B1G network party

I can't believe I forgot to blog about this event Kurt and I had the chance to attend earlier in the summer. So in honor of being in the great state of Ohio for the Canfield Fair this weekend and duh duh duh duh....the start of college football on Saturday (War Eagle!), here is the story of how Kurt and I lucked our way into the most over the top NYC event I've ever been to.

For those of your who don't follow college sports, Kurt's alma mater Ohio State is in the Big Ten Conference which has it's own television network. This year, the conference is welcoming in Rutgers and Maryland and the Big Ten Network threw a big party to welcome the new fan base.

Somehow Kurt--the rabid loyal fan that he is--ended up on the invitation list and got me an RSVP as well. We've been to events our schools have hosted before but they usually consist of buying your own drinks at a bar and maybe a sad cheese plate in the corner. I guess TV networks have a bit more funds available and completely blew our expectations out of the water.

The party was held at the super swanky Cipriani 42nd Street. (Like if I dumped Kurt and married a politician and his family estate on Martha's Vineyard was booked, we would probably have our wedding here. It's that fancy.) There were several fully stocked bars (totally free!) and food everywhere as well as passed hors d'oeuvres. There were even super elaborate sushi stations complete with kimono clad Japanese women who would place the rolls on your plate for you.

The main room was converted into a football field with turf and bleachers and even field goals. The place was crawling with cheerleaders and mascots representing all the B1G teams. We were serenaded by Mekka Don (up and coming rapper who went to Ohio State) as Brutus and his friends filled in as back up dancers. 

There was a short presentation by the network executives and then they started introducing all these past B1G sports stars, including past/current coaches and players. Kurt was out of his mind with glee at this point. 

And then they had lots of fun trophies you could take your picture with! (Not pictured: burly security guards ready to tackle you if you tried to touch said trophies.) We hit the Heisman and Rose Bowl trophies early on and a little later in the evening (i.e. a few gin and tonics in) we thought the camera operator at the Big Ten Basketball Championship trophy looked bored, so we gave him our "business".

Kid in a candy store :)

We finally tracked down Eddie George--former Ohio State football player AND Landscape Architect--so Kurt could talk a little shop and get a photo. We might have to photoshop out that beer bottle before this gets framed and hung in Kurt's future man cave.

"Go Bucks!"

san francisco: day two

Our second day was gameday! We took some time in the morning to stroll around Stanford's campus and have breakfast in Palo Alto (I could almost feel myself getting smarter being in the same zip code as all those tech-y kids!) before heading to Berkeley for the game. We soaked up lots of sunshine at the hilltop stadium but bundled up once the sun went down (Bay Area weather is crazy!). Luckily, Ohio State won 52-34 so there were smiles all around at the end of the game. Go Buckeyes! 

See day one here!

weekend in review

Kurt and I started off the weekend knocking out some more Beer Book locations. We're determined to use all our coupons, so we spent Friday night in Red Hook at Hope & Anchor and Rocky Sullivan's. Saturday was spent doing chores around the apartment and watching college football. We won't dwell on all the ugly details since our household is a little divided on the subject, but Auburn is going to the national championship game! I restrained my celebration (WDE!) but Aubie was beside himself with joy. On Sunday, I checked out the Brooklyn Holiday Bazaar at 501 Union. The space was gorgeous and they were giving out free drink samples, so I was in the buying mood and knocked out a bit of Christmas shopping. I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Cobble Hill and picked up some holiday cards so I can finally get started on that task. And as I'm working on this, Kurt is doing his shift at the Park Slope Food Co-op, so I am at home with two laptops feeding him the football bowl schedule via text as it is announced. Girlfriend of the Year, amiright? And we had snow! I'm usually such a winter grinch, but it was sort of picturesque and pleasant today. Poll me on the subject again in February and I will probably be singing a different tune. Happens every year. Anyway, I hope you all had great weekends!

cook-off | super bowl dip competition

Did everyone watch the Super Bowl on Sunday? I was pretty uninvested in the game, so I dedicated most of my attention to the commercials, the half time show, and the game day food. Jenn organized our latest cooking competition, the Dip-Off. Pretty fitting for a football game right? 

nye 2012

Happy New Year, everyone! After arriving back in Brooklyn from Alabama on New Years Eve, Kurt and I joined friends at Prospect Bar for an evening of celebrating. There was drinking and cheer and watching LSU lose to Clemson. At midnight, we rang in 2013 and I turned 27. There was a birthday shot (among others) and singing and a hug from the bartender. All in all, a pretty good start to the new year.

{top two images thanks to Pilar!}

madison/chicago: part one

Photo dump from when Kurt and I visited Madison,Wisconsin and Chicago! Enjoy!

greetings from wisconsin!

Kurt and I were visiting friends, Justin and Brett, that live in Chicago this weekend. While in the great Midwest, we drove up to Madison, Wisconsin so Kurt and Justin could go to the Ohio State vs. Wisconsin football game. Brett and I tooled around town and got massages while the boys were occupied with the game (I say we got the better/warmer end of the deal). Kurt and I are taking Monday off to spend a little time in Chicago and will be back to NYC late tonight. I hope to have some travel updates soon! 

Who is excited for a 3 day week?! I'm absolutely ecstatic about my TWO day week!

west point, new york

A couple Saturdays ago, Kurt planned a trip up to West Point, NY to see an Army football game against Kent State. Christian, Will, and I joined him on the short bus ride upstate to the campus nestled on the banks of the Hudson River. All I read about on the blogosphere these days is pumpkin patches this and apple picking that, so it was good to get out the city on a fall weekend and see what all the fuss is about. Too bad the trees weren't quite ready to change colors for us just yet.

tiger showdown

It's been a couple weeks since my Auburn Tigers lost to LSU, so I think I've mourned long enough to recap the Tiger vs Tiger Showdown football party I threw for the occasion. I had such a fun time making the invitation for the game look like a vintage boxing poster. 

recent happenings

Things from the past week or so....

Jenn was nice enough to invite me as her +1 to the Architecture League's First Friday happy hour at the studios of Architecture Research Office. 

Stephen had a bunch of people over to his apartment to watch the Super Bowl. We took turns in the living room (some people were more interested in Madonna/commercials and others in the game) and consumed way too much food. (Sorry for the blurry iPhone panoramic. I'm still figuring out my new Photosynth app.)

Since I am the low man on the totem pole in my office, I always get the task of measuring new projects whether I will ultimately work on them or not. Sometimes it is a drag but most of the time it is really interesting and fun. Plus, I feel connected to/knowledgeable of almost every project that goes through the office. Recently, a coworker and I measured two apartments that we plan on combining on the Upper East Side. The apartment the client currently lives in is kind of funky and quirky. There are curved walls and bright colors.

Cute pup! I'm constantly guilty of sneaking a few animal pics into the existing condition records.

While the first, colorful apartment was pretty nice, the one they are annexing is super grubby! I could not get over how awful this fully reflective bathroom is. Practically every surface is covered in mirror (or zebra carpet) including the ceiling! I felt like I was in Poltergeist.

Because I demanded it (and had an expiring coupon) Kurt and I recently had a date night at Apartment 138 in Brooklyn. Kurt likes to cook and we are both cheap, so it is kind of rare that we go out to a nice dinner. We shared a bottle of wine (Tuesday is half price wine bottle night! woot woot!) and a plate of pickles. For dinner, I had some Ricotta Gnocchi (with winter squash, brown butter, and candied pumpkin seeds), and Kurt had the Chicken Pot Pie. Delicious! NYC has so many great restaurants that we never go to! I'm not suggesting we go out all the time (because I would be obese and homeless) but it's a shame to not take advantage of all our great city has to offer. Who's with me?!

The weekend consisted of studying (blah) and TV/movie watching. Friday night we combined wine and pizza while ogling Ryan Gosling in Drive. Kurt and I finally wrapped up our marathon of watching The League. (Yes, it is completely offensive, but I can't get over how hilarious it is and how much I love it. I'm sad we have to wait for the next season now!) Then Kurt suggested a chick flick and I obliged with Morning Glory. The one only good thing about winter is catching up on TV time :) 

How was everyone's weekend?

sad tigers

This Monday was college football's national championship game between LSU and (that other team from my state) Alabama. If that combination sounds familiar, you're right, it is a "rematch" from this game we saw in November. A few of our friends who attended LSU chose Bar 718 in South Park Slope to watch the game. We ordered in some pizza and Mexican food, had some beers, and settled in to watch a pretty painful game. I was convinced LSU was going to win, but that was not the case. Not only did they lose, but they managed to score zero points.

Here is the projection screen we watched the game on. Sadly, it's the end of the game and Alabama is celebrating and accepting their trophy.

The LSU crowd cleared out almost immediately. I'm pretty sure they had to run home and cry themselves to sleep. Keep your chins up! You're still an awesome team. There is always next year!

On the bright side, the national title stays in the state of Alabama for the third year in a row. No doubt the trophy will set off on its Wal-Mart tour very soon :)

Phew! Football season is over! Time for a nice vacation until next fall!