I'd tap that

What did we do before bottled water?

The whole idea of bottled water seems silly to me. With the exception of Fiji water, it all tastes the same to me, and no different from tap water (and, in fact, some companies have admitted to just bottling local tap water). And not to even mention the environmental impact, which is atrocious. It's almost like we're polluting the earth for no real beneficial reason...and that's just wasteful.

Americans spend $16 billion dollars a year on bottled water. That's more money per year than we spend on the Iraq war. And, like the war, the effects of those bottles will hang around for years and years to come.

So I was amused and excited to see a new initiative taking place in NYC. It's called TapIt, and it's a network of cafe owners who sign up as partners and allow people to pop in and fill up their reusable water bottles for free. So you're able to have easy access to free tap water, on the go. It's a win-win-win for everyone involved - it cuts back on waste (good for the planet), gives water to people (good for thirsty people) and gives business and exposure to the cafes (good for capitalism).

You can find out more at TapIt.

Our tap water is among the cleanest in the world. And yet that's still not good enough for us. If we stop to appreciate what we have here and use it, then perhaps we'd make an impact on our world.

Fifty People One Question

A small production company, Crush + Lovely, put together this montage of people in Brooklyn. They interviewed fifty people and asked them all the same question and filmed their response. I thought the production was very lovely, but an added bonus is that my sister, who lives in Brooklyn, was interviewed for the project and chosen for the final cut.

She's the very last person to be interviewed, before the film fades to white.

The question everyone was asked: If you could choose to wake up anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you want to wake up?

Unfortunately, the site won't let me link the video directly into Blogger, so you'll need to click below to view. It's definitely worth the five minutes of your time.

Fifty People Video

Washington, DC in love

This past weekend, Scott and I went up to DC for a quick trip. We live so close to the city (about 4 1/2 hours), but we have seldom visited, so we decided the holidays might be a great time to get away for a bit and spend the weekend exploring.

We had such a fabulous time and have decided that we love DC...so much, so, that we might want to move there. Up until now, I've longed to live in NYC. I'm a city girl at heart and I love the chaos and the hustle and bustle of New York. But after visiting DC, I might be changing my mind. DC offers everything New York does, but has more charm and character. I love that you are constantly surrounded by American history and there's always a buzz of politics going on around you. People in DC were so friendly, the prices were no more expensive than they are in Raleigh and the city has all of the bustle, without any of the hustle.

Of course, I'd want to live in Georgetown, but I seemed to have misplaced the $2 million dollars I saved for a house.

It was great catching up with Kristen while we were town. We ate at a fun brunch spot in DuPont Circle (Kramer's Books) with her and chatted over coffee, eggs and waffles. Yum! And I recommend the Newseum - possible the best museum I have ever been in.

I think we're planning another trip to DC in the Spring. We just might be in love.

Why, you don't say...

Last week, I zipped off to Boston and Chicago for a project (I landed in Raleigh on Saturday night at midnight from vacation in California and then boarded a plane at 2:00pm the next day to Boston for work).

While there, I was working with an external consultant for the client. The consultant and I chatted during our few days together, but I never once told her about my love for New York or my stint up there one summer. She had no back story, no idea what New York meant to me.

We were in Chicago one afternoon and were walking from the facility to the hotel. In the middle of the sidewalk, some "kids" decided to form a circle to better talk to one another. In the middle of the sidewalk.

So my colleague and the consultant paused and walked around the circle. I just walked through the circle. The consultant said to me, "You negotiated that like a New Yorker."

I glowed for a full day. I think I still may be glowing.

Sex comes to the city

Tonight was the Raleigh premiere of Sex and the City and I got to see the sneak peek! Special thanks to Alison who won two free tickets on the radio and brought me along. A little dinner beforehand with a glass of wine and then a special screening of the greatest movie to hit the streets of New York...kinda.

I did win a shirt before the movie started. They were giving out shirts to people for random things, and one of the things was having something from NYC in your purse. I, of course, had my MetroCard with me. Who knew it would come in so handy in NC?

Overall, I would give the movie a B+. The movie had its cute moments and its share of witty - and hilarious - dialogue. Every one of the characters are still true to form and it maintains a pretty good clip, despite the movie clocking in at 2.5 hours. Like hanging out with four of your best girlfriends, the time really did fly.

The biggest thing missing was that sparkle that came with the series. It seemed as if the actors were trying too hard to make this into something it wasn't. At times, it felt that the acting was a bit strained (I think Kristen Davis - Charlotte - did the best job of everyone). Even Oscar-winning Jennifer Hudson didn't seem to quite fit in. The plot was a bit thin; I had a hard time buying that Carrie would have done what she did. The movie didn't do much to develop the characters, which I realize is probably because it's aimed at a certain target - those women who followed the show for six seasons. But, being one of those girls, I still had a hard time emotionally connecting with some of the characters and their predictaments. Don't get me wrong - I laughed, I cried, I cheered. The movie was just missing that frosting on the cake. I would have just liked to see SATC go out with just a little more style.

But the point of a good chick flick is to get away. To escape into a fantasy of New York City for a few hours. And the movie did a good job of that. The fashion was fun to see, the city was fun to see, and the denouement of the show was fun to see. And, of course, seeing the movie with my good friend made it fun to see. Thanks for the fun girls night out, Alison!

On a random note, I just read an article in The New Yorker about Pascal Dangin, who is this world class retoucher of fashion photographs. Apparently, he's so good that photographers actually have him on set to help them with their photos. Well, he had a cameo role in the movie. He was on screen for all of three seconds, but it was so fun to see him and know who that crazy hair belonged to. And it made some of the movie make sense. Random to have just read that and then to have seen him in the movie.

Oh, New York

I was in NYC this past week/weekend. I worked during the week, and then extended the trip to the weekend to see my sister, grandma and friends. Every time I go back to the city, I realize how much I miss it. It's like meeting a friend you haven't seen in awhile - at first you have to remember which way is North, that avenues go from East to West, and then you're back in your comfort zone again. It's like you never left.

It's strange that I find comfort among so much chaos. I guess the rest of my life is kind of the same way...I thrive in chaos. But what's great about New York is that, just when the chaos and the crowds may be getting the best of you, you can duck into a museum, or a book store, or a coffee shop and escape for a bit, find a bit of quiet and comfort amid the storm.

I've written before about how my infatuation with New York. I guess I thought that that preoccupation with the city would die down over time, that I would become one of those people who say they love the city, but could never live there. I guess you don't know until you're actually stuck there (yes, in the tiny, cramped apartment). Maybe I see the city through rose-colored glasses (that's my specialty, after all), but there is still something that draws me to the city, that fits me just like an old friend.

The Windy City

I just got home from a week in Chicago (which capped off the end of our US ethnography research - yay!). Every time I go to Chicago, I realize how much I really like the city. It has such a different vibe than New York. As you walk down the street, you see people walking together, talking together. Colleagues and friends are huddled together, scurrying off to lunch. Other groups are standing outside, giving hugs and kisses goodbye or hello.

New York is so different - no groups of people, no hugs and kisses. Just people alone, scurrying off to lunch by themselves. No one looks at you. There's really no relationships, at least in the street, like there are in Chicago.

What gives a city it's own vibe? How is it that each city has it's own trademark, it's own personality? How does that get started, and how does it perpectuate itself? Is it a cycle, where once the vibe is established, it attracts people who enjoy and seek out that environment? But there's got to be more to it than that, because people move to cities for jobs and families, external reasons besides being attracted to a lifestyle.

It reminds me of a house smell, in a way. Ever notice how different houses have different smells? And even when you move into a new house, eventually, it'll take on your smell. You can identify people by that smell. How does that smell get started and what contributes to it? And despite bringing more stuff into the house, or having more people in a house, the same smell lingers.

I like Chicago. It's vibe, it's personality, and yes, it's smell.

WTF?

This week, I was in New York City for business. Our flights got in around 5:00 and, fortunately, we made it downtown and to our hotels before the steam explosion. By the time we heard about the explosion, it was in context, so we weren't frightened by the news. However, I read reports where people thought it was something on the scale of September 11 when it first happened. And who could blame them?

But, I ask, if that's the case, then what the hell are these people doing?

Seriously? You think we just had a terrorist explosion and you're busy busting out the cell phones and digital cameras so you can catch it all on film? How about getting the hell out of there?

People will never cease to amaze me. This happened on 43rd Street and my sister lives on 41st, so she was displaced for a bit, but is back in her home safe and sound. A big shout out to her for hosting me this weekend in her abestos-filled apartment! And another shout out to Carson for bringing us out for a night on the town...I believe that was the first time I ever boarded an airplane still drunk after pulling an all nighter. For the record, I drank my younger sister under the table!