spewing nothing

i feel like i'm stuck in the middle of a tornado; everything's just spinning around me at ridiculous speed. and everytime i reach out to get involved with one of the many spinning things, i get dizzy, so i retreat. and all i keep thinking of is vacation. and cocktails.

i've been in love with cocktails for a while. it all started with the negroni at east side company (larry & alyssa's birthday party) - i was mesmerized by the giant single ice cube. or maybe it was the manhattan at cite (RIP the unlimited wine dinners). actually, i think it was circa 1999... the sidecar at cibar (courtesy of ed taibi). a few years ago, the cocktail-craze hit NYC. and then i met naren at bobo. now i'm hooked.

i gave up brown booze and shots for lent. people poked fun at me, but i don't think they understand how much i love my makers mark. and shots of jameson. so now i love gin. something to add to my lent sacrifices next year.

it's not aiding my new year's resolution to drink less. i have plans to drink 6 of 7 nights this week. next week 6 for sure as well. this, in turn, affects my resolution to sleep more. when i woke this morning (if you can call it that), i felt good. at 2:54AM. i went to sleep after midnight. between the strange dreams and the work stress, i couldn't get back to it. so i worked. and gymmed.

i had after-work cocktails at irving mill yesterday. the ginger pear frost was sweet. i was hoping the ginger would give it a kick. it wasn't bad; it just wasn't what i wanted. then i had a tart kumquat citrus special. it was just what i wanted. i'm liking sour/tart drinks that turn your nose. but irving mill - pretty restaurant, good-looking menu, decent cocktails. note: i should go back for food. even though i probably liked it more because of the company.

despite the insanity of work and life, i think i'm happy. and if not, at least i'm seeing naren at bobo tomorrow.

irving mill
116 east 16th street btwn irving/park
new york, ny 10003
212/254.1600

2009 new year's resolutions

i'm posting my 2009 new year's resolutions here so i can laugh when three weeks down the road, they're all broken already. my schedule (work, play, travel, life) doesn't allow me a lot of structure and routine, but i'm going to try to stick with it for 2009.

1) spoil the S.O. less. i do a lot for my S.O., and it's not reciprocated, and i think he's taking me for granted. don't get me wrong - he works very hard. i just want him to bring flowers home one day for no reason. or to make me dinner. just once! or plan a night out for just the two of us, because he wants to. or even talk to me when he comes home from work... before he asks where dinner is.

2) eat healthier. i don't eat healthy... at all. i want to add more soy, low/non-fat dairy, fruits & veggies to my diet. less pork product (i'm talking spam, bacon/pancetta/pork belly, and sausage/prosciutto/anything from dipalo's). less deep-frying the fat that comes off prime rib roast and eating it as a snack. less macaroni & cheese, made with half & half. less moist beef brisket from hill country.

3) go out less. this may end up being less interesting for my not-well-attended blog, but it'll be much better for my liver. i'd like to limit drinking to three nights per week (less than five drinks per night). right now i'm at about five nights per week (about eight drinks per night... i know it sounds like a lot, but i start at 8pm and end at 4am. that's only 1 drink per hour really. so maybe it's more than 8 drinks per night...). and no more shots. i'm too old.

4) visit my good friends who aren't in NYC (and for that matter, who are in NYC) more often. i only hang out with friends that party. so boston, LA, sao paulo and atlanta... watch out!

5) sleep more. i only sleep about 3-4 hours a night. i hope this goes hand-in-hand with resolutions #2 & #3. i think this means i need to set a better sleep routine. this is the hardest one of my resolutions.

6) blog more! this was supposed to be my place to share, but between work, play, travel and life, it's hard. and even though i don't sleep, being tired makes me less efficient. this might be a good way for me to facebook less too.

i think 2009's going to be a good year, but with the entire world going nuts (recession - which has brought increased burglary/violence; international violence - everyone's getting smarter including the bad guys; the obsession with pop culture - i'm not that into it, but when did TMZ get a 1/2 hour show?; etc.), who knows what it'll really bring.