Black Friday! I’m pretty sure it’s one of the best days ever invented. It should also be considered a national holiday. Don’t you agree? Sure, sure everyone complains about the insane amount of people, but c’mon now…when can you ever get a set of knives for $10?? Okay, I didn’t get them either, but if you wanted to, you could! An electric blanket for $50? Please. You don’t have to ask me twice!
Before work, Brett and I go shopping. I wasn’t crazy this year and didn’t go at 5 a.m. I’m shocked with myself! But honestly, with all of the craziness Brett and I had been doing the previous days, I was too exhausted to lift my head at 8 a.m., let alone 4 a.m.! We still got great deals and avoided the majority of the crowds. Until…we hit Macy’s! You have to go to Macy’s on Black Friday—only the one on 34th Street. The largest one!
Brett gets a great deal on a coat, and get a great deal on some fabulous brown boots with a gold buckle! Whew! They make my legs look so sexy. ;) jk! As we’re getting ready to leave, because I have to go to work, a man approaches me in jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes, saying, “Excuse me, ma’am.” I’m thinking to myself, Are you really going to try and solicit me in the middle of Macy’s make-up department on Black Friday? I was instantly irritated. But my frown quickly turned upside down when the words, “I’m from CNN,” came out of his mouth!
He says to me, “I’m from CNN and I was wondering if you’d be interested in doing a live broadcast. You look like you have a lot of energy.” I look at Brett and he says, “Do it!” So, I do a small shrug and say, “Sure, I can be energetic for CNN!” =) Hehe. So, he walks me over and introduces me to the broadcaster and tells me where I need to stand and says not to answer just yes or no to questions. Okay, that’s easy! I’m quite the talker, so I will have NO problem chatting it up for 15 seconds.
We’re getting ready for air when the broadcaster says, “You’re name’s Shirley?” What? Are you kidding me? Shirley? I think to myself. “It’s Ashley,” I kindly reply. Do I look like a Shirley? I’m 25 years old, born in the 80s! My parents would have had to do some serious pot when I was born to be named Shirley! Just because you know I’m from Iowa, give me some credit here Ms. Broadcaster! Shirley is a great name, so don’t think I’m knocking it. I just thought it was funny that of all the names she could have misunderstood, she chose Shirley!
So, I’m not supposed to answer yes or no to her questions. So, don’t ask me yes or no questions, lady! She says, “Have you found the sales to be helpful?” I’m thinking, Well, yes. Duh! It’s Black Friday. I reply with something like, “The sales have been great. Everything is 30, 40, and 50 percent off. We’ve found some great deals!” Hehe. All the while, I occasionally tilt my head towards the camera and talk at the camera, so America can get a look at my face! =) Haha, I love it! And instead of asking me, “Have you bought anything?” ask me, “What have you bought today?” You saw my bags; you know I bought stuff! You’re the professional, not me and I have better questions than you do! Maybe CNN should hire me! I consider myself pretty relatable to all types of people. I think I’d be pretty darn good at interviewing on live television!
Side note: If anyone can find this interview on the Internet, please let me know! I have Googled this to no end and can still not find anything! I want to see it, so please get in touch with me if you find it!
As we’re leaving I ask Brett, “I wonder if anyone saw this.” The whole time, in the back of my mind, I’m thinking, Dyanna (my friend from back home), loves CNN. She always watches it! What do you know? My phone vibrates and it’s her. I already know what she’s going to say before I even pick up the phone! She saw it! Awesome! My uncle Mick and cousin, Tyler saw it too! Hey, that’s good enough for me! Everyone gets 15 minutes of fame, and I still have 4 minutes, 45 seconds left! Whew hew!
I go to work at the restaurant for a little bit and Brett explores around, spending the majority of his day at the Sea, Air, and Space Museum. It’s literally, a block away from my apartment, sitting on the Hudson River. Yes, I live by the water, which is beautiful when it’s nice outside to take a walk or go for a run on a nice day! Check out his pictures below. If you have further interest, visit their website! It looks really cool…I wish I could have gone with him!
After work, Brett and I go out for one last dinner before he leaves. =( Ariba, Ariba Mexican Restaurant, here we come! I love Mexican food and so does Brett, so it worked out perfectly. So, I do warn him that when we walk in, there will be an over abundance of males, occupying this restaurant. Males that like other males. He seemed okay with it, until we walked in. He’s not anti-homosexual, but in Iowa, you don’t tend to see many, so he was a little overwhelmed. Totally cool, but not really sure where to look, or what to do! Hehe.
Brett got a banana margarita, which is probably the best margarita I’ve ever tried. I got the raspberry, which was great also, but the banana…whew hew! Delicious! I’m not a fan of margaritas, but Ariba, Ariba’s are fantastic! They make you want to stand up and yell, “Ariba, Ariba,” with your arms flailing in the air, after you stand up from drinking one! The food was great. Brett got some enchilada or something with chocolate sauce. Yeah, I just made a gross face too. He thought the chocolate meant, “dark sauce.” What, Brett? Really? If it were dark sauce, they would say dark sauce. Chocolate means chocolate, you dummy! Hehe! My food was great!
Next stop…Max Brenner’s! Completely on the opposite side of town, but well worth the trip! They have absolutely, hands down, the best desserts you will ever eat in your life. But only if you are a die-hard chocolate lover like Brett and myself. Check out our desserts and you have to check out their website! All we kept saying is, “So good. This is so good.” I could eat there everyday!
Next stop…The Snug! It sounds so cute, huh? It’s a fun little place in Hell’s Kitchen I like to go to. Happy Hour is from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.! That’s fantastic! We meet some of my friends and hang out for a bit. Brett and I are practically falling asleep at the table because we are so full and so tired from the week. It’s about 2 a.m. or so, so we decide to call it an early night.
Note to self: Laughter is the best medicine! Truly! When your brother makes you laugh until your stomach hurts, it makes you feel good and makes useless distractions go away! In my opinion, being witty is much more comical than straight up humor. My brother and I are more witty than comical, which makes things we say often funny. Always make sure to laugh—whether it’s at a joke, at yourself, or the lady who biffs it on her face in the middle of the street. It’s great to laugh at yourself! I do it on a daily basis! What a better way to understand yourself than through humor? If you can’t laugh at yourself, and make fun of the stupid decisions you make, or the ridiculous things you say, than there’s something wrong with you! Have enough confidence and self-esteem to release your inner dork, embrace your quirkiness, and let loose! When people say, don’t take yourself too seriously…listen to them! Why waste your time? It’s no fun to be serious all the time!