home: phase 2

it's been just about a month since i moved in, and this place is finally starting to shape up. i've been lugging boxes up and down the stairs, been drilling and hammering away, been on numerous automated phone calls to various companies trying to get my shit set up, and had massive headaches regarding my bldg. manager (total asshole!). it's been a struggle, but i think all the work and money spent is starting to pay off. i feel at home! i like it so much here, that i actually don't mind being in here all day doing work and puttering around. and when i do go outside, everything i could want is right in front of me. i'm thinking i made a good move.

anyway, here are a few pics (phase 1 was pre-move-in. phase 2 is obviously post-move-in).

my bed, where i decided it should go (with wanna's help!):


bed and fireplace view from office door (disregard the pile of boxes there. i do have a plan for that corner too... stuff from cali is on it's way!):


view of office from my bed:


kitchen, little table (that i'm gonna paint and collage soon) and bathroom:


the friggin ikea pot/pan rack that took me days to put up (but quite worth it!):


partial view of my office set-up:


back side of office... my spacious closet:


still desparately need decoration, but that will come in time. but not bad for a month and having NOTHING besides clothes and the computer to start with. i was a woman on a mission. what do you think?

wire-less? why-YES.

sorry, i have to brag... i just got connected to a wireless router (came free with my dsl package from verizon).
i'm sitting ON MY BED with my laptop as i type this. weeeee...
this changes everything!

why do ex-girlfriends suck so bad?

ok, i'm still alive. i made it through yesterday unharmed. i met the boy's mother AND the ex AND the ex's mother. jesus!

the mother: very nice, sweet lady. spoke very little english, and thus i didn't really have to communicate with her all that much. but she seemed nice enough and i think i got the approval when she invited me to her house for dinner. better brush up on that spanish!

the ex: not into her AT ALL! this is going to sound super catty and bitchy, but that was kind of her style, so i'll follow suit. she was not pretty or cute. her only saving grace was that she had enormous tits and apparently was very proud of her one big asset. she loved to show them off (in a dress that was way too tight, with no bra). strike one. she's french. strike two. i tried my hardest to be polite and ask her questions about her (pretending i really wanted to get to know her a little better). she didn't ask me one question about myself. strike three. she was out. but it gets worse. she was really bitchy to alex at times, just making snide little comments in front of me... like she knew all his faults and had to make sure i heard her. the worst was at one point, i was sitting in the room with just her, her mother and alex's mom and ex bitch was going on to the mother in spanish like they were best friends. when she's finished, she looks at me and says "have YOU been to alex's mom's house and had her cooking? oh no? it's reeeeeally good. she's the best." then she turns to his mom and says "you really have to have her over." sure that may sound nice and all, but the WAY she said it was really irritating and demeaning. i'm sure she also felt totally insecure in the situation and just decided to play the childish card. LAME.

the ex's mother: equally as bitchy. and french. when i told her i didn't cook, she looked at me like i was an alien. and then goes on about how her daughter (also a chef) is sooooo good and inspires her to try new things in the kitchen. well la dee da!

it was basically a very uncomfortable situation. and i'm usually great in party situations where i don't know anybody. but come on, you have to admit that would have been a tough one. chalk it up to one more bizarre NY experience. the gringa invades the hispanic christening party. i think the only brownie points i got were when they played the merengue and i actually kept up with the various men dancing with me. i may not speak spanish very well, but i know i've got some latin soul in me!

air mattress no more!

whoooooooosh... i just deflated the air mattress that i've been sleeping for the past 3 weeks. when i first moved into this place i couldn't decide what to do about the sleeping/sitting issue. you see, it's a one room situation. i've never not had a living room AND bedroom, so this was a new challenge. what to do? a futon? haven't used one of those since college. a sleeper sofa? those mattresses suck! so i finally decided an actual bed would be the best option for the room. it's not like i'm gonna have company over much. and if i do, they can sit on the bed. fuck it.

so, i just called 1-800-mattress. you've seen the ads. order a bed and they deliver it that day. i kinda couldn't believe it either, but i literally called an hour ago, ordered the medium-cheapish model (anything will be better than the air bed at this point) and i'm supposed to get my new mattress in a couple hours! gotta love it.

also, UPS just arrived and delivered my air conditioner. sweet!
the place is finally coming together.

premiere brazil!

right before i left work tonight, i skimmed the flavor pill listings to see if i was missing anything good. you see, i've been without TV since i moved to my new place and it seems to be proving very worthwhile! i've actually been watching movies and reading books instead of getting sucked into some dumb reality show (can you believe it?).
anyway, i saw that MOMA and the film forum were hosting a film festival called premiere brazil!. well, if you know me, then you know my obsession with brazilian culture, so i got excited and decided to go right after work to see a documentary called born to be blind which sounded very intriguing.

it was fantastic. i LOVE documentary filmmaking, since it's voyeurism at it's finest. this film's story was particularly interesting-- entering the world of 3 blind sisters from brazil. their personalities were both serious and humorous, reflecting their lives which were mostly struggles with scattered moments of happiness. you couldn't help but fall in love with these women, not out of pity, but because of their warm spirit and their musical gifts. my favorite parts were when they became semi-famous because of being subjects of the film. they were invited to salvador and sao paulo to perform and the crowds loved their beautiful, pure, rootsy voices, accompanied with their playing of the ganza. i could go on, but hopefully, this film will be released all over. touching!

done and done

my latest website project just finished. pretty much. still got a couple little things to fix/add, but check it out.
comments are welcome!
robyn rhodes designs

big chill blues

so i was just looking at this to see what great UK summer festivals i was missing out on. when i saw the link the big chill i immediately clicked it. you see, i've been to a few of these summer music festivals in the past chunk of my music-loving life and the big chill has remained my favorite. i went for the first time back in er, 99 or was it 2000 (uh, sometime around then) and went again a couple years later.

both experiences were fantastic. it's literally very chilled out and laid back. a few thousand (they limit capacity to keep it real) british stoners, hippies, young families, old ravers, music nerds, dance enthusiasts, and the like. tons of spliffs are rolled and smoked, many pills are taken, most likely some acid and shrooms enter the mix all amongst the best in electronica/world beat/dance music. and all happening in a lovely enviroment of rolling green hills, little castles, giant trees and peacocks running around.

it's also a camping festival. you're not staying in some crappy dusty campsite either. you're sleeping on lush green grass under big pretty trees. my favorite! and the food! they just happen to get the best food vendors around. just picture a bit of an english chill in the air and wandering over to the chai tea tent for another delicious warm chai serverd in a homemade ceramic mug for 1 quid! ah, brings me back!

well, i've got the big chill blues because i just read the big chill line-up. it's amazing this year! a live set from the easy star allstars performing dubside of the moon! a live lemon jelly set! new sector movements! norman jay, gilles peterson, mr. scruff, jazzanova, dego, bugz in the attic, phil asher, russ dewbury, yam who!!! bonobo, fourtet, nitin sawhney! muther fucker! all my favorites in one place. and a) it's already sold out and b) i just checked plane ticket prices just to see, and there's no way anyway. nope can't go this year.

ah well, i'll be there in spirit. crap.

weekend lowlights

1. dad's day was pretty depressing, but i managed to keep busy. also looked at the cute dads and their kids in the park, which actually made me happy instead of sad. good sign.

2. my fucking phone situation at home! sunday, had a scheduled business call which never came through. when i got the email saying the phone was busy, i checked it. no dial tone, no nothing! and absolutely no cell reception. so so so frustrating when you need to make/receive a call and you can't!

3. finding out that not only do i get to meet alex's mother for the first time next weekend (at his best friend's baby's christening), but his ex-girlfriend will be there too. talk about being judged. oy vey. yeah, sure i'm comfortable in my own skin and will aim to charm the pants off everyone, but what the fuck am i going to wear?

weekend highlights

1. seeing the movie saved. cracked me up. pretty clever little film.

2. eating at quatorze bis, alex's chef friend's restaurant. holy shit. we went for brunch and were served a 5 course french meal. it was delicious and so so rich. i've never eaten like this in my life and i have to say, it's fatty (literally and figuratively).

3. central park after eating. happened upon the summerstage, where we caught the end of floetry's set. i wasn't really paying attention. ran into some friends and were talking with them most of the time.

4. visiting with chase and vicki. chatting it up girly style.

5. the TY show at the five spot. some friends were putting on the show and i was looking forward to it. i was so tired from the day, but the music lifted me way back up again. UK hip hop at it's finest. hadn't been to a live hip hop show in quite a bit and i forgot how fun they can be. this one in particular. ty was so damn funny. it was fantastic beats, mixed with clever and humorous rhymes, fun audience participation, along with a bit of a comedy routine. i was cracking up. great great great. if he comes through, i highly recommend his show!

6. fort greene park on sunday. beautiful day. wandered out to do some reading and there was a little dance and drum performance going on. nice.

unexpected fun

last night turned out to be pretty great (after the day from hell). i dj'ed my first gig in NY last night. since i don't have many records with me, i decided to try it with 2 ipods. success! i borrowed my mom's ipod and used mine... made a few playlists and just went back and forth between each pod. not carrying a heavy record bag rules! feels slightly like cheating or something, but fuck it. it all went very smoothly and the people were stoked on the tunes. all i could ask for.

i also got a call out of the blue from sara who happened to be in town for 1 night only. luckily the dj thing was early, so i went to meet her at soho house afterwards. talk about swanky hotels. jesus. there was a freaking line to get in! and the room! holy fuck. giant flat screen tv on the wall, ultra fancy bathroom with a tub i was dying to get in, and the nicest mini bar i've seen. oh, and bose surround sound to boot! shit like that makes me wish i was rich sometimes. oh well, glad i have friends who get set up like that.

anyway, sara and i and some others hung out in the room, then headed up to the exclusive club room. cool space, lame peeps. made me feel like i was in some uber hip hollywood joint. then up to the rooftop pool area. dang! nice view. i managed to drink way more than i should have for a "school night" (had the office job the next day). afterwards, sara and i wandered over to APT. it just happened to be going off downstairs. super fatty hip hop with rich medina. great tunes, nice crowd, more drinks. all around great thing to stumble upon. it was getting late and i was way past drunk. had to grab a cab home and left sara to keep doing it up.

this morning was more than hard. i felt like complete ass. when i went to get the coffee for the subway ride, an overwhelming sensation came over me. i thought i was going to pass out. i even had to sit down for a bit and opted for a gingerale. god today was bad. but the fun of the night was pretty worth it.

moving pains!

my poor new neighbors. i was just screaming FUCK FUCK FUCK at the top of my lungs.
today sucks!!!
moving has proved to be a total nightmare. it's half way through my first month (although i've really only been living in the place 1 week) and i'm annoyed beyond belief.
first of all, verison sucks. i couldn't get my phone line to work forever. then, the dsl they promised me by today, just happened to be put off for another week!!!! i thought i was totally screwing over my clients without the internet but then the nice verison manager who i was yelling at, reminded me of a funny little thing called dial-up. oh yeah, that shit i used back in college to get online? jesus christ. it's actually not AS bad as i was expecting speed-wise, but it's really annoying when you get a phone call or the line just gets cut off for some unknown reason. ugh!

but i have been able to check email, update this here blog, and do some work. it's hot as fuck in here. i still don't have an air conditioner and there is NO ventilation in my office. i just feel like every step forward, there are about 2 steps back. like yesterday, i went to Ikea to get much needed stuff for this place. yes, it's been a week and i'm still eating with the same plastic spoon i've been using all week. alex and i rented a uhaul van to do the deed. it actually all went quite smoothly given i had to rent a car to go to ikea. set up a bunch of the stuff last night, hoping i'd have my office set up with the speedy dsl line. nope!

oh, and i'd also been waiting for a mail box key since i moved here. couldn't get to my bills or checks or netflix! today, FINALLY the guy came by and dropped off the key. when i went to check it, it didn't fucking work! what is up with these idiots?

and my building manager happens to be the biggest asshole that ever lived. he just seems like you're the last person in the world he wants to talk to when you call. and i'm paying him! fucking-a.

ok, that's enough venting for one day. i have to go take a cold shower now.

borderline bi-coastal

this plane ride back to NY has literally been my only time to chill since i left for San Diego last friday. it was fun-filled and busy and an all around good time back home.

not only did i get to go to a nice wedding (read next post), i got to see my LA friends. we found out when we got to LA that cinespia was happening that night too. so after the wedding, my mom and i headed to the hollywood forever cemetery to watch the movie. AND a bunch of my good friends happened to be going that night. what luck! we got to hang out and eat and drink more and watch "his girl friday." i even smoked grass in my mom's company for the first time and she was totally chill about it (no criticisms or dirty looks or anything!). good times. my mom and i got to spend the night in a hotel downtown which was fun, since i never get to do that in LA.

the next morning we met all the kids from the night before at a favorite breakfast spot. so so so much fun. i'm so happy that my mom is cool and can chill with my friends. makes things so much easier. we had some good quality time together which was actually the best part of my coming home.

rest of the weekend was me going through my storage space and sorting through everything. i actually found some guys on craigslist that are supposedly going to drive my stuff to from SD to NY. i'm a little skeptical about it working out easily, but i figured i'd give it a shot. there are about 3 pieces of furniture that i would be very very sad if something happened to them. and the scariest part is that i'm going to risk sending 6 boxes of my records. yikes. i can insure everything, but it's still a little sketchy. think good thoughts for me that it works out and everything makes it to NY in one piece.

summer of love

the wedding i attended on saturday was a total trip. it was for an old high school friend who i'd remained friends with in LA, but had sort of lost touch with the last couple years. she's someone i admire (maybe the hardest working girl my age that i know... just finished law school and passed the bar on her first try, all while working a crazy hectic life-encompassing day job... kudos to her!). anyway, i wasn't really planning on going to the wedding since it was just too soon since i'd last been in cali, but tickets were cheap and it was a good excuse to come back and sort through my stuff in storage that i want with me in my new place. AND my mom wanted to go to the wedding really bad. you see, the friend that got married works for jackson browneand my mother has had a huge crush/infatuation with the man since the 70s. i wasn't sure if he was going to be at the wedding or not, but she was convinced he would be and couldn't miss it. plus, she knew the girl and her family, so it seemed ok to bring her as my guest.

well, the wedding was a mix of traditional, hippie bohemian, native american, and jewish. needless to say, it was interesting. they walked "down the aisle" to a folksy guitar player and this seriously hippie looking dude was presiding over them. jackson was the best man, so of course my mom was already happy. a native american woman did this ritual with a sage smudge stick calling to the eagles and the heavens with a feather. she walked around them saying such and such while the sage burned. then they said their vows to each other which were literally about 2 sentences ("you're my best friend and i love you"). very very short, but sweet. he gave her a ring, they kissed and that was it.

the crowd was probably the most interesting part of the whole event. kind of like the eclectic ceremony, it was a mix of business associates, old hippies, old musicians, some harley davidson biker dudes, and random friends and family. once we sat down and started talking to people, we found out that the old hippie who married them was none other than wavy gravy... the famous guy from the movie woodstock (and the inspiration for the ben and jerry's flavor). other celeb sightings were graham nash and david crosby. pretty cool.

anyway, the ceremony was followed by a champagne toast given by jackson. then food and drinks. they must have spent a small fortune on the food. a full mexican spread in the front yard, complete with a mexican woman making her own tortillas! so good!!! the back yard was italian themed faire, complete with a man making homemade pizzas in a brick oven. fancy meats and cheeses and olives took over the long table. so so so good!!! then the cake. yeah, they fed each other. not a fan of that tradition, but i suppose it's expected. not only was there the fancy cake, they also had a lazy susan on a big table full of about 10 different kinds of amazing truffles. i tried about 5. ugh! i felt sick, but couldn't help it. free truffles man.

after some more mingling, jackson and my friend's dad along with some other musicians started singing and playing music in the front room of the house. my mom was thrilled or course. it was a very intimate setting and pretty neat, even though i'm not a huge fan of old dudes playing folksy guitar music. the happy couple took off after a couple songs, but the guys kept playing and we had to stay of course. all in all, it was a lovely affair. i even ran into a girl i vaguely remembered from childhood who just happens to be new to NY as well. who knew?

weddings can be so iffy. in my experience they can either be really memorable and fun or total duds. i always think it depends mostly on the guests and the couple getting hitched of course. if they are fun people, they usually have fun friends and fun things planned. if not, well, you do the math. typical traditional is not my idea of fun either. put a little creativity into it and you've got yourself a good time. only 3 more weddings this summer to go.
really looking forward to bainbridge island in august! ;)

tomorrow, tomorrow...

yes, thursday is the day i start fresh. out of the old apartment and into the new!
up and down 5 flights of stairs over and over again at 8am is something i'm not looking forward to at all.
but setting up house... my very own space... is something i can't wait for!
i've only ever lived alone once and it wasn't for very long and i couldn't really do anything to the place (it was a family friend's house, so i couldn't really make it mine). but this time will be different. i can paint and buy little trinkets and do it up to my liking without having to ask anyone if it's ok. finally!

also, i just got amazing news... i'm getting a chunk of change for a project i've been on since october. my original contract stated that i would do the work up until a point and any additional updates would incur a fee. well, my good pal, mr. producer hooked it up! he told me the figure and i did a little jump for joy. he came up with it himself and it was GREAT! more than expected, although i have been doing a lot of work on the thing. but it's exciting. and i won't have to worry as much about the next job coming or if i can afford to buy that little table i saw at the flea market for my place. feels really good.

wedding in LA on saturday with my mom. not looking forward to getting on a plane again, but am psyched to have some mom time. then back to NY tuesday and setting up the place. things are looking up!

new blogger alert!

the fact that my best friend amy, an admitted hater of computers, has started a blog is well, um, kind of amazing.
she's a great writer. her first post killed me.
check out the writings of a disenchanted actress trying to make it in hollywood here.
she's getting it off her chest and we get to laugh all about it with her! i love blogging!!!