Must Be Monday

Let me begin by apologizing for a post a second day in a row about Rockzilla. In efforts not to sound like a crazy lady who talks about her pet all the time, this will rarely, if ever, happen again.

9.5 years ago, I picked him out of My Hero's grandfather's litter that he bread himself, took no part in disciplining him (that was My Hero's job), spoiled him rotten, I would've gone broke on this dog years ago if it weren't for My Hero, took him to college with me...yep, he's a college graduate, and he moved with us all the way from the rolling fields of North Carolina to the concrete jungles of NYC. I am crazy about this little bugger.

With all of Rockzilla's good qualities, he has never really gotten along well with other dogs and he is picky about the people he chooses to agree with as well.

Here's the rest of the story:

People in NYC are extremely willing to let their dog walk up to any strange dog. Ummm...this is NOT a good idea. This is NEVER a good idea. This happened to us on our walk tonight...

• Man w/ dog - "Hello, what kind of dog is that?" as his dog inches closer to Rockzilla.
• Me - "He's a Jack Russell, but he's not very friendly." as I bend down to handle Rockzilla before he strangles himself on his leash.
• Man w/ dog - "Well, his tail is waggin'!"
• Me - "No, really, Sir. He's not friendly with other dogs." as Rockzilla's hair starts to stand on end.
• Man w/ dog - "Hmmm, I don't think so. His tail is waggin'." His dog is too close to us by now.
• Me - "He is not friendly with other dogs, Sir..."
• Rockzilla - " LET ME OFF THIS LEASH!"
• Man - "Oh, I see."

REALY?!?!?!? I told the man THREE TIMES my dog is not friendly. Shouldn't ONCE have been sufficient?

Farewell, Irene

Oh, Irene! You came and went. We were totally prepared for you...I think. We had the most food in our tiny apartment that we've ever had! Even Rockzilla had an extra supply of food. We were ready to scurry into my closet given the worst case scenario. We had extra towels on-hand to sop up misplaced water that may have come through our windows. The flashlight and camping light were ready and extra batteries were purchased for them. I even had cash in my wallet...my debit card probably breathed a sigh of relief with that sight!

In the end, we didn't have to evacuate our apartment, we didn't lose power, we didn't even have to use the extra towels to sop up any rouge water. PHEW!

Rockzilla did happen to sniff out a teeny-tiny mouse that was somehow too confident in his presence around humans. Despite the fact that this bothered me extremely, I was quite impressed in my little fella's sniffer, hunting skills and gentle manner. He simply pointed to the mouse and whimpered to let me know he found something out of the norm. Thank goodness my neighbor had her phone handy and snapped this cute shot.

Until next time, Irene.

The Insider

I recently had the opportunity to take an insider's tour of Tiffany & Co. on Fifth Avenue. I have been to the store several times and ridden the special employee elevators, but I had yet to have the opportunity to see the inner workings until a few weeks ago.

One of the first rooms we were ushered into was a board room which held the original vault concealed by hidden doors.

We spent a great deal of time in the next area where a majority of our original pieces and customer special orders are hand created. The craftsmen in this area are extremely talented and my eyes certainly danced with delight at their skills and stunning stones they were fortunate to work with. The day was a real treat and I developed a greater appreciate for the brand by learning more about it.

(Craftsmen at work)

(Layout of a necklace before it's placed in the metal)

(Close-up of the stones prior to placement in the metal)

(Tools used to create the stunning Yellow Diamond Key also shown in the picture)

(You can see the skeleton of the platinum key before the stones are set)

(Craftsman working on the casting of a turtle so intricate that it has a separate shell and body)

All Dolled Up

This weekend was FABULOUS! I was blessed with quality time with family and friends that I haven't seen in a while.

After a crazed day in the office Friday, I literally ran out the door towards the American Girls store to meet my precious nieces and my sister-in-law's parents for dinner. Before making it to the store, I had to make a pit-stop by my apartment to take Rockzilla outside, then I was off to the festivities. Of course I was short on time so I had to hop into a cab. Due to a malfunctioning credit card machine, I received a free cab ride. Hallelujah! I never carry cash, so I couldn't pay the cab driver. He refused to take the $1 I did have in my purse for a tip. God bless him.

I walked into American Girl store...into the swarms of little girls fluttering with excitement...searching for my family. The girls showed up with their new dolls in hand and huge smiles on their faces!

After browsing through the store, our table was ready and we were ushered into a room nearly every girl in America would want. Who wouldn't be attracted to pink, black and white stripes and polk-a-dots? The dolls even had their own special seat at the table. The food was surprisingly good. My Hero scraped the dessert dish clean!

Following dinner, we went home and crashed. The week added up for us both and we were exhausted. My Hero's promotion to a larger store coupled with long hours for both of us added up. It was lights out by 10:00 PM. LAME-O!

We both popped up out of bed Saturday morning with pep in our step. My Hero was off to the office and I was off to catch up with a college friend. La Prefessora recently received a promotion to a fabulous private school in East Hampton as Chairman of the Modern Language department. How exotic and exiting! We spent a lovely day catching up with one another and sight-seeing. It was so refreshing to have a familiar face in the city and reunite with someone to share meaningful conversations. La Professora is also a fan of Tiffany, so we definitely have this language in common along with a love for fabulous jewelry.

The weekend ended on a rainy note...it rained the entire day! AWESOME! My Hero had the day off so we vegged, watched movies the entire day and ate bad food. Solid Quality Time. I wouldn't trade this weekend for the world.