Beware the Cell Phone Camera

When it was time to upgrade my last cell phone, the nice people at Verizon told me that I had a free upgrade to a camera phone. I did not want the camera phone. I did not want an Internet phone. I would like a phone that makes phone calls. Sadly, these do not exist anymore. Or if they do, the lovely people at Verizon give you the stink eye for even requesting such a thing so you feel lame and just get the camera phone.

I LOVE the camera phone. It's my new best friend.

Behold Boston. The picture doesn't do it much justice, but it was a beautiful, blue summer day last Saturday and I snapped some pictures while waiting for my Advil buzz to kick in pre-leg waxing. Yeah, whatever, TMI.



And photographic evidence of the Starbucks addiction. Yes, there are a gazillion independent coffee shops out there that probably make much better coffee than Starbucks, and hell yeah do I feel guilty about the Starbucks. But I still drink the Starbucks. I drink the Starbucks a lot. I think the Starbucks hate stems from my jealousy over not inventing my own thing that I can overprice and mass market.

When I Spew, I Spew A Lot

It’s been a while since I’ve had a proper update, the last being pounded out relatively quickly on N&K’s computer on the weekend. A couple of things that have been occupying the brain:

• I officially hate the potential-but-probably-not buyers of my house. I mentioned the dog thing last week – this is all about an EFFING DOG.

The buyers made their original offer in late July, and my lawyer sent the contract over to their lawyer for attorney review on July 24 (read: 2.5 weeks ago). First they asked us to wait a week for attorney review because the lawyer was on vacation (yep, there are no other available lawyers in NJ, none at all.) Then, their lawyer comes back with 29 points of contention on a standard real estate contract. Most of them were just bullshit, but my favorite was something along the lines of “seller will refund deposit if buyer cannot secure mortgage.” Um, yeah, whatever. The final point was about wanting written confirmation that they could have two dogs on the property. My lawyer sent them a letter back telling them about this little thing called “due diligence.” Yeah, you should RESEARCH the house you’re buying BEFORE you put an offer in on a house. The potential buyers did their due diligence and found this statement in my condo associations bylaws “confusing” – “No more than two cats, or one cat and one dog shall be maintained in any unit at one time.” Um, that’s not confusing. You can’t have two dogs. It’s fairly clear. Unless you’re a moron.

The one dog is apparently 14 years old and not expected to live long, so the buyer put an appeal into my condo association and I supported that appeal with a written letter. Done, are we moving on yet? Appeals to the Board take a while, and I figured that there was no way the potential buyers would expect us to actually WAIT for the Board and not continue to market the house. Well, they did, and apparently threw a shit fit when they found out that we’re continuing to market it. WTF? Seriously? And now they probably won’t buy. Sigh. There’s a part of me that’s all “good riddance” but then there’s the other “I don’t want to lose money” part of me that just wants to cry. Look, I understand love of pets. I love my cats and I would never give them up. That’s why – when I look for apartments – I always make sure that pets (plural) are allowed. Because I’m like, responsible and shit. I hate these people.

Update: my mom just called and said she now has another very interested buyer. Woo hoo. Fingers crossed.

• The current terrorist plot and the relating airport scare. Reactive much? I know I should be much less cynical about this and I really do applaud the people that caught the people planning the attack. Still, the reaction just seems very….well, reactive. It’s been five years since 9/11, we are in a war – it just seems like we could get a little better at understanding that this shit is just not going to let up – the more restrictions we impose, the more people are going to get creative. Expect the worst, plan (as much as that word actually applies) for it, and hope it never happens. There’s a pretty good article over on Slate that pretty much sums up what I think.

And yes, I’m selfish. My dissatisfaction mostly stems from not wanting to wait on long lines or give up my chapstick and water to fly or to have to check bags when I really don’t need to. So I’m an asshole? Sue me.

Related: I really am completely baffled by all the people writing letters to the editors of The New York Times, The Boston Globe and others, saying that the latest arrests “prove” that Bush’s “War on Terror” is working and that those of us who doubt that are morons. This is a victory of sorts – I’ll give you that, and any effort to prevent civilian deaths should be applauded. But still, I don’t think it’s too much of a mental leap to figure that some folks might be pissed that we’re invading countries for no apparent reason and making lots of messes around the world, and some of those folks might become so pissed off, in fact, that they might try to retaliate. It didn’t require a lot of brain power on my part to string that together. Why’s it so hard for other people to think about?

• Interesting article about Cuba given everything going on with Fidel right now. (Thanks Margo!)
I’m not sure if I agree with this statement, “One of the most unfounded, pernicious, dangerous aspects of the US propaganda campaign is the assertion that the Cuban Revolution has been the work of one man ("the tyrant") and the people on the island are desperate to return to US corporate rule.” I do believe Fidel is a dictator and not necessarily the leader of a glorious revolution. However, I really like the points the article brings up about how the Cuban people should really decide how their government should function in the years to come and, duh, that they’re perfectly able to do this by themselves without the help of our guns and heavy artillery.

• Operation Painkiller.
It sounds like a really bad metal band, doesn’t it? It is a very strange feeling to see one’s lily-white hometown blasted all over the news,
and it’s a very, very strange feeling to see the people that live down the street from your parents busted for hardcore drugs. I’m not really surprised to see something like this happen in the Whip, but I don’t get the type of drugs. I fell asleep in a restaurant when I had a glass of wine and accidently mixed it with the Bendadryl I took for an allergy attack. I can only imagine what Oxy would do to me – and whatever it would do to me just isn’t that appealing. Do I really need to spend money to fall asleep? Man, I am OLD.
This shit, though, doesn’t surprise me at all. The gossip, the name-calling….ick.

• The new season of Flavor of Love. Oh good lord is that good stuff. A woman crapped on the floor in the first episode. Flav reacted with, “Man, we don’t got no dogs in here. What is that stank?” This show is GOLD. Gold, I tell ya.

• Expanding my circle of people I talk to outside of work and time with YG and the MG. I want to make sure that I don’t isolate myself and that I do go out and make friends. I’ve been taking lots of walks and bike rides around the neighborhood, and have been making small talk with the people that I meet. This is like pulling teeth for me because it doesn’t come naturally AT ALL, but I’ve had some interesting conversations.

I’m also thinking of taking a class in the late fall on public speaking. There was another class that looked interesting titled “Cooking for One,” but it meets on Halloween, and jesus, what kinds of people are going to show up for that thing? Either I will meet some nice people like me who live by themselves but are still smart and witty and don’t wear cat sweatshirts, or I’ll meet some guy who is sad and lonely and I’ll start talking to him and then he’ll cut my head off and carry it around Cambridge in a duffel bag. I think I’ll stick to academics.

I’m also having some “welcome to the ‘hood” dinners with the people that I like from work, and SKB actually baked me a cake. A cake! From scratch! Very impressive. She and her man came over recently and we ate said cake and some goodies from Whole Foods that I “had to” [read:wanted to] splurge on because I was having “company.” I didn’t want to eat the rest of the cake, but I figured it would be rude to ask SKB to take it with her after she went through the trouble of making it in the first place. And I honestly didn’t want to eat the remaining half for breakfast the next morning, but sadly, that was a battle I did not win.

• On the topic of cake, I am back on WW again. Well, I was never not on it and I was never not going to meetings, but I haven’t really been committed to it. I’ve been exercising like mad, but wasn’t doing so well with the food part – so my weight has been at this plateau for over a year. YG started points-counting again, and the first week we did it together, I lost 2 pounds. I had gotten to within 3 lbs of my goal weight in the past, but then the shit hit the fan and my life got real complicated, and I gained most of it back. Counting from last week’s weigh in, I have 16 pounds to goal.

• On YG and the MG – Starting this week, I’m going to be spending Tuesday nights with them helping out with household stuff like making lunches and working on her reading with her, so that he doesn’t feel so overwhelmed. Last week, we had an incident that made both YG and I realize that he needs the help. The MG lost her glasses and it was crazy pandemonium trying to search for them and get everyone out of the house with lunches made in time to catch the bus to camp and for us to get to work in time. He was angry, she was crying, and I was trying desperately to comfort her and still find the glasses at the same time. And ….talk about lessons carried over from childhood…..keep her and me out of his way so he wouldn’t get any more irritated.

She kept repeating that she left the glasses on her nightstand, and I just KNEW she wasn’t lying. You can just tell, and it certainly made me wonder if my parents’ knew all the times I was trying to bullshit them. She kept crying about disappointing her daddy and how he would have to take time off to get her new glasses. By accident, I said that maybe her mom could pick up her new glasses and she very (and sadly) tellingly said, “My mom doesn’t know how to do stuff like that.” :-( I kind of made a deal with myself to not complain about the Evil Cameltoe anymore on this blog -- it's not cool for YG, and it would be extremly uncool if the MG ever found out about it. As many issues as I have with the EC, I want her daughter to respect her and see her as a person that’s smart and capable. And as a person that can pick up some things when YG can’t handle them. Because that’s a work in progress – getting better as time goes by – but not quite there yet, I’m going to be helping out a bit on the Tuesday nights. I get to spend more time with both of them, YG gets the help he needs, and the help should give him more free time to spend quality time with the MG, good for her.

BTW, the glasses were found but much later. She went to camp without them, but YG’s sister found them later that night wedged between her bed, mattress and wall. I had dismantled every piece of furniture in that bedroom, except the bed. Sigh.

• Music. I want to start seeing more shows, but I find that I’m hearing about them long after they’re sold out. Cat Power is playing at the MFA on my birthday, but that’s sold out. Sonic Youth is playing Labor Day weekend, but I’ll be in Long Island. Clap Your Hands, Say Yeah is playing at the end of Sept. so I’m going to try and recruit a friend to see that with me since YG *hates* them. I know you read this – it’s because you’re old. Hee. And Yo La Tengo will also be around end of Sept. Guster just played here, but the tickets were $38. I like Guster, but $38 is sadly, a lot of cash for me right now, so I guess I don’t like Guster $38 much.

• Writing. I’ve been journaling a lot more lately, and even considered signing up for a creative writing class this fall, but I’m still afraid that someone is going to tell me that I really do suck at this. My fear of actually “trying” at writing is crippling. This will be no news flash to anyone that knows me, but I am AFRAID of writing.

So, a few things….I’m going to keep journaling, and I’m going to try and be a bit more regular about updating this thing. I haven’t applied any sort of critical writing skill to this blog – I don’t outline, spellcheck, edit – it’s more like stream of consciousness verbal diarrhea and it’s safe because I don’t think anyone actually reads it. And if you do, I just told you that I don’t think about it, so hah, you can’t judge me. Nice. But I want to keep it up anyway…just because.

And to try and make it more interesting, I think I’m going to try and do at least one entry a week about something cool and new I’ve discovered in Boston/Cambridge. I’m doing a lot of exploring, so I’m committing to writing about it. It would be great if I had a digital camera and could post pics as well, but that will come in December.

No Sleep Til Brooklyn

Well, I'm awake. Big mama is not. I took the trip back home this weekend to assess what still needs to be done with my house, hang out with my folks and meet the WEL in the flesh. He's here and adorable and gorgeous and squishy and all those good things that newborn babies are supposed to be. He looks much like his dad, i.e. good, and came into the world a wee bit early, but I think that means that he's ahead of the curve in terms of development and smarts. :-)

Other developments:
1. I have an offer on the house. It's in attorney review, but this might all fall through because of a dog. The buyers have 2 dogs. I'm pretty sure Overlook only allows one dog. :-( And this is the ONLY offer I've had that's made it this far. Right now, I'm not going to make any money worth talking about, and if this falls through, it's possible I'll LOSE money on the house. I switch between thinking there's nothing I can do so I should just be calm, and then the pendulum shifts and I completely lose my shit. Today is a content day. Yesterday -- not so much. Ah, hormones.

2. One more month of 29. I'm getting excited for my trip. I still don't know where I'm going, but I have my guesses. This is, by far, the nicest present I've ever gotten, so I'll be happy even if it's 5 days of bowling and Mexican food in Milford, CT.

3. The MG continues to entertain. Last night, we did Cotton Eye Joe and the Macarena and the Electric Slide and laughed and laughed and laughed. She rocks.

And that's about it for now. Time to add some value and help Big Papi L out.

It's Arrived

One text message received at 12:09 a.m. notifying me that the N&K collaborative project has arrived. By my calculations, he's 4 weeks early, but showed up around 7:30p.m. and was 6lbs6oz. It's taking every fiber in my being not to call right now, but it's late -- I really hope you're all okay!

Apologies for the Radio Silence

Sorry, sorry, sorry. I know I owe many of you emails back and I will get to them -- it's just been a long couple of weeks. I'm still getting settled in and only got my home connection up this weekend, and Comcast is still being wonky so that I can't access all of my sites and blah, blah, blah. I will be back.

Right now, I'm in Florida at a sales conference. It's monsooning out and I need to go get on a "dinner cruise" in about 45 minutes -- fabulous.

The good news: Cambridge is so freakin' awesome. I love it and am thoroughly enjoying getting to know it. I haven't done a lot of working out or bike riding, but I've been taking long walks and exploring. Last Friday, I walked down to Harvard and then along Memorial Drive while the sun was setting. Perfect! And my apartment is pretty great too. I'm still unpacking, but it's starting to feel like home and the "perk" of the pool when it's hot as balls out like it's been this week is such a bonus. Last night, YG met me here and we swam, watched some baseball and had some chili, chips and guacomole and then walked up to Porter for frozen yogurt. Also good -- just a half game back!

More good: still liking my job.

The bad: Remember my movers? Remember how I was nervous about them? Well, with good reason -- the guys who delivered the furniture to my house were not only the two biggest assholes on the planet who charged me extras for the most miniscule of stuff...they ALSO managed to break: my coffee table, my dining room table, a bathroom shelving unit, a nightstand, part of my futon, 7 of my 8 dinner plates, lots of other bowls, vases, and a part of my futon frame. My couch also wouldn't fit in the apartment, but even if it had, they had pretty much damaged it. It was a NIGHTMARE with the kicker being that they didn't want to sign the inventory list where I noted all the broken items because "then they'd have to pay for them." Fuckers.

Anyway, the insurance company will be handling it, and the moving company that hired these guys to do their deliveries said they'll no longer be contracting with them. Right now, I'm waiting for the revised inventory list so that I can file my claim.

Also not good: Still haven't sold the house. Please, please, please if you know of anyone interested, send them here.

Very bad: The Evil Cametoe is a fucking bitch. Period. She whines, manipulates and ambushes, and she's made a very good person doubt his own goodness. She sucks. Because I'm the mature one (mature enough to name her the Evil Cameltoe on my self-indulgent blog. Anyway) -- I try to keep my opinions about her to myself and because I'm not 12, I'll pretend like I don't want to bitch slap her ass and scream, "Get a fucking job, asshole!" Sigh.

Feeling not bad, but not good about either: My new haircut and hairdresser. She couldn't match the color exactly. It's still red, but it's not MY perfect red. And it's a bit short. AND she spent some time with mousse and a diffuser -- that's a little too flashback for me.

Also: I mailed in my divorce paperwork. My lawyer is going to prepare my docs and file. It's been a long time coming, but ick...who says, "wow, I'm so psyched I get to file for divorce. Isn't that fantastic?"

That's all I've got time for now.

Reading: The Corrections.

Listening to: lots of Bruce Springsteen, lots of Sam Prekop, not enough Weezer

The Curious Incident of the Bear on Moving Day

Tomorrow, I will have a home. No more living out of suitcases and tote bins and commuting back to Jersey every weekend. Tomorrow, I (and all of my stuff) will officially be residing in Cambridge.

But moving sucks, yo. Even under the best of circumstances, it's a hassle and I can't really complain too much. I had a minor freakout with my moving company last Friday when I realized that nobody had called me to confirm if and when they'd be arriving on Monday. The company specifically said they'd call, but then didn't. The guys showed (more on that later), and the company FINALLY returned my panicked call TODAY. Yep, six days later. I called them earlier in the day today to see if I could confirm drop off tomorrow. I could not. I would "just have to wait" until the driver called me sometime in the future. Whatever. When the manager called me later in the day to return my Friday call with a half-hearted apology about "being sick" (apparently only one person in the office is capable of returning calls), I asked her about the drop off confirmation. She then asks me if they could just drop my stuff off tonight because that would be better. Huh? Um, no, I have a lease and I don't have keys yet and also, I don't think the good people in my new digs would appreciate the sound of movers dumping huge pieces of furniture down late at night. And then I got attitude. Ugh. I explained that I needed the stuff dropped on the sixth AS IT STATES IN MY CONTRACT and that it would have to be after 9:30 a.m. because I can't pick up the keys until 9. She told me okay. A few hours later, the driver calls and he wants to drop the stuff off at 8 a.m. because again, that would be better for him. Again, I explain that this doesn't work and get a bit huffy when he asks for a "better explanation" of why he needs to wait until after 9:30. I'm not in the moving business, but I figured "because I won't be there" and "I can't get into the apartment without a key" was a sufficient explanation.

I know I'm probably overreacting, but I'm paying these people a lot of money to move my stuff. I understand they have a lot of shipments, but c'mon.

That said, the two guys who did the pick up were wonderful. They wrapped everything so well, and rechecked all the boxes I had packed myself to make sure they were stable. It took them about 51/2 hours to do all this and they turned down all my offers of water, soda and food. Around hour 6, a policeman came by the house and asked us to go inside. I was supremely irritated and thought it was because of one of the cat-sweatshirt-wearing condo hawks was bitching about the truck being there too long. It was not. There was a bear loose in the neighborhood and police were tracking it. The guys waited inside for a while but decided to chance it, finish loading the truck and leave. I also loaded up my car with the remainder of my things and my tranquilized cats. On my near-final drive down Upper Way, I saw it. The bear. Sitting over by the mailboxes and then ambling down the street to climb a tree. It was a little baby, but still, so weird. Just a bizarre ending to a bizarre couple of weeks.

On other NJ topics, it's not a great week to be from the Garden State. I don't know if this happens in other states, but the whole government shutdown, in my opinion, makes us look like we have no freakin' clue what we're doing. Governor Corzine will supposedly be running an ad campaign that explains why we're shutting down some of the State's biggest money-making ventures to fix a budget crisis. Huh? I'm not good at math and/or budgeting, but I HOPE he explains how this makes sense. Sometimes the Democrats make it *really* hard to be a liberal.

Other news:

• My job. Talked to a bunch of people and none of us know anything so right now, it's business as usual. I hope to remain employed. I really do. Employment = good. I kinda love one of my new coworkers and hope we get to continue working together.
• 58 years and 1 day ago, the Bonster was born. Happy birthday, Mommy. This was my first 4th in a long time away from you, and I only wish you could have spent your birthday doing those things you love to do to annoy me: chattering incessantly, peppering us with a lot of "you should"s, describing all your diseases of the week, and reading out loud from the Zagat guide. :-)
• Even though I was in transit, I did get to see some fireworks last Friday night with YG and the MG. Chicken strips, french fries, ice cream and fireworks -- does it get any better than that? It must be amazing to have kids. As an adult, I sometimes forget how fun the little stuff is and just get bogged down in the minutia and spend too much time wondering if I do enough or if I'm cool or what I look like or if people like me. Most of the time, I pretend I don't give a shit, but more often than I care to admit, I do. So to watch the MG dancing around by herself to the band and rolling around on the blanket, legs sprawled all over the place, caked in ice cream and dirt....it's refreshing. YG's friends and their kids were also there, and it was an overall fun evening.
• How gross is that? Me waxing poetic about suburban bliss? If I keep it up, I'm a few years away from cat sweatshirts, denim shorts, Indian dreamcatchers in my windows and a house full of Thomas Kincaid, Painter of Light, prints.
• Yesterday morning, one of my "Internet friends" went into labor. Still waiting anxiously to hear how she's doing/did. She's a lovely person, and I can't wait to hear all about it.
• I journaled ferociously this weekend about how irritated I am with the Evil Cameltoe, and how I hate how she treats my friend. I know EC has a lot of problems and on good days, I feel very bad for her. On bad days, I just want to throttle her with her gross almost-mullet. I've been talking it out with a few people and have exchanged emails with a few others who have been in similar situations. Venting is good. Venting to the right people? Even better.
• I want this. And this. Boobies. Heh.

And last but not least, photographic evidence of my new state of residence. This was a JOKE(before my mother has a heart attack). I remain committed to the Yankees and their 2006 craptasticness, and even wore my shirt out to go walking tonight. Upon picking up my Chinese take out, the waiter took one look at it and just simply said "Yankees suck." Sigh. I really live here.

Did you know that man sausage translates into Manwurst in German?

Thank you Babel Fish. That one had me laughing hysterically for about 10 minutes.

The Movers Are Here

My movers are here packing up my stuff. The cats are yelping away because I have them locked in the bathroom. My family is in Long Island, my friends are on vacation, and YG is in Germany for business. A bit lonely but am glad that nobody was around to witness the freaking out this weekend complete with consumption of way too much junk food and tears, but made better by a pedicure and a Yankee win last night.

It's all really happening. Yay!

My Incredible Sense of Timing

I really like my new job. In fact, that's why I took it -- I liked the company and the company's PR goals. I've been with said company for 9 days now, and we just announced that we're being acquired. Yep. 9 days. This combined with the timing of me trying to sell my home right as the housing market crashes and burns leads me to believe that my sense of timing is less than incredible.

I don't know if I'll get laid off. Probably not, but for argument's sake, let's say I do. That leaves me with a mortgage, a Cambridge rent, and no money to pay for either. Woo hoo!

Pedro -- Not So Much

Beer. Check. Pizza. Check. Ice cream. Check. Pedro's triumphant return to Fenway. Eh, not so much. While I like the guy, Mr. Superstar might have wanted to pay attention to where the base runners were in that first inning. And Lastings probably ain't going to be lasting that long. I'm not a Mets fan, but I do like to see them win, provided they aren't beating the Yankees. I really wouldn't give a shit if that petulant little shit, Josh Beckett, hadn't won the game. You know this guy is a three pump chump frattie, and I pray for the day when he lights up his doobage with his bros and trips over something and breaks his arm. Heh.

On the subject of petulant little shits -- A-Rod. I was prepared to rant and rave again, but I just read (arghh...no YES network SUCKS) that he was the one that won the game today. You get a reprieve, my friend. Just for today.

Baseball theme, but unrelated -- Baskin Robbins' "triple play" flavor ice cream is AWESOME.

Other thoughts:

• My sister met David Hasslehoff. For reals. He wanted to come buy pots and pans at her place of bidness, but had his agent call her friend at work and arrange for a visit to his new show. He did not bring Kobie.
• Job still good. Not enough time to mess around on the Internet, though.
• Life still good.
• Days without Tivo -- ouch. I can't believe I'm actually missing Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency.
• Reading -- Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World. Slate covers it here. She's a bit of a nut, but makes some great points.
• Listening to -- the new Beth Orton. Meh.
• Participating in -- another CD exchange. This is the BEST project I've ever done, and I get so much cool music. My fave discovery by way of a friend in Scotland [via Australia] is The Whitlams. You should be listening to them.
• The funny things kids say. YG's daughter, while watching me get changed -- from my work clothes and underwear one wears under work clothes to avoid the dreaded VPL into my "play tag outside" clothes -- said "what's wrong with your underpants?" Followed by something about why would you want to have a wedgie on purpose. Hee. What's wrong with my underpants, indeed.
• Everyone I know is pregnant. Including now one of my best friends from high school. Yay to healthy babies everywhere.
• A note about my finger. Remember gross finger? Yeah, it got infected and should have been stitched. And turned green...and then I thought I had gangrene and vowed to stop the "I don't need a doctor, I can take care of it myself" brand of healthcare I practice. We'll see how long this lasts. I now know, though...skin not supposed to be green.
• I am more interesting than this, really. I think of things to write during the day and then I promptly forget them. Anyway...

Week in Review

Well, I'm back in NJ, but have about an hour or so before I need to head off to another graduation party and then back up to Massachusetts. The movers come in a week and I'm still in overwhelmed mode -- I feel like I got nothing done this weekend.

The job seems great. So far I like my coworkers and I like their philosophy on public relations. I've already started getting involved in projects, and they're REAL -- a few things that will actually have measurable impact on sales and revenue. I'm psyched, but also have my usual nagging shitty committee in my head wondering if I'll be able to handle it and if I'm good enough. Sigh. Oh well. I'm glad that the job seems like a good fit -- it makes everything else seem a little bit easier. And oh yeah -- casual dress code. Woo hoo!

Other random bits:

• I got to ride the rail trail with YG -- 16 miles and got my flat speed up to 20 mph. Very cool. I'm looking forward to much more bike riding this season.
• I joined the gym at work. It's small, but it's FREE. Key word being free.
• Book on CD I'm currently listening to: Devil in the White City. It's pretty excellent and perfect for the 4-hour back and forth.
• Missing: bad TV. Can't wait until the new apartment is set up and I can get back to my craptastic marathons.
• Am caught up on: Rescue Me. Why aren't you watching this show? BEST SHOW ON TELEVISION.
• Suprisingly haven't had time for: much reading or writing. Hopefully this changes soon.

And Some Not-So-Awesome Things

• Still no buyer for the house. Still negotiating. St. Joseph, where are you?
• No money. See above.
• My $115 NYC parking ticket. No parking after 11 p.m. I run back to the car -- ticket was issued at 11:13. Grrr.....
• No money. See above.
• The asshat who threw a milkshake at my windshield on the Turnpike. I hope you find yourself infested with butt mites, jackass.
• The injury report. While closing the window today, my mom's extremely-heavy realtor sign fell and split my thumb. It bled for HOURS and still hurts like a bitch and looks worse.
• Alex Rodriguez. I hate you and I think you suck, and Mike and the Mad Dog can eat it if they think I'm a bad fan for saying that. If you want to be the highest paid player in baseball, try PLAYING like the highest paid player in baseball. And oh yeah, try not to cheat, Mr. Slap Play, because they have this crazy invention called t.v. that might catch you doing it. And before you all start complaining, yes, I know that was 2004. But that was the true start of my deepening hate for this one, and I'd need a whole different blog if I was going to log down every time this whiny brat missed a play or missed a chance to come up big.
• The end of my unemployment. I would really rather like to be independently wealthy.

A Couple of Awesome Things

I leave tomorrow for the first week of my new "journey," and have spent the past two weeks of unemployment reading, riding my bike and most importantly, hanging out with good friends.

• Thanks ML and baby L for cooking me dinner and providing me with cutie baby entertainment. I can't wait to find out if #2 is a boy or a girl and meet him or her too.
• YG planned all the details of last weekend's jaunt into NYC which was excellent.
• The people from my Monday night meeting threw me a going away and good luck party before our usual meeting. I've known most of these people for over five years now and even though I was dragged kicking and screaming into the program and I didn't want to know them, I'm so thankful for everything they've given me. Including taco dip, guacamole, and a t-shirt that reads "Future Ex-Wife" and lists all the gifts of the program. Cheesey? Yes. Still great? Yes. My favorite "gift" is "We will recover the feeling of joy" -- I didn't believe it, but now I do. I used to be fun. Then for a while, not so much. I feel like I'm back again. :-) So thanks to the Monday night group, particularly B, D, and T, for being cool and letting me bratty and not making me hug people.
• An out-of-town friend came back to NYC on Thursday so a bunch of us had dinner at a yummy French place and then had tea and scones the next day at Alice's Teacup. Good food and good conversations. I ran into my first college roommate on the street on the way to dinner -- also a nice suprise.
• I got to kick it old school with NN and K visiting our post-college establishments like Vietnam for shrimp papaya salad and summer rolls and Little Italy for gelatto. I was thinking about this a little bit more over the weekend: NN and I became friends freshman year of college, and I honestly can't imagine ever NOT being friends with her. Even if we don't talk or email every day like we used to, it's just not something I can imagine. But how often does your friend pair up with someone that you like equally as well? Hardly ever. Most of the time, your friends pair up with people that you find tolerable or better, people that you like okay. But K is pretty freakin' great too, and I'm just very excited for these guys to be parents because they're going to be great parents to either a girl or a boy (even if they do chop off his willis. Heh).
• Today was Father's Day and I got to spend it with the family which to me is my parents, my siblings, my aunt, uncle and cousin. For all the bullshit, we're still pretty great. Even though my mother decided to read the entire NJ Zagat Guide OUT LOUD on the drive down and even though I got to sit through the old classics of "Look at this traffic" and "why did you go this way" and "We should get gas" "No, we can make it one more exit," it was still a fun day. I'm going to miss them. Remind me of this when I'm complaining about them in....probably a few hours.

More Movies

Movies that I forgot were totally awesome, but recently watched:

* Antonia's Line -- a Dutch movie about a matriarch and her family. Good plot and pretty people.

* Field of Dreams -- I remember seeing this in the theatre in Long Island as a kid when it first came out. I put it on last night for "background noise" during packing because my stereo speakers don't reach downstairs. Of course, I ended up watching the whole thing and sobbed (the heaving, snot-nosed kind of sobbing) when Kevin Costner's dad takes off his catcher's gear and they end up playing ball. A most excellent movie for baseball fans.

Negotiations

I have my first offer on the house. It's not exactly what I expected, but we're negotiating and it's getting closer to what I wanted. I have St. Joseph to thank for this one.

A discussion with some friends on St. Joe and how he helps sell houses led to the discovery of this. Really, it doesn't get any better than that. The marketing genius of "Put the image of Jesus RIGHT ON FOOD!" sends me into giggle fits.

Listening To Right Now

On my Ipod, my "I'm leaving here and moving to MA" playlist, pared down from about 100 songs:

1. Dirty Water -- The Standells. Boston, you're my town..soon.
2. America -- Neil Diamond. You know you love it.
3. Across the Universe -- Rufus Wainwright. Just because.
4. Seasons -- Neil Halstead. I love it.
5. New York State of Mind -- Billy Joel. Who cares if it's cheesey? It's still awesome.
6. Homeward Bound -- Simon & Garfunkel.
7. The Long and Winding Round -- The Beatles.
8. Good-Bye to Carolina -- Lyle Lovett. LOVE. A friend put this on a mix. How did I not know that Lyle Lovett was cool?
9. Jersey Girl -- Tom Waits. Always.
10. Lowell, MA -- Death Cab for Cutie. Because they're the greatest.
11. Every Ghetto Every City -- Lauryn Hill. Get your groove on.
12. What's the World Got In Store -- Wilco. For me?
13. I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane -- Chantal Kreviazuk. Great Cover.
14. Chinatown -- Luna. This song reminds me of hanging out in New York right after college.
15. As We Walk to Fenway Park in Boston Town -- Jonathan Richman. For YG.
16. NYC -- Interpol.
17. The Only Living Boy in New York -- Simon & Garfunkel. Always been a great song, but thank you, t.v. crush Zack Braff, for putting this on the Garden State soundtrack.
18. Marching Bands of Manhattan -- Death Cab for Cutie. So good.
19. Wish You Were Here -- Pink Floyd. For all my bitches.

An Open Letter to NYC (thank you Beastie Boys)

I had my "official" goodbye to NYC this weekend. YG and I headed in [stopping first at Nordstrom's 1/2 year sale :-) ] and stopped at the W for overpriced but yummy cocktails, had dinner at Sushi Samba and drinks at Flute. We've done this a few times before and I don't care if it's cheesey or bridge-and-tunnelly -- it doesn't disappoint. Ms. Librarian joined us for a round of champagne as well, so that was nice. On Sunday, we got bagels, read the paper, and then went and sat in Union Square Park for a few hours with some eats we picked up at Whole Foods. Overall, low key but fun. I'm going to miss New York, but I'm looking forward to living in the city and being able to do this more often.

My unemployment has been treating me well, although I haven't been getting as much accomplished as I thought I would. I've been taking walks, riding my bike, reading and catching up on a lot of movies I Tivoed. Good: Crash, City of God, Dirty Pretty Things, Supersize Me. Not so much: The War at Home, Coffee and Cigarettes. I've also logged about a billion hours watched tivoed Yankeeographies since Yankee history is much more compelling than the not-so-hot Yankee present. I thought I'd spend more time getting together with friends and hanging out, but I'm having a hard time connecting with people. YG doesn't get why this is so sad for me, and to be truthful, it IS hard to explain the sometimes illogicallness (nice word) of feeling like a kid who is having a party that nobody wants to come to. On the good side, I have plans with some out-of-town friends this Thursday and am hanging out with NN and K and the zygote this Friday. And then I leave Monday. It still seems weird to write that. I leave Monday.

I leave Monday. :-)

MIA

I've been pretty MIA these days. I thought that being off would mean lots of time sitting in front of the computer doing nothing, but I haven't been on that much lately. I did fairly well at the garage sale and am still in packing hell.
The realtor open houses didn't go as well. It was basically me and mom hanging around eating cookies and waiting for somebody to show up. Hopefully this weekend's open house will go better.

What's a Buyer Do?

My sister is a buyer and whenever people ask me what that means, I'm never quite sure how to answer. The NYT explains.

While I love the Times, some of this stuff just floored me:

"The men favored short haircuts and dark suits with white or pale blue shirts. Their physiques were soft, perhaps from riding on the seats of commuter trains. The women, on the whole, looked in better shape, and their attire fell on the side of tasteful rather than fashionable."

Tasteful isn't fashionable? Huh? And yes, only commuters are fat with "soft physiques." This problem doesn't afflict the good people of Manhattan.

And:

"During the meeting, leggings were a source of surprise and excitement. Macy's sold 2,000 pairs the previous week. Customers, filled up on black leggings, now wanted them in stripes and floral prints with lace. "

WHY GOD, WHY? Leggings? Floral print leggings with lace? I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. I had those leggings circa 1990. It's like if I went to a designer and said, "Look, I really need a pair of pants that will make my ass look lumpy, droopy and just HUGE too. In a synthetic stretch material. And oh yeah, if you could add a little lace too, that would be great." Leggings = BAD. Just BAD.

Buy My Crap

If you're in NJ, this weekend, please stop by here. Although it will likely be disgusting and rainy, I really need to unload some stuff -- lots of books, clothes (many still with tags on them), kitchen stuff and knick-knacks. I also have some furniture like a stereo table and a dresser that I won't be taking with me to the sale, but am willing to sell (or at this point, just give) to someone.

Insert brief moment where the full extent of my immaturity shines through: The guy who sits in the cube across from me is talking to someone about another guy with the last name Cox, and he keeps repeating "Cox said" and "I was talking about Cox" and I laugh everytime. Because I'm twelve. Heh.

I took a break from packing this weekend and went out to Long Island. This is the first Memorial Day weekend in a LONG time that I can remember being able to go to the beach. It was hot as hell, but I did all my favorite Shirley things including a whole lot of nothing, a whole lot of reading and eating, outlet shopping, and sitting on the beach and staring at the large number of enormous people in very tiny bathing suits -- something of a Shirley phenomenom.

Now it's back to packing and prepping. All the energy that I had for this a few weeks ago has disappeared and I really don't want to do anything. It's a huge pain in the ass keeping the house clean enough for showing and I find myself only wanting to watch t.v. The only big pare down project I have left is to go through all my clothes and shoes -- something I really don't want to do. I was staring at the shoes last night and....I want them all. Sigh.