Hosive

we commemorate these special days for two special groups: our jewish friends…..and fans of the new york yankees.

mazel tov!

so i asked our friend leo chen one day, if his name is short for anything or is it just leo? he said….just leo. it got me thinking where that name came from. then we just started making up origins of the name. and started calling him permutations of leo.

at this point, we have enough for 52 weeks…a whole year! but some of them are not as good as others…so the door is still open. if you see one that is lame and you had a better one…then shame on you slacker! get it in before we unleash not as good ones!

this week…. this week…. i will call my friend leo, leopalooza.

look at what i’ve called my friend leo so far

leonardo

leopold

for christmas, noel

leotard

leopatra

leoben(for bsg)

leometro

bibliotecha

fileo fish

leodis

leodore

leonazi

leopard

diosleos!

le occitane

speleology

leo and behold

leona helmsley

leogeo

leolithic

hustle and fleo

leonidas

los angeleos

liopleurodon

l-eon flux

the kings of leon

chameleon

jaleo

galileo

teleological

leophyte

leopolitan

nucleon

leonheart

john mayer leo

paleontologist

the clio awards

napoleon

leonatology/big poppa leo

sierra leone

leoclassical

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

being both a tourist and native favorite is a hard thing to juggle. however, being at the other end of the brooklyn bridge helps a lot. after many trek from manhattan to the dark side, they know about the pizza that’s served around the corner. but in between waiting on line and taking iconic pictures on the waterfront, they also take in some home made ice cream. i suspect in the summertime, they kill.

we went in the early fall and did not get pizza…but we still got ice cream.

no exotic flavors but plenty of favorites: chocolate chip with chunks, butter pecan, strawberry, vanilla……

…and all my women were happy!

even my little one!

but she’ll have to wait til next time for a taste.

as usual, the chicago shows were epic. i came to hear the new tunes, stay and bad….and we got them all!

i’ve come to chicago the past 5 tours dating all the way back to zoo tv in the early 90′s and we’ve always had a great, great time…and the band loves chicago….turning out super unique setlists and gems just for this city. i would almost dare say i would rather see u2 in chicago than in my hometown of new york. luckily, i don’t have to choose.

we got into the pit both nights…the secret this time around was to not…not…not…i said: not being in the front row. the stage was so high that some complained that after waiting all day, they looked at a wall and only saw the top of the band’s heads!!! and so much happened around the stage that they needed a 360 degree neck to see it all.

so we hung out in the middle of the pit. and sang our innards out.

but u2 shows for us are not just about music and the band. they are very much about reunions and friends. we take the opportunity every 3-4 years to reconnect with old friends in different cities around the country.

chicago is a homecoming for a lot of my efc friends! this time around efc people came from ny, md, la, chicago and almost vancouver! we missed debby this time around. and we made new friends with rachel, christine, alexi…teaching them our secrets and helping them get closer than they had ever been.

and are you kidding me??? snow patrol opened for them?? it was 2 concerts in one.

chicago equals epic. these shows renewed my soul again.

goodbye, chicago. thanks, again. we will see you soon. don’t you, forget about me(us)

my baby takes the morning train. she works from 9 to 5 and then takes it home again. to find us waiting for her.

except when i take zoe to go see her.

the office seems to get excited when zoe visits even if she merely poops or sleeps.

in theory, theresa could work this way….if they let her.

i am away at a retreat so please enjoy this old school pic i found at my aunts when we went over for april’s wedding. i am rocking the bow tie.

these have been epic days in the magical fall. i got to do my cousin april’s wedding to ming chen….her mom, is my aunt and former roommate when we cantonese packed it in after arriving to the country. i barely get to see my mom’s side due to real and imagined reasons and logistics but it was good for my soul to be able to help out my family since i spend so much of my life giving to those i’m not related to. grateful that i’ve had so many more connections at the cousins level since returning into the city. that part of my life is almost a black hole but this weekend was a spark. an epic spark.

we took the opportunity of dressing up and being together to take some family shots. these pics and days are also rare. part of my magical fall so far.

i met my cousin zoe this week. i love her.

see you in texas!

so i asked our friend leo chen one day, if his name is short for anything or is it just leo? he said….just leo. it got me thinking where that name came from. then we just started making up origins of the name. and started calling him permutations of leo.

at this point, we have enough for 52 weeks…a whole year! but some of them are not as good as others…so the door is still open. if you see one that is lame and you had a better one…then shame on you slacker! get it in before we unleash not as good ones!

this week…. this week…. i will call my friend leo, leoclassical

look at what i’ve called my friend leo so far

leonardo

leopold

for christmas, noel

leotard

leopatra

leoben(for bsg)

leometro

bibliotecha

fileo fish

leodis

leodore

leonazi

leopard

diosleos!

le occitane

speleology

leo and behold

leona helmsley

leogeo

leolithic

hustle and fleo

leonidas

los angeleos

liopleurodon

l-eon flux

the kings of leon

chameleon

jaleo

galileo

teleological

leophyte

leopolitan

nucleon

leonheart

john mayer leo

paleontologist

the clio awards

napoleon

leonatology/big poppa leo

sierra leone

when people come into the city, we are always surprised by where they want to visit or to go eat. they are equally surprised that we do not frequent those places or want to go eat there. no. i do not want to eat at ruby tuesdays , bennigans or tgifridays in times square. then they ask where we go……so here are the places we like…not the best or the cheapest or whatever category….just where we go and go on a regular basis…

there’s been a(mild)buzz about the donut wars in nyc because canadian import tim hortons has replaced a dozen dunkin donuts in manhattan. canadians have been enthusiastic in their welcoming and endorsement. after doing some research, we surmised that we were not going to try any of the standard stuff that all donut eateries fry up but to wait for their signature items…the ones that contain maple flavoring. not a simple thing since not all of the shops carry all of the flavors due to space limitations and they are still trying to figure out what menu will work in the city.

we have enjoyed this particular item….its like a boston creme but with a maple glaze on top instead of chocolate. on the inside, there’s a gooey creme filling that is delightful accompanying the maple’y topping. we went through a couple of takes including one time when the lady packaged the donuts wrong and the handling paper was smushed against the maple so when we removed the wrapping, the maple was removed along with it! aboo!

but this time, i asked for something to avoid that and the lady at the counter delightfully offered me this box. i in turn ordered the last four of these.

a great fall treat!

if you look closely, you will see a glimpse of a future tim hortons fan. she is anxious to move beyond milk!