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day in the pants

a day in her pants: the posh deluxe interview with erica greenhouse

By Sarah ⋅ June 20, 2008 ⋅ Post a comment
today, it is my UTMOST pleasure to present you with one of my favorite austinites, not to mention the biggest hoss i know, erica greenhouse.
yeah, that’s erica, eating pizza and drinking a beer right after she COMPLETED A TRIATHLON. BECAUSE SHE IS THAT AMAZING.
i first met erica when she and her sister, meredith, were in town from NYC to visit old college friends, including henri. i liked erica *immediately*, and if you know her, i’m sure you felt the same way– it’s impossible NOT to like her. she’s friendly, good-natured and exudes a warm, sunny vibe that feels like a sweet, comfy hug.
when i found out erica was moving to austin, i was ECSTATIC, not only because she seemed so genuine and nice, but ALSO cos she was Always Up For Fun. since i’m such a planner pants, this is one of my TOP qualities in a friend. i can call erica up, days in advance or minutes in advance, and ask, “hey, do you want to do dinner?” or “hi, wanna come to a sing-along?” or “are you interested in checking out this club that will probably be terrible but hilarious?” or “yo yo YO we’re doing karaoke tonight and i know you hate it but you HAVE TO COME!” and invariably, even if it’s 10 PM and she has to get up for work at 4 AM, she will say, with boundless enthusiasm, “SURE!”
let me put it this way: if you’re throwing a party, you MUST have erica there. her dance party madness and incredible endurance will insure that even the lamest of parties will be a massive success.
after knowing erica for a few years (two?), i feel incredibly blessed to count her as a friend. she’s not just a super fun party pants, she’s also a loyal and true kindred spirit, a comrade who is always ready to lend a helping hand (or a bottle of wine). truly, my austin would be a dreary, dispirited place without her.
and so, without further ado, let’s begin!
so erica, as members of pants world already know, i recently spent a week with yr family in mexico. i LOVED hearing about all of yr traditions and inside jokes and jewish christmas deodorant. tell me a little bit about yr experiences growing up in jersey and some of yr favorite traditions.
Well, people can make fun of Jersey as much as they want and I will take it. To me it was the greatest place to grow up.
1) I am from Bruce Springsteen’s home town (enough said).
2) 45 minutes from New York City or Philadelphia, and my parents were not afraid to take us there. Every single year my parents would take us kids out of school for a day near Christmas time to go into the city. We would get super bundled up, cause it is cold, and then go to see the tree and ice skate, go to FAO Schwartz to play with toys, and hang out in Macy’s to see Santa. It was perfect. We would go many other times of the year, but that was always my favorite. My dad is a HUGE Hockey fan so we had season tickets to the Rangers and the Devils so we would go to games all the time. Every year, before they started winning Stanley Cups, the Devils would have a skate with the team day, so we used to ice skate with them and get pictures. My parents would also take us to Philadelphia Phillies baseball games, especially on give a way days, my favorite was bat day.
3) Six Flags – 15 minutes away. That was what I did every summer. I can’t tell you how many time the music group the Monkee’s played there I would go. That was great!!
4) The beach. Also 15 minutes away. On Sundays in the summer we used to go to Seaside Heights and get $1 pizza and soda at the SawMill and play skee ball all night long. My dad loves a good bargain.
erica, her nephew leo and the special christmas deodorant.
dude, i am so spending next christmas with you guys. esp. if yr parents take me to FAO schwarz.
so, you are the baby in the family (well, you were before yr nephew and niece came along). what was that like? did yr siblings torture you?
A little torture, but not too much. I would say EXTRA love. I was always pretty easy going as a kid so I just hung out with whoever was around. I would play catch with my brother, hang out with both my big sisters, anything went. I did get a lot of hand me downs, but overall I think I was treated super well being the baby. At times I felt my parents were over the parenting thing, but that worked to my advantage :) I guess the only times it was sad was when all my older siblings would be doing something I wasn’t old enough to do yet. That sucked.
tell me about yr dad’s obsession with bruce springsteen concerts, cos it’s the most awesome thing ever.
Yes, it is pretty awesome, I must admit. To set the record a little straight, he is obsessed with concerts in general, just most specialized in Bruce. HE LOVES HIM!! My dad has been taking us to concerts since I could crawl. But he will travel all over to see this guy and if he is playing 10 shows in Jersey, my dad will go to at least half of them. Here is an example. So Bruce was playing in Dallas, so my dad was gonna come to Austin for the weekend and we would drive together to go to the show and then he would leave from Dallas. Well, all of a sudden my dad calls me and says, “Bon Jovi is playing in Las Vegas (where my parents own a condo) on Sat night, so I am thinking maybe you should drive to Dallas alone of Friday, leave your car there, fly to Vegas we will meet there then go to the show Sat. Fly back to Dallas on Sunday to catch the Bruce show and then you can drive back Monday what do you think.” This is not the normal talk of a 62 year old man. We got lucky cause Bon Jovi announced a show in Dallas for Monday night, so we could catch a double header in the same city. To prove my dad knows these Jersey performers so well, on the walk to Bruce he announced that he bets Bon Jovi gets on stage to sing a song with Bruce, I wasn’t sure, but he was right. Bruce and Bon Jovi did a song together. A jersey girl’s dream come true :)

i had to put another xmas picture in this interview cos I CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS AWESOMENESS.
you are SO jersey, but only in the good ways. like, yr hair isn’t huge.
it seems to me like you had the “cool parents” in high school. what is the secret, in yr opinion, to being a cool parent?
Well, besides the fact that they actually are cool people (good taste in music, love to travel, etc.) the most important thing about being a cool parent is Trust! My parents trusted all of us to make our own decisions and to do what was best for us, and we all turned out great. We didn’t have a drug addict or high school dropout, but it was by choice cause they never forced anything down our throat, so that made us want to do good. They set such great examples, it was easy to model after. They were also extremely realistic. For instance, they were very aware that 18 year old people will occasionally have some drinks (ok maybe younger too, but don’t want to reveal too much) so if it was a special occasion we could drink in the house as long as all of my friends spent the night there, so there would be no drinking and driving. Very sensible parents I must say.
you left jersey far behind to attend college at UT, where you met a 19 year old henri. tell me about THAT!
Oh yes, the time of leaving Jersey to meet Austin. Yes, there was a young Henri. How I remember him well. He was pretty similar except a little smaller. The very first time I met Henri was actually when I was in high school. My sister Meredith had gone to school at UT as well, and I was visiting her. So I meet this 18 year old guy who I am videotaping and he walks up to my camera and licks it. I really did not know what to say. My mouth dropped and I tried to keep taping, but it looked funny from his saliva. We then went to Maccaroni grill for his birthday and he waved the napkins above his head while we sang. Oh the memories. Two years later I actually moved to Austin and it felt like moving to a new country. I was always lucky to have Henri around as my ‘council’. Being that he was older and wiser I would go to him about the crazy stuff that went on with my friends, and there were lots of those times, and he would tell me about his times and I would feel better. Then he would make Selina mad with his silly arguments and we would have to leave :) So glad the times have changed :) But I do miss the times at the south mall just wasting the days away with chicken fried rice and cherry lemonade.
henri? making silly arguments? really?
henri and erica– a little older, a little wiser…?
after college, you spent some time working at disneyworld. i’ve heard some crayzee things about that place– can you spill any secrets or will walt disney hunt you down?
I can’t believe you even asked me this. You could be killed just for asking me about the secrets of Disney. Hehe. Well, that was definitely a unique experience working at Disney. I went right from college for an internship. This is a program where a bunch of college kids leave together in apartments that are dorm style in the way they are issued, and work easy jobs while they just party all the time and do not have to worry about consequences cause they won’t ever have to see these people again after the internship is over. But besides that party aspect, Disney itself if a crazy place. You have some true Disney people, who live, breathe, sleep and eat Mickey Mouse. It is awesome. They definitely remind you several times (i think this is the PC way to say it) of how great Disney is and what a great place it is to work for and how great it is. But with all the crazyness of it I must admit, I wanted to go into hospitality, and they taught me well, they are pretty good at that stuff. Plus I got to see the real Disney….
minnie to erica, “if you ever so much as THINK about spilling my secrets… keep smiling… i will cut you.”
now you’re the front desk manager at a v. posh hotel in austin. inquiring minds want to know: WHERE DO YOU FIND THE PATIENCE?
Sometimes I wonder that same thing. First I must admit, BACK OF HOUSE areas save everyone. Right after to talk to someone totally cray, go in the back and make fun of them till you feel better. It works like a charm. You know it is just about not taking yourself or others too seriously. There are some CRAZY things I have seen and dealt with, and I just enjoy them all. Those that are mean and angry and try to get stuff for free..well I just feel bad for them cause it must be hard to be like that all the time, I am lucky that I am not. But if anyone in pants world wants to know how to get free stuff from hotels…I am the girl to ask.
or at the v. least, you can always give us a free breakfast (i.e. how erica deals with people who complain).
tell me a story (or two) about “interesting” customers you’ve dealt with in the past.
Hmmm. Interesting in a good way or in a bad. Tough call. I will say the meanest anyone has ever been. I was at Disney and this dad was yelling at me about not have a magic kingdom view, blah blah. Then all of a sudden his kids come down and he picks them up (2 kids maybe like 3 and 5) and says “Let me introduce you to the girl that is ruining your vacation, let me introduce to the person that is destroying your dreams.” My response of course was “Hi”. Then he put them down and while I continued to apologize profusely to him and explained that there actually guests inside all of those rooms and I could move him tomorrow, he would tell me to look over his shoulder at his kids and remember how much I am ruining their dreams. I know I didn’t do anything wrong, but man I felt bad for those kids. That has got to be a tough dad to have. Let’s see, another person insisted that since their movie cut out in the middle of the movie I have to give them a free room. But there are also the fun crazies..and the stories could go on and on. I don’t want to put it out on the net, but the famous people stories I could tell. Spike Lee, Obama, Eddie Murphy, Flava Fav etc. Hospitality is a great business.
even though i already know it, please tell everyone about the time you checked in ice cube. because that was awesome.

Two words: Mr. Cube Yes I am a BIG dork, and he came to check in. He started asking me about the two suite options and which one he should stay in and I said “Well Mr. Cube I think….” I couldn’t believe I called him Mr. Cube. He has a real hard core look, but he totally snuck a smile in there cause it was ridiculous, but really what should I have called him. Ice? Mr. Ice? Senor Cube? I don’t know what would have sounded right. His stay went great by the way.

gah i love that story. seriously, i want to meet ice cube now just so i can call him “mr. cube.”
in spite of yr demanding hotel schedule, you find time to do stuff like, oh you know, marathons… two triathlons… in a row… how do you do it?!!! how do you tap into yr inner hoss?
I think challenging yourself whether it be physically or mentally is what keeps us young, confident and alive. So yes I do work an INSANE amount of hours, like never less than 10 hours a day usually like 12, but I have been much better at leaving lately, but that can’t control who I am right? RIGHT!! So I make sure i do everything I want to do. Let’s see, first I traveled across Europe by myself, which was definitely a HUGE accomplishment. Then Sky Diving, then I got into the sports things. The marathon I still don’t believe I did that, but I have pics to prove it. That was the hardest thing I ever did, but after that and after all the other things I have done I then have that feeling of, “Well if I did that then I can do anything”…and that is a great feeling to have. The Triathalons were tough, mainly cause of the timing of it all. Time has not been on my side lately..my weekends have been…wedding, triathlon, wedding, triathlon, wedding in mexico. So I have been a busy girl. But everyone can tap into that inner hoss..you just have to believe (the disney in me always comes out.)
erica’s awesome family celebrates their little pooh after finishing her big race.
now that you’ve done a marathon and a triathlon (not to mention a hip hop class holla!!!), what’s next on yr hoss list?
I have been thinking of this lately. Now that the weddings are over I guess I gotta come up with something. Hmm. I might get into cycling, or more dancing, or learning another language, or photography, or martial arts (did boxing, but maybe like karate or something), or scuba diving…the choices are endless and I am taking suggestions, so if you got any pants world send them my way.
you’ve been to almost as many alamo sing-alongs as i have. which one is yr favorite and why?
This might be the hardest question of them all. How on earth can you pick just one favorite when they are all sooo amazing for soo many reasons. Sing a longs are like my favorite thing to do. I mean singing (but no one is paying attention) ,themes, drinking, dancing, confetti, drinking, all of my favorite things. Hmm. Michael Jackson is definately in the top hands down. I have always felt the need to dance when Michael comes on. Other tops..Jiggy Krunk 90’s one hit (for the memories), Now that is what I call a Sing a long, Ladies of the 80’s and of course Justin….but I might have missed one of my favs cause there is too much awesomeness to think of at one time.

you are, hands down, one of the most *positive* people i’ve ever met. how do you maintain yr high energy and optimistic outlook? how come you’re so much fun to be around? what’s yr secret so i can turn it into a bestseller?

Well thank you for saying that about me, I appreciate it. I really don’t see the point in not having fun to be honest with you. I mean everything is as fun as you make it, and I prefer mine SUPER FUN!! I guess I know that I work so much, so when I am free why not enjoy it. It is boring being a pessimist. I mean things will only be as great as you want them to be and believe they are. I also don’t take my self very seriously. I mean I know everyone is gonna laugh at me (not with me) so I mind as well jump in on that fun! All I can say is that there is too much fun out there to be had, so no point to waste time being angry. Also I drink A Lot. So, sometimes the high energy can be mistaken for drunkenness :)
erica, doing what she does best: dancing the night away (at selina’s wedding) and loving every second.

what is yr secret power?

Stamina (especially for fun). I just am always ready for anything. Oh I worked 12 hours but there is a dance party till 4 am. I AM IN!! Oh in order to get to the lake house this weekend I have to get off of a plane from a week of partying in Mexico to go straight home, shower work till 11:30 pm, get up to be at work at 7 am, while only having like 5 hours sleep. I AM IN!!! This one secret power is what let’s me maximize the fun possibility in my life, and I love it.

do you sleep in jimjams? what kind?

I love PJs. The ones with funny designs. I have pants and shorts depending on the season. This christmas I gave my entire family matching pajama pants, so I am pretty fond of those.

what is yr #1 favorite food?

Growing up my favorite food was always baked ziti from Vinnie’s Pizzeria in Freehold, New Jersey. My mom was so nice, whenever I would come home from college if they were closed at the time I would get back she would buy one and have it waiting in the oven for me when I got there. So for old time’s sake I will have to stick with baked ziti..plus it is tasty. But I do have a lot more favorites now…sushi, chocolate lava cake, mac and cheese (especially parkside)..

what is yr top restaurant recommendation in austin? what’s the best thing on the menu?

Your questions are so hard. I could say the obvious of Uchi, but we all know that is amazing. It might be a toss up here. I love love love Clay Pit, amazing food. If I could just have cheese naan and mussels I would be a happy girl and I have a hard time saying no to that tastiness. My favorite food in college in Austin was a burrito from Freebirds. I swear they put something addictive in that Bad Ass Bar B Que sauce.

one of my favorite pictures of erica– sporting my pink hat on the houseboat last summer.

tell me about yr top area of expertise.

Top area of expertise huh…well I find myself spread out across many things so a top is hard to say. Well I do work in Hospitality, so that is a given. I am also an expert in romantic comedies..I know they are bad, but how can I resist them. I am pretty good at organizing parities (especially ones with themes) I find this a skill we share, Posh. Nothing better than organizing something great..and then ENJOYING it!!

what was yr favorite item of clothing as a child?

So I had this bathing suit that I just loved and all my friends were jealous of. I will never forget- Grace Strom, my childhood best friend, used to try to steal it from me at the YMCA all the time. It was a two piece sort of thing. The top was just a hot pink tube top type thing that was big enough to cover my chest. Then the bottom was black and it had suspender like straps that were connected. Oh if I had a picture with me the entire pants world would want it.

what was yr favorite toy as a child? (the moody bonus question)

This would be a 3 way tie, listed in no particular order. 1. My jelly belly doll. It was this doll that had a plastic face and the body was all one piece (nothing moved) and she wore all blue with a little white center with buttons. Her belly was filled with Jelly so you could squeeze the center of it and it was mushy. It also smelled so tasty. So I carried it everywhere, and my family sometimes called me jelly belly (or chocolate milk belly depending on their mood) cause i was soo tiny but had this belly that stuck out, just like jelly belly. 2. My red haired cabbage patch kid. She was soo cute. 3. My Teddy Ruxpin, which when he broke my parents told me they sent him to the hospital to get better…and I am still waiting for him to return. Where are you Teddy?

what do you plan on doing when you’re 80?

Good one. Well I plan on traveling the world. I mean why not. Spend all my money seeing anything I missed (although there might not be much left cause I do make lists and make sure they are complete). Then I imagine I will have a place on the beach and I will be around my family and friends and just be happy.

if you could assemble yr own ocean’s 11, who would you pick and why?

Well this is a good one. My dad, cause he would finance the thing and also he knows the answer to EVERYTHING. That is a great skill to have on your side. I would definitely need Sarah there cause she is a good planner and makes sure things get done the right way. Henri would be needed to distract the masses and be one of the main actors in the great story. My sister Meredith would have to be the other main actor cause she can pull off a really good story and convince people to let he do whatever it is she needs to get done. Also my new brother in law Kiley..cause man is he smart. Just seems to know almost as much as my dad..and he is pretty bad ass. Selina would be part of the group cause she can speak 4 languages and is very dependable. My friend Tommy would be part of the group cause he just seems to be good at everything which I am sure will be needed at some point. Matt and Meredith would definitely be on my team cause i have a feeling they can build anything from beer to soap to explosives..you name it. I need those kind of resources on my side. John Harney..well like mentioned before you gotta have someone with an accent plus I think he can tell a good story which will come in handy when trying to trick them. Then I would have to have my friend Alex and Alexandra for comic relief, they are hilarious, plus they are really good at talking to people. I think that about wraps it up. I am gonna start plotting my big scheme now..

erica and one of her oceans 11 members, meredith, at our winery tour last fall.

what is yr best karaoke song?

Yikes, this is a tough one cause unless it is in a karaoke room I do not do it much…but I am getting over that fear. I think my best song might be one by no doubt. I think I might be able to sing Just a Girl pretty well. Weezer might be a good one too. Hmm. I will need to get over my fear and find out which is my best.

do people ever tell you that you look like someone famous? who?

Not since I have grown up have i gotten any look a likes. When I was little people thought I looked like Punky Brewster (Punky was actually my nick name for a long long time) and also Elizabeth Taylor. I don’t really see either, but I guess the freckles and dark hair anyone can look like Punky.

tell me something scandalous!

They don’t wash the comforters on hotel beds. I know I shouldn’t have said it, but I did.

GAH DON’T TELL ME THAT. ok, actually, i already knew that, and i think that’s one of the first things i asked you when we met, cos henri always made fun of me but i was like, “dude. these things are GROSS.” and a-HA i was right. even though i wish i wasn’t.

i thoroughly enjoyed this interview, erica, and i know the rest of pants world will feel the same way. thank you for sharing yr shimmering energy and sunshine and, yes, even yr jersey ways, with us, not only in this interview, but every day we’re together. i love you!

LINKS

vulture has a fantastic (well, really awful, actually) list of the top twenty worst reality shows coming yr way this summer.  thanks for NOTHING, writer’s strike! i have to say, though, “i survived a japanese game show” sounds pretty great… and of course, the sweet sixteen exile. now THAT is television. but… “the singing office”? YIKES.

there’s an article in the daily texan about the monster rock sing-along (WHICH DESTROYS MY FACE) and how to Truly Rock Hard.

wow, these sexist political pins are… well, worthy of the finest in jezebel snarkery.

another fabulous new-to-me artist: lilly mcelroy. who literally throws herself at men.

in addition to caring about yr wardrobe style, karl lagerfield wants you to drive safe! he even wore something ugly just to make sure you get the message! UNCLE KARL CARES.

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Discussion

10 comments for “a day in her pants: the posh deluxe interview with erica greenhouse”

  1. Your horror story reminded me of a horror story I had when I was working at a movie theater. The rule of the theater was that you had to pay for the cups because that was what we kept track of in the inventory. Well anyway this obnoxious guy is complaining about how he needs two cups. One for his child. I offer him a small courtesy cup. He continues to scream at me. I tell him I can’t give him the cup. He then shoves the cup at me and tells me “You can keep the cup you fat (expletive deleted).” Everyone at the theater was shocked at his level of douchebaggery. They were even more shocked at my calm demeanor. I did feel like kicking him out but I didn’t want to ruin his kid’s movie going experience. Sometimes I just roll with the punches.

    Oh man that Justin sing-along is quite awesome but I don’t recommend any guys taking a girl there on your second date. They might not like the fact that you like JT more than they do. . . Or so I am told.

    Seeing Bon Jovi and the Boss together on stage has to be awesome.

    Posted by Moody | June 21, 2008, 12:05 am

  2. that’s pretty cool that you are the love child between punky brewster and elizabeth taylor. quite an accomplishment. i’m definitely with you when it comes to baked ziti. and king sargon props for doing a marathon and triathlon. my wife just finished her second marathon. i can run about 10 minutes – on a good day. you endurance people are all freaking nuts.

    Posted by weenston | June 21, 2008, 11:01 am

  3. now with website added.

    Posted by Moody | June 22, 2008, 12:26 am

  4. now with corrected website.

    Posted by Moody | June 22, 2008, 12:27 am

  5. ERICA G! ERICA G! ERICA G! Girl, every time I spend a weekend with you I leave with a warm glowy feeling of positivity that resonates for days. Thank you so much for coming to my birthday lakehouse weekend even though you had to work your face off just to make it away for a couple days. You are the most fun and likable person I’ve met maybe EVER, and Matt and I would be most honored to make soap, explosives and beer for your bank heist.

    p.s. That picture of the two of us on the winery tour is one of my all-time favorite pictures ever.

    Posted by Meredith | June 22, 2008, 8:18 pm

  6. Erica, it’s about time that your fantastic awesomeness is being documented on the Internet, and therefore true beyond any possible remaining doubt.

    I have to say, being a selfish person I had only recently become aware of your work ethic and stamina. You madame, are an inspiration. I mean that. And I would be honoured to be the guy with the accent.

    I will also never make fun of The Boss again.

    Posted by John | June 23, 2008, 12:33 pm

  7. I think you’re dating the wrong kind of girls, Moody. Loving Justin is only right and good.

    ERICA! I’m so, so glad I got to hang out with you this weekend! I miss your face already! And your amazing hair. And your awesome can-do spirit (the “can-do” being “yes, i can finish two .750l tequila bottles in an afternoon, actually.”)!

    Posted by erin | June 23, 2008, 12:42 pm

  8. I also discovered this weekend that Erica does an excellent car performance (carformance?) of “Please Don’t Stop the Music”. Excellent interview, ladies!

    Posted by Mandy | June 23, 2008, 2:57 pm

  9. yay Erica! I can’t believe I have known her for over 10 years and we lived together for 3 of them! Her stamina constantly amazes me (I don’t do well on little sleep whereas she thrives). I am lucky to say that I have gone to Jersey and experienced the Jew-Mas with Erica’s family…can’t beat waking up to Bah Humbug yelled by her dad :) …her mom even got me presents!!! So awesome! Oh and I got to visit her when she was working at Disney World!

    Posted by Selina | June 23, 2008, 3:49 pm

  10. That music is absolutely incredible!

    Posted by Amir Thompson | June 5, 2010, 8:20 pm

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