Vader made me watch this the other day (NSFW unless you watch it without sound, which is pointless). And along with the Robin Sparkles video it's become our favorite youtube thing ever. And I have no idea why. It's so bizarre. But it becomes more and more awesome with every viewing. So at my holiday party on Saturday we kept quoting it all night. And making everyone else watch it. To share the bizarre, as we like to do. We also started making up our own horribly offensive versions that tie into other horribly offensive jokes we have going, but I won't share that with y'all. Because despite what my closest friends might get to see from time to time, I am a really nice person. Honest!
We also wondered who the hell would come up with such madness, so the next day, having no holiday crap to do, I did some research (which took all of two minutes) and it turns out it's from this guy. Who has other songs and videos. And t-shirts. I almost bought a t-shirt. Instead I settled for buying the album from iTunes.
Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy the madness as much as Vader and I did. Or do. I'm sure we'll be saying "shoes," "deck" and "betch" all through our breakfast date tomorrow. We need help.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Post Holiday Party
So, my party is over, my cards are mailed (none of you apparently want cards for yourself), my gifts are mailed and I'm feeling like I have nothing to do. I do have things on my to do list, but until I pack for my trip to North Carolina there isn't anything I MUST DO like there was before. Bizarre. I'm sure I'll adjust.
My holiday party was nice. And fun. Vader showed up early as she often does and helped me clean and prep. Iolanthe and Muffy showed up a little later and helped too. Though there wasn't much left to do as being unemployed helps one stay on top of things. Lots of folks showed up early and then dashed off so that the party had wound down by about 11. Though the last guests didn't leave until 1. It was a small mellow kind of thing.
It was fun. I got to catch up with some folks and didn't spend nearly enough time with others. Lots of cookies were consumed, though not enough. I have plenty to take with me to Raleigh at least. The family will be happy. I might pawn the rest off on Lovey to share with folks at my old job. They always complained about my cookie baking so maybe it'll be my little revenge for my unemployment. The unemployment I've kind of been loving. :)
I guess now I just have to kick back and enjoy the holidays. And my friends. And my family. Not a hard thing to do.
My holiday party was nice. And fun. Vader showed up early as she often does and helped me clean and prep. Iolanthe and Muffy showed up a little later and helped too. Though there wasn't much left to do as being unemployed helps one stay on top of things. Lots of folks showed up early and then dashed off so that the party had wound down by about 11. Though the last guests didn't leave until 1. It was a small mellow kind of thing.
It was fun. I got to catch up with some folks and didn't spend nearly enough time with others. Lots of cookies were consumed, though not enough. I have plenty to take with me to Raleigh at least. The family will be happy. I might pawn the rest off on Lovey to share with folks at my old job. They always complained about my cookie baking so maybe it'll be my little revenge for my unemployment. The unemployment I've kind of been loving. :)
I guess now I just have to kick back and enjoy the holidays. And my friends. And my family. Not a hard thing to do.
Friday, December 15, 2006
The Christmas Dork Never Stops
I have sent out 131 Christmas Cards this year. Dear god. And I might send more. I'm still trying to track down a few addresses. If you didn't get a card from me and want one (everyone seems to enjoy mocking my "annual essay" so I can't deny anyone who wants in on that), just email me your address. If you don't have my email address you can email me at my gmail account. It's AuntieAmanda.
Now I need to get back to baking and cleaning for my party tomorrow night. A Christmas Dork's job is never done...
Now I need to get back to baking and cleaning for my party tomorrow night. A Christmas Dork's job is never done...
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Woo!
I got my first Christmas Cards today! I am beside myself with excitement! Oh how I love the Holidays.
Parental Visit
My folks were here this past weekend and we had a lovely time. With a combination of the drama of flying standby and high winds delays at Newark Airport it took them something like 13 hours or more to get here on Friday. Dad joked that he thought it might take less time for them to fly to New York from Hawai'i. Poor things. So, sadly we did not get to go out and walk the neighborhood looking at all the Christmas lights on the Brownstones. But maybe I can con Muffy into that at some point.
Saturday Dad ran errands and raked leaves while Mom and I did some Christmas shopping. Neither of them have any stamina when it comes to shopping. I have no idea where my ability to shop for hours and hours and hours without fatigue comes from. I look too much like both of 'em to suspect a different father. Oh well. After all the running around, Vader came over to wrap more gifts while Mom and I baked cookies and made fudge and listened to Holiday music. And Dad and Vader acted as testers and bowl lickers and such. That sounded dirty. It wasn't. And after all the holiday fun time, Mom forced Vader to try Thai food even though she doesn't like it. And we all watched Ghostbusters. SUCH a good movie.
Sunday we all hiked out to DUMBO to go to the Jacques Torres store for gifts and chocolate for ourselves. They have really good cocoa and bonbons. It was quite a long walk, but fun and good for us. After that we got ready for TARCON, met Vader and headed into Manhattan for the event. I had a good time. We were not FIRST in line like we were last time, but pretty close. Though I think we were the only ones in line NOT talking about the show. Heh. The drinks were super strong and the food not bad. Sheena's ex, Bob, showed up before the show started and we all had a good time watching the race. I think my favorite part is watching the show with 200-300 other people who love it too with all the ooohing and aaahing and cheering and booing. Though I'm a horrible person and enjoy being catty too. Making fun of people and such. Some former racers showed up as well as the top three from the current season and Mom got good pics of 'em all. And then we headed home. Sadly the F wasn't stopping at Vader's place so we hung out with her by the bus stop before going home and passing out ourselves.
Monday almost killed Dad. Mom was up and ready to go way before we were, but we headed out about 11:15 anyway. First we went to Grand Central Terminal (it's not a station) and hit the MTA store. They always have cute gifts and I like the model train display they have every Christmas. Then we caught the 12:30PM light show. It's a Kaleidoscope show this year. Very pretty. Some of the light show was stained glass and such, but a lot of it was New York themed with MTA trains and cards and tokens in the kaleidoscope style as well as things like the Terminal itself and the Chrysler Building. We got lots of pictures and I really loved it. Then Mom and I checked out the Holiday Fair there. She found one thing she really loved and is thinking she might keep it for herself rather than give it as a gift. And I can't blame her.
After that we headed to the Bryant Park Holiday Fair. I'd never been and I wanted to check out the ice skating rink they have there in the winters now. It was pretty cool. And there were some cute things at the market. This time we left Dad with some cider and his cigar while we wandered. After that it was off to the Union Square Holiday Market. That one is my favorite of the three. Mom found a few gifts there while Dad went to Forbidden Planet to browse around like the nerd he is.
Then we headed to S'mac and it was awesome. We split five small pans of the Brie, Gruyere, Goat Cheese, All-American and Mozzarellla. So good. So very, very good. I do love that place. We noticed on the website they have a Happy Hour on weekdays from 3-5 and figured that was the best time to go. More to avoid the crowds than to get the discount, though that was nice. It was pretty dead at 3 on a Monday, just as an FYI. So the owner came out to see if we were enjoying it and we got to chat with her for a bit. She seems lovely and the place seems to be doing well. Mom then decided she needed to get a photo of her behind the counter. A few minutes later she came back and took a picture of us and said we might be on the website as the fans of the week. Right now she said it's mostly ended up being the fan of the month, but... keep an eye out for us on the site. :)
After that Dad wanted to check out the tree at Rockefeller Center. He's never seen it in person. So we headed up that way. He felt the tree was a little scraggly. Heh. Mom and I wandered around taking pictures of the tree, the cool snowflakes lights falling down along the building, the snowflakes on Sak's... I even convinced them to do the staged photos in front of the tree that NBC was doing. Totally goofy, but totally fun. I think I might even order some. Family portraits! We also did a little shopping up there as well. But finally we were exhausted and couldn't walk anymore so we came home to flop down for TV and a light dinner.
They left yesterday at noon after a morning of breakfast and hanging out. I was sad to see them go, but I'll be with 'em in North Carolina in a week, so it wasn't much of a tearful parting. And it too them much less time to get home than it did to get here.
Saturday Dad ran errands and raked leaves while Mom and I did some Christmas shopping. Neither of them have any stamina when it comes to shopping. I have no idea where my ability to shop for hours and hours and hours without fatigue comes from. I look too much like both of 'em to suspect a different father. Oh well. After all the running around, Vader came over to wrap more gifts while Mom and I baked cookies and made fudge and listened to Holiday music. And Dad and Vader acted as testers and bowl lickers and such. That sounded dirty. It wasn't. And after all the holiday fun time, Mom forced Vader to try Thai food even though she doesn't like it. And we all watched Ghostbusters. SUCH a good movie.
Sunday we all hiked out to DUMBO to go to the Jacques Torres store for gifts and chocolate for ourselves. They have really good cocoa and bonbons. It was quite a long walk, but fun and good for us. After that we got ready for TARCON, met Vader and headed into Manhattan for the event. I had a good time. We were not FIRST in line like we were last time, but pretty close. Though I think we were the only ones in line NOT talking about the show. Heh. The drinks were super strong and the food not bad. Sheena's ex, Bob, showed up before the show started and we all had a good time watching the race. I think my favorite part is watching the show with 200-300 other people who love it too with all the ooohing and aaahing and cheering and booing. Though I'm a horrible person and enjoy being catty too. Making fun of people and such. Some former racers showed up as well as the top three from the current season and Mom got good pics of 'em all. And then we headed home. Sadly the F wasn't stopping at Vader's place so we hung out with her by the bus stop before going home and passing out ourselves.
Monday almost killed Dad. Mom was up and ready to go way before we were, but we headed out about 11:15 anyway. First we went to Grand Central Terminal (it's not a station) and hit the MTA store. They always have cute gifts and I like the model train display they have every Christmas. Then we caught the 12:30PM light show. It's a Kaleidoscope show this year. Very pretty. Some of the light show was stained glass and such, but a lot of it was New York themed with MTA trains and cards and tokens in the kaleidoscope style as well as things like the Terminal itself and the Chrysler Building. We got lots of pictures and I really loved it. Then Mom and I checked out the Holiday Fair there. She found one thing she really loved and is thinking she might keep it for herself rather than give it as a gift. And I can't blame her.
After that we headed to the Bryant Park Holiday Fair. I'd never been and I wanted to check out the ice skating rink they have there in the winters now. It was pretty cool. And there were some cute things at the market. This time we left Dad with some cider and his cigar while we wandered. After that it was off to the Union Square Holiday Market. That one is my favorite of the three. Mom found a few gifts there while Dad went to Forbidden Planet to browse around like the nerd he is.
Then we headed to S'mac and it was awesome. We split five small pans of the Brie, Gruyere, Goat Cheese, All-American and Mozzarellla. So good. So very, very good. I do love that place. We noticed on the website they have a Happy Hour on weekdays from 3-5 and figured that was the best time to go. More to avoid the crowds than to get the discount, though that was nice. It was pretty dead at 3 on a Monday, just as an FYI. So the owner came out to see if we were enjoying it and we got to chat with her for a bit. She seems lovely and the place seems to be doing well. Mom then decided she needed to get a photo of her behind the counter. A few minutes later she came back and took a picture of us and said we might be on the website as the fans of the week. Right now she said it's mostly ended up being the fan of the month, but... keep an eye out for us on the site. :)
After that Dad wanted to check out the tree at Rockefeller Center. He's never seen it in person. So we headed up that way. He felt the tree was a little scraggly. Heh. Mom and I wandered around taking pictures of the tree, the cool snowflakes lights falling down along the building, the snowflakes on Sak's... I even convinced them to do the staged photos in front of the tree that NBC was doing. Totally goofy, but totally fun. I think I might even order some. Family portraits! We also did a little shopping up there as well. But finally we were exhausted and couldn't walk anymore so we came home to flop down for TV and a light dinner.
They left yesterday at noon after a morning of breakfast and hanging out. I was sad to see them go, but I'll be with 'em in North Carolina in a week, so it wasn't much of a tearful parting. And it too them much less time to get home than it did to get here.
Friday, December 08, 2006
I Love Christmas
I have my Christmas decorations up, I've had my Christmas Music (I have 470 Christmas songs on my iPod) going since November 24th, I've already started a little baking, Vader and I have already had part one of the Christmas wrapping party (she wraps my gifts in exchange for pizza and baked goods) and I've finished about a third of my Christmas Cards. Oh how I love this time of year!
And this unemployment thing is quite handy at Christmas. While I'm seriously job searching now and it takes up a hunk of my weekdays it still doesn't take up a full work day, doesn't involve an hour and a half round trip commute and doesn't include all the extra hours needed for end of the year projects. So I'm actually on top of the cards and the presents and all this year. Normally I'm frantically shopping at the last minute and sitting around at my aunt's or my parents' house on the 23rd finishing the last of my cards.
This weekend my folks are coming to town, in fact, if the flights work out, they should be here in a couple of hours, and I'm hoping to get in a little Christmas fun with them. Since I'm not living with them anymore, Mom and I don't really get to bake together or decorate together or any of that. So we're having a mini baking party tomorrow afternoon. Vader should be coming over to do more wrapping and maybe other folks will show up as well. We'll see. And we're going to check out the Grand Central Terminal light show as well as the Holiday Market and do a little sightseeing and shopping. I think we're also going to hit S'mac too, as it's tasty and Mom's been wanting to check it out. The main reason they're coming is for TARCON on Sunday, which will be fun, but I'm mostly excited to have them around for holiday fun time.
The Christmas Dork is in full effect!
And this unemployment thing is quite handy at Christmas. While I'm seriously job searching now and it takes up a hunk of my weekdays it still doesn't take up a full work day, doesn't involve an hour and a half round trip commute and doesn't include all the extra hours needed for end of the year projects. So I'm actually on top of the cards and the presents and all this year. Normally I'm frantically shopping at the last minute and sitting around at my aunt's or my parents' house on the 23rd finishing the last of my cards.
This weekend my folks are coming to town, in fact, if the flights work out, they should be here in a couple of hours, and I'm hoping to get in a little Christmas fun with them. Since I'm not living with them anymore, Mom and I don't really get to bake together or decorate together or any of that. So we're having a mini baking party tomorrow afternoon. Vader should be coming over to do more wrapping and maybe other folks will show up as well. We'll see. And we're going to check out the Grand Central Terminal light show as well as the Holiday Market and do a little sightseeing and shopping. I think we're also going to hit S'mac too, as it's tasty and Mom's been wanting to check it out. The main reason they're coming is for TARCON on Sunday, which will be fun, but I'm mostly excited to have them around for holiday fun time.
The Christmas Dork is in full effect!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
How Well Do You Know Me?
You have to sign up to have your score posted, unfortunately. But you can take it for fun if you want.
Create your own friendquiz here
Create your own friendquiz here
Friday, November 24, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving
I just had a lovely Thanksgiving at Charlotte's house with Muffy, Steph, Vader and a friend of Charlotte's. The Erogenous Vulcan even stopped by for a bit.
I love Thanksgiving with my family. I love my folks and we have all sorts of fun traditions. And we always take in an orphan or two who has nowhere else to go for the holiday. So the conversation is often fun and interesting. But since I couldn't be with my family, this was just as good. We all brought different family recipes (stuffing, corn casserole, green bean casserole), Charlotte handled the bird and Steph brought all sorts of good wine. We chatted and laughed and cooked and drank and had a great time for about 12 hours.
And so, I'm very, very Thankful to have all these wonderful friends in my life. People who are almost as much a part of my family as my parents. It's good to have people you love and are comfortable with and can just have an easy happiness with.
I love Thanksgiving with my family. I love my folks and we have all sorts of fun traditions. And we always take in an orphan or two who has nowhere else to go for the holiday. So the conversation is often fun and interesting. But since I couldn't be with my family, this was just as good. We all brought different family recipes (stuffing, corn casserole, green bean casserole), Charlotte handled the bird and Steph brought all sorts of good wine. We chatted and laughed and cooked and drank and had a great time for about 12 hours.
And so, I'm very, very Thankful to have all these wonderful friends in my life. People who are almost as much a part of my family as my parents. It's good to have people you love and are comfortable with and can just have an easy happiness with.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
My Trendy Hair
A few years ago Sheena told me about the Bumble & Bumble Model Project where they'll cut your hair for free. It's not a beauty school thing like my Mom originally thought. Bumble & Bumble has signature hairstyles and cuts and teaches them to their satellite salons who sell their products; while teaching them ways to use and push their products. So everyone in the class has at least two years of hair experience, and lots of instructors are wandering around, um, instructing. It's not a huge hair risk to do the model project. So, I figured I'd been rocking the straight all one-length hair for about two decades now and I could stand something new. So I went ahead and did it and have been sporting sassy layers every since.
B&B also offers styling sessions too for the hair models. I'd never gone for those as all the appointments are 2-3 hours long and during the work day. But a few days after getting laid off I got an email with the April styling session schedule and figured what the hell. You get credit towards their products and a free shampoo and style so why not. And it's been fun. I've got a ton of shampoo stored up now as well as other products floating around the house. Maggie is VERY amused that I now actually do things to my hair beyond washing and brushing. Not that I do much more than that, but still, it's a little more. Since I have products to use and all.
Anyway, yesterday I was there for a round brush blow dry and they announced that Reader's Digest was there doing an article on the Model Project and a photographer would be wandering around taking photos. Heh. I know no one who gets Reader's Digest (y'all don't anymore, do you, Mom?), but it amuses me that a magazine considered to be for the older and more bland reader is doing an article on a place that considers itself rather fancy and shi shi. But, there you go.
Oh, and no one took my picture, but the chick next to me had a ton taken of her so maybe I'll be in the background somewhere. If anyone gets RD, keep an eye out for me. I was wearing red.
B&B also offers styling sessions too for the hair models. I'd never gone for those as all the appointments are 2-3 hours long and during the work day. But a few days after getting laid off I got an email with the April styling session schedule and figured what the hell. You get credit towards their products and a free shampoo and style so why not. And it's been fun. I've got a ton of shampoo stored up now as well as other products floating around the house. Maggie is VERY amused that I now actually do things to my hair beyond washing and brushing. Not that I do much more than that, but still, it's a little more. Since I have products to use and all.
Anyway, yesterday I was there for a round brush blow dry and they announced that Reader's Digest was there doing an article on the Model Project and a photographer would be wandering around taking photos. Heh. I know no one who gets Reader's Digest (y'all don't anymore, do you, Mom?), but it amuses me that a magazine considered to be for the older and more bland reader is doing an article on a place that considers itself rather fancy and shi shi. But, there you go.
Oh, and no one took my picture, but the chick next to me had a ton taken of her so maybe I'll be in the background somewhere. If anyone gets RD, keep an eye out for me. I was wearing red.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Happy Halloween! again
Okay, I'm now hiding in my apartment with the lights off as I have run out of candy. I had an OBSCENE amount of candy and yet it is all gone. I think we're a very popular block. In fact, I heard at least one parent tonight say that this block was the best one. There were lots of folks out in front of their brownstones on my street. I even saw flashes of a strobe light and heard spooky noises down a ways, so some folks were getting fancy.
I was not fancy. I DID put my flamingo in his witch costume and stuck him in the planter out in my front courtyard. And I tossed a sarong around my waist, threw on a silk flower lei and my flip flops to pass for a costume. One girl actually told me she liked my costume. Another told me she was from Hawai'i. Of course, I didn't look like I was from Hawai'i. I looked like a frat boy at a luau kegger. But, whatever works.
There were all sorts of kids and parents out tonight. Way too many parents were yakking on their cell phones instead of talking to their kids for my taste, but I'm into parental bonding. There were plenty of parents following along doing the "What do you say?" "Trick or Treat!" "Now what do you say?" "Thank You." routine that I love. And a few kids wanted to pick and choose their candy. Which seemed a bit much to me. Well, except one kid who couldn't eat nuts. Poor thing must have had to tell that to every house he hit. And one cute little boy dressed as a ninja got a mini-nerds and a mini-chocolate bar from me but gave back the mini-chocolate bar as he couldn't eat chocolate. How cute. He was very sweet and polite about it. So I gave him a mini-lollipop.
I love Halloween. It's not my favorite holiday, but a it's good one when I can hand out candy to cute kids. And even not so cute kids. And even not so much kids. Still fun.
My Mom was always great about costumes for me when I was a kid and was still trick or treating. I think I started out as a witch, at least as far back as my memory goes. Who knows what tortures were inflicted upon me as a baby. Eventually I wanted to look "pretty" for Halloween and Mom came through with a darling princess costume. The dress was nice enough but I LOVED the hat. It was conical and best of all had a gauzy piece of fabric draping down from it. So princessy. Back before my tiara obsession had kicked in.
One year, I think I told my mother I wanted to be a Twix bar. I am not really sure why. Maybe Mom came up with the idea. Either way, the woman put in some effort with that costume, finding the perfect metallic material, carefully stenciling on the orange letters and sewing it all together. She even put a patch on the back with 35 cents written on it to serve as a price tag. But I wore that costume for several years, and towards the end of its life the price tag was hitting me right on my butt. And in the fifth grade or so, boys would come up to me with 35 cents in their hands. Took me a little while to figure it out. Bad little boys!
I believe it was sixth grade when I fell in love with Gone With the Wind and asked Mom to make me a Southern Belle for Halloween. Of course she did it. I'm still not totally sure how. I know she got an old prom dress from the Air Force Base Thrift Shop and altered it to fit me. And I know at one point she was trying to make the hoop from several wire hangers twisted together. I think she may have ended up sewing something kind of pipe into the hem to make a hoop. Whatever it was, it worked beautifully and I LOVED that dress. She even took the extra fabric to make me a pretty little bag for the candy and an eye mask on a stick. I was so fancy. All lacy and ruffled with curls in my hair. The only draw back was when the boys realized they could drop to the ground, roll under my dress and I couldn't do a thing about it. I tried sitting to stop them, but then the skirt just flew up in the air and I flashed everyone. Boys try and ruin all the best Halloween costumes. Bad little boys!
Thanks, Mom, for all those great costumes. So much better than the goofy ones I do these days; The Country Music Awards, Cher Impersonator, Frat Boy at Luau Kegger... Maybe you'll do my costume for next year?
I was not fancy. I DID put my flamingo in his witch costume and stuck him in the planter out in my front courtyard. And I tossed a sarong around my waist, threw on a silk flower lei and my flip flops to pass for a costume. One girl actually told me she liked my costume. Another told me she was from Hawai'i. Of course, I didn't look like I was from Hawai'i. I looked like a frat boy at a luau kegger. But, whatever works.
There were all sorts of kids and parents out tonight. Way too many parents were yakking on their cell phones instead of talking to their kids for my taste, but I'm into parental bonding. There were plenty of parents following along doing the "What do you say?" "Trick or Treat!" "Now what do you say?" "Thank You." routine that I love. And a few kids wanted to pick and choose their candy. Which seemed a bit much to me. Well, except one kid who couldn't eat nuts. Poor thing must have had to tell that to every house he hit. And one cute little boy dressed as a ninja got a mini-nerds and a mini-chocolate bar from me but gave back the mini-chocolate bar as he couldn't eat chocolate. How cute. He was very sweet and polite about it. So I gave him a mini-lollipop.
I love Halloween. It's not my favorite holiday, but a it's good one when I can hand out candy to cute kids. And even not so cute kids. And even not so much kids. Still fun.
My Mom was always great about costumes for me when I was a kid and was still trick or treating. I think I started out as a witch, at least as far back as my memory goes. Who knows what tortures were inflicted upon me as a baby. Eventually I wanted to look "pretty" for Halloween and Mom came through with a darling princess costume. The dress was nice enough but I LOVED the hat. It was conical and best of all had a gauzy piece of fabric draping down from it. So princessy. Back before my tiara obsession had kicked in.
One year, I think I told my mother I wanted to be a Twix bar. I am not really sure why. Maybe Mom came up with the idea. Either way, the woman put in some effort with that costume, finding the perfect metallic material, carefully stenciling on the orange letters and sewing it all together. She even put a patch on the back with 35 cents written on it to serve as a price tag. But I wore that costume for several years, and towards the end of its life the price tag was hitting me right on my butt. And in the fifth grade or so, boys would come up to me with 35 cents in their hands. Took me a little while to figure it out. Bad little boys!
I believe it was sixth grade when I fell in love with Gone With the Wind and asked Mom to make me a Southern Belle for Halloween. Of course she did it. I'm still not totally sure how. I know she got an old prom dress from the Air Force Base Thrift Shop and altered it to fit me. And I know at one point she was trying to make the hoop from several wire hangers twisted together. I think she may have ended up sewing something kind of pipe into the hem to make a hoop. Whatever it was, it worked beautifully and I LOVED that dress. She even took the extra fabric to make me a pretty little bag for the candy and an eye mask on a stick. I was so fancy. All lacy and ruffled with curls in my hair. The only draw back was when the boys realized they could drop to the ground, roll under my dress and I couldn't do a thing about it. I tried sitting to stop them, but then the skirt just flew up in the air and I flashed everyone. Boys try and ruin all the best Halloween costumes. Bad little boys!
Thanks, Mom, for all those great costumes. So much better than the goofy ones I do these days; The Country Music Awards, Cher Impersonator, Frat Boy at Luau Kegger... Maybe you'll do my costume for next year?
Happy Halloween!
So, I just bought a metric fuckload of Halloween Candy. And Brooklyn kids (you know, like country kids) are super cute. So, if anyone in the NYC area wants to blow off work early this afternoon and come hand out candy with me & the flamingo, please do. It's more fun with more people. And maybe we can even make orange drinks!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Iwo Jima
So, I recently started reading Flags of our Fathers. The ads for the movie have sort of reminded me of my interest in Iwo Jima. I mentioned something about the book when I was in Raleigh with my Dad and he said he liked it. Though he said he liked Flyboys better. So, I bought both books and am starting with Flags.
Back in the Spring of 1995 my then boyfriend and I were trying to get to Honolulu for Spring Break with my folks. This was before Continental started its Newark to Honolulu direct flight so we had to go through Houston or California. Getting to California was a piece of cake for standby passengers (back when I was a dependant and could fly for cheap all the time), but getting from LA or San Fran to Honolulu was a nightmare. After trying for a couple of days to get out of LA my Dad hit town to fly a charter flight from LA to Honolulu. The policy is to not allow standby passengers on charter flights, but Dad asked one of the organizers if it was okay if his kid and her boyfriend could get on the flight in any open seats (with our promise we'd be the most polite and well-behaved travelers ever). The group kindly allowed us on.
The charter was for marines, veterans, going back to Iwo Jima for the 50th Anniversary. My boyfriend and I weren't seated next to each other, but I got to sit next to a lovely man named Milt. And it was probably one of the best flights I've ever had. He was a sweet guy and offered to be an adopted grandfather of sorts if I wanted. He had a video camera and filmed me. At one point they opened the cockpit and allowed the guys to chat with the pilots so he filmed my dad. He filmed my boyfriend and the flight attendants and the movie screen showing the flight stats. We exchanged addresses and kept in touch for a little bit. He even sent me a copy of the tape he'd made. With the flight. And then with the ceremonies on Iwo Jima.
At the time I didn't really know much about Iwo Jima. History wasn't a strong subject for me back then, much my to my father's dismay I suspect. But these were interesting guys on this plane. And the battle seemed to bring back powerful memories for them. And then the more I heard about it, the more it fascinated me. The large number of casualties. The large number of American soldiers, the hold the Japanese had on the island. The battle strategy. Just amazing to me. But beyond watching Milt's tape and the occasional quick internet search I didn't really do too much to find out more. And I want to.
So, for now I'm reading Flags. And rewatching Milt's tape again knowing more about the battle than I did back when I first saw it. And while I'm liking the book, I'd like to read more. I'd like to read something that looks more at the battle as a whole, as Flags focuses more on the six individuals in that famous photograph. They certainly deserve their stories told. But so do all the other men who were on that island and involved in that battle. Let me know if you have any book suggestions. Or if you ever want to watch Milt's tape of the trip back and the ceremonies. It's a home movie, not some fancy edited documentary. But I'm glad I have a copy. And like most people who've become a part of my life, I'm glad I got to meet Milt.
Back in the Spring of 1995 my then boyfriend and I were trying to get to Honolulu for Spring Break with my folks. This was before Continental started its Newark to Honolulu direct flight so we had to go through Houston or California. Getting to California was a piece of cake for standby passengers (back when I was a dependant and could fly for cheap all the time), but getting from LA or San Fran to Honolulu was a nightmare. After trying for a couple of days to get out of LA my Dad hit town to fly a charter flight from LA to Honolulu. The policy is to not allow standby passengers on charter flights, but Dad asked one of the organizers if it was okay if his kid and her boyfriend could get on the flight in any open seats (with our promise we'd be the most polite and well-behaved travelers ever). The group kindly allowed us on.
The charter was for marines, veterans, going back to Iwo Jima for the 50th Anniversary. My boyfriend and I weren't seated next to each other, but I got to sit next to a lovely man named Milt. And it was probably one of the best flights I've ever had. He was a sweet guy and offered to be an adopted grandfather of sorts if I wanted. He had a video camera and filmed me. At one point they opened the cockpit and allowed the guys to chat with the pilots so he filmed my dad. He filmed my boyfriend and the flight attendants and the movie screen showing the flight stats. We exchanged addresses and kept in touch for a little bit. He even sent me a copy of the tape he'd made. With the flight. And then with the ceremonies on Iwo Jima.
At the time I didn't really know much about Iwo Jima. History wasn't a strong subject for me back then, much my to my father's dismay I suspect. But these were interesting guys on this plane. And the battle seemed to bring back powerful memories for them. And then the more I heard about it, the more it fascinated me. The large number of casualties. The large number of American soldiers, the hold the Japanese had on the island. The battle strategy. Just amazing to me. But beyond watching Milt's tape and the occasional quick internet search I didn't really do too much to find out more. And I want to.
So, for now I'm reading Flags. And rewatching Milt's tape again knowing more about the battle than I did back when I first saw it. And while I'm liking the book, I'd like to read more. I'd like to read something that looks more at the battle as a whole, as Flags focuses more on the six individuals in that famous photograph. They certainly deserve their stories told. But so do all the other men who were on that island and involved in that battle. Let me know if you have any book suggestions. Or if you ever want to watch Milt's tape of the trip back and the ceremonies. It's a home movie, not some fancy edited documentary. But I'm glad I have a copy. And like most people who've become a part of my life, I'm glad I got to meet Milt.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Turnip Comes to Town: Day Five
On Saturday we dragged our asses out of bed and headed out for a nice long walk. Turnip and I are both trying to get into better shape so I told her she and I would have to walk to and over the Brooklyn Bridge while she was here. Which is what we did on Saturday. And it was lovely. It was GORGEOUS fall day with a clear blue sky, bright sunshine and weather that was perfect for walking around in the sun. We made it to the bridge and over into Manhattan and back without too much fuss. And all the while taking pictures of the bridge and various skylines and each other, like the big dorks we are. One woman stopped us as we were almost to the bridge and asked if we were walking. She seemed nice so we bit back the smartass responses and said yes. She wanted to know if we'd be up for being walking buddies with her as she was looking for someone to exercise with. Turnip lives in LA so she couldn't. I would've liked to, but my walking & Y schedule depends on what else is going on with me and is hardly regular so I said no. Though maybe a walking buddy would've gotten me out more. Who knows. Too late now. Alas.
After that we hit Bagel World and then tried to make another Yoga class but didn't manage it in time. So, Turnip ran some errands and then we went to get our nails done. Which ended up taking far longer than it should have. After that we headed home to get her ready for her wedding and then she headed off for the NYBG.
She came home after I was in bed and then headed to the airport very early Sunday morning. A lovely visit, but exhausting. So I spent the rest of Sunday just being a slug for the most part. Relaxing.
After that we hit Bagel World and then tried to make another Yoga class but didn't manage it in time. So, Turnip ran some errands and then we went to get our nails done. Which ended up taking far longer than it should have. After that we headed home to get her ready for her wedding and then she headed off for the NYBG.
She came home after I was in bed and then headed to the airport very early Sunday morning. A lovely visit, but exhausting. So I spent the rest of Sunday just being a slug for the most part. Relaxing.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Turnip Comes to Town: Day Four
Friday we got up and headed to Park Slope for breakfast with Turnip's friends from Wednesday night. And that was lovely. Good food and nice people and all. Plus it was a lovely fall day.
After that we headed back to my 'hood for our treatments. Turnip wanted to be all waxed and sexy for her wedding on Saturday so she scheduled that. I figured I'd so something as well. Since I don't have enough hair to make ripping it out worthwhile I went for a massage and scalp treatment. And it was awesome. An hour and a half of massage and scalp massage plus soft & pretty hair. I think I'm going to have to do that more often. Maybe Muffy & I need a mini spa day soon.
After that we got all dolled up and headed to Macy's to buy complicated underwear to go under Turnip's halter dress for the wedding on Saturday. Complicated underwear shopping always seems to be an ugly process. It's not like buying fun undies, the pretty & sexy stuff. This has a purpose (beyond getting one laid) and is usually a pain to get into and out of and just sucks. But we found something fairly quickly and headed to Lush to treat ourselves to fun smelly stuff. And then met JCN downtown to try out s'mac. And s'mac was GOOD. So good. Heavenly. We split four smalls so we could try more things. Manchego, Goat Cheese, Gruyere (I didn't get any of that as it had bacon) and 4-Cheese. Happy, happy.
After that it was off to the West Village for drinks with a few of my friends and a few of hers. We met at Corner Bistro, but it was packed so we wanted to head for a dead bar to just be comfy and drink beer. The one we picked ended up not being so dead in the end, but we got some seats, had some beer and a good time was had. By all, I think.
After that we headed back to my 'hood for our treatments. Turnip wanted to be all waxed and sexy for her wedding on Saturday so she scheduled that. I figured I'd so something as well. Since I don't have enough hair to make ripping it out worthwhile I went for a massage and scalp treatment. And it was awesome. An hour and a half of massage and scalp massage plus soft & pretty hair. I think I'm going to have to do that more often. Maybe Muffy & I need a mini spa day soon.
After that we got all dolled up and headed to Macy's to buy complicated underwear to go under Turnip's halter dress for the wedding on Saturday. Complicated underwear shopping always seems to be an ugly process. It's not like buying fun undies, the pretty & sexy stuff. This has a purpose (beyond getting one laid) and is usually a pain to get into and out of and just sucks. But we found something fairly quickly and headed to Lush to treat ourselves to fun smelly stuff. And then met JCN downtown to try out s'mac. And s'mac was GOOD. So good. Heavenly. We split four smalls so we could try more things. Manchego, Goat Cheese, Gruyere (I didn't get any of that as it had bacon) and 4-Cheese. Happy, happy.
After that it was off to the West Village for drinks with a few of my friends and a few of hers. We met at Corner Bistro, but it was packed so we wanted to head for a dead bar to just be comfy and drink beer. The one we picked ended up not being so dead in the end, but we got some seats, had some beer and a good time was had. By all, I think.
Turnip Comes to Town: Day Three
Thursday was a mellow day. We headed to the Y to take a Yoga class. Turnip is a big fan of Yoga and I've always kind of avoided it. But she wants me to try it so I figured I would. Sadly we had the times wrong and missed the start of class. So we hit the machines, worked up a sweat and then headed home where she did some work and I futzed around the apartment. She headed out that night for dinner and drinks but I decided to stay in and clear some TiVo, pay bills, answer emails... wildly sexy stuff like that.
Turnip Comes to Town: Day Two
On Wednesday, Turnip and I got up and walked to the Brooklyn Promenade to check out the view and get some exercise. Then we treated ourselves to Bagel World deliciousness. We needed to fortify ourselves before heading to Queens in the afternoon to prove our love and devotion to Pumpkin. She's trying to decide on bridesmaids' dresses so we headed out to David's Bridal to try on everything we could fit into and take photos for her. So she can have a better idea of what to put us in. There is a lot of horrible stuff out there for bridesmaids, but we saw some things that weren't so bad. And Pumpkin claims that our efforts were helpful. Of course, she's also threatening to put butt bows on us so lord knows. But, she's the bride, so butt bow be damned, I'll wear what she tells me and smile about it. I think it's in the contract you sign when you agree to be a bridesmaid. Along with a bunch of other things Pumpkin claims I'm now bound to do. Though I am starting to suspect she's making some of those things up.
After a couple of hours of taffeta and satin and zippers and snaps and petticoats we headed to the other less dismal shopping plaza across the street and treated ourselves to cute things from Old Navy, like old man boxers and soft tops. Of course, when we left the Old Navy the skies had opened and drenched us on our walk to the train. And drenched us some more on our walk from the train to Caffe Carciofo for dinner. Though the rain & puddles reflecting the street lights was kind of pretty once we were inside with tea and steamed artichoke and pasta and bread.
After dinner we headed home to dry off and warm up before hitting (don't click the link, Daddy) Toys in Babeland (now called just Babeland, I think) for a little shopping. After which we met up with two of Turnip's friends at the Slipper Room for a little burlesque and music. Her friend is a burlesque dancer these days and that seemed the best way to see her and her husband. I didn't really dig the band, though they weren't bad or anything. But the go go dancing and burlesque was more fun than I thought it would be. Though none of the dancers were my friends. Turnip might have a different take on the performance. Judging by the dancers there and one we saw at Forty Deuce in Vegas I'm thinking burlesque dancers these days are a little less well-endowed than the ones of days of yore. Not that I'm any kind of burlesque expert or anything.
After that we headed home to crash and hide from the rain. Wild times. Petticoats, boobies and vibrators all in one day. You want my rock star life. Don't lie.
After a couple of hours of taffeta and satin and zippers and snaps and petticoats we headed to the other less dismal shopping plaza across the street and treated ourselves to cute things from Old Navy, like old man boxers and soft tops. Of course, when we left the Old Navy the skies had opened and drenched us on our walk to the train. And drenched us some more on our walk from the train to Caffe Carciofo for dinner. Though the rain & puddles reflecting the street lights was kind of pretty once we were inside with tea and steamed artichoke and pasta and bread.
After dinner we headed home to dry off and warm up before hitting (don't click the link, Daddy) Toys in Babeland (now called just Babeland, I think) for a little shopping. After which we met up with two of Turnip's friends at the Slipper Room for a little burlesque and music. Her friend is a burlesque dancer these days and that seemed the best way to see her and her husband. I didn't really dig the band, though they weren't bad or anything. But the go go dancing and burlesque was more fun than I thought it would be. Though none of the dancers were my friends. Turnip might have a different take on the performance. Judging by the dancers there and one we saw at Forty Deuce in Vegas I'm thinking burlesque dancers these days are a little less well-endowed than the ones of days of yore. Not that I'm any kind of burlesque expert or anything.
After that we headed home to crash and hide from the rain. Wild times. Petticoats, boobies and vibrators all in one day. You want my rock star life. Don't lie.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Turnip Comes to Town: Day One
So, Turnip hit town this week. She had a gig on Monday for a Rod Stewart show and then has a wedding on Saturday and figured she'd stay with me the time in between. It's been a fun and exhausting time so far.
Monday night I had dinner in the West Village with some friends and then made a few of them have drinks with me while waiting for Kristie's show to end. She joined us at the White Horse for a drink and then we headed to her hotel room to gossip and then crash.
Tuesday we got up, checked out and had some breakfast. Then we headed to my place to dump her bags and laze around for a bit before running some errands. We wandered the 'hood some making appointments for Friday, doing a little costume jewelry shopping and scoping out where we wanted mani/pedis later in the week. Then a very late lunch before heading home to loaf and get pretty.
Tuesday night we met a couple of her college friends for Indian food, which was lovely and entertaining. And then we wanted a drink so headed over to The Stoned Crow. While Pumpkin and Spanky claim I never take them anywhere else to drink when they visit New York (not that either of them have visited me in years), Turnip had never been. We just had a couple drinks. None of the bartenders I knew (and lusted after) once upon a time were there and the place had more of an NYU vibe than a neighborhood bar vibe. They didn't even have nachos on the menu anymore. It all made me a little sad, but we had our drinks and chatted and it was nice. And now Turnip can say she's been to the Crow. After that, we headed home to crash.
Monday night I had dinner in the West Village with some friends and then made a few of them have drinks with me while waiting for Kristie's show to end. She joined us at the White Horse for a drink and then we headed to her hotel room to gossip and then crash.
Tuesday we got up, checked out and had some breakfast. Then we headed to my place to dump her bags and laze around for a bit before running some errands. We wandered the 'hood some making appointments for Friday, doing a little costume jewelry shopping and scoping out where we wanted mani/pedis later in the week. Then a very late lunch before heading home to loaf and get pretty.
Tuesday night we met a couple of her college friends for Indian food, which was lovely and entertaining. And then we wanted a drink so headed over to The Stoned Crow. While Pumpkin and Spanky claim I never take them anywhere else to drink when they visit New York (not that either of them have visited me in years), Turnip had never been. We just had a couple drinks. None of the bartenders I knew (and lusted after) once upon a time were there and the place had more of an NYU vibe than a neighborhood bar vibe. They didn't even have nachos on the menu anymore. It all made me a little sad, but we had our drinks and chatted and it was nice. And now Turnip can say she's been to the Crow. After that, we headed home to crash.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
*Smooch*
So... I was recently informed that back in the 10th grade I was not a very good kisser. If you know me, you can only imagine how well I took this news. For those who don't know me, I don't like my skills questioned. At all. Luckily the person criticizing my 15 year old lip locking abilities continued on to say that my skills improved greatly and now I am a phenomenal kisser. So this person was not maimed. And might actually get to kiss me again some day. Maybe. Though I'm still agonizing over the idea that I was not a fabulous kisser in my early days.
But, Daddy, the only thing I do with boys is kiss. Just so you know!
But, Daddy, the only thing I do with boys is kiss. Just so you know!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Let's go Yankees!
So, before heading to Shea I wandered around my neighborhood trying to scope out the new restaurants and the Spiderman 3 shoot. Looks like they might be setting up for a night shot. When I was walking down Court they were putting up some fake Tae Kwon Do sign next to the Cobble Hill Cinema and possibly mocking up the Cobble Hill Cinema sign. I went back after the game and they had changed the Cobble Hill sign to say Styuvesant Cinema. I couldn't tell if the TKD sign was up. But it looks like that little corner is the only place they're prepping to shoot and everything else is just for set up. Which is impressive. They're taking up a hell of a lot of the neighborhood just for one corner. Lights and cables and shit everywhere. And I haven't seen any trailers or anything yet. Just equipment. Though there were signs for catering pointing towards Clinton or Henry or some such. I didn't explore all that much. Too bad I'm not sticking around to watch tonight. Ah well, I'll check it out in the theater.
Today The Senator and I went to my first game in Shea Stadium. I'm not a Mets fan at all but I figured I should see Shea at some point since I love baseball and love New York. It's not the greatest stadium, but I'm glad I went. They have a mascot (which I used to wish the Yankees had but am now glad they don't) and an apple in a hat that slowly rises whenever the Mets hit a homerun. I like the Durham Bull better, but still, fun in a cheesy sorta way. The Senator thinks it's a dump, but I didn't think it was that bad. But I'm not going to be sad when they finally build a new one. Though I suppose the new one will be all orangey too. What's with New York teams and orange?
The game itself was fun. Pedro pitched. While I can't deny his talent, I'm not so fond of him. And for not being fond of him or the teams he's played for, I've seen him pitch quite a bit. The Mets won, upsetting the Senator. But really, the Reds were crap on the field and the Mets do seem to be having a good season. Still, I wasn't so into the game not being invested in either team. Which meant I could just chill and drink beer and hang with a friend on a lovely day while everyone else I knew was at work. And now I can say I've seen Shea Stadium. And never have to go back.
Today The Senator and I went to my first game in Shea Stadium. I'm not a Mets fan at all but I figured I should see Shea at some point since I love baseball and love New York. It's not the greatest stadium, but I'm glad I went. They have a mascot (which I used to wish the Yankees had but am now glad they don't) and an apple in a hat that slowly rises whenever the Mets hit a homerun. I like the Durham Bull better, but still, fun in a cheesy sorta way. The Senator thinks it's a dump, but I didn't think it was that bad. But I'm not going to be sad when they finally build a new one. Though I suppose the new one will be all orangey too. What's with New York teams and orange?
The game itself was fun. Pedro pitched. While I can't deny his talent, I'm not so fond of him. And for not being fond of him or the teams he's played for, I've seen him pitch quite a bit. The Mets won, upsetting the Senator. But really, the Reds were crap on the field and the Mets do seem to be having a good season. Still, I wasn't so into the game not being invested in either team. Which meant I could just chill and drink beer and hang with a friend on a lovely day while everyone else I knew was at work. And now I can say I've seen Shea Stadium. And never have to go back.
Go Sherill!
Tonight Lovey took Vader and I to a Liberty game. I'd been wanting to get to a WNBA game for a while now so when Lovey asked if I was into it for tonight I jumped at the chance. Apparently Sherill Baker is an old family friend of the Lovey clan and can get Beverly tickets from time to time. So we went and had a fabulous time. The seats were great, the game was exciting, Sherill didn't play enough for our tastes but had some good moves, the fans were fun and I really, really want to go back. Lovey loves basketball and thinks Sherill rocks so she's totally got into the team and dragged us all to the team store for a little shopping after the game. She got the Musical Genius a #10 t-shirt and I was weak and got myself one as well. So, you know, I can have something to wear for the next game. After that we headed to the green room to wait for Sherill to pop by. Vader and I got to meet her and she's just the nicest person. We also met a friend she played ball with in college who's in town for a bit. Actually, she blew out her knee and can't play ball any more (the friend, Sherill is fine) and is thinking of law school. But before she goes she's looking for legal assistant jobs (willing to relocate anywhere) to take a break between undergrad and grad and to check out life at a firm before applying to school. So, if any of you lawyer types out there are willing to talk to her or give her suggestions or help looking for jobs, let me know and I'll pass your info on to her.
Anyway, I had a great time and think I might become a Liberty fan. Woo. And watching Vader and Lovey geek out like total fan girls was excellent. Vader may betray Lovey's Baker love and pick #20 Christon as her favorite though.
In other news, tomorrow Spiderman 3 will be spending some time shooting in my 'hood. I'm going to be out and about a lot tomorrow and then am heading out of town that night, but I may spend a little bit of time poking around to see what I can see. Though one of the blocked off streets is on my own little block so I might not have to go far to see anything. And while Mom and I were poking around looking into the Spiderman thing we learned that LOTS of new things have been going on in the area so maybe I'll just go for a nice little walk tomorrow to check it all out.
I guess this means I have to finally watch Spiderman 1 & 2 so I can go see #3 and squeal when I see my 'hood. And I totally will. You should've seen me towards the end of American Psycho when my 'hood and even apartment building showed up. Just ask B. I think the squealing and pointing when Greenwich Street appeared upset the woman a few rows in front of us much more than all my earlier laughing did (dude, it's a funny movie).
Anyway, I had a great time and think I might become a Liberty fan. Woo. And watching Vader and Lovey geek out like total fan girls was excellent. Vader may betray Lovey's Baker love and pick #20 Christon as her favorite though.
In other news, tomorrow Spiderman 3 will be spending some time shooting in my 'hood. I'm going to be out and about a lot tomorrow and then am heading out of town that night, but I may spend a little bit of time poking around to see what I can see. Though one of the blocked off streets is on my own little block so I might not have to go far to see anything. And while Mom and I were poking around looking into the Spiderman thing we learned that LOTS of new things have been going on in the area so maybe I'll just go for a nice little walk tomorrow to check it all out.
I guess this means I have to finally watch Spiderman 1 & 2 so I can go see #3 and squeal when I see my 'hood. And I totally will. You should've seen me towards the end of American Psycho when my 'hood and even apartment building showed up. Just ask B. I think the squealing and pointing when Greenwich Street appeared upset the woman a few rows in front of us much more than all my earlier laughing did (dude, it's a funny movie).
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Life of the Unemployed
Today I got my hair done again and then went off to meet Lovey so we could walk over to Madison & 49th and check out the Meow Mix House. I'm thinking that I really might need a job soon if this is how I'm filling my days. But man, those cats were super cute. Muppet was going to go with us but had a 4PM meeting. I think looking at cats in a store front was the much better choice.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Still Happy Birthday to Me
I had a lovely birthday. With the unemployed state and total flux of my life right now I wasn't really feeling into my birthday. Wasn't feeling the urge to plan a massive birthday week or crown myself Princess of Everything or whatever. My folks have been asking me what I want for a gift and I couldn't think of anything beyond rent money. I feel weird asking for birthday gifts when I'm trying hard not to spend lots of money these days. But, I knew I had to do something or I'd be very angry with myself later.
Saturday I had a party in the backyard. It was a pretty mellow thing, but great. Vader came by early to help with last minute cleaning and such. Then other folks started showing up. And with lovely gifts too. Because people spoil me. And think I'm a trashy princess since some of the gifts were booze and bath products and even a set of sassy stripper pole glasses. Hee. And of course the fancy girl air conditioner.
But it was a good time. Enough food and beer and wine for all. And dill dip. Which Beverly brought. And every time I said Lovey was bringing dill dip people thought I was going to say dildo. Leading to people laughing too much at the words dill dip all night. I manned the grill some but didn't have to do it the whole damn party like last year. So that was nice. Also, since only about 10 or 11 folks came I didn't feel like I was answering the door or hostessing as much and could sit and talk and hang out. Vader, Iolanthe, Charlotte, Britney & Kevin, Bambi, Muppet & Mr. Muppet, Lovey & the Musical Genius and Steph all came. So, a good crew. With lots of joking around, trash talking and mocking of me. Vader brought up the stuffed animal of an ex that I spent a good deal of time mending which amused those who were not aware of my good girlfriend homemaker abilities. And then at one point gynecologists came up and I said something about a tiny pink bagel. A few folks hadn't heard the tiny pink bagel story so I started it. At which point Steph giggled and said, "Ah, Amanda's vagina stories." And I actually do have a collection of vagina stories. Which is a little mortifying. But not mortifying enough that I didn't actually share all of them with the die hard folks who were still around later in the evening. It was a really nice night and I'm glad I decided to do the party thing.
Sunday was a day of Steph. We had brunch, got the AC, installed the AC, watched X-Men 3 and had way too much popcorn. Excellent Birthday Sunday.
And then today Sheena made me come into Manhattan and bought me lunch. I grabbed coffee with Lovey after that and ran into a bunch of folks from the old office which was nice. Everyone seems concerned about me and all that, a good feeling knowing that people do give a rat's ass. On Saturday, Vader insisted I couldn't be alone on my birthday night so she brought piña colada mix over tonight and we had piña coladas in the porch swing before heading to Sweet Melissa's for dinner and chocolate souffle cake. And of course lots of chatting and gossiping and eventual drunken babbling as the piña coladas were rather strong.
And then lots of emails and phone calls and such all day from friends and family. So, lots of Birthday Princess attention.
All in all a good Birthday Weekend. I have a lot of fabulous friends and family and am very, very lucky. And very, very old.
Saturday I had a party in the backyard. It was a pretty mellow thing, but great. Vader came by early to help with last minute cleaning and such. Then other folks started showing up. And with lovely gifts too. Because people spoil me. And think I'm a trashy princess since some of the gifts were booze and bath products and even a set of sassy stripper pole glasses. Hee. And of course the fancy girl air conditioner.
But it was a good time. Enough food and beer and wine for all. And dill dip. Which Beverly brought. And every time I said Lovey was bringing dill dip people thought I was going to say dildo. Leading to people laughing too much at the words dill dip all night. I manned the grill some but didn't have to do it the whole damn party like last year. So that was nice. Also, since only about 10 or 11 folks came I didn't feel like I was answering the door or hostessing as much and could sit and talk and hang out. Vader, Iolanthe, Charlotte, Britney & Kevin, Bambi, Muppet & Mr. Muppet, Lovey & the Musical Genius and Steph all came. So, a good crew. With lots of joking around, trash talking and mocking of me. Vader brought up the stuffed animal of an ex that I spent a good deal of time mending which amused those who were not aware of my good girlfriend homemaker abilities. And then at one point gynecologists came up and I said something about a tiny pink bagel. A few folks hadn't heard the tiny pink bagel story so I started it. At which point Steph giggled and said, "Ah, Amanda's vagina stories." And I actually do have a collection of vagina stories. Which is a little mortifying. But not mortifying enough that I didn't actually share all of them with the die hard folks who were still around later in the evening. It was a really nice night and I'm glad I decided to do the party thing.
Sunday was a day of Steph. We had brunch, got the AC, installed the AC, watched X-Men 3 and had way too much popcorn. Excellent Birthday Sunday.
And then today Sheena made me come into Manhattan and bought me lunch. I grabbed coffee with Lovey after that and ran into a bunch of folks from the old office which was nice. Everyone seems concerned about me and all that, a good feeling knowing that people do give a rat's ass. On Saturday, Vader insisted I couldn't be alone on my birthday night so she brought piña colada mix over tonight and we had piña coladas in the porch swing before heading to Sweet Melissa's for dinner and chocolate souffle cake. And of course lots of chatting and gossiping and eventual drunken babbling as the piña coladas were rather strong.
And then lots of emails and phone calls and such all day from friends and family. So, lots of Birthday Princess attention.
All in all a good Birthday Weekend. I have a lot of fabulous friends and family and am very, very lucky. And very, very old.
Happy Birthday To Me!!
I'm just getting older and older and older.
Shouldn't I be married with kids and a career and stuff right now? Not jobless and looking for a short term gig so I can go back to school? What are most 32 year olds doing these days?
Shouldn't I be married with kids and a career and stuff right now? Not jobless and looking for a short term gig so I can go back to school? What are most 32 year olds doing these days?
Sunday, June 18, 2006
I Feel So Fancy
Just two weeks shy of my 10 year anniversary of moving to New York I'm now the proud owner of an air conditioner. I feel a little extravagant. I was kind of proud of being a bad ass (idiot?) who whethered ten air conditioner free summers in the City. And now I am weak. And I suspect in a matter of days I'll be all, "What was I thinking?!?!?" having not gotten one earlier. Actually it's been lovely today enjoying it in the 90 degree heat in Brooklyn. Though I do keep inching the temp up higher and higher so I feel less extravagant. Heh.
Muffy & Steph decided I needed one as a birthday gift and so Steph and I went out and got one and then he installed it. And it's lovely. And they are darling, darling people. So good to me. And now I can't complain that I'm too hot to job search next week. Alas. I also won't have to go home with cute boys because they have air conditioning (kidding, Daddy, I would NEVER do that).
Muffy & Steph decided I needed one as a birthday gift and so Steph and I went out and got one and then he installed it. And it's lovely. And they are darling, darling people. So good to me. And now I can't complain that I'm too hot to job search next week. Alas. I also won't have to go home with cute boys because they have air conditioning (kidding, Daddy, I would NEVER do that).
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Happy Mother's Day to Me
My parents just went into the bathroom together. I'm so freaked out I'm screaming. ACK!!!!!!
Saturday, March 25, 2006
YMCA
Oh, since I'm going to the Y all the time in the near future I figure I need to beef up my working out playlist. So, any of y'all have good workout song suggestions? Let me know!
Friday, March 24, 2006
Day Three
Well, Day Three was the one where I woke up feeling scared. I know this is a great opportunity for me and all that, but I woke up this morning feeling like I was a total failure and would never find work again. And I felt terrified about being in the job market again for the first time in almost a decade. Not a fun feeling.
But I woke up and putzed around and decided to hit the Y. I figure if I have some down time I'm going to learn when the best times are to go, the best classes for me to take and thus have one hell of an ass by the time I'm back to work. They have an insane amount of pilates classes and some goofy looking fun things with the words urban, abs, belly dancing, rebounding, sculpt, kardio and such for me to try. Plus, I think next week I need to stop being a pussy about weights. So, that was something. Felt good to be doing something productive.
Then I got home, showered, chatted with Maggie & Turnip and got myself ready to head back to the office. I was meeting Muppet for lunch. When we made the plans on Wednesday it seemed like a good idea. But as I was standing on the train platform waiting for my lovely F train and following the same exact commute that was no longer mine (knowing exactly what car to be in for my 48th street exit, knowing how long it will take, etc) I thought that I must be the stupidest person who ever lived because how could I be ready to be back there. And it was hard. Riding the train. Making the walk from the train to the building and then standing there outside the building. But I called Muppet and she came out. And Lovey came out. And it started to not feel so bad. And a couple coworkers walked by to say hi and I got a hug. I also learned management was claiming that everyone who got laid off on Wednesday had interviews lined up with other departments in the firm but I certainly do not. It's annoying they didn't line up interviews for me as they apparently did with others, but I also know I don't want this same kind of job so it's not the end of the world, but still. Maybe I'll call and shoot them my resume just in case.
Anyway, Lovey went back upstairs and Muppet and I had a nice lunch. I still obsess about this layoff and apologies to anyone seeing me for the next week or two because you'll hear about it lots. But Muppet and I were able to talk about other things too. And that was nice for me and it made me happy to know I could talk about other things.
After lunch Muppet went up and Lovey came down for coffee. I think they're all going to be just fine without me, unfortunately. So that was annoying to hear. Though I am actually happy about that for Lovey & Sheena's sakes. Because while I want things to suck without me I know that they'll be the ones to get the brunt of it and I don't actually want that. But it was good to see her. She and Sheena and the majority of my bosses were all at meetings or out when it happened and I hadn't gotten to see and say goodbye to anyone but Muppet and Monkey Man. So it was good to get a little closure. And to see her. And catch up a little with her and know that while I will no longer see her every day and know all the little details of her life we still have good reason to be friends and make time to be together.
And after she went up Sheena came down to say hi & bye. And I got my first ever hug from her. Which is sort of an in joke with us. But yeah, nice to have more closure. And she had a couple more stories about people who missed me. Our supply guy has been mopey and the mail guy (a story for later I think because I have such a crush) too. And the main editor we work with apparently was shocked and said that was so odd because I'm a model employee or something like that. I told her to keep those stories coming because they help.
I headed back home feeling really good. I'm glad I went because now I know I can. And when I head back to sign my papers and drop off the last of the company stuff I have in a couple of weeks, I know it won't freak me out beyond reason. So that was nice.
Then I got to have an amazing afternoon chat with Tangerine and vent a little and catch up with her. She said she'd try to be online more in the afternoons so another plus will be catching up with her. So, I might miss more daily details of Lovey's life but then get more of Tangerine's It all balances out somehow.
After all that I decided I wanted to sit on my butt watching TV and all which I haven't really done yet. And Muffy decided to join me. So we talked about her crap day and my crap week and had pizza and watched a couple episodes of Firefly wondering when in the series Nathan Fillion's pants get properly tight and having a really nice Friday night.
But I woke up and putzed around and decided to hit the Y. I figure if I have some down time I'm going to learn when the best times are to go, the best classes for me to take and thus have one hell of an ass by the time I'm back to work. They have an insane amount of pilates classes and some goofy looking fun things with the words urban, abs, belly dancing, rebounding, sculpt, kardio and such for me to try. Plus, I think next week I need to stop being a pussy about weights. So, that was something. Felt good to be doing something productive.
Then I got home, showered, chatted with Maggie & Turnip and got myself ready to head back to the office. I was meeting Muppet for lunch. When we made the plans on Wednesday it seemed like a good idea. But as I was standing on the train platform waiting for my lovely F train and following the same exact commute that was no longer mine (knowing exactly what car to be in for my 48th street exit, knowing how long it will take, etc) I thought that I must be the stupidest person who ever lived because how could I be ready to be back there. And it was hard. Riding the train. Making the walk from the train to the building and then standing there outside the building. But I called Muppet and she came out. And Lovey came out. And it started to not feel so bad. And a couple coworkers walked by to say hi and I got a hug. I also learned management was claiming that everyone who got laid off on Wednesday had interviews lined up with other departments in the firm but I certainly do not. It's annoying they didn't line up interviews for me as they apparently did with others, but I also know I don't want this same kind of job so it's not the end of the world, but still. Maybe I'll call and shoot them my resume just in case.
Anyway, Lovey went back upstairs and Muppet and I had a nice lunch. I still obsess about this layoff and apologies to anyone seeing me for the next week or two because you'll hear about it lots. But Muppet and I were able to talk about other things too. And that was nice for me and it made me happy to know I could talk about other things.
After lunch Muppet went up and Lovey came down for coffee. I think they're all going to be just fine without me, unfortunately. So that was annoying to hear. Though I am actually happy about that for Lovey & Sheena's sakes. Because while I want things to suck without me I know that they'll be the ones to get the brunt of it and I don't actually want that. But it was good to see her. She and Sheena and the majority of my bosses were all at meetings or out when it happened and I hadn't gotten to see and say goodbye to anyone but Muppet and Monkey Man. So it was good to get a little closure. And to see her. And catch up a little with her and know that while I will no longer see her every day and know all the little details of her life we still have good reason to be friends and make time to be together.
And after she went up Sheena came down to say hi & bye. And I got my first ever hug from her. Which is sort of an in joke with us. But yeah, nice to have more closure. And she had a couple more stories about people who missed me. Our supply guy has been mopey and the mail guy (a story for later I think because I have such a crush) too. And the main editor we work with apparently was shocked and said that was so odd because I'm a model employee or something like that. I told her to keep those stories coming because they help.
I headed back home feeling really good. I'm glad I went because now I know I can. And when I head back to sign my papers and drop off the last of the company stuff I have in a couple of weeks, I know it won't freak me out beyond reason. So that was nice.
Then I got to have an amazing afternoon chat with Tangerine and vent a little and catch up with her. She said she'd try to be online more in the afternoons so another plus will be catching up with her. So, I might miss more daily details of Lovey's life but then get more of Tangerine's It all balances out somehow.
After all that I decided I wanted to sit on my butt watching TV and all which I haven't really done yet. And Muffy decided to join me. So we talked about her crap day and my crap week and had pizza and watched a couple episodes of Firefly wondering when in the series Nathan Fillion's pants get properly tight and having a really nice Friday night.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Day Two Part Two
So, Vader said I had to have margaritas. So I just had margaritas. And after a couple of margaritas and a little dinner Vader told the waitress I had been laid off. And the waitress brought us shots, because you need margaritas AND shots when you've been laid off. Who knew? Well, Fishboy did. He said getting drunk is something one must do after being laid off. He is wise. And now I am drunk blogging. MARGARITAS!!!!!
Again all of my friends Rock. Steph bought me lunch at the Chip Shop (deep fat fried peanut butter cups are mana from Heaven) and then because it was a gorgeous day we wandered along the Brooklyn promenade for a while. At one point Tangerine left me a delightful voicemail telling me the man sucks I am fabulous and if I need to come to DC or have her come up here to just let her know. My friends are so cool.
And then Vader came over for some watching of last night's Veronica Mars and then... well... MARGARITAS!!!! Also, apparently she told her whole office about my plight and they are just disgusted and cannot believe that they would lay me off. Hee. Good times.
And I think Lovey is still on jury duty so keep your fingers crossed that the Friday report is a disaster tomorrow. Though Sheena is very clever so she'll probably do it just fine and then they'll feel all justified about laying me off. Bastards. Maybe I need more Margaritas. I think I have tequila somewhere in this apartment...
Again all of my friends Rock. Steph bought me lunch at the Chip Shop (deep fat fried peanut butter cups are mana from Heaven) and then because it was a gorgeous day we wandered along the Brooklyn promenade for a while. At one point Tangerine left me a delightful voicemail telling me the man sucks I am fabulous and if I need to come to DC or have her come up here to just let her know. My friends are so cool.
And then Vader came over for some watching of last night's Veronica Mars and then... well... MARGARITAS!!!! Also, apparently she told her whole office about my plight and they are just disgusted and cannot believe that they would lay me off. Hee. Good times.
And I think Lovey is still on jury duty so keep your fingers crossed that the Friday report is a disaster tomorrow. Though Sheena is very clever so she'll probably do it just fine and then they'll feel all justified about laying me off. Bastards. Maybe I need more Margaritas. I think I have tequila somewhere in this apartment...
Day Two
Well, it totally feels odd to have not gotten up early this morning to get dressed and follow the commute I've followed for years. It does NOT feel like a sick day. It feels like an unemployed day. So odd. Everyone is at work right now going about their business without me. And because I am small and petty I hope it's not an easy day for them. Heh.
I had dinner with Muppet and Bambi last night which was great. Nice to be able to piss and moan about it a lot but also nice to have folks around to talk about other stuff too. They were wonderful at being a good balance of that. Plus, we were at chat 'n chew so I got a belly full of grease. Who does NOT love onion ribbons? Really. So good. Also, it seems that I might be winning the prize for most shock inducing layoff. Even more than one whole team that was eliminated. Apparently everyone was shocked and surprised and at one point there was even a conversation about how much money the firm will lose for the first six months in lost productivity. How awesome is that? It still sucks to be laid off and have the world go on without you, but it's nice to know I'll be missed. It's nice to know that all the hard work and ideas I brought to that job didn't go unnoticed. My boss even called and said something about how my contributions to him and to the group weren't always appreciated but he really did appreciate everything I did to help him and the team. So, that, and my severance package, are helping to soften all this considerably.
Plus, everyone I know is so awesome. I'm getting lots of advice, offers from people to use their contacts, offers to hang or talk or anything like that. Steph and I might do lunch today. Monkey Man and I are hanging this weekend. Muffy and I are supposed to hang this weekend and she offered even more weekend time even though she's a crazed med student in the middle of rotations. Vader and I have plans for tonight. Mom is calling, family is sending concerned emails, Fishboy emailed me, Pumpkin left a voicemail, Turnip and Maggie are doing lots of Instant Message chatting and support, Lovey & Sheen are calling to fill me in about work and how upset they are about me leaving because they like me AND because all the work they'll now have to do. Lots of stuff like that. It's great to have such a nice support network at times like this.
Now I'm debating TV and cheetos or going to the gym. Hmmmm...
I had dinner with Muppet and Bambi last night which was great. Nice to be able to piss and moan about it a lot but also nice to have folks around to talk about other stuff too. They were wonderful at being a good balance of that. Plus, we were at chat 'n chew so I got a belly full of grease. Who does NOT love onion ribbons? Really. So good. Also, it seems that I might be winning the prize for most shock inducing layoff. Even more than one whole team that was eliminated. Apparently everyone was shocked and surprised and at one point there was even a conversation about how much money the firm will lose for the first six months in lost productivity. How awesome is that? It still sucks to be laid off and have the world go on without you, but it's nice to know I'll be missed. It's nice to know that all the hard work and ideas I brought to that job didn't go unnoticed. My boss even called and said something about how my contributions to him and to the group weren't always appreciated but he really did appreciate everything I did to help him and the team. So, that, and my severance package, are helping to soften all this considerably.
Plus, everyone I know is so awesome. I'm getting lots of advice, offers from people to use their contacts, offers to hang or talk or anything like that. Steph and I might do lunch today. Monkey Man and I are hanging this weekend. Muffy and I are supposed to hang this weekend and she offered even more weekend time even though she's a crazed med student in the middle of rotations. Vader and I have plans for tonight. Mom is calling, family is sending concerned emails, Fishboy emailed me, Pumpkin left a voicemail, Turnip and Maggie are doing lots of Instant Message chatting and support, Lovey & Sheen are calling to fill me in about work and how upset they are about me leaving because they like me AND because all the work they'll now have to do. Lots of stuff like that. It's great to have such a nice support network at times like this.
Now I'm debating TV and cheetos or going to the gym. Hmmmm...
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Canned by The Man
Today I got laid off. And, it kinda sucks in a way. I know it's not something I can take personally like a firing, but it still feels like rejection. Plus, I haven't been unemployed in forever. I have to find a job now. I don't have any kind of security. Financially I am not prepared for this with too little savings and too much debt (much like almost everyone else in the world). And my routine and a HUGE part of my life totally changed today. Even though no one else's did. So it's weird. And I kinda want to cry. But I haven't yet. I'm sure I will. But not yet.
But, this is also probably the best case scenario for me. I hated my job. I hated it for years and years. I just never got my shit together enough to go out and find another job. They gave me a small severance package, so I have a little cushion before I'm out on the street. I can take some time to really look for something I might enjoy. And that's such a good thing for me. This is a kick in the pants I need. And I just need to really take advantage of it. It also helps that I have awesome people. Mom has really been there for me. And so many people came and hung out with me between being escorted out of the building (gotta love The Man) and my appointment with my reading buddy. And lots of folks have already called to offer any help they can and to see if I'm okay. Muppet's got a spare room if it comes to that (and she knows the cats and I are a package deal). It's going to be okay. I just have to get over the initial shock and the dread of how much of a pain in the ass it's going to be to find a job. And I think I can do that.
But if y'all know of any jobs out there that I'd be great for, let me know!!!!
But, this is also probably the best case scenario for me. I hated my job. I hated it for years and years. I just never got my shit together enough to go out and find another job. They gave me a small severance package, so I have a little cushion before I'm out on the street. I can take some time to really look for something I might enjoy. And that's such a good thing for me. This is a kick in the pants I need. And I just need to really take advantage of it. It also helps that I have awesome people. Mom has really been there for me. And so many people came and hung out with me between being escorted out of the building (gotta love The Man) and my appointment with my reading buddy. And lots of folks have already called to offer any help they can and to see if I'm okay. Muppet's got a spare room if it comes to that (and she knows the cats and I are a package deal). It's going to be okay. I just have to get over the initial shock and the dread of how much of a pain in the ass it's going to be to find a job. And I think I can do that.
But if y'all know of any jobs out there that I'd be great for, let me know!!!!
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Upcoming Performances in New York (not by me)
My cousin (son of my Dad's cousin) is going to be in New York this weekend performing with his jazz band at Fat Cat (opening for the Ari Hoenig Trio) if y'all want to check it out. Mom and I will go to one of the performances but aren't sure which yet. I'll leave something in the comments when we decide, in case you want to join us. But feel free to go either night on your own.
Update: It looks like we're going on Friday.
Rock Star Fran always has shows coming up. Schwervon is performing on March 18th at Galapagos and then she'll be solo at Cakeshop on March 27th. I think I'll try to make that one. Schwervon's CD release party should be June 2nd at Cakeshop. I definitely plan to be at that. And while I was looking at the store to see if I was missing any Fran CDs I noticed they have Schwervon t-shirts for sale. I'm soooo getting one.
And speaking of Galapagos... I'm planning on going to see Point Break Live on April 2 (along with Muppet, Lovey & others) and am totally psyched about it. You should join us.
Lovey is performing in a benefit on April 10 and singing a song in a performance in June as well as doing her own recital on June 6. I will be at the benefit, the recital and one of the 8 performances of "Celebrate Good Times (Macbeth)" though I don't know which one yet. But you should feel free to come and support her at any or all of these performances.
Muppet's dance group has been added to the roster of resident artists at Galapagos in Williamsburg and will be having their own benefit in June. Hopefully not on the 6th.
Since I have so many friends involved in performances and activities in New York I'm thinking of making this semi-regular so if you have anything coming up that you want me to mention, let me know.
Update: It looks like we're going on Friday.
Rock Star Fran always has shows coming up. Schwervon is performing on March 18th at Galapagos and then she'll be solo at Cakeshop on March 27th. I think I'll try to make that one. Schwervon's CD release party should be June 2nd at Cakeshop. I definitely plan to be at that. And while I was looking at the store to see if I was missing any Fran CDs I noticed they have Schwervon t-shirts for sale. I'm soooo getting one.
And speaking of Galapagos... I'm planning on going to see Point Break Live on April 2 (along with Muppet, Lovey & others) and am totally psyched about it. You should join us.
Lovey is performing in a benefit on April 10 and singing a song in a performance in June as well as doing her own recital on June 6. I will be at the benefit, the recital and one of the 8 performances of "Celebrate Good Times (Macbeth)" though I don't know which one yet. But you should feel free to come and support her at any or all of these performances.
Muppet's dance group has been added to the roster of resident artists at Galapagos in Williamsburg and will be having their own benefit in June. Hopefully not on the 6th.
Since I have so many friends involved in performances and activities in New York I'm thinking of making this semi-regular so if you have anything coming up that you want me to mention, let me know.
Oh yeah
So, Saturday night I saw a Jason Voorhees stripper. Yeah, y'all want my rock star life.
And then after the stripper I got into about four or five different conversations with different people about strippers. Male strippers vs. female strippers. How it's hot when female strippers work the pole but gross when male strippers work the pole. Male revues vs. the lone male stripper coming to your house for a bachelor/bachelorette party. How female strippers have the foxy plastic (lucite!) footwear but male strippers wear sneakers or boots. How Heidi Fleiss is opening up a male bordello for girls in Nevada. How you can touch all you want with male strippers but will lose a hand if you touch female strippers. How a girl almost never has to pay for her own lap dance in a female strip club. Male strippers for guys vs. male strippers for girls. At one point I turned to a guy I was in one of these conversations with and said, "not that I'm a stripper expert or anything." And while this is true (Daddy, I am NOT a stripper expert) I realized I'd been talking about them for about 15-20 minutes with just this one person. I am such trash. My mama must be so embarrassed.
And then after the stripper I got into about four or five different conversations with different people about strippers. Male strippers vs. female strippers. How it's hot when female strippers work the pole but gross when male strippers work the pole. Male revues vs. the lone male stripper coming to your house for a bachelor/bachelorette party. How female strippers have the foxy plastic (lucite!) footwear but male strippers wear sneakers or boots. How Heidi Fleiss is opening up a male bordello for girls in Nevada. How you can touch all you want with male strippers but will lose a hand if you touch female strippers. How a girl almost never has to pay for her own lap dance in a female strip club. Male strippers for guys vs. male strippers for girls. At one point I turned to a guy I was in one of these conversations with and said, "not that I'm a stripper expert or anything." And while this is true (Daddy, I am NOT a stripper expert) I realized I'd been talking about them for about 15-20 minutes with just this one person. I am such trash. My mama must be so embarrassed.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Family (blog as therapy)
I just had a wonderful weekend visit with my parents. They arrived on Thursday and I took the afternoon off so I could be home when they arrived and so we could spend a little time together. We didn't really do anything exciting. Sat around chatting and watching crap on TiVo. Mom wanted Jake's so we ordered that and just chilled. Mom sacked out early and Dad couldn't even make it to 11PM so I had one of my earliest bedtimes in a while.
On Friday Dad was up early and walked me to the subway while he went off to get coffee and scones. He wanted to check out the place where Peter Braunstein was reportedly spotted. Though I think that spotting turned out to be wrong because he was someplace else at the time. But Dad likes to see my neighborhood places that he sees in the media. After that they did little chores around my house, popped by Jacques Torres and watched TV while I worked. Friday we also wanted some mellow family time and wanted to avoid the cold so we stayed in with Buddy's Burritos and a movie. Dad got it into his head that he wanted to watch a chick flick. And somehow was stuck on the idea of Under the Tuscan Sun. I really have no idea why. I have a huge crush on Diane Lane so I was fine with the movie choice and then we found out Sandra Oh was in it so Mom was down with it. But we still thought we'd rather have Walk the Line. Sadly that was all rented out at the store. So, it was chick flick night with the family. Not the greatest movie, but I got some Diane ogling and Sandra was funny and I now have more daydream material for when I one day make it to Italy. Overall a good night. Oh, and Dad now covets the Gay & Away hats from the tour group in the movie. Poor Daddy. Let me know if you know where I can get one. Father's Day is in a few short months...
Saturday we got up and decided to have brunch. We thought Muffy might be joining us, but as she's learning to be a doctor she was up and at work before we even put on pants. Alas. We hit Banania and all got eggs of the Benedict or Florentine flavor. While there we pondered the strangeness of Banania not having pepper on a single table. But there was pepper in our Bloody Marys so we know they had it on the premises. Strange... After the feeding we headed to Barnes & Nobles to do a little book shopping and then headed into Manhattan to visit Steph at his place of work. And my folks got to experience the joy of weekend track work. Taking two trains and experiencing lots of cranky people to go about two stops. Anyway... the wine shop is a really cute little place. I liked it. And Dad ended up getting a bottle for Oscar night. So it was a good visit. And now I can tell folks I know a wine guy. So I have a wine guy, a massage guy and a real estate guy. You need any of these guys just give me a call and I'll hook you up. Heh.
After that Dad wanted to wander down to our old 'hood to see what ever became of George's. When Dad and I moved down to the financial district there weren't a ton of places to eat outside of working hours. The area was still building itself up as a residential area. But George's was just down the street and had good diner food at really cheap prices. After 9-11 we were a little worried about George's, but it survived. And when I finally paid my first visit to Ground Zero I was with my folks and we stopped at George's after. To get something to eat and also kind of ground ourselves. I really didn't take the visit well. There are so many things to say about it that I'm not ready to talk about, but one of the strongest things I felt that this was my neighborhood for two years and now it was devastated and places that were part of my almost daily life were just gone. A large part of my life for that period was just ripped away. So going to George's was, in a cheesy and corny way, very soothing. It was someplace that was the same. And that was reassuring to me. But, not long after we were there they found a crack in the building and it had to be torn down. And last we heard they didn't know what they were going to do with it. So we thought we'd wander down there and see. And it's back. It's a little fancied up. And George's now takes up two stories (making Dad a little sad about the loss of the men's salon that used to be there). But it's back. And very much like it was, really. Which was good. Because I still don't handle being down in that area well. I have yet to get through it without some tears. So, it's nice that George's is still there to help me out.
After that we hopped on the train and headed back to Brooklyn, stopping at CVS for 'a few items'* and heading home to nap and sit around. Muffy finally freed herself from work and came over that night. We headed over to Hill Diner for dinner and had a lovely time. Lots of doctor questions for Muffy and other fun conversation that would probably have bored any other four people, but not dorks like us. Then it was home for more chillin' & TV and whatnot.
Sunday we were up a little early as Mom had to be in a car to the airport at 12:30. We were thinking of doing brunch but Mom couldn't handle another brunch. So we sent Dad off to Bagel World for breakfast. And then we just putzed around talking and getting Mom ready to head off to North Carolina. Then Dad and I napped, ran errands and tidied up a bit in preparation for the Oscars. Dad hadn't watched them in years and thought we should be a little fancy about it. Well, Dad said he wanted to have a gay Oscar night, I guess in keeping with the theme of many of the movies. But Dad's kind of a goof. So we had wine and cheese and crackers and crosti and such. As well as Reese's Peanut Butter cups and Twix. And Maggie brought us a pizza because she rocks. No one else showed, but Maggie, Dad and I had a great time. Maggie was thrilled with her husband's performance at the event and I loved Jon Stewart's hosting and Dad got to ogle Jessica Alba to his heart's content. A successful night for all I think.
Monday morning we sent Dad off to Indiana and I went off to work.
And now I'm sad and really miss them. And I can't stop thinking about where they are.
Mom went off to North Carolina because my Uncle (her brother-in-law) is having a kidney removed. Well, had it removed. Yesterday. The surgery was successful. And the tumor seemed to be encased in the kidney. They didn't see anything around it. Which is good. But they won't know more until after he's recovered from the surgery and they can see what else is going on. But Mom's there helping out for a little while. And Dad went off to Indiana. He was just going for a visit, but last Wednesday we found out that my great-aunt was having surgery on Thursday to remove part of her colon. She had cancer. The surgery went well, but they found that the cancer had spread. And it wasn't good. And last night she passed away. Just one week after my other great-aunt passed away. So, it's been a rough time for the family. And I'm trying to remind myself that Mac and Jean are probably better off dying now. Jean was having a hard time doing anything anymore and Mac was in for a lot of pain with the cancer. But, it's hard anyway, even knowing that. Jean was another connection to my Nana. And she was a really wonderful woman. And I feel like I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. And Mac was my Mamaw's last remaining sister. Mamaw is now the last of the four. And I know this is so, so hard on her. They were so close. And I'm going to miss Mac as well. She was a really nice lady and made one hell of a 7-Up Salad. And I'm worried for my Uncle. I'm hoping for the best, but as Dad says, the best case scenario here is he loses a kidney. Though I do know that if that does end up being all that happens we are very, very lucky. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that.
So I'm thinking about all of that and trying not to cry at work and so I'm writing a whole long blog entry about my lovely family weekend. And now I'll probably try and work on some other projects or read something entertaining at TWoP, cause it's actually a slow day for work and I need to keep my mind occupied. You know?
*Dad likes to leave the house once a day or more. He runs to Costco or the grocery store or to do something for his car or whatever errands he can find. So when he visits me he usually runs out at least once a day to pick up 'a few items'. We often make a list of these 'few items' for him each day. It's kind of a family joke. My family has a LOT of family jokes.
On Friday Dad was up early and walked me to the subway while he went off to get coffee and scones. He wanted to check out the place where Peter Braunstein was reportedly spotted. Though I think that spotting turned out to be wrong because he was someplace else at the time. But Dad likes to see my neighborhood places that he sees in the media. After that they did little chores around my house, popped by Jacques Torres and watched TV while I worked. Friday we also wanted some mellow family time and wanted to avoid the cold so we stayed in with Buddy's Burritos and a movie. Dad got it into his head that he wanted to watch a chick flick. And somehow was stuck on the idea of Under the Tuscan Sun. I really have no idea why. I have a huge crush on Diane Lane so I was fine with the movie choice and then we found out Sandra Oh was in it so Mom was down with it. But we still thought we'd rather have Walk the Line. Sadly that was all rented out at the store. So, it was chick flick night with the family. Not the greatest movie, but I got some Diane ogling and Sandra was funny and I now have more daydream material for when I one day make it to Italy. Overall a good night. Oh, and Dad now covets the Gay & Away hats from the tour group in the movie. Poor Daddy. Let me know if you know where I can get one. Father's Day is in a few short months...
Saturday we got up and decided to have brunch. We thought Muffy might be joining us, but as she's learning to be a doctor she was up and at work before we even put on pants. Alas. We hit Banania and all got eggs of the Benedict or Florentine flavor. While there we pondered the strangeness of Banania not having pepper on a single table. But there was pepper in our Bloody Marys so we know they had it on the premises. Strange... After the feeding we headed to Barnes & Nobles to do a little book shopping and then headed into Manhattan to visit Steph at his place of work. And my folks got to experience the joy of weekend track work. Taking two trains and experiencing lots of cranky people to go about two stops. Anyway... the wine shop is a really cute little place. I liked it. And Dad ended up getting a bottle for Oscar night. So it was a good visit. And now I can tell folks I know a wine guy. So I have a wine guy, a massage guy and a real estate guy. You need any of these guys just give me a call and I'll hook you up. Heh.
After that Dad wanted to wander down to our old 'hood to see what ever became of George's. When Dad and I moved down to the financial district there weren't a ton of places to eat outside of working hours. The area was still building itself up as a residential area. But George's was just down the street and had good diner food at really cheap prices. After 9-11 we were a little worried about George's, but it survived. And when I finally paid my first visit to Ground Zero I was with my folks and we stopped at George's after. To get something to eat and also kind of ground ourselves. I really didn't take the visit well. There are so many things to say about it that I'm not ready to talk about, but one of the strongest things I felt that this was my neighborhood for two years and now it was devastated and places that were part of my almost daily life were just gone. A large part of my life for that period was just ripped away. So going to George's was, in a cheesy and corny way, very soothing. It was someplace that was the same. And that was reassuring to me. But, not long after we were there they found a crack in the building and it had to be torn down. And last we heard they didn't know what they were going to do with it. So we thought we'd wander down there and see. And it's back. It's a little fancied up. And George's now takes up two stories (making Dad a little sad about the loss of the men's salon that used to be there). But it's back. And very much like it was, really. Which was good. Because I still don't handle being down in that area well. I have yet to get through it without some tears. So, it's nice that George's is still there to help me out.
After that we hopped on the train and headed back to Brooklyn, stopping at CVS for 'a few items'* and heading home to nap and sit around. Muffy finally freed herself from work and came over that night. We headed over to Hill Diner for dinner and had a lovely time. Lots of doctor questions for Muffy and other fun conversation that would probably have bored any other four people, but not dorks like us. Then it was home for more chillin' & TV and whatnot.
Sunday we were up a little early as Mom had to be in a car to the airport at 12:30. We were thinking of doing brunch but Mom couldn't handle another brunch. So we sent Dad off to Bagel World for breakfast. And then we just putzed around talking and getting Mom ready to head off to North Carolina. Then Dad and I napped, ran errands and tidied up a bit in preparation for the Oscars. Dad hadn't watched them in years and thought we should be a little fancy about it. Well, Dad said he wanted to have a gay Oscar night, I guess in keeping with the theme of many of the movies. But Dad's kind of a goof. So we had wine and cheese and crackers and crosti and such. As well as Reese's Peanut Butter cups and Twix. And Maggie brought us a pizza because she rocks. No one else showed, but Maggie, Dad and I had a great time. Maggie was thrilled with her husband's performance at the event and I loved Jon Stewart's hosting and Dad got to ogle Jessica Alba to his heart's content. A successful night for all I think.
Monday morning we sent Dad off to Indiana and I went off to work.
And now I'm sad and really miss them. And I can't stop thinking about where they are.
Mom went off to North Carolina because my Uncle (her brother-in-law) is having a kidney removed. Well, had it removed. Yesterday. The surgery was successful. And the tumor seemed to be encased in the kidney. They didn't see anything around it. Which is good. But they won't know more until after he's recovered from the surgery and they can see what else is going on. But Mom's there helping out for a little while. And Dad went off to Indiana. He was just going for a visit, but last Wednesday we found out that my great-aunt was having surgery on Thursday to remove part of her colon. She had cancer. The surgery went well, but they found that the cancer had spread. And it wasn't good. And last night she passed away. Just one week after my other great-aunt passed away. So, it's been a rough time for the family. And I'm trying to remind myself that Mac and Jean are probably better off dying now. Jean was having a hard time doing anything anymore and Mac was in for a lot of pain with the cancer. But, it's hard anyway, even knowing that. Jean was another connection to my Nana. And she was a really wonderful woman. And I feel like I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. And Mac was my Mamaw's last remaining sister. Mamaw is now the last of the four. And I know this is so, so hard on her. They were so close. And I'm going to miss Mac as well. She was a really nice lady and made one hell of a 7-Up Salad. And I'm worried for my Uncle. I'm hoping for the best, but as Dad says, the best case scenario here is he loses a kidney. Though I do know that if that does end up being all that happens we are very, very lucky. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that.
So I'm thinking about all of that and trying not to cry at work and so I'm writing a whole long blog entry about my lovely family weekend. And now I'll probably try and work on some other projects or read something entertaining at TWoP, cause it's actually a slow day for work and I need to keep my mind occupied. You know?
*Dad likes to leave the house once a day or more. He runs to Costco or the grocery store or to do something for his car or whatever errands he can find. So when he visits me he usually runs out at least once a day to pick up 'a few items'. We often make a list of these 'few items' for him each day. It's kind of a family joke. My family has a LOT of family jokes.
Friday, January 06, 2006
It's not a Tu-mah!
It's after 10 on a Friday night and I'm still at my office. Because I've been watching DVDs of American Idol and pondering song lyrics about Macroeconomics. Who wants my rock star life? You know it. At least I'm not watching Pumping Iron, right?
I know I've been lax. Thought about writing from Hawai'i but then it just seemed mean to make people jealous. Plus, I was on VACATION!!!! And then my life was taken over by song writing and American Idol. Ugh. Ah well.
Hey, y'all want to help? Anyone know any good Karaoke type songs about money? So far we've got:
9 to 5
She Works Hard for the Money
We're in the Money
Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend
Material Girl
Can't Buy Me Love
Money Money Money
Money Honey
Money (That’s What I Want)
Money Changes Everything
Money for Nothing
If You've got the Money, I've got the Time
For the Love of Money
If I Had $1,000,000
Head Like a Hole
Big Spender
Everybody’s Working for the Weekend
Pennies from Heaven
Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
Take the Money & Run
A Poor Man’s Roses (Or a Rich Man’s Money)
Welcome to the Jungle
She Bangs
I know I've been lax. Thought about writing from Hawai'i but then it just seemed mean to make people jealous. Plus, I was on VACATION!!!! And then my life was taken over by song writing and American Idol. Ugh. Ah well.
Hey, y'all want to help? Anyone know any good Karaoke type songs about money? So far we've got:
9 to 5
She Works Hard for the Money
We're in the Money
Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend
Material Girl
Can't Buy Me Love
Money Money Money
Money Honey
Money (That’s What I Want)
Money Changes Everything
Money for Nothing
If You've got the Money, I've got the Time
For the Love of Money
If I Had $1,000,000
Head Like a Hole
Big Spender
Everybody’s Working for the Weekend
Pennies from Heaven
Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)
Take the Money & Run
A Poor Man’s Roses (Or a Rich Man’s Money)
Welcome to the Jungle
She Bangs
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