I Want Your VOTE!

A few weeks ago I got to travel back in time and spend the day at my elementary school Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School in Chicago.

I was there shooting and producing a video to enter into a contest. It was supposed to be a two minute piece about how the school impacted my life.

It was an extremely enjoyable experience for me. Besides getting to head back to school and say hi to some of my favorite teachers it gave me a chance to give something back to an organization that I owe a lot to.

Now, I’m asking all my blog followers---and anyone else---to vote for the video. If it wins, Anshe Emet could get thousands of dollars from the Jewish Day School Video Academy. Consider it giving to charity without actually having to write a check!

All you have to do is click THIS link and vote. Feel free to spread the word and forward the video along. Every vote counts.  

Thanks for your help and support,

Natalie

What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger

I googled myself today – I’ll admit it – I have no shame. I just wanted to see what’s floating around the worldwide web. I spotted this post on dexknows.com. I’ve never heard of this website but apparently it allows people to post comments about businesses.

This review of WITN-TV (my old news station) was posted on Nov. 23, 2009 (almost three years ago).

I use to watch the show,"TODAY" everyday and still love it. Then my family moved to NC and now I cant watch it anymore due to a lady on WITN Natalie Kaplan Anchor/Reporter. I dont know what is wrong with her or the way she talks… Read Mo

I use to watch the show,"TODAY" everyday and still love it. Then my family moved to NC and now I cant watch it anymore due to a lady on WITN Natalie Kaplan Anchor/Reporter. I dont know what is wrong with her or the way she talks I cant stand looking at her so then I would just try to listen but even that drove me crazy. I thought it was just me so I had my husband watch her and even he said the same! So now I am sad we dont watch WITN or TODAY anymore.

-SAD by sad southern bell  

Ouch. At the time of her comment I was anchoring the noon news at WITN in Greenville, North Carolina. If I recall correctly, the Today show aired right before the noon news. “Sad by sad southern bell” gave WITN one star based on my performance.

I’m printing this out and shoving it in my face the next time I need a reality check because it sure did work today.

My Perfect New York City Monday

10:30 a.m. – Wake up and leisurely shower. Water is actually hot! 

11:30 a.m. – Take Subway to Madison Avenue and see if new Brian Atwood shoe store is open yet (No, for all those interested).

Noon – Walk to Carnegie Deli on 7th Avenue for lunch. Eat half a pastrami sandwich and potato pancake. Enjoy watching next table chow down on massive piece of strawberry cheesecake.

2 p.m. – Walk to Times Square. Wait in TKTS Discount line to try and nab tickets to Broadway show that night for cheap. Make friends with actor and actress promoting different shows. Spend $169 on two tickets for Spiderman. Normal price $338.

4 p.m. – Take Subway back to Upper East Side apartment. Stop at different shoe store to checkout new fall collection.

5 p.m. – Put on new favorite dress for Broadway show.

6 p.m. – Take Subway back down to Times Square for 7:30 performance of Spiderman. Perfect seats in Orchestra. Bad show---should have listened to actor and actress friends and seen Newsies. Live and learn.

10 p.m. – Walk to Hells Kitchen for dinner. Find small and charming Italian restaurant. Order prosciutto bruschetta for appetizer. Ask waiter if kitchen can make spaghetti and meatballs even though it’s not on menu. They can and it’s delicious.

11:30 p.m. – Take stroll towards apartment for 30 minutes before jumping in cab.

12:30 a.m. – Bedtime (Booo).

Traffic School Nightmare

I got a speeding ticket about a month ago in Evanston. I was going 45 mph in a 30 mph zone. Who actually goes 30 mph? I might as well not even be driving. The police officer who pulled me over was not charmed by my antics at all. He could care less about my excuses. He’d caught me and I was going to have to pay up. I happen to still have a Michigan driver’s license, which posed another problem. Because of that, Officer Butt Face said he was going to have to confiscate my license and take me into the station. What? That’s when the water fall started. Check my record, I pleaded. I’m totally clean (I hoped). He cut me a little slack and let me drive away with my Michigan license and a whopping $175 ticket. Ouch. Plus, I had to take a four-hour traffic safety class online. So, it’s Friday night and that’s exactly what I’m doing. Of course I waited to the very last day and minute to complete it. My deadline is tonight (9/21) at midnight. I’m about three-hours in and have sworn to never speed again simply to never have to take this class over. Painful is an understatement. It’s scripted by this monotone woman who reads the speed of a 3rd grader. I have to sit and wait and wait and wait for her to finish reading each sentence before my little continue button lights up and lets me move forward. They’ve perfected this thing. No one is walking away, doing dishes, or chatting on the phone if they want to complete the course in a timely fashion…or the minimum four-hours it’s going to take me. Now that I've finished my rant---on a more positive note---I have been suprised by some funky statistics and apparently some rules of the road have changed since I took drivers ed class about 12-years-ago. I apologize to all those I've put in danger while speeding and I also apologize to Officer Butt Face, I realize you were just doing your job and trying to keep drivers like me from actually hurting anyone else. No harsh feelings I hope.

What's Not to Like About this License Plate?

This weekend I saw Magic Mike in a movie theatre in Michigan City, Indiana. While I give the actual movie a C+, I award the audience an A+. The movie was about a male strip club in Tampa, FL. The crowd was predominantly female. It appeared that the first two-rows of the audience were part of a group. Upon entering the theater, one woman yelled, “Let’s do this BITCHES!” When the first man walked into the theater, that same woman stood up and shouted, “Let’s see your moves!” Everyone else cheered, while he and his girlfriend squealed to the back of the theatre. I obviously came to love this woman. I was less interested in the plot and more interested in the raunchy dance moves. So was the audience. Some onlookers were using their iPhones to take pictures of the screen. I personally think the movie should have focused more on the provocative routines than a lame love story. But I understand that even strippers need love to. My suggestion is wait until it’s out on DVD, but if you are itching to watch it now, definitely make sure it’s at AMC Showplace Michigan City 14.

Last night I stopped by my parent’s house around 10 p.m. and found my 58-year-old mother sitting on the couch---under a blanket---watching “The Top 20 Music Video Countdown” on Fusion. I looked at her and asked, “Mom, what are you watching?” She responded, “The Countdown Nat.” I replied, “Why” and she said, “It’s pretty good.” I went to the bathroom, came back and she was still watching. That’s when I decided to change the channel to HBO and we both proceeded to cry for 45-minutes straight watching ‘One Day’ with Anne Athaway.  

Why Do Woman Do This To Each Other?

How much does physical appearance, specifically weight, influence women’s first impressions of each other? That was a new study conducted by a Yale market researcher and backed by Glamour Magazine. The conclusion, “All women are now judged by their size.”

The poll asked 1800 women (18-40) to envision a female stranger who was either “overweight” or “thin,” then choose one of a pair of words to describe her. The results showed that the participants were WAY more likely to call an overweight woman slow, undisciplined, sloppy and lazy compared to a thin woman. When envisioning a thin woman, those polled were WAY more likely to characterize her as bitchy, mean, controlling, vain, self-centered, conceited and superficial compared to an overweight woman. The study also concluded that “overweight” woman are more likely to characterize other “overweight” woman as slow, undisciplined, sloppy (blah blah) and vice versa with thin woman. Basically, everyone is doing it all the time and it doesn't matter if you're skinny or fat. (Thank you Huffington Post for providing this background information).

Let me remind you that participants knew absolutely nothing about these women except their weight. That made me think. Why are woman so hard on each other; especially when it comes to weight? Why do we find the need to judge others so harshly based on appearance? Is it a defense mechanism when we feel threatened? Or are we just more programed than men to be shallow? Recently, I’ve caught myself judging someone before I’ve heard a single word come out of their mouths…shame on me. Since I would never want someone to judge me on the size of my jeans or for that matter, the designer of my purse, I’ve been trying to work on this.

While Glamour’s got its conclusion, I’m coming up with my own. There’s always going to be someone out there who is prettier, smarter, wealthier, funnier and definitely skinnier than me. Instead of being critical, why not embrace others for who they are and hope they do the same to me. If I actually get to know someone and it turns out I don’t like who they are, then that’s a completely different story.

I just went to the bathroom and the toilet flushed for a really long time and I enjoyed watching it. Does that make me totally insane?

My Monday Mistake

Before you get frustrated with the kiosk assistant because the automated computer can’t find your flight itinerary, demand immediate attention from a random airline employee because you don’t want to wait in the bag check line for further assistance, and actually curse at another check-in woman because she too can’t find your flight information---even though you’ve provided a confirmation number---just make sure that you’re trying to check into the right airlines (In this specific case I was booked on United not American). Sorry about all that. Lesson definitely learned.

The Most I've Ever Paid to Fill Up My Tank, Brutal

What? Why?

This is the sign that stands outside of Club Lucky on Friday nights. I laughed out loud. Why so strict? After a quick google search, I discovered that MC colors stands for Motorcycle Club colors. Who knew? Apparently, that is absolutely prohibited. I was puzzled by all the rules and regulations, especially since this bar/restaurant is attached to a movie theatre. You're basically disqualifying everyone that goes to the movies on a Friday night. But do they stick? Yes. I watched two European tourists, wearing baggy clothing, high-tops, and stylish hats rejected at the door. In this type of economy, that's just bad business in my opinion.

My Beef with the Locksmith

This weekend, I foolishly locked myself out of a New York apartment. I was putting bags of trash in the hallway to be taken downstairs when the door slammed shut, automatically locking me out.

I was stranded with no shoes and no money. There was also no door man and no hidden spare key. I knocked on a neighbor’s door to get the maintenance man’s number. He informed me that he was not working today and that it would take him 45 minutes to get there, plus a whopping $80 for his services.

Frustrated, I contacted a locksmith who informed me that he could have someone there in 15-minutes for the same price. I went with the locksmith. Another man arrived 20-minutes later, out of breath from the 5-flights of stairs he was forced to climb.

Before starting, he went over pricing with me. According to this ass****, it would cost $80 to unlock the door. It would cost $35 for his services. Plus, it would cost an additional $125 to replace the lock that he was going to have to drill out. I stood there in shock. “What happened to the original $80 price I was quoted on the phone?” I asked. He explained that his co-worker did not understand the work that was needed, which is why he was explaining the different costs before he began. However, if I paid cash, he would “do me a favor” and charge $195 for the entire thing instead. “That’s a scam,” I shouted. “How can you quote one price and then charge three times as much?” The words sounded naïve as soon as I blurted them out. I had to remind myself that I wasn't in Kansas anymore.

The locksmith stood there with a blank stare, completely unwilling to budge. I refused to pay the exaggerated price and he left. I had to call the maintenance man again and beg for his services. Two hours and $80 later, I was back in the apartment. Defeated, I cancelled my dinner reservations that night and opted for Chinese takeout instead.

Who Wants Cake?

I recently threw a massive surprise party for my brother’s 25th birthday. Since my mom owns a bakery I ordered a gigantic cake. I said I wanted it to be “huge.” We decided on a German Chocolate masterpiece. This took two people to deliver. When my father dragged it into my apartment, I asked, “Do you think this is big enough?” He laughed in my face. We now have leftovers for Max’s next 10-birthdays.

My Big Mistake

I hate to admit it but I make mistakes sometimes too.

Last Friday I was traveling from Chicago to New York. I arrived at ORD a bit early and paid $75 to get on an earlier United Airlines flight. That’s right; United charged me a whopping $75 to make the change even though I’m a MileagePlus cardholder and travel with them all the time. When I got on the plane, a flight attendant informed me that there was no more room for my carry-on luggage and that I had to gate check the bag. I was annoyed but happy I had gotten on the earlier flight and handed it over.

That was my BIG mistake.

When I arrived at LGA, my bag wasn’t there when I walked off the plane. I was told I had to pick it up at baggage claim. I found it at carousal #1 (I think) and ran out the door to catch a cab.
But when I opened my carry-on at my final destination I was shocked to discover someone had stolen my jewelry pouch from inside by luggage. I had several pieces of valuable jewelry in a gold purse that I had slipped in my carry-on because I never expected to have had to check it.

Someone had opened my bag and swiped the pouch after it was gate checked (The picture above is a piece that survived the attack.)

As you can image, everything after that was complicated. The first person I called to file a complaint with was a COMPLETE idiot and in five minutes gave me four different types of
instructions. The second person I spoke to was much better and helpful. Basically I had to file a report. I also had to fill out a form and try and show “proof of purchase” for the missing items.

Let’s see, where am I going to find a receipt for a pair of pearl earrings my parents gave me for
college graduation six-years ago?

This is what I hope happens:

1. The dirty thief gets caught and I get all my stuff back
2. United reimburses me for my stolen jewelry, my plane ticket and the $75 it cost for an upgrade.

This is what will probably happen: Nothing. They’ll apologize for the inconvenience but say they’re not responsible for jewelry.

My advice to you is never ever check anything that is valuable. And don’t forget to take it out if you’re forced to.