(1) i cannot believe that you still use TISSUES to collect snottage whilst running. if i ever set any kind of example for you, helped you learn anything, i hope it was how to make snot rockets when performing races. this is a skill you need to develop and hone in on in the next few days. just give up. everyone does it. no one cares. spitting is fun too.
(2) gypsy cold care. its a tea that is homeopathic, my friend lauren's alternative medicine blahdeblah recommended it, and i took it two weeks before the bar when i was getting a cold- a day later, snot begone. drink several cups per day. this is even more effective (for me at least) than zinc. plus it doesnt make your tongue feel funny
(3) quincy? youre adorable.
plus- some exciting marathon reading to get your whistle all wet.
xo
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Quincy, Hockey, Other Misc. Items
Hey Miss Annie (et al),
so much to catch up on! i've been a little remiss in writing because i had company all weekend, and I've also got a nasty cold that leaves me honking my nose and coughing up phlegm every five minutes. I keep downing hot water steeped in cinnamon sticks and honey, and I've even taken a sudafed or two, but the stupid thing won't let up. My body is staging a coup--first sickness, and then of course I get my "." last night (sorry, TMI, but I think we have all of 2 male readers), which means the marathon on Sunday will be an f'ing piece of cake. When I went for a run yesterday (indoors, mind you), I made it 3 miles before I just felt too miserable to keep going. My legs and muscles were fine--it was my NOSE that couldn't take it. I couldn't breathe to save my life. I had to keep blowing my nose every twenty feet, and there are only so many wadded up Kleenexes you can stick in your sports bra while running.
I'm glad you got voting out of the way, although it sounds like your Sat was kind of a nightmare. I have my absentee ballot sitting on my desk, but before I send it off, I figure I should research all of these NY State Supreme Court appointees--I've googled a couple, but nothing much comes up. If I don't fill in the circles, does that mean the government worker receiving the ballot will fill in the bubbles for me?
I'm sorry to hear work is getting annoying--I hate that feeling of being helpless/lost, especially when your boss is hovering over you, which only makes it all the more overwhelming. Speaking of overwhelmed--at this point, I am just fighting my way till Christmas, because I will finally get my weekends back (for a short spell). I swear--I can't remember a time when I felt relieved that the weekend is here. Now I just have such a weight of guilt on my shoulders--if I don't get the most out of the 8-10hours on Fri-Sat-Sun, then I am screwed. So when my house guests headed off to a bar to eat buffalo wings and watch the afternoon games, I felt a pang of guilt not being able to go with them, which was quickly superceded by another pang of guilt about my work.
I am glad, however, that I got to do some quality sightseeing/entertaining during the weekend, which included a lovely trip to Quincy, birthplace of John Adams, and also a trip to the Garment District in Porter Sq in Cambridge-- think Ricky's, the old Canal Jeans, and the Salvation Army all rolled into one. I sign off with a little photo montage...
JA's house right across the street from a 7-11 (not pictured).
John Quincy's library. Something like 15K volumes of books...
John and Abigail's retirement home.
John's birthplace.
Didn't get a good shot of this sign as it was blocked, but the wording is hilarious. A feminist scholar would have a field day with this one...
John, his wife, his son John Quincy, and his wife are all buried right next to each other. 
BU vs Michigan, 7-2. An embarrassing game (for Michiganders).
so much to catch up on! i've been a little remiss in writing because i had company all weekend, and I've also got a nasty cold that leaves me honking my nose and coughing up phlegm every five minutes. I keep downing hot water steeped in cinnamon sticks and honey, and I've even taken a sudafed or two, but the stupid thing won't let up. My body is staging a coup--first sickness, and then of course I get my "." last night (sorry, TMI, but I think we have all of 2 male readers), which means the marathon on Sunday will be an f'ing piece of cake. When I went for a run yesterday (indoors, mind you), I made it 3 miles before I just felt too miserable to keep going. My legs and muscles were fine--it was my NOSE that couldn't take it. I couldn't breathe to save my life. I had to keep blowing my nose every twenty feet, and there are only so many wadded up Kleenexes you can stick in your sports bra while running.
I'm glad you got voting out of the way, although it sounds like your Sat was kind of a nightmare. I have my absentee ballot sitting on my desk, but before I send it off, I figure I should research all of these NY State Supreme Court appointees--I've googled a couple, but nothing much comes up. If I don't fill in the circles, does that mean the government worker receiving the ballot will fill in the bubbles for me?
I'm sorry to hear work is getting annoying--I hate that feeling of being helpless/lost, especially when your boss is hovering over you, which only makes it all the more overwhelming. Speaking of overwhelmed--at this point, I am just fighting my way till Christmas, because I will finally get my weekends back (for a short spell). I swear--I can't remember a time when I felt relieved that the weekend is here. Now I just have such a weight of guilt on my shoulders--if I don't get the most out of the 8-10hours on Fri-Sat-Sun, then I am screwed. So when my house guests headed off to a bar to eat buffalo wings and watch the afternoon games, I felt a pang of guilt not being able to go with them, which was quickly superceded by another pang of guilt about my work.
I am glad, however, that I got to do some quality sightseeing/entertaining during the weekend, which included a lovely trip to Quincy, birthplace of John Adams, and also a trip to the Garment District in Porter Sq in Cambridge-- think Ricky's, the old Canal Jeans, and the Salvation Army all rolled into one. I sign off with a little photo montage...
JA's house right across the street from a 7-11 (not pictured).
John Quincy's library. Something like 15K volumes of books...
John and Abigail's retirement home.
John's birthplace.
Didn't get a good shot of this sign as it was blocked, but the wording is hilarious. A feminist scholar would have a field day with this one...
John, his wife, his son John Quincy, and his wife are all buried right next to each other. 
BU vs Michigan, 7-2. An embarrassing game (for Michiganders).
Monday, October 27, 2008
marathon count-down!!!
patty, i just realized that the marathon is this coming weekend! T minus 5 days! can you believe it? how exciting!! i only wish i could be there to hop along with you for a couple of miles illegally, get you going to get up through central park. it sounds like youve been doing a ton of training so i am sure you will kick its behind. (you are still my motivating reason for even still considering the run in miami this january.. it still makes me shiver a little to be honest but ive got until dec 1 before they raise the rate again, so i have time to train & bide my time being indecisive).
work has suddenly become more like work, and less like an afterschool program. the boss is now around all the time, barking, asking me things i dont know, or asking me things i do know, that i wrote in a memo and presented to him, and hes holding onto it, yet still hasnt read it, and expects me to remember it all. wow. a little pent up aggression i'd say. anyway i finally feel like a member of the adult race. i made a casserole yesterday to get me through most of the week, i came home, ran and heated it up. i have turned into a 45 year old woman. i have yet to get cats, but they are predicted by others in the short future. i still dont know if i want responsibility for cleaning up cat vomit again, (oh, r.i.p. marble), but you never know.
halloween plans, anyone? im sad to be missing the parade. last year it was the ethics portion of the bar, i was too busy studying. and this year, ben is coming to visit - but they dont have any kind of parade down here. (well, other than the inappropriately-dressed-tourist-parade on south beach, but really, thats every night).
time to unload the dishwasher. i really am 45.
xoxo
work has suddenly become more like work, and less like an afterschool program. the boss is now around all the time, barking, asking me things i dont know, or asking me things i do know, that i wrote in a memo and presented to him, and hes holding onto it, yet still hasnt read it, and expects me to remember it all. wow. a little pent up aggression i'd say. anyway i finally feel like a member of the adult race. i made a casserole yesterday to get me through most of the week, i came home, ran and heated it up. i have turned into a 45 year old woman. i have yet to get cats, but they are predicted by others in the short future. i still dont know if i want responsibility for cleaning up cat vomit again, (oh, r.i.p. marble), but you never know.
halloween plans, anyone? im sad to be missing the parade. last year it was the ethics portion of the bar, i was too busy studying. and this year, ben is coming to visit - but they dont have any kind of parade down here. (well, other than the inappropriately-dressed-tourist-parade on south beach, but really, thats every night).
time to unload the dishwasher. i really am 45.
xoxo
Sunday, October 26, 2008
early voting
this afternoon i spent 2 & 1/2 hours in line at my local library to get some early voting done. can you believe it? i went with a book, thankfully, one gifted from patty ("american wife") and it is actually very good - loosely based on laura bush's life, correct? its very dramatic actually, and curtis sittenfeld has a way with getting you when you least expect it. i was very very very (let me emphasize) happy to be reading it, of course, but not so happy to be on a long line with a merry group of argentinians behind me, yapping the whole 150 minutes. no joke. a little intense. they were very happy with each other though, it kind of made me sad that i didnt have anyone to wait in line with.
the drama of the day occurred with some "democrats for mccain" who were saying barack obama was scary because of reverend wright, generally, that barack was against white people, unpatriotic, terrorist, etc-- the underlying view being that having a black man in the white house would mean he would infiltrate it with his spooky black possee (al sharpton, wright, etc). one older lady in the crowd kept calling them racists and then saying, "hillary would not be proud of you!". kind of adorable. there was also an obama volunteer who was probably our age, who was walking by and making sure the crowd was ok-- he would call the mccainers racists, and then they would call him the obama nazi, which, given their racist sentiments, was even more oddly out of place.
to be honest, i was (1) shocked that they were even allowed to be campaigning there, but i guess it was more than 100 ft from the polling entrance, and (2) it made me feel very uncomfortable.
not because anyone was going to make me change my mind, but you know, i think by the time you've gotten to the polling place, you've probably made up your mind, and it feels creepy for people to be bantering on about politics. a little weird. plus, not to mention all of the black people & hispanic minorities (although, a majority here) in line where the dems for mccain had huge signs with rev'd wrights face on it, calling him unamerican, terrorist, etc. it just seemed very, wholly inappropriate. im all for free speech, political voices, all of that, i just dont think it needed to happen when we were all trapped there in line. tense. thankfully, i could bask in my semi-true fiction book and try to avoid the controversies.
still, can you believe it? waiting that long? seems insane. when i finally got in there, we had to pass over picture ID as well as our voting-registration confirmation slip, which was aptly confirmed via computer. then, had to sign one of those electronic pads, like for a credit card purchase, before getting a large envelope with two voting forms inside. the actual place where you went to vote was a little cubby hole-- no curtain, like in new york, but rather, a little area where you took a pen, and actually filled out the voting form. it reminded me a little too much of exams, you know, scantron action. plus, it was a long form and there were people like 5 inches behind you, waiting, and then literally within 5 inches on either side of you. with crying babies, people who were chatting, or didnt understand, etc etc etc. chaos!!! no wonder no one votes in the rest of america. what an ordeal. what do you say to an elderly person who wants to vote? hang out here in the sun and wait for 3 hours because we will give you bottled water? wowza. after i was done bubbling in my form, i then had to go to another area where i fed my forms into a large computer. i mean, in a way, very high tech right - sign on electronic key pad, verify i can vote by computer, use a computer to tally the votes... on the other-- bubbling in with a pen. interesting experience, to say the least. makes me appreciate those old lever booths back home, where you can actually have a curtain between you and the rest of the crazies. at least there will be no "hanging chads" this year. i guess they gave up on that system once it horribly failed.
thats all the excitement over here. its been a gray, gray weekend and sadly its already dark now. i think next weekend is daylight savings? i could use a little more vitamin d in my life.
xo
the drama of the day occurred with some "democrats for mccain" who were saying barack obama was scary because of reverend wright, generally, that barack was against white people, unpatriotic, terrorist, etc-- the underlying view being that having a black man in the white house would mean he would infiltrate it with his spooky black possee (al sharpton, wright, etc). one older lady in the crowd kept calling them racists and then saying, "hillary would not be proud of you!". kind of adorable. there was also an obama volunteer who was probably our age, who was walking by and making sure the crowd was ok-- he would call the mccainers racists, and then they would call him the obama nazi, which, given their racist sentiments, was even more oddly out of place.
to be honest, i was (1) shocked that they were even allowed to be campaigning there, but i guess it was more than 100 ft from the polling entrance, and (2) it made me feel very uncomfortable.
not because anyone was going to make me change my mind, but you know, i think by the time you've gotten to the polling place, you've probably made up your mind, and it feels creepy for people to be bantering on about politics. a little weird. plus, not to mention all of the black people & hispanic minorities (although, a majority here) in line where the dems for mccain had huge signs with rev'd wrights face on it, calling him unamerican, terrorist, etc. it just seemed very, wholly inappropriate. im all for free speech, political voices, all of that, i just dont think it needed to happen when we were all trapped there in line. tense. thankfully, i could bask in my semi-true fiction book and try to avoid the controversies.
still, can you believe it? waiting that long? seems insane. when i finally got in there, we had to pass over picture ID as well as our voting-registration confirmation slip, which was aptly confirmed via computer. then, had to sign one of those electronic pads, like for a credit card purchase, before getting a large envelope with two voting forms inside. the actual place where you went to vote was a little cubby hole-- no curtain, like in new york, but rather, a little area where you took a pen, and actually filled out the voting form. it reminded me a little too much of exams, you know, scantron action. plus, it was a long form and there were people like 5 inches behind you, waiting, and then literally within 5 inches on either side of you. with crying babies, people who were chatting, or didnt understand, etc etc etc. chaos!!! no wonder no one votes in the rest of america. what an ordeal. what do you say to an elderly person who wants to vote? hang out here in the sun and wait for 3 hours because we will give you bottled water? wowza. after i was done bubbling in my form, i then had to go to another area where i fed my forms into a large computer. i mean, in a way, very high tech right - sign on electronic key pad, verify i can vote by computer, use a computer to tally the votes... on the other-- bubbling in with a pen. interesting experience, to say the least. makes me appreciate those old lever booths back home, where you can actually have a curtain between you and the rest of the crazies. at least there will be no "hanging chads" this year. i guess they gave up on that system once it horribly failed.
thats all the excitement over here. its been a gray, gray weekend and sadly its already dark now. i think next weekend is daylight savings? i could use a little more vitamin d in my life.
xo
Saturday, October 25, 2008
relief- vapidity returned
thanks for the sweetness p. i am feeling much better and returned to a day in the life of a vapid miamian by sleeping in, sitting on the beach for a few hours, and eating avocado. life is always relative, its just important to appreciate what you've got. i also think being more alone these past few weeks, starting life in miami, has made me much more reflective, since i have the time to do so. theres time to look out the window when im stuck in traffic, or when im the only one actually walking down the street. its lonely of course at times, but its also nice to always have a little me-time.
suffice it to say i didnt make my 6.30AM wake up call, honestly, i didnt even set the alarm. after watching "american ganster" and drinking a delicious pumpkin-halloween-beer from wild oats, i was too tuckered to think about getting up early, let alone my running buddy never wrote back re: where to meet. alas. ive signed up for another run the second week in november, its ironically called "niketown tuesday night running group" yet its meeting on a saturday at noon. this makes me skeptical (you know how i feel about organization and structure) but hopefully it wont be as flakey as the "south beach rum runners" (the group that i was supposed to run with this morning). the world of meetup.com is just kind of ridiculous.
on an interesting note, ive just read over some of the amendments for the florida state constitution in the paper. im planning on voting tomorrow at our local library (how cute! i dorkishly cant wait to get myself a card). reading the roster is kind of insane: theres one provision that apparently relates to immigrants owning property. apparently all states used to have this law that prevented immigrants (read: asians in particular) from owning property. "the majority of state have now repealed these laws; however, Florida and New Mexico are the last to do so." how insane is that? i cant really comprehend that is an actual law. that most states used to have. might as well set some mines at the border while were at it. there's also an amendment that actually (gasp) proposes to use local taxes for community college... again, florida, where have you been? really? ill cease my boring commentary on political life in florida. i still must say i am greatly impressd by the early voting scheme, i think we should have it everywhere. how much more likely would you vote if you could do it at your local library on a sunday afternoon? perfecto.
well im off to the farmers market before it starts to rain. im determined to follow in your footsteps, miss park, and try to make my long runs on the weekends (im currently only clocking in about 19 miles a week, but today im trying to go for an 8 mile run). we shall see. if its pouring outside, i guess ill have to cut it short because i cant bear 8 miles on a treadmill. thats atrocious!!! plus, i dont have nearly enough junky magazines for such a feat. BTW- i kept meaning to tell you, i learned a fabulous running tip- to relax your upper body while running, it helps to squint/slightly close your eyes. no joke, my shoulders are always horribly tense and it makes the run much more comfortable.
im sure i sufficiently made up for my last post by filling this with innane details about life, so i hope we can now overcome that awkwardness. how is the story writing coming along p?
xoxo
suffice it to say i didnt make my 6.30AM wake up call, honestly, i didnt even set the alarm. after watching "american ganster" and drinking a delicious pumpkin-halloween-beer from wild oats, i was too tuckered to think about getting up early, let alone my running buddy never wrote back re: where to meet. alas. ive signed up for another run the second week in november, its ironically called "niketown tuesday night running group" yet its meeting on a saturday at noon. this makes me skeptical (you know how i feel about organization and structure) but hopefully it wont be as flakey as the "south beach rum runners" (the group that i was supposed to run with this morning). the world of meetup.com is just kind of ridiculous.
on an interesting note, ive just read over some of the amendments for the florida state constitution in the paper. im planning on voting tomorrow at our local library (how cute! i dorkishly cant wait to get myself a card). reading the roster is kind of insane: theres one provision that apparently relates to immigrants owning property. apparently all states used to have this law that prevented immigrants (read: asians in particular) from owning property. "the majority of state have now repealed these laws; however, Florida and New Mexico are the last to do so." how insane is that? i cant really comprehend that is an actual law. that most states used to have. might as well set some mines at the border while were at it. there's also an amendment that actually (gasp) proposes to use local taxes for community college... again, florida, where have you been? really? ill cease my boring commentary on political life in florida. i still must say i am greatly impressd by the early voting scheme, i think we should have it everywhere. how much more likely would you vote if you could do it at your local library on a sunday afternoon? perfecto.
well im off to the farmers market before it starts to rain. im determined to follow in your footsteps, miss park, and try to make my long runs on the weekends (im currently only clocking in about 19 miles a week, but today im trying to go for an 8 mile run). we shall see. if its pouring outside, i guess ill have to cut it short because i cant bear 8 miles on a treadmill. thats atrocious!!! plus, i dont have nearly enough junky magazines for such a feat. BTW- i kept meaning to tell you, i learned a fabulous running tip- to relax your upper body while running, it helps to squint/slightly close your eyes. no joke, my shoulders are always horribly tense and it makes the run much more comfortable.
im sure i sufficiently made up for my last post by filling this with innane details about life, so i hope we can now overcome that awkwardness. how is the story writing coming along p?
xoxo
Friday, October 24, 2008
It's hard to follow up a post like that, Annie, because everything else in life--all those crappy day-to-day issues that seem SO important--all pale in comparison to literal life and death circumstances. As I was wandering about the town of Quincy--birthplace of founding fathers John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams--I was more concerned with the dumb stuff like getting a good picture of his house, or making it back in time to catch the trolley. It's funny how often we forget to put things in perspective.
Now that the weekend is here and you've had a chance to (hopefully) have a good night's rest, I hope you're feeling better, Annie. What a mentally and emotionally wrenching week you've had. Miss you lots.
Now that the weekend is here and you've had a chance to (hopefully) have a good night's rest, I hope you're feeling better, Annie. What a mentally and emotionally wrenching week you've had. Miss you lots.
death and other enlightening subjects
work has been very busy since getting back from atlanta. wednesday the storm began to brew, but it really took off yesterday, when we were dealing with a last minute petition to stay an execution. i hadnt wanted to blog about it, but now that its in the news, i assume its public knowledge. just having to think for so many hours that what you are doing legitimately impacts whether someone lives or dies-- even in a small, small way-- is completely unnerving and horrible.
i never really had the need or opportunity to think about the death penalty, other than in a theoretical sense, but here in front of me these last few days was a story about a man who could potentially be killed under it. no matter what we say or think sometimes, opinions about whatever, actually putting yourself into the position of whom you are talking about is, i think, the best way to judge yourself. pro-death penalty? would you have the heart to say someone else should die? if so, would you have the heart to actually kill them yourself? to inject them and watch the poison slowly kill them, because you mixed the wrong dose? or whatever other horror story you could imagine- it happens. how does this make society or us any better? i dont mean to get preachy here, its just been rather unavoidable these past few days, as i am sure it will continue to be in the future.
in the least, it makes me think how lucky i am that after leaving work late on a thursday night, i can think, 'oh, i need to stop at walgreens, get my sister a birthday card, make dinner' but there are so many people who cannot do these things- for whatever reason. it can truly make you appreciate life more, even if just for that moment you think of it, even if then you are distracted by the 10 person line in walgreens.
thats the enlightened topic of the day. patty, if you can find something slightly less depressing to talk about, i salute you.
no real weekend plans, other than (1) a tentative run date tomorrow morning at 7.30AM (kill me) and (2) early voting this weekend. what a brilliant idea, although, i just checked the florida bd of elections website and at some places, the wait is up to 4 hours. can you believe that?! to vote?! our polls also close at 7 i think on election day, super early, thereby preventing a lot of people from getting out. yes, im sure, more enlightening, lively debates here tonight. going to run off my inner turmoil on the treadmill downstairs.
xoxo
i never really had the need or opportunity to think about the death penalty, other than in a theoretical sense, but here in front of me these last few days was a story about a man who could potentially be killed under it. no matter what we say or think sometimes, opinions about whatever, actually putting yourself into the position of whom you are talking about is, i think, the best way to judge yourself. pro-death penalty? would you have the heart to say someone else should die? if so, would you have the heart to actually kill them yourself? to inject them and watch the poison slowly kill them, because you mixed the wrong dose? or whatever other horror story you could imagine- it happens. how does this make society or us any better? i dont mean to get preachy here, its just been rather unavoidable these past few days, as i am sure it will continue to be in the future.
in the least, it makes me think how lucky i am that after leaving work late on a thursday night, i can think, 'oh, i need to stop at walgreens, get my sister a birthday card, make dinner' but there are so many people who cannot do these things- for whatever reason. it can truly make you appreciate life more, even if just for that moment you think of it, even if then you are distracted by the 10 person line in walgreens.
thats the enlightened topic of the day. patty, if you can find something slightly less depressing to talk about, i salute you.
no real weekend plans, other than (1) a tentative run date tomorrow morning at 7.30AM (kill me) and (2) early voting this weekend. what a brilliant idea, although, i just checked the florida bd of elections website and at some places, the wait is up to 4 hours. can you believe that?! to vote?! our polls also close at 7 i think on election day, super early, thereby preventing a lot of people from getting out. yes, im sure, more enlightening, lively debates here tonight. going to run off my inner turmoil on the treadmill downstairs.
xoxo
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
smokey chickens in my kitchens
judge fight, judge flashing, what is next? the restaurant article is barely understandable to me. i rarely eat out here, unless it has to go with cuban/colombian/etc food, which is delicious. and i guess i did have tapas last week. everything here is just so much cheaper than in new york. thats my assessment so far. sometime though, i still managed to spend about $70 at wild oats when all i needed was lettuce, chicken & beans. c'est la vie.
i am trying to roast said chicken right now. it created a smoke storm all over the apartment, set off my alarm (typical) and then i finally opened my windows. first time ever! now the smoke has somewhat abated, my chicken is roasting in a nice little hispanic adobe spice blend from the neighborhood market, and i am starving. well, just one more hour....
everytime a workweek is shorter, it makes it more intense. is this a fact of life? today was a record-breaking 10.5 hours. i wouldnt normally complain, its just that i have gotten used to the prompt leaving time. theres a huge case that is coming up though, and so i cannot complain. better to think about spending a weekend at work here than in a ny law firm where i would no doubt be silently hating everything. at least it feels meaningful here.
time to baste my baby. i hear there is some roller-girl-derbying going on in fort lauderdale this weekend, im considering purchasing a solo ticket, just so i can experience it. apparently seats on the floor are more expensive because it is also the "crash zone". one is advised to bring their own pillow for double the fun. (and remember, the place is not liable if some girl kicks your ass by accident). kind of amazing. i feel like i once heard about this in the bronx but it became somehow unattainable. now... its deliciously tempting.
xoxo
i am trying to roast said chicken right now. it created a smoke storm all over the apartment, set off my alarm (typical) and then i finally opened my windows. first time ever! now the smoke has somewhat abated, my chicken is roasting in a nice little hispanic adobe spice blend from the neighborhood market, and i am starving. well, just one more hour....
everytime a workweek is shorter, it makes it more intense. is this a fact of life? today was a record-breaking 10.5 hours. i wouldnt normally complain, its just that i have gotten used to the prompt leaving time. theres a huge case that is coming up though, and so i cannot complain. better to think about spending a weekend at work here than in a ny law firm where i would no doubt be silently hating everything. at least it feels meaningful here.
time to baste my baby. i hear there is some roller-girl-derbying going on in fort lauderdale this weekend, im considering purchasing a solo ticket, just so i can experience it. apparently seats on the floor are more expensive because it is also the "crash zone". one is advised to bring their own pillow for double the fun. (and remember, the place is not liable if some girl kicks your ass by accident). kind of amazing. i feel like i once heard about this in the bronx but it became somehow unattainable. now... its deliciously tempting.
xoxo
from the NYT: Miami restaurants take a hit during recession...
Hey Annie,
Just saw this in the NYT. Thought of you--maybe you can try the "Recession Cruncher" special:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/dining/22nation.html?pagewanted=2&ref=dining
Just saw this in the NYT. Thought of you--maybe you can try the "Recession Cruncher" special:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/dining/22nation.html?pagewanted=2&ref=dining
MIAMI
Restaurateurs here say that in the past few weeks, conversations have turned from beaches to budgets.
Ms. Bernstein, 38, the chef and a partner at Michy’s, said her business is down about 20 percent from the same time last year.
Diners, she said, now buy one bottle of wine instead of two, and often order fewer items from her menu, which includes full and half portions. Rising prices have added to the squeeze.
“Flour is up 85 to 100 percent,” she said. “We can’t raise our prices because we can’t lose you.”
On Lincoln Road, the main restaurant row of South Beach, owners and managers described wild swings from night to night.
“Some days we’re off by $100,” said Vinny Cartiglia, a manager at Balans, where the most popular item is the sea bass ($22.95). “Some days it’s by $2,000 or $3,000.”
Restaurants with predictable food at decent prices seem to be doing better. Bars with football fare (burgers, wings, quesadillas) report that business has stayed roughly even since last year, as do the South American cafeterias that dot most Miami neighborhoods.
Some restaurants with more sophisticated offerings have tried to adjust.
Icebox Cafe in Miami Beach, which offers New American fare with a focus on seafood, wine and layer cakes, now offers a “recession cruncher” menu that includes a stuffed red pepper with a beef and rice filling for $12. The owners have also had some success with new, affordable family take-out: a loaf pan of meatloaf, with nine servings, goes for $18.
But perhaps no one understands the city’s stomachs — and wallets — better than Myles Chefetz. He owns four restaurants here.
In an interview at the sleek steakhouse Prime One Twelve, he rattled off his sales numbers. The Big Pink diner was flat. Nemo, an American bistro that has been open for 14 years: down 10 percent. Shoji Sushi: down 13 percent.
And Prime One Twelve, where the average check is $105? Up 6 percent over last year.
To explain why, Mr. Chefetz walked into the restaurant’s softly lighted, crowded dining room. He pointed to a powerful developer who could still afford expensive wine. Mr. Chefetz walked outside. A $200,000 Bentley was parked near the curb. He said he planned to open a high-end Italian restaurant across the street later this year.
“The people here with a lot of money,” he said. “They’re still going out.”Tuesday, October 21, 2008
back from cold-lanta
just got back to miami, from atlanta, wholly unprepared with no winterized or even autumnized clothing. i purchased myself a souvinier scarf and tights, although there is no indication they are from atlanta. sadness! i did manage to try this chick-fillet rage of the south, it was not bad, but then again, whenever i eat processed chicken breast i always think, "what did they put into this?". surely, no chicken breast sandwich that is grilled is naturally juicey. i shudder to think what they injected into that poor bird.
work was good. we got in sunday night, after running like animals to catch the plane. well, two of the three of us were running. we lost a coworker over at security, where he was pulled aside for an indepth-seach, while me & the new coworker hustled. ok, well, I hustled. this involved me having 10 minutes before *take off*, running from gate 1 to gate 47, in miami international airport, which, if youve ever been to, you will know is poorly organized, windy, and inefficiently long. i was running in my little kitten heels, so making a clip-clop noise as i teared down the corridors, people jumping out of my way as i screamed, "EXCUSE ME!!!!". i got on the plane in time, after our third oral-warning that the plane was leaving via loudspeaker, and arrived in my seat covered in a sheathe of sweat. it was pretty miraculous. nick, the said co-worker, arrived shortly thereafter, telling me that he "hit the wall" a few gates back but thankfully pushed through triumphantly. we knew it was over for jason once they gave his seat to a stand-by-er. ah well.
that night we went out with my friend blake from law school, and his wife, to a cute weird place over in "midtown" atlanta, something looking vaguely bar/fish shack-like, where we chowed on po' boys and beer. delish. then monday all day was orientation, followed by cocktails with our collective bosses (although still we are tickled by the fact that it was called a "cocktail reception", and yet, we had to buy our own cocktails. thats the government for you), followed by more drinks at another bar, hilariously called "sidebar" as in, what a lawyer asks for with a judge when at trial. "judge, sidebar?" and then they discuss little issues like whether evidence a b or c should come in. kind of witty. it was conveniently located across the street from the courthouse.
today we were back at work in our visiting office, heard a case, and then headed back to the hotel, then to the airport. unfortunately i didnt get that much time to stroll around the city & check it out, although i did attempt the following pictures to capture the atlanta glory.
atlanta metro, also called "marta." very deep in the ground, like in d.c., with scary escalators and no other way out.
the view outside my hotel room on monday morning. i like to call this, "the sun kisses atlanta." pretty morning light.
this i just thought was adorable. even better is its luckie street, nw, which implies that there is another luckie street, sw. who knew such goodness could be on so many different levels?
i am glad to be back in miami, if only because i dont need tights here. i live in perpetual summer time, the sky is blue, ocean greenish-blue, and my skin tan. yes, tan. no splotchy freckles on my face, sorry patty, although the invitation is always open.
im off to enjoy the sun for a run before it gets dark. then i suppose ill have to unpack my wrinkled suit and consider ironing it before then hanging it up and worrying about that later.
xo
work was good. we got in sunday night, after running like animals to catch the plane. well, two of the three of us were running. we lost a coworker over at security, where he was pulled aside for an indepth-seach, while me & the new coworker hustled. ok, well, I hustled. this involved me having 10 minutes before *take off*, running from gate 1 to gate 47, in miami international airport, which, if youve ever been to, you will know is poorly organized, windy, and inefficiently long. i was running in my little kitten heels, so making a clip-clop noise as i teared down the corridors, people jumping out of my way as i screamed, "EXCUSE ME!!!!". i got on the plane in time, after our third oral-warning that the plane was leaving via loudspeaker, and arrived in my seat covered in a sheathe of sweat. it was pretty miraculous. nick, the said co-worker, arrived shortly thereafter, telling me that he "hit the wall" a few gates back but thankfully pushed through triumphantly. we knew it was over for jason once they gave his seat to a stand-by-er. ah well.
that night we went out with my friend blake from law school, and his wife, to a cute weird place over in "midtown" atlanta, something looking vaguely bar/fish shack-like, where we chowed on po' boys and beer. delish. then monday all day was orientation, followed by cocktails with our collective bosses (although still we are tickled by the fact that it was called a "cocktail reception", and yet, we had to buy our own cocktails. thats the government for you), followed by more drinks at another bar, hilariously called "sidebar" as in, what a lawyer asks for with a judge when at trial. "judge, sidebar?" and then they discuss little issues like whether evidence a b or c should come in. kind of witty. it was conveniently located across the street from the courthouse.
today we were back at work in our visiting office, heard a case, and then headed back to the hotel, then to the airport. unfortunately i didnt get that much time to stroll around the city & check it out, although i did attempt the following pictures to capture the atlanta glory.
atlanta metro, also called "marta." very deep in the ground, like in d.c., with scary escalators and no other way out.
the view outside my hotel room on monday morning. i like to call this, "the sun kisses atlanta." pretty morning light.
this i just thought was adorable. even better is its luckie street, nw, which implies that there is another luckie street, sw. who knew such goodness could be on so many different levels?i am glad to be back in miami, if only because i dont need tights here. i live in perpetual summer time, the sky is blue, ocean greenish-blue, and my skin tan. yes, tan. no splotchy freckles on my face, sorry patty, although the invitation is always open.
im off to enjoy the sun for a run before it gets dark. then i suppose ill have to unpack my wrinkled suit and consider ironing it before then hanging it up and worrying about that later.
xo
Bleh! Missives from the BU library
This blog seems to be a repository for my kvetching re school work. Am writing to you all now from the theology library, as I feel like I've overstayed my welcome at the law library. If there is such a thing as a library "whore," I am it. I've hit up four of them so far, just like 5 more to go. I was up till 5:30 this morning writing a paper on Ian Watt and formal realism, and I also just turned in a paper re Great Expectations. So, as you can probably imagine, I am--as ever--running on fumes. Speaking of running, Boston is grey and overcast today, so my Tues night running dates with a former colleague at MIT Press might have to be postponed.
Speaking again of running-- When my mother came up to visit Columbus Day wknd, she noted the speckled coloring on my face. I had been clocking in a number of miles outdoors for the past couple of months (what with, oh I don't know, training for a little something called the freaking NYC marathon), and I don't really wear sunscreen because the stuff keeps running into my eyes. The result: the tan on my face is (hopefully only a little) uneven. My mother took one look at me and was like, "You need to eat more Vitamin C. That's why your face looks like that" and she shoved a Ziploc bag of the tablets into my hands. Then my father said, "Patty-ah, we should have brought you some vegetables," before unloading a cooler's worth of apples, olives, and frozen meat into my fridge.
The Korean grocer parents that they are, they're very concerned with both the things that go in as well as the things that come out of my body. Most parents ask, "How was your day?" or "What did you learn in school?" My mother starts conversations at the dinner table like, "What shape was your stool this morning?" She wants to know the consistency, color, and frequency of said stool, and then she prescribes little homeopathic remedies, like not eating any white-colored foods, or making sure my head points to the North when I go to sleep at night. Her advice comes straight out of a Medieval spell book.
Anyway, this is all just a means of saying: I will unfortunately have to make do with the speckled tan, as the weather in Boston has gotten pretty cold, and I don't see myself laying out in a bikini on a grassy knoll anytime soon. Short of visiting a tanning salon, I will have to wait until a possible trip to South Beach...? or just deal with it.
I'm running off to class shortly, so I can talk about free indirect discourse and how it applies to Jane Austen and a little critic named D.A. Miller, so signing off for the moment... Cheers!
Speaking again of running-- When my mother came up to visit Columbus Day wknd, she noted the speckled coloring on my face. I had been clocking in a number of miles outdoors for the past couple of months (what with, oh I don't know, training for a little something called the freaking NYC marathon), and I don't really wear sunscreen because the stuff keeps running into my eyes. The result: the tan on my face is (hopefully only a little) uneven. My mother took one look at me and was like, "You need to eat more Vitamin C. That's why your face looks like that" and she shoved a Ziploc bag of the tablets into my hands. Then my father said, "Patty-ah, we should have brought you some vegetables," before unloading a cooler's worth of apples, olives, and frozen meat into my fridge.
The Korean grocer parents that they are, they're very concerned with both the things that go in as well as the things that come out of my body. Most parents ask, "How was your day?" or "What did you learn in school?" My mother starts conversations at the dinner table like, "What shape was your stool this morning?" She wants to know the consistency, color, and frequency of said stool, and then she prescribes little homeopathic remedies, like not eating any white-colored foods, or making sure my head points to the North when I go to sleep at night. Her advice comes straight out of a Medieval spell book.
Anyway, this is all just a means of saying: I will unfortunately have to make do with the speckled tan, as the weather in Boston has gotten pretty cold, and I don't see myself laying out in a bikini on a grassy knoll anytime soon. Short of visiting a tanning salon, I will have to wait until a possible trip to South Beach...? or just deal with it.
I'm running off to class shortly, so I can talk about free indirect discourse and how it applies to Jane Austen and a little critic named D.A. Miller, so signing off for the moment... Cheers!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
99 Bottles of Beer, G&T's, Riesling, PBR, & Pumpkin Ale on the Wall...
I told myself this blog would not become a drinking log, for two main reasons:
(1) My life in Boston has been pretty austere to date
and
(2) Drinking logs are only interesting to those who are, well, drinking.
But last night--well rather, this morning, since I got home at 4:30 in the AM--was rather unprecedented, and it seems like we both had late-night weekends. Mine, sadly, did not feature a rooftop bar or flamenco dancing. But this one party I went to did have people wearing plastic Viking helmets and axes (okay, really just one dude, and he stored the URL to our blog in his iphone--eep), and this other dude was named after Lord Byron, and there were just way too many sapphire and tonics involved.
I started out at a birthday party at this Asian-fusion bar/lounge in Hahvard Square called OM. I was afraid it might be too hip for school, but I was actually surprised to find that there were no bitchy girls strutting about in stilettos, or dudes with gelled hair and button downs with the collar popped up. People were actually NICE, despite the fact that I pushed my way past them, clambering to the bar or bathroom. Back in NY, I swear some stupid girl in a halter top would have "accidentally" spilled her drink on me. Everyone at this particular party was either:
(A) Married
(B) of Asiatic descent
(C) a University of Michigan alum
(D) a software engineer
or (E) all of the above
There were also like 4 white dude-Asian woman couples, so at least that was consistent with the usual demographics in NY.
By the time I stumbled out of the bar (the bartender hooked it up with strong--albeit overpriced--g&t's that didn't hit me until I left), it was midnight, and I wanted to catch the T before it stopped running. I was heading to a Swattie house party one stop away at Porter Sq. And can I just say: the percentage of over-educated people per square foot at this party was pretty overwhelming. I'm surprised there weren't equations and sh*t on the wall. Everyone at this particular party was either:
(A) a Harvard government PhD'er
(B) a Harvard medical researcher
(C) a Tufts biology PhD'er
(D) a Viking
(E) all of the above... wait, that doesn't quite work this time around...
I may have been the only right-brainer at the party, though I'm sure anyone there would have been happy to debate the construct of "right-brainedness" with me. Note to self: I am NOT allowed to get that drunk again. I am mortified to think I was "that girl" at the party, listing to one side while babbling nonsense about Fulbrights and novels. I even practiced all of my Dutch with a Dutch scientist couple: Hugo de Groot Straat (Hugo Grotius Street), pannekoeken huis (pancake house), and dank u wel (thank you very much). Needless to say, I was a hit.
I had a great time, though I felt horrible for the kind hosts who offered to let me crash on their futon. Instead, I drunk-dialed 4 cab companies, only to get answering machines at all but one. As I sat on the porch steps waiting for the car to come, one of the guys I was talking with earlier came outside and was like, "You're really funny. We should hang out sometime." In my g&t, PBR, and Riesling induced state, I was like, wow, people in Boston are so nice. Here's a nice gay young fellow, and he wants to be my friend. He even stored his number into my phone for me, since I was clearly too impaired to do it myself. Then I thought about it some more, and I'm like, wait a minute... I had no actual proof that he was gay; maybe he's actually straight. And then I felt mortified again, because I probably babbled something about wanting to set him up with one of the guys in my program.
This morning, I had to run out for a good ole' egg & cheese on a roll, washed down by Ginger ale. I hope I actually make it to the library today, but I should probably wash off last night's makeup first...
(1) My life in Boston has been pretty austere to date
and
(2) Drinking logs are only interesting to those who are, well, drinking.
But last night--well rather, this morning, since I got home at 4:30 in the AM--was rather unprecedented, and it seems like we both had late-night weekends. Mine, sadly, did not feature a rooftop bar or flamenco dancing. But this one party I went to did have people wearing plastic Viking helmets and axes (okay, really just one dude, and he stored the URL to our blog in his iphone--eep), and this other dude was named after Lord Byron, and there were just way too many sapphire and tonics involved.
I started out at a birthday party at this Asian-fusion bar/lounge in Hahvard Square called OM. I was afraid it might be too hip for school, but I was actually surprised to find that there were no bitchy girls strutting about in stilettos, or dudes with gelled hair and button downs with the collar popped up. People were actually NICE, despite the fact that I pushed my way past them, clambering to the bar or bathroom. Back in NY, I swear some stupid girl in a halter top would have "accidentally" spilled her drink on me. Everyone at this particular party was either:
(A) Married
(B) of Asiatic descent
(C) a University of Michigan alum
(D) a software engineer
or (E) all of the above
There were also like 4 white dude-Asian woman couples, so at least that was consistent with the usual demographics in NY.
By the time I stumbled out of the bar (the bartender hooked it up with strong--albeit overpriced--g&t's that didn't hit me until I left), it was midnight, and I wanted to catch the T before it stopped running. I was heading to a Swattie house party one stop away at Porter Sq. And can I just say: the percentage of over-educated people per square foot at this party was pretty overwhelming. I'm surprised there weren't equations and sh*t on the wall. Everyone at this particular party was either:
(A) a Harvard government PhD'er
(B) a Harvard medical researcher
(C) a Tufts biology PhD'er
(D) a Viking
(E) all of the above... wait, that doesn't quite work this time around...
I may have been the only right-brainer at the party, though I'm sure anyone there would have been happy to debate the construct of "right-brainedness" with me. Note to self: I am NOT allowed to get that drunk again. I am mortified to think I was "that girl" at the party, listing to one side while babbling nonsense about Fulbrights and novels. I even practiced all of my Dutch with a Dutch scientist couple: Hugo de Groot Straat (Hugo Grotius Street), pannekoeken huis (pancake house), and dank u wel (thank you very much). Needless to say, I was a hit.
I had a great time, though I felt horrible for the kind hosts who offered to let me crash on their futon. Instead, I drunk-dialed 4 cab companies, only to get answering machines at all but one. As I sat on the porch steps waiting for the car to come, one of the guys I was talking with earlier came outside and was like, "You're really funny. We should hang out sometime." In my g&t, PBR, and Riesling induced state, I was like, wow, people in Boston are so nice. Here's a nice gay young fellow, and he wants to be my friend. He even stored his number into my phone for me, since I was clearly too impaired to do it myself. Then I thought about it some more, and I'm like, wait a minute... I had no actual proof that he was gay; maybe he's actually straight. And then I felt mortified again, because I probably babbled something about wanting to set him up with one of the guys in my program.
This morning, I had to run out for a good ole' egg & cheese on a roll, washed down by Ginger ale. I hope I actually make it to the library today, but I should probably wash off last night's makeup first...
dancing / beaching / flamenco life
first: the sushi/thai phemonemon is relatively common. we had one back in saratoga during college. but actually, right after i read that comment of yours, i noticed that approximately 15 sushi/thai restaurants in miami. no joke!
i am super duper tired, but i dont know why. i got a good chunk of sleep last night. friday i was out with candice & her friends, at a rooftop bar in south beach. there was no pool, but there were red water bed sofas, where everyone was lounging. it was actually pretty chill, neve that loud, and i met some great girls, which was a lot of fun. it did, of course, make me miss my own girls, but the time was great nonetheless. candice knew the bartender so all drinks were free, meaning annie could not stop drinking dirty martinis. but- i didnt have to worry about driving, since i amazingly took the bus downtown. no joke! i am in love with public transport, as you all know, but here its much more shady. i feel like the bus in nyc is acceptable, but here, it was me and lots of sketchies. including one random guy who looked like he was already wasted and barely holding it together.
anyway, the bar. after the rooftop, we then walked over to the delano where we danced around tables where older men were getting bottles and the younger women they were with were gyrating their little hearts out (but not in a good way... dancing i mean!!!). that too was fun, but it was also 3AM, and the time when you have long stopped drinking & substituted water for martinis. it was, in other words, time for bed. all in all, a lot of fun, sassy girls, no pretention, and it was just so sweet that candice had invited me out.
yesterday was another beautiful day so i spent a few hours at the beach. i know i know, rough life, right?? no, really, it was gorgeous. sorry to rub it in. the water was a little colder than usual, but it felt wonderful being that the sun was so hot. then, for some reason, i thought it would be a good idea to go for a long run along the beach after laying out for hours. (theres a portion of the beach that has a wooden boardwalk around 47 street down to about 19th st or so, pretty cute- although for some reason, lots of orthodox jews in that area, walking their babies on the boardwalk. i think 47th street might be like the borough park of miami). anyway this run inevitably resulted in a horrible stomach-ache and headache that made me think i might vomit. why?? i dont know.
after nursing my stomach back to pseudo-life with some tea, i then went out to meet my coworkers for dinner at a tapas & flamenco joint. speaking of things that would never exist in new york.... the interior of the restaurant was big, but one of the walls was fashioned like the exterior of a spanish building in spain, you know, little balconies, etc. there was a stage with a guy playing guitar & singing, someone on drums, and then two dancers- male & female, amazing!!! very loud of course, but they would take breaks while we could chat, and of course who doesnt love tapas - garlicky, olive-oilly, deliciousness. i also had my first snail. i thought it was a mushroom. apparently i was mistaken. it was smothered in this thicky, brown, rich, french-like sauce, also delicious.
watching the flamenco, i thought, why dont i try that?? the woman was probably in her forties or fifties, a little larger than you would normally think of a dancer, but so graceful and powerful, shaking her hips all over the place. her male companion was wearing a shirt unbuttoned down to his navel, with a haircut like rod stewart, red dancing shoes on, and an attitude that clearly said, "i am machismo!! but i am also liking to sway my hips." he was a younger guy, and took himself and his crafted sexiness very very seriously. it was highly entertaining. all through the night, some women would join them on stage & dance the flamenco. i think this might be because-- the restaurant also offers lessons!!! yes, i hear that for $75 you can have a long lesson & lunch. am i nerd? because that sounds amazing. it made me, nonetheless, consider taking lessons while im here. i've seen a lot of ads for flamenco classes, could be very fun to do.
wow, a lot of typing! so much to say. this afternoon we fly to atlanta. i am thinking that dinner should happen at this place called six feet under, a bar that is across the street from a cemetary. i am also looking forward to experiencing southern food. i live in cuba so we dont get much of that. the only awkwardness (potentially) is that i am going with my two male co-workers, one of whom just started last week, so i dont quite have a handle on him yet. the other is very sweet and nice enough, but not that social. should be a "time" for sure.
time to refuel on coffee before heading out for a run. lets cross the fingers i dont get sick this time.
xoxo
i am super duper tired, but i dont know why. i got a good chunk of sleep last night. friday i was out with candice & her friends, at a rooftop bar in south beach. there was no pool, but there were red water bed sofas, where everyone was lounging. it was actually pretty chill, neve that loud, and i met some great girls, which was a lot of fun. it did, of course, make me miss my own girls, but the time was great nonetheless. candice knew the bartender so all drinks were free, meaning annie could not stop drinking dirty martinis. but- i didnt have to worry about driving, since i amazingly took the bus downtown. no joke! i am in love with public transport, as you all know, but here its much more shady. i feel like the bus in nyc is acceptable, but here, it was me and lots of sketchies. including one random guy who looked like he was already wasted and barely holding it together.
anyway, the bar. after the rooftop, we then walked over to the delano where we danced around tables where older men were getting bottles and the younger women they were with were gyrating their little hearts out (but not in a good way... dancing i mean!!!). that too was fun, but it was also 3AM, and the time when you have long stopped drinking & substituted water for martinis. it was, in other words, time for bed. all in all, a lot of fun, sassy girls, no pretention, and it was just so sweet that candice had invited me out.
yesterday was another beautiful day so i spent a few hours at the beach. i know i know, rough life, right?? no, really, it was gorgeous. sorry to rub it in. the water was a little colder than usual, but it felt wonderful being that the sun was so hot. then, for some reason, i thought it would be a good idea to go for a long run along the beach after laying out for hours. (theres a portion of the beach that has a wooden boardwalk around 47 street down to about 19th st or so, pretty cute- although for some reason, lots of orthodox jews in that area, walking their babies on the boardwalk. i think 47th street might be like the borough park of miami). anyway this run inevitably resulted in a horrible stomach-ache and headache that made me think i might vomit. why?? i dont know.
after nursing my stomach back to pseudo-life with some tea, i then went out to meet my coworkers for dinner at a tapas & flamenco joint. speaking of things that would never exist in new york.... the interior of the restaurant was big, but one of the walls was fashioned like the exterior of a spanish building in spain, you know, little balconies, etc. there was a stage with a guy playing guitar & singing, someone on drums, and then two dancers- male & female, amazing!!! very loud of course, but they would take breaks while we could chat, and of course who doesnt love tapas - garlicky, olive-oilly, deliciousness. i also had my first snail. i thought it was a mushroom. apparently i was mistaken. it was smothered in this thicky, brown, rich, french-like sauce, also delicious.
watching the flamenco, i thought, why dont i try that?? the woman was probably in her forties or fifties, a little larger than you would normally think of a dancer, but so graceful and powerful, shaking her hips all over the place. her male companion was wearing a shirt unbuttoned down to his navel, with a haircut like rod stewart, red dancing shoes on, and an attitude that clearly said, "i am machismo!! but i am also liking to sway my hips." he was a younger guy, and took himself and his crafted sexiness very very seriously. it was highly entertaining. all through the night, some women would join them on stage & dance the flamenco. i think this might be because-- the restaurant also offers lessons!!! yes, i hear that for $75 you can have a long lesson & lunch. am i nerd? because that sounds amazing. it made me, nonetheless, consider taking lessons while im here. i've seen a lot of ads for flamenco classes, could be very fun to do.
wow, a lot of typing! so much to say. this afternoon we fly to atlanta. i am thinking that dinner should happen at this place called six feet under, a bar that is across the street from a cemetary. i am also looking forward to experiencing southern food. i live in cuba so we dont get much of that. the only awkwardness (potentially) is that i am going with my two male co-workers, one of whom just started last week, so i dont quite have a handle on him yet. the other is very sweet and nice enough, but not that social. should be a "time" for sure.
time to refuel on coffee before heading out for a run. lets cross the fingers i dont get sick this time.
xoxo
Friday, October 17, 2008
Boston: Thai Food, Random Sing-Along Piano Bars
So my brother, cousins, and I went out for Thai food tonight at this place called Montien, in the theatre district, on Stuart off of Tremont. The food was pricey for Thai food--I mean, come on, 13 bucks for pad thai?--but it was still decent. Also, it was kind of weird that this place also served sushi, too. The last thing I'd want for my sushi chef to be in Thai (no offense). It's just that you can't leave the handling of raw fish to just anybody.
Since I've been marathon training, though, I've been eating like a freakin cow, it's kind of ridiculous. I've also lately been craving sugar and sweets very badly--something is very wrong with me.
We were with my underaged cousin and her friend, so we came upon the dilemma of where to go afterwards. We literally spent about 30-45min hemming and hawing about where to go--should we try the bars near my apt, where I haven't been carded? Is it going to be tough for a Friday night? What should we do? I caught a glimpse of a Paulaner umbrella just down the block on Stuart, so I suggested we check it out. We stumbled into this this huge, high-ceilinged bar called Jacob Wirth that reminded me of JG Mellon's on the UES. Apparently it was their Friday night sing-along. There was this huge group of 20 something people gathered around this old guy at the piano, singing show tunes and Elton John and the like. And at each table, there was a song book with lyrics. It was like live karaoke. They also had a beer menu of 30+ brews, including $8 Bud Light pitchers. Sold! Um, it was just the kind of awesome, campy thing that could never exist somewhere as cynical as NY. It's like, people were unapologetically singing to Les Mis or Billy Joel or whatever. I bet there were at least a few college acappella groups in the general audience.
Anyway, I'm about to pass out soon--tomorrow is my running group's first birthday, and there's promise of a keg of Blue Moon at 11:30 in the AM...
More family time in Boston
My brother (top, to the right), my cousin Phillip (top to the left), and my cousin Spencer (second photo, with the cap) came to visit Boston! Well, they were actually here for a natural food convention, but my cousins Jeannie (second photo, glasses) and thought it was just an excuse for them to see us =).We went to Ginza, a Japanese restaurant in Brookline, conveniently half a block from my apt. Why is Japanese food in Boston so freakin expensive? We asked for a sushi boat, and they only gave us a little boat. We asked for a bigger boat. They don't give bigger boats.
Next we went to an old man bar called O'Leary's, also conveniently one block from me. We walked into the middle of some Irish folk band, and we were the youngest people there by about 2 generations. Their Sam Adams' Boston Lager was kind of skunky. So we hightailed it out of there, and headed to a bar right next door called Beacon St Tavern, where thankfully there were some youngish people. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the debate. Unfortunately, we were catching the tail end of it, so I was sorry that we missed the drama. I continue to be surprised by how nice people are here. As I wedged my way up to the bar, this guy--who was sitting with two girls, so it couldn't have been motivated by anything but kindness, I think--was like, "Oh, do you need room?" and he scooted over so I could order. Who does that? Well, I do that, but no one ever does that for me back in NY. I was pleasantly surprised.
On a separate note.... YAY! I finished my Fulbright application. Well, I'm still waiting for one more rec to come in the mail--fingers crossed that it will arrive by Monday--and I have to pick up my foreign language exam results in about an hour. But... I submitted it all online electronically, and hallefreakinlujah. Now back to my real school work.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
ha-liarious!!!
last night i went to see david sedaris do a little reading at the adrienne arscht art center (tiny picture above- very cool building). i was flying solo, and was a little lonely at first, but dealt with it rather well i think. you know, leaning against a pillar in the lobby, checking the text messages, waiting until the crowd filtered into the concert hall, when little david sedaris walks around me with his little tote bag, and went over to this table he had set up for book signing. several of his friends were there and they all hugged. it was a very personal moment to see david prior to his lecture (even though there were tons of people in the lobby with us).
the reading was, of course, hilarious. he is such a funny writer, and his delivery is fantastic. the entire audience was laughing their heads off together. a very universal moment.
being that this happened in miami, however, guarantees that there were some special "miami" moments that i have to share right now.
(1) the mother-daughter in the lobby. shortly after david sedaris walked by, a mother-daughter pair walked by. black dresses, tight, forever-21 ish, weird long bell sleeves, like L.A. style. each dress had different animal print flare on it, the kind that isnt just black and white or orange and black, but the kind that is reprinted in pink or green- you know, minor flare, but flare nonetheless. heavy black eye liner, all around. lipstick. long, long hair that needed a trim or deep conditioning. have you ever??? all i could think was, these people? are at the same reading i am? these people like david sedaris?
(2) every woman i saw walking to & fro the bathroom (you know, my constant bladder) was consistently dressed to the 9s. wearing skimpy dresses that showed off every line of underwear (yes, even thongs)- very very tight. heels. hair blown out. serious make-up. again. are these women at the same thing? the same reading? they read???
(3) my seat was way up high, third tier, but great view of the stage. it wasnt too crowded up there, but there were people on my sides & in back. lets talk about the people in back of me. it was a guy, in the middle, and a girl on each side. friends. the guy kept talking about himself- one of those people, "you know i was so successful in banking because i really took the initiative (insert story about how amazing he was at being assertive here)". this kind of "conversation" went on for a while. each time he said something, one of the girls would vacantly, vapidly say something along the lines of "ohhhh wooooww, (insert the last three words the guy said here". thus, each parcel of the conversation would go like this:
guy: "yeah, i mean, i really think you need to try at work to make your supervisors take notice, because thats what ive done, and its extremely successful."
girl 1: "ooooh wooow, its been extremely successful?"
guy: "i mean, not everyone can do it, but there is certainly always room for people who push themselves, and thats what i did, and its really worked."
girl 2: "yeaah, wooow, so you really pushed yourself?"
im not joking here. the worst part of this exchange, other than hearing these inane conversation, was that they then started talking about new york. he said he had moved to miami from new york after september 11. that he knew people who died, which of course, the girls responded to by saying "oooh wooooow you knew people who dieeeed??". shortly thereafter, one of the girls said, "yes, everytime i go to new york, i cry." this borders inbetween, to me, hilarity and serious angry or discomfort- like really? youre bragging that you knew people who died in sept 11? who are you?
how is this possible? its just miami.
it gets better. because it was a funny show, people kept laughing of course, no holds barred. then, i could hear the guy behind me laughing. very distinct. very short. very awkward. a "ha. ha. ha." kind of laugher, monotone, without much volume, but a deep male voice. "ha. ha. ha." at times there were moments of "ha. ha." or even just a plain "ha." but it never sounded like he was actually getting or enjoying the reading. my stereotypical insights made me think perhaps he was uncomfortable with the gay references, but moreso, perhaps he was just uncomfortable with himself. here was this person who surrounded himself with a vacuum of girls chorusing his very words, and at the end, he was just a mildly unamuzed laugher. i mean, sad.
when i was driving out of the garage after the show, i somehow ran over a curb which made a horrible noise, and made my car clunk down again. i briefly considered getting out to check the damage, but instead, drove away quickly, worried that the line of people behind me would recognize i really had no idea where i was going or how to actually pull out of a garage. oh, miami.
tomorrow is friday, thankfully, and i am much looking forward to going out with candice and her friends, who will be in town. it should be a lot of fun. at least, i am looking forward to meeting some new people, seeing some more ridiculous outfits, hearing more vapidity, but more importantly, experiencing the bizarreness that is surely the meatpacking district of the sunshine state. saturday its supposed to be sunny, hot & beachy, and then sunday i am off to atlanta for a few days. a good few days ahead i.am.positive!!!
xoxo
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
family weekend
adorable pictures of your parents & boston sightseeing!got back late last night (1.30 a.m. home-time!) from the long weekend. amherst was absolutely beautiful, brings me back to those college days in the fall. very cute town! we rented a white, ford mustang convertible to make the drive early saturday morning. while we did not request that magic automobile, we were luckily blessed with it. i think the majority of the way i was hovering between 70 and 80 mph, a really fun ride (albeit, leaving hair looking a little crazy). the wedding itself was wonderful as well, the ceremony was incredibly personal and touching and honest, and you could hear a chorus of sniffling crying people all the way through. pretty good sign, i think.
it was also great to reconnect with everyone and have friends for the weekend! although i must admit, i do like annie time without any other interruptions sometimes. but i must admit, i am contemplating an animal, especially now, when i just want a little cuddly friend.
got to see my mom, sister & dad as well before i left, and got a random haircut on the upper west side. i just couldnt deal with the shag getting longer and every place i called in miami was quoting me $100. in fact, my haircut on the u.w.s. took 15 minutes. i mean, its indicative of the quality, but really its not that bad.
work was barely managable today, being that i was functioning on 5 hrs of sleep (if that?) but got through it. my new coworker started today, its nice to no longer be the littlest fishie in the pond, although i still feel incredibly new. the boss is out again until friday so i get to wear jeans! its unbelievable. i mean, you know, classy jeans and blazers and heels, but still.
above & below are some pictures from the foliage up north, although im sure it will be coming to nyc shortly (if not in boston already?). tomorrow night im going to see david sedaris at the adrienne arscht arts center (thats a mouthful) for an evening performance and book signing. i am so pumped to giggle like a little girl. although worried that i wont be able to stay awake -- im going to the mechanic again in the morning. its a never ending saga i tell you, but my 30 day warranty runs out soon and i figure i might as well get it looked at one last time, being that it growled funny on friday & again when i picked it up at the airport last night.
i must tell you, seeing pumpkins in the supermarket down here is very off-putting. it doesnt really make sense nor connect to any seasonalness, although it is getting a little cooler in the evenings now, which i like. i still feel odd about buying a pumpkin, but i love roasting the seeds so much that i figure i will eventually end up doing it. i know, silly. now having a christmas tree down here-- that will be certainly bizarre.
btw - patz, congrats on being wholly less stressed! i am proud!
ok, off to read my trashy novel and put myself to bed.
xoxoxo
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Lobsta! Chowdah! Exploring Boston's Waterfront & Beacon Hill w the Rents
Yay! My parents arrived today. Also, my digital camera is finally back up and running, so I get to include some photos. My parents came with 6 bags of groceries, as well as KIMBAP-- Hallelujah for Korean food. Here they are sitting on my Ikea couch:
Next we walked around the Charles River Esplanade, where my dad went nuts about this duck:
We had no food on us, so my dad fed it some candy, which it liked. Then my dad recounted some story about Back When He Was in Korea--they kept ducks, and my dad was tasked with leading the ducklings to the stream each day.
Here's me with a view of the Longfellow Bridge.
Next we walked around Beacon Hill, one of the most posh neighborhoods--if not the most. Below is us in front of Senator John Kerry's $10 Million Dollar townhouse--no doubt purchased with tomato ketchup cash:
Next: LOBSTERS! We went to the Barking Crab, which sadly was pretty disappointing. I mean, you can't go wrong with fresh lobsters and crabs and New England chowdah, but it was kind of a rip off for what you got. The river view, however, was quite lovely:
In Boston's Waterfront district, we saw this random gigantic milk bottle.
Next we walked around the Charles River Esplanade, where my dad went nuts about this duck:
We had no food on us, so my dad fed it some candy, which it liked. Then my dad recounted some story about Back When He Was in Korea--they kept ducks, and my dad was tasked with leading the ducklings to the stream each day.
Here's me with a view of the Longfellow Bridge.
Next we walked around Beacon Hill, one of the most posh neighborhoods--if not the most. Below is us in front of Senator John Kerry's $10 Million Dollar townhouse--no doubt purchased with tomato ketchup cash:
Next: LOBSTERS! We went to the Barking Crab, which sadly was pretty disappointing. I mean, you can't go wrong with fresh lobsters and crabs and New England chowdah, but it was kind of a rip off for what you got. The river view, however, was quite lovely:
In Boston's Waterfront district, we saw this random gigantic milk bottle.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Gatecrashin', Racin', and Other Random Tidbits, Boston-style
So I know nothing about this beloved American pastime, nor the fixation it holds on the general college-attending public, but today I crashed a UMass-Amherst alumni tailgating party. My friend Carolynn (us, pictured above) was in town, and her mother helped plan the pre-party for the UMass-Northeastern football game. It took place at the Best Western on Longwood Ave--about a 10min walk from my apartment. There were sliders, chicken satay skewers, sweet potato french fries, platanos, chili, corn bread, a vat of cheese dip, a fruit spread, a cash bar.... all at 10:30am in the morning. I was like a kid in a candy store; I feasted on various protein items of the BBQ nature.
I didn't make it to the actual game--I was just there for the food. I actually had to head back to the library, where I spent the greater part of the afternoon reteaching myself how to draw a PPF curve, and then trying to teach Microsoft Word how to draw said curve. I am working on a story about graduates from Wharton, so charts and graphs appear abundantly throughout the text.
Funny enough, it's nearly 11pm on a Saturday night, and I am still tweaking that stupid graph. Maybe I'll throw in some supply + demand graphs too, for good measure.
Tomorrow morning I am going to crash the Boston Athletic Association's Half-Marathon race. It starts at 8am, and they are not accepting any new members. The trail goes along the Emerald Necklace , so it should be interesting. Especially since I'm going to show up without a bib number or a chip. The second time this weekend I'm gatecrashing.
I'm signing off with an old pic of me and Annie, after the BLS 5k in Central Park. Incidentally, Annie won third place in this race.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
getting out early of work to see this
was the best thing that could have happened today. its the view from my window -- never mind the screen details, but peep the beautiful ocean & rainbow! i first saw the rainbow on my drive home and got so excited i kept taking my eyes off the road. not so smart of course, but still lovely.at the times you think you cant do anything else, you will find that sometimes, you just need a break. those are the moments you should give yourself breathing room, take a walk, pick up a newspaper or non-school related item, watch an episode of gossip girl on the cw.com, or really, go for a run. really. because no one can be that crazy all the time! youll get done whatever you need to. maybe the fulbright needs a back-seat until you can make enough progress with school (or at least until a weekend!).
by this time tomorrow i will be watching jet blue tv, for some reason desiring tomato juice and the salty peanuts. i always want as much salt as possible on flights. totally backwards if you ask me, since they are so dehyrdrating. im pretty excited! i surely packed some tights & sweaters but noticed that the homeland had a high of 77 today, so, come on, im not feeling that bad for you. (although, it nice to live in perpetual humidity, today i had to drive through another foot-deep puddle in our parking lot, that covered 80% of the lot... love the crazy rainstorms here, so long as youre not caught in it with you electronic devices. and trust me, umbrellas dont work).
nothing else exciting to report from this end. i am crossing my fingers that a certain jessica landis will have to come to visit miami for work next weekend! then next sunday i am off to atlanta for orientation and to hear some cases, very exciting. a class-mate of mine is working at the court in atlanta, so we will get to hang out and catch up (although we do stay in touch via the govt's internal instant-messaging system, its pretty cool i must say).
xo
Anatomy of a Day in Boston
Can I describe my yesterday? Eat, sleep, work, drink one beer with a friend of a friend, back to work, can't sleep, do more work, sleep.
9:45am Wake up, go to the bathroom, eat cereal, go to the bathroom again, pack lunch.
10:20am Arrive at library with laptop, 2 notebooks, 2 novels, 2 short stories (mine), 2 short stories (other people's), 2 essays I am writing, plus 30 pages of literary criticism to read. will I get through all of this? no.
10:20-12:15pm: Work on a detailed outline for a new novel I'm writing.
12:15-12:17pm: Eat lunch #1-- a microwaved egg on a piece of whole wheat toast.
12:18-2:45pm: Start to write my statement of purpose for Fulbright, detailing a timeline of my proposed research, and a list of academic sponsors.
2:45-2:55pm: Eat lunch #2-- Leftover congealed vat of turkey chili from last Thursday night (see post under VP debate)
2:55-4:00pm: Return to writing the novel outline. Eek out one word at a time for the Statement of Purpose. THrow metaphorical hands up in the air.
4:00-4:10pm: Caffeine break-- run out to buy a cup of decaf.
4:10-6:00pm: Resume work. Ignore revising one of my short stories altogether--too frazzled; thinking about Fulbright application.
6:00-6:05pm: Feel guilty for not running my miles today, esp on a beautiful day.
6:06-6:44pm: Resume work.
6:45pm Leave the library. Head home, regroup, change clothes, drink water.
7:15 Board the T to Somerville. Read 15 pages of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park.
8:00pm Arrive at the Burren Pub, to meet Jessi's lovely friend Mara, a dietician. Jessi set us up on a playdate. Spoke of our mutual love of Ireland and Catholic guilt, as well as masochism involved in running.
9:40pm Leave the Burren to head back to BU. Read another 15 pages of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park on the T.
10:35pm Eat dinner-- a chicken wrap from Campus Convenience. Eat it alone while staring at my laptop, in the empty dining halll of the student union.
10:55pm Get kicked out of the Student Union. Arrive at the Arts & Humanities Library.
11:55pm Get kicked out of the library. Head home.
12:10-4:45am: Answer emails, write email asking profs to write recs on my behalf, reach out to orphanages in Korea (as part of my research), make a date for next Sept '09 to visit said orphanage in Korea. Finish writing draft 1 of 2 Fulbright essays.
4:45-6:30am: In bed, can't sleep. So I read one of my classmates' short stories, and write detailed comments.
6:35-10:20am: Finally, SLEEP! Perchance to dream... about work. Which is exactly what I did.
10:20am: Wake up for class. Rinse, lather, repeat.
9:45am Wake up, go to the bathroom, eat cereal, go to the bathroom again, pack lunch.
10:20am Arrive at library with laptop, 2 notebooks, 2 novels, 2 short stories (mine), 2 short stories (other people's), 2 essays I am writing, plus 30 pages of literary criticism to read. will I get through all of this? no.
10:20-12:15pm: Work on a detailed outline for a new novel I'm writing.
12:15-12:17pm: Eat lunch #1-- a microwaved egg on a piece of whole wheat toast.
12:18-2:45pm: Start to write my statement of purpose for Fulbright, detailing a timeline of my proposed research, and a list of academic sponsors.
2:45-2:55pm: Eat lunch #2-- Leftover congealed vat of turkey chili from last Thursday night (see post under VP debate)
2:55-4:00pm: Return to writing the novel outline. Eek out one word at a time for the Statement of Purpose. THrow metaphorical hands up in the air.
4:00-4:10pm: Caffeine break-- run out to buy a cup of decaf.
4:10-6:00pm: Resume work. Ignore revising one of my short stories altogether--too frazzled; thinking about Fulbright application.
6:00-6:05pm: Feel guilty for not running my miles today, esp on a beautiful day.
6:06-6:44pm: Resume work.
6:45pm Leave the library. Head home, regroup, change clothes, drink water.
7:15 Board the T to Somerville. Read 15 pages of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park.
8:00pm Arrive at the Burren Pub, to meet Jessi's lovely friend Mara, a dietician. Jessi set us up on a playdate. Spoke of our mutual love of Ireland and Catholic guilt, as well as masochism involved in running.
9:40pm Leave the Burren to head back to BU. Read another 15 pages of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park on the T.
10:35pm Eat dinner-- a chicken wrap from Campus Convenience. Eat it alone while staring at my laptop, in the empty dining halll of the student union.
10:55pm Get kicked out of the Student Union. Arrive at the Arts & Humanities Library.
11:55pm Get kicked out of the library. Head home.
12:10-4:45am: Answer emails, write email asking profs to write recs on my behalf, reach out to orphanages in Korea (as part of my research), make a date for next Sept '09 to visit said orphanage in Korea. Finish writing draft 1 of 2 Fulbright essays.
4:45-6:30am: In bed, can't sleep. So I read one of my classmates' short stories, and write detailed comments.
6:35-10:20am: Finally, SLEEP! Perchance to dream... about work. Which is exactly what I did.
10:20am: Wake up for class. Rinse, lather, repeat.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
A few quick comments
Um, just to clear things up--going to Amherst isn't going to be like that scene in Friends where Rachel goes to London, is it? =)
Otherwise...have fun in western Mass! I can't believe he's getting married already! If you're flying through Logan and have any extra time, let me know. Turns out I don't have class from this Friday until the following Thursday the 16 (classes got canceled for Columbus Day, etc etc).
I'm afraid you're probably going to have to wear tights, though you can pull the same shenanigans you did at Miri's, and scuttle to the bathroom to pull 'em off. At the very least, you'll want to have a pashmina handy, as it does get cold round these parts, and I wonder if Amherst would only be colder than here.
Re caterpillars: I will take one any day over these gross, light brown, skinny, multi-legged, antennaed bugs that are ALL OVER THE WALLS here in Boston. I caught one this morning, one last night, and at least 5 others since I arrived. They are just OVER ONE INCH LONG, and they make me extremely unsettled. I just tried to find a picture online, but I don't want to spend the morning poring through images, giving myself the heeby jeebies. I've talked to a couple of other Bostonians here, and they say it seems to be a problem. Even in brand new buildings. If any of you guys can reading this can help identify the name, genus, species of this stupid insect, that would be awesome.
Okay, back to the "novel"...
Otherwise...have fun in western Mass! I can't believe he's getting married already! If you're flying through Logan and have any extra time, let me know. Turns out I don't have class from this Friday until the following Thursday the 16 (classes got canceled for Columbus Day, etc etc).
I'm afraid you're probably going to have to wear tights, though you can pull the same shenanigans you did at Miri's, and scuttle to the bathroom to pull 'em off. At the very least, you'll want to have a pashmina handy, as it does get cold round these parts, and I wonder if Amherst would only be colder than here.
Re caterpillars: I will take one any day over these gross, light brown, skinny, multi-legged, antennaed bugs that are ALL OVER THE WALLS here in Boston. I caught one this morning, one last night, and at least 5 others since I arrived. They are just OVER ONE INCH LONG, and they make me extremely unsettled. I just tried to find a picture online, but I don't want to spend the morning poring through images, giving myself the heeby jeebies. I've talked to a couple of other Bostonians here, and they say it seems to be a problem. Even in brand new buildings. If any of you guys can reading this can help identify the name, genus, species of this stupid insect, that would be awesome.
Okay, back to the "novel"...
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
wowza
there is so much to remark on. running more than 40 miles a week? writing a bazillion papers? a fulbright?! wait-- you guys are wearing sweaters now? ok, blow me away already. i felt like a true floridian today with the windows down driving home, feeling a slight chill at the breeze coming off the ocean (um still it was like 88 degrees today).
otherwise la la la im doing laundry. the boss is apparently out of the office for the rest of the week, which is nice, and then on friday night i am heading up to david's wedding. wooow new england, i shall meet ye again soon. the party is in amherst, m.a., which will be fun, although i must admit, im a little so-so about wearing tights (i.e.,.... dont want to- but im not sure i have an out on that one, especially being that the top part will likely be in something lightweight and forever 21 ish... what, its cool). regardless, i see champagne, dancing, and obsessive *cake* eating to make it a wonderful weekend.
actually, to be honest, its kind of insane, the whole idea of the 'south beach diet'--- no one at work ever eats carbohydrates at lunch. its ... intense. everyone eats a salad. ok, well maybe there are slight variations. like the boss. he has a sandwich. but its crazy seeing everyone always so uber healthy. then of course, i go home and eat cool whip out of the tub while watching reruns of gossip girl on my laptop so, really, who is to know?
once im back from the wedding, i shall seriuously start to try & socialize a little more. i havent been able to find any running groups in my neighb, although i guess i can force myself to the beach of south to meet up maybe once a week. betta than nothing. its really nice to have time alone, but it does get lonely pretty fast. on the upswing, i finally finished reading the biography ive been clocking at since august. yay, me! i highly recommend it to everyone - its called "them" and its a biography of th author's parents, the mother was a famous hat designer for saks, and the father was the art director of conde naste. very cool, historical, russian emigrants via paris, etc etc... a very good time (albeit a heavy read).
AH! i almost forgot. the past two mornings, i saw catepillars in my house. one was on my window curtain, green, very cute. i picked it up gingerly and put it in my trash can. i mean, im sure theres little lettuce bits in there for him. the second one wriggling on my floor this morning. i put him with his friend. i assume for all practical purposes that these little guys were already in existence when i bought my house plants, so i am ok with it. particularly if this is the southern version of mice. no problemo! i have lettuce scraps to spare (i mean, until the vacate).
ok, debate time. although im glad i have a laundry-based distraction. otherwise, i might get terribly bored. (town hall meeting? thats almost as nauseating as saying "mainstreet" when referring to middle america. that kills me just as much as maverick!)
xo
otherwise la la la im doing laundry. the boss is apparently out of the office for the rest of the week, which is nice, and then on friday night i am heading up to david's wedding. wooow new england, i shall meet ye again soon. the party is in amherst, m.a., which will be fun, although i must admit, im a little so-so about wearing tights (i.e.,.... dont want to- but im not sure i have an out on that one, especially being that the top part will likely be in something lightweight and forever 21 ish... what, its cool). regardless, i see champagne, dancing, and obsessive *cake* eating to make it a wonderful weekend.
actually, to be honest, its kind of insane, the whole idea of the 'south beach diet'--- no one at work ever eats carbohydrates at lunch. its ... intense. everyone eats a salad. ok, well maybe there are slight variations. like the boss. he has a sandwich. but its crazy seeing everyone always so uber healthy. then of course, i go home and eat cool whip out of the tub while watching reruns of gossip girl on my laptop so, really, who is to know?
once im back from the wedding, i shall seriuously start to try & socialize a little more. i havent been able to find any running groups in my neighb, although i guess i can force myself to the beach of south to meet up maybe once a week. betta than nothing. its really nice to have time alone, but it does get lonely pretty fast. on the upswing, i finally finished reading the biography ive been clocking at since august. yay, me! i highly recommend it to everyone - its called "them" and its a biography of th author's parents, the mother was a famous hat designer for saks, and the father was the art director of conde naste. very cool, historical, russian emigrants via paris, etc etc... a very good time (albeit a heavy read).
AH! i almost forgot. the past two mornings, i saw catepillars in my house. one was on my window curtain, green, very cute. i picked it up gingerly and put it in my trash can. i mean, im sure theres little lettuce bits in there for him. the second one wriggling on my floor this morning. i put him with his friend. i assume for all practical purposes that these little guys were already in existence when i bought my house plants, so i am ok with it. particularly if this is the southern version of mice. no problemo! i have lettuce scraps to spare (i mean, until the vacate).
ok, debate time. although im glad i have a laundry-based distraction. otherwise, i might get terribly bored. (town hall meeting? thats almost as nauseating as saying "mainstreet" when referring to middle america. that kills me just as much as maverick!)
xo
Stress!
I am so stressed. I have 2 short stories (20p each) I'm in the midst of writing. I just wrote a Jane Eyre paper due today. I have a Walter Benjamin/Lukacs paper I need to rewrite by Thurs. I am working on a Fulbright application at last minute, which requires 4 recs, 2 essays, a 10p writing sample, and a language exam. I have two novels to read by next week, and 5 short stories of my peers I need to write detailed comments on. Plus an extra 150 pages of literary criticism I need to weed through. And I'm allegedly training for a marathon.
STRESS!!
Just a quick note to say hello. School has really caught up with me.
STRESS!!
Just a quick note to say hello. School has really caught up with me.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
This city is freakin cold.
I am wearing a wool turtleneck, jeans, sneakers, and a jacket. And I am still freakin' cold. Boston--at least, BU's campus--has an invitingly crisp air. Being a block from the Charles River, there's a perpetual breeze as I walk to/fro the library, the student union, the bank, the coffee shop. It's nice, but I am deathly afraid of when winter comes rolling around. Even walking to the laundromat might seem like a trek to the Antarctic Circle.
I've lately been craving soups, and I just had my second lunch/first dinner of turkey rice/butternut squash soup from the student union. I don't know, I've also been eating like a madman recently, and I think it's because of the running (this week I clocked in 45 miles). I wish this marathon (Nov 2) would just run itself.
I've been setting up camp at BU's Law Library--if only to get closer to you, Annie!--but really because the arts & humanities library doesn't allow you to bring beverages. So, every day I spent some 6-9 hours in Pappas, and I keep running into this kid I went to undergrad with. He knows I'm not in the law school, and I literally see him EVERY SINGLE DAY, and I think he thinks I'm stalking him (even though he looks vaguely inbred). Or that he thinks I'm some kind of law school hanger-on, as I gaze wistfully at the flyers announcing booze cruises, legal improv groups, Sex Ed quiz bowls, and IP happy hours. As well you know, Annie, I became something of a BLS groupie, but that period of my life was short-lived, and it was only when you were chaperoning.
But damnit, the chairs here are so comfy!
Maybe next semester I should start frequenting the business library, if only so I can rub shoulders with people computing present value annuities and internal rates of return (IRR, for those with a financial calculator). Sigh. A girl can dream.
(photo credit: www.jochen-dieckfoss.com)
Saturday, October 4, 2008
random collage
i think you should certainly join in with the pub drinkers and attempt to either get your name on the wall and/or get your own glass. you can do it!
its been a rainy day down south, although they tell me that this 'rainy season' will be over shortly. today i went to the bay of pigs museum, walked around little havana/calle ocho and then headed to a wonderful local bookstore in coral cables and walked around there for a while. i also, of course, managed to eat some delicioso pork, yuca, beans & rice. yum!
now im just trying to motivate my own run -- i finally discovered that 10 blocks here is about 1 mile, so its easier to run with that in mind (before, when i went to and from 69th st to 96th i would think, wow, why am i so exhausted after running only about 1 mile?).
the following is a little collection of pictures taken in little havana: it all looks so floridian, doesnt it?
taa daa! fin. buenas tardes.
xo
its been a rainy day down south, although they tell me that this 'rainy season' will be over shortly. today i went to the bay of pigs museum, walked around little havana/calle ocho and then headed to a wonderful local bookstore in coral cables and walked around there for a while. i also, of course, managed to eat some delicioso pork, yuca, beans & rice. yum!
now im just trying to motivate my own run -- i finally discovered that 10 blocks here is about 1 mile, so its easier to run with that in mind (before, when i went to and from 69th st to 96th i would think, wow, why am i so exhausted after running only about 1 mile?).
the following is a little collection of pictures taken in little havana: it all looks so floridian, doesnt it?
taa daa! fin. buenas tardes.xo
Bay St Underground, Chicken Dancing Contests, Etc
Last night I went to a poetry/fiction reading with the Bay St Underground, which is this monthly literary reading, featuring BU's MFA alums. The founders of this literary journal called Quick Fiction was there--they basically publish fiction that's 500 words or less. I liked this idea, because it made for short, easy-to-digest writing, which lent itself especially well to a performance setting.
There were some people from my program there, and afterwards about a dozen of us headed to the BU Pub. Afterwards, I made a short stumble to the 7-Eleven (the only thing that's open here past 9pm), then got home around 2, before waking up and running 6 miles with my new running group.
I think I'm adjusting okay to my new life here. Yeah, it sucks that my closest friends are no longer one subway ride away, and that you're kind of obligated to make friends out of the people you happen to be placed with in the program. Don't get me wrong--everyone is really nice; it's just that I have to start from scratch here.
A girl in my running group today told me about this festival hosted by the Harpoon Brewery. Diane will attest to our love of their IPA, so I was intrigued. Right now there's a Chicken Dancing Contest going on. Unfortunately, I am stuck at the library, so I will not get to partake in any chicken dancing, German Cake Eating Contests, or German oompa bands.
Tonight, after I finish banging out a first draft of this story I'm working on, I think I will have a date with Mansfield Park and a vat of congealed chili (leftovers from a VP debate viewing party I attempted to host). Johnny Lee Miller: HOT.
(Images from toothpastefordinner.com and mywebhopserver.peterhenley.com, www.ew.com, resp.)
There were some people from my program there, and afterwards about a dozen of us headed to the BU Pub. Afterwards, I made a short stumble to the 7-Eleven (the only thing that's open here past 9pm), then got home around 2, before waking up and running 6 miles with my new running group.
I think I'm adjusting okay to my new life here. Yeah, it sucks that my closest friends are no longer one subway ride away, and that you're kind of obligated to make friends out of the people you happen to be placed with in the program. Don't get me wrong--everyone is really nice; it's just that I have to start from scratch here.
A girl in my running group today told me about this festival hosted by the Harpoon Brewery. Diane will attest to our love of their IPA, so I was intrigued. Right now there's a Chicken Dancing Contest going on. Unfortunately, I am stuck at the library, so I will not get to partake in any chicken dancing, German Cake Eating Contests, or German oompa bands.
Tonight, after I finish banging out a first draft of this story I'm working on, I think I will have a date with Mansfield Park and a vat of congealed chili (leftovers from a VP debate viewing party I attempted to host). Johnny Lee Miller: HOT.
(Images from toothpastefordinner.com and mywebhopserver.peterhenley.com, www.ew.com, resp.)
Thursday, October 2, 2008
im a mavrick
just listening/watching the debates. im glad sarah palin and joe biden arent making horrible gaffs (thus far) but i really gotta say, if someone says the word "maverick" one more time, i might vomit. what is this, a western?
today i finally handed in my first memo at work- 45 pages. not bad since i worked it down from about 53. i feel like i can sigh a breath of relief! although im sure i will be quaking when i have to actually discuss it later on. ah well.
today i was ALSO reunited with my baby, the p-t. i had to rush in traffic, past miami international airport, to get to the rental place to return my loaner, and then back to the dealership to get p-t. on the way, there was some serious traffic, everyone was getting off at the exit i needed... so ok, i was impatient, and i rushed forward, then cut in front of everyone who was in line. apparently, this is illegal. i got pulled over, and told that the officer giving a similar ticket to someone in front of me, would get to me in a sec. here i was, rushing, anxious, frantic, already going to be late, worried the car rental place would close and i would then be totally fucked and have to do this all over again tomorrow. (and, all i could hear in my head was the lil' wayne song, 'weee-oo wee-oo woo, wee-oooooooo, wee-ooooo woo, like a cop car. get up all in ya, i can hear the angels callin ya, beat it like a cop' etc etc) (ok, so those arent probably the actual sequence of lyrics but you know, im trying).
the police officer finally comes over to me, and hes in this tight police shirt, with his arm tats all showing, and these huge gucci sunglasses on, miami! he asks for my license, registration & insurance - and im like, its a rental! im new! i dont know where anything is, other than my little directional device! who knew crossing over the white line was illegal? then we chat about new york, miami, how i apparently have to change my license, and then he smiles and says, 'you think i really want to be doing this? i hate this. my sargent is making me do this. i could do like a million other things with my time.' (what police officer says this?). then he says no ticket for me, drive safe, enjoy miami, etc etc etc. i successfully accomplished getting out of my first ticket! hurrah!
yes, the life of a maverick.
anyway it is wonderful having my little car baby back, it finally doesnt freak me out with the GRR GRRR GRRRR engine noises, and it breaks much better than before. now i just have to work on my parking skills.
up next for the weekend? im not sure. i hope its sunny, but if i can get even one morning at the beach, ill be happy. im also trying to get in longer runs outside on the weekend, since it gets so dark here and that means im always on the treadmill. theres really nothing else planned, although i guess i should call my aunt and see if i can go over and see them (um, because i think its been about 14 years since i last saw her. awkward potential is high). maybe, like my mom says, she will give me a couch.
i know, its bizarre, but i still have a ton of space left to fill. the plus side is that i have room to stretch and do yoga after my runs, which honestly i dont think ive ever experienced in an apt before. oh the benefits of condo living.
ok, debate over, neck hurting, time to have some wine and get into bed.
xo
today i finally handed in my first memo at work- 45 pages. not bad since i worked it down from about 53. i feel like i can sigh a breath of relief! although im sure i will be quaking when i have to actually discuss it later on. ah well.
today i was ALSO reunited with my baby, the p-t. i had to rush in traffic, past miami international airport, to get to the rental place to return my loaner, and then back to the dealership to get p-t. on the way, there was some serious traffic, everyone was getting off at the exit i needed... so ok, i was impatient, and i rushed forward, then cut in front of everyone who was in line. apparently, this is illegal. i got pulled over, and told that the officer giving a similar ticket to someone in front of me, would get to me in a sec. here i was, rushing, anxious, frantic, already going to be late, worried the car rental place would close and i would then be totally fucked and have to do this all over again tomorrow. (and, all i could hear in my head was the lil' wayne song, 'weee-oo wee-oo woo, wee-oooooooo, wee-ooooo woo, like a cop car. get up all in ya, i can hear the angels callin ya, beat it like a cop' etc etc) (ok, so those arent probably the actual sequence of lyrics but you know, im trying).
the police officer finally comes over to me, and hes in this tight police shirt, with his arm tats all showing, and these huge gucci sunglasses on, miami! he asks for my license, registration & insurance - and im like, its a rental! im new! i dont know where anything is, other than my little directional device! who knew crossing over the white line was illegal? then we chat about new york, miami, how i apparently have to change my license, and then he smiles and says, 'you think i really want to be doing this? i hate this. my sargent is making me do this. i could do like a million other things with my time.' (what police officer says this?). then he says no ticket for me, drive safe, enjoy miami, etc etc etc. i successfully accomplished getting out of my first ticket! hurrah!
yes, the life of a maverick.
anyway it is wonderful having my little car baby back, it finally doesnt freak me out with the GRR GRRR GRRRR engine noises, and it breaks much better than before. now i just have to work on my parking skills.
up next for the weekend? im not sure. i hope its sunny, but if i can get even one morning at the beach, ill be happy. im also trying to get in longer runs outside on the weekend, since it gets so dark here and that means im always on the treadmill. theres really nothing else planned, although i guess i should call my aunt and see if i can go over and see them (um, because i think its been about 14 years since i last saw her. awkward potential is high). maybe, like my mom says, she will give me a couch.
i know, its bizarre, but i still have a ton of space left to fill. the plus side is that i have room to stretch and do yoga after my runs, which honestly i dont think ive ever experienced in an apt before. oh the benefits of condo living.
ok, debate over, neck hurting, time to have some wine and get into bed.
xo
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Boston: city of drinking challenges
Um, can we say DELISH? If I knew how to bake, I'd be eating challah (holla!) every morning.
So, I've discovered a couple of things. In my approx 5 week sojourn here in Boston, it seems like a whopping 50% of the bars I have visited, have drinking challenges. Okay, so that only means 2, but the BU Pub
has this thing, where if you drink all 60 beers that they serve, then you get KNIGHTED. How freakin cool is that? The fact that the pub is also in a castle is kind of badass too.
This other bar, Bukowski's (named after the misogynistic Hemingway-wannabe writer), has a rather intimidating menu of "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall." They do this thing where if you drink 160 different beers in 6 months, you get your own special mug, that is named after the literary figure of your choosing. And every time you come back to the bar, you're allowed to drink from that mug, which is something like 6-8 ounces bigger than the standard pint glass that they serve. So, you are getting extra value for your buck.
I've actually led a rather monastic lifestyle here, compared to NY, so I haven't had a chance to check out other spots yet. But more to report soon...
*Note: First photo courtesy of ? and second photo was appropriated from citysearch.com
So, I've discovered a couple of things. In my approx 5 week sojourn here in Boston, it seems like a whopping 50% of the bars I have visited, have drinking challenges. Okay, so that only means 2, but the BU Pub
has this thing, where if you drink all 60 beers that they serve, then you get KNIGHTED. How freakin cool is that? The fact that the pub is also in a castle is kind of badass too.This other bar, Bukowski's (named after the misogynistic Hemingway-wannabe writer), has a rather intimidating menu of "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall." They do this thing where if you drink 160 different beers in 6 months, you get your own special mug, that is named after the literary figure of your choosing. And every time you come back to the bar, you're allowed to drink from that mug, which is something like 6-8 ounces bigger than the standard pint glass that they serve. So, you are getting extra value for your buck.
I've actually led a rather monastic lifestyle here, compared to NY, so I haven't had a chance to check out other spots yet. But more to report soon...
*Note: First photo courtesy of ? and second photo was appropriated from citysearch.com
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