Warning: I'm shamelessly overusing parentheses in this post. I simply can't help myself.
Ok, ladies and gentlemen (or rather, maybe one lady and some dude who accidentally stumbled upon this blog) -- I realize I've been a rather irresponsible blogger as of late (late being the entire past year and a half), and that I've undermined the entire purpose of writing this blog (letting friends know what I'm up to) by not actually writing in it.
But spring has sprung, and I'm feeling the need to write again, so here goes...
I'm not even going to attempt to fill in the last year and a half of my life, but I'll innumerate the highlights/lowlights:
1) Left the Editorial department at the publishing house for which I work, and began working for the Managing Editorial department, where I've now been for the past year or so.
2) Saw some truly incredible shows on stage this past year, including Berthold Brecht's "Mother Courage" at the Public Theater (the outdoor amphitheater in Central Park) starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline, and Mozart's "The Magic Flute" at the Metropolitan Opera (the MOST amazing thing I've ever seen on stage in my life, hands down). Not to mention my good friend Dan's rise to fame at Lincoln Center's "A House in Town" and on Broadway in "The Vertical Hour" with Julianne Moore. That was just four more reasons why I love this city, by the way.
3) Danny moved back to Jacksonville, and 6 months later, we broke up. Gonna keep that one short and intentionally vague on details, folks, for obvious reasons.
4) Got to see Gomez in concert in March, and Dan Bern in concert in February (and again tomorrow night!). I also discovered a ton of new music--shout out to Eric and Jeff for the cultural enlightenment.
5) Did some exploring of this extremely awesome city I call home, including some covert ops on Roosevelt Island (I have pictures locked in a vault somewhere).
6) My parents visited New York City for the first time in 30 years, and despite being convinced they would be mugged and turned into Democrats, they LOVED it here. I had such a blast showing them around, and they're coming back in the fall.
So I think that's it for the past, and now to the present:
As is often the case in this city, the weather makes all the difference in the world. The mood of the entire city and all the people in it changes depending on the rain or sun or cold weather. This winter was particularly long for me, so when the weather broke, it was really like starting a life in New York all over again. I feel independent and intrepid and many other words that begin with the letter "i". I've put a lot of effort into changing my bedroom decor, making it a little more my style. I've been spending a lot of time with my NYC family (Jon & Co.) and making new friends. It's not that I didn't already know this, but lately I've realized just how wonderful and supportive my friends are. I've also met some truly incredible people over the last few months, and I consider myself very lucky to be surrounded by such an interesting and intelligent crowd. So here it is, the middle of May, and I think there's a very good summer in store for me.
I was at the Strand yesterday, and found this box of cards called "Walk NYC." It's a deck of 50 cards, and on each one is a map of a neighborhood in NYC and a walking route. On the back of the card is the history of that particular neighborhood and some interesting historical and cultural sights that can be found there. I plan on using at least one card per week to do some exploring.
Well, I'm all typed out for now. And though I know you don't believe me, more to come...I promise.
C
celebrity sightings and ninjas
Friday night, the ladies and I got together at Andrea’s for our fortnightly girls night where we drink wine, eat food, then raid Andrea’s closet, tell each other that no, we’re neither fat nor ugly, and then head out to a bar on the Lower East Side. That night, we decided on our new favorite bar, The Back Room. Set up like a Victorian living room, this bar is owned by Tim Robbins, has chandeliers and high-backed, velvet couches, and cocktails are served in teacups and on saucers. We ran into my friend Patty there, who promptly pointed out that Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore) was sitting in the corner. Indeed he was, with his preggers girlfriend/wife. We hung out for a while and chatted with the bouncer, Mike, and Andrea made good friends with the bartender. We shall be going there again.
Saturday morning, bright and early, we got up and headed to Williamsburg, Brooklyn for the IDIOTAROD.
No blogging needed to explain this experience because these two links (must read them in order) will explain it all except to say that our theme was CHUCK NORRIS NINJAS:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/29/entertainment/main1251445.shtmlhttp://www.aldenford.com/galleries/Chuck/
Remember when I wrote last and I spoke of Vermont and skiing, and, well, bitches? Um, yeah, I’m going to have to retract my previous blog entry in favor of this one:
So, Danny and I had been talking about the possibility of going to Vermont to go skiing sometime. There is this program in the city where you pay a cheap fee, and they bus you and your stuff up to Vermont and the fee pays for your lift ticket. Super cool, right? So, this past Sunday, Danny says to me, “See if anyone else wants to go skiing with us on Saturday, besides Drew and Dan.” Um, yeah. He never told me it was definite so I never took off work that day. I was scheduled for 6 hours of super fun tutoring that day. BUT it is Vermont, so I called and called people I work with to see if they’d cover my shift. It took two days, but finally I found two people to split my shift.
Since then, I have been telling everyone who will listen how I am going to Vermont skiing and am I excited? Hell yes I’m excited. I bought ski pants and a ski jacket and practiced my *swishing* and my *pie slices* and my *looking cute in ski gear*.
Fast forward to this afternoon. I’m already having kind of a crappy day due to work-related things I shall not mention on this website thanks to dooce-related warnings. But it’s okay, I tell myself. It’s okay because in a mere two days, I will be slicing up the powder in Vermont and drinking hot cocoa. Danny calls and tells me that he never tried to reserve us a spot on the bus until this morning, and *shock of all shocks* the bus is now full and we don’t get to go.
This experience has taught me two important things:
1) Blogs are a good way to deal with anger, rather than dealing with it by punching my boyfriend in the kisser.
2) In the future, I will be handling ALL travel arrangements.
IN OTHER NEWS: Today, Colleen enjoyed for lunch a lovely fajita with a side of VINDICATION. Whereas before FreyGate 2006, I would have put myself in the "I don't Knowprah" camp, I now count myself a proud member of the "PrOprah" camp. I have read some liveblog entries of the live taping of Oprah's interview with James Frey today, and I can't wait to get home and watch the show. Oprah kicks James Frey's ass all up and down her cream and beige colored set. FINALLY.
Blogitude
What’s that? I’m sorry; I couldn’t hear you just then. Did you say you wish you were also going skiing in Vermont this weekend? That’s right bitches! I’m going to get my ski bunny on at Mt. Snow this weekend. I pulled off a last minute miracle and was able to get several people to cover my arduous, tedious and perilous tutoring shift this weekend so I could go.
Also, I am finally (finally!) selling my little Honda Civic. Once I have found a buyer and rid myself of this large hunk of metal that has been sucking money out of my bank account, a whole new world will open up to me. This world includes: being able to go grocery shopping at Whole Foods and not at the ghetto C-Town grocery store, purchasing at least one more pair of Lucky jeans from their store in SoHo (best jeans in the whole wide world), paying off the same credit card debt I’ve had for 5 years (even though I clipped my card 3 years ago), going to Colorado to visit my Latvian BFF Eriks, and just generally enjoying New York City the way it was meant to be enjoyed. Damn skippy.
What else? Oh, so I have a readers poll for you guys (all 3 of you). What is the best name for the beagle puppy I will someday get:
Bleecker
Or
Ludlow
"Well, I got fired from an apricot-pickin' farm, and my daddy said they was jobs at this Berryville place."
Early Thursday Morning, 2:30am: Wake up feeling really sick for no particular reason
2:37am: Relocate to the living room couch because it’s closer to the bathroom
2:45am: Prepare for the inevitable
2:46am: Relocate to the bathroom and (*insert euphemism for vomit here*)
2:50am: Back to the living room couch
3:00am: Watch an episode of The X-Files on TNT.
4:00am: Back to the bedroom to sit awake for another couple of hours feeling nauseated
7:00am: sleep a little
8:00am: Wake up, go to work.
3:00pm: Fall asleep while sitting in my chair at my computer looking like I’m reading
6:00pm: Go to my second job (tutoring), ask to be sent home if student doesn’t show
6:30pm: The reasonable assumption is made that said student is not coming, and I’m sent home
6:30pm: Crash on the bed and listen to This American Life (good episode this week!)
7:30pm: Get up, get showered, and prepare to party at the China Club with my girls
8:30pm: Arrive at China Club to crash production party with my friends
Here’s where it gets fun. There are two levels in the China Club. The top floor is set up for the food and there’s a dance floor and a Bad Beatles Cover Band. We stay there for an hour or so, drinking free booze and eating. We’ve been introduced to two women at this point, Kelly and Pam, both of whom work at the company who was sponsoring the party and are both from a small town in West Virginia and are about 45 or so. Andrea decides at this point, that we need to go check out the other area downstairs. We troop down there, and we discover the absolute strangest scene. Keep in mind that the average age of people at this party was about 40. The China Club is this big space, set up for huge dance parties, and as I stood in the middle of the room and looked around, I realized it was peopled with yokels and white haired men doing the funky chicken. But far from being a bad party, it was one of the most hilarious nights I’ve had in NYC since I moved here. We ended up convincing the two West Virginian women to come out with us to the Dark Room with us, where we all had shooters and showed them a good old time.
After we packed them into a cab and sent them on their way back to their hotel, we got ourselves a cab to share. Now, after you live in NYC for a while, you start to view the cab driver as a non-entity. As strange as it sounds, it’s like they’re in their world (and usually on the phone) and you are in yours. You just don’t even think about the fact that they are there until it comes time to pay. Well, we were talking on the way home about breakups and relationships, etc. and when it came time to get out of the cab, the driver turned around and said to us, “I wish you guys weren’t getting out of my cab…see, I had the same thing happen to me just last week.” He then went on to tell us that he’d been married and divorced twice, and that he’s got this lovely woman he’s dating now but she wants to get married and he doesn’t, blah blah. So, as Catherine walked back to her apartment, I was standing outside the cab saying to the driver things like, “You know, you just have to do what is going to make you happy in the end, and hope that she will understand and take you for who you are…” It was hilarious! I was psychologically analyzing my cab driver. Weird night.
Dear Blog
Hello, Dear Blog,
Here’s where I apologize to you, blog, for not being there for the last few months. It’s where I tell you I’ve been really busy with work and that I meant to call, but time just got away from me. And here’s also where you, Blog, forgive me and tell me you’re just happy I’m back and that you hope we’ll always be friends.
Wow, that was a special moment.
Lunchtime Notes
“Kevin Federline is the male equivalent of ‘You can’t make a ho a housewife.’” --Andrea
