I am really sad about Anna Nicole. I don't know why. We all saw it coming. It makes me really sad, though, because she's the sort of person who kept trying and kept trying, in her own weird way, and ultimately failed because of being judged by this world.
***
The weather is still out of control, and I nearly screamed this morning when the light changed just as I got to the crosswalk and I was expected to stand still for a complete round of traffic. The horror, the horror.
***
The weekend is going to be busy busy. I was looking forward to burying myself under blankets and comforters and reading The Voice and fiction. Alas, tonight is drinks and dinner and tomorrow will be brunch and a movie and a museum and a show at Webster Hall and then more drinks. Sunday will be a movie and then buying stupid frames and then starting the car because it might be frozen and then some sort of road trip, and hopefully another movie. I guess that whole saving money thing only worked for a little while.
***
Although, I feel like its ok to spend money during one's birthday month. Well, I'll spend a lot of money next weekend for the party and during Sister's stay here, but then, after that, no money will be spent. Actually, I probably won't spend much money because I'll be in MA the next two weekends.
***
I wrote a letter to the hotel we stayed in at Portland voicing my concerns over something sketchy they did. I didn't ask for anything, I merely asked that they not do this to future people who stay there. The general manager left me a voicemail late yesterday wanting to talk about our experience, and that is enough for me. I don't even need to call him back, because it pleases me that he actually read the letter and actually cared enough to call. I will, of course, call, and it will be awkward and weird and will hopefully result in some sort of credit. We'll see.
***
Speaking of writing letters, I went out to dinner with some girlfriends last night and one of them recently took a class at a reputable school in the city. One of her fellow students disliked the professor, and basically told him that she couldn't work with him and demanded that he leave the class. And you know what? He did! I said "Did you complain?" The friend who took the class is very meak and non-assertive, and of course hadn't said anything. I would have been outraged. Can you imagine paying for a class and not really getting a class? Can you imagine being paid to teach a class and not teaching it because a student asked you not to? Is that even allowed? This deserves at least a letter, but my friend won't do it. I offered to write it for her, but she's not into it. I would be flipping out.
***
I'm tired. I got up at 6 am yesterday (D thrashing about looking for running layers so he wouldn't get ice on his body from sweat - the boy is nuts) and went to bed at 12:30 because I wanted to be at least semi-productive after Ethiopian food. I cleaned the bathroom and finished watching The Black Dahlia, which was lame but then I watched the bonus features because they had real photos of the crime and as much as I'd like to say I didn't look at them or find them compelling, that would be a lie.
***
I'm stressed at work. There is much work to do before a conference and The Boss, not knowing that my time is limited, isn't really giving me the guidance I need to make progress. It's not his fault, because he doesn't know, but it is hard for me to push myself when I'm not sure what to do and when my motivation isn't good work, but finishing as much as possible to make it easier on other people when I leave.
***
The hours have been longer than I'd like, and the work pace is intense. I wouldn't mind if I felt like I was developing my career or en route to a promotion or raise, but this is not the case. Well, I guess I can put all of this stuff on my resume (the poster, the paper) for when I get a science job to make some money post-school, but it's still difficult because my heart isn't in it.
***
Another source of stress: art. A friend at work commissioned an art project from me and told me her limit was $100. I was like "Sure, no problem!" and then concocted an art project that would, without my realizing it, cost around $100. It's because its two pieces that go together. If I'd been less ambitious and just done one, fine, $50, no problem! I didn't realize it, and one without the other would be weird so it's not like I can even sell one and give her one. The problems are these:
1. I bought too many supplies for the actual art. So that sucked, and I sent back what I didn't use but only got back $5 after shipping them back to CA. Bad bad bad.
2. The color scheme - I want a maroon-ish matte. Mat? I don't even know. Impossible to buy at stores. Custom-cut in NYC? At least $15 each, which means $30. No way. I found some pre-cut on-line with the right opening size, tried to order them, they would only be $14 with shipping, was thrilled, and then couldn't order them because the minimum order was $100. Ergh. I finally ordered them from Adorama, which is a few blocks from here, and they cost $5 to ship. I figured they wouldn't have them at the store. But that's annoying, and the openings aren't quite the right size so I may have to go back and rework the whole piece.
3. The frame - shadowbox frames are expensive. Who knew? And very hard to come by. Again I tried for a custom frame online but they are pricey and also you have to assemble them yourself, which is not something that I have time for. I looked online and found some at Adorama, so I went to order them and it was going to be an additional $13 to ship them! No way. I went to Adorama on Wednesday straight from work and got there at around 7:30 and they were closed, which upset me because it was freezing and I went half an hour our of my way to go there, twenty minutes of which involved walking outside. I went again last night after work and got there before they closed at 6, but they only had one frame. Bastards! They said they could get one from the wharehouse and have it for me today, but they close at 1:00. Wtf? I can't get there at 1! And they're not open on Saturdays. I am going to go to B&H because I think they have the same ones, so I'll go on Sunday and they better have them or there is going to be a major meltdown.
***
Best story of the week: yesterday morning, D was frantically looking for the keys to the CD cabinet. "When was the last time you went into the CD cabinet?" I tried to remember, and thought it was maybe over a week ago. "Did you lock it?" he asked. I explained to him that it never even occurs to me to lock it, because it's not intuitive to me to lock up media (although it should be, because our combined CD/DVD collection is probably worth at least like $10,000). I said "I don't even consciously register that there are keys to the cabinet, so I didn't lock it, nor did I lock it and move the keys." He was freaking out, and said "I wonder if someone broke in while we were gone and locked it and took the keys!" He was totally serious. Totally serious! I was like "I don't think so... you probably just hid them before we went to Portland." He kept insisting that someone broke in and locked the cabinet. He was all "What kind of person would do that?" "Did you check where you usually hide them?" "I just don't remember locking it! I don't think I did!" "But did you check where you usually hide them?" "I don't even know where I usually hide them... I must just be flaking out..." "What about the drawer?" "I think someone stole them!" "Why would someone steal the keys to the CD cabinet and not take anything else, including the laptop?" "I don't know... I can't believe someone did this..." And then he found the keys on top of the top kitchen cabinet, where he clearly put them because even standing on the counter I couldn't reach that. Hilarious.
***
I really should be working. It's going to be a busy afternoon so I'm taking advantage of the chill this morning, and am also still trying to wake up. Have good weekends!
Friday, February 09, 2007
Thursday, February 08, 2007
The New Keanu
I have determined that Josh Hartnett is this decade's Keanu Reeves, and thus can I now watch and appreciate movies that feature Josh Hartnett. I started watching The Black Dahlia last night and kept thinking "Oh how terrible he is but I am strangely compelled to keep watching this..."
Where does this leave Keanu? I don't know. I guess it leaves him animated.
That is all.
Revision 1: Upon finishing The Black Dahlia I have concluded that perhaps Josh Hartnett (and overall terrible casting, as well as a horrid screenplay) is a force that can ruin good things. I don't think it was entirely his fault, though. Even Scarlett was bad in this movie.
Revision 2: I dreamt last night about starting photography school. I had a break between classes, during which I went home to my log cabin for lunch. D came to meet me (he was not living wherever I was attending school) for, well, um, you know, it was a dream, and in the dream D was being played by Keanu. Awshummmmmm.
Where does this leave Keanu? I don't know. I guess it leaves him animated.
That is all.
Revision 1: Upon finishing The Black Dahlia I have concluded that perhaps Josh Hartnett (and overall terrible casting, as well as a horrid screenplay) is a force that can ruin good things. I don't think it was entirely his fault, though. Even Scarlett was bad in this movie.
Revision 2: I dreamt last night about starting photography school. I had a break between classes, during which I went home to my log cabin for lunch. D came to meet me (he was not living wherever I was attending school) for, well, um, you know, it was a dream, and in the dream D was being played by Keanu. Awshummmmmm.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Obligatory Post About The RIDICULOUS WEATHER
It's cold. It's real cold. My tolerance for the cold this morning was approximately one half of a block, during which I thought "Oh, this isn't so bad. What's all the fuss about?" and then wanted to cry ten seconds later.
The cold is exhausting, and I want to eat all the time. I think I've been eating 2x my normal level of food consumption. Luckily I went grocery shopping on Monday so I've been consuming 2x normal levels of things like lettuce and fruit instead of cookies and chips, which is what I did on Sunday. Bad bad bad.
I think its supposed to be, like, 18 degrees tonight so that's awesome. It will be much like a sauna compared to this morning! I may even run an errand that involves walking 10 blocks out of my way. No, I won't, that's terribly ambitious, especially on one of those rare nights when I can go home straight from work without doing anything!
But the errand... no! It can wait until this weekend. I know you don't care about this at all, so here's something emo for you. My birthday is coming up - its an annoying year - odd, prime, that sort of thing - and I've been vexed about what to do. I finally decided that I would have people over next Friday, as I will most likely be out of town on my real birthday. I sent out an email today, and nobody responded except for D, who is awesome and funny and it would be fun were it only the two of us but still, what if nobody comes? I always think that nobody will come, and then people come. I am pretty sure Sister will be there eventually, and hopefully Brother, and maybe like three other people and I wouldn't mind something low key as long as the combination of people works well. I was thinking singalongs and board games and quality time in the apartment, since our lease is up in less than two months. There is the issue of a possible competing function for someone evil, who is going to be out of my life (mostly) in a few weeks. The enemy will unfortunately be in attendance at a function this weekend so I have to re-respond to the Evite and say that I am not going, because I want to avoid evil, as you all know.
In other news, I am going to be putting down a huge deposit on my education. Oh, the realness. The insanity. I comfort myself knowing that I can work for a year in MA doing stupid science and save the money back. Right. I can do that. Totally.
The weekend is shaping up to be chaos. I thought it would be quiet (matinees, errands, snuggling up with books and quiet since D will be at the party with the evil), but all of a sudden I am hanging out with M and E and R and S and D wants to take the car somewhere because maybe its frozen and that's not good. I need to return headphones at Target because they spark in my ears, so hopefully the road trip will incorporate a trip there.
Anyway. Boring boring boring. And are you ready to be more bored? Stay tuned for Portland... Day 2!
The cold is exhausting, and I want to eat all the time. I think I've been eating 2x my normal level of food consumption. Luckily I went grocery shopping on Monday so I've been consuming 2x normal levels of things like lettuce and fruit instead of cookies and chips, which is what I did on Sunday. Bad bad bad.
I think its supposed to be, like, 18 degrees tonight so that's awesome. It will be much like a sauna compared to this morning! I may even run an errand that involves walking 10 blocks out of my way. No, I won't, that's terribly ambitious, especially on one of those rare nights when I can go home straight from work without doing anything!
But the errand... no! It can wait until this weekend. I know you don't care about this at all, so here's something emo for you. My birthday is coming up - its an annoying year - odd, prime, that sort of thing - and I've been vexed about what to do. I finally decided that I would have people over next Friday, as I will most likely be out of town on my real birthday. I sent out an email today, and nobody responded except for D, who is awesome and funny and it would be fun were it only the two of us but still, what if nobody comes? I always think that nobody will come, and then people come. I am pretty sure Sister will be there eventually, and hopefully Brother, and maybe like three other people and I wouldn't mind something low key as long as the combination of people works well. I was thinking singalongs and board games and quality time in the apartment, since our lease is up in less than two months. There is the issue of a possible competing function for someone evil, who is going to be out of my life (mostly) in a few weeks. The enemy will unfortunately be in attendance at a function this weekend so I have to re-respond to the Evite and say that I am not going, because I want to avoid evil, as you all know.
In other news, I am going to be putting down a huge deposit on my education. Oh, the realness. The insanity. I comfort myself knowing that I can work for a year in MA doing stupid science and save the money back. Right. I can do that. Totally.
The weekend is shaping up to be chaos. I thought it would be quiet (matinees, errands, snuggling up with books and quiet since D will be at the party with the evil), but all of a sudden I am hanging out with M and E and R and S and D wants to take the car somewhere because maybe its frozen and that's not good. I need to return headphones at Target because they spark in my ears, so hopefully the road trip will incorporate a trip there.
Anyway. Boring boring boring. And are you ready to be more bored? Stay tuned for Portland... Day 2!
Monday, February 05, 2007
I Couldn't Take a Landscape Photo to Save My Life
Our trip to Portland got off to a confusing start when Brother was nowhere to be found! Our plan was to meet on the platform of the E train at Penn Station. Thankfully we both received a minor cell signal underground and were able to sort-of communicate through static. It didn't help, though, as we merely established that Brother was indeed not where he was supposed to be but couldn't quite figure out where he was. Penn Station is very confusing, so, empathizing with Brother's plight, I decided to go above-ground to call him. He had wisely gone to the Starbucks on 35th Street. Finally connected, we were off to JFK!
JetBlue - a joy! I'd checked us in online, so all that had to happen was Brother checking in his luggage (which you also do online) outside. It was a snap, and within minutes (literally) we were at the terminal. We ate delicious burritos (the JetBlue terminal at JFK is unlike the rest of JFK, in that it is modern, clean, and jammed with awesome airport food, including healthy-snack kiosks!), and then relaxed. And relaxed some more, as our flight was, apparently, delayed. We boarded half an hour later than scheduled, and then waited on the plane for some people who were delayed coming in from Rochester. They finally arrived, but there was congestion in the air so we waited for another hour or so.
Did I care? No! Because 36 channels of Digital TV is bliss for someone without cable. I didn't even notice we were delayed! I was far too busy watching the Top Chef marathon on Bravo.
JetBlue, I love you and your unlimited snacks and your TV and your explainations of delays.
I fell asleep during Todd Oldham's Top Design, and didn't wake up until we were right above Mt. Hood just outside of Portland! I gasped and woke D and Brother up so they could see. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. I don't know if I'd have felt its majesty had I been expecting it, but the excitement of opening the window randomly and being right above something so wonderful made it the best thing ever.
We arrived only 45 minutes later than scheduled. We seamlessly claimed Brother's luggage, rented the car ($13 a day!), and were at the hotel within ten minutes.
We checked in, dropped the car off at the hotel parking lot (if this was a music blog - oh wait, it is! but I am unprepared - there would be sarcastic/cheeky/semi-ominous music playing here), unpacked, and went to sleep.
I had a hard time falling asleep after having napped on the plane. It was also like 23 degrees in the hotel room. Brother said that it wasn't so bad in the "living room," where he was sleeping on a pullout couch.
I have mixed feelings about the hotel. The room itself was good - it hadn't been renovated since, like, the 70s, so the retro chic was charming. It was more of an apartment than a hotel room. In fact, the three of us kept referring to it as The Apartment by accident.
Note the fabulous golden thermostat, complete with swan motif:
The stove was best:
It had buttons!
We received complimentary New York Times every day - awesome!
There was a ton of closet space - this was the closet in, well, the kitchen:
Best of all was this ice bucket - tiny, with tongs that go inside the lid:
Bad things about the hotel: dial-up internet in the lobby. Wtf? Ridiculous. Since the trip was so last-minute, we didn't really have time to figure out what we wanted to do while in Portland. I knew that I wanted to go to vineyards, and figured I'd just look them up when I got there. Nope! And even if I had brought my laptop, they charge $5 per 30 minutes for wireless internet access. And shady dealings, which I will discuss later.
On our first morning there, we ate continental breakfast (awesome) and then decided to drive to Mt. Hood. Since we couldn't look up directions on Google, we had to rely on the crappy map we had from the rental car place. Based on the map, we concluded that it would take only an hour and a half, but apparently the route we were taking was through small towns and was therefore super windy, so it took forever.
We stopped to grab rations and then drove and drove.
Here's a view of our sweet ride and Mt. Hood in the distance:
A shot of Mt. Hood from the car:
We drove through forest, and as we got higher in elevation, really deep snow appeared:
These banks are about 6 feet high:
We eventually realized that we were on Mt. Hood:
We found a lodge at 6000 feet and had lunch there as we were starving and starting to feel jet lagged. Yummy Thai-style wrap, grapes, chips, and carrot sticks for $8.75! Woo!
A view of Mt. Hood on our way back:
Sun shining through the mountains during our search for waterfalls:
We wanted to visit some waterfalls on our way back, as Mother likes waterfalls and requested that I take some photos for her so that she could hang up a large black and white print in her new condo.
We kept looking for the waterfalls, but we didn't see them anywhere even though the map said they should be nearby. We soon realized that we were looking at the waterfalls, and that they were, bizarrely, frozen. There was only one that was still falling:
We rushed back in order to prepare for Brother's Big Show! We stopped by the gallery for a few minutes, and then headed out for Greek food for dinner. We chose the restaurant based on the fact that there was a giant purple octopus balloon advertising happy hour outside. They also had octopus lamps:
We ordered a sampler plate for $27. Yet another meal under $10.
The show was great. I was (am) so proud of Brother. It looked great in the gallery, which was a cool alternative space where the gallerist lives. Apparently this is the thing to do in Portland. Most of the galleries we visited that night (it was First Thursday in Portland) were also live/work spaces.
The gallery experience was nice. It wasn't as snobby/elite as it is in NYC. It seemed like everyone in Portland was out at the galleries that night. It's accessible to everyone. Nobody was having super-snotty conversations about art, and the spaces weren't afraid to show things like comic art.
Additionally, everyone was super nice. Everyone was all "Thank you for coming!" and smiling, and talking, and holding doors open, talking in lines to the restrooms, and just being sweet. Such contrast to the life I live now. D and I had a conversation about how our immediate reaction is to be cynical about strangers talking to us, and how it would be an adjustment (albeit a nice one) to live in a place like Portland where you don't have to resort to suspicion.
D and I left Brother's show to check out the other galleries, but it was cold and we had been on our feet for three hours (two of my toes were numb), and I'd been carrying my photo equipment. The jet lag hit us, and we decided to leave Brother and go back to the hotel room, where we promptly fell asleep.
JetBlue - a joy! I'd checked us in online, so all that had to happen was Brother checking in his luggage (which you also do online) outside. It was a snap, and within minutes (literally) we were at the terminal. We ate delicious burritos (the JetBlue terminal at JFK is unlike the rest of JFK, in that it is modern, clean, and jammed with awesome airport food, including healthy-snack kiosks!), and then relaxed. And relaxed some more, as our flight was, apparently, delayed. We boarded half an hour later than scheduled, and then waited on the plane for some people who were delayed coming in from Rochester. They finally arrived, but there was congestion in the air so we waited for another hour or so.
Did I care? No! Because 36 channels of Digital TV is bliss for someone without cable. I didn't even notice we were delayed! I was far too busy watching the Top Chef marathon on Bravo.
JetBlue, I love you and your unlimited snacks and your TV and your explainations of delays.
I fell asleep during Todd Oldham's Top Design, and didn't wake up until we were right above Mt. Hood just outside of Portland! I gasped and woke D and Brother up so they could see. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. I don't know if I'd have felt its majesty had I been expecting it, but the excitement of opening the window randomly and being right above something so wonderful made it the best thing ever.
We arrived only 45 minutes later than scheduled. We seamlessly claimed Brother's luggage, rented the car ($13 a day!), and were at the hotel within ten minutes.
We checked in, dropped the car off at the hotel parking lot (if this was a music blog - oh wait, it is! but I am unprepared - there would be sarcastic/cheeky/semi-ominous music playing here), unpacked, and went to sleep.
I had a hard time falling asleep after having napped on the plane. It was also like 23 degrees in the hotel room. Brother said that it wasn't so bad in the "living room," where he was sleeping on a pullout couch.
I have mixed feelings about the hotel. The room itself was good - it hadn't been renovated since, like, the 70s, so the retro chic was charming. It was more of an apartment than a hotel room. In fact, the three of us kept referring to it as The Apartment by accident.
Note the fabulous golden thermostat, complete with swan motif:
The stove was best:
It had buttons!
We received complimentary New York Times every day - awesome!
There was a ton of closet space - this was the closet in, well, the kitchen:
Best of all was this ice bucket - tiny, with tongs that go inside the lid:
Bad things about the hotel: dial-up internet in the lobby. Wtf? Ridiculous. Since the trip was so last-minute, we didn't really have time to figure out what we wanted to do while in Portland. I knew that I wanted to go to vineyards, and figured I'd just look them up when I got there. Nope! And even if I had brought my laptop, they charge $5 per 30 minutes for wireless internet access. And shady dealings, which I will discuss later.
On our first morning there, we ate continental breakfast (awesome) and then decided to drive to Mt. Hood. Since we couldn't look up directions on Google, we had to rely on the crappy map we had from the rental car place. Based on the map, we concluded that it would take only an hour and a half, but apparently the route we were taking was through small towns and was therefore super windy, so it took forever.
We stopped to grab rations and then drove and drove.
Here's a view of our sweet ride and Mt. Hood in the distance:
A shot of Mt. Hood from the car:
We drove through forest, and as we got higher in elevation, really deep snow appeared:
These banks are about 6 feet high:
We eventually realized that we were on Mt. Hood:
We found a lodge at 6000 feet and had lunch there as we were starving and starting to feel jet lagged. Yummy Thai-style wrap, grapes, chips, and carrot sticks for $8.75! Woo!
A view of Mt. Hood on our way back:
Sun shining through the mountains during our search for waterfalls:
We wanted to visit some waterfalls on our way back, as Mother likes waterfalls and requested that I take some photos for her so that she could hang up a large black and white print in her new condo.
We kept looking for the waterfalls, but we didn't see them anywhere even though the map said they should be nearby. We soon realized that we were looking at the waterfalls, and that they were, bizarrely, frozen. There was only one that was still falling:
We rushed back in order to prepare for Brother's Big Show! We stopped by the gallery for a few minutes, and then headed out for Greek food for dinner. We chose the restaurant based on the fact that there was a giant purple octopus balloon advertising happy hour outside. They also had octopus lamps:
We ordered a sampler plate for $27. Yet another meal under $10.
The show was great. I was (am) so proud of Brother. It looked great in the gallery, which was a cool alternative space where the gallerist lives. Apparently this is the thing to do in Portland. Most of the galleries we visited that night (it was First Thursday in Portland) were also live/work spaces.
The gallery experience was nice. It wasn't as snobby/elite as it is in NYC. It seemed like everyone in Portland was out at the galleries that night. It's accessible to everyone. Nobody was having super-snotty conversations about art, and the spaces weren't afraid to show things like comic art.
Additionally, everyone was super nice. Everyone was all "Thank you for coming!" and smiling, and talking, and holding doors open, talking in lines to the restrooms, and just being sweet. Such contrast to the life I live now. D and I had a conversation about how our immediate reaction is to be cynical about strangers talking to us, and how it would be an adjustment (albeit a nice one) to live in a place like Portland where you don't have to resort to suspicion.
D and I left Brother's show to check out the other galleries, but it was cold and we had been on our feet for three hours (two of my toes were numb), and I'd been carrying my photo equipment. The jet lag hit us, and we decided to leave Brother and go back to the hotel room, where we promptly fell asleep.
Portland Loves to Bowl
I am back from Portland. It was a joy. I seem not to have any jet lag, most likely because after arriving from the red eye I went to sleep for four hours and then still managed to go to bed (and to sleep!) at 11:00 pm. That works out to approximately 9 hours of consciousness yesterday afternoon. Woo! I don't think I ever really adjusted to west coast time.
The photos have been uploaded and are in the process of being dealt with. Once they are organized I will start posting them in all their glory.
It is annoying to be back. I get used to vacation and to living another life so easily. It doesn't help that it's approximately 5 degrees out there pre-wind chill and I am without cash and without groceries, which means stopping not once but twice on the way home from work to run errands. I think its too cold for food and money, but I want to eat non-stop when the weather is this way so I've no choice!
But yes, I had a great time. The city is small, cute, cheap, and surrounded by glory. The nature was best, the cheese factory a close second. One of my greatest pleasures is discovering new places with D. When we are having the same experience our relationship works best. This is why we love to travel to new places together. Hopefully next will be Japan, since the prospects seem bleak on the plane ticket and the job search.
More when the visual aids are ready.
Until tomorrow...
The photos have been uploaded and are in the process of being dealt with. Once they are organized I will start posting them in all their glory.
It is annoying to be back. I get used to vacation and to living another life so easily. It doesn't help that it's approximately 5 degrees out there pre-wind chill and I am without cash and without groceries, which means stopping not once but twice on the way home from work to run errands. I think its too cold for food and money, but I want to eat non-stop when the weather is this way so I've no choice!
But yes, I had a great time. The city is small, cute, cheap, and surrounded by glory. The nature was best, the cheese factory a close second. One of my greatest pleasures is discovering new places with D. When we are having the same experience our relationship works best. This is why we love to travel to new places together. Hopefully next will be Japan, since the prospects seem bleak on the plane ticket and the job search.
More when the visual aids are ready.
Until tomorrow...
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