A Pixilated Life

Snail Mail

2007-02-08T10:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, while I was reading the blog Callalillie, I came across a project that I can most definitely get behind. It’s called the Modern Letter Project.

Pretty much it’s a modern day pen pal. You write letters each month and share your stories to create an archive. All librarians love archives! That's why i'm all for it! If you’re interested in joining you only have a day to do so (sorry about the short notice).

Yay for writing letters!

I used to date a guy in HS who moved to another state. He was always amazing at sending letters and packages; I, on the other hand, was terrible. I’d always forget and never follow through. I’ve decided that this will be my way of making up for those long lost letters I never wrote.

50% American

2007-01-30T13:37:00.000-05:00

I've been doing some thinking lately and it looks like I've only visited 25 states (and one district) out of the fifty nifty united states of America. I'm shocked, SHOCKED by these findings. I thought for sure I've visited at least 30 or 35. You know what these means, right? I'm now obsessing over the idea of visiting each one I've missed. These states mostly encompass middle America. I have no problem with them, its just that, well I don't know. I've drawn a map and with this map I believe I could hit each middle state I have yet to cover on a two to three week road trip. This is all hypothetically speaking. Details to follow.

If I don't get to it in my younger years - I don't mind being one of those older folks who trail (er) their way cross country. Thank you 401K!

Also, for the record, Cracker Jacks is a weird midday work snack. I just tried to pull it off and it didn't go as smoothly as expected.

March of the Liberal Polar Bears

2007-01-22T15:36:00.000-05:00

I woke up yesterday and decided to take the train out to Coney Island, to walk the beach and visit the aquarium. I arrived about 12:30 pm, which was only half an hour away from the crazy folks over at the Polar Bear Clubs weekly Sunday swim. I guess it was cold enough to dip, because sure enough at 1:00 pm, 30 people marched down the beach in 21 degree weather and jumped into the ocean. They kept screaming "We love Jon Stewart" and pumped their fists in the air yelling "Daily Show, Daily Show."

I figured they were just a bunch of super liberal Polar Bears, but realized that the correspondent dude, Dan, was filming a segment for the show. Some crazy woman kept stumbling out of the water and up to the cameras to make some weird, get in the water, hand gestures to the camera men. She looked slightly out of it. I wasn't sure if it was the freezing temperatures of the water or the fact that she was, indeed, slightly out of it. One Polar man yelled at Daily Show dude to get in the water. You do NOT want to fuck with these men. They wear crowns and robes made of silk and gold. Ok - maybe not real silk and gold, but definitely fancified water gear. I give these men and women credit. This is truly an act of dedication.

Vanish Into Thin Air

2007-01-11T10:55:00.000-05:00

Well, well, well look who decided to reappear. Welcome back to the new and improved blog of Jessica. Alright, fine. Obviously it's not new or improved, but the fact that I'm writing on it after 2 months of hiatus means I can start over again.

Interesting facts:

I'm currently obsessed with taking pictures and posting them to my flickr site. The sad part is that I only have 4 flickr friends, one of which is the Brooklyn Museum, who only wanted me as a contact because I took a picture there. So - if you're reading this and want to be a friend let me know. I could use the internet-networking-site-ego-boost.

Staying with the currently obsessed theme I've become somewhat invested in a little show called Beauty and the Geek. I'm aware that this is not the first season, but my God is it good. I'm particularly fond of Nate the "Star Wars" geek. I cannot for the life of me get his Hans Solo song out of my head.

I want to work for a fun library. I realize my library could be considered fun by some, but I'm ready to move on. I want to work with music, or dioramas or books on anything other then dogs. Anyone know of anything?

Speaking of dioramas, I'm thinking of making one (note the smooth segue from one topic to the next). I haven't done it since grade 4, but I believe I'd excel profusely if I tried again. During this holiday season I received many compliments on my card making/wrapping paper creating skills. Granted, it was just a lot of cutting and pasting, but you still have to have, what I call, "the eye for finding."

I'm sure I've already bored the 2 people who still visit this site, but stick with me and I'll tell you some great stories that lead nowhere.

Sincerely yours,

Jessica

For the Sake of Campers

2006-11-14T10:11:00.000-05:00

After all my problems with eBay I’ve decided to go ahead and make matters worse – I’m selling my old junk. I figured that if I didn’t want my stuff, someone else might, right? But you know what? Not as many people do as I was expecting. To tell you the truth, I’m kind of annoyed. I mean, some of my junk is pretty nice. I’ve got shorts from Express worth $40 bucks that I never wore (still has tags) and a great pair of Gola shoes (never worn) that have yet to be added to anyone’s watch lists. They’re perfectly good articles of clothing; I just don’t want them anymore.

If no one buys my stuff I won’t be able to buy my cute Camper shoes that I have my eye on. Maybe I should write that in the description. A plea of sorts to make people feel bad, as well as a tad bit pressured into purchasing a pair of shoes I bought off eBay that never fit quite right. Just so i can turn that money around and buy a pair of shoes that I will wear every day until they fall apart. It’s the circle of eBay and I’m totally sucked in.

Wasting time

2006-10-27T10:06:00.000-04:00

As long as I can remember, I’ve always told stories that have no point and continue on forever without endings. Eventually they just die, either out of lack of interest on my listeners’ part or more frequently on my part. I’ve also been known to begin stories with “this one time…” a lot.

The thing that really irks me about this is that at some point that ridiculously stupid movie “American Pie” stole my line. Now, every time I go to tell a story starting with “this one time,” people find it hysterically funny and original to say “at band camp!” I hate it. I feel like saying “no ass, it wasn’t band camp. I’ve never been to band camp and I don’t know how to play an instrument, well maybe I can play the first few lines of Eternal Flame on piano, but that’s it.” But as you can see, my story then becomes longer, considering the fact that people may be intrigued by my Eternal Flame story, which would make me launch into another story altogether. You can see why I get frustrated.

At this point, my original story appears helpless. By the time I get around to finishing up the moment has passed and now I look like a lingerer. You know them, the people that laugh a little bit too long at a joke, or the people that try to relate stories 15 minutes after the original topic has died. No one wants to be a lingerer.

I also hate the fact that people actually think I’m quoting American Pie. I’m not big into movie quoting. I think it isolates people, but I’ve been known to throw out a line or two with people I know who are into the Office (Ricky Gervais will forever be my comedic God) or Adventures in Babysitting (“Take it back Brad, take back what you said about Thor. If you don’t take it back I’ll tell Chris about all the love poems you write about her. Hi Chris!”), but AMERICAN PIE??? Sheesh.

At this point in my post you may be asking yourself, “So what’s the point of this post?” I’m here to tell you that there is no point. I sat down at my computer this morning, started writing and this is what came out. It just solidifies my point that my stories have no meaning. Do you feel like you’ve wasted a few minutes reading this? I think not. If anything you could click away from my blog with the new found knowledge of the greatest quote in all of American cinema. I’m talking about Adventures in Babysitting.

Crazies All Around

2006-09-27T15:41:00.000-04:00

I wonder who made up the rule about the Indian meaning good luck on the package of tootsie roll pops. I always make sure to check. I secretly believe this. Just like I believe in other superstitions. I guess they’re not so much superstitions as me being obsessive. I remember when I was younger I used to believe “if I make this basketball into the basket I’m going to have a good time at the school dance, if I don’t – well, it’ll suck.” This actually happened. Not once, but lots of times. I used variations of tools/products to predict my level of fun, but it was always the same idea. I’m not sure it ever worked, but I continued to do it well into adulthood.

It’s like when you finally win something and you’re convinced your luck has changed. I was the winner of a raffle prize last year at my company holiday party. The first name wasn’t mine; even though I was obsessively repeating my own name over and over again in my head. However, the second prize, the potable DVD player, was all mine. I was half psyched that I won and half amazed that I was able to telepathically send my name into the mouth of the announcer *aka* office manager. I never told anyone that, but it happened too and it was just last year. For a while after, I thought I’d win every contest I’d enter. My dreams were broken when I didn’t win a scholarship for a conference and most recently (the winners haven’t been announced yet, but I’m feeling like I lost) a trip to London to have tea with Agatha Christie’s grandson. I’m not a huge fan of Agatha Christie or her grandson, but the contest was for librarians only and a free trip to London, which I am a huge fan of. The portable DVD player has sat in my closest for almost a year, untouched.

So there you have it. I’m a little bit crazy.

Keeping with the crazy theme, I’ll recount a story that happened last week.

I usually give myself 25 – 30 minutes in the morning to wake, shower, get dressed and leave my house. I refuse to wake up any earlier then it takes to do all of my morning rituals. I will not eat breakfast at home. I never step foot into any other part of my house besides the bathroom and shower and I see no point in waking up 15 minutes earlier when I could be sleeping…soundly.

This particular morning was no different, except for the fact that I was running 5 minutes late. I grabbed my sweater and coat and ran out the door, with the intention of putting my sweater on as I walked, you know, to save time. Anyway – as I’m walking down my street I pass a man, probably in his 50’s, most likely lives on my block and is certainly not homeless. He was walking slowly so I passed him and continued balancing the 4 items I was holding, clearly not saving time. I finally got my sweater on and was around the corner when I noticed I dropped my coat. I looked back and didn’t see it, so I ran to the corner to look down my street. There, right in front of me, not five seconds after I dropped it, was the old man I passed with one arm in my coat. I yelled “hey, HEY!” He didn’t look up, but was very confused as to why the coat wasn’t fitting all the way down his arm. Side note, my coat is a three quarter sleeve pea type ladies wear. When I finally caught up to him he took his arm out of the coat, shrugged, and said “It didn’t fit anyway,” and dropped it back on the ground. He obviously saw me drop it; I was 2 feet in front of him.

I love crazies.

The Lullaby of Broadway

2006-09-12T13:41:00.000-04:00

Friday night I got a ride home with Taxi Ray.

A few months ago, maybe even a year – at this rate, time seems to be flying by and I have no concept of it – I read an article about an 80 year old man named Ray who quit his job as a taxi driver and decided to drive people around the city for free.

Friday night my and I were waiting outside a bar in Brooklyn for one of the two taxis we called to take us home. Neither one came. Out of nowhere a lovely old time cab pulled up. I remembered the story and ran to the window, hoping it would be Ray. The people in the cab looked confused. They got out and handed the taxi over to us. We got in and were instantly told:

“Every ride I give is free, if you want to pay me, go ahead, but it’s free.”

For the next 10 minutes we were treated to stories about Ray’s life. He grew up in NYC and drove a taxi for a number of years. Eventually he grew sick of working and decided to branch out on his own. He got into some trouble with the Taxi and Limousine Commission that was eventually straightened out. He said the people who were in the cab before us hailed him in Chinatown. He agreed to take them to Brooklyn and that’s where we picked him up. He said that he bought his latest car on EBay and that we could find more information on him if you Google Taxi Ray.

He must make a ton of money. I’m not sure if it was the drinks, the excitement of a free ride or the great stories, but old Ray got more money out of us then a normal cab would have. So much for the free ride.

BONUS

Please Stand Up

2006-08-22T12:04:00.000-04:00

About two years ago I had my identity stolen at a Thrifty Car Rental in California. Someone was opening credit cards in my name using my social security number and an address located in San Jose. I only found out because I had a credit card open with a bank and this person was trying to open a checking account there, again, using the San Jose address. I guess that raised a red flag, so someone contacted me from the bank and asked me about my address change. Had it not been for them, I would have never known. After a very long process I found out they opened 3 credit cards, but I stopped all of them before they could really start spending. The most damage was done to a Dell credit card, in which they opened and charged $2000 worth of equipment to. On a funny related side note; I just received a class action lawsuit for some “equipment” that I purchased a couple of years ago on my Dell credit card. Dell, a company full of intelligence and exploding laptops. They eventually found and arrested the people involved. According to my detective, they established some sort of ring where over 200 people’s identities were being bought and sold. I took them down single handedly, well with the help of my Google searching detective (who told me they use Google to search for people – aren’t they supposed to have databases and high-tech equipment for that shit?). And that’s how the story goes.

This brings me to the present. Last week I logged into my gmail account to find a bunch of weird emails. It turns out that someone with the same exact name as me was buying military equipment and using my email address as her own. Strange coincidence, or not? I wasn’t sure. I found an email address for her friend and asked her what was going on. Without her going into too much detail she said that, yes, her friend did have the same name as me. She was in the military and she’d let her know that she was using the wrong email address. I’ve decided that she tried signing up for my email address (because it’s her name too) and was denied, since I already have it. She probably had to add another letter or something and forgot it a few times when ordering stuff. I’m hoping I’m right. I love being right when it comes to detective stuff. I also hope she’s not stealing my identity.

This weekend I was out to brunch with a friend. On the way home I checked my phone to see if I had any calls. It said I had missed two from some 408 number. I listened to the message and it turned out to be some breathy dude telling me he was just “live chatting” with me regarding my eBay account. He was from the security team and it looked like someone was pretending to be me. He wanted me to “live chat” him back and didn’t leave a number. I started laughing and handed the phone to my friend. She listened to it and we decided it was some lame joke a friend was playing on me. I went home and Googled the number and found out that it really was someone from eBay. Perhaps I should have commented to eBay that their customer service representative sounded more like a sex operator then a professional, but I had bigger problems to deal with. Someone cracked my password code and logged onto my eBay account to start selling fake Chanel purses, totally not my style. It looked like this person was using my old mailing address, which freaked me out; I haven’t lived there in a year. They also signed into my hotmail account and started reading/checking my email. They were requesting forgotten passwords from Paypal and other places I had stored information. I felt used. I was told from eBay that it was completely my fault and was treated like a five year old. They told me that I must had fallen for one of those “spoof” emails, did I know what “spoof” meant? They also informed me that I wasn’t supposed to give out my passwords to anybody over the internet. Only people “hacking” into a system ask for passwords, did I understand that? They also threw in that I wasn’t allowed to take candy from a stranger or get to close to a blue van with a sliding door, just for good measure.

What have I learned from this? Well for one thing, if I went by all of my split personalities; I’d be an Asian girl living in San Jose with an obsession for Dell products, who’d get bored enough at some point to join the army and order military belts from a company named Blackhawk and eventually sell a number of fake Chanel purses on eBay where I’d make sure to start all of my emails I send from other peoples accounts with the ever so creepy, “Dear Friend.”

It’s never too late to run a credit report.

A librarian, a camera and Mr. Clean walk into a bar...

2006-08-04T15:28:00.000-04:00

I’m like the little boy that cried wolf. I’ve been saying I’m done with school since May, but really, I had one class left. Wednesday night was officially my last and final class at Pratt. I’m done. It’s weird. It was all very anti-climactic. I left thinking “wow, I can now call myself a librarian,” but came into work at the same old job doing the same old thing with the same old title. I’m not sure what I expected. Maybe that I’d have my last class and the next day I’d magically wake up in a brand new apartment, with some rugged comedic boyfriend (who has a sparkling personality), in a great city, with my dream job. Far-fetched? Maybe, but I like it.

I purchased a digital camera. I used to find it slightly disturbing when people used words associated with living things like; cute, sexy, hot, and slender; to describe equipment, but damn! My shits sexy. Clearly I don’t find it disturbing anymore.

I had this whole thing written up regarding Mr. Clean, but decided to scratch the piece. The writing was bad and the grammar horrendous, plus, I realized halfway through that a source I was going to quote was a joke. A JOKE! Can you believe it? They almost fooled me, but I’m too good. I’m probably making no sense, since i didn't end up posting it and no one knows what I’m talking about anyway. Just nod and smile, nod and smile, slowly walk away.

Loose Ends

2006-07-27T11:16:00.000-04:00

I have to say that I’m thoroughly enjoying my summer. I’ve managed to get myself to Costa Rica, Florida, Vermont, Long Island, Coney Island, and I still have a month left!

Last weekend I went to Vermont with some friends who live in my building. It was exactly the vacation I needed. We went swimming in a fresh water lake, tried hiking (I say tried because most of us didn’t have the right shoes and the night before it rained – making everything super muddy), cooked great food, and managed to find the worst and best bar in Rutland all in one night. Who knew Vermont was so country? Cowboy hats, boots, country music, monster truck rallies, they have it all.

I finish school next week. I’m contemplating making the move to Seattle. I think I may wait until April, since it’ll be nicer to explore a new city in warmer weather.

Oh and where was I five years ago when Trick Daddy came out with his number one hit “I’m a Thug?” It truly is the best song ever. Once again, I’m late.

May not be suitable for adults.

Optic Nerve

2006-07-19T16:19:00.000-04:00

I’m usually the one who catches onto things years after it hits big. Books (just finished Running with Scissors) Music (just bought Al Green) Movies (just saw Memoirs of a Geisha) Television (watched Twin Peaks for the first time 3 years ago). I’m guessing you get the point. Keeping with that theme, I’ve recently become obsessed with a comic book, which started in 1991.

It all began a few months back when I walked into this comic book shop in Brooklyn and picked up Optic Nerve by Adrian Tomine. I was instantly hooked, but I was so intimidated by the people mulling around the cash register using “comic book” jargon that I left without buying anything. Yesterday afternoon I walked back into the store and once again picked up Optic Nerve. This time I flipped through the book 32 Stories: The Complete Optic Nerve Mini-Comics, which is a compilation of his early stuff and again I was hooked. I’m proud to say that I actually bought it.

I was never into comic books. I liked the idea, but the sci-fi superhuman stuff kind of bored me (although I can take them in movie form) and the other stuff never caught my attention. Optic Nerve is different. It reads like scenes from real life and I enjoy that. I know I’m not being very articulate right now, but believe me when I say it’s real good.

Art Work

2006-07-19T15:00:00.000-04:00

I thought this was pretty funny. I used to listen to 1010 wins and would occasionally check the website for more information, so i know exactly what they're talking about. I, myself always wondered about those graphics.

Click Here

The Wizard of Hawthorne

2006-07-14T11:53:00.000-04:00

It seems that a tornado ripped through my hometown Wednesday night and my grandparents watched it all happen. I was walking home from class when my brother called to tell me the news. I swore he was lying. I was even cracking jokes about flying cows and Toto, but it turns out he was serious. According to my mom, my grandfather was looking out his back window when he saw a ton of debris flying over the trees. Instead of going to a safer place, he yelled for my grandmother to take a look. She ran to the front of the house and saw a black cloud approaching. Their house was OK, but an apartment building up the street got damaged, as well as the cemetery they live near, which is where Babe Ruth is buried. I’m just shocked that it was tornado. This is why we need to take global warming issues more seriously.

Show Addict

2006-07-12T16:24:00.000-04:00

In anticipation for the new Project Runway, I thought I’d share my most favoritist TV moment ever. Andrae? What happened to Andrae? Make it work!

EPIC

2006-07-12T15:53:00.000-04:00

I almost got hit by a cab yesterday. I left work in a happy mood, put on my early 90’s rock play list and was crossing the street in time with Epic, when a waiting cab decided it didn’t want to wait for its passenger anymore. Instead it came towards me and screeched to a stop. In my shaken state I pounded the hood of the car, probably said something like “What the fuck!” and walked away just in time for the song to turn melodic. It was all very dramatic.

And scene.

Celebrity Mole

2006-07-11T09:03:00.000-04:00

And this, my friends, is why I love Corbin Bernsen.
Click Here

Did anyone watch him on Celebrity Mole a few years ago? He's genius, crazy and obsessive, but genius. I'm starting a petition to bring that show back.

This and That

2006-07-10T16:18:00.000-04:00

I know, I’ve been slacking on my posts, but everyone knows that you use less technology in the summertime. That’s a lie. I’m just trying to make excuses.

A recap:

I took my dad to see José González for a late father’s day gift. The show was great. He sounded amazing and the mood was mellow. We both had a good time. I ran into a girl I knew, she was there with her friend and her friends’ father. I guess this means José is father friendly music, which I’d totally agree with.

I celebrated my 27th birthday on July 4th. It was uneventful (the birthday), but fun. I rode into Red Hook, drank some whiskey beers, watched fireworks from the pier and walked around enjoying the night. I’m glad to be leaving 26 behind. It was a difficult year, but I needed a shake. I’m pretty sure I was asleep at the wheel for the earlier part of the 2000’s, but I’m back! I tried convincing my friends to celebrate a fake birthday for me sometime in March. I like my birthday, but I’ve never had that random Tuesday night where your friends take you out to dinner and go drinking at a local dive bar, all in celebration of your birthday. Or the chance to suck up to your elementary school principal and bring him a cupcake your mom made for your classmates. Different, yet similar.

Lately I’ve been attracting some odd people. Not physically, but in the “WTF did you just say to me?” sense. Random people have been telling me very strange things. Maybe I have the face that says “I’ll accept you no matter what,” which isn’t a bad thing, but I’d like to be spared certain details. I should start walking around with a stink face on to see if people still want to tell me about their fungus problems.

The World Cup. I’m part Italian. I rooted for France and I’m not ashamed of Zidane. He was completely and totally provoked. I’ve watched the video again on youtube and you can see where he snaps. I’m not sure if it was the right time to do it, with 10 minutes left in his career, but obviously something was said and he reacted on impulse. I’m interested to see where this goes during the next week. Watching sports is fun…when you’re interested. Wasn’t that so profound?

Freddie

2006-06-29T14:57:00.000-04:00

Click and Scroll down a little. Go ahead. Please. What are your thoughts on this?

Movie Posters

Spiderman's a NYC Slut

2006-06-28T14:44:00.000-04:00

He's two-timing Brooklyn all over Manhattan. I saw them shooting at Bryant Park this morning. I'm sure if i were wearing my glasses, i'd have caught some live celebrity movement, but alas i wasn't and i didn't.

Shopping Under the Influence

2006-06-28T14:36:00.000-04:00

This problem originated years ago in college, when my friend and I stopped at the mall to get a cookie cake from Mrs. Fields for our friends’ birthday. We got sucked into shopping by all the pretty storefronts. We ended up eating some of her cake, shopping for clothes and arriving very late to the party.

After college, a couple of friends and I did the backpacking thing through Europe. One night in Italy, after drinking loads of wine, we went shopping. I ended up with some hideous souvenirs, including a picture of a boat that I bought for my then boyfriend. My friend, however, made the purchase of the night. She bought a huge Murano glass fish for her boyfriend. Huge. Glass. Fish. I believe her exact words while bending over to take another look was “that’s a manly fish, isn’t it,” my other friend and I nodded approvingly in the background.

I tell these stories, because I recently shopped under the influence. I met my friend for brunch in Red Hook last Sunday. After a few Bloody Marys we rode towards my house – she going to Park Slope and me to my couch. When I got back, there was a nice street fair going on down Smith Street. I decided to take a walk, get some ice cream, eat some fair corn, and yes, do some shopping. I was willing and ready to spend, spend, spend. I had seen these bags at other street fairs that I really wanted, but never bought. I probably never got one because I was sober and knew I didn’t need an overpriced deconstructed sail purse, but today was different. I was a girl on a mission. I walked the whole fair looking for this woman. She wasn’t there, so I did the next best thing. I bought a t-shirt with a motocross man flying off a bike, front and back. It could quite possibly be the most useless thing I’ve ever bought. OK, so that’s not entirely true; I buy weird shit all the time, but I still don’t know what I was thinking. I remember walking over to the booth, walking away, coming back, listening to the guys speech about the shirts, staring at them for a long time, asking about each design; like I was truly interested, realized I had been there for an awkward amount of time, felt bad and eventually purchased a t-shirt I didn’t want. Friends shouldn't let friends buy drunk.

A Lesson in Magic, Movie Magic

2006-06-23T12:14:00.000-04:00

Spiderman 3 was filming in my neighborhood last night. They transformed my cute little movie theater into their cute little movie theater using “movie making magic.” Let me explain.

To us ordinary folks that live in the area, Cobble Hill Cinemas is a great place to spend a rainy day, see $6 movies on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and to satisfy your curiosity of what its like to be claustrophobic. But to movie magic people, it’s not all fun and games. With a change of sign that takes all afternoon to install, it transforms into a “movie set,” thus creating the “movie making magic” atmosphere right in my own backyard. I once worked in post-production, so I know. I got people breakfast, snacks, drinks, and entertained them when they needed a break. I imagine you do similar stuff when you’re a camp counselor.

I have a soft spot for the Spiderman franchise. The first one came out around Fathers day (which is also around, give or take a month, my dad’s birthday) and my brother and I took him to see it. It turned out to be a family favorite! I even purchased the Spiderman arm that shoots silly string! I wonder where that went.

Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole Ticos - Ticos

2006-06-20T13:21:00.000-04:00

I guess i'm a little late on that one, considering they lost this morning, but it's still a fun chant. The guy in the last picture waved that flag for two hours during the Costa Rica/Germany game.

I’ve written some stuff about Costa Rica and maybe I’ll post it another time. To sum it up, I had a blast. In the past couple of days I’ve received emails from people I met on the trip. One guy quit his job, sold his house and belongings, put the rest in storage and headed out for a 5 month vacation. Needless to say I’m terribly jealous. He wrote me about his travels last week away from school. I want to write him back, but I feel like I have nothing important to say. I’m sure I’ll think of something.

Here are a few pictures from the trip. I have some more up on Flickr and will be uploading the rest soon:

The Color Purple

2006-06-16T08:39:00.000-04:00

I walked right by Prince’s limo this morning. That’s right. Prince. I wanted to stop, jump on the hood of the car and scream “I LOVE YOU PRINCE,” but I held back. I played it cool, watched for a minute and walked away. I thought I had the coolest story. I mean its Prince, so what if it was just a limo? I walked into work and this girls all “guess WHO I walked by this morning?” I was like “WHO? WALKED?” So yeah, I guess my story was topped, but I still saw his limo.

Here’s a little Prince to start your day.

Hardcore

2006-06-14T12:15:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share my dark side. Here are my wounds from surfing. How cool am i? Maybe I’m not so cool, because surfers usually don't have wounds. Only people who try to surf and are bad have wounds. It doesn't matter because i still think I’m tough. I also almost broke my back. I landed wrong in the water and i was so hardcore i got right back on my long ass board and proceeded to be thrown off for the next hour. I also got my nails painted by my Tico mother. She put little flowers on each nail. I thought I’d balance the hardness out with a little girly talk.

Someone Got New Glasses

2006-06-12T14:45:00.000-04:00

With these new puppies i can do such things as see, watch movies, drive, practice mathematical equations and save the world!

Calm

2006-05-31T12:24:00.000-04:00

I leave on Friday morning for Costa Rica. I’ve never been so calm in my entire life. It’s the oddest thing. I’m so excited, yet I’m not running around like crazy, which I usually do before vacation. I don’t have things printed out and I have no idea where I am staying for the first couple of days. I’ll do some reading on the plane and decide when I get there where I want to go. I’ve also received a hand-me-down camera from my brother, which will be put to good use. Translation: I’ll return home with a million pictures.

I’m going to the store during lunch to buy a bunch of CD’s. I like listening to new music when I find myself in a new place. It’s like a soundtrack for that vacation. I think I just realized that I’m going to Costa Rica in two days. IN TWO DAYS!!! Ok, now I’m excited.

I’ve been super stressed lately, but not in a bad way. I’ve just had a ton of things to do. This trip is much needed. When I get back I have one more class and then I’ll be done. It’s so weird. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing after I graduate. I’ve never been a single title. I’ve always been a client coordinator, studio assistant, library assistant and soon I’ll be a librarian. So odd. I guess I’ll think about that when I’m in Costa Rica.

Check Baby, Check Baby

2006-05-26T10:24:00.000-04:00

A while ago my friends and I were talking about our first “real” kiss. Everyone had these funny stories about where they were and how it happened. Mine wasn’t so romantic, but it shows my true colors.

Setting: Christmas time, 1991 or 1992 – the height of hyper colors, starter jackets, and jean shorts with stockings, which oddly enough is back in style. I was in 7th grade (I think) and dating this guy named John S (last name was something VERY Italian).

Place: Laundry room in the basement of his parents’ house during a party.

Before: He took me in there to give me my Christmas present. It was the Wreckx-N-Effect tape. You may recall the song “Rump Shaker?” I’ll refresh your memory: “All I want to do is zoom a zoom zoom zoom in a boom boom, just shake your rump!” Classy.

After: I was so psyched for my tape that I had to kiss him. We both had braces, it was as awkward as you could imagine and lasted a bit longer then it probably should have. I don’t believe it ever happened again. I dumped him the next week.

Moral of the story: If you want to get lucky with the ladies, slip some “Rump Shaker” into the CD player and they’ll melt like butter. Or maybe that’s just me.

LOST Questions

2006-05-26T09:41:00.000-04:00

I couldn’t watch the season finale of LOST Wednesday night, because I had something to do. I stayed away from all new sources and blogs on Thursday, just in case they decided to ruin it for me and blab about what happened.

NOTE: This actually happen to me with SNL and The Sixth Sense. They blew the whole ending for me. So, what if I was a month or two late on the hype? I still hold a grudge against them.

Anyway, I watched it when I got home yesterday and my God, I’ve never been so confused in my life. I mean, they said that you’d learn why the plane crashed, which we did, but only to a certain extent. If the plane crashed because of Desmond, then why to the Others care so much about Sawyer, Jack and Kate? Why were they stealing people from the island? Were they putting them on Henry’s boat and taking them to the place (where they are sending Michael and Walt) to get rescued? Does this mean the world knows about the plane crash, but thinks everyone else just perished? What does Desmond’s girl Penelope have to do with anything? And why were some dudes in a snowy land monitoring the island?

I could literally go on for hours, but I’ll spare the non LOST readers. Just know, if you have the chance to rent the seasons and watch them on a rainy weekend, do it.

What i'm Thinking...Right Now

2006-05-23T14:20:00.000-04:00

After reading this post I realized that i write like i talk, which doesn't necessarily say much for my speaking skills.

I finally received the “book” that I’m mentioned in. It’s more like a glorified pamphlet that’s 50 pages long. The author even had one printed with my name typed onto the cover. He wrote a nice sentence in the forward thanking me for my help. Now I need to figure out a way to incorporate Bloodhound book talk into my everyday conversations.

This weekend I’m going to a Memorial Day BBQ in a cute town on Long Island called Point Lookout. We spent a lot of time there in High School. Everyone knew each other and rode bikes with baskets to the local grocery store, beach and bar. Those bikes were serious; I remember getting into a little argument with my friend over who gets the one with the basket. When we were younger, we’d sit in the dunes with a case of beer, trying to stay out of view from the beach patrol. We went after prom, for New Years, birthdays and long weekends. As we got older we started going to the local bar on the bay side of town, which I’m sure we’ll visit at some point this weekend. I’m looking forward to working the grill. Here is an excuse to post a picture of me taking control over the kabobs in Florida.

Pretty sweet, huh? We had chicken, shrimp, peppers, onions, potatoes and my favorite vegetable, zucchini. Along with beer and potato salad. It was quite the spread.

In honor of my trip to Costa Rica (which is only 10 days away!) I’ll finally be joining the world of digital camera ownership. I can’t express how excited I am. I have this habit of high jacking other people’s cameras and taking pictures, which always leads to me harassing my friends to put them up online. Now I have my own distraction! Let me be the first to welcome myself to 2006.

Synthesized Beats

2006-05-22T12:25:00.000-04:00

Last night I went to see the National play at Webster Hall. They are such a solid band. I love the violin action. It was such a great crowd, dancing and singing. They made the show ten times better. I suggest going to see them live if you ever have the chance.

They had this solo crooner guy named Baby Dayliner open for them. Words can’t exactly describe him. He sang jazzy type music, while rapping over synthesized beats. He pulled out some dance moves that I haven’t seen or tried since my days in a middle school auditorium. I was mesmerized and I wasn’t sure why. Was it his Morrissey look? His New Order sound? His NKOTB dance moves? I have no clue. All I know is that I want more and more I will get.

Here is a website that plays his music:
Baby Dayliner Music

Tattoo Convention

2006-05-22T11:06:00.000-04:00

Ok, I have lots of catching up to do.

On Saturday night I went to the tattoo convention. That guy in the second picture was getting an old school style with a heated knife...he looked like he was in pain.

Unbulleted Thoughts

2006-05-17T14:08:00.000-04:00

Chewing minty gum makes me sick to my stomach, but I still do it. Only because it gives me the chance to act out that commercial and fog up subway windows to write my phone number down.

I sometimes eat parmesan cheese straight from its grated container. That goes for vinegar too. Oh and Franks hot sauce.

When I watch reality shows such as America’s Next Top Model or Project Runway, I usually talk to myself, unless someone else is in the room, then it just looks like I’m talking to them.

I check my email at least 15 times a day.

Whenever I leave the house in fancy shoes I always bring a pair of flip flops or sneakers, just in case.

I have to be the first to read my magazines when they come in the mail, I hate when people get to them before me.

I have a freckle on my face that just appeared within the last year. I tell people I hate it, but secretly I think it makes me look like Cindy Crawford.

Cause If You Don't, It's a Gonna Smell

2006-05-16T13:44:00.000-04:00

I need to give this man his own individual post.

This is for everyone who lives outside of Florida. You have no idea what you’re missing.

His name is Sam Pak and he LOVES appliances.

If you’re bored, please, click on the link below and watch an infomercial. They're located on the right of the screen; if you want you can also download them to your Ipod for quick viewing anywhere, anytime. Appliance Direct

You may not immediately find it funny, but oh it is, it most definitely is.

Dino Jones

2006-05-11T13:09:00.000-04:00

Tonight I leave for Florida, so I probably won’t post again until next Monday. They don’t have computers where I am going. Ok, so maybe they do, but I doubt I will be able to use one. I’ll try and post some Gatorland pictures when I get back.

In the meantime I’ve left you all a video of Dinosaur Jr. playing on the Jenny Jones show. Two worlds collide.

Water is Good

2006-05-11T12:27:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago the sign below appeared in the ladies room at work.

The thing that gets me is why the sign appeared in the first place. Do adults not wash their hands? Did enough people complain to HR about others not washing their hands that they needed to install a reminder? Again, do people really not wash their hands?

Since the sign appeared I’ve become super aware of who does and does not wash their hands and the latter number is frightening. These are vice presidents, managers, supervisors, and librarians! I’m now well on my way to OCD land; washing my hands, drying them with a paper towel and using the towel to open the next two doors, repeating this process ten times throughout the day. Thank you bathroom sign, thank you for making me an obsessive freak.

Ever since then I’ve stopped shaking people’s hands, looking the non-hand washers in the eye and break dancing in the hallway. I’m especially upset about the last one.

Rabbit in a Hat

2006-05-09T12:27:00.000-04:00

Last night I caught the David Blaine “Drowned Alive” special on TV. I make no excuse for my choice in television shows.

Don't get me wrong I completly respect someone who wants to set new world records. I once tried to talk really fast like the MicroMachine commercial guy and was convinced I had him beat, but there was no one there to witness it. In grade school we had a substitute teacher who was in the Guinness Book of World Records for hula hooping, so i'm familiar with the practice.

But my dear friend David Blaine, when Evel Knievel tells you you’re nuts, I’d say there is a problem. It’s not the stunts that bother me. I myself love magic. I remember watching David Copperfield walk through the Great Wall of China in the 80’s. I loved Gob from Arrested Development. I welcome the chance to meet everyday folks who double as magicians for birthday parties; but David Blaine, with his monotone voice, annoying vacant stares, cocky “look at me I just bent the metal bars in prison” attitude, just make me crazy...with laughter.

I think he’s a fake. I haven’t figured it all out yet, but my theories include; robots, the government, bionic man/Frankenstein, and the CIA.

Ditto

2006-05-08T16:24:00.000-04:00

My NY Teacher friend linked to this and I thought; since I’m an almost librarian and the website gives good recommendations, I’d link to it as well. Get a start on your summer reading list.

Portable

2006-05-08T11:17:00.000-04:00

My internet at home has been down for quite some time. It’s driving me nuts. I need to be connected, if only to email.

I was recently out with this guy when I decided to tell a story about an exploding (as in fire) porta potty. Thinking back, I’m not so sure it was entirely appropriate. We were in a nice restaurant having a nice conversation when out of nowhere I had an impulse to tell my story. I couldn’t help it. I love potty humor, especially when it involves traveling toilets and 911! He didn't seem to mind, but I don't recommend pulling out your porta potty stories on first dates, no matter how great they are. Wait for the second.

Readers Poll

2006-05-05T09:39:00.000-04:00

I was just reminded of this yesterday.

A while back I used to go to this deli where the smell of bacon, no matter what time of day, was always there. It was kind of like air freshener, but for a deli, with bacon. I made a comment regarding the smell one afternoon while waiting for my sandwich to be made. The girl standing next to me overheard my conversation and told me that it was her favorite food. How much did she like it you ask? Enough to roll her shirt sleeve up to reveal a tattoo of two sizzling pieces of bacon.

Ever since then I’ve become fascinated with the idea of tattooed food products. I’d like to know, if you could get any food tattooed onto your arm, what would it be?

I’ll start.

I would get a hunk of cheese. Cheddar cheese. Extra Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese. If I wanted to be creative I’d have the tattoo artist sculpt my hunk of cheddar into a skull and bones.

Your turn…

You can post anonymously if you’d like, but seriously I want to know.

Word of the Day

2006-05-05T09:09:00.000-04:00

Yesterday’s Merriam Webster word of the day was Olfactory. I love that word. I’ll use it in a sentence.

Last night I went to a sushi restaurant and had very good sake in a masu wooden box, which they overflow to symbolize hospitality or at least I think that's how the story goes.

What? I just wanted an excuse to talk about my sake experience. Olfactory.

Writers Block

2006-05-03T14:36:00.000-04:00

Tonight is my last class of the semester, yippee! What does this mean? It means I have to present on a paper I can’t remember writing. Dread the time between 6 and 9. Reward myself between 9 and 11 and start the cycle all over again in July for my “official” last class. I love being an almost master!

On another note, I helped a man with some research last month and he’s thanking me in his book! It’s my first appearance in a forward! I feel like I need to have a launch party or something.

“Come join me in celebrating my name appearing in a book. The event will take place at 8:04 pm at a library near you, so don’t be late. The opening of the book and pointing to the name will only happen once. If you miss it, I’ll have my photographer give you Polaroid pictures on the way out, but it’ll cost you. Magnifying glasses will be provided.”

If anyone’s interested in buying a copy to preserve for ever and ever let me know. I’ll try to pull some strings and get you a discounted price.

Two Step

2006-05-02T13:07:00.000-04:00

Last week I was talking about Disney World. Yesterday, I walked a whole five minutes behind a woman wearing an embroidered Mickey Mouse jean jacket. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is – on my part. Walking a full five minutes behind someone without speeding past them? I think I set a new record for myself. You thought I was going to bad mouth those Disney people, right? Who feels guilty now? Not me that’s for sure. I wasn’t laughing, pointing or making fun of the money which was poorly spent on a freakin’ EMBROIDERED MICKEY MOUSE JEAN JACKET! I can’t do it, I am guilty! I hate them, but love their boldness! Keep it up Disney freaks! Keep it up!

Saturday

2006-04-30T09:42:00.000-04:00

If I had a digital camera yesterday I would have photobloged my day in the park, but since I don’t own one, I’ll narrate and insert text pictures.

My day began when a friend invited me to the park to drink homemade Bloody Mary’s. I quickly showered, dressed, ran to the MET and proceeded to ride my bike up to her apartment.

(insert picture of me riding my bike past the insanity that is the Cherry Blossoms Festival)

When I got to her house we decided it would be a good idea to make the mix and let each person decide later how much alcohol they want.

(insert picture of me and friend chopping FRESH horseradish and blending together yummy goodness)

We were finally ready to leave the apartment. We brought along a small cooler to make our trip easier.

(insert picture of police officer asking us if we have beer in the cooler)

We found a nice place to sit and doled out the drinks.

(insert picture of people in the sun with drinks)

My friends had somewhere to be later that day. So I went back to their house, got my bike, rode it to the park again, found a sunny spot on a hill and fell fast asleep for the next hour.

(insert picture of me curled up with my bike…asleep)

When I awoke the sun was still strong and I was hungry, so I left the park.

(insert picture of me waving goodbye to random people who don’t care)

It wasn’t until a few hours after I got home that I realized I got too much sun. The left side of my face must have been the closest. It's most definitly the reddest.

(insert picture of puffy sun face)

So there you have it. My day at the park. This technique may be slightly annoying to some of you, but until I get a camera it’s all I have to work with. In the meantime enjoy this.

Do I Have to Explain Myself?

2006-04-27T12:27:00.000-04:00

Where Have I Been?

2006-04-27T10:20:00.000-04:00

What’s with older people in their fifties using the word “duh?” Is it making a comeback?

My favorite interaction was between four older folks on my way to class. I’ll set the scene:

5:00 pm - Wednesday evening - mild temperatures in the 60’s – Office building across from Bryant Park – People hurrying on the streets to get home to watch Entertainment Tonight, or so I like to think.

An older man in his fifties fly’s out of the revolving doors of his office building and almost collides with a woman in her fifties eating an ice cream cone. The exchange sounded something like this:

Older man: (very loudly) DUH!

Older woman: (visibly shaken) DUH BACK!

Random man walking by: DUH YOU!

Man standing on curb watching interaction: Haha - DUH!

I kid you not. I laughed all the way to the subway and then forgot about it...until right now. My favorite was the random dude walking by. He just wanted in on the action.

Flowida

2006-04-25T12:18:00.000-04:00

In a couple of weeks I’m going to visit my friend in the land of the large rat – as she so nicely put it. I’m personally not a big fan of Disney World or Mickey Mouse, but the image of a large rat makes it seem less like the magic kingdom and more like the 14th Street subway station. It takes the Santa out of Christmas, the Bunny out of Easter, the fairy out of teeth…you get the point. I’m just excited to get out of rainy cold New York and into bright sunny Orlando.

I haven’t been to Florida in a long time. When I was younger I had a slight speech impediment, which thankfully I grew out of, but at the time made me pronounce it Flowida. It’s a running joke in my family to say you’re saving things for Flowida when you buy something for vacation, since that’s what I used to do.

I never understood people who took Disney to the Extreme. Everyone knows at least one. They have plush Disney toys sitting nicely on their shelves; every Disney film ever made; the coveted Mickey Mouse ears; Disney themed bathrooms; the random Donald Duck tattoo; and yet none of them have children to blame it on.

Just to make it even, I used to sleep with straw pocket books on my head during long car trips, so I guess i'm just as weird.

The Root of All Evil

2006-04-21T11:03:00.000-04:00

Good: I just found out that I get another week vacation on my one year anniversary!!

Bad: If I knew earlier I could have booked a longer trip to Costa Rica.

Good: Now I can visit my friend in Florida for more then 3 days.

Bad: I’d rather go to Puerto Rico.

Good: Maybe I still can!

Bad: I have no money too.

This good vs. evil thing is fun. I like to call it pesioptimism, but only to myself. You like that right? The way I merged two words to form one. It’s a difficult task to master, but I think I perfected it. If I do say so myself.

I'm a Celebrity in Japan

2006-04-20T13:07:00.000-04:00

I had a crazy morning. We had 60 Japanese people in their early 20’s visiting our offices. Most of them didn’t speak English, so I showed them books with pictures and tried to communicate with them through sign language. I think some weird form of Spanish with a twist of Japanese and English actually came out of my mouth. I believe I said the word Sí with an accent; they looked at me strangely, for obvious reasons. One of them came up to me and asked me my name and age. While I was talking with her a small group circled around saying “kawaiine” over and over. I asked what it meant and she said “cute” and “very pretty.” I was all “thanks” and with my best Japanese sign language said “kawaiine” back.

A little while later they all gathered in the library to watch a video. With every dog that was shown they all shouted “kawaiine!” Needless to say my special moment was lost.

For some reason they all wanted to take pictures with me. The thing I loved the most was the over usage of the piece sign in every picture. Seriously, I saw so many variations of the sign. Over the head, by the waist, arms outstretched, by the chest, head sideways, every which way possible. I think I’m going to try to incorporate it into my every day life.

Now I really want to go to Japan.

Two for the Price of One!

2006-04-18T21:38:00.000-04:00

I’m totally procrastinating. I’ve done everything but look at my research and write my paper. I came home from work, rode my bike, hung out in the park, ate a burrito, watched a TV show, listened to music, wrote another post, checked my email 5 times, cleaned my room, and took a shower. Now its time to get down to business and by business I mean watching an episode of Little Britain.

Old Easter Chocolate

2006-04-18T21:17:00.000-04:00

Does Charlie and the Chocolate Factory count as a musical? If so, why aren't there more productions of the story in schools?

I would have definitely played Veruca Salt.

"Snozzberries? Who ever heard of a snozzberry?"

I know you couldn’t here me, but I totally nailed it.

Getting to Know You

2006-04-13T16:02:00.000-04:00

I have a talent.
I usually reveal it within the first couple of months of meeting new people.
I’m personally very impressed with it.
I sometimes speak my talent 10x faster then required.

Q: Do you want to know what it is?

A: I can name all the states in alphabetical order, 10x fast.

Are you impressed?
I'm sure i'd get more positive responses if i were 10.

Invention #2

2006-04-12T10:06:00.000-04:00

I’ve thought of another hotline idea. It’s called The Assistant’s Assistant.

“Now assistants have someone to blame!”

Sleek and Silver

2006-04-10T12:38:00.000-04:00

As my housemate put it last night, I have Apple envy.

I’ve never owned a computer and somehow I’ve managed to get by. A couple of weeks ago, a very nice person permanently loaned me their Dell laptop. Let me just say, I’m very grateful to have a computer, but honestly, this thing weighs about 20 lbs and has over a million little plugs and cords. It comes with a case that’s twice the size of the laptop, which makes it extremely heavy and uncomfortable; causing me to bump into everything I come into contact with. It also has this way of making me feel like I’m being sneaky and suspicious, which I actually enjoy, but overall the whole thing makes me feel manly.

My Apple envy started yesterday afternoon at my local coffee shop. After spending a good 10 minutes unleashing the beast from its case, assembling all the right cords, finding an outlet and crawling on the floor to plug it in, I had a moment to look around. It seemed that everyone had sleek silver laptops. Ladies pulled them effortlessly out of their cute stylish purses and men squeezed them into their messenger bags, as if they were carrying around paper notebooks.

Obviously I can’t afford a laptop or I would have purchased one a while ago. I guess I’m the type of person who'd rather spend money to go on vacation then buy an object, but that doesn't mean i don't like objects.

So what did I do? I did the next best thing. I purchased myself a 20GB refurbished Ipod from the Apple website. Here is my justification; my mini is kinda broken, I’ll be going solo on my trip to Costa Rica - so I’ll need music to entertain myself, I have lots of CDs that I alternate on my mini – which I will no longer have to do and I’ll definitely have more battery life then the 20 minutes I get now.

I satisfied my Apple envy.

Taxi Cab Confession

2006-04-08T01:30:00.000-04:00

Have you ever noticed that cab drivers are ALWAYS on their earpiece? Who are they talking to? Why is this other person awake at 2am? Obviously I get the time zone thing, but the last time I wanted to stay up late talking on the phone was when I was 16. Do you think there's a hotline for cab drivers?

"Lonely on the road? Are the late nights keeping you awake? Is your 2am talker asleep? Call 1-800-cab-driv, we promise to find someone who’s awake to keep you alert!"

Hmmm, I seriously think I’m on to something.

New Set of Wheels

2006-04-05T10:20:00.000-04:00

I’m psyched. My friend was nice enough to pass down her old bike. I’ve been trying (with not much effort) to buy one for over a year now. My friend is quite tall and I’m pretty short, so we had to lower the seat. Thinking it was low enough I hopped on, took it for a spin and fell over sideways. Should I be taking that as some sort of sign?

Doesn’t matter. I biked around all night Sunday with no incidents to speak of. I’m clumsy by nature, so it was interesting being back on two wheels. Now all I need is the nice weather to return.

Obviously this isn't my new bike, but its a picture for those of you who don't want to read.

Funny Haha

2006-04-04T11:28:00.000-04:00

Last night I went to the Upright Citizens Brigade theatre to see Demetri Martin perform. You might know him from such hits as the Daily Show’s Trendspotting report and um other things or maybe you don’t know him at all. He’s a funny dude and last nights show made me laugh.

Comedy shows are interesting, and by interesting I mean sometimes uncomfortably weird. The girl behind me laughed a little too hard at each joke. The girl next to me kept saying “aw” every time he mentioned his lack of lady friends - in his comedy routine. The girl on the other side of me made a paper airplane with I heart Demetri written all over it like a 6th grade love letter and flew it onto the stage. It missed and almost poked someone’s eye out in the front row. The whole package was very entertaining.

I do suggest you check out his comedy routine. Its very tech heavy, so get yourself a seat facing the screen. If you don’t, everyone but you will be laughing leaving you to crane your neck in hopes of catching a glimpse of the hilarity.

Something New

2006-04-01T15:16:00.000-05:00

I'm having a hard time constructing sentences today.

Is there something wrong with me? Is it my work material that's making me numb? Is it because I’m just bad at sentence structure? Is it because I bought my ticket to Costa Rica last night and now I can't think of anything else?

I think I know the answer.

I'm sure you're wondering "are we going to have to hear about Costa Rica for the next 2 months?" The answer is yes, yes you will.

Cheers

2006-03-31T16:17:00.000-05:00

It’s Beer on the fire escape weather!
It’s Beer on the fire escape weather!

I need a digital camera. That's one sad, but brilliant picture courtesy of Google images.

End of Day Nerves

2006-03-30T15:26:00.000-05:00

Its brary NOT berry. Am I fighting a losing battle?

High Hopes

2006-03-30T12:42:00.000-05:00

I deserve a prize. I haven’t done anything special, but its been a long time since I won something and I want one.

Picture Pages

2006-03-30T11:22:00.000-05:00

I took this picture a while ago. I thought i'd share.

He's also been known to walk on water, perform
miracles and turn water into wine!

Rod Sterling

2006-03-29T16:14:00.000-05:00

Last night I saw a man walking though the subway car carrying a saxophone wearing a butterfly pin with two antennae sticking out of his hat. He struck up a pretty normal conversation with this girl about saxophones and OJ Simpson. It lasted a few minutes before she had to get off the train.

As soon as the doors shut he jumped up and told us we were all about to enter the twilight zone, his zone. He began laughing manically, played the Twilight Zone theme song on his sax and attempted to put us all into a trance, walking us through the procedure.

I’m pretty sure it didn’t work, but it did get me thinking. I now believe there are two types of people in this world; those who wear antennae and those who don't.

Fun with Puppetry

2006-03-28T14:24:00.000-05:00

I have a post for later, but I have to wait until I get home to transcribe, intrigued? If you can't wait that long and need something to watch, I just found sock puppets singing “Anytime” by My Morning Jacket. The sky's the limit. Enjoy.

“You got to know when to hold ‘em..”

2006-03-27T14:51:00.000-05:00

I was supposed to go to Atlantic City this past weekend, but for various reasons it got postponed. I like Atlantic City, it’s gritty and weird. I love how it’s full of older folks just gambling away – it’s the grandparent version of the North Pole. The first time I was old enough to gamble I walked into the Tropicana, sat down at the slots and within five minutes blew $70 bucks. It was pretty much all the money I brought with me. I’m not a good gambler. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t like Atlantic City. There’s a yummy sub shop called the White House down off the boardwalk. We used to stop on our way home from the Jersey shore every summer and load up on cheese steaks and Italian subs. Now food I can relate too.

The Gambler is a great song, every now and then I remember I like it...a lot.

Big Fat Liar

2006-03-24T13:00:00.000-05:00

I lied; I’m not going to the Mexican Institute to learn Spanish.

I've been to Mexico a couple of times and I love it, but I think its time for a change.

That's why I’m going to COSTA RICA!!! Hooray! I'm so excited. I found this beach town that offers classes, lodging (homestay or hotel?) and a bunch of other stuff. I can learn to cook local food and surf - all while learning Spanish. My favorite part? There's a small island right off the beach that you can kayak too, I’ve never kayaked, but I’m going to learn. Maybe I should start doing that rowing machine at the gym. Anyway - I wish I could go longer then a week. I should take all my vacation time and go for two weeks? Hmm, now I’m just getting greedy.

Anyway - didn't want to lie to my five friends that read this.

This will be my new view.

It's ok to be jealous.

A Scientist of Libraries

2006-03-22T19:13:00.000-05:00

I've always wanted to be a scientist and come this summer I will officially be one, well sort of. After this semester ends I have one class left, which I'll take in July and then I'm done, whoohoo!

My graduation present to myself is going to be a week in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. I'm going to the Instituto de Lenguages Puerto Escondido. I'm going to learn Spanish for a couple hours a day and then have the rest of my time to explore. They put you up in a "pseudo homestay," which sounds like a small hotel where a family lives. I don't really get it, but I don't care. I'm so excited.

This will be my view from the pseudo homestay.

I think I'm going to like being a scientist.

Merriment

2006-03-21T10:17:00.000-05:00

How do you get yourself invited to random house parties? Its fun to go to bars, see live music, watch real movies, stare at walls, but nothing and I mean nothing, compares to a good old fashion house party.

This Spring I will find a way to infiltrate random people’s kitchens.

And then and then and then.....

2006-03-19T12:10:00.000-05:00

I've been known to tell long pointless stories, but i've met someone worse, way worse.

I know this person who talks continuously. One thing leads to another and they can't stop. I think it’s a disease. I'm pretty sure my eyes glaze over everytime it starts. They have this way of making a simple statement or question turn from "nice weather," to a thirty minute tirade insulting everyone possible. The conclusion being "the problem with kids today," which is not full circle and most definitely did happen. I'm thinking of investing in a pair of these:

Public Service Announcement

2006-03-16T18:14:00.000-05:00

It may take a second to load, but its worth the wait.

Don't do Drugs.

State of Affairs

2006-03-16T09:26:00.000-05:00

My subway experiences have been quite interesting lately.

A couple of weeks ago after a night out, I was waiting on the subway platform to go home. I had my headphones on pretending not to notice anyone and was giving the subway tunnel my best death stare in hopes of making the train appear. The train finally came 20 minutes later. I sat down in one of those two seaters, for the record I hate two seaters. A man sits next to me with a huge bag of baguettes. Sitting in front of me was a man in a leather jacket giving everyone on the train the same death stare I was giving the tunnel. Suddenly the baguette man and leather man were engrossed in conversation. I still had my headphones on, so I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but baguette man and leather man were cracking up. This time I took my headphones off. Baguette man turned to me and asked me if I wanted a baguette. He then proceeded to engage us in conversation, telling us why he had the baguettes (he worked at a bakery and couldn’t stand the idea of them throwing it all away), asked us where we were from, where we were going. He told us he was from Argentina; I was psyched to tell him I was planning a trip to Buenos Aires. Anyway, by the end of my 20 minute subway ride I knew more about these men then I did about some of the people I work with. When I was leaving I got big goodbye waves from both parties – it was such a fun subway ride.

The other morning I was sitting on the platform waiting for my train to come. Saturday morning train waits can take forever. Anyway – I was sitting there having a moment with my coffee, when this man started singing. I turned to look and it was this little old man who could barely stand. He was belting out the song Ramblin’ Rose by Nat King Cole. He wasn’t the best singer and he kept singing the same lyrics and verse over and over:

Ramble on, ramble on
When your ramblin’ days are gone
Who will love you with a love true
When your ramblin’ days are through?

Something about the quietness of the tunnels and the way it was echoing sounded amazing. I thought I was the only one listening, but when he finished people started to walk over and drop money in his bag, telling him what a great job he did. I’ve had that song in my head for weeks.

I have loads more, but I’ll save them for another time.

CANOE

2006-03-15T13:53:00.000-05:00

I'm so psyched; I just bought tickets to this LIVE show.

Related story: A few years back my mom and I were on our way to the MET to take in some fancy culture, when I saw my mom turn into a 14 year old girl. How you ask? For those of you who know my mom, this story shouldn't be much of a surprise, she can be quite embarassing at times. As we crossed the street my mom starts to freak. Who's coming at us? Keanu Reeves. Clearly my mom is in love with him because she proceeds to scream "Jessie, Jessie look its Canoe, oh wait what's his name Canoe...hahaha, hi!" She loves the man whose name she cannot remember.

If anyone is buring to have more information on this spectacular event, you can find it here.

My Buddy and Kid Sister

2006-03-10T10:20:00.000-05:00

I have to remember that I'm now a proud owner of a blog. It’s like those toys the Tomagatchi – you need to keep feeding it with electronic pushes of a button until you forget and it dies. That’s just sad.

Moving on, i though I’d make some lists. I love lists. Big fan. Huge fan. Everyone loves lists, right? Maybe not, but it’s my Tomagatchi God damn it and I’ll make lists if I want to.

P.S. My lists are detailed
P.S.S. I hate when people say P.S. in conversation

Places within the last two weeks I have said I was going on vacation:
Argentina
Spain
Florida
Seattle
Portland
New Mexico
South Africa
Mexico
Costa Rica
Brazil
Maine
California

Places I’d like to move:
See Above

Number of friends recently engaged this week:
1 (Whoohoo!)

Number of times I ate a frozen burrito for dinner this week:
3

Number of times I’ve enjoyed my frozen burrito:
2

Music I have listened to that I like, but have yet to buy:
Jose Gonzalez
Hudson Bell
Whisper Town 2000

Movies I’ve watched:
Good Night, and Good Luck
Wallace and Gromit

Amount of days it took me to watch two movies because I kept falling asleep (no fault of the movies):
4

Number of times I’ve watched reality programming while drinking a glass of wine and yelling at the TV:
3

Number of times I was told I was being dramatic by a professional:
1

Number of people who have seen me trip over the same damn piece of carpet at work:
Network of cameras equaling up to many, MANY people

Website I love for useless information:
Wikipedia

I think that sums up my week.

Decisions, decisions.

2006-03-10T09:51:00.000-05:00

Deb or Tif?

Just Add Water

2006-02-27T21:31:00.000-05:00

Whenever i have one of those days where i question the world we live in, i find gems like this and this and it’s only then that i realize how truly proud i am to be an American.

For further reading, try the users’ comments - they're priceless.

Home Grooming

2006-02-26T19:41:00.000-05:00

The sound of someone cutting their nails on the subway is like nails on a chalkboard. Am i wrong?

I just don't want a stray nail landing on my lap, crazy i know.

FACT: Poodle People Suck

2006-02-24T15:13:00.000-05:00

Today.....I had a first.

I got reamed out over the phone by a lady requesting information on poodle's. She wondered OUT LOUD why I was allowed to work where I do. I wondered if she lives her life alone wearing fanny packs, drinking whisky with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth as she calls for FiFi the wonder Poodle to come get dinner. Clearly I'm the bigger person.

Damn you FiFi.

What Color is Your Badd?

2006-02-23T18:17:00.000-05:00

I have a friend who used to say i was obsessed with CMB, but come on doesn't that color motif just drive you wild!

I fancy my badd side a shade of eggplant with a splash of midnight blue, but that's just me.

Tick tock we don't stop to the...ohhhohhhhohhhhohhoh

Am i on?

2006-02-23T16:04:00.000-05:00

Not all tea is green.