Hey y'all. I'm doing great, and feeling very fortunate given the damage that appears to have happened in and around the area. I wouldn't have known otherwise, however, given that there was no damage in my neighborhood that I saw, save for a small downed tree a block over. Maintained power and internet and the works.
Last night my roommates and I went walking around. There were a few pretty sizeable wind gusts, but the bars in the neighborhood were still pretty active, and we settled into one and got to watch the 49ers game. We left with the mindset to go play Rock Band, and picked up some ingredients on the way to make Hurricanes, which is a very tropical drink and quite tasty. We put in a good set tour until midnight, not bad at all!
Today I slept in, made breakfast, finished my Goethe, then was ecstatic to see Boogie Nights just starting on TV so settled in with my nail polish to paint my nails and watch that and now trying to tune in to see if I have to go to work tomorrow or not.
The weather is cleared up, just overcast with light breezes and sprinkling, but with the subway tunnels as flooded and inoperable as they currently are, no one really knows what's going on with that or when the city will be back up and running. But the worst is more than over with at this point.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Frankencake Baking
Still have rain, still have wind... still have power! My lights have flickered twice. Admittedly the storm from the kitchen where I've been positioned the majority of the day has sounded like a different storm from the one outside my 3-windowed-corner-room bed chambers, from where it does sound like a rager.
But, I've been happily passing the day baking away and frosting a cake, the fruits of my labor from my self-imposed isolation from the Frankenstorm. I've just had my laptop open gchatting friends, reading the news, and listening and singing to music music music. I've gone through Eric Clapton, ELO, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Arcade Fire, Heart, Frank Sinatra, Yann Tiersen, Bob Dylan, Madonna, LCD Soundsystem, and an array of other songs that came on random.
I made sure to take my time with everything to maximize this funtivity and pass the time. So here are some stills from Afternoon Frankenbaking Time with Me
Mixing that shiz up in my Gryffindor shirt and Christmas penguin apron
Mitt Romney lets women like me off at 5 to multi-task in the kitchen. Example A: Above
I actually hate cake mix. It takes 2 seconds, no effort, and doesn't taste as good. But it was cheaper and a lighter load yesterday than buying all the ingredients
Mmmmmm cake batterrrrrrr
First layer (torn a little bit at the far end). Womp womp
Frost that first layer, self. Ooh that's nice. Right there.
Adding the second layer. Looks like pancakes. Score.
Get that top shelf. Where's that red one gunna go?
Washing the frosting spatula clean
This is me and my finished product in my apartment. The sea level rose really high in this time.
Cake made, in the fridge, roommates happy, win-win. Time to go get dolled up in my room. Roomies and I have cabin fever and the only prescription is Bar 43! Don't worry, it's right around the corner.
"Hurricane" Sandy
Imagine you're just going about your life, humming and whistling and looking forward to your weekend plans and Halloween, and you wake up one Friday morning all rested with the birds chirping and everyone is freaking out because there's a hurricane and she's coming in two days and START PREPARING.
Uhhh wut? It really felt like a hurricane evolved from one minute to the next and suddenly it was "the perfect storm." At least with Hurricane Irene I felt like there was some warning and a natural progression of things. But after Hurricane Irene and the Big Letdown that became, I just kinda look at Sandy like:
But then again, Sandy was looking at me like:
I truly, truly do not care about Sandy. I mean, of course I care about how she will affect everyone, especially on the coast and all, but I am really not at all worried about being in any danger or stranded or whatever. Everyone keeps stressing that the storm itself shouldn't be too bad, it's the flooding and coastal surge that will leave lasting damage, and NYC seems to be pretty prepared and good at takin' care of business, and I'm on the 5th floor so I'm just chillin. I mean, after watching The Hunger Games and all, I think I could be up for a post-apocalyptic challenge. (And for the record, I already have the pilgrimage-back-to-California-on-foot plans with Sri and Palak, and recruited an NYC native to ally with me and help get me out of NYC to Philadelphia for it too.) The subways are shut down so I'm all up in my hood with my roommates, but hey, got a free Monday and Tuesday off of work, so I'm kinda all like
Jayna was here this weekend for Halloween (more on that later) and we got breakfast early on Sunday morning with Jenny and baby Olivia! What a cute kid man, not only is she adorable and beautiful, but SO WELL BEHAVED. She reminded me of a cat. Just big open eyes, quiet, inquisitive, occasionally made grabs at my scarf.
After we dropped Jayna off at the airport, Jenny and I decided to go grocery shopping. For the record: I wasn't going hurricane shopping, I just needed to do normal shopping anyway, I was down to like, no food at all. When Jenny ran back to an aisle to grab something or go to the restroom, I amused myself with Olivia by pictures. Look at this pre- and post- flash photoshoot!
SO CUTE! Anyway, my favorite part of that shopping excursion was the fact that we did it at a Korean supermarket in Flushing, Queens. Down an aisle of canned food, Jenny spotted a small display of SILKWORMS. I'm not even kidding... canned and package SILKWORMS, and the picture was a platter tray of silkworms arranged on a plate garnished with lettuce. I picked up a can. Jenny picked up a can. I shouted "Ew! Can you believe this?!" Jenny shouted "Oh my God, 168 calories!" HAHAHAHA!
I got home and was bored, and ended up crying my way through Titanic, and then watching Bridesmaids while all I really wanted was ice cream, but I didn't have any. It was a moral dilemma. Do I get it and risk the power going out and having to eat the entire thing in a day? Ultimately I decided I Was up for the challenge. At the crowded and crazed grocery store, I ended up buying more non-perishables begrudgingly, and even a case of water. Not because I really wanted it or needed it, but everyone else was and I must have looked so unprepared. Who needs water in a HURRICANE when you have a BRITA?! Just stick the Brita out the window! But I also invested in some non-food preparations, such as cake mix and frosting to bake today, and nail polish, for when the power is really out. Lord knows when I'll be back at work. The worst of this storm is really just sitting around and waiting for it.
So today is day 1 of Sandy's mess. I've slept in, made a big breakfast, drank coffee out of my Chargers mug (a day late, which is why they lost... but who can care when the GIANTS WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!!! And I didn't even get to Finnerty's, the San Francisco bar in the city to watch it, cause the dumb subways were shut down last night) and had a Google Hangout with Sri and Palak!!!
We're the San Diego East Coasters' stuck indoors today, but doesn't look like we can really complain about it. I also have tentative plans with roommates and friends to get us through the hurricane, including drinking, Rock Band, feasting on provisions, reading (I just recently got two books from the library, what perfect timing! The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe, and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez) journaling, writing, guitar, nail painting, actual paintingg (picked up some small canvases recently) baking if the oven still works, and who knows, maybe I'll even clean or get so bored I'll rearrange my room again. There's no end to what I can come up with.
And FYI, the storm is finally starting to pick up a little! The rain is going sideways and the wind gusts are pretty strong and loud. So Sandy is duking it out with Irene and looks like Sandy's winning. If anything happens, I may not respond to text messages in an effort to preserve my cell phone battery as long as possible (assuming the power goes out) so I'll try to update here if I can. Otherwise, I'll try to get you all something really nice and shiny if it comes to riots and looting.
Uhhh wut? It really felt like a hurricane evolved from one minute to the next and suddenly it was "the perfect storm." At least with Hurricane Irene I felt like there was some warning and a natural progression of things. But after Hurricane Irene and the Big Letdown that became, I just kinda look at Sandy like:
But then again, Sandy was looking at me like:
I truly, truly do not care about Sandy. I mean, of course I care about how she will affect everyone, especially on the coast and all, but I am really not at all worried about being in any danger or stranded or whatever. Everyone keeps stressing that the storm itself shouldn't be too bad, it's the flooding and coastal surge that will leave lasting damage, and NYC seems to be pretty prepared and good at takin' care of business, and I'm on the 5th floor so I'm just chillin. I mean, after watching The Hunger Games and all, I think I could be up for a post-apocalyptic challenge. (And for the record, I already have the pilgrimage-back-to-California-on-foot plans with Sri and Palak, and recruited an NYC native to ally with me and help get me out of NYC to Philadelphia for it too.) The subways are shut down so I'm all up in my hood with my roommates, but hey, got a free Monday and Tuesday off of work, so I'm kinda all like
Jayna was here this weekend for Halloween (more on that later) and we got breakfast early on Sunday morning with Jenny and baby Olivia! What a cute kid man, not only is she adorable and beautiful, but SO WELL BEHAVED. She reminded me of a cat. Just big open eyes, quiet, inquisitive, occasionally made grabs at my scarf.
After we dropped Jayna off at the airport, Jenny and I decided to go grocery shopping. For the record: I wasn't going hurricane shopping, I just needed to do normal shopping anyway, I was down to like, no food at all. When Jenny ran back to an aisle to grab something or go to the restroom, I amused myself with Olivia by pictures. Look at this pre- and post- flash photoshoot!
SO CUTE! Anyway, my favorite part of that shopping excursion was the fact that we did it at a Korean supermarket in Flushing, Queens. Down an aisle of canned food, Jenny spotted a small display of SILKWORMS. I'm not even kidding... canned and package SILKWORMS, and the picture was a platter tray of silkworms arranged on a plate garnished with lettuce. I picked up a can. Jenny picked up a can. I shouted "Ew! Can you believe this?!" Jenny shouted "Oh my God, 168 calories!" HAHAHAHA!
I got home and was bored, and ended up crying my way through Titanic, and then watching Bridesmaids while all I really wanted was ice cream, but I didn't have any. It was a moral dilemma. Do I get it and risk the power going out and having to eat the entire thing in a day? Ultimately I decided I Was up for the challenge. At the crowded and crazed grocery store, I ended up buying more non-perishables begrudgingly, and even a case of water. Not because I really wanted it or needed it, but everyone else was and I must have looked so unprepared. Who needs water in a HURRICANE when you have a BRITA?! Just stick the Brita out the window! But I also invested in some non-food preparations, such as cake mix and frosting to bake today, and nail polish, for when the power is really out. Lord knows when I'll be back at work. The worst of this storm is really just sitting around and waiting for it.
So today is day 1 of Sandy's mess. I've slept in, made a big breakfast, drank coffee out of my Chargers mug (a day late, which is why they lost... but who can care when the GIANTS WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!!! And I didn't even get to Finnerty's, the San Francisco bar in the city to watch it, cause the dumb subways were shut down last night) and had a Google Hangout with Sri and Palak!!!
We're the San Diego East Coasters' stuck indoors today, but doesn't look like we can really complain about it. I also have tentative plans with roommates and friends to get us through the hurricane, including drinking, Rock Band, feasting on provisions, reading (I just recently got two books from the library, what perfect timing! The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe, and One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez) journaling, writing, guitar, nail painting, actual paintingg (picked up some small canvases recently) baking if the oven still works, and who knows, maybe I'll even clean or get so bored I'll rearrange my room again. There's no end to what I can come up with.
And FYI, the storm is finally starting to pick up a little! The rain is going sideways and the wind gusts are pretty strong and loud. So Sandy is duking it out with Irene and looks like Sandy's winning. If anything happens, I may not respond to text messages in an effort to preserve my cell phone battery as long as possible (assuming the power goes out) so I'll try to update here if I can. Otherwise, I'll try to get you all something really nice and shiny if it comes to riots and looting.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Never Too Old... Yet
There is something that has been a part of my life for awhile now that I have not yet been ready to talk about, but after last night, I think I am now open to sharing.
So... are you all ready for this? Because you may feel weird when you find out that since the end of summer, I have been spending weekly afternoons motherflippin' springboard DIVING. You read that right.
Here's the way it happened. Ballet was continuing to be super expensive, and while I still enjoy it and love to go, I was only getting back into shape and not essentially learning anything new. Just taking it up again and perfecting my form. And I'm always about trying new things and having new experiences. Then there was that whole obsession with the Olympics. I loved to watch the diving and always thought it would be such an interesting thing to try. I've always been attracted to activities with an element of grace and/or acrobatics. So I kept thinking how I'd like to try it, and it dawned on me that I wasn't too old to try it... yet. I feel like I'm running out of time to be trying so many new things. I researched it a little and found that dancers and gymnasts tend to transfer very well to diving. Go big or go home.
That's how I came to springboard diving with a team that practices out at Flushing Meadows Corona Pool. So conveniently just a few stops down from me. There was a handful of us starting for the first time on the same day, which was very encouraging. Going off springboards was a completely new experience, and from the very first climb up, I was in love with it.
Going off the 3 meter springboard (that highest of high dives) was a terrifying experience I couldn't not go back to. That adrenaline when your heart hits your neck because you're free falling hits just about midway. The coach was sympathetic enough to give us all one round to just simply jump off of it. After that it was all work. Oscillations, jumps, lineups, rolls into layouts... we're really not babied at all. As as I climb up three meters high I start to get tingly. Then I walk out confidently until I leave the rails behind and suddenly the water is really, really far below and there's nothing between us. Then I make myself jump, and I move and fight to get into position before I break the water, and as soon as I'm cushioned underwater and curling in the direction of my spine, all I can think is... let me try that again! Only once did I turn around to my fellow divers and say "I'm scared guys!" and they all looked back up at me with looks in their eyes that said "Yep. I was there and I definitely don't envy you right now" and then told me I could do it. I think I worked myself up into that anxiety because the coach had to talk to someone else and I stood up there on the edge of the board just waiting and anticipating.
So, I had such an out-of-body time with diving last night that I think I felt I could finally share it. Two things happened:
First of all, a professional Greek coach that was back with the team for the first time since I'd been around started working with me and a few others on the first 1m board. He was incredibly unforgiving and probably would make a lot of junior high girls cry. (aka, me, with the emotional stability of a junior high girl.) When my head would emerge out of the water and look expectantly at him to get feedback, he would huff "No! Not at all!" and wave me away. After a few failed tries he made me come on the pool deck and stand next to him and he moved my body himself to make me do the dive off the side. He had some magic Greek touch because on the next round he looked like he had won a March Madness bracket and threw a fist and said "Yes! THAT was it." When I switched to the second 1m board, I went off with this corrected posture and this coach didn't correct me or the jump. All he said was "What just happened? What did the other coach teach you? Come over here and tell me how he was able to make you do that." It was literally one dive to the next.
Secondly, I found my first Achilles heel. Doing line-ups from pike to layout was halting all of my progress. I could not get out of the pike position in time and kept entering the water still bent at the hip. More advanced divers were pulling me aside to offer advice and help me with different exercises, but I wasn't coming around. I was getting frustrated to the point where I was just going to sit out the rest of practice rather than keep feeling myself fail. I came close to asking the coach to give me something else to work on so I could get out of that funk. But I figured I'd still have to face this sooner or later. I went to the side and put everything into correcting this problem. When I started to go off the boards again, the coach looked hopeful that I had improved, but not entirely optimistic that I was getting it. I took more time to myself. At about 9:58 p.m. I went off to execute the troublesome dive from the 1m board. Something felt different, not entirely awful. I swam to the surface and with only my eyes and ears above the water, the coach was looking at me. He asked me how that felt. I said it felt "better" (that's always a safe answer to give coaches) and he said "Really? Well you should remember exactly what that was. Because it was FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC. That is what you should do every time."
To go from a wavering smile to a "fan-fucking-tastic"! I was so proud of myself. I still had time to try again before our boards closed at 10, but I thought it would be better at that point to go out on the high note. And I totally did.
More than even just loving the new experience of diving, I really like this team, everyone is so friendly and nice and they have a great community going on and we all take the train back together and they always get together outside of practices and meets and stuff. Diving is the new love of my life!
So... are you all ready for this? Because you may feel weird when you find out that since the end of summer, I have been spending weekly afternoons motherflippin' springboard DIVING. You read that right.
Here's the way it happened. Ballet was continuing to be super expensive, and while I still enjoy it and love to go, I was only getting back into shape and not essentially learning anything new. Just taking it up again and perfecting my form. And I'm always about trying new things and having new experiences. Then there was that whole obsession with the Olympics. I loved to watch the diving and always thought it would be such an interesting thing to try. I've always been attracted to activities with an element of grace and/or acrobatics. So I kept thinking how I'd like to try it, and it dawned on me that I wasn't too old to try it... yet. I feel like I'm running out of time to be trying so many new things. I researched it a little and found that dancers and gymnasts tend to transfer very well to diving. Go big or go home.
That's how I came to springboard diving with a team that practices out at Flushing Meadows Corona Pool. So conveniently just a few stops down from me. There was a handful of us starting for the first time on the same day, which was very encouraging. Going off springboards was a completely new experience, and from the very first climb up, I was in love with it.
(This is the actual facility and boards that I practice at)
Going off the 3 meter springboard (that highest of high dives) was a terrifying experience I couldn't not go back to. That adrenaline when your heart hits your neck because you're free falling hits just about midway. The coach was sympathetic enough to give us all one round to just simply jump off of it. After that it was all work. Oscillations, jumps, lineups, rolls into layouts... we're really not babied at all. As as I climb up three meters high I start to get tingly. Then I walk out confidently until I leave the rails behind and suddenly the water is really, really far below and there's nothing between us. Then I make myself jump, and I move and fight to get into position before I break the water, and as soon as I'm cushioned underwater and curling in the direction of my spine, all I can think is... let me try that again! Only once did I turn around to my fellow divers and say "I'm scared guys!" and they all looked back up at me with looks in their eyes that said "Yep. I was there and I definitely don't envy you right now" and then told me I could do it. I think I worked myself up into that anxiety because the coach had to talk to someone else and I stood up there on the edge of the board just waiting and anticipating.
So, I had such an out-of-body time with diving last night that I think I felt I could finally share it. Two things happened:
First of all, a professional Greek coach that was back with the team for the first time since I'd been around started working with me and a few others on the first 1m board. He was incredibly unforgiving and probably would make a lot of junior high girls cry. (aka, me, with the emotional stability of a junior high girl.) When my head would emerge out of the water and look expectantly at him to get feedback, he would huff "No! Not at all!" and wave me away. After a few failed tries he made me come on the pool deck and stand next to him and he moved my body himself to make me do the dive off the side. He had some magic Greek touch because on the next round he looked like he had won a March Madness bracket and threw a fist and said "Yes! THAT was it." When I switched to the second 1m board, I went off with this corrected posture and this coach didn't correct me or the jump. All he said was "What just happened? What did the other coach teach you? Come over here and tell me how he was able to make you do that." It was literally one dive to the next.
Secondly, I found my first Achilles heel. Doing line-ups from pike to layout was halting all of my progress. I could not get out of the pike position in time and kept entering the water still bent at the hip. More advanced divers were pulling me aside to offer advice and help me with different exercises, but I wasn't coming around. I was getting frustrated to the point where I was just going to sit out the rest of practice rather than keep feeling myself fail. I came close to asking the coach to give me something else to work on so I could get out of that funk. But I figured I'd still have to face this sooner or later. I went to the side and put everything into correcting this problem. When I started to go off the boards again, the coach looked hopeful that I had improved, but not entirely optimistic that I was getting it. I took more time to myself. At about 9:58 p.m. I went off to execute the troublesome dive from the 1m board. Something felt different, not entirely awful. I swam to the surface and with only my eyes and ears above the water, the coach was looking at me. He asked me how that felt. I said it felt "better" (that's always a safe answer to give coaches) and he said "Really? Well you should remember exactly what that was. Because it was FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC. That is what you should do every time."
To go from a wavering smile to a "fan-fucking-tastic"! I was so proud of myself. I still had time to try again before our boards closed at 10, but I thought it would be better at that point to go out on the high note. And I totally did.
More than even just loving the new experience of diving, I really like this team, everyone is so friendly and nice and they have a great community going on and we all take the train back together and they always get together outside of practices and meets and stuff. Diving is the new love of my life!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Everybody Wins
Everybody Wins is the program that I am a part of that allows me to spend lunchtime reading once a week with my elementary school child. Since reuniting after the summer break, she sure has opened up a bit.
I wasn't able to make it last week and this week she was so excited to see me, I didn't know she had it in her. She gave me a handmade card on pink construction paper that reads "Ms.M K Thank you. ♥ " and on the inside it says "Thank you. You read books with me. You are grat."
The way she (mis)spelled great is close to how Kathleen and I text each other when we're referencing the way Brüno says "GRATE!" So when I read the card and thanked her, I used my best Brüno voice to say "GRATE! I love it, thank you!" but she probably didn't get the joke.
She has had such adorable and entertaining things to say lately though, that I wanted to share.
For one, on our first lunchtime after summer, we were doing a re-getting-to-know-you worksheet. When I read the question to her "What do you want to be when you grow up?" she deliberated for all of a few seconds before she looked up at me and shouted, eyes aglow "A bus driver!" and doggonnit if I didn't write that down in pen and tell her to save this paper for forever.
Next, she mentioned to me that she might go to Pueto Rico.
"Oh how cool! Have you been to Puerto Rico before?" I asked her.
"Yeah of course, cause I have family there. I'm half Puerto Rican."
"Wow, how fun!"
"Yeah, I'm half Puerto Rican, and I'm half black, and I'm half New York, and half Cuban, and my stepdad is something so I'm half something else too."
She just started the 3rd grade like a month ago so who can blame her if she hasn't gotten to fractions yet?
She was really restless today and couldn't let me get through even a paragraph of her favorite Diary of a Wimpy Kid and she interrupted me to ask if I lived with my boyfriend or if I lived alone.
"I don't have a boyfriend, but I live with friends," I told her.
"Really? You got other people in your house? Cause you know someone can maybe open your door with a credit card."
The things they think of! Everybody really does win.
I wasn't able to make it last week and this week she was so excited to see me, I didn't know she had it in her. She gave me a handmade card on pink construction paper that reads "Ms.
The way she (mis)spelled great is close to how Kathleen and I text each other when we're referencing the way Brüno says "GRATE!" So when I read the card and thanked her, I used my best Brüno voice to say "GRATE! I love it, thank you!" but she probably didn't get the joke.
She has had such adorable and entertaining things to say lately though, that I wanted to share.
For one, on our first lunchtime after summer, we were doing a re-getting-to-know-you worksheet. When I read the question to her "What do you want to be when you grow up?" she deliberated for all of a few seconds before she looked up at me and shouted, eyes aglow "A bus driver!" and doggonnit if I didn't write that down in pen and tell her to save this paper for forever.
Next, she mentioned to me that she might go to Pueto Rico.
"Oh how cool! Have you been to Puerto Rico before?" I asked her.
"Yeah of course, cause I have family there. I'm half Puerto Rican."
"Wow, how fun!"
"Yeah, I'm half Puerto Rican, and I'm half black, and I'm half New York, and half Cuban, and my stepdad is something so I'm half something else too."
She just started the 3rd grade like a month ago so who can blame her if she hasn't gotten to fractions yet?
She was really restless today and couldn't let me get through even a paragraph of her favorite Diary of a Wimpy Kid and she interrupted me to ask if I lived with my boyfriend or if I lived alone.
"I don't have a boyfriend, but I live with friends," I told her.
"Really? You got other people in your house? Cause you know someone can maybe open your door with a credit card."
The things they think of! Everybody really does win.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Three Things
Here are three things I have to reflect on... a memory, a current thought, and something I'm looking forward to.
1. I don't remember why we thought it was necessary to run, but I have these recollections of sprinting through Grand Central Station long past peak commuting hours. I laughed because I couldn't find the signs to the subway and kept turning confusedly around myself in the concourse under the painted ceiling. We found it, and next I knew we were barreling through the corridors and down the graded tunnels so fast while I laughed so hard, I wasn't sure which was putting me more out of breath. It was a simple, clairvoyant moment I'll remember.
2. I love Rock Band. I can't stop thinking about it! I had a pretty fun weekend with my friend from college who was in town, and we spent almost all Sunday with snacks and drinks, some rotating roommates and ROCK BAND. I love to be designated singer but then as soon as I'm on the drums I can't be torn away. I was on hard on the drums for Lynyrd Skynyrd's Free Bird and everytime it finished I just wanted to start it all over again! I'm debating just playing that instead of watching the debate tonight. I'm all debated out from the last two. Below is a picture from my band back in California that we like to get together around Thanksgiving time!
3. This weekend, not only is Jayna coming into town, but we're going to be reunited with Jenny and the little pork roast Olivia who's about 6 months now! I'm looking forward to a weekend of Halloween-themed fun and having the three Charlie's Musketeers back together again after such a long hiatus. It'll be like it's a year and a half ago again!
And with those three things, I'll leave you with a quote I read recently that resonated with me: We should never attempt to bear more than one kind of trouble at once. Some people bear three kinds - all they have had, all they have now, and all they expect to have -Edward Everett Hale.
1. I don't remember why we thought it was necessary to run, but I have these recollections of sprinting through Grand Central Station long past peak commuting hours. I laughed because I couldn't find the signs to the subway and kept turning confusedly around myself in the concourse under the painted ceiling. We found it, and next I knew we were barreling through the corridors and down the graded tunnels so fast while I laughed so hard, I wasn't sure which was putting me more out of breath. It was a simple, clairvoyant moment I'll remember.
2. I love Rock Band. I can't stop thinking about it! I had a pretty fun weekend with my friend from college who was in town, and we spent almost all Sunday with snacks and drinks, some rotating roommates and ROCK BAND. I love to be designated singer but then as soon as I'm on the drums I can't be torn away. I was on hard on the drums for Lynyrd Skynyrd's Free Bird and everytime it finished I just wanted to start it all over again! I'm debating just playing that instead of watching the debate tonight. I'm all debated out from the last two. Below is a picture from my band back in California that we like to get together around Thanksgiving time!
3. This weekend, not only is Jayna coming into town, but we're going to be reunited with Jenny and the little pork roast Olivia who's about 6 months now! I'm looking forward to a weekend of Halloween-themed fun and having the three Charlie's Musketeers back together again after such a long hiatus. It'll be like it's a year and a half ago again!
And with those three things, I'll leave you with a quote I read recently that resonated with me: We should never attempt to bear more than one kind of trouble at once. Some people bear three kinds - all they have had, all they have now, and all they expect to have -Edward Everett Hale.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Margaret Charles
Happy Birthday to my only big sister in the world! We don't have a picture just the two of us? But here's the four of us summer '11!
One thing I can say about Margaret Charles is that she loves clothes. In any given closet/drawer/cupboard/nook/cranny/storagespace at home, you can open it and find it stuffed to the brim with her shirts and dresses and various clothing articles. I think someone could make a horror movie of someone looking for something and no matter what you open, all you find are more of her clothes, more of her clothes, and more of her clothes! And then maybe you pan back further and we are all wearing her clothes too.
She also loves Disneyland, Star Wars, and our dumb dog Sammy (whoosh!) Here's a picture of that dumbo just to cheer you up
Welp, hope you have a great Tuesday of a birthday and don't work or study too hard. And I wish you many free drinks!
One thing I can say about Margaret Charles is that she loves clothes. In any given closet/drawer/cupboard/nook/cranny/storagespace at home, you can open it and find it stuffed to the brim with her shirts and dresses and various clothing articles. I think someone could make a horror movie of someone looking for something and no matter what you open, all you find are more of her clothes, more of her clothes, and more of her clothes! And then maybe you pan back further and we are all wearing her clothes too.
She also loves Disneyland, Star Wars, and our dumb dog Sammy (whoosh!) Here's a picture of that dumbo just to cheer you up
Welp, hope you have a great Tuesday of a birthday and don't work or study too hard. And I wish you many free drinks!
Monday, October 15, 2012
40 Day Dream
The theme of these past few days has been something like "surprise!" Like someone turned the lights on in my cold little cellar and all the sunshine and light is now barreling through and my eyes are still adjusting.
Back in the spring semester when I was taking my modern dance class (remember my interpretive dancing?) I made friends with an undergrad guy named Taylor. Learning that he had a work study program with my department, the friendship was solidified. Most of Taylor's friends are still under 21, so in planning his 21st birthday he recruited me to celebrate the night with him (being the reputable woman of legal age that I am) so last Thursday we went to dinner and then spent the evening bar hopping, pub crawling, and club dancing. (Starting at a hotel lounge in the financial district where he knew an employee. Translation? Free drinks!)
We were at a dance club in midtown, but taking a breather at a table when I saw two people crossing nearby us... was that...? It was! (Surprise!) My crazy ex-coworker Joe, and when I say crazy, I mean crazy! He was the one that I randomly ran into on my birthday this year who helped catapult us into a dance frenzy in East Village until 5am, and here he was now! You never run into people you know in the city! Joe and his friend were apparently just beelining to the restrooms but were happy to stay for "a catch-up drink." My favorite part of this was, as we were catching up, we started musing over when the last time we saw each other was.
"Was it my birthday back in the spring?"
"No, no way. We've hung out since then. Hmm. Why didn't you come to my birthday party?"
"Your birthday party? I don't remember any birthday party. You didn't invite me."
"Oh yes I did! I definitely put it out there, like on Facebook and texting, but you never came."
"NO Joe, I would have went had you invited me. The last thing I went to was that outdoor barbecue in your patio space at the beginning of summer. Hey wait... that was the party where you had that cardboard cutout to take pictures with... wasn't that your birthday party?"
"Yeah that was it! So you DID come."
"That's right! So I WAS invited!"
Cheers.
On Friday I had a stuffy council meeting to attend in the evening and was exhausted from Thursday, so planned to go home, but my friend Samantha suggested I meet her and Katrina at a bar in Greenwich. Just one drink, since she had to catch her boat back to Jersey at 7:45. Since my council meeting wasn't over until 6, I figured I would be lucky to rush down a drink with them, but went anyway.
I could have walked right by the Blind Tiger and not known it was a loud, bustling, stock-broker-exchange type of hands-up and carrying your beer over your head back to the fireplace type of place. It was an icy evening, so walking into that heatcloud was welcome and warm, and this place specialized in craft beers and I had a few nice pumpkin ales. Samantha, Katrina and I had such a good time talking with the after-work crowd and hiding from the outside cold that Samantha delayed her departure until the latest 10pm boat. Katrina and I were still in much too good of a mood to end the evening, so we continued to go around. (Surprise!) The Slaughtered Lamb before we found a basement place called Down The Hatch, which was such a college-frat party they were playing the likes of 311 and Incubus. I didn't mind. It was bright, and loud, with lots of game tables and lights and cheap drinks! We made more friends and essentially closed the place down.
I've been determined to be more disciplined with my writing, because I've never written so much in my life as I have been the past year or two. I have hundreds of google docs with a paragraph here, the spark of something there, and I just never have the time or peace to sit down and work on anything, especially if I'm ever at home. I did some research and after running errands around Astor Place, I came to the Vagabond Cafe, a small hole-in-the-wall deep in the Village owned by the same couple who worked it behind the counter. It was Central Perk if Central Perk had really existed and was a little smaller. Big couches and armchairs, table lamps and coffee and beer, wine, food on the menu. Everyone was cozied up with either a friend or (more likely) their MacBooks. A small brick corner with instruments and equipments ended up being a venue for a live acoustic performance shortly before I left. When I left, I couldn't go straight home, because I loved this neighborhood. I wandered a few places and went into some bookstores and random shops. I stopped in to eat on the wild MacDougal Street (that tiny road is a neon-lighted ping-pong table of people bouncing back and forth across all the comedy and dance clubs and lounges and eateries) and as I was making my way to the subway, I was surprised to see an awning and downward staircase to a very non-pretentious and sports-type dive bar on the block, and figured a Yuengling was exactly what I wanted before I went home.
As I went in, I took in my surroundings discreetly, noticing the pool table, the scattered stools that were filled with patrons, a singular table against the wall as full and active as the Dead Poet's Society, and a further expanse of another room to the back. I ponied up to the bar and got a draught beer. Once served, I was turning around to adjust my purse on the stool before hoisting myself onto it to sit, but during this process, I happened to glance over and froze awkwardly. The entire table of Dead Poets were parted down the middle so the whites of all their pairs of eyes had a view to visibly stare at me expectantly, as though they were waiting for me to make a speech. Uh, wut? Then I saw it. Back in the corner and looking with gleaming eyes just waiting for me to recognize him was my coworker Jeff, the one that came to the Colbert Report taping with me. (Surprise!) WHAT. WERE. THE. CHANCES.?! Jeff has never made it a secret that he doesn't do much of the bar scene, and I never go out in this neighborhood, nor was I planning to do so at all tonight, and here we were randomly in the same place together. It was the freak coincidence heard round the world. Everyone was musing on it for the rest of the night. I joined the table of Jeff's friends and roommates and brother and they so graciously took me in, and were all friendly and talkative and funny, I felt like I had come there with them and known them all for much longer. I think it helped that they all had very similar jokes and friendship chemistry as my own San Diego & Vegas Club group, so it was a little nostalgic. So my one Yuengling nightcap turned into 7 hours of festivities with Jeff & Co before we all wandered out and walked dry-eyed to the subway so late that the Empire State Building wasn't even lit up anymore. You really can't plan good nights, and there's something infinitely more rewarding about the surprise than the agenda.
Many an unforeseen night gave me the insight to set an alarm when I got home that evening, and thank goodness. I got up about 5 minutes before I was expecting the call from a friend to plan where we would be meeting in the next hour for brunch. I was able to wake up and test out my voice so it wouldn't show that I had slept in my makeup until the phone rang when the call finally came. Twenty minutes later I was fresh-faced and autumn-weather-clad and out the door on the subway into the city for a beautiful brunch on the Upper West Side at a charming French bistro called Nice Matin. (It's truly impossible to say that with an American accent, and therefore not sound like a pretentious chaamp when said with a French accent. It's neese muh-tahn, and I physically could never say nais matten. What is everyone else saying?!) The weather was so gorgeous, the place had the removeable walls down so bright air was breezing in from every which way, warmed by the greenhouse effect the sun was having inside. After brunch we walked through some street fairs into Central Park, where I had to take off my scarf because it was too warm. It smelled like fall, a lot of the dry yellowed leaves on on the ground had been crunched as fine as sand under all the runners, walkers, tourists, horse carriages and bikers. The sky was so blue that all the high rises on the far reaches of Central Park's hard rectangular shape looked photoshopped. There was nothing to complain about anywhere in our world.
The Yankees game was coming on soon, and since I had no inkling to return home, we decided to watch it in the city and found a lovely bar with the game on, unfurled ourselves on the padded bench across from the TV, ordered beers and appetizers and put our hands behind our heads to watch Detroit send the Yankees home losers again in this series.
Toward the end of the evening, a very elderly and obviously Jewish couple came to dine and sat next to us. We ended up talking all things New York (since my company was both NYC native and Jewish, they therefore had plenty to talk about) and I had to turn my face away to laugh hysterically as the woman, telling her husband what he would like and then ordering for him, dealt with the serving staff. "Yes of course we want the soup first! What a ridiculous question! Is today your first day on the job?" I was dying I tell you! I think the old woman knew and I think she loved the attention. She smiled at me and then even ramped up her insults. "No brain! That girl has no brain!" I felt bad for the waitress but this couple was so old you couldn't even really take offense to them, and the waitress really didn't look like she would be losing any sleep over it.
Going home was so anticlimactic after such a beautiful Sunday and an even better weekend. I have a kinda busy week this week too with our office being moved and relocated. I just moved apartments! I should be exempt from anything, even packing up my office stuff!
I wish I had music to personify the weekend, but I don't really. It was very varied and surprising and unexpected. If I had to choose something right now, I would venture some Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Hear how it's so catchy and electric and exciting and feeling?
You're all very welcome. Have a great week. But mostly, stay classy.
Back in the spring semester when I was taking my modern dance class (remember my interpretive dancing?) I made friends with an undergrad guy named Taylor. Learning that he had a work study program with my department, the friendship was solidified. Most of Taylor's friends are still under 21, so in planning his 21st birthday he recruited me to celebrate the night with him (being the reputable woman of legal age that I am) so last Thursday we went to dinner and then spent the evening bar hopping, pub crawling, and club dancing. (Starting at a hotel lounge in the financial district where he knew an employee. Translation? Free drinks!)
We were at a dance club in midtown, but taking a breather at a table when I saw two people crossing nearby us... was that...? It was! (Surprise!) My crazy ex-coworker Joe, and when I say crazy, I mean crazy! He was the one that I randomly ran into on my birthday this year who helped catapult us into a dance frenzy in East Village until 5am, and here he was now! You never run into people you know in the city! Joe and his friend were apparently just beelining to the restrooms but were happy to stay for "a catch-up drink." My favorite part of this was, as we were catching up, we started musing over when the last time we saw each other was.
"Was it my birthday back in the spring?"
"No, no way. We've hung out since then. Hmm. Why didn't you come to my birthday party?"
"Your birthday party? I don't remember any birthday party. You didn't invite me."
"Oh yes I did! I definitely put it out there, like on Facebook and texting, but you never came."
"NO Joe, I would have went had you invited me. The last thing I went to was that outdoor barbecue in your patio space at the beginning of summer. Hey wait... that was the party where you had that cardboard cutout to take pictures with... wasn't that your birthday party?"
"Yeah that was it! So you DID come."
"That's right! So I WAS invited!"
Cheers.
On Friday I had a stuffy council meeting to attend in the evening and was exhausted from Thursday, so planned to go home, but my friend Samantha suggested I meet her and Katrina at a bar in Greenwich. Just one drink, since she had to catch her boat back to Jersey at 7:45. Since my council meeting wasn't over until 6, I figured I would be lucky to rush down a drink with them, but went anyway.
I could have walked right by the Blind Tiger and not known it was a loud, bustling, stock-broker-exchange type of hands-up and carrying your beer over your head back to the fireplace type of place. It was an icy evening, so walking into that heatcloud was welcome and warm, and this place specialized in craft beers and I had a few nice pumpkin ales. Samantha, Katrina and I had such a good time talking with the after-work crowd and hiding from the outside cold that Samantha delayed her departure until the latest 10pm boat. Katrina and I were still in much too good of a mood to end the evening, so we continued to go around. (Surprise!) The Slaughtered Lamb before we found a basement place called Down The Hatch, which was such a college-frat party they were playing the likes of 311 and Incubus. I didn't mind. It was bright, and loud, with lots of game tables and lights and cheap drinks! We made more friends and essentially closed the place down.
I've been determined to be more disciplined with my writing, because I've never written so much in my life as I have been the past year or two. I have hundreds of google docs with a paragraph here, the spark of something there, and I just never have the time or peace to sit down and work on anything, especially if I'm ever at home. I did some research and after running errands around Astor Place, I came to the Vagabond Cafe, a small hole-in-the-wall deep in the Village owned by the same couple who worked it behind the counter. It was Central Perk if Central Perk had really existed and was a little smaller. Big couches and armchairs, table lamps and coffee and beer, wine, food on the menu. Everyone was cozied up with either a friend or (more likely) their MacBooks. A small brick corner with instruments and equipments ended up being a venue for a live acoustic performance shortly before I left. When I left, I couldn't go straight home, because I loved this neighborhood. I wandered a few places and went into some bookstores and random shops. I stopped in to eat on the wild MacDougal Street (that tiny road is a neon-lighted ping-pong table of people bouncing back and forth across all the comedy and dance clubs and lounges and eateries) and as I was making my way to the subway, I was surprised to see an awning and downward staircase to a very non-pretentious and sports-type dive bar on the block, and figured a Yuengling was exactly what I wanted before I went home.
As I went in, I took in my surroundings discreetly, noticing the pool table, the scattered stools that were filled with patrons, a singular table against the wall as full and active as the Dead Poet's Society, and a further expanse of another room to the back. I ponied up to the bar and got a draught beer. Once served, I was turning around to adjust my purse on the stool before hoisting myself onto it to sit, but during this process, I happened to glance over and froze awkwardly. The entire table of Dead Poets were parted down the middle so the whites of all their pairs of eyes had a view to visibly stare at me expectantly, as though they were waiting for me to make a speech. Uh, wut? Then I saw it. Back in the corner and looking with gleaming eyes just waiting for me to recognize him was my coworker Jeff, the one that came to the Colbert Report taping with me. (Surprise!) WHAT. WERE. THE. CHANCES.?! Jeff has never made it a secret that he doesn't do much of the bar scene, and I never go out in this neighborhood, nor was I planning to do so at all tonight, and here we were randomly in the same place together. It was the freak coincidence heard round the world. Everyone was musing on it for the rest of the night. I joined the table of Jeff's friends and roommates and brother and they so graciously took me in, and were all friendly and talkative and funny, I felt like I had come there with them and known them all for much longer. I think it helped that they all had very similar jokes and friendship chemistry as my own San Diego & Vegas Club group, so it was a little nostalgic. So my one Yuengling nightcap turned into 7 hours of festivities with Jeff & Co before we all wandered out and walked dry-eyed to the subway so late that the Empire State Building wasn't even lit up anymore. You really can't plan good nights, and there's something infinitely more rewarding about the surprise than the agenda.
Many an unforeseen night gave me the insight to set an alarm when I got home that evening, and thank goodness. I got up about 5 minutes before I was expecting the call from a friend to plan where we would be meeting in the next hour for brunch. I was able to wake up and test out my voice so it wouldn't show that I had slept in my makeup until the phone rang when the call finally came. Twenty minutes later I was fresh-faced and autumn-weather-clad and out the door on the subway into the city for a beautiful brunch on the Upper West Side at a charming French bistro called Nice Matin. (It's truly impossible to say that with an American accent, and therefore not sound like a pretentious chaamp when said with a French accent. It's neese muh-tahn, and I physically could never say nais matten. What is everyone else saying?!) The weather was so gorgeous, the place had the removeable walls down so bright air was breezing in from every which way, warmed by the greenhouse effect the sun was having inside. After brunch we walked through some street fairs into Central Park, where I had to take off my scarf because it was too warm. It smelled like fall, a lot of the dry yellowed leaves on on the ground had been crunched as fine as sand under all the runners, walkers, tourists, horse carriages and bikers. The sky was so blue that all the high rises on the far reaches of Central Park's hard rectangular shape looked photoshopped. There was nothing to complain about anywhere in our world.
The Yankees game was coming on soon, and since I had no inkling to return home, we decided to watch it in the city and found a lovely bar with the game on, unfurled ourselves on the padded bench across from the TV, ordered beers and appetizers and put our hands behind our heads to watch Detroit send the Yankees home losers again in this series.
Toward the end of the evening, a very elderly and obviously Jewish couple came to dine and sat next to us. We ended up talking all things New York (since my company was both NYC native and Jewish, they therefore had plenty to talk about) and I had to turn my face away to laugh hysterically as the woman, telling her husband what he would like and then ordering for him, dealt with the serving staff. "Yes of course we want the soup first! What a ridiculous question! Is today your first day on the job?" I was dying I tell you! I think the old woman knew and I think she loved the attention. She smiled at me and then even ramped up her insults. "No brain! That girl has no brain!" I felt bad for the waitress but this couple was so old you couldn't even really take offense to them, and the waitress really didn't look like she would be losing any sleep over it.
Going home was so anticlimactic after such a beautiful Sunday and an even better weekend. I have a kinda busy week this week too with our office being moved and relocated. I just moved apartments! I should be exempt from anything, even packing up my office stuff!
I wish I had music to personify the weekend, but I don't really. It was very varied and surprising and unexpected. If I had to choose something right now, I would venture some Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Hear how it's so catchy and electric and exciting and feeling?
You're all very welcome. Have a great week. But mostly, stay classy.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Love Is A Full-Length Mirror
...so says the love of my life, one Mr C-O-L-B-E-R-Silent T.
Okay. The moment we've all been waiting for. What was my time in the Staten Island Half-Marathon? Well, I am proud to announce that it was my best time ever in a half-marathon, in that I didn't run it, so I couldn't have gone any slower! I know you're thinking: "this girl talked about it for how long and didn't run it?!" I should be ashamed of myself. But guess what:
That's how bad my knees were. In Raleigh I did little more than walking and dancing, except for two seconds when Jayna and I were walking Pippin and had to jog across the street to make the light. Knees: Burning. I just couldn't do it. And rather than ruin them for life over something I don't even like that much (She doesn't even go here!) I forewent it. I can't say I didn't see this coming. Devotees may remember the Staten Island Curse Ronnie and I found that was over us. We just can't make it to that place for some reason. I was expecting her to rear her ugly head somehow.
So, I'm sorry to my mom and Aunt Frances who sent me nice cards that I put up in my room to inspire me, only to not run at all. But you know what? I hate running. Or I did. I never thought that I would ever even be able to run a mile consistently, let alone 6. I learned I could run regularly, and almost like it. I learned that training is a real thing, and if you spend all summer traveling and half-running and not putting in the time, you'll really screw up your knees otherwise. I've decided to keep up the running (if I can) and go for more 5k's and eventual 10k's and won't write off a half-marathon. Buuuuut ain't nobody got time for that right now. So I'm going to save my knees and pace myself.
And, what could make me schoolgirl-giddy-happier than seeing Stephen Colbert? Nothing! Only Stephen Colbert! I secured tickets this time (no more 4 hour waits in the snow!) back in August and went with a coworker last night to another taping. Oh, he makes my heart melt like a popsicle on the 4th of July, that Stephen! Unlike last time, I was actually able to be calm enough to take in what was going on and watch the show, even if my eyes were still pulsating red hearts and the heart bubbles were floating out of my head. If they would let me, I would intern at that show, for free, no benefits, seven days a week, even if it were to do nothing more than feed him grapes and brush his hair.
I mean really, HOW COULD YOU SAY NO TO THIS FACE?!
"You see, we're America the Beautiful, not America 'Well, At Least She Has a Great Personality'" -Stephen Colbert
If anyone is interested, this is the episode we were at, which also aired last night. It was good! And there's even a segment involving a news story from San Bernardino! So close to home, it's like he was asking to come back for Christmas with me and meet everyone.
And for anyone interested in seeing Stephen Colbert OUT OF CHARACTER with Oprah... I loved this piece! He talks about how his character came to be and what he thinks about the political influence he holds...
After the show, said coworker and I took a little walk to the subway through Times Square. It's getting colder, and tourist season is over, so it wasn't half bad as far as crowds go, and the weather was fairly nice too. It felt very New York to see Colbert and then go through the theatre district in the evening. It was pleasant.
You also might know that last time I saw Stephen Colbert, I was riding such a high, I rode it all the way to the East Village and got my nose pierced. This time I took a little less drastic approach. As I went home and made dinner and got my lunch ready for the next day, I put the TV on and there was a commercial that involved those multiple-year montages of someones face so you watch them grow in fast-forward. I don't know why but I always thought it would be kinda neat to do and I thought "I should try that sometime." But then I also thought "Why don't I just try now?" I mean, after all, it was a milestone of a day, another Colbert sighting. What could be better? So I took the first picture of my face. The goal is from October 10, 2012, to October 10, 2013, to take one picture of my face everyday and then probably just get super depressed to watch how much grayer and wrinklier I am at the end. Lulz. But seriously, I'm doing it.
Okay. The moment we've all been waiting for. What was my time in the Staten Island Half-Marathon? Well, I am proud to announce that it was my best time ever in a half-marathon, in that I didn't run it, so I couldn't have gone any slower! I know you're thinking: "this girl talked about it for how long and didn't run it?!" I should be ashamed of myself. But guess what:
That's how bad my knees were. In Raleigh I did little more than walking and dancing, except for two seconds when Jayna and I were walking Pippin and had to jog across the street to make the light. Knees: Burning. I just couldn't do it. And rather than ruin them for life over something I don't even like that much (She doesn't even go here!) I forewent it. I can't say I didn't see this coming. Devotees may remember the Staten Island Curse Ronnie and I found that was over us. We just can't make it to that place for some reason. I was expecting her to rear her ugly head somehow.
So, I'm sorry to my mom and Aunt Frances who sent me nice cards that I put up in my room to inspire me, only to not run at all. But you know what? I hate running. Or I did. I never thought that I would ever even be able to run a mile consistently, let alone 6. I learned I could run regularly, and almost like it. I learned that training is a real thing, and if you spend all summer traveling and half-running and not putting in the time, you'll really screw up your knees otherwise. I've decided to keep up the running (if I can) and go for more 5k's and eventual 10k's and won't write off a half-marathon. Buuuuut ain't nobody got time for that right now. So I'm going to save my knees and pace myself.
And, what could make me schoolgirl-giddy-happier than seeing Stephen Colbert? Nothing! Only Stephen Colbert! I secured tickets this time (no more 4 hour waits in the snow!) back in August and went with a coworker last night to another taping. Oh, he makes my heart melt like a popsicle on the 4th of July, that Stephen! Unlike last time, I was actually able to be calm enough to take in what was going on and watch the show, even if my eyes were still pulsating red hearts and the heart bubbles were floating out of my head. If they would let me, I would intern at that show, for free, no benefits, seven days a week, even if it were to do nothing more than feed him grapes and brush his hair.
I mean really, HOW COULD YOU SAY NO TO THIS FACE?!
"You see, we're America the Beautiful, not America 'Well, At Least She Has a Great Personality'" -Stephen Colbert
If anyone is interested, this is the episode we were at, which also aired last night. It was good! And there's even a segment involving a news story from San Bernardino! So close to home, it's like he was asking to come back for Christmas with me and meet everyone.
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
And for anyone interested in seeing Stephen Colbert OUT OF CHARACTER with Oprah... I loved this piece! He talks about how his character came to be and what he thinks about the political influence he holds...
After the show, said coworker and I took a little walk to the subway through Times Square. It's getting colder, and tourist season is over, so it wasn't half bad as far as crowds go, and the weather was fairly nice too. It felt very New York to see Colbert and then go through the theatre district in the evening. It was pleasant.
You also might know that last time I saw Stephen Colbert, I was riding such a high, I rode it all the way to the East Village and got my nose pierced. This time I took a little less drastic approach. As I went home and made dinner and got my lunch ready for the next day, I put the TV on and there was a commercial that involved those multiple-year montages of someones face so you watch them grow in fast-forward. I don't know why but I always thought it would be kinda neat to do and I thought "I should try that sometime." But then I also thought "Why don't I just try now?" I mean, after all, it was a milestone of a day, another Colbert sighting. What could be better? So I took the first picture of my face. The goal is from October 10, 2012, to October 10, 2013, to take one picture of my face everyday and then probably just get super depressed to watch how much grayer and wrinklier I am at the end. Lulz. But seriously, I'm doing it.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
UC Santa Barbara
Oh, hey there, good morning. Good morning. How you feeling? Oh, just fine. So what did you do last night? Oh, nothing much, you know, just had cocktails with Michael Douglas in midtown, no big deal, vateva.
I've been putting on all these alumni events here at Columbia that I started to feel slighted that I wasn't going to anything for my own university. Sure it's in California, but if they have a market outside of LA, then surely it's NYC. I realized that, as far as they knew, I still lived in the Mardi Gras dorm-extension that is Isla Vista. So I got in touch with the alumni contacts, and within a month or two I had an invitation to a New York area reception for UCSB alumni. AWESOME.
Ronnie and I showed up last night (some of us dressed more appropriately than the other coughmecough) to the Sony Club in Midtown East. Up to the Sky Lobby to check in and get name badges, and then further up to the penthouse. Even the coat check made me think "Wow UCSB, I didn't know you had it in ya!"
What a classy affair it was. Drinks and passed appetizers, Ronnie and I must have gone through a bottle or two of white wine on our own, hanging out in the marble foyer and enjoying the scenic view, even if lowlaying clouds obscured some buildings and bridges over the East River.
We took to the reception area, a mahogany and thick leather-padding-walled room with lightly-draped high-top tables adorned with a burnt-pink peony arrangement in pumpkins and a small raised stage at one end, this side with windowed walls sweeping over the west side of Manhattan, nearby the Plaza Hotel and Columbus Circle. Here, Ronnie and I stationed ourselves, to judge and be judged, cliquey as we were in college.
But then a magical thing happened! A sweet-looking girl I had accidentally kept making eye contact with approached us with another boy and they introduced themselves. And friendships were born! The girl was an alumna and her boyfriend was from California and had plenty of Santa Barbara experiences to be "one" with us. They were both so friendly and personable and great! We spent the rest of the night talking and laughing hysterically and trying to relive UCSB as much as possible. It was this new girl who informed us that Michael Douglas was wandering around.
Wait- wha? I knew that Michael Douglas was an alum, but you never believe half of those people would care enough to spit on this place if it were on fire now that they're all so rich and famous. No to mention, we all spent so much time in a hangover-induced glaze on the beach and showing our Gaucho pride by listening to Jack Johnson (another alum) that you throw in a real celebrity and it's like WHOA! So we tried to be the supercool table (which wasn't hard, because we obviously were) to attract Michael, but he was the Belle of the Ball and always had a circle of excited peasants about his age around him and feeding off his celebrity. I had to straggle around his circle to refill my white wine, actually, and pretty sure I brushed his shoulder on the way over. So you know, we're pretty close now.
The presentation was cute, and nostalgic, and included some alum now on Good Morning America (?) and Chancellor Yang! (who spoke at graduation and is adorable) and then Michael went up to speak as well.
He was even closer than he appeared. And to listen to Gordon Gekko's smoky voice talk about Santa Barbara and the university was kinda cool.
When the presentation was up, we all closed out the bar and then said goodnight, and we even got candles and Gaucho scarves on the way out, it was so fun! It was more than I had dreamed from them. After leaving, Ronnie somehow convinced me to get food and then go up to his office just down a few blocks on Madison Ave so he could finish up work. Somehow I entertained myself while he finished some PowerPoint, and then he brought out a case of bubbles from his desk and we had a photoshoot
We are both super excited about the new friends we made tonight, and it felt like a nice night to be UCSB alumni. I just love where I went to school, I'm glad we have so many reasons to be proud to be Gauchos.
I've been putting on all these alumni events here at Columbia that I started to feel slighted that I wasn't going to anything for my own university. Sure it's in California, but if they have a market outside of LA, then surely it's NYC. I realized that, as far as they knew, I still lived in the Mardi Gras dorm-extension that is Isla Vista. So I got in touch with the alumni contacts, and within a month or two I had an invitation to a New York area reception for UCSB alumni. AWESOME.
Ronnie and I showed up last night (some of us dressed more appropriately than the other coughmecough) to the Sony Club in Midtown East. Up to the Sky Lobby to check in and get name badges, and then further up to the penthouse. Even the coat check made me think "Wow UCSB, I didn't know you had it in ya!"
What a classy affair it was. Drinks and passed appetizers, Ronnie and I must have gone through a bottle or two of white wine on our own, hanging out in the marble foyer and enjoying the scenic view, even if lowlaying clouds obscured some buildings and bridges over the East River.
We took to the reception area, a mahogany and thick leather-padding-walled room with lightly-draped high-top tables adorned with a burnt-pink peony arrangement in pumpkins and a small raised stage at one end, this side with windowed walls sweeping over the west side of Manhattan, nearby the Plaza Hotel and Columbus Circle. Here, Ronnie and I stationed ourselves, to judge and be judged, cliquey as we were in college.
But then a magical thing happened! A sweet-looking girl I had accidentally kept making eye contact with approached us with another boy and they introduced themselves. And friendships were born! The girl was an alumna and her boyfriend was from California and had plenty of Santa Barbara experiences to be "one" with us. They were both so friendly and personable and great! We spent the rest of the night talking and laughing hysterically and trying to relive UCSB as much as possible. It was this new girl who informed us that Michael Douglas was wandering around.
Wait- wha? I knew that Michael Douglas was an alum, but you never believe half of those people would care enough to spit on this place if it were on fire now that they're all so rich and famous. No to mention, we all spent so much time in a hangover-induced glaze on the beach and showing our Gaucho pride by listening to Jack Johnson (another alum) that you throw in a real celebrity and it's like WHOA! So we tried to be the supercool table (which wasn't hard, because we obviously were) to attract Michael, but he was the Belle of the Ball and always had a circle of excited peasants about his age around him and feeding off his celebrity. I had to straggle around his circle to refill my white wine, actually, and pretty sure I brushed his shoulder on the way over. So you know, we're pretty close now.
The presentation was cute, and nostalgic, and included some alum now on Good Morning America (?) and Chancellor Yang! (who spoke at graduation and is adorable) and then Michael went up to speak as well.
He was even closer than he appeared. And to listen to Gordon Gekko's smoky voice talk about Santa Barbara and the university was kinda cool.
When the presentation was up, we all closed out the bar and then said goodnight, and we even got candles and Gaucho scarves on the way out, it was so fun! It was more than I had dreamed from them. After leaving, Ronnie somehow convinced me to get food and then go up to his office just down a few blocks on Madison Ave so he could finish up work. Somehow I entertained myself while he finished some PowerPoint, and then he brought out a case of bubbles from his desk and we had a photoshoot
We are both super excited about the new friends we made tonight, and it felt like a nice night to be UCSB alumni. I just love where I went to school, I'm glad we have so many reasons to be proud to be Gauchos.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Raleighwood
This past weekend, the lure of brunch and seeing the girl, the myth, the HBO special: Jayna! after 6 months was enough for me to schlep myself down to Raleigh, North Carolina for a 3-day weekend of my own making.
It was quite the eventful day, that Friday, September 28, since it was my last day in one office rotation, there was a truly surprising party for my going away (since I asked that nothing be done), so after sandwiches and cake I was both late, and already full, for lunch with a friend, so I just got a beer instead (it was already 3:30! and I was traveling in a few hours!) and returned pink-cheeked and lightheaded to finish out the hour and then get myself to the M60 bus to LaGuardia airport.
Well apparently some genius decided to delay my flight longer than it even lasted. (A flight from NYC to Raleigh-Durham was 1 hour 7 minutes, wheels-up to wheel-down heading south, and 1 hour 3 minutes going to north.) But instead not only did I spend most of my evening in the airport, but that lunchtime drink also made me sleepy, and I fell asleep in a corridor and half-heard people making fun of me and saying I was a robot, because it probably looked like my charging phone cord was connected to my back. Joke was on them though... because I am a robot.
However, I landed just around midnight, Jayna was waiting for me on arrival, and we were still able to get downtown, make fun of a drunk southern-twang girl, and down a drink at a pub, not to mention being laughed at by the bartender when I asked what the card minimum was.
The next day was gray and rainy, which made well for sleeping in, Starbucks, and Wayne's World (more on that later) and we got to get ready for a long night out that included very, very, very special event in my life.
Patrick, aka Topshelf as he was known to his fraternity and my sorority, has always been someone that I have admired, and we seem to have a wonderful rapport. Topshelf pushed me to study in France for one year as opposed to one semester (having spent a year abroad himself), and as a matter of fact, it was Top that drove me to the French embassy in LA to get my visa. Topshelf was always there for me, including being a loyal penpal and mentor while I was in Europe, and he's always been someone that I have admired, he has a zest for life, for travel, for experiencing things, and is such a strong and genuine character, you should hear his story about deciding to serve in the US forces.
This picture actually recalls the first time I remember talking with Top and having a conversation with him. This was taken at a party at Adam's house. A little candidly, might I add.
All this to say, however, that the last time I saw Topshelf was in August 2006, shortly before I left for France. (The picture below was from the tail end of my going away party at college that summer.)
Although we have kept in diligent touch, throughout my study abroad, his graduation, my graduation, his changing stations from Oklahoma to Hawaii to Atlanta, to my move to San Diego, to his deployments in the Middle East and my move to New York City, Top and I just never found ourselves in the same place at the same time again. Until NOW.
His birthday was last month and I sent him an email, and he returned it, and gave me his new address where he was stationed. Last time we spoke he was in Atlanta, so I was surprised that not only was he now in North Carolina, but thrilled to see it was even a suburb of Raleigh. So, after 6 years and some change, on Saturday, September 29, 2012, at Natty Green's Pub and Brewery in downtown Raleigh, Patrick and I were reunited!
Jayna was a stand-up friend and made it through two hours of conversation which, although included some laughs, was a lot of catch-up and remember-when's. It was so surreal, but so lovely, to catch him in person.
Of course, Top had the weather to battle back to his base, and Jayna and I had a night of festivities to get to, so we sadly parted ways and Jayna and I took to a burger joint (that had a pool table, too!) with delicioso drinks and then wandered downtown and decided on a 3-story club called Solas (so yes, Raleigh is fairly socialized and can play well with outsiders!)
All things considered it wasn't half bad. We wandered up and down the floors to the different music, loved to make fun of everyone around us, and entertain ourselves. On the drive back, I can't remember why we pulled over (was it the new Ke$ha song?) but we continued to entertain ourselves quite a bit:
So all in all, a good Saturday! THANKFULLY, Sunday was beautiful clear blue skies, so we got to stuff ourselves with an outdoor brunch downtown before our self-guided walking tour. I feel it worthy to note that this brunch place was apparently a "globally inspired approach to local dining" and the waiter gave us a tour of the buffet offerings which included "the Massaman curry... have you had curry before? Do you know what it is? This is a very mild sauce..." etc etc. Um, WHAT? I know he doesn't know that I live in New York, but where are you living when you need curry explained to you? (I clearly take the diversified regions of California and New York for granted.) By the way, for brunch I had pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, blackberries, deviled eggs, stuffed grape leaves, English muffins with chive cream cheese, jam and tomatoes, bacon, Belgian waffles with Nutella and powdered sugar, Nutella peanut butter bars, vanilla cheesecake, coffee, and probably a lot more that I swallowed into my mouth before I could see what it was disappearing inbetween. DELISH.
The first thing to do was find a city map of the City of Oaks. Check.
nu=32+6%29998%29853%29WSNRCG=383+8387+532%28nu0mrj.jpg)
Then, find a painted cow named Ruby.
Wait, whaaaaa? So apparently there's some art project or something with all these decorated cows (a "cow-laboration") and at first we decided to pose with every one we came across, but there were too many! We gave up after awhile. We crossed their park, where Jayna informed me that they drop no balls on New Year's Eve, but instead, drop the acorn. Wow. How inspiring. (?!)
As you (probably won't) remember, Raleigh is the capital, and what's in a capital city but the executive mansion! After seeing the Greco-Roman stylies in California and DC and elsewhere, it was cute to see this southern Carolina home
And Jayna gettin' that milk
The tour culminated with a look at the office of (my old, Jayna's still current) work, which was on the 22nd floor and afforded quite the view! There is still something so foreign and surprising to me to see rolling hills without any mountains or breaks in the landscape.
And isn't this building so cool? It almost disappears in the skyline...
Our day continued with go-kart racing in a true Nascar fashion, then thrift stores, then taking Pippin out for a walk in the surrounding parks, and then dinner at another delicioso restaurant, this time Carolina-style BBQ. Why haven't I been aware how much I loves this cuisine yet? The biscuits and hush puppies (still not 100% sure on what those were), pulled pork, collard greens, and sweet potatoes.... ohhh man. Finger-lickin' good in every sense of the word. And I made sure to get Raleigh-area beers to complement my fine dining.
Home was imminent, and it just goes to show how great of a friend Jayna is that she made me watch almost a full season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. For the record, I've NEVER BEEN AGAINST IT, just never found the time or resources to start a new show, but THANK GOODNESS. It's so great, and it's like Seinfeld never ended now! And I have basically the entire series to look forward to.
Monday was another gray, rainy day, but Jayna and I decided to venture out to the Durham and Chapel Hill neighborhoods to check out (the only thing going on there) the university. My girl Priya back in San Diego grew up in North Carolina until she was early teens, so she has a great love for the university, so it made sense to go. They had (one) cute strip of stores and shops and Starbucks, where we dined and shopped, and then went around the campus, to find (of course!) another painted cow... or tarheel?
But Jayna wasn't such a big fan...
We had to leave and go to the airport, which was super sad because I was having such a great, relaxing time out of New York City in the southern hills of North Carolina with Jayna, but alas, a paycheck was still calling to me. I had such a smooth return, got home in time to order in Chinese and get ready for the week and try to comprehend that it's October now! I guess this officially closes out the summer! Now where can I travel to next?
It was quite the eventful day, that Friday, September 28, since it was my last day in one office rotation, there was a truly surprising party for my going away (since I asked that nothing be done), so after sandwiches and cake I was both late, and already full, for lunch with a friend, so I just got a beer instead (it was already 3:30! and I was traveling in a few hours!) and returned pink-cheeked and lightheaded to finish out the hour and then get myself to the M60 bus to LaGuardia airport.
Well apparently some genius decided to delay my flight longer than it even lasted. (A flight from NYC to Raleigh-Durham was 1 hour 7 minutes, wheels-up to wheel-down heading south, and 1 hour 3 minutes going to north.) But instead not only did I spend most of my evening in the airport, but that lunchtime drink also made me sleepy, and I fell asleep in a corridor and half-heard people making fun of me and saying I was a robot, because it probably looked like my charging phone cord was connected to my back. Joke was on them though... because I am a robot.
However, I landed just around midnight, Jayna was waiting for me on arrival, and we were still able to get downtown, make fun of a drunk southern-twang girl, and down a drink at a pub, not to mention being laughed at by the bartender when I asked what the card minimum was.
The next day was gray and rainy, which made well for sleeping in, Starbucks, and Wayne's World (more on that later) and we got to get ready for a long night out that included very, very, very special event in my life.
Patrick, aka Topshelf as he was known to his fraternity and my sorority, has always been someone that I have admired, and we seem to have a wonderful rapport. Topshelf pushed me to study in France for one year as opposed to one semester (having spent a year abroad himself), and as a matter of fact, it was Top that drove me to the French embassy in LA to get my visa. Topshelf was always there for me, including being a loyal penpal and mentor while I was in Europe, and he's always been someone that I have admired, he has a zest for life, for travel, for experiencing things, and is such a strong and genuine character, you should hear his story about deciding to serve in the US forces.
This picture actually recalls the first time I remember talking with Top and having a conversation with him. This was taken at a party at Adam's house. A little candidly, might I add.
All this to say, however, that the last time I saw Topshelf was in August 2006, shortly before I left for France. (The picture below was from the tail end of my going away party at college that summer.)
Although we have kept in diligent touch, throughout my study abroad, his graduation, my graduation, his changing stations from Oklahoma to Hawaii to Atlanta, to my move to San Diego, to his deployments in the Middle East and my move to New York City, Top and I just never found ourselves in the same place at the same time again. Until NOW.
His birthday was last month and I sent him an email, and he returned it, and gave me his new address where he was stationed. Last time we spoke he was in Atlanta, so I was surprised that not only was he now in North Carolina, but thrilled to see it was even a suburb of Raleigh. So, after 6 years and some change, on Saturday, September 29, 2012, at Natty Green's Pub and Brewery in downtown Raleigh, Patrick and I were reunited!
Jayna was a stand-up friend and made it through two hours of conversation which, although included some laughs, was a lot of catch-up and remember-when's. It was so surreal, but so lovely, to catch him in person.
Of course, Top had the weather to battle back to his base, and Jayna and I had a night of festivities to get to, so we sadly parted ways and Jayna and I took to a burger joint (that had a pool table, too!) with delicioso drinks and then wandered downtown and decided on a 3-story club called Solas (so yes, Raleigh is fairly socialized and can play well with outsiders!)
All things considered it wasn't half bad. We wandered up and down the floors to the different music, loved to make fun of everyone around us, and entertain ourselves. On the drive back, I can't remember why we pulled over (was it the new Ke$ha song?) but we continued to entertain ourselves quite a bit:
So all in all, a good Saturday! THANKFULLY, Sunday was beautiful clear blue skies, so we got to stuff ourselves with an outdoor brunch downtown before our self-guided walking tour. I feel it worthy to note that this brunch place was apparently a "globally inspired approach to local dining" and the waiter gave us a tour of the buffet offerings which included "the Massaman curry... have you had curry before? Do you know what it is? This is a very mild sauce..." etc etc. Um, WHAT? I know he doesn't know that I live in New York, but where are you living when you need curry explained to you? (I clearly take the diversified regions of California and New York for granted.) By the way, for brunch I had pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew, blackberries, deviled eggs, stuffed grape leaves, English muffins with chive cream cheese, jam and tomatoes, bacon, Belgian waffles with Nutella and powdered sugar, Nutella peanut butter bars, vanilla cheesecake, coffee, and probably a lot more that I swallowed into my mouth before I could see what it was disappearing inbetween. DELISH.
The first thing to do was find a city map of the City of Oaks. Check.
nu=32+6%29998%29853%29WSNRCG=383+8387+532%28nu0mrj.jpg)
Then, find a painted cow named Ruby.
Wait, whaaaaa? So apparently there's some art project or something with all these decorated cows (a "cow-laboration") and at first we decided to pose with every one we came across, but there were too many! We gave up after awhile. We crossed their park, where Jayna informed me that they drop no balls on New Year's Eve, but instead, drop the acorn. Wow. How inspiring. (?!)
As you (probably won't) remember, Raleigh is the capital, and what's in a capital city but the executive mansion! After seeing the Greco-Roman stylies in California and DC and elsewhere, it was cute to see this southern Carolina home
And Jayna gettin' that milk
Now, I was no history major, but I had this idea in my head that the Carolina's split North and South due to differing views on slavery during the Civil War. But I'm starting to think that this was a theory straight from the Textbook of Kiki's Made-Up Head Facts, because I saw this: (so now I don't know what to believe!)
Q: How does an art piece based on a Chicagoland teen comedy end up in the south?
A: Who cares?! 
The tour culminated with a look at the office of (my old, Jayna's still current) work, which was on the 22nd floor and afforded quite the view! There is still something so foreign and surprising to me to see rolling hills without any mountains or breaks in the landscape.
And isn't this building so cool? It almost disappears in the skyline...
Our day continued with go-kart racing in a true Nascar fashion, then thrift stores, then taking Pippin out for a walk in the surrounding parks, and then dinner at another delicioso restaurant, this time Carolina-style BBQ. Why haven't I been aware how much I loves this cuisine yet? The biscuits and hush puppies (still not 100% sure on what those were), pulled pork, collard greens, and sweet potatoes.... ohhh man. Finger-lickin' good in every sense of the word. And I made sure to get Raleigh-area beers to complement my fine dining.
Home was imminent, and it just goes to show how great of a friend Jayna is that she made me watch almost a full season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. For the record, I've NEVER BEEN AGAINST IT, just never found the time or resources to start a new show, but THANK GOODNESS. It's so great, and it's like Seinfeld never ended now! And I have basically the entire series to look forward to.
Monday was another gray, rainy day, but Jayna and I decided to venture out to the Durham and Chapel Hill neighborhoods to check out (the only thing going on there) the university. My girl Priya back in San Diego grew up in North Carolina until she was early teens, so she has a great love for the university, so it made sense to go. They had (one) cute strip of stores and shops and Starbucks, where we dined and shopped, and then went around the campus, to find (of course!) another painted cow... or tarheel?
But Jayna wasn't such a big fan...
We had to leave and go to the airport, which was super sad because I was having such a great, relaxing time out of New York City in the southern hills of North Carolina with Jayna, but alas, a paycheck was still calling to me. I had such a smooth return, got home in time to order in Chinese and get ready for the week and try to comprehend that it's October now! I guess this officially closes out the summer! Now where can I travel to next?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
