That's what SHE said!

Jenatrix Lajames

2007-07-25T22:46:00.000-04:00

I haven't been writing. I'm slightly unmotivated, but moreso, busy at work and not wanting to write from home. Oh well.

James just did the funniest thing to Nacho. I'm afraid to say, because I don't want someone to stumble across the description and call us animal abusers. But...it was frickin hilarious!

Now, I'm gonna eat some granola. Peace.

Fried to a...

2007-07-08T11:01:00.000-04:00

Ow. When will I learn that sunblock is good?

Yesterday: Fort Tilden beach with Tbags +2, then PS1 with James +1.

I'm mad red. Skin = hot.

Ow.

Productivity soars!

2007-06-26T18:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, James and I were super ambitious. We left work around 6:00 (I'd gotten there at 9:14, so therefore put in 45 minutes' worth of free O/T) and made our way to the Bed, Bath & Beyond on East 61st Street. We'd assumed it was on either Lexington or Third Avenue, but unfortunately, we had to walk to Second Avenue to reach our goal. Once there, we tracked down the vacuum of our dreams, and purchased it. Woo!

We left and aimed towards the N/W, but became sidetracked when confronted with an alluring pizza place. It was actually a great decision, as the pizza was tasty and they served zeppoles. Woo x2!

From there, the long hike home was a bit hot and dreary, but we were unswayed. We dumped the vacuum at home, took a bit to catch our breaths, and gathered our laundry. We sneaked past the next door laundromat (it's dirty and more expensive than the one a block away), and did the deed. Woo x3!

When the clothes were dry and safe in the apartment, we set off on our final mission: groceries. We get there around 10 (sadly, the deli was closed) and enjoyed a virtually empty Key Foods. I might just make it a point to shop late at night. Turkey bologna for lunch = woo x4!

Finally, after arriving home, unpacking the food, and making the best mac n' cheese EVER, James broke out the vacuum (which we christened Winnie Cooper) and put that sucker to use. We can now walk around the apartment without shoes.

Woo x5. Thank you.

Shows are great

2007-06-23T15:36:00.000-04:00

What I did last night, presented through photos by someone else.

Target practice

2007-06-19T18:52:00.000-04:00

On my walk home from the super-delayed W train, I was hit by a flying bag of garbage. No shit. This dude was cleaning out the basement of a bar, and he was blindly tossing full bags from between those cellar doors (the ones I'm always afraid will open as I step on them) onto the sidewalk. It hit my heel, I stumbled slightly, two chumps outside the bar chuckled, the tosser said "Sorry, miss" with a smirk on his face.

In other news, I had my 90-day review today. It went well enough, lots of positive, a few things to work on. I've always known it, but today confirmed big time: I'm bad at receiving criticism as well as compliments.

Mom, what did you do to me?

I ain't friends with no butter faces!

2007-06-17T01:03:00.001-04:00

James and I were invited to dig in the beauty closet in the office of Elle magazine. Needless to say, we were extremely grabby, and made off with two heavy bags full of crap. We stopped off at the Senior Beauty Editor's apartment in Union Square, then hit a coworker's birthday party for a while.

Then, we ran home, giggling with our booty like eight-year-olds. A quick stop at [New} Chinese Kitchen provided dinner, My So-Called Life disc two was inserted, and we dumped the mess onto the livingroom floor and had at it.

Three piles of product and much sniffing later, James applied body wash to his arm thinking it was lotion, and I have on what appears to be permanent blue eyeliner.

To quote

2007-06-16T11:55:00.000-04:00

"There is no happiness like that of being loved by your fellow-creatures, and feeling that your presence is an addition to their comfort."

-Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte

I stole this pic

2007-06-04T20:59:00.000-04:00

from Paint. I think it's supercute.

It's from a couple weeks ago (the Sunday that champagne killed). I drunkenly made my way to his place, and we went outside to play in McGorlick Park in Greenpoint. We took a ton of pictures, mostly of ourselves.

So annoyed

2007-05-28T19:02:00.001-04:00

I left a BBQ in goddamn Brooklyn for BBQ Part II in Astoria, and it was stupid cancelled. WTF am I supposed to do now?!

I hate people. A lot.

Three things I'm sure of

2007-05-27T20:12:00.001-04:00

1. Can't count on nobody!
2. Long, lonely weekends suck.
3. Jared Leto and I are destined to be together.

Hate to say it

2007-05-26T13:01:00.000-04:00

But it appears that I am temporarily over blogging. Hopefully the urge will return.

DGH, I was just kidding in the last post. Stop hyperventilating.

May 22, 2007

2007-05-22T22:39:00.000-04:00

I just got back from work and post-work. Shake Shack, Barnes & Noble, Babies R Us, CAT House. I was super paranoid during the commute home. Thought I saw Rose from Lost. Left a pretty funny message for Paint. Got oj and cereal. Mildly disturbing convo with DGH. I miss James. And Paint. But James just a little more.

Where in the world

2007-05-14T22:15:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted in a while. Why, you ask?

Because I've been drunk.

Cinco de Drinko

2007-05-05T12:31:00.000-04:00

What do you do when your boyfriend doesn't want to hang out? Get wasted.

Yesterday after work, I joined James and friends at Posh, a gay bar in Midtown West. The bartender was really cute and made really strong drinks, so I was toasted after three. Plus, having just a few M&Ms for dinner helped. There were some really nice people there, including one fellow who offered to introduce me to "poppers" (not jalapeno). We admired the passing boys and puppies, I smoked about a billion cigarettes, was given tattoos by one of the partiers, and after a tortuous train ride back to Queens, James and I were home by 10:30. The highlight of the night was looking glamorous and not caring about impressing anyone; the lowlight was peeing in our backyard because the bathroom was occupied.

PB&J

2007-05-03T23:32:00.000-04:00

Went to a Peter Bjorn & John concert at Webster Hall with Paint last night. I bought the tickets a month ago specifically because he likes the band (then gave one away when he dumped me, then took it back when he un-dumped me), and I really was just going for him. Meaning: low expectations. They have that one good song, but I'm not a big fan of the rest of the album, plus I'd heard from someone that their live show isn't wonderful.

After he treated me to an amazing sushi dinner and drinks at some bar on 11th Street, we popped into Webster, met up with peeps, got more drinks, saw the last song of the first opener, suffered through the second opener (mainly me suffering), and then PB&J. I was extremely drunkenly awesomely surprised to find out that they're really good live. Very good. Super good.

We danced, we drank, we smoked smuggled substances, we took an obnoxious amount of photos (mostly me, mostly in the subway and in his truck going home).

Great night. Waking up sucked.

Wake & bake

2007-04-30T23:11:00.000-04:00

Today at work, we had a brownie bake-off. As I was drunk all weekend, I left my baking until last night at 11:00. I decided that there was no way I'd be able to successfully mix batter and stay awake for the full bake period, so I woke up earlier than usual this morning to attend to my entry. 7:00 rolls around, and after very little sleep, I got up and took care of business.

Open box. Measure oil and water. Crack egg. Mix contents. Bake.

I showered while the over worked its magic. In mid-sud, I realized: I had wake-and-baked.

Wokka wokka.

You're beautiful?

2007-04-26T20:24:00.000-04:00

I just sent an email to model@americanapparel.net.

Then I was vogue-ing in the mirror for a while. What if they respond? What if it's positive, and they call me in for a test shoot or whatever. What if this happens?

And what if they don't? What if they say I'm not their type. Is that code for "You're butt-ugly"?

Anyway. Cross those fingers and toes.

This week

2007-04-25T14:29:00.000-04:00

Paint and I un-broke up on Wednesday. As much as I wanted to be angry, I care about him too much to write him off. So, another chance. We both agreed we need to talk more, and so far it's been working well.

Last weekend was gorrrrrgeous. Saturday, Paint and I went to Storm King Art Center. It's beautiful, though I caught myself enjoying nature more than the sculptures. Word of advice: wear sneakers. I wore cute but peekaboo shoes and ended up carrying them most of the time. Got a slightly awkward tan, but had a great time. If I'm ever wildly rich, I'd like to get married there, on a hill, between these amazingly displaced columns. Take note!

Sunday was also beautiful, but Paint and I stayed at his place for most of the day. Around 2:00, we got out and went to the beach. We sat on a jetty for an hour, climbing all over, stacking shells, talking to gulls. He took a ton of photos of me, which I thought was very cute. Here's one of our sea art (mine's on the far right):

Last night, we went to the Mets/Rockies game. It was frickin great. It went scoreless into extra innings, I managed to miss the one home run when I went to the restroom, we had peanuts and I had cotton candy, and I even managed to kick over his beer. After twelve innings, we were chilly and sleepy but happy.

Cat (Natch) fever

2007-04-19T22:24:00.000-04:00

Nacho had a vet appointment today. Simple. It involved me leaving work early, coming home to gather paperwork, stuffing him in his canvas carrier (which features straps for backpack-style carrying), dragging him to the train station, going south three stops, and then to the vet's office. He sat nicely while I filled out paperwork and met another cat named Geronimo.

He hardly meow-ed during the commute, and was very well-behaved at the vet's office. Dr. Adams inspected him thoroughly; he barely squirmed. She stuck a thermometer in his butt; he didn't bat an eye. He was prescribed some chicken tasting meds that I have to squirt into his mouth twice a day (well, James is going to have to teach me the finer points of Cat Injections, as he is the Injektor Extraordinaire).

$50 later, I have a cat who's giving me the stink eye.

Too

2007-04-18T09:46:00.000-04:00

I think I'm overly understanding. I forgive too easily. In my personal life, and in the world at large. For instance, the VT shootings: I cry for the murdered students, and also for the disturbed boy who shot them.

Is this a sign of weakness?

Yet again

2007-04-15T18:22:00.000-04:00

Paint broke up with me at about 4:00 this morning. While some of his complaints were reasonable, he'd neglected to thoroughly communicate them to me prior to their explosion. (The other reasons are utterly childish and not even worth mentioning.) When he decided we needed to "take a break" in December, he had been sweet, apologetic, and somewhat comforting. This time, he was full-on mean. He spoke as if he were an Adonis and I was trash, like he's completely faultless and perfect in every way, even going so far as to call his words "precious" and implying that he wouldn't waste his breath unless he knew he was right. I'd seen part of this side before, but this time he was relentless, verbally stabbing me over and over, until I was sobbing, packing my stuff, and leaving his apartment at 4:45 in the rain. I made it to the corner before giving up. Rather than revisit my dreadful New Years escapade, I went back inside, attempting to sleep in the tightest ball on the furthest edge from him. I slept for maybe an hour and had one of the worst dreams of my life. The rain hadn't let up around 9:00, so I asked him to please drive me to the train station. He did, only speaking once: "I'm at a loss of words right now." I saved my voice for my exit, whereupon I merely stated, "I meant it when I said I loved you."

To make matters worse, Nacho has inexplicitly taken to using James' bed as his litter box. (At least, we think it's him.) Understandably, James is not happy, and I need to figure out how to curb this behavior stat; I really can't handle losing a boyfriend and a pet in the same week. Anyone have ideas?

Modesty?

2007-04-13T18:33:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, a coworker told me I'm prettier than Kate Moss. It made me feel good for a while.

RIP

2007-04-12T14:28:00.000-04:00

Kurt Vonnegut: the man I always wished was my grandpa.

Easter tacos

2007-04-09T12:01:00.000-04:00

I must say, it was a first. Beef enchiladas and chicken tacos with Paint's family in a borrowed Midtown apartment, slightly overrun by NYU students. His grandparents are ridiculously cute, and his aunt and cousin seem very nice. I brought some successful Italian "sweet bread" that had hard-boiled eggs baked in, but otherwise didn't have any traditional Easter treats. (Which means I'm on a Cadbury Egg hunt today.)

I was just a smidge miffed when I was introduced as his "friend," but, as he was a bit affectionate, they got the point.

New bed!

2007-04-07T17:47:00.000-04:00

Finally. Paint and I went to Ikea last night, and I bought this gem. We didn't assemble it last night because we skedaddled when the third roommate arrived home with his 18 year old gf. *vomit* Anyway, I began putting it together by myself this afternoon, and though it was difficult balancing the pieces as I screwed them into place, I did a pretty good job. That is, until I got to the cross piece. This puppy is just two pieces of metal wedged together that supports the mattress. They come interlocked in one short piece, and you need to slide them to expand them. Problem is, it's stuck. I tried pulling with my hands, a hand and a foot, a hand and a foot and a piece of wood, wearing socks on my hand. Nothing. I'm scared to really give it my all, because there's this frightening graphic of an exclamation mark and a sliced hand dripping blood. Those morbid Swedes! So I guess I'll have to wait until a scheme hits me, or a burly man arrives.

This week has been mixed. I had two incidents with creepy guys at the train station; one was wasted and rambling at 9am, the other appeared to be following me at 9pm. I successfully planned and carried out a surprise toast for a coworker who's getting married next week. Paint has been really sweet (until last night, when he was frustrated and being grumpy with me). I need to spend more time with my lady-friends. Also need to head to PA soon.

Note: Just sliced the my thumb while attempting the cross piece again. Minor bleeding and embarrassment. Help me, burly men!

Update: I'm typing this from my brand new, fully assembled BED! Eff you, cross piece!!

I'm an April Fool

2007-04-02T11:50:00.000-04:00

I fell for two pranks yesterday: Google's "Paper Archive" feature and Paint's impromptu "It's not April yet." Bastards. My only attempt was a half-assed "Mom, I got a tattoo of a cat" late in the evening. She was drunk and exhausted and called me a jerk.

Also, turns out there's more trouble with my fam (mom's side). I spoke to my cousin Saturday, and he told me that there's a problem. I mentioned this to my mom after teasing her last night, so she called my aunt to get the deal. What's happening is this: the aunt's second husband is a cock, so they're leaving him and moving from KY to PA to be close to the rest of the family. Sucks, because I hate for them to be hurt. But at least I'll get to see them more than once every 12 years.

Friday = Fly Day

2007-03-30T10:39:00.000-04:00

Boss is out!

I'm wearing jeans and a shirt that's almost a tank top. Got cheap white shoes last night to celebrate payday, and they've already made me bleed.

Was in the office for no more than 20 minutes before an attempt was made on my life. Not noticing my limp, coworker CW tripped me and scuffed my left shoe. As he and coworker SW are competing for "Chivalry Points," CW immediately dropped to the floor and spit-shined my shoe.

No photos, but live witnesses.

Au Bon Pain in the rear

2007-03-29T09:58:00.000-04:00

This morning, James and I stopped at Au Bon Pain to grab a coffee (and sweet cheese croissant) before work. At the self-serve coffee station, while we were reaching over each other and stirring our drinks, I mentioned that I need to buy some prosecco for a work celebration next week.

I asked, "Is prosecco like a milder type of champagne?"

James began explaining that only real champagne from the Champagne region of France can be called such; prosecco is the Italian version of the bubbly. To emphasize his point, he added "Only tequila can be called tequila because it's from the Tequila region of Mexico."

A lightbulb went on. I said, "Oh, so then is a Chihuahua only a Chihuahua if it comes from that part of Mexico?"

Fellow coffee-stirring man at the end of the table gave James an odd look.

Dear Hdawg

2007-03-26T18:52:00.000-04:00

So you're living vicariously through my blog, eh? That's kinda sad.

Well, I don't want to let you down. Here's a glimpse of what's going on:

This weekend was very similar to the one before, and the one before that. (No complaints; they were all quite lovely.) Friday, went straight from work to dinner in Kips Bay with Paint, then saw Shooter. It was ok, not as good as I'd hoped. From there, we took the bus down First Ave, stopped at a liquor store and got a bottle of tequila, jumped on the L, bought shot glasses at another liquor store in Wburg, headed to Paint's truck, stopped at a Polish bodega (bodeski?), got beer, finally made it to Paint's apartment. Watched the four first episodes of Entourage, did shots, smoked, fell asleep. Saturday, woke up sorta early, got brunch at Egg, took a dump at Paint's, smoked, drove to the beach, stopped for an early dinner in the Rockaways, back to Paint's place, nap, movies, smoking, drinking. Sunday, Bunday. Left Paint's place around 3ish, got to Tbags' hood around 3:30, stocked up on booze, made mimosas, sat on her fire escape, enjoyed the sun, smoked, watching Anchorman, drank some more, watched something else, left around 8 maybe? Got back to Queens, bought iced coffee and donuts, was obnoxious for a while, passed out.

Started off the day with a glass of oj, which I think has come back to get me. Yum, acid reflux. Went to work, was not so busy in the morning, got back from lunch to find several research requests waiting for me. Finished two. Felt sort of out-of-it this afternoon, so tried to lay low and not weird anyone out. Helped the boss with some grammar. Was supposed to go out, but plans were canceled (thanks, people, for not telling me). Left work, walked to the train, saw a girl walking two young dogs. Waited for several trains to pass so I wouldn't be sniffing strangers' armpits. Stopped for coffee on the walk home, saw a cute skinny kitty at the bakery. Scratched his back, made mental note to wash the hand stat. And now I'm sitting on the edge of my mattress (still on the floor; no bed frame yet), itching my thighs, typing in the dark. I'm constantly wary of another spider intrusion (possibly the reason I haven't been sleeping well?). I'm also on guard against Nacho's annoying habit of scratching my knit blankets. The squirt bottle is right next to me. I'm tired and hungry but with an upset belly, wanting to read but scared of the book. I might just type for a while, then pass out with Nacho.

Your turn.

My hero

2007-03-19T21:35:00.000-04:00

Last night, just as I was about to settle in with a book, an insect ran across the edge of my bed. Before I had time to freak out, or even see what kind of bug it was, Nacho sprang into action. He chased the bug down, cornered it at the foot of my bed, and mercilessly killed it with his bare paws. Only after it was dead did I realize that it was a spider, my least favorite crawly thing. Then he ate it.

Cheers to you, Nacho. You've saved my life, just like that cat from Cat's Eye.

Cave in

2007-03-18T14:25:00.000-04:00

St. Patrick's Day? What's that?

Paint and I played "cave in" yesterday. I got to his place Friday night after celebrating MelHa's promotion (which was a shitload of fun), and didn't leave the apartment until this afternoon. Pizza, movie, smoke, nap, sushi, movie, smoke, drink, sleep. Freakin perfect.

Weekend!

2007-03-11T22:01:00.000-04:00

Drinking, Paint, smoking, food, 300, drinking, food, smoking, Paint, brunch #1, Buns, smoking, brunch #2, bday gift, $1 shirt, Extras, Babies R' Us, roomie, food, Clueless, leftover red wine, early to bed.

I'm currently:

wishing I hadn't spent so much this past week
hating the third roommate
wanting to sleep forever
hoping the plumber fixes the shower tomorrow

Post #222

2007-03-08T22:06:00.000-05:00

This week has been, in a word, nuts. After two+ years of not really doing any work, the new job is really kicking my butt. I'm liking it a lot though. So far, I haven't screwed up anything major, just confused a couple people, then apologized profusely. I've also been super tentative with the things that intimidate me. Once I figure out what all is expected of me, and just how to get it all done, I'll be settled and coasting along. Can't wait until then! (Side note: I really love that fashion is acceptable. Tomorrow, I'm going to wear a t-shirt with a really cute cut and a Dia de los Muertos skull print. Woo!)

Things with Paint are good. He's actually been calling me every day, and has been pretty receptive to spending time together. Since we'd started dating back in August, I made a big (and I think successful) effort to occupy myself with other things, rather than wallow when he doesn't call. It's especially easy now that I have a bunch of kickass friends, a job that keeps me busy, and a cat that wears me out. So I don't really want to go out with Paint every night. I'm pretty content to come home, do laundry, eat leftovers, play with Nacho, and go to bed before 11. (Side note: I got him a toothbrush today. It's blue.)

Nacho has been simultaneously pissing me off and strengthening my love for him. He's constantly eating James' cat's food and running around (or, as I like to call it, "buzzing" around) and attacking my feet and blankets. I filled up a spray bottle the other day, so when he does something bad...SQUIRT! He's also started sleeping on my pillow at night, which I find frickin adorable. Not to mention almost sleeping completely through the nights! Heaven! Cute kitty that only starts swatting my feet after 6:00am!

I'm happy.

New job

2007-03-05T22:29:00.000-05:00

Day one: lots of info in the morning, lunch, forgetting info.
Return from lunch, see invoice on new desk, have no idea what should be done with invoice.
Sit at desk, dust.
CC'ed on email, being asked to schedule a meeting.
Computer still not properly set up for new job.
Unable to do work.
Dust some more.

Ow ow!

2007-03-03T20:04:00.000-05:00

Best fortune cookie fortune ever: Birds are entangled by your feet and men by their tongue.

Took me a while, but I finally understand it.

My cat is hyper as shit. Today, I went to the beach with Paint and collected a ton of beach glass. Right now, a full lunar eclipse is finishing. Tonight, Wet Hot American Winter party at a Bun's apt. I dug out my Camp Lakota shirt for the occasion.

Two days til I start the new job. Woo!

I COOKED!!

2007-03-02T18:46:00.000-05:00

Dinner: tuna with mayo, sweet relish, and goat cheese; toasted oat nut bread with butter; five slices of crisp turkey bacon; oj.

Rundown

2007-03-01T21:22:00.000-05:00

I start the new job on Monday. I'm worried that I'll be all excited and having a great time, then they'll push a pile of work my way. "What? You mean I have to do stuff?" I need things to decorate my new cube, so please send suggestions or gifts!

My good friend Melanie (who resents that she doesn't have a blog nickname...how about MelHa?) just got some good job news as well. Ebony and iiiii-vooooo-ryyyy! I'm very happy for her. She's happy too, except for the part about PeopleSoft.

Things are pretty decent. Goddamn Nacho drives me nuts. He is so full of energy that I need to make a point of playing a lot before bed. This wears him out enough to sleep most of the night, until 5:30ish, when he's ready for more. Right now he's napping and I'm about to whack him.

My tattoo itches, and I'm worried that if I mess with it, it'll pick off, or slide off, or the ink will leak out. Gross.

I've been seeing Paint kind of regularly. While I'm being sure not to invest too much, I'm really happy with this turn of events. He seems to truly regret what'd happened, and I'm definitely not forgiving and forgetting. As long as he makes an effort and I don't get too needy, things should be good.

Six degrees of cat

2007-02-26T13:53:00.000-05:00

Ok, it keeps getting weirder and weirder...

My cat was first found on the street in Manhattan on September 11, 2006. At the adoption place, he was named Joey. Just like CP's cat!!

When "Joey" was adopted, his new owner called him Sebastian. The artist who did my tattoo last weekend? Sebastian.

I wasn't a fan of the name, so I changed it to Sebastian "Nacho" Schauer. I was just reading an article on CNN.com about some dude in Florida who kidnapped a kid and tied him to a tree. The man's full name is Vicente Beltran-Moreno. His nickname: "Nacho."

do do do do
do do do do
do do do do...
dooooooooo!

Me-yowza

2007-02-24T21:35:00.000-05:00

Can cats fart? I sure hope so.

As promised, more photos of Nacho, via Paint:

Amore at Armory

2007-02-23T09:38:00.000-05:00

Last night, I worked at the opening party of the Armory Show. Attending was mostly big wigs, serious art collectors, serious shmoozers, and a few celebrities. As Will Call line K-O, I luckily had my own private (slash-embarrassing) star encounter.

Dan Kessler strolled up to me (read the sign...gold star). He's super cute, if a bit short. Unfortunately, his ticket was mislabeled "David," so I had to try to figure out who he was without being too obvious or dumb. This I did not achieve.

What I said to him: "Are you the band guy?"

Shoot me.

Busy busy busy

2007-02-19T14:11:00.000-05:00

What...a...weekend.

Friday: work (duh), then celebrated my new job at Lakeside Lounge (well, we were going out anyway, I just felt selfish and made the party about me). Sooo many MoMA and non-affiliated people showed up and bought me drinks, and it was such a great time. We hit the photobooth eight times, so I'll have to track down a scanner soon.

This photo was arranged by Tbags and forwarded to everyone as a reminder:

Saturday: got a ride with Tim to the UWS and collected Nacho, my new kitten! He's super cute and energetic, so I've been pretty much playing with him nonstop. He does the most amazing thing when we're playing with this bell/metallic stuff on an elastic string -- he jumps about two feet off the ground and twists in the air, landing on whatever might be in his way. Here's a cameraphone picture (more are on the way):

That night, I got dinner with Paint. It was really nice... Not sure what's going on, but he might be slightly back in the picture.

Sunday: I was totally late to Bunday (sorry!). As an apology, I bought four bottles of wine at Trader Joe's, the proceeded to drink most of one to catch up. As we were about to order sushi, I got a picture message from Paint. After talking about tattoos that morning and agreeing to get one together, he freakin stopped at Asylum Tattoos in Wburg and got one without me! So I called him, he determined that the artist was available, and I ditched the girls (sorry again!) and L trained to Bedford and got a tattoo. It's a bird by Andy Warhol with my cousin's initials on the wing, and I've wanted it for a while, so don't go saying I made a stupid mistake. I was surprised that it didn't hurt as much as I'd expected. The artist, Sebastian, was really nice and kind of sweet. I think he did a great job (more photos soon):

Monday: brunch with Paint, playing with Nacho, laundry, and Billy is coming to visit! No more animals or tattoos!

Resolutions?

2007-02-16T15:45:00.000-05:00

Apartment: check
Job: check
Cat: check
Boyfriend: needed

February has been a hell of a month. Bring on March!!

Heart day

2007-02-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

Who the hell still sends "secret admirer" gifts?

I got in to work this morning and discovered a large box in my drawer. It turned out to be a dozen red roses from ProFlowers.com. Very nice, but no goddamn name on the card. How the shit am I supposed to thank the sender?

The card reads:

"Many times has your smile made my day.
Thinking of you this Valentines day.
Wishing you the best.
Much love."

Any ideas?

Update:
They're from shithead Paint. Ugh

Back in action

2007-02-13T21:59:00.000-05:00

What a looong weekend. So many hugs, tears, sad sighs. What made it worthwhile is:

-seeing the family, including my Kentucky cousin, aunt, and new uncle
-reminding everyone how much I love them
-nut cookies from Great Aunt Geri.

News

2007-02-09T20:32:00.000-05:00

So, after one hellish day of not being allowed to announce my news, here it is:

I got the job.

In two-ish weeks, yours truly will move up to the fifth floor and fulfill her destiny. And never speak in third person again.

Obviously, I was quite excited when I was told, so at the most opportune moment, around 10:45am, I called my mom to brag. She answered, which surprised me (shouldn't she be at work?), but I spilled the news without letting her talk. When I stopped for a breath, I realized her voice was off. Since she's almost always stressed, or angry, or depressed, I didn't think anything was terribly wrong, until her voice cracked. My mom does not cry.

I don't know the details. What I do know is that my younger cousin Matt was somehow accidentally shot in the head. When I called, mom was on her way to the hospital, where he was showing no signs of brain activity. She called me hours later to say he'd died.

I stayed at work, just to be around people I care about, and who I know care about me. Six women in my department were just amazingly supportive. Tim, the firefighter-in-training I've seen twice, came over last night and we talked for hours. Today I didn't go in, and tomorrow I leave for Pennsylvania. Not sure when I'll be back, and not sure how this will affect my new start date.

Yesterday and today, I'd be doing well for hours, then suddenly think of Matt. I'm not a fan of crying in public, but during the train ride home last night, I couldn't hold it in. Laying in bed with Tim and talking about his new short haircut, I remembered the time Matt first buzzed his head. My aunt and I rubbed his little head, and his hair was so soft. Sitting on the lid of the toilet, plucking my eyebrows, sobs suddenly burst through.

We haven't really been close recently, but when we were very young and lived nearby in Upstate New York, we'd play together all the time. We were brats, teasing local kids, breaking into the barn at the camp my grandparents watched over during the winter, pillaging his older brother's possessions. He was a bad influence, but still a good kid. As he got older, he continually got in trouble, starting fights, being arrested, getting in accidents. He and his brother put my aunt through hell for most of their lives. And now this.

I've always loved him, but I hadn't really made the effort to show him this. I hope he didn't think that I don't care. I hope we'll all be ok.

It's official! v2.0

2007-02-08T09:36:00.000-05:00

I kick ass.

Update:
Morning started amazingly, quickly plummeted to worse-than-terrible.

Re: Jumping

2007-02-06T21:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, some random person attempted to post a comment that said something like "Why not end it?" As much as I don't appreciate encouraging suicide, it made me laugh, cause it reminded me of that night's episode of "Prison Break," of which I watched a few minutes. In one scene, some twisted FBI agent for some reason coaxed some felon on the lam to just off a tall thing. The felon did, and landed flat on some metal or concrete ground. Kaput. The funny thing was, the felon looked just like the new roommate, the one in the basement. I called James into the room, and he agreed.

I wonder if he's secretly an actor?

At least the Colts won

2007-02-05T18:33:00.000-05:00

In the past 23 hours, Paint has managed to hurt me via texts, the cat has fallen through (for now), and I accidentally emailed an unfinished email to the woman I want to hire me. Oh, also, it's about zero degrees Fahrenheit and we still don't have a microwave.

Good day/good things

2007-02-02T18:11:00.000-05:00

I was so excited after leaving work that I called my mom. And she answered on the second ring. What a great afternoon.

I hate getting hopeful when things seem to be going in a good direction. I always feel like I'm jinxing myself. But sometimes you just can't keep a smile off your face.

Get to sleep late tomorrow.
Then go to dinner with a boy.
Then go out with friends, possibly new roomie.
Then Superbowl Bunday.

Next week:
Might get a new job.
Might get a tattoo.
Might get a new cat:

Starstruck

2007-01-30T23:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, while perusing DVDs at Best Buy, James made an observation: "That was Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman." I whirled, and sure enough, Mr. DeVito's shiny bald head was bobbing as he walked away from us. I panicked. "We have to leave now." I followed Mr. DeVito, shark style, to the escalators. I walked frighteningly quickly, and ended up right behind him. As I desperately tried to think of snappy Penguin references, a man passing us on the stairs smiled at D.D. The star nodded and smiled back, winning my heart completely. I couldn't think of anything intelligent to say, and he left the store. But I'm proud of the fact that I rode the escalator behind a famous actor, without losing my shit.

Ready, ok

2007-01-29T19:04:00.000-05:00

So I moved yesterday. Aloha Brooklyn, aloha Queens. Moved in with James and Lloyd (aka The Guy in the Basement [TGB]). Hoot seems to like me, so she fills out the feline quotient. My room is ginormous; currently it contains a mattress, a plastic clothes drawer thing, a chair, an ottoman, and a pile of miscellaneous stuff I haven't found places for yet. The heat works well and we don't have to pay for it. The rose garden is brown and twiggy and not aesthetically pleasing...yet! The shower is a little quirky. And they don't own a microwave -- if you know me, you should know that this is a dire situation. Send hot food, stat!

Otherwise, it seems cool. James, TGB, and I sat around in my room for about an hour last night, just shootin the shit. I think we're going to get along well.

It was rough leaving the loft though. The boys were both there for most of the actual moving, which I appreciated immensely, but CP went somewhere a little before I left. I got a hug and got a bit teary. During the final walkthrough, I grabbed Joey and hugged him and cried. While I took my keys off the keychain, I cried. And hugging Kman was probably the worst. Hello, Niagara. Blah...they're great guys and I miss them already.

But, gotta do what you gotta do.

NEWSFLASH!

2007-01-24T18:15:00.000-05:00

Top story in Kansas:

"Boy, 6, Abruptly Leaves School Without Coat"

(Don't worry, he made it home ok. Mom even made him some hot cocoa.)

SOTU07

2007-01-23T22:59:00.000-05:00

Tonight's State of the Union address showed a stark change of priorities by presenting a contrasting message than that of previous years. (Please see the chart below for clarification.)

Presidential word count
Freedom: 3
Terrorist/ism: 17

Clearly, GW isn't as focused on us as he is on them, The Others.

Also, loved his piece on Wesley Autrey. The man made me laugh so hard, I cried.

New specifications

2007-01-23T16:12:00.000-05:00

I'd like any boy I date in the future to have either blue or green eyes, if only so I can sing to him.

200th post

2007-01-22T19:34:00.000-05:00

...deep thoughts...

Sick days are only fun when you're not actually sick.

Also, alcohol never benefits a cold.

Also, drunk texts aren't that cute the next day.

Pollenta comes out the same as it goes in, only darker and smellier.

A short story made me pity a spider. Hell hath frozen.

I think Joey knows I'm leaving him.

Gash on ankle does not want to heal.

Ready for good things.

One brunch to rule them

2007-01-22T09:32:00.000-05:00

Yesterday at 1, the Buns plus guests gathered for a prix fix, welcome-back-someone-I-don't-know brunch at Essex in the LES. It is a really popular spot for yuppies and cheap hungover girls who like mimosas. There was a huge pile-up at the door with hungry hopefuls who weren't intrepid enough to call ahead and make reservations. Our party of 11 was seated quite promptly, making us feel like VIPs.

The menu is freakin outrageous, so I had to read, re-read, and eliminate the options like a heartless totalitarian. ("The Southern? Sausage?? NO!") I finally settled on The Aristocrat; it met my brunch standards of eggs and fish, and even threw in a potato pancake for good measure. I was so impressed by the presentation that I took a photo:

Clockwise from top right: poached egg (2), mixed greens, house-cured salmon gravlax, a dollop of sour cream, salmon caviar. Not pictured: potato pancake.

Sick day!

2007-01-19T12:43:00.000-05:00

I woke up with my alarm at 6:30, pushed snooze. I rolled over, encountered Joey, and as I told him to "move it," I realized my voice was MIA. I sounded downright hoarse. So at 6:45, I called and left a message of abandonment for the boss.

Now I'm feeling better, having watched The Price Is Right and enjoyed a well-rounded breakfast of brownies and nachos. A long, hot shower cleared my nose and made me sleepy, but I'm going to be strong, put four overdue albums on the iPod, and head to Trader Joe's for some healthy food.

Update
A little old lady called me "very sweet and pretty" while waiting to cross First Avenue after visiting TJ's. If only she were an attractive young man...

Aaaand, we're back

2007-01-17T11:26:00.000-05:00

VA was great. After a slight delay Saturday morning, Aamy and I got to Chinatown a few minutes before the bus pulled out. The ride wasn't as horrible as I'd imagined it would be (though I wanted to destroy every cell phone within range). Nice to see Hdawg and his dogs. The best part was Sunday night, when we drank a bottle of wine and got creative with an apple (inquire for details). And the weather was great!

What did I do, you ask?

Movies
Little Miss Sunshine, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Thank You for Smoking, Jurassic Park.

Food
McD's, Carytown Burgers, River City Diner, Thai, homemade cake:

Butt explosions abound

2007-01-12T19:13:00.000-05:00

Aamy's been here 5 days now and I love it! She's met the Buns and fits in so well, it's going to be weird when she leaves. Hopefully she'll end up in NY after school, and she can join the team for good.

I've been running around with her a bunch, hanging around at home (trying to keep warm...where'd that Indian Winter go??), unfolding a plot to dominate a new job, and getting ready for the weekend trip to DC/Richmond. Saw Swinger Eight last night at Galapagos - they were good as always, ChrisMis' new haircut is hot, and five of my ladies made the journey with me! I definitely drank more than I'd intended, and either that or last night's fondue or today's massive ice cream sundae (not quite that one) fucked up my stomach big time. I need to stop drinking or stop eating dairy.

Doing a pretty good job of getting over Paint; right now I'm at the point where I don't know if I'd want to get back together, but I'm missing his companionship. I just want something that's goddamned PERFECT.

What I miss most about Paint

2007-01-09T15:56:00.001-05:00

His beard.

What's funny about this is that when I first met him, he had a beard and I thought it was terribly unattractive. After he'd shaved, we started dating, and as he let it grow in, I slowly became accustomed to the hair. Now I miss rubbing my cheek on it.

Worthy of its own post

2007-01-08T14:47:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's Bunday was awesome (even after waiting until 4:30 for brunch!). Together, our group of 5-8 girls consumed tons of pancakes and donut holes, four bottles of champagne, two cartons of OJ, watched two movies (Dirt Merchant and Empire Records), went across the street for a Thai dinner, and consumed a bottle of wine in the process. Tdog should be working on the Drunk Food Review!

Good friend from SU Aamy is in town for the week, and she took part in the Bunning. She fit in great, and we're going to watch the BCS game tonight with Buns at a dive bar on the UWS. Go, Buckeyes!

PBReview

2007-01-08T14:29:00.000-05:00

For anyone interested, the "rodeo" at MSG was freakin great! I embraced my inner hick and stuffed my face with nachos while hot young men risked their lives for ... not quite sure. I actually became pretty frightened the first time a guy was stepped on; the bulls were HUGE, and after the guys were bucked off, there was a desperate scramble to get out of the way of those mothereffing hooves. Most managed fine, but a few guys were stepped on and had to be helped up (I was almost in tears). Those clown guys are the bravest mofos I've ever seen: they actually run in front of the semi-charging bull to distract it while the intended target(s) get out of the way.

The scariest part was when a dude was in the middle of a pretty good ride, when a different gate slowly swung open and another bull wandered into the ring. The wandering bull was confused, then noticed the ongoing ride, then tried to charge the other bull! The clowns sprung into action, and no one was hurt, but it was pretty damn scary. Also, the ride qualified, and the man was given a terrible score, despite the danger. Everyone boo-ed like mad.

Had a good time with Mel and my new friend DGH. Not sure I'll ever be able to convince her to do anything ever again, but he seems down!

Sigh

2007-01-05T09:06:00.000-05:00

Still feeling pretty sad. Trying not to focus on what's making me upset, but only mildly succeeding. Peeps have been really great to me this week, so I haven't had much time to sit and mope. Looking forward to this weekend; so many distracting activities!

As I haven't been crying my eyeballs out, there's a reservoir of dammed tears just begging to be freed. One thing that's been close to releasing the flood is this story. What a brave man.

Several chapters

2007-01-03T18:33:00.000-05:00

1. My ankle is fucked. Besides the bloody hole, it's been swollen for two days. I'm sitting now with a bag of frozen corn on it. Is this doctor-worthy?

2. Really upset about Paint. I don't want to get all the way into it, but we've decided to take a "break" in our relationship. We both need time to sort out needs and emotions, and I understand it all, but I'm still really sad. He's a great guy, and I miss being with him. Who else laughs at my farts? I'm just hoping that time will heal this and we will both be happy again. One thing that's been really bothering me is his friendship with his ex fiancee. He's promised me he wants nothing to do with her romantically, but it still hurts to know they were together New Year's Eve and are hanging out and speaking so frequently (especially since she doesn't seem to be over him). She hurt him badly, and I don't want him to fall back into that mess.

3. Hdawg came to town for a day after I'd drunk-invited him last week. Great timing, for selfish reasons. It's always nice to see him, even though he can be a cocky shit. We window shopped, got cheap sushi, played Scrabble with Tdog (she utterly schooled us both, though I beat him by at least 100 points), and watched a movie at my place. One thing I've always liked about him is how, even though he can be a cocky shit, he's there when you need him. Corny enough?

4. The rodeo is in town this weekend! Miraculously, I've convinced Bronxite Mel to join me at Madison Square Garden for some cowboy goodness! Yeehaw!

5. Friend from college is coming to town next week to do pre-grad-graduation job searching. I love her to pieces, and any distractions from sadness are heartily welcomed. And I took some days off around next weekend, so I think I'm going to take Hdawg's advice and get out of town for a few days.

NYEep

2007-01-01T22:05:00.000-05:00

Was fun, but then sucked. Special shout out to Adog for being my savior.

A quick shopping list of the injuries sustained:

pretty bad scrape on ankle
slightly scraped/mostly bruised knee
blisters/sores on foot
cuts on two fingers
bruise on side of hand/other knee/elbow
sore thighs/shoulder; possibly bruised
mildly frostbitten toes (unconfirmed)

Not to mention the battered phone/ego/shoes/heart.

NYE

2006-12-31T19:22:00.001-05:00

Oh man, I'm so ready for 2007. Who isn't? Every December, it seems that when I think back, the year just plain sucked.

In the new year, I'm looking forward to changes. Instead of sitting back and wishing, I need to get my butt in action. I want a new job. I want to pay bills. I want to have a great relationship. I want to sort out a living situation. I want to be on an airplane at least one time. I want to figure out a decent hairstyle.

My resolution is "actively seek happiness."

Ready...set............

Drama

2006-12-30T12:37:00.000-05:00

Dramadramadrama.........

Will update/clarify when I am updated/clarified.

Update:
I was really upset last night, and, thinking I was going to return home after work, I texted Kman to warn him of the approaching sadness. I ended up not going home (explanation?), and when I got in this morning, he told me there's some chocolate-chocolate chip ice cream waiting for me in the freezer. What a sweet roomie.

Update:
Actually, I think I'd rather not write about it. Things are better now, so rather than dwell on an unpleasant incident, I'll deal with it and move on.

Una pregunta

2006-12-29T09:21:00.000-05:00

Twice in the past two days, coworkers have called me a hipster. I'm wondering if this term has reached the point in existence where it's no longer an insult, and more of a generalization for a young Brooklynite. Or should I still feel my feathers ruffling?

New shoes!

2006-12-28T20:26:00.000-05:00

For the first time in....a long time, I've purchased work shoes that were more than $20! Thanks, mom and aunt, for the thoughtful giftcards that made this possible!

Check out these puppies:

Brooklyn xmas

2006-12-26T09:53:00.000-05:00

Most of xmas eve was spent cleaning the apartment and watching the Giants lose their last home game of the season. Thrilling, yes? Paint called around 1 to ask if I'd be interested in dinner and a movie, and at about 6, we followed through with the mildly-altered plan. We saw The Good Shepard which was good but long, then hiked all around, from Union Square North through Gramercy Park to 21st and First Ave, found that the Mexican place we were looking for was closed, retreated to a sushi place we'd passed, found that was closing, walked around the corner and discovered Butai. It was verrrry tasty; Paint said it was the best sushi he'd ever had.

Afterwards, we trekked to his place, had some strong, potent Belgian beer, partook of activities, and then he gave me his gift. He got me puppy socks (I'd asked for a puppy), knee-high socks, burned me the Buena Vista Social Club CD, and a book - Cooking for Dummies. It was perfect; a medley of small gifts, complete with a funny-yet-serious one that I will probably use. I still smile when I think of it.

His real gift hasn't yet arrived, so he was teasing me all night: "It's ok, you don't have to pretend you got me something." Very silly, he kept me laughing. I gave him his gift Part B, and I think he enjoyed it. ;)

Thrift gods have failed us

2006-12-23T23:39:00.000-05:00

All I have to say about today is that Beacon's Closet and Buffalo Exchange suck big time. I brought a contractor's bag full of stuff to Buffalo and both Beacon'ses, and I got under $7. Eff you, you self-important buyers. I hope you go bald.

QotD

2006-12-22T14:23:00.000-05:00

This morning, in line at the coffee cart, the woman behind me spoke:

"Your cat must love you."

She was referring to the disgusting amount of Joey hair that insulates my black wool coat. Lint brush as I might, there is no force in this world that can possibly remove all of his deposits. Thank you, woman, for pointing this out.

Shmoliday

2006-12-22T09:02:00.000-05:00

Dear Santa,

Please bring me a gym membership...

This is the first year I've noticed just how much food is given around Christmas. I'm talkin cookies, cakes, candies -- homemade, gourmet -- extra sweet, extra rich, extra blubber-inducing!

So far:
-8 brownies from Fat Witch Bakery from a Trustee
-box of Godiva chocolates from a Trustee's driver
-about 30 pounds of cookies from various staff members
-Takashimaya treats from a department
-box of nuts/sweets from another department
update:
-Chinese food take-out box of vegan cookies
-more Godiva chocolates
-mysterious powdered loaf from The Modern

And there's still three days until Xmas!

Hoe hoe hoe!

2006-12-20T10:06:00.000-05:00

Staff party was awesome (even if I had to take care of Paint). We need them more often! We also need more raffles!

Bunday Secret Santa exchange was awesome. I got a picnic cutlery set. Just what I've always wanted! I think? Will definitely have to make an effort to eat outside next spring.

Last night, Joey was walking all over me like the cat he is. At one point, I lifted him off my chest and placed him elsewhere on the bed. He wasn't happy with that arrangement, so he jumped down and left. A few minutes later, I heard him prowling below, and saying "You call me 'baby' and tell me you love me, then push me away!"

11 Spring Street

2006-12-17T19:55:00.000-05:00

I've been waiting for the opening of the Wooster Collective street art show for weeks, even subscribing to their daily mailing list for details. I rounded up three friends and set out for Spring today at 12:45ish, despite being filthy and hungover. As soon as I reached the staircase taking me from the train to the street, I got a call from friend B. He'd just arrived at the building, and there was a line. A huge line. I prepared myself for the horror and approached the site. Line was ridiculous. I grumbled and followed the crowd to its end, passing a coworker who said she'd been waiting two hours (and she wasn't even on the same block as the building). I found him waiting on the complete opposite side of the block, a little past a Connecticut Muffin coffee shop. He was feeling a little cruddy, and not wanting to stand and wait for hours, he took off, relinquishing his spot to me.

Ok, decision time. Stay and stand in a line for potentially hours? Turn and abandon a show I was reeeally invested in?

I had to give it a shot. At least a half hour? Plus, had to wait for friend Shannahan and friend Ricardo. I plugged in the ol' Pod and got comfy. Shan showed up about a half hour after I'd arrived, and made a lunch run. She had plenty of time to find a restaurant, get a burger, and stop for an iced latte before returning. About halfway through her standing lunch, Ricardo joined us. We chatted for a while. He jumped ship around 3:00. Soon after, rumors spread through the line that we weren't all going to make it in. Growing hungry, cold, and fed up, Shan and I decided to give up, let a couple friends take our place in line (they just barely made it in at 5:15) and make like a tree. One and a half hours for half a block. Too freakin bad.

B brought up a good point in the five minutes we spent talking: the cause of the wait was likely all of the amateur photographers who were ahead of us. Now, I'm no artist, yet I appreciate the process and the end result. But one thing that really bothers me is how anyone with a digital camera can be a "photographer." Any schmo who can shell out a few hundred clams and press a button can trap an image, take it home, PhotoShop it, and post it online. This sure makes you look cool, but what about the people who actually study photography, know their camera, understand details about the lens, lighting, spatial relationships, etc, etc? Does taking hundreds of easily-deletable photos and managing a handful of eye-pleasing pictures make you an artist? Way to cheapen the work of others.

I think the whole project was a great idea, and it's my fault for not going earlier, but goddamn. I'm super, super disappointed. Three days only? Lines around the block, with an hours-long wait? Hours needed to be extended, and photography needed to be restricted. Then everyone could've enjoyed the art. For the rest of us, we'll have to be satisfied by perusing this at work tomorrow.

Also, I was extremely miffed at everyone who thought they were being cute and taking photos or videos of the line. Yes, it was very, very long. And yes, that was me flipping you off.

Quote of the entire event: "When you grow up in New York, you see this stuff every day!"

O'Death & Langhorne Slim @ N6

2006-12-17T19:24:00.000-05:00

(Ok, so I'm a bit late...)

Last Wednesday, I threw off my grandma shawl, and headed out at the godawful hour of 10pm for a show in Wburg. After meeting Malachi, the drummer from Langhorne Slim, at a focus group last week, Tdog and I (joined by another coworker-cohort) were looking forward to seeing them play while they're still in New York. I got there during the second band's set, and was pleasantly surprised to find that, like most mid-week openers, they didn't suck. O'Death is a really fun "gothic/country/folk" band with a shit-ton of members. I walked into the venue to see four topless, sweaty guys and one shirted guy jumping around onstage, rocking their hearts out. The lead singer is awesome; he has this amazing beard that emphasizes the size of his mouth, so when he opens wide to hit a note, it looks like it's freakin open! He's like anime! So so much fun. The crowd got really into it, clapping and singing along. I'm absolutely getting their CD. (Also, bumped into one of the guitarists as I and the cohort were leaving, and told him they were great.) They're playing in Brooklyn again in January. Any takers?

Langhorne Slim had a hard show to follow, but good lord, they must be used to it! (Oh, we saw Malachi a while before they went on, and he greeted us with a big hug. Points!) The band is three guys: Langhorne is the lead singer/guitarist, Malachi is the drummer, and the other guy plays the upright bass. They look a little kooky, but once you give them a chance, they melt your face. Very catchy, bouncy, fun music, with some cute lyrics that I'll have to search for. Langhorne has a truly country twangy voice, and the songs he plays are mostly about life and love. Not as rock-y as O'Death, but still awesome. I think every straight girl and gay guy had fallen for Langhorne by the third song. Actually, they played so long that cohort and I had to bounce due to yawn overload. Our loss! I'll get their CD, too!

Watch this

2006-12-14T13:59:00.000-05:00

It's awesome.

WTC

2006-12-13T19:38:00.000-05:00

Saw World Trade Center at the museum Monday night. It wasn't what I expected; sans research, I'd imagined that it would be a glimpse of the events of the entire day, but rather, it was focused on the actions of two couples. The husbands were PAPD officers who were first responders on 9/11 and became trapped when the towers fell. The wives were at home with their families, grieving the lack of news of their men. The stories are true, and were very touching. That said, it's hard to judge the film fairly. If I don't like it, does that mean I'm being unfair to the real people whose lives it's based on? Anyway, it was ok. I cried a whole lot, mostly because I found myself realizing, during the traumatic scenes, that actual people experienced what we were watching. This time, it wasn't just entertainment.

Oliver Stone was there for a discussion afterwards. During the Q&A, some weirdos stood up and made me worry that inappropriate topics would be brought up. Luckily none were, though there were plenty of personal accounts told. Interesting, but not so much the right place and time.

On that note, I wonder if a compilation of stories from people indirectly affected by September 11 is being done.

Capt. Obv.

2006-12-08T09:14:00.000-05:00

People keep walking in and saying "Oh my God, it's SO cold!" Like I didn't wake up three hours ago, commute from Tdog's place in the East Village back to mine in Brooklyn, get ready for work in my ice-cold apartment, and walk around in it again on my way to work an hour and half ago.

I'd appreciate it if someone would say something like, "Man! Did you see that antelope run by?"

24 hours' worth

2006-12-05T22:35:00.000-05:00

Last night, I cooked a delightful dinner of pasta with pesto and dazzled Paint after his 14+ hour day of work. Actually, I'd cooked it at my place, and after collecting his truck in Greenpoint, he swung by, collected me, and I reheated it at his new place. I've determined that it's all-around beneficial if I were to learn to cook, and the compliments received did nothing but bolster the idea.

Today was really busy at work. Little time to think and get things done. After work, I returned some items at H&M and, in exchange, got a cute cocktail dress for this weekend's party. Got a voicemail from dad saying my stepmom's father (step-grandpa) had passed away after a long bout with cancer. He was such a sweet man. I wish I'd made more of a chance to be around him.

Right now, Joey is freaking out with a catnip toy from a coworker. It's pretty damn hilarious.

Such a mix of emotions. How do people manage to put up with this for an entire lifetime?

Things, they are a-changin

2006-12-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

Lots going on, and yet, not much going on. No positives or definites to report on, except:

Paint is good.
Bunday is good.
Joey is good.

Most other things are ok or being ammended. Let's see what happens in 2007.

Awesome toilet art

2006-11-30T15:55:00.000-05:00

The Empty Show.

Nuggets

2006-11-28T08:55:00.000-05:00

Drink as much cheap wine as possible when with family
Leftovers are coveted; it's not shameful to cry over the loss of a turkey sandwich
Learn intricate football details from every uncle who sits still
Dirty texts are encouraged
Siblings and cousins growing up is frightening
Going to bed early and waking up late is perfectly acceptable
Dogs and kittens playing is more entertaining than tv
Randomly messaging former child stars is A-ok
Never eat more than three donuts in a day
It's noble to root for the losing team

Gobble

2006-11-22T11:05:00.000-05:00

Ok, I've been slacking, and now I'm heading to Pennsyltuckey for Pennsylturkey.

Guaranteed: upon my return, one kickass post.

(Just don't hold your breath.)

Ice cream for breakfast!

2006-11-18T09:10:00.000-05:00

Don't tell mom!

Yeah, Paint took me seriously when I told him I wanted chocolate ice cream for breakfast. Silly boy.

Last night, Paint was cooking for me, so I went to the store to pick up some stuff for dinner and to stock up on cheap food. Hellooooo, Ramen. I bought broccoli and ice cream to bring to his place, thinking I was cute for getting dessert. I also brought the leftover wine from me and Melanie's adventure a few weeks ago (I looked it up online: $44/bottle!). When I got there and unpacked, Paint said "You shouldn't have gotten ice cream," which I took to mean that he thought it was too unhealthy. But then he reached on top of the fridge and pulled down a little white box tied with string; he'd bought dessert, too! After signing his new lease in Greenpoint, he'd stopped by an Italian bakery and picked up three cream puff things.

We had a great dinner of tilapia, broccoli, and couscous with red wine, and tried out the puffs while enjoying a movie. Night = four stars.

A warning

2006-11-17T13:45:00.000-05:00

Money is going to be pretty much non-existant for a long time. I'm going to have to try to live on about $400 per month, unless I get a part-time job. If I seem lame for not hanging out, please don't hold it against me. I'm just broke.

(I know, I know. Cry me a river...)

"I did not just fall off of the turnip truck"

2006-11-16T10:55:00.000-05:00

This nice but slightly kooky girl has been bugging several people about a crappyass job at my place of employment. It's kind of funny/kind of sad. As of this morning, it had been phone calls and emails to HR. And then the mail came. Oh, Miss Ritchie, I may love your home city, and I appreciate that you think I'm "AWSOME," but calm down!

Last night was a party for a coworker who's leaving for LA soon. She's always been my bud, but we've only just discovered how much we love each other. Damnit! It was at Faces & Names, this cool bar about a block away where Melanie and I have a history (squid + circumcision). I'd only intended to stay for three drinks and sweet potato fries, but it ended up to be an hour and a half longer than expected. A range of coworkers showed up, and it was a pretty good time. I left at around 9:30, hopped on the ol train, and commuted myself right to Paint's place. Bastard didn't answer his phone, so I decided to ambush him! He was a little not sober, and so was I, so it was cute. We tried to watch Spirited Away, found it too confusing in our respective states. He broke the news that my pucker face isn't as cute as I thought it was; I didn't believe him, so to prove it, he took a photo. Yeah, puckerface is dead.

Ups and downs

2006-11-13T14:21:00.000-05:00

Weekend started out freakin terribly, but luckily some kickass friends were around to help me through.

Friday was Lakeside Lounge, 2-for-1 drinks, photobooth, Hallal chicken, and a movie with Paint.

Saturday was movie with Tdog, event at the museum, Adog's bday party, and Tylenol PM.

Sunday was cleaning, football, wine, "paintchips," Thai food, iced latte, Ben & Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie ice cream, and two childhood favorite movies with Tdog, Sdog, and Cdog:

Bert the Turtle

2006-11-10T11:10:00.001-05:00

Was it tenth grade Global Studies when we watched this? Man, I miss that cynical Mr. Bass.

Hoots and Joeys

2006-11-08T11:04:00.000-05:00

Man, it is POURING!

Yesterday, after missing rent drama, I was miserable. Most likely, the realty company misplaced the money order or the boss cashed it without telling anyone. Either way, I did everything right, someone else fucked up, and now I'm getting a headache about someone's mistake. Ugh. Luckily, the receipt hadn't been lost, so I can head to the lovely post office and figure it out later.

I was pretty upset, and with Pop Rally later in the evening, I knew I had to cheer up stat. Paint and I met up after work and headed to the East Village for sushi. We ate a shit-ton, and it was a nice dinner, even though two children were being quite noisy. We had time to kill afterwards, so we hit a thrift store on First Ave looking for cowboy boots and a leather jacket. I found this awesome, disgusting little mink fur, like the whole animal, that had little eyes sewn on, and if it weren't $20, I would be the proud owner. Then we went to Virgin and poked around (ha). Not only do they carry Voxtrot and Matt & Kim, but they had Annuals! We left and walked in a drizzle to Sixth Ave and made it to the museum by 7:30.

I won't go into details about the event. Simply, you entered, your cell phone was collected and then hung on a big wall, there was a freaking crowded open bar, and the band, Les Savy Fav, went on at about 8:30. It was an ok time, but the bar situation really was a wet towel. Took me a half hour to get a drink! Goddamn! I'd never heard the band, so I wasn't expecting much, but they were good. The frontman was not the most attractive character, but he pretty entertaining. About halfway through the set, he vanished between songs and reappeared wearing a black bodysuit and joined by four or five cohorts, also covered in black. The cohorts were carrying two basketballs and what looked like part of Monika Sosnowska's The Hole, and even though I could feel it coming, I was extremely surprised when they threw the balls into the crowd. At that point, I got wayyy over-protective, and was staring daggers into the destructive hipsters' heads. I was imagining the balls bouncing off the Balzac, smashing the windows, beer splashing the Miro in the lobby... Luckily, one of the balls rolled out of play, and the other was recovered by an organizers. After the band finished, we got more drinks, claimed our cells, and Paint tried to get me to dance along to the music the dj was playing. He did not succeed.

We left earlyish. On the way home I read aloud to Paint from Dan's Paper, the greatest periodical out of the East End. It must have been a retardedly cute scene: the two of us sitting together, drunk, me reading in his ear, he sleeping on my shoulder. I had to shake him awake at his stop, and almost wasn't able to! We got to his place, yadda yadda, and the effing bastard called in sick today. (In his defense, he wasn't just hungover; he had cold symptoms from the day before.)

Voxtrot!

2006-11-07T10:57:00.000-05:00

I wrote last week about why Tdog is the best; Last night we went to Bowery Ballroom to enjoy the fruits of her wit.

Two things we learned:

1. Just because doors open at 8, doesn't mean you need to be there promptly, especially when the opening bands suck and re-entry is not allowed.

2. Pregame! Their "finest, cheapest" beer was $5 Budweiser, and Tdog dished out $14 for some energy drink/rum concoction.

Actually, I exaggerated. The first opener, Finally Punk, sucked. As soon as I saw it was a girl band, I expected the worst. We gave them two and a half songs to prove themselves, and wheh they failed to impress us, we got more beer.

The second opener, Annuals, was good, but the frontman was really over-doing it. He was shaking and spitting and writhing on the stage. Tdog and I gave him the eye, but stayed for the set and clapped.

Voxtrot came on at 11ish and kicked ass. They were so energetic, it was near impossible not to smile and bounce; Tdog described it as "raining happiness." My one complaint is the lame-os in front of us who were talking through the whole set. Who comes to a concert to socialize?! We eventually scooted around them and enjoyed ourselves.

Klepto-mania!

2006-11-06T14:50:00.000-05:00

Saturday night was nuts.

After working an event at the museum, Melanie (who took a lot of convincing), Kip, and I headed to a coworker's bday party in Brooklyn. We'd pregamed at the reception to cut back on spending, so we were quite obnoxious on the train. We found the party venue, Monkeytown, said hi to everyone, had a few drinks. The birthday boys (it was a 6-way co-party) made up little buttons with their pictures to claim partiers. We were told not to accept pins from rivals, but we ended up with one of each. At one point, Melanie and I noticed how unguarded the bottles of red wine were...

We left way before midnight, just as Tdog and Adog showed up, so we looked like huge weiners. Since the L was only running to Lorimer, and we were close to Bedford, we decided to walk to the shuttle bus stop rather than wait for a train and then wait for a bus. Along the way, we realized that our bladders wouldn't hold for the whole trip, so we stopped at Black Betty to use the facilities, were drawn in by the music, got a couple drinks. I learned to never leave Melanie in charge of shots; she got vodka! I almost barfed halfway into mine, so I couldn't finish. She got me a beer to recover, and as she was boogying, we noticed how unguarded the candles were...

We resumed hoofing it to Lorimer, laughing and whining about our feet. At some point on our route, we passed a kickass folding chair that had been painted a bright mustard yellow. I had to have it! So, without any reasoning at all, I ganked the chair, we completed our journey, I brought the goddamn chair on the shuttle bus, we got to my place, enjoyed a glass of wine, and passed out on the pull-out couch.

Woo!

Boys, take notes

2006-11-03T14:28:00.000-05:00

Once in a while, Paint unknowingly acts extremly boyfriendy and makes my day. Yesterday at lunch, he mentioned that he might go to a gallery opening and meet up with a friend later that night. I assumed he meant to do this alone, but he surprised me by asking if I'd be interested in joining him. Uh, of course?

First we went to Broadway Gallery in SoHo to see these exhibitions. Not a bad show; the photography was detailed if gloomy, and the painting was effing twisted (Bill Cosby's rainbow-spouting weiner was prominently displayed).

From there, we searched for a decently priced eatery, which is a quest in that neighborhood. We settled on Sombrero, a wonderful little dirty Mexican place in the middle of gawd-knows-where. Fantastic margaritas and equally fantastic burritos. I'm drooling just thinking about it!

Then the plan was to head up to Park and 37th to an "Icelandic rock show" with one of Paint's friends. We hopped in a cab and made our way to Scandinavia House for what turned out to be a film festival of really cool collection of music videos. "Northern Transmissions" had some really beautiful and trippy stuff, and I only fell asleep for the Finnish portion. Afterwards there was a reception, so we chugged free beers and shmoozed. It was fun; we met a zany guy, I got to talk with Paint's friend a bit, we made shadow puppets on the wall.

We left at about 10:30, walked to Grand Central, and got ourselves back to Brooklyn before too late. Art, dinner, music...what a lovely time. Nice job, Paint!

Why Tdog is the best

2006-11-01T13:47:00.000-05:00

Gothamist offered a contest on Monday: explain why you love Voxtrot in ten words or less, and win tickets to their November 6 show at Bowery Ballroom. I entered something corny ("OfficeOps [7/4]: I made sure Ramesh didn't bounce off the roof."), and Tdog entered something cute ("Voxtrot gives me what I like to call 'happy toe.').

She was contacted today -- she won the contest!! And I'm her plus 1! Woot!

OMG

2006-10-31T17:49:00.000-05:00

Bob Barker is retiring in June 07!

"[Barker] said he'd take on a movie role if the right one came along, but filmmakers, take note: 'I refuse to do nude scenes. These Hollywood producers want to capitalize on my obvious sexuality, but I don't want to be just another beautiful body.' " (via CNN.com)

Bah.

2006-10-31T08:50:00.000-05:00

This morning may have been the worst in recorded history.

Wasn't feeling so hot last night, so I skipped the opening and headed to bed at 11 after hanging with Kman for a while (watched his freaking hilarious HS variety show). As soon as I got comfy, I heard the other roommate arrive home, and that was the end of my attempts to sleep until about 12:30, even though I put on the iPod to cover the noise (which I really hate doing). I'm about ready to consider looking for a new apartment.

Woke up at the usual time with a huge headache, considered calling in sick, realized I'd probably be more annoyed staying at home. Left home early to see if I could maybe avoid the millions of high school kids in costumes. L train arrived a minute or two after I got to the station, and after I'd squeezed on near the "No Exit" door and we started off, a man in a white/grey camo hat started speaking very loudly: "Jesus made us all! Satan is after your soul! We all are ungrateful! Blah blah blah!" He freaking stayed in the same car preaching at the top of his voice for the entire route. I was so tempted to yell "SHUT UP," but wasn't ready to participate in the resulting argument.

Also on the L, I was bunched against the wall, out of reach of any bars, so I had an awkward deathgrip on the not-opening door handle. Right next to me, reaching uncomfortably over my shoulder for a bar was a deaf couple. The man kept bumping into me, which is fine cause he reminded me of Seal, but halfway into the ride, the woman started crying and moaning. Someone consoled her in sign, but none of the other passengers had any idea what was going on with her.

Transferred at 6th Ave, no problem on the F. But as soon as I exited at 47-50th, this old lady was partially blocking the door, and as I scooted around her, I bumped into a support beam that was freshly painted, smudging red paint onto my cute black pencil skirt. That makes skirt #3 that has been stained in the past month.

I'm ready for bed. And, I just realized how terrible I look.

But...I wear flats!

2006-10-30T16:20:00.000-05:00

I think I have Haglund's Deformity:

"a condition of pain and discomfort on the posterior (back) aspect of the heel at the area of the insertion of the Achilles tendon. The typical patient with Haglund's Deformity that is symptomatic is usually a female who wears high-heeled shoes."

Or I may just be a hypochondriac. Damn you, WebMD!

"What do I do with this?"

2006-10-29T23:19:00.000-05:00

Tonight I worked at a fancy-shmancy dinner. The best part was afterwards, when the awesome hosts made sure we were fed. We sat at a small table hidden from view, but were served with as much attention as the big shots. The title of this entry is a question I asked the man serving us when he presented me with a plate of tiny cookies. Never call me classy.

The menu included: artichoke with caviar and quail egg with hollondaise sauce, *seedless* cucumber salad, lamb ragout with autumn vegetables (I abstained and enjoyed many veggies), sugar snap peas, mashed potatoes, pumpkin mousse with crystallized ginger, coffee, and red and white wines.

Then I came home and shit it all out. I think it was the caviar.

Also, I made and lost two bets with the new A/V guy, losses totalling $1,000,001.56. I desperately attempted to invoke the Law of Bob Barker when I realized I'd lost the first one, but I'd mentally reversed the "without going over clause" and furthered my guilt. Luckily, I post-dated the second bet, so I have around 50 years to pay off the million.

On another note, Kman is attempting to watch Eraserhead again this evening. I gave it what I'd like to call a noble effort last night, but lasted all of 10 minutes. Sorry, Mr. Lynch. I just don't get it.

Slide

2006-10-27T13:40:00.000-04:00

My face is warm and red. Usually that means I'm getting sick. Plus I'm exhausted from working three nights this week. And the roomie waking me up at 2:45 this morning doesn't help. Blah.

Tomorrow I'm attending two (possibly more) costume parties. In the past, I haven't really been into dressing up, but this year I'm making an effort. I have a pink dress, black sweater, dark makeup, and tonight I need to get black wash-out hair dye and cigarettes. I'm doing my best Marla Singer impression:

A little kooky

2006-10-25T11:31:00.000-04:00

Not only did I encounter a crazy saxophone-playing "alien" on the train yesterday evening (who declared he needed human currency to repair his broken spaceship), but a screaming and jumping child plus two homeless/babbling people as well this morning. What a commute!

Also, a little over an hour ago, as one of our trustees was leaving, he stopped at my desk, leaned towards me, and asked me to reach into his suit jacket pocket and retrieve his cell phone. He explained that he has no feeling in his hands (which were in braces) and was headed to the hospital. Perhaps he's writing too many checks. I hope he feels better.