08*30*06 This post is for Alex's cousin who gets upset when I don't update my site regularly. I was going to go to bed, but no, I'll stay up the extra ten minutes for a quick update. I'll do it for you! Anyway, I just had my second date with the guy from last week. We already set up a date for Saturday to see the Dada exhibit at MoMA. And speaking of this weekend, I took an on-call shift Saturday from midnight to noon, a back-up on-call shift on Sunday (which no one ever has to come in for), and a holiday on-call shift on Monday from midnight to noon (which we get paid double for). You might ask how much money I could make this weekend for potentially doing nothing? And I might answer $600. I might...but I don't want to gloat, so I won't tell you that. 08*28*06 I was just watching an Improv Everywhere video on YouTube about a man threatening to jump off a 3-foot-high ledge in Chelsea. It was pretty hilarious. Towards the end, a man dressed like a fireman runs out of nowhere with a small trampoline to break the jumper's fall. My initial thought upon seeing this faux fireman was that it was my ex-boyfriend Rob. After gong through a couple of freeze frames though, I realized it wasn't him. But I've actually noticed that this is my reaction every time I see a fireman. So I got to thinking: I've had three boyfriends I've said "I love you" to; I've meant it with two of them, Rob being one. After we broke up I told myself I was never really in love with him (refer to the beginning of my archives if you have the stomach for it), otherwise it would have lasted and yadda yadda. However, being able to reflect upon it now without the bias of being heartbroken, I really do think we at one point had something special and I did love him. He was a really good person regardless of whatever trivial problems we had. We were both just too immature and possibly too different for each other...or just too immature to work through those differences. Anyway, I have a lot of fond memories of him, and I'm happy to have had what we had. I can't say that for most of the other relationships I've had. I do regret not having left things on a friendlier note though. Oh well. Ok, I'm done being nostalgic for tonight. 08*27*06 Coney Island didn't pan out today due to the rain, but Melissa and I met up for brunch, followed by pedicures and then a failed attempt to see Half Nelson last minute. I hate that it's next to impossible to see a movie on a whim here. You always have to buy the tickets in advance and then get there a half hour before the movie even starts to get a seat. It's kind of annoying. So we just putzed around Broadway and Houston for a bit before heading back to Brooklyn. After finding numerous bites on top of my feet, I decided to do all my laundry and give my apartment a thorough cleaning today. I don't really want to know what was biting me, but I hope it stops now. Beirut was excellent on Friday. I'm really glad I didn't go see a band I've already seen three times instead. Their music is so festive and everyone clapped along without hesitation. Also, there were so many people in the band and they all looked like they were having such a good time that the audience seemed to enjoy their performance that much more. Plus I'm so rarely impressed with opening bands, but I really thought The Harlem Shakes put on a great show. Not that I necessarily want this month to be over, but I really really want to get paid. So in that respect, I am looking forward to Friday. Not much else in store for the week aside from a possible second date with my date from last week. And a visit to the chiropractor tomorrow. And probably my period on Wednesday. Joy! 08*25*06 I was just about to leave to see Beirut at Mercury Lounge when I realized there are three opening bands and Beirut doesn't go on until 11:30. As much as I love standing for four hours straight, I think I'll leave an hour later than planned. I'm also praying for it to downpour so the Ted Leo show at the South Street Seaport gets rained out and I don't feel bad I'm missing it. Although, I have seen him three times and I saw him play there last summer, so I don't even know why I'm fretting. That guy I had a few dates with never called, so that's that. I kinda had a feeling though. But I'm actually not that disappointed for once. I've come to realize that even though none of the dates I've had this summer have substantiated into anything, I've always had a good time regardless; I met some cool people, and I got a lot of free drinks. Plus no matter how things turned out, I've felt that each date enjoyed my company and that makes me feel good. Speaking of dates, I had another one on Wednesday. We met up at a really neat bar in Carroll Gardens. I never hang out there and it's so close to me. Perhaps I should make a point of spending more time there in the future. I am a woman of my word: I bought a violin online and it arrived in the mail today. There are a few things I need to invest in still before I can start playing...namely talent. Actually I just need a digital tuner and some instructional DVDs. Then I'm starting a band with my cats. I'm going to Coney Island with Melissa on Sunday. I'm very excited seeing as how I haven't been all summer. Hopefully I can convince her to go on some rides with me. Look out Cyclone! 08*21*06 I called out of work sick today because I was having trouble breathing and it kept me up for half the morning. I used to have that problem earlier this year; I don't know why it happens, but I should probably get an inhaler for next time. I had two donors on my on-call shift, so I made out pretty nicely in terms of money. However, I got called in at 11 PM before I got any sleep, and didn't get home until a little after 8 AM. I was just a bit tired by then. My first donor had the most grotesque mass in their stomach I've ever seen. It looked like they had swallowed a basketball with a softball on top. I kept expecting it to burst open and some inhuman creature to crawl out. It was somewhat horrifying to look at. According to their chart, it was a hernia. The doctors must have been impressed with it's size as well because they took a picture of it. Blech. I don't know what's wrong with me, but even though my closet is filled to capacity and I just bought some new clothes last week, all I want to do is buy more. I also decided I really want to buy a violin; nothing fancy, just something that works and sounds decent. I saw a few on craigslist for around $150, so I'll try to save up for that instead of blowing my cash on clothes. Or maybe I'll do both. In any case, it would be neat if I could actually learn how to play the thing. 08*19*06 The X show on Wednesday was ok; I enjoyed the Sonic Youth show last weekend much better though. I guess I just didn't like Exene's stage presence. But I did have another good date on Thursday with the guy I saw before I went to Montreal. I always regret writing about good dates because they always go to shit at some point (otherwise I'd be writing about the wonderful relationship I'm in rather than the dates I go on), and then I dread having to write about how I was disappointed yet again. I suppose I've slightly come to believe that I jinx myself by writing that I had a good time. I know how silly that is since it's either me, the guy I'm dating, or both of us to blame...but it's so much easier to believe the evil internet is to blame. It's to blame for getting me the date, so why not for ruining it as well? Well, in any case, I'll try my best not to write about it too much until I know if anything might actually come of it. I had such a good night yesterday. I met up with Melissa at the International Center of Photography by Times Square to view an exhibit by Weegee that I've wanted to see for a few weeks. Afterwards we headed to Red Bamboo in the West Village for dinner. I haven't been there in over two years because an ex-boyfriend of mine was (and possibly still is) a waiter there and it made me feel uncomfortable. But there were no signs of him last night, and dinner was delicious. We then headed over to Magnolia for cupcakes and iced lattes, which we then ate and drank next to the Hudson River. We spotted an outdoor movie playing close by, so we walked over and watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the original). We then walked back to Union Square, teasing each other along the way while also enjoying the balmy weather. It was one of those "I love New York" nights. Plus I just felt happy to have as good a friend as Melissa for as long as I have (ten years!). Tonight I'm on-call and am actually hoping to get called-in since I'm a little broke. Just a little though. But at the moment, I'm being lazy and trying to watch some Netflix movies. 08*15*06 After enjoying my first vacation alone so much, I've decided to go to Europe solo come spring. I've already started saving up! France and Germany are on the list; England is a possibility as well. And boy do I have to save up a lot of money for this trip. I got my suitcase back on Saturday morning and tried to upload my pictures, only to find that all 80 of them had vanished. The memory card was somehow damaged. I'm hoping I can bring it somewhere to get it fixed, or at least recover the pictures and toss the card (I have another one anyway). The Sonic Youth/Yeah Yeah Yeahs show on Saturday was great. Sonic Youth was especially good, particularly Kim Gordon. I can only hope to be that awesome when I'm 53...hell, I can only hope to be that awesome now. Anyway, that show was Melissa's birthday gift to me, and tomorrow night I get Brook's birthday gift to me: we're going to see X at Nokia Theater. I had also planned to see a free Ted Leo show next Friday, but I'm going to see Beirut at Mercury Lounge instead. Not much else to report...except my date on Thursday and my outing with Brook Friday night to a gay bar. But other than that, nothing. 08*14*06 I was walking up Wall Street with my co-worker Aisela on our lunch break, when we spotted yards and yards of saffron-colored fabric flowing over a balcony. As we got closer, we saw 20 almost-naked women wrapped in some of the fabric, writhing and screaming beside (and straddling) the balcony. A pretty big crowd gathered on the opposite side of the sidewalk to see what the hell they were doing. I googled the phenomenon when I got back to work and eventually found the explanation. Say what you will about its artistic value, but I found the whole thing to be pretty hilarious; passers-by seemed to share my sentiments. Pictures I took on my camera phone: 08*13*06 So I just watched American Dad for the first time, and I'm still in shock. I can't believe the crap they got away with. It was amazing. 08*11*06 The "it" streets to be in Montreal are Blvd. St. Laurent and Rue St. Denis. I walked up and down both a few times with hopes of a clothes shopping spree, but the only clothes I found that I liked were way too expensive...something you can find aplenty in NYC. However, the streets weren't as crowded as NYC, and everything seemed a lot more laid back, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I ate dinner at a few places on Rue St. Denis, my favorite being Le Commensal--a vegetarian buffet! It was the most amazing thing. I don't know why they don't have one in NYC. I also took in Old Montreal which is the tourist equivalent of Times Square...but more historic-looking, on the waterfront and with much less people. Every other store on Rue St. Paul is a souvenir shop. But the view of the St. Lawrence River and the gorgeous paths along the river made this area completely worth visiting. One day I took a walk along the Canal de Lachine, my destination being the much-talked about Marché Atwater with fresh fruit, bread and the like. Just before the market however, I saw a boat rental facility. I dismissed my desire to rent a kayak and did something healthier: bought some ice cream. But as soon as I saw other people paddle past me, I decided I had no choice but to kayak! And kayak I did. The day after, I climbed Mont Royal with an older German teacher on sabbatical that I met along the way. It only took about 15 minutes, and the view was beautiful. We had a picnic in the park and then walked back to town. He asked me if I wanted to drink whiskey with him later that night in a park nearby where I was staying, but I declined. I usually hold off on drinking with strange old men in secluded areas until I've known them for at least 5 hours; we were pushing hour 4 at most by then. I also saw a few movies when I was too tired to walk, The Descent being my favorite. The last day I was there it rained, so I went to the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal, which had a really neat exhibit by Brian Jungen. There was also another exhibit by Samuel Roy-Bois which featured a boxed-in bed you could climb into if you took off your shoes. I wanted to do it, but only for the photo op. I asked the guard if he'd take my picture if I climbed in--he said no. The hazards of traveling alone. I saw most of the art work in under an hour, but as I was leaving I saw that they were viewing music videos in the basement. The set up was pretty interesting; it was a huge dark room with a giant screen up front, and director chairs set up in the back. I had a ton of time to kill, so I watched the whole thing from 1975 to 2006; I think it took about two hours to watch. I only went to a bar by myself one of the nights I was there. I had fun at first even though it was pretty empty. The bartender bought me a shot because she said I looked happy. Plus the music was really good. As it got more and more crowded though, the music grew less to my liking, as did the atmosphere. Before I left, a guy at the end of the bar had the bartender send me a drink "on him". I thought those kinds of scenarios only happened when you're older. He probably thought I was there to hook up. I knew then I had to get out of there, and decided the next morning when I awoke with a hangover that I didn't feel like getting wasted at bars alone while I was there. One of the most striking things about Montreal was the ease with which the locals switched from speaking French to English. One moment it was an eloquent babble of French, they'd see the lost look on my face, and then the next moment they were speaking English like an American without a hint of a French accent. I was extremely jealous. So, I had a really good time. Of course now I'm home still waiting on a lost suitcase AND without hot water. Not the welcome back I envisioned. But tomorrow I'm seeing Sonic Youth and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, so that should be fun. Whenever I get my suitcase, I can upload the pictures from my trip. 08*11*06 What are the chances that the day I have to fly home, a huge terrorist plot to blow up airplanes is uncovered? Pretty slim, yes? So it took an hour to get through customs, and my flight was delayed 40 minutes; not a big deal compared to the amount of time others had to wait. As everyone on my flight was waiting in the airport, an Air Canada representative announced our flight had been cancelled, but we could all board another plane heading for LaGuardia that was leaving soon. Sounded good to us! When we got on the plane, there were already passengers on board that had been stuck waiting to take off for three hours. Fortunately it took us a little less than an hour to take off once we were settled. So I got to LaGuardia, bid the new friend I made on the plane farewell, and headed over to the luggage carousel. I've had to wait for my suitcase for almost 45 minutes once, so I didn't think anything of the fact that it was taking a while to retrieve it. That is until another representative from Air Canada informed us that our luggage wasn't coming and we all had to file in line to report it lost. It took two motherfucking hours for me get to the front of that line. And when I finally got outside to get a taxi, the taxi line was depressingly long. I thought I'd be home by 10 PM the latest, but I got home after 1 AM. I called out of work today because I was too exhausted to try and make it in. Plus I need to wait for my luggage to be delivered. One of the things that really irked me about Air Canada was that while we were waiting to take off in the plane, the captain announced to us that they were loading the luggage from the other plane on board. What a douchebag! Oh well, at least I got to talk to some interesting people while I was waiting. I'll write about my actual trip and upload photos maybe sometime today or this weekend. 08*03*06 I just finished packing. I hope I didn't forget anything. My neighbor is taking care of my kitties for me. Nonetheless I still feel guilty for leaving them alone for so long. The drawbacks of not having a roommate...the only drawback actually. I had a good time on my date last night. Even though I've dated pretty much nothing but 28-29 year-olds since last year, last night was pretty much the only time I ever felt like I was on a date with an adult. Not to say that he was a stiff or anything; he actually has a sense of humor just as warped as mine. I don't know what it was exactly that made him different. Well, whatever it was, I liked it. He wants to see me again when I get back from Montreal. Dan just stopped by. He's moving to Russia for a year while I'm away, so we just said our goodbyes. Speaking of goodbyes, I have to go to bed. I'll be sure to write all about the trip and post pictures next weekend. Au revoir.
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