having a ball

Happy New Year blogalitas! How has the fresh 2010 been treating you so far? My Top Ten in Twenty Ten aka New Year's resolutions are already raring to go ;) blog with a purpose, make time for yoga, graduate without regrets, rediscover passions, keep in touch, travel some place new, prioritize giving back, race (and train) again, find my calling, and become comfortable in my own skin...

But let's back track a little, shall we? I've spent the past spectacular four days in the quintessential New Years celebration spot, Manhattan. It was my first time being in the city as the ball dropped, and I still can't think of a better way to ring in twenty ten. 

On December 30th, I enjoyed the second to last supper of 2009 at Republic, an Asian-fusion restaurant in Union Square. It was loud and crowded... and wonderful as always. I had a bottle of Singha and the Vietnamese Vegetable Noodles that were beyond minty fresh and filling, while my date dined on a nearly identical spread.

Who was my mysterious dining companion you ask? Oh, you know, just the gorgeous (and hilarious) Kailey. Since she was available for a limited time only, I insisted that we hang out just once more. Following dinner we began our bar-hopping of sorts and headed to Heartland Brewery for a couple more brews. Two Old Red Nosed Ales to be exact as we were feeling festive and wintery. We also unexpectedly bumped into the boy's med school roommate, and then spent the next hour bouncing back and forth between our  new and my old friends :).

And although the responsible Danielle would have ended her night there, the reality was, I had other things in mind, like reuniting with a very special group of study abroad friends at Son Cubanos. I felt as if I'd made a somewhat world tour through Oriental Asia and Western Europe and had now returned to my beloved South America.

The place was warm and lively, case in point as I was served perhaps the strongest mojito known to man once seated with the American friends I had made in both Santiago and Strasbourg. Kailey was kind enough to snap a photo of us together upon which she remarked "cleavage alert" and I realized that my pose had helped me squeeze in, in various forms ;).

Neither of the blogging duo were planning on eating again, but we couldn't help but be completely intrigued by the short list of veg-friendly Cuban tapitas. We settled on a fantastic group of cheese balls, or as the restaurant so eloquently described them: goat cheese and Hazel nut croquettes drizzled with honey and lime. 

So what if I drank and ate more than planned or expected? It was such a great night and oh so worth it. I am really going to miss you Snackface, hope you come back to visit (or live) soon!

Still, the next morning when I awoke to snow and a slight hangover I couldn't help but feel incompetent. Who parties too hard the night before New Years Eve? Haha ;) my, my, my. To combat the feeling, I slept in, popped a few pills, and banged out a few yoga poses.

And by dinner time, I was ready to play ball. My parents were hosting a party at our house while all us "kids"(using the term loosely, of course) had other fiesta locations in mind, so we simply ordered a pie to hold us over until midnight. I made sure that half of it was made up of the orgasmic specialty pesto pizza with spinach, olives, mushrooms and roasted red peppers. Yum.

Afterwards, the boy patiently waiting for me to get ready! Lucky for him, I was already half-way there by the time he arrived so it wasn't as unbearable as it sometimes is... plus, I'd like to think that the photo he took of me after the fact proves that it was well worth it ;).

Soon after, our train rolled it's way into NYC where millions of other New Yorkers, tri-staters, and tourists were in the midst of gathering to see in the new year. I'd wanted to dress up and go big, but this year, I also had the boy's wishes to keep in mind. To put it simply: I had left the planning to him, and our schedule was somewhat biased. And for whatever reason I took minimal pictures :(.

We began at one if his high-school friend's apartments, made our way to another college friend's loft, and finally tied up loose ends at a bar. To be honest, it wasn't exactly what I had expected, and unlike any New Years I've ever had, but one must obviously compromise when planning in pairs so I'd like to think I made the best of it looking back, the bottom line is that: 

I had a ball, texted each one (aka friends) that was missing, and now have a countless number of unforgettable memories and accidental jokes based on the entire oddly perfect experience.

Hours later, I awoke mid-afternoon on New Years Day, to the most amazing first breakfast of the year: sprouted grain toast, avocado, and banana. Try it, I swear. Besides that fresh start, I can't say much more for yesterday, but I certainly do have one last thing to convey for today, the 2nd of January... Happy Birthday Mom! And a belated cheers for 2010 :).