Open Road

Take three best girlfriends in a Mazda 6 rental car (aka Sexy Seis) on the Pacific Coast Highway. Add hundreds of miles of long, open, winding roads, beautiful beaches, spectacular cliffs, a cabin in the middle of the redwoods, reflective hikes, a beach full of elephant seals, a sourdough turtle from Boudin Bakery, smores by the fireplace, a newfound script and "a ponytail that just won't quit" - and you've got the roadtrip of a lifetime.

On President's Day weekend we took a trip up to Newport, RI with our good friends Steve and Maria and our new friends Jordan and Jen. Steve and Maria we've known since law school. Jordan and Jen, who live in Brooklyn and who, despite Jordan's driving, are pretty darn cool, we've recently met through Steve and Maria. I know, it gets confusing. Just try to keep up.

If I were to guess, Doug would claim the best part of the weekend was the polar bears. I, on the other hand, thought it was the puppies.

Doug, Steve and Jordan were stupid enough (errrrr, i mean courageous enough, boys...) to take a dip in the ocean with the local Polar Bear club. Let's pause right here and review. A dip - meaning they walked out into the ocean wearing nothing but swim trunks and submerged themselves. The ocean - meaning the freezing cold waters of Newport, Rhode Island in the middle of February. The local Polar Club - meaning the crazy group of 60+ year old men in Newport who come out every Sunday to put themselves through this misery. As soon as Doug came out of the ocean, he told me it was the most miserable experience of his life. About an hour later, he was making plans with the boys to do it again over New Year's Eve.

Now on to the puppies. Steve and Maria and Jordan and Jen are two fantastic couples. But what's even better about them are their dogs. I was in heaven when I got to spend the weekend with Steve and Maria's dog Miles, with whom I have some history, and Jordan and Jen's new puppy Murray, who is just about the most precious little creature ever. Upon first meeting me over the summer, Miles shunned me, took no interest in me, couldn't be bothered. However, after spending a weekend together, Miles and I grew to be close friends. Murray and I spent some quality time together on the rides to and from Newport. I also found it hard not to pick him up and snuggle with him every chance I got throughout the weekend.

Besides playing with puppies and practicing the art of Polar Bear'ing, we spent the remainder of the weekend trekking around Newport, eating delicious seafood, playing Celebrity, watching Bear Grylls and having a blast with our friends.

The boys joining the Polar Bear Club

Murray Strauss

Miles Linares-Klaffky

It was the first time I was able to keep a secret long enough to surprise someone with the information I kept secret. Generally, I am very bad at keeping things to myself. I tend to blab everything. It's a weakness of mine. This is why I am very proud of myself for surprising Doug with tickets to Paul Simon last Friday for his birthday. To be fair, it wasn't a complete surprise. I broke during our dinner before the show, but it was still quite a feat for me to keep quiet for as long as I did.

Paul Simon is one of Doug's favorites; one of mine as well. He played in NYC at the Beacon Theater on the Upper West Side. The Beacon is a classic NYC venue that has been showcasing performers since 1928. It recently underwent a grand renovation and re-opened last Friday night with Paul. It's a small, rather ornate venue catering to an older, more highbrow (and I hate to say it, but downright boring) crowd.

The concert was incredible. The crowd, less so. We were the youngest people there. Almost everyone sat down during the show. Doug and I were actually shushed twice during the evening (once for talking too loudly during a song and once - get this - for screaming too loudly during the applause). The woman to my right had never even heard of Paul Simon. Her date attempted to sing "Mrs. Robinson" to her before the show to see if she recognized the song. And the man to Doug's left slept through probably 80% of the night.

But don't get me wrong, Doug and I had a blast. We stood. We danced. We screamed. We were obnoxious. We elicited stares. But we didn't care. We were at a rock concert. And, of course, it wouldn't have been a true rock concert exprience without Doug's renowned "whale call," which he unleashed at certain points throughout the night. He also developed a new yelp - he calls it the "porpoise call." For all those familiar with the whale call, the porpoise call is even better, trust me.

Paul Simon, himself, was amazing. He's getting up there in years, but the man still sounds exactly the same. He performed with a very large, very talented band - around 10 people playing a range of instruments. And Paul Simon's dance moves, though kinda odd at times, were quite entertaining.

He played all of our favorites, with the exception of Obvious Child (despite my repeated attempts to influence the set list with my loud, screetching "Obvious Child" screams). And, to top off an already incredible show, Garfunkel joined Simon for the encore! And yes, the woman to my right had no idea who Garfunkel was either.

Today is my husband's birthday. I don't know if this holds true for everyone with respect to their spouses, but being married to this guy has made me want to do everything in my power to make this day extra special for him. He's had a birthday bonanza. This morning he got a special birthday breakfast - blueberry pancakes. Today at work, he received a special delivery - balloons, a stuffed animal and a card.

Let me pause right here for a moment. Lest anyone be confused, this man is turning 29, though this post thus far makes him sound like he's turning 10.

Okay, how about this - tonight we're meeting up with a critical mass of Doug's friends at bar called Elsa in the East Village for drinks (alchoholic drinks, at that) and perhaps even some birthday shots.

A few words about the bar. Elsa was originally an East Village dive bar (formerly named the Hanger) that recently underwent a facelift to become a chic, shopisticated cocktail lounge named after fashion world figure Elsa Schiaperalli. The entrance to the bar looks more like a storefront, with men's suits displayed in the windows, and the bar boasts an antique sewing machine tap which pours draught beers. The tailor shop/ bar combo sounded incongruous and odd to me at first. But last week, I popped in to check it out and I couldn't help but be won over by the minimalist decor, the charm of the open and clean, yet small and candle-lit space and the almost anitiquey feel of the place. My only concern was that it was practically empty at the time. I guess we'll just have to bring the party tonight. I'll let you know how it goes.

Happy Birthday Dougie Fresh!!!

Lately, my husband has been contemplating the impending downfall of the US economy as we know it. I, on the other hand, have been content to live in ignorant bliss, prohibiting him from discussing all things related to the economy, our finances, and the future of our country on all days but Wednesdays and Sundays. It's been a source of contention - Doug's acute obsession with the economy - in the House of Bargoz-Tedeschi. But, this past Saturday night, we put the bear market out of our minds and decided to ride the bull.

In celebration of our dear friend Kyle's birthday, we ventured south to a bar called Mason Dixon on the Lower East Side where we drank bourbon (well, not really, but it would have been a lot more fitting if we had) and rode a mechanical bull. We discovered that Doug has a latent talent for bull riding. But, I have to admit, I wasn't so bad myself.

Yes, I know. I've been remiss in blogging. I started off strong, but quickly and abruptly lost steam. Lest you, my faithful followers, be concerned, don't be. I'm back. And I'm bigger and badder than ever - with not just one, but two posts today.

First, let me say this - it's become quite evident to me that Doug will never blog on this thing. He is merely too intimidated by the wittiness and the deeply profound intellectuality of my posts to try to compete with me. So, for all you readers out there who have been visiting our site daily, awaiting a post for Doug, you can stop holding your breath. It's just me from here on out.

Second, while much has happened since my last post, there is one event I must share - Cat and Chris's wedding on January 2 in Chapel Hill. Doug and I spent an incredible three days in Chapel Hill reliving our college days (rather, my college days since Doug went to school in Philly) and celebrating with our very dear friends Cat and Chris. The bride was one of the most stunning I have ever seen in person, in magazines, anywhere. The parties were many and magnificent. Everything was perfect.

A few highlights. The New Year's Eve frat party at the Beta House. Getting pedicures with Ashlie and Rebecca and learning all about pregnancy from Rebecca's experiences (I'm definitely not even close to being ready to handle it). Doug finding his "soul mate" (his words verbatim) in Michael Ueltschey's dad. Watching Cat's face light up the morning of her wedding day when she opened her present from Chris (Chris, excellent job; Doug will never hear the end of it now). Walking into the utterly gorgeous reception ballroom. Liz's hilarious and concurrently tear-jerking Maid of Honor speech. Listening to Katie Webb and Doug discuss timing the conception of their respective children so that their kids will grow up together as friends (code word: the Menees has landed).

I did take pictures, but they pale in comparison to the ones the photographer took. Click on the link below, clink on clients, scroll down to Cat and Chris's gallery and type in "gaither" for the password.

http://www.kristinbyrum.com/