Has it really been only four short weeks since my last monthly update? Time seems to move faster now that I’m back home from traveling.

And I have some big news — after two months in New England, tomorrow I’m flying to my other home — Los Angeles! I’ve missed my friends and former co-workers tremendously over this past year and can’t wait to catch up in person. I plan to spend about 6-8 weeks in L.A.

But back to the present. Snow, theater, family, an early birthday celebration, and lots of TV shows… here are my favorite moments from February.

So much snow. I think most towns in our state had at least one snow day every week this month.

Despite the Connecticut confetti (have you seen this SNL clip?), I still managed to sneak in walks around my hometown of Wallingford.

My mom made Brussels sprouts with bacon and they are delicious. That box on the right contained chocolates from my Emerson College graduation in 2006… they’ve been in my parents’ freezer for eight years. I’m happy to report they were still tasty after all this time.

I returned to Mamoun’s in New Haven for more falafel — thanks to El & Pete for introducing me to this place!

And then I took in a performance of Amy Herzog’s 4000 Miles at Long Wharf Theatre. It’s a play about an octogenarian woman in Manhattan whose grandson unexpectedly stops by after completing a cross-country cycling trip during which his best friend (who was riding with him) was killed by a truck. I loved this play and immediately saw why it’s become so frequently produced in regional theaters around the country. It’s perfect for subscription-based audiences who tend to be of an older demographic (the grandmother’s lines got way more laughs than the grandson’s at Long Wharf). Plus it’s a single set and there’s only four actors, so it’s a cost-effective show to produce. Not only has Amy Herzog written a great play — it’s truly a high-quality script — but it so neatly fits the criteria that regional theaters look for when programming their seasons.

I also saw the Oscar nominated live action & animated shorts, an annual tradition for me but the first time seeing them outside of Los Angeles. Only a few theaters screen them (400 in the U.S. this year) so I’m glad to find one locally playing these shorts. They are often directed by up-and-coming filmmakers who go on to make a name for themselves. Plus if you see them, you’ll be a step closer to winning the Oscar pool among your friends.

And I’ve played the piano almost daily. While one of my New Year’s resolutions was to work on learning the guitar, that hasn’t happened yet — but I grew up taking piano lessons and it’s a pleasure to play regularly.

I challenged my dad to a few rounds of Scrabble. He’s the best at this game (and regularly wins against the computer when playing on-line) so I like to make sure it’s late at night and he’s drinking a glass of wine before we start. And even then I’d be helpless without consulting our Scrabble dictionary on every turn.

He won the game above, but I clinched the match below by adding ‘axil’ to pluralize ‘chateau’ on a triple word score and earning a cool 90 points.

I’ve logged some quality time with my sweet grandmother while in Connecticut. Here she is looking at photo cards my Aunt Chris sends her, below left.

And below right is the front / back of a photo of my grandparents. Years ago Grandma wrote, “The Old Folks, Henry & Trudie, Jan. ’07.” Under that Grandpa added, “Actually she looks more like my daughter than my wife (boy am I making brownie points).” He was such a joker.

Every time I visit Grandma I bring my laptop to show her photos. Mostly family shots and a few travel images, since she and Gramps did a lot of traveling during their 67 years together.

And while in New York City last week I met up with my uncle for lunch! He was in the city on business and it was such a treat to see him.

I made four trips to NYC this month. During one, I stopped at Three Lives, a favorite bookstore of mine.

A shot of Washington Square Park around dusk.

I’ve spent plenty of time at these locations… below left is bareburger, which serves organic fare (their burgers and sandwiches are excellent). Below right is The Grey Dog, my favorite coffee house in New York City. Get the Mexican Hot Chocolate. (Thank you Carrie for introducing me to these places!)

Shows from this month include…

Outside Mullingar (Broadway, produced by MTC) is a new play by Pulitzer winner John Patrick Shanley, starring Debra Messing and Bryan F. O’Byrne. While I spent the first 30 minutes struggling to make out dialogue through the heavy Irish accents, I warmed up to it. It’s a surprisingly light play. This is the closest the Irish get to romantic comedy.

The Tribute Artist (off-Broadway at 59E59, produced by Primary Stages) is tremendous fun. Charles Busch stars as an out-of-work female impersonator (a ‘tribute artist’) who, when his elderly landlady dies in her sleep, takes on her identity in order to hang on to her valuable Greenwich Village townhouse (I lifted that description from the website). Cue the long-lost relatives and former boyfriend… will they figure out the ruse? A very enjoyable evening of theater.

Dinner with Friends (off-Broadway by Roundabout) is a Donald Margulies play that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama back in 2000. It’s about two couples who have been friends for 12 years when one decides to divorce. The play explores the ramifications of the split on both marriages and the foursome’s friendship. There are some powerful moments and lines of dialogue that have stuck with me. Great cast.

Buyer & Cellar (off-Broadway at Barrow Street Theatre) is a one-man show starring Michael Urie and it has the wildest plot. Did you know that Barbra Streisand has a legit mall in her Malibu basement? It’s private, just for her. Buyer & Cellar imagines what would happen if she hired an unemployed L.A. actor to work in her mall, just for her own enjoyment. I haven’t laughed this hard since The Tribute Artist.

Beautiful (Broadway) is the Carole King bio-musical featuring all of her hit songs. It’s essentially a female version of Jersey Boys. I went into the city early to purchase $40 rush tickets (on-sale daily when the box office opens at 10am; limited number available) and I had high expectations since the reviews were largely positive. I was a tad underwhelmed by Beautiful as it’s pretty much a hit parade with some story thrown in. But star Jessie Mueller is fabulous and it was a joy to watch her play Carole King.

The Happiest Song Plays Last (off-Broadway at Second Stage) is the third play in a trilogy by Quiara Alegria Hudes. This final chapter in the on-going saga of cousins Elliot and Yaz splits time between Jordan (where Elliot is filming a movie based on his Iraq experience) and Philadelphia (where Yaz continues her role as the neighborhood mom). Part two in this series — Water by the Spoonful — won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama last year; I saw that production at Second Stage too. Now I just have to see part one — Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue. Armando Riesco has played Elliot in all three productions. NOTE: You do not have to have seen any previous installment to enjoy this play. It stands firmly on its own.

Forbidden Broadway (off-Broadway) lampoons musicals and plays on Broadway. The most recent installment of this long-running show just opened last weekend and since I’ve seen almost everything currently running (you’re not surprised), I was in a good position to get all the jokes. I haven’t laughed this hard since Buyer & Cellar…

Rocky the Musical (Broadway) is currently in previews and I was curious to see what all the fuss is about. The last 20 minutes are rumored to be off-the-charts and, indeed, it does live up to that hype. Director Alex Timbers (here’s an interesting interview with him in Vulture this week) achieves a level of spectacle I have never before witnessed on the Broadway stage. Composer/Lyricist team Flaherty & Ahrens — who are responsible for the music of Ragtime, one of my all-time favorite shows — also do the music for Rocky. There are weaknesses, particularly in regards to the book (they’re still in previews so kinks may be ironed out), but it is highly watchable.

Spotted in the lobby at Forbidden Broadway yesterday:

The marquee at Rocky last night:

I’ve seen 20 shows in New York since returning from my RTW trip on December 22nd. All tickets were purchased at a steep discount on TDF or via rush, lottery, and student tickets (shh, don’t tell anyone I’m no longer in college). And I keep all my ticket stubs from Broadway and off-Broadway; I just counted and it turns out Rocky is my 101st show in New York City over the past 16 years. Not bad for a non-resident!

Oh, and I’m turning 30 in four weeks. No big deal.

UMMM, HUGE DEAL. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, I’m milking 29 for all it’s worth. It’s been one heck of a year.

Since I won’t see my parents on my birthday, they helped me celebrate early. We ordered my favorite pizza from Lido’s (veggies with bacon) and my mom baked her special lemon cake with homemade lemon icing. Should I ever be in the unfortunate position of requesting a Last Meal, this would be it.

Oh, and I’ve had a productive two months on the media front. I’ve read four books: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. The former is about a mystical circus and two opponents-turned-lovers engaged in a battle of magic to the death (it sounds ‘out there’ but I promise it’s good), and the latter is a Hunger Games-esque dystopian YA series about a dynamic girl named Tris and her love interest Four (the first movie comes out in March starring Shailene Woodley and Kate Winselt).

And I think I’ve seen a record-breaking amount of TV in the last 60 days:

• House of Cards – seasons 1 & 2
• Homeland – season 3
• Scandal – first half of season 3
• Arrested Development – season 4
• Downton Abbey – season 4
• Sherlock – seasons 1, 2, & 3
• The Newsroom – season 2

I just did the math and that’s 80 hours of television. Yikes. On tap for March: Orange is the New Black. And maybe True Detective, Broadchurch, Orphan Black, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

That’s a wrap on February!