It is snowing really hard out...and I just schlepped through it for a slice of ooey-gooey-yet-crispy-thin pizza...I so love New York!

Serious conversation seems to be following me no matter how often I try to escape it. It isn't that I don't want to have the discussions that leave you feeling emotionally drained or with a heightened sense of being it is just that most of the time "life's too serious to be so serious." And it is in those exact moments, where I am too blatantly reminded of my own issues, that I am always so quick to turn away from and stare at the sunshine. But one conversation that I had with the ladies just recently really resonated with me, and funny enough just now my gal Oprah brought up the same exact issue and reminded me just how important a lesson this is to learn.

The lesson, everyone's pain is the same. That's it. Simple right?! Yet so hard to recognize. If we could only grasp the concept, that my deepest pain, no matter what it is, is no more or less than your deepest pain. If today I lost my job and that is my biggest pain and today you lost your wallet and that is your biggest pain then that is where we both are. There is no room to judge whose pain is worse, there is no criteria for hurt, there is no reason to need to step upon someone's sorrow to acknowledge your sorrow as worse. As I sat and listened to Elly tell me this over breakfast with our third point to the E trio seated beside her, I think the concept finally took root. She gets it, she lives it, and in her Oprah-esque moment, she made a believer out of me. Give it a try, we'll work on it together...

I am still in Manhattan heaven...a little poorer than last week but rocking out nonetheless. I spent last night listening to some slam poetry/karaoke (yes, just as insane as you might think) but all was well when the full brass marching band came out filling the joint iwth great music and some lady in leather started dancing with a dog on a leash (again, just as weird as you might imagine.

In between the high-class entertainment, conversations of life and love keep popping up. Which really leaves me a little confused because, as my friend Elly so accuratley put it tonight as we were walking home, "We are a bunch of sexy ladies!" As such, it is a little bit unnerving to see all of us alone, with no men to call our own. We are smart, funny, fashionable women in New York City and somehow that isn't necessarily a plus, because around every corner there is another bunch of smart, funny, fashionable women who may just land that table next to the cute guys five minutes before us. I'm not obsessing, really, I'm just dissecting the why. Why is it so hard to meet "the one"? Why is it that every man seems to be looking for someone but that someone is never me? And the ultimate question, why do I care? I'm not salivating at the mouth for a boy-toy, really I'm not, but I would be lying if I told you that I didn't want someone to watch the Super Bowl with or argue with over who makes the best wings in NYC. I'll be honest, I'm a catch...nope, not being conceded at all, just being honest. All of my friends, in NYC and back home are catches...we deserve the best and we shouldn'thave to compromise what we want for what we finally get! Nope, I'm still in the game and like a fine wine, getting better with age. But, again, if we are being honest, my cork is just about ready to pop!

Where to begin...

I feel like the last week has been one long vacation, one that has been much enjoyed and even needed. I have eaten tons of great food and sipped fun concotions surrounded by new dear friends, I even snuck in a great karaoke rendition of the Nancy Sinatra classic These Boots Are Made for Walking(for you Ally). Despite all of the fun I have come to the realization that New York, although one of the greatest cities in the world, it is also one of the loneliest with long walks and subway rides leaving way too much time for introspection and self analysis. But luckily, the new dear friends are making it more than bearable, as I hope I am doing for them.

In other news, the Bette Midler concert (which was so wondrously reviewed here) was a complete blast! We all know of my tendency towards "old lady" concerts, but this lady certainly does not belong in that category. She was dancing around on stage in high heels and mermaid tails talking trash about the government and pop diva-ettes. I even shed a few tears as The Rose and no, I am so not ashamed about that at all! Joi and I had great seats for a night of true entertainment.

On the personal front, I have decided to totally put myself out there on the market. Why? Because I am totally a good catch and I feel like am ready to meet someone, even if it is just for a quick chat and a drink at the bar. To get the ball rolling, I have created a new page at Match.com and have already been viewed 63 times and winked at three. I was even bold enough to send out a wink on my own to a cutie out in Brooklyn. I am so not above internet dating and I am not ashamed to admit it! If something unfolds, you guys will be the first to know...

Written on a sticker that Dee got while back home in Chicago:

George Bush is a Punk-Ass Chump

Direct and to the point, I like that.

As I settle back into life in Manhattan, this is what I must settle into...

Just a quick weather report...

It is about midnight in NYC and I just returned from a fun day out in the city with my friend. Now, I thought I knew what cold felt like but I have been so wrong for way too long. The current tempertature is 2* with a wind chill of -20*...I still can't believe it! What I have figured out though is that anything below about 15-20* just feels the same...like blistering cold.

The funny thing is, despite the wind sweeping the snow around making it look like an arctic tundra and the wind chilling straight through to the bone, as I was watching the snow fall last night from my friend's window and as we walked through mounds of flufffy whiteness throwing snow balls at eachother today, maybe all of the cold isn't so bad...just maybe.

Written on the chalkboard at Kerbey Lane Cafe in Austin, Texas:

Buy your lady a package of Kerbey pancake mix...It's PATRIARCHOLICIOUS!

I literally laughed out loud!