"Top Gun" - Best 80's movie ever....

How many times can one person watch the movie "Top Gun" without getting bored?

R is at a basketball game with the boys tonight, and I wanted to stay home and make my filet mignon with a mustard reduction sauce (another story), so thought I would bring out a bit of Tom Cruise.

Brilliant - if it wasn't for the "love scene with Kelly McGillis" (boring), this would be the best movie of all time.

Richmond = Aruba ??

Richmond, Virginia….. Y’ALL

Over this past ‘President’s Day’ long weekend, R & I decided to take a trip way,way down South to visit our 4 great friends who live in Richmond. Well what a blast it turned out to be! These Southerners certainly know how to have fun.

We ended up at a Church charity auction (yes, me in a church... at a charity auction no less?). Sipping Chardonnay in the front pew – who knew? Consuming fabulous hor’s doevres, and watching all the Southern Belles in their finery, and coiffed hair. These people are the least churchy people we’ve ever met, that’s for sure.

Soooo….. R and I managed to bid successfully on a week vacation in Aruba in the Caribbean; a silver candelabra; antique silver knives (they’re for you Mum), and some covered antique tureen thing that R got excited about just because he wanted to wave his auction number at some point during the night….. it might grow on us later!

Then on Sunday night the six of us went to a fabulous area called Carytown for dinner at a French restaurant called ‘Can Can’. Link below:
http://www.richmond.com/dining/output.aspx?Article_ID=4026631&Vertical_ID=26&tier=2&position=7

On the way home to New York this morning, we stopped at George Washington’s estate/plantation at Mount Vernon, Virginia, which was just great.

We just arrived home late tonight, so of course I’m on the Aruba websites doing reconnaissance.

Woo Hoo – Aruba – March 25 – April 1. Anyone want to join us?? It seems super-deluxe.

Best I get back on that diet, treadmill, and the tanning salon!

My Dad's Logie

Polished this little baby for the first time in years - thought the photo was 'blog-worthy'... comes up a treat, definitely deserves to be in the pool-room. 

Philly

Went to Philadelphia, just an hour train ride away, and loved it.

Benjamin Frankin was the main hero from there - inventor, one of the founding fathers of the USA... I actually thought from my research he seemed like a bit of a chauvanist pig. Perhaps it was just the 1700's? 

Vogue

For Christmas my Mum gave me a subscription to "Vogue Entertaining & Travel - Australia".

I Just recieved the first issue last week, and imagine my surprise when I turned to page 102 of the latest issue (Feb/March 2006) to find, in the Las Vegas holiday section, almost the exact same photo of my 'bikini bull riding' picture I posted on this blog from our trip last year - - good karma!

"Law & Order"

Not sure how these photos will turn out this morning - yesterday NBC channel were warning us that we needed to move cars off our block , the filmy people most politely said that they needed to film "Law & Order - SVU" in our street.

If one did not move their car, then it would be towed. Yes .... I was ok with that. I might have been cross if we actually had a car.

So this was filmed at about 11pm - R & I went out to watch.

PS: Everyone watch the show because our apartment is going to be in it (just in the background) we think...

'Chicago' on B'Way

Good morning kids - Tonight - yes we get to see the great 'Chicago'... http://www.chicagothemusical.com/indexl.html
I shall never be bored with this musical although have seen it quite a few times! (Maybe eight times now). There's always a new Billy Flynn, my favourite was Wayne Brady - but sure we will love Mr. Huey Lewis tonight!

New Kitten

he looks like a 'Billy' don't you think?

New York State of Mind...

"Some folks like to get away, take a holiday, from the neighborhood
Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood....
I’m taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line....
I’m in a New York state of mind"......

Well as you can see, Santa obviously thought I was a good girl this year - I'm finally seeing Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden!! Apparently the last concert before he 'retires'.

There were teary eyes when I opened that pressie!

That - and I am lucky to be "Mom" to a new little boy kitten who we adopted, and arrives tomorrow - he was rescued from the Korean Market - poor little bugger.

He is yet to be named (suggestions appreciated).

Had a wonderful Christmas morning in the apartment with my cousin Cara & R.

R gave presenty tickets to Cara and I to see 'Chicago' on Broadway in January - Huey Lewis (think "Back-to-the-Future movie soundtrack)happens to be playing my favourite character "Billy Flynn" during that time which will be great.

(There's an idea for kitten name - Billy Joel/Billy Flynn) !?

After presents and brekky this morning we then went to our friends in Upstate NY, lots of yummy food made by Beth & Rob. In fact we just arrived back home to Manhattan on the train. (These country trains were never on strike!)

Merry Christmas to all, hope yours was as wonderful as mine.

K.

Filming in our street...

There are so many movies filmed on our street, yet I am still not acting cool about it. I am such a dork.

It makes me so excited to live in a street in New York that the moviemakers deem important film making locations!!

I don't ever think I'll ever be as unimpressed with actors as that girl who was in my Julia Roberts blog entry!!

Here's last night's filming photos...

I'll have you know that we looked like the biggest tourists taking these photos last night .. for your benefit!

Fun - you should see the photos I didn't post!!!
K.

New York Marathon

Our friends W&A visited last weekend, and W had a great shot at the 'elusive' New York Marathon - he was one of 37 thousand who were picked out of 80,000 entrants - (lottery system).


Last photo is the finish line - he did pretty well!!!

We were proud, and boy, did we have a great time on the Sunday night after the marathon!

Possibly the best photo... ever...

I know I posted this photo before, but look closely at the sign under the Frontier:

“Bikini Bull Riding”
“Dirty Girls”
“Cold Beer”
“Mud wrestling”
“$10.95 steak & lobster dinner”

Honestly, what more could you want in Vegas!!!!

Nicknames

For as long as I can remember, my nick-name has been 'Katie-Pops', for short, it was always 'Pops'.

I don't know where it came from, maybe it was Soph, Rae, Amber or Andrea, but it has always stuck.

I still get 'Katie' all the time, but hardly ever "Pops" (unless I am talking to them or Sniff).

Today I was walking down 3rd, and I heard someone yell.... "Pops" well I turned around so quickly that I nearly got whiplash! It amused me so, to find a young boy yelling at his Grandfather!!

This one is for Cara Bella

The "Boo Boo Pocket" has good taste... don't you think!!!?

My Ric Ocasek - let the good times roll

I just cannot believe what happened to me on Monday.
My hubby had ordered this brand-new printer, and to cut a long story short, it was supposed to be delivered to us of course, but no, it was delivered to "My RIC" down the road from us, he actually came to my house. He actually pressed the buzzer on my apartment!! and I think I nearly had the heart attack. I walked with him to his house down the road, and he brought the printer to my house, (actually carried it) then he shook my shaking hand, called me sweetie.

Still have the Cd's in my handbag for him to sign - - I don't mind them so much, it's just the LP's that take up a bit of room! Ha only joking, the LPs are back in Australia at my Mum's house - maybe she can send them to me!!

Macaroni & Cheese

What is it with Mac & Cheese in America? I certainly don't want to bite the hand that 'feeds' me, but this is a serious thing.

While we were in Mexico, my little brother was staying at my house, so I made sure there were plenty of 'frozen dinners' in the freezer so he wouldn't starve. One of them was a 'Banquet' Mac & Cheese dinner (like a Lean Cuisine), which he didn't eat, and thank god he didn't! I had a little bit of it tonight, and it was shocking. I can't believe they are allowed to print 'cheese' on that box. Plastic, plastic, plastic.

I guess Americans grow up on this stuff, a bit like Aussies and vegemite.

Vegas Photos

Here are some more photos of our Vegas trip........

Viva Las Vegas...

Arrived back from Vegas in the wee hours of yesterday morning.

After a hectic flight on Friday night, we arrived at Caesar's Palace with minutes to spare before the concert. We were running so late that both of us changed clothes enroute in the plane bathroom (not easy).

When we arrived at Las Vegas airport I couldn't believe that they actually had slot machines in the baggage collection area - in fact, all over the airport! (See photo).

Elton John was magnificent! His voice just blew me away. It was well worth the trip. Caesar's Palace was a great place to stay, right on the Strip, and the pools were beautiful.

We also managed to see "Tribute to the Rat Pack" (www.ratpackvegas.com) and the guys who played Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Dean Martin & Joey Bishop were very talented indeed! The place we saw the show was at 'Greek Isles Casino' off the strip, a bit skanky, but the place was set up with the old fashioned booths, we could almost imagine that we were back at the real thing in the 60's.

Of course we had to do the all-you-can-eat 'Vegas Buffet' at the Monte Carlo Casino, as recommended by my brother. I think we stayed there for 3 hours and were absolutely stuffed, yummy, I'll attatch the very creative food photos!

It was a great trip, and we're thinking of going back in December to see Jerry Seinfeld perform at Caesars (if we can get tickets... here we go again!)

Mexico

Wonderful week of R&R in Los Cabos.
Met lot's of fun people, and spent many quality hours... doing nothing... by the pool!

M, G & Kiddies....