Monthly Archives: November 2007

Friday, August 31, 2007

new furniture arrives; life shall now be organized

 

Oh come on, isn’t that what you always think? “Oh, these pillows will make this futon look less cheap. No? Okay, this poster should tie things together. No? How about this candle?” Eventually you have a house full of crap and the money could have been better spent on higher quality furniture in the first place… and less crap.

 

So now I have a sofa. A real, live, look-now-I’m-an-adult sofa. Sectional. And a wall unit. Also sectional. I’m excited to be able to keep my tiny collection of CDs and DVDs — here’s the important bit — OUT OF SIGHT. The main area of my living room now looks great. The “back end,” where I’ve temporarily shoved all of the preexisting crap, needs to be bulldozed.

 

The catch, and I always have a catch, is that I’m deputy-hosting a Labor Day barbecue this weekend, and the living room is far from done. I still need to put together a large chunk of the wall unit, and rearrange the furniture in the “back end” which will now be my office…

 

and eventually reroute the cable to the other end of the room… and I’m still looking for a new, warmer sleeping bag for the next camping trip and also the ideal Halloween costume because tomorrow is September already and if I’m going to sew something as intricate as I think I might have to, I’d better get cracking, and I’m still missing an awful lot of photography for the catalog I’m currently working on (which needs to release to prepress in only two weeks!) and that one dog at the shelter keeps invading my head but the cats would never forgive me and I keep waiting for my life to calm down and it isn’t happening… ARGH!

 

Deep breaths. Deeeeeep breaths. And more beer.

 

EDIT: I forgot the best part! While moving stuff around last night, I finally found my original iPod-to-FireWire cable. Because I suspected that the assorted replacement cables were the culprits all along, I attempted to sync the iPod… and it worked flawlessly! WOO-HOO!

 

7:59 AM

 

Monday, August 27, 2007

next-to-last camping trip of the season

 

next-to-last IF we can find a spot in a few weekends… looks like all the campgrounds are already reserved…

 

Photos here.

 

Scott summed up the adventure much better than I could have. Read about it here.

 

10:04 PM

 

the Integra has been compromised

 

I love my car, and one of the things I love most about my car (right in line behind excellent road feel and mind-easing reliability) is the limited-edition Stealth Gray Pearl paint. Everybody seems to see it differently; M. thought it was silver, T. thought it was black, C. thought it was dark blue. It’s actually, depending on the light, a cool purple-ish gray or a very dusky purple. Just gorgeous. 12 years old and shedding the clearcoat like a fur in summer, but a beautiful color nonetheless.

 

I took my car to Maaco to get a fresh coat of paint, so I expected sloppy work. Orange peel, overspray, maybe even drips. I asked Maaco Andy about matching the color, and he assured me they’d pull the VIN (the only way to even get touch-up paint for my car is to pull the VIN and order it). I asked about it costing any extra because of the metallic, and he said no. Andy suggested the Presidential paint but I “splurged” for the Supreme. Even though I knew that it wouldn’t effect the skill with which it was applied, it is a better quality of paint and carries a longer warranty.

 

I picked up the car on Thursday morning (it was supposed to be ready Wednesday afternoon, but they requested that I leave it overnight so it wouldn’t get rained on right away.) I did get the orange peel and overspray, but lucky for me, no drips. They did, however, paint right over visible bits of dust. The real kicker, though, is that they didn’t paint it the right COLOR. And that they were completely unapologetic about it. Maaco Tim said that I should have known that they can’t match a pearl with a single-stage paint. In fact, Maaco Tim said outright that it was my own fault for choosing a cheap paint job. I quote, “You get what you pay for.” (Maaco Andy wasn’t in the office.) It now looks more like, but not exactly, a color that Toyota calls Black Sand Pearl. Kind of a dark-gray-almost-black with bronzey undertones. Nice, but not the color I wanted or asked for. So while I wait for their corporate office to call me back, I have to find out in what county the particular shop that I used is, and prepare to file paperwork for small claims court… I also need to take my car to a competent shop to find out how much it would cost to repair the damage.

 

Seriously, even my MOTHER noticed. She couldn’t even tell you what KIND of car I drive.

 

7:28 AM

 

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Millions of peaches, peaches for free

 

I dropped off my car on Monday to be repainted, and while waiting for my ride to take me to work I noticed a peach sitting on the parking lot. And another. I guess someone didn’t like their lunch.

 

Wait, a THIRD peach? What’s going on? I look up and discover that I’m sitting under a peach tree, branches heavy with fruit.

 

I skipped back inside to talk to The Guys.”Hey, you guys have a PEACH tree out there.”

nod

“Are they any good?”

shrugging nod toward the other guy. I translate this to mean “HE thinks so”

“You should pick them and bring them home!”

complicated nod toward me and the tree outside, which I take to mean “go ahead and take some if you want”

 

So I did. And I look forward to grabbing some more when I pick up my car. And then grilling them. Or slicing them into some sangria.

 

8:13 AM

 

Monday, August 20, 2007

too much too much too much

 

Where to start?

 

THE CAR

My car is 12 years old. The paint is shot, the seals around the windows are starting to degrade, there’s an untraceable leak in the trunk that makes the car smell funny whenever it’s out in the rain, and the radio antenna is broken. I have, in the past, toyed with the idea of selling it and starting over. I toyed with this idea particularly when I was paying to have a new radiator and new master cylinder put in last summer. My mechanics, who don’t get much business from me but whom I adore, want to be first in line if I sell. Because here’s the thing: the car drives like a dream. Some days I’ll kind of lose myself in the feeling of driving. It’s almost as if it’s on rails, knowing where to go and what to do. And so today, I’m dropping it off for a fresh, new, shiny paint job. I splurged and chose the next-to-top tier, the one with the four-year warranty. Because I’m gonna keep this car a bit longer. Yeah. Woo! And then Saturday, as I’m heading out the door for a barbecue, my stepmom calls. It seems that one of my ‘cousins’ is in a bit of a pickle and suddenly needs a new car. A car that’s reliable, a car that we know the history of, a car that costs maybe about exactly what my car is worth. Like, say, for instance, my car. But… but… I love my car. And it’s about to be all shiny-like. On the other hand, Aliana is family. And I’ve been in her position before. She can’t get a car loan, but I can. Maybe it’s time to pass the torch. (mutters: man, I hate car payments.) The pressure is that she needs a car NOW, and I won’t even have one to drive around in looking for a new-used one because I’m dropping mine off today to get painted. And I have a camping trip this weekend. And next weekend is Labor Day. And then hopefully, the following weekend…

 

MOM HAS TO GET HER CRAP OUT OF MY HOUSE

Seriously. This has gone on long enough. Way beyond long enough. When she first found her own tiny apartment, she asked if she could leave some stuff here. I said no. She offered to pay a small storage fee. I said no. She moved out, and her crap has remained, in ever-so-slightly dwindling amounts, in my basement ever since. It’s been THREE YEARS. Deadlines have come and gone. I’d donate it all to DAV myself, but it’s mostly boxes of books and magazines, and they are too damn heavy for me to lift. I recently told mom that her stuff had to go by the end of the month because I have agreed to store a smallish amount of stuff for Erin, because I offered and because Erin is paying my broadband bill in exchange for the space. A U-Haul van will cost $20 plus $.59/mile, and labor hired via craigslist seems to be averaging $25/hour with a two-guy, two-hour minimum. But while my mom’s stuff still clutters the basement, Erin’s stuff now clutters my living room. That’s right, my living room. It is stacked into towers so that I may still see the TV through the canyon of Rubbermaid totes. Which makes it all that much more difficult to take delivery of…

 

NEW LIVING ROOM FURNITURE

I tagged along with Scott yesterday when he needed to pick up some inexpensive black bookshelves for his new apartment. In the process, I picked out a new sectional sofa to replace my futon (yes, I still have a futon as my main living room seating) and a gorgeous, may I say simply gorgeous, entertainment center-slash-wall unit to replace the cheesy-ass craptastic shelving on my living room wall and the coffee table-dragged-from-a-Dumpster that my TV currently sits on. It’s all on sale. The prices are great. The delivery fee is nominal. But before signing on the dotted line, I really need to measure the wall. Which it turns out is about two inches too narrow for the wall unit. Unless I remove the stupid little decorative half-wall by the front door. Which I have thought about before, but removing it means patching the remaining wall (not a big deal) and retiling the entry way. Which involves chipping out the existing entry way tile. And hoping against all hope that the new tile I lay down (I’m thinking slate, ooh drool) doesn’t make the front door stick even more than it currently does. This is kind of a big project just to squeeze in a $400 wall unit. Oh, and one more thing… the wall unit is built for people who have TVs that aren’t 20 years old, and have a considerably narrower profile. So while I could make the wall unit work with the TV I have, I would have to pull the whole thing 5 or 6 inches away from the wall to do it. Which Scott pointed out I might have to do anyway, in order to have access to the cords and plugs. Hmm. Mandy also pointed out that I could order the wall unit, which disassembles into sections for easier moving, and only put two of the sections up until I get the wall/entryway taken care of. So, you know, I don’t lose out on the sale. Because the new wall unit will look fabulous with the new sectional.So yeah, I’m stressy right now. Megan is very kindly driving me to/from work this week while the car is being sanded/sprayed/baked, but I hate hate hate favors. I don’t know where I got this raging independent streak, but I wouldn’t mind shaking some of it. It actually feels kind of nice when I let people help me out.

 

SIDE NOTE

My grandma’s 90th birthday is in October, so the family is all getting together in NJ for dinner that weekend. Whee! I haven’t seen my grandma in way too long, and she is one of my favoritist peeps. Here’s the WTF part: okay, I’m flying out on Frontier. $347 round trip from Denver to Philadelphia. My dad and Marci are also flying out, from Albuquerque to Philadelphia, which means they have to change planes in Denver. They manage to get on my same flights, so we can all travel together. Super-whee! Except that their tickets are only $299. I called Frontier to ask WTF? They explained that D+M’s tix are cheaper, because they’re being inconvenienced by a plane change. So, can I book my ticket out of ABQ and just get on in DEN instead? No, of course not. When I don’t board in ABQ, my ticket will be cancelled. Oh well, I tried.With all this rampant consumerism, I still haven’t earned enough AmEx miles with which to do anything outrageous. Yet…

 

6:34 AM

 

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Pinochle

 

The past few nights, I’ve been going out back to listen to the crickets for a few minutes before I go to bed. Sort of a winding-down thing. Our daily dose of rain yesterday occurred later in the day than usual, however, and the crickets were busy toweling themselves off and generally keeping to themselves. Rocket was outside with me, as she always is, but she was uncharacteristically staring at the ground instead of out into space… I crouched down next to her on the edge of the cement patio and tried to see, in the dark, what she was looking at so intently.

 

Nothing.

 

Could it be nothing? I looked harder. What was that sound? A mouse? No, the sound was too quiet. Was it water still dripping off the tree branches overhead? No. Not quite right. Wait, was that fallen leaf moving? And that one? Was it the sound of the bark mulch settling under the weight of nearly three weeks of rain? That couldn’t be it.

 

Frustrated, I went back inside to snap on the light. I rejoined Rocket on the patio and looked again.

 

Nope, still nothing.

 

Wait… those leaves ARE moving. Keep looking. Adjust to the light. Look harder. Look smaller. Look… at all of the WORMS! Big, fat, shiny, looooooong worms. Sliding, moving, poking, worming. I watched them for nearly 15 minutes.

 

And my next fishing attempt is more than a week away.

 

8:32 AM

 

Monday, August 13, 2007

The Departed

 

Just a brief note to say that I just watched The Departed with Dave and Jessi and that it was AMAZING. I recoiled in horror a number of times, but the explosive blood (and occasional smattering of brain tissue) was all integral to the plot. Besides, the banter between ANYBODY and Dignam was worth it.

 

Sullivan: The day you wouldn’t take a promotion, let me know. And if you’d taken care of this, I wouldn’t even be here.

Dignam: Fuck yourself, you piece of shit.

Sullivan: And I need the identities of your undercovers.

Dignam: Blow me. Not literally, though, unfortunately there’s no promotion involved.

 

10:27 PM

 

Red, red wine

 

Red red wine you make me feel so fine

You keep me rocking all of the time

Red red wine you make me feel so grand

I feel a million dollars when you’re just in my hand

 

Scott is back from his snowboarding trip to Chile, and he brought with him Chilean chocolates and more importantly, Chilean wine. Damn, that’s good stuff. I don’t know anything about wine, but I know it was tasty and perhaps a little too easy to drink and the 2″ thick grass-fed NY strips we grilled didn’t seem to absorb anything at all. Although I think they may have been yummy. By the end of the night I was putting the salt shaker in the freezer but the leftover steak thankfully made it into the fridge. I have no recollection of putting it there, maybe Scott did that for me… I vaguely recall him teasing me for finishing the bottle… anyway, it’s good to have him back around. And I hope we can find that wine locally.

 

The nice plastic tote that I bought for camping wound up back at the store… I didn’t like the flimsy handles and it wasn’t the most efficient size anyway. I’ll keep looking, seeing as the next camping adventure isn’t until the end of the month.

 

Ah, the end of the month. Also the (most recent) deadline I’ve given to my mother to have her crap OUT of my basement. And to her credit, she has made more of an effort to get stuff out… but it’s still slow going. With the stupid thumb immobilizer on, I wasn’t really able to help her this weekend. For which I actually do feel bad, because I know that I would want help if it were me.

 

I have a couple of quotes for getting the car painted, and need to pit one against the other to see if they’ll price match. I’d much rather pay $600 than $700, though I do realize that it’s a very cheap paint job either way. In every sense of the word.

 

More public apologies, this time to Jason, for being off on his birthday by an entire MONTH. He’s being quite gracious about it, but Jason is one of my oldest friends and my spacing out is unacceptable to me. Damn, and I knew he was a Leo…

 

Wow, Jason, we go back nearly 18 years. Does that make YOU feel as old as it makes ME feel? And do you remember how we met? Because I don’t. I do remember that you lived on the 10th floor of Willoughby, and I loved your ceiling fly. I am still amazed by you on a daily basis.

 

7:59 AM

 

Friday, August 10, 2007

Incredibly brief version of what was to have been a longer post

 

I’ve been promising this to Drew for too many days, and I keep doing other things instead. Such as running out to buy a nice plastic tote for my camping gear, to replace the humble cardboard box which will only take so many beatings. My apologies, Drew.

 

Also, I owe Drew one or two personal messages. I’ll get on that tomorrow, methinks. Again, public apology.

 

Back to basics:

 

Lindsey is the toughest chick I know.

 

I finally bought myself my very own bowling ball on Monday. On Tuesday, torqued my hip during practice. On Wednesday, got a deep tissue massage because I insisted on bowling in my league that night. Finally took a Vicodin to get past it. It was actually that bad. I mean, the whole reason I even HAVE bottles of painkillers is because I always get the Rx filled JUST IN CASE, but prefer to grit my teeth and bear whatever surgery/injury I’ve just sustained. I simply couldn’t grit my teeth hard enough this time. (No, I still haven’t seen my doctor about my sprained/strained thumb. There’s nothing she can do about it anyway.)

 

My office team has moved into our new digs in another building, far far away from the rest of corporate civilization. Or, you know, maybe a quarter of a mile up the road. :D Space constraints mean Andrea was left behind in the old building, which isn’t cool, but I guess we’ll have to adjust.

 

Today is “Uncle” Tim’s and Cute Chad’s birthdays. Happy birthday, Tim and Chad. I’ll see Tim tonight, but unless Chad’s “big news” (you left me hanging there) is that he’s moving back to Colo. tonight, I won’t be seeing him. Virtual hug, sweetie.

 

Okay, officially late for my little commute. More to come, nothing consequential. :)

 

8:34 AM

 

 

Sunday, August 05, 2007

the magic of being a woman

 

G: Ugh, I can’t wait for these [birth control] pills to be out of my system

E: Do they make you sick? They make me nauseous.

G: No, it’s the headaches and the mood swings.

E: I’ve always had mood swings.

G: Well, I have mood swings, but this seems to accentuate them.

E: I think we all have mood swings. It’s part of the magic of being a woman.

 

5:49 PM

 

outrageous headache

 

Well I woke up Sunday morning

With no way to hold my head, that didn’t hurt

And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad,

So I had one more for dessert.

Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes

And found my cleanest dirty shirt.

Then I washed my face and combed my hair

And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.

 

off to brunch. all i want is a bloody mary. and for this advil to kick in.

 

9:19 AM

 

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Megan’s a Celebrity!

 

Megan made it into the documentary Rockabilly514 – well, at least into their movie trailer. Check it out!

 

She’s just about halfway through, immediately AFTER the burlesque clips.

 

Currently listening : 

It’s Crazy 

By Drag the River 

7:18 PM

 

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Rebecca*, on Differing Opinions

 

“My life would be easier without Eric*, but much less interesting.”

 

Made me laugh out loud, and has been echoing in my head for about a week.

 

*Names changed to protect the innocent/unknowing

 

7:27 AM

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

72 drafts

 

most written in my head. none sent. what’s the point?

 

6:32 PM

 

Thursday, July 26, 2007

To my Well Meaning Friends: You Must Chill

 

Yes, I understand that you’re doing it out of concern for my happiness. But here’s the cold, hard truth: in spite of whatever your opinion may be regarding whether or not I “should” have gotten myself involved with His Royal Highness, I did. And I am not ready to move on and “get over it” simply because he’s been on the road for, what, three days now?

 

Also, I am not available to pair up with seemingly any single guys you come across. Not your aggressive coworker, not your friend-who-has-a-crush-on-you, not your sister’s optometrist’s cycling buddy, not the guy at the bowling alley whom I do not find remotely attractive, no matter how many times you ask me. CUT IT OUT. I didn’t even want you setting me up with anybody before I became otherwise entangled. This is not a better time.

 

I know that you want me to be happy. But please, let me be sad for a bit. I won’t crawl under a rock and die. I promise.

 

Currently listening : 

Have a Ball 

By Me First and the Gimme Gimmes 

7:16 PM

 

Monday, July 23, 2007

summertime, and the livin’ is easy

 

Whew, that was one hell of a week. Long, but in a good way. Jack came to visit me and Erin and Tim (a trip that I’d been looking forward to for MONTHS), and it wound up being the same week that Tim and Erin had to move into their new, fabulous apartment. The move, over a few days, was relatively painless and full of laughs, which is not to say that Erin and I haven’t been comparing bruises. And really, I had just been pricing out a new paint job for my car anyway. In the meantime, the scratch on the hood is a reminder of Jack’s all-too-short visit. :)

 

But I digress. We actually all met up for a camping trip last weekend at Turquoise Lake near Leadville, because what better way is there to greet a flatlander to our state than to trap him at 10,000 feet for two days? The lake was beautiful, though our attempts at fishing were greeted by all the trout belly-laughing at us. This was my first time camping with this group of people, and I can’t wait to do it again. No roughing it for us; we were still making icy blended drinks on the second night. Sunday was a return drive to Denver, and reuniting with Jessi, Dave, and Scott who had all been unable to camp with us. We celebrated Scott’s new apartment (and the loss of my best-ever roommate) with sushi, mini golf, and Dairy Queen. And margaritas. And Wii. I honestly don’t know how we packed it all in to one night!

 

The rest of the week was a blur of sleeping late and moving boxes and drinking beer and running errands (Jack did a FANTASTIC job clearing out my back yard, and I promise to properly finish the pathway per his instructions) and meeting for cocktails and dinners and driving for what seemed like hours searching (in vain) for Spade L Ranch beef rub and bowling and playing Wii and generally just hanging out with friends whenever possible. Seeing my friends freshly through someone else’s eyes reminded me of just how wonderful my circle of friends really is.

 

to my friends: I haven’t known most of you for long, but I know that you are a genuinely special group of people, and I am thrilled to be surrounded by your love, support, encouragement, and tequila. Thanks for being there.

 

7:33 PM

 

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

little ditty ’bout Jack and Erin

 

“You’re wearing a ‘Hooters’ t-shirt and suspenders?”

“I’m making a statement.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“That I’m here to make friends.”

 

12:37 PM

 

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

so of course, I thought of Erin

 

Where Peek Freans Come From

Cube monkey: My brain is unlike that of any mortal! It consists of witchcraft, spells, and ideas for pastries that the world has yet to see!

Overheard by: Emily

 

via Overheard in the Office, Jul 10, 2007

 

10:05 PM

 

Monday, July 09, 2007

Ahoy, mateys!

 

Some incredibly generous friends donated their time and muscle to me this weekend, and together we built a pretty fantastic deck in my little back yard. There is still landscaping work to be done, but it’s a whole new world out there now.

 

8:34 AM

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Happy Birthday, Kip.

 

I have been startlingly busy lately, and seeing as how writing these things doesn’t pay the mortgage, MySpace and its contents gets pushed to the back burner.

 

BUT…I have just been informed that today is Kip Winger’s birthday, and I couldn’t consider myself a good Jersey girl without acknowledging such a spandtastic event.

 

(BTW, I have just created the word “spandtastic” and I absolutely love it.)

 

Don’t stop me if you’ve heard this story before. I may have blogged about it in the past, but I’m not going to slog through previous entries to check, nor do I expect my current readers to flip through “back issues” of my meandering tales whenever you’re bored.

 

1988. I won a local radio contest (WSOU, South Orange, Seton Hall University) to see Winger at a smallish club back when I was a permed, teased, and hairsprayed young girl of (sing it with me, folks) Seventeen. I do not recall the specific venue, but it, like most things in New Jersey, was probably a 40-minute drive away. Coming from a family of modest means, I did not have my own car. Alas, relying on the kindness of friends didn’t pan out that night, and I was in tears when faced with the reality of missing the show. Crushed as I was, time somehow managed to march on.

 

2002. My sister works at the venerable Stone Pony in Asbury Park. Kip Winger is playing, headling for a show with Zyris, Wayward Soul, and Hat Trick of Misery. My sister, bless her heart, remembers my disappointment at missing Kip 14 years earlier, introduces herself to him, tells him the sad sad story, and gets him to autograph the show poster for me.

 

My sister ROKKS. And still wears a disproportionate amount of spandex.

 

Thank you, Kip. And happy birthday.

 

Currently listening : 

Winger 

By Winger 

6:40 PM

 

Friday, June 15, 2007

permanent vegetative state

 

We made every effort to resuscitate. It’s time to pull the plug, and declare the iPod dead. On the one hand, I’m in the rare position of actually having spare money at the moment to buy a new one. On the other hand, I was hoping to keep the 3G going for another 18 months or so, until my Sprint contract expired and I could switch to an iPhone.

 

Still, there’s a bit of glee at the thought of a sexy, shiny, sleek, new iPod. Purrrrrrr.

 

And Missy, if you’re reading this, my first iPod was an amazing and outrageously over-the-top birthday present. I have loved every moment of it. Four years’ worth. Thank you again and again.

 

9:59 PM 

 

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Add Five Inches Instantly

 

Men may come and go, but I’ll always have outrageous shoes.

 

7:50 AM

 

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Safeway: seriously?

 

I bring to the register at Safeway:

1 bottle ginger ale

1 container sour cream

1 bottle balsamic vinegar

1 head garlic

1 sweet potato

1 vidalia onion

1 chayote squash

1 pkg radishes

1 bag veggie chips

1 bag dehydrated strawberries/bananas (impulse purchase)…

and a beat-up canvas tote bag in which to carry it all.

 

The cashier asks me if I wanted my groceries in the tote. I resist the urge to say, “Duh, yeah” and instead choose a more polite, “As much as will fit, please” though I’m pretty confident that it will all fit. After helping the cashier identify a few of the produce items, swiping the appropriate cards, and signing my electronic receipt, I turn to gather my bag from the bag “boy” (in this case a middle-aged man) and can’t find it. Hmmm, where’s my tote? Oh! It’s PACKED in one of the FIVE plastic bags that my groceries have been split into. I explain that it all should have been packed into the canvas tote, and he chides the cashier as if he would have no idea to do such a bizarre thing unless she directed him to do so. While I repack the items into the tote (Bag Man is working on the next customer’s groceries now), I realize that in at least two instances, a single item has been placed into its very own plastic bag. I pick up my tote and as I’m walking away, I see Bag Man pick up my five now-empty plastic bags and THROW THEM AWAY.

 

So much for ecology.

 

3:39 PM

 

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Part III: Amsterdam

 

Sunday: This morning, we board the Thalys high-speed train to Amsterdam. On our drive to the hotel from the train station, Chris explains that “Amsterdam” is actually a corruption of the original Amstel Dam, so named for the Amstel Canal that runs through the town. A-ha! I’ve heard of Amstel! Upon arrival at our hotel, our scheduled luggage porter is absent. A hint of things to come. The hotel is undergoing a massive renovation, and those of us with rooms in the “lower level” have to exit the hotel and re-enter via an emergency exit a smidge down the block. Dragging the luggage down the stairs is a bit clunky, our hallway smells of mildew, and the rooms show evidence of being hurredly cobbled together for our arrival. But the room is well sized (tho’ the carpet is damp), the window is large (if overlooking a pile of construction rubble), and this trip is an adventure, after all. Chris has arranged to take us on a walking tour of the city on the way to our dinner, but our plans are “dampened” by an unexpected rain shower. We take the walk anyway, but shrouded by our umbrellas, it’s difficult to take everything in. Chris does give us our first important lesson in Amsterdam culture, though: cyclists have the right of way, not pedestrians or cars. Also, most bikes in Amsterdam lack brakes. Through some small miracle, no-one in our group has an unfortunate interaction with any cyclists. Our group dinner is at Haesje Claes, where Chris, who feels terrible about the luggage issue at the hotel, buys us all a glass of wine. Afterwards, we walked over to the Anne Frank House Museum, which was incredibly moving. Being so far North means that it remains light for much longer than Mandy and I are accustomed, so she gamely agreed to accompany me on a walk into town to find a net café. We couldn’t find the one that my guidebook suggested, so we would up walking all the way back to the Anne Frank House neighborhood until we found the one we had spotted on the bus ride back to the hotel. Alas, they were closing, so we trudged back “home” to get some much-needed rest.

 

Monday: An unexpected treat! Chris brought anyone who was interested to a tour of Coster Diamonds, the diamond cutters responsible for creating the Koh-i-Noor diamond. A number of people in our group bought very well priced diamonds, but Mandy and I managed to restrain ourselves. We did, however, make some purchases in the Van Gogh Museum gift store across the street. It was a nice day, so we walked back to the hotel in a roundabout way, stopping off at a place called Toom (on Overtoom in the Oud-west section of town) where I had the most delicious grilled vegetable sandwich ever. Well-seasoned vegetables, baby greens, and a thick wedge of Boucheron topped with a dollop of a rich tomato pesto and a sprinkling of pine nuts, all packed into a whole-grain bun. And, of course, glasses of Amstel. We then met up with a few of our group members to take a tour outside of the city, visiting both a cheese-making shop and a clog shop before heading to the traditional (and touristy) town of Volendam and then the open-air museum community of Zaanse-Schans. Overall, such a scenic trip that it was actually quite ridiculous. Once we got back to town, Mandy and I sought out the local library (and its free Internet access) and in the process discovered that the street-numbering system in Amsterdam MAKES NO SENSE. Seriously. I still haven’t figured it out. Yes, the odd numbers are on one side of the street, and the even numbers are on the other… but 565 might very well be across the street from 834. Which means that the library was many blocks away from where we expected it to be. Luckily, we found it and there were terminals available for us to use. Then we meandered over to the Rebrandtplein and enjoyed dinner at an Italian terrace café. Amsterdam is a very walkable city, so we did just that to return to our hotel once more.

 

Tuesday: Ouch. I awoke with the painful sore throat that eventually became the lung disease from which I’m still suffering. I blame the grotty hotel room, though Mandy has now dubbed the city Amsterdamp. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Our day begins with a proper visit to the Van Gogh Museum which turns out to be my favorite of all cultural institutions we visited on this trip. Though his career as an artist spanned only 10 years, he was prolific and the collection here is inspiring. It took us a while, but we eventually found our way to the tranquil Begijnhof garden. After passing a particular Grolsch-tied “bierencafe” about 47 times over the past couple of days, we decided we had better eat there. And drink Grolsch, of course. We had a leisurely lunch (perhaps too leisurely; this is a very laid-back culture), interrupted only by an irritating crazy man dousing himself with an entire can of aerosol cologne directly in front of our table. We later found that he was secretly filming an editorial commentary on the stupid Axe ads, so Mandy and I may show up on some sort of Dutch TV show. With the stench of Axe in our nostrils, we took a looooong walk back to the hotel, getting a little European shopping done along the way. After a much-needed nap during a rainy afternoon, we hoofed it on over to the Hard Rock Cafe for some American-style grub in preparation for our long trip back to the States.

 

Wednesday: Home again, home again, jiggity jog.

 

8:35 PM

 

Friday, June 01, 2007

Part II: Paris

 

Thursday: Ride the Rails. Another early morning as we left our luggage with the porters and hightailed it down to Waterloo Station to ride the Eurostar to Paris. Discovered that a high-speed train, when going through tunnels, causes a big enough shift in air pressure to make your ears pop uncomfortably. Once we got settled into our new hotel (The Holiday Inn Bastille), Chris offered a unscheduled walking tour to help familiarize us with our surroundings. Alas, our luggage was on the NEXT train and I wasn’t wearing Appropriate Footwear. Mandy and I read and napped by the breeze of an open window instead. We all met up to ride the Metro for a group dinner at Chez Clément. Upon discovering how close we actually were to the hotel, Mandy and I chose to walk back, stopping at a street market along the way. With no euros on hand we were limited to “window” shopping, but saw enough to plan a trip back. It still felt early when we finally reached the hotel, so we stopped at the bar for a beer and wound up involved in engrossing conversation (and more beer) with Yannis, the hotel bartender. Mandy impressed him with her French, and I amused him with my embarrassment at being monolingual.

 

Friday: New city, new bus tour! Paris is beautiful, and our local tour guide was both knowledgeable and friendly. We stopped at Les Invalides, the Trocadéro (Palais de Chaillot), and finally walked over to the Île de la Cité to visit Notre Dame Cathedral. After being awed by the architectural details, Mandy and I headed off and found ourselves in front of a streetside crêperie. We had a lovely time eating our crepes in the park and watching kids chase pigeons and play soccer. We then meandered our way over to the Centre Georges Pompidou for my modern art fix. We also got to see a bird’s eye view of Paris from the upper floors, without having to climb to the top of the Arc de Triomphe or wait on line at the Eiffel Tower! After taking the Metro back, we got off at the Bastille stop so we could once again visit the street market, this time with money to spend. Mmmm, fresh nougat! After stopping back at the hotel to freshen up, we still had plenty of time to walk back to the Bastille and find ourselves a lovely brasserie (La Bastoche) at which to have dinner. We ate outside under the restaurant’s canopy, moving one seat closer to the building only when the evening rain turned heavy enough to splash.

 

Saturday: Our last day in Paris, this time starting at the Arc de Triomphe, where we bumped into a few of our tourist friends who were just coming down from the long climb up. There were plenty of photos to be taken at ground level, and when we were satisfied we hoofed it on over to the Eiffel Tower. Wow. Just wow. It’s beautiful. The lines to visit the top were prohibitively long, so when Mandy was finally able to drag me away we caught ourselves a bus and rode over to the Louvre. Our tour guide had warned us that the museum is so large that it would take six months of eight-hour days to see the collection currently on view (averaging one minute per item). We decided instead to spend the sunny day outdoors, and hopped back on the bus to ride it all the way to Pere-Lachaise. After paying our respects at all the major touristy gravesites, we picked up a picnic lunch of cheese, paté, and a fresh baguette from a local market. Back to the hotel for a little relaxation before stepping out again, this time for dinner and a boat cruise down the Seine.

 

8:14 PM

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Part I: London

 

Let me start out by giving props to my peeps Tim and Erin, for waking early after an outrageous party to drag my ass to the airport. They are the best surrogate parents a girl could have. I hope they spent the next week sleeping it off, but I doubt it.

 

Sunday, all friggin’ day: travel. The most exhausting work you can do sitting down.

Monday: Arrived in London around 6:30am local time. After an initial round of confusion with our pick-up guy, 29 travelers reached our hotel (the Thistle Kensington Park) nearish 8am to meet with our tour guide, Chris. Ten more travelers, including Mandy, were to join us from later flights. Many thanks to the folks at the Thistle for having our rooms available so early. The nap felt great! Mandy and I explored, on foot, a bit of Kensington High Street and Kensington Gardens/Hyde Park (getting totally turned around) before heading back to the hotel for a beer and then to dine with the group at Launceston Place.

Tuesday: Up early for a guided bus tour through London, with brief stops at St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. The bus dropped me and Mandy off near Harrod’s, so we could get a bit of touristy shopping done. We lunched at Wagamama for inexpensive and delicious noodles served by a cute waiter. We stopped at the Victoria & Albert Museum on the way “home” and had as long a look at some of the fashion collections as our tired feet would allow. We figured out the buses and grabbed some yummy sandwiches from Marks & Spencer/Simply Food on the way to the Apollo Victoria Theatre to see Wicked.

Wednesday: Our plan was to head directly to the Tate Modern, but we ran into some fellow tourists on the “tube” and decided to first join them at Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard. It was a beautiful, sunny-ish day and we enjoyed walking through the park and hanging around the palace. We did eventually continue on to the Tate Modern, but not before stopping to gape on the Millennium Bridge and to picnic on some tasty sandwiches from a vendor outside the museum. We had our dinner at a proper pub, and managed to just about use up all of our Pounds and Pence before heading back to the hotel to pack for our early morning trip to Paris…

 

7:01 PM

 

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

I haven’t forgotten

 

I promised to discuss my vacation adventures in detail when I was no longer sick. Alas, I’m still hacking up lung tissue (okay, maybe not, but it feels like it) and it interrupts my typing. Mandy has renamed the culprit city ‘Amsterdamp.’

 

Apologies to my readers, with a special shout-out to Drew. I’m not ignoring you on purpose.

 

Must take more sleepy-making drugs…

 

8:57 PM

 

Friday, May 25, 2007

Vacation, all I ever wanted

 

Photos are posted. Descriptive blog to follow. Eventually. Sick with icky cold right now (I blame the cold, damp, unfinished hotel room in Amsterdam) and don’t feel much like writing.

 

Currently watching : 

An American in Paris 

2:13 PM

 

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

cue Aerosmith

 

I’m baaaaack

I’m back in the saddle again

 

And I am incoherent with sleepitude. And while I do have my trusty camera with me, the dock that enables me to download is packed in my luggage… which is still with the friendly folks at United. But I promise to post a dull-to-everyone-but-me flickr album eventually.

 

Must. Not. Sleep. Yet.

 

Aaaaarrrrgggh.

 

6:46 PM

 

Thursday, May 10, 2007

gotta take the good with the bad

 

This morning I rec’d the phone call I was waiting for. My passport app was being held at the Expedite Suspense Desk because they didn’t like the background color of my photos. But because I’m not one to sit on my ass while I watch an amazing vacation fall out from under me, I had already called the “regular” oh-my-god-where’s-my-passport line, and managed to finagle an 11am appointment at the regional office. I also verified that my 20-year-old passport would be adequate Proof of Citizenship.

 

Many thanks go out to everyone who had anything to do with my successful renewal today, from the lovely woman at Walgreen’s who developed my new passport photos in 10 minutes, to the security guard who, in a friendly way, laughed at my 20-year-old photo, and called another guard over to look at it as well, to the uncharacteristically non-bitter government workers at the regional office. I was sincere when I said thank you to everyone, and I really do plan on sending the office a postcard from abroad.

 

Now I need to pack, and finish my outfit for Erin’s party, and take my mom out to dinner for Mothers’ Day. I need another day!

 

8:59 PM

 

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Because the world needs to know my pain

 

To recap for anyone who might not be up-to-date with my passport saga…

 

Late February: Learned that passports are now required to be valid for six months beyond planned travel dates. Mine will expire a mere four months beyond my travel dates.

 

March 2: Applied for passport renewal; official web site estimates 6-8 week processing time

 

April 30: Passport status site simply says “being processed” but because I’m now within 14 days of my departure date, there’s a phone number that I am “allowed” to call. When I do finally get through to someone, Peter informs me that he can see that my application is in the New Hampshire office, all of the required paperwork is okay, and that he’ll put an “expedite” on the application which should speed up the app and includes bumping the shipping from Priority to Overnight. He tells me to call back on Friday. (site now estimates 10 week processing time)

 

May 4, Friday: After 35 minutes of hold music and assorted “you’d better be within 14 days of departure if you dare to call this number” messages, Chelsea finally takes my call. She can see that the “expedite” has been filed, but my app is still listed as being processed. She tells me to keep checking the status on the web site, and to call back if it doesn’t say “shipped” with a tracking number by Tuesday. Chelsea also suggests that I make an appointment at the regional passport office, which happens to be in Denver, and re-apply in person. I’ll need new photos, a DS-11 form, a photo ID, the fee, and my birth certificate. I don’t have a birth certificate. It was lost in a fire a few years ago, and I never had it reissued because I’ve always had a valid passport. But that’s okay, because the earliest available appointment at the regional office is May 21, a week into my planned trip. Does me no good anyway.

 

May 8, Tuesday: No name from the operator this time. He looks me up, verifies that the expedite had been placed, and tells me that “they’re working on it today.” He suggests that I call back on Thursday. I note that I’d already called back twice, and ask what calling back actually does. His reply is, “Fine, then don’t call back.”

 

Frustrated beyond belief, I call my congressman’s office at a co-worker’s suggestion. While Carter ultimately isn’t able to get any new information, she assures me that they deal with this kind of thing all the time and speaks to me in a soothing voice. That counts for something. She suggests that I call her back on Thursday if I still don’t have my passport, and promises to get me into the regional office for an on-the-spot passport if necessary.

 

May 9, Wednesday: I step away from my desk and miss a call from “The Passport Expedite Suspense Desk.” Suspense, huh? Well, they’re doing a great job of that. I call back the given number and reach a recording promising that my call will be returned within 24 hours. A quick web search for “expedite suspense” turns up only a guy who was looking for their fax number because his app had been put on hold until he got them another copy of some form.

 

Panic does not BEGIN to describe where my head is right now.

 

8:30 PM

Monday, April 23, 2007

There’s no “no” in Vegas!

 

Well, except for me not letting Whipped Cream Guy lick said whipped cream off of my toes… in part because I needed a pedicure, and in part because his girlfriend wife would have easily kicked my ass. He does get major bonus cool points for paying off the bartender to give him cups of whipped cream, though. And because he was a terrifically fun guy to be lounging next to at the Tiki Pool Party. So sorry that we didn’t get your name, Whipped Cream Guy. But you’ll be remembered with your new moniker, along with the infamous Cool Guy and the new-for-2007 Guitar Guy and Hot Guy.

 

A million thanks to Megan and Joe for convincing me to go with them to the 10th annual Viva Las Vegas rockabilly weekender. It was so much fun that I’ve already booked my room for next year, with Erin as my intended co-conspirator. Another million thanks to Dave and Jessi for feeding and watering the kitties while I was away.

 

My rough cut of photos can be seen here, with the majority of images being car-related. That’s just the kind of girl I am. Megan and Joe have something like 5GB of images to slog through for their own site, but you can view their shots from 2006 2007 in the meantime. UPDATE: the top 5% of the 2007 shots are now at that link.

 

So, I am now the excited owner of three Stop Staring dresses, as well as an autographed Olivia/Bettie Page t-shirt. Plus this year’s VLV t-shirt. And I only managed to wear about half of what I packed. Though I won’t pack any less next year. Next year! Woo-hoo!

 

11:50 PM

 

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Don’t bother reading this.

 

I warned you. But as long as you’re here, I’ll try to make it a little interesting.

 

Anyone who knows me and pays attention to that sort of thing (which would, I think, be nobody) knows that I always do my taxes as soon as I get my W4. I’m just kind of a nerd that way.

 

This year, my employer handed out our W4s on or about January 2nd. I exaggerate, but it was incredibly early. Wells Fargo, on the other hand, took their time in getting me my mortgage interest statement. And in that period in between getting my W4 and my MIS, I started to think about the approximately three million reciepts I had to tally for my tiddleywink design expenses. And I grew proportionately lazy.

 

So I put off doing my taxes until the last. possible. moment. I bought the software, I gathered the majority of my paperwork, I set aside Saturday morning to finally get it all done… and Fate rewarded my procrastination by slamming me with a damn cold. AND a zit. AND my period. Fate’s a real bitch. Anyway, I was just too physically exhausted to run around gathering ALL of the receipts that I should have organized better in the first place (fine, fine, they’re all in one bag in the basement, but I was THAT sick-and-tired) so once I hit a randomly determined Good Enough Refund, I just stopped adding things up. Yes, yes, I probably could have itemized myself another few dollars out of the gummint, but look. I didn’t.

 

And then I filed electronically. In the past, the software developer has included a rebate form for the e-filing fee, but not this year. Ah, screw it, thinks I. It’s worth the $16.95 to not have to print everything out and run to the Post Office to buy stamps while worrying about hitting the filing deadline. Except that it’s $16.95 to file Federal, and ANOTHER $16.95 to file State. Fine, fine, I’m already in the dialog boxes, my head is aching, my eyes are watering, I just want this to be done. And I’ve e-filed before, so I don’t click on the little link for More Information so I can read the fine print.This morning, when my filing acceptance email came in, I was finally reading over the fine print to make sure I didn’t need to sign-and-mail anything. And there’s the mention of the $33.80 for filing fees… PLUS A $29.95 “SERVICE CHARGE” FOR THE STUPID BANK TO DEDUCT THE FEE FROM MY REFUND.

 

So yes, in retrospect, I should have delved into the basement to get the rest of my receipts. And I should have done my taxes earlier in the first place. I have learned my damn lesson. Now cut it out and let me feel better already. Cough, cough, sniff.

 

8:17 AM

 

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Vegas in more/less detail

 

I had plans to post a more narrative synopsis of my recent trip to Las Vegas, but time and priorities are getting in my way. Below is my original outline, which might raise as many questions as it answers.

 

VLV rundown

Thurs: stalk Guitar Guy on flight, check-in to hotel, dress, check out the lengthy line for wristbands, eat (buffet), wait in line for wristbands, meet up with Carol (my savior!), get wristbands, people watch. Bootfull o’ daquiri. Guitar Guy spotted, this time with racist friend. Damn. Shop! Two dresses from the Stop Staring “box”. Dinner at Arriva.

Friday: a touch of slot machines. Lunch buffet. Then to the Aladdin to meet Olivia (Carol back at the hotel). Much walking, dinner at Koji, too much sleeping.

Saturday: Car show! Lunch (Monterey Room)/shopping (VLV merch)/Stroll lessons, more Car Show! Dinner on our own… Carol and I at The Prime Rib Loft, then over to watch the burlesque competition. Met back up with M&J there.

Sunday: Carol gone early. Easter buffet brunch with M&J, then Tiki Pool Party for most of the day. Lots of daquiris. Food from the bowling alley (darn good burger), Charles Phoenix slide show, shopping (another Stop Staring dress), jive competition, sleep.

 

7:42 AM

 

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Off to Viva!

 

Hey, cats and kittens. We leave for Vegas at o’dark thirty in the morning, not to return until Monday. I have been forbidden to bring my trusty laptop, so please understand that I’m not ignoring you. I’m merely busy dressing up and drinking cheap beer and drooling over hot rods and rubbing my aching feet.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

7:20 PM

 

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

middle-of-the-day tahred

 

So at 3AM, I had all these blog notes in my head. And now I can’t remember a thing.

 

This has been the easiest press check evarr. Pretty much 24 solid hours, but now it’s all over. Like ripping off a Band-Aid as fast as possible. Very little versioning, and we took over four presses all at once to crank this out. Some of the foremen are starting to recognize me, and the small talk is getting friendlier. And I don’t know if perhaps I’m just getting apathetic (I don’t think that’s the case), but the color was just ON this time. Even that damn “mulberry” towel that always wants to go black.

 

Part of me wants very much to catch up on sleep, and part doesn’t want to throw my circadian rhythm even farther out of whack. I think I was driving to my third check of the day before I realized it was even Tuesday. And that’s with me changing outfits around midnight at an attempt to clue myself in. I am soooooo looking forward to sleeping tonight. Well, except for the Getting Up At 5AM So I Can Catch My Plane bit. Then straight to the office (because I am apparently insanely loyal to my damn job and want to make sure that any fires are put out) before I head out again on Thursday morning for Viva Las Vegas.

 

Viva! My clothing is all picked out, many thanks to Megan for helping with that. I still need to organize my suitcase and discuss ride arrangements since everybody’s flights seem to be shifting.

 

And then, I’ll do my taxes. I have never been so late with them before. I don’t know what it is this year. Maybe just feeling overwhelmed by a hefty combination of work/travel/travel-for-work. Meh.

 

Apropos of nothing: I finally broke down and bought a FoodSaver. Love. Lovelovelove. In order to maintain Kitchen Gadget Balance, I now have to pick something to eliminate. Eek. :( Maybe the potato ricer? I never use it, but I feel an obligation as a foodie to have one in my arsenal. What if I need to make spaetzle? I tried it with a colander once, and it wasn’t pleasant. Or perhaps I could cull whatever is still in its box in the cabinet over the stove. Seriously, I noticed a box up there the other day, under the garlic roasting dish. I think it might be my grater, in which case I’m keeping it. But was that even IN a box? Oh dear, I think I have issues. If I’m going to take down the cabinets over the breakfast bar, I really need to pare down. Alton would frown upon my collection. I might have to toss some items into Timerin’s upcoming garage sale. (Mandy applauds)

 

Geez, this is wandering all over. Must Not Nap.

 

Currently listening : 

Love 

By The Beatles 

11:47 AM