No, I am not stalking

The planets must be aligned in my favor, because I have had a few notable celebrity sightings lately. These events are mildly common for those of us that live here, and sorry tourists, they generally don't hang around Times Square (unless they are appearing on Good Morning America) so chances are you won't get any. In the account below, I will tell you where I have seen celebrities, but this does not mean that you need to call out the paparazzi or start stalking for your own sightings. I don't want my blog turning into the next Perez Hilton site. I only share these stories because people outside the city have asked if I have seen anyone famous.

In this blog I believe that I have mentioned that I have seen John Leguizamo and of course my attempts at Snow Patrol meetings, but most sightings have been few and far between. I think I saw Olympia Dukakis on the 1 train platform, and I am convinced that I saw Adrian Grenier (The Devil Wears Prada) on the subway. But that was a while ago. This past month has been a flood of celebrity sightings. The first sighting I had was Ted Allen (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) at a promotional thing for Top Chef. I gawked and texted my best friend the news. (She is usually the first to know about my sightings.) Then I saw him again at the Taste of Summer event at Lincoln Center (more on that below). Last week at a Nokia event in Washington Square I saw Claire Daines and Hugh Dancy (up and coming Brit actor). Oh no, it does not stop there. Monday I saw Caridee (America's Next Top Model winner) in the fashion district, of course, and Wednesday I saw Debra Messing in Union Square.

It was pretty exciting, and I have to admit, I stared. It is really hard not to stare. The first glance is used to make sure we are seeing who we think we are seeing...but we continue to look. So I have a theory. We usually see these folks on screens or stages, and we stare at the screens. Thus are brains are then programmed to stare at those people. It totally makes sense.

Of course seeing a celebrity is loads of fun, but meeting them is twice as nice. I have recounted my failed attempts to meet Gary Lightbody, and I am pleased to announce that I have met and talked to a celebrity! Sadly, it is not the Irish singer of that popular Scottish band, but it was my favorite cast member of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy - Ted Allen. I like him because he was witty, and well, I'm a foodie and I liked his food tips. (I have even used a couple.) In the above paragraphs I mentioned that I saw Ted Allen at the Taste of Summer event in Lincoln Center. The event showcased foods from some the best restaurants in the city. The food was so delicious!! Nokia sponsored the event, so I was there working--taking pictures, eating, etc. I did think that it would be cool the meet the gentleman, but I was pretty sure that was not going to happen (I remember to well my attempts to meet Gary.) Towards the end of the evening the crowd cleared and I saw Mr. Allen not too far from me. We made eye contact, and I smiled. I was then worried that I had food in my teeth. Then, he came over to talk to me! I am not lying or remembering this wrong. I am not that brave. I am pretty sure he was not hitting on me. I think he came over because 1) he is a really nice fellow and 2) I was wearing a Nokia T-shirt. He asked me about Nokia's sponsorship of the evening's event and I must say that considering my lack of information on the subject I did really superb job of answering his questions, and I was charming. I admit, I gushed a little about the show and the stellar shirt he was wearing with his seersucker suit. All in all, I felt that he was a very nice fellow. I wonder if he needs an assistant. And this experience will hopefully give me the confidence I need next time I am seven feet from a rock star I happen to like.

Miracle on 125th Street

On the 3rd day of my unemployment I began my freelance gig with the company that does events for Nokia. That day my main responsibility was to run errands and pick up necessary items for the event. My to do list took me to Staples (several times), Home Depot, Starbucks, American Apparel, and Kinkos. I really wanted to impress everyone, so I kept track of the money I spent, kept the receipts in one place-my wallet-and tried to be quick and efficient with my tasks. Things were going well until I was attempting to pay for some papers I had laminated. I searched my bag, and my wallet was nowhere to be found. I didn't take a bag with lots pockets, and although it was deep, there wasn't any place for my little black wallet to hide. Fortunately, I didn't have a lot of money in there, but it did contain my debit card, driver's license, and receipts.

I was pretty sure my pocket didn't get picked, and I figured that I must have either left it in a cab or dropped it somewhere in Columbus Circle (59th Street and Central Park West AVE). Fortunately I didn't keep any of the money my clients gave me to spend in there, but all the receipts tucked safely in that wallet were gone. I was embarrassed about that; I really wanted to impress them. I guess I must have anyway, because they have asked me to come back--not permanently, yet.

I quickly cancelled my debit card and ordered a new license. I was pretty certain I would never see it again...after all, I do live in New York City. If you think of the stereotypes of the city there would be no way I would ever see that wallet again. And I liked it too. It was small and convenient. (I hate having to schlep large wallets.) The worst part of the whole thing was that since it happened shortly after I lost my job, I felt that it just kicked me while I was down.

But as I have noticed this summer, I haven't stayed down for long. I mentioned that I have done quite a bit of freelance work. Last week I was incredibly busy running around delivering packages, and getting stuff for Nokia events. Even Saturday was busy. I had to do laundry, exercise, attend a bridal shower, pick up movie tickets at the Magic Johnson, give them to a friend (long story), pick up a package from the post office, go to the Travis concert, and write a talk for church. The last thing I wanted to do was go to the post office. I hate going there. Especially the one closest to my house, the clerks are slow, and all the bullet-proof glass creeps me out. I was kind of mad at the person who had the audacity to send me a certified letter. I figured it was probably the COBRA people sending me official you have no insurance papers.

While in line I noticed that the package notice was dated June 23rd, and I only had two more days to pick up my mail before it was sent back. The mail situation is seriously the most frustrating part of my residence. The lady downstairs gets all the mail and puts it by the front door at her convenience. We can go a couple of days before the mail arrives, plus magazines don't always arrive either. So I was doubly annoyed knowing that I could have stood in line a couple of weeks ago when I was less busy. I was in the post office for probably 30-40 minutes before I finally got my mail--a package from some stranger in Commack, NY. I wasn't quite sure if I should open the package. With emails, we aren't supposed to open attachments from strangers, but can we open packages? So I contemplated the dilemma while I ran yet another errand. On the way back home, I passed the police precinct, and decided to ask a cop that was standing outside. He said I had two options: open the package or throw it away. He offered to open it for me.

He opened it up and handed me the note inside that read: "I found this at 125th and Lennox..." and all of a sudden I knew what was in the package: my wallet with the cash, receipts, drivers license and debit card. How it got all the way to Harlem with everything still there is a huge mystery and miracle. I have to admit, I got a little emotional. I couldn't believe it was all there. So even in New York City there are good people who mail lost articles to their owners.

Maybe it is a good omen; now that I have found my wallet, I will get a new job soon, too. I do have an interview tomorrow....

A Super Long Vacation

If you read the Texas post, you will recall that I have no job. Well, I have no nine-to-six job. The day after I was let go, two former coworkers lined me up with freelance jobs. One job allows me to hang out with some very fabulous British folks and help out with their Nokia events. (Please hire me!) With the other job I get to pitch story ideas for LASIK in the Seattle area. I totally use my connections to get good conversations with the editors. Sadly, because of the time difference, I get to spend the afternoons at home making the calls instead exploring the city. My roommate Angie encourages me to get as far away from the house as possible when running errands. She has encouraged me to go to Fairway (72nd and Broadway) for groceries instead of the C-Town around the corner.

I make sure to exercise in the mornings, but in the afternoons to pass the time, I catch up on TV. I have watched the entire first and second seasons of both Veronica Mars and Grey's Anatomy. Clearly I need a full time job. Seriously.

And by the way, my name's Meredith. I have dark and twisty days. Why aren't Chris O'Donnell and Patrick Dempsey begging to date me?

Seriously.