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!
Sunday, October 03, 2004
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!
returning and reflecting
it's been great being back in my apartment. i love my apartment. it's cozy and it's got all my stuff. i didn't leave the place the first two days i got back. i think after all that getting around, i just wanted to stay still. back to the office job the next couple days, which were fine (kinda nice to work again too... weird?).
i've also been out the last two nights and have been having so much fun, visiting with friends. i think i was so in boyfriend world the last couple months, i kinda neglected the few friends i have here (not the best idea, but it happens). and (i hate to say it), i think i miss being on my own (yikes!). am i just destined to be solo?
when you grow up with completely independent people all around you, i think you learn from example (nurture vs. nature?). my single mom raised me. she dated one guy for a bit after she ended things with my dad, when i was five, and never really dated again. so the primary example of how to live, was this totally independent woman, raising me and making enough money to buy a house and send me to college. then there was my aunt... same thing. single woman doing it all her own. and my grandmother (their mom). same thing again. 3 strong-willed ladies fending for themselves and never needing men around. hmmm...
my dad re-married, but then separated when i was in my teens and lived on his own after that. and his mother, after her partner died, she was on her own. AND my uncle (dad's bro). single bachelor for his whole life. interesting, no? this is ALL I KNOW so it's only natural that i would migrate towards that lifestyle. i always think it's because i haven't met the right person, but maybe, just maybe, it's because after years of witnessing the elders in my life doing it all on their own, that's what i'm destined to do too. i long for companionship and then it comes to a point where i just want to do my own thing without having to call and explain that i don't want "boyfriend at the time" to be around for a while. is that selfish of me? maybe the happy medium is to find someone who is equally as independent and doesn't bug out when you turn down a dinner date.
like i said, yikes. who knows though. maybe it's just a phase and i gotta ride this out. time will tell.
i've also been out the last two nights and have been having so much fun, visiting with friends. i think i was so in boyfriend world the last couple months, i kinda neglected the few friends i have here (not the best idea, but it happens). and (i hate to say it), i think i miss being on my own (yikes!). am i just destined to be solo?
when you grow up with completely independent people all around you, i think you learn from example (nurture vs. nature?). my single mom raised me. she dated one guy for a bit after she ended things with my dad, when i was five, and never really dated again. so the primary example of how to live, was this totally independent woman, raising me and making enough money to buy a house and send me to college. then there was my aunt... same thing. single woman doing it all her own. and my grandmother (their mom). same thing again. 3 strong-willed ladies fending for themselves and never needing men around. hmmm...
my dad re-married, but then separated when i was in my teens and lived on his own after that. and his mother, after her partner died, she was on her own. AND my uncle (dad's bro). single bachelor for his whole life. interesting, no? this is ALL I KNOW so it's only natural that i would migrate towards that lifestyle. i always think it's because i haven't met the right person, but maybe, just maybe, it's because after years of witnessing the elders in my life doing it all on their own, that's what i'm destined to do too. i long for companionship and then it comes to a point where i just want to do my own thing without having to call and explain that i don't want "boyfriend at the time" to be around for a while. is that selfish of me? maybe the happy medium is to find someone who is equally as independent and doesn't bug out when you turn down a dinner date.
like i said, yikes. who knows though. maybe it's just a phase and i gotta ride this out. time will tell.
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
trippy trip part 3
so we were on the way to chez panisse, the famous restaurant that alex, mr. chef, was dying to try. we had a good 6+ hour drive to get there in time for the reservation that he had made a month ahead of time. we left a little more than 7 hours early for stops and whatnot. we stopped in ashland, oregon to check out the cuteness of town and to take a little walk through the park. back on the road for a loooong stretch. thank god for the ipods (although that battery power issue was a big ol' pain!).
next stop, weed, california. we just had to stop there. duh. took a couple pics. then alex was dying to stop for a smoke break. i was warning against it, but he insisted. so we stopped. of course i got a little paranoid (most of you know my oklahoma story... if you don't email me). at that point we were cutting it a little close to making it in time to the restaurant. then the worst happened. we hit bad traffic in the middle of nowhere in northern cal. we were stuck. turned out to be a roadside fire. things weren't looking good, so i called the restaurant saying we might be a little late and could we get a later reservation. no go. and they would only hold our table for a half hour. uh oh.
another snag along the way... we missed the exit to the bay area and the next exit after that was 10 minutes away. a 20 minute lag. we were never going to make it. alex called next asking if there was ANY way we could get in... he was a chef too, was dying to go the restaurant, we came in from NY, we were driving down from oregon, we hit traffic, the whole sob story. and no sympathy! well la di da. the worst part was that they took $50 for the res from his credit card and told him he couldn't get it back if we didn't make it. that just pissed him off and the trip from that point took a turn for the worst. dear sweet alex became very very angry and there was nothing i could say or do to make it better.
the worst part was that we actually made it to the berkeley exit right at 6:30 (the latest we could get there) and we called to see if we could still get the table. they had given it away already. SORRY! good thing was they decided to give him the $50 back. but still, alex was so mad. it was shitty to say the least. i tried to make it better, saying that it was good that we'd get to san francisco earlier, that we'd find a good restaurant there, and we'd have more time to tool around the city. wasn't working. and then we hit horrible traffic on the bay bridge (my most least favorite bridge... i always picture the big one hitting and falling through the cracks). we made it to the hotel and alex was still fuming. put a major chink in the fun.
i had no idea where to go to dinner, so i did a little research online and found a good chinese place (which was his next choice). luckily it was really good and he wasn't so pissy anymore. we had a great walk around the north end, up to coit tower and down around the cute little streets of SF. i really love that city. i lived there for a summer, but that was a long time ago and i blocked out most of that period (or i was just too stoned on dank nugs to retain any of the memories). next was a trip to the top to check the music scene. funnily enough, i ran into a guy i had met before who was djing and working the door. that was a free entry. sweet! the club was lacking, the music ok, the drinks weak. at least there were two lame white chicks getting busy on the dance floor that we had fun watching.
the next day was MUCH better than the day before. started out at crepes on cole (my local fave breakfast spot). we decided since we weren't spending the couple hundred at dinner the night before, that we'd spend it shopping. i knew just where to go: haight street (my old hood). alex got a sweet hat and great shoes and i picked up an amazing japanese poncho and some brown boots that i will where to death come fall/winter in NY. we scored. shopping is always the best cure. i really wished we'd had more time in SF, but alas, we had to get going. alex really wanted to go to the monterey bay aquarium and since he missed the restaurant i was sure to get him there on time. we made it to monterey with 2 hours to spend in the aquarium. it was awesome. we were pleasantly baked and i took a zillion digi pics of the jellyfish which will soon be on my desktop! so fun. i also had planned on us driving down highway 1 to check out the cool view (hadn't been that way in some time). unfortunately it was completely cloudy and you couldn't see the full view, but it was still pretty cool. made it to big sur before dark and walked around the stream. LOVE THAT TOWN!
the rest of the drive down the 1 was totally dark and i opted to drive it. ugh! it sucked. i was driving like an old lady, leaning forward, forehead almost touching the wheel, foot hoovering on the break. the goal was to make it to LA by that night. SF morning/afternoon, down to monterey for the aquarium til 7, highway 1 all the way down to LA in one day??? what was i thinking? after stopping off in san luis obispo for a quick bite, alex drove the rest of the way and we arrived at amy's in santa monica at about 2am. that was the longest day yet. but i was happy to wake up in LA.
we had breakfast with dennis hopper then next morning. well, he was two table down, but that was a pretty good star sighting for alex (he even knew who he was! the boy isn't too up on his celeb. unlike someone else i know. heh). on to venice. muscle beach, silly street performers, bad street arts and crafts. the day was perfect. hot, sunny and clear with a cool breeze. it was definitely a beach day. we headed straight for malibu after that and spent the hottest hours of the day on the beach. it was just what we needed. a little relaxation. i was feeling my painfully white skin getting fried. only thing i could do to salvage the burn was get in the water. AH! so good.
next was meeting up with wanna who took over driving in the convertible (a must for LA sight-seeing). i had been chatting up in-n-out burger to alex the entire trip and we were finally going. and man, was it good! he was dying. so funny to take an in-n-out virgin to have their first. loved it. we picked up michael later and headed to the water park in downtown LA to a free concert. met michele there. great to see her for a bit. the crew wasn't feeling the music so we left pretty early. we had time to kill as the plan was to go to jahmal's (the authentic jamaicaan speak-easy; LA's best kept secret) after hours. another quick stop at the short stop for beers and pictures in the photobooth. next was meeting up with sara, callum, mark, jom, bucky, arya, etc, etc at the red lion. more time killing and beer drinking. and finally, by the time 1:30 rolled around we made it to jahmal's. i hadn't been there in ages and it was cool to be back. that place is such a freakin trip. you really do feel like you're in jamaica (eventhough i've never been, it's exactly how i picture it). we got our drinks and our ganga lollipops and made our way to a side room. fernando joined us by that time along with some other random LA homies. some serious jamaican dude walked into the room, dreads to his butt wearing rasta colors and greeted mark (the resident hanger outer at jahmal's) with an enormous joint. in a room full of 10+ people that thing went around about 7 times. craaaazy. needless to say, we were all very very stoned. good times.
the evening ended at about 5am at mel's diner where bad karaoke was going on. a black dude singing coldplay? HUH?? it was weird. i ordered a waffle which was worse than an ego and we got back to amy's at dawn. what a night. next day, was bay city sandwiches, a walk on 3rd st. and a movie which was the only energy we could muster that day. we met up with wanna, michael and mai for beers at the brewery before heading down to fallbrook that night. it was basically the end of the trip. i could tell alex was bumming, but i was ready. it was non-stop since the wedding and i was pooped!
got to the hometown by 11 and introduced my mom to alex. i wasn't worried. my mom is the coolest and treats everyone equal. we chatted for a bit. alex was shy and quiet, which annoyed me a little, but what was i expecting? meeting the mother? that's always a little nerve-racking. i met with my grandma briefly the final day of the trip. just stopped by to say hello and goodbye. took alex on a mini-tour of fallbrook. met with my aunt. then alex, my mom and i drove down to san diego to meet with debbie, my step mother. poor alex. had to spend the last day of his trip meeting my whole family. well, it was fine. we were at her house for about an hour and then it was off to the airport. sad to say goodbye to my mom as always, but i was really ready for to get home. all in all it was a fun trip... we saw and did so much. i learned a lot about my boyfriend and our relationship (both good and bad). they always say you learn the most about your significant others on vacation. it was an ambitious trip mentally and physically, to say the least.
next stop, weed, california. we just had to stop there. duh. took a couple pics. then alex was dying to stop for a smoke break. i was warning against it, but he insisted. so we stopped. of course i got a little paranoid (most of you know my oklahoma story... if you don't email me). at that point we were cutting it a little close to making it in time to the restaurant. then the worst happened. we hit bad traffic in the middle of nowhere in northern cal. we were stuck. turned out to be a roadside fire. things weren't looking good, so i called the restaurant saying we might be a little late and could we get a later reservation. no go. and they would only hold our table for a half hour. uh oh.
another snag along the way... we missed the exit to the bay area and the next exit after that was 10 minutes away. a 20 minute lag. we were never going to make it. alex called next asking if there was ANY way we could get in... he was a chef too, was dying to go the restaurant, we came in from NY, we were driving down from oregon, we hit traffic, the whole sob story. and no sympathy! well la di da. the worst part was that they took $50 for the res from his credit card and told him he couldn't get it back if we didn't make it. that just pissed him off and the trip from that point took a turn for the worst. dear sweet alex became very very angry and there was nothing i could say or do to make it better.
the worst part was that we actually made it to the berkeley exit right at 6:30 (the latest we could get there) and we called to see if we could still get the table. they had given it away already. SORRY! good thing was they decided to give him the $50 back. but still, alex was so mad. it was shitty to say the least. i tried to make it better, saying that it was good that we'd get to san francisco earlier, that we'd find a good restaurant there, and we'd have more time to tool around the city. wasn't working. and then we hit horrible traffic on the bay bridge (my most least favorite bridge... i always picture the big one hitting and falling through the cracks). we made it to the hotel and alex was still fuming. put a major chink in the fun.
i had no idea where to go to dinner, so i did a little research online and found a good chinese place (which was his next choice). luckily it was really good and he wasn't so pissy anymore. we had a great walk around the north end, up to coit tower and down around the cute little streets of SF. i really love that city. i lived there for a summer, but that was a long time ago and i blocked out most of that period (or i was just too stoned on dank nugs to retain any of the memories). next was a trip to the top to check the music scene. funnily enough, i ran into a guy i had met before who was djing and working the door. that was a free entry. sweet! the club was lacking, the music ok, the drinks weak. at least there were two lame white chicks getting busy on the dance floor that we had fun watching.
the next day was MUCH better than the day before. started out at crepes on cole (my local fave breakfast spot). we decided since we weren't spending the couple hundred at dinner the night before, that we'd spend it shopping. i knew just where to go: haight street (my old hood). alex got a sweet hat and great shoes and i picked up an amazing japanese poncho and some brown boots that i will where to death come fall/winter in NY. we scored. shopping is always the best cure. i really wished we'd had more time in SF, but alas, we had to get going. alex really wanted to go to the monterey bay aquarium and since he missed the restaurant i was sure to get him there on time. we made it to monterey with 2 hours to spend in the aquarium. it was awesome. we were pleasantly baked and i took a zillion digi pics of the jellyfish which will soon be on my desktop! so fun. i also had planned on us driving down highway 1 to check out the cool view (hadn't been that way in some time). unfortunately it was completely cloudy and you couldn't see the full view, but it was still pretty cool. made it to big sur before dark and walked around the stream. LOVE THAT TOWN!
the rest of the drive down the 1 was totally dark and i opted to drive it. ugh! it sucked. i was driving like an old lady, leaning forward, forehead almost touching the wheel, foot hoovering on the break. the goal was to make it to LA by that night. SF morning/afternoon, down to monterey for the aquarium til 7, highway 1 all the way down to LA in one day??? what was i thinking? after stopping off in san luis obispo for a quick bite, alex drove the rest of the way and we arrived at amy's in santa monica at about 2am. that was the longest day yet. but i was happy to wake up in LA.
we had breakfast with dennis hopper then next morning. well, he was two table down, but that was a pretty good star sighting for alex (he even knew who he was! the boy isn't too up on his celeb. unlike someone else i know. heh). on to venice. muscle beach, silly street performers, bad street arts and crafts. the day was perfect. hot, sunny and clear with a cool breeze. it was definitely a beach day. we headed straight for malibu after that and spent the hottest hours of the day on the beach. it was just what we needed. a little relaxation. i was feeling my painfully white skin getting fried. only thing i could do to salvage the burn was get in the water. AH! so good.
next was meeting up with wanna who took over driving in the convertible (a must for LA sight-seeing). i had been chatting up in-n-out burger to alex the entire trip and we were finally going. and man, was it good! he was dying. so funny to take an in-n-out virgin to have their first. loved it. we picked up michael later and headed to the water park in downtown LA to a free concert. met michele there. great to see her for a bit. the crew wasn't feeling the music so we left pretty early. we had time to kill as the plan was to go to jahmal's (the authentic jamaicaan speak-easy; LA's best kept secret) after hours. another quick stop at the short stop for beers and pictures in the photobooth. next was meeting up with sara, callum, mark, jom, bucky, arya, etc, etc at the red lion. more time killing and beer drinking. and finally, by the time 1:30 rolled around we made it to jahmal's. i hadn't been there in ages and it was cool to be back. that place is such a freakin trip. you really do feel like you're in jamaica (eventhough i've never been, it's exactly how i picture it). we got our drinks and our ganga lollipops and made our way to a side room. fernando joined us by that time along with some other random LA homies. some serious jamaican dude walked into the room, dreads to his butt wearing rasta colors and greeted mark (the resident hanger outer at jahmal's) with an enormous joint. in a room full of 10+ people that thing went around about 7 times. craaaazy. needless to say, we were all very very stoned. good times.
the evening ended at about 5am at mel's diner where bad karaoke was going on. a black dude singing coldplay? HUH?? it was weird. i ordered a waffle which was worse than an ego and we got back to amy's at dawn. what a night. next day, was bay city sandwiches, a walk on 3rd st. and a movie which was the only energy we could muster that day. we met up with wanna, michael and mai for beers at the brewery before heading down to fallbrook that night. it was basically the end of the trip. i could tell alex was bumming, but i was ready. it was non-stop since the wedding and i was pooped!
got to the hometown by 11 and introduced my mom to alex. i wasn't worried. my mom is the coolest and treats everyone equal. we chatted for a bit. alex was shy and quiet, which annoyed me a little, but what was i expecting? meeting the mother? that's always a little nerve-racking. i met with my grandma briefly the final day of the trip. just stopped by to say hello and goodbye. took alex on a mini-tour of fallbrook. met with my aunt. then alex, my mom and i drove down to san diego to meet with debbie, my step mother. poor alex. had to spend the last day of his trip meeting my whole family. well, it was fine. we were at her house for about an hour and then it was off to the airport. sad to say goodbye to my mom as always, but i was really ready for to get home. all in all it was a fun trip... we saw and did so much. i learned a lot about my boyfriend and our relationship (both good and bad). they always say you learn the most about your significant others on vacation. it was an ambitious trip mentally and physically, to say the least.
trippy trip part 2
the saga continues...
after the fabulous weekend wedding on bainbridge island, alex and i jumped in the car to start our journey down the west coast, from top to bottom. the drive from the island to portland was the first leg and probably the most beautiful drive. the islands and the trees and the views of the giant snow-capped mountains on either side of us were all just breathtaking.
we made it to portland before it got dark and checked into our motel. it was nice to have a bed after a couple days of sleeping on the ground. that night we just drove around the city. i tried to find this cool looking brewery i saw the first time coming through town and i actually found it again, in the pearl district, but it was closed. guess portland shuts down pretty early. then i remembered this other cute little pub that i saw the first time in town and actually found that one too. something that amazed me on this trip was my amazing sense of direction (not to brag or anything!). i mean i always knew i had that knack to be able to find a place i've been to once, but that's usually in a town that i know. i was able to do this in a completely new city. not bad (i really should go on the amazing race! HA!). anyway, we sat down to beers and burgers, which was perfect. cute boys in that town too (not that i was looking. ok, yeah, i was).
the next day was more driving around the hills and showing alex how cute portland was. he was into it for sure. next was washington park. i wanted to ride the cute little train through the woods so we went up to get tickets. $12 seemed a little steep, but that was also the entrance fee for the zoo. so we took the little train and walked around the zoo for a bit too. it was hot that day! in the 100s, but sunny and clear and there were beautiful views of mt. hood. we didn't have much time in portland because we had to be in southern oregon before dark (a 5 hour drive).
that drive down the 5 was equally as beautiful, driving along some winding mountain roads down into the medford/ashland area. we were fortunate enough to stay at my family friend's cabin on the rogue river, on the way up to crater lake. we got there just in time for dinner, which sam and lynn had prepared. i was feeling a little nervous about bringing alex around, since sam and lynn are like my second parents, and he gets a little shy around new people. but everything was just fine. they were friendly and made him feel comfortable and the conversation flowed, so no problems. the food was great and the accomadations ever better. we got our whole own apartment overlooking the river! so nice!!!
woke up the next morning to fresh baked blackberry muffins made by lynn. yum! alex and i packed up the car to drive up to crater lake that day. OH, that drive!!! huge pines lined the narrow roads all the way up. it was a perfect hot clear day and when we got to the lake, it was absolutely bright blue and shimmering. we were both in awe of the natural wonder. pretty cool. we took a little smoke break (thanks ariel!) off the trail and came back to watch the chimpunks and took about a million photos of them. silly, but fun. after a while we made our way back down the mountain and ate at the cutest country cafe and ate very berry pie. mmmmm...
then it was off to check outthe natural bridge. that photo does not do it justice. it was amazingly cool (i'll put up my photos later). we got back down to the cabin by 4 and took a swim in the river which was fantastic. sam shared a smoke with us and alex and i just chilled in the hammock next to the river for the next few hours while sam and lynn got the gourmet dinner ready. we were living like kings. steaks and salads and wine. all so good!
next day we had our longest drive yet. had to get to the bay area by 6:00 for dinner reservations alex had made at chez panisse. that was going to be his highlight of the trip... a famous restaurant he was dying to try and would set us back a couple hundred bucks.
part three to be continued...
after the fabulous weekend wedding on bainbridge island, alex and i jumped in the car to start our journey down the west coast, from top to bottom. the drive from the island to portland was the first leg and probably the most beautiful drive. the islands and the trees and the views of the giant snow-capped mountains on either side of us were all just breathtaking.
we made it to portland before it got dark and checked into our motel. it was nice to have a bed after a couple days of sleeping on the ground. that night we just drove around the city. i tried to find this cool looking brewery i saw the first time coming through town and i actually found it again, in the pearl district, but it was closed. guess portland shuts down pretty early. then i remembered this other cute little pub that i saw the first time in town and actually found that one too. something that amazed me on this trip was my amazing sense of direction (not to brag or anything!). i mean i always knew i had that knack to be able to find a place i've been to once, but that's usually in a town that i know. i was able to do this in a completely new city. not bad (i really should go on the amazing race! HA!). anyway, we sat down to beers and burgers, which was perfect. cute boys in that town too (not that i was looking. ok, yeah, i was).
the next day was more driving around the hills and showing alex how cute portland was. he was into it for sure. next was washington park. i wanted to ride the cute little train through the woods so we went up to get tickets. $12 seemed a little steep, but that was also the entrance fee for the zoo. so we took the little train and walked around the zoo for a bit too. it was hot that day! in the 100s, but sunny and clear and there were beautiful views of mt. hood. we didn't have much time in portland because we had to be in southern oregon before dark (a 5 hour drive).
that drive down the 5 was equally as beautiful, driving along some winding mountain roads down into the medford/ashland area. we were fortunate enough to stay at my family friend's cabin on the rogue river, on the way up to crater lake. we got there just in time for dinner, which sam and lynn had prepared. i was feeling a little nervous about bringing alex around, since sam and lynn are like my second parents, and he gets a little shy around new people. but everything was just fine. they were friendly and made him feel comfortable and the conversation flowed, so no problems. the food was great and the accomadations ever better. we got our whole own apartment overlooking the river! so nice!!!
woke up the next morning to fresh baked blackberry muffins made by lynn. yum! alex and i packed up the car to drive up to crater lake that day. OH, that drive!!! huge pines lined the narrow roads all the way up. it was a perfect hot clear day and when we got to the lake, it was absolutely bright blue and shimmering. we were both in awe of the natural wonder. pretty cool. we took a little smoke break (thanks ariel!) off the trail and came back to watch the chimpunks and took about a million photos of them. silly, but fun. after a while we made our way back down the mountain and ate at the cutest country cafe and ate very berry pie. mmmmm...
then it was off to check outthe natural bridge. that photo does not do it justice. it was amazingly cool (i'll put up my photos later). we got back down to the cabin by 4 and took a swim in the river which was fantastic. sam shared a smoke with us and alex and i just chilled in the hammock next to the river for the next few hours while sam and lynn got the gourmet dinner ready. we were living like kings. steaks and salads and wine. all so good!
next day we had our longest drive yet. had to get to the bay area by 6:00 for dinner reservations alex had made at chez panisse. that was going to be his highlight of the trip... a famous restaurant he was dying to try and would set us back a couple hundred bucks.
part three to be continued...
Monday, August 16, 2004
trippy trip, part 1
(disclaimer: this is going to be a long journal-esque post about the last two weeks of my trip.)
so i'm back home in NY. sounds so weird to say "back home" when i was just in my californian home town yesterday. the trip was long but good. flew out to san diego 2 weeks ago, right after getting a big shot in my ass to overcome my illness. got in a car with my mom the next day and drove up past sacremento. stayed in a roadside motel and continued the drive up to portland, oregon the next day. long drives! but good. got some really good mom time in.
we stayed in portland that night and tooled around the city the next day. portland sure is beautiful. i was kinda trying to convince my mom to consider moving there after she retires, so i drove her all around the amazing hills overlooking the city and mount hood. the woodsy-ness of those hills make me so happy. it's all so GREEN! and the cutest houses you've ever seen tucked in among those trees. she was digging it. especially after walking around washington park and sniffing all those yummy roses. pretty sweet.
the city seemed a little sleepy. not much activity. maybe that's just coming from NY and expecting the hustle and bustle around the taller buildings. the fashion sense round those parts seemed pretty non-existent. lots of fleece and rubber bottomed sandals. HA! but i loved that everyone road their bikes around, drank lots of coffee and seemed genuinely happy. i could live there for sure.
anyway, i left my mom in portland (she met up with my aunt who flew in later that night) and made my way up to seattle in her car. my big trip plan was rather clever, if i do say so myself. i arrived at ariel and dre's at about 9 that night where i was warmly greeted with hugs, a fancy cocktail and some new friends. we just hung out that night. it was great to see the happy couple! i was glad i got a little extra time too, as i figured wedding time would be a little hectic.
woke up the next day to some famous seattle rain which worried me a little, knowing we'd be camping and i was still slightly under the weather. i left for the airport that morning to pick up alex (his first trip ever to the west coast and a new camper!), terra and her boyfriend kevin (also a novice camper and new to seattle), who were all flying in from NY. i was the little tour guide that day. we drove around capitol hill (a & a's hood) and then downtown to pike place market. didn't have much time for anything more. sorry kids, no space needle today. we got our stuff together and headed over to the bainbridge ferry.
as we drove off the ferry, i looked behind me and saw the biggest, brightest, most beautiful rainbow ever. i almost got in an accident trying to look at it for as long as i could. this had to be an omen of a great weekend! we arrived at the campsite (sacred groves, ariel's mom's property) before dark, set up our tents and met with the other campers. ariel's mom had us do a little ceremony where we all held hands in a circle and introduced ourselves, which was a little silly, but i liked it all the same. i think i'm cynical about that kind of stuff, but i actually do enjoy it (the old girl scout, summer camp dork in me).
that night was pretty chilled out. hanging around the bonfire, eating some good food, s'mores, rum from a flask, joints, the whole bit. a great start to an excellent weekend. next morning was more hanging around the campfire, chatting it up with new people... all of whom i really liked. there's nothing like spending time with new people whose company you actually enjoy! i took a couple hours that day to figure out what i was going to play for my little dj set that night. i must admit, i was a little nervous, not knowing what was going to get people dancing. i'm the dj that likes to play the groovy background music, but i kind of hate the pressure to get people up and grooving... you just never know what will work in those situations (playing for parents, their friends, random co-workers, and ex-ravers??? what the hell gonna get them up?). i ended up selecting a little bit of everything, hoping it would make everyone happy.
the ceremony started at 5. i got dressed pretty quickly. it was a hilarious site to see all of the girls in nice dresses and shoes coming out of tents and walking through the woods. the ceremony was up at a lovely little bed and breakfast across the way. i decided to contribute to the festivities and decorated my chest with stickers spelling out "ariel n andreas forever." it was acutally a big hit. everyone that looked at my chest got a big smile and plenty of people took my picture (i loved that, camera whore that i am!). the ceremony was beautiful. you can read ariel's account of it here. during their vows i cried my little eyes out. i've known these two for their whole relationship (all 7 years) and they are just the best couple around. it's so nice to see two people who you truly admire and respect get together and announce their commitment in front of all their friends and family. just plain lovely.
dinner and drinks followed. then the toasting. then the cake. after that, i had to run back down to the party area to prep for the first dj slot. pretty soon the wedding party made their way down and i started with the first dance song, which went into a fantastic rare groove version of "take your praise" which everyone actually got out and started dancing to. i was amazed. i was kinda thinking it would take michael jackson or prince to get the people up, but they were ready for whatever which was great for me! not as much stress. the set moved into some more soul and funk, then some recognizable stuff (yes, i did play jacko and prince... works every time), then into a couple latin numbers, into some nu-jazzy stuff, a little afro-beat, some grace jones into metro area (really got them going), some hip hop (not so much), and finished off with some broken beat. all in all i had a great time playing music. i could have played much more, but i knew the drugs were starting to kick in for most folks and they wanted some harder stuff (and i wanted to be where everyone else was at that point!).
what a trip! a wedding rave party. everyone seemed to be on something. it was hilarious, but fantastic. alex had the time of his life. he was a dancing fool. i had a mellower time, just wanted to talk to and be with everyone. sitting around the bonfire next to ariel way late in the night i joked "how are any of us going to top this one ariel?" her response: "just have your friends do everything." it's true. everyone had their part in the wedding which made it extra special. it was truly a community event and i think each person in attendance had a wonderful experience. yay for ariel and andreas!
part 2 to be continued...
so i'm back home in NY. sounds so weird to say "back home" when i was just in my californian home town yesterday. the trip was long but good. flew out to san diego 2 weeks ago, right after getting a big shot in my ass to overcome my illness. got in a car with my mom the next day and drove up past sacremento. stayed in a roadside motel and continued the drive up to portland, oregon the next day. long drives! but good. got some really good mom time in.
we stayed in portland that night and tooled around the city the next day. portland sure is beautiful. i was kinda trying to convince my mom to consider moving there after she retires, so i drove her all around the amazing hills overlooking the city and mount hood. the woodsy-ness of those hills make me so happy. it's all so GREEN! and the cutest houses you've ever seen tucked in among those trees. she was digging it. especially after walking around washington park and sniffing all those yummy roses. pretty sweet.
the city seemed a little sleepy. not much activity. maybe that's just coming from NY and expecting the hustle and bustle around the taller buildings. the fashion sense round those parts seemed pretty non-existent. lots of fleece and rubber bottomed sandals. HA! but i loved that everyone road their bikes around, drank lots of coffee and seemed genuinely happy. i could live there for sure.
anyway, i left my mom in portland (she met up with my aunt who flew in later that night) and made my way up to seattle in her car. my big trip plan was rather clever, if i do say so myself. i arrived at ariel and dre's at about 9 that night where i was warmly greeted with hugs, a fancy cocktail and some new friends. we just hung out that night. it was great to see the happy couple! i was glad i got a little extra time too, as i figured wedding time would be a little hectic.
woke up the next day to some famous seattle rain which worried me a little, knowing we'd be camping and i was still slightly under the weather. i left for the airport that morning to pick up alex (his first trip ever to the west coast and a new camper!), terra and her boyfriend kevin (also a novice camper and new to seattle), who were all flying in from NY. i was the little tour guide that day. we drove around capitol hill (a & a's hood) and then downtown to pike place market. didn't have much time for anything more. sorry kids, no space needle today. we got our stuff together and headed over to the bainbridge ferry.
as we drove off the ferry, i looked behind me and saw the biggest, brightest, most beautiful rainbow ever. i almost got in an accident trying to look at it for as long as i could. this had to be an omen of a great weekend! we arrived at the campsite (sacred groves, ariel's mom's property) before dark, set up our tents and met with the other campers. ariel's mom had us do a little ceremony where we all held hands in a circle and introduced ourselves, which was a little silly, but i liked it all the same. i think i'm cynical about that kind of stuff, but i actually do enjoy it (the old girl scout, summer camp dork in me).
that night was pretty chilled out. hanging around the bonfire, eating some good food, s'mores, rum from a flask, joints, the whole bit. a great start to an excellent weekend. next morning was more hanging around the campfire, chatting it up with new people... all of whom i really liked. there's nothing like spending time with new people whose company you actually enjoy! i took a couple hours that day to figure out what i was going to play for my little dj set that night. i must admit, i was a little nervous, not knowing what was going to get people dancing. i'm the dj that likes to play the groovy background music, but i kind of hate the pressure to get people up and grooving... you just never know what will work in those situations (playing for parents, their friends, random co-workers, and ex-ravers??? what the hell gonna get them up?). i ended up selecting a little bit of everything, hoping it would make everyone happy.
the ceremony started at 5. i got dressed pretty quickly. it was a hilarious site to see all of the girls in nice dresses and shoes coming out of tents and walking through the woods. the ceremony was up at a lovely little bed and breakfast across the way. i decided to contribute to the festivities and decorated my chest with stickers spelling out "ariel n andreas forever." it was acutally a big hit. everyone that looked at my chest got a big smile and plenty of people took my picture (i loved that, camera whore that i am!). the ceremony was beautiful. you can read ariel's account of it here. during their vows i cried my little eyes out. i've known these two for their whole relationship (all 7 years) and they are just the best couple around. it's so nice to see two people who you truly admire and respect get together and announce their commitment in front of all their friends and family. just plain lovely.
dinner and drinks followed. then the toasting. then the cake. after that, i had to run back down to the party area to prep for the first dj slot. pretty soon the wedding party made their way down and i started with the first dance song, which went into a fantastic rare groove version of "take your praise" which everyone actually got out and started dancing to. i was amazed. i was kinda thinking it would take michael jackson or prince to get the people up, but they were ready for whatever which was great for me! not as much stress. the set moved into some more soul and funk, then some recognizable stuff (yes, i did play jacko and prince... works every time), then into a couple latin numbers, into some nu-jazzy stuff, a little afro-beat, some grace jones into metro area (really got them going), some hip hop (not so much), and finished off with some broken beat. all in all i had a great time playing music. i could have played much more, but i knew the drugs were starting to kick in for most folks and they wanted some harder stuff (and i wanted to be where everyone else was at that point!).
what a trip! a wedding rave party. everyone seemed to be on something. it was hilarious, but fantastic. alex had the time of his life. he was a dancing fool. i had a mellower time, just wanted to talk to and be with everyone. sitting around the bonfire next to ariel way late in the night i joked "how are any of us going to top this one ariel?" her response: "just have your friends do everything." it's true. everyone had their part in the wedding which made it extra special. it was truly a community event and i think each person in attendance had a wonderful experience. yay for ariel and andreas!
part 2 to be continued...
Sunday, August 01, 2004
ER
day 5 of my illness, and i had not been feeling any better. i woke up this morning thinking i had made some progress, but in a couple hours i was back to feeling horrible. when dori stopped by to drop off a little package for the trip, she suggested that i should go to the hospital. i considered it myself, but i just hate hate hate doctors and hate hospitals even more. every time i get sick i like it to go away naturally, without heavy western medications. but when i was standing outside, feeling ridiculously weak and when the sun spots appeared before my eyes, i figured she was right.
alex walked with me to the emergency room (luckily only 5 blocks away). i was dreading it, thinking i'd have to take a number and sit uncomfortably in the waiting room for hours, getting chills from the high A/C. but luckily it was pretty empty. i was called in to see the doctor in no time. when i told the nice cute intern my symptoms, he looked down my throat and gasped. i have pharingytis, which is like strep throat (inflamed lymph nodes). the nurse gave me a shot of penicillin in my rear and fed me pills for my fever and to reduce the swelling my throat. they said i should be feeling better by tonight, which i already do! i can't believe it was that easy. so it looks like i'm on the road to recovery and will be fine to fly tomorrow!
alex walked with me to the emergency room (luckily only 5 blocks away). i was dreading it, thinking i'd have to take a number and sit uncomfortably in the waiting room for hours, getting chills from the high A/C. but luckily it was pretty empty. i was called in to see the doctor in no time. when i told the nice cute intern my symptoms, he looked down my throat and gasped. i have pharingytis, which is like strep throat (inflamed lymph nodes). the nurse gave me a shot of penicillin in my rear and fed me pills for my fever and to reduce the swelling my throat. they said i should be feeling better by tonight, which i already do! i can't believe it was that easy. so it looks like i'm on the road to recovery and will be fine to fly tomorrow!
Friday, July 30, 2004
sick!
i started feeling crappy about 3 nights ago and i stupidly went into work for 2 days and went on with my various appointments today, and i feel worse than ever. who gets sick in the summertime? this blows! my throat hurts so bad i can hardly swallow. all i've eaten in the last 3 days is 3 little bowls of soup. i guess getting sick is the best diet around.
i've also maintained a fever, chills and horrible body aches. it's really hot today, but if i turn of my A/C i can't stand the chills. i hate this. woe is me!
i'm desperate to get better before i get on a plane on monday. i'm so sick of sitting in my bed though, i can hardly stand it! thank god for my wi-fi! hold good thoughts for good health to come soon!
i've also maintained a fever, chills and horrible body aches. it's really hot today, but if i turn of my A/C i can't stand the chills. i hate this. woe is me!
i'm desperate to get better before i get on a plane on monday. i'm so sick of sitting in my bed though, i can hardly stand it! thank god for my wi-fi! hold good thoughts for good health to come soon!
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
trite TV BS
one reality show i actually want to be on is the amazing race. i know, reality tv is ridiculous, the concepts are way out of hand, and it's on every channel every night of the week. but come on people, you have to admit that the idea behind the amazing race is really good. you and one other person (best friend, significant other, or relative) are a team racing around the world for a chance to win a million bucks! sounds pretty great to me. sure you have to do some crazy stuff, but of course they're not going to make earning a cool mil very easy.
the most fascinating part of the show is not the awesome places they get to go, but the socialogical aspects of the two people forming each team. they have to travel together for ungodly hours (like from argentina to russia after a 20 hour bus ride!), they have to perform scary tasks (like hangliding off of a mountain), and the most intersting challenge is when they have to pick one team member to do something awful (like eat a huge bowl of caviar!). the person that gets picked to perform the challenge always gets pissed at the one who doesn't... creating a rift in the team. the only thing the other person can do is cheer on their teammate (and thank god they didn't have to do it). it's good shit.
if i were to do the show, my ideal teammate would be wanna. she and i have traveled many times together and we do it well. regardless, we are always blessed with good fortune no matter where we are, even if we're penniless with no place to stay, something amazing will happen. we can become friends with complete strangers in a matter of minutes. i have an incredible sense of direction, she speaks a ton of languages and is used to foreign countries and we're both familiar with long flights. only problem, she doesn't have a US passport dammit (yes, i actually went online to get the entry form). oh well, i'll just have to wait til she gets hitched to an american boy.
the most fascinating part of the show is not the awesome places they get to go, but the socialogical aspects of the two people forming each team. they have to travel together for ungodly hours (like from argentina to russia after a 20 hour bus ride!), they have to perform scary tasks (like hangliding off of a mountain), and the most intersting challenge is when they have to pick one team member to do something awful (like eat a huge bowl of caviar!). the person that gets picked to perform the challenge always gets pissed at the one who doesn't... creating a rift in the team. the only thing the other person can do is cheer on their teammate (and thank god they didn't have to do it). it's good shit.
if i were to do the show, my ideal teammate would be wanna. she and i have traveled many times together and we do it well. regardless, we are always blessed with good fortune no matter where we are, even if we're penniless with no place to stay, something amazing will happen. we can become friends with complete strangers in a matter of minutes. i have an incredible sense of direction, she speaks a ton of languages and is used to foreign countries and we're both familiar with long flights. only problem, she doesn't have a US passport dammit (yes, i actually went online to get the entry form). oh well, i'll just have to wait til she gets hitched to an american boy.
Monday, July 26, 2004
stair sledding
as i took a break from the dance area at the soul music summit in the park last night, i happened upon some young dare devils. i watched an 8 year old girl shimmy her whole body into a plastic crate and take off down a huge flight of steep stone stairs! she was stair sledding... a concept i'd never dreamed of. leave it to a totally urban upbringing to make kids smart enough and crazy enough to come up with the idea.
when i asked the most daring girl what it was like she simply stated "it's fun, but it really hurts your butt!" i couldn't imagine. the strange thing was there were about 7 kids there either going down in the crates or just watching and cheering on their friends, but there were no parents to be found. i was worried the kids would fall out of the crates and break their necks or chip their teeth. but man, were they having some great unsupervised fun. i got to thinking "shit, am i gonna be that lame mom who won't let their kids do daring stuff?" i don't want to be that lady. but i sure as hell don't want to pay for extra doctor bills. i'm torn. guess i'll just have to wait and see...
here are some photos i snapped of the crazies (how cute are they???):
when i asked the most daring girl what it was like she simply stated "it's fun, but it really hurts your butt!" i couldn't imagine. the strange thing was there were about 7 kids there either going down in the crates or just watching and cheering on their friends, but there were no parents to be found. i was worried the kids would fall out of the crates and break their necks or chip their teeth. but man, were they having some great unsupervised fun. i got to thinking "shit, am i gonna be that lame mom who won't let their kids do daring stuff?" i don't want to be that lady. but i sure as hell don't want to pay for extra doctor bills. i'm torn. guess i'll just have to wait and see...
here are some photos i snapped of the crazies (how cute are they???):
Thursday, July 22, 2004
cleaning house
i decided after my summer of fun, i needed to take a small break. i'm in the midst of a week-long cleanse. just a quickie to get the system back on track. eating only fruits and veggies, supplemented with vitamins to clean out the toxins and cleanse the bowels. and yes, it's working. no drinking either which i think is doing the most good. i don't feel as sluggish and i have been the past few weeks. also been chilling at home for the most-part. doing work and vegging out a bit. it's nice. i'm feeling rejuvenated. i needed it. especially before the west coast driving trip. i'm expecting plenty of crappy eating along highway 1. getting excited to get out of the city though, that's for sure!
Monday, July 19, 2004
suckers!!!
muh ha ha ha...
so i suppose i can finally let the cat out of the bag. the "oh so secret" project i've been working on for months was for a show that aired on the scifi channel last night. you see, i was hired to create a fan site that was going to be a part of the show, the burried secret of m. night shyamalan. the "documentary" was supposed to follow mr. night and get a closer look at his filmmaking process, but the doc director dug too deep and discovered night's big secret. a publicity stunt was conjured from the beginning saying that night got upset about what they found about his life and was going to sue scifi for airing the show. but under the contract, scifi had legal authority to air the show anyway, which they did last night.
so not only was the website included in the show, it was simultaneously used for marketing the show. very clever! i was pretty impressed when i checked the web stats last week, seeing we had 3000 unique users. i thought that was pretty good for a fan site of someone not too too many people are even familiar with. but when i checked the stats today, there were 12,000 new users just from last night alone!!! people actually watched the show and looked for the site from the show! amazing how that works!
next when i checked the actual site this morning, the chat room was absolutely flooded with users. we kinda set that up as a fake chat not expecting people to actually use it. but low and behold, they were in there, all of them talking about the validity of the show. the site was super sloooow, like friendster's golden days. too many people! amazing.
and the forum discussions... HA! talk of life after death, ghosts, even aliens. friggin scifi freaks. i love it! nice that all the hard work is actually paying off.
so i suppose i can finally let the cat out of the bag. the "oh so secret" project i've been working on for months was for a show that aired on the scifi channel last night. you see, i was hired to create a fan site that was going to be a part of the show, the burried secret of m. night shyamalan. the "documentary" was supposed to follow mr. night and get a closer look at his filmmaking process, but the doc director dug too deep and discovered night's big secret. a publicity stunt was conjured from the beginning saying that night got upset about what they found about his life and was going to sue scifi for airing the show. but under the contract, scifi had legal authority to air the show anyway, which they did last night.
so not only was the website included in the show, it was simultaneously used for marketing the show. very clever! i was pretty impressed when i checked the web stats last week, seeing we had 3000 unique users. i thought that was pretty good for a fan site of someone not too too many people are even familiar with. but when i checked the stats today, there were 12,000 new users just from last night alone!!! people actually watched the show and looked for the site from the show! amazing how that works!
next when i checked the actual site this morning, the chat room was absolutely flooded with users. we kinda set that up as a fake chat not expecting people to actually use it. but low and behold, they were in there, all of them talking about the validity of the show. the site was super sloooow, like friendster's golden days. too many people! amazing.
and the forum discussions... HA! talk of life after death, ghosts, even aliens. friggin scifi freaks. i love it! nice that all the hard work is actually paying off.
Friday, July 16, 2004
too much fun
this week has been a little too much for pushing-30 meggie. oh yes. last night i tried to remember the last time i just chilled at home with a spliff, and i couldn't. i've been on a constant going out, drinking binge and it finally got to me last night. i need to mellow out on the beverage consumption.
it's been a never-ending booze fest ever since last friday, when my friend greg rolled through town, telling me to meet him at some bar. yeah, the bartender happened to be a friend who happened to love giving us shots of random shit. that was followed by wine at dinner, followed by sake and beer later. ew! i almost declined the invitation to philly the next day because of my ridiculous hangover that morning. but no. i get to philly and what do we do? DRINK! lots of fantastic really expensive wine.
then comes monday and the prince concert! oh, it was soooooo good! i heart prince. but i start off meeting bob for beer before the show. we assumed beer at MSG would be over $10 for a little cup of bud. but to our surprise, it was only $6.50 for a medium sized cup of imported beer. not that bad. so we decided to double fist it. oh god!
next night... met a friend who worked at APT who hooked us up with free drinks all night. at this point, i'm just asking myself "why?" wednesday night, was vicki's show. more beer, more beer, more beer! AND last night, before going to the outdoor screening of "the general" in prospect park, my friend fernando and i pounded 2 giant sapporos because they wouldn't let us in with booze. disgusting.
i feel gross and i had to unbutton my "loose" pants yesterday. this madness has got to stop!
the good news though: i was introduced to a brooklyn "delivery" dude last night with the serious goods... great quality and quantity for a great price. no more drinking for me!!!!
it's been a never-ending booze fest ever since last friday, when my friend greg rolled through town, telling me to meet him at some bar. yeah, the bartender happened to be a friend who happened to love giving us shots of random shit. that was followed by wine at dinner, followed by sake and beer later. ew! i almost declined the invitation to philly the next day because of my ridiculous hangover that morning. but no. i get to philly and what do we do? DRINK! lots of fantastic really expensive wine.
then comes monday and the prince concert! oh, it was soooooo good! i heart prince. but i start off meeting bob for beer before the show. we assumed beer at MSG would be over $10 for a little cup of bud. but to our surprise, it was only $6.50 for a medium sized cup of imported beer. not that bad. so we decided to double fist it. oh god!
next night... met a friend who worked at APT who hooked us up with free drinks all night. at this point, i'm just asking myself "why?" wednesday night, was vicki's show. more beer, more beer, more beer! AND last night, before going to the outdoor screening of "the general" in prospect park, my friend fernando and i pounded 2 giant sapporos because they wouldn't let us in with booze. disgusting.
i feel gross and i had to unbutton my "loose" pants yesterday. this madness has got to stop!
the good news though: i was introduced to a brooklyn "delivery" dude last night with the serious goods... great quality and quantity for a great price. no more drinking for me!!!!
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
The white girl shuffle
After two fort greene park free music festivities the past couple of days, I’ve come to discover that I am no longer the girl in the crowd that looks good grooving to the funky beat. On the contrary, in Brooklyn, among some of the best dancers I’ve ever seen, I’m really just plain average. In LA, during the height of my club-going days, I actually think I was pretty good. People around me would give me props on the butt shaking skills and I honestly felt like I could keep up with the best of them on the dance floor. Well, in NY, those days are over.
Sunday was the soul music summit in the park. I got there pretty late, but the crowd was happening. The dance floor area was packed, little circles of insanely beautiful black men and women completely lost in the music, their bodies freely flowing into some of the most fantastic dance moves I’ve ever witnessed. I was amazed and in awe. Their energy alone was intimidating, not to mention how easy they made it look. I couldn’t even begin to keep up with this crowd. I thought maybe I was just tired that night, or I wasn’t really feeling the music, but come on…. in a crowd that full of life, it’d be hard not to get lost in it.
This happened again last night for the free wunmi/rich medina show. More gorgeous Brooklyn folks getting down and looking fantastic. I got into it a couple times last night, but I just felt like had to try, instead of just letting it flow, you know? UGH! Regardless, the music and the energy and the spirit made me feel damn good. I’ll get over my own white girl shit soon enough. Just an adjustment phase. And like a certain some one mentioned, we’ll still look good in a crowd of white folks. HA!!
Sunday was the soul music summit in the park. I got there pretty late, but the crowd was happening. The dance floor area was packed, little circles of insanely beautiful black men and women completely lost in the music, their bodies freely flowing into some of the most fantastic dance moves I’ve ever witnessed. I was amazed and in awe. Their energy alone was intimidating, not to mention how easy they made it look. I couldn’t even begin to keep up with this crowd. I thought maybe I was just tired that night, or I wasn’t really feeling the music, but come on…. in a crowd that full of life, it’d be hard not to get lost in it.
This happened again last night for the free wunmi/rich medina show. More gorgeous Brooklyn folks getting down and looking fantastic. I got into it a couple times last night, but I just felt like had to try, instead of just letting it flow, you know? UGH! Regardless, the music and the energy and the spirit made me feel damn good. I’ll get over my own white girl shit soon enough. Just an adjustment phase. And like a certain some one mentioned, we’ll still look good in a crowd of white folks. HA!!
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
the royal treatment
dang. i say dang.
did i get TREATED this weekend! woo-hoo!
it was the screening/end of the big production for the project i've been stealthly working on for the past few months and there was a PAR-TAY at mr. night shyamalan's farm. actually, it's called THE farm. that kills me.
anyway, this is his work place... a giant estate outside of philadelphia in an ultra posh neighborhood. acres of rolling green hills, an enormous pond swarming with canadian geese, weeping willows, the biggest tree swing you've ever seen, a fantastic farmhouse mansion (which act as his offices), and an old barn converted into state of the art editing suites and the nicest screening room you've ever seen. we're talking FAN-CY! we got treated to booze and hors d'oeurves made by night's personal chef. then off to the screening of the project which was long, but cool to see on the big screen. my name in credits and all. pretty neat. then dessert, more wine and the tree swing, which was my favorite part.
lots of nice people to chat with and a surprise visitor which made me very happy to see!
and that wasn't it... after the shindig, we were treated AGAIN to eating at the nicest restaurant in philly. a table of about 14 or 15 of us drinking the finest wines i know i've ever had. and they just kept coming. 3 whites and 3 reds. and the FOOD! i kept saying in my tipsyness "now this is living!" i was just plain giddy from the poshness of it all.
and THAT wasn't it either... we were then treated to fantastic hotel room with one of the biggest comfiest beds ever. i was pleasantly drunk, took a bath in the nice tub and stumbled off to a perfect night's sleep with my boyfriend. AND woke up with no hangover what-so-ever. the beauty of drinking the good stuff.
i'm at the point in my life where i say that money doesn't matter for living happily, but shit, when you get a taste of that kind of royal treatment, sometimes, i want to be rich really really bad.
did i get TREATED this weekend! woo-hoo!
it was the screening/end of the big production for the project i've been stealthly working on for the past few months and there was a PAR-TAY at mr. night shyamalan's farm. actually, it's called THE farm. that kills me.
anyway, this is his work place... a giant estate outside of philadelphia in an ultra posh neighborhood. acres of rolling green hills, an enormous pond swarming with canadian geese, weeping willows, the biggest tree swing you've ever seen, a fantastic farmhouse mansion (which act as his offices), and an old barn converted into state of the art editing suites and the nicest screening room you've ever seen. we're talking FAN-CY! we got treated to booze and hors d'oeurves made by night's personal chef. then off to the screening of the project which was long, but cool to see on the big screen. my name in credits and all. pretty neat. then dessert, more wine and the tree swing, which was my favorite part.
lots of nice people to chat with and a surprise visitor which made me very happy to see!
and that wasn't it... after the shindig, we were treated AGAIN to eating at the nicest restaurant in philly. a table of about 14 or 15 of us drinking the finest wines i know i've ever had. and they just kept coming. 3 whites and 3 reds. and the FOOD! i kept saying in my tipsyness "now this is living!" i was just plain giddy from the poshness of it all.
and THAT wasn't it either... we were then treated to fantastic hotel room with one of the biggest comfiest beds ever. i was pleasantly drunk, took a bath in the nice tub and stumbled off to a perfect night's sleep with my boyfriend. AND woke up with no hangover what-so-ever. the beauty of drinking the good stuff.
i'm at the point in my life where i say that money doesn't matter for living happily, but shit, when you get a taste of that kind of royal treatment, sometimes, i want to be rich really really bad.
Thursday, July 08, 2004
down dog in the hood
i found the perfect place for yoga in the neighborhood tonight. i've been putting off going to a class for ages, but my mom sent along my old yoga mat in the last shipment from san diego, so i had no excuses. i searched around online and found this place. a dance center, minutes from my house. not only do they have yoga classes, they also have african, afro-caribbean, and modern... all classes i'm down to take. and the best part: classes are a measly $11 for an hour and a half! the one yoga class i took before in the city was $16. a big difference!
AND the class was great. only 6 of us, all from the neighborhood, with very individually focussed attention. i've never had that in yoga classes before. i'm usually sticking my butt in my neighbor's face while the teacher hardly notices me. a nice change. i'm gonna make myself keep it up. loving the new fort greene discoveries!
AND the class was great. only 6 of us, all from the neighborhood, with very individually focussed attention. i've never had that in yoga classes before. i'm usually sticking my butt in my neighbor's face while the teacher hardly notices me. a nice change. i'm gonna make myself keep it up. loving the new fort greene discoveries!
Tuesday, July 06, 2004
101 posts!
hey, this is my 101st post to this here blog since october of last year. it's been fun letting you all in on parts of the happenings in of my life. thanks for reading along! i've been able to keep my old blogger friend (the O.B.--that's "original blogger"--person responsible for me starting this) up to date, have met an awesome new blogger friend who reads and comments regularly, even inspired my computer-phobic friend to start her own blog, and of course (the purpose of this blog) had my contingent in LA, NY, london, etc., keep abreast of the latest goings-on. more to come, so stay tuned... (and keep up the comments so i know your reading!)
Saturday, July 03, 2004
off to PS1
finally. i've been hearing about these PS1 summer time events for some time now and i finally get to go today.
i'm affraid it's going to be too packed with too many scenesters, but fuck it. i wanna go.
plus, i have 2 friends from LA in town and alex is making special brownies. guess you can't really go wrong.
AND peanut butter wolf and madlib! AND i just saw in time out... more drawings from my favorite artist from the whitney biennial exhibit: ernesto caivano. nice.
ok, i'm excited.
i'm affraid it's going to be too packed with too many scenesters, but fuck it. i wanna go.
plus, i have 2 friends from LA in town and alex is making special brownies. guess you can't really go wrong.
AND peanut butter wolf and madlib! AND i just saw in time out... more drawings from my favorite artist from the whitney biennial exhibit: ernesto caivano. nice.
ok, i'm excited.
Thursday, July 01, 2004
city escape
yesterday i went up to westchester county to stay with vicki at her parent's empty house in pound ridge. the town is so cute and east-coast-quaint and the houses were pretty damn snazzy, in that upper crust colonial sort of way. i loved it.
it was so nice to escape the city for a day/night. we wandered around the little shops in town, ate sandwiches from the deli in the town square and later sipped wine on the giant deck over looking tons of bright green trees during golden hour. the sunset was spectacular and the moon rise was even better. i forget how nice it is to get out of the city. it wasn't like that in LA. just hop in the car and you're at the beach or mountains in minutes. here, it's a bit more of a chore, BUT i think it makes you appreciate getting out that much more.
it was so nice to escape the city for a day/night. we wandered around the little shops in town, ate sandwiches from the deli in the town square and later sipped wine on the giant deck over looking tons of bright green trees during golden hour. the sunset was spectacular and the moon rise was even better. i forget how nice it is to get out of the city. it wasn't like that in LA. just hop in the car and you're at the beach or mountains in minutes. here, it's a bit more of a chore, BUT i think it makes you appreciate getting out that much more.
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
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?
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?
Monday, June 28, 2004
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!
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!
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!
Friday, June 25, 2004
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
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!
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
comments are welcome!
robyn rhodes designs
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
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.
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.
Monday, June 21, 2004
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?
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.
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.
Friday, June 18, 2004
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
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.
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.
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! ;)
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! ;)
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
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!
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!
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
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!!!
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!!!
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