I love the Gmail video chat! Maybe I’m behind on the times, but I’ve never used Skype or anything like that. So this face to face thing is new for me. You really have to pay attention to what people say. Here is Smauz chatting with me from Paris… Paris! about her recent work trip to South Africa. So exotic. I take work trips to New Jersey.
Fun! Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving and all that. I’m going to Whole Foods right now. If I make it back alive, or even without thinking in my head “Fool!” or “I’ll kill you!” to strangers, then there will be much to be thankful for.
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November 27th, 2008
Yesterday, a project I’ve been working on launched: Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist. Penelope linked to me, and now I’m link-rich. So many new visitors. So link-rich. It’s fun, considering I’m used to only my Dad reading my blog.
Since I have so many new visitors, I figure I should stop being so damn lazy and update. Why haven’t I updated in so long? I’ve been busy I suppose. But really, my heart hasn’t been in it. I’m going to take a spiritual journey and find my heart and put it back in my desire to blog. How do you do that? Has anyone felt like this? I wish I could take my blog to the hospital under a Safe Haven law and leave it with a friendly nurse. I’d think about it from time to time, and get a little choked up, but would know it was safe and warm and well-fed. And frankly, it’s just what I had to do, OK? But I guess I brought it into this world so I should be a good parent take care of business.
One problem has been solved this month – Riki and I went to Costa Rica for a week. It was such a fantastic trip that I have trouble writing about it. Everything was beautiful, and perfect, and the people were friendly, and we had a minimum of 3 margaritas a day. Here are a few photos, I’ll let them speak for me… But a quick recap: we went scuba diving, hiking a bunch, saw monkeys, saw a mother effing tarantuala (see below), rode horses, went white-water rafting, ate like piggies, got a gnarly sunburn, bro, then came home with a weird tropical disease that made us not eat for 3 days. Seriously! I love to eat too, and I didn’t even want to! But now I’m eating again, good as new.
Hiking near the Arenal Volcano. We could hear the volcano exploding, which was so cool!
These little guy were everywhere. They’re called Coati’s. I think they’re considered pests, and are part of the raccoon family. But don’t you love this little pest? Don’t you want to take him home to snuggle? I do. But he’d get a manicure first.
Heading to Scuba Dive near Playa Hermosa. We saw a few sharks, a ray, and a sea turtle. I suddenly have the urge to go watch Baywatch reruns, excuse me please.
This is a tree.
A beautiful sunset near the Arenal Volcano. Here’s where I should have taken my spirital journey. But I didn’t.
This was a real life wild red-knee tarantuala. That we saw in the wild. Like, there was no glass between this hairy beast and my fragile life. Sweet Jesus Ef Lord. Just looking at this now is making my heart beat fast, for real. I’m making a squealing noise too, but only in my head since I’m still at work.
And this was in our hotel room one day. So damn cute.
I’ll be putting more photos up on my flickr…
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November 25th, 2008
Before this stupid blog and this other stupid blog, my friend Smauz had an even better one: Cry Baby Traders. She started it in the spring, when the mortgage crisis was in its infancy. And it has a much better name, in my opinion.
“The Brokers with hands on their faces blog”? Yeah, that’s catchy. Real catchy.
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October 10th, 2008
I should have made seeing a TV show taping one of my goals. I keep having things pop up that I think ”Shit! I should have made that a goal!” But this is why I like living in New York, unique experiences seem to happen frequently. They’re not always as good as last minute tickets to a TV show, but they’re still unique. Like once I was on the train to Coney Island and a man got on with a huge Macaw parrot on his shoulder. They were chatty and cute. Almost as good as watching a TV taping, unless of course it’s Mad Men, which nothing is as good as. (Speaking of Mad Men, Roger Sterling came into Riki’s work! AHHHH! And he didn’t even get me an autograph, Arrghh!)
Anyway, last night Riki and I went to a taping of the Colbert Report and had a blast. Our friend Nate was a guest on the show so he got us tickets, and we even got to sit in the green room. The green room had delicious chips. This was my second TV show taping I’ve been to. I went to a taping of the Jenny Jones show once, but that wasn’t quite as fun. Jenny Jones is no Steven Colbert, unfortunately for her. And the show topic that day was bad, it was an update episode. You know them: “Lets check back in with the angry teen mom from last year’s “I’m an angry teen mom” show. Then Teen Mom comes out, says she isn’t angry anymore because a week of boot camp changed her life, Jenny asks a few boring questions, and we all clap. Good TV that does not make.
Speaking of teen moms, is Jamie Lynn really pregnant again? That just can’t be, right?
Anyway, Stephen Colbert is charming and hilarious. He did a Q&A before the show out of his character, and he was so damn cool. He reminded me of someone who would be your favorite teacher at high school. Super funny, cool, but never trying too hard. You’d even feel comfortable stopping by after hours for help with homework or to talk about your troubled home life. That’s just the kind of guy he is.
After the show we watched the debate and drank wine. I loved watching John McCain get crushed. He looks like a bridge troll who won’t let you pass unless you answer his 3 questions correctly. Or is it unless you guess the right word… If I was crossing his bridge I’d guess Bill Ayers, even though it’s two words. He would let it count.
Always looking so damn smug.
See?
But now things aren’t going so well.
And he’s sad.
I’m so damn excited for the election. We leave the next morning at 5am for Costa Rica, too! We’re thinking we’ll just stay up all night watching the results come in and sleep on the plane. Even though not sleeping makes me grumpy, I can’t wait.
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October 8th, 2008
I know you’re thinking “I don’t remember a movie with Richard Gere called Autumn in New York”. I know, I shouldn’t either. I only remember it because I saw it in the theater with my friend Katie in college. Maybe I cried during it, who knows. But that’s a conversation for another time.
Watch me segue into the next part of this story, smooth as butter: The same Katie that I saw Autumn in New York with just came to visit me in New York!
Katie is also the same Katie that I’m going to visit for problem #82. We were peanut butter and jelly in high school. She would pick me up in the Dynasty (she got her license first) and we’d go to Taco Bell and then cruise around aimlessly. We were also quite fond of a board game called Heart Throb. Heart Throb came with cards that displayed photos of hunky 80s teens and somehow by the end you would find out which Throb you’d end up with. Our feminist foremothers worked hard for this, people.
Photo courtesy of the internet
In our version, though, we just threw the cards in a pile, and took turns flipping them over. If you were the unlucky lady to draw the “Trevor” card (he was the creepy Throb of the bunch, he had a permed mullet and ill-fitting jeans) you would get your ass kicked by the rest of the group. Sort of like a suburban white-girl gang initiation ritual.
When we hang out now it’s basically the exact same except now we trade Taco Bell for expensive Thai food and wine bars. We also don’t punch each other anymore. And sometimes we talk about adult things like our 401Ks, and tearing up moldy flooring, which is SOOO boring.
We did all kinds of fun New York tourist things while she was here; went to Chinatown and haggled for junk, went to Times Square where I almost had a nervous breakdown, saw the play August:Osage County, which was so damn good. The mom from Rosanne was in it, she was fricking amazing. The play was 4 hours long, and my adult ADD didn’t even kick in, I sat nicely through the whole thing. We were also going to do the double decker red bus tour around New York, as it is one of my problems, but did you know that it costs $50!? What a rip-off. I’m changing that problem to something that is a reasonable price, or something that is an expensive price, but is an experience that will enrich my life.
We did do something on my list though (Get Smart, Problem #32), we saw Jane Goodall speak at the 92nd street Y. This is part of the Giants of Science series hosted by Robert Krulwich. He’s one of the main reasons I wanted to go to this – he hosts a show on WNYC called Radio Lab, and I love him and his co-host Jad Abumrad. Go download the Radio Lab podcasts right this second if you’ve never heard them. They discuss mind-blowing topics like infinite universes, time, memory, and self in fun and tidy 45 min. packages.
I hate to say this, but Robert kind of disappointed me. He asked Jane Goodall silly questions, or would repeat things she already said. For example, she told a lovely story about one of the chimps she studied – she offered this chimp some nuts, and he turned his head away. She offered again, and he turned his head away again, but this time he also closed his hand over her extended hand, which she said she took as him acknowledging that he knew she was giving him her nuts, kind of his way of saying “no thank you, but I appreciate the offer. ” Right after this Robert said “But do you think he was REALLY acknowledging the offer? Or was it just a coincedince that he grabbed your hand?” Total buzzkill, man.
In other news, Riki and I are obsessed with Mad Men. Have you been watching it? That show is so damn good. I like Roger Sterling, Joan Holloway and Peggy the best. Riki doesn’t like Peggy and this causes tension in our relationship. My least favorite character is Peter Campbell’s wife. But I do a gangbusters impression of her if I do say so myself. I also kind of hate Don Draper. But I won’t say anything else in case you haven’t seen it.
Til next time, which I promise will be sooner than a month.
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September 29th, 2008
When did this happen??
What kind of a God would let this be number 7 on itunes? And who is the creepy monkey man on the left?
I quit.
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September 2nd, 2008
Here’s a problem I can add. How about I buy every damn thing in the Built by Wendy fall collection, because it’s so cute that I can hardly stand it. These are the outfits of my dreams!
Just kidding, I don’t have an extra billion dollars lying around to spend on clothes. I’l have to suffer for a few months until it goes on sale. Or one of you jerks can send me some of these things as presents, I won’t mind. In exchange for reading my blog you give me clothes.
But here are some real things I’m adding:
Get Smart:
#32) Jane Goodall lecture at the 92nd street Y. Getting Smart about monkeys and apes.
Get Healthy:
#27) The Central Park Biathlon. It’s a 2 mile run, a 12 mile bike ride, and another 2 mile run. How nice and not too hard. And in Central Park to boot. (I dont know why I just said “to boot.” I’m not even sure I know what it means, I just know people use it as a way to say, “oh look an additional perk on top of all these other perks.”) Anyone? The Origin of “To Boot”? Argh! It’s like fingernails on a chalkboard everytime I say it now.
Travel:
#84) Visit Ecuador. I’m adding this back on since the time limit is off. I’ll go there one day soon.
#85) Visit Washington DC. I haven’t been since I was a kid. It’s easy to get to from NYC. And every good American should go, I always say.
#85) Visit Boston. I’ve never been to Boston. And it’s also close and easy to get to. There is a bus from Chinatown that I think costs $20, but I’ve heard it’s really shady. Maybe we can Megabus it? I’ve heard good things about megabus.
That’s all. Just some updates. And please send me those clothes.
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August 27th, 2008
I’ve decided to change something about this blog. Is it too late, am I to far in to change the rules? Eh. Oh well.
I’m going to take off the end of the year time limit. Here’s why:
1) It’s getting expensive. I’ve only completed a few items off of the travel list. I can’t afford to pack in 6 more trips in the next 4 months, nor do I have the vacation time to do that. I could go on 6 trips to a Best Western in Jersey, but that’s no way to live. I want to go to other cities and countries, see relatives, visit friends, etc. And if there is no real time limit I can do that.
2) So this won’t end on December 31. I’ve enjoyed blogging (even though I’ve been bad at it lately) and I don’t want to stop when this year ends.
3) I want my rap album to be the best it can be.
4) Moving is a huge pain in the ass. I don’t want to use the move as an excuse as to why I’ve been slacking, but really. I can barely find clean clothes to wear everyday, and we still don’t have a garbage can. It’s hard to make this a priority right now.
And finally,
5) The time limit is stressing me out. I have some anxiety issues to begin with (I guess who doesn’t?) but still, the thought of having to do all this in such a short amount of time is weighing me down. My first solution was to think of a bunch of small, lame things to do just so I could quickly check them off the list. But I don’t want to set a goal based on how simple it will be to complete it. This way, with no time limit, this blog will be better. I can add goals that are actually challenging. I can skydive, or ride an elephant, or eat a hamburger. Damn! I don’t think I can eat a hamburger, I’ve never even had one in my whole life. I’d probably throw it up.
I’ll still donate money at years end. And I’ll be updating soon with some better goals. For the most part, they’ll be things I want to do relatively soon. I’m just allowing myself a little more time to do them. The time limit of December 31 was arbitrary to begin with. I only chose a year because it was January 1st when I decided to do this, and it fit in a neat little package that way.
I’ll be posting some goal updates soon…Ah, I already feel better!
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August 26th, 2008
I should update you on some things. The internet situation at home has been sketchy, so I haven’t been able to post. That is one excuse, and another is that I’m lazy. We should get the internet, but first we need an ironing board and a garbage can. We desperately need a garbage can.
General updates:
- Yay, Riki is officialy in New York! We’ve been unpacking and everything is a big mess. The move was fairly uneventful for him, (uneventful meaning, the truck didn’t break down on the way or something…but it was still a pain in the ass I’m sure) We broke the freight elevator and had to wait over an hour for the super to come fix it. He was so nice about it too, I wanted to hug him. We drank beer to pass the time til he got there, not so bad.
- The job is going really well.
- I like it here. I’m glad we moved.
Some tavel updates:
Riki and I were going to go to Ecuador in August with my mom and bro’s. But instead, my mom is getting married this weekend, so we are exchanging Ecuador with Louisiana because that’s where the wedding is. Maybe not the most exotic exchange, but all isn’t lost. We bought tickets instead to go to Costa Rica in November because we’re jet setters. Apparently November is when the rainy season ends there, and another bonus is that it’s right before winter depression starts creeping in here up north. We were also going to go to Venezuela at the same time as the Ecuador trip to visit Simon and Amy. Sadly, we wont be doing this because it would cost much more than Costa Rica. 
But look at places we could stay. (we did a package thing - for a set price we got air fare, a car, and about 70 hotels to choose from. )
Siiighhhh
So cute, little personal huts.
Thats all for now. I have to go run around and do stuff before we leave tomorrow morning. I picked the 7:30 am flight, so we have to get up at 5:30. Why did I do that? I bet I did it to save $30 or something. Argh!
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August 7th, 2008
I swear to you, I haven’t given up on this blog! And I know I’ve said this before, but I think my excuse is good. This move has just taken it out of me. Not in a bad way, but just in the way that when the day ends, all I can manage to think about is watching Big Love and laying on the premium air mattress. People move everyday, under more difficult circumstances than I’ve experienced, but you know when it’s your turn to do it, it’s the worst thing that’s ever happened. I’m being dramatic, but still. I can’t deal with changing one more address online, I just can’t. Plus, starting a new job is a bit overwhelming and this also contributes to me only wanting to watch Big Love. While eating thai food take-out. And another reason why I’ve been slacking? Because Riki is still in Chicago… I’m lazy and he keeps me motivated to check off the problems. Actually, I had a whole post on that, remember? It’s true, every word.
But I DO have some updates. Riki visited last weekend and we went to the Brooklyn Museum. That was fun, but not so fun that I’ll go into it. What else…. I flew to Chicago this past weekend to pack, that was not fun and even more not worth going into it. But it was nice to see my friends and sleep in a real bed not made of air. I’m full of guilt right now because I left about 80% of the work for Riki to do, plus he has to paint the apartment… Plus load the truck up, plus drive it, plus stay in some skanky hotel on the way, plus eat Taco Bell for 3 days straight. Which sounds delicious right now… Still, Taco Bell or no, I owe him a fancy dinner when he gets here.
Ok, so I’m gonna update 3 times this week. I can do this. Oh and look, the little garden I planted has grown so big, I’m proud of the little guy. I ate some lettuce leaves during my stay in Chicago, they tasted like grass and dirt.
Riki sent me some pictures of it, here’s one I especially like:
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July 21st, 2008
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