The Sordid Tales of Grotter

I HATE MY JOB

2008-04-28T21:42:00.002-04:00

At least I do right now if what I think is happening really is................

Back in March, the Dept. sat together to create our summer schedules. We've done this for years. And whatever's left goes to the adjuncts. This summer, not much is running. And there may not be any classes for adjuncts.

Until now.

We had to "put in our wish list" to see if the dean would approve it. The decree came this evening. Of the four (minimum) I need (for financial purposes), I got two.

This is not acceptable. I need the classes for money. I need the classes so I do not go broke. I didn't take them for the fun of it. I took them because I need to live. And what they pay me as a full-timer is criminal. Forcing me to work in the summer.

Ummmm...........that's every summer until now.

Disturbing.....................On So Many Levels

2008-04-27T22:57:00.003-04:00

The President's Correspondants' Dinner was held this weekend. In attendance were many politicians, hollywood stars & starlets, press, and "The Hills"?

Oh yes. Heidi & Spencer. And Lauren. This irks me.

These are people who have no clue as to what goes on beyond fashion, bickering over who leaked what lies to which paper/blog site, clubbing it & parties, and MTV. And here they were--hobnobbing it with some of the Nation's most powerful and influential people.

Something is definitely wrong with this country.

Defeating the Purpose

2008-04-27T12:39:00.002-04:00

The geniuses-that-be have done it again. It was registration time and that is always a nightmare from which one can barely recover. We have, for the last nine years, done what is called "mass registration" where we sit like targets behind a long row of tables and wait for the student to approach.

Now, normal schools would have students show up with degree maps filled out, a selection of classes and codes that they need and are running at times that they have chosen, and financial aide papers completed.

Notice the use of the word "normal".

Our students have shown up, year after year, with none of the aforementioned papers. They sit down with the papers handed to the by the Regsitrar and then push the papers across the table to the poor advisor and say "Uh....Here". Many just take the papers and hand-hold the student, asking them how classes are going, what they think they need, if they want this class or that, and what days & times they'd like to attend. So many times, I would say "Hey! Why haven't you done this? Why am I supposed to be more interested in your future (and finances) than you are?" and I would slide the papers back to them and tell them to go pick out what they need and I would double-check it to see if they did it correctly.

Many many (many) schools have moved to phone-in or online proccesses and yet we still do it with face-to-face meetings and hand-holding. This semester, the College decided to divide up all of the students by the number of faculty and assign us each a group. We were given the list of names March 7th. Registration was to now work as follows: Email the students that registration has begun, they need to print their own degree map and fill it in, and then select classes. They were to email back and set up a time to meet so that I could verify that all papers are correct. They had from March 13th until April 10th to do this. I had 31 students which whom I had to meet.

I heard from five and met with three. What happened to the others? I don't know. I sent out three emails detailing times, dates, and procedure to expedite the whole thing and I got NOTHING in return.

What were we told last Monday? Take all remaining students who had not registered from our groups, fill in the degree map for them, look at their previous schedules to see if they have taken summer classes or not, and then register them for summer and fall classes, respectively.

So we just took all ownership out of their hands completely? They had to do NOTHING to continue their future as I had to be considerate of it for them? Are you kidding? And we had until that Friday to submit all of the papers. It took me ten........................yes 10.............hours to do all of them by myself.

So much for making the students responsible. I guess we showed them!

Stop Me Before I Do It

2008-04-18T20:40:00.002-04:00

All I can think of lately is Cowboy. I wake up to thoughts about him. I listen to songs on the radio and immediately relate them to him. I hear something funny and think of how he'd appreciate it. All I want to do is call him.

And I have been so tempted to all week. Our last contact was March 17th when I texted him that I want my money. That was it.

I haven't contacted him. I probably won't. Because he wasn't a good friend to me when I needed it. And hte last thing I said tohim (his voicemail) wasn't very nice. And he's probably engaged to the latest girl in his life and I just can't hear about it.

I do believe that he will be back in my life one day. I'm not sure how, but he and I did have a connection that is rare and should not be tossed aside.

And I am not sure a relationship, in general, would solve my cravings to call him. Its beyond that. I just feel so icky going as long as I have without contact. Why did he have to be so lousy.

Greatest Line Of The Week

2008-04-18T20:36:00.002-04:00

"Panty-line-molesting-dress"

That is a quote about "The HIlls" Heidi Montag's new fashion line. What that girl knows about fashion, I have no idea. She attended FIDM for one day. Yes. One day. And that was to go into Public Relations work. Not fashion. And yet, here she has clothes that look as if they came from an old '80s hair band video shoot.

Who in the world would actually buy the pieces? Unless it was Halloween, I don't know. Heidi should stick to what she knows: falling for loser guys and screwing over the people she calls her friends all for the sake of a few dollars.

Big Money No Whammies!

2008-04-18T20:23:00.002-04:00

Crak and I have yet to settle our TN plans and need to get moving on that train before the Chattanooga Choochoo leaves without us. I found myself heading out there Tuesday afternoon so that we could sit and look up sites, airfare, and hotels together. Again, hard to do this now that she had to go off and get a real job ............... I may survive. We'll see.

We made some plans..........nothing written in stone yet...............and then we drove over to the Franklin Square Theater for a free showing of "21". Free because she has that cable pass and gets two tickets on Tuesdays. I loved this. Money is tight and free is good.

I loved the movie. I am not going to break down the details of the film but would love to go to Vegas. And I'd love to learn how to count cards. They had such a cool system going.....with their "sweet", "paycheck", "paper" and other code words to tell how high the deck count was when the ringer came in to gamble.

The main character, Ben (played by Jim Sturgess), was not only sweet and likeable, but very goodlooking to watch on screen. I didn't get how the girl he had a crush on, Jill (Kate Bosworth) could tell him she wasn't interested, then all-of-a-sudden like him enough to seduce him and invite him to her comped suite, and then when things get rough, disappear and hold it against him for not contacting her sooner. It lost me there. But the movie was GREAT!

The theater, however, was not. It was hot. I don't mean warm and a bit uncomfortable. I mean "Welcome to the Equator in June" hot. I thought I'd pass out and told Crak that if I happened to fall out of my seat, it wasn't because I was sleeping. It'd be heat stroke.

Top the heat off with the senior group that invaded the theater. They can't see, can't hear, and bring their own snacks in a ginormous bag. In our aisle, a husband had to tell his wife what was happening in the film. It was cute. It was comical. And it was predictable to the point that, at the end, I said practically the same thing to Crak. We laughed.

As we left the theater, we talked about counting cards & how we may not be able to work out such a system and revisited the discussion about blowing on people's dice. We'll have to try and put that plan into action this summer.

Would You Care For A Spot Of Tea?

2008-04-18T20:09:00.002-04:00

Sunday:

I found myself in the back of dad's car with KDP, on our way to the NYC's Third Annual Coffee & Tea Festival. I'm lovin' these festivals and want to go to as many as I can (at least that my wallet will allow). I enjoy tea. I like sampling flavors of tea. I am not a fan of drinking a full cup of it hot, but can sip it. And, many of them make great iced teas when the warm weather comes around.

I have attended the Chocolate Show for the last few years at the Metropolitan Pavilion and know the space they have and the amount of vendors and patrons they can handle, so I was looking for row after row of teas & coffees that are available to both the public and to restaurant establishments.

We got there around 11:30 and found no line outside. Weird. There's usually a line for anything you do in the city. We walked in and got our goody bags which were filled with coupons and bags of samples. I am looking forward to trying them later on this weekend.

We enterd the main room and found.....................maybe 30 people and thirty vendors. What? This is not what it sounded like on the site at all!

Anyways, we made the best of it. Because there were so few people milling around, it was easy to get a sample..........or four.............and speak with ease to the vendors. The first lady we spoke with was from Harrisons & Crossfields and she was extremely interesting! I learned a lot about teas, styles, and even how to brew the proper pot of tea.

We had liquid chocolate............mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. D. Licious.

I had espresso from three different companies. I found that I do not like espresso and it took me two hours to blink again.

We sat through a seminar about "cupping" and how to tell the difference between quality of fresh leaves. Needless to say............we left wenty minutes into the hour-long session.

Now I have a mission to go to Alice's Teacup as soon as possible!

Day Three: The Wind Has Yet To Subside

2008-04-17T20:57:00.001-04:00

It rained. Again. Why? Because we were traveling today. And we had to walk -- originally -- four blocks to the subway & go down a set of scary-slippery stairs to the Red Line. We got there.....wet......and found yellow police tape at the entrance. All it siad ws to "Catch The Shuttle". But where was the shuttle? There were no signs anywhere!

We met a man who was almost as disgruntled as we were who told us to walk six block further and pick up the Purple Line. We had no other choice. Well, we did. But it would have been a $40 cab ride. $2 a person sounded better. And we left with time for errors to occur. Still raining and cold, we hauled it the six lengthy blocks. Where we had to climb three flights of stairs......slippery and suitcases........and the phrase "out of breath" doesn't begin to explain the feeling. The Purple line came, finally, and we got on with way too many other people. Flashbacks to Crak & me holding the doors to the metro open while pitching our way-too-bulky/heavy suitcases into a crowded car where nobody would help came to mind......and we now had to figure out where this would link to the Orange Line to head back to Midway.

Becasue it was Saturday, fewer trains were running and there really wasn't a time schedule to follow. We got out at a station, hurriedly took the elevator (first one I saw at a station this whole time) and went down one level to hop in another and ride it back up to the platfrom on the other side. 15 minutes later, the Orange Train arrived and we began the run back to the airport.

We made it with a half hour before boarding. Not much time but enough to get on line and have our bags checked. We hustled it to the gate & hopped on the plane.

Take-off was a bit rough with the.........don't make me say it...........wind and rain, but the pilot did just fine. We were back to ISP in no time at all.

I was so tired & all I wanted to do was go home and crash. Fat chance. Dad, who met us at the airport, was hungry, as it was 6:00, and wanted to go get dinner. He went to Chilis on Rte. 110. We had a 45-minute wait. While sitting there, I noticed a student waiting tables in the bar section. So I scurried out of sight because I was tired, cold, and had just gotten off a plane. I was in no mood to see a student. We were seated and our waitress came over to take our orders.

I sat there in our section and watched another waitress who looked awfully familiar. But, I couldn't place her. All of a sudden, it hit me: she was the evil woman from the fall who was furious over her grade and literally went screaming up and down the halls until someone would listen. Drat! I can't stand her. Thankfully, it didn't seem as if she saw me, so I ate & told my parents to hustle it up a bit.

I went home tired but happy that my stealth moves kept me off the radar. I'd go back to Chicago in a New York minute, but only if it is after Memorial Day.

"Stormy, Husky, Brawling, City of the Big Shoulders"

2008-04-17T20:56:00.003-04:00

Sandburg's poem makes somuch more sense now.

Day Two in CHi-town was proving to be much better than Day One.

It was almost 60degrees and sunny! Hurray! We were planning on visiting the Sears Tower and thought it best to take one of those trolley/double-decker bus tours to see the city & be able to get on and off as we like. We hopped the first bus at 9:30 and were whiksed all the way to the opposite end of the city for that first stop. Which would be The Sears Tower.

On the way, we saw all sorts of sites pointed out by the guide. I convinced Mom to sit up top for just this portion of the trip so we could see things better. They were predicting rain for later and I wanted to do this once while we had the opportunity. I had a great ime up there & loved ducking so that I wouldn't lose my head on the traffic light fixtures. OUr guide, Brad, was so funny. He told us such interesting facts & really bad corny jokes. But he kept it interesting.

We hopped off at the Sears Tower at 9:50 and went inside. The first run up to the 103 floor was at 10 and my mom thoguth we may be too early, as the lobby of the building was empty. But we took an elevator down two floors to go through security and begin the tour and were met with a line of 100+ people. Still, we didn't stand long and got to see a movie about the building's hostiry and how, when finished, the Sears Corp. was only in there 14 years before they had to sell it off. So sad!

We got in the elevator and were delivered to the top in no time flat. My ears popped only three times on the way up. When we exited the elevator, I was expecting to be inside but have the opportunity to walk outside too. Nope. The entire viewing floor is indoors. Here I was thinking Eiffel Tower and Empire State Building but this is nothing like those. It is 100% enclosed.

Because it was a clear day, we could see up to 50 miles away. So cool! And the Chicago River and Lake Michigan were right there, too. Loved it.

We went back down and waited for a bus to continue the tour. This next bus we caught was not as intersting as our first host. This guy told us some facts, but he was so flat about it that I didn't find them interesting. Stop 2, for us, was Millenium Park, where we saw the Amphitheater and "The BIg Bean". "The Bean" is a silver, massive sculpture that reminds me of a kidney bean. But HUGE. I took some cool pictures of it and the city and blue sky reflect off of it into the shot that it is so pretty. I even took a picture of it with my mom & me in the reflection. Nice!

We hopped onto another bus and somehow got our original host back! Yippee! He took us past the Museum of Modren Art, where he said its better known as "I could have done that". I laughed so hard when he said "They paint three lollipop sticks orange, glue them into the shape of a tirangle on a big white board, and then hang it up. When I ask 'What's teh meaning of this?' hey sao 'Oh. It's too deep to explain.'" He was hysterical.

We drove past the Chicago river....which flows backwards. Apparently, they used to dump waste into the river....................all waste..............and never thought twice of it, even though the river was their water supply and drank from it. When people began to get sick, they decided that they had to build dams and levvies (spelling?) and were sending he water into the Mississippi to St. Louis. St. Louis tried to block the movement, but didn't do it in time and Chicago scored one. St. Louis got them back. According to the guide, they bottled that water at their Budweiser plant and sent it right back to Chicago. Nice!

On to Navy Pier. It was so cold walking down by the Lake and we tried to stay inside as best as possible. Here's where I had my first taste of Chicago's famous barbeque. I had a pulled pork sandwich that was pretty darn good. And I don't even like pulled pork. Go figure!

We grabbed a trolley from there to finish our tour at the opposite end of the MAg. Mile from where we werestaying. We passed the Wrigley Building along the way and heard even more cool facts from our new driver/guide. We got off and began the walk. The architecture of the buildings was so pretty and classic. I enjoyed the detail and how it varied from one structure to another. They ahd a sculpture of a moose on the street that was made from the bumpers of cars in accidents in that area from last year. Cool moose!

We wanderd back to the hotel around 7 and went to dinner. I had the classic Chicago Pie (pizza). I also had the fresh berry crepe with hazelnut chocolate (nutella...but they didn't say that on the menu).

It was a bit windy out but not yet raining so we took a walk to the stores on the Mag. Mile and got some souveniers for people. I really couldn't find much but I did find this great chocolate shoppe in the middle of the 900 Shops. It's called Ethels and they sell chocolate pieces and even make desserts, coffee drinks,chocolate drinks, and fresh fondue right there. Like a chocolate Starbucks. I bought chocolates for everyone! The pieces were a bit pricey, but I got each person 2-pieces. They were from the cocktail collection and are to die for. I already ate my two and if I don't give the others their pieces, I may eat them as well.

Day Two ended with another run for a cup of tea and collapsing.

They Don't Call It The "Windy City" For Nothing

2008-04-17T20:54:00.003-04:00

My mom got it in her head that she wanted to go away for a couple of days. That's fine with me. But it's where she wanted to go that bothered me. Last year & two years prior, we went to Minneapolis, MN and I had thought we learned our lesson about going west before winter is actually over. Apparently not.

We left Thursday morning for Islip Airport. We had no trouble taking off, despite the American Air cancellations....that's why I fly Southwest! The 2 1/2 hour trip was quick and painless, but it was the holding pattern that lasted almost an hour that got to me. O'Hare was backed up with traffic (how I don't know if AA was groubding all of their flights) and the overload jammed their radar system, which affected Midway.....where we were to land. Eventually.

When we landed, we found it to be raining. I wasn't prepared for rain. I brought an umbrella, but my 'brella for one' would not withstand five minutes with the wind that they have. We found our luggage easily and started walking for the metro platform. It would cost only $2 to get from the airport to the actual city of Chicago. Nice! But it did mean transferring from one train to another. In the rain. And, I know, you'd think it was indoors, underground, or on platforms. Nope. We had to get off at one station, go down two flights of slippery stairs (wet from the rain), cross the street, and walk down two more flights to get to the next subway we needed. All this and carrying suitcases.

We took the red line to our stop and had to walk four blocks to our hotel. Again, this would be fine if it wasn't raining!

We got to our beautiful hotel and found out that we had been upgraded! Sweet! We were a half of a block from Michigan Avenue...............the Magnificent Mile.................and in the heart of everything a tourist would want. Our room was one of them on the top floors (19th out of 20) and it came with fresh chocolate covered strawberries as a welcome and a window with shutters that, when opened, looked out onto the city and a clear view of Lake Michigan a block and a half away. Stunning! We also were a part of the "Winter Warm-Up" package that gave us a $100 credit to their restaurant for anything (including the tip). So our breakfasts and one evening's dinner would be paid for. I'm all for the free meals.

Because we are in the city location, most of the sites would close by 8pm. It was already 3pm.............and raining....................and we didn't know where to go or what to do. We hadn't eaten lunch and didn't want to eat dinner too early because we'd be hungry later & it would throw things off.

We grabbed the humongous umbrella (that comes standard with each room and can fit three comfortably) and took off to see what was out there. The problem is that darn wind! I thought that, at any moment, I'd become Mary Poppins and take off. So we ducked into a building that was a 7-floor shopping mecca. I was not in the mood to shop, but I can browse. We looked at all of the pretty things and then decided to find a place to eat.

The Cheesecake Factory was right across the street and they have a special that runs during the week. For two hours each night, they have a bar menu that is all of their best appetizers, salads, and three dinners, and they are smaller portions and all range from $4 to $7. Nice! We got fun drinks and each orderd two small plaes to share. Yum.

We left there around 6pm and tried to (unsuccessfully) walk some of the Mag. Mile. Not much was open and it was still raining. So we grabbed tea from Starbucks and headed back to the room to crash.

Day One done. Let's hope Day 2 isn't as rainy.

Skippin' School

2008-04-14T16:07:00.003-04:00

Last Tuesday was an emotional day for me. I had "had it up to here" with a student and it escalated (on her side) to the point that I just walked out on her to keep my own sanity..........and job.

Wednesday rolled around & I love love love the Farm kids, but I just couldn't do it. And I had found out days earlier that my mother wanted to 'get away' and had booked a trip to Chicago for that Thursday to Saturday for the two of us. So I called in. And I went to the ft job to take care of some loose ends. While there, Crak texted. Weird! She never texts me that time of day..... and asked if I was at Briar..................and I was! She was in the area & I suggested lunch.

We met up a half hour later at Ruby Tuesdays, hoping to try their lunch menu. We got there, sat in the booth, wondered why it was as busy as it was and why it seems as if nobody works anymore, and began to look for the lunch section.

And you know what? There isn't one! How can that be? All restaurants, like RT, have a lunch section with smaller portions and prices. Drat. Ah well..................now we had to peruse the menu to see what was lunchy-style.

It felt so good to not be working. It felt even better to be hanging out on a whim with Crak & talking about all of the nonsense that goes on and we never get to share..............because she had to go off and work for a real school. Nope. No bitterness. But I will say that not being under the same roof with computer access on company time is not helping our travels! ;)

I have to figure out a way to make money and have an even more flexible schedule than I already do. Because, as I have been saying, working is getting in the way of living.

Neuroses on DVD

2008-04-04T09:50:00.002-04:00

I was trying to fall asleep last night and just couldn't do it. So I popped in a dvd that I had bought ages ago for $5. "Because I Said So" almost drove me to a therapy session. It was just the oddest thing I ever tried to sit through! Basic plot is single mother with three daughters. Two daughters get married and she is worried about that last one because she can't pick the right men. So, meddling mother goes to the internet and screens potential men for her hopeless daughter and ofcourse does not tell her.

The daughers and mother have an odd relationship. They talk about kissing "down there" on a conference call, go to a naked massage parlor (with Piper Perabo in a thong), and a sort of discussion about the "Big O" between the mother and hopeless daughter.

There are some cute parts and there are plenty of parts that mothers and daughters can relate and see themselves.

But all I felt was a slip in my IQ and a taste of what ADD is like.

Mission Accomplished

2008-04-04T09:47:00.002-04:00

I emailed the beerfest guy. Why? I don't know. I feel bad because I only did it yesterday. Almost a full week after he gave me his card. If I were him and a guy did that to me, I would be less than thrilled and not too eager to go out with him. I didn't wait that long deliberately, but I have been the proverbial hamster on the wheel and only found the card yesterday.

Let's see if he responds.

Or even remembers.

It's Hard To Say It, Time To Say It

2008-04-04T09:45:00.002-04:00

Little brother left yesterday to begin a new chapter in his life. And, while he does this, it kicks off a new one for the family left behind. I am not sure what will come of this or how we will learn to deal.

Wish him luck, success, and that he wakes up and dumps the gargantuan.

Belated Is Better Than Never

2008-04-04T09:43:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday Mom!

Wishing you all that is wonderful and beautiful.

Awkward Encounters of the Hopefully Never Again Kind

2008-04-01T16:39:00.002-04:00

I got hit on today. By a student. Blatently and obviously hit on.

Now I have been hit on before by students. I have had numbers flirt with me thinking that this will do something for them..................I guess.

But this was the oddest one yet.

He always hangs around after class to chat. To 'find out' my 'real' thoughts on subjects. To bounce things off of me. It's all harmless and innocent. But it can be annoying.

Anyway, he has the final project coming up soon and it requires tha they do something new. Something that they have never done before. And they have to take a picture of themselves doing whatever it is that they choose. So, he asked me if he could ask a girl out. I siad, "Sure. If youhave neevr done this before." He replied "well, I have, technically, but not like this. So would you like to go on a strictly platonic, non-sexual date with me next week?" To which I busrt out laughing. I said "I don't think that counts, but thank you for asking. And, you have to take a picture of the action.......facial reactions..........responses............and I can not be in a picture for a project that I have to grade. It'd be a poor grade then!"

He laughed and said "Well, okay. But at least you know I have good taste." And he walked away.

I left laughing and shaking my head........................but then I felt bad. I hope he didn't think I was laughing AT him. I was laughing out of shock, discomfort, and denial. So now I have felt bad all afternoon.

Drat!

I Met HIm On A Monday And My Heart Stood Still

2008-04-01T08:01:00.003-04:00

Okay. So I actually met him on a Saturday and I wouldn't have even noticed him, let alone stopped to talk had he not engaged me in conversation. And its not because he was good looking or ugly.........he was nondescript and I just didn't even see him. But I heard that song on the radio and it was in my head so I figured I'd use it.

Saturday I went to the Nassau Coliseum Beer Fest. KDP & I had gone to Beertopia at Pourhouse and then I attended that wine fest at Javits, so why not go to the local one? My brother went last year and said he had a great time. I had asked about the men/women ratio thing and he said there were very few women. So I had made it a point then to go. I may as well up my odds of meeting someone.

We drove to the Coliseum and found a LONG line to try and get in. When I say long, I mean that we stood on line for 20 minutes. It. Was. Freezing! The wind just kept blowing and I wondered why I had bothered to brush my hair in the first place.

The guy who matched our names on our tickets to our ID looked at me and said "Okay. I don't believe it, but okay". Hey! Thanks Buddy! Feelin' good now & going into a room of men. Not too bad.

The fest was set up on the two long outer walls of the room. Not what I pictured at all. I thought there'd be aisles and rows and stuff. Nope. All tables were on those two walls and the event space between was just empty and HUGE. They need help planning and recruiting next time.

The men and the setting you ask? Picture every hole-in-the-wall LI bar............Jackie Reilly's, Mulcahys, McCanns, Meehans..................and all of the others and put every tacky guy in the same room. Quality. Yeah.

Well, we had worked our way through all but two of the microbreweries and were headed back to try out those last two. As we walked, a guy said "Hey! Where ya' going?" I said "This way". He said "Me too. Have you tried Hoegaarten yet?" I said I had and he began to say how that is his favorite and was so happy that they were at the fest. He then grabbed my wrist and asked if I wanted to try ..............some other beer that escapes my mind. So, off we went. He talked and gabbed for quite awhile. He works in the city as some 'global something-or-other manager' and travels a lot for his job. He lives in ?W. Babylon? and commutes. He had lived in the city for awhile and never said why he moved.

With that, we were surrounded by a group of guys. One leans in and says "So, you picked up a stray"............referring to me. I glared at this young guy and said "What?" and he said "Oh, I mean lady". I looked at him and said "You don't speak anymore" and turned away. Global guy said "Yeah. That's my brother." Brother leaned in and said "Do we even look alike?" and I said "Yes, in the eyes and the shape of your mouth" and he used a vulgar comment to describe his mouth and lips back to me. I nodded and said "Well, that's my cue to go" and walked away. Seconds later, Global guy was right behind me talking again.

He went on about the countries he's traveled to and how he loves Disney and fantasy football. I stood there and nodded.

Finally I said that I had to go meet my friends and he said "Well, I don't have my phone with me because I came light. But I really want to talk to you again so if I give you my business card, will you email me and we can continue?" I said "We'll see" and he put his hand out to shake mine and said "Well, it was really nice talking with you Melinda".

I said ......................'who is Melinda'.................................and he said "You" I said, "My name is Grotter". "Are you sure?" "I think I know my name." "Then why did I think that it was Melinda?" "That was the girl you were talking to before me." "I wasn't talking to a girl before you." "Sure. On the other side. You gave her your card." "What are you, stalking me? Hahaha. I didn't talk to any girl but you. Nice try. But, seriously. I hope you don't hold it against me. I mean, this is a beerfest and I have been drinking. I hope you do email me."

And I shook his hand and walked away.

I did not find him attractive. Don't get me wrong.....it's not that he isn't goodlooking for some. But................He is younger. 4 years to be exact. And I said I swore off younger. Done. Finito.

So I have not emailed yet. KDP, Blonde, Sassy, and Crak told me to email him. This is '08 the year of the date...........and only one of us has had any dates in the three months. I am supposed to go just to live up to the slogan.

I don't know. We'll see.

Four for Four

2008-03-28T15:47:00.002-04:00

I had gotten an email from Four Studio to attend a corporate happy hour. I emailed the gals and KDP, Blonde, and Sassy replied a resounding YES to the idea. Free drinks and apps. for an hour at a swanky/trendy LI hot spot? Why not?

We piled in to my car and drove on over.

The place was pretty crowded and the people gathered there were quite a bit older than our group. So, no hook-ups, no numbers. But, free drinks and an exchange of stories since I have not seen Blonde since late January and Sassy since late December. We talked, laughed, and,best of all, got to enjoy top-shelf cocktails!

Honu was doing something similar that same night. Blonde wanted to head on over but Sassy vetoed it and decided on Jackie Reilly's instead. So we went there for another hour and hung out while they grabbed another beer.

What came of the night? I figured out that we haul it over to Honu......20 minutes further north than Four and it is really the same crowd. What is the major difference between the two? Honu has access to other bars in the area but horrible parking while Four has complimentary valet but nothing else to go to when the crowd is not so hot.

I am opting for Four this summer...................especially when they open up for outside entertaining. Save the gas, go to Four.

CAT astrophe

2008-03-28T15:33:00.002-04:00

I moved recently and am in the process of figuring out what is where and living out of bags, boxes, and piles. I am okay with it, but I am so lonely. And I figured it was time to bring along the cat. Sunny, my 27 lb shadow, was to have become "Commuter Kitty". He loves me dearly, but adores the family, too. So I wanted to do what all of those dog people do....have him go back-n-forth with me from the little house to my parents for dinner, tea, visits, etc.

I can not put him in a carrier, as he is too big and way too heavy for me to lift in one. So I bought him a harness and planned on walking him like one of those little dogs out to the car & then into the house. I bought a cat harness. Too small. So I exchanged it for a small dog collar. Still too small. That chunky needed a medium dog harness. Oh no!

I found him sleeping on his favorite blanket and thought it best to slip the harness on him at that moment. I then clipped on the leash and tried to make him get up and walk. Nope. I picked him up and put him on the floor. Where he rolled over like a huge water balloon. He reminded me of the little kids who you are holding and when you try to put them down they pick up their feet and its as if they have no legs. I tried for 5 minutes to get him up and walking. Nothing. He is the 300lb gorilla in the room.

I had to pick him up and carry him to the passenger seat. I put him in the car and ran around to the other side to get in. I started up the car and the wailing began. He cried all the way there & it was piercing......as if someone was beating him to death. He looked out the passenger side window and panicked. He tried to jump onto the dashboard and hit his head, landing back into the seat. He scrambled over onto me and tried to go up and onto the dash that way. I had to stop the car, put him on my lap, and then firmly hold him in place the rest of the way.

We arrived at the house and I, again, had to carry him in. When I put him down and spread the blanket that he loves so much onto the couch, he jumped right up and wouldn't move. I tried to coax him with food. Nothing. I tried a bowl of water. Nope. I wanted to give him kitten cookies. He wouldn't get up for them but yelled into the kitchen from where he was on the couch as if he wanted me to bring them in. So he ate them on the couch.

We settled in for the evening. If I got up....he got up. If I rolled over, he rolled with me. It was pitiful.

I had to leave him for 4 hours the next day to go to work............see how work is getting in the way?..............and I felt so guilty. I told my mom and she said he should come home. So I had to swing by to get her and driv eon over to the house. We went in and could not find him. He was under the bed and would not come out until he saw both of us and recognized the faces & voices. Oh so sad! Back on went the harness and mom had to carry him out..............for, once again, he acted as if he had no legs.

He rode on her lap all the way back and now won't leave her side. This is odd, as he usually does that with me. But, momis now the savior who brough him abck home from that wrethced palce where I had taken him.

So I am down one cat & rambling by myself now. Is there a lesosn in this Cat-astrophe? I am not sure yet. I'll fill you in if I find one.

Crak, Coffee, and KDP......a winning combination

2008-03-28T15:26:00.002-04:00

So Wednesday night was when Crak and I were meeting for coffee. KDP had texted me asking what I was doing and I told her so she said she'd meet up with us later on.

I got to Starbucks and found Crak inside with her hot beverage and a bag of goodies. So I grabbed my usual and wanted to see what was in that bag. Yippee! TN stuff! Plans are in the works, but we have not discussed ANYTHING and plan on going in June. I don't think we have ever been this late with plans before.

She heard about my move & I heard about her dates. My only dating life. I am living vicariously through her right now when it comes to dating. Any advice for this part of my life? I was planning on signing up for Match........again.........after hearing that 60% of couples currently dating who are over the age of 25 have met via the internet. But then I heard (on the John Tesh program) that 35% of the people on dating sites currently, with pictures, are married and --- technically ---- looking to cheat. Great.

KDP arrived and the stories of skiing came out. We laughed. As always. That's why I hang out with these great women. I am always guaranteed to laugh. And, when it comes down to it, isn't that all we need?

See? Who needs to blow on dice when the odds of me having fun with friends over a simple cup of coffee is a guaranteed win every time!

Blowin' Dice

2008-03-28T15:16:00.002-04:00

If you read Crak's entry, then you understand why I am posting this. I wasn't planning on it, but I have been thrust into the situation.

Crak & I have not seen eachother nor have we really chatted much lately due to schedules. I called her on my way to the Farm on Wednesday to confirm for coffee later on that evening. I was five minutes behind schedule and racing like a madwoman to the campus. While we chatted, I made the comment that I am finding this whole "work thing" to be getting in the way of me living. You know, truly living. Getting ready to go, taking books and papers, finding parking (in Guam I might add), and then schlepping all the way in to a classroom to discuss poetry is just not doing it for me right now. Don't get me wrong: I LUV my Farm kids. They are great. I enjoy talking with them, discussing poems with them, and having random tangents as a group. But I have no energy for it anymore.

I am not sure what I want to be when I grow up.

So it went from there. I said something about winning the lottery. And then I think it went to becoming a personal shopper for someone......because I like shopping and I would have no trouble using someone else's money to assist them in buying the right presents for friends, famly, and special persons. Crak pointed out that they may even throw something my way every now and then. Nice!

And then it segwayed to going to Vegas or AC and trying to attach myself to a high roller/whale and asking if I could be the girl who blows on their dice before rolling it in a craps game (or any game that involves dice). And it went down from there......the conversation....PERVS! How? I am not sure. How well would it work for me to stand on the LVB with a sandwich board that says "I'll blow on your dice for ya". Yeah. Needs work. Lots of work.

Any advice? Suggestions? About the job thing..........not the dice or the blowing on them.

Fresita-licious!

2008-03-21T19:00:00.002-04:00

I bought a bottle of a sparkling strawberry wine a few weeks ago & was saving it for a special occassion. I'm not sure, anymore, what constitutes a 'special occassion' and found myself wanting to open it today for no other reason that I wanted to.

Oh. My. Goodness.

It was soooooooooooo yummy. A chilled wine that is gorgeous in color and in aroma, this bottle had sold itself. The packaging alone is festive. It was a frosted bittle lottle with pretty reddish liquid inside and red foil covering the top. The minute I opened it, I was hit with a fragrance of fresh-picked strawberries.

It bubbles and fizzes and those bubbles release more of the fresh summertime scent.

I enjoyed it in a little aperitif glass and now I yearn for the long, warm, endless days that will soon lay ahead with me sipping this chilled wine of choice.

Fear & Loathing In L.I.

2008-03-16T23:08:00.002-04:00

Have I mentioned how much I despise my students? I received email afer scathing email this past week from those who "were not satisfied" with their grades and how they "already contacted the dean because she will do the right thing".

Was 'doing the right thing' doing the work that had been assigned at a collegiate level?
Was 'doing the right thing' keeping up with posts that would be worth 40% of your final grade? Would 'doing the right thing' be having read the syllabus and knowing fully the responsibilities to earn the grade of your desire?
Would 'doing the right thing' include reading the seven announcements, the two extra ones strictly for posting, and the two emails that told you as a class that you were not even close to earning the 40%?
Would 'doing the right thing' be contacting me when your midterm eval was an "F"?
Would 'doing the right thing' maybe be contacting me with an appropriate worded email as opposed to the nasty ones I received?
Would 'doing the right thing' be the dean not entertaining the students (I use that term-students- VERY loosely) and sending the students back to me to discuss the situation first?

I have been summoned to the provost's office at 11:30 Monday morning. This doens't look well for me.....I did my job, have copies of the announcements, emails I sent, and the syllabus that was posted the first week. I have copies of the students' emails. I did my job and I did it well. Yet it will be me who pays a huge price tomorrow. I may be jumping the gun. They may just warn me to not have such high standards next time. They may pressure me to change the grades. That isn't good in that it undermines me completely as a professional. I'd be sunk each semester simply because people would be able to say "Oh, you don't like it that you did not do any work and she had the nerve to fail you? Take it to the provost...he'll do the right thing". They may remove me at the end of the semester. They may remove me now.

The waiting game is taking its toll on my sanity.

Ever want to just run away? Wanna come with me?

Is She Kidding?

2008-03-16T17:04:00.002-04:00

So the prostitute at the center for the Spitzer scandal is upset that her Myspace photos were published in newspapers? Is she for real?

And the media is making repeated statements how she "stands to make a fortune over this whole incident". The one being that she is the 'girl who brought down the governor'. Ummmm......is everyone forgetting that what she was doing while she 'brought him down' was, and still is, illegal? Should she be able to make more than she already has from her....cough cough.......business?

I am not passing comments on her looks, as so many have.

But I am going to say that it is pathetic when a 22-year old can make such a life choice, roll the way she did, get upset over the media attention , and then laugh all the way to the bank while two of her songs get air play & are being downloaded at alarming rates. She is making $.70 off of each $1.00 song purchase, by the way.

Side note: I have to stop listening to Z100 now because of their lack of morals/common sense in this situation.

Go home, little girl, to your well-to-do family life. Put your clothes on. Find some morals. And stop whining about the media when you made it clear to many who knew you that you wanted to be famous anyway. Well, sweetie, you got it!

Doin' Fine at 29!

2008-03-16T17:03:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday little brother!

Loathing

2008-03-10T10:49:00.002-04:00

Session I ended this past week. I stayed up Friday night when I got home and Saturday night, too, to grade finals and post grades. And now the bombardment of emails has arrived. The online class required 3 posts per week. My students did not do that. That portion was worth 40% of their grade. It was in the syllabus, announced each week, and two major emails had been sent out. I am now getting "YOU should have told me", "YOU never said anything to me", "as the instructor, you should have reminded me", and tons of "This is being forwarded to ________" you name it they are sending it.

I hate it. I am worth more than this job. I just don't know what I want to be when I grow up so I am stuck.

No Word From

2008-03-10T10:46:00.002-04:00

I have not spoken with Cowboy since January. I did, however, hear from him on Valentine's Day when he sent me a text wishing me a happy one. I had sent it back saying the same.

I thought, for sure, I'd get one for my birthday. Nope. Not one. No email. No text. Nothing.

I found that strange. I am not sure why. I didn't want to hear from him but I was upset that I didn't. I am so confused.

I don't think that I'd feel any different even if I were involved with someone. He is a person I thought I'd have in my life forever......in some capacity. I was wrong.

It's sad when you finally know that it is the end.

NYC WIne Expo -- In Attendance (if I remember correctly)

2008-03-09T15:35:00.005-04:00

170 wineries.
600 wines.

So. Many. Samples.

Having volunteered the night before gave me two free tickets to attend the wine expo. My dad makes his own wine and would want to go. My mom can not be left out, so they bought one ticket and happily staked claim to my other ticket. $90 per ticket is too rich for their blood, too.

We caught a 12:20 train into the city.......ugh day 3......and the ticket guy came around to punch our tickets. He did so and then looks at me and says "I know you". I am learning to despise those words. I looked up & sure enough, it was a student I had in 2001-02. Wow. So old am I.

He asked me how I was, introduced himself to my parents, and sat down to ask me what I thought about grad. schools and which would I reccommend. He would get up at each station, peak out the door, as per job responsibility, and then punch tickets quickly and sit back down to chat. I had him for two semesters and could barely get a word out of him. He chatted all the way to Jamaica! I was dying a thousand deaths inside.

When we arrived at Penn, we decided to take a cab to the Javits Center due to all of that rain we had teeming down. My mother has never taken a NYC taxi in her life. Doesn't it just sound fitting that we were only two blocks away from Penn when a cabbie flies up next to our driver and starts cursing him out? Our cabbie responds and the other driver threw something hard out of his window and into the face of our guy! Our driver yells "I will punish you now!" and begins to speed. We thought, for sure, that we were going to be in some insane cabbie chase, but it was coincidence that we were headed the same direction. It's only four majoy blocks to the J.C. Why can't it be uneventful?

Anyway, we got there at 1:45 for the 2:00 start. We were ready with a bottle of water, a notepad and pen and knew to start on the right side. They let us in and we grabbed our complimentary wine glasses and headed off to the first aisle.

I won't go into details, but I sampled approximately 100 of the wines. I found some amazing dessert wines and even a red that will go great with anything from steak (if I ate it) to pizza (if I ate that).

We left when the event ended.....6:00. There were so many adults tripping, stumbling, vomiting, and holding onto walls/chairs/tables that it wasn't funny. These are adults! I can understand if it was the combination of wine made them ill, but if it was just the consumption of wine....which for most it was.....that is so sad.

We walked back to Penn and stopped in at Kabooz..............a fitting name for this day......and grabbed dinner. Our train was at 7:20 and we got home some time after 8p.m. I was exhausted. Did I have to tell you that? I am already on the list to be notified to sign up for a coveted spot among the 19 volunteers next year!

I hear that the J.C. does a food expo in June or July. I wonder if they need any help for that.

NYC WIne Expo--Volunteer Night

2008-03-09T15:35:00.004-04:00

It was Friday night and I had to hop a train back into the city at 3:22 to make it to the Javits Center by 4:30. It was the First Wine Expo being held there & I was dying to attend. I had looked at the webiste and found that tickets were $90 a piece. Too rich for my blood. But then I saw this tiny link at the bottom that asked for volunteers. What was the reward? Two tickets to the event for the next day. Yippee! So I signed up to work the will-call booth.

I got there a few minutes early and thank goodness I did. That place is so huge & it's even bigger when you do not know any more than the name of the person you must check in with. I found her in under 10 minutes and was escorted to my spot. At 4:45, another woman came over with the two boxes of envelopes/tickets that I was to distribute as people checked in. She then gave me another 100 that had to be added to the boxes alphabetically......by last name. She explained this so slowly and carefully to me. I was laughing so hard inside but just nodded eagerly so that she knew I understood. I wanted to say "Hey. I teach English at the college level" but know that she must get some real winners when they host this in Boston and D.C. I didn't take offense to it in the least, but she looked so concerned that the directions may be too hard for me to grasp. Heeheehee. Her other concern was that I complete this task by 6:00. It was 4:45. Yeah. I think I can handle it.

I was left alone at the booth to do this. Ten minutes later, some woman comes up and says "I need to leave these here for my friend". I was a bit confused, as I was placed here to hand OUT tickets.....not take. And I had no place to put them........no extra envelopes in which to store them. So I said "Well, I'm not sure. Let me just check with....." and that is when Samantha, from Wine Spectator magazine, said "Is everybody here an idiot?". Okay okay. Normal Grotter reaction would be to blow this woman out of the water. But, Volunteer Grotter said "Hi. I'm a volunteer and have only been here 10 minutes. Let me see what I can do". So I went & found the woman who seated me earlier and she gave me extra envelopes so that I could hold stupid Samantha Wine Spectator's tickets.

Less than twenty minutes later, a man from one of the wineries comes up and says "Do you have the tickets Tracy so-n-so promised me?" Huh? I asked him if he had checked in with the Trade side. He, very rudely, grunted that he had and they sent him to me. I asked for his name and did not find tickets there. I asked for the names of the people he was bringing as guests and there were no tickets under those names either. So I took him to another woman. She had a laptop & could look at the list of comp. tickets. She asked him what day were they for...Friday or Saturday. He looked at me and said "Consumer tickets." I then explained to him that "We have tickets for Friday or for Saturday. Which day did you reserve?" He yelled, threw up his hands, and stormed off. EEK! A guy trying to scam free tickets!!! Evil!

Things were pretty slow until close to 7. That is when the line formed at my booth and I was ransacking those boxes like a mad woman. I greeted each person & smiled.....chatted a moment and sent them on their happy, soon to be drunk, way. So many men. Oh so many. And many asking if I'd be in there with them. I had to (sadly) decline and point out that I'd be attending the next day. There were some skeevy old guys, too, who asked the same question. I happily told them I was going the next day....when they wouldn't be there.

Speaking of skeevy old guys, I had a break and walked in to plan my method of attack for the next day. While I was in there, a scary old guy stops me and says "Hey Grotter" (I hate nametags). I smiled back and said hi. He said "How's it going?" I said "fine". He said "I remember you. You gave me my tickets." I said "Yes. I did". He said "Wow! You did a really good job with that, too." I gave him two thumbs-up and said "I'm going to get some cheese & crackers now" and quickly walked away.

The evening went fast and smooth. Until Samantha Wine Spectator came back. She holds up two more tickets and says "I'm leaving these". I gave her an envelope and asked her to write on it last name, first name. She writes it first name, last name and then underlines....five times.....the initial in the last name. I was dying to look at her and say "Who is the idiot?" but I didn't.

I was released from my duties at 10:00 and made the walk back to Penn. I waited until 11:00 for my parents to meet me there. They had seen "Mary Poppins" and I figured it'd be best to grab a ride home on the train & then car with them.

I rolled in after midnight exhausted and wondering just how people who do this whole commute to the city thing every day for work survive? Granted, I worked both days and then went in, but my trips were for fun! Not work & stress. So I still can't wrap my brain around it.

Sheckys. That's All I Have To Say.

2008-03-09T15:34:00.002-04:00

Tuesday and Wednesday were blurs with work & meetings and grades because Session I was ending Thursday night. And I wouldn't be there. I would be on my way to the Puck Building to enjoy a Girls' Night Out with ..........none other than Mom. She has watched me empty out bag after bag from Sheckys and Rooftop parties and wanted a bag of her own. So I got the two-for-one deal and it was one of her Christmas presents.

We headed in on a 5:25 train and got to Sheckys close to 6:30. UGH! Only three and a half hours of drinking time? I told mom we'd have to catch up to the others. I shuffled her through and around to get to the elevator so that we'd be whisked up to the 7th floor to get our goody bags as soon as possible. I have seen that they run out of things that were in the early bags and I would like to get as much free stuff as I can.....for myself....to pass on...whatever.

NEW BAGS! They billed this Shecky's as the one to have new bags. We have three of the old white one and did not need any more of that. Crak had attended on Tues. night and she texted me that she had received, yet again, the old white bag. No new bag & no clue as to whether or not it would look like the advertisement. I got there and saw them putting the old bag....filled with lots of stuff......into the brand new brown bags. So we got two bags, one filled with stuff. Mom had a ball. She had her bags and then began to try the dirnks. She is a lot like me. She wants to try new things and know what she's doing when she orders things out. And, yet, does not want to pay for something she isn't sure she will like or something that will taste really bad. That is why this event is so fun. You can try drinks you have never had & see if you like them....all for one price. She started with a Chambord Margarita. She said it was good but sipped my chambord martini and liked it a lot better. The Lion, whom Crak has been following at these events, was the one mixing and making and pouring. So I got a glimpse of him, too. Meh--he's okay. Not my type. But it's nice to see that he's now a staple at these events.

We walked down an aisle, finished the chambord and moved on to Bacardi. I had their strawberry mix while mom had the mojito. Mmmmm........aisle two and three done.

We then went downstairs and went to the smaller room. There we were able to get a seat at the Bud/Michelob tasting and had their new raspberry pomogranite beer, with fresh raspberries to add to the taste, their grapefruit beer with a chunk of brie, a light beer with a sharp white cheddar, and an amber (too strong for me) with a mild swiss. All were so good.

Mom and I moved on to the Finlandia set-up and had a good time there.

We left around 9:30 to catch a train home. We got in around 11:30 and collapsed. She commented on not knowing how we (meaning me & friends) do this whole commute thing after working & then go to work the next day. Hmmm.....she had no trouble getting up & out before 7am to be on time.

Looks like mom is one of the 'girls' after all.

AC BABY!

2008-03-05T23:39:00.002-05:00

Happy 33 to me!

This post has taken forever to write & you will read why later on in the others.

Okay......on the road at 9:30 to head over to pick up KDP & begin the 3 hour drive down to AC. I got to her by 10 & she threw her stuff in the car & off we went. The drive was simple and smooth.....no incidents, traffic, or stops along the way. Except for Tom's River so that we could go to Build a Bear. Bearamy does not have a NJ shirt & needed one for his collection and KDP was dying to stuff the Lucky Clovers bear for St. Patrick's Day. The mall was located right off of the GSP and we jetted in for 20 minutes.

We got to AC at 1:30 and headed straight for the Tropicana. We were meeting my parents there, who wanted to go to AC for the day & would wander around with us until after dinner.

We parked in the first garage we found for the hotel and went inside. Hmmmm........we saw a beautiful atrium, a staircase & escalators, and restauratns & bars galore. But no Reception area to check in. We spun around for a few minutes and then just decided to walk through the mall that lay ahead. We passed stores galore and the into the casino. Still no Registration. And no parents.

We finally found it and them and checked in. I thought it would be dead, but I was so wrong. There had to be 15 groups/families checking in infront of us. And the line only got longer as we stood there. We didn't wait long, though, as they had plenty of people on staff to handle the crowd. But who in the world goes to AC on a Sunday in March? Apparently, everyone does.

We checked in, met my parents, and checked out the hotel a little bit. But it was soooooo nice outside that we thought it best to walk the Boardwalk while it was still light out & comfortable enough to without being bundled up.

We headed down to Trump's and Caesars (another Trump place) and the new Caesar's (very upscale) Mall. They have cleaned it up so nice! The last time I was there it was sticky, creepy, and trashy. Now it is a touch of Vegas here on the East Coast. We window-shopped for awhile and then decided it would be best to eat an early dinner, as mom & dad had to drive home that same evening.

We sat & chatted & they caught up with KDP about her niece, her new home, and her job with her 'babies'. She told such funny stories and had them laughing the entire time.

Close to 6:30 they were ready to head home. I love the fact that they came & had fun with us & were willing to drive all the way home that same night. My parents are troopers.

KDP & I went back to the mall to shop a bit. We wandered through the casino, too, and saw multitudes of men. And then we saw how dark it was & realized how far of a walk we had back....so by 8:30 we were going back to the Tropicana. We still had't taken our luggage out of the car & to the room so we had to walk the entire way through the hotel and the garage and now balance all that we had back to the room.

We crashed in our very nice.....very spacious room......for a half hour. Then it was time to get ready, drink in the room, and head out to the bars & casino floor.

We checked out a few bars & settled on a karoake bar that had a few people hanging out in there. I had a Hot Tub Martini, which consisted of chambord, champagne, and stoli vodka. It went down very easy. People sang anything in this animal print, chaos pattern room from "I Wanna Come Over" to "Tan Shoes with Pink Shoelaces". Sad to say, I knew them all & sang along from my stool. KDP thinks I am crazy, but I always point out that if I had as much knowledge stored in my head as I do nonsense, I'd be scary--mensa smart. Too bad it's 1960s lyrics.

Around midnight we hit the game floor. We wandered all around....seeing lots of cute....but very married......men. Lots of wedding rings all over the place. We gambled on the slots until 2. I broke even. Yippee! That's a lot better than losing....which I was until I found my all-time favorite machine. It helped me win back all I had (cough cough) invested.

We then headed over to this 24-hour shop in the hotel that had AMAZING desserts. I got a cup of tea and this chocolate raspberry pyramid. It was a chocolate shell with raspberry mousse inside. Oh I could have eaten a dozen, it was that good.

We finally went back to the room & crashed. I was beyond tired that I was awake again & watched 30 minutes of "8mm". I seriously hope that movie has a NC-17 rating. It was atrocious! I can not believe that they'd make such a movie. I know that it probably mirrors what people go through and deal with on a daily basis, but let's not have Hollywood expose a whole new crop to it that may never have known such sick material existed or what to do with it.

We ate a late breakfast & headed out to the outlets. There, KDP bought shoes & we burned off calories from the dessert the night before so we could have crepes for lunch. Cavo Crepe is in the middle of the outlet complex & has breakfast, lunch, and dessert crepes. I had a southwest chicken and cheese crepe that made me melt. It was so good and so filling that I didn't have room for a dessert one.

We jumped in the car at 2:30 and hit the road. With little traffic to slow us down, we made it to Garden City at 5:15. I dropped off KDP & raced home, making it there by 6:00pm. Not too bad!

I had a fun birthday dinner with my family and then...............get this.............this is how dedicated a professor I am to my students: I went in at 8:00 and taught until 10:45pm. Yes I did.

I went home and crashed. The 3's were pretty good to me this year.

It's My Party & I'll

2008-03-05T23:33:00.002-05:00

Crak had said to me earlier in the week that we had to go out for drinks for my birthday. That would be fine. I am not a birthday person when it comes to my own & prefer the low-key (practically non-existent) type of acknowledgement. So the two of us grabbing a drink at the bar would be perfect.

Ealier in the day, JW had texted me. It was the usual "what are you up to?" that leads back & forth before he finally asks me whatever it is he wants to ask. He wanted to know if I wanted to go to the Isles game at 2pm. I couldn't go......and was so mad because I would like to go to a game one of these days.......and told him I appreciated that he kept me in mind for it & to consider me another time. He asked what I was doing later on that day. Big mouth that I have said I was grabbing drinks with Crak. He said "Oh, I can do that. I'll come too."

When did I invite him? I'm not sure. So I couldn't back out now & told him I'd text him later with the info. I didn't think he'd show up as he forgets things and lots of stuff "pops up" for him anyway.

I texted him and never heard a word.

Crak & I decided on Main Event. We'd meet around 8:30 and have a drink and catch up on some stuff. On my way there, I had a phone call. It's JW asking if I was there yet. Huh? He's coming? UGH! I forgot to tell Crak. Who immediately texts me "Thanks for the heads up". Ooooooooooooooooooooo.................they are there & I am not and I didn't know I'd have to give a 'heads up' because I didn't know he'd actually go & I didn't think it would be an issue and ooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Not to say that it was an 'issue', per se, but he & Crak are a bit of oil & water. Heck....he & I are oil and water many times. The two of them had not seen nor spoken to each other in a year and a half and she asked him how he's was and his reply? Typical JW with a "Horrible". Okay then! So she hustled him inside & I got there just as she (unknowingly would have to) graciously bought him a drink.

I walked in & saw the look on her face. Huh....five minutes and she's already met her limit. I think that is a new record for him. The two of us chatted while he chimed in with random items to direct the conversation into pity his way. Yeah--that didn't happen. Does he forget who he is dealing with? Crak has a pretty strong personality (in a good way) and so do I. Put us together and some people can't handle it. Again....not in a bad way, but we know how to deal with people & are not afraid to call them on their idiocy(ies).

As we were talking about our days, he drops in "I might go to Hawaii next week". Yeah, sure. So we look up at him (as we are short and he is quite tall) and I start in with "Ah! Hawaii." and sigh. And the two of us begin with how pretty it was & where to go or not go & wanting to go back....but made sure it revolved around us so that he couldn't get a word in edgewise. I feel bad (sometimes) but that is how he has to be dealt with.

I was a bit disappointed in Crak, though, in that I didn't get my "Good morning! Inside outside? Mango smoothies!" announcement that I long to hear.

We were there until 10:45 and decided it was time to head out. I headed home, talking to KDP on the phone, and realized I still had laundry to do for the next day........we were going to AC.

AC Baby!

How Do I

2008-03-05T23:23:00.004-05:00

I was online Friday night (my lame night of being happy to stay in) and I received an odd instant message. It was from the Military Man. I have not heard from him in ages. That was fine with me. I did not like him & he was so rude.

He starts out the iming vague and curious about what I was doing that night. Then, out of nowhere, he hits me with news. That I'd have to pass on because what I was informed of was something that would be more meaningful.......and sad........for someone else.

Great. How do I do this? Tell this person the news that I have? When is a good time? Never. How do I say it tactfully? I don't know if there is/was a way.

I called the cell. Went right to voicemail. Drat. This is not something to leave on a cell. I would not want an accident to occur from having picked up the message while driving....or while out having fun.

I called the house. No answer. The machine picked up. Now what? I had to leave a message. But it was the somber "call me when you can" type. No good either, but it was all I knew to do.

I got the call the next morning and relayed the message. Silence. The recipient stated a line of concern and then said it again three times. UGH! I was so uncomfortable doing this on the phone but didn't want to wait to do it in person......in public.........sitting on it would be more awkward.

I still do not know if what I did was right. I run it in my brain over & over because I can't believe it myself.

It makes you wonder. It makes you really consider.

You Know You Are Old When.......

2008-02-29T21:20:00.001-05:00

I am so happy that I am in tonight! This is my first night home since Sunday. I have not eaten a normal dinner all week. I have not had time to just relax and do whatever I wanted to do. So I am elated that I am sitting here for the last 2 hours in my pajamas catching up on all that I need and want to.

Hurray for being old(er)!

Whooooo Hoooooo! Beertopia!

2008-02-28T23:14:00.003-05:00

KDP is such a trooper. Not only did she leave at 6:50 am in the morning to go from LB to da' Bronx, but she hopped the #2 subway to meet me at Penn at 4:30. The woman has some energy level, let me tell you!

We were on our way to the Pourhouse to join in for the 2nd Annual Beertopia. Fifty beers on hand. We bought tickets to try 12 and then purchased pints as well. The bar is surprisingly big. Well, its small in the front and then leasd down a hallway to a back area that has another section at the back of that. Don't ask. Just go see for yourself.

We got there at 6pm. When it was supposed to start. The place was pretty empty. There was no signage up. Hmmmm.....did I get the date wrong? Well, we had hauled it all the way there so we may as well have a pint. I ordered the Sam Adams Winter White ltd. It was pretty good~~as far as beers go. KDP had a Goose IPA. Absolutely terrible! Needless to say, she drank less than half of it.

At about 6:30, there is an announcement: "Join us for Beertopia at the back bar!". Huh? Why weren't there signs? Where was the crowd? Oh stop asking questions & just go to the back bar!

So we walk to the back & see that there are a number of seats. We grab two and the flier that has the listing of 50 beers, both bottled and draught, and ask how it works. The bartender points me to Stanley, the guy at the other door. He has the tickets. I got tickets for us and went back to begin the tasting.

Here's what I sampled:

Purple Haze......raspberry beer....good but nothing like frambois
Amarit...............a beer from Thailand that smelled a whole lot worse than
it tasted. I could actually order it and drink it.
Asahi.................japanese beer that tasted like (what I imagine) urine.

Blue Point Blueberry......so good!
Blue Point Toasted Lager..........okay but a bit too bitter for me
Brooklyn Pennant...........yuck
Carib Lager.......................a caribbean beer that reminded me of Corona without the after-taste
Hoegaarden.......................like bad ginger ale
Hitacho Ginger.................if you enjoy ginger, this is one for you
Kona Fire Ale...................ah...Kona.....good but a bit 'hoppy' for me
Magners............................more of a hard cider & went down very easily
Pacifico.............................very lime-y

We left at 8:15 in hopes of having KDP on her 8:56 train home. We ran to the subway station and flew down the stairs (all in my cute red suede boots, mind you) and made it on to the R. We stood there for two minutes & then heard "This train will not be moving any time soon. There is debris on the tracks past Lex. Station. Please cross the track & wait for the next train." Uh-oh. I said that 'debris' is code word for 'body'. Just a guess.

We cross the track & wait. For a it. And at 8:40 the Q arrives & we're saved. Or so we thought. We hop on and it sits there. For a bit. And then it finally moves. I said to KDP "Go on without me. Catch your train. I'll talk to you later." I have trains that run all of the time. If she didn't make her 8:56, the next was at 9:56. Just as the words leave my mouth, we stop. In the tunnel. We haven't even hit 23rd street. Why are we stopping? Oh wait......we moved. A little. And now we crawl. All the way to the 34th & Herald Square station. The train pulls in at 8:58. She missed her's.

We strolled back to Penn & grabbed coffee at Starbucks. While sitting there, this so-not-goodlooking guy sits down & is on his phone. He sees us looking at the newspaper & asks "What are you reading?" So we respond. He then goes on to ignore his cellphone....with the call still in action....and have a conversation with us. There as a cute picture of a pink & white beanie baby on the page & he asked what it was. I told him it was a bb and he said "Ugh. Waste of money." I said "I want it. I love pink things". He asked "Where would you put it?" I said "In my car". His reply? "I won't allow you to buy that. It's stupid." I said back "Well, thank goodness you do not control my money." He didn't seem too thrilled by this, but whatever. He wasn't remotely attractive anyway. He finally left & I ran across to my train....leaving KDP to wait 7 minutes by herself.

My ride home was uneventful. But, I was in the 5-seat spot with a mother & daughter.....the daughter was close to my age.....and the mother fell asleep with her head on the window. When we pulled in to the Westbury station, a guy, about 30-ish, walks past our window & punches the glass where this woman's head is! The daughter looks at me and says "Did you see that?!?" I said that I had & we commisserated about 30-yr old losers for the next couple of minutes until my stop came up. I can't believe the nerve of some people.

Cozy Mel's.......the only guy with whom I am currently cozy

2008-02-28T23:13:00.003-05:00

I haven't seen Crak in ages! So it was only a matter of time until we managed to match up our busy schedules & grab dinner. Wednesday found us meeting up at Cozymels. Or Cozy Mel's as some of the waitstaff like to say it.

We met in the powdered sugar snow parking lot at 5:00 and went in to the oh so empty restaurant. We snagged a booth (that could have fit six easy & also would have allowed us to take naps while a family of 4 sat & ate) and began the two hour gabfest.

She gave me my first birthday present for '08. Sweet! I got a Prada Nursery Rhyme book, a shopaholic drinking glass, something that I can not remember at the moment, and maui mint gum. I love how she remembers that I get hooked on our travel themes & they stay with me. Right down to my candy.

We ordered & ate. And ate. And ate. My meal was huge! Yummy chicken enchiladas. And a salad. And that good rice that they have. I was stuffed.

And tired from laughing. And talking. And laughing some more.

We were there until 7 when I had to leave & go to work. Blah.

I love how an afternoon or evening out with one of my friends makes my jaw and stomach hurt from all of the laughing & talking. That's why these people are my friends!

Working Women's Luncheon.....I Am In LOVE With The View (Lounge that is)

2008-02-28T23:12:00.002-05:00

Codegirl had this bright idea to go in to the Marriot Marquis to a luncheon for 'working women'. I am not the Gloria Steinem....NOW type, but I am up for a day off of work & trapsing around the city for a lunch & lecture. And I enjoy adventures with Codegirl. She is hysterical on a regular basis so I wanted to see her in action in the city.

We met up at her house at 9:30ish and she wanted to drive in. I have driven with her before and usually she is pretty good. But--put her in the city & it's a whole other story. The cab drivers have got NOTHING on her. I saw my short life pass before my eyes a few times.

We managed to make it into Midtown without too many close calls and found AMAZING parking. Right across from the Marquis. For $20 for the day. Seriously? It must have been marked wrong but who cares?

We went inside & called her sister, Jerseygirl. She came in for the luncheon & shopping, too. I have met her before & we hit it off immediately. The three of us headed up to the 6th floor to sign in and get our goody bag. That really is the only reason to attend some of these events....the food & the goody bag. In the bag was a package of 100-calorie bagels, mints, perugina chocolate, a notepad, a coupon to test drive a Lexus &, if you do, you get a $100 amex card. I have to remember to sign up & go do that.

There were over 40 tables with ten people at each one. Pretty crowded and yet it didn't feel that way. We sat & they began the program immediately by bringing out the host & the quicky introduced Katie Couric, the guest speaker. I am not a Katie fan. However, she took me by surprise. She was witty, sarcastic, and very into anecdotes. I was torn between my chicken & risotto and listening to her. I am still not a fan, but I have a whole new sense of respect for her.

The program ended promptly at 12:00 and we went out & mingled some more. We then decided that we wanted to check out the revolving lounge that they have on the 43rd floor and it didn't open until 5:30--that meant killing time in the area. Easy to do on a dry day in the proper attire. Not so easy to do in business attire, heels, and rain. But we came up with a plan.

We took a cab to Sax 5th Ave. and did some shoe shopping. Well, Codegirl & I browsed while Jerseygirl shopped. She bought an adorable pair of Burberry galoshes. She immediately put them on because her cute shoes were hindering her ability to walk. Ah! Another woman willing to suffer for fashion just like me.

We got tired of that and headed back out on to the street. Where the rain had picked up. We wandered a bit further up (10 blocks to be exact) and found the Disney Store. It was raining, we had no umbrellas, and my shoes didn't want to go further. So we popped in. And found out that it was the release party for the Broadway show "The Little Mermaid". They had the leads for Ariel, Sebastian, and Ursula there singing the songs. It turns out that the three of us are HUGE fans of 'TLM' (ooh! I just realized that my initials and my fave disney movie are identical!) and wanted to stay and listen. We also stuck around for the q&a but decided to skip the signing portion and see if we could get a cab (in the rain mind you) back to the Marquis. We walked a few blocks before Codegirl could hail one & had it take us back to where we began our day.

We were hungry, wet, and tired and figured it'd be easier to eat at the hotel. So we went up to the 8th floor and ate at one of their diner-type places. We laughed & talked more & Codegirl began grilling me about every aspect of my life. Her sister joined in and I kept laughing & telling them to stop interrogating me. They'd laugh to and go right back to it.

We laughed a lot & waited until 6:00 to take the quick ride up to the 48h floor to -----Tada! --- The View Lounge. I was so giddy, I could barely contain myself.

We were seated & ordered. I had a caribbean rum hot chocolate. It was three types of liquor, hot chocolate, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and coconut shavings. Delicious & delirium. That's how I describe it. It was so pretty, so tranquil, and so romantic up there. Making me pine away for a guy who'd want to go and spend an evening doing something like that with me. The view? Loved it! I want to inquire about moving in up there for a week. That's all I want. Just a week. You know, like the guy who moved into Ikea? I want to go and say up there all day. And watch the city go by. Too cool.

It was well after 8 when we began our trek home. Oh no...........more zany driving a-la Codegirl. I was scared but too tired to hang on for dear life. I finally rolled in close to 10. The plans are in the works for the next luncheon. I don't know why I have to state the obvious. Who wouldn't want to do this all over again?

Deep in the Heartland

2008-02-21T21:40:00.003-05:00

I grabbed a bite at the Heartland Brewery today. Crak & I were supposed to eat there way back (two years ago to be exact). When we attempted to eat at the one in TS, they had a private event taking place & we were quickly escorted over to their sister restaurant, Spanky's.

That's where "Backpack Boy" ate all of our sourcream.

I digress.

I had been planning on going to Heartland one day & figured today was the day. I am on this beer & wine tasting kick........dreams of becoming a sommelier. So I went and sampled a glass of their Harvest Wheat & an order of their bbq quesadillas. I don't know what they use for the wrap. It wasn't a tortilla. It was all light & flaky & yummy and not heavy like so many can be.

Mmmmmmmmm....................yummy goodness. My goal is to go to each one in the city, sample a different brew each time, & see what the difference is between the restaurant offerings. I may gain a few pounds, but it's all in the name of research.

I'd Like To Thank The Academy.......

2008-02-21T21:29:00.002-05:00

I wrapped up at work as fast as I could today so that I could go in to see the Oscars exhibit at the GMA Studio in Times Square. The Oscar statues arrived last Friday and will be on display until tomorrow. I wanted to know just what an 8 lb. award of gold feels like in my hands since I am not in a field that hands those out to the best & brightest.

I hopped the train in and hauled it up the 10 blocks in the cold, anticipating a line a city block long. I got there & found nobody. How is that possible? It's the week that all of the children are off from school. It's the week that many parents take the vacation & head into Manhattan to entertain themselves and their kids. When everything else is packed, why isn't this? I was soooooooooooo happy!

I walked right in & up to the statue and asked the person behind me to take my picture. There were two HUGE guards on either side of the tethered little man and a woman who wouldn't assist with photos.

This was tighter security than the airports. No kidding.

But what a great exhibit. Not only did they have this one to stand with & simulate what the Academy winners get to experience, but they had two cases with statues. One case was the process of how it is covered.....the different layers that make this man so valuable ($$-wise) and so weighty. The second case had fifty on display and those will be given out at the '09 awards.

And yet another bit of history has been explored. I'd like to thank GMA for opening their doors, the Academy for allowing "regular people like me" to hold such a prestigious award in my untalented hands, and to Oscar.....the man of the hour. Without all of you, I would have had a mundane afternoon.

Love the Dress......All 27 of them!

2008-02-15T12:15:00.002-05:00

I am adding another movie to the list that will have to be purchased on it's release day & will spend many a day playing in the dvd player. "27 Dresses" was such an adorable flick. James Marsden..............I can't get enough of him. "The Bella Mafia" was my first encounter with him and while he scared me with his twisted mind, he intrigued me and has stuck with me ever since. Seeing him recently in "Enchaned" was great! He was so corny and while his Jim Carey-esque facial movements irked me (can not stand JC) I noticed that I was still hooked on this talented individual. And now, just a few weeks later, here he is again.

The movie? Adorable. The cast? Great. The dresses? Like backstage at a dance recital with ruffles and lace and head pieces and colors....and more ruffles but typical of a local production. Their karoake rendition of "Benny and the Jets"? Like so many weekends out at dive bars.....too many to count. Making this film easy to relate to and one to go see.

A Forward of a Forward of a Forward (that I had forwarded to me from my mom)

2008-02-14T13:24:00.003-05:00

When you have a "I Hate My Job" day

Try this:

On your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go to the thermometer section and purchase a rectal thermometer made by Johnson&Johnson. Be very sure to get that brand.

Change into very comfortable clothing and sit in your favorite chair.

Open the package and remove the thermometer.

Now, carefully place it on a table or a surface so that it will not become chipped or broken.

Now the fun part begins.

Take out the literature from the box and read it carefully.

You will notice that, in small print, there is a statement:
'Every Rectal Thermometer made by Johnson&Johnson is personally tested and then sanitized.'

Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times "I am so glad I do not work in the thermometer quality control department at Johnson&Johnson."

Have a nice day and remember, there is always someone with a job that is more of a pain in the ass than yours!

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T00:27:00.002-05:00

While I do not have a special someone to call my own, I do have many valentines this year.

To my family: Thank you for your love, support, nurturing, and patience. Without all of you, I would not be the individual I am today. For that, you are all special and I love you.

To my friends: Thank you for the great times, memories, commiserating, rebel-rousing, amazing stories, cocktails and nonsense that keep me coming back for more. KDP, Crak, Blonde, Codegirl, LTN, Ultimate Shopper, MIU, even JW & Cowboy(who I have not spoken to in 3 weeks but still deserves).................all of you are the best group a gal could associate with & I am beyond lucky.

With love to you all on this hallmark-y romantic day. Know that you are special to me!

Happy Valentine's Day!

On The "I Hate Them" Kick

2008-02-13T23:41:00.002-05:00

This semester, it has been student after student challenging me on what I do and why they don't think I am fair. One was ill and could not submit work to the online class. They had a week and did not do it. Five questions and three posts to a discussion board. But they had time for lengthy emails.

The next one couldn't do the work because their child was sick all week.

A third said it wasn't their fault that they couldn't buy the book the first week and that it wasn't their fault that they waited until the last minute to try and complete/submit the work when they had six days and then found it a bit difficult and missed the cut-off. That was my fault, I was told.

It wasn't her fault that she has family problems and can attend her traditional classes but can't do the minimal work for my online class. And when I did not give the extension she thought she should have, she went over my head to the provost. Who never asked her if she met with me face-to-face.

I had one who was mad that he failed a test so when I went to collect it, he shoved it to the floor. I stepped over it and he asked me, infront of the class, "Aren't you going to pick that up?" I said "No" and kept on going. He won't return until I explain to him why I didn't pick up his (shoved to the floor) paper.

The last one is one who refused to turn in a test when I said the time was up. He waved me off and told me to go teach my lesson and that he'd submit it when he was ready. I said "Forget it" and then taught my lesson. I took the paper with me and tried to tell him that I had to speak with the provost to find out if I'd be supported in not grading it (sick I know) and when I got that support, I sent the email a stating just that.

The student found out tonight, a week later, because he doesn't read his emails and received his ungraded test back. Doesn't he send me an email telling me that I am not resolving his issue so he's going over my head to the dean?

Why is my job being threatened? I always say that if I wasn't a woman, I wouldn't have half of these problems. And I am not one of those gloria steinem/NOW totin' people. But when I discuss these students with their male professors, they do not have any issues with them. When I discuss it with female professors, they are hitting that same wall I am.

Well, dean or no dean, provost or not, I am not budging. Call me Gibraltar.

TCA Continues..........but can I go?

2008-02-13T23:34:00.002-05:00

I received an email from the TCA saying that we can apply to be considered to attend another workshop. In Australia. Or South Africa. Or Thailand. I can do the first two.....I'd actually be thrilled to go to S. Africa with a group and a purpose.

However, I am not skilled. At. All. I can take video.......like any other person who picks up a camera. You know, soccer mom style. I have learned how to upload it, edit it, add tracking, and I learned so much. As I keep saying, I survived. But I am not on the level that so many of my classmates were attaining and could pull of some great footage if and when they go on this next excursion. I'd give my right arm to go. Heck, I'd give anybody's right arm to go. But I have to be realistic. I need to practice. A lot. And have feedback and criticism before I could even think of filling out such an application to go on such a life-changing trip.

I have a goal now for the next year. I just hope they still have such an offer and an extension to those of us left in the dust!

If any TCA people are reading, let me know who is going so I know who to bug for a souvenier and pictures!

Where's My Winter Wonderland?

2008-02-13T11:40:00.002-05:00

I LOVED last night's snow. It was absolutely exquisite! And I mean that. It was the first real snow we had...............even though it was only an inch. But, I love that snow. The texture. The chill it creates. The way that everything becomes pretty and peaceful.

I was actually running errands in it last ngith. It was an adventure, to say the least. But it is so much easier to go out when everyone else is now staying in. Things are accomplished much more quickly. And I'd go out on a snowy day over a rainy one any time.

I went to bed with that tranquil blanket outside....and got up to the teeming rain and flood that is now taking over. EW! Tell me I actually have to go to work in this? Can you say jeans and sneakers? There is no way I am getting all dolled up to go out in this. Betcha less than half of my classes show up. And who is the foolish one then? ME! For not staying in.

Grammys? Shammies? What Was That Last Night?

2008-02-11T10:48:00.001-05:00

What in the world has happened to the Grammy's? I must admit that I only caught the end of it, but what I saw was head-shaking nonsense. I saw Kanye West win & give some arrogant speech. He glared (through sunglasses) at the camera and said "You gonna play the music on me?"...because he was not finished giving his speech. Everyone gets an allotted timeframe for their speech. Why should he get any longer than everyone else? It's not like he won Album of the Year. Had he taken the top category, then fine. But he didn't.

The Foo Fighters? They won, too? Over Daughtry? Who has had an amazing run this year? And what was with the Foo guy in the jeans & tshirt sitting with his feet all curled up on the seat? Grow up, buddy! You are at the awards show of the year for your industry! Act like you know how to conduct yourself in public.

Poor Amy Winehouse. While performing, she looked terrified & drugged up. Her dancing? Looked like a little girl wearing mommy's heels for the first time as she shuffles down the hall to show off her (lack of) balance. And what does it say about an industry & society when they vote for best record as that of one about rehab.? Doesn't that warrant worry and cause for concern rather than a grammy and glorification?

"Prof." Will. I. Am.? He's a professor? I didn't know. And I couldn't follow his "S to the P to the E to the E to the C to the H". It lost me.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED Kid Rock with Keely Smith. They were too cute together. And her voice is still AMAZING! Aretha Franklin is gorgeous yellow. She always pulls off class and elegance. Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and John Foggerty.......fabulous. Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban. Okay...anything with those two names is going to be impressive and bring tears to one's eyes. Tina Turner..........nothing else to say. She performs to the utmost every single time & never misses.

But, for a 3 1/2 hour show.....this was just a small chunk that adds up to a few "hits" with a TON of misses. Alas, the remainder of the show was not one that impressed.

"She's Just The Flavor Of The Week"

2008-02-10T19:12:00.000-05:00

So the mystery of 30-something (well now we have to add 40-something) men continues. I mean, I have had NO luck with any of the ones I had met. Thus....my single status. I think about the Blonde & her rude little Pocket Cop that we had met way back in Huntington. And his friend, The Infiltrator. He & Crak tried a go at it a couple of times, but , alas, he turned, too.

This weekend it was KDP's turn. She has a ski share and met the guy who owns it last year. Random flirting occurred over the summer. Nothing came of it. She was all set to go up to the ski house two weeks ago and the flirting began. Yippee! She had a fun weekend with Ski Guy. And then? Nothing.

Any emails he sent her way were all business. She went back up this weekend & it was the same business-like treatment. As if nothing had happened two weeks ago and they weren't even back at "Square One". They may as never have flirted at all.

What is going on here? Four single, professional, good-natured, good looking women who are looking for some sanity in just one man and we can't find anybody? Why are 30-something men (and those in their 40's) trying so hard to extend their youth? What is so bad about growing up? Behaving responsibly? Moving forward with life? Why the constant games, deceit, nastiness, and immaturity? And it isn't just chance encounters. This is every time.

People need to get over themselves. They need to stop being so insecure, realize that they are not as special as their mothers told them, and grow up. It isn't such a bad thing. It's actually rather nice!

"Lipstick Jungle" or "Glossy Urban"?

2008-02-10T19:03:00.000-05:00

I was anticipating the first episode of the latest Candace Bushnell book to be aired on t.v. this past week. "Lipstick Jungle", starring Brooke Shields, reminded me a lot of where "Sex & the City" left off. We have two women who are married, kids, big salaries, and high living. The marriages are not going so well, the kids are reasons for them to not "have that drive" any longer (as stated by a male boss in that first episode), and the jobs afford them luxuries and lunches with friends....but not much time to work on anything else. The third character is a single gal who is a fashion designer. She had a rough show at Fashion Week in Bryant Park, cried to her friends, drank, and then got a random call from an obscenely wealthy man who happened to be in the audience that night and thought she was attractive. So she goes to lunch with him, to bed with him on the second date, and then has to fly to Tokyo for a business meeting that doesn't go too well & cries to this stranger on the phone who sends a private jet to bring her back. Right into his arms.

Yeah. Believable.

While the show has fantasty-life potential, it's just another glossy fashionista facade that most women can not even begin to emulate without putting their grandchildren in debt.

Crunching Duff

2008-02-09T15:31:00.000-05:00

I have the BIGGEST school girl crush on the "Ace of Cakes" guy....Duff Goldman. I am finding myself scheduling activities around his show. Sad, I know. But true.

I like everything about him..........his sense of humor, his laugh, his wit, his talent, and his friends. He has his friends working with/for him at his establishment down in Baltimore. They strike me as the kind of people who would just hang out with anybody who has a good heart. They all have skilled hands and an eye for crazy detail.

But Duff................ah Duff. He just seems like such a sweetie. A total "Ace" in my book.

Loving Lunch Dates

2008-02-09T15:24:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago, I was so lucky & so happy to have a lunch date with Crak. Like real professionals get to do! The bonus was that Codegirl was randomly passing by & saw us in the window & then she joined us.

This past week, I lunched out with The Brown Rose. She & I have similar schedules on Tuesdays & Thursdays and can now go out & get away from it all, even if it is just an hour. And lunching with fellow coworkers is always fun because they are so different outside of the corporate walls.

This week, JMayo and I have one set up. I didn't see much of him in the fall and really haven't had a decent conversation with him in over three months. He ran our fac. development on Friday and, infront of everyone, says "Hey Grotter! I have some news for you! When are you free?" great...........I sink as all heads turn in my direction and Codegirl made some heinous noise that she makes whenever she sees him. It's all in good fun & an inside kind of thing, but had me rolling and some raising eyebrows.

But I am so looking forward to lunch this week, too! I feel like such a grown-up!

The List...a work in progress

2008-02-07T08:23:00.000-05:00

1. sweet
2. thougthful
3. kind
4. witty
5. gentle
6. easy to laugh with
7. good-natured
8. intelligent
9. patient
10. good listener
11. good relationship with family
12. has interests/hobbies
13. open to new ideas
14. calm/relaxed
15. loves animals
16. loves travel
17. enjoys and appreciates the 'little things in life'
18. good with money/budgets
19. wants to give and receive 100%
20. at least 5'7''
21. adores/wants children
22. wants to be an active role in a child's life
23. has some religious belief
24. wants to grow as a person & as a couple
25. has good friends/old friends....courtesy of Crak
26. is not easily influenced by his friends......courtesy of MIU
27. can hold a conversation......courtesy of the Elementary Fireman
28. enjoys spending time with his famil/my family/me!.......courtes of the Elementary Fireman
29. can cook (gourmet would be nice)......again....the ElFireman....who put a lot of thought into
this for me
30. what I truly want is a best friend

Hmmm.............I've come up with 24 (now 30) things that I want. A hundred? I'll have to think about this. What did I miss? Give ideas/suggestions if you have any!

I Was Supposed To Make A List?

2008-02-07T08:13:00.000-05:00

I was able to catch 'Oprah' yesterday and she was focusing on how to bring positive things into your life. And one segment of the show was titled "Love List". Martha Beck wrote a column for O Magazine and it is called just that. It focuses on a woman who made a list of 100 qualities she wanted in a partner. She then put the list away and went about her life. Some time later, this very man, possessing almost all of the 100 attributes, walks into her life.

She goes on to say that you should make such a list of your own. Write the list, look at it a bit, and then put it away. By doing this, you know what you want, have affirmed it with writing, do not need to dwell on it because it is already written down, and then the Universe knows what it is you are truly asking for. Now there are two possible lists you can create: the shallow "needy" list, which she says never works, or make a list for your 'core of peace'. This is that list with true qualities in a person...not looks or money.......but thoughtful or good sense of humor.

Is it that easy? Why didn't anyone tell me I had to make a list? Isn't that what I did last year around this time? I did not get anyone that closely resembled it, otherwise I would not be doing this now. Hmmmm.......do you think the Universe just sees my mental health as a sick game?

NY Miracle Workers

2008-02-03T22:11:00.000-05:00

Superbowl XLII Champions

New York Giants

17 - 14 over the NE Patriots!

Congrats Big Blue!

Giants All The Way!

2008-02-03T11:09:00.001-05:00

Go Giants!

Big Blue will pummel those Pats any day.

It's Time To Move To Where Nobody Knows You When....

2008-02-03T11:00:00.000-05:00

I was at Roosevelt Field Mall yesterday and had a coupon for a free lipgloss at Victoria's Secret. I went in to the store and found a pair of panties that I wanted. But they didn't have any in my size on the table. So I turned to the sales associate, who was straightening the merchandise, and I asked her "Excuse me, (dangling the desired pair from my fingers) do you have this in a _________". What? Did you think I'd divulge my size?

Anyway, she turns towards me and begins to say "Let me................" and freezes. She says "Oh my god! I am so embarassed." And I realize that it is a student I just had at Farm back in the fall. I freeze, too, and then say "Why are you embarassed? I am the one waving underwear around and now you know what size I take. I should be the one embarassed".

She giggles nervously and a coworker comes over and then she introduces me as "this is my professor".

DRAT!

So I said, "Well, to keep this from being more awkward, I'll let you help someone else". I put the item down and walked out dying a bit inside. That beats all now, doesn't it?

Cops in NYC, hosts & waiters, random approaches in Penn and the mall, but my unmentionables? This is now where I draw the line and something needs to be done.

I'll Eat At His Mesa Anytime

2008-02-01T18:08:00.000-05:00

Today marked the last day of Restaurant Week here in the city. I have gone in for the last four and was not about to miss this time. I saw that Bobby Flay's restaurant, Mesa Grill, was on the list and have been interested in trying out his southwestern fare.

So, rain (buckets & buckets of pouring rain) and all, I was headed in for my 1:30 lunch reservation. I love RW because it allows a gal like me, who loves to eat and enjoys good food, to eat and enjoy on a budget. And the restaurants on there, his included, can be pricey if you want to truly enjoy some of the items that tempt you.

For $24.07, I had a three course meal. I started with a chop salad that had romaine, tomatoes, two types of beans, cubed cheese, olives (yuck), and tortilla strips in it. I ate everything but the olives.

My main dish was a 16 spice chicken that was actually sweet. I'd swear that it had brown sugar all over it & was just melt in your mouth good with the potatoes that were mixed/blended with some green vegetable. I'd say it was broccoli but it wasn't.

To finish it off, I enjoyed the profitterolles with vanilla crunchies and spicy chocolate sauce. And when he said spicy, he meant it. I am a chocoholic and like my candy sweet. So I was a bit leery -- to say the least -- of this spicy concoction on my yummy dessert. It was actually good. Until it settled in the back of my mouth and lit the back end of my throat on fire. Yup.

My meal, had this not been RW, would have cost $34. And I was more conservative in my choices. One of the lunches offered was $20. Just for the main dish! So, whoever ordered that was making out really well with their appetizer and dessert thrown in.

Now I am chomping at the bit for the summer one to be here. I plan on hitting at least three reswtaurants and sampling all of the goodness they have to offer.

On My "Being Famous" Rant. Again.

2008-01-30T09:44:00.000-05:00

I had an appointment yesterday out in Bayshore. I got to the office and rang the bell to be admitted to the building. I walk in and turn to see the receptionist to let them know I had arrived for my 3:00. And she looks at me & I look at her.

You know where this is going.

She said "I know you". I said "I know you too. From where?" She asked me if I had gone to Bethpage high school. I said no, but hat I had been a permanent sub there ten years ago. She was one of the monitors at the high school. UGH!

It's so weird that no mater where I go........Penn Station............41st & 6th ave in Manhattan.................Roosevelt Field..............Panera in Riverhead....... an office in Bayshore..................I see someone who knows me in some capacity. Great. But do I have papparazzi following me? Am I making millions a year? Nope. But I expereince what's it like to not have anonymity almost every day. And for what I make.......the clubs that won't allow Crak & me in (still blaming that on the math prof.)......being a tanger reject.............this just isn't working.

Somebody, make me famous!

"sometimes goodbye's the only way..."

2008-01-30T09:38:00.000-05:00

So with that fight with Cowboy, I said I can't be in a friendship like this. It's all about him & never about me. I needed him to listen to me and instead he ventured into topics that had no place in the conversation. He, again, made it some white trash, twisted fantasy thing of his own rather than just doing as I needed at the moment. Listening to me.

I thought he was a good friend. He had been ........ what I thought was ....... my best friend at one point in time. But I was wrong. Duped. And I admit that it is my naivete that causes this sometimes. But I like being that way. Some things one just does not need to know. Not everything in life has to focus on sex, trashy behavior, and sub-standard topics. It is okay to be intelligent. To enjoy good, clean fun. To not turn to the perverted view of things all of the time.

And that was it. Granted, it's only been a week since we have spoken, but it may as well be six months. I don't know why I feel that way, but I always do. Don't get me wrong. This is not a crying over the loss of something situation. It's just another sigh and shrug point in life where you say 'why does it have to be this way' or 'why didn't I just learn the first time?'

That's all. But, it's goodbye, for now, to Cowboy.

Kinky = Keeper?

2008-01-30T09:30:00.000-05:00

Cowboy & I had been chatting on the phone when he told me some things I did not need to know or hear, nor did I want to consider or discuss. And it led to him saying that he stayed as long as he did with the tube-tied, drug-using, courntey love-wanna-be because she was into kinky things. That was the draw.

I said that I thought he stayed with her because he was stoned & drunk out of his mind and didn't know better. And then I threw it out there that, what?, he didn't want to stay with me because I wasn't kinky? Define it. What does he think is in the realm of kinky? And how would he know what I was into since this is just never a topic that ever really came up? And since when was he?

I was beyond frustrated and he is so lucky that a continent and three times zones separate us.

Apparently, I do not look like the 'kinky' type. Good! But is that what draws a guy in? The lure of the kink? (Or is that kinky too?) Is that another reason why it is so hard to find a guy? Because they are loooking for something that I don't exude while walking down the street? Guys want a woman like that? Where other guys can tell, just by her walking apst them, that she's kinky?

This is all too weird for me. Maybe it's better that I am alone for now.

Missing The Wide Angle Due To Focus & Fixation

2008-01-26T09:42:00.000-05:00

Now that this idiot has been taught Michael Rosenblum's secrets to filming, I am seeing it in every show I watch. I look for it. I wait.........leaning forward......to then say "There it is!" and sit back so proud of myself for having found it & then thinking how predictable all of these shows now are. And then it's over and I have to say 'What in the world did I just watch? I missed the whole thing! Drat! I hope they run it again so I can actually see/hear the story.'

Yes, I have become so distracted by his method of camera shots that I see things in 3-second windows and a sequence that I knew was there but didn't really know....you know? And I am watching half-hour shows not paying attention to the show even though I wanted to see a particular episode. And because of my distraction and analysis, I have to watch it again. Doubling my tv watching time. That can't be good.

And I know that some of my fellow TCA mates are doing this as well. So, thankfully, I don't feel so alone in my new-found hobby as a couch potato.

MIU's Big Day

2008-01-25T19:53:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to the Man In Uniform!

I am so glad that I got to see you over the holidays and that we got to hang out as much as we did. I was happy you could come out with the girls and see what an evening out for us is like. And I look forward to coming out and visitng you this year.

Wishing you all the best that there is..............to good friends, good living, and wonderful memories.

Happy Birthday MIU!

The Sports Fanatic

2008-01-25T19:41:00.000-05:00

Codegirl is forever the hopeless romantic and wanting to play matchmaker. Last week, while submersing myself in that film class, I got a text that said "Gave your number to a friend of my husband's. Hope that's okay." Well, there isn't much I can do about it once you've given it, now is there.

The last time she tried to set me up with someone, he turned out to be into grand-theft auto. So while her intentions are very good, her judgement may not be.

The Sports Fanatic, as we are calling him since he has season tickets to the Giants & the Rangers, called Tuesday night and left a message.

Ball. Of. Fire.

Could that last statement be dripping with any more sarcasm?

He's 40 and left the most flat message I have ever heard. He was practically grasping for what to say. I got the "Hi Grotter. This is SF, friend of Codegirl. Ummmmmm. Yeah, she gave me your number and she said that it'd be okay if I called you. Ummmmm.......the way she described you made you sound like a nice person. So, ummmm, call me back. My cell number is 267...........Okay. Bye."

Ummmmmmmmmmm..................................

Yeah. This is a guy with whom I'd like to have a conversation. No sound of enthusiasm. No tone of interest in calling and talking. No twinge of possibility. F L A T. And the 'uuummmmmmmmmmmsssss' . Maybe it's because I hope that if I call a person I don't grasp for words. I hope that I sound as if I want to talk with them. And where is a 267 area code? I've never heard of that one before. I've gotten 917 and 646, but this is a first.

I called back last night and left a message for him. Bubbly. Asking a question or two. Hoping to spark a conversation, even in the phone tag mode. Something. But at 40yrs old, I hope he has more behind that.....ummmmmmm........that level of speaking than ....ummmmmmm......than I got on the phone.

I'll entertain the notion of going out for a drink or dinner, as I like to give everyone a chance, but there are no eggs in this basket.

When Did It Become Wrong To Be A Professional Female?

2008-01-24T17:26:00.000-05:00

I got a shock twice in the last two days. Tuesday, my Critical Thinking class was talking about schedules and how to get things done and one female student asked me when do I find time to cook for my husband. I said it's not for them to know, but I am not married and if I was, I'd expect him to know how to cook, too, so that whoever is home first can begin the meal.

One young man said "That's why I only date girls who were raised right". ?

"You know, Prof., like in the '50s when women were taught how to cook, clean, raise children, and take care of her man." I pointed out that he is African-American and would not be in the classroom if this was the 1950s and that didn't phase him much.

A few other 20-23 yr. olds agreed with him and said they want a woman who can work and do all of the things a home needs. I said "What will you do?" and they said "Well, I'll be working". I asked if it's fair for the woman to have to work and run a home and they said "Sure because that's her job".

Then, last night, my lit. class read "The Storm" by Chopin, and in the story, a husband goes to the store, running an errand, takes the child with him, and even buys her shrimp because she likes it. The wife is home, tending to the house, riding out a storm when an old boyfriend shows up and....well....things happen and he leaves, she is happy, and the husband is none the wiser.

The men said "What kind of man runs errands? And why would he take the child? He was so whipped. What a loser". And it began again. Women should be home....tending to things. Not working, taking care of the children, taking care of her man. And these men were much older than 23.

So, have I gone about my life all wrong? Was I not 'raised right' because I work and will give 100% and expect the man to give 100% too? If these men were all over 50 yrs old, I would have maybe taken it with a grain of salt, but the ages ranged from 20 up to early 40s. Is this why I don't have a boyfriend? Is this why things don't work out on the dates I have had? It's as if life, as I thought I knew it, is falling to pieces.

TCA Bootcamp Day IV......I made it!

2008-01-23T11:44:00.000-05:00

I dragged my stressed out and exhausted body back in to the city for one last day. This was it. 12 hours of torture and it would all be over. I grabbed that train in and was so happy that I was done with the morning wake-ups & run to the station routine.

We had to be there at 9:00 promptly. Why? The president of the Travel Channel would be speaking with us. EEEEKKKK! He was so low-key and came across as a guy you'd meet hanging out at Friday's. Not the president of a network. And he encouraged us to send in our clips. He wants our footage. And they may pay us for that footage. Even if they don't & they take it just for review--wow!

That's what comes with the class. We got the "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" book, a t-shirt that says TCA Academy, and the open door right to the network execs and their professional editors to assist us & listen to us & entertain our ideas. They ran this course six times in 2007 and have purchased footage from 17 people out there who had taken the course. Cool. And they said you never know--it all comes with practice. They said one woman in the Miami course didn't strike them as anything great but she shot footage & submitted repeatedly and they now want to hire her. ??????????? Oh I have to do that. I want out of Briar and this would be nice. Even if I am not using a camera--I'd answer phones for them. I'd set up those classes for them. I'd do anything as long as it's not where I am now.

So, my last piece: I had only six minutes of footage that was to have been at least twenty minutes and I had no soundbite because my guy didn't speak english. I was way behind when it came to what I was to have and what I did have.

I worked on it, edited it, learned a few new tricks, and was able to put together 42 seconds of clip with a voice-over. I wrote some little thing about the man who sits there and with no language communicates with his customers with ease. Blah blah blah. The group, including the TCP watched. And I slid under my table. Michael said, again, good angle and shots and even though I had such a rough time, my voice-over was written well. But, being an English Prof. I should know how to write. yeah--thanks. Everyone else laughed while I died.

I was done. It was over.

They asked me to do a testimonial and I giggled through the whole thing. I will let you know when it's posted. A group of 12 of us went to get a drink and we ended up at the ESPN Zone right in the middle of the Green Bay v. Giants game. The place was PACKED! and these people wanted a table for 12. Yeah right.

While we waited, we got to know eachother a bit more than the whole travel/film aspect. The newlyweds were so funny.....they told us all sorts of stories. And then G. Cracker showed up....that hottie professional who was assisting at the workshop. I was never fortunate enough to work with him and, as MT and I were chatting about how he was so helpful to her, he said to me "I was hoping to work with you but never got the chance". I said he could have helped me any time, as I probably drove the two men who helped my group nutty. He laughed. Then he told us how he has a bachelors in poetry, moved here from Michigan, and even worked on a farm out in Amagansett one summer. MMMMMMM.....I wanted to melt just listening to him speak. He seems so calm and sweet and like such an observer. If that's true, he must have picked up on me melting right there. Oh well. I didn't get the chance to chat more than that because the Groupie stepped in and then people swapping places.....and it was 9ish when they got a table & I had to leave. I wanted to stay but just couldn't hold my eyes open anymore. And had I stayed, I was not even close to the end at which he was sitting to find out of there is a girlfriend or Mrs. Cracker. So I left.

I didn't fall asleep on the train but I hit my bed so hard I swear I would have gone straight through the mattress.

Amazing amazing experience! I am already emailing people in the group just to see how their travel home went and I am dreaming of Mr. G. Cracker. Yummmm.

Maybe I'll have a new career.......who knows?!?

TCA Bootcamp Part III

2008-01-23T11:26:00.000-05:00

I couldn't believe I was feeling sick again and was nutty enough to get back on the LIRR. Why? Again...I paid therefore I go.

I arrived at 8:20 am to find nobody was there. I sat. The guard who had been checking us in (and out and in again) each day made me a cup of tea. Aw! I was getting nervous that I had missed some directions or something when it was 8:40 and I was still the only yahoo sitting there. And then the elevator opened and out came six of the group. They had been at a door that was not open on the weekend and waited around to figure out what to do. Ah......feeeling better that my comrads were back.

This day brought about more lectures and the second assignment. This time we had to find a character for our 20 minutes of taping that should narrow down to that one-minute piece. We were dismissed at 12:00 to go find our story and had until 5:00 to return. I headed for Bryant Park. This way I wouldn't have to have a location release signed, wouldn't have to ask them to turn down the music, and wouldn't worry about people coming in or out of a business and interrupting that establishment. I walked around in the frigid temps for a little and saw a guy with a HUGE backpack and guitar sitting there playing. Sweet! Here's my character. He was with another man and they were chatting. So I interrupted and introduced myself and said I was a film student in need of a character. His name was Steve and he had arrived in the city for the first time the night before. I asked him where had he come from and he said "Around". I asked him where he was staying and he replied that he was staying with some guy he met on the internet. How long would he be in NYC? However long he felt like staying. Where was he going next? VT. Why? To see what's there.

He smelled. And he kept playing songs he learned three months earlier while in Columbia. He had picked up a guitar for the first time four months ago. And, I could tape all of this if I let his 'new friend Dominick' be in it as well. Dominick was a homeless man whom he had just met and they were talking about music and the govt. Don't ask.

In 45 minutes time, I had 17 minutes worth of footage. Good footage. I was beyond thrilled. And I took it back to the class. And showed it to the instructors. Who said "You shot the whole thing in night vision."

Huh?

I had shot the whole thing that way and there was no way to salvage it. None. Nope. DRAT!

I went back to the park but the vagabond was gone. Now what? I walked down to 37th and 8th from Bryant. I went in a dance studio. Nope. I walked up the blocks. I tried a dry cleaner. Nope. A tailor. No there either. A florist. NO!

So I got an idea and walked to Central Park. The carousel! I was so happy with my idea and felt a bit better at 1:30. I was almsot there when I ran into a girl from class who is from NC and she was ready to cry. She had been all over, including the carousel, and was rejected. So we teamed up and began to brainstorm. We tried the boat basin on 5th & 72nd. Nothing. Looked for people painting in the park. Not one. We were ready to cry. Then we came upon the sketch artists at 59th and 5th. I asked one if I could film him and he didn't speak english. UGH! So I held up the camera to him and he smiled and nodded. It took me 10 minutes to get 6 1/2 of footage. But that was it. NC followed a sanitation worker and got 5 1/2 minutes of stuff. But she had dialogue because her guy spoke English. I needed dialogue. And wouldn't get it.

We were starving, as it was 2:45 and I hadn't eaten all day. So we grabbed a bite and vented for a half hour and then it was on to Times Square to see if I could film one of those guys who hands out the fliers for the comedy clubs. I got one to say yes but it was impossible to follow him. I'd get him going in and out of frame and then I'd get 80 people crashing through one way and 40 the other. Not a good idea. Oh well.

I was left at 4:40 to go back with NC and my measly 6 1/2 minutes of film. What was a gal to do?

We uploaded and edited until 7:30 and then it was time to call it quits. I had to pray that I'd stay awake long enough on the train so I'd remember to get off at my station. I also had to wait until I got home to cry so that I wouldn't have a complete breakdown on the transit line. Not an easy task.

Three down ~~ one to go.

TCA Bootcamp Part II

2008-01-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

5:00 came way too soon and I had not really recovered from the first day. I woke up with anxiety and felt sick all over again and couldn't figure out why I was getting back on that stupid train to go in and feel worse about myself. But I am one of those people that if I pay $10 to see a bad film, I will sit through it to get my money's worth. And this course was way more than a movie ticket. So I had to get every nickel out of it.

I was the first to arrive. AP was right behind me. A few others came in and we chatted about what to do with our pieces. I have no idea how to storyboard. Yes, I teach English. And yes I instruct people every semester how to write an essay. But for some reason I can not get this pattern down. It's not that different but it is so hard for me.

Close to 9:00, MT arrived! I was so happy to see her and said I was afraid she wasn't coming back. She laughed and said she had been rejected so many times and the instructors decided to send her down to the East Village to find a shop. What? Send a complete stranger who has never been to NYC before on the subways to the EV? Well, she ended up getting lost and just called and decided to look for stories and crash. She hadn't found a story as of Friday morning and would be going out while we were learning editing.

We had a guest speaker for the morning. The producer of the 'Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations' was there and had some interesting tales to tell.

Then it was time to edit. And that is what we did. 12 of us went to a tiny room and had two instructors there to assist us with Final Cut Pro. I am still trying to figure out how to turn a Mac on and they want me to follow this "Pro" edition. Yeah, right. Thank goodness a man named Steve was there to help. He was so patient and explained it in terms 'an idiot' could follow. I felt a bit better. I edited my piece together and then found out we had to do voice overs. Huh? When did they say that? I was told to come up with like three lines and go wait to record in the sound booth. UGH!

I did it and apparently I spoke too close to the mic so there's a static-popping sound with some of my words. Who cares? I was thrilled to finish a piece. We screened as a group and some of these people had AMAZING work! And then I remembered that many of them have done things like this before. Have taken a class or two, have the equipment, or have done something in the media world. So while mine looked like that of a beginner (a bad one at that) I had to remind myself that many of these people had done this in some capacity.

MR wasn't as harsh as I had anticipated. He said I had good camera angles. But he also said that my character was "f'n flat' and 'why the hell would you put him on the screen"? I had no idea. I really didn't. I was just glad someone would cooperate with me. My concern was my voice! I sounded so Queens-y. It was horrible. And I said that. And asked me where I was from and I said LI. And he asked "Where" and I said "Nassau" and he probed again and I said Hix and he was from Seaford. Small world! That didn't help me though. I hated my track. Oh well.

That was the end of Day 2. Only two more to go and that was questionable.

I Survived TCA Bootcamp! Part I

2008-01-23T09:05:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day I am actually coherent. It has taken two days to feel as if I can actually function like a person again. Thursday through Sunday were four of the most intense, challenging, difficult days of my life and somehow I made it through.

Thursday morning started at the ungodly hour of 5:00 a.m. I was so nervous & anxious that I was sick. Literally. I didn't know if I'd be able to ride the train all the way in without being sick again. I was running hot & cold & hot again. UGH! How can I go in? Easy. I didn't realize I had picked up the express train and there was no stopping between Hix and Penn Station. Great.

I made it to Penn and hopped the subway to Times Square and only had to walk to 40th street to find the CUNY Journalism school. This school is gorgeous. I wish I was in to journalism just so I could sign up to attend this building. I signed in and headed up to the 3rd floor. There was a security guard and one man milling around. I checked in with the guard and asked the man if he was there for the digital film class. He was. His name was Adventure Pete and he had just rode in last night on his BMW motorcycle. He came from Houston and was going to stay with some NYC cop he met in a chat room where he had been asking about the weather & hotels. The guy said "stay with me in Riverdale" and so AP did. Interesting guy. He works on an oil rig at sea (one month on and one month off) and is leaving in May to ride to Alaska and is working his way down to the tip of South America. On his bike. Gotta love guys. The next person to enter was the Massage Therapist from Ft. Wayne, IN. MT was pollyanna brought to life. She and I admitted upfront that neither of us had ever touched a video camera or a Mac before so we hoped to sit together and commisserate. Shortly after we were joined by the Skinny Greek and she's from Chicago. She has temp jobs right now & mooches off of her parents. The great thing about these girls is that they are my age. These three have it all over me. They've been everywhere. AP has been to Vietnam and other far locales, MT lived in Peru for a year (I think it was Peru), and SG took a trip to Greece to meet relatives and what would have been a brief trip turned in to five months. She has also spent plenty of time in Korea. I've seen a large picnic basket in Ohio. I have to step up my traveling.

We had plans to sit and work on projects as a group and then the instructor came in and said "We have assigned you seats so please look for your name" and our hopes were dashed. The group of 36 went up a set of stairs to the room and looked for our names. I had to look around to find my name and it was all the way in the last row of the room.....right between MT and SG! Yippee!!! Plans were back in action.

Infront of us sat a newlywed couple from Alabama. Well, he's from AL but she's from Australia. They got married three weeks earlier and stayed in some private cottage on the beach in Key West. He's a fisherman and she does reporting in the sports world and they met 4 years ago and are so mismatched in appearance but their personalities blended so well. They were hysterical to sit behind. Next to them was the Groupie....a 24-yr old from NJ. She was engaged to be married last month and he broke it off three months before the wedding. She says she was devastated but she's already 'hanging out' with someone. So how serious this was, I don't know. But her manner of speaking was nails on a chalkboard for me. Don't get me wrong, she is sweet and naive (totally likeable and nice and could so go hang at a bar with her) and all, but I work with people like her everyday so I felt as if I was in class with one of my own students.

We were introduced to our instructor for the week. Michael Rosenblum is beyond accomplished, hysterical, and a bit scary. He is what I wanted to be in the classroom until we were told that we have to make the students "feel good about themselves even when all they did was show up (late, unprepared, etc.)". He's a cross between Gilbert Gottfried and Billy Crystal. His stories are some of the funniest I have heard and could listen to his rant all day. He gave us the 'fool-proof' secrets to shooting film. And said 'any idiot can do it'. We had yet to see since this idiot had never done this before.

I scoped out the room to see if there were any 'potentials'. Hmm.......lots of married men. That was it. Except for one hottie: Cracker. But he was a part of the instruction team and was off-limits. Oh well....at least I had someone to look at while failing miserably at my attempts.

At 1:30, they threw us out into the streets and said "Don't come back without 20 minutes of footage. And have a sequence of events in mind". It sounds easy, doesn't it? It wasn't. We had to find a location, ask for permission to film in the location, get the permit signed by the manager/owner, ask to film the workers, have them sign a legal paper, ask them to let us behind the counter, ask them to turn down the radio (bc music is copyrighted material), and then shoot sequences of events. I had lunch with MT and the Groupie and we decided to wander and find stores near eachother so we could head back together. I went in a place and had less than 2 hours to get footage. I got calls from them saying they had been rejected repeatedly and were moving on. We'd see eachother back at the room at 4:00.

I ended up in a coffee shop. The manager was nice but he had taken 2 years of film school and wanted to direct me on what to do. That wasn't part of my assignment. I tried to get footage. I really did. I got 9 1/2 minutes of the 20 I was supposed to get. I didn't want to go back for fear that Michael would rip me apart.

Back at the school, we were split into two groups for the viewing and critique. I was not with Michael and was able to breathe a bit better than I thought I would. But where was MT? We hadn't seen her since 2:00. We viewed the pieces and mine was 'okay', but I had a 'titanic' shot in which I shot the manager on some angle (forgot my v8 I guess) and the ceiling tiles in the back were so slanted and crooked! UGH! By 7:30, there was no sign of MT and I tried to call her cell. It said that the number was disconnected. Uh-oh. She's never been to NYC before and now she hasn't returned to the class? I was worried. I mentioned this to one of the assistants and he said she'd be back. He didn't tell me he meant the next day. So I was going home all worried about MT.

I hopped on the subway and caught an 8:15 train home. I ate dinner at 9:45 and crashed. Information overload, nerves, and Grotter do not mix well.

What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

2008-01-16T18:57:00.001-05:00

I signed up for a 4-day workshop in the city. It's to learn how to take your own video footage, edit & splice it together, and make it, you know, viewable. I have always found that sort of thing interesting & when I saw a workshop for it, I figured why not? It may open a door or two for me. In any way. Meet a man, get a new job, find a new friend, just be a super cool experience.

However, now that the time has come for it to begin I am kicking myself. The class starts at 9am & I must be there by 8:45am. So I have to be on the 7:06 train. Meaning get up no later than 5:30am. Yup. The class is ten hours long. That's 10. One Zero. 1. 0.

Long long long day. And that is for 4 days. Four. Quatro.

I will then hope to catch an 8:15 home to get in at 9:00. Yeah. Long day. I just figure that this will be worth it in the long run and I do not have to wake up Monday so I hope to recover some of the hours of life/sleep that I will be losing now on that day.

Pray for me. Or my sanity. Whatever. Or just wish me luck.

I'm On The Stratford Plan

2008-01-16T14:24:00.000-05:00

"Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me..."

I feel like singing any dreamy song that is about wishes coming true.

Last semester, I got shafted. BIG TIME. And said to my job that I want what I want this time around (seeing as I have seniority) and will bump whomever I need to to get the schedule I want. And so it has come to pass that I have an amazing schedule.

Mondays and Wednesdays I work from 12:00-3:30 and then (for just the first 8 weeks) I have a class form 8:15-10:45 pm.

Tuesdays and Thursdays I have office hours and class from 9:00-12:00.

I also have three online classes and one class that will meet only Monday nights in March and April (same time as my current night class).

I have worked four nights a week for the last 9+ years. Or I was working days and going to school nights before that. So I have not yet figured out what to do with all of these evenings that lay before me. The possibilities are endless (most nights) and I am giddy with excitement. Yippee for me!

Sealed With A

2008-01-16T14:19:00.001-05:00

I am one of those people who sees a bag of chips and wants to eat them. The problem is that I will open the bag, eat what I want, and then fold it over and either tape it shut or use a 'chip clip' until the next time I remember I have them. By then they are stale or soggy. Either way, it is a waste of a good bag of chips (that I should probably not be eating anyway...but I am because I can't help it. They are so yummy) and I end up throwing it out and having to buy another........and so begins the vicious cycle.

Maybe not anymore! I found and bought a sealer! It is small, fits in the palm of your hand, and even has a handy-dandy magnet so that you may stick it to the refridgerator. I bought it Monday and have sealed a bag shut twice now. I had to try my hand at it a few more times than that for it to seal, but it was me and not the appliance. I am going to go around sealing any and everything I can to get the hang of this fabulous invention.

Luvin' it!

Totally Two-Faced

2008-01-16T10:21:00.000-05:00

I am hooked on the eyeshadow products from the two-faced company. I have Totally Toasted, I Know What Boys Like (if that were only true), and I just bought my third which is Fantasy Island. It's two shadows side-by-side and they blend so well. I love the way they layer themselves, don't clump or smudge during the day, and that they are so pretty!

Color me two-faced any time.

And then a hero comes along

2008-01-14T12:51:00.000-05:00

I only caught the end of the news segment, but a man & woman had been trapped in a cabin on a mountainside after an avalanche plowed through the area. After a few days, the man went outside and used the inside of a powerbar wrapper to signal for help. And it worked!

It's so Macguyver!

Lookin' for love in all the wrong places

2008-01-14T12:50:00.000-05:00

Saturday I was beyond tired. Since I had only gotten home close to 2 the night before and then was up bright 'n' early to go to Jersey for the day, I wasn't really ready for another outing Saturday night. But I went. We Found ourselves at Croxxley's. Ful of people but no one to approach, we just hung around and enjoyed sampling some of the different beers on tap.

I tried to talk to one guy when I had gone up to the bar. He leaned into me to get his beer and I said to him "Lucky. I'm trying to get one of those." And he said "Oh, want some of mine?" I told him no, but thank you and then spun around again and said "Well, what did you get?" He actually told me the beer he had and I said I was just kidding. It was my turn to order so I did and walked back past him to the group. He looked in my direction a bit, but didn't make a move. Then he may have been looking at Blonde for a bit, but still no move. Crak, in her bananas tshirt from the Amanda Bynes Collection, said she was ready to bail at 11:00.

So we left and the three remaining went to Churchill's across the street. It was packed in there with some scary groups. We went outside and Blonde and KDP each got a beer. I stood there and froze for a bit. When there was no action and lots of cigar & cigarette smoke, I wanted to go in. The other two went to the ladies' room.....where when two stalls opened up, four women came out---two from each. ?? Is this a frat house party? What the~~? So Blonde made the joke that KDP wasn't going to talk to her anymore because Blonde refused to share the stall. We found this funny. The bouncer heard this a bit as we walked past him and we chated for a moment.

The three of us then found space in the bar area to stand and check out the scenery. And some creepy (and very intoxicated I might add) guy turned to just stare at Blonde. Heeheehee. I found this funny. But it got to the point that it even creeped KDP out so she blocked his view for a bit. Then we saw the bouncer (who is over 40 and has teeth issues) pass by and Blonde stoppe dhim to ask him how he moves around in the crowd so fast. And there he stood. Chatting with us. UGH! So wait---she can stop and talk to this guy but can't approach one she's is interested in? And now we were stuck. He stayed talking to us for too long. Disappeared. Came back. Stayed too long again. I had enough of the creepy men and the lack of interest to even be there on my part & said "It's midnight. I'm ready".

I dropped Blonde off and didn't roll in until close to 1am. Another long day. Another late night. A good way to end my winter break.

When I Think About You I Touch.......

2008-01-14T12:48:00.000-05:00

Okay I am not finishing that one.

Friday night I found myself being whisked to Sayville for a "passion pleasure" party. Blonde had been invited & rsvp'd for herself + 4. KDP, Crak, Sassy & I were to attend with her. How I got roped into this, I still can't figure out. And, before I could bail, Crak and Sassy managed to. Well, I can't leave a gal high and dry afer rsvping for 5 people, so KDP & I trooped it out.

Blonde drove us out to Sayville......yeah it may as well have been Guam.......and braced us by saying "Well, I relaly don't hang out with the women. I am friends with their husbands and am not really sure if I'll be comfortable in the hosue without the men there". Great.

We went in and downstairs to a room filled with women and food. And, in the corner was the table of "stuff". Oh no. I have to be honest...I don't realy get this 'stuff'. I don't get how some of it's used, I don't get why people use it when they have a body ready & able near by, and I don't get why they'd want to slather themselves with a ton of sticky gels, things that tingle & numb (isn't it supposed to be about sensation?) and powders to have a good time. All I think about is 'is this going to ruin my sheets and how fast can I flip him off so that I can put them in the wash?'

These women were loud. And shared way too much. One woman announced how her husband loves 'gigi'.....some thing to help with oral....another is telling us her latest toy and how fabulous it works....andother got one for her birthday and said the directions were confusing and wanted the consultant to show her how it works.......and anotehr said how she carries her's in the trunk of her car 'because younever know when you'll want it' and how her son gets condoms out of her purse when he's going out to see his girlfriend.

We had to wear nametags with our stripper names. WHich meant taking the name of your first pet and the name of the street which yougrew up. So I was Tiger Cottage........which Blonde became obsessed with saying. Why? I have no idea.

I'm not used to this. Type of party I mean. And it was a bit weird. Thank goodness they were all strangers to me and I don't have to worry about knowing them AND their husbands and what they do or how they liek it (poor Blonde).

We bailed around 10 and headed off to McCann's. We got i.d.'d and the bouncer said to me (quite loudly) "Wow. You don't look that old!" I asked him to tell me just how old I looked but he looked embarrassed and turned away.

Inside was packed with mediocre-looking people. One of the bartenders was a former student of mine (big shock). Crak and I called him Face, because it really is all about his face and how it could potentially get him into or out of anything. He's pretty but not bright at all. So I wasn't surprised when KDP ordered a Miller Chill and he came back with a Woodpecker Cider. Blonde and KDP couldn't figure out how you'd mix the two drinks up but I understood it completely. He's just too pretty to work.

Blonde founda man to stare at for the evening and we kept persuading her to go speak with him. She wouldn't. Why? She dosn't have a line to use right now. She explained that when it's football season or baseball season, she knows how to approach a guy. But when it's inbetween, she has no clue. ???????? This made no sense to us. Which made KDP and me frustrated. So I kept saying (loudly in his direciton) "Hey! Come talk to my friend." while KDP kept nudging her with her leg to try and make Blodne topple over and into the guy. Yeah--after an hour and a half she still hadn't made her move so we left.

I rolled in at 1:45 am and crashed! Toy parties and frustrating lack of man approaches wear me out!

Sponge Worthy?

2008-01-09T10:27:00.000-05:00

KDP and I were in Target the other night. And while perusing each and every aisle to trigger our minds of what we need and forgot to get, I turned to my right and saw it. Some little box with a cartoon picture of a woman on it and the label Today Sponge. I thought they were off the market? I have never seen this before, anywhere, let alone in Target.

I wanted to take a picture with my phone of the box and send it to Crak but didn't because there were people in the aisle. KDP was going to try but I am not sure if she did it or not.

I don't really get..............it looked (from what I remember) more like a box that would interest kids ages 5-12 rather than a product for women. Who are they trying to target with that anyway? I'm not sure if I am comfortable with Target carrying such a product right there on the second shelf from the bottom. I have to mull this over a bit.

Happy Belated to Dad

2008-01-08T23:44:00.000-05:00

With my dad's birthday being exactly one week before Christmas, it can sometimes be hard to go out to dinner and celebrate. And, usually, that week between his birthday and the holiday, he has at least six or seven parties to attend out......meaning he is so sick of restaurant food and we wait until after the New Year to go out and celebrate.

Last night was the night. The four of us headed over to the West End Cafe. A pretty little place, quite cozy, tucked in the back of a shopping center on Glen Cove Road. I've seen the sign many times but never went in. He was given a gift certificate there and said we should use that to pay the bill.

We looked at the menu and found that dinners began at $19 and appetizers were all in the $9-10 range. And yet, since it was still early (6pm reservations) we got the twilight menu. It was $27.95 for an appetizer, entree, and dessert. And almost everything on the menu is on this one, too. Sweet! I got the jumbo shrimp and crab meat lump cake with mango and pineapple salsa, an organic chicken with garlic potatoes, white turnips, onions and carrots, and the white chocolate mousse tower for dessert. Needless to say, I brought home half of the chicken just so I could manage to fit in the dessert since I didn't think a tower of mousse would travel or keep well.

Everything was delicious! My whole family raved about the meals. Not one flavor was disappointing. My only regret is that they have an interesting list of martinis (all $9-10) that I was hoping to try, but I am so tired lately that if I had one I would have landed in those yummy potatoes.

I want the girls to do a night out for dinner where we can sit, eat, indulge, chat, and enjoy. This would be a place that I'd like to go. I rarely recommend places to anyone but this is at the top of the list!

Lunch Fanatico Style

2008-01-08T23:43:00.001-05:00

I met up with Codegirl for lunch today. I have chatted with her a bit over the break but have not been able to meet up with her until now. She is a riot. I love listening to her ramble on about all of her run-ins, mishaps, and just weird encounters. Not to mention her impressions of people we work with.

Just like the day before, we debated over what to order, what would be good, and settled on house chopped salads and grilled chicken. The order came fast and it was sooooooooo good.

We talked and laughed about all of the nonsense that is Briar. She told me about the holdiays, her step daughter, and the dog. We are going to a conference together at the end of February with her sister. And then she mentioned that her sister (who I met and is so nice and so pretty) still talks to AJ (the guy in NJ) and he still asks for me even though we never met & its been a year since she tried to set us up. After her sister met me back in November she said I wouldn't have liked AJ after all and she is so glad we didn't connect. I think both sisters are still on the prowl for a man for me, though. It makes me nervous.

Having overeaten, once again, it was time to go. We knew because our waiter kept looking at our unpaid check sitting on the table. As soon as we paid it, he bolted out of the restaurant with his apron being wanked off over his head. I guess he isn't used to having patrons sit at his tables for two and a half hours. A bit much? Maybe. But when in good company, the time flies.

It's Christmas In January

2008-01-08T23:30:00.000-05:00

Crak and I have hung out this holiday season. Just not one-on-one. Which meant we did not exchange gifts until Monday. That's fine, but weird since we did see a lot of eachother in December.

We met at CPK and began to debate just what to get for lunch. There are always 12 things on their menu between which I can never decide what to get. We agreed to order first and open presents after. I got a delicious chicken corn chowder and waldorf salad. Easy enough. And so filling.

We opened gifts. I gave her ornaments from Hawaii, chocolate, and a keychain that is a digital frame that will hold 62 pictures. I had loaded it ahead of time so that it was not this empty thing in a box. Ah, such fun memories of 2007.

She gave me a notepad with the Eiffel Tower on it, an insulated bag (which will be so handy with work) and two cool tags: one of the Eiffel Tower and another of Vegas. Very kitchy and so me. I loved them.

The food came rather fast and we ate. And ate. And ate. And talked. And laughed. A lot. We caught up on what's been happening in the boy department...me nothing...her some action. Lucky!

We talked about our trip for the year. Goin' to TN baby! That's right. Road trippin' for us this year since neither of us may have a job come September. I say she will. Myself, I am not too sure about.

We talked about schedules and how we are, once again, opposite. It has been that way forever. And yet we still manage to have a life. Go figure.

Two hours later..........and a very slow server who apparently did not want us to pay our bill, we left. I was so tired from eating so much and laughing nonstop. That's an afternoon for us, though. Nothing new. Nothing exciting. And always a good time.

Something to Ponder? Or Another Excuse?

2008-01-06T16:58:00.000-05:00

KDP, Crak, Blonde, and I found ourselves back at Honu last night. When KDP got into my car, she asked me why we were going there on a Saturday. She refreshed my memory that Saturydas aren't good in Huntington. It's filled with old people, couples, or old couples groping eachother. ew.

But, it had been awhile and Blonde had sent an email saying she had the urge to go. So, we went.

We met at Honu and found couples. Old couples. Public displays of affection couples. And not in the sweet way. We hung around there for a bit and then decided the place was a bust and went over to Meehans...............to see if the crowd was any better & to check out CherryMan.

It wasn't crowded there either. Hmmm....where are all of the signle, trendy people on Saturdays? They have eluded us yet again.

Anyway, I digress. We stood around......talked.........got free shots a-la-Cherryman & his flair. Then, some guy squeezes in behind me and orders drinks. With that, he (to quote him) infiltrates the group. Vic and his friend, Bear, began chatting us up. They were both very nice and interesting. Vic, who I thought took a liking to KDP, said it's really hard to go into a group of four attractive women. He pointed out that he had walked past us 'like 8 times' and we had not noticed him. KDP & Crak did and I guess weren't intrigued enough to trip him or something. He was nice. His friend, Bear (given the nickname by some woman who bummed a cigarette off of him) was quite attractive! He kept pointing out how he was short, though, as htis would bother us or something. With Blonde the tallest at like 5'4'' along with KDP, I don't see how his being 5'5'' was a big deal. Bear & Blonde chatted a bit.

Then he disappeared & came back and began talking with me. He asked me if I like baseball and then said "Please say youa re a Mets fan so I can ask you for your number".

?

I siad I was only for the fact that when the Yankees are paying to one team what ten other teams in the leauge pay out combined, it really isn't a fair game any longer and there should never be a question about them making it to the World Series.....it should be a given. And then there was a bit of confusion......Cherryman gave us eacha rose from some guy who came in to the bar selling them. So, I said to KDP at what was now 1:30am "Let's go". If Bear couldn't make his move then I was not waiting. Besides, he had gotten other women's numbers earlier on from another bar. How do I know? Those same women followed them from Bar 1 to our location.

KDP started off the drive home with "Do you think Vic was right about not being able to come up to our group?" I had been mulling it over, too, but there have been so many times that we've gone out and stood ina row, in a wide circle, in a tight circle, had two of us walk away, yadda yadda yadda, and nothing has ever come of it. We are always standing there laughing, making eye contact, and having a good time. Who, in their right mind, wouldn't want to come up to our group?

KDP and I got back to my house after 2am.........I called Crak to find out if Blonde had given her number to Bear and she had. Crak gave her's to Vic. KDP and I were salvaging light up reindeer from someone's curb. That's right. Someone a block away had put out two of those white light up reindeer and I couldn't see them being thrown out. So we had to do this drive by and pick up thing to get them home to my house. The whole thing was quite comical. Not to mention taht I put them in the backyard and my father found them the next day and wondered why (or how) his two had run from the front to the back.

So, the first weekend of '08 was fun and amusing. If this keeps up, the dating slogan just may live up to what I hope.

Surprise! I'm Not 22!

2008-01-06T16:53:00.000-05:00

I went to a surprise party for my neighbor's milestone number in the afternoon. I got to see Love Thy Neighbor.....who drove home from Elmira that morning and went straight to the restaurant to set up for the event for her mom.

I got to see so many of the relatives (from their family) that I have not seen in ages! And I got to meet people that I have only heard about over the years but never come to an event. As I spoke to each one, they'd ask "So you went to school with LTN, right?" Or "So did you find a job yet? I understand LTN just got her's a month ago!" And then I'd correct them and say "I'm her neighbor. I didn't go to school with her. And, yes, I have a job". To which they'd reply, "So where did you go to school, dear?"

And then I'd say "I'm a decade older than LTN" and their faces would drop. I loved it! I pointed out to her that this was either really really good for me or absolutely horrendous for her. We agreed to go with good for me.

I do not look remotely 22........chalk it up to great lighting? I don't know. But I wish this feeling of sensationalism lasted longer than it did.

Totally Enchanted!

2008-01-05T15:53:00.000-05:00

I saw 'Enchanted' last night & loved it! I mean loved loved loved it. I laughed so much. Giselle is the girl I want to be this year. The kind of girl who falls in love with a guy because her heart 'sings' to his. The kind of girl who has a guy 'sing' to her to let her know how he feels. The girl who gets swept up in the moment all because of a reckless, 'fairy tale' love feeling.

I love that girl.

What girl am I? Realist girl. Self-sufficient girl. The 'let's see if this pans out before I even think of considering it real' girl. The 'let him fall for me before I admit anything' girl. Yeah, I know. I have to work on being 'lovey dovey' girl.........'fall head over heels (as long as they are manolos)' girl.

Disney has done it again. I am a BIG fan (total understatement) and know the movies by heart. This incorporated so many of their older films into one. And they used things -- names, people references, homes, theories -- from those films to make this one come alive. There's a tiny house in the woods, animals that help tidy up with a song, poisoned apples, a glass slipper, the stroke of midnight, a dragon, a kiss to wake the 'mostly dead', an evil step-mother, a ball...........oh the list goes on and on. And on.

This movie will be on my "MUST BUY" list so that it is on repeat in my dvd player as soon as it hits shelves. Maybe I will learn a thing or two while it is on repeat so I can be 'head over heels' girl.

Out With The Old, In With The _____

2008-01-03T18:19:00.000-05:00

I don't know how to finish that since it is so cliche and I have done the cliches so much for the new year.

Today I got rid of any and every number of a guy I was either interested in or had gone on a date with. It's a new year. A new start. Well.....I haven't started anything yet. But I tried. I had been receiving texts from a guy for the last two weeks. As of yesterday, it stopped. We always began regular & it always turned flirty. Yet, when I'd make some move, such as 'hey come hang out friday', the texting would stop.

I take it I am only good for a texting turn-on. Not much else.

So, his number is out. Why text me and flirt with me if you don't really want to go out.....make out......anything? It just doesn't make sense.

I'll spend January going out with the ladies to see if anything happens. If not, I am afraid that I may be tempted to sign up for my unmatch deal again. Oh the horror!

Ring A Ding Ding!

2008-01-01T18:28:00.000-05:00

Here's to the start of the new year: 2008 is the Year of the Date. I will be trying my darndest to find dates anywhere and everywhere. I'll keep my standards, but I am going to be even more proactive than before. If that is possible.

I rang in the new year in one of the better ways I can think to: with four friends. Blonde Bombshell had over Crak, KDP, Fred, and me. We ate. And drank. And did shots out of a candy glass. And drank some more. And played games.....I watched them dance in the wide open viewing window.......and played Wii. So much fun.

Blonde's house is adorable. She is also a good hostess.

I was thinking about going in one day (through her doogie door) and then claiming squatter's rights. We'll see how well that goes.

This year is going to bring lots of change for me. I can't say what it is just yet, but I have a few irons in the fire that I hope take shape. Over the next month, they will be revealed....if all goes well.

Keep your fingers crossed for me and let's hope this year is even better than the last!

Thank Heaven for the Memories of '07! Also Known As 'The Year of the Buzz'

2007-12-31T11:02:00.000-05:00

This year has brought about a lot for me. I started it out with being dumped & miserable. Had to help msyelf fall asleep over the next few days by drinking appletinis. Partied at Porkys to meet & dance with a hottie who was all of 22 and a HUGE ego boost. Was verbally attacked by a drunk man at a LB bar only to find myself at the Greek's at 2am for consoling. Yeah, that's what I call it now. I went out with MIU to celebrate his bday and say goodbye & good luck on the west coast. I signed up for a dating site where I met, went on dates with, and tolerated odd men. I hung out with another hot 22 yr old.......hmmm......trend here? I went to Disney for my bday and came home to find out that Cowboy had proposed to the inept mother of 2. Oh yeah...she is the one who informed me. Went in to the city to check out bars that Crak had to review. Finally made it to Katwalk where I passed out & had to have Crak help me home. I was introduced to Girls' Night Out where I drank.............

I went to the Mall of America, saw the Mississippi river, walked on the bridge that collapsed weeks later. Cowboy's mother called to tell me he was in rehab. So I found out I had been scammed for the 4+ years we dated. I had more bad dates: a guy who thought that being a math professor was supposed to impress me, a cop who didn't get it that he is still legally married even though they have decided to privately separate, and a man who all I will say is that I did mention the bisque. Went to the Hamptons for another Girls' thing.

We partied on rooftops in the city.

The (Mis)Adventures of Phyllis and Gertrude began on a loooonnnnng flight to Oahu (which I still cry over the fact that we actually got back on that plane to come home. Who leaves Hawaii?) Helped Crak celebrate her birthday. Saw Cowboy in Colombus a week before he had to move back to Portland....why did I go? No clue.

I ate chocolate. Lots of it.

I had a crazy schedule for the fall. Thus the chocolate and the buzz. I've become part of a group of good looking women with whom to party and not be able to meet men when we go out.....no idea why we don't meet them since they are there & we are hot. Which leads to tomorrow's post.

All I will say is that '07 is a buzz....er uh....blur......and I am okay with seeing it go.

Why Am I Still Doing This?

2007-12-29T09:15:00.000-05:00

I received a Christmas card from Cowboy. A pretty hallmark card that had a sweet message inside. Written by hallmark. Not him. As a matter of fact, the only thing he wrote in the card was "Always, Cowboy". No "dear........" no "happy holidays". My name was not in this card at all. The only way I knew it was for me was the fact that my name was on the envelope. Two words. That's all he wrote.

Then, Sunday before Christmas I decided to call and talk. And he was not really listening nor talking. And then he said "can I call you back? I want to see the last twenty miutes of this movie we are watching."

What.

So I told him not to bother. That I wanted a good Christmas and did not need the stress and stupidity of him and his movies. I said I'd call him after the holiday. He couldn't figure out why I was upset. Ummm.....no name on the card. Not even a message inside saying "This card said it better than I could"........NOTHING. And then I come second to a movie? On dvd? Are you serious? Oh yeah, he's mature and has priorities.

I am trying to figure out how to...............how to......................I am not sure what it is I need to figure out but when I do, I'll let you know.

The MIU Is Back InTown

2007-12-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

MIU flew back home for the holidays last Friday. We had plans to meet for coffee Sunday night. And we did. He looks good. He looks relaxed. He sounds happy. Oh those California boys.

We caught up on what has happened in the last 11 months and it was just so nice to sit and chat with him face-to-face about all of the zany nonsense that we can chat about.

Glad he's back. Happy we got to hang out. Have to go visit him in Cali in '08.

Thanks for the evening, MIU.

Happy Birthday Blonde

2007-12-29T09:01:00.000-05:00

Yes, this post is a bit behind. Blonde's bday is the 18th and she decided to have an outing the 15th, the night after the TSO extravaganza. She, with the help of Crak, set up a 'party' at Nutty Irishman. Where quite a few people showed up to party. Blonde's Brother, Thursday Joe, was there buying drinks all around. Cousins she thought would never come came in a caravan! And Blonde? Partied the way a birthday girl should, dancing up a storm.

Lots of fun, only a few odd encounters, and laughs. Good times good times.

Then KDP & I decided to leave. It was hailing and the roads were icy & she was driving from Farmingdale to Hix and then to LB. A long drive any night but made so much worse with icy roads. We left and as we hit the main road, TJ texted me. He wanted me to go to his house. Yeah right. Its the middle of the night and he only texts when he is drunk. I sent it back saying 'that's okay'. I'm looking for something real not a drunken hook-up. He texted me a few times and then called at 2:50 am to ask me why I wasn't at his house yet. When I said it was too late, too icy, and not good because of the buzz he had going, he was not happy. Oh well.

I mentioned this to Crak the following week and she said that it now made sense why he had to be taken home rather than just stay at his sister's house where Crak was driving and staying as well. Oh TJ. Who texts on Thursdays and never has it lead to anything. So weird. So odd. Should get even weirder when we all go to his house for new year's.

All I know is that Crak knows how to organize a party & Blonde sure knows how to do a birthday right. Happy Birthday BB!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2007-12-25T09:20:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

Chuckle Of The Day

2007-12-18T16:06:00.000-05:00

I saw a bumper sticker today that read:

"Don't drink and park. Accidents cause people."

It took me a few minutes & then I burst out laughing in an aisle in the grocery store. Yup. Standing there all by myself laughing at a sticker that was outside & so five minutes earlier. Sooooooooooooo tired!

Dr. Seuss + Tim Burton Nativity Scriptures + The Who's Tommy = Trans Siberian Orchestra

2007-12-16T22:21:00.001-05:00

Friday was a hectic day for me. I had a meeting from 11-1. Then I had to change into party clothes to go to the College's Holiday soire. Put in my appearance & left only to hit traffic--going west--at 4pm. I hopped into going-out clothes to meet Crak & Blonde at Cozy Mel's for dinner.

Cozy Mel......yum. It was so nice to sit & chat with the gals without the pounding music and the throbbing singles looking for a hook-up.

We wrapped it up & headed over to the Coliseum to see the Trans Siberian Orchestra. Crak had been asking people for three years to attend this concert. And every year I would say "Who?" And she would say "You know the 'dun dun du dun....' song? I want to see them." And by the time I would figure it out, tickets have come and gone. This year I agreed. The three of us drove over to what I thought would be a quiet concert (audience-wise) and an early evening.

So. Wrong.

The Coliseum was packed and people filled in the seats. When the show began, we were greeted with a song and lights and effects. Two of the guitarists would run back & forth and climb two HUGE platforms to excite the crowd with the talent. And then it happened. A man came out on stage and began a narrative. Hmmm. Electric guitars. Electric keyboards. Electric violins. And a narrator? Think the dancer from Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Who gave us some odd rendition of their synthesized version of the Nativity. Some angel flies over the earth and sees that there are no stars in Serejevo. Somewhere in the next hour, the angel found his way to NYC. And was guided to a lost pregnant runaway who couldn't find stars to guide her so she found the neon sign of a bar.

I was lost. And I felt as if I was being sucked in to some cult. Blonde & I just kept looking and Crak. At 9:30, when the odd tale was over, the guitarist came out and said he hoped we enjoyed the first half of the show. First half? What? There's more? Oh no!

The second half was amazing! It opened with 'Flight of the Bumble Bee' and went on for an hour and a half to end with the 'Carol of the Bells'......the one you hear from them on the radio. The man who is credited with putting TSO (that's what people were chanting since Trans Siberian Orchestra would take WAY TOO LONG) came out and said he was beyond honored to introduce the celebrity for the evening. And out came Roger Daultry. You know, The Who. See? I knew there was a touch of 'Tommy' in this. The stadium errupted into screams, shrieks, and an energy level I have never experienced before at any event.

Wow.

A once-in-a-lifetime event.
That's all I am going to say.

Inclement Weather......Inclement Life....Part Two

2007-12-16T22:18:00.000-05:00

Cancelled class? No problem? We'll make it up Friday the 21st! Your grades still have to be submitted by Thursday night and everything else will go according to plan, but you will still have to come in and sit there with the students. Who aren't going to show up. To not cover material because the semester is over. But if you don't show up, you will be docked.

If you need me Friday night you know where to find me.

At the sanitarium.

Inclement Weather..............Inclement Life

2007-12-14T09:13:00.000-05:00

My evening classes were cancelled last night due to the icy roads. Yippee! Then the post came that the class will be made up on Friday the 21st. Drat! I will have no papers to grade. No work to do. No students who will show up so that I am not a total loser sitting in the building by myself on a Friday night.

To top it off, the Velvet Fog called my house. Half of the times she has called I just don't answer. Mainly because the messages she leaves are priceless. The other times she has called, I am not home and just never get around to calling her back. I now remember why I don't pick up. She asked if I had any weekend plans. I said yes I do & hope that the weather isn't too bad so that we can go and still be safe. She said "So? Make him come to you! Tell him to bring over some dinner and a movie & you can snuggle the evening away. How's that sound?"

I wanted to say "Who is he? There's no 'he'! I'm all alone!" but thought best and just agreed.

So, while sitting home on a Thursday evening, all I could think about was that there is no 'he' and I am alone. Thanks, Velvet Fog, for pointing out the lack in my life!

Ringing in New This Year?

2007-12-13T19:39:00.000-05:00

I sent off a resume (with TONS o' help from Crak) to see if I can possibly get a new job for the fall. It had to be postmarked today. Fingers are crossed and prayers are being said. I expect the same from the rest of you!

Why Do They Come Back? (A part of the 'being spotted' issue)

2007-12-09T16:21:00.000-05:00

I checked my email the other day to find one from the Math Professor. Bleh! I have not heard from him since July? August? I don't remember but it was one lone email that was sent & to which I never replied. The new one said "Hi! How are you? Just wanted to fill you in on what I've been doing.......blah blah blah.......I know the semester has been so crazy for me and I've let contacts slide. But I was wondering if you still wanted to keep in touch? I saw you the other night in Sephora and didn't know if I should say hello or not. So, I didn't. But I hope all is well with you and that the end of the semester isn't too hectic for you."

So, you saw me in a store and didn't say hi. You then wait a week to email me about the (lack of) encounter and want to know if I want to keep in touch. Hmmmmm. Hard decision here!

Well, in all honesty, part of me wants to respond just for the sake of asking him why he didn't come over and say 'hi' like a 35-year old man should be able to do. I was with KDP. Not with a guy. And he may not have seen me with her at times because we were on opposite sides of the store.....so for all I know I may have been alone when he saw me. And yet, no hello. Which part of me is glad about because I wouldn't wnat that awkwardness while selecting a lipstick. But, at the same time, what the heck is wrong with him? Or with me?

I have not responded. I probably won't because I don't really want to keep in touch with him. But, again, I am so curious to know why he'd not acknowledge me & then wait a week to send it off.

I'm rambling. I know. I want a man. It's the holidays. I'm lonely. I want to do all of the "couple-y" things that there are to enjoy. I'm rambling.

"Haul Out the Holly.....Put Up the Tree Before My Spirit Falls Again..."

2007-12-09T16:19:00.000-05:00

I spent last weekend in the Sunshine State. Beautiful. Fun. Warm. I mean a 30degree difference warm. My family went down for our annual holiday kick-off.

We went to the Magic Kingdon for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. There we had amazing hot chocolate and decorated sugar cookies provided by jolly cast members. We saw it snow on Main Street. The castle is covered in white lights so that it looks sugar-coated. Fantasy brought to reality.

Epoct Center brought the Candlelight Processional. Two hundred voices singing traditional songs while a guest speaker, this year it was Monique Coleman, read the scriptures. It's always an uplifting experience and puts one in the "Christmas Spirit".

We had a scrumptious tea at the Garden View Tea Room where I had a pear and gorgonzola sandwich that is still making me sigh longingly.

We then went to this exhibit that we heard about called ICE! It's hundreds of thousands of pounds of ice sculpted into various forms. They had the entire Nativity (full-size), a candy land--with a cupcake bigger than me(!), a train, and a winter wonderland. At the end of the 9-degree exhibit, they had three ice slides......think luge without the sled. It was AMAZING! I walked to the top of a 16-ft staircase, sat down at the top with my knees bent and feet flat, and the worker at the top gave me a push. Whoosh! It was all over before I knew it but so much fun.

I've been singing carols ever since.

Revisiting the Notion of Me Being Famous

2007-12-02T19:01:00.001-05:00

If I were famous, I would expect people to recognize me. I'd find it normal for people to stop me and say hi, wave to me, or beckon me over to chat. I would know that they would know that they know me......in that "I've heard about you/seen you on..." sort of knowing level.

Alas, I am not famous. So I do not anticipate people "spotting" me when I am out. Oh, sure, I've had it happen on more than one occassion (gross understatement), but I am never sure how they know it's me.

I was in the city Thursday for some holiday sightseeing and present shopping. It had been a long day & I was heading back to Penn. I'm waiting on the corner of 6th Ave & 41st when I hear "Hey". There are at least 25 other people standing on the corner waiting to cross and a bunch more milling around trying to figure out their direciton and a bunch more walking on by. So I don't even acknowledge the "hey" because I am almost as much of a tourist as the others around me. "Hey".....there it is again. And I, for some unknown reason, spin my head in random directions in the slightest possibility that the 'hey' is for me.

All I see is a cop car. With a hand out of the window..............and a finger beckoning in my direciton. "I know you." Again, look of confusion as my head is glancing in all directions now hoping that the cop is speaking with someone else. "Miss, in the pink coat. Come here. I know you. " Like a magnet drawing in a paperclip, I walk over to the car. "Me? Are you saying you know me?" "Yeah. From Briar. You were my prof." ????????????????

Well now I am looking for cameras and some guy with a microphone doing some 'gotcha' deal. So I lean in to the window (over what was a very attractive partner) and say "What? When? Me?" Yes, I do have a college degree......................such probing questions I ask.

"Yeah. Back in '01. My name's Danny". Danny.............danny......................I looked at the face (much heavier than it had been) and say "Danny? What's your last name?" He mumbles something (yup--briar material) and then it hits me "Dan? From the baseball team?' "Yeah that's me." "So, you're a cop? Did you do the CJ degree?" "Nah. I didn't finish at briar. How are you?" Still in a blondish fog, I just start rambling for a minute and then mumbled something about catching a train.

How does he remember me from 2001? I don't remember much of 2001. Not for any other reason then I don't. And how is it that they spot me in crowds? And why can't a future husband spot me like that?

Snapping back into reality, I realize that being spotted is not fun. It's freaky, creepy, and I miss my anonymity. Had this encounter been something that could catapult my earning power to a better bracket, fine. It's nothing. All it is for me is a reminder that I have to look good at all times. Ugh. Effort.

Midnight Madness

2007-11-23T13:51:00.000-05:00

KDP & I had this great idea to head out to Tanger to get a jump start on the holiday shopping. We left my place at 11:00 pm and were making good time to Riverhead. Until we hit exit 70 on the LIE. As soon as we passed the ramp, the cars stopped. We had two exits to go and it was already midnight. But, as far as the eye could see were cars. Three lanes of them plus the losers in the shoulder lane who happened to be stopped, too.

We sat for an hour before reaching exit 71. I asked KDP what we should do. She said we should continue on since we had come all this way. Another hour later, and two crazy phone calls to Crak & Cowboy, we made it to exit 72. Where we drove past the main entrance and the hundreds of cars waiting to get into the lots. I headed for two other potential entrances but we were cut off by a State Trooper. Who pulled in front of one of the entrances and shooed a car trying to drive under the police tape. When that car moved, I pulled up and rolled down the window. KDP asked "How do we..." and he yelled "ITS CLOSED". So she said "Yes, but how can we..." and he yells again, "ITS CLOSED". She said "Then where is another entrance?" (we were thinking that they wanted to regulate entrances and certain ones were closed) to which he said "The whole place is CLOSED. SHUT DOWN. They are beyond capacity."

So we drove further east, hoping to find a place on the side of the road. Nope. We drove about a half of a mile and found cars everywhere. On the street. In parking lots. On the grass. In places that cars should not be parked.

So we turned around and drove home. I got in at 3:30. I had been driving for 4 & 1/2 hours. Without a single purhcase. Without even getting out of the car once!

How does one go from being on the cusp of glitterati status at LV last week to being a reject from Tanger Outlets this week? My life hits faster than a Page Six article!

G L A M O R O U S

2007-11-22T21:38:00.000-05:00

"Flyin' first class......up in the sky.
Poppin' champagne......livin' the life........
In the fast lane..........."

For some (unknown) reason, I received an embossed invite to the sneak preview of Louis Vuitton's holiday collection this year. The invite was for Wednesday evening at the Fifth Avenue Store at 7pm. A chance to be 'glitterati' for an evening? I was so there! I asked around but, alas, had no one with whom I could attend. And then, last minute, KDP called and asked if I was still going solo. I said yes & she was actually free & wanted to go with me. And off we went.

We met up & hopped a subway to 57th street. We walked over to the closed LV store and saw that the window displays were covered so that "mere pedestrian types" could not catch a glimpse of what was in store for the holiday rush. People were asking a woman, who was standing outside with a clipboard, how they could get in to this soiree, and she turned them away.

Exclusive!

KDP & I approached the woman, gave my name, and were ushered in to the foyer where we were met by model men with trays of Moet champagne. It was so tasty! We wandered through the store, sipping and browsing. One of the models saw that our glasses were almost empty and he was quick to refresh them for us.

Needless to say, three glasses later, I was feeling pretty good. The store was beautiful, the accessories stunning (and, sadly, not anywhere near my price range....where is my rich husband?) and I was buzzed.

On a Wednesday night.
In the middle of a work week.
In Louis Vuitton on Fifth Avenue.

luvin' my life at the moment.

Thanks for Giving

2007-11-22T21:35:00.000-05:00

To all who have stood by me through this year:

With all of the ups & downs that I have endured, you have been there. You have offered me laughter, a sense of sanity, reminded me that it isn't "me" but usually "them", encouraged, inspired, and offered me bail money (in some cases).

I am thankful for having you in my life.

Be well..................eat well.......................
Enjoy the holiday.

A Chocoholic's Dream Come True

2007-11-14T09:39:00.000-05:00

This weekend was the 10th Annual Chocolate Show. Of which, this was my fourth. I was hauling it in with my parents, three of their couple friends, and one of the couple's two children + a fiancee. All in all, there were twelve of us. We bypassed the line outside and entered the intoxicating-scented room with samples galore.

I ate my weight in chocolate samples and bought more than necessary. I saw Crak's friend, Fred, who assists a chocolatier at the event. She looked so pretty! Three hours later we headed out to find lunch. We went to this great restaurant that we ate at last year & I had an amazing panini with a side salad that helped to settle my nerves a bit from the chocolate overload I was experiencing.

We then headed to Macy's to see the Waterford New Year's Eve ball, which is on display. It's so much smaller than I imagined.

I came home and passed out from my over-eating and the depression of having to buy a bigger pair of jeans after just one afternoon excursion.