Day 305 - More NYC

#4 Go to “Top 10 Tourist Attractions in NYC” (was 3, now 4 of 10) - A very special thanks to Kelly for helping me cross off a lot of this one. As I mentioned, I have seen some of the most amazing sites throughout the world, but it is amazing how often we take for granted the things that are right in our back yard. Kelly also has a list, and one of the things she has always wanted to do is go ice skating at Rockefeller Center. Being from NY, I grew up walking by there admiring the tree, but thinking "Why would anyone EVER wait in that line in the cold for hrs for 5 min of crappy ice skating??" Well, I have to say I put my foot in my mouth...the weather was beautiful, we were only in line for about a half hr (including skate rentals) and then were on the ice for over an hr. Add christmas music and the world's best girlfriend, and it was truly a night I will never forget.

Day 301 - HAPPY HOUR!

#65 - Organize a Happy Hour that EVERYONE from the undergraduate admission staff attends - DONE! This one I knew was going to be tough. Even with a week of planning and a nice long email (with a huge guilt trip) explaining the list, and how hanging out with all of them made it in the top 101 of the most important things to me over the next 3 years, I was not able to get everyone. But hey, it's my list, so if I want to evoke the "It's the thought that counts" rule than it is my blog-given right to do so! Also, in my defense, though we may have lacked one or two co-workers, we were able to get out co-workers husbands, wives, sons, daughters, sisters, boyfriends, girlfriends, and even a student-worker alumni to come back and join us. So for that, I am crossing this one off!

On top of a cross off my list, we also used the time to celebrate us completing the first major deadline (Early Action for you admission people out there) and getting about 6,000 decision letters out in the mail that day. It was A LOT of work, but the entire office pulled together as a team, working many LONG hours, and kicked off another outstanding application review season to a good start : )

List 'O Meter:
Melissa - 4, #3 - 3, Katie - 2, Keith - 2, Kelly - 2, Brewery Bartenders - 1, Little Brian - 1, Rachel - 1

249 - No Pants!

40 - Perform in a “Improv Everywhere” mission - DONE (+1) - I normally do not post "+1s", but I think this one deserves repeating. Kelly and I took the train down to Grand Central (also helping with #4) to join improv everywhere for their "No Pants! Subway Ride." The No Pants! Subway Ride is annual event staged by Improv Everywhere every January in New York City. The first ride in 2002 included 7 participants, all male. One participant entered the train pantless. Then, for the next 7 consecutive stops another "agent" would join him. They pretended not to notice each other, and if asked claimed that they “just forgot” their pants. On the 8th stop, someone came through with a duffle bag selling pants for $1. This year it grew to about 3,000 participants in NYC. Riders met at meeting points spread out all over the city (we met in Central Park) and converged on Union Square. The high was 28 degrees. There were also No Pants rides in 43 other cities around the world in 16 countries!

Day 211 - Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty

#4 - Go to “Top 10 Tourist Attractions in NYC” ( now 3 of 10) - Sorry for the delay in posting this. A week before Thanksgiving, Kelly and I took a day trip to check out Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. I am embarrased to say it was my first time...but I guess it is one of those things that when something "touristy" is right in your back yard you are much less likely to go see it, which was the main reason for adding it on the list : )

We had a blast! You unfortunately need to make a reservation MONTHS in advance to climb 354 steps (22 stories) to reach the Statue's crown, but we were able to climb to the top of the pedestal (just below her feet, 151 feet off the ground).

FUN FACTS:

There are seven rays on her crown, one for each of the seven continents, each measuring up to 9 feet in length and weighing as much as 150 pounds. Ellis Island was once simply a sandy island that barely rose above the high tide mark that served as a hanging site for pirates in the 1760. (And when I say "hanging" I mean the death by noose definition, not "to spend one's free time in a certain place". It was a death spot, not a pirate chill spot.)

List 'O Meter:

Kelly - 2.

Day 152 - "Welcome to West Virginia!"

#6 - Take a picture with at least 15 “Welcome to…” state signs (1 of 15) My family and I traveled to Virginia for my cousin Ashley's wedding this past weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony and great to get the family back together again. We traveled through several different states, but was only able to stop and take a picture with one sign. Hey, you have to start somewhere! (And do not judge my outfit...when you have a 7 1/2 hour drive ahead of you, you dress as comfortable as possible.)

Day 141 - Win at Trivia

#57 - Win trivia at Hyde Park Brewery - DONE! This list item deserves a special shout-out to Erik, Mullady, Collins, and the rest of the original Hyde Park Trivia crew. During our junior year at Marist one of the local breweries started a "Stump Pub Trivia" night every Thursday night. Now 5 or 6 years later, trivia is going strong and has become one of the more popular weekly things to do in the Hudson Valley. Nor for those of you that know me, I am awful at trivia. In my defense, Albert Einstein once said "Never memorize what you can look up in books." Much like Einstein would do if he were alive today, I go to trivia for the beer. Oh, delicious brewery beer....

Anyway, I have been going to trivia since the beginning. Our team (The Team That Yells "Hey!") normally does fairly well...winning every now and then, and almost always scoring within the top 5. However, we could have not planned it better for the win to cross it off the list. After coming up short the last couple weeks, we decided to call in the reserves. When it comes to trivia, Melissa's sister Rachel is in it to win it. Last thursday she decided to come down and help me get the win for the list (while I enjoyed my usual Rough Rider Red Ale of course). Not only did we get the win, we did it on Keith's one year anniversary of hosting trivia at the brewery! We love Keith, so it was an extra special occasion. : ) P.s. thanks for the green plastic cutlery!

We took our winnings for the night and celebrated with a round of shots for the team, Keith, and the bar tenders.

"HEY!"

List 'O Meter:
Melissa - 4, #3 - 3, Katie - 2, Rachel - 1, Keith - 2, Brewery Bartenders - 1.


*Special thanks to those that helped me cross off #83, "get 15 followers!

Day 127 - Saratoga

#1 Find 132 Geocaches (now 33 of 132) - This is a very late post, I apologize. During the early summer, Brian #3 had an outstanding idea to get a group of us to take a day road-trip to Saratoga to see the horse-races. Because it is so difficult during the summer to find a time where everyone will be around and available, we make sure to make these plans months in advance (and even that didn't work, Brian #2 decided it was a great idea to stand us up and go to urope with his g/f for two weeks instead. Stupid little Brian....). Now even though the racetrack is not on my list, we all thought it would be fun to do a geocache while we were there (and thus provide an excuse for me to blog about it!)

Anyway, we started a email chain to keep everyone on the same page; who was going to bring what, what the day was going to entail, how we were getting there, etc... Let me tell you, those emails were almost as funny as the trip itself. Here is an exert:

Brian #3 - 1 p.m.: POST TIME FOR RACE 1! We can stay for as many races as you feel like staying for. A few things to note though: the Sword Dancer, which is the graded stakes race on the card that day won't be until the 9th or 10th race of the day. [ FUN POLICE ALERT!: Whipping it out and shouting 'EAT THIS, HORSE!' is frowned upon at Saratoga Race Track.]

Brian #1 - So I understand the yelling thing....but how about whipping it out and whispering "hey house, check this out! You can look, but you cant touch...."? Is that acceptable?

Brian #3 - You can, but best be careful. Some of those horses might mistake it for a baby carrot....

Brian #1 - Well played my friend....well played....

Us at the track : )

#1 and #3 missing #2

Brian #1 replacing Brian #2 with a Ryan...(it was close enough, and they are both about the same height)

Picking my winners. There was one horse named Zimmer. I have a friend Bill Zimmer. I put money on Zimmer. Zimmer lost. Stupid Bill...

Us with our free shots at dinner : )

P.s. My friend Melissa has been a great supporter of the list idea, in fact she is currently writing one of her own. So, she inspired me to start the "List O' Meter!" After each post I will give you an update on who was involved in the cross off, and how many list items they have been involved with thus far. Here ya go!

Melissa-2, Brian#3-2, KatieS-1