Halloween Pictures! 10*28*07 So I got back from Nyack a few hours ago and am in the process of uploading pictures from the costume party Patrick and I attended last night. I had a $94 hangover today, which was just as awesome as it sounds. First off (and mostly unrelated), I was pretty busy at work last week. I helped throw another baby shower for a coworker on Wednesday. I also had a donor every day from Wednesday to Friday. While good for the wallet, it's quite tiring. I had a donor on Thursday that I thought about a lot afterwards. This poor person had been in a car accident over a year ago that left them with lots of back pain. They had injections for the pain afterwards, but only came to the hospital recently because of unbearable pain. Turns out they had cancer everywhere and they died soon after. Pretty young person too, with children probably around my age and younger. Very sad. On a lighter note, I had a really good time in Nyack. We hung out in our hotel for a little bit when we arrived in Nyack and watched scary movie countdowns since it was so crappy outside. About an hour or so later we went to the first party of the day which was not a costume party; we just ate a lot and watched some bad horror movies. We headed back to the hotel afterwards and got dressed up to attend the second party of the night. It was pretty lame when we first got there. But a lot of alcohol later, everyone was dancing and having a good time. I usually don't drink that much, but I went a bit overboard last night. I wasn't out of control or anything, but I was violently ill this morning when I woke up. I couldn't get up without throwing up, and we were supposed to check out by noon. As much as I wanted to make that deadline, I just couldn't. I finally told Patrick to book the room for another night and I'd pay for it just so I could rest a little longer. I could finally move without vomiting a little after 12 and we were ready and out the door a little after 1PM. So I basically paid $94 for a room we only used for 1 hour extra. A hangover has never cost me so much before. Hopefully it won't again. After I felt better, Patrick and I walked all over Nyack. He showed me where he used to live, the graveyard next door where he used to make out with girls, the main part of town, the very rich part of town and Hook Mountain with lovely views of the Hudson River. I decided I wanted to try and eat when we were in the main part of town. All I had was a few sips of iced tea and realized I wasn't ready to eat just yet. I got my food to go and threw up my iced tea about 20 minutes later when we were walking around. Thankfully I was able to hold it until after we passed a bunch of people getting out of church. Aside from that, it was a really nice day and the autumn foliage was just gorgeous. We saw 4 deer walking through the yard of someone's mansion; it was pretty neat. After our bus ride home tonight, I am extra thankful we are taking the train to Boston next weekend. I hate the bus! I don't feel like organizing all my pictures just yet, so I'll just post one picture of me as an evil nurse (that's a tray of different poisons in my hand):
10*23*07 So Patrick and I finally settled on plans this weekend to dress up for Halloween. A few of his friends are throwing a couple of parties in his home town, Nyack. So we'll be taking the bus up Saturday morning and renting a hotel for the night. I'm excited to have Patrick show me around the town where he grew up. He seems excited to show me as well; we may even make out in some of his old high school make-out spots just for kicks. And, of course, I'm excited to dress up! I still have a few more items to obtain and a little bit more work to do to get the costume ready, but I have most of the main items. The following weekend we're taking the train up to Boston Saturday afternoon and staying until Monday evening. I got a pretty good deal on an apartment right in the heart of the Back Bay area. Plus I found a 2 for 1 coupon for Amtrak tickets which was especially nice since I loathe the bus. Melissa's friend Sara, whom I absolutely adore, lives up in Boston. Her birthday party is the night we come up, so I'm really looking forward to that. I've only been to Boston once and I had a really shitty time since I was looking at colleges with my mom. I think Patrick hasn't really been there that much either, so we decided we should go. It's so close, so why not? Our upcoming weekend excursions have made me feel like we're real adults in a real adult relationship. I don't know why exactly a weekend trip makes me feel that way. My friend Kristy and I were talking briefly on the phone the other day--catching up--and she told me she was surprised I was still with the same person; I was finally in "a real adult relationship." I didn't think a relationship's longevity dictated whether or not it was an adult one...but apparently if you go away together for the weekend, I think it does. I spoke briefly about it with Patrick tonight and he agreed that it was an adult relationship. I asked if my only relationship that was longer back when I was 18 counted as an adult relationship, and he said no. So I guess it's longevity + age 25 and above = adult relationship. Eh, who cares? I liked Patrick's equation better anyway; it's an adult relationship because we're still together after all this time even though I'm crazy. He's not so perfect either, but I think we've done a good job of putting up with one another so far. We enjoy being crazy together. 10*22*07 Ugh crap. It's 3:10 in the morning and I've been up for over an hour. I hate insomnia. I don't even know what woke me up, but once I was up I just started thinking about the details of my Halloween costume. Then I started thinking about the death of Patrick's friend's father. Now both thoughts are swimming in my head and I'm no closer to falling back asleep, so I figured I might as well be semi-productive. I was supposed to go upstate Saturday to have an overnight get-together with Alex, Maria and Lynn (my college friends), but that fell through somewhat last minute. Friday night I felt pretty shitty, so I stayed in and watched Don't Look Now again just to see if I liked it any better the second time around (not so much). Saturday I went shopping with Patrick to get items for our costumes. I think I'm pretty much set and I didn't spend a ridiculous amount, which is always a plus. Saturday night I accompanied Patrick to a show he wanted to go to. The secret band that was supposed to play that he had wanted to see never played though, so he was a little bummed and we left before the headlining band got on. Sunday morning Patrick and I had brunch with Brook and her boyfriend, then Patrick helped me install shelves in his room. Not to brag, but I am somewhat experienced when it comes to shelf installment, so I pretty much kicked ass putting those shelves up. I'm totally butch when it comes to home improvement tasks. I finished the night off with dinner with Brook and Jaclyn. So while that little recap may have put most readers to sleep, I, on the other hand, am still no closer to falling asleep! 10*16*07 I called out of work today. I wasn't feeling the greatest on top of just being exhausted and PMSing like crazy. I think it was to my co-workers' benefit. I slept a lot, then watched 28 Weeks Later (which I liked much better than the first one). In the afternoon after I felt much better, I walked around the park and then somehow found myself in DSW. Overall I had a restful/semi-productive day. I have to start following my diet and workout routine more strictly. I haven't been so good about that since I got back from Italy. It doesn't help that Patrick and I have been sampling what seems like every restaurant in Carroll Gardens (this past weekend we ate out three nights in a row). Don't get me wrong, I love going out to dinner, especially over there, but it's not like I'm going out and eating only salads. I have to limit myself to eating dinner out once a week. It just makes more sense money-wise and health-wise. Patrick and I have decided what we're going to be for Halloween this year. I think his idea is cute--very traditional. Mine could possibly be okay depending on how I pull it together, but it won't really be that original. I drew my inspiration somewhat from Planet Terror. I'll say no more than that. I think my cat is trying to make out with me. 10*09*07 "Mostly cloudy skies with showery rains and a possible rumble of thunder this afternoon." Who the hell does weather.com have writing for them? 10*08*07 I have off of work today unlike some people, but I'm on-call from noon to midnight. At least I still got to sleep late. Unfortunately I definitely have to go into work at noon to take care of distribution for tomorrow. I guess it could be worse. Patrick and I had a stoop sale in front of his new place in Park Slope yesterday. He made out pretty well and may have another sale next weekend. I made a little over $30, but spent it all on dinner last night. It was money well spent though because it was delicious. Our new favorite restaurant is Cafe Luluc on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens. And it's very reasonably priced. We didn't do too much else this weekend except hang out with each other. I got a little drunk at his place Saturday night, and since I apparently have the tolerance level of a toddler these days, it only made me want to go to bed early. So I did. I'm a wild woman! Before I go to work I can either clean my apartment or watch a movie. I'm leaning towards the latter. It's my day off! 10*04*07 Patrick moved most of his stuff into his new place the other day. Last night was the first night I slept in my own bed alone in over a month. It felt foreign. I felt very irritated when I got back from vacation because it just felt so cramped in here with his stuff and I wanted to get my place back. But now I just feel sad that he's gone. I know I'm being overdramatic because he's a 10-15-minute walk away, but it almost feels like we broke up. In the end we both weren't ready to move in together just yet. These things shouldn't be rushed. But still.... He completely surprised me for our anniversary. I was getting dressed and he started playing "Close To You" by The Carpenters. I thought he was just goofin' around and I was dancing and singing along when all of a sudden he presented me with a red and pink gift bag with a card. He got me Hot Fuzz. Plus he had the whole day planned out; we went to the Atlantic Antic (a street fair that stretches a long way down Atlantic Avenue), we had a great dinner in Carroll Gardens, and we finished the night off watching a comedy show in the bar we went to on our first date, Union Hall. I never expected all that from him; it was really sweet. Anyway, I feel really sad at the moment about being in my place alone and his phone is dead since he left his charger here, so I thought writing this would be therapeutic. 10*03*07 I knew it! As per Wikipedia on the movie Gladiator: "After visiting the Colosseum, Ridley Scott thought it was too small so the one in the film is larger than the real Colosseum." It's very misleading! 10*03*07 So I guess I should write about my trip. I have so much to write about I've been having trouble figuring out how to consolidate it all. But here goes: I arrived in Rome on Saturday around noonish, and after checking into my hostel, I took the metro directly to the Colosseum. It was a lot smaller than I thought it would be for some reason. Perhaps Gladiator mislead me. I then walked around the Roman Forum, and since I know next to nothing about Roman history, I probably wasn't as impressed as I should have been. I wandered in the direction of the Pantheon, got the best gelato ever, then walked around for a few more hours, desperately hungry for dinner to the point where I ate at a very touristy and crappy restaurant that tasted like Chef Boyardee. I left the hostel very early the next morning to catch a train to Venice. When I first arrived, I was overwhelmed with the sights. It was gorgeous. I took a vaporetto to my hotel and discovered they suck as a means of transportation. I really liked my hotel; the old hotel manager tried to talk to me in broken english the whole time, but I only understood about 25% of what he was trying to say. He was nice enough though. I was able to see all the major sights in St. Mark's Square in an afternoon. I loved the Doge's Palace. That night, me and a crowd of people watched the orchestras in outdoor cafes duel in St. Mark's Square. I liked it so much I stayed for an hour. The next day I saw the other few sights I had on the agenda in under two hours. I then headed to the Venice eye bank to say hello (they were expecting me). They do things very differently there; only doctors can take out eyes. I learned a lot, but it wasn't exactly the most exciting few hours. My dinner later that night wasn't too eventful and I spent most of the night in search of a Vivaldi concert and a gelateria, both of which I never found. All in all the day wasn't that great and I was growing increasingly frustrated with dodging tourists in narrow streets. Venice is not a place I recommend spending more than a few days at. The next morning I thought I gave myself enough time to catch the train via a vaporetto ride, but I didn't anticipate how painfully slow the ride would be. Before I knew it, I only had 15 minutes before my train was leaving and I was barely halfway to the station. I finally got off the boat and hauled ass through Venice as fast as I could. I made it on the train with 3 minutes to spare. My reward for making the train? Sitting next to an old British man with the worst b.o. I arrived in Siena in the late afternoon and was amazed at my beautiful room in the bed and breakfast I stayed at. I bought a bottle of wine and some bread and sat out on the balcony of my room for a bit. I saw a few of the sights before the evening; I decided the Duomo was my favorite church (even next to St. Peter's Basilica). Later on I ate dinner on a side street near Il Campo (the main square). The restaurant had the nicest staff who spoke good english. I stayed there for a while and chatted with them, pet the owner's dog, and also chatted briefly with a girl from Seattle. I then walked through Siena a little longer before heading to bed. I felt like Siena was my favorite part of the trip before the next morning. I then found that even the small towns were overrun by tourists. I left for Rome in the early afternoon. I had a great night in Rome later on. I ate at a restaurant near the Pantheon and met a really nice American couple from Iowa. The owner of the restaurant (who was old enough to be my grandfather) kept flirting with me and was really funny. He insisted we have our picture together and wanted it mailed to him. He wouldn't stop telling me how Italian I looked...I got that a lot on my trip actually. I think it helped me out a bit. I looked like less of a tourist at least. After dinner, I got that amazing gelato again with the American couple, and we walked around for a little bit. The next morning I checked out of the noisy hostel and into a hotel run by an insane woman who kept telling me her blood pressure was making her sick. She was being so dramatic and kept running into the kitchen to be sick. All I wanted to do was drop off my bag so I could be on my way to the Vatican, but she really wanted to make it a big ordeal. After finally getting the hell out of there, I saw St. Peter's Basilica, walked to the top of the dome, then waited in line for the Vatican Museum for about 45-60 minutes. I tried to get through all the art as quickly as possible, but it still took over an hour before I got to the Sistine Chapel. That was also a lot smaller than I thought it would be. And honestly, after all the amazing artwork I had seen on the trip up to that point, I wasn't as impressed as I probably should have been. Vatican City completely exhausted me, so I took a nap for a bit. When I woke up it was raining and it didn't stop for the rest of the night. I walked pretty far to eat dinner regardless of the weather, and then I walked over to Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. I really wanted to take the metro back to the hotel by the time I got to the steps, but of course they went on strike, so I had to walk back as well. The next morning that psycho hotel lady somewhat held me hostage for about 20 minutes. I had some things I really wanted to do, but she insisted I go somewhere with her to spend the day doing what she wanted to do. I told her I really wanted to do other things, but she insisted I wait for her. Fortunately she had to wait for another guest to check in and I told her I couldn't wait any longer. I made it a point to stay out all day until I had to go to sleep so I wouldn't have to talk to her again. I was having Roman Holiday nostalgia, so I decided to stick my hand in the Mouth of Truth just as Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn did so many years ago. Lucky for me, my hand wasn't bitten off. I then walked around for a bit and saw the bones of 4000 monks in Cappuccin Crypt. Although there weren't as many bones as the Catacombs in Paris had, I think the designs were slightly more impressive. I walked to Villa Borghese which is Rome's smaller and less pretty Central Park. I rented an old bicycle and rode around for a little bit. I kept envisioning myself in The Bicycle Thief. After that pleasant ride, I relaxed in Piazza del Popolo for a while to kill some time before I had dinner and headed back to my hotel to pack. I had a really great last day until I met another American at the restaurant I ate it. He was probably about 40 and was also traveling alone; he seemed nice enough. We left at the same time and he asked if I wanted to get gelato with him. I was so full and had to go pack anyway, so I told him no but suggested the really great gelateria to him. I guess he saw whatever chances he thought he had at getting lucky rapidly diminishing, so he finally said, "You're a very attractive woman. I'm sure you hear that a lot in NYC." I told him my boyfriend thought so as well and some other random awkwardness in an effort to leave quickly. He was very weird. He probably lived in Italy and went to restaurants in search of single American female travelers to pick up...and kill! Just kidding. But it was slightly disappointing the day ended on a weird note. I didn't eat any meal in Italy that was more amazing than most of the meals I've had in Brooklyn. Their coffee, however, is fantastic...except for that psycho's coffee at the last hotel I stayed in. I really enjoyed Italy, but Paris is still my favorite European city so far (plus the food is amazing). Also, traveling alone is not a big deal. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want, for however long you want. Plus it's fun to observe couples fight on their vacation while you're alone; you appreciate being alone just a little bit more. I just felt more observant on the whole. I'd definitely travel solo to Europe again. 10*01*07 I'm back from Italy! I got back a few days ago, but I'm still trying to write captions for all my pictures. I'm still not done, but I'll post them anyway:
Also, today is Patrick and my one year anniversary. We did it! I'll write more about my trip soon hopefully.
This girl is a nerd, get me outta here |
