NEW YORK CITY

fun night out3

2005-11-07T23:15:00.000-05:00

fun night out3
Originally uploaded by Silvana_nyc.

Jessie, Dave and I...such a fun night

A fun night out

2005-11-06T23:17:00.000-05:00

VERENA WE MISS YOU!!!

The way I like it...

2005-11-06T23:04:00.000-05:00

...I have not been to Starbucks to study in a while, since I do that at the Tea Lounge in Park Slope now, which I like much better. But last week Thursday the popular Tea Lounge was so crowded that I could not find a place to sit and so I had to go to the Starbucks two blocks further up. Of course, since I was supposed study (which makes my mind wander and think about everything else, but the stuff that I have to do) I remembered the little statements on the cups...so here are the ones from that night...

# 49:

Baking may be regarded as a science, but it's the chemistry between the ingredients and the cook that gives desserts life.

Baking is done out of love, to share with family and friends, to see them smile.

- by Anna Olson (Chef of the all-dessert show Sugar & Food Network Canada)

# 61

Imagine we are all the same. Imagine we agree about politics, religion and morality.
Imagine we like the same types of music, art, food and coffee. Imagine we all look the alike.

Sound boring?

Differences need not divide us. Embrace diversity. Dignity is everyones human right.

- by Bill Brummel (Documentary filmmaker, his programs focus on human rights issues)

Pumpkin Picking

2005-10-23T22:58:00.000-04:00

Another year has gone by and another Labombarda-Covino family tradition will be continued...but this time it actually got extended, which was a lot fo fun - Ali, Chris and Jen joined us :)

PS: yes, we are a bunch of weirdos, but we like it that way!!!

Today's News...

2005-10-21T20:26:00.000-04:00

...and I was in one of the subways that got 'evacuated'. All of a sudden it turn from 'in service' to 'out of service' while we were in the tunnel...hmmm. It is never boring in New York City...bomb warnings, terrorist attacks, fire in a subway station and gigantic roaches are just a few of the things when you start wondering why you picked this place as your personal "paradise". Life's mysteries...

Subway fire at West 4th suspends C, B, V and W lines

A subway fire near Greenwich Village's W. 4th Street station is causing massive service disruptions this morning and seven firefighters suffered minor injuries, according to NY1.The fire is now under control but no word on the cause.

Here is the list of current subway problems, according to the MTA's online service alert:No service on the B, V, C or W.The E is suspended in Manhattan and the A is suspended from 59th Sreet to Jay Street.The D is running on the R line from DeKalb to 57th Street.The F is running on the G line from Bergen to Queens Plaza.The G is suspended from Court Square to 4th Avenue.

Noon update: The latest MTA advisory reports all lines are running again except that no trains are stopping at the West 4th Station, which impacts the A, B, C, D, E, F, and V lines.

Evening update: All service has returned to normal and the New York Times is reporting the fire was in a storage room.

...well I am back

2005-10-20T22:50:00.000-04:00

...and it is even more stressful then before...lol.

more pictures from the Covino wedding...

2005-10-09T16:30:00.000-04:00

can you tell, there was already a lot of dancing involved...hehehe

awww...

...aren't we all cute :)

Garrett & Tricia's Wedding

2005-10-08T22:50:00.000-04:00

Mama C. and Gret - the mother & son dance - awww
ahhh...so cute...
the perfect kiss
of the perfect couple
the bridesmaids

A few pictures from Germany

2005-09-30T23:00:00.000-04:00

Oma & Sille
Uta & Marc's Hochzeit
The Family Katharina, Jersey, Silvana & Wiebke

Lilli
Fabio & Silvana
Fabio & Lilli

Marisa's Birthday

A year has come to an end...

2005-08-23T09:18:00.000-04:00

...but will be continued, when I come back October 1st :) Can't wait!!!

Last 2 days & Iggy's

2005-08-22T09:21:00.000-04:00

The last two days I spent mostly with Dave because I knew 5 1/2 weeks are going to be a long time. And I was glad we were both off. We went to the beach, the Cheesecake Factory (mmmhhh), spent quiet some time inside and had lots of fun. On Monday night we met up with Linda, Verena, Juliane, Shawn, Heath, Eric and Berit at Iggy's and I sang karaoke for everyone...but as the pictures show Dave and Berit showed us what they got as well :) We were basically the only people in the place, I thought that was great...Thank you all for a wonderful night!!!

Bridal Shower in Fairfield

2005-08-20T09:21:00.000-04:00

Sooooo much fun :)

Mo's & welcome home Juliane

2005-08-18T09:21:00.000-04:00

All I remember is that we all met up at Mo's because Juliane got back from Germany after 2 1/2 months and it was one of the last time we could all go out together because I was leaving soon and when I would come back, Verena would be gone...well, we all had a drink or two or more at good old Mo's and then Juliane decided we should all go to this other place because I think some of her friends from college were there. So we had a few more drinks there, Eric finally joined us and some people got really drunk as usual ;) I love you guys!!!

work, last week and running around

2005-08-18T09:20:00.000-04:00

I had all these posts drafted with headlines and now 2 months have passed and I dont have a clue what I wanted to write anymore...lol...well...it was a stressful week, that is all I can say and retrospective....hmmm (btw, today is Oct. 20, 2005).

Boston

2005-08-16T20:23:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't written in a very long time and there are even three blogs that I wanted to write but never got the chance to do so...the Angie Stone concert, the 3 Doors Down concert and the latest Marc Broussard concert (last week). And since I don't have any time lately because I am working, studying, running around, packing and all that fun stuff, I figured I skip them and tell you guys that all three concerts were fantastic. Angie Stone is incredible, she was one of the first Hip Hopper women, btw. 3 Doors Down was awesome and Marc is just great!

Last Friday Dave and I went to Boston for the weekend. I really wanted to go there, one because everybody always says how nice and cute it is, two because I really haven't been anywhere new all year and three because I thought a weekend trip with my boyfriend would be a good idea, esp. right before I leave for about 5 weeks. I met Dave in Valhalla on Friday and we drove up to Boston. The trip took 7 hours instead of 3 1/2 because the traffic was real bad. But we still had a fun time. And once we found the best meatball sub ever (yes, Verena better than subway's) at D'Angelo's we were pretty satisfied adn ready for the rest of the trip. Once we got there everything was good anyways. I booked the hotel via hotwire.com and I got a great deal for the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Boston (4 star hotel). It was 3 minutes from the Boston Common and the Public Gardens. The hotel was super nice and I fell in love with the bathrobes they had...so nice and cozy and soft...Dave actually asked how much they were, but $75 for a bathrobe, I don't think so...lol. Anyways we had a king size bed and all you can want in a room. Unfortunately Saturday was such a hot day that we were not able to see as much as I would have liked to, but we did see the main stops of the freedom trail downtown...the State House, Faneuil Hall, etc. We went to Lil' Italy for lunch and then took the subway back to the hotel because it was way too hot to walk anywhere. Later on we met with friends of Dave's and had a drink at the hotel bar...living the good life, yup! Then we walked through the Public Gardens, which was really nice. Chinese food for dinner and then like old people back to the hotel ;) We actually planned to go dancing but we were just too tired and it was so hot that I didn't even want to think about dancing. Instead we used the hotel pool and steam room :)

We had to be out of the hotel by two on Sunday and we thought we would be able to do more sightseeing in the afternoon before we had back to NYC. But it just wasn't supposed to happen. No, this time it wasn't too hot but it started raining...hahaha. Oh well, we figured we do something indoors instead and headed to the Aquarium but a lot of other people hat the same idea and I changed my mind. And yes, I was a little grumpy cause I wasn't able to see the things I wanted to see...but this changed quickly. We went shopping and to Barnes & Nobles and started our 7 hour trip back. This time it was our own fault, though...we had to get more D'Angelos and actually went more shopping on the way home ;)

We got home at 2.15 in the morning and I was pretty tired on Monday, but it was so worth it. It was a really really nice weekend and I am looking forward to the next weekend trip, when I come back from Germany :)

More of Greg's wisdom...

2005-07-22T21:52:00.000-04:00

...for everybody who hasn't read the other blogs before...Greg is a "Dating Dr." for the Metro News and here are some funny questions and answers...have fun!

Q: I suspect my boyfriend is acutally gay "onthe down low." How can I tell?

A: If he wears FuBu, loves gangsta rap, but every now and then screams, "Oh, heavens to Betsy!" you might want to check his Internet history. If he's been on Craigslist, start worrying.

Q: Mr. Greg, my long-distance boyfriend never visits me. Your thoughts?

A: He isn't your boyfriend. He is your pen pal.

Q: Mr. Greg, I'm tired of being single. Should I try speed dating?

A: In general, no activity is improved by adding the word "speed."

And one more...

2005-07-22T21:43:00.000-04:00

...dating comment from the Metro News this morning. Dave, I don't really think we agree with this one ;)

Question to Greg (who is the Dating Dr. of Metro News):
Mr. Greg, all the girls on Match.com are mad ugly in person. Speak on that.

Answer: When on Match.com, never forget the Formula. When viewing women, subract two inches from height and add ten pounds to weight. When viewing men, subtract four inches from height and add 20 pounds to weight. Also, subtract $20,000 from income and if his profile says "single," add one wife.

A foreigner's policy on dating

2005-07-22T21:19:00.000-04:00

Ok, my friends...today I read the Metro news, which is one of the two newspapers New Yorkers get for free every morning during the week when they ride the subway (or at least on many subway stops). And now guess what...yes, other people think about the whole dating issue as well...hahaha...well, thank goodness, I am only half as crazy as I thought I was ;) Here are a couple of thoughts about old & new world dating...

Globetrotting - A foreigner's policy on dating

Forget about the delectable array of ethnic restaurants in the city - when you really want something tasty and exotic, it's just as easy to pick up a foreigner in the flesh (but way lwess filling). The city attracts young, unattached and successful foreign professinals who come to the United States for work or school - thereby increasing and adding some spice to the dating pool. But while singles in the city like their worldwide smorgasbord of samplings, what do men and women who aren't native born think of the American dating scene? Is getting a little born-in-the-U.S.A. action harder tahn getting a green card?

Getting through customs
"It is harder to dare here", laments Ricardo, 24, who is from Puerto Rico. "Everyone is so busy, they don't want to make time. At home, it's so small that you just kind of know everyone." For Ricardo, the cultural clash is evident: "With Romance languages, at least, we seem to be more clingy, more lovey than Americans seem to like." (me: I feel ya, Ricardo!...lol)
For Lucie, 24, from London, the core dating rules seem exspecially different when it comes to "uniting nations."
"There are more rules about how intimate you are on the first date in New York. In London, though many would consider going to far too soon an issue, it is not so set in stone," says Lucie. "I feel like in New York, if you go too far there is the automatic assumption that you should not expect anything more out of an encounter."

Cross-cultural experiences
But Michael, another Londoner, finds that unlike our political leanings, Americans have a pretty lax forteign policy. (me: yeah, cause he's a guy, duh!)
"Generally it's easier, mainly because of the accent." he says about picking uop the ladies. (me: I really miss out on that one, darn it ;) j/k)
Johan, 27, from Sweden, agrees. "My verdict is that as far as dating goes, Americansget it right. It seems to me like the dating scene is more fun here. More structured, for those who want structure (me: you can also call it complicated), but also permissive, or unstructured, for those who don't," he explains. (me: ok, Johan...can you make up your mind on that one...structure or no structure...it's like chocolate or vanilla ice cream...it's just not the same)
So maybe, in the end, dating internationally is the best way to unite the new world with the old world.
"It just comes across as a succesful comination of the free-spirited and the old-fashioned," says Johan. (me: ok, I might agree with that one ;) )

Playland & Fairfield

2005-07-16T17:09:00.000-04:00

Ok...kennt ihr den 80er Film 'BIG' mit Tom Hanks? Ja, super...dann erinnert ihr euch doch auch sicher an den Wahrsager in der Machine auf der Messe?! Naja, jedenfalls auf so einem Rummel war ich dieses Wochenenden.

Ich bin mit Dave nach Fairfield gefahren am Samstag morgen bzw. hat er mich dort abgesetzt, hat kurz hallo zu meiner Ersatzfamlie gesagt (Mamma C. hat ihn uebrigens abgesegnet...nachdem er Codi - den Familienhund gestreichelt und auf dem Arm hatte, war er schon aufgenommen...hahaha. Papa C. hat gemeint, er habe den Baseballschlaeger bereit, falls er sich nicht gut benimmt...hahaha...sehr geil) und ist dann weiter nach New Haven zu seiner Schwester, mit der er am Wochenende irgendwelche politischen Aktivitaeten unternehmen wollte. Ja man muss wissen, er ist politisch recht engagiert und absolut gegen Bush!!! Anyways, am Wochenende haben wir eine Maedelsabend gemacht, das war so cool und ich hatte schon fast vergessen, wie schoen das ist. Ali, Cheryl, Sarah und ich haben es uns in dem Haus gemuetlich gemacht, in dem Ali einen Hund gesittet hat (und das Haus halt auch) - sehr chic mit Pool und allem. Wir haben Mexican Dip und Chips gefuttert bis uns schlecht war und Mudlides getrunken (yummy) und uns Hitch reingezogen. Ich liebe diesen Film!!! Ach so ja, shoppen waren wir auch noch und ich hab mir 2 neue Jeans gekauft...ich hab einen Verschleiss an den Dingern, unglaublich...aber schoen sind se :)

Am Sonntag hab ich nur so rumgehangen, wir sind zurueck zur Mall gefahren und haben Cheryl Jogginghosen gekauft und dann hat Dave mich nachmittags bzw. fruehabends (mit Puenktlichkeit hat er es manchmal nicht so...um 4 wollte er losfahren, naja lass es mal 6 gewesen ein...hahaha). Auf der Heimfahrt sind wir dann an Playland vorbei gefahren und ich meinte, dass wir da ja (die Maedels und ich) eigentlich gestern hin wollten, aber das es wettertechnisch nicht geklappt hat. Er meinte nur so, er wuerde mich hinbringen. Aber da unsere Zeit ja eh so knapp bemessen ist und ich eh wusste, dass wir kein freies Wochenende mehr haben bis ich Heim fliege, meinte ich nur 'ja, ja, naechstes Jahr vielleicht'. Das konnte er nicht auf sich sitzen lassen, weil er wusste ich hab recht und er meinte nur 'little you know'...blinkt und faehrt raus...hahaha. Das war sooooo cool und Playland was a lot of fun (very cute). So war das..war mal wieder ein tolles Wochenende with my favorite people :)

An office with a window

2005-07-09T16:27:00.000-04:00

This is my view now (zoomed in) looking down my window...36th floor...corner of 34th street & 8th avenue

Sturbucks cups...

2005-07-08T23:23:00.000-04:00

...lange nicht mehr bei Starbucks gewesen...oder wie...hahaha..anyways mal wieder ein paar 'The way I see it' Sprueche!

# 32

All humans realize they are loved when witnessing the dawn:
early morning is the triumph of good over evil.
Absolved by light we decide to go on.

~ Rufus Wainwright (Musician)

# 25

The wise healer endures the pain.
Cry. Tears bring joy.

~ Erykah Badu (Musician)

3 doors down concert - grand finale

2005-07-06T00:26:00.000-04:00

3 doors down concert

2005-07-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

4th of July weekend in Buffalo

2005-07-04T12:22:00.000-04:00

After a 2 hour extra waiting time and the fear that my flight might get cancelled due to heavy winds in the Carolinas (where my plane was coming from), I finally got to go to Buffalo...whoo-hoo. I was so excited because I knew that my godchild would be there from Germany and I hadn't seen her since last year August. I know she kept saying that she misses me a lot (so much that my cousin, her mother couldn't hear it anymore...hahaha) - therefore, I was even more excited to see her again. Weeks and weeks of preparation had gone by, what do I get her, what do I get the other kids, cause it's never nice when one child gets something and everybody doesn't get anything...and since I missed everybody's birthday anyways, they well deserved in anyhow ;) Emily will be 3 soon, Kayleigh turned 6 in May and Marisa will turn 6 in September (she is the tallest one on the pic, btw). Avonlea is so small (1 year) that she doesn't really care what I bring her no matter what...hahaha. So I got all of them clothes and since they are all girls they were very appreciative, to my surprise. They loved the clothes I picked out (I did too, I have to say...hehehe) and the little purses (got all three the same one so nobody can complain - yes, I am experienced with that...lol) with the puffi pen and the lipstick inside ;) There is hardly any better feeling than when those little ones wrap their short arms around your waist or neck and tell you 'thank you' and you know you made their next 5 minutes!!! I just love them, what can I say.

So, Saturday we all went to Six Flags Darien Lake and Kerstin, Katharina and I went on the roller coasters (SUPERMAN is simply the best!!!) while the little ones had fun at the water park most of the day, with oma Christel and opa Mike and aunt Andrea...It was so nice to spend time with family (everytime I go back home, I am more homesick for about a week, cause I realize what I miss out on). I stayed at Andrea's house as most of the time and shared a room with my little sis' Kat and it was just really nice :)

On Sunday we all went for lunch, my cousin and my godchild (!) invited us all for chinese food and so we stuffed our faces already before we all went to aunt Sherley's house for the family party. Because the Strachan's like to party and they didn't want to go to work the next day, we celebrate Independence Day on the 3rd...hey, works for me! The kids spend most of the time in the pool and the adults eating and drinking and watching the kids...just a normal family party (very nice and relaxing when you don't have that anymore, let me tell you). The guys turned into little kids at around the time when night fell because it was 'ILLEGAL FIREWORKS TIME' and it got kinda crazy cause the back yard just wasn't big enough (rest paper falling from the sky still glowing & burning people's shirts and stuff...women screaming at their husbands, holding things over the 'real' kids and running away with them...FUN...lol). Anyways, I enjoyed it and nothing really happened so that was good.

On Monday we just had a relax day, nothing really going on. I got to go to my beloved Wallmart and to Target with Andrea, Kerstin and Marisa and at night we all got together at Christel's house. Cathy (my uncle Mike's sister) and John (her boyfriend) were there from North Carolina and Megan and Gerry (Mike's cousin and wife//family friends) were there as well. It was a nice get together. At like midnight I went to bed and then I had to get up again at 4.30 cause my plane was leaving at 6.30 :( I have never seen the airport so packed because of the holiday, I was lucky I made it...I didn't have any waiting time at the gate, went right through into the plane...I was glad I made it. At 9.15am I finally arrived at work and for the rest of the week I was very tired - but it was all worth it as usual :)

4th of July weekend in Buffalo

2005-07-03T00:29:00.000-04:00

Silvana, Katharina

Emily, Marisa and Kayleigh

Aquarium and Mermaid Parade

2005-06-25T21:59:00.000-04:00

Die Mermaid Parade, im Rahmen des Schwulen und Lesben Wochenendes (Sonntag war dann auch ne Schwulen Parade in Manhatten, so viel ich weiss) auf Coney Island. Heath hat ja so ein tra-ra drum gemacht, dass wir da hingehen und schlussendlich ist er selbst nicht da gewesen...hahaha. Verena wollte gehen, aber ich konnte nicht, weil ich mich gerade von dem Sonnenbrand erholt habe und nicht so lange in der Sonne stehen konnte, schon gar nicht bei 33 Grad...da kann man ja nix anziehen! Also bin ich gegen Ende der Parade angekommen und konnte die coolen Drag-Queens noch bewundern und die super Mermaid und sonstige Kostüme sehen. Ich hab mich mit Verena am Aquarium getroffen und wir haben uns Seelöwen, Haie, Quallen, Seepferdchen und jede Menge andere kleine und grosse Fische angeguckt. Danach sind wir noch ein wenig am Strand spazieren gegangen oder besser haben uns entlang geschoben, da so viele Menschen den Boardwalk blokiert haben. Verena wollte noch einen original Nathan's Hotdog essen und wir haben uns verabschiedet, weil Dave und ich uns dort treffen wollten. Puenktlich um die Uhrzeit zu der er dort sein wollte, ruft er an und erzaehlt mir, dass er im Traffic steckt...is ja in der Stadt auch echt nix neues, egal mit welchem Transportmittel. Er hat dann fast ne Stunde mit mir am Telefon gehangen, bis er dann endlich angekommen ist. Er war noch nie in Coney Island - unglaublich aber wahr, aber wieviel von uns Giessner waren schon auf dem Marburger Schloss (ich leider nicht). Anyways...lange waren wir nicht mehr da, weil mir sogar die Fuesse einreissen bei Flip Flops...ey...ich kann auch echt keine Schuhe anziehen. Danach hatten wir leider nicht mehr so einen super Abend, weil der Gute immer so beschaeftigt ist und mir verkuendet hat, dass wir bis Ende August (bis ich nach Deutschland fliege) noch genau 2 Wochenenden haben, da er ansonsten mit anderen Dingen augebucht ist...ich konnte es einfach nicht glauben...hat sich dann auch wieder eingerenkt, aber toll is das net...let me tell you...lol...aber so ist das halt, man kann eben nicht alles haben.

Angie Stone in concert at the B.B. King Club

2005-06-23T00:04:00.000-04:00

This was a great great concert. Angie Stone is unbelievable. I had a great time, I sang, danced and just really enjoyed all of it (but the standing part in my high heel shoes...lol). When Verena sent me the list of concerts she wanted to go to I picked out Angie Stone because I really like what I heard when I downloaded one of her latest songs. Of course I had to by the CD and listened to it many many times, so that I was able to sing along...hahaha. The line in front of the B.B. King Club was so long when I got there, it was crazy, but thankfully when they opened the doors we all were in pretty quickly. Unfortunately there was no seating, but on the other hand it wasn't really a bad thing at the end. I thought the club was very cute and cozy, a real cool place for a concert. The opening band was a guy trying to be Usher, but so not...he had a good voice, but he should work on his outfit and stuff. I really liked his background singers, though! I don't have a clue who the guy was...but it was good. But when Angie Stone appeared on stage (we were staning in the second row) it was just so cool...she looks like a big soul mamma and sounds just like that!!! So good, if you haven't heard her yet, you definitely should. Two thumbs up - anytime again!

mein neues Bett

2005-06-20T10:44:00.000-04:00

Ich hab endlich endlich ein richtiges, schoenes, IKEA Bett, seufz. I love it!!! Ich muss mir keine Sorgen mehr machen, wenn mir eine Reisszwecke auf den Boden fällt oder wenn ich mit hochhackigen Schuhen durch mein Mini-Zimmer stolziere auf der Suche nach etwas anzuziehen. Ausserdem ist mein neues Bett kleiner als mein Airbed und trotzdem gross genug und jetzt kann ich sogar an einem kleinen Tisch sitzen und arbeiten. Das sind ja fast Nobelzustände hier...tststs. Und was noch viel toller ist, ich hab jetzt tatsächlich Stauraum unter meinem Bett...whoo-hoo...IKEA ich kommen...Hocker, Tisch, Kommode, Boxen alles muss her!!!

blöder Sonnenbrand

2005-06-18T20:49:00.000-04:00

Wie ich es hasse, dass sich dieser blöde Sonnenbrand jetzt auch noch schält...da verbrennt man, hat Schmerzen, kann schlecht oder kaum schlafen, weil vorne und hinten alles weh tut und dann schält sich der ganze Mist auch noch und man sieht total schrecklich aus, gescheckt und als sei man dreckig und im Endeffekt bleibt dann noch nicht mal die Bräume übrig...toll, danke! Naja, ich schätze Dummheit muss halt bestraft werden!!! seufz

sunburn 1

2005-06-15T21:00:00.000-04:00

sunburn 1
Originally uploaded by Silvana_nyc.

that left shoulder has now blisters on it :(

sunburn 2

2005-06-15T20:58:00.000-04:00

sunburn 2
Originally uploaded by Silvana_nyc.

yea definitely swollen that knee...hahaha...the little white piece on the right side is my regular skin color ;)

Coney Island and the worst sunburn of all times

2005-06-12T20:41:00.000-04:00

On Sunday I went to Coney Island because I thought it was such a great idea to study at the beach. I got up around 8 and was at the beach around 10 and I thought about my sun allergie so I put gel on where it normal occurs. And I thought the sun is not that bad in the morning and it was cloudy anyways. Yeah, wasn't a very smart way of thinking...and not putting anything on my legs didn't really help. I could see red already when I was still at the beach and that is never a good sign. Of course I left immediately, but it was way too late and I got the worst sunburn at least since 1997 if not ever. My legs and feet were almost purple and they look like they are falling off. My knees and feet are swollen and I couldn't even walk on Sunday. I felt so handicapped. My back is totally burned and my left shoulder has blisters on it now :( not even the benefit of a tan will be left over...no I will most likely peel and get punished for my stupidity ;) I have the hardest time wearing anything because all my shirts hurt my shoulders and my back, so I worked from home yesterday and today half day, cause I couldn't sit there anymore. I am putting aloe vera on it like crazy and thanks to Dave yoghurt on my back :) It's crazy...I just want it to be all better and have a goodnight sleep again. Enjoy the pics!

Mein Freund

2005-06-05T18:47:00.000-04:00

Nur kurz zur Info an alle Dave ist dann also ab heute offiziell mein Freund...ist hier zwar alles ein wenig anders und so, is ja auch nicht so, dass wir schon seit 3 Monaten miteinander ausgehen, aber damit es da mal keine Misverständnisse gibt...so ist es wohl...hahaha. Dachte ich halte euch kurz und knapp auf dem Laufenden ;)

Silvana & the Brooklyn Community Chorus

2005-06-05T00:40:00.000-04:00

Silvana & the Brooklyn Community Chorus
Originally uploaded by Silvana_nyc.

Brooklyn Community Chorus Concerts

2005-06-04T18:45:00.000-04:00

Jetzt hab ich so lange gewartet (es ist schon der 8. July mittlerweile), dass ich schon fast nicht mehr weiss, was ich schreiben will. Jedenfalls hatten wir am 4. und am 5. mit meinem Chor Auftritte. Am 4. Juni war unser offizielles Abschlusskonzert der Saison und am 5. haben wir beim Best of Brooklyn Festival gesungen. Ich hatte einen Solopart bei unserem Motown Medley und zwar durfte ich die erste Strophe von 'Just my immagination' singen und es hat so viel Spass gemacht. Verena, Heath, Kenneth, Ryan und Jeff sind im Publikum gewesen (Berit hat das U-Bahn-System leider nicht geschnallt und ist mal kurz in Coney Island oder so gelandet...unglaublich das Madel...lol). Ich hab mich jedenfalls riesig gefreut und ich hab sogar ein kleines Video von Verena geschickt bekommen, weil sie alles aufgenommen hat...sehr cool. Dave ist am 5. zu dem kleinen Konzert im Prospect Park gekommen, da er am Samstag selbst eine Show hatte und zwar ist er bei der Geburtstags-/Graduationparty von der Tochter des Erfinders von priceline.com aufgetreten. Unglaublich...lol....er hat mir erzaehlt, dass er mit einem Golfwagen abgeholt worden ist, um zum Hauseingang zu kommen...Sachen gibts...hahaha. Jedenfalls hat alles gut geklappt (auch mein Solo und die schubidubidu Tanzerei) und ich hoffe, dass ich naechste Saison wieder dabei sein kann, allerdings ist dann Elizabeth nicht mehr da, weil sie jetzt in Washington wohnt...schade, aber so ist das leider hier....alles sehr schnelllebig.

Brooklyn Community Choir

2005-06-03T00:33:00.000-04:00

Brooklyn Community Choir
Originally uploaded by Silvana_nyc.

Skydiving

2005-05-30T18:09:00.000-04:00

OH MY GOD, I actually went skyding...yes, I jumped out of an airplane that was 14,000 feet (according to Verena 4,5 km) high...WHOO-HOO :))

A few weeks ago Dave went and I so wanted to go when I heard that. So he said, that he'd go again with me if he likes it and he so did. So, I asked some people if they wanted to go and so did Dave and we ended up going with six people, Heath, Verena Euvall (I hope this is how you spell it), Dave, Bettina and I. I always wanted to do this but of course I got scared...I mean you sign 7 pages saying it's ok if I die or get injured and I can't sew anybody and on top of it all I pay $185 for it. On the way there, I was kind of quiet and due to Memorial Day weekend (once again) the road in one of the small towns we were supposed to go through was blocked because of a parade, so we were late. But that wasn't a big deal, it actually worked out fine because on our way there it started raining and we had to wait anyways. I was a nervous wreck when I had to sign the 7-page waiver, I was snappy to Verena and was wondering what I was doing...hahaha. But it all got better when we met our instructor. He was actually the guy that I jumped out of the airplane with. So he told us what to do and what not to do (not holding on to the airplane, e.g.) and then we put on our jumping suits and our gear and then I just got really excited. Danish (my tandem partner) came over a few times and practiced with me what to do when we are up there...checking the altitude, doing the baby wave, pulling the line, breaking, etc. He made me feel very good actually, I thought 'I can do this'...because of course I wanted to do everything myself...I mean I knew if I wasn't going to do it, he would, but still I pay I do it ;)

Finally we got to go on the plane...so cool. The weather cleared up and going up I pointed out a rainbow to Verena. When the door opened at 14,000 feet I was ready to jump...it all looked to unreal, so tiny, like a picture postcard. Euvall got to jump first because he got filmed (the dvd turned out great..so much fun to watch it). Dave was second in line and since he jumped before, he got to do a flip out of the airplane (so jealous...lol). I was next and we just jumped and it was so cool...but I totally underestimated the pressure and the thin air and the difficulties to breathe. I thought I just really can't breathe but I can't die cause of that...hahaha and I reminded myself to calm down and try my best to breathe (and all of that I can remember and I could actualy think that while I was dropping from 14,000 feet to 8,000 feet). When I checked for the first time we were already at 8,000 feet and I knew I'd have to do the baby wave soon....which I did and pulled the line...but I didn't pull hard enought so Danish had to help me pull it again. And that was the 1 minute (or 50 second, as Heath pointed out so mathematically to me) free fall. When the parachute opened it was awesome and everything after that was just wonderful and so relaxing. Underneath were was a beautiful valley, uncountable lakes, hills and lots of green...and all I could say was 'Oh my good, it's beautiful' over and over again. Then he gave me the parachute and told me to steer, so we went left and right and he pointed out the others to me who were below us. Then we practiced landing...I had to lift my feet and pull the parachute down to me in three steps...well, the lifting your feet part was definitely kind of difficult up there. But when I pulled the parachute down the third time, we stood mid-air and it was such a great feeling. Then we just kept flying down again. Landing worked fine and when I was freed from everything I saw Dave coming towards me. It was such a great experience and we all loved it and were happy we did it. And we all said 'Can we go up again?' and that we would do it every weekend if it wasn't so much money. So if anybody asks my opinion on skydiving I can only say 'Do it, just do it!' ;)

Dave & Silvana before skydiving

2005-05-30T00:39:00.000-04:00

Honestly, I was pretty nervous at that point because I just had to sign a 7 page waver that I could die and all.

Six Flags Great Adventure

2005-05-29T18:08:00.000-04:00

Sunday morning around 10 o'clock Dave and Ron picked me up to go the Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. I was so excited...I love roller-coasters and so do the two of them and it could only be a fun a day :) It took us over two hours to get there I think and since it was a gorgeous day out and Memorial Day weekend the park was packed when we got there around 1ish...and the line for the fast lane pass that was outrageously high anyways, was so long that we would have had to stand in line for hours. So we decided that is definitely not worth it and we are just gonna stand in line at the roller-coasters. But we knew that we wouldn't be able to go on the fastest and highest roller-coaster on earth, Kingda Ka which had just recently opened. Oh well...we'll just have to go again. I think we had the most fun standing in line at the first roller-coaster...there was a guy trying to entertaining the crowd while they have to wait...he played songs like 'I'm a barbie girl' and he was a heavy guy in a striped shirt (The Stripey Shirt Guy) being totally confident with himself, it seemed, joking and dancing and totally making us laugh. That was a lot of fun and you'll get your shirt, Dave ;) Most of the day we stood in line and waited to go on a short roller-coaster ride, but it was great, but next time we just have to go during the week!!!

Andrea & Kristy in NYC - Day 3

2005-05-22T23:07:00.000-04:00

I told Andrea we should leave early today, but shame on me and Dave I came home way later than expected...like 10.30am. Andrea was already up for like 2 hours waiting :( i am sorry!!! But even he admits that getting ready quickly is not exactly one of his stronger character traits...lol. But thank you, Dave.

It took me like 10minutes, though and I was ready to leave. She was all packed and ready, so we left soon and went to my work area again. We went to the Starbucks on 35th and 7th, were I go to study sometimes (oh before that we bought shoes at payless) and met up with Kristy and Brian again. We walked around and tried to find T-Shirts for the kids, but weren't really successfull. Brian picked a really cute restaurant on 10th Avenue and 52nd street to which I will absolutely return. It was a really cute place (great restrooms...i swear...lol...since I have a weak bladder as you all know that is very important...hahahah...j/k). After lunch we walked around some more (and it started raining again :( ) and after Brian said goodbye we went to Grand Central and hung out there again until it was time to catch the shuttle for them to the airport. Sad days...Kristy was kind of happy to go home, she missed her hubby and the girls but Andrea would have like a few extra days in the city...going to the Marroccan restaurant Brian told us about and checking out some other cute little stores...

I was sad afterwards and fell into a little Sunday blues (haven't had one in a pretty long time luckily) but it's all better now (thanks Gus). Andrea called around 10ish that they got home ok...so that is good. I am glad I will them all again July 1st when I fly up to Buffalo for Independence Day. Time for bed...a great exhausting weekend and I am sure I need much more sleep than I will actually get.

Andrea and Kristy in NYC - Day 2

2005-05-22T22:46:00.000-04:00

Friday morning Dave drove me back to my place pretty early, above all so early because he had a show around noon. But that was ok, so I could be there before the girls were up and indeed I was. Kristy took all of her stuff when we left because she was going to stay at her uncle Brian's house, so she could spend some time with him, which was nice for her. Finally the sun was out and I decided to show them South Street Seaport before we met up with him across the street from the restaurant he works at 'Le Madeleine'...it is on 43rd and 9th Avenue...it is an up-scale place, Al Pacino goes there sometimes (check out the link if you like). I definitely want to go there sometime!

When Andrea passed 'Madame Tussauds' she said she wanted to see that and so we decided that we should slit up and meet up again for dinner. Andrea and I went to Madame Tussauds, which was cool...actually a lot better than I had expected. We took tons of pictues...among them Andrea with Lenny and Price and I have pics with Einstein and Pele...hahaha. Like I said before I will try to post some pictures but I am not sure what is wrong with the program. We spent quite some time in there. Afterwards I showed her Soho and we went to Café Café, where I always go with Nazar and since it was real nice and warm we just had something cold to drink and continued our walk towards Little Italy and Chinatown. Of course I, at least wanted her to see all the stuff people or tourists talk about ;) After that we went to Battery Park and hung out down there for a little while. Unfortunately all the plans with Kristy and Brian fell through and so Andrea and I just went back to Prospect Heights and sinde Andrea never had Indian food, we went to the place around my corner 'Indian Place'. It was sooooo good and the people were so nice, but we felt bad because they were overly nice and 'unterwuerfig' that we couldn't deal with it. I asked if she could wrap my left overs and she was so kind that she even put more rice in it and when she came and asked me to wrap my drink for me (that was on the house in the first place) I was so shocked and I didn't want to offend her that I said 'oh sure'....hahahaha. Andrea and I laughed so hard when we walked out...we just had a really good time!

At around 11.30 Dave picked me up cause since we never really have much time these days, I was very happy that I could stay over at his place and spend at least a little time with him before we have our fun weekend next weekend (six flags and skydiving).

at the restaurant

2005-05-22T19:04:00.000-04:00

Brian, Kristy, Günes, Heath, Verena, Silvana, Dave, Michael (picture taker - Andrea)

South Street Seaport

2005-05-22T19:03:00.000-04:00

Die Drei von der Tankstelle! :)

Andrea & Silvana

2005-05-22T19:02:00.000-04:00

Andrea and Kristy in NYC - Day 1

2005-05-22T19:01:00.000-04:00

Finally, finally, finally...Andrea and Kristy came to visit. I was so excited for weeks and totally this past week. I took of Friday but we have so much stuff to do that I had to go in on Friday morning to check the faxes and the phonecalls and mail. But I only was in the office for a few minutes and then I went to Grand Central Station to go and pick up my company. I planned all week, what we could do when it rains, when the sun shines, etc. It was so cool to see them come down to towards the information stand in Grand Central...THEY ARE HERE :)

First we went for coffee in GC downstairs in the food court and then we went to my house, in order for them to get rid of their bags...they packed really light, so that was good. When I brought Andrea to the Market in Grand Central Station and she saw the German cold cuts, she turned into a five year old in a candy store...so cute...of course she had to buy 'Bierschinken und Sommersalami'...which was actually excellent and like home (I can't wait to have some tomorrow). They both liked my neighborhood a lot and I was so happy they did. They met Ryan and Adam and it was real nice to have them stay at my place. After we chatted and relaxed a little, we went back into Manhattan and I should them Time Square, my work and we met with Kristy's uncle Brian and walked some more...up 5th Avenue, into Central Park and all the way down again from 77th to 59th street...he girls did a lot of walking and unfortunately Andrea's knee started hurting. I actually wanted to take them to the MOMA because the weather was crappy but the line was so freakin' long that there was no way in hell...

Anyways, I picked a restaurant for Friday night 'La Scalopina'. We first met with Shawn and Heath at the Greenwich Brewery and had a beer (which I could so feel, since I haven't been drinking almost anything these last couple of months). Then we went downstairs and I really really liked the place and the waitress was from Padova and I spoke Italian to her...yeay :) Brian's friend Michael came with us and we met Verena and Juliane. Dave came a little later (parking problems) and Guenes, a friend of Verena and Julian's joined us later on. It was a nice group of people, it was just so difficult to talk to everyone because it was a row of tables and the one end can never talk to the other end...that's why I like round tables. The food was excellent...I had penne alla vodka...hmmm. After the restaurant we went on a pilgrimage to Dave's car...it was parked quite a bit away (no wonder he was late...lol...sorry...but he looked good, damn :)) and he drove us to my place. We dropped the girls off and I tried to make them as comfortable as possible and I went home with him because who wants to sleep on a couch covered with cat hair if she can sleep in a nice real bed with a 'human hot water bottle'...hahaha...and a one that is that cute ;)

silvana & lady liberty

2005-05-14T19:02:00.000-04:00

Manhattan Twilight Cruise

2005-05-14T19:00:00.000-04:00

Nur kurz...ich war mit Shawn, Verena, Heath und Juliane auf einer Manhattan Twilight Cruise, die von Metro International organiziert wurde. Das ganze hat 25 Dollar gekostet und es waren ca. 400 internationle und amerikanische Studenten und Freunde da. Wir sind am Pier 83, glaub ich losgefahren...an der Ellis Island und der Freiheitsstatue vorbei bis runter zur Spitze von Manhatten wo sich Battery Park befinden und vorbei an Pier 17 unter der Brooklyn und Manhattan Bridge durch bis auf die Hoehe von Williamsburg und dann das ganze wieder zurück....das war schon schön. Ein wenig kühl, obwohl wir eigentlich tolles Wetter hatten, aber am Wasser ist das ja immer so. Eine bekannte von Juliane war auch dort, Nora und ich habe mich sehr gut und angeregt mit ihr unterhalten, sehr nett...es sollte sich herausstellen, dass ich durch Zufall, dank Heath ihr Bett kaufen werde, aber das ist wieder eine andere Geschichte...Lustige Zufälle des Lebens.

Monday Night Magic

2005-05-09T20:00:00.000-04:00

After a day full of meetings I went to Monday Night Magic. It was Dave's first time being part of the show and he asked me if I would like to come and see it. Of course I want to!!! For one I am very interested in seeing the show and what he is going to do and everybody else and secondly, I am always glad to see him. So after our marathon meeting day and walking like 20 blocks with hurting feet and wearing a mini skirt I finally got to The Playhouse where Monday Night Magic was (they moved the after the show to a different place...if you would like to go, what you totally should do, check out the link). I still had some time, so I got coffee at the diner across the street and relaxed for a few minutes. Then I went in (thank you for the ticket again, Dave...I really appreciate it!) and set in the bar area. I met a woman from Israel and it was nice and interesting to talk to her that time flew by and it was time for the show...whoo-hoo. The magicians that were on stage were very good. Dave performed during the 15-minute-break. He did some tricks that I have already seen, but I watched him because I wanted to see him and because I know it is always nice to have a familiar face in the audience. I could tell, he was a little nervous but he did great as always. For the rest of the show we sat together and afterwards we went to a 'Foccaceria' with some of his magician friends. That was very interesting and fun...I have never seen so many people with cards in one spot...lol. I have seen quite some tricks there, too...it was a lot of fun! I also met an Italian guy who grew up in London and lives here now, he was real nice and it was fun talking Italian to him :) When he asked me who I was with and I pointed towards Dave, the conversation wasn't that vivid anymore...hahaha. It was a really fun night and I wasn't even tired when Dave drove me home at like 1ish. Puhhhh...what a long and interesting day!

Rockefeller Center Observation Deck

2005-05-09T19:01:00.000-04:00

Business Meetings

2005-05-09T18:23:00.000-04:00

Our editor-in-chief has been here for Pow Wow, which is a tourism fair here in New York City. So we had many meetings on the days she wasn't at the fair. On Monday the 9th it was mostly me going to meetings with her and it was actually fun. In the morning we had a meeting with Berit and her boss, then we had a meeting with an agency and that went unexpectedly well...we had sunshine, which was fantastic. In the afternoon we had two meeting together with my boss, Detlef. The appointment at 4pm was regarding the Rockefeller Center Observation Deck. It was open from 1930 till 1986, but was closed due to money issues as far as I understood and it will be reopened in the fall. Since we are from the press (well our editor-in-chief at least) we already got a sneak peak on the unbelievable view...you see all of Central Park on the one side and the Empire State Building and Downtown on the other side...increadible. I will try to post pics, but I am not sure if that will work, I am having problems with the program lately. Anyways...we were actually hoping for real business going on during that meeting but in the end Detlef was pretty grumpy because it was just a press appointment with other people as well and it didn't help us at all...but I had a great time and enjoyed the view!!! After that meeting we had another meeting with one of our clients, which was nice and relaxed. But it was definitely a very long day. I worked from 8am till 6pm and let me tell you, my high heels almost killed my feet...lol.

Yankees vs. Oakland

2005-05-07T18:23:00.000-04:00

Am Samstag waren wir mal wieder beim Yankees game. Unsere Sitzplätze waren diesmal noch weiter oben und noch weiter weg als beim letzten Mal, aber das stört uns ja nicht im Geringsten. Ich hab mich mit Verena schon um 11.30 Uhr getroffen, um das Aufwärmtrainging zu sehen, aber das war beim letzten Mal definitiv besser und wärmer war es auch. Es war so kalt, dass Juliane nach dem Spiel in der U-Bahn zu mir meinte 'Jetzt sind deine Lippen wieder pink'...die waren sowas von blau, ey. Das Spiel fand ich mittelmäßig, war letztes Mal auch besser, aber wir haben gewonnen und das ist bei der hundsmieserablen Saison, die die Yankees bis jetzt gespielt haben, sehr erfreulich und eher 'out of the norm'...also waren wir diesbezüglich wenigsten alle happy, auch wenn ein paar wärmende Sonnenstrahlen sicherlich sehr wohltuend gewesen wären und die allgemeine Stimmung doch positiv beeinflusst hätte. Cool war aber, dass wir 7 Leute waren, Verena, Juliane, Heath, Bettina, Dieter, ein Freund von ihm aus Österreich und ich. Danke Verena für's organisieren und Tickets kaufen :)

The dice have been rolled...

2005-05-05T23:54:00.000-04:00

...ich weiss,ich weiss...ich bin sehr sehr schlampig und nachlaessig geworden mit bloggen, aber ich weiss einfach nicht wann ich dafuer die Zeit finden soll...naja gut, ich versuche es jetzt halt mal. Also, zunaechst einmal fuer alle daheim, die es noch nicht wissen, falls es so was gibt, ich habe ab Oktober eine Festanstellung bei meinem Unternehmen angeboten bekommen und werde also Ende September zurueck nach New York gehen, so wie es aussieht. Ich warte zwar noch auf meinen Vertrag, aber ich hoffe doch, dass das alles gut geht. Ich werde aber vom 25. August bis irgendwann Ende September in 'good old Giessen' sein :)

News & Gossip

2005-05-05T23:41:00.000-04:00

You guys have probably have been wondering why I haven't written in so long. Well, for one I am working a lot these days and I try to get some studying done, which doesn't always go too well and I constantly wish I would do more. I am actually getting scared here and there that I won't be able to accomplish all the things that I have on my big list regarding school and work...but as usual I will try and give my best. Anyways, so the reason i haven't been posting much is simple I am busy and I don't do too much exciting cause I am busy with work and school stuff and I really don't want to give you guys the details of me sitting at work or starbucks over my coffee trying to read psycholinguistics over hearing people's conversations at the table next to me...j/k, I don't do that...lol..yea right. I try not to do it cause their conversations are probably more interesting than the stuff I actually have to read...hahaha. Today I went for coffee with my friend Berit and she is so funny, we are from the same town in Germany (more or less) and always have tons to laugh and talk about...after we already got weird looks from the guy sitting at the table next to us at Starbucks (corner of 35th and 7th Ave) because we were laughing and almost screaming like idiots because we had such a good time, Berit had to go to the restroom...I should have know that this is not an easy mission...I tell her in the back of the room to the right. A few seconds later she comes towards the table, I don't see her yet but I hear her...she screams through the whole place...'SILVANAAAAA...out of order...SHIT' (now imagine that with a cute German accent ok). She has this really desperate look on her face and so we grab out stuff adn fea the place on the mission to find a restroom. A guy leaving the place after us...wasn't stupid and even though we stoke German the whole time he got the point, when she screamed OUT OF ORDER - SHIT...so he pointed Macy's out to us...hahahah. It was too funny...so with a laughing Berit on my arm (cause she could hardly walk due to laughter, having to go to the bathroom and her broken shoes) we stumbled into Macy's getting strange looks from everywhere...lol. But we had a good time and accomplished our mission successfully ;)

The Way I Starbucks Sees It ;)

2005-04-25T23:13:00.000-04:00

Once again...over the last few weeks I collected the 'words of wisdom' on the Starbucks cups...and here they are...

The way I see it # 4
Music is categorized mostly according to the ethnicity of its performers: folk, rock and church music performed by African-Americans are called blues, rhythm&blues and gospel. If books were sold that way, the shops would be picketed.

- Stephin Morritt
(Songwriter The Magnetic Fields.)

The way I see it # 28
Our schools can be fixed!
It is my belief all children deserve a
quality school in their neighborhood
that will not only serve as a place of
learning, but an haven of safety.
I believe that educators along
with the citizens of our country
can make this happen.

- Betsy Roger
(2003 National Teacher of the Year.
She teaches at Leeds Elementary
in Jefferson County, Alabama)

The way I see it # 36
Mother-love is not inevitable.
The good mother is a great artist ever
creating beauty out of chaos.

- Alice Randall
(Novelist, The Wind Done Gone and
first black woman to write a No.1
country song.)

The way I see it # 39
Every morning when I brush my teeth,
I look at the aging face in the mirror
and think, wake up, honey, it could
be worse. It could be happening to you.

- Philip Levine
(Pulitzer Prize-Winning author of
numerous poetry collections
including The Simple Truth.)

The way I see it # 41
In order to secure out own children's future we have no choice
but to contribute to a common destiny for all children.
As a father of seven children from 11 years old to 50,
this hs become my top priority.

- Quincy Jones
(Composer)

Nelly in Concert

2005-04-16T18:59:00.000-04:00

Nelly in Concert
Originally uploaded by Silvana_nyc.

Nelly - The Sweat Suit Tour

2005-04-16T18:10:00.000-04:00

Well, tonight is the night, we are going to see Nelly...whoo-hoo...The Theater at Madison Square Garden!!! I so wanted to go and see him, I love the cds and I burned Dave a copy of it, so that we are prepared...lol. I guess we weren't prepared enought because we had no clue who the opening people were. Everytime someone came up and people started screaming we were like...who is this...huh?...what?...oh Lil John and T.I. and Fat Joe...ahhh...yes yes. Of course we knew all the names and heard songs of them before...but since we are not big on watching MTV we had no clue what the people looked like (shame on us...I know I know). When Nelly finally appeared on stage the crowd went wild...and wow was I impressed by what he was wearing (the jeans were driving me wild...hahaha). Anyways, he was awesome and it was a great show. Dave and I danced a lot, which was great and although Verena isn't much of a dancer she seemed to enjoy herself. Und nun ein Kommentar auf Deutsch, weil ich das auf English nicht so gut wiedergeben kann (Ma, falls du das lesen solltest, entschuldige bitte meine Ausdrucksweise, aber so war es nun mal)...als Nelly auf die Buehne kam und da so in seinen tollen Klamotten rumgehuepft ist, konnte ich nur wiederholend sagen (zu Verena) 'Was ne geile Sau' und alles was Verena gesagt hat war 'Ja, von vorne und von hinten!!!'. Sehr passend fand ich :)

Die Gemeinschaftsküche

2005-04-16T17:11:00.000-04:00

Montag, der 11. April, ich bin ganz normal an der Arbeit und denk mir nix dabei als ich in die Küche gehe um mir einen Kaffee zu holen. Da ist ein neuer Typ, Hispanier und ausser der Norm ist er voll freundlich, stellt sich vor (fragt mich bitte nicht nach seinem Namen) und fragt mich aus, was ich mache und so. Naja, ich freundlich wie ich bin zeig ihm ein Examplar von America Journal und er gibt mit seine business card und ich geb ihm halt meine, weil es sich so gehoert. Dann fasselt er was von irgendeiner Webseite und wenn ich ein Interview wollte, dann soll ich mich an ihn wenden, er koennte mir dabei helfen...ich versteh nur Bahnhof, nehm mir aber vor später mal auf der Webseite vorbeizugucken. Mich trifft ja fast der Schlag als ich mir die Websete angucke und ich kann mich vor lachen kaum halten...das kann doch nur ein Scherz sein...es ist die Homepage fuer einen Schönheitswettbewerb www.mslatinainternational.com. Der Typ muss doch einen Dachschaden haben...hahaha. Mit der Intention mich natürlich niemals bei ihm zu melden, kümmer ich mich nicht weiter darum. Ey, am übernächsten Tag krieg ich ne Email von dem Typ (auf meine Arbeits-E-Mail Adresse, weil ich Depp ihm meine Business Card gegeben hab) in der er schreibt, wie nett es doch gewesen sein, mich kennengelernt zu haben und er sei ihn Room 19, wenn ich irgend etwas bräuchte...hallo?! HAHAHA

New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles

2005-04-10T21:10:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning 8am, my alarm goes off and I get ready to pick up Cheryl at Grand Central. It's the big day, I am actually gonna go and see the Yankees play. That was my present for Cheryl's b-day, but I did make myself a present with that, too. Cheryl was the one to say we should go early and it was a great idea because we were among the first 18,000 people entering the stadium and got a free yankees calendar :) sooooo cool!!! We watched the players practice and warm up and the sun was shining and everything was just great...the only thing was that I didn't have anything to wear from the yankees :( Oh well, I still cheered like crazy, I don't think it made a difference really...hahaha. Our seats were in Tier 15, row N, of course first we set in the wrong seats cause we entered the wrong way and ended up in Tier 13. We only noticed after we got food and wanted to go back to "our seats" but somebody else was already sitting on them and they were actually "their seats"...lol. A little bit embarrassed we figured out our seats and finally set down in "our seats" with our large coke, pretzel and popcorn. I thought this would be a perfect date, if I was there with a certain guy that is ;) Anyways, so we were waiting for Verena and her brother to come, but all the seats around us filled up, although I bought four tickets in a row and I gave Verena hers. Hmmm...someone must be wrong...lol. The game began at 1.05pm and Cheryl and I were a little chilly sitting in the shade but so excited that we didn't care all that much (but that is probably where I got my pink eye from!). Behind us was a guy who was so annoying...he hated everything and everybody on the field but Jeter...at one point his buddies were like 'dude, u hate everybody', of course I had to turn around and agree with them and smile...hahaha. He got better after that. When Verena got there we figured out that this time we were right and somebody else set on "our seats" ;) The game wasn't all that great at first, not that we cared, we were there, but when Sierra (see-ya-ra) hit a home run, nothing could have kept us on our seats...sooooooooo cool!!! We won 8 to 5 and I was so glad I picked that game (thanks to Gus, who helped me pick that game). After the game I brought Cheryl back to Grand Central and went home. Dave picked me up at 7 and we went to his house, to hang out with his roommate and his friends (and lots of great food). We had a good time, but we had plans to go to the club that night, so we went but returned after like an hour cause it sucked so bad...the worst dj on the face of the earth!!!

2005-04-10T17:48:00.000-04:00

NY Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles

2005-04-10T17:37:00.000-04:00

Can you see Doug from King of Queens? ;)

2005-04-10T17:36:00.000-04:00

Cheryl & Silvana at the game

2005-04-07T22:18:00.000-04:00

The White Mountains in good weather

2005-04-07T22:15:00.000-04:00

Mt. Washington Hotel & Resort full view

2005-04-07T22:14:00.000-04:00

Mt. Washington Hotel & Resort

2005-04-07T17:50:00.000-04:00

Business Trip to NH

Business Trip - Day 4 and 5

2005-04-06T21:05:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, last day...good! It was fun, but also very exhausting. I meat some more people with our publisher that morning and went to another speech and at around noon the whole thing ended. At the breakfast table I found out that morning that it was Detlef's Birthday, I couldn't believe it...I had no clue. At least after everybody left and the weather was beautiful, we went for a walk to the Lodge and used the swimming pool and jacuzzi there. That was real good...I so needed to relax and swimming felt so good. I wish they had public indoor swimming pools in this country, but unless you go to college, stay in a hotel or are a member of a gym, you are out of luck. Anyways, after walking back to the hotel we still had to do some more work and at night I finally got some me (and Alias) time and I went to bed early. On Thursday we drove back and I got to drive 3 hours (felt so good...I miss driving a lot) and we had two more business meetings. When I finally got home around 4pm I was so happy to see my little shack...hahaha. And the best thing was that I was able to do laundy that day, so I didn't have to do that on the weekend :) My first longer and I would say successful business trip. I still don't know what is going to happen after the end of my internship, though. The publisher told me he will think about it and get back to me...so keep your fingers crossed!!!

Business Trip - Day 3

2005-04-05T21:04:00.000-04:00

I think when my alarm went of at like 6 something and I actually got up, I was still a little drunk from the night before (or should I say from a few hours before...hehehe). This time breakfast was super early and I had trouble keeping my eyes open all day actually. It was the same procedure as the day before, standing at the table, being nice and smiling and when I had realized that the indoor pool was under construction that didn't really help me being in a better mood (esp. after I had just bought a new bikini on Saturday...lol). Anyways, I also went to sit with our publisher so I could get more into the routine of things and to see what the editorial coverage might be like, etc. and of course to do some more networking and smiling and shaking hands. By the time we went to dinner...I couldn't smile anymore...all I wanted was to go to bed and get some rest from all the people (like 400 participants). I was never alone but to sleep and there was no recharging time whatsoever really...so I was kind of longing for an hour by myself fully awake and conscious!!! But no!!! To get some 'ME' time I kept going to the bathroom...lol...on one of those walks I met the British guy, whom I had not seen all day...when he saw me he shouted 'Silvana, I am so sorry, I really have to apologize for last night'. All I said was 'where were u all day, did u hide?' He was like 'yes'...hahaha. I did tell him also, that I was surprised that he even remembered all the things he said...he said he was actually not so sure he did...very funny that was! Although I was pretty tired I ended up going to 'the cave again' to network...which was actually a good idea. But I was so glad to be in bed when I finally got there at like 11.30!!!

Business Trip - Day 2

2005-04-04T21:04:00.000-04:00

We had a late start...which was nice...we only had breakfast at like 8.30 and while Detlef had a nice omlette and sausage, I had oatmeal, yoghurt and of course sweets...lol. Then we started hanging out at our table waiting for clients and potential clients to come by, to talk to us about the magazine, exchange business cards, etc....and always smile, be nice and happy clappy! Well this basically went on all day and was only interrupted by food (which seemed to be all the time...I guess I should have been happy..at least they didn't want us to starve...lol). Dinner time...Detlef (my boss btw, in case you didn't know by now) and I sad at a table where we didn't know anybody to do some networking...well we happened to know Heike, a German travel writer who nearly drove us insane by penetrating us with her presence...so annyoing!!! Anyways, a couple of interesting people sat at our table and I mostly spoke to the one to my right, who was a British guy that started drinking at like 4pm cause there wasn't anything else to do according to him...hmmmm...ok. Our conversations were nice and civilized and almost business like but that was about to change. After dinner many people went downstairs to 'the cave', the hotel bar and so did Detlef and I. While we were standing at the bar, I noticed that the guy standing next to me was never able to order a drink because the bar tender totally neglected him...so I helped him out and got a free drink out of it...hehehe...after Detlef went to sleep the British guy from the dinner table came back and was so wasted. He started complimenting me and telling me all the things he would like to do with me if I would only go to his room with him...omg...so ridiculous...and so detailed...hmmm...never heard so many things that someone like about me after knowing me for like 4 hours maybe (and with knowing I mean having talked to me for about an hour maybe...lol)...very interesting. I didn't want to make a scene so I kept telling him no and that I am not interested, which he understood but he just kept going anyways...hahaha...all I could do was laugh, but after a while it got a bit too much and thankfully the guy from the bar helped me out and freed me. That was a very interesting night indeed and when I went to bed at like 1.30 with too many vodka cranberry in my body I was knocked out right away.

Business Trip - Day 1

2005-04-03T21:03:00.000-04:00

Sunday, noon...Detlef calls and tells me he will be there around 1pm. When he gets here we start our six and a half hour trip to Bretton Woodsm, New Hamphire were we will be attending the Discover New England Summit 2005. I am the co-pilot, reading the map and everything goes pretty smoothly. Once we hit Vermont, the streets were pretty deserted and I got to drive the last hour and a half to our beautiful hotel. I have never been to a hotel like this before, at least not to stay there. So nice, unbelievable...but you can see that on the pictures, I guess...lol. Anyways, when we got there we had like 30 minutes till the restaurant claused and since we had just gotten there we went to the restaurant in Jeans and Boots...but no way...they told us no Jeans and men need Jackets...we were like 'you got to be kidding, we have like 20 minutes'...but no, we had to go change. I was quick...I was hungry...hahaha. When I got back downstairs, the guy who seats people even put the chair underneath my butt...goodness, I am so not used to this fanciness...a bit much, but ok. The food was alright, but not the greatest and while we were eating out publisher came to sit with us for like a drink and then left again. We were actually hoping for a talk, but nothing. We were pretty beat and the actually summit was starting the next morning (way too early ;) ), so we went to our rooms to get a good night sleep. I wish I had know before how much more sleep I could have needed...hahaha.

Rain and sickness

2005-04-02T22:36:00.000-05:00

When I got up this morning it rained...I really dislike rain, unless you are in bed with a special someone sharing the romantic situation underneath the covers ;) Anyways, no special someone next to me today...so the rain sucked! lol!!! I was still sick when I got up this morning and it is really no fun having the sniffels and a cough when you know you are going on a business trip where you would preferably impress people...definitely no karaoke for me ;) I must have been a funny sight today, trying to balance my big laundry bag on my shoulder like Santa, wearing my backpack and holding my umbrella in the other hand...yea, forget it...I didn't have enough hands to open that umbrella up...so I got wet caring an umbrella with me...hahaha. Those are the days I am wishing desperately for a car or a helping hand...lol. I did menage, though and while my laundy was getting washing, I started packing for the trip...while my laundry was drying I went to Target and got some things for the trip and also a bikini...cause the Hotel has an indoor pool (not that I will probably be able to use it since I am sick...but hey, I can wish for it, right?!). Back home I chatted with Verena and cheryl and made myself some rice with sauce and mushrooms and watched a movie with my sick roommate Jeffy. I wonder if I got him sick or he got me sick, or if we got sick independently...hahaha. I actually ironed some of my clothes today...whoo-hoo and then I packed the rest...did some research and corrected my resume some more and now it's almost time to go to bed again. I am still inspired by the concert, though and the cd that I have been listening to almost all day and I would like to write some stuff or play my guitar but with that kind of voice maybe not the best idea...lol.

Marc Broussard Concert

2005-04-02T11:10:00.000-05:00

Heath told us about Marc Broussard...Heath we are very very thankful :) Verena was the one who told us about the concert of course...lol...and in return of me making her pasta she got me a ticket. I got a pretty bad cold and yesterday morning, I thought I wasn't gonna be able to go to the concert after the most horrible subway ride of my life. I got so sick on the subway that I thought I would have to throw up. I could literally feel the cold sweat droplets grow on my forehead and had no where to go but a super packed, hot and sticky subway that was in the middle of the Manhattan Bridge. I must have looked so terrible that a young woman offered me her seat and I could only thankfully nodd and accept. Slowely but surely it got better but still weak I tumbled out of the subway at Penn Station so that another guy asked me if I was already. I felt so sick that I could hardly speak so I just said yea, just need to make it to work. My only hope was sitting down! Anyways, I made it to work and although my voice still sounds horrible my condition got better and better throughout the day so that I was actually able to go to the concert at night (very surprisingly after this start of the day).

Since I had said that I think I wasn't gonna go Verena asked Reingard if she could ask Derek if he wanted to go with them. After I told Verena I was gonna go, she didn't get a hold of Reingard and nobody knew what was going on. Well, in the end we were all there and one ticket short...now Verena and I both felt bad. Since the concert was sold out, Reingard sold her ticket and went with Derek somewhere else. Hmmm...wasn't a particularly good start and seeing all the teenage girls didn't necessarily make it better. Irving Plaza, that is where the concert took place, was pretty cool...should be a club I think...very cool. The first girl who performed was the nameless performer for us for the longest time, only after the show we found out her name was Aslyn. She was real good...a great voice and a lot of energy...impressive! A lot of energy was not exactly what Juliane and I had. Juliane is sick, too so both of us were just standing there, smiling, not saying much cause we aren't particularly strong speakers these days...I think I have never been that quiet ever at a concert that I actually enjoyed...a whole new experience ;) After Aslyn was a band named Will Hoge...him and his band members were a bit too cool for me. He wasn't bad, just his performance I wasn't too fond of. But then it was Marc Broussard's turn to impress us. After he played for about 5 minutes Juliane said...he looks like a young Jack Bauer (Kiefer Southerland's name in the show 24)...and she loves Jack Bauer...so she already liked Marc. I must say he was really cute...a bit young with his 22 years...but tststs CUTE!!! So here we were, three grown women grinning like teenangers....hahaha. His first guest star was Toby Lightman, Verena was in heaven, she has seen her already twice. Great, great voice and the duet was just incredibly cool. At the end he brought his dad on stage to play with him the ancor including his most popular song 'Home' from his latest album 'carenco' (which I had to buy of course...me the supporter of not yet that well known artists). I wasn't really looking when the most funny thing happened...he threw his towel and when i looked up it was directly coming towards us. Instinctively I raised my hand and Juliane and I and this Japanese girl (that pissed us off all night) caught it...I just looked at the girl and said calmely 'It's mine!'...so she let go and Juliane and I own Marc Broussard's sweaty towel now...how much more teenager like can you get in one night...hahaha...but we had a great time! Since Verena was the one responsible for us going there (well and Heath of course, but sorry Heath, you weren't there) I will cut the towel in three and each of us gets a piece. That was definitely a night to remember.

Ps: Yes, Juliane...you are absolutely correct...I am very sorry for almost not mentioning it...we were indeed sniffing the towel on the sidewalk like 13year olds as soon as we got out of the concert...hehehe.

2005-04-02T11:08:00.000-05:00

The Towel

2005-04-02T11:03:00.000-05:00

Marc & der Papa

2005-04-02T10:59:00.000-05:00

Marc Broussard & Toby Lightman

2005-04-02T10:58:00.000-05:00

Marc Broussard

2005-04-02T10:53:00.000-05:00

Aslyn

Mount Washington Resort

2005-03-29T21:59:00.000-05:00

If you click on the title you will see where I will go on my business trip. I can't believe I will be staying in such a nice place and not having to pay a dime for it...you gotta love it! I am getting pretty excited...hahaha...I know it's a business trip and not a vacation, but hey I get to stay in this great place instead of my lonely place in front of my computer and they have windows everywhere :)

The Way I See It # 29

2005-03-28T13:38:00.000-05:00

For a change I got a Vanilla Latte before work this morning, 1. because I was surprisingly early for a change and 2. just because I felt like it and I some cookies from church (last night) left and I thought they would taste much better with a Starbucks coffee than the crappy coffee here at work (not that you think I am posting stuff instead of working...I am officially on lunch break!). Anyways, since I started the whole The Way I See It - what does it say on the Starbucks cups thing, I will just continue doing it and bore the heck out of you guys...hehehe. Here is what # 29 says:

Every language is an old-growth forest of the mind,
a waterhed of thought, an ecosystem of spiritual
possibilities. Of the 6,000 languages spoken today,
fully half are not being taught to children.
Every two weeks an elder dies and carries into
the grave the last syllables of an ancient tongue.
Within a generatin or two we are losing half of
humanity's social, cultural and intellecutal legacy.

- Dr. Wade Davis
(National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence)

Kind of sad...hmmm...

Grimaldi's, Dave and Easter

2005-03-28T13:30:00.000-05:00

Well, you already know about Friday and I already mentioned I was going to hang out with Dave on Saturday. We went to Grimaldi's in Brooklyn, the supposedly best pizza place in all of New York (even better than Lombardi's...hmmm). When we got there we first couldn't find parking and had to park in a parking garage and then stand in line in the cold for about 45 minutes. All I could think of was 'this pizza better be exceptional'. The view was gorgeous cause it is directly underneath the Brooklyn Bridge, so when you stand in line you see the Bridge and you are so close to the water that you see Pier 17 on the other side...very nice...could be very romantic actually. During our wait Dave came up with a great new entrepeneural idee (he gets these visions quite often and radomly...lol)...can't say, though...cause I don't want anybody to steel his idea ;) Finally around 9pm we got our well deserved pizza and I have to say it was worth the wait but next time we will order out and just go back to my place...hahaha. The crust was thin, almost thin like in Italy but still the tomatoe sauce is better at Lombardi's...therefore, the best pizza would be available at a place called Grimbardi's...Not Gonna Happen - I know! You call that wishful thinking :)

The rest of Saturday and Sunday I spent at Dave's...I will spear you the details ;) All I say is that when we went to the pizza place for lunch on Sunday (yes I know...pizza again...lol...gotta love it) and the guy there asked us if we had a good Easter so far, we were both just smiling from one ear to the other...hahaha. I actually almost forgot that it was Easter, since it is just not the same if you have to go to work on Friday and Monday instead of being off like in Germany, plus not having my family around for the holiday doesn't make it easier. Berit and I went to church, though at night. It was a Baptist Church on the Upper West Side and I have to say I really liked the service, I actually might go back and not just for the free cookies and coffee they serve afterwards (gelle Berit) ;) No seriously, I loved the songs and I missed Wiebi so much, she really would have adored the one lady singing. Berit and I were true Germans afterwards, we were already standing in front of the room where they served coffee and cookies waiting for the doors to open. Berit instructed me...you get a plate with cookies and I go and grab the coffee...hahaha...we had a lot of fun as you can imagine. Afterwards we went to McDonald's and talked forever about how things are going for us at the moment. It was really cool and I am glad she is here in New York and I get to know her better. Hopefully we both get to come back in the fall, so we can hang out some more and be very funny together...lol.

Mal wieder einen Einblick in Silvana's Dating Welt

2005-03-26T11:15:00.000-05:00

So, heute ist es mal wieder soweit, dass ich Dave sehe :) Ich mit meiner furchtbaren Paranoia, denk immer jeder Mann luegt und alles ist nur schwindel. Naja, wirklich verdenken kann man es mir nicht, aber langsam muss ich da mal drueber wegkommen, denn ich mach so immer alles noch schwieriger und im Endeffekt kaputt. Ich werd halt mistrauisch, wenn ich jemanden date und dann voll wenig von dem hoer...aber gut Silvana, nicht jeder ist wie du! Bis jetzt kann ich mich aber auf Dave's Wort verlassen, wenn er sagt, wir sehen oder treffen uns, dann war das bis jetzt auch immer so und nachdem ich gestern dann gefragt hab, wann wir uns wo treffen, hat er auch brav zurueckgerufen...hehehe. Das duerfte dann also Date # 5 1/2 sein und geplant ist Essen gehen in der angeblich besten Pizzeria in New York...nein, nicht Lombardi's aber Grimaldi's in Brooklyn, direkt unter der Brooklyn Bridge. Bin ja mal gepannt ob wir das finden, gell Ma...hahaha. Ich freu mich ihn zu sehen und bin sicher ich lass euch wissen, wie es gelaufen ist :)

2005-03-26T11:10:00.000-05:00

after the downfall

2005-03-26T11:09:00.000-05:00

out in the city

The Downfall

2005-03-26T11:08:00.000-05:00

Gestern war Karfreitag und ich musste Arbeiten...oh freude...viele meiner Bekannten waren daheim und haben es sich gut gehen lassen. Ich hatte jedenfalls so keine Lust, aber bin dann im Endeffekt bis 19.30 Uhr an der Arbeit gewesen, unblaublich aber wahr. Anyways, in letzter Zeit habe ich mich oeftes mal wieder mit einem Bekannten von der Fairfield University unterhalten, der kuerzlich durch eine schmerzhafte Trennung gegaben ist und ich dachte, er koennte in dieser beschissenen Zeit einen Freund gebrauchen. Gestern haben wir geredet und da er von der Deutschen Sprache so besessen ist im Moment, dachte ich vielleicht hat er ja Lust mit den Maedels und mir den Film The Downfall (Der Untergang) gucken zu gehen. Der Film ist ueber die Zeit im Bunker bei Hitler im Zweiten Weltkrieg (fuer die die ihn nicht kennen sollten). Ich haette nie wirklich damit gerechnet, dass er mitkommt, weil er im westen von NJ wohnt, aber er war ganz spontan und meinte ok...er habe eh nix vor und nur drauf gewartet, dass jemand anderes Plaene hat, an die er sich anschliessen kann. Gut dann. Ich hab also gearbeitet voll lange und hab mich dann mit Juliane noch auf nen Tee/Kaffee getroffen vorm Film. Bin diese Woche in einer hundsmieserablen Stimmung gewesen, nicht witzig, auch fuer meine Freunde nicht - sorry. Aber es geht wieder besser, diese Hormene sind echt manchmal sowas von im Weg. Naja, jedenfalls sind Juliane, Verena, Isaac und ich dann in den Film gegangen und ich bin ja kein Freund von Kriegsfilmen, aber der Film war schon gut, wenn auch sehr blutig. Danach waren alle ein wenig...mhhh...duestere Stimmung...aber wir haben dann beschlossen noch was trinken zu gehen und sind erstmal ewig rumgelaufen bis wir dann eine ganz nette Bar gefunden haben...fragt mich bitte weder wie sie heisst, noch wo sie genau ist...wir hatten jedenfalls Spass. So um 3 Uhr war ich dann daheim und Jeff ist auch erst nach Hause gekommen, also haben wir uns mal wieder zusammengesetzt und ein wenig ueber die Wohnsituation geplaudert und so...war lange ueberfaellig und sehr nett...jo, der Jeffi ist schon ein suesser...griens.

Starbucks - The way I see it # 33

2005-03-26T10:37:00.000-05:00

Here it goes again...I made it my hobby almost to copy down whatever it says on the Starbucks cups, whenever I go there (to study of course ;) ). I went again on Thursday to escape my loud house and to just focus on studying instead of using the internet or getting bombarded by messages...I am glad I get them cause it means that I have great friends, but sometimes it is a bit much...I love u all, though...lol.

Anyays here is what mine said...

Hot allusions
Metaphors over easy
Side order of rythm
Grits plin or with sauce

Message:
If you want to be poet
you've got to eat right.

(by Nikku Giovanni, Poet)

Now isn't that a hell of a poem to put on a coffee cup and so deep and truely meaningful...lol.

2005-03-21T23:11:00.000-05:00

What we did instead of the Statue of Liberty&Ellis Island

How I still haven't seen the Statue of Liberty

2005-03-20T21:55:00.000-05:00

Cheryl and I had our plans all made up and were ready to go...well she was ready to go at like 8.30ish and I was still sleeping till 10. Sorry, babe for being bored...you should wake me up next time cause I should entertain you when you come to see me. But thank you for letting me sleep :) Anyways, so we slowly got up and got ready and by the time we got to Battery Park it was packed with tourists...out of all days we had to pick the nicest day this year...of course...that's Murphy's law, isn't it?! We watched the guys doing some moves and jumps and stuff and when the announcer said over the speakers that the waiting line is about 45 min to get tickets to the ferry and then again 45 min to get on the boat we were like 'no, thank you'. Later on it turned out to be a great idea cause we got to see so much more! After checking out the purses the guys sell on the side of the street (like real tourists...whoo-hoo) we went to Southstreet Seaport. They totally have massage chairs ($1 for 3min - so worth it) and they are so great...I wonder if their hands never get tired (right Cheryl?)...hehehe. After the first 3min we both were like...oh no...i so can't get up...and of course we put in another dollar...hehehe. After that we were so relaxed that we couldn't even walk. Cheryl got fries and we ended up sitting outside on the deck in these really cool chairs with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge...what else can you want...sigh...so nice!!! And this was only the beginning of our great day. We took the subway to Soho and walked around for a little bit and went to Cafe Cafe (thank you Nazar). It is a cute little place, very European with a touch of Northern African influence...very relaxing, nice and cute. It made me feel a bit like sitting in Europe somewhere (more in the southern parts) and I thought...no matter what happens with my visa situation, I will be fine because then I can have my Europe back and I do miss the idea of not being able to Rome for like 50bucks or to wherever I want with ryanair...lol. And what would a Cheryl weekend be without at least seeing Central Park ;) so we went through a little bit and went to see 'The Shops' in Time Warner. That place is incredible. Our feet were pretty much done and we just wanted to go and get pizza. So we went to Lombardi's in Little Italy and got there at exacly 5 like we planned on (aren't we good)...and of course we had to wait like 45min for a table...but it was so worth it...sooooo good...mmmhhhh. We will bring Mama and Papa C here, there is no doubt about it. Stuffed and with sore feet we dragged ourselves back to Brooklyn...only being able to collapse on my airbed with the laptop infront of us watching Raising Helen before falling asleep before midnight. What a beautiful and fun day :)

Cheryl, Trish and Gret in NYC

2005-03-20T21:54:00.000-05:00

Another Comedy Club experience at THE IMPROV...I met Dave after work in Penn Station and together we walked to Grand Central to pick up Cheryl, Trisha and Garrett, who were coming down from Fairfield. When we met in the main course of the train station Trish and Gret had a present for me...I was so confused when they said Happy Birthday that I must have had an expression on my face as if I wanted to say...am I nuts or you guys, my b-day was in November. It was a great surprise and I love Cool Water for Women!!! :) We walked to the Coldstone Creamery on Time Square and besides Garrett, who gave up on ice-cream for the lent (you have my deepest admiration..i would never be able to do that) we all had yummie coldstones. We met Verena in front of the Improv and since Berit wasn't there I gave her a call...she answered sleepy and in great surprise 'Silvana!????' She fell asleep with all her clothes on and decided to go back to sleep...hahaha. The show was great. The one lady cracked all of us up and Dave almost killed the table by slaming on it continuously...the comic loved him...hahahaha. Garrett had a great time, too and Verena had no clue sometimes what was going on...that alone was funny (sorry...but it's true). After the show we went back to Grand Central and Garrett and Trish went back to Fairfield :( but Cheryl stayed :) and Dave, Cheryl and I had more ice-cream (yes, we are sick!!!) before we went to Penn Station and said goodnight. All in all it was a great and very funny night...thanks to all of you!!!

Verena in Prospect Heights and Park Slope

2005-03-19T23:45:00.000-05:00

Verena und ich hatten einen Deal...sie bezahlt mein Ticket fuer Marc Broussard und ich mach fuer sie Pasta und zeig ihr dann noch Prospect Park und Park Slope, damit sie denn auch mal was von meiner Nachbarschaft sieht. Endlich endlich nach endlosen nicht eintreffenden Verabredungen, haben wir es schliesslich geschafft. Am Sonntag ist Verena zum Mittagessen gekommen und danach haben wir uns aufgemacht zum Prospect Park. Eine Haltestelle sind wir mit der Q von 7th Avenue zu Prospect Park gefahren, da ich mal die andere Seite vom Park sehen wollte. Wie man auf den Bildern sehen kann, ist der Park sehr schoen und es ist so grossartig mal das Gefuehl zu haben nicht in einer riesigen Stadt zu sein. Muss fuer Verena, die ja an der Upper East Side wohnt noch viel mehr so sein, als fuer mich...die in residential Brooklyn wohnt. Nach dem Park sind wir dann nach Park Slope gelaufen. Verena fand es da richtig klasse und wir haben das österreichische Cafe Steinhof gefunden und planen bald einen Besuch zum Abendessen...mmhhhh. Bei Barnes&Nobels haben wir noch reingeschaut und natuerlich musste es mal wieder Kaffee bei Starbucks sein :) War ein super schoener Sonntag Nachmittag und nichts von einem Blues weit und breit zu spüren, schon laenger nicht mehr, eigentlich...cool.

2005-03-19T23:10:00.000-05:00

Prospect Park & Park Slope

Neues aus Silvanas Dating-Welt

2005-03-15T21:15:00.000-05:00

Nach meinem letzten Dating Erlebnis, folge dann ein weiteres, dem ich nicht entrinnen konnte. Hatte mal wieder online jemanden kennengelernt vor nem Monat ungefaehr, der vom Bild nach dann auch endlich mal wieder meinem Typ entsprach ;) Hab mir mit dem so hin und her geschrieben und mir nix dabei gross gedacht, weil in den wenigsten Fällen kommt es dann tatsächlich zu einem Treffen. Während der ganzen Aktion mit dem Daten, fragt der neuen Online-Freund mich doch tatsächlich nach nem Date...Klein Silvana nett wie sie ist und nicht konfliktbereit in dieser Situation sagt natuerlich zu und entkommt dem Dating-Dilemma auch dieses Mal wieder nicht...kaum das eine Dilemma hinter sich gebracht, beginnt moeglicherweise schon ein Neues. Das Date mit meinem Online-Freund hat sich als sehr cool und witzig entpuppt und mitlerweile waren wir schon ein paar Mal miteinander aus. Also vorerst kein wirkliches Dilemma, nur die ueblichen Klein Silvana Sorgen...null Vertrauen, Angst und nicht glauben koennen, dass es soweit ganz gut läuft. Schauen Sie also wieder vorbei, wenn es demnächste heisst 'Neues aus Silvanas Dating-Welt und den 3 Ds'.

Starbucks - The way I see it # 38

2005-03-15T21:09:00.000-05:00

...this is what people like me read on their Starbucks cups when they are supposed to actually study...lol...

After traveling to and performing in more than 50 different countries I've realized th no matter what laws were created for the people, songs and music seemed to transcend everything. Government can be cancerous to civilization therefore I've also realized that although born in one country, I claim to be a citizen of the world instead of arrogantly above it.

~ Chuck D (Musician)

Die 3 Ds - Das Dating Dilemma

2005-03-02T23:19:00.000-05:00

Also ganz ehrlich, dieses Land und seine Dating Gepflogenheiten werde ich wohl nie verstehen. Also es gibt casual dating, exclusive dating, friends mit benefits, a relationship (Beziehung) und was weiss ich nicht noch alles. Jedenfalls ist das mit dem Dating und mit mir ein Chaos. Wenn mich ein Typ fragt, ob wir mal was Essen gehen wollen, denk ich mir immer nix gross dabei und mein so 'ja, warum nicht, essen muss der Mensch ja (wenn auch nicht gerne abends, Verena...hihihi). Naja wenn ich dann daheim bin...macht es ratter ratter ratter und meine mueden Gehirnzellen fangen an zu realisieren, dass das ja ein Date sein soll. Naja und es gibt ein Date und zwei und beim dritten ist es Standard dann schon mehr zu machen als nur Haendchen halten, wenn ihr wisst, was ich meine ;) und da krieg ich dann schon immer gleich die Krise bevor ich mit jemandem aus war. Jedenfalls hab ich den Gus ja nur so casual gedated, das war ja gar nix fuer mich...nie zu wissen, wann man den anderen denn mal wieder sieht, in einer, zwei oder vier Wochen und vor allem, ob sich die Person auch noch mit anderen trifft. Wenn mir ein Typ gefaellt, siehe Kevin von der Arbeit, dann hat der kein Interesse oder will halt nix wirkliches, siehe Gus und dann gibt es halt die Typen, die nett sind und was enstes suchen und klein Silvana findet immer was, um abzuspringen oder gar nicht erst auszugehen...Hab ich jetzt etwa seit Neuestem auch noch Beziehungsangst??? Hmmm....Jedenfalls mein juenstes Dilemma betrifft Brandon, den tollen Saenger vom Karaoke. Er war super nett und wir hatten am Samstag ein Date. Es war auch gut und alles, wir waren in einem super feinen Restaurant 'Eileen's' und danach haben wir uns mit den anderen zum Karaoke getroffen. Ich hatte schon Spass und singen ist eh immer voll cool, aber es hat halt nicht geklickt, er war vom Aussehen nicht unbedingt mein Typ und ein Mann der zur Gesichtsbehandlung geht ist auch schon irgendwie komisch fuer mich. Naja und der letzte Rest hat mir dann noch gegeben als er am Telefon gestern dann gleich nach dem naechsten Date fragte und meinte, wir sollten ein langes Wochenende nach San Francisco fliegen, weil ich da noch nie war...da gingen bei mir dann nur noch alle Schotten runter und ich so 'NEE'...naja, Wiebke falls du dir vorstellen kannst wie ich mit verschrenkten Armen bei deinen Eltern am Tisch sitze, Unterlippe ueber Oberlippe und 'nee, mit denen red ich GAR nix' sage, dann weisst du wie es innerlich in mir aussah ;) Ja spaetestens nach der Aussage, dass er nach Atlanta beruflich soll, er aber in New York bleiben will, hat es mir schon gedaemmert und dann als er auch noch sagte, er muesse unbedingt nachlesen, wie sich Deutsche kulturell von Amerikanern in Beziehungen und Ausdrucksweisen unterscheiden, hab ich ja schon fast die Krise gekriegt. Das macht man doch nicht, wenn man einmal zusammen weg war und sich weniger als zwei Wochen kennt...Hallo, das geht doch nun wirklich ein bisschen zu weit. Naja, nach dem ich dann heute gemeint hab, nur Freunde und so, meinte er, dass er das nicht will und was anderes sucht, und dass er eh nach Atlanta geht so wie es aussieht...ah ja, auf einmal...tststs. Man darf also gespannt sein auf weitere Dating-Episoden aus dem Hause Labombarda, S. und ich werde auch sicher darueber berichten.

2005-02-27T20:20:00.000-05:00

Verena&Silvana in Fairfield

2005-02-27T20:15:00.002-05:00

Cheryl&Silvana

2005-02-27T20:15:00.001-05:00

Verena in Fairfield

2005-02-27T20:15:00.000-05:00

Verena am Long Island Sound

Und ab auf's Land

2005-02-27T20:11:00.000-05:00

Nachdem ich mit Verena mal wieder eine laengere Diskussion hatte, dass ja keiner was macht, was ihr Spass macht und dass sie sich immer um alles kuemmern muss und dass ich ja nie mit ihr Essen gehe abends (einfach, weil mir das immer so schwer im Magen liegt und nicht aus Bosheit!!!)...hab ich gesagt 'morgen fahren wir wohin und holen dich mal aus dem gestressten Grossstadtleben raus'. Von der Idee war sie begeistert :) Also ich die Cheryl angerufen und gefrabt, ob es ok waer, wenn wir morgen (Sonntag) kommen...sie muesse auch nicht die ganze Zeit mit uns verbringen (wollte ihr ja auch nicht ihren freien Sonntag stehlen), aber es waer cool, wenn sie uns die Strand-Campus-Dairy Queen (lecker Eis) Tour geben koennte ;) Spätestens bei Dairy Queen war sie überzeugt...hahaha. Gesagt, getan...trotz Date, Karaoke bis nachts, labern bis frueh morgens mit Casey, nachdem ich daheim war bis ca. 4.30 Uhr, habe ich mich am Sonntag um 8.30 Uhr aus dem Bett geschält und war tatsächlich um 9.45 Uhr am Grand Central Station Ticketschalter, um Verena und mein Ticket zu kaufen. Verena, aufgeregt wie ein kleines Kind...hihi...bewaffnet mit Fotoaparat und Kamera...voller Erwartung auf das was sie in Fairfield zu erwarten hat. Also wir dann ein bisschen mehr als eine Stunde später in 'Pleasantville' ausgestiegen sind, konnten man den Unterschied zur Grossstadt sofort spüren...diese Ruhe...seufz. Langsam schlendernd, fotografierend und griensend sind wir zu Borders und haben mal so richtig ausgiebig gestoebert bis uns schliesslich Cheryl für unsere kleine Rundreise abgeholt hat. Man könnte meinen, ich sei zum ersten Mal da gewesen..natürlich nicht, war z.B. grad die Woche vorher da, aber es war wunderschönes Wetter und einfach so friedlich, dass der Tag für Verena und mich eine Erholung und ein Auftanken darstellte...und Dairy Queen war natürlich auch nicht ganz schlecht (Danke übrigens nochmal, Verena). Abends zurück in Manhattan und Brooklyn waren wir zwei zwar ein wenig geschafft, aber doch recht erholt und zufrieden. Und das Fazit des Tages war: Wir müssen sowas jetzt öfters machen!!! :)

2005-02-21T22:48:00.000-05:00

Juliane and Shawn at the Gates

Silvana at the Gates

2005-02-21T22:44:00.000-05:00

Silvana at the

2005-02-21T22:40:00.001-05:00

The Gates