new age shop, book shop, pretty dress shops - and restaurants. As I "strolled" along 8th Avenue, NYC, I noticed the grimy storefronts - GNC, Duane Reade, XXX peep shows... WHAT????

But you know, for the seediness one may encounter on the streets of Manhattan, all the weirdos shadowing your footsteps, all the noise, all the indifference you might notice on a NYer's face, I still wouldn't trade it for all the pretty cities in all the world.

NY has it's own vibe, it's own beat, that can enthrall you and make you it's own.