Friday, August 31, 2007

Chillin' Out, Maxin' Out, Relaxin All........

I finally had a chance to catch up with the Neighbor on a Thursday night. We met up for Chilis & had awesome salads. We unloaded a TON of stories on each other & just laughed and relaxed. Its always good. We can be totally ourselves together simply because I have known her literally all of her life. Weird, but true.

We were so aimless and had no real plans and decided to see what was playing at the local Loews theater. Great! I have not been to that particular theater since college and it was freaky to walk in there.

The 'Nanny Diaries' was playing in the next twenty minutes so we grabbed tickets & headed on in. I told her that this was the time for me to make a quick call to the Pilot, a guy I have been chatting with but have yet to make plans with. He likes to ramble about nothing important & it is so hard to get him off of the phone, so this was a great opportunity because I had no choice but to hang up in less than ten minutes. So I called & (as predicted) had the most boring.....most pointless conversation up to the beginning of the previews. At which the Neighbor laughed the entire time. Thanks!

The movie was good. I laughed & felt so sorry for the characters all at the same time. We left planning to see a another movie soon and to fill in the blanks on stories that began that night.

Don'tcha just luv relaxin' nites?

The Great Escape

Sunday night the Marine and I met up for coffee. He hounded me late Saturday night & then Sunday to find time for him, so I suggested Starbucks. We had a great time talking (for two hours) and laughing. Then we had a beter time kissing for a half hour outside. Yeah. Sweet. And then it was the request of him wanting to take me to dinner. Uh huh. I said call me during the week and we will set something up.

But then things changed.

Work stressed me out beyond belief. My chairperson had yet to get my schedule correct, they cancelled classes on me, said I had to attend some workshop thing in the next three days (that they just decided to create and force upon some of us) and then took classes away from me altogether. I was flipping out......and then Crak drops the bomb that she is quitting to take a new job. ACK!

The Marine was still texting me all random questions about past relationships, what was I looking for, and what do I want in a future mate......I felt like I was being interrogated.

Life was becoming a tornado that swept me up and insisted on spinning the sanity out of me.

KDP went to Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday morning & was begging me to join her. I didn't want to go, was too tired & stressed, and still had to teach summer classes.

Yup.

I couldn't handle the garbage anymore and last minute I bought a ticket to meet her down there. I arrived Wednesday afternoon & crashed. We did random activities there but it was so nice to go away and not tell anyone. I didn't bother to say much about it to anybody...I consider it my celebrity-ish retreat from all of the recognizing, neediness, and crazed scheduling.

If Paris can do it (without a job) why can't I with my so-called life?

A Honu Experience

One day after the McCann's-Marine experience, Crak, Blonde & I headed over to Magees in Huntington. Why? Crak has a crush on (and a running bet with) the bartender there. We met up inside & not five minutes into recapping the previous night's events, some guy walks up to Crak and introduces himself. He says he thought she was pretty & wanted to talk to her but felt bad because he & his friends were leaving. He then asked for her number. Which she handed over.

Blonde then hears a voice that was too recognizable for her. And there's a guy fromher job. Awkward. So she decided to make the firs tmove and call him over. He introduced us to his (drunk) friends and we cahtted for a bit.

Magees was too empty (yet crowded with familiarity for Blonde) so we went to Honu to see what Saturday night action was kicking there. We literally walked in the door and some guy stepped between me & Blonde. He grinned at me and said hello. So I smiled back and said hi & walked around him to get to the girls.....who so graciously left me alone with this weirdo.

He came right over & said he saw me walk by and had to talk to me. So we chatted for a moment...........about who knows what because he was freaking me out..... and then he wondered why I didn't have a drink in my hands. I pointed out that I had just walked in before he pounced on me & he said "Oh yeah. So let me buy you a drink. What do you want?" I told him that my usual is the ever-famous coconut martini & he turns and orders it. I had my back to him when it was set on the bar & Crak said that he sipped it. So I whip around and say "Do you want a taste? Have you ever had one?" He said he'd never tried one and no, he didn't want to try it now. I was supposed to just enjoy it. I said "Well, my friend says you already sipped it. That's okay. Just say you did." He flat out denied even putting his lips to the glass. Whatever buddy. If Crak saw him sip it, then I will go with that.

The crowd there was just odd so we went back to Magees. Still empty. But three stools at the bar opened so we sat. I was introduced to Crak's crush--the Cherryman--and he set us up with a bunch of maraschino (hence the name) cherries. Sweet! He saw we were drinking water, so he says "How about a shot?" He whips up something and puts it infront of the three of us. We asked what it was & the response was 'pound cake'. ?? Umm........liquified pastry? Okay. So the three of us toss it back & Oh. My. Goodness. Liquid pound cake. Fantastic.

I left shortly after that, as the crowd was lame & I was tired.

I did get a whole text conversation on my ride home from the Marine. He's not big on talking on the phone, but he'll text a novella. Odd.

I Can't Go Anywhere Without Being Recognized

I met Crak & the Blonde at McCann's on Friday night. I was running late & knew I had to run across the street in way too big heels to meet them inside. I crossed the street....trying not to break my neck.....and a car pulls over right next to me as I step onto the curb. "I was obligated to pull over when I saw you" is what I heard come from a young man in the driver's seat. I turned and said "excuse me?" And he says, again, "I was obligated to pull over when I saw you". "You were obligated to stop?" "Yes. What's your name? You look lke a woman who would use big words." I said I was too old for them but that the gesture was sweet. The passenger says "We're 25. How old are you?" I said it wasn't polite to ask a lady her age. They asked again & I said I was too old for them....a bit 'cougar' status. "Damn! Wait! So how old are you......and you look that good?"

I ran inside but not without realizing that the people smoking outside & the bouncers heard the exchange. Drat!

I find Crak & Blonde inside and barely make it to them to begin telling them what had just happened, when all of a sudden I have someone say in my ear "Is it wrong for a former student to buy his professor a shot?" I turn around and its the Marine from 3 years ago. I was taken aback because when I say I literally walked in to the place, I mean it. I had been in there all of 90 seconds! So I explain how I have never done a shot before and that it was a nice gesture but no thanks. He wasn't taking no for an answer so I did my first real shot. He got us soco & lime & I threw it back like a pro. I then talked with him a few minutes & said I had to get back to my friends because I had just walked in, but he was more than welcome to come find me later.

That apparently meant ten minutes later when he grabbed my hand & told me to pick out songs at the jukebox thingy. So we talked & I introduced him to Crak & Blonde. The Marine brought over his friend..the Babymaker (as he is 23 and has a 16-month old). We thought he wanted to talk to the Blonde, but it turns out he wanted Crak. Who doesn't?

Anyway, the Marine & I chatted away the evening, while the babymaker talked with Crak & Blonde. The Marine asked if he could take me to dinner sometime & I said it was a sweet idea but I am not so sure. I wanted to see how the rest of the evening went. He was a bit clingy (okay so he was very clingy). Example: he went outside to smoke ((I also said I gave up dating smokers but that didn't dissuade him) and I excused myself from the ladies to to to the ladies room. When I came nack my phone was going crazy with a text that said "where'd you go?" Umm...don't you see my friends still sitting where we had been hanging out for the last hour? Couldn't you have asked them? Or couldn't you just be patient?

So we hung out a bit more then he came over and gave me a kiss on the cheek & said he had to get going. It was nice to see him. But it is getting harder and harder to go out and have a good time & not be spotted. I get spotted more than some celebrities & still don't make one-fifth of their income. Something's wrong here.

I think I am going to try a disguise one of these nights.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

My Home Will NOT Have A Basement

For the second time in less than a month, I have spent the morning bailing out the basement. YUCK! I thought I loved having a basement. I wanted a home that had a place for me to hang out with people, put in an exercise machine, and sore all of the 'stuff' I accumulate. NOT ANYMORE! IFrom now on, if it has a basement, I will not even give it a second thought.

Monday, August 06, 2007

An Evening In Westchester

KDP is doing a whirlwind schedule where she is residing in Westchester for the next two weeks & is then off to Ft. Lauderdale for a week of r&r. She signed on, as she does every year, to work at a sleep away camp. That means she is on call 24 hours day. After a week of little communication, she called & said "Wanna meet at Palisades to get dinner?" Hmmmm.......a fun mall, crazy stories from KDP, and dinner. I'm there.

So I hauled it up to Palisades Saturday night & shopped while I waited for her to arrive. SHe got there & we ran to Chilis before either of us dropped from starvation. It was already 8pm at this point and I hadn't eatern in eight hours!

We just happened in on the night that the Miller Chill Girls were out in force at the restaurant. Not only did we have dinner, but we got tshirts, drink holders, and a free bottle of the new Miller Chill to try. I liked it......a Corona with no after-taste.

We wandered into the B&N up there until about 11pm and then I had the hour ride home. I left exhausted but laughing at all of the nonsense she had told me had gone on in just a few days at camp. Oh I'll miss her the next week & a half!

What's In A Name?

S3B bar is located somewhere in the far southern regions of Manhattan. Crak had to do a review & I was more than happy to tag along. We went on a Tuesday night, navigating the subways & then walking (endlessly) through the streets until we found it.

It's on the corner and has the ability to open both sides fully so that its an 'open-air' set up. The place? Was dead. The menu? Drinks that sounded organic and unrecognizable. It turns out their new look is one of infusion. What's being infused, I have no idea. But they are hapy with their process.

Crak called the werewolf, who came & brought his hottie roomate. Oh. So. Hot. Werewolf & HR were just what we needed. They netertained us the entire time. Not that Crak & I can't do this when its just the two of us, but I had met Werewolf before & thought he was a really nice guy to talk with & then saw what he lives with..................I had no thoughts. Too hot for me.

We drakn some truly expensive drinks......I thnink they ran us $14-18 a piece. For what? Infusion! Crak had eaten a piece of key lime pie that she raved about.

I never did find out what S3B stands for nor did I hook up woth HR, but, as always, I enjoyed touring the nether-regions of the city with Crak.

Hamptons Weekends Are So In

Sheckys had their Girls' Day Out in Southampton on Saturday. I found myself out there with KDP, Crak, Fred, & Pretty Bird. It was a gorgeous day in an infamous setting, with pretty things to look at, free alcohol, and more goody bags. Are you seeing a pattern here?

"How I Spent My Summer"
I attended anything that was hard to score tickets for that included free, unlimited alcohol & bags of fun stuff I'd never buy on my own.

That is the Summer of '07 for me.

We entered the grounds, got our event bracelets and a bottle of water to start. Then we grabbed our tickets and headed over to get our 'goody bags', which are the highlight of the event for me. I love to see what's in there that I'd never buy but am happy to have. Example? A fancy wooden hanger that would cost $3.50 if I bought one. Who pays $3.50 for a hanger? Apparently the Hamptons people. There was a contest where the prize was a flat iron for straightening your hair. I was propbably one of very few women there with naturally pin striaght hair & guess who won? Yup. Me. So. weird. But the thinkg costs $135 bucks so I plan on selling it on Craigs List or something.

We drank. A lot. Well, Crak & I did. Ironically we were the drivers for the day. I had a few Midori mixes (about 5), a bottle of the new Bacardi Razz, and two individual bottles of Korbel. Fred wanted to take 'paparazzi/red carpet' pictures in front of the Korbel sign, so Crak, Fred & I headed over to do just that. They came out great!

We stayed until 5 at the event & then headed over to have some dinner. We ate al fresco at a cute little place that has something for everyone. This was a good time for two of us to seriously sober up.

All in all, partying in the Hamptons on a random Saturday afternoon in the summer is so the lifestyle for me.

Living The Life On A Roof

KDP, Crak & I scored tickets to the TONY Rooftop party for July. We found ourselves at the Library Hotel in their new, soon-to-be-opened Bookmarks Bar & Lounge. Are we so now or what? We enjoyed drinks of all sorts, talked with Pretty Bird & her friend, had some snacky thing from Harry & David, and laughed a lot.

Then it happened. We had to go to the ladies' room & the facilities are for one only. Great! Free, overflowing alcohol & one restroom? What are men thinking when they design things? It was so bad of a wait for some that they attempted to use the mens' room. The guys couldn't believe that our facility was only for use by one at a time. Their's could actually have two in there. It was so intriguing, apparently, that they had to look in to our's while they held the door open so we could see their's. Even better, their facility had "art work" in it. Ours? Nothing. For ten minutes, this conversation was the phenomenon of the 15th floor and the eight of us involved.

We decided it was time to leave & snagged our goody bags. Which were not complete. Some were mens, some were womens, and some did not have all of the 'goodies' that others did. KDP got a men's bag...we know this from the free bottle of Curve for Men that she had. She tried to change it but the guy handing out bags said no. So we griped about it in the elevator ride on the way out & a woman in there told KDP she works for TONY and if KDP gave her the address, she'd mail her a bottle of the women's perfume. Nice! (Side note: it arrived four days later)

As we exited the elevator, two guys were chiming in on this conversation (see what free alcohol will do for people?) and they were handing all of us sticks of gum. They asked if we'd be at the Delancy in August & we said we'd try to get tickets (which Crak did) and that they hope to see us there!

So nice to have faces I can't remember to look forward to seeing.

So So Stupid

I was supposed to teach three classes during the first summer session. That didn't happen & one was cancelled. I decided I had to make up the money & requested a class for the second session. Something inside of me was nagging me not to do it, but I figured money is money & I am in need, so I'd do it. Oh if I had remembered that the fall semester at one of my schools BEGINS the same day my summer session two ends. I thought I still had a week's vacation. Nope. I got nothing. Drat. See what happnes when you have no money & become greedy? I should have just stayed broke.

Aloha & Mahalo for your patience

Hawaii was everything everyone has ever said it would be. Fab. U. Lous. Crak & I left on the 28th of June & enjoyed our eight days of paradise to the fullest extent. The first three & 1/2 days were spent on Oahu across from the famous Waikiki Beach. Gorgeous! Our hotel was a real hotel. True double beds. Spacious living. Real breakfast & a staff so nice & courteous that I didn't want to leave them behind.

On Oahu, we enjoyed mexican food at La Cucaracha, drinks at the infamous Dukes, strolled in the sand on the beach, hiked Diamond Head, went to the Ala Moana mall (which is the most stunning mall I have been to), went to the USS Arizona Memorial, ate pineapple and got lost in a maze at Dole Plantation, went to an all-day cultural center with "Cousin" Gandhi (who enjoys perverted jokes & comments way too much), shopped a bit too much, and saw some of my favorite art ever.

We hopped on Aloha Airlines (enjoying guava juice while in air) to The Big Island and stayed in Kona. On this island, we toured the downtown area, drove to the southern most point, the Black Sand Beach, saw volcanos, ate some macadamia nuts at the Mauna Loa plant, had delicious coconut-macadamia nut icecream, tried shrimp quesadillas (fantastic!), had a Blue Hawaii out of a bittle lottle, saw manta rays feeding, went to the sacred grounds, tried to find a statue of Captain Cook (never did find it), visited a number of coffee bean plantations, celebrated the 4th with a cute litte (yet tacky) parade & saw fireworks on the Kona shores.

Oh we did it all (and more!) than any gals could do in the limited time we had. I know. Eight days does not sound like a limit, but it was. I cried when we left & have been trying ever since to justify going back there as soon as possible. Anyone want to give me money?

So It's Been Awhile

I realize that is has been over a month since I last posted and I feel bad about that. It was unavoidable, though. So now I will play catch-up & fill in the missing blanks. Hold on tight & be ready for some swift reading.