VeggieGirl2001

Overheard in New York

2007-11-27T13:54:00.001-05:00

Hey I had an overheard quote published on Overheard in New York!

The Wednesday One-liners K-Hole
Woman: Hey, so have you ever tried crack? --78th & Madison
Overheard by: Andrew C

Girl: So I say to her, "It's just a fucking junkie, step around him and let's go already." --Park Slope
Overheard by: jake

Hobo: Will somebody please give me $20 so I can buy crack-cocaine? --6 train

Girl: I don't like anything snow-like. Except maybe cocaine. --110th & Broadway
Overheard by: djlindee

Suit on cell: I am so fucked. So fucked. I'm going to be at the office all fucking night. I need some energy. I need some coke. Where's the closest high school around here? --40th & 6th

Girl: Wow. I never knew bongs were so pretty. Oh, sorry, "decorative tobacco pipes". --Washington Square Park

Dude: We were doin' blow and she was 14. It was weird. --Silver Swan, East 20th Street Overheard by: Katie Jeffreys

Man: If you have some pot, please let me know! --Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, West 46th Street

Man on cell: The thing about Alberto is that he criticizes everybody's drug use except his own. --22nd & 7th
Overheard by: Mark M

Girl: What do you mean, you don't smoke weed? That's mainly what niggas be doin' these days! --Wendy's, 56th & 8th
Overheard by: Melissa Gluzband

Teen boy: Come on people, I'm not selling crack...Y'all want some crack, then? --F train
Overheard by: PSE

via Overheard in New York, Mar 29, 2006

February Books Bought/Read

2006-03-02T13:00:00.000-05:00

February Books Bought
On Bullshit by Henry G. Frankfurt

February Books Read
On Bullshit by Henry G. Frankfurt

On Bullshit is a little essay getting to the bottom of what bullshit is, essetially comparing it to lying and humbug, mostly in terms of what the intent of the bullshitter is. Thought it would be great but was hardly exhaustive. Probably sold most of its copies because of the title (guilty as charged!)

Friday - Sunday in AZ

2006-02-19T18:27:00.001-05:00

On Friday morning I headed out to Tucson to visit Mindy. It was a long drive but I made it in time for dinner at a Mexican restaurant (Charro's) and meeting up with some friends of hers.

windmills on the drive to arizona

I stayed with her at her parent's house Friday and Saturday night. It was good catching up with her and meeting her Tucson crowd. I was able to take care of some errands (such as shipping back some purchases and souveniers) while in Tucson since it was a less crowded schedule.

katie and mindy!

On Saturday morning Mindy had to work, so I went up to Mesa to see Jon, Lisa and Aislyn Boggs. Aislyn is such a little doll! They had a wedding to go to, so I headed back out to Tucson just in time to catch another beautiful desert sunset

sunset

Saturday night we went out to dinner with her mom to a nice restaurant called Elle in Tucson.

Sunday morning I packed up the car and my things, had a liesurely breakfast at Mindy's. As I was getting ready to drive away from Mindy's two little quails chased each other across the road! Finally, I headed off to Vegas for my flight home, again amazed by the scenery. It was a long drive (including passing the Hoover Dam) and I was nervous I would miss my flight, but it was delayed for over an hour. I sat watching the Olympics and planned to do this blog, but my computer battery was dead! Finally made it on the plane (a Song flight which I love for their tvs at each seat).

neat clouds

All in all I drove over 2000 miles!

Thursday - Mexico!

2006-02-16T17:47:00.001-05:00

On Thursday I awoke early again to get down to Ensanada, Mexico. First I hopped on the San Diego Trolley (light rail) for a 45 minute ride to the border. Then a quick walk across a footbridge, and I was in Tijuana.

The Border

Then I hopped on a coach bus for the ~2 hour ride to Ensanada. It is further south down the coast of Baja California. They are known for being near wine country, as a stop for cruise ships, and for the blow hole ("la bufadora") which I had hoped to see, but didn't make it to. I arrived during the siesta hour, so walked around for awhile just seeing the sights (including these mariachis).

Then I stopped into one local winery located in town rather than in the hills. I bought some real vanilla and a bottle of wine before heading on my way.

Winery

I happened past a fabric store, so had to check it out. I ended buying some typical mexican woven fabrics and some others that I thought were unique. The exchange rate is about 10 pesos to 1 dollar, and the dollar is pretty strong in Mexico now.

fabric store sign

At this point I was famished, and the restaurants had reopened. I went over to a wine bar to get some lunch/dinner and to sample wines from up in the mountains. While sitting at the bar I struck up a conversation with an American businessman who does his manufacturing (of traffic lights) in Mexico. It was nice to have someone to chat with and he even picked up the tab for my dinner before heading out! I wrapped up the night with a quick stop at Hussong's, where the margarita was supposedly invented.

Wednesday - Going to San Diego

2006-02-15T17:35:00.001-05:00

On Wednesday morning I headed out of LA, stopping at the La Brea Tar Pits. It was interesting to see (and smell!) the pits, and see all the reassembled skeletons of mastadons, wooly mammoths, birds of prey and big cats. There were many school groups there so I tagged along with some of their tours to pick up little tidbits offered by the guides.

The La Brea Tar pits

Afterwards, I headed out to The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. I toured the library (including an illuminated Cantebury Tales and Gutenberg Bible) and the art museum before having high tea in the tea room.

Then it was off to San Diego... another beatiful ride. I stopped to take pictures (my digital camera was acting up, so they are on film) and a little chipmunk or something came right up to me to say hi!

I checked into the 500 West Hotel, which was formerly a YMCA but now is an inexpensive, European style modern botique hotel (simple, nice furnishings, shared private bathrooms). I relaxed for a bit before heading out to dinner at a veggie-friendly Mexican place called Pocquez. It was ridiculously inexpensive, and I enjoyed the tofu options on the menu!

Tucked in early that night, pooped from several days of hard traveling.

Tuesday - Back in LA!

2006-02-14T22:10:00.001-05:00

Tuesday morning I woke up at the hostel around 5am and headed back to LA to get there by 8am for The Price is Right. The sunrise was beautiful, and at one point I came around a bend and the view (of a bay and mountains) was like a Monet painting, all pink and blue and green.

I met my sorority sister Cristina there. We had some time to kill so we sat at a cafe in the mall next to the CBS studios. Finally at about 2pm we got called in for the pre-show interviews (used to decide who gets on the show) apparantly you need to be bonkers to get called on. Then the taping started. It was a lot of fun, although NOBODY won anything! (71st time in the show's history). Bob Barker was funny, and as he left the stage I got to shake his hand! The show airs(ed) Thursday, Feb 23rd , and I am sure you will see me as 2 people in my section were called and I high-fived them as they ran to contestants' row.

After the taping Christina and I had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. I did a little shopping and then Jody came and met me for dinner (he ate, I was stuffed from lunch still) and we had some wine. We had to sit at the bar in the restaurant though, since it was packed for Valentine's Day.

random duck at the mall

Monday - Santa Barbara Wine Country

2006-02-13T21:58:00.001-05:00

On Monday I woke up early to head up to Santa Barbara wine country. I started out in Santa Maria, about three hours north of Los Angeles and worked my way down the Foxen Canyon wine trail, visiting several of the locations featured in Sideways (including the winery where he drank from the spit bucket and the restaurant where she orders the "fucking merlot").

one of the wineries

I found out early on that mentioning I work at a wine bar ("in the industry") got me free tastings and a 10-33% discount on wines. I tried to buy a bottle everywhere I stopped if I found something I liked. I didn't buy anything at Firestone (or tire and "The Bachelor" fame) because their wines were pretty disappointing.

Driving through wine country was really peaceful, and everyone I met at the wineries (mostly couples touring together) was really nice. The wineries all close by 6, so afterwards I had dinner in Los Olives. Since I was tired and had spent the day wine tasting I decided to stay at a hostel in Santa Barbara rather than drive all the way back to LA. It was a decent spot and at $21 was a bargain.

bucolic roadside scenery

Sunday - Vegas to LA

2006-02-12T21:48:00.001-05:00

Sunday morning I picked up my rental car... a hunter green Chrysler Sebring convertible with a GPS navigation system. Because I was traveling alone, I knew the GPS would save me the hassle of trying to read a map while driving, plus I could be spontaneous and go anywhere without having to plan a route.

my license plate

With the top down, I set out for LA. The weather that day (and for most of the trip) was in the high 60s/low 70s and sunny!) - a little cool for a convertible, but with the heater on, enjoyable. As you can see, even the gateway to Death Valley was temperate.

Once in LA, I heaaded straight for the LA County Museum of Art in Hollywood. It is a beautiful building with a large outdoor courtyard and several galleries surrounding it. Jody came to meet me and we went to have dinner at Toi, a funky Thai restaurant with an East Village vibe. Jody lives nearby, in Hollywood, and was nice enough to let me stay at his house.

Friday - Sunday - Las Vegas

2006-02-11T21:36:00.001-05:00

I landed in Vegas on friday for Jenn's bachelorette party. We spent the weekend celebrating -- dancing, walking the strip, eating and drinking! There were nine girls - one is not pictured here, and I don't know why I was grabbing my butt in this picture (taken with a singer in a restaurant we thought was good)

January/February Bought/Read List

2006-02-09T12:07:00.000-05:00

Books Bought
Here is New York by E.B. White

Books Read
Here is New York by E.B. White
One Man's Meat by E.B. White
The WPA Guide to New York CIty

So I was watching Sex and the City one night, and Carrie quoted E.B. White, who wrote "No one should come to New York to live unless he is willing to be lucky." I thought that was a great quote, so looked up where is came from, which brought me to the fabulous tribute to the city called "Here is New York." It was listed by the New York Times as one of the ten best books written about the city, so I went ahead and checked it out from the library, along with other E.B. White books and some other top books about New York City. I am enjoying reading about the city in the 30s and 40s, so much and so little has changed.

Katie Needs

2005-12-29T01:46:00.000-05:00

so there is a thing passed around where you google "[your name] needs"

apparantly (a small selection of the 800+ hits):

Katie needs to get out of the house a little more and and fix hersel a "dang
quesa-dilluh!"
Katie needs to see a specialist for her skin and ears
Katie needs to use the litter pan on her own
Katie needs to raise £3000
Katie needs to talk to her friend
Katie needs a hug
Katie needs to get a grip
Katie needs to figure out if she wants to move forward, maintain old friends, or
what kind of person she is going to be
Katie needs to get over herself
Katie needs to say NO.
Katie needs a family who will be patient, giving her time to trust and feel
comfortable
Katie needs her head examined
Katie needs your help with vocabulary words
Katie needs a pre-nup just because this relationship could turn into a destructive family bond
Katie needs extra time
Katie needs a C-section
Katie Needs Attention
Katie needs a wand
Katie needs a wake-up call from her childhood fantasy
Katie needs an experienced family without any younger children who she may see
as rivals for affection
Katie needs to hold her head to the side. to deal with visual challenges
Katie needs to change her bday to be closer to the rest of ours
Katie needs to add more emotion to her journal
Katie needs to know HTML
Katie needs to dress up like a man in a suite with a tie and a mustache to full-fill your fetish
Katie needs psychiatric help
Katie needs to put all the pieces together
Katie needs to talk at talking times only
Katie needs a new space where she can groove and hang with friends for the ultimate
slumber party
Katie needs rescueing from the sheriff after her attempt to kill Sheriff
Jack Strickland.
Katie needs to stand up to the bullies
Katie needs no introduction really
Katie needs is a bit of bleach and some red highlights and the transformation
will be complete
Katie needs another colostomy
Katie needs to think like a man
Katie needs to lay off the ageing make-up, get rid of the self-tan, and stop
inflating her lips
Katie needs to apply the tangent ratio to the problem quickly as Jamie is.
beginning to feel seasick
Katie needs to be punished for her behaviour every time she does something that isn’t typical
Katie-needs-to-take-a-break-so-we're-gonna-have-to-do-something-a-little-weird-for-a-while
katie needs to stop being a slut
Katie needs to make a life-sized Blue Fairy Penguin by Friday
Katie needs no deadheading, and will continue to flower all season long, and is
just as tough as its species parent
Katie-needs-money-to-pay-her-landlord-thing
Katie needs implants to make herself luk gd bt i dnt gt yu need implants js mkes
u more ov a slag. Jodie wtf is da deal wit ur nose? u fkin fat whore bag
Katie needs to hit Carl over the head with that Cow bell of his!
Katie needs to take her responsibilities seriously
Katie needs to put that finger away
Katie needs to get hit by a truck. An eighteen wheeler. She deserves it. I mean,
smush, squish, squash, the whole kill-Katie process
Katie needs to get her head out of her ass and start to have a little fun
katie needs a cold shower
katie needs a spanking
Katie NEEDS his crotch in her face
Katie needs to be watching her back
Katie Needs A Husband

ok now guess which ones refer to Katie Holmes!!!

and the two for katharyn

Katharyn needs to elucidate .....illuminate.....broaden (no pun intended)
and make known the universe of the properties of calves
Katharyn needs to stop being mean to me Or i will
start taking Prozac

December Books bought/books read

2005-12-20T00:30:00.000-05:00

Books Bought
none yet!

Books Read
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (library)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (library)
Rats : Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants by Robert Sullivan (library)
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (library)
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (borrowed from Gram)
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (borrowed from Gram) - reading now
Why do Men have Nipples: Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini by Mark Leyner & Billy Goldberg (library) - reading now

October Books Bought/Read

2005-10-05T10:49:00.000-04:00

Books Bought
Black Belt Sudoku by Michael Rios

Books Read
The Kite Runner

Not sure if the Sudoku book counts as a book to read, since there are few words, and I didn't read them. But I did buy it at a bookstore, so I will say I bought it, but not read it :)

The Kite runner was a recommendation from Gram, a cuturally interesting read and a riveting story. I read it in about 2 days, in part while waiting in lines at Six Flags Great Adventure.

September Books Bought/Read

2005-09-08T09:14:00.000-04:00

Bought:
Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes
Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes
Girls' Poker Night by Jill A. Davis (signed, to "Amanda")
Betty Crocker's Desserts Cookbook
Cooking with Bon Appetit: Vegetables
Collected Novellas by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Pat the Money by Diane Wachell
Earth from Above - 35 Days by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Schott's Original Food Miscellany
Reunion by Alan Lightman

Read:
Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes
Girls' Poker Night by Jill A. Davis
Betty Crocker's Desserts Cookbook
The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinella
Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes
Pat the Money by Diane Wachell
Reunion by Alan Lightman
Collected Novellas by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (started)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (started)

I have been reading a lot of Brit Lit (a la Bridget Jones' Diary) and its really getting me inspired to get some writing in. A bunch of he books I bought were from the New York City Opera thrift shop, which I found has the best used books, and often marks them 50% off the thrifty price :) I had been eying the Earth from above book for years, and finally saw it at a cheap bookstore in the west village for about a third the cover price. the last two boks I scooped up at my favorite little bookshop in Coolidge Corner, in Boston - Brookline Booksellers (?). I had heard buzz about Alan Lightman, but didn't know why I knew the name. Only after reading the book and looking at his bio did I realize he was a prof at MIT and wrote Einstein's Dreams (which I never read) while I was at MIT.

August Books bought/read list

2005-08-14T03:36:00.000-04:00

This post will be updated throughout the month as I read more stuff.

Bought

Robert Burns Poems and Songs
Cassell's Styles in Art Series:
Antique Jade
Chinese Painting
The Age of Louis XV
The 1920s Style
European Enamels

Read
3 Plays by Thornton Wilder
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Girls' Night In ed. by Lauren Henderson, Chris Manby, Sarah Mlynowsky
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood King

Books Bought/Read

2005-08-01T03:04:00.000-04:00

In an homage to, or perhaps just copying, Nick Hornby's Book "The Polysyllabic Spree" I decided to keep track of the books i've bought and the one's I've read. These are different lists because not all the books I buy will I read right away. Some are destined to be shelved indefinitely, some are for reference, and some I just won't get around to in that calendar month. Additionally, not all the books I read do I buy in that month. I may have purchased them in the past, borrowed them from a friend, or checked them out from the library.

For the month of July this is the list:

Bought
Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg
Candide by Voltaire
Wake Up, Sir by Jonathan Ames
The Letters of Virginia Woolf
Wines and Spirits by Alec Waugh (Time Life Books)
3 Plays by Thornton Wilder
The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby

Read
Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg
Candide by Voltaire
Wake Up, Sir by Jonathan Ames
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Kidd
Life after God by Douglas Coupland
Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland
The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
The Small Bachelor by P.G. Wodehouse

most beautiful poem

2005-07-13T11:21:00.000-04:00

this is the most beautiful poem i have read in a long time.

Song
By Allen Ginsberg

The weight of the world
is love.
Under the burden
of solitude,
under the burden
of dissatisfaction

the weight,
the weight we carry
is love.

Who can deny?
In dreams
it touches
the body,
in thought
constructs
a miracle,
in imagination
anguishes
till born
in human--
looks out of the heart
burning with purity--
for the burden of life
is love,

but we carry the weight
wearily,
and so must rest
in the arms of love
at last,
must rest in the arms
of love.

No rest
without love,
no sleep
without dreams
of love--
be mad or chill
obsessed with angels
or machines,
the final wish
is love
-- cannot be bitter,
cannot deny,
cannot withhold
if denied:

the weight is too heavy

--must give
for no return
as thought
is given
in solitude
in all the excellence
of its excess.

The warm bodies
shine together
in the darkness,
the hand moves
to the center
of the flesh,
the skin trembles
in happiness
and the soul comes
joyful to the eye--

yes, yes,
that's what
I wanted,
I always wanted,
I always wanted,
to return
to the body
where I was born.
San Jose, 1954

random subway story

2005-07-02T10:58:00.000-04:00

I was on the subway recently doing one of my little logic puzzles and a man sat down next to me. I didn't pay attention to him until he asked what kind of puzzle I was doing. (they are called "paint by numbers" - I am addicted) He then continued on to say that he had seen me earlier that day on the downtown train doing them. I laughed and said we must have the same schedule. The coincidence made me smile.

Nancy Drew

2005-04-02T22:48:00.000-05:00

So today I was heading out to meet a friend. as I opened the door to my elevator there was an old man waiting on the other side to go up to his apartment. I didn't recognize him, but he had a load of groceries in a wire cart. We said hello, as I live in a very friendly building, and I went on my way.

When I reached the front door of the lobby, it was beeping. I saw a set of keys in the lock and assumed they were the old man's. I went back into the building with the keys thinking, ok, he probably can't get into his apartment without them but maybe his wife is home or something and he will just ring the bell. should i leave them on the table in the lobby? on top of the mailboxes? with the ladies who live on the first floor who act as doormen and tenents' association officers but who are just nosy? do I wait for him to come back down?

As I was thinking I looked at the set of keys. No apartment numbers engraved on them or anything, but then I realized one was a mailbox key. Debating the legality of opening someone else's mailbox, I realized if it weren't the old man's keys, whoever it was would want it back. So i started trying the boxes. Finally, on the sixth floor, I found the match. I triumphantly pressed the elevator call button so i could go up to meet the key's owner. As the door opened, there stood the old man, cart still in tow. He said, "I'm going down" (I immediately thought, ah to the super's apartment... I've so been there when I lock myself out!"), and I said, "Are these your keys?"

He took them from me and said something to the effect of "Oh, thank you! God Bless You child!" It made me happy to give a little kindness back to a building that always gave a lot back to me over the last 2 years. Plus I felt a little like nancy drew.

another one!

2005-01-18T18:25:00.000-05:00

Another old friend just outed himself on friendster! Funny thing was he was the one everyone expected to be gay but he kept denying it. Guess we were right all along!

Outed on friendster

2005-01-18T13:44:00.000-05:00

So I was just playing around with the new college search feature on Friendster to see which not-so-long-lost friends I could find and came across a classmate who I did not have in my network. When I clicked on his profile, I was shocked to see: "Interested in meeting people for: Relationship Men, Dating Men, Friends, Activity Partners"

WHAT? HE'S GAY??? I really don't think he was out in college.

Well, that explains why all my flirtations went unnoticed...

wonder why...

2005-01-10T13:49:00.000-05:00

How come when a woman ages her breasts droop to her lap, but when a man ages his penis does stretch out to his knees? Gravity is so unfair.

Old Age

2004-12-29T10:35:00.000-05:00

My brother used to be a pathological liar. So when he started teasing me about having grey hair I thought he was just joking around with me since I am the older sibling. The next morning as I was about to get in the shower and I noticed that indeed I did have a few grey hairs.

Crap, am I getting old?

"The Talk"

2004-12-28T11:53:00.000-05:00

I have been doing some thinking about that critical juncture in any relationship known as "the talk." I have had many boyfriends but have never been a big "dater" probably because I dread hearing the negative talk.

In recent months friends and I have been on the receiving end of several such talks. Apparently I missed the part of my education that informed me that the appropriate time to initiate "the talk" is after about three dates/encounters. I am torn as to whether this is enough time to make an informed decision about a person, or if, as one talker informed me, you will know immediately who is "the one" so three dates is sufficient...

It's a strange phenomenon because when someone wants to talk about "us" you always kind of hope that it will be the positive talk, and that they are going to say really flattering endearing things about how much they like you and how they want you in their life, etc. (even if you don't really care one way or the other). In my mind there is no reason to talk about "us" unless there is going to *be* an "us." The substance of the negative talk, at least to my progressive NYC girlfriends and me, is understood. We appreciate your honesty, but honestly it kinda kills our interest in seeing you again.

Another thing I must have missed was the pamphlet outlining the ideal canned "talk." It goes: "I just want to make sure we are on the same page. I'm at a strange place in my life and am not really looking for a girlfriend right now, so let's just keep this casual, ok?"

So what response can you give? Throw a drink in his face and storm out? Refuse to see him again unless he will be your boyfriend? Or continue seeing him in this nebulous "dating" stage, if only to prove that you never really cared anyways? And if you do that how does it end? Will one of you just stop returning the others phone calls? Will you meet someone who gives you the positive talk? Or will the two of you date long enough that before you know it you've got two kids and a house in the burbs?

Lastly - A friend of mine got the canned speech over e-mail yesterday and was flabbergasted. Her response was, "They call it 'the talk' for a reason. It's not 'the e-mail.'" The final lesson here is: if you have to give "the talk," at least do it in person.

best pickup line ever

2004-12-26T13:54:00.000-05:00

So the other day I discovered the best pickup line ever.

I was out shopping for a Christmas Gift. I decided to get a set of ramekins, a creme brulee cookbook and a little flame torch. But all the cook's version ones at Bed Bath and Beyond and whatnot were expensive or came with ugly ramekins (and I'd already bought cute ones).

So off to Home Depot I went in search of a real blow torch. I walked up to the first employee I saw and asked him where to find blow torches. He was immediately smitten. He couldn't speak. After a few "uh, um, er"s he pointed me in the direction of the "sdhsjk asdvsdofi." After repeating it a few times I realized he was saying "the Tool Corral" So off I went.

I was with my brother and he was making fun of the guy for being so flustered. I thought it was cute. So ladies, if you ever want to pick up a man, go to the Home Depot and ask for blow torches. I wonder if the effect is because of the nature of the tool, or just that it includes the word "blow"...?

california dreamin

2004-12-03T01:26:00.001-05:00

I took a nap this afternoon and had the most lovely dream. I was wading along in a river in kind of a gorge, with trees on the hills rising from each bank. I couldn't decide if i was going with the flow or against it. I looked down into the water, which was so clear. It was like I was high above the water and could see the reefs or areas of seaweed under the water. Then a person swam by to my left, under the water like they were snorkeling. Someone else passed to my right. I looked beheind me to see them swim away. As I turned around, I decided to dive under the water. Then I woke up!

My whole nap had only been about 15 minutes, but when I awoke, I felt refreshed, like I actually had just taken a dip in a cool river! I wonder what the dream symbolizes....

wee wee wee all the way home

2004-11-23T10:44:00.000-05:00

I went to the movies last night at lincoln center. As I was leaving the theater, i saw a man standing between a pay phone and a street sign, peeing onto the street. I kinda looked over, saw him peeing away, and then continued on with my conversation.

Why is it ok that I am not more shocked by this? New York is so freakin wierd.

signs, signs, everywhere there's signs

2004-11-15T02:00:00.000-05:00

I dont consider myself to be a prejudiced person, but i questioned that the other day...

I was on the subway, and a couple got on. The man gestured aggressively at a seat, indicating that the woman should sit there. I thought, "what a typical, male jerk" He then sat down across from her.

I was embarassed by my initial reaction, however, when the two started communicating in sign language. clearly they needed to sit across from each other to be able to see the signs.

yeah.

How YOU Doin?

2004-09-24T15:53:00.000-04:00

Every girl's gotten it, the "How YOU doin?" on the street. The other day I walked to work from the train (Broadway to Madison) and received no less than 7 such comments. "Hey beautiful," "Can I get your number?" etc. I didn't think I was so comment-worthy that day. I was wearing my tight jeans, sure, and hot pink pointy shoes. My shirt was just a black tank top with a flower print. Nothing revealing, nothing trashy or even overtly classy. Just an outfit. Maybe I was walking differently because I had on my fun pink shoes, who knows. But it was a strange way to start a day. By the time I got to the office I probably had a scowl on my face from being harrassed... not that my scowl stopped the commenting.

It's interesting, when I lived in Boston I would judge my appearance for the day on the number of people who honked at me as I walked over the Harvard Bride in the morning. Now I just get annoyed or ignore it. In my neighborhood I get talked to a lot as I walk, but I do stand out as a white girl in Harlem.

The kicker to my story the day I wore my pink shoes happened after work. I walked pass two mormon guys, who both made some "How you doin" comment. But I couldn't scowl at them, could I? They are on a religious mission, they couldn't be trying to pick me up, could they? Must have just wanted to have a hottie convertee. :) hehe

It's Getting on My Nerves

2004-08-19T18:02:00.000-04:00

You know how people sometimes say that they feel a cold breeze pass through them when they think they see a ghost? Well the opposite is happening to me. I will feel warmth off inanimate objects for no reason.

One night I was sitting on my sofa watching TV and reached over to grab my remote off the coffee table. As my hand neared the table I felt a warmth radiating from it. When I touched the table, and the objects on it they were cool to the touch. So why did I feel that heat coming off the table?

Then a few days later I was waiting for the train and leaned up against a metal rail. The rail touched my bare back, between my pants and shirt, and felt hot to the touch. I touched the same spot with my hand, but it was cool. Thinking myself crazy I leaned back against the rail, only to have it sear my back again. Weird.

I have also noticed that I have felt wetness on my skin, but when I go to wipe off the liquid, my skin is dry. Is this a medical condition that I should know about?

I shouldn't ponder things

2004-08-18T13:05:00.000-04:00

So something similar to the van coincidence happened the other night. I was walking down 29th Street, somewhere between Lex and 2nd Aves to go to the movies. I noticed this little carriage house, and thought to myself, I wonder how much it is to rent a place like that. I also took time to notice that in the windows above the carriage doors the resident had lined up a bunch of different colored glass bottles.

After the movie I walked down the same street to get to the train. Suddenly all these fire trucks come tearing around the corner. I assumed they were going back to the fire house that was on that block. But as I walked on, I saw crowds of people milling about. As I walked by the carriage house, I realized that the door was ajar, and it was that house that the firemen were in such a hurry to get to.

Am I bad luck? Should I pay less attention to things so that they are not cursed?

AM New York

2004-08-06T09:07:00.000-04:00

I saw a funny article in AM New York (the free newspaper handed out near subways in the city). The article discussed how obesity isn't such a bad thing after all... the caption to the photos (which showed some cookies and a large woman) said "People who are overweight have a lower risk of death than those who are lean, studies have shown"

What?!?! don't we all have the same risk of dying, namely 100%???

The article was taken from the LA Times, but I wonder who is responsible for the terrible photos and worse caption.

The funny thing is that I was looking at yahoo news today, and the same photo of the large woman was used for this article:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/safrica_crime_offbeat
titled "XXL women shoplifters on the rampage in South Africa"

It is listed as a file photo. How would you like to be the stock "obese" or "XXL" woman used by newspapers across the country (and internet)? wow.

Serendipity

2004-07-05T20:04:00.000-04:00

I am working on a scrapbook of my college years, and so today my mom and I were in this scrapbook store looking at paper and stickers and stuff. I asked the girl working there if they had any stickers or whatever that had to do with friends, since most of my college photos are of my friends and me. She looked at a couple racks, but said she thought they must be out of the ones she thought I would want.

Resigned to not being able to get what I wanted, I went to the register to pay. Just at that moment a woman came up asking to return a sheet of stickers. The store's policy does not allow for returns, but lo and behold, she was trying to return the very sheet of stickers that was sold out! I looked at it, and it was perfect! We paid the woman, and it made both of us happy- she because she got her money back, and I because I got the stickers I wanted.

Serendipity.

Accidental AA

2004-06-29T09:59:00.000-04:00

I was waiting for a friend the other day, and decided to take a seat on some church steps that looked particularly clean and had a bunch of other people sitting on them. As I am sitting there, I notice that pretty much all of the people are smoking, and wonder to myself if they are some rebellious bible study kids or something. The other people obviously know each other, and one girl is telling a guy about her job and the classes she is taking. She says "Marsha is so ambitious, she really jumps into whatever she is doing. She is the one that encouraged me to go to college." To which the guy says, "Marsha is your sponsor?" At that moment I realize this group of clean cut kids is not in fact waiting for their Bible study to start, but their AA meeting. I of course can't immediately jump up because that would be insulting to them (like the subway story I posted before), so I sit there for another minute. Some guy rides by on a bike and says, "Oh hey guys! I always forget about the 7:30 meeting, I always go to the 8:30 one." Having confirmed the purpose of this small church step crowd, I get up and walk across the street to pretend to browse in the windows of the Tibetan shop there. Luckily my friend came downstairs before the people went into their meeting, or they would have thought I had wanted to attend with them, but had chickened out. Or so dictated my "I care what strangers think of me" mentality.

Clothes

2004-06-23T13:20:00.000-04:00

I have been thinking about clothes, and how much they matter… so here are a few little anecdotes about why, especially in New York City, the clothes make the man….

I took a friend who is new to the city to a party over the weekend. It was just a casual thing at some people’s house in Brooklyn, so when he asked if he should change out of his jean shorts and t-shirt, I said no. But then on Monday a friend who was at the party said something like “He was cute, but I could tell he wasn’t from New York because he was wearing jean shorts.” I had to laugh, but she was right. No guy in his mid 20s in New York really wears jean shorts.

Last night I was in my favorite independent bookstore in the city, on Carmine in the West Village. It carries random stuff and is cheap. Plus the last two times I was there I found random Richard Brautigan books that I had been meaning to read, at discount prices! Anyhow, so I was in there yesterday, still in my work get-up, which was a houndstooth (?) pencil skirt, sandles, and a red sleeveless sweater. The woman behind the counter had peroxide blond hair in braids (imagine a yodler). She was not wearing lederhosen or anything, but instead some black clothes that were rather nondescript. It may have been overalls? Anyhow, as I was paying she said, “Pretty sweater.” To which I of course said, “Thank you.” She added that she liked the “jet beading” around the neck… I had to ask her to repeat herself since I was too distracted trying to read her tattoos on her elbows. I decided that they read “KISS” and “THIS” (in the KISS band font) on the left and right elbow, respectively. I was a little confused by her compliment since her own appearance was quite dissimilar to mine.

Another recent incident reminded me that all New Yorkers are fashion critics. I live in Harlem, and as one of the few white people on my block, I kinda stand out. One night I was leaving my apartment and walked past a group of people standing (as groups of people tend to do in my ‘hood) outside my building. As I walked away from them, I heard one girl say, “Look at that girl trying to dress ‘black.’” I didn’t realize my jean skirt, halter top, and salvation army shawl was expressly a “black” outfit. Must have been the shawl, but thinking about it, a year ago when shawls weren’t trendy, the girl might have said, “Look at that girl trying to dress ‘old lady.’”

One final clothing incident: Back when the weather was first changing from winter to summer (you know there is no spring in New York), I was heading to (coincidentally) a party in Brooklyn (the first of two parties I have been to in Brooklyn). As I was navigating the subway there, I noticed flocks of young girls prancing around in those miniskirts that are all the rage right now. When I met my friend on the train, also en route to the party, we started chatting about these girls. He commented that on Monday the “Missed Connections” section of craigslist would be filled with ads of the “A train at 10:30 Saturday. You: wearing a pink miniskirt and tank top. You were with your friends but were looking at me. Me: short, fat, ugly, smelly old man wearing jeans and a t-shirt with paint splatters on it. Coffee? Drinks? Email me!” nature.

Elevators

2004-06-14T21:59:00.000-04:00

My dad works for a company designing elevator button panels on CAD, so I always notice the quality and nuances of elevators.

There are two elevators in my building at work. They are sleek and modern, efficient and fast. And they announce their intentions. So when you call the elevator in the lobby, it tells you "elevator going up" or "elevator going down" which is great so you don't end up heading to the basement when you really just want to get to the penthouse. The message is friendly enough to remind you when you've reached your floor by announcing at the stop.

But what I reaized the other day is that one of the elevators is a man, and the other is a woman. This made me wonder... why? Were the voices recorded in the building? Did they come pre-recorded with the elevator? Are there choices you can make when you install the elevator? Like are there other voices that I don't hear like an english person, or even multi-lingual recordings? Or are the two sold as a pair ("His and hers elevators, available now from Otis")

And then I start getting silly... Is there "Love in an elevator?" are they "living it while they're goin down?" Does one elevator perform better, and what does this indicate about the sexes? No, thats just goofy... but really, why?

NYC Subway stories (part 1)

2004-06-11T12:19:00.001-04:00

I love the NYC Subway. I love how expansive and convenient it is. In my past life as an Environmental Consultant, the MTA was one of our clients, and I learned all about the subway and was even certified to walk on subway track if I needed to. But more than all that, I love all the crazy stuff that goes on on the subway itself. Sometimes you get a unique experience, but there are also those typical NY subway stories. Anyhow, I think this one falls somewhere in the middle.

So I was on the subway and it was pretty crowded. Every seat was taken (I was lucky to have gotten one) and there were a bunch of people were standing. I think I was going downtown. At one point I noticed the distinct odor of passed gas, one of the potential drawbacks to being in an enclosed space with a bunch of people. Especially when you are stitting with your face at ass level of the people standing. Luckily, the air cleared when the train got to the next stop, and some people got off. At the next stop the majority of the people exited, leaving me sitting next to a guy and the rest of the train car sparsely populated.

Now this is a critical moment of subway travel, like whether or not to pry the doors open as they close or whether to switch to the express train. I was faced with the option of moving to one of the newly empty seats at the risk of insulting my seat mate. I decided to stay put. Big mistake. As the doors close, he lets another one drop. The odor is so gross, I turn my head to try to find some fresh air. Of course now I definitely can't switch seats not only because I missed the window of opportunity when the seats being newly available made it okay to move, but because now I would clearly be moving simply because this guy is stinking up the train car. Fortunately I only had a short ride left, so I sorta held my breath until my stop, which was not too far away. Isn't it strange that I took into consideration of what this stranger would think of me switching seat? I mean, he sure didn't think of me when he had that second bean burrito the night before!

Finally a week worthy of creating a blog...

2004-06-09T10:20:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I have been thinking about starting a blog for awhile. I have mixed feelings on the whole blog thing… I mean it is so self serving/voyeuristic in some ways. And yet some of em contain really good information, humor and insight. I hope mine is more of the latter. So I thought I would try one for the summer and see how it goes, since I should be pretty busy and will have lots to say. I’m not sure that my friends would want their names splashed around the internet, so for now, I will keep it vague.

I am lucky to live in New York because random shit happens all the time. This week has been particularly random, and it’s only Wednesday.

Sunday: I won tickets to the comedy short film festival from The Onion, so I headed out to meet my friend for a pre-theater dinner around 4:30. And, in typical form, I realized as the door slammed behind me that my keys were on the entry table. Luckily, this happens often enough that I had the foresight to give a spare set to a day-trading friend who lives nearby and is usually home. I give him a call, but realize he was in Martha’s Vineyard for the weekend. The movies keep me in a good mood. I end up staying over at my movie friend’s place, so we walked home from the theater on 60th and 1st to her place around Bleeker and 7th ave. Monday night I planned to crash at a different friend’s house, but at the last minute hear from my key friend. I head over there and he is like, “That is so weird. Sunday night around 5:00 I was worried that I had lost your spare set of keys, or what if you needed them this weekend.” Yeah weird coincidence. Now I need to start thinking of backup places to keep keys, like at my office. Too bad one of those little fake rock key holders would look pretty obvious outside my apartment door!

Monday: So I’m walking to work in the morning from my movie friend’s house in the West Village and pass by the Bed Bath & Beyond on Sixth Ave. Out front is a van loading up some lamps and things. On the side it says something about “On-Demand Delivery” and “Murray’s Van Service” I thought, hey that’s cool, I wonder if they are like personal shoppers or something, like Fresh Express for home furnishings. That night as I’m on the 79th St. crosstown bus going to pick up my keys, traffic is all backed up. I’m running late and a little annoyed, feeling bad if I’m keeping my friend awake since he’s doing me a favor holding my keys. Then I realize why the traffic is backed up: A van was in an accident and is up on one of those flatbed tow truck thingies. As we pass by, I notice, you guessed it: it’s the same van! Poor Murray.

Also Monday: So I am a member of NYSC. But I had only been once since I lost my job in mid-March. The first month I was too lazy, and since the nearest one to me is 30 blocks away, I was not motivated to get on the train to go work out. Then I started a new job, so was busy with that. Then I was sick off and on for over a month, which sucked. I had no energy to work out. Anyhow, I got an automated message from them saying “we noticed you have become a lazy lard-butt. Come in for a free personal training session!” Yay! So I scheduled one for Monday with a trainer named “Trey” I show up and he turns out to be my ex-roomie’s ex-roomie (from the apartment he lived in after he moved out of our share). So it was cool, because I was a little nervous about what I would have to say to the trainer. But instead we chatted about our mutual friend and the little info we knew about each other (we’d only met briefly a couple times. That was just another instance of “for having 8 million people, NYC is a small place”

Tuesday: As I mentioned I have been sick off and on for a month. It Sucks. I missed some work, lost my appetite (and that’s saying something), sleep a lot, cough and sneeze. I don’t feel sick in a typical cold/flu way, just yucky. So I woke up Tuesday feeling like I’d swallowed a thumbtack. My brother used to have strep and ear infections so often as a kid that my mom didn’t even have to take him to the doctor, she’d just call the doc and he would call in a prescription to Walgreen’s. All that time, I never caught it from him, but I was pretty sure I had it now. And after 4 hours at the ER/Clinic (I don’t have insurance), they told me I was right. The nurse told me I would be cured by a shot of penicillin. “Great!” I thought as I rolled up my sleeve. The nurse looked at me, laughed, and told me to drop trou. So now my ass hurts more than my throat. I guess it’s a trade-off. But being sick again is going to hinder my gym motivation… especially since my abs hurt a lot when I cough from my training session the other day!