I'm back (no, for real this time)...

Ok, so my mom recently started a blog and motivated me to return to my very sadly neglected blog which I enjoyed writing immensely but which sadly, got put on the back burner too many times.  So much has been going on since my last entry, so the next paragraph will serve as a consolidated update...in 60 seconds or less.

The biggest news is that I removed myself from "crazy-ridiculously-cold-why-would-anyone-want-to-live-here-Minneapolis."  Yes, you read correctly.  I am no longer a Minneapolis resident and have returned to my hometown of New York City (for many folks that is not news at this point but I admit that I'm horrible about staying in touch so I know I missed a good number of folk with that update...now you can't fault me for not sharing - you should have followed the blog). Along with a change of city came a change in jobs.  I went from big box retail to an e-commerce startup operation owned by the largest online retailer in the world.  Let's just say it's been an interesting ride.  While I have been mostly bogged down with work (so pathetic) since my return, every now and then I manage to sneak in some fun activities, so I promise to share, if you promise to read.  Ok, I promised 60 seconds or less, so there you go.

So, here goes...I just got back from South Beach (yes, I know that probably hardly comes as a surprise, lol - it's my second home).  I went with two good business school friends, and this trip served as an official turning point in my life.  I finally realized that I'm getting old.  I don't really feel like I'm celebrating my (ahem) anniversary of turning 21 :-) - I feel like I'm in my early 20's most days.  But South Beach has a way of forcing you to deal with reality.  Y'all know it was not that long ago that I was in South Beach every other month if I could help it - laying out on the beach, walking up and down Ocean Drive, people watching, lounging, partying, shopping, and stuffing my face with everything from Cuban to just about anything on good old fashioned Jerry's Deli's menu.  This trip was totally different.  There was no traditional Wet Willie's trip, we never saw the inside of a club (despite a whole lot of talking and planning to hit one up), and we didn't even make it to Ocean Drive.  Sigh.  You know why?  Because we're old.  We were staying north of Lincoln Road so the idea of trekking to Ocean Drive (notice I used the word trekking - back in the day it was looked at as an exciting stroll) seemed daunting (we would have cabbed it).  And the club?  Well, the only folks we had heard of that were in town were YMCMB (Young Money Cash Money Billionaires for y'all who are even older than me) - and they were supposedly making an appearance at SoBe Live.  The same club where a few years back, two females started fighting in front of us (ironically I was in South Beach with the exact same crew of friends that time).  The funny thing was I saw the fight happen before it officially happened because I saw this female pushing through the crowd real hard, knocking people out of her way to get to VIP.  And something in my head (call it a Bronx girl's intuition) said "that chick is about to get her behind beat - she's going to push the wrong person."  Yep, and that's exactly how that went down.  So needless to say none of us were really excited about the proposition of returning to SoBe Live, especially with YMCMB in town.  I can see it now - two crazy chicks fighting over who can get closest to Drake (or more realistically Lil Chuckee - I doubt very seriously that any heavy hitters were there).  Despite the fact that me and my friends are officially old fogees, we had a great time in South Beach!  Most of the time was spent lounging, eating, and just catching up - which is what friendship is all about.  Truthfully, we would've had a great time in just about any city.  We did try some new spots (one of which has made my top 10 fave SoBe spots - check it out: http://www.yuca.com/ - the mango mojito I had was hands down one of the best mojitos I've had - EVER).  And we stayed at a new hotel which I would not recommend (the Shelbourne).  Call me a SoBe snob if you want but there is a reason I stick to my faves.  Ok, that's enough for now.  If you read this, I hope that you will continue to follow because I will continue to write.  Until next time...