Southern Illinois Meets NYC

Wow, I haven't blogged in over two months! By now anyone who might have read this has definitely lost hope. I still want to share places and events, though!

New LES spot for rare beers and wine: Sweet & Lowdown
123 Allen St (at Delancey), 212-228-7746

And in other news, Salukis at Madison Square Garden!
Friday, November 21— Madison Square Garden
• Basketball Game – 5 p.m.

And click here in case you have no clue what a Saluki is...

Bubble Battle NYC 2008

June 21st at 6:16pm, NewMindSpace will be organizing another Bubble Battle scheduled in Manhattan. Location TBA shortly.

RSVP to the NYC Facebook Invite here.

Here is more info on the after party from the NewMindSpace email I received:

The afterparty will be at an incredible space, and if everything goes according to plan, will feature the amazing giant Lite-Brite built by Jason Eppink for our party BRITE! in Toronto last weekend (which featured New York's own AC Slater and Udachi) among many other awesome creations and chiptunes music all night long!

See photos of the Lite-Brite here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasoneppink/tags/litebrite/

BrooklynVegan and I totally think alike

I have been working on my own excel-version of a Free Events Calendar for NYC, but today BrooklynVegan released their own online-version (http://www.brooklynvegan.com/events.html) which totally kicks my ass.

Bookmark it and live by it for the summer.

Big Apple BBQ!

Ahhh! Big Apple BBQ is back in a big way on June 7th-8th in Madison Square Park. It all goes down between 12-6pm each day and it's 8 bucks a plate.

Once again, 17th Street Bar & Grill of Murphysboro, IL will be in attendance, showing the rest of them how BBQ is done. I am totally bringing my SIUC student ID with me when I go to their booth. And yes, I have still held onto my ID after all this time, thank you very much.

Museum Mile Festival on June 3rd

Taken from the official Museum Mile Festival website:

One day a year, for the past 29 years, nine of the country's finest museums, all ones that call Fifth Avenue home, collectively open their doors for free to New Yorkers and visitors for a mile-long block party and visual art celebration. This traffic-free, music- and art-filled celebration fills the street and sidewalks of Fifth Avenue from 82nd to 105th street, the mile now officially designated as Museum Mile. Over 50,000 visitors attend the festival annually.

This year's 30th annual festival kicks off at Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum with an opening ceremony, at 5:45pm, on the steps of its landmark building on Fifth Avenue @ 91st Street.

Plus, follow the mile with street muralist De La Vega – grab a piece of chalk and make your mark!

I think the chalk-drawing is meant for children, but screw that - I fully intend to get my chalkin' on!

Tuesday, June 3rd from 6:00-9:00pm
Fifth Avenue from 82nd to 105th street

Karaoke Marathon: The Sequel

As quoted on my Facebook Event Invite:


Event Info

Name:			Karaoke Marathon: The Sequel
Tagline:			Because we didn't finish our karaoke queue last time...
Host:			Arminda
Type:			Music/Arts - Jam Session

Time and Place

Date:		Sunday, April 27, 2008
Time:		3:00pm - 8:00pm
Location:		Duet 35
Street:		53 W 35th Street (between 5th and 6th Ave)
City/Town:		New York, NY

Description
On that fateful Sunday afternoon in March when Jesse, Heidi, Bob, Billy-Bob and I went to Duet, magic happened. Party lights flashed, tambourines rang, and microphones melted. Songs have forever been altered in history due to our amazing renditions and sweet, passionate crooning. Sadly, 8pm came before we knew it and were forced to leave behind an amazing queue of songs still crying out to be sung.

If you miss out the second time around, you are just plain dumb.

$12 All You Can Sing Karaoke Marathon from 3-8pm. We will have a private room, so you will only be embarrassing yourself in front of those that love you dearly. Besides, what happens in Duet stays in Duet.

Please RSVP on this invite by APRIL 23th so that I can reserve a room big enough to hold everyone!

And so did Heidi's.

Heidi knows what this girl likes!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Heidi Vanderlee '**************@gmail.com'
Date: Tue, Apr 22, 2008 at 10:39 PM
Subject: please tell me you love both of these things
To: Arminda Klier '************@gmail.com'


http://nymag.com/nyxny
--
Heidi Vanderlee(/slice)
Tiny Mix Tapes
www.tinymixtapes.com

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the gist of the link Heidi sent, if you are too lazy to hover your mouse and click:
New York mag brings to you this summer,

• Indie Rock Trivia Night (with host Zach Galifianakis and musical guest Les Savy Fav, Highline Ballroom on May 21st @ 8pm, tix on sale now)
• Best Rooftop Party Ever (tix on sale June 2008)
  
• Highbrow Backyard Barbeque (tix on sale July 2008)
  
• Bad Art Auction (tix on sale November 2008)
  
• Indie Rock Karaoke Returns Again (tix on sale January 2009)
  

Let's get Down & Derby!

I wanna get my swerve on! Just hand me some skates and a strong drink!

Unfortunately, prior engagements might prevent me from attending this AMAZING event, but I really, really, really wish I could go. Get more info here (official site), here (Myspace page), and here (Studio B).

Get ready to Stitch & Bitch

Chrissy and I fully plan to attend the Stitch & Bitch crafting happy hour on Wednesdays from 6-9 at Southside Speakeasy in Brooklyn. You can work on your crafts and enjoy very cheap PBR tallboys and Jameson shots. Currently, I am not much of a stitcher, I do not know how to knit, and my one-time-try at crocheting when I was eight years old left me in tears of frustration. I do know how to bitch though, so I doubt anyone would kick me out. Besides, Chrissy said she would teach me how to knit, and the best way to learn how to knit is with a nice PBR tallboy by your side.

Urban Outfitters donating to BAM this weekend

You know how much I shop at Urban (more than I like to admit) and how much I love BAM (something I will gladly admit). Now one love can help another, this weekend only at the new Urban Outfitters store in Brooklyn. It is walkable from the Bergen G stop, which makes me happy!

Urban Outfitters opens its first store in Brooklyn today (166 Atlantic Avenue) and 10% of the first week of sales (through March 18) will be donated to BAM.

BAM has provided me with such amazing entertainment like Sufjan Stevens, Joanna Newsom, soon to be Paul Simon, as well as a great movie theater. Hopefully I will shop my heart out this weekend for them. <3

*** *** *** RECAP *** *** ***

Well, I ended up donating 20 buckaroos to BAM (and picked up a few cute items for Spring). Store was nice overall, but thought their shoe selection was lacking and there is no housewares section. And where were the bathing suits?!

I feel a Rick Astley "Never Gonna Give You Up" Moment fast approaching!

Yesterday was a drunken affair with a microphone at Duet, Kyle's I-am-temporarily-back-in-Manhattan bash in Midtown. It was an amazingly fun time and Jesse and I both agree we need to do Round 2 with the Brooklyn crew. So Sunday, March 2nd it shall be. Why not waste away another Sunday afternoon in a small room with about 10 of your closest friends? Sidenote: the establishment does not take kindly to patrons that bring their own alcoholic substances. Solution: just be even sneakier about it the second time around.

Duet's Website makes me want to laugh, but then I feel like I am laughing at someone, and not with someone:

Everyone can be "Britney Spears"
and everyone can be "John Toravolta."

Aww, Duet. Please don't kick us out again.


*** *** *** RECAP *** *** ***
This was the most fun I have had in a long time. Having the chance to be a complete (drunken) goofball in the privacy of friends was just what I needed. Plus, Jesse and I's heartbreaking rendition of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" was a show-stopper. I suspect we shall be doing this again very soon!

Make Out like it's 1999!

The Below is from this NewYork.Going.com Post:

Live at Arlene's Grocery
95 Stanton Street (between Orchard & Ludlow)
Subway: F to 2nd Ave.

"It's slippery. It's weird. It's fun. It's Disco Crisco Twister at Arlene's Grocery. Come on down and make those Equinox yoga classes really pay off." - RareDaily.com

"My head is killing me and WHERE are my PANTS??!! Well, let's see… the last thing I remember was something about Left Foot on Blue- OH MY GOD… that's right- last night I was at Disco Crisco Twister!!!!!" - Uncoolkids.com

Come with your friends and play as a team, or just bring yourself and we'll introduce you to your new teammates.

Games include:
* Spin the Bottle: Anyone who's seen the Wonder Years knows this game makes a lifelong impression!
* Truth or Dare Jenga: Pick a Truth or Dare, but don't knock the tower over.
* Kissing Booth: Like Lucy's Lemonade stand with sweet and sour options.
* Seven Minutes in Heaven: Oh, to be in Heaven.
* Purity Test: How do you score?
* Intimate Orange Relay Race: Pass a citrus between your neck and chest to a complete stranger/new friend!

* Live Musical Chairs: Just like when you were four, but with a live band!
* Sing That Tune: Let your karaoke/musical Jeopardy freak flag fly!
* Flip Cup: Show off your dexterity & drinking skills!
* Twister (with a twist): Grapple 1/2 drunk teammates while reaching for that red dot!

With free heart shaped cookies by Missy aka Strawberry Shortcake. Check out her tasty creations at italiaRicankitchen.com

www.discocriscotwister.com

Ahhh, to be young again!

Aussie Love in East Village

SATURDAY DOWN UNDER
Two Aussie Buffets
In honor of Australia Day, two of Manhattan's Aussie establishments are following their national tradition of excess, in the form of Beer Chugging and Pie Eating contests at the Sunburnt Cow and free beach juice shots at Bondi, along with all-you-can-eat shrimp and a buffet. Ozzie ozzie ozzie, oi oi oi...
411: The Sunburnt Cow, 137 Ave C (between 8th and 9th), 212-529-0005
Bondi Road Fish and Chips, 153 Rivington St (between Suffolk and Clinton) 212-253-5311
-- content taken from UrbanDaddy Newsletter

75th Annual Rockefeller Tree Lighting (11/28)

Corny? Perhaps. Something I've never done? Yes. Starts at 7pm.

http://newyork.going.com/event-95796


I heart the holidays :)

Jane Jacobs and The Future of New York

The Municipal Art Society of New York is hosting an exhibit on Jane Jacobs. Looks really interesting and is close to where I work.

Thanks, Jerry!

MAS Urban Center Galleries, 457 Madison Avenue, at East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022, through Saturday, January 5, 2008.

And if you are reading this, for fun, go ahead and watch this bird dance and sing to Backstreet Boys. Bird's got mad rhythm, yo.

The Valerie Project at the MoMA

Any takers? My co-worker says these things are always really fun, super cheap, and for goodness sake - it is at the MoMA! Read up more on PopRally and the The Valerie Project. Sounds like a good time, plus it is only $10 (advance; $12 at door). This Sunday. Holler.