ah, fallbrook. you just gotta love the sleepy quality of your quaint home town. there are no bright lights obstructing the starry sky at night. there are no loud garbage trucks outside your window waking you up at 7am. just lots of peace and quiet. and the older i get, the more i appreciate coming home to the "friendly village" (yes, that is what the welcome sign says).
in my older years, christmas has never been my favorite holiday. it's just a lot of unwarranted stress and consumerism and it's always sort of turned me off. and the split family thing was always a bit of a pain in the butt (from early years on). having christmas morning at one house and christmas dinner at the other (and most often some little argument was involved). granted, being an only child, i cleaned up on the presents, but there was always a strange feeling that christmas gave me. not the warm and cherry feelings they show in the TV xmas movies. more of an unsettled uneasiness.
and this year, with my dad being gone, was no exception. people always say the holidays are the hardest when you've lost a family member. and yes, it was strange not to have my dad around. but it was different this year too. instead of being separate, the families sort of melded. sort of. my mom and i went to my step mom's house for a lovely christmas eve dinner. and on xmas day, my grandma (dad's mom) joined my mom's family for dinner. so this was a new kind of mixed up christmas. and i think because of the newness of the situation, my dad's absence wasn't a total shock. either that, or it's just my defense mechanism which automatically turns off my emotions when i come home. i think i don't want to get sad so badly, that i can just shut it out of my brain. strange, huh?
i will admit that i was pretty excited for some of the gifts i received. the theme this year was all about keeping busy indoors. for my NY winter hibernation. i got the silk screening machine i was hoping for, the LOTR trilogy extended version box set, a nice pair of pj's and slippers, and tons of rad books!
my grandma decided to give me a pile of letters she'd been saving for years. they were all the letters my dad had written her when he was in the army and in viet nam. i got up early this morning, read through some of them and found a little envelope of photos of him. the images and his writing brought it all back and made me cry. obviously when the defenses are down and the memories come back, i do miss him an awful lot but he's definitely here in spirit.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
the search for perfection
i am one of those people that always orders a particular caffeinated beverage. nothing fancy or special. none of these half-caf, no whip, extra foamy, dash of vanilla, soy milk, mocha-chino thingies. i just like a plain old tasty latte. BUT, i am very picky about my latte.
must be strong enough to really taste the espresso (but absolutely not bitter... the shot has to be pulled just right), nice and foamy (but not airy foamy, more on the thick and creamy side), and the perfect temperature (not burn my tongue scalding hot and not half-assed luke warm). sounds complicated, but it's really not that hard people. i spent some time as a barista in college (at a certain corporate coffee place that i choose not to name) and i mastered the art of the espresso machine. all it really takes is a certain amount of care, and that's what these crappy NY joints are lacking.
i don't know what it is about the lattes i've purchased in ny recently. they've been really really bad. they've either been way too bitter, way too hot or just not strong enough. ugh! i think i was spoiled in new zealand... the land of the perfect latte. they just got it right. every single time. i think i had one bad latte in my 5 weeks there (and i admittedly got one every single day). and the megan t hill award to the best latte in the universe goes to the vulcan cafe in auckland (amanda's fine recommendation). SHEER PERFECTION. they even made the national fern leaf in the foam! amazing.
ok, so if anyone out there reading this can recommend their favorite latte shop in nyc, please tell me. i'm desperate. granted, it'd be great if the place was on my walk to the subway (fort green, brooklyn area) but if it's that good, i will make the effort to seek it out.
must be strong enough to really taste the espresso (but absolutely not bitter... the shot has to be pulled just right), nice and foamy (but not airy foamy, more on the thick and creamy side), and the perfect temperature (not burn my tongue scalding hot and not half-assed luke warm). sounds complicated, but it's really not that hard people. i spent some time as a barista in college (at a certain corporate coffee place that i choose not to name) and i mastered the art of the espresso machine. all it really takes is a certain amount of care, and that's what these crappy NY joints are lacking.
i don't know what it is about the lattes i've purchased in ny recently. they've been really really bad. they've either been way too bitter, way too hot or just not strong enough. ugh! i think i was spoiled in new zealand... the land of the perfect latte. they just got it right. every single time. i think i had one bad latte in my 5 weeks there (and i admittedly got one every single day). and the megan t hill award to the best latte in the universe goes to the vulcan cafe in auckland (amanda's fine recommendation). SHEER PERFECTION. they even made the national fern leaf in the foam! amazing.
ok, so if anyone out there reading this can recommend their favorite latte shop in nyc, please tell me. i'm desperate. granted, it'd be great if the place was on my walk to the subway (fort green, brooklyn area) but if it's that good, i will make the effort to seek it out.
Monday, December 20, 2004
nesting day
i haven't left the house today. or gotten out of my pajamas. and to be perfectly honest, i love days like this. especially when it's below zero outside (with the wind chill). no thanks, i'd rather be toasty and warm, drinking tea, cooking up the homemade turkey sausage i got at the farmers market yesterday, making xmas prezzies and uploading more new zealand pics to flickr.
tomorrow is looking like more of the same. it's supposed to be in the 20s and snowing tomorrow. brrrrrr...
the weekend was good. plenty of socializing. i'm right back into ny city living and liking it again. i kinda got into the xmas spirit a little bit: making the gifts, drinking warm spiced beverages, mingling with new people, seeing the big holiday movies, and exchanging prezzies, having drinner and playing board games with friends. all good times. and i get to see my west coast friends and family in a couple days. what more could a girl want?
in other news, terra just gave me a new book to read, which i am really enjoying (especially perfect post-trip): "tales of a female nomad" by rita golden gelman. thanks terra!
tomorrow is looking like more of the same. it's supposed to be in the 20s and snowing tomorrow. brrrrrr...
the weekend was good. plenty of socializing. i'm right back into ny city living and liking it again. i kinda got into the xmas spirit a little bit: making the gifts, drinking warm spiced beverages, mingling with new people, seeing the big holiday movies, and exchanging prezzies, having drinner and playing board games with friends. all good times. and i get to see my west coast friends and family in a couple days. what more could a girl want?
in other news, terra just gave me a new book to read, which i am really enjoying (especially perfect post-trip): "tales of a female nomad" by rita golden gelman. thanks terra!
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
new zealand PHOTOS!
thanks to ariel, i am now a pro account user on flickr. so far, i've uploaded nearly half of my photos (about the first two weeks of my bus trip, flying kiwi).
please, feel free to check out the new zealand photo set. leave some comments and let me know which pics you like! more coming soon...
please, feel free to check out the new zealand photo set. leave some comments and let me know which pics you like! more coming soon...
not so bad after all
been a week since i've been back home now. i was definitely feeling the post-trip blues last week. it was just cold and gray and a bit lonely and i was not happy to be home. but my adaptable self has now adjusted back to my life here in nyc. and i'm starting to be ok with it.
the first social engagement was a great ease back into ny life (thanks terra!). a few drinks at a pub with some nice conversation, into a mini dance party and chatting with an old buddy into the wee hours of the night. next day was my little movie marathon. instead of a quad feautre, i made it a double. saw "ray" and "sideways." both good. actually "sideways" was fantastic. the day after that was reconnecting with an old friend (a burnt bridge was mended). and yesterday was a fun dinner with my girlfriend who wanted all the juicy details about my nz antics. all these lovely encounters with good people have brought back some happiness to post-trip bluesy me. and of course, being able to call my better halves across the country have made the transition back well and good.
the only big prob is the bank account situation. i've decided that i'm going to try and get some full-time freelance work in the new year. bite the bullet and earn some real cash to start saving up for the next journey. i've come to the conclusion that i'm not really career girl at this time and place in my life. i've been doing the career thing since college (almost 10 years now) and i sort of missed my opportunity to travel the world (granted, i've been fortunate enough to go here and there for a few weeks at a time, but i know a month or longer is key for travel). now, it's all i want to do. i have time to figure out the whole career/investing/settling down thing later. i figure i should be lugging around a backpack and sleeping in bunk beds and tents while i'm still willing and able.
another nice post-trip revelation: i've shed one of my most irritating qualities... my jealousy. perhaps it's due to the fact that i realize how lucky I am and can actually be happy for others instead of thinking they have it better than me. this is huge! in the past, when friends would call and tell me some great news, i'd want to be happy for them but really i was just jealous (i always hated the feeling but couldn't help it). and recently my good friends have all had incredible news to tell me and i honestly am very excited for them. i can feel the difference! it's a lovely thing.
the first social engagement was a great ease back into ny life (thanks terra!). a few drinks at a pub with some nice conversation, into a mini dance party and chatting with an old buddy into the wee hours of the night. next day was my little movie marathon. instead of a quad feautre, i made it a double. saw "ray" and "sideways." both good. actually "sideways" was fantastic. the day after that was reconnecting with an old friend (a burnt bridge was mended). and yesterday was a fun dinner with my girlfriend who wanted all the juicy details about my nz antics. all these lovely encounters with good people have brought back some happiness to post-trip bluesy me. and of course, being able to call my better halves across the country have made the transition back well and good.
the only big prob is the bank account situation. i've decided that i'm going to try and get some full-time freelance work in the new year. bite the bullet and earn some real cash to start saving up for the next journey. i've come to the conclusion that i'm not really career girl at this time and place in my life. i've been doing the career thing since college (almost 10 years now) and i sort of missed my opportunity to travel the world (granted, i've been fortunate enough to go here and there for a few weeks at a time, but i know a month or longer is key for travel). now, it's all i want to do. i have time to figure out the whole career/investing/settling down thing later. i figure i should be lugging around a backpack and sleeping in bunk beds and tents while i'm still willing and able.
another nice post-trip revelation: i've shed one of my most irritating qualities... my jealousy. perhaps it's due to the fact that i realize how lucky I am and can actually be happy for others instead of thinking they have it better than me. this is huge! in the past, when friends would call and tell me some great news, i'd want to be happy for them but really i was just jealous (i always hated the feeling but couldn't help it). and recently my good friends have all had incredible news to tell me and i honestly am very excited for them. i can feel the difference! it's a lovely thing.
Thursday, December 09, 2004
back in the saddle
so here i find myself, under flourescent lights, sitting at a hard desk, staring at a computer screen, while a cold grey sky looms outside the windows of this stark office. quite the contrast from stunning green vistas as far as the eye can see in fair new zealand.
the ride home was very very very long. much longer coming back than going over. but that's to be expected. i wasn't sure how i'd feel when i got home. i was super groggy from my sleeping pill overdose (i misjudged my intake and pushed it a bit i think). had a nice long snooze on the floor during my LA layover. and a hard crash all the way back to NY (two seats to myself. yes!). when i got into my ever so clean apartment (thanks to my ultra responsible subletter), i was wide awake at midnight, eastern standard time. did the typical going through mail and phone messages and screwed around on the computer until the wee hours of the night, sure to royally screw up my sleep schedule.
i slept pretty much the whole of the following day. didn't leave the apartment except to get much needed groceries. it was cold and raining and i wasn' t really happy to be home. besides the comforts of my lucious bed, i can safely say i'm not thrilled to be back. a mile high stack of bills (with some past due dates, thank you very much), emails from impatient clients, and this muted december sky are all things to give me the post-trip blues. but i realize travel fantasies cannot last forever. i must carry on. i must earn some cash to pay off this trip. suck it up to the man!
there must be another way. i have yet to find the way, but when i do i will jump on board faster than you can say lemony snickett. ok, one thing i am looking forward to is catching up on my movies. i've been given plenty of recommendations and i'm thinking i might take myself to a quadruple feature this saturday afternoon (sneak in style). hopefully some theater in town is playing everything i want to see.
solitude is treating me well. i have no real desire to see people or do stuff. i partied it up like there was no tomorrow in nz and i wouldn't mind if i never see an alcoholic beverage for a long time. but i will tomorrow. a couple social engagements planned. ok, i take it back. it will be nice to see certain people, but i'm not really making an huge effort to be out amongst the holiday xmas cheer.
it was interesting... got an email from my travel buddy, suz from australia. she was telling me about going out the other night. bright lights, big city style. she said how she was a bit freaked out to get dressed up and put on make-up and be with the beautiful people. said that after our nature journey, she'd be much happier in a pub ordering beers and chips. hear hear! i think that's my biggest fear of going out now. i'm in such a chilled out frame of mind that the go go go of the city is gonna freak me out. give me a monteith's orginal and a meat pie and i'm gold.
we'll see what the weekend brings...
the ride home was very very very long. much longer coming back than going over. but that's to be expected. i wasn't sure how i'd feel when i got home. i was super groggy from my sleeping pill overdose (i misjudged my intake and pushed it a bit i think). had a nice long snooze on the floor during my LA layover. and a hard crash all the way back to NY (two seats to myself. yes!). when i got into my ever so clean apartment (thanks to my ultra responsible subletter), i was wide awake at midnight, eastern standard time. did the typical going through mail and phone messages and screwed around on the computer until the wee hours of the night, sure to royally screw up my sleep schedule.
i slept pretty much the whole of the following day. didn't leave the apartment except to get much needed groceries. it was cold and raining and i wasn' t really happy to be home. besides the comforts of my lucious bed, i can safely say i'm not thrilled to be back. a mile high stack of bills (with some past due dates, thank you very much), emails from impatient clients, and this muted december sky are all things to give me the post-trip blues. but i realize travel fantasies cannot last forever. i must carry on. i must earn some cash to pay off this trip. suck it up to the man!
there must be another way. i have yet to find the way, but when i do i will jump on board faster than you can say lemony snickett. ok, one thing i am looking forward to is catching up on my movies. i've been given plenty of recommendations and i'm thinking i might take myself to a quadruple feature this saturday afternoon (sneak in style). hopefully some theater in town is playing everything i want to see.
solitude is treating me well. i have no real desire to see people or do stuff. i partied it up like there was no tomorrow in nz and i wouldn't mind if i never see an alcoholic beverage for a long time. but i will tomorrow. a couple social engagements planned. ok, i take it back. it will be nice to see certain people, but i'm not really making an huge effort to be out amongst the holiday xmas cheer.
it was interesting... got an email from my travel buddy, suz from australia. she was telling me about going out the other night. bright lights, big city style. she said how she was a bit freaked out to get dressed up and put on make-up and be with the beautiful people. said that after our nature journey, she'd be much happier in a pub ordering beers and chips. hear hear! i think that's my biggest fear of going out now. i'm in such a chilled out frame of mind that the go go go of the city is gonna freak me out. give me a monteith's orginal and a meat pie and i'm gold.
we'll see what the weekend brings...
Sunday, December 05, 2004
last night
it's the last night of my trip in new zealand and i have mixed feelings about going home. first off, i'm just plain exhausted. i've really done it up the last few nights, reuniting with some of my bus tour buddies. i've been up until the wee hours of the morning the last 3 nights and it's finally hit me tonight. and when i say i've been partying, i mean i've been PAR-TY-ING-AH. whew, who knew having fun could be so tiring? ha!
i'm very very happy that i was able to extend my trip. that was a total blessing in disguise and all worked out perfectly. on this trip, i've realized that i honestly do have good trip karma. things just go my way without really trying. i'm one lucky chick.
anyway, i the reason the week extension was good is because one week ago, i was so not ready to come home and have this experience end. i couldn't comprehend going back to cold ny and getting back to work. but this extra week gave me more time to see more of this amazing country, meet more cool people, have more time with the people i already got to know, and like i was saying before, lots more partying which has made me so tired and ready to go home (not looking forward to the work bit, but my apartment and my bed are calling to me).
i can't even comprehend drinking an alcoholic beverage at this moment. i think i've got my fill for the winter ahead. i also will not be able to be spending money like it's going out of style. i'm gonna be BROKE when i get back. when i travel i like to just use what's in the bank account and not think about it too much. why should i not do something when the opporunity presents itself, just because of some stupid money? i mean i haven't been staying at the nicest of places (bunk beds for the last few nights and tents most nights before that) and i haven't been eating fancy dinners, but i definitely have not deprived myself of little luxuries like the most delicious lattes every day!
won't go into details about the little flings the last couple of days either, but let's just say i'm not going to be in need of affection/attention when i get back to NY either (filled up for the winter on that one as well). heh. i wasn't necessarily looking for love on this journey, but fun times are always fun. never have deprived myself of fun in that way either. and of course last night (my last big night out) was the night i met a real cool dude. we did some serious club hopping last night. 4 to be exact. 2 backpacker bars (which i'm totally over at this point), a weird rock club and finally the place i was looking for: the dingy, dark drum and bass club. it was heaven! such good beats and a really cool small group of locals. ended up dancing with a sweet kiwi guy and well, the rest is history. spent all day together today. good times.
i LOVE the kiwis. best people ever. so kind, generous, great senses of humor, a bit crazy, and always willing to help out a wandering wanderer. and the country itself, like i've said over and over and over... bloody fantastic (been hanging out with too many brits!). i'm practically falling off of the chair at this point from getting in at 7am this morning, but just wanted to write my final post from this fair land. i've had the best time ever. and all i want is more more more.
i will be following up with more random thoughts when i have time to digest this journey. and of course, photos. think good thoughts for a safe ride home.
i'm very very happy that i was able to extend my trip. that was a total blessing in disguise and all worked out perfectly. on this trip, i've realized that i honestly do have good trip karma. things just go my way without really trying. i'm one lucky chick.
anyway, i the reason the week extension was good is because one week ago, i was so not ready to come home and have this experience end. i couldn't comprehend going back to cold ny and getting back to work. but this extra week gave me more time to see more of this amazing country, meet more cool people, have more time with the people i already got to know, and like i was saying before, lots more partying which has made me so tired and ready to go home (not looking forward to the work bit, but my apartment and my bed are calling to me).
i can't even comprehend drinking an alcoholic beverage at this moment. i think i've got my fill for the winter ahead. i also will not be able to be spending money like it's going out of style. i'm gonna be BROKE when i get back. when i travel i like to just use what's in the bank account and not think about it too much. why should i not do something when the opporunity presents itself, just because of some stupid money? i mean i haven't been staying at the nicest of places (bunk beds for the last few nights and tents most nights before that) and i haven't been eating fancy dinners, but i definitely have not deprived myself of little luxuries like the most delicious lattes every day!
won't go into details about the little flings the last couple of days either, but let's just say i'm not going to be in need of affection/attention when i get back to NY either (filled up for the winter on that one as well). heh. i wasn't necessarily looking for love on this journey, but fun times are always fun. never have deprived myself of fun in that way either. and of course last night (my last big night out) was the night i met a real cool dude. we did some serious club hopping last night. 4 to be exact. 2 backpacker bars (which i'm totally over at this point), a weird rock club and finally the place i was looking for: the dingy, dark drum and bass club. it was heaven! such good beats and a really cool small group of locals. ended up dancing with a sweet kiwi guy and well, the rest is history. spent all day together today. good times.
i LOVE the kiwis. best people ever. so kind, generous, great senses of humor, a bit crazy, and always willing to help out a wandering wanderer. and the country itself, like i've said over and over and over... bloody fantastic (been hanging out with too many brits!). i'm practically falling off of the chair at this point from getting in at 7am this morning, but just wanted to write my final post from this fair land. i've had the best time ever. and all i want is more more more.
i will be following up with more random thoughts when i have time to digest this journey. and of course, photos. think good thoughts for a safe ride home.
Saturday, November 27, 2004
been so long
i guess it's been well over a couple weeks since i last wrote. blogger has not been very cooperative in the south of the south island. i really did try to write a couple times. well, now that i'm in nelson, there is a speedy internet place where i can fill you in on my travels.
basically, i'm ready to move to this fine country. it truly is thee most beautiful place on earth, i'm convinced of it! last time i wrote i swam with dolphins. since then the adventures continued. in a nutshell, here's the rundown of crazy shit i got up to: white water rafting (total raft capsize in the middle of a class 5 rapid! for some reason i was pumped after it, rather than totally freaked out. another fear conquered, thank you very much), horse trekking through beautiful lake side/farm land/mountainous area, and yes ladies and gentlemen, i got to do my sky dive in queenstown (adventure capitol of nz). that was AMAZING!!! i've been high a few times in my life and this has got to be the best high that there is. i ended up getting strapped up with a hottie danish tandem jumper (bonus!). he was a freak show and was psyched that i was pumped to go (i had no fear what-so-ever since this was my third attempt--weather had been bad all tries). if you really wanted to go for it, you could ask your tandem partner to do flips and stuff in the free fall, so naturally, i did.
i got to go up in the plane with my friend shannon (who i'd met on the bus trip--rad canadian chick) which made it more fun. we were both really psyched up and both our tandem guys were trying to freak us out saying stuff like "hope this is strapped on properly." sitting in that little cockpick was nuts. we just kept climbing higher and higher, way way way past the giant mountains called the remarkables. i knew 12,000 feet sounded high, but i really had no concept just how high it was. it all seemed to happed quite quickly. the door to the cockpit opened and the first guy was gone. shannon was next. my guy held me over the edge so we could see them fall. sooooo fast! holy shit, we were next. i sat on the edge of the doorway, curled my feet under me and held my head back. and in 3, 2, 1 we were falling backwards!
those first few seconds were hard to remember as i think it's quite a shock to your system to be falling out of a plane. but soon enough i could feel what was happening. cold air rushing over my face, my cheeks flapping in the wind. my tandem guy tapped me and gave me the thumbs up and when i gave them back he was ready for some fun. soon enough, the world i was looking down on was above me. we were flipping in free fall. soo sooo soooooo good! my smile was from cheek to cheek and i was screaming with glee. next thing knew, a little jolt happened and i looked up to see the parachute was released. my guy could talk to me then and he pointed to look up. all i could see was a tiny dot in the sky rushing down like a falling rock. that's what we had just been doing (i was looking at the girl behind me in line coming down). i had no idea we were going that fast. it just felt like your kind of hovering in air and the wind is rushing over your face.
the glide down was also really good. my dude was soooo cool. he knew i was loving it and was pointing out all the amazing scenery around us. he did some great spins in the air and then let me have the controls of the chute. i turned left, then right and we were parallel to the ground from the velocity of the spins. LOVED IT!! he pointed out our target area and took back the controls. i was so not ready for this to end. pretty soon we were heading straight for the grassy area, i held my feet up, then ran with him and we landed. i was unstrapped from him and just started jumping up and down from excitement. shannon and i ran towards each other and continued our dorky jumping like game show contestant winners. then i ran over to high five my guy and that was that. my knees were just blubbery and my head felt really full. it was a feeling hard to describe but i was ready to go up again then and there. if it weren't for the cost, i would have instantly. i thought that would be something i would do once in my life, but when the opportunity knocks, i will do it in a heartbeat!
back in queenstown, shannon and i tore it up that night out at the bar. we had a doozy, both meeting boys. her's, a local player. mine a young british traveler. both were crazy. we drank it up and danced it up. at that point we had both left the bus tour behind (was super great while it lasted but was ready for freedom). i was planning on renting a car and driving up the rest of the west coast of the south island. shannon was heading on to auckland. my time was running thin and i still had so much more i wanted to do. so what did i do? extended my trip an extra week. nice one.
so while in the bar being ridiculous with the young brit, i asked if he wanted to join me for a drive up the west coast. crazy traveler that he was, he agreed. we decided to meet the next day to work out the details. when we did, he convinced me that we should get a camper van. seemed like a good idea to me (save on hostels) and freedom to drive where ever. so that's what we did. me and random young brit (his name was matt) took off the next day and headed straight for lord of the rings land (paradise in glenorchy). it really was LOTR style. so gorgeous. then it was off to this rad mining town called arrowtown. then on to the coast and the glaciers (walked right up to a huge glacier! so random). then up the coast and parked on a side road, which turned out to be a gorgeous beach. as soon as we parked, the clouds parted (had been raining for most of the south), the sun came out and a HUGE rainbow went right over our camper van. heaven!!!
next day was punakaiki and the mysterious pancake rocks, then up thru the beauteous area of the north of the south island, heading towards abel tasman national park (which i hadn't read much about but knew i wanted to go there). when we arrived, i knew why. i found my spot in this world. it was the perfect combination of big hills of alpine and rain forest with gorgeous white sand clear blue/green waters at the foot of the hills! i had found it! we stayed the night at old macdonald's farm in marahau (lovely little village) which was at the start of the park. you see, the park didn't even have a road. you either had to walk into it, or take a boat. that next day was so sunny and beautiful, i decided to take a water taxi to the top of the park and walk back. the girl at the info desk suggested this area saying it wasn't too much of a walk. when i got on the boat with the other passengers they were all going to the mid-section of the park and i was the only one going beyond. the boat captain said to me "feeling energetic today are we?" that had me a little scared, but i wanted to do it.
that boat ride was really nice. got to see the whole lay of the land on the way to the various bays. i finally was the last one to get dropped off and it did look like a very long walk back, but i was up for it. as soon as i stepped on to that white sand beach and up into the rain forest trees, i knew it was going to be the best hike ever. the trek went on and on and on but every view was mind blowing. i hiked way up into the hills and could see for miles, nothing but clear blue water. then back down the hills onto the beaches. when i got hot, i stripped down and took a swim in the refreshing water--i was the only one on that beach! i couldn't believe how few people were out that day. it was like my own park or something. soon enough though, i caught up with 2 dutch women who i walked with the rest of the way. they were very friendly and had traveled all over the world. after my 4 hours of conversation to myself about what i'm doing on this planet and what i want in life, they were the perfect pair to run into. they got me psyched up to keep traveling the world. i know that's all i want to do now. and i'm perfectly happy to be a nomad. well, a working nomad. i'll figure it out somehow, but i know i have to keep moving. this life and this world is too too good to let it pass us by. we must get out there and see it and live it!
basically, i'm ready to move to this fine country. it truly is thee most beautiful place on earth, i'm convinced of it! last time i wrote i swam with dolphins. since then the adventures continued. in a nutshell, here's the rundown of crazy shit i got up to: white water rafting (total raft capsize in the middle of a class 5 rapid! for some reason i was pumped after it, rather than totally freaked out. another fear conquered, thank you very much), horse trekking through beautiful lake side/farm land/mountainous area, and yes ladies and gentlemen, i got to do my sky dive in queenstown (adventure capitol of nz). that was AMAZING!!! i've been high a few times in my life and this has got to be the best high that there is. i ended up getting strapped up with a hottie danish tandem jumper (bonus!). he was a freak show and was psyched that i was pumped to go (i had no fear what-so-ever since this was my third attempt--weather had been bad all tries). if you really wanted to go for it, you could ask your tandem partner to do flips and stuff in the free fall, so naturally, i did.
i got to go up in the plane with my friend shannon (who i'd met on the bus trip--rad canadian chick) which made it more fun. we were both really psyched up and both our tandem guys were trying to freak us out saying stuff like "hope this is strapped on properly." sitting in that little cockpick was nuts. we just kept climbing higher and higher, way way way past the giant mountains called the remarkables. i knew 12,000 feet sounded high, but i really had no concept just how high it was. it all seemed to happed quite quickly. the door to the cockpit opened and the first guy was gone. shannon was next. my guy held me over the edge so we could see them fall. sooooo fast! holy shit, we were next. i sat on the edge of the doorway, curled my feet under me and held my head back. and in 3, 2, 1 we were falling backwards!
those first few seconds were hard to remember as i think it's quite a shock to your system to be falling out of a plane. but soon enough i could feel what was happening. cold air rushing over my face, my cheeks flapping in the wind. my tandem guy tapped me and gave me the thumbs up and when i gave them back he was ready for some fun. soon enough, the world i was looking down on was above me. we were flipping in free fall. soo sooo soooooo good! my smile was from cheek to cheek and i was screaming with glee. next thing knew, a little jolt happened and i looked up to see the parachute was released. my guy could talk to me then and he pointed to look up. all i could see was a tiny dot in the sky rushing down like a falling rock. that's what we had just been doing (i was looking at the girl behind me in line coming down). i had no idea we were going that fast. it just felt like your kind of hovering in air and the wind is rushing over your face.
the glide down was also really good. my dude was soooo cool. he knew i was loving it and was pointing out all the amazing scenery around us. he did some great spins in the air and then let me have the controls of the chute. i turned left, then right and we were parallel to the ground from the velocity of the spins. LOVED IT!! he pointed out our target area and took back the controls. i was so not ready for this to end. pretty soon we were heading straight for the grassy area, i held my feet up, then ran with him and we landed. i was unstrapped from him and just started jumping up and down from excitement. shannon and i ran towards each other and continued our dorky jumping like game show contestant winners. then i ran over to high five my guy and that was that. my knees were just blubbery and my head felt really full. it was a feeling hard to describe but i was ready to go up again then and there. if it weren't for the cost, i would have instantly. i thought that would be something i would do once in my life, but when the opportunity knocks, i will do it in a heartbeat!
back in queenstown, shannon and i tore it up that night out at the bar. we had a doozy, both meeting boys. her's, a local player. mine a young british traveler. both were crazy. we drank it up and danced it up. at that point we had both left the bus tour behind (was super great while it lasted but was ready for freedom). i was planning on renting a car and driving up the rest of the west coast of the south island. shannon was heading on to auckland. my time was running thin and i still had so much more i wanted to do. so what did i do? extended my trip an extra week. nice one.
so while in the bar being ridiculous with the young brit, i asked if he wanted to join me for a drive up the west coast. crazy traveler that he was, he agreed. we decided to meet the next day to work out the details. when we did, he convinced me that we should get a camper van. seemed like a good idea to me (save on hostels) and freedom to drive where ever. so that's what we did. me and random young brit (his name was matt) took off the next day and headed straight for lord of the rings land (paradise in glenorchy). it really was LOTR style. so gorgeous. then it was off to this rad mining town called arrowtown. then on to the coast and the glaciers (walked right up to a huge glacier! so random). then up the coast and parked on a side road, which turned out to be a gorgeous beach. as soon as we parked, the clouds parted (had been raining for most of the south), the sun came out and a HUGE rainbow went right over our camper van. heaven!!!
next day was punakaiki and the mysterious pancake rocks, then up thru the beauteous area of the north of the south island, heading towards abel tasman national park (which i hadn't read much about but knew i wanted to go there). when we arrived, i knew why. i found my spot in this world. it was the perfect combination of big hills of alpine and rain forest with gorgeous white sand clear blue/green waters at the foot of the hills! i had found it! we stayed the night at old macdonald's farm in marahau (lovely little village) which was at the start of the park. you see, the park didn't even have a road. you either had to walk into it, or take a boat. that next day was so sunny and beautiful, i decided to take a water taxi to the top of the park and walk back. the girl at the info desk suggested this area saying it wasn't too much of a walk. when i got on the boat with the other passengers they were all going to the mid-section of the park and i was the only one going beyond. the boat captain said to me "feeling energetic today are we?" that had me a little scared, but i wanted to do it.
that boat ride was really nice. got to see the whole lay of the land on the way to the various bays. i finally was the last one to get dropped off and it did look like a very long walk back, but i was up for it. as soon as i stepped on to that white sand beach and up into the rain forest trees, i knew it was going to be the best hike ever. the trek went on and on and on but every view was mind blowing. i hiked way up into the hills and could see for miles, nothing but clear blue water. then back down the hills onto the beaches. when i got hot, i stripped down and took a swim in the refreshing water--i was the only one on that beach! i couldn't believe how few people were out that day. it was like my own park or something. soon enough though, i caught up with 2 dutch women who i walked with the rest of the way. they were very friendly and had traveled all over the world. after my 4 hours of conversation to myself about what i'm doing on this planet and what i want in life, they were the perfect pair to run into. they got me psyched up to keep traveling the world. i know that's all i want to do now. and i'm perfectly happy to be a nomad. well, a working nomad. i'll figure it out somehow, but i know i have to keep moving. this life and this world is too too good to let it pass us by. we must get out there and see it and live it!
Thursday, November 11, 2004
if i died right now, i'd be happy
currently in christchurch, the biggest city in the south island. only have a few hours to tool around here... just had a fantastic pub lunch and now writing to you all.
this morning's activity was one theeee most amazing experiences i think i will EVER have. i SWAM WITH WILD DOLPHINS!!!!!!!! i had no idea how cool this was gonna be. was sort of dreading having to get up at 4:30am to go and do it, but i was hoping it'd be worth it. and was it ever! there was a slight chance you might not be able to get in with them (if there were babies in the pack), but luckily we got to. i can officially say i have conquered any sort of fear of the ocean after today. i was fully suited up in a wet suit (water was 12 degrees C), mask, flippers, snorkel, the whole bit. we had to sit at the edge of a the boat and just hop into the open water when it was ok to go. and i had no fear what so ever!
let me set up the back drop first... we were in kaikoura, which happens to be the best place to see marine wildlife. we were out in the middle of the bay and in the distance were big green grass covered hills and beyond that were snow capped mountains (a view beyond description). anyway, the dusky dolphins gather in this certain area because there is always food (there is a huge cavern below the ocean that creates the food resources). we were briefed on how to get the dolphins attention when you're out in the water with them (as sometimes they will take an interest in you and sometimes they will not). well today they sure as hell did! when i first put my face in the water, i started making a rolling sound with my tongue. as soon as i did this, 2 dolphins came right up to me! i couldn't believe how close they came. they also told us if you look them in the eye, they will do circles around you. so as soon as i got comfortable swimming with them, i did that, and sure enough, i would have 2 and 3 dolphins at a time circling around me and literally playing games with me! i was just smiling through my snorkel. couldn't believe how cool it was!
we were out with them for about 30 minutes. my feet were freezing, but i couldn't get enough of them. most people had gone back to the boat by that time, but i just wanted MORE interaction. i finally got the nerve to dive down with them. when you did this, they really loved it. more circling and playing. the coolest was they would come up from the dark water below and charge straight for you and then do a quick turn to miss you and then swim around and around. oh my god, i don't think i'll ever have an experience like that again. i'm so tired from getting up and swimming around in deep surge-y water, but i'm reeling from my time with wild dolphins!
tomorrow: grade 5 white water rafting!!!!!!!! this trip is too freaking good to be true!
this morning's activity was one theeee most amazing experiences i think i will EVER have. i SWAM WITH WILD DOLPHINS!!!!!!!! i had no idea how cool this was gonna be. was sort of dreading having to get up at 4:30am to go and do it, but i was hoping it'd be worth it. and was it ever! there was a slight chance you might not be able to get in with them (if there were babies in the pack), but luckily we got to. i can officially say i have conquered any sort of fear of the ocean after today. i was fully suited up in a wet suit (water was 12 degrees C), mask, flippers, snorkel, the whole bit. we had to sit at the edge of a the boat and just hop into the open water when it was ok to go. and i had no fear what so ever!
let me set up the back drop first... we were in kaikoura, which happens to be the best place to see marine wildlife. we were out in the middle of the bay and in the distance were big green grass covered hills and beyond that were snow capped mountains (a view beyond description). anyway, the dusky dolphins gather in this certain area because there is always food (there is a huge cavern below the ocean that creates the food resources). we were briefed on how to get the dolphins attention when you're out in the water with them (as sometimes they will take an interest in you and sometimes they will not). well today they sure as hell did! when i first put my face in the water, i started making a rolling sound with my tongue. as soon as i did this, 2 dolphins came right up to me! i couldn't believe how close they came. they also told us if you look them in the eye, they will do circles around you. so as soon as i got comfortable swimming with them, i did that, and sure enough, i would have 2 and 3 dolphins at a time circling around me and literally playing games with me! i was just smiling through my snorkel. couldn't believe how cool it was!
we were out with them for about 30 minutes. my feet were freezing, but i couldn't get enough of them. most people had gone back to the boat by that time, but i just wanted MORE interaction. i finally got the nerve to dive down with them. when you did this, they really loved it. more circling and playing. the coolest was they would come up from the dark water below and charge straight for you and then do a quick turn to miss you and then swim around and around. oh my god, i don't think i'll ever have an experience like that again. i'm so tired from getting up and swimming around in deep surge-y water, but i'm reeling from my time with wild dolphins!
tomorrow: grade 5 white water rafting!!!!!!!! this trip is too freaking good to be true!
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
NZ: day? lost count already
so because there has been so much activity on this trip of mine, i've totally lost track of time. i know it's wednesday, which means i've been in NZ for almost a week. damn, it feels like waaaay longer. i can't remember what i blogged about last time (again, i'm pressed for time), but i think it was just about arrival in auckland and cool amanda and darren and stuff. they continued to be super hospitable and took my out friday night. went to their place then went out to a club for a night of dub music. LOVED IT and had so much fun with them. they are so great (thanks amanda!! miss ya already!).
so joined up with my tour group thing the following day. of course i was a bit nervous to meet all these strangers, to see if i would gel with any of them, etc. it was a bit strange at first as those things are but soon enough everyone was getting along. the bus took us to our first destination straight away... coromandel. so freaking beautiful i could die. the whole drive was awesome. see this was my first time out of auckland, so i hadn't seen any of the countryside and within minutes outside the city, i could tell it was a magical country. went sea kayaking that day as my activity. it was such a gorgeous day and a lovely experience. i could go on all about the beauty of the area, but pressed for time. more later.
i will give a quick rundown of the stuff we've done so far so you can get an idea of what i've been doing. hot water beach (digging holes in the sand to find the hot water springs and sitting in the pools!), a great cycle ride through pretty meadow countryside, camping in the wilderness with an awesome lake that we all swam in, a heated soccer match with the whole group (thought i wasn't gonna like this group thing, but it's turned out to be so fun... so many great people from all over. all walks of life all getting along. so great!), zorbing in rotorua (rolling down a big hill in a giant plastic ball filled with water), checking out the bubbling hot mud pools and thermal wonderland park, as well as seeing a cool geyser (name is slipping me now). tried to go sky diving but the weather was shit. will try that again soon (looks sooooo rad!). and yesterday was pushing myself... a group of us did the tongariro crossing... a 17k, 8 hour hike. it was such a tough climb. never done anything like it. the terrain was amazing and it was so well worth it. really made you feel alive for accomplishing something like that. took a bunch of photos which i'll post later.
currently in wellington, the bottom of the north island, heading to the south island tonight. apparently the south is even more beautiful than the north which i can't even comprehend. not only have we been doing all these adventure activities, we've been driving across the whole country and the the scenery is just plain fantastic. it's so varied in a such a short amount of time... like you'll go from alpine to lush ferny forest, to volcanic rock to giant mountains in the distance to rolling green meadows to the most gorgeous beaches ever. i still can't get over it.
so as you can probably tell, i've been having the time of my life. really lucked out with the great group of people on the trip. and the guides are fantastic too. i LOVE kiwis. they just have the best sense of humor. cracking us up everywhere we go. i'm also having a good mix of me time and people time. if i want me time, i just go off on my own. i've actually been listening to myself on this trip. haven't been overly extroverted. kinda keep to myself in the big group, but like having one on one time with certain people. i'm mellowing out on having to get people to like me because i'm "cool" or something. i'm just me here. no "cool" clothes to hide behind. no make-up either. it's just megan from america. kinda funny. but like last night, i got a bit drunk and the fun silly megan came out... which a select few got to see. so it's all good like that.
ok, i could reflect forever, but most post before internet cafe shuts me down.
more as soon as i can, but will probably not be too soon. i'm on the road in NZ baby. and LOVING IT!!!
so joined up with my tour group thing the following day. of course i was a bit nervous to meet all these strangers, to see if i would gel with any of them, etc. it was a bit strange at first as those things are but soon enough everyone was getting along. the bus took us to our first destination straight away... coromandel. so freaking beautiful i could die. the whole drive was awesome. see this was my first time out of auckland, so i hadn't seen any of the countryside and within minutes outside the city, i could tell it was a magical country. went sea kayaking that day as my activity. it was such a gorgeous day and a lovely experience. i could go on all about the beauty of the area, but pressed for time. more later.
i will give a quick rundown of the stuff we've done so far so you can get an idea of what i've been doing. hot water beach (digging holes in the sand to find the hot water springs and sitting in the pools!), a great cycle ride through pretty meadow countryside, camping in the wilderness with an awesome lake that we all swam in, a heated soccer match with the whole group (thought i wasn't gonna like this group thing, but it's turned out to be so fun... so many great people from all over. all walks of life all getting along. so great!), zorbing in rotorua (rolling down a big hill in a giant plastic ball filled with water), checking out the bubbling hot mud pools and thermal wonderland park, as well as seeing a cool geyser (name is slipping me now). tried to go sky diving but the weather was shit. will try that again soon (looks sooooo rad!). and yesterday was pushing myself... a group of us did the tongariro crossing... a 17k, 8 hour hike. it was such a tough climb. never done anything like it. the terrain was amazing and it was so well worth it. really made you feel alive for accomplishing something like that. took a bunch of photos which i'll post later.
currently in wellington, the bottom of the north island, heading to the south island tonight. apparently the south is even more beautiful than the north which i can't even comprehend. not only have we been doing all these adventure activities, we've been driving across the whole country and the the scenery is just plain fantastic. it's so varied in a such a short amount of time... like you'll go from alpine to lush ferny forest, to volcanic rock to giant mountains in the distance to rolling green meadows to the most gorgeous beaches ever. i still can't get over it.
so as you can probably tell, i've been having the time of my life. really lucked out with the great group of people on the trip. and the guides are fantastic too. i LOVE kiwis. they just have the best sense of humor. cracking us up everywhere we go. i'm also having a good mix of me time and people time. if i want me time, i just go off on my own. i've actually been listening to myself on this trip. haven't been overly extroverted. kinda keep to myself in the big group, but like having one on one time with certain people. i'm mellowing out on having to get people to like me because i'm "cool" or something. i'm just me here. no "cool" clothes to hide behind. no make-up either. it's just megan from america. kinda funny. but like last night, i got a bit drunk and the fun silly megan came out... which a select few got to see. so it's all good like that.
ok, i could reflect forever, but most post before internet cafe shuts me down.
more as soon as i can, but will probably not be too soon. i'm on the road in NZ baby. and LOVING IT!!!
Thursday, November 04, 2004
NZ: day 1, 2, 3
unfortunately, i don't have too much time to write so this will be the brief overview of my arrival in auckland. the flight was much better than expected. was dreading the 20 hour journey, but it went by like nothing (thanks sara, heh heh). didn't even feel crappy upon arrival in the early am.
hopped on the bus which dropped me off at base backpackers, my hostel. the place was very tidy and well set up, so it looked like my choice was a good one. i was a bit nervous to walk into my "dorm room" full of 8 girls, but as i entered, i noticed they were all passed out. the room was a disaster area... looked as though these girls had a bender the night before. i was sure not to make too much noise as i didn't want them hating me straight away. took a little nap and got up before they did to go see the city. who knew who they were, where they were from, what language they spoke or what. hostel life man.
went down and called amanda, my auckland contact, who told me she'd left a note for me at the front desk. picked it up and had perfect instructions like where to get a good meal close by (typed out with directions from the hostel and a map!). loved her already! took her suggestion to get a kabab round the corner. took my meal up to the lovely albert park and ate happily under the perfect auckland sunny blue sky. ah!
took myself for a wander and ended up at the art gallery where a cool chick at the front desk chatted me up. was wondering if i'd voted and if i was disappointed in the resutls. you see, i hadn't even heard the shitty news yet. she was the one who told me the fucker had won. was pretty bummed, but was sort of expecting it and was happy i wasn't there to be really depressed (sorry guys!).
next stop: the big attraction, the sky tower. paid my $18 (a bit expensive) and went to the top to see the awesome 360 view of the city (actually worth it). even saw a couple jumpers take off from the top (freaks!). met up with amanda a bit later and LOVED her even more in person. funny, sweet chatty girl who was more than happy to take the newbie around. we went to her local irish pub for beers. also met her boyfriend darren and their friends rory, pete and suz... all equally as lovely. we each bought rounds of beers and i got a bit tipsy (light weight that i am). it was like a regular gathering of the locals and i was totally welcome. loving the kiwis already! after more late night kababs, they dropped me off at my hostel (and also invited me to a guy fawks party the following night. love not having to make plans for myself for a friday night. should be a good one of blowing things up and fireworks. looking forward to it).
anyway, went back to the room which was full of the girls, awake this time. they were all brits who'd all gone to uni together in bristol. it had potential to be a bad sorority situation, but they were very friendly. a couple of them had been travelling for a while... thailand, laos, cambodia. heard some interesting stories. they invited me downstairs to the hostel bar. i was pretty tired and already drunk, but i figured, when in rome. hung out and had a nice time.
LOVING being on my own here. i can do whatever the fuck i want. i'm chilling, i'm seeing stuff. i'm meeting people. i talk to strangers if i want to and keep quiet if i don't. today has been another good one of walking all around the city. i'm diggin here for sure. it's super mellow. itdoesn't feel too foreign (starbucks, burger king, dennys--thank you american globalization) but then i remember i'm on the other side of the world. it's ridiculously clean here. almost too clean. haven't had to squat over one toilet yet! pretty diverse population. the coffee is fantastic. even the fashions are good. had a nice walk around the groovy shops today and was well impressed. then happened upon a flea market with tons of good one of kind type stuff. was super tempted to buy about 5 things, but held back. also got my first NZ crush... cute graphic designer boy with art and clothing. mmm... a passing fancy.
well, must rush off to meet amanda again. might not be able to report for a bit. meeting with my camping group tomorrow. praying there will be cool folks (slighty nervous for that). that's all for now. i'm a happy and content travllin' girl.
hopped on the bus which dropped me off at base backpackers, my hostel. the place was very tidy and well set up, so it looked like my choice was a good one. i was a bit nervous to walk into my "dorm room" full of 8 girls, but as i entered, i noticed they were all passed out. the room was a disaster area... looked as though these girls had a bender the night before. i was sure not to make too much noise as i didn't want them hating me straight away. took a little nap and got up before they did to go see the city. who knew who they were, where they were from, what language they spoke or what. hostel life man.
went down and called amanda, my auckland contact, who told me she'd left a note for me at the front desk. picked it up and had perfect instructions like where to get a good meal close by (typed out with directions from the hostel and a map!). loved her already! took her suggestion to get a kabab round the corner. took my meal up to the lovely albert park and ate happily under the perfect auckland sunny blue sky. ah!
took myself for a wander and ended up at the art gallery where a cool chick at the front desk chatted me up. was wondering if i'd voted and if i was disappointed in the resutls. you see, i hadn't even heard the shitty news yet. she was the one who told me the fucker had won. was pretty bummed, but was sort of expecting it and was happy i wasn't there to be really depressed (sorry guys!).
next stop: the big attraction, the sky tower. paid my $18 (a bit expensive) and went to the top to see the awesome 360 view of the city (actually worth it). even saw a couple jumpers take off from the top (freaks!). met up with amanda a bit later and LOVED her even more in person. funny, sweet chatty girl who was more than happy to take the newbie around. we went to her local irish pub for beers. also met her boyfriend darren and their friends rory, pete and suz... all equally as lovely. we each bought rounds of beers and i got a bit tipsy (light weight that i am). it was like a regular gathering of the locals and i was totally welcome. loving the kiwis already! after more late night kababs, they dropped me off at my hostel (and also invited me to a guy fawks party the following night. love not having to make plans for myself for a friday night. should be a good one of blowing things up and fireworks. looking forward to it).
anyway, went back to the room which was full of the girls, awake this time. they were all brits who'd all gone to uni together in bristol. it had potential to be a bad sorority situation, but they were very friendly. a couple of them had been travelling for a while... thailand, laos, cambodia. heard some interesting stories. they invited me downstairs to the hostel bar. i was pretty tired and already drunk, but i figured, when in rome. hung out and had a nice time.
LOVING being on my own here. i can do whatever the fuck i want. i'm chilling, i'm seeing stuff. i'm meeting people. i talk to strangers if i want to and keep quiet if i don't. today has been another good one of walking all around the city. i'm diggin here for sure. it's super mellow. itdoesn't feel too foreign (starbucks, burger king, dennys--thank you american globalization) but then i remember i'm on the other side of the world. it's ridiculously clean here. almost too clean. haven't had to squat over one toilet yet! pretty diverse population. the coffee is fantastic. even the fashions are good. had a nice walk around the groovy shops today and was well impressed. then happened upon a flea market with tons of good one of kind type stuff. was super tempted to buy about 5 things, but held back. also got my first NZ crush... cute graphic designer boy with art and clothing. mmm... a passing fancy.
well, must rush off to meet amanda again. might not be able to report for a bit. meeting with my camping group tomorrow. praying there will be cool folks (slighty nervous for that). that's all for now. i'm a happy and content travllin' girl.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
halloween re-cap, in 15 minutes
only 15 minutes left til i get on the train. all items checked off. this was the last thing to do.
so here you have it, halloween pics. not too many people got my costume. mostly gay men and some film nerds. figures.
close-up, scary baby jane on the train
full body shot. check that creepy dress (costume warehouse sale baby) and my rat prop (must see the film to get it)
the group shot (from left to right: sally as mia from "pulp fiction", zak as frightening teen girl, olia as natasha the russian spy and me as baby jane hudson)
our pumpkins (left to right: mine, jamie's, olia's)
there are about a million more pics of the parade, but that will have to come later. halloween = best holiday ever.
so here you have it, halloween pics. not too many people got my costume. mostly gay men and some film nerds. figures.
close-up, scary baby jane on the train
full body shot. check that creepy dress (costume warehouse sale baby) and my rat prop (must see the film to get it)
the group shot (from left to right: sally as mia from "pulp fiction", zak as frightening teen girl, olia as natasha the russian spy and me as baby jane hudson)
our pumpkins (left to right: mine, jamie's, olia's)
there are about a million more pics of the parade, but that will have to come later. halloween = best holiday ever.
democracy NOW!
i just voted. when i looked around the gymnasium and saw all those people of different colors and ages, the regular working citizens of america, i got choked up. i don't know why, but something about the right to vote, in theory, is very empowering.
i'm listening to this, thanks to moveon (which is getting me ever more choked up). power to the people god dammit!!! let's take back our country! PLEASE!
i'm listening to this, thanks to moveon (which is getting me ever more choked up). power to the people god dammit!!! let's take back our country! PLEASE!
t.t.f.n. (ta ta for now)
it's after 1am and i've just finished a mighty hectic day of last minute getting my shit together. i must have packed and re-packed the backpack i borrowed from jessical about 10 times. adding and subtracting various items. thank god for my mom. when i called her and told her i was bringing 7 t-shirts she said "you only need 2!" only 2 t-shirts for a whole month? impossible! i ended up with 4 t-shirts, 1 tank top, 1 mid-sleeve, 1 long sleeve, 1 hoodie, 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of pants-shorts combo (so ugly!), 1 skirt and 1 cute "going out top."
i have to say, this was my most difficult packing job yet. i'm not an overly heavy packer, but i like to have cute things if i'm going to a city and practical things if i'm going to be in nature and i'm usually going somewhere with one kind of climate. this time i had to pack for hot and cold, cities and camping! and for a month! i think i chose wisely. the other thing was when i tried on jessica's pack, it was WAY too heavy. so i tried the stuff in my old shitty pack, which was MUCH lighter and more roomy for some reason (thanks anyway jess!). so my tired old pack will come along with me one more time. seems fitting.
the rest of the to do's on my ever-so-long to do list have been crossed off for the most-part. tomorrow, i have these to take care of:
1. vote
2. finish cleaning (blah!)
3. hide valuables
4. leave notes for my subletter
5. deal with the shit on my desk
6. delete old emails clogging inbox
7. get halloween pics online (time pending)
8. take out trash
9. get on subway, go to JFK
not too bad. i'm just praying the line at my polling place isn't too long. i should have done the absentee thing, but there's just something about actually going in person and punching those chads. ha!
i also got a bunch of lovely bon voyage phone calls and emails today. i'm feeling very loved these days which is a good feeling, especially when embarking on a solo trip. i'm in a very good place right now. i'm happy. i'm not escaping anything. i'm just going to check out a new country, meet some new people, and hopefully learn some new things about myself and the world around me. i have absolutely no expectations. i suppose because i honestly don't know what to expect. and that makes me giddy with excitement. it's a new experiment, jumping in blindly.
wish me luck. and if you don't mind, send some white light and positive energy my way (this is, of course if you have any left after sending all that energy into the universe for a new president elect tomorrow).
i have to say, this was my most difficult packing job yet. i'm not an overly heavy packer, but i like to have cute things if i'm going to a city and practical things if i'm going to be in nature and i'm usually going somewhere with one kind of climate. this time i had to pack for hot and cold, cities and camping! and for a month! i think i chose wisely. the other thing was when i tried on jessica's pack, it was WAY too heavy. so i tried the stuff in my old shitty pack, which was MUCH lighter and more roomy for some reason (thanks anyway jess!). so my tired old pack will come along with me one more time. seems fitting.
the rest of the to do's on my ever-so-long to do list have been crossed off for the most-part. tomorrow, i have these to take care of:
1. vote
2. finish cleaning (blah!)
3. hide valuables
4. leave notes for my subletter
5. deal with the shit on my desk
6. delete old emails clogging inbox
7. get halloween pics online (time pending)
8. take out trash
9. get on subway, go to JFK
not too bad. i'm just praying the line at my polling place isn't too long. i should have done the absentee thing, but there's just something about actually going in person and punching those chads. ha!
i also got a bunch of lovely bon voyage phone calls and emails today. i'm feeling very loved these days which is a good feeling, especially when embarking on a solo trip. i'm in a very good place right now. i'm happy. i'm not escaping anything. i'm just going to check out a new country, meet some new people, and hopefully learn some new things about myself and the world around me. i have absolutely no expectations. i suppose because i honestly don't know what to expect. and that makes me giddy with excitement. it's a new experiment, jumping in blindly.
wish me luck. and if you don't mind, send some white light and positive energy my way (this is, of course if you have any left after sending all that energy into the universe for a new president elect tomorrow).
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
preparations
monday was hair cut day. i always like to get a fresh do, pre-trip. just makes you feel better and cuter and ready for anything! if any of you need an awesome hair-stylist in NY, i highly recommend my lady. email me if you're interested. here are the results (one dorkier than thou pose and one that says "wanna hop in the shower with me and my fab new do?"):
tuesday was crazy costume sale day. i saw on NY1 that there was going to be a giant sale at a costume warehouse that was going out of business. just in time for the halloween chaos! i couldn't resist... $20 to fill a shopping full of random costumes? come on now. thing is, i have tons of costume gear in storage, but none of it with me here. i know, just what i need to fill my tiny closet is more once or twice a year costume regalia, but i just can't help myself when an opportunity like this comes a-knocking.
the sale started at 10am and i figured i'd arrive at 10, knowing it might be crazy inside, but not really expecting a big line (it was a week day you know. and how many unemployed NYers interested in a costume sale could there be?). boy, was i WRONG! when i finally made it over to the desolate area of 26th and 11th ave, all i could see was an enormous line. i couldn't even tell where it started or ended. it looked like a line for a britney spears concert a few years back (when she was a hot ticket)... where people had been camping out the night before. i couldn't believe it.
as i started my way further and further and further down the line, i realized i might be waiting all friggin day to get some lame costume. but then, about half way down 27th (yes people, the line went AROUND to the next block), i heard someone call my name. it was the cool girl, vanessa from my one day a week office job! and she told me to cut in with her. what luck! when i asked what the hell she was doing there, she said she was so excited, that she took the day off work! guess other people in line had the same idea. who knew cheap costumes would be such a draw? only in ny man, only in ny.
(the line that continued behind where i was standing)
after about an hour and half of waiting, we'd probably moved about 40 feet, all the way up to 11th ave (the line continued down that block to 26th, then around the corner and half way down that street). we were never going to make in the hour or so we were hoping. a few more minutes of restlessness, vanessa and i decided to see what the deal was up front. when we got there, she realized she knew about a gallery in the bldg. and thought we might be able to go up and use their bathroom. the guard asked where we were going and lo and behold, we got in. after the pee break, we discovered we were in! all we had to do was take the express elevator up to the 17th to the sale. could it really be that easy?
YEP! we walked right in. heheheheeeeee (evil cackle)!!! i paid my $20 and got my big bag. vanessa was blessed that day. not only did we get in without the ridiculous wait, she was mistakenly given 4 bags for $20! one of which she gave to me. so 2 bags for $20! hahahahaaaaa (repeated evil cackle)! once inside it was a costume free for all. racks upon racks of random outfits ranging from every period. i filled my bags full of everything from a princess dress to a couple broadway sparkly showgirl outfits to a couple pairs of crazy pants to a 40s starlet's robe to hats and shawls and bizarre pieces just for the cool fabrics AND my halloween outfit: 2 little girl dresses to choose from for my "whatever happened to baby jane" betty davis character. so excited. they both don't quite fit, but i'll make it work. excited! i usually go for the sexy halloween outfit, but this one will be totally creepy. yay!
all in all, the preps for halloween and the trip are right on track. weeee...
tuesday was crazy costume sale day. i saw on NY1 that there was going to be a giant sale at a costume warehouse that was going out of business. just in time for the halloween chaos! i couldn't resist... $20 to fill a shopping full of random costumes? come on now. thing is, i have tons of costume gear in storage, but none of it with me here. i know, just what i need to fill my tiny closet is more once or twice a year costume regalia, but i just can't help myself when an opportunity like this comes a-knocking.
the sale started at 10am and i figured i'd arrive at 10, knowing it might be crazy inside, but not really expecting a big line (it was a week day you know. and how many unemployed NYers interested in a costume sale could there be?). boy, was i WRONG! when i finally made it over to the desolate area of 26th and 11th ave, all i could see was an enormous line. i couldn't even tell where it started or ended. it looked like a line for a britney spears concert a few years back (when she was a hot ticket)... where people had been camping out the night before. i couldn't believe it.
as i started my way further and further and further down the line, i realized i might be waiting all friggin day to get some lame costume. but then, about half way down 27th (yes people, the line went AROUND to the next block), i heard someone call my name. it was the cool girl, vanessa from my one day a week office job! and she told me to cut in with her. what luck! when i asked what the hell she was doing there, she said she was so excited, that she took the day off work! guess other people in line had the same idea. who knew cheap costumes would be such a draw? only in ny man, only in ny.
(the line that continued behind where i was standing)
after about an hour and half of waiting, we'd probably moved about 40 feet, all the way up to 11th ave (the line continued down that block to 26th, then around the corner and half way down that street). we were never going to make in the hour or so we were hoping. a few more minutes of restlessness, vanessa and i decided to see what the deal was up front. when we got there, she realized she knew about a gallery in the bldg. and thought we might be able to go up and use their bathroom. the guard asked where we were going and lo and behold, we got in. after the pee break, we discovered we were in! all we had to do was take the express elevator up to the 17th to the sale. could it really be that easy?
YEP! we walked right in. heheheheeeeee (evil cackle)!!! i paid my $20 and got my big bag. vanessa was blessed that day. not only did we get in without the ridiculous wait, she was mistakenly given 4 bags for $20! one of which she gave to me. so 2 bags for $20! hahahahaaaaa (repeated evil cackle)! once inside it was a costume free for all. racks upon racks of random outfits ranging from every period. i filled my bags full of everything from a princess dress to a couple broadway sparkly showgirl outfits to a couple pairs of crazy pants to a 40s starlet's robe to hats and shawls and bizarre pieces just for the cool fabrics AND my halloween outfit: 2 little girl dresses to choose from for my "whatever happened to baby jane" betty davis character. so excited. they both don't quite fit, but i'll make it work. excited! i usually go for the sexy halloween outfit, but this one will be totally creepy. yay!
all in all, the preps for halloween and the trip are right on track. weeee...
Sunday, October 24, 2004
1 whole year!
looking back at my first post (scroll to bottom of page) to this here blog, i noticed that today marks the one year anniversary of my posting to good ol' blogger. the year has totally flown by. literally. still can't get over that i've been in NY for a whole year now. and what a year it's been. like i've mentioned before, i think this year has been the biggest roller coaster yet. super high highs, really low lows and plenty of inbetweens. i've been both good and bad mentally and physically. i've learned some major life lessons like how lucky/grateful i am to my family and friends who have been there for me, about coping with the harsh realities life throws us, how not to get stupidly drunk and make dumb choices, what qualities in dudes i'm still searching for, how to get along just fine all on my own, and on and on. i'm sure these so-called lessons will become much clearer on my upcoming trip. but i'll tell you this much, i'm already looking forward to coming back to new york city... i say that until i go to new zealand and start planning for my next move. ;)
thanks for reading! plenty more roller coaster rides to come...
thanks for reading! plenty more roller coaster rides to come...
back to solitude
my mom left last night. it was definitely a nice time with her. we went all over, did plenty of NY kinds of things like dining, shopping and going to plays and museums. i think she got a good sense of my life here and knows why i like it and am staying. i really wanted to just show her around and have some mom time. and she was a trouper too. someone who hardly ever walks kept up pretty well with going from to the LES to nolita to soho and back then all over the east and west village. even i was tired.
the new yorky highlights were two nights of broadway in a row. first night was 42nd street. and yes, the claim is true... it IS the biggest show on broadway. so many people on stage with about a million costume changes, HUGE song and dance numbers, crazy sets and on and on. it was pretty awesome. i mean, if you want broadway flash, then this is it! cheesy yes but pretty damn spectacular.
the next night we saw the tony award winning play i am my own wife. brilliant! so well written, so well acted. a truly great dramatic piece that is worthy of broadway and all it's awards. i loved it!
the other big highlight was finally going to the lower east side tenement museum. i'd been by the museum a few times and was always fascinated. finally got to go this time and man, was it interesting. if you've ever been to the ann frank house in amsterdam, this is sort of the same idea. the organization acquired this abandoned tenement building and managed to find out the entire history of the place, dating back to the 1890s! i mean they knew about every family that ever crammed into the tiny spaces. early new york immigrant families' stories of their struggles making it in the new world. you could just visualize their painful existence by standing in the accurately dressed rooms of the different time periods. i mean these apartments were smaller than my place and they had 9 people living in there! really gave you a sense of the conditions and what these people went through back in the day. highly recommended for tourists to the city!
the new yorky highlights were two nights of broadway in a row. first night was 42nd street. and yes, the claim is true... it IS the biggest show on broadway. so many people on stage with about a million costume changes, HUGE song and dance numbers, crazy sets and on and on. it was pretty awesome. i mean, if you want broadway flash, then this is it! cheesy yes but pretty damn spectacular.
the next night we saw the tony award winning play i am my own wife. brilliant! so well written, so well acted. a truly great dramatic piece that is worthy of broadway and all it's awards. i loved it!
the other big highlight was finally going to the lower east side tenement museum. i'd been by the museum a few times and was always fascinated. finally got to go this time and man, was it interesting. if you've ever been to the ann frank house in amsterdam, this is sort of the same idea. the organization acquired this abandoned tenement building and managed to find out the entire history of the place, dating back to the 1890s! i mean they knew about every family that ever crammed into the tiny spaces. early new york immigrant families' stories of their struggles making it in the new world. you could just visualize their painful existence by standing in the accurately dressed rooms of the different time periods. i mean these apartments were smaller than my place and they had 9 people living in there! really gave you a sense of the conditions and what these people went through back in the day. highly recommended for tourists to the city!
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
mumsy in the house!
my mom made it here this morning. very early. haven't been up that early in a while. but i was happy to see her. unfortunately, it's totally raining and cold which makes it difficult to go out and do stuff. especially for a "senior citizen" (i can't believe my mom fits into that age bracket now) from california. but i convinced her we should walk around, get some breakfast, do a little shopping and go see a movie.
you see, my mother is the one who instilled a love of counter-culture cinema in me and they don't really show that stuff in her hometown. so she was thrilled to see that the film section in time out was about 10 pages long, filled with all kinds of crazy independents.
we decided on mike leigh's new film, vera drake at the film forum. it was excellent! a pretty bleek picture of illegal abortions performed by a saintly woman in england in the 1950s. i know, it sounds rather grim, but the performances!!! so so so great! there are sure to be some oscar nods for a couple of the actors. that mike leigh, man. if you ever saw "secrets and lies" then you know what you're in for... a family drama that could play out as a bad movie of the week, but instead is an intimate portrait with fascinating character studies played by remarkable actors. highly recommended!
mumsy and i are now back at the pad chilling. going for dinner later. i think this will be a very chill week with her, which is exactly what i wanted and needed. perfect.
you see, my mother is the one who instilled a love of counter-culture cinema in me and they don't really show that stuff in her hometown. so she was thrilled to see that the film section in time out was about 10 pages long, filled with all kinds of crazy independents.
we decided on mike leigh's new film, vera drake at the film forum. it was excellent! a pretty bleek picture of illegal abortions performed by a saintly woman in england in the 1950s. i know, it sounds rather grim, but the performances!!! so so so great! there are sure to be some oscar nods for a couple of the actors. that mike leigh, man. if you ever saw "secrets and lies" then you know what you're in for... a family drama that could play out as a bad movie of the week, but instead is an intimate portrait with fascinating character studies played by remarkable actors. highly recommended!
mumsy and i are now back at the pad chilling. going for dinner later. i think this will be a very chill week with her, which is exactly what i wanted and needed. perfect.
Friday, October 15, 2004
18 days and counting
i have to say i think i'm pretty clever for deciding to leave for my trip on november 2nd, the day of the big presidential election. i don't have to look at a calendar to see how many more days til i leave, i just look online or read/see the news to find out. there's always some blurb mentioning how many more days til election day. ha! so yeah, in 18 days i'm off.
i'm rather unprepared as far as going away for a month alone to a new country goes (don't even have the so-called travel bible--lonely planet book!). i have my ticket to get there. i have my reservation for the hostel i will stay at for my first two nights in auckland. the lovely and helpful amanda, an auckland resident, is willing to take me out and show me the ropes when i arrive (very grateful!). and i've got a reservation for the camping trip for my first two weeks. other than that, i have myself, my backpack and my travel know-how to get me around the islands. i'm extremely excited and ready for anything! a month seems like a long time, but i'm sure it's going to fly by.
until i leave, i'll remain busy. my mom finally decided to come out here for a visit. yet again, i will be a tour guide, but this should be a little different. no going out dancing and getting drunk. it'll be more like museums and eating and shopping. and i'm really hoping we get to rent a car to take a drive out to the country. i'm dying to see those colored leaves before they all blow away!
then it'll be halloween preparations, catching up with work, prepping my house for my subletter and packing! woo-hoo!
i'm rather unprepared as far as going away for a month alone to a new country goes (don't even have the so-called travel bible--lonely planet book!). i have my ticket to get there. i have my reservation for the hostel i will stay at for my first two nights in auckland. the lovely and helpful amanda, an auckland resident, is willing to take me out and show me the ropes when i arrive (very grateful!). and i've got a reservation for the camping trip for my first two weeks. other than that, i have myself, my backpack and my travel know-how to get me around the islands. i'm extremely excited and ready for anything! a month seems like a long time, but i'm sure it's going to fly by.
until i leave, i'll remain busy. my mom finally decided to come out here for a visit. yet again, i will be a tour guide, but this should be a little different. no going out dancing and getting drunk. it'll be more like museums and eating and shopping. and i'm really hoping we get to rent a car to take a drive out to the country. i'm dying to see those colored leaves before they all blow away!
then it'll be halloween preparations, catching up with work, prepping my house for my subletter and packing! woo-hoo!
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
the big debate
well crap. bush, the fuck, didn't fall on his face as i was hoping. they both had plenty to say and for the most part what they said came off as pretty intelligent. unfortunately, it was a lot more of the same. bush continued to regurgitate the same fucking shit he's been spewing since day one (although i don't think the dreaded term "weapons of mass destruction" was said once). it's like the same speach, different day (for both of them).
i feel like these guys have flashcards they must memorize with statistics for each possible question they may be asked. it's like a big national oral test and we are all grading them on who memorized the facts and delivered them best. the millions of statistical facts stated aren't even necessarily relevent when ABC's after show reports who's facts were actually right or wrong. there were so many numbers of this fiscal year's deficit and that econimic brackets' tax cut percentage, it was hard to keep up. bo-ring.
i do like some of kerry's ideas on health care, job reform and taxes... i'm just not sure he can actually do what he says. it seems an impossible feat. but bush's response to health is a big fat joke. he said america's health care is the envy of the world! i can think of a ton more countries that have WAY better socialized health care that are far more enviable than our mainly privatized version. when i have to wait for 2 hours to see my overly busy doctor at the "cheap" clinic and pay $80 for a 5 day treatment, i think we have a problem.
AND bush's answer to job loss... another JOKE. telling an unemployed person that they should use his eduction reform plan and go back to community college to get a job! what is that? what about the employees that have lost their jobs to workers in china or india? is going back to college going to get them that job back in our own country? i don't think so. ugh! i could go on.
the one major disappointment of the debate on DOMESTIC POLICY was there wasn't one single question geared towards the environment. i wanted to hear what these dudes had to say about that.
obviously i'm no political analyst, but the bottom line is i just hope bush, the big fat liar, gets kicked to the curb.
i feel like these guys have flashcards they must memorize with statistics for each possible question they may be asked. it's like a big national oral test and we are all grading them on who memorized the facts and delivered them best. the millions of statistical facts stated aren't even necessarily relevent when ABC's after show reports who's facts were actually right or wrong. there were so many numbers of this fiscal year's deficit and that econimic brackets' tax cut percentage, it was hard to keep up. bo-ring.
i do like some of kerry's ideas on health care, job reform and taxes... i'm just not sure he can actually do what he says. it seems an impossible feat. but bush's response to health is a big fat joke. he said america's health care is the envy of the world! i can think of a ton more countries that have WAY better socialized health care that are far more enviable than our mainly privatized version. when i have to wait for 2 hours to see my overly busy doctor at the "cheap" clinic and pay $80 for a 5 day treatment, i think we have a problem.
AND bush's answer to job loss... another JOKE. telling an unemployed person that they should use his eduction reform plan and go back to community college to get a job! what is that? what about the employees that have lost their jobs to workers in china or india? is going back to college going to get them that job back in our own country? i don't think so. ugh! i could go on.
the one major disappointment of the debate on DOMESTIC POLICY was there wasn't one single question geared towards the environment. i wanted to hear what these dudes had to say about that.
obviously i'm no political analyst, but the bottom line is i just hope bush, the big fat liar, gets kicked to the curb.
Monday, October 11, 2004
playing with myself
yesterday i went to staten island, solo style. it was another lovely day and thought it would be a good time to take the ol' free ferry which i'd never taken before. i was planning to go to this free architecture open house thing. i tried calling my new SI friend from the dr.'s office, but no answer. it was gonna be a "me afternoon" after all. i ended up going to the st. george theater which was pretty spectacular. i adore old theaters.
after the tour, i tooled around the island. it seemed nice enough. didn't really get a great sense of the place, but i liked being out of the city for a minute. while i waited for the next ferry to come i sat on the steps of a big gov't buidling, listening to my ipod. jef gilson to be exact (thanks mark!). i also broke out the old digi cam and snapped some pics of myself. instant boredom cure. love it.
here are some of the results:
rode the ferry back to manhattan, met up with chase and damaris and the members of vagenius, had dinner and drinks and quizzed each other on movie trivia. my fave. all in all it was a good balance of alone time and social time.
i'm learning this is what NY is becoming for me. i'm either on a social high or a lonely low. but the discovery is that it's OK to have both. this town can feel super lonely when you don't have anyone you want to call. you can step outside and see the hoards of people all around you with places to go and people to see. and when you don't have either, it kinda sucks. but i'm learning to be ok with just me sometimes. hey, that's what i wanted when i moved here, right? guess it took a year to figure that one out. let's see what one more year brings, shall we?
after the tour, i tooled around the island. it seemed nice enough. didn't really get a great sense of the place, but i liked being out of the city for a minute. while i waited for the next ferry to come i sat on the steps of a big gov't buidling, listening to my ipod. jef gilson to be exact (thanks mark!). i also broke out the old digi cam and snapped some pics of myself. instant boredom cure. love it.
here are some of the results:
rode the ferry back to manhattan, met up with chase and damaris and the members of vagenius, had dinner and drinks and quizzed each other on movie trivia. my fave. all in all it was a good balance of alone time and social time.
i'm learning this is what NY is becoming for me. i'm either on a social high or a lonely low. but the discovery is that it's OK to have both. this town can feel super lonely when you don't have anyone you want to call. you can step outside and see the hoards of people all around you with places to go and people to see. and when you don't have either, it kinda sucks. but i'm learning to be ok with just me sometimes. hey, that's what i wanted when i moved here, right? guess it took a year to figure that one out. let's see what one more year brings, shall we?
Friday, October 08, 2004
madonna's waiting room
today i had a lady doctor appointment. i hate doctors appointments in general, but knew i should probably go. blah! i even called the office to see if i could reschedule, but alas, it would take too long to come back. so i begrudgingly went in.
now let me set the record straight. in my humble opinion, a good lady doctor is hard to find. you have to feel comfortable with this person to go down there (if you know what i mean). i picked this particular woman from 50 or so candidates that accepted my insurance. and i picked her soley for her name: madonna holder. i figured an ob/gyn with the name madonna had to be pretty cool. turned out, i really liked her the first time i went. she's from trinidad with a heavy accent, a mid-wife and super down to earth with a good sense of humor. the office was only 5 minutes walk from my house too so i knew i picked the right place. funny thing is, i'm the only white girl i've ever seen in that office and ms. madonna remembers me (i'm guessing because of that).
the shitty thing about the place is that in the few visits i've had there, i've never waited less than 2 hours in that little waiting room! just the way it is. i brought my ipod and book for my long wait and when i arrived, of course the office was full. only one chair left to sit and wait. it was directly across from an older black woman with a big ol' wrap around her head (a la erykah badu in her head wrap days). i immediately sensed a good vibe from this woman. i can't quite remember how we started talking, but as soon as we did, the conversation just flowed.
we chatted on and on about ms. madonna and how great she was, about brooklyn and the neighborhood, about how she moved to staten island to get away from the riff raff in brooklyn to find some peace and quiet. we just bonded. then, she mentioned how she lost her son almost a year to the day. i opened my eyes wide... "that's strange" i said, "it's my father's birthday today. and he passed away this year as well." "oh girl!" she said with comforting eyes and a sensitive touch to my knee. "i know what you're going through. believe me, i do."
then we got into this whole counseling session. just the two of us, sitting across from each other, knees practically touching in that tiny waiting room, killing time before taking our pants off for ms. madonna. we talked about our struggles this year. the good days, the bad days. how hard it is for a mother to lose her child, and likewise a daughter to lose her father etc, etc. it was fascinating. a 29 year old white girl from california and a 57 year old black woman from NY had this bizarre connection.
we traded phone numbers before our appointments. i'm going to visit her in staten island this weekend i think. i've never been and she just raved about it. would be nice to see it from someone who lives there and takes pride in her neighborhood. who knew? i'm glad i actually went to that appointment! the universe sure works in mysterious ways...
now let me set the record straight. in my humble opinion, a good lady doctor is hard to find. you have to feel comfortable with this person to go down there (if you know what i mean). i picked this particular woman from 50 or so candidates that accepted my insurance. and i picked her soley for her name: madonna holder. i figured an ob/gyn with the name madonna had to be pretty cool. turned out, i really liked her the first time i went. she's from trinidad with a heavy accent, a mid-wife and super down to earth with a good sense of humor. the office was only 5 minutes walk from my house too so i knew i picked the right place. funny thing is, i'm the only white girl i've ever seen in that office and ms. madonna remembers me (i'm guessing because of that).
the shitty thing about the place is that in the few visits i've had there, i've never waited less than 2 hours in that little waiting room! just the way it is. i brought my ipod and book for my long wait and when i arrived, of course the office was full. only one chair left to sit and wait. it was directly across from an older black woman with a big ol' wrap around her head (a la erykah badu in her head wrap days). i immediately sensed a good vibe from this woman. i can't quite remember how we started talking, but as soon as we did, the conversation just flowed.
we chatted on and on about ms. madonna and how great she was, about brooklyn and the neighborhood, about how she moved to staten island to get away from the riff raff in brooklyn to find some peace and quiet. we just bonded. then, she mentioned how she lost her son almost a year to the day. i opened my eyes wide... "that's strange" i said, "it's my father's birthday today. and he passed away this year as well." "oh girl!" she said with comforting eyes and a sensitive touch to my knee. "i know what you're going through. believe me, i do."
then we got into this whole counseling session. just the two of us, sitting across from each other, knees practically touching in that tiny waiting room, killing time before taking our pants off for ms. madonna. we talked about our struggles this year. the good days, the bad days. how hard it is for a mother to lose her child, and likewise a daughter to lose her father etc, etc. it was fascinating. a 29 year old white girl from california and a 57 year old black woman from NY had this bizarre connection.
we traded phone numbers before our appointments. i'm going to visit her in staten island this weekend i think. i've never been and she just raved about it. would be nice to see it from someone who lives there and takes pride in her neighborhood. who knew? i'm glad i actually went to that appointment! the universe sure works in mysterious ways...
happy birthday daddy-o
today is my dad's birthday. he would have been 58. i woke up with him in my head and had a lot to say to him. sang him the little dorky birthday song i always did on this day. i know he heard me. i love and miss him more than ever.
that's my favorite photo of him (in his hippie/burly man phase, early 70s in the amazon, peru).
that's my favorite photo of him (in his hippie/burly man phase, early 70s in the amazon, peru).
Thursday, October 07, 2004
under the tuscan sun 2
well, actually, in this case, it's the roman sun. my dear friend chase flew into NY yesterday after spending about 6 weeks in rome. tonight i get to meet with her and hear the tales of her fantasy life. check out her (i hate to say it, but it's true) cliché holiday story...
she goes to rome to escape life in LA (she was bored, needed a trip away alone to figure some stuff out, etc, etc. sounds familiar right?). anyway, she's there for one week and meets a hot boy who rents her a vespa. he sees her later at some bar, recognizes her, they proceed to chat away, and THEN they kiss for the first time in the coloseum (see dude... cliché!). she ends up spending her whole holiday with him and now she's decided to move back to rome. she's coming back now to sort out her shit... sell car, put crap in storage, sublet apartment and move in with him in rome! CRAZY! and i love it. it gives me faith that fantasy shit like that really does happen. if you want the full story, be sure to read her travel blog. believe me, i was living vicariously! now, who's gonna direct the under the roman sun 2 movie? HA!!!
she goes to rome to escape life in LA (she was bored, needed a trip away alone to figure some stuff out, etc, etc. sounds familiar right?). anyway, she's there for one week and meets a hot boy who rents her a vespa. he sees her later at some bar, recognizes her, they proceed to chat away, and THEN they kiss for the first time in the coloseum (see dude... cliché!). she ends up spending her whole holiday with him and now she's decided to move back to rome. she's coming back now to sort out her shit... sell car, put crap in storage, sublet apartment and move in with him in rome! CRAZY! and i love it. it gives me faith that fantasy shit like that really does happen. if you want the full story, be sure to read her travel blog. believe me, i was living vicariously! now, who's gonna direct the under the roman sun 2 movie? HA!!!
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
enjoy the silence?
today was my first guest-free day in a week. it's so quiet around here. i half like it and half don't. sometimes i forget that i'm working in total silence and have to remind myself to put on a record or listen to itunes at the computer. it was great having two dj's stay with me. there was never a moment of silence. they were always playing some cool record or cd. i guess i got used to it. now it's all up to me to be the selector.
been a couple mellow days here at the old homestead. got my sleeping schedule back on track. i think i slept a whole 8, maybe even 9 hours last night. ahhh! and the weather right now is perfect. i love fall weather so much. it's sunny and bright with a hint of a chill in the air. the leaves are starting to fall, so when you walk, you get a good crunch under your feet. and the colors! oh the colors! i don't know what it is, but the light of fall is just the best. i took a walk to the bagel shop this morning and couldn't get over how vivid the red bricks looked on the buildings. or how blue the sky was against the red of the buildings. or how yellow the leaves were turning, contrasting the reds and the blues in the sky. love it!
this time of year also puts me in nesting mode. i think i'll give myself some homey projects. i need to paint my little table. and i've been wanting to do something about the neon light fixture over my turntable. and knitting! this is the perfect time to start up knitting again. and i really really really need to learn how to make soup this winter. shit, i've got to get busy. enough blogging for one day. :)
been a couple mellow days here at the old homestead. got my sleeping schedule back on track. i think i slept a whole 8, maybe even 9 hours last night. ahhh! and the weather right now is perfect. i love fall weather so much. it's sunny and bright with a hint of a chill in the air. the leaves are starting to fall, so when you walk, you get a good crunch under your feet. and the colors! oh the colors! i don't know what it is, but the light of fall is just the best. i took a walk to the bagel shop this morning and couldn't get over how vivid the red bricks looked on the buildings. or how blue the sky was against the red of the buildings. or how yellow the leaves were turning, contrasting the reds and the blues in the sky. love it!
this time of year also puts me in nesting mode. i think i'll give myself some homey projects. i need to paint my little table. and i've been wanting to do something about the neon light fixture over my turntable. and knitting! this is the perfect time to start up knitting again. and i really really really need to learn how to make soup this winter. shit, i've got to get busy. enough blogging for one day. :)
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
too much fun
my little vacation with the all the kids in town is starting to wind down now. i'm sad they are all leaving, but i'm ready to get my life back together. it's been one long week of partying and my body needs a rest. i'm not built like i used to be. back in the day i could go for hours and hours, days and days of non-stop partying. not anymore. i crave that downtime. actually got my 8 hours sleep last night and already feel better. ha!
i did have a fantastic time with the boys who stayed with me as well as the big old group of LA kids who were here. everyone was so great and into enjoying NY to the fullest. same as when i had visitors to LA... it was always my goal to show people a good time, rediscovering the place i resided. you get to see your city in a new light, all fresh from the visitors eyes. really makes you appreciate it. and boy, do i love NYC.
some highlights included:
- friday with tommy: eating at madiba, learning how to roll a proper euro spliff, smoking it in the park and record shopping (i miss record shopping!!)
- the up our sleeve show.
- the after party at my place: a cranium challenge, belgian beers, chocolates, spliffs and mark being ridiculously hilarious
- the gang gang dance show and downstairs dance party (i NEVER dance to 60s psych rock or whatever that was, but dang, was it fun!)
- coney island with mark and tommy.
i think that may have been the ultimate highlight. the weather was amazing that day. that place is just such a trip. we drank beers out of soda cups on the beach and marveled at all the jewish families in matching outfits. then a ride on the mighty cyclone roller coaster. i can't believe i'd never done it before. it was SO MUCH FUN!!! forgot how much i love roller coasters.
- meeting up with 12 visitors to walk across the brooklyn bridge (from manhattan to brooklyn). i'd never done that before either and it was fantastic (highly recommended to ny tourists). as we started on our way over, we heard these really loud booms, and couldn't tell where they were coming from. at first we were all a little nervous. was it bombs or something? as we got closer to a clearing, we noticed it was a huge fireworks show happening just to the right of the bridge. it was like they were having a fireworks display just for us. awesome!!!
- dining at grimaldi's pizza. by far thee best pizza in town. everyone seemed to agree after downing 4 large pizzas. YUM!
- brazilian night at black betty's in williamsburg was the finish to the best day. had drinks and chatted it up with everyone. even got to dance with a couple strangers. super super fun.
and that's that. now, can you see why i'm sooooo tired? out til 5am every night and partying like there's no tomorrow. i love guests in town.
i did have a fantastic time with the boys who stayed with me as well as the big old group of LA kids who were here. everyone was so great and into enjoying NY to the fullest. same as when i had visitors to LA... it was always my goal to show people a good time, rediscovering the place i resided. you get to see your city in a new light, all fresh from the visitors eyes. really makes you appreciate it. and boy, do i love NYC.
some highlights included:
- friday with tommy: eating at madiba, learning how to roll a proper euro spliff, smoking it in the park and record shopping (i miss record shopping!!)
- the up our sleeve show.
- the after party at my place: a cranium challenge, belgian beers, chocolates, spliffs and mark being ridiculously hilarious
- the gang gang dance show and downstairs dance party (i NEVER dance to 60s psych rock or whatever that was, but dang, was it fun!)
- coney island with mark and tommy.
i think that may have been the ultimate highlight. the weather was amazing that day. that place is just such a trip. we drank beers out of soda cups on the beach and marveled at all the jewish families in matching outfits. then a ride on the mighty cyclone roller coaster. i can't believe i'd never done it before. it was SO MUCH FUN!!! forgot how much i love roller coasters.
- meeting up with 12 visitors to walk across the brooklyn bridge (from manhattan to brooklyn). i'd never done that before either and it was fantastic (highly recommended to ny tourists). as we started on our way over, we heard these really loud booms, and couldn't tell where they were coming from. at first we were all a little nervous. was it bombs or something? as we got closer to a clearing, we noticed it was a huge fireworks show happening just to the right of the bridge. it was like they were having a fireworks display just for us. awesome!!!
- dining at grimaldi's pizza. by far thee best pizza in town. everyone seemed to agree after downing 4 large pizzas. YUM!
- brazilian night at black betty's in williamsburg was the finish to the best day. had drinks and chatted it up with everyone. even got to dance with a couple strangers. super super fun.
and that's that. now, can you see why i'm sooooo tired? out til 5am every night and partying like there's no tomorrow. i love guests in town.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
boys in my bed
the past few nights, i have had 2 boys staying in my apartment (mark aka frosty and tommy from belgium). first, they were sleeping on my air mattress. now they are taking turns sharing my bed. it's been really fun having them here. i'm back on the fun track. i haven't been in bed until 5 am every night since they arrived. how i'm still doing it, i have no idea. i'm definitely an 8 hour a night person, but it's been 4 to 6 at best and we're still going.
the up our sleeve show was pretty amazing. it was packed the entire night. everyone was in great spirits. the weather was perfect for an indoor/outdoor event. the music was fantastic. people were mingling with strangers, getting drunk, having who can pee the fastest contest in line at the bathroom, and shakin in up on the dancefloor. i'll post some pics of the night later. but overall, it was a swimming success! yay for the guys. they pulled off a totaly professional dope ass party in NYC. and the new yorkers loved it.
been so many LA kids here in town this week too. it's like a little slice of LA in the city, which isn't too uncommon. but it's literally been like 20+ angelinos at every little spot we hit up. i like it. makes me super comfortable everywhere i go. sooo much drinking has been going on though. i gotta chill on that or i'm gonna crash pretty hard when they leave. i think i might go back to hermit world for a couple days after they go, just to get my sleep schedule back on the right track.
anyway, we're off to breakfast. been learning a lot about these guys. they are all doing such good things, for the love of music and and art and doing cool stuff in general. it's inspiring and refreshing. funny that the people from the place that i left are providing the stimulation i need in my new city now. happy to be their little tour guide to nyc though. i've been enjoying that. makes me feel good to navigate and not have to use the map. HA!
the up our sleeve show was pretty amazing. it was packed the entire night. everyone was in great spirits. the weather was perfect for an indoor/outdoor event. the music was fantastic. people were mingling with strangers, getting drunk, having who can pee the fastest contest in line at the bathroom, and shakin in up on the dancefloor. i'll post some pics of the night later. but overall, it was a swimming success! yay for the guys. they pulled off a totaly professional dope ass party in NYC. and the new yorkers loved it.
been so many LA kids here in town this week too. it's like a little slice of LA in the city, which isn't too uncommon. but it's literally been like 20+ angelinos at every little spot we hit up. i like it. makes me super comfortable everywhere i go. sooo much drinking has been going on though. i gotta chill on that or i'm gonna crash pretty hard when they leave. i think i might go back to hermit world for a couple days after they go, just to get my sleep schedule back on the right track.
anyway, we're off to breakfast. been learning a lot about these guys. they are all doing such good things, for the love of music and and art and doing cool stuff in general. it's inspiring and refreshing. funny that the people from the place that i left are providing the stimulation i need in my new city now. happy to be their little tour guide to nyc though. i've been enjoying that. makes me feel good to navigate and not have to use the map. HA!
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
dealing with healing
last week was one of the most intensely emotional weeks i have been through in a loooong time. probably the heaviest since i learned of my father's death. it's been about 9 months since he passed and i'm just now coming to terms with it. finally letting it all out, so to speak. dealing with death is such a personal thing. everyone does it differently. i know a lot of my friends were concerned that i hadn't dealt with it yet. i just thought you get teary eyed in little bursts from time to time. and i was doing that. but i never felt that utter depression, where i couldn't eat or move or think or motivate. that's what happened last week.
so now i'm dealing with "part of the process." finally. i realized a lot to with my lag in going through this process was that i was just too preoccupied with my own life to think about it. i was in my hometown that first month dealing with the lawyers and banks and arrangements and when i got back to NY (my new home), all i wanted to do was explore the city. i wanted to go out and dance and meet people and have a merry old time... like my dad would have wanted me to do... keep on living. a month later i had a boyfriend. yet another distraction.
and let's look at the big picture now. i'm all on my own again in a city that's not so new anymore. i don't have to be thinking about what events and activities my boyfriend and i are going to be doing that weekend. the work has slowed down now so i don't have that distraction either. it's just me with my own thoughts. i have the time to think about my dad and get upset. and that's what happened last week. and was it shitty. it was the kind of depression where i just felt heavy. burdened with sadness. didn't know what to think, what to do. just had buckets of tears pouring out for what seemed like no reason. people would call and i'd just start bawling. it was kind of scary. i felt like a crazy person.
but i feel like the worst of the storm has past for now. i know it will come up it waves. but i'm just happy to know i'm dealing with the so-called healing process. who knows. like i said, everyone does it differently. if there was a method to getting over it, everyone who has experienced loss would sign up. but there's not. so we just have to deal in our own way.
so now i'm dealing with "part of the process." finally. i realized a lot to with my lag in going through this process was that i was just too preoccupied with my own life to think about it. i was in my hometown that first month dealing with the lawyers and banks and arrangements and when i got back to NY (my new home), all i wanted to do was explore the city. i wanted to go out and dance and meet people and have a merry old time... like my dad would have wanted me to do... keep on living. a month later i had a boyfriend. yet another distraction.
and let's look at the big picture now. i'm all on my own again in a city that's not so new anymore. i don't have to be thinking about what events and activities my boyfriend and i are going to be doing that weekend. the work has slowed down now so i don't have that distraction either. it's just me with my own thoughts. i have the time to think about my dad and get upset. and that's what happened last week. and was it shitty. it was the kind of depression where i just felt heavy. burdened with sadness. didn't know what to think, what to do. just had buckets of tears pouring out for what seemed like no reason. people would call and i'd just start bawling. it was kind of scary. i felt like a crazy person.
but i feel like the worst of the storm has past for now. i know it will come up it waves. but i'm just happy to know i'm dealing with the so-called healing process. who knows. like i said, everyone does it differently. if there was a method to getting over it, everyone who has experienced loss would sign up. but there's not. so we just have to deal in our own way.
Monday, September 27, 2004
this is why i love NY
as i walked home today from a good journey out, the gold toothed man who always greets me so warmly, said something to his friend that just made me laugh out loud:
"now that's one FIIIINE piece of white chocolate."
i suppose some could take it as a lude remark, but i loved it. white chocolate!
genius.
"now that's one FIIIINE piece of white chocolate."
i suppose some could take it as a lude remark, but i loved it. white chocolate!
genius.
travel books
i need a new book to read for my upcoming trip. i want something on the light side (nothing to heavy or heady), maybe funny, well-written of course, and something that would be good to read while travelling. maybe a book of travel essays? i don't know, you tell me. please send any ideas of your favorites. thanks!
friend stealer
so my 2-week old ex-boyfriend has turned into a complete dummie. i mean i kinda knew he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed (one of the reasons we broke up), but his latest actions take the fucking cake (god i'm full of cliches today).
first let me set this up. we all know that i'm new to NYC. been here almost a year (which in this town still means new). i have my handful of old friends (mostly college buddies) and an even smaller handful of new friends that i actually call to do stuff with. most everyone else i come across fits into the acquaintance category. i see them from time to time, but not on a regular basis. regardless, having new people that i actually like hanging out with is somewhat of a big deal to me. i'm an only child and have always valued my freindships. it's kind of like you're robbed of having siblings, so friends are super important.
getting to the point of the story. so alex (the ex) was a loner type. it was actually a red flag when i first met him... that he only had 1 good friend. i tend to judge people on their friends, so it was hard to judge him on this 1 dude. he told me he wasn't really a social guy. kind of kept to himself. went out by himself a lot, etc, etc. i obviously looked past that, as i found other qualities that made up for his lack of a social circle.
well, what do you know? we start going out and i broaden his horizons. he actually enjoyed meeting other people and going to parties (something he never thought he liked). i think he got on this social high, learning from me and all my efforts to socialize and meet as many interesting people as possible.
cut to last night. i get a phone call from one of my new friends telling me he has some strange news. he and my other new girlfriend had been invited to alex's house for a dinner party! WHAT??? it's been two weeks and he's throwing a dinner party for MY friends??? what the fuck is that? i'm confused and pissed and just think it's weird behavior to be calling my friends that i introduced him to. granted, we'd all hung out on various occassions, but they had never gotten together without me before. this is weird right?
so i call alex to ask what the fuck? he finds no fault in his actions. doesn't get why i'm getting all bent out of shape. like i said "not the sharpest tool..." i can't decide if he's playing the stupid card, or if he truly doens't think this is a big deal. then i find out he's been emailing and calling various other friends of mine in LA! huh???? i just want to shout from the rooftops GET YOUR OWN FRIENDS, don't take mine. i mean this is the kind of stuff that makes for a great sex and the city episode. "THE FRIEND STEALER."
it's just too too soon. i don't think i'd have as much of a problem with it if it were months later. but 2 weeks!?! and where did he get all of these friends all of a sudden? he had 1 friend when i knew him. guess my fun socializing rubbed off a little too strong on him. it's like i created a monster.
lesson learned: next boyfriend must have many many friends so he can't take mine. :)
first let me set this up. we all know that i'm new to NYC. been here almost a year (which in this town still means new). i have my handful of old friends (mostly college buddies) and an even smaller handful of new friends that i actually call to do stuff with. most everyone else i come across fits into the acquaintance category. i see them from time to time, but not on a regular basis. regardless, having new people that i actually like hanging out with is somewhat of a big deal to me. i'm an only child and have always valued my freindships. it's kind of like you're robbed of having siblings, so friends are super important.
getting to the point of the story. so alex (the ex) was a loner type. it was actually a red flag when i first met him... that he only had 1 good friend. i tend to judge people on their friends, so it was hard to judge him on this 1 dude. he told me he wasn't really a social guy. kind of kept to himself. went out by himself a lot, etc, etc. i obviously looked past that, as i found other qualities that made up for his lack of a social circle.
well, what do you know? we start going out and i broaden his horizons. he actually enjoyed meeting other people and going to parties (something he never thought he liked). i think he got on this social high, learning from me and all my efforts to socialize and meet as many interesting people as possible.
cut to last night. i get a phone call from one of my new friends telling me he has some strange news. he and my other new girlfriend had been invited to alex's house for a dinner party! WHAT??? it's been two weeks and he's throwing a dinner party for MY friends??? what the fuck is that? i'm confused and pissed and just think it's weird behavior to be calling my friends that i introduced him to. granted, we'd all hung out on various occassions, but they had never gotten together without me before. this is weird right?
so i call alex to ask what the fuck? he finds no fault in his actions. doesn't get why i'm getting all bent out of shape. like i said "not the sharpest tool..." i can't decide if he's playing the stupid card, or if he truly doens't think this is a big deal. then i find out he's been emailing and calling various other friends of mine in LA! huh???? i just want to shout from the rooftops GET YOUR OWN FRIENDS, don't take mine. i mean this is the kind of stuff that makes for a great sex and the city episode. "THE FRIEND STEALER."
it's just too too soon. i don't think i'd have as much of a problem with it if it were months later. but 2 weeks!?! and where did he get all of these friends all of a sudden? he had 1 friend when i knew him. guess my fun socializing rubbed off a little too strong on him. it's like i created a monster.
lesson learned: next boyfriend must have many many friends so he can't take mine. :)
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
found: i eat poo!
i just love found magazine, don't you? well, i actually haven't purchased the latest copy, but the website is pretty great for laughs.
last week, when walking into the 42nd st. subway station, i saw this on the stairs:
it cracked me up and i had to pick it up off the soggy floor. the note was pretty clear, but upon further inspection, i noticed it was written on a pace university student gov't association post-it. even more strange than the message itself. perhaps the class president was fed-up after the last fundraiser. that or just extremely bored in a meeting.
when i saw it, i immediately thought "must send it in to found!" i sent one note in once, but never got on the site. i'd love it to be find of the week! think this one will make it?
last week, when walking into the 42nd st. subway station, i saw this on the stairs:
it cracked me up and i had to pick it up off the soggy floor. the note was pretty clear, but upon further inspection, i noticed it was written on a pace university student gov't association post-it. even more strange than the message itself. perhaps the class president was fed-up after the last fundraiser. that or just extremely bored in a meeting.
when i saw it, i immediately thought "must send it in to found!" i sent one note in once, but never got on the site. i'd love it to be find of the week! think this one will make it?
Monday, September 20, 2004
hoodstock
yes, that's what they were calling it. hoodstock. kinda funny really.
on a random block in clinton hill, brooklyn (quincy and downing to be exact) was where the insane production was held. it was dave chappelle's baby... he put the whole thing together and i must say, the line-up was sick: kanye west, dead prez, erykah badu, jill scott, the roots, mos def, talib kweli, common, and the fugees!
the idea behind it all was to create the next installment of wattstax and it seems as though they may have pulled it off. the weather was kind of crazy for an outdoor event, but sara was right, it added a nice element. it was raining for most of the day. the production people handed out clear plastic ponchos to everyone in the crowd, which must have made for some good visuals for the dvd. the sound system was fucked for a good portion of the day too. the left speaker just kept cutting out, which was a big bummer for the crowd. it would get fixed and then be fucked for big chunks of time. like the whole mos def/talib/common portion was practically inaudible! grrrr...
but besides those little annoyances, it was pretty cool to be there and witness it all. i think erykah badu's set was my favorite. she's such a badass performer. she came out in her big crazy afro wig and the wind was blowing so hard, it almost blew the wig right off her head. so finally she said fuck it, ripped it off and did the rest of her set in her natural nappy state. so great! did a fantastic version of "back in the day (puff)" which got the crowd really grooving. awesome.
i was pretty disappointed in jill scott's set. i was really looking forward to her as i've been blown away by her performances before. she did a really ballad-y set, totally bringing down the upbeat vibe of erykah who preceded her. her voice was great, but the song choice was just not in that feel-good spirit of the rest of the show. ah well. the roots were pretty great. and the fugees reunion was amazing. eventhough i had a terrible run-in with security over my digital camera, i still had a good time. it was cool to be there. but i can't wait to watch the dvd, in the comfort of my own home, nice and warm and not standing in the rain.
read the official ny times review here.
on a random block in clinton hill, brooklyn (quincy and downing to be exact) was where the insane production was held. it was dave chappelle's baby... he put the whole thing together and i must say, the line-up was sick: kanye west, dead prez, erykah badu, jill scott, the roots, mos def, talib kweli, common, and the fugees!
the idea behind it all was to create the next installment of wattstax and it seems as though they may have pulled it off. the weather was kind of crazy for an outdoor event, but sara was right, it added a nice element. it was raining for most of the day. the production people handed out clear plastic ponchos to everyone in the crowd, which must have made for some good visuals for the dvd. the sound system was fucked for a good portion of the day too. the left speaker just kept cutting out, which was a big bummer for the crowd. it would get fixed and then be fucked for big chunks of time. like the whole mos def/talib/common portion was practically inaudible! grrrr...
but besides those little annoyances, it was pretty cool to be there and witness it all. i think erykah badu's set was my favorite. she's such a badass performer. she came out in her big crazy afro wig and the wind was blowing so hard, it almost blew the wig right off her head. so finally she said fuck it, ripped it off and did the rest of her set in her natural nappy state. so great! did a fantastic version of "back in the day (puff)" which got the crowd really grooving. awesome.
i was pretty disappointed in jill scott's set. i was really looking forward to her as i've been blown away by her performances before. she did a really ballad-y set, totally bringing down the upbeat vibe of erykah who preceded her. her voice was great, but the song choice was just not in that feel-good spirit of the rest of the show. ah well. the roots were pretty great. and the fugees reunion was amazing. eventhough i had a terrible run-in with security over my digital camera, i still had a good time. it was cool to be there. but i can't wait to watch the dvd, in the comfort of my own home, nice and warm and not standing in the rain.
read the official ny times review here.
Friday, September 17, 2004
seniors rule!
this has got to be the best collection of photos i've seen in a loooong time (thanks to fernando).
my senior portrait was pretty awful. if i remember correctly, i had big curly hair (done with hot rollers and a can of spray), a terrible puffy sweater, a tilted head to one side, and i think i may have been positioned behind a fake tree (memory is failing). these pics bring it all back.
did you ever take a dorky class photo?
my senior portrait was pretty awful. if i remember correctly, i had big curly hair (done with hot rollers and a can of spray), a terrible puffy sweater, a tilted head to one side, and i think i may have been positioned behind a fake tree (memory is failing). these pics bring it all back.
did you ever take a dorky class photo?
star gossip
heh heh, i love this stuff. so i'm hearing all the funny annoying things that these artists are asking for/complaining about. i'm kind of disheartened that jill scott seems like a bit of a primadonna. she seemed so humble the times i saw her perform. apparently she didn't consider her suite a real suite at the w hotel and wanted an upgrade. AND the room she had, happened to have an odor she couldn't get rid of with her smelly candles. we're trying to track down just what this odor was (or if she was just desperate to get a room upgrade). oy vey!
other requests include nag champa incense for all the artists' trailers, lots of vegan food orders, and special SUV transportation for the entourages. gimme a break.
i always wonder if it's the stardom that turns people into assholes. is it because they have all these people telling them they're god's gift all the live long day? or does all the cash make them think they are superior? or maybe, just maybe it's because they grew up with nothing, worked real hard to earn that bling bling and think it's their right to have better. deeeep thoughts for the day.
other requests include nag champa incense for all the artists' trailers, lots of vegan food orders, and special SUV transportation for the entourages. gimme a break.
i always wonder if it's the stardom that turns people into assholes. is it because they have all these people telling them they're god's gift all the live long day? or does all the cash make them think they are superior? or maybe, just maybe it's because they grew up with nothing, worked real hard to earn that bling bling and think it's their right to have better. deeeep thoughts for the day.
Thursday, September 16, 2004
snoresville: update from a bored worker
i'm BORED. i've been sitting here with nothing to do for god knows how long. i've typed ONE memo. and proofread some contracts. zzzzzzzz
whatever, i'm getting paid.
best news of the day: my fave, jill scott is playing at this show. woo-hoo! and mos def. and the roots. and lauryn hill. and common. and talib kweli. and the show is happening real close to my neighborhood. sweet.
oh, and mos def's real name is dante smith. tee hee.
whatever, i'm getting paid.
best news of the day: my fave, jill scott is playing at this show. woo-hoo! and mos def. and the roots. and lauryn hill. and common. and talib kweli. and the show is happening real close to my neighborhood. sweet.
oh, and mos def's real name is dante smith. tee hee.
a step back
i'm biting the bullet on this one. i took a office helper job for two days in a film production office. HA! i'm laughing at myself but there are some bonuses. A) i'm helping out a friend, B) i'm earning some much needed cash to pay for some much needed items for my upcoming trip, C) i'm getting out of the house (been a bit of a hermit lately in my saddened state), and D) i'm getting a major perk out of this thing: free tickets to this show! this production is actually for the dvd filming of the show (seems like a cool project). but alas, i am the lowly typer/faxer/proofreader. swallowing my pride but getting some good stuff out of it (i'm sure i'll be bitching by the end of the day).
haven't worked in a production office since i was fresh out of college, working as a production assistant, thinking i would be the next great filmmaker, working my way up the ladder. those days were numbered. production offices suck. long ass hours with long stretches of time with nothing to do. but for some reason there was always a ridiculously stressful situation at hand. i never understood how people could get so worked up about an actor not signing their deal memo. it's a friggin movie people, not the end of the world, ok? jeez.
these offices are all the same too. same plain office space with temporary office furniture and equipment. just new faces, stressing out over the same shit. it's rather amusing to watch now that i'm not trying to work my way up that ladder anymore (thank god!)
oh and speaking of, avenue q last night was fantastic (story line was basically about young people trying to figure it all out). i really loved it. when we walked in, the usher said "welcome to the r-rated muppet show" which was exactly what it was. great singers/puppeteers, memorable musical numbers, fun sets, and some outrageously raunchy material. i don't want to give away any of the good parts, but if you like the muppet show and sesame street and lived through your 20s, you would love this show too!
haven't worked in a production office since i was fresh out of college, working as a production assistant, thinking i would be the next great filmmaker, working my way up the ladder. those days were numbered. production offices suck. long ass hours with long stretches of time with nothing to do. but for some reason there was always a ridiculously stressful situation at hand. i never understood how people could get so worked up about an actor not signing their deal memo. it's a friggin movie people, not the end of the world, ok? jeez.
these offices are all the same too. same plain office space with temporary office furniture and equipment. just new faces, stressing out over the same shit. it's rather amusing to watch now that i'm not trying to work my way up that ladder anymore (thank god!)
oh and speaking of, avenue q last night was fantastic (story line was basically about young people trying to figure it all out). i really loved it. when we walked in, the usher said "welcome to the r-rated muppet show" which was exactly what it was. great singers/puppeteers, memorable musical numbers, fun sets, and some outrageously raunchy material. i don't want to give away any of the good parts, but if you like the muppet show and sesame street and lived through your 20s, you would love this show too!
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
on broadway
finally, after almost a whole year of living in this city i am going to a broadway show. sara and i got tickets to see avenue q. the one show that i've really wanted to see. dude, it's got singing puppets for christ sake! now that's my kind of show.
i know some people diss the whole broadway thing, but i have to say, i'm a bit of a sucker when it comes to musicals. i went to emerson college where students loudly and proudly sang little ditties from shows like "les miserables" as they walked to class. this, of course was slightly annoying (as most of those musical theater kids were), but i'll admit it, i would hum along from time to time too. i don't know what it is. the cheese factor? the spectacle of it all? or maybe it's when those singers can belt one out and give me major goose bumps. i don't care how unhip or uncool it is to like musicals. i just do. so there.
anyway, i'm excited for tonight. i'm wearing a dress! and make-up! we're doing up the town tonight baby. yeah. (review of the show tomorrow).
i know some people diss the whole broadway thing, but i have to say, i'm a bit of a sucker when it comes to musicals. i went to emerson college where students loudly and proudly sang little ditties from shows like "les miserables" as they walked to class. this, of course was slightly annoying (as most of those musical theater kids were), but i'll admit it, i would hum along from time to time too. i don't know what it is. the cheese factor? the spectacle of it all? or maybe it's when those singers can belt one out and give me major goose bumps. i don't care how unhip or uncool it is to like musicals. i just do. so there.
anyway, i'm excited for tonight. i'm wearing a dress! and make-up! we're doing up the town tonight baby. yeah. (review of the show tomorrow).
Monday, September 13, 2004
going, going... gone (soon)
i did it. i'm going to new zealand. i just bought my e-ticket. holy shit.
i leave november 2nd. just in time to get my vote in at the booth. and i will be in the air when they name our next president. if it's who i'm afraid it will be, i'm really happy i will be on the other side of the planet. might just stay there if that's the case.
i return december 1st. a whole month. god, i'm so excited. for the first couple weeks, i'll be going on this camping tour of both islands. after that, i have no idea. i figure i'll get a good overview of lay of the land and then i'll have 2 more weeks to go back and explore the good spots. or i could hop a plane to fiji (it's only like $90!). sky's the limit baby.
feeling a bit better already. guess it just takes spending a huge chunk of cash to feel better. that and making plans for the future always helps.
i leave november 2nd. just in time to get my vote in at the booth. and i will be in the air when they name our next president. if it's who i'm afraid it will be, i'm really happy i will be on the other side of the planet. might just stay there if that's the case.
i return december 1st. a whole month. god, i'm so excited. for the first couple weeks, i'll be going on this camping tour of both islands. after that, i have no idea. i figure i'll get a good overview of lay of the land and then i'll have 2 more weeks to go back and explore the good spots. or i could hop a plane to fiji (it's only like $90!). sky's the limit baby.
feeling a bit better already. guess it just takes spending a huge chunk of cash to feel better. that and making plans for the future always helps.
monday blues
this weekend was hard. sure, there were some fun things happening, but i felt like i had to fake my way through them. saturday night, i ended it with alex. and i'm still not sure how i feel about the decision. i've been so wishy-washy about the whole thing. part of me really wants to work it out and still hang out with him and the other part just wants to be alone and not have to deal. but i realized that's just not fair to do to him. he's so great and understanding of all my fucked up-ness but for some reason, i just couldn't go there again with him. and i tried. i really did. the real sad part is that this is my exact same pattern. i'm sick of it, but i keep doing it!
find nice boy to go out with. hang out for a bit, then hang out all the time. fall deeply in love. then all of a sudden, fall out of love and need space desparately. end it. that's the pattern. i don't know how many times i've done this but it's been more than a few. so obviously, the problem is mine. sucks the big one cuz he was a good one too.
i'm partly scared to be all on my own now in the big city. no more comfort blanket. but just going out with someone for security sake isn't my style. shitty thing is, in the back of my head, i keep thinking i made a bad decision. i just don't know anymore.
i guess i just need some me time again to sort myself out. i've had a pretty big year: moved to NY, dad passed away, dealt with family drama, started a new relationship. jesus. i guess that's enough to make anyone crazy.
i'm going to new zealand in november. i did decide on that. the year is almost up and i have yet to reach my goal of visit one new country every year. i've also never traveled alone, so i think that will be good for me. i found a subletter for the month of november (which will cover the plane ticket) and the rest will be up to me. who knows, maybe i'll find my dream kiwi boy OR i'll discover that i did make a big mistake in my decision this weekend. but most importantly, i hope to find a little peace of mind. then when i get back, i'll be ready to kick some ass again.
find nice boy to go out with. hang out for a bit, then hang out all the time. fall deeply in love. then all of a sudden, fall out of love and need space desparately. end it. that's the pattern. i don't know how many times i've done this but it's been more than a few. so obviously, the problem is mine. sucks the big one cuz he was a good one too.
i'm partly scared to be all on my own now in the big city. no more comfort blanket. but just going out with someone for security sake isn't my style. shitty thing is, in the back of my head, i keep thinking i made a bad decision. i just don't know anymore.
i guess i just need some me time again to sort myself out. i've had a pretty big year: moved to NY, dad passed away, dealt with family drama, started a new relationship. jesus. i guess that's enough to make anyone crazy.
i'm going to new zealand in november. i did decide on that. the year is almost up and i have yet to reach my goal of visit one new country every year. i've also never traveled alone, so i think that will be good for me. i found a subletter for the month of november (which will cover the plane ticket) and the rest will be up to me. who knows, maybe i'll find my dream kiwi boy OR i'll discover that i did make a big mistake in my decision this weekend. but most importantly, i hope to find a little peace of mind. then when i get back, i'll be ready to kick some ass again.
Thursday, September 09, 2004
smurfy dream
2 nights ago i had the strangest dream. it was halloween night (my favorite holiday, btw) and the costume i had planned just wasn't working out. i felt totally stressed out not knowing what to be and party time was drawing near. all of sudden, i had a brilliant idea... i would be smurfette! all i needed was some blue paint and i'd be good to go.
next part of the dream was me in a paint store, stressed out over which was the perfect smurf blue. i was going through paint swatches, trying desperately to find just the right shade, but i was having trouble deciding. i finally picked the closest one.
next scene, i was painting my whole naked body blue. then i realized that i didn't have smurfette's cute little white dress or white hat OR white shoes! what was i to do? "i know!" i thought, "i'll just go naked and be NUDE-ette!" that was it! so i started to walk out the door, completely naked covered in blue and then i felt embarrassed. "i can't go out totally naked. someone will think i'm from blue man group or something!" so my next brilliant idea was to wear a bra and underwear over my nakeness, and that's what i did.
totally covered in blue, wearing a 50s style bra (very pointy) and underwear (grandma style), i walked out the door happy as could be and started introducing myself as NUDE-ette, the smurf. what the fuck???
next part of the dream was me in a paint store, stressed out over which was the perfect smurf blue. i was going through paint swatches, trying desperately to find just the right shade, but i was having trouble deciding. i finally picked the closest one.
next scene, i was painting my whole naked body blue. then i realized that i didn't have smurfette's cute little white dress or white hat OR white shoes! what was i to do? "i know!" i thought, "i'll just go naked and be NUDE-ette!" that was it! so i started to walk out the door, completely naked covered in blue and then i felt embarrassed. "i can't go out totally naked. someone will think i'm from blue man group or something!" so my next brilliant idea was to wear a bra and underwear over my nakeness, and that's what i did.
totally covered in blue, wearing a 50s style bra (very pointy) and underwear (grandma style), i walked out the door happy as could be and started introducing myself as NUDE-ette, the smurf. what the fuck???
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
camping new jersey style
labor day weekend. i only got to go camping once this summer and i was itching for more, so i asked terra if she and kevin (our new friends who we'd met at ariel/andreas' wedding) wanted to go camping somewhere close-ish for the long weekend. they did! terra found a campsite in northern new jersey and was under the impression that it would be a good spot. honestly, i was a little skeptical. you just don't think of jersey as the ideal outdoor fantasy land. but all i really wanted was trees, sunshine and some water nearby.
i was picturing a dusty campsite, with a smattering of trees, and lots of loud families right near our site. it was none of the above. first of all, it was so green, i couldn't believe it. there were tons of gorgeous trees everywhere. the actual campsite was totally rustic (no running water) and huge... you couldn't even see or hear the other few campers around. we had a little outhouse on our site too, so we didn't even have to treck through the grounds to do business. we had our own little piece of paradise. i was happy.
scott (terra and kevin's friend) was the official camper of the group and handled the fires and wood gathering. and alex was the official camp cook. he made the burgers and dogs and sandwiches and a chocolate tart (!) AND a rotisserie chicken over the open flame! i was so impressed and we all ate so well the whole weekend.
the first day we checked out the nearby sunrise mountain which had a beautiful view of rural jersey (it is called the garden state, you know). next day was pretty overcast and cloudy so we went to the rivine which was fairy wonderland. and our last day trip was to this hidden lake that scott (the local) knew about. it was sunny that day so we were psyched that we might get to go swimming. the hike up to the lake was great. pretty steep in spots but it made the anticipation for the lake even greater. working up a little sweat we were ready to get right in.
"OH MY GOD" terra exclaimed as she got the first glimpse of the lake. it was pristine! huge and clear surrounded by trees and big rocks. rad. there were others there, but we didn't care. we pealed off our clothes, jumped in and swam over to the jumping rock. the water was absolutely perfect. we climbed up to the top of the rock and i decided i was going to jump. it seemed high, but not too bad. after a long time, i went for it. holy shit, it was higher than i thought, but pretty exhilirating. i did it again and then swam around for a while.
we finished off the trip with a fantastic meal at kevin's parents' thai restaurant. soft shell crab, shrimp, spring rolls, satay, turnip cakes, mango with sticky rice, the whole bit. so so so good. and THEN, a ride home from kevin's dad! i felt so lucky about the whole trip. a car, great food, amazing people all in a beautiful setting. be sure to check out my camping photos on flickr.
i was picturing a dusty campsite, with a smattering of trees, and lots of loud families right near our site. it was none of the above. first of all, it was so green, i couldn't believe it. there were tons of gorgeous trees everywhere. the actual campsite was totally rustic (no running water) and huge... you couldn't even see or hear the other few campers around. we had a little outhouse on our site too, so we didn't even have to treck through the grounds to do business. we had our own little piece of paradise. i was happy.
scott (terra and kevin's friend) was the official camper of the group and handled the fires and wood gathering. and alex was the official camp cook. he made the burgers and dogs and sandwiches and a chocolate tart (!) AND a rotisserie chicken over the open flame! i was so impressed and we all ate so well the whole weekend.
the first day we checked out the nearby sunrise mountain which had a beautiful view of rural jersey (it is called the garden state, you know). next day was pretty overcast and cloudy so we went to the rivine which was fairy wonderland. and our last day trip was to this hidden lake that scott (the local) knew about. it was sunny that day so we were psyched that we might get to go swimming. the hike up to the lake was great. pretty steep in spots but it made the anticipation for the lake even greater. working up a little sweat we were ready to get right in.
"OH MY GOD" terra exclaimed as she got the first glimpse of the lake. it was pristine! huge and clear surrounded by trees and big rocks. rad. there were others there, but we didn't care. we pealed off our clothes, jumped in and swam over to the jumping rock. the water was absolutely perfect. we climbed up to the top of the rock and i decided i was going to jump. it seemed high, but not too bad. after a long time, i went for it. holy shit, it was higher than i thought, but pretty exhilirating. i did it again and then swam around for a while.
we finished off the trip with a fantastic meal at kevin's parents' thai restaurant. soft shell crab, shrimp, spring rolls, satay, turnip cakes, mango with sticky rice, the whole bit. so so so good. and THEN, a ride home from kevin's dad! i felt so lucky about the whole trip. a car, great food, amazing people all in a beautiful setting. be sure to check out my camping photos on flickr.
dancarchy photos
if you want to see photos from the dancing protest click here.
i didn't get the kind of shots i wanted... it was dark and we were constantly moving, but you'll get the idea.
i didn't get the kind of shots i wanted... it was dark and we were constantly moving, but you'll get the idea.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
i hear music in the streets
omigod, did i have some fun in the heart of the RNC last night! holy shit, was our little expedition comical. dancing in a group of 30 or so strangers down the crowded streets of new york to the likes of stevie wonder and wang chung played on a crappy boom box, carried by an aging hippie (who i loved!). i'm so glad i opted for this "movement" of so-called protesting, rather than stand in an angry group on a sectioned off corner under the watchful eye of many cops.
oh no! this was the complete opposite. we got to spread joy and gave the republicans and police discomfort at times and big ol' smiles at others. we danced and danced and danced all over the city. i feel like i danced for 10 miles. from 10pm to 3am! my feet hurt so bad, i felt like i'd been dancing in one of those old time dance marathons for 40 hours straight.
but it was damn worth it. we started as 20 and ended up with about 40 by the end of the night, picking up curious dancing fools. i didn't know one of them personally, but we were just smiling and laughing and boogying all the while. there's just something about creating a positive energy with a group of like-minded people that makes you and everyone else around you feel good. we even got a few cops AND stiff republicans to join along. so worth it.
i'll be joining them again tonight! this time, i'll be bringing a cd. yay!
to read all about it from the creator of THE PARTY, check this.
oh no! this was the complete opposite. we got to spread joy and gave the republicans and police discomfort at times and big ol' smiles at others. we danced and danced and danced all over the city. i feel like i danced for 10 miles. from 10pm to 3am! my feet hurt so bad, i felt like i'd been dancing in one of those old time dance marathons for 40 hours straight.
but it was damn worth it. we started as 20 and ended up with about 40 by the end of the night, picking up curious dancing fools. i didn't know one of them personally, but we were just smiling and laughing and boogying all the while. there's just something about creating a positive energy with a group of like-minded people that makes you and everyone else around you feel good. we even got a few cops AND stiff republicans to join along. so worth it.
i'll be joining them again tonight! this time, i'll be bringing a cd. yay!
to read all about it from the creator of THE PARTY, check this.
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
this just in...
the late night news report said this about the event i witnessed earlier tonight:
because of no permits, the union square "block party" was terminated by police.
my favorite quote from a foreign tourist watching the east. 16th street "holding cell":
"i thought america was supposed to stand for freedom and free speech. sure doesn't look like that now."
so true! this is disgusting.
i'm even MORE PISSED after watching the bullshit speeches of arnold, laura and the twins. arnold is so full of crap. can he use his fucking movie one-liners anymore for political gain? "i'll be back" and "economic girly men?" give me a friggin break. laura bush looked like she just got out of her botox appointment and didn't say anything of substance ("my husband is a good man with decency and compassion." YAWN). and those twins. make me want to barf! they thought they were so damn cute. "our grannie is so not hip! she thinks sex and the city is something married people do but never talk about!" and this just about killed me "...but our parents will shake it like a polaroid picture if we ask them." THE WORST!!!!!!!!!!
i hate republicans.
on a lighter note, i just got the new jill scott album and am LOVING it! so go get it.
because of no permits, the union square "block party" was terminated by police.
my favorite quote from a foreign tourist watching the east. 16th street "holding cell":
"i thought america was supposed to stand for freedom and free speech. sure doesn't look like that now."
so true! this is disgusting.
i'm even MORE PISSED after watching the bullshit speeches of arnold, laura and the twins. arnold is so full of crap. can he use his fucking movie one-liners anymore for political gain? "i'll be back" and "economic girly men?" give me a friggin break. laura bush looked like she just got out of her botox appointment and didn't say anything of substance ("my husband is a good man with decency and compassion." YAWN). and those twins. make me want to barf! they thought they were so damn cute. "our grannie is so not hip! she thinks sex and the city is something married people do but never talk about!" and this just about killed me "...but our parents will shake it like a polaroid picture if we ask them." THE WORST!!!!!!!!!!
i hate republicans.
on a lighter note, i just got the new jill scott album and am LOVING it! so go get it.
chaos in union square
i was pretty bummed i had to work today, but hey, gotta pay da bills. i would have rather been out with the people, exercising my first amendment rights. but lo and behold, when i left work and walked through the east side of union square i got caught right in the middle of what seemed to be some sort of police riot. hundreds of cops swarmed the area, on foot, on bikes, on scooters, in cars and yes, there were a couple paddy wagons ready to take in more unruly protesters. i had just missed the immediate action. from what other spectators told me, a group of musicians started to gather and march around the square. apparently tons of people started to follow, dancing around and shouting out. i suppose the numbers got out of hand, stopping traffic on the streets and the sidewalks and the cops decided to take action. doesn't make any sense to me.
i stood around for a while, along with many other bystanders trying to get a glimpse of "police brutality" but there were so many cops swarming the site, you couldn't see what was going on. next thing, i could see them carting in about 10 plastic hand-cuffed kids into the van. wonder what they did to get arrested? i just read there have been 500+ arrests made since last thursday.
soon enough, as i was standing around, being a looky-loo, the chants began "this is what democracy looks like, that is what a police state looks like" and "who are you protecting?" nuttiness. i have a feeling shit's just gonna get crazier as the week wears on.
luckily i'm not working tomorrow and will be out there. hopefully with more reports. so stay tuned...
i stood around for a while, along with many other bystanders trying to get a glimpse of "police brutality" but there were so many cops swarming the site, you couldn't see what was going on. next thing, i could see them carting in about 10 plastic hand-cuffed kids into the van. wonder what they did to get arrested? i just read there have been 500+ arrests made since last thursday.
soon enough, as i was standing around, being a looky-loo, the chants began "this is what democracy looks like, that is what a police state looks like" and "who are you protecting?" nuttiness. i have a feeling shit's just gonna get crazier as the week wears on.
luckily i'm not working tomorrow and will be out there. hopefully with more reports. so stay tuned...
Monday, August 30, 2004
takin it to the streets!
as you may have all read/seen by now, yesterday was the big protest march in the streets of nyc and i decided i had to check it out and be a part of it myself. my reasons for going were a combination of wanting to be there to add to the numbers, to speak out against this administration, to shout BOO when walking past madison sq. garden, and also purely for curiousity sake and great photo opportunities. yes, i am angry at what is happening in the world and i felt it necessary to be there, but i'm also not sure what peaceful protests accomplish. besides the local news broadcasts, they showed about 5 minutes of a GIANT (500,000 strong) march on the NBC nightly news, basically saying not much happened. the national news was WEAK and i had a feeling they wouldn't give the protest justice. but that just goes to show. the news had to keep a positive light on the RNC, when there are thousands of angry people from all over the country (and the world) who were there to make their voices heard: WE DO NOT SUPPORT THIS PRESIDENT OR HIS FUCKED UP POLICIES AND IDEALS (not to mention his corporate cronies)! it was maddening. but still, i was glad i was there with the masses in the sweltering heat.
this was my silly contribution (an iron-on lettered shirt that i made that morning. even had to get up early to run to target to buy a friggin iron! HA!):
i also made a little slideshow for those of you who are interested in seeing some pics of the day. mostly of clever posters/costumes/kids/etc. you'll get the idea. and yeah, the song selection is a little, um, something, but still fitting (get into the mood people!). :)
enjoy! disclaimer: it's about 7mgs and might take a while to download (oh and it's chronological of the day... not to coinside with the song lyrics. i don't have that much time)!
what's your favorite image/poster? i have mine.
this was my silly contribution (an iron-on lettered shirt that i made that morning. even had to get up early to run to target to buy a friggin iron! HA!):
i also made a little slideshow for those of you who are interested in seeing some pics of the day. mostly of clever posters/costumes/kids/etc. you'll get the idea. and yeah, the song selection is a little, um, something, but still fitting (get into the mood people!). :)
enjoy! disclaimer: it's about 7mgs and might take a while to download (oh and it's chronological of the day... not to coinside with the song lyrics. i don't have that much time)!
what's your favorite image/poster? i have mine.
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
escape from new york
if you could choose between these three places, where would you go?:
1. brazil
2. japan
3. new zealand
here's my dilema. so i got this free ticket to anywhere in the world deal on american airlines. i was stoked and i'm finally ready to put to it to good use. i still have some saved up money that i decided i'd use to go on a month long trip, solo style (as i've never really gone on a big trip far away all by myself). i wanted to go somewhere that was far far away, to get the biggest bang for my buck with the free ticket. AND after tooling around in trees and pretty nature, i thought i'd like to go somewhere that wasn't so metropolitan. maybe do an adventure style trip. so the obvious choice was new zealand. total natural paradise and was my father's favorite country he'd ever visited. oh yeah, and lord of the rings and shit (kidding. kind of).
so i started doing all this research (procratination at it's finest) and found this really cool sounding camping adventure tour in NZ geared towards people travelling solo (not for 18 year old drunk college kids). yeah, yeah i wasn't too into doing one of those group tour thingies, but this one actually sounds pretty nifty. i could do a shorter trip and see what it was like, to get my bearings. anyhow, i found all these message boards with people raving about the tour and i really started to get excited. then i finally made the call to american to check it out. oops! this particular free ticket doesn't go to NZ. OF COURSE IT DOESN'T! bastards. i should have known.
so my other options now are brazil (which i've already been to... AND LOVED) and japan (which i've been dying to go to, but it's so damn expensive). plus (this is gonna sound like i'm a total wuss) i was thinking since i'd be solo style, it'd be nice to go to country where they speak english, you know?
here's my latest thought (opinions are welcome since i have a very hard time making decisions these days): bite the bullet and spend the money to go to NZ. the major cost factor is the airfare. getting around there isn't all that bad and the tour thing seems reasonable. THEN, i could still use the free ticket to go to carnival in brazil for 2005 (would LOVE to go again. best trip ever so far). it's SO cheap there and i never got to see rio or sao paulo and i'm sure i could convince some friends to come along. OR should i just wait and go to japan some other time???
HELP!
1. brazil
2. japan
3. new zealand
here's my dilema. so i got this free ticket to anywhere in the world deal on american airlines. i was stoked and i'm finally ready to put to it to good use. i still have some saved up money that i decided i'd use to go on a month long trip, solo style (as i've never really gone on a big trip far away all by myself). i wanted to go somewhere that was far far away, to get the biggest bang for my buck with the free ticket. AND after tooling around in trees and pretty nature, i thought i'd like to go somewhere that wasn't so metropolitan. maybe do an adventure style trip. so the obvious choice was new zealand. total natural paradise and was my father's favorite country he'd ever visited. oh yeah, and lord of the rings and shit (kidding. kind of).
so i started doing all this research (procratination at it's finest) and found this really cool sounding camping adventure tour in NZ geared towards people travelling solo (not for 18 year old drunk college kids). yeah, yeah i wasn't too into doing one of those group tour thingies, but this one actually sounds pretty nifty. i could do a shorter trip and see what it was like, to get my bearings. anyhow, i found all these message boards with people raving about the tour and i really started to get excited. then i finally made the call to american to check it out. oops! this particular free ticket doesn't go to NZ. OF COURSE IT DOESN'T! bastards. i should have known.
so my other options now are brazil (which i've already been to... AND LOVED) and japan (which i've been dying to go to, but it's so damn expensive). plus (this is gonna sound like i'm a total wuss) i was thinking since i'd be solo style, it'd be nice to go to country where they speak english, you know?
here's my latest thought (opinions are welcome since i have a very hard time making decisions these days): bite the bullet and spend the money to go to NZ. the major cost factor is the airfare. getting around there isn't all that bad and the tour thing seems reasonable. THEN, i could still use the free ticket to go to carnival in brazil for 2005 (would LOVE to go again. best trip ever so far). it's SO cheap there and i never got to see rio or sao paulo and i'm sure i could convince some friends to come along. OR should i just wait and go to japan some other time???
HELP!
Monday, August 23, 2004
close, but no cigar
i ALMOST went through a break-up this weekend. in my 13+ years of dating and going through relationships, this is the first time i didn't throw in the towel so easily. we actually worked through it! amazing? yes.
i've always been one who gets the idea in their head that "this just isn't working. forget it. i'm done." i say what i have to say (usually the frustrations i've been bottling up) and said boyfriend at the time gets upset, but just lets it go, without a fight (i.e. i've dated lots of pussies). well, this time, i was actually challenged! alex is very insightful (more so, than i thought). he'd picked up on a lot of my nuances and life patterns and we had a serious honesty session. and the results were positive.
it's true. i do give up too easily. always have. when the going gets tough, i move on. this, i was told, was something i should work on. and obviously, i agreed. the fact that i was actually emotionally challenged, gave me a lot of respect for alex. he really is a great guy. and whether it works out or not, it's still good to take this as more life practice and experience.
i've always been one who gets the idea in their head that "this just isn't working. forget it. i'm done." i say what i have to say (usually the frustrations i've been bottling up) and said boyfriend at the time gets upset, but just lets it go, without a fight (i.e. i've dated lots of pussies). well, this time, i was actually challenged! alex is very insightful (more so, than i thought). he'd picked up on a lot of my nuances and life patterns and we had a serious honesty session. and the results were positive.
it's true. i do give up too easily. always have. when the going gets tough, i move on. this, i was told, was something i should work on. and obviously, i agreed. the fact that i was actually emotionally challenged, gave me a lot of respect for alex. he really is a great guy. and whether it works out or not, it's still good to take this as more life practice and experience.
Friday, August 20, 2004
trip pics
yet again, ariel has pointed me in the direction of my new internet obsession: flickr. think friendster and photo sharing combined. it's a little bit clunky (in beta version... a la friendster's good ol' days) and sort hard to figure out all of the features, but once you do, it's hard to turn away.
have a look for yourself. i posted some photos from the recent trip. there are two sets: one of the wedding weekend and one of the rest. leave a comment or a note in there. it's fun and i'm sure you'll be using it in no time!
have a look for yourself. i posted some photos from the recent trip. there are two sets: one of the wedding weekend and one of the rest. leave a comment or a note in there. it's fun and i'm sure you'll be using it in no time!
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