• by Kelly Samardak , January 20, 2009

This Crazy Week, New York
January 20-23, 2009

I can't shake the feeling that something big is happening today. Is it the Fishs Eddy "We're NOT losing our lease" sale on Broadway and 19th? No, that can't be it. Is it the fire that I missed by minutes at the Army Recruitment square under the Flatiron building that I never even saw go up and is now down? Hmm, no... Maybe it's the OMMA Magazine Agency of the Year Party tonight at the Yale Club. Or maybe, just maybe, it's that little thing called an inauguration that has everybody sizzling like baby-oiled teens at the Mentor Headlands on senior skip day. Speaking of, I better get all set up for streaming. In the meantime, let's see what else is hot this week.

Really though, tonight will find me in two places, but not at once, since I retired my cloning/teleportation device. The first part of the evening maybe some of you will be joining me at the OMMA Agency of the year(AOY) party at The Yale Club. MediaPost has been handing out the AOY awards to deserving types for around six years now and tonight honors the big shots from 2008. Kind of nice to start 2009 by saying "yeah, and we just won OMMA Agency Of The Year." Find me people, I'll be there with my camera until around 7:00PM and then it's off to... The Yelp! Inaugural ball.

Still stinging from the claustrophobic nightmare that was the Mashable New Year NYC Networking party , I can't promise I'll last until 11 p.m. Chantelle Karl, Public Relations Manager, East Coast at Yelp.com (CK to her BFFs) says they've gotten over 2500 RSVPs. Yes, I also just threw up in my mouth with over-peopled fear. Mmm, egg whites. But I digress -- it should be a lot of fun, the Yelp gals are great, and really -- I have a hard time saying no to acrobats and burlesque. The location is Country on Madison, between 28th and 29th, and it aims to keep it poppin' from 8 -11 p.m. Again, I'll be sharpshooting, so get ready to smile, and don't even think about touching my camera.

Wednesday is going to kick some serious butt as well, with the American Business Media 2009 Women in Business-to-Business Honors at the Prince George Ballroom hosted by Erin Moriarty, Correspondent, 48 Hours Mystery. Has anyone been to this ballroom? Chichi? I will definitely be heading out of that shindig before 9:00 p.m., because I refuse to miss the season premiere of "Lost." A girl has to have her work/life balance.

Speaking of balance, I'd like to take this time to say invitations sent earlier rather than later are best. Why? Because sometimes I feverishly hunt to fill up the calendar so that you, stupendous reader, don't get bored, but also so that some of the smaller events can get some coverage. Sometimes the party is a stretch in terms of relevance to our industry, and then suddenly a really relevant invitation comes in... two days before the actual party. Once I've committed I honor that commitment, much like Obama commits to pronouncing nuclear correctly. You get what I'm saying. Even if it's a save the date, send 'er on. Get 'er done.

Thursday night I might cover the Product of The Year awards at the Rainbow Room, which is bit of stretch, but let's spin this thing like a two liter of soda on the Berber floor of a preteen sleepover, right? If someone gets all sauced like Jonah Bloom at the Pearl Awards, it should be entertaining.

And finally, Friday, I have two words for you: Pizza. Beer. Lisa Lacy, food writer at The Huffington Post, blogger, and foodie will be hosting a Pie Party at Greenwich Village Bistro in honor of National Pie Day. Oh yes, there's a National Pie Day. I guarantee sight unseen that it far trumps National Talk Like a Pirate Day, where cellar dwellers this side of sanity openly declare themselves ready for a beat down. If you want to spend your Friday night (starting at 7 p.m.) eating homemade goodies and pairing them with delicious fermented, I'll see you there.

I have to go back to eating my salad now, which I did not pair with potato chips, like I usually do. It's a new day.

You KNOW you want your mini burgers dissected in Just An Online Minute.  Invite kelly@mediapost.com and you're in!

See what you've been missing, or why you're glad you didn't go: lots o' photos on Flickr!