Unless something really bizarre happens between now and midnight, I will have made it through 2006 with no jackasses of which to speak.  Yes, it's true, there was a blip a few months back, but after giving it some thought, I've chosen to take him out of the running.  The incident in question was so insignificant compared to last year's stories that it really isn't even in the same ballpark, plus the person responsible for said incident was quite non-jackassish in general.   So, I apologize, dear readers, for the lack of entertainment value, but I have to admit that I'm quite pleased.  It probably helped that I was dating someone for the first five months of the year.  Anyway, here's to hoping that 2007 will also be jackass-free for me as well as for all of you.  In the meantime, if you have your own 2006 jackass stories to share, by all means do.

I'm off to a "make-and-take" hors d'oeuvres cooking class with Mom and Stephen, which I will bring to my dinner party tonight to serve as an intro to beef tenderloin and truffled mashed potatoes.  Have a happy new year, everyone!  See you in 2007.

Welcome to the world, Maya!  It was very kind of Erika to hold her in for an extra day just so we can share a birthday.  I already told Maya not to allow anyone to get her any combination bday/chanukah presents -- it's never too early for such important advice.  Congrats again to Erika and Jeremy!

It's my birthday too, yeah!  Gotta love when your first phone call of the day is Matt singing that song to you (thanks, pumpkin!).  36 is off to a great start so far, and now I'm off to the gym to continue on the right path.  Next on the agenda is brunch with some family, then grocery shopping for dinner tonight (tapas and paella) and birthday festivities out on the town.  If you're a loyal reader and are in town, let me know!

than at the beach.  Let's hear it for global warming, folks.  Okay, so there was no sunbathing involved, but John and I headed out to Kismet for a great walk on the beach and a gorgeous sunset.  I forced him to listen to cheezy Christmas music in the car on the ride home (I'm a bad, bad Jew).  The rest of the photos are here.

Once again, it's gotten kind of quiet around here.  Mea culpa.  Just frantically trying to wrap things up before the end of the week -- gifts for some work folks, last minute holiday shopping, and, of course, the gym and various plans.  Monday I took an early look at the newly opened Stand (didn't love it, but then again they had only been open for two hours at the time) and then hit Bowlmor (I still suck at bowling).  Tuesday was the Gothamist holiday party at Cronkite Pizza (got to have some more of that delicious mushroom and truffle pizza -- same owner as Fornino), and last night we saw Little Children at the Angelika.  Tonight, I'll be making a batch of toffee and relaxing a bit.  Can't wait.

How is it that the weekend wasn't long enough to get half of the things done that I needed to do?  I did accomplish some things -- had a tough workout, made some soup, some homemade granola (a holiday gift), did two loads of laundry, and did some errands, but I didn't finalize my new Gothamist contributors (ack!), sign my work holiday cards, or make butter crunch toffee (another holiday gift).  If only I could have one more weekend day . . .

One of the things I love about the city is the number of people you can pass in any given day who are singing out loud as they go about their day.  Really -- you should try counting one day.  I think the number has gone up since the advent of the iPod, but I'm firmly convinced that there's something about the streets of New York that make people feel anonymous enough that they feel comfortable singing.  And yes, I'm one of those people, so you can count me in your tally.

Let's see -- it's a combination of the following:
work
food events
holiday parties
catching up with friends
writing for Gothamist
hitting the gym
Lost addiction

There's still more Paris to recount, but I've been writing for Gothamist for a while tonight, so I don't really have it in me right now. 

Had a solid weekend -- not too busy, but not too slow.  Friday night I had drinks after work with Gabriella, then we joined up with some beach house types to see our friend Jenn do some stand up comedy (she rocked, by the way).  Saturday morning I stopped by to visit Jon at the Real Food Market,  then headed out to Park Slope for brunch at Jay and Catherine's in honor of Skooz's visit to NYC.  I got to meet Jonathan and Jen's most recent addition to the family (welcome, Nadia!), then went off to meet my brother and his friends for a bit.  I headed back to the big island to meet Connie for coffee, than relaxed a while before meeting up with Jimmy for a snack and a holiday party.  At about 11, Rob and I hit Momofuku's Ssam Bar, which I had been meaning to try for ages.  It was delicious -- the late night menu rocks, but I'm looking forward to going back with a larger crew so we can try more things (pork butt, anyone?).  Today was quiet -- a trip to the gym, weeding through Gothamist contributors, reading the paper, and a few episodes of Lost.  Jen came over for a bit to catch up and taste a product I'm sampling for Gothamist, and I've been writing since she left.

I am trying hard to slow down a bit.  This year, I've been very proud of the amount of time I've dedicated to the gym, but I need to dedicate some more time to just relaxing.  Alone.  I've been so tired lately, and I was talking to my friend John about it the other night.  "Of course you're tired!" he exclaimed, "You have the busiest social life of anyone I know." 

It's true.  I am a social creature by nature (as you've probably figured out if you're a regular reader or a friend), and I find that just by making plans in advance to catch up with everyone I want to see, my schedule gets booked up very quickly.  As I look ahead to the coming week, I'm free one night -- tomorrow -- and that's only after hitting a food event right after work.  It counts as free because I'll be home by about 8:30 or 9, leaving me some downtime.  Wednesday night is a class (so it doesn't count as a social event), but the other nights I have work stuff, holiday parties, and plans, or some combination thereof. 

I'm hoping to make sure that I block off at least two nights a week to myself from now on, possibly more.  How much time do you deliberately block off for yourself -- is it enough?

After sleeping for 11 hours, I geared up and wandered across the Seine to the Jardin du Luxembourg, where my Dad told me that he saw many Parisians jogging.  I got completely lost on the way there, but had a lovely walk, and after a good run I wandered back along a different route, taking in the sights and sounds of the city on my way back.  I landed back in the 'hood just in time to wander through the market, catching a whiff of some delectible roast chicken as I walked through.  I was tempted to buy some scallops, as they were gorgeous, sitting in their shells, but I passed, and headed home for a shower. 

Carlos had invited me to join him and some friends at the racetrack that afternoon.  As we attempted to coordinate, I realized just how much I take my cell phone for granted.  Dad and Joan had given me a calling card, so I was able to use a payphone to call Carlos' cell phone, but of course he couldn't call me back.  He was off having brunch, so I wandered around some more, stopping for a falafel sandwich along the way, and checked in with him every so often to check on his progress.  Despite the telecom difficulties, we finally were able to meet up at the Hippodrome at the Bois de Boulogne.  I opted out of the gambling, but enjoyed watching Carlos and his friends lose all their money (probably about 10 euros combined). 

After the races, I returned back to the apartment to warm up and got ready for dinner.  I decided to take a chance and headed to L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon.  Arriving at 9:30 on a Sunday night, I was dismayed to hear that I'd have to wait for over an hour for a seat.  Apparently, in Paris they eat as late as we do in New York, even on school nights.  After a short walk and a half a glass of wine in the  adjoining hotel lobby, the hostess called me in -- I don't even think it was 1/2 hour.  I sat at the sleek bar and examined the menu.  I decided to stick to the tasting portions, so I'd be able to try more dishes without getting too full.  I began with the foie gras (take that, Gothamist commenters!), and got a glass of sauternes to accompany it.  My next course was a delicate lobster  ravioli with black truffle butter atop green cabbage.  I had to sop up every drop of the sauce with my bread -- yum.  At that point, I couldn't decide if I wanted to go for another tasting course, so I chose conservatively, and headed straight for dessert, a pair of pots au creme -- one chocolate and one vanilla -- accompanied with a glass of moscato.  The entire restaurant is bar seating, which is nice -- I ended up chatting with the couple to my right in a mix of French and English about their dining adventures in New York -- Daniel, Jean Georges.  Clearly I should hang out with these people the next time they come to town.  The bartenders/waiters were very friendly as well, and for whatever reason, they not only comped my moscato, but gave me another glass on the house.  I took a cab home and, pleasantly full, slept quite well.

As my mom pointed out in an email, I must be very busy this week since I haven't updated the blog.  She's right -- I've been busy and tired, so I apologize for the slow posting.