Baxter's Unusual Taste Buds

List of non cat food products Baxter has eaten:

King Mushroom
Pumpkin
Sweet potatoes
Strawberries
Apples
Bok-choy
Peppers
Corn

(expanding soon)

He also loves going into garbage cans.

Giving Back

It had been awhile since I gave back to the community, so when a friend told me about this volunteer opportunity for a celebrity benefit event, I jumped at the chance. After sending out my resume and cover letter I heard back some time after and got the position. It was for a Concert for a Healthy Birth to support Choices in Childbirth. The organization informs and educates women on how, with whom and where to birth. The event was hosted by Ricki Lake and honoring Christy Turlington Burns. I volunteered prior to the event and also on the day of. I would have loved to help out at the night of but I had an interview the next day and wouldn't be back in Jersey until 3am.

Some of things I got to do were to pack up gift bags (awesome swag!), load and unload trucks, assist in hanging up portraits (strenuous!), make ribbons, pick up some last minute vibrators for the gift bags (!), decorate tables and assemble the seating arrangements. It was a great experience and I met some wonderful people while helping out.

Here is one of the 175 bags from Salmon Cove they generously donated.

I didn't take a picture of all the swag that was inside but some of it included chocolate syrup, organic cookies, lip balm, hand sanitizer, the aforementioned vibrator, lotion and tons more. Here you can find a list of sponsors.

Here is the inside of Canal Room where the event was being held.

Here are some informational pamphlets on the organization.

Table where chocolates or cheesecakes would be served:

Some portraits that were around the room. The following are by two different artists.

Although, I wasn't able to see Christy Turlington, I walked past the Today Show in the morning.

-T

Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

Despite only living an hour away, it's sad to say that I've only been to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens once. I went for the first time on the weekend of the Cherry Blossom Festival where there were masses of people all enjoying the festivities whether it was dressing up as anime characters, watching bands play or just enjoying each other's company. The garden is huge with many different sections such as a rock garden, herb garden, the tulip section, the rose garden and so much more. The roses won't be blooming until June so I'll definitely be making a trip back.
Here is a photo my friend captured beautifully of a lady dressed up in costume.

Here I am with one of the oldest tree in the garden. Photo credit: Audrey

An assortment of tulips:

Looking down at the festival:

Afterwards, we went to this delicious Greek restaurant that was right down the road called Teddy's. I ordered a burger that hit just the spot!

I look forward to visiting both places in the near future!

Cheers! 

News Anchor for a Minute

I finally used my Living Social deal for a NBC studio tour at 30 rock. The package came with a free cup of fro-yo and any SNL t-shirt. I tried the white peach which was refreshing and not overly sweet.

The selection of SNL t-shirt were limited so I chose the "More Cowbell" with Will Ferrell to give to a friend.

While waiting for the tour to start, I snapped a couple pictures of the hallway where we were waiting.

For 30 Rock fans, here is a Kenneth the Page jacket. 

Here we have the Coneheads.

The tour went by surprisingly fast. I saw the Dr. Oz studios, SNL set and a green screen room where I got my picture taken. 

Also, before entering into the green screen room, the pages asked for volunteers. I was one of them and I was able to do a simulated news report. It was a lot of fun reading from the teleprompter and I decided afterwards that I could do it for a living. Overall, it was a fun experience.