and, again: ten things i did today.

1. bought my ticket to georgia: 4/28 through 5/1, y'all.
2. accepted an offer to go to happy hour here with the cutie coworker.
3. wore a kimono top that i usually despise due to its unfortunate way of making me look pregnant.
4. listened to m.i.a. on the 40 minute walk to work.
5. heard myself tell a patient (with a body mass index of 35) that "everything we do in life either moves us closer to our goals or farther away." sometimes, i'm not sure where the hell i get this shit or if it's even true.
6. contemplated why i flirted hard-core with that ex yesterday.
7. did a little wikipedia-ing on chalabi.
8. considered being knocked up by vincent gallo. (i'd have a reason to wear this kimono top every day, i suppose.)
9. gazed at "i and the village" by marc chagall.
10. attempted to decide, for once and for all, as to whether i am rooting for team aniston or team jolie.

ten things i did today.

1. flirted hard-core with an ex.
2. signed up for a hip hop dance class series (8 weeks!) at broadway dance studio.
3. planned my itinerary for a trip to atl/ath in late april.
4. fit into my skinny cords.
5. ate a bowl of a brand of chili i once deemed too spicy.
6. made an appointment to get my hair did.
7. walked to chelsea (in heels!) to catch the train rather than being lazy and and taking the l to the f from gramercy.
8. confirmed that i will be helping to paint a mural at a high school in a week.
9. blew off my wishy-washy cutie coworker.
10. bought a ticket to see tom wolfe speak on the 31st.

my hobby.

i decided that '06 would be the year that i started taking photography somewhat seriously, and this is a good way to start it out.

now, if only i can get my mitts on something other than a point-and-shoot.

okay, i'm out.

so, i don't know what's happened, but within the last few months, this blog has turned into an embarrassing display of my dating debacles.

i went on yet another date tonight and it was just bad. worse than the belgian, worse than the second date with the agent, worse than anything that happened with jack falcon or juan carlos. worse than the tool from the 'post'. worse than the bore back in february '05, worse than the closeted gay boy in december '04. (i won't say worse than than the drama of summer '05, but, whatevs.) just achingly bad through and through. i couldn't get through my beer fast enough to get the hell out of the bar. he put me on the defensive from second one, drilling me about my profession and my political ideology and my intellect. all i wanted to do was get home to watch the rest of a documentary on the iraq war on pbs.org/frontline. (it's called "truth, war, and consequences" -- and it's highly recommended.)

so, um, yeah. i'm on hiatus (from dating, that is).

i'm fucking exhausted, y'all. i've dated more in the last two months than i have in my entire life and while at first it was fun, now it's just hellish.

(kb, it kills me to say this, but you were right.)

(ahem.)

next!

oh...

...and here's this nonsense:

http://www.nypost.com/dating/d2.htm

btw, those aren't my words.

i can breathe for the first time!

two average- and one mega-sized dirty vodka martinis in my belly. dancing (or, rather, hopping around maniacally) to "since u been gone" on the dance floor at bally's. meeting jeff & cheryl, probable swingers. losing ten bucks in 30 seconds at the nickel slots. walking on the beach at 1:00 am. telling some poor, unsuspecting soul that my name was sandra and i was there with my friend, cindy. black-eyed peas, collards, and cornbread the next morning. stressing about the lack of texts from my crush (who shall be known as juan carlos, though his actual name is not as exciting), but then receiving texts and wondering why i had stressed.

that was my new year's eve weekend, folks. atlantic city! caesar's palace! the trump taj mahal! (oh, i didn't go to that one! but, still!) i felt like a beauty queen.

anyhow, juan carlos and i are having dirty vodka martinis on wednesday because we realized we both think they're yummy. saturday, we're going to zabar's to get food and then hitting up "match point" because we're both woody allen fans. still swooning, but actually trying to play it somewhat cool. that can be hard for me when i like a boy.

heh.

swooooo...

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooon.

i am in MAJOR like.

top twenty-five of 2005

(in no particular order, and i'm sure i will add more.)

touching bill clinton's hand at crobar in december
having my picture in a ridiculous article in the "new york post"
having a photograph i took submitted in the flickrati nyc book
staying in new york (even when it was hard)
getting a job in my field
meeting my co-workers, roommates, and other new york friends
eating ethiopian food on my 28th birthday (and singing "islands in the stream" with my brother)
riding the cyclone at coney island for the first time (and screaming my head off)
visiting rockaway beach for the first time
chocolate and wine on j.a.'s rooftop
trip to athens in may (for a myriad of reasons)
holiday party with mona mour in attendance (and smoking cigarettes with matt & theresa by the window)
tracy's vegan pecan pie at the thanksgiving potluck
drinking 40s at the halloween party with a bowling alley in the basement (and noella dancing in the lanes)
temping for (and meeting) spike lee
the many "law & order" tapings in front of my apartment (and not being able to text scarny fast enough)
dinner at union square cafe (even with a forkful of foie gras)
scarny's many visits (and our time at revival and zen palate, especially)
road trip upstate to ithaca/farm sanctuary (and wilco's "jesus, etc." playing)
being forced to walk everywhere thanks to "strike 2005!"
attending a taping of "the daily show"
attending a taping of "saturday night live" (with vip seats)
attending a taping of "late night with conan o'brien"
beck & belle and sebastian show in brooklyn
seeing jeff mangum twice (!)

hiLARious

check it. (oh, and vote!)

btw, what the fuck is this "sweet, tasty treat" thing? i mean, i know it's the post, but c'mon.

when it rains...

i have two dates within the next 36 hours. one will be a bit more, um, public than the other. let's just say all of new york will be able to learn about it if they so desire. (though i'm sure they don't.)

oh! the strike is off! no more walking home in arctic-like conditions. i'm a little sad, though: it was the only thing forcing me to get exercise.

more soon!

an utter waste of time.

1 MINUTE AGO: i was on myspace snagging this from matt cherry's blog.
1 HOUR AGO: i was in h&m buying an outfit for tonight's holiday party.
1 DAY AGO: i was complaining about work to theresa and steph.
1 YEAR AGO: i was working a temp gig two blocks north of here.
I LOVE: my family, my friends, coffee in the morning, and natural peanut butter.
I HATE: mole crickets, mice, the deep part of the ocean.
I FEAR: being pushed in front of a subway.
I FEEL: anxious.
I HIDE: my diary under my bed.
I DRIVE: nothing no more, folks.
I MISS: porch swings.
I LEARN: to accept where i am very slowly.
I NEED: to use that free crunch membership i have and take a cardio striptease class.
I THINK: the thought of me in a cardio striptease class is hilarious.
FIRSTS...
First piercing: my ears at age 7.
First credit card: i was 18 (and i should have never started down that path.)
First enemy: my former best friend, cora, who stole my boyfriend, joey, in preschool.
First musician you remember hearing in your house: hall & oates.
LASTS...
Last long car ride: from ithaca to nyc in late october.
Last kiss: about two weeks ago.
Last movie seen: "brokeback mountain" (highly recommended)
Last food consumed: pear.
Last phone call: texas.
Last CD played: le tigre.
Last drink drank: venti starbucks coffee with vanilla soy milk, three splenda packets, and nutmeg.
Last time scolded: wha-?
SHORT ANSWER..
I AM: less anxious.
I WANT: to get to party city and buy some cheap-o decorations.
I HAVE: two and a half hours before i can do so.
I WISH: my apartment was twice the size and half the price.
I WONDER: if new york will ever feel like home?
I ALWAYS: put my pants on one leg at a time.
I DANCE: not nearly enough.
I SING: "against all odds" not nearly as well as i thought i did.
I CRY: on occasion.
I AM NOT ALWAYS: as sweet as i should be to my patients.
I WRITE: emails to noella every day.
I WIN: at dominos.
I LOSE: bets often.
I SHOULD: not give myself such a hard time.
FAVORITES...
NUMBER: one.
COLOR(S): black and kelly green.
DAYS: sundays (for the paper).
MONTH: november.
DRINK: coffee.
IN THE LAST 2 DAYS, HAVE YOU...
CRIED? yes.
HELPED SOMEONE? yes. (every day at work.)
GOTTEN SICK? no.
GONE TO THE MOVIES? no.
SAID 'I Love you'? yes.
WRITTEN A REAL LETTER: no.
TALKED TO AN EX?: no.
MISSED AN EX?: yes.
WRITTEN IN A DIARY?: no.
HAD A SERIOUS TALK?: yes.
HUGGED SOMEONE?: no.

tonight: holiday party!

tonight i co-host what will be my first party in new york city. i used to co-host parties quite frequently (or perhaps it just seemed frequent) in athens but have been hesitant to do so in the city, as my place is, well, cozy. anyhow, i'm sure i will have (blackmail?) photos to share with my dear reader(s) soon enough. it proves to be a good time, what with a blend of co-workers, family, friends, and acquaintances, all topped off by an appearance by none other than drag queen delight, mona mour! (oh, and rich from fourfour is supposed to be stopping by, too. dream come true!)

check what my roommate wrote in the evite:

The holidays are upon us once again, and this time we are going to celebrate them New York style...Red, Green, & Gold Bonanza. Yes, our apartment is a shoebox, but we'll be cozy as we pile in and booze it up. Hands above the waists, everyone!

So join Annie in her golden Christmas palace (the East has nothing on this chick, baby), Jen in her green-gone-wild den (she'll bring a new meaning to "trimming the tree"), and Andrew in his red-light dungeon (he definitely encourages hands below the waist here).

Please bring a bottle (or eight) of something to share. Egg nog (both vegan and traditional) will be mixed up by the gorgeous hostesses. And at midnight the round-robbing gift exchange begins. To participate, bring a wrapped $10 or less gift...this is a holiday on a budget, folks. Fabulous.

We hope to see you there. We've already called the paramedics and they're on stand-by. It's gonna be one crunkin' Christmas party!

btw, though i was rooting for the mta workers' strike (just for dramatic, chaotic, where-were-you-when-the-strike-of-2005-happened-purposes), it would have put quite a damper on the party -- glad they realized this and pushed the strike off 'til monday!

i am "culturally aware."

in response to a comment on my "fuckin' hipsters" page:
(source: gawker)

Give yourself 1 point for each question you answer yes, or for each statement you agree with. Just like Cosmo, add up your points and check your results at the end.

1) Have you ever commented on Brooklyn Vegan?

2) Without looking it up, can you fill in the blanks in this sentence:
The Dark Room is on _______ between _______ and _______, but why are you going there? That place sucks now.

3) Sure you’ve been to the Tribeca Grand before, but do you remember the name of the Saturday night party that, until recently, called the basement home?

4) You’ve seen David Cross and [enter favorite Stroke here] at a bar, but you didn’t make a big deal out of it, right? After all, they’re just dudes hanging out.

5) In the past six months, have you been to two Fader-sponsored parties? (anybody can luck into one).

6) The ratio of free Sparks or Red Stripe that you’ve consumed to the number of Sparks or Red Stripe you’ve actually paid for is 2:1 or greater.

7) Do you know who Gavin McInnes, Michael T and Todd P are? (Give yourself 1 point for each.)

8) Have you been in a photo, even in the background of a photo, published on The Cobrasnake or Last Night’s Party?

9) Do you know the name of the doorman at Misshapes and Motherfucker?

10) Do you know any of the details about why Death From Above had to change their name to Death From Above 1979?

11) Do you know what Cornerstone is?

12) Have you ever received anything for free — anything at all — from Cornerstone?

13) Do you work for Cornerstone?

14) Can you identify the fake UK buzz band in this group: Arctic Monkeys, Tiny Riot, Test-Icicles, Art Brut?

15) Do you know the procedure for gaining entry into the Alife Rivington Club and Nom de Guerre?

16) Famed graffiti artist Neckface designed T-shirts for a Williamsburg tattoo parlor that’s in the back of an art gallery on Berry and North 9th. Can you name the tattoo parlor?

17) During the summer season that somewhat recently concluded, guys: did you wear a T-shirt with a blazer? Girls: did you wear a pair of
cowboy boots that you had bought before July?

18) Did you DJ at a party/bar/club in 2005?

19) While having a conversation with someone in a bar, has the topic ever turned to how much you both hate Ultragrrrl, even though you both agreed on “how nice she is in person?”

20) Rejoice, the used clothing/record store now located in Williamsburg, was chased out of the Lower East Side because of surging rents. Do you know what LES street it used to be located on?

21) During CMJ three months ago, did you attend two separate parties DJ’d by Steve Aoki … in the same day?

22) Do the following letters mean anything to you: LVHRD?

23) Were you invited to the Subways show at the Northsix tonight by +1?

Results key:

0-4 points: You are a Normal Person. You can probably enjoy a solid hour of Top-40 radio without once considering slashing your wrists. You can talk to your mom about movies you both enjoy. You love hanging out with co-workers, especially when it’s something fun like Happy Hour in Murray Hill. You don’t think there’s anything wrong with living in Queens. You are mentally at peace at all times.

5-9 points: You are Culturally Aware. You understand what “indie rock” is, and you can walk by the Angelika or Sunshine and recognize some of the titles playing, but you always say “Oh! I want to see that!” and never do. You think the OC mix CDs are a great way to discover new bands. You’ve started blowing off some get-togethers with friends for the occasional show at Webster Hall and Irving Plaza. Still, though, you’re not quite sure why it’s cool to like LCD Soundsystem but bad to like The Bravery. You’re walking a fine line right now, and you could go either way.

10-14 points: You are a Hipster. You seek out the latest and greatest music, and you might have a blog. You go to shows at Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom and Northsix several times a month, and most of your friends are hipsters, too. You have little in common with most co-workers or fellow students. You’ve gazed longingly at the Misshapes photo gallery and considered it — maybe you’ve even gone once or twice — but guest lists and Happy Ending after-parties are still a foreign concept, even though you’d love to be a part of it. You’ve stopped hanging out above 14th Street.

15-19 points: You are a Self-Loathing Hipster. You may not have “the look,” but it’s time to come out of the closet as a hipster. You’ve resisted this before, and you probably hate hipsters more than a little bit, but in the back of your mind you know it’s true. You’re already over M.I.A., the Go! Team and Maximo Park. You always know where to go. You’ll go to hipster’d out venues such as Supreme Trading or the Delancey to have a good laugh, but you also can’t dream of hanging out on a Friday or Saturday night at a place that doesn’t play cool music. Special DJ sets and parties at Hiro and Tribeca Grand bore you, but for some reason you’ll always find yourself there. It’s a love-hate thing. You’ve written about your complaints with the scene on your blog.

20-24 points: You are an Unabashed Hipster. Odds are you can’t even concentrate on this because the Bloc Party remix CD is playing through your Mac so loud. And you’re proud of it! You work in music/media/art/fashion/promotion, but the day job doesn’t stop you from going out 4-5 nights a week. You won’t touch it unless it’s an open bar. Either you’re a DJ or you’re in a band. Several of your shirts have no sleeves. For the most part, you’ve stopped eating.

25 points: You are the Hipster Messiah. Generations of hipsters have sung your praises and awaited your arrival so that you could show them precisely how it should be done. You are an immortal. Everybody in the scene has not only heard of you, but would probably recognize you even though they have never met you. Then they would softly whisper to a friend, “That’s such-and-such.” You aren’t even invited to anything because it’s just a given that you know about it and you’ll be there. You work with bands and artists, but only the ones you feel like taking on. You’re not a DJ, per se, but sometimes they’ll ask you to play your favorite records just for shits and giggles. You own more than one headband. When Maureen Callahan needs a quote for a Post article, she calls you. You consider “Bronques” a close friend. You should kill yourself.

we had a moment.

no, for reals, y'all. we grabbed hands as he walked off stage.

i can die a happy woman.

(check out my flickr page for more pictures.)

tomorrow night...

i'll be living the dream!

the ups and downs.

what a weekend!

first off, i broke things off with the agent. it just didn't feel right. i do hope we can build a friendship, but i'm no longer feeling anything more than that. after discussing things over at a local coffee house, we said our goodbyes outside the train station on 1st avenue and 14th street. while parting, a woman with an apparent substance addiction approached us and asked us for money. we politely stated that we had none and went back to saying our goodbyes. the agent walked down into the subway and i attempted to walk off. this is when things got weird: the woman stood in my way and wouldn't let me pass. i excused myself and tried to walk in a different direction and yet, she still would not let me pass. my heart started to race. she starts screaming at me, "fuck you! no, god damnit! fuck you!" this, of course, drew a crowd. a man ran up and stepped between the two of us so that i could pass and i started walking quickly down the street. i then hear the agent's voice: he has come back up the stairs from the subway and starts screaming at the woman, "leave her alone!" she starts screaming back at him, but by this time, i'm down the block and not looking back. he calls me twenty minutes later. the woman pulled a knife on him. fucking pulled a knife on him. after spotting the knife, he high-tailed it back into the subway.

my god.

so, that's that.

later in the evening, i attended a live taping of "saturday night live". originally our tickets were for the rehearsal show but we were bumped up recently to live. so amazing. granted, i haven't watched the show in a long time, but nonetheless it was exciting to see how it is put together. the best part? we had vip seats: only 30 people are able to sit on the floor where all the skits are being performed; everyone else sits in the balcony a floor above. (in reruns, you can see me in a turquoise sweater right after dane cook finishes his monologue.) i mean, "weekend update" was performed >this close< to our seats. i felt like i could have reached out and touched tina and amy, if i had been so inclined.

because we had vip tickets, we were able to line up backstage beforehand. besides the myriad cast members, we spotted gob from "arrested development," mike white of "chuck and buck" fame, and ben from "felicity" (kate moss flipped her lid over this). after the show, we waited outside the studio and after making eyes at seth meyers and brushing against "ben", kate moss and i decided to follow them and their entourage. we walked 3 or 4 blocks to the bar where the after party was being held and almost got in. in fact, we were just walking with the crowd behind seth and "ben" and seth says, "all of these people are with me." we walked in, and then the doorguy says, "um, wait a minute. what's your name?" and looks at me. out of my mouth spills, "uh, we're with seth." again, "what's your name?" i tell him my (real) last name and he looks on his list. asks kate moss for her last name. she tells him. he says, "just a minute" and walks outside. instead of booking it into the bar, we decide to fold and walk to the subway, kicking ourselves the whole way.

crazy.

oh, and congrats to my team! sugar bowl-bound!

fuckin' hipsters.

check out this picture and then check out the comment thread on gothamist. what do you think?

also, in non-hipster related news: on the train this morning, i looked up at a subway placard explaining how to go about retreiving one's lost property. there were graphics to accompany the information. along with the usual assortment of mittens, ipods, purses and the like that an individual might leave on a subway, there were also pictures of (get this) a wooden leg and a cobra.

amazing. i love this city.

diagnosis.

i have "an acute case of dramamamaitis." (thanks, kenniebloggins.)

i s'pose i do.

things are better with the agent. we're hanging out tomorrow night if i can muster up the energy. every night this week i've done SOMEthing:

saturday: yummy salad with with the agent
sunday: yummy ethiopian food with scarny, caro, and kate moss
monday: yummy pierogies and broccoli! with the agent
tuesday: yummy asian fusion food with scarny
wednesday: yummy vietnamese food with scarny and kate moss
thursday: yummy vegetarian soul food with scarny, kate moss, alabee, and latimer

so so so tired -- but it sure beats watching endless hours of tv.

so, tomorrow: hang with the agent
saturday: "saturday night live" with kate moss
sunday: alabee's birthday -- dominos and papa john's pizza in w'burg!

(bye, scarny! until, what? next month?! loved having you here!)

(btw, two new fave blogs. check 'em!)

airing dirty laundry.

okay, so if you like someone and then all of a sudden they turn into a raving, self-deprecating monster, i.e., "i have no idea why you like me," "i am so fucked up," "if i were you, i wouldn't go out with me again" but then simultaneously tell you how fucking amazing you are... you would believe that they aren't trying to preemptively end it, correct?

correct.

why is it that men like this are attracted to me?

i'm not sure where to go with this guy. i do like him, but honey, he's gotta grow a pair. (ooh, jen, that's mean.) as i asked him last night, if you like someone, why hand that person a myriad of reasons as to why they shouldn't like you back?

ugh. dating. now i remember why i dug staying single.

the weekend ends.

apparently, i cannot handle brazilian weed. got terribly high on thanksgiving; closed my eyes and felt like i was doing somersaults. zoned out in front of the tv for what seemed like hours. fell asleep on kate moss' rug.

the worst part? the agent was there and witnessed the entire thing. i'm so foolish.

the best part? he wanted to go out with me again. (can't tell if this guy is a keeper or plum crazy.)

we went out last night to enid's. had some drinks and dinner. i...

...

... really like the boy. he, perhaps surprisingly, really likes me, too.

ugh, it's all so cute.

tofurkey day potluck!

check out the menu, yo:

mushroom pesto
spinach dip
hummus
crackers and crudites
butternut squash, apple and brandy soup
rolls
tofu roast
bacon-wrapped turkey (for those meat-eaters)
gravy
soysage, apple, and cranberry dressing
mashed potatoes
brussels sprouts with caramelized onions
green bean casserole
apple cranberry crumble
sweet potato pie
hot apple cider and spiced rum
wine wine wine

jealous? it's going to be an event! first annual! can't wait -- oh, and the agent is coming. i mean, why not meet my best friend and my brother and about ten other friends or acquaintances after just one date? i mean, why not?

more catching up.

a) i haven't an idea how i got the "unfortunate dermatological malady" but it seems to be clearing up. it's called pityriasis rosea and it's caused by a virus. not much is known about the bugger. it'll be sticking around for a while longer but at least it's no longer spreading. ugh. delightful, yes?
b) "bonfire" seems great so far and it's fun reading a book set in new york while i , myself, am set in new york. i think i may read "catcher" again soon. any other suggestions?
c) i did, indeed, go on a date with my ex's booking agent last night and had a wonderful time. my ex lovingly refers to said agent as his "big jewish teddy bear." (i swear to you, my ex is not gay.) anyhow, the agent seems to be just as neurotic as i am. we have much in common, except, you know, i'm not jewish. whatevs! mazel tov!
d) yes, caddy: karma. it's all about karma.

catching you up.

no, kenniebloggins, i apparently do not blog much.

so, to catch you (and everyone) up:

1. i was accepted to volunteer on the hillary campaign -- had to send my resume to d.c. and the hq here in new york. word came down a couple o' days ago. i start on the 28th. if i get to meet bill i will fucking die. for reals, yo.
2. i have an unfortunate dermatological malady which is, for all intents and purposes, chicken pox without the itch. ugh. it will be with me for 6-8 weeks. jealous?
3. i smooched a boy last night who has been on "law & order". of that i know you're jealous.
4. i have a crush on my ex's booking agent. i have a date with this agent on monday, and we're going to a rather pricey restaurant.
5. reading "bonfire of the vanities" and boy, does tom wolfe love to use exclamation points!
6. !!!!!!!
7. going to volunteer with ny cares this holiday season; going to my orientation with kate moss tomorrow. karma!
8. i'm a little too obsessed with the valarie plame sitch.
9. i got a new cell phone. i love it.

i guess that's it. i'm sure there's more, but, well, no. maybe not.

where did holden procure his candy?

i hadn't really thought about the child contingent in the city at halloween; perhaps, in my mind's eye, they all boarded a bus to the 'burbs where they could trick-or-treat like the average kid? but no, on the way home from the gym tonight, i see a group of decked-out tykes going door-to-door at bodegas, grocery stores, drugstores, and bagel shops.

terribly depressing.

miscellaneous.

just got back from seeing "good night, and good luck" (highly recommended) and the preview for "brokeback mountain" made my toes curl in delight!

peanut butter bumpers cereal--found at your local natural food store--is yummy as all get out, especially when paired with vanilla silk.

going to bed early on friday nights ain't so bad. one can get up early and get a prime spot in the local coffeehouse, where one can read the times in its entirety and knit for a while. it's a pleasant way to start the morning.

no costume for me this year. horrors of all horrors, yes? halloween was such a production every year in athens. well, see, every weekend is such a production in nyc, so kate moss and i are just going to go out and get drunk. hopefully we'll find some boys to smooch on.

(though i hope to smooch on a certain boy tomorrow night--but we'll see if we hang out after he gets off work. he's trouble, folks. TROUBLE.)

anyone want to come over and do my laundry? i detest doing laundry. should i just drop it off again? it's such a bourgeois service.

oh, and GO DAWGS. we're 7-0. let's keep it going!

vacation '99!

a few tidbits i picked up while on my vacation upstate (and in the city, during sarah's visit, when i was not at work):

a) moosewood is TOTALLY overrated
b) who knew i could love tasting wine as much as consuming copious amounts of it?
c) i have a renewed interest/passion in veganism--for the tenth time in my life
d) the pig is my power animal and i have the pictures to prove it
e) i miss driving fast and urban sprawl (namely, michael's and wal-mart)--for reals, yo
f) polly disco is one of the best road trip companions ever; maisy wouldn't have been so calm
g) it's not a road trip unless you stop at taco bell for bean burritos fresco style!
h) lucas wineries is the disneyland of vineyards, and that's not a good thing
i) i never want to see that woman do the "riesling dance" again
j) soft rock stations are the best--but rick dees' top 40 ain't that bad, either
k) that one wilco song is fantastic--and i still freak out when i hear "your cover's blown" by belle & sebastian
l) turkeys have personalities--especially tom turkey with those pretty, soft feathers
m) on vacation, calories don't exist
n) the crate & barrel outlet is worth taking that bus up from the city (i'll never buy plastic kitchenware again)
o) eating is the main source of entertainment for most new yorkers--as was apparent through the eyes of an out-of-towner
p) vacations such as these must become an annual occurrence. next up? mexico! (or was it new mexico?)
q) oh, during a rousing game of m.a.s.h, i learned that i will live in providence, rhode island, in a mansion, with no kids, married to (censored), work as a dominatrix, and drive a rickshaw. holla!

s.m. and kate moss--feel free to add to the memories.

pictures are forthcoming.

i feel like a hundred bucks.

thanks to the dawgs win, i'm $100 richer!

(my dad is contemplating sending me the money in one dollar bills marked "go vols"...)

my new read.

anyone else?

alert.

my inbox has been flooded with emails.

from the ap:

NEW YORK - Authorities were increasing mass transit security after word of a credible threat of a bombing on the city's subway system, a congressman said in Washington.

"Obviously, this is a significant threat," said Rep. Peter King (news, bio, voting record), R-N.Y., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.

In New York, a law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity in advance of an official announcement, said the threat is "specific to place, time and method."

The official said authorities are especially concerned about bags on the subway, and plan to flood New York's mass transit system with officers.

FBI officials in Washington said they were not aware of any viable threat to New York's subway system.

An estimated 4.5 million passengers ride the New York subway on an average weekday. The system has more than 468 subway stations.

i've been on a walking kick anyway and haven't been on a train since sunday. tonight, after work, i'm walking east to second avenue and then south from 48th street.

would like to get away from hellish midtown asap.

my bro crashing gracie mansion.

he never ceases to amaze me.
(btw, i think he's grabbing bloomie's ass.)

the sun makes me shine.

i realize that i am, oh, about three years behind the times on this one, but i loved seeing the polyphonic spree. bubbles and crescendos and colorful robes!

(do you imagine that tim gets to sleep with all the pretty girls in the choir in true cult-leader fashion?)

the show, while sparsely attended (because, fuck! scarnsworth wasn't there!), it was a lot of fun. beck was pretty incredible; at one point he's singing with his acoustic guitar while his backing band eats dinner on stage and then they suddenly use their half-full water glasses and cutlery to provide a backing percussion.

belle & sebastian didn't play "your cover's blown" but did play "stars of track and field" and "judy and the dream of horses" so i'll forgive 'em.

the train ride home was exhausting. the n was running on the local track and so it took us over an hour to get home, i believe.

all in all, a fantastic weekend. hopefully scarny will tell his place of employment to fuck itself and he'll move up here.

(twago, scarny! twago!)

scarny's trip thus far.

we met him on union street, drank some more coffee brandy, headed to lilly's in the middle-of-nowhere-red-hook, drank some beer (and whiskey drinks), stumbled home. actually, no, we sashayed home while listening to "p.y.t." on my ipod.

this morn, the three of us woke up and headed to la palapa for a yummy meal complete with a bloody mary. headed up to harlem, him a few h&ms, walked through central park, ended at rock center.

home now to shower, dress, and meet the group for sushi on avenue a in a couple o' hours.

see? good times!

(there is a sad postscript, however: scarny will not be joining us at the across the narrows show on sunday. his place of employment, apparently, is filled with evil killjoys and they're demanding an early return. boooooooooo!)

schnack has the yam fries now. (finally.)

coffee brandy + soy milk + ice cubes = delish!

scarny is in town.

o

m

g

kate moss just got the text. we're listening to "off the wall" and eagerly awaiting his arrival. he's taking a cab to long island city and then will take the g train to carroll street. we'll be hanging at the gowanus yacht club with pbrs in hand.

holla!

these are the good times.

scarnsworth arrives tonight! and so begins a weekend of drinkin' and brunchin' and seein' belle & sebastian. and beck. and the polyphonic spree.

no work tomorrow! no work tomorrow! no work tomorrow!

i heart jeff mangum.

you probably CAN see in the future!

if you haven't seen "everybody hates chris" yet, you should. i foolishly thought that, even though created by chris rock, it would be another mindless, vapid sitcom. no, it's actually very smart and funny--what one would expect from its creator, i suppose.

google video has it up for free for a couple more days.

25 is the new 40.

pretty much the best weekend ever, and i didn't even go out friday night. instead, i stayed up until 5am just thinking about things. just thinking. for hours.

saturday i jogged to brooklyn and back. unreal. two hours. i'm still recuperating. later, had a delicious brunch at caravan of dreams (avec sangria) and then did a little window shopping with kate moss. went home, took a nap, headed to iggy's where we met up with t.h., and then headed to a horrible bar whose name i cannot recall, and then to max fish, where we met a smattering of nice individuals.

closed the bar down and got a little in-the-booth action in, as well. took a cab back to brooklyn, crashed at 5am, and then got up the next morning and walked to the crown heights side of prospect park. from red hook! for real, i'm still recuperating.

had thai food for dinner, watched some old episodes of "curb your enthusiasm," crashed on the couch, and made my way to work this morning.

for real, one of the best weekends ever.

how to spend an evening in chelsea.

i could live on cashews.

kate moss and i are off the white lady together. this is amusing to me as kate moss' namesake, the real kate moss, is apparently not off the white lady. anyhow, 'tis true. haven't had a lick of sugar in 48 hours. if the room starts spinning again, i'll know that perhaps cutting out this delicious-but-deadly foodstuff might not be the way to go.

so many fun things on the horizon: more "six feet under" tonight (finishing up season two, beginning season three), celebrating the autumnal equinox with an autumn salad on thursday, cheap drinks with cutie coworker on friday, dawgs on saturday, and rockaway beach for a celebratory cookout on sunday, as it's our friend, dave's, birthday. (dave was my bro's college roommate, and then randomly, became j.b.'s roommate a few years ago when she moved to the city from athens--through no set-up of mine or my bro's.)

(again, with the whole new-york-is-ridiculously-small-thing.)

again, happy belated birthday to my girl, s.m. sounds like she had a nice day. we will be celebrating with a delicious indian meal when she finally graces nyc with her presence--in less than a month, now!

loosen it up after a long day at the office.

amber bear is one of my craftiest friends--and used to turn old neckties into belts--but even she couldn't have thought this up in her wildest dreams.

(thank god, because if she had, i'd seriously have to rethink our friendship.)

the one where larry david picks up a hooker to legally enter the h.o.v. lane.

must get off the sugar. must get off the sweet, sweet, white lady.

was going to hit up the chelsea hotel this evening for a gentleman's 30th birthday party, but decided that going home and having lentil soup would be a better evening spent--until, that is, my brother called and wanted to have drinks in the east village, and who am i to deny my brother my company? after a few bacardi drinks, i ventured home, spoke to kate moss, made myself a bowl of oatmeal with a variety of sugars swirled in, and now i'm ready to tackle this week's edition of the new yorker.

to say that i am excited about scarnsworth's upcoming visit to our lovely city would be an understatement.

already thinking about s.m.'s trip up here; please also give props to my girl for turning the ripe age of 29 in 25 minutes.

can't get "six feet under" out of my head--the characters have become like friends in my life. this is what i get for netflixing the entire series and watching it incessantly.

thursday? dinner in the park to commemorate the autumnal equinox. i so prefer "autumn" to "fall."

i used to be with the band.

so this is why cmj is a regular walk down my romantic memory lane?

according to cnn:

(athens, georgia is) a town some say still boasts the world's highest per-capita number of rock musicians.

by the way, i saw yet another ex in town for cmj this past weekend. not a musician (surprisingly!).

i'm tired just thinking about it all.

i win!

to catch you up:

had delicious salmon, broccoli, and tomato & feta salad at mama's food shop in the lower east side thursday night--and then drank bacardi and diet cokes until 2am next door. who happened to be patronizing the same bar? none other than scarlett johanson and her cutie-ass boyfriend, josh hartnett. (i saw 'em kiss; they're both just as pretty as one would expect.) was able to catch up with a myriad of friends i haven't seen in quite some time.

somehow was able to drag my ass to work the next morning, though i believe i was still intoxicated. ate cashews and drank coffee all day long.

last night i hit nana for three glasses of wine pre-show and then made it to southpaw in time for the curtains to be drawn, exposing matt & coley on stage together for the first time outside the state of georgia in two years. i haven't seen maserati play in over three, i believe. they played an amazing set; props to the entire band. 'twas especially wonderful to catch up with scuba and hear he's doing so well--and that he's blissfully happy with a special lady. caught up with matty the night before so didn't talk to him much, but it was great seeing him reunited with the band. most importantly: was able to share some time with coley--had a really good, heartfelt, substantive talk. i wish him only the best forever and ever. i think he's top-notch and i love him to pieces.

woke up today at 8:30, had a delicious mexican brunch with a bloody mary, walked across the williamsburg bridge, hit the san gannero fest in little italy (the parade featured a float populated with nuns and the grand marshall was some guy named cousin brucie. i shit you not.), shopped at anthropologie, had a piece of peanut butter bomb cake from atlas in the east village, and now, finally, am home. going out again tonight--cutie bartender from nana is playing in the lower east side for no cover.

cmj wears me out.

spinning.

i've had two very odd, brief, yet intense dizziness spells today. both while sitting down--and i had one yesterday while walking.

perhaps this is from my lack of sugar?

tick tock.

hanging out tomorrow night with a few old friends in the east village for dinner and drinks (my no-sugar kick will be on hiatus for cmj, thank you very much. so much for willpower. shut it, kb!).

southpaw, friday night. athens reunion of sorts.

gave my digits to mr. politico--who is a) frighteningly funny and b) enjoys color me badd.

after spending $80 at target, i actually enjoy sitting in my living room for the first time. amazing what a rug, lamp, curtains, and candles will do.

j.b.'s birthday is on saturday and there will be a picnic to commemorate--may also hit buster's garage to watch the dawgs play, as it's on ppv only. hmph.

cutie coworker's band was pretty good last night; his drumming impressed me. oh, btw, has anyone heard of a band called phantom tollbooth?

never mentioned that i did, in fact, go on that date last friday night--and while he was quite sweet and asked me a million questions (and lord knows i love to talk about myself) and split a piece of tiramisu with me, there just wasn't a spark on my end. i believe in the spark. i'd love for us to be friends and i believe he would, too. fun fact: aside from being a 7th and 8th grade history teacher, he sings a cappella and speaks fluent russian!

i feel a bit out of sorts. i hope the weekend gets here quickly--and then flies by.

it started with david la chappelle's burger king commercial.

six months ago, i was regularly attending "drinking liberally" at rudy's in hell's kitchen. rudy's biggest claim to fame is the fact that they have free hot dogs, of which i didn't partake.

while frequenting "dl", i met a guy who was crazy nice, good-lookin', funny as all get out, and super-duper politically active. he started an "anti-bush travel agency" in 2004, for crying out loud; it's objective was to get volunteers into swing states to help get out the vote for kerry.

anyhow, i stopped going to "dl" and though he and i emailed a few times, things never took off and he just became a memory.

fast forward six months: last night, i attended a small katrina benefit in red hook (which, if you don't know, is in the fuckin' middle of nowhere) and who happened to be there? mr. politico. turns out, he's roommates with the guy who owns the bar, who also happened to live in athens and whose ex-girlfriend went to high school with my ex-roommate.

i mean, new york is small.

so, now we're emailing again.

i love serendipity.

the white lady.

i'm off of sugar for two weeks: no bread, pasta, rice, fruit, alcohol (!), baked goods... (s'mores luna bars, carob-covered raisins, gingersnaps, vanilla soy milk...)

kate moss, alabee, and i spent saturday night watching the game (17-15 win for the dawgs). conversation turned to nutrition habits and the link between sugar and all things evil that occur in one's body. in order to kick these cravings i have, i'm off of the stuff for two weeks.

if i am an absolute raving bitch to you in a few days, i apologize in advance.

went to rockaway yesterday and got more sun than i thought i would this late in the season. it was the last trip out there until next summer, sadly.

tonight is a katrina benefit in red hook; tomorrow is watching my cutie coworker play in the east village.

oh, and cmj is upon us.

test yr skillz.

i'm embarrassed to say that, last night, i failed miserably at the gowanus yacht club trivia competition. out of 50 or so questions, i believe i answered a scant few correctly--if at all.

the one question that was driving me fucking nuts was to name the kubrick film that took place in 18th century europe. i thought, "god, it's something like 'barton fink'! i know it is!' and my team hadn't a clue, either. (it also happens to be the only kubrick film i haven't seen, i believe.)

"barry lyndon".

other questions included:

who performed the song "maggot brain"?
where is the tennis hall of fame located?
what was the first british play written for children?
who was the first u.s. president to ride in a submarine, plane, and car?
what is the capital of uganda?
which television show featured the character emma peel?
what is the name of a pickled japanese plum in macrobiotic cooking?

any takers?

oh, but the best part was our team name:
"how you gonna rip it like that, son?"

(enter snarky comment here.)

from the onion:

ATHENS, GA—After a prolonged period of declining health and failing morale, the indie-rock scene was officially pronounced dead today in the sleepy college town where it was born. Indie rock was 25.

humpday.

oh, gentle reader(s), it's been quite a while since i posted something meaty for you, hasn't it? this can be attributed to the fact that i haven't done much but park my ass on my mother's couch and eat gingersnaps for most of the last five days. i heart labor day.

(oh, but how 'bout them dawgs?)

if anyone read the post that was up last night until, oh, 11:05 pm or so--yes, it's gone. a certain friend, who shall remain nameless, did his duty and called me up to chew me out for even thinking about doing what i fancied doing. (okay, so how's that for cryptic?)

i have a date on friday. how the hell did i pull this off? especially since the thought of dating doesn't appeal to me in the least right now. i figure, he's nice, i have no other friday night plans, and perhaps i'll make a new friend? he's taking me to dinner and to a comedy show, so at least i know i will laugh. i hope. anyhow, he's a friend-of-a-friend and not some shifty-eyed internet stranger. i swore those fellas off for good.

oh happy day: i found my box of favorite books in my mother's garage over the weekend and was able to finally retrieve "a confederacy of dunces", "catcher in the rye", "as i lay dying", "a heartbreaking work of staggering genius", among others. why it took me so long to bring these books to the city, i haven't a clue. i am currently reading "rammer jammer yellow hammer", thanks to kb's suggestion, and upon completion i believe i will jump into rereading "confederacy," as new orleans rests heavy in my heart as of late.

i have completed season one of "six feet under"--i have netflixed the entire available series.

file under nostalgia: cmj is almost upon us and, funny, i will finally get to see maserati play the damn thing but i had to wait three years and actually move to new york to do it. i was supposed to attend that ol' kindercore showcase back in, when was it? 2002? had a plane ticket and everything. ...but, you know, other things got in the way. i'll be checking them out at the southpaw on september 16th and am quite looking forward to it.

so, i think that just about wraps things up.

i am obviously living the dream, yes?

the man.

i heart d.j. shockley.

my autumn boy toy.

okay, so who wants to drink a few beers with me and then make out like teenagers on prom night?
i never realized that such an innocuous display of my affection would be criticized as it has.

no man's land.

so, i have one toe in park avenue country club and one toe in the bowery ballroom.

in new york, where does that leave me?

the ol' miss, the ol' man.

the pictures on tv are unbelievable.

i haven't a clue if my old house is underwater, or my high school, or the venue of my first date, or that coffee house that donald and i patronized when we learned of kurt cobain's death, or the thrift store from where i bought the majority of my clothing in 1994, or the bowling alley where paige had her sweet 16th birthday, or the club where i had my first alcoholic drink (naturally, a screwdriver), or the site where i lost my virginity, or the sites of any of my memories, actually.

these buildings mean little when the poorest residents of new orleans are being raped, shot, and are dying near the convention center with slow response from the federal government--even four days later.

the amount of death and destruction is overwhelming.

here's the red cross website if you'd like to donate.

cbgb

look at bloomie acting like he gives a shit!

as my coworker said:

It became more of cock rock place where just about anyone could play. It's easy to see how they lose money, but it is a historic landmark and should be preserved somehow, but that doesn't seem to be happening.

so long, cbgb.

oats & soy.

last night i discovered that my sweet roomie, nurse annie, was raised a quaker. she doesn't necessarily identify with the friends now, but is still interested in returning to a service in the near future. i think i'm going to tag along for the ride.

(of course, this does remind me of nate & maggie.)

anyhow, it's true: the congregation apparently sits in silence until one is moved to speak. should be interesting.

for the record, i was raised without religion, as my mother is presbyterian, my father is buddhist, my stepmother is baptist, and my stepfather is formerly catholic. i suppose the lot couldn't decide upon which side of the fence i should fall. i was dragged to a few services by my mother during one of the divorces, but didn't get much out of it. later, i spent some time going to mass with an ex and (gasp!) took communion. as i've been told, for this i will be going to hell.

i have a feeling that i would have been headed there--if there were such a place--anyways.

so there you go.

in other news, the new yorker this week is the food issue! interesting article on tofu on page 66.

rammer jammer yellow hammer.

(kb, i know i owe you a long-ass email and it is forthcoming, but...)

i think i've just found the next book i will read. i've been in search of one, and the fact that i'm attending this sec happy hour tomorrow night (and that i miss watching football with kb terribly) inspires me to pick this one up.

btw, this boy is hott.

galette me be sick.

so, remember that gorgeous galette that i was to make this weekend? with pears and blueberries and a flaky vegan crust?

i made it.

i've been sick for two days.

i don't know if it was the extra-margarine-y crust or the balsamic vinegar in the pears (yes, s.m! vinegar!), but i felt like shit all day yesterday. could barely keep down the slice of pizza i ate. just conjuring up the flavor in my mind is the best appetite-suppressant i've found as of late.

next time? filo dough, apples, raisins, and no vinegar.

fun fact: this wednesday, a.w. (who will henceforth be known as alabee) and i are hitting an sec happy hour at the park avenue country club, commemorating the release of a new book on paul bear bryant. we're hoping to meet some darling ex-fraternity brothers from down south and snag us a couple for the night.

(oh, and kate moss, alabee, and i went to ex-athenian alan corey's bar on friday night--but didn't see him. his place is pretty cool: games of horseshoes in the backyard!)

hey, boo.

i been wanting to check out this neighborhood, and now have an even better reason: theater in the street! i love this idea. i doubt, however, that i will be able to get a seat after the piece in the times.

perhaps i will just read the book again.

hurricane.

now that i know that the few people i know residing in new orleans are safe, i'm thinking about how my high school home will probably not exist after today. i'm thinking back to every single weekend i spent in the french quarter with donald at the age of 17.

not to be overly dramatic, but i'm choking up.

rusty nails.

ugh. i buy these salads often.

from gothamist:

Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of New Yorkers partake in the made-to-order salad for lunch. Some chick peas here, a little corn there, grilled chicken, too... But forget chatting with your co-worker on line: Watch what goes into your food, as one Midtown lawyer claims to have found a nail in his salad. Ron Dayan told the NY Post, "I pulled out this rusty, disgusting-looking, gooey nail, like a construction nail. I showed it to my colleagues...who didn't believe me at first and then didn't believe the size [over an inch]."

tech-ulinary.

wow!

too bad a) kate moss doesn't have an ipod and b) a.c. doesn't give two shits about food.

galette me down easy.

today has been quite busy, but i prefer it that way. the day flies.

had a delicious salad from hale & hearty for lunch: baby spinach, granny smith apples, chickpeas, shredded carrots, and cucumbers with a carrot ginger dressing. (i feel like i'm writing to, and hearing from k.b., as the majority of our emails contain detailed accounts of our meals.)

(speaking of meals, i'm trying to convince kate moss that we should make one out of this--veganized, of course. i think she's game. oh, and caddy, i would love your pastry crust recipe if you ever want to part with it. i've got tarts on the brain.)

tonight brings me to brooklyn to see "the 40 year-old virgin". why brooklyn? because we've actually found a theater in the area that charges only $5 on first-run movies! hurrah!

spent a bit of my down-time today researching wineries for my trip upstate in october. i think i've successfully convinced s.m. to come along.

(my dear, buy that ticket tomorrow! you won't regret it!)

finally, to answer many of your questions: no, i haven't switched jobs (yet) and no, i'm not moving (yet). fantasizing is simply my favorite pastime.

esquivalience.

to catch you up-to-date, gentle reader(s)...

i enjoyed this article in the new yorker this morning on the train to work.

i discovered this channel and i'm loving it--thanks al gore!

this movie was on the other night and it was one of my favorites as a kid.

i had this at lunch--it was catered and i couldn't pass it up. the ultimate dessert, however? two words: fried twinkie.

going to see this movie tomorrow with kate moss, though my coworker informed me that it's "overrated."

we're going to begin using this book at work and i love it's premise: eat more more more.

i've decided to spend my (ahem...) 30th birthday in this city. you have time to save, however--it's still 18 months off. (fuck! only 18 months!)

and finally, i've actually budgeted my money for once in my life and am happy to report that come the end of november, i will almost be debt free. (um, except for those pesky student loans, but they're not even worth mentioning.) this is no small feat in new york, mind you.

now, i encourage everyone to continue recommending places for me to move after my tour of duty in nyc is through. i have a vote for memphis, a vote for the research triangle, and a vote for providence--or, rather, i have a vote to go visit allison in boston.

close enough.

plum nuts.

is it just me or does that sweet potato picture down below look really fucking weird?

i've been sort of bored at work today and have gone back to read my "sent" mail from back in 2002. good god. how did my friends deal with me? i was plum crazy, y'all. i really allowed c.d. to do a number on me. i'm glad that things are copacetic between us now because from the sound of some of those emails, i was about ready to jump (or push him) off a cliff. i mean, for fuck's sake. path-et-ic.

so, now i'm thinking about dinner. i mean, if it isn't boys (not so much anymore, folks) or jobs or where i'm going to live, it's food. i think tonight it's going to be burritoville. (oh, how i miss taco stand chips-and-cheese-dip and baja burritos. oh, how i miss grit brunches [back when i didn't need a bloody mary with brunch at 11:00 am on a sunday morning, as i do now. i mean, brunch without alcohol? huh?]).

could i live in charleston, south carolina? or is savannah more appealing? i was this close to applying for a random public health educator gig in south dakota the other day just for the hell of it. i still want to visit providence. memphis also seems promising.

sigh.

i'm so creative.

i was going to enter this contest to create a new ice cream flavor, until i realized that you have to submit a videotape along with your application. as I am lazy, i will not do this, and so i am submitting to you my ideas:

dark chocolate rosemary
milk chocolate cinnamon cayenne (mexican chocolate)
mint chocolate orange (props to kate moss)
...and my personal favorite: sweet potato casserole (sweet potato, marshmallow, and candied pecans)

if you submit one or more of these, avec videotape, please give me a shout-out.

if you win, you better share the wealth.

random.

this weekend, i lost:

a few inches of hair off of my head
my favorite h&m black cardigan
my silver gap sandals
a few ounces of dignity on a bathroom floor in tribeca

i discovered the beautiful rockaway beach. to think, i've been frequenting coney island this entire time without realizing that rockaway is much, much better (aka, cleaner).

kate moss and i decided that we would become inventors. a list of some of our works-in progress:

deodorant clothing
veggie burger on a stick
never-melting ice
self-cleaning cutting board
beach-in-a-box
fries with cheese in the middle

we realized that many of these inventions would require some sort of enzyme, and thus, we are on the lookout for scientists to assist us.

i have decided that i want to move to providence, rhode island, even though i've never been there.

the series finale of "six feet under" was beautifully tear-inducing until the last five minutes, when it turned into a cheesy car commercial and was disappointing beyond belief.

i think i might want to get into pharmaceutical sales--even though, yes, i'm in preventive health currently.

drinks with coworkers = good times.

i want to take a cruise for my next vacation. solo.

...okay, i think that just about sums things up.

satan!

why is it that of all the cars on all the queens-bound f/v trains in the entire 10:00 am hour, i keep running into the crazy-jamaican-man-who-screams-about-satan? i mean, three times in the last month. ridiculous.

things got better this morning, however, when i ran into this man in the lobby. even cuter in person!

last night was good times. listening to overpriced summerstage shows in the park for free is, um, totally worth it. kate moss and i hit a likka store beforehand, picked up some mixers (coke zero for me--not bad!--and ginger ale for her) and bottles of our favorite likkas (bacardi for me and whiskey for her). by the time the show was over, i was tipsy as all get out. the best part? i walked home, down fifth avenue, still sipping on my rum & coke, disguised as a coke zero in a plastic bottle. i tell you, there's nothing like listening to abba's "lay all your love on me" and "voulez vous" while drunk and dodging tourists in midtown.

oh, and though i don't usually like encores, i made an exception when death cab and the decemberists came back out and played fleetwood mac's "go your own way". it wasn't "rhiannon," a.c., but close!

tonight brings more drinking (sheesh!) with the cutie coworker at a dive bar in the l.e.s.

fuck, or is it on the l.e.s.?

planz.

without giving too much away, i have a jam-packed weekend ahead of me:

things start out nicely tonight, with kate moss and i visiting central park for the death cab/stars/decemberists show. as we would never pay such a ridiculous amount for indie rock (ha!), we are instead bringing a sheet, some little bottles of liquor, and soda and having an emo-nerdy time for free.

tomorrow, apres-work, i'm set to have drinks with my cutie musician coworker and his friends. (i'm also holding out that evening for kate moss to set the wheels in motion to hook me up with one of r.r.'s tall friends--though i'm not sure if r.r. has any tall friends. or friends, for that matter. i don't even know the guy.)

saturday is the big sassy haircut day, thank god. my hair has been driving me nuts lately. i can't wait to have it back into some sort of style. perhaps then i will actually use the $20 hair products i purchased a few weeks ago on a binge at duane reade.

...following the haircut, i plan to meet up with kate moss and together we will find a.c. and my dear ex-pat pal, kevy. i have known kevy since my freshman year of college, back when he had a big-ass multi-colored mohawk and had not yet found veganism. fast-forward eleven years and i look forward to our reunion. a.c. is back to retrieve his belongings (including his kitties, for whom i've been caring) before really leaving for the left coast. together, the four of us plan to hit up a swanky party at my bro's pad in tribeca.

sunday, it looks like it might be rawk-rawk-rockaway beach, folks.

fuck! i'm in love with new york again.

murder at teany.

people are losing their god-forsaken minds--not so much over the murder, but over gothamist's supposed lack of sense of humor and over hipsters au generale:

Hipsters have iPods.
Hipsters use the word "like" and "totally" as sentence filler (I was all like, yeah, and she was all like, that's like totally so big) and end their sentences with an upswing.
Hipsters drink Pabst Blue Ribbon and Rheingold.
Hipsters hang at Lit, Pianos and the Dark Room.
Hipsters say "for here" instead of "to stay" when they order a slice.
Hipsters still have their old ID from Wisconsin even though they've been living in New York the past three years.
Hipsters call blacks "hip hop guys."
Hipsters complain about gentrification every time they go out.
Hipsters have tattoos of stars.
Hipsters say "in" the Lower East Side instead of "on" the Lower East Side.
Hipsters deny that they are actually hipsters themselves, despite all of the above being true.

what time it is.

my bro, who has the fuckin' hookup, is getting me this ecko watch just because he can.

thanks, def jux!

fraternizing with frat boys.

per kb's suggestion, i looked up where the local georgia-alums watch football in the city. found this place.

it looks rather frightening, but perhaps i should just suck it up? it would be sad to spend a whole season watching games alone in my apartment.

sassy cut ahead.

i begrudgingly got myself a corporate job and i've dealt.

though i've often wanted to go on a claire-like rampage, i haven't.

nevertheless, i been feeling a bit soulless lately, and so i'm going to spend some dough on a sassy haircut this saturday at this place. yes, i live in manhattan, but am traveling to williamsburg to get my hair cut. maybe this way i can wear corporate attire but still feel like i have some sort of, um, edge?

i'm probably just kidding myself.

a cute bonus to my visit--though dating is so last year.

i once took the train to harlem.

there is an article about my boyfriend's imminent world domination in this week's "new york" magazine--on stands now!

(i haven't actually read it, so please do so and tell me how it is.)

he's so cute.

...and to think that i almost worked for his impeachment-era nemesis!

thank god for drugs and honesty.

americana.

jbd, american-style: picture me on a raft, floating on the tellico river in tennessee, beer in hand, listening to the boss playing through the speakers on my dad's boat. i mean, good times, folks. good times.

leaving the south is always hard for me. don't get me wrong: i love nyc, but a piece of my heart will always belong to (in the words of kate moss) "the sweet sweet dirty dirty south." it was difficult being in the atlanta airport and not running past security and out to the parking lot, where i would call sarah and/or scarnsworth to come pick me up and take me to nuevo laredo. (of course, i did get that text from ms. bear that said, "don't be sad; atl is overrated anyway" and that helped kill the romance.)

my bro, who shares my love for the atl, and i actually discussed changing our connection and spending the night. we almost did it. it would have been irresponsible, but we almost did it.

all in all, the weekend was wonderful. it's always great to spend q.t. with my dad--or as he is also known, the oracle. he's a wise one. he inspired me to draw up a budget on the way home and to think of ways to save money. (of course, i also drew up a list of things i wanted to purchase, but i do live in new york city, kids. it's like living in the best shopping mall ever.)

planning on being back down there in a few months, and this time, i'm going to book a long layover.

girl crushes redux.

in the words of scarnsworth:

"i've got a 'girl crush' on that guy - only difference: we're both guys and i want to fuck him."

tits galore!

had a delicious cactus taco tonight and washed it down with a refreshing concoction of whiskey, lemon, and lime juice. finished the evening off with a couple of beers at this place. tits galore, indeed.

work is getting better; i'm beginning to be able to use some of my creativity (though i once said i felt that i was a creative person with no creative outlet--most frustrating). in the ever-present debate between job satisfaction and good pay, the former is currently edging out the latter. perhaps i'll stick around a while longer?

spotting-the-sweetest-model/actress-i-know-alert! saw v., my brother's good friend, on tv just moments ago in the new old navy commercial. she's adorable, picking cords on a farm. my bro and his friends are blowing up.

kate moss and i had a nice discussion tonight about being single in new york. as i told a patient today, it's not like tv, but it's pretty damn good. (yes, it's probably inappropriate that i had this discussion with a patient, but whatevs.)

...and as i told a.c. yesterday, i'm not really that interested in dating, anyhow. if i ever get married, i'm sure it'll just be to a boy-friend. i'm so over traditional relationships.

in related news, this article reminds me of when i met my first bona-fide nyc friend, s., with whom, sadly, i don't speak much anymore.

"They're better than boy crushes," Ms. Malsbury said, with more than a hint of mischief in her voice. "You don't have to break up with them after two weeks."

(oh, and randomly, if anyone can suggest where i can find a short-sleeve black shirt-dress, please do.)

this is for kb & scarnsworth.

did you hear that neil labute is remaking "the wicker man"?

it's true.

update: i forgot to mention that frances conroy is going to be in it.

google.

got an email from a.c. today and he's in hog heaven out in google-country. he's eating gourmet vegan meals for free at work. i couldn't find out much about this rave-worthy cafeteria, but check out the general perks of working for the company.

as i told him, i'd say he's lucky, but he's not--he earned this.

kudos, a.c.

funny ha-ha.

from the post this morning:

According to a new survey, Americans view New York as the most humorless place in the country. The South, on the other hand, topped the list as the funniest place around.

i have noticed that i laugh less frequently since moving up here, but perhaps that is because i drink less, as well.

mes amies crafty...

check out this site through which you can sell your goods. perhaps one day i will muster up the energy to knit into oblivion and finally sell something.

(note to my dearest ms. bear--you need to sell your bags. pronto.)

that reminds me, i need to post pictures of my w.i.p.--the short-sleeved shrug that i haven't worked on in what seems like years.

yeah, yeah, kb, i know.

to sell one's soul.

when is this okay? is the idea of "not selling out" something that i'm clinging onto from adolescence?

had an interview with the city today and i was basically told that the position was "quite junior" and i seemed "overqualified." i doubt i could squeeze much money out of 'em, either. my salary requirements have grown quite a bit since moving to the city.

i'm thinking of just forgetting all about my good intentions towards helping people and what not and just getting some hot secretarial gig down in the financial district. i could make enough money to actually (gasp!) take a cab every now and again, pay a decent amount toward my student loans, and pay down my credit cards. (not to mention someday actually buying a home or something equally grown-up.)

will i wake up hating myself every morning?

sleepy-time.

i'm really tired today and i'm not sure why. i got my 8 hours of sleep in (after sobbing for an hour during a rather tear-inducing episode of my favorite show) woke up and hit the gym for an hour, drank my coffee. all part of the regular routine on a monday morning, but yet, i am still tired. perhaps i'm dealing with post-relaxation exhaustion?

next weekend i will be in atlanta for an hour--have a layover on the way to tennessee. i only wish i had more time and could meet scarnsworth and/or s.m. (and/or a myriad of other atl-folk) for lunch here or here or here.

anyhow, this past weekend down the shore was wonderful. apparently too wonderful, though.

zzzzzz.

gluttony.

fuck, kate moss and i are eating hazelnuts and dried cranberries and pita points and graham crackers by the handful--and we've been washing it down with champagne since 10:30 in the a.m., bitches.

jersey shore!

pants on fire.

from the ap:

The percentage of people who say they consider Bush honest has dropped slightly from the start of the year. In January, 53 percent described him that way in the AP-Ipsos poll, while 45 percent said they did not believe he was honest. Now, people are just about evenly split — 48 percent saying he's honest and 50 percent saying he's not.

officially a benny.

and so, my loyal 5-or-so readers, i will be vacating the island of manhattan this weekend and taking a trip down the shore. i will be relaxing by the pool, sipping champagne, preparing delicious vegan meals, and spending q.t. with both kate moss and the moms. enjoy the dirty, smelly, hot 'n humid city while i'm away.

(apologies go out to a.c.--i didn't get a chance to see him before he set off for california, but it won't be long before he returns to retrieve the kitties. a.c., i like how you used the 'there's-a-cute-boy-here!' tactic last night to try to get me to come out. nice work, though it was to no avail.)

went running last night through the streets of the east village, passing an abundance of drunk smokers populating the sidewalk. it felt, well, odd. in keeping with my recent interest in all things high school, however, listening to the go! team kept me going.

from pitchfork:

"The Power Is On" pops like puffy rainbow stickers, rubbing determined piano chords against surly trumpets and cheerleader chants.

in other music news, i am happy to report that c.d. and i emailed a bit yesterday (i have missed him so) and that his band and their "smooth-ridin' sex rock" will be making a stop in these parts next month. i am waiting with baited breath. it's been years since i last saw them play and though one would think i was beholden to be a fan when he and i were dating, i really did like them. honest.

yes, but did he have the balls to smoke indoors?

last night, my bro had burgers and beer at gracie mansion and hung out with this guy. it helps to have friends in high places.

i can die a happy girl.

jeff mangum is skinny.

went to the olivia tremor control show tonight at the bowery ballroom. stayed a lot longer than i usually stay at shows, right, kate moss? jeff came on and i pulled out my camera and god-i-hope-i-got-a-picture because my batteries were low.

it was a regular athens reunion: d.d., a.w., h.m., t.h., et al.

kate moss and i both got harrassed by a group of fellas that were "big olivia tremor control fans" and god, were they annoying as fuck. i told them that i worked in advertising and that my name was stephanie.

t.h. kissed me flush on the mouth in an attempt to shoo them away (as in, i'm apparently only into girls, fellas!)... but i'm pretty sure it just turned 'em on.

your guide to free booze.

while kate moss and i have already solidified plans for tomorrow night (which include an invite-only bacardi open bar), i've found a site for those nights when you want to drink but don't have much cash. this is me most nights.

man-about-town j.p. is featured on the gallery page in all of his glory.

missed connection.

to the man on the queens-bound f train between 14th and 48th street this morning, with dark, tousled hair, glasses, roman nose, dark t-shirt, army green pants, old school nikes, reading the times, with the wedding ring on...

you were hot and she is lucky.

epicurious.

walked home from work yesterday and stopped to purchase items for dinner. ended up whipping up a stuffed sweet potato with black beans, chili powder, cumin, and salsa and served with tofutti sour cream. so good. this was inspired by an earlier email from kb in which he referenced black bean and sweet potato quesadillas.

(speaking of which, it was a pleasure to catch up with kb last night over the phone and to hear that he's doing well.)

had a handful of my new obsession, carob raisins, for dessert. i've given up my last three obsessions successfully: s'mores luna bars, vanilla soy milk, and natural peanut butter. it's not necessarily that these items are unhealthy, but my love for them became so.

(as a nutrition educator, i think about food often.)

goat.

i haven't read this, but it may be what i pick up after finishing the porn book i'm currently devouring. i've been on a bit of a memoir kick as of late.

it was recently announced that david gordon green adapted the screenplay for "goat" and is directing the film version. i love a few of his other films, and only wish he could have made this happen.

the green room.

peep what's on the (gourmet vegan) menu for this weekend's trip down the shore:

*steamed tempeh appetizer with crudites, pita points, and red pepper hummous
*filo pastry lasagna with tofu ricotta, mushrooms, spinach, olives, artichokes, and roasted red peppers
*steamed broccoli with hazelnuts
*pear crumble with chocolate chips and pecans
*champagne, champagne, champagne

my mouth is watering.

laurie loo.

i must admit--i don't really know this lady, though i've met her a few times and count one of her old roommates as a friend. still, i was excited for her when i saw this.

athens girl makes good--and her stuff is gorgeous.

...and this is a "blue state".

there is a piece in today's times that points out the inconsistencies in governor pataki's platform on reproductive rights. i have to admit, i agree whole-heartedly with (gasp!) state senate republican majority leader joe bruno--and i'm not the only one:

"Joe Bruno is entirely correct," said Howard Wolfson, a Democratic strategist who is working for Naral Pro-Choice New York, a leading abortion-rights group. "In George Pataki's New York, a 17-year-old can obtain an abortion without restriction. But if that same 17-year-old tries to prevent that abortion by using emergency contraception, she will be turned away."

circumlocution is the word of the day.

this (scroll down to august 3) seems amazing--and free. can't beat that price in the city. i've heard kb and scarnsworth (as well as my bro) sing her praises, and so i think it would be worth checking out.

last night? yet another cookout in bk with a.c. i turned into a bit of a drama queen, but all's well that ends well, right? he and i are "on the same page" yet again. or something like that. love that corporate lexicon.

after returning to my apartment last night, my roommates and i had yet another power outtage after blowing yet another one of our fuses. with the three of us running our window a/c units, tv on, computer running, antique lantern illuminated... it was bound to happen. this is the fourth time this season and the third time this week. martin wasn't able to change the fuse until this morning and needless to say, i slept without a/c last night.

it wasn't fun, folks.

a not-so-delightful cacophony.

i hate misspelling words.

(thank you, a.c.)

so many plans...

so many things to do this week, and plans keep changing:

a) going to eat at this establishment on tuesday, instead of union picnic. looking forward to those rice 'n beans.
b) thurston moore show in brooklyn on wednesday.
c) going to watch myriad episodes of "l & o: svu" instead of doing much else--need to stay on my toes!

what's an urban debutante to do?

i've escaped!

martin came by late last night, thank heavens, and opened the door.

i must say, now that i've downloaded some good shit onto my ipod (see: marching band entry), hitting the treadmill at 7:30 in the morning ain't that hard. i forgot to mention that "lose my breath" by destiny's child also has a cadence reminiscent of drum corps, causing me to shake my ass uncontrollably.

exciting plans for the week:
a) possible fried green tomatoes with a.c. in bk
b) travels down the shore for poolside champagne!
c) possible hang-out with r.m., if he resurfaces...