What an unbelievable month that was highlighted far more by the time that we were home then when we were traveling for work. Let’s get into the second to last month of the year!

RECAP OF THE MONTH

I’m writing this month’s recap aboard a flight to Orlando after what can only be described as a jam-packed November. It all began with two broadway shows, one which is a new favorite (Into the Woods) and one we could have done without (You Will Get Sick) followed by an incredible multi-course Michelin star dinner at Sixty Three Clinton in the lowest east side. Given all the upcoming travel that both Jenn and I were going to do, it was nice to be able to go out and enjoy time together.

On Sunday, November 6th I boarded a flight to London (via Virgin Atlantic) to go on my second-to-last work trip of the year. I made it to London late on Sunday evening and checked into the Andaz for the first time for four nights. The trip to London went by like a whirlwind with work dinners almost every night. On Thursday I took the Eurostar to Paris where the day ended with a team dinner that didn’t end until almost midnight. I couldn’t visit Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower so I made the 30-minute walk after dinner to see it light up one last time before turning off for the evening. It was absolutely worth the walk.

I made my way back home first thing on Friday morning via Air France and had the weekend with Jenn before she went to Montreal for work. The hand-off is never easy but luckily for Frasier, us going on different weeks meant he didn’t need to be boarded. Frasier and I held down the fort while Jenn was gone. After a snowy but successful work trip for Jenn, the family was all back together on Thursday the 17th.

At this point, we had made it through the busiest time of the month and now it was time to sit back and relax. That weekend we had tickets to go see Leopaldstadt a beautiful play about a Jewish family in Vienna before and after WWII. It was an emotional, heart-wrenching 90 minutes but a play I know we’re both so glad we were able to get tickets for. We did some long walks with Frasier to both Central Park and Riverside Park where he needed his coat for the first time this season.

This led us into the latter part of November which meant it was Thanksgiving. I worked from home all week (a rarity) and got to spend far more time with Jenn and at home than I’m normally able to. We went out on a Tuesday (even more of a rarity) to a new bar at the top of the Ritz Carlton Nomad called Nubeluz. Although it wasn’t the best drink it was great to be out. The next night (Thanksgiving eve) we went and saw Mike Birbiglia’s new one-man show, The Old Man and the Pool at Lincoln Center which was phenomenal.

Thanksgiving arrived and unlike last year we were both healthy. Jenn woke up and immediately made a bee-line to our living room windows to watch the parade go past Columbus Circle. Once she had gotten her fill, we took Frasier for a nice long walk and got ready for our supper at Wall Se (a year late). We arrived there at 2:30 pm and had a delicious three-course Thanksgiving feast with none of the normal fixings. It was a lovely day with plenty of wine, great food, and a very nice way to do Thanksgiving.

As we’ve done almost every year since we’ve been married, we spent black Friday doing some early morning clothes shopping followed by decorating our apartment for Christmas. I say this every year, but it is always one of my favorite days of the year. There’s nothing quite like the apartment transforming from the way it is for 11 months of the year to a winter wonderland. Jenn once again did a phenomenal job decorating, and within hours our apartment was fully transformed. Frasier even kept us company as we decorated around the tree sipping our sparkling Rose and snacking on popcorn and mixed nuts. We closed out the evening watching Love Actually..

The rest of the weekend we rested around the apartment. We had tickets to see a symphony on Saturday night but I started to get the chills from the COVID booster shot (my fourth) I took at Walgreens that morning. Instead, we stayed in and enjoyed a night at home watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. What a great way to cap off a fantastic month.

TV WE WATCHED

It might have been the best month of TV in 2022. Five incredible shows:

The Handmaid’s Tale - Season 5
House of the Dragon - Season 1
The Rings of Power - Season 1
The White Lotus - Season 2
Fleishman is in Trouble - Season 1

That is not even accounting for shows like Acapulco, Abbot Elementary, and The Patient which are right there with them. But somehow Handmaid’s Tale continues to throw some incredible moments and out of nowhere House of the Dragon is just as good as Game of Thrones, who would have thought?

Although The White Lotus is still only halfway through its second season they have somehow upped what was my favorite show of 2021. And that does not even account for the excellent Rings of Power and Fleishman is in Trouble. What a month for TV!

BOOKS I READ (OR LISTENED TO)

I knew when I set out a goal of 35 books this year that it would be the toughest goal to hit that I’ve ever attempted given my new job. This month I started to pick back up steam and read four books, although really the only one of any major note was the excellent Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. A tragic, beautifully written book that moved me more than once. Easily will be one of my favorite books of the year.

MOVIES WE WATCHED

I watched a few movies on planes this month but the highlights were actually at home. Neal Brennan’s stand-up Blocks were unbelievable, easily the best stand-up we’ve watched this year. The other big highlight was Spirited a musical on Apple TV, a movie that takes place in A Christmas Carol which was a bit long but really fun. It might even make our annual Christmas rotation. Speaking of that, we did begin our Christmas rotation this year although limiting it to nine given all the travel we’re doing between now and Christmas.

THEATER WE SAW

A banger of a theater month in November. Let’s get the bad out of the way, You Will Get Sick just didn’t hit for either Jenn or me. That’s OK because the other three shows could easily each be my favorite show of the year. What brings me more joy than anything is that Jenn has been listening to the cast album of Into the Woods since we saw the show at the start of November. It’s confirmed, we are now officially Sondheim fans.

Leopoldstadt was a tragic but beautifully told play about a Jewish family in Vienna before, during, and after WWII. And finally Mike Birbiglia’s one-man stand-up/story comedy show at Lincoln Center we saw the day before Thanksgiving and I was crying I was laughing so hard. We will literally go see any show he puts on Broadway from here on out.

GAMES I'VE BEEN PLAYING

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find time to play anything that’s not a sports game. Most of my gaming sessions are now for 15-30 minutes so playing a game like Red Dead Redemption 2 (a game I still haven’t finished) is becoming hard to do. I still play a lot of video games but in short bursts.