i don't, unless i'm visiting my mechanic, in which case i wear very short shorts.
i tried nair last night for the first time. i had been told in the past that it would burn. it would sting. it would be a very unpleasant experience.
i must say, i had no problems. aside from the smell of burning, it worked amazingly better than i had envisioned, and there was zero discomfort. maybe it's because i was using nair for men. or maybe it's because my body is made of steel. or maybe it's because whoever gave me nair advice years ago was lying.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
"click to continue listening to music"
i hate having to click on advertisements in the middle of a song i'm trying to listen to on myspace.
i already hate myspace for a number of reasons, and its one saving grace is fucking itself in the ass.
i already hate myspace for a number of reasons, and its one saving grace is fucking itself in the ass.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
cause i've got a purple ticket [the day after]
i had heard that on wednesday morning, PRESIDENT obama would be attending a national day of prayer service at the national cathedral. hoping to catch a glimpse of him after being denied by the media tower the day before, matt and i woke up at 7:30, packed up our bags, threw them on our backs, and caught the metro to cleveland park. we stopped into starbucks for some hot cocoa and breakfast sandwiches and began our mile and a half trek [uphill] towards the cathedral.
arriving at one side of the cathedral we were told by a copper that we couldn't get in that way. we continued up the street and looped around and found a nice, small crowd of people standing across the street from the cathedral. it was nice to have room to put my bag down, turn around and move as i pleased. there hadn't been much of that in the days prior.
we had heard that the service started at 10am, which is precisely when we arrived. i called mom to see if he was in the church already, and she said she thought she saw the back of his head in the first row. we stood in the cold, hoping the ceremony wouldn't be too long. mom called back a little after 11 and said they were doing the closing prayer [ah, where would we be without cell phones and cnn?]. we prepared ourselves as people started exiting the church. there was another media tower directly in front of the church doors, which gave me hope that perhaps he would actually exit out the front [news cameras know all]. this, however, did not happen. we waited, waited a little longer, and waited a little longer still, until the last few people trickled out and the cops on bikes left their posts. one said he thought he had heard a loud cheer from a side street, where there was a smaller gathering of people. apparently there was a side door to the church [of course there was], and the president had probably snuck out that way. not one to give up that easily, i waited at the corner to cross the street to check that he was gone for sure. while waiting for the light to turn green, matt looked up and across the street to the other corner. "hey! it's joe lieberman!" so no obama, but we brushed shoulders with joe lieberman. good enough. well, maybe for matt. not for me. we walked over to the cathedral lawn and took a pass by the front. the cameras were mostly gone, and those that were left were packing up. i didn't recognize anyone coming out of the church. he was gone. and i had missed him.
i hadn't had very high expectations when we woke up that morning, but once we got to the church and i saw the small crowd, the cops lined up along the road, the media platform, the men in black trenchcoats with sunglasses and ear pieces, i thought that maybe, just maybe, i'd get to see him. i didn't realize how much i had wanted to see obama until it dawned on me that i wouldn't get to, and i started to cry. matt told me it was really nice that i cared that much about our president, and that's true. i've never been into politics, never had any desire to see or be involved with any of our prior presidents [though i guess that really just includes bush, since i was too young when clinton was in action, sooo...], but i really, REALLY wanted to see obama. and i feel as though the best shot i had was during these few days. i really can't complain though. i was at his inauguration. barack obama's inauguration. AHH!!!
i walked back to the metro, teary-eyed and feeling irrationally sorry for myself, with matt. from here we ventured over to the white house where we were quickly ushered onto the sidewalk on the other side of the street. we all thought obama and his posse were going to come rolling in, so we stuck around. about 20 minutes later, two black cars drove through. and that was that. lame.
obama had opened his house to the public for a reception later that day. tickets had been available online, and i was kicking myself for not hearing about it sooner. because that was obviously my fault...
anyway, i was seething with jealousy over the lucky bastards in line.
we peaced out after the black car probably holding nobody drove by, and booked it to the lincoln memorial. there was another line, but it was moving quickly, so we ran up the steps, read the speeches, took our pictures, and jetted another mile and a half to the nearest metro stop. we hopped on the train to the airport, only to find out from united update alerts that our plane had been delayed an hour. ugh. why couldn't they have called 15 minutes earlier?
upon pulling up to the airport, though, we realized why our flight had been delayed. if it had left on time, there would have been nobody on board. there were people EVERYWHERE. this was the most thankful i have ever been for not checking any baggage. there was nobody at the electronic kiosk, so we printed our boarding passes and cockily walked by the droves of travelers. changed out of our winter clothing in the bathroom and got in line for security. good thing we were there early, after all. security was slow as molasses and it took us 45 minutes to get through. luckily we each had one last macintosh apple to enjoy while waiting. they don't really exist out west.
i crammed down some panda express [mmm orange chickennnn] and asked a united employee if he thought we would make our connecting flight in chicago. he said yes, probably. we said no, not if we only have 10 minutes to get to our gate. he ended up being right, but only because our chicago flight was delayed by 45 minutes...
while in line a girl asked if she could cut us to ask a quick question because her flight was leaving soon. i told her we were on the same flight, so we had to get through just as quickly. all she wanted to know was if flight 625 was going to chicago. we said yes. she was extremely grateful. too grateful. we passed her in line when we were boarding, and she recognized us as "the people who helped me!! oh my gosh you are so wonderful, thank you so much. i've had such a horrible day. they stole my wallet, and now got my credit cards and everything and i just want to get home..." she didn't stop talking, even as we were walking farther and farther away from her. i dreaded the possibility of sitting next to her on the plane.
our flight was fine, though. free drinks [unlike us airways. sluts.] so i drank my fair share of cran apple juice. we did crossword puzzles most of the way to chicago, and as soon as we landed we booked it to our next gate. our flight was delayed, so i had time for a nice pee before boarding. more crossword puzzles, a cat nap, and we were back in la. chris came and picked us up, dropped us at my house so we could get matt's car, and we headed to in 'n out for some eats.
it's good to be home.
Untitled (False Hope)
arriving at one side of the cathedral we were told by a copper that we couldn't get in that way. we continued up the street and looped around and found a nice, small crowd of people standing across the street from the cathedral. it was nice to have room to put my bag down, turn around and move as i pleased. there hadn't been much of that in the days prior.
we had heard that the service started at 10am, which is precisely when we arrived. i called mom to see if he was in the church already, and she said she thought she saw the back of his head in the first row. we stood in the cold, hoping the ceremony wouldn't be too long. mom called back a little after 11 and said they were doing the closing prayer [ah, where would we be without cell phones and cnn?]. we prepared ourselves as people started exiting the church. there was another media tower directly in front of the church doors, which gave me hope that perhaps he would actually exit out the front [news cameras know all]. this, however, did not happen. we waited, waited a little longer, and waited a little longer still, until the last few people trickled out and the cops on bikes left their posts. one said he thought he had heard a loud cheer from a side street, where there was a smaller gathering of people. apparently there was a side door to the church [of course there was], and the president had probably snuck out that way. not one to give up that easily, i waited at the corner to cross the street to check that he was gone for sure. while waiting for the light to turn green, matt looked up and across the street to the other corner. "hey! it's joe lieberman!" so no obama, but we brushed shoulders with joe lieberman. good enough. well, maybe for matt. not for me. we walked over to the cathedral lawn and took a pass by the front. the cameras were mostly gone, and those that were left were packing up. i didn't recognize anyone coming out of the church. he was gone. and i had missed him.
i hadn't had very high expectations when we woke up that morning, but once we got to the church and i saw the small crowd, the cops lined up along the road, the media platform, the men in black trenchcoats with sunglasses and ear pieces, i thought that maybe, just maybe, i'd get to see him. i didn't realize how much i had wanted to see obama until it dawned on me that i wouldn't get to, and i started to cry. matt told me it was really nice that i cared that much about our president, and that's true. i've never been into politics, never had any desire to see or be involved with any of our prior presidents [though i guess that really just includes bush, since i was too young when clinton was in action, sooo...], but i really, REALLY wanted to see obama. and i feel as though the best shot i had was during these few days. i really can't complain though. i was at his inauguration. barack obama's inauguration. AHH!!!
i walked back to the metro, teary-eyed and feeling irrationally sorry for myself, with matt. from here we ventured over to the white house where we were quickly ushered onto the sidewalk on the other side of the street. we all thought obama and his posse were going to come rolling in, so we stuck around. about 20 minutes later, two black cars drove through. and that was that. lame.
obama had opened his house to the public for a reception later that day. tickets had been available online, and i was kicking myself for not hearing about it sooner. because that was obviously my fault...
anyway, i was seething with jealousy over the lucky bastards in line.
we peaced out after the black car probably holding nobody drove by, and booked it to the lincoln memorial. there was another line, but it was moving quickly, so we ran up the steps, read the speeches, took our pictures, and jetted another mile and a half to the nearest metro stop. we hopped on the train to the airport, only to find out from united update alerts that our plane had been delayed an hour. ugh. why couldn't they have called 15 minutes earlier?
upon pulling up to the airport, though, we realized why our flight had been delayed. if it had left on time, there would have been nobody on board. there were people EVERYWHERE. this was the most thankful i have ever been for not checking any baggage. there was nobody at the electronic kiosk, so we printed our boarding passes and cockily walked by the droves of travelers. changed out of our winter clothing in the bathroom and got in line for security. good thing we were there early, after all. security was slow as molasses and it took us 45 minutes to get through. luckily we each had one last macintosh apple to enjoy while waiting. they don't really exist out west.
i crammed down some panda express [mmm orange chickennnn] and asked a united employee if he thought we would make our connecting flight in chicago. he said yes, probably. we said no, not if we only have 10 minutes to get to our gate. he ended up being right, but only because our chicago flight was delayed by 45 minutes...
while in line a girl asked if she could cut us to ask a quick question because her flight was leaving soon. i told her we were on the same flight, so we had to get through just as quickly. all she wanted to know was if flight 625 was going to chicago. we said yes. she was extremely grateful. too grateful. we passed her in line when we were boarding, and she recognized us as "the people who helped me!! oh my gosh you are so wonderful, thank you so much. i've had such a horrible day. they stole my wallet, and now got my credit cards and everything and i just want to get home..." she didn't stop talking, even as we were walking farther and farther away from her. i dreaded the possibility of sitting next to her on the plane.
our flight was fine, though. free drinks [unlike us airways. sluts.] so i drank my fair share of cran apple juice. we did crossword puzzles most of the way to chicago, and as soon as we landed we booked it to our next gate. our flight was delayed, so i had time for a nice pee before boarding. more crossword puzzles, a cat nap, and we were back in la. chris came and picked us up, dropped us at my house so we could get matt's car, and we headed to in 'n out for some eats.
it's good to be home.
Untitled (False Hope)
Friday, January 23, 2009
cause i've got a purple ticket [the day of]
6:57am
my alarm goes off.
not even close to having gotten enough sleep, we jump off the air mattress and begin preparing ourselves for the day ahead. the mattress didn't hold the air the whole night through, and so not only did i toss and turn all night long, but whenever i tossed or turned, i hit the ground. i slept horribly. i was not a happy camper when my Ringtone #3 began blasting a little before 7.
we knew the day was going to be a chilly one [forecasters said 30 degrees] so we did our best to bundle up. two pairs of socks, leggings, pants, tank top, long sleeved shirt, pull over, pea coat [courtesy of someone who left it behind at hermitage months and months ago], hat, mittens, scarf...im READY. bring it on, barack.
we left the house a little before 7:30 and began our 10 minute walk to the capitol. we had received purple tickets, and we saw the day before that the purple gate was the closest to ben's. how lucky. some people waited hours at the metro for a train. others waited hours inside, not able to get out of the stations because of the crowds. we walked alongside hundreds, drinking our overpriced trader joes protein smoothies, and finally saw the purple gate up ahead. we went to get into the first line we saw, only to ask and be told that it was a line for the yellow ticket holders. ok, we thought, our line's gotta be around here somewhere. we came to an area and were told we couldn't go any further. we asked the woman directing us away where we should go if we had purple tickets. she pointed down 1st street. "good luck," she added as we turned around.
as we walked down the purple line, about 6 people or so deep, i overheard a girl saying she had been there since 5am. ughh. i knew we had a ways to go. however, the further along 1st street we tried to go, the slower we were walking, until we came to an abrupt stop. we crawled over a chain and started walking up along the perimeter of the street, around trees and bushes, until even that ceased to move forward. stuck with a bush up my butt, i tried to see what was ahead. all i could see was a sea of people.
"what color ticket do you have?"
"purple."
"silver."
"ticket? i just want to get out of here."
clearly, this was going to be tougher than we had imagined.
8:15am
not wanting to get swept away in the direction of the silver tickets, matt and i stayed put right at the corner of 1st and D. people stopped moving. turns out, there were barriers up at the end of the block. there was nowhere to go. this crowd only grew larger by the minute, as everyone packed tighter and tighter onto the block. it's 8:30 in the morning, the woman behind me has got her walker up my ass and around my foot, it's cold as shit, i'm hugging complete strangers, and we're not moving. at all.
there was no security anywhere in sight.
you would think, when crowds of 2 million were expected, dc would have its shit together and monitor these forecasted crowds. instead, we were forced to listen to men like richard, a foreigner who decided to take it upon himself to direct the crowd. he was standing directly behind and above us on a lamppost platform and was yelling at us, with no credibility whatsoever, where to go, what he saw up ahead, and what he thought was going on.
he was stupid. and wrong. and all he did was work up the crowd.
9:30am
a man next to us called 911 to alert the authorities of the sheer magnitude of this situation and that complete chaos was not all that far away. "it's inauguration day. whaddya expect?" he was told.
i can't even tell you how closely crammed together we all were. i think i got further, sexually, with more people in 3 hours than i have during my life so far. suddenly, around 10:30 or so, after literally not moving an inch since getting crammed in this street corner, we surged forward about half a block. and when i say surged, i mean i had no control over where i was going. i was swept up in a wave of people and planted a half a block closer than i had been. apparently, silver ticket holders had broken down a barricade and this in turn allowed space for us to move. this is what i've been told, at least. who knows. i don't know what to think anymore. either way, we had finally moved. people were now given the opportunity to cut the line, much to the dismay of those of us who stayed in order. ["i hope your congressman is more honest than you!"]
we were now in a new mob of people which started about 10 deep and quickly grew to the width of the block again. i called my mom to see if she was hearing anything on tv about ticketed guests and whether or not everyone would be allowed in. she hadn't, but while i was on the phone i DID overhear a woman saying that if you had a purple ticket, your best bet would be to go over to the Yellow Gate and try to get in there. seeing that it was nearing 11am and the purple gate wasn't even open, we decided that we had nothing to lose, and went and joined our 3rd mass of obama-goers.
11:10am
new mob. new people. new hope.
again, closer than i would like to hundreds of people. so close, in fact, that when my phone rang, it not only vibrated in my pocket, it vibrated on another woman's leg. she thought it was her phone, until i, laughing, told her that no, it was just mine. on her leg. she told her friend to stay away from me. "she'll vibrate on you!" later on, when she accidentally hit me in the head with her glove, she told me that now we were even. this was a good crowd.
11:20am
a girl in front of me, realizing the time and that we haven't moved, is crying. i wanted to give her a hug, but knew that i wouldn't be much comfort. i was starting to freak out about not making it in, too. los angeles. i flew from los ANGELES. i have a TICKET. i had BETTER get through those gates or i am going to raise HELL.
11:30am
"purple tickets in the air! purple tickets in the air! this section is for purple ticket holders ONLY!"
this is the first order we have been given since arriving 4 hours earlier.
thousands of fists fly into the air, all of them bearing purple tickets.
we all had tickets.
finally, by some stroke of luck, our mass started moving forward. and kept moving forward. matt and i reached a security guard at a gate. really? there are people manning this? somebody works here? one of the first officials we'd seen all day. matt got let through, and a hand came down in between us. matt and i were still holding hands [the only thing to keep us from being swept away from each other] and the security guard decided that was grounds to yell at us. he was yelling at everyone to stop pushing, and, looking down at matt and i, proceeded to add, "this is what screws everything up. let go of each other."
slut.
just let me through the fuckin gate.
we finally busted through the "purple gate," which wasn't the original purple gate at all, but was actually the exit to the yellow gate, sprinted through metal detectors [for the record, there is tighter security at airports than there was at barack obama's presidential inauguration], and tried to find a viewing spot. barack is being introduced to the crowd as we're running around, and the moment we stand up on what ends up being our ledge for the rest of the ceremony, aretha breaks into song.
talk about timing.
during the days after the ceremony, i've been able to realize just how lucky we were to get in through that gate. at least 5,000 people, and probably more, WITH TICKETS, never even made it in. the planning committee cites overcrowding, but that's bullshit, because there was tons and tons of space in the ticketed area that matt and i were in. they just didn't have their shit together.
eff you, dianne feinstein, for almost giving me a coronary.
but in the end, thank you, dianne feinstein, for ultimately being the one to allow me to be present for such an occasion. this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and i still can't believe i was there for it. i can't put into words how i was feeling during the ceremony, except that the smile on my face was unwavering. and i think it will stay that way for quite some time.
barack obama, you are my hero.
so are you, matt, for wearing what you did.
untitled (Matt and purple tights)
my alarm goes off.
not even close to having gotten enough sleep, we jump off the air mattress and begin preparing ourselves for the day ahead. the mattress didn't hold the air the whole night through, and so not only did i toss and turn all night long, but whenever i tossed or turned, i hit the ground. i slept horribly. i was not a happy camper when my Ringtone #3 began blasting a little before 7.
we knew the day was going to be a chilly one [forecasters said 30 degrees] so we did our best to bundle up. two pairs of socks, leggings, pants, tank top, long sleeved shirt, pull over, pea coat [courtesy of someone who left it behind at hermitage months and months ago], hat, mittens, scarf...im READY. bring it on, barack.
we left the house a little before 7:30 and began our 10 minute walk to the capitol. we had received purple tickets, and we saw the day before that the purple gate was the closest to ben's. how lucky. some people waited hours at the metro for a train. others waited hours inside, not able to get out of the stations because of the crowds. we walked alongside hundreds, drinking our overpriced trader joes protein smoothies, and finally saw the purple gate up ahead. we went to get into the first line we saw, only to ask and be told that it was a line for the yellow ticket holders. ok, we thought, our line's gotta be around here somewhere. we came to an area and were told we couldn't go any further. we asked the woman directing us away where we should go if we had purple tickets. she pointed down 1st street. "good luck," she added as we turned around.
as we walked down the purple line, about 6 people or so deep, i overheard a girl saying she had been there since 5am. ughh. i knew we had a ways to go. however, the further along 1st street we tried to go, the slower we were walking, until we came to an abrupt stop. we crawled over a chain and started walking up along the perimeter of the street, around trees and bushes, until even that ceased to move forward. stuck with a bush up my butt, i tried to see what was ahead. all i could see was a sea of people.
"what color ticket do you have?"
"purple."
"silver."
"ticket? i just want to get out of here."
clearly, this was going to be tougher than we had imagined.
8:15am
not wanting to get swept away in the direction of the silver tickets, matt and i stayed put right at the corner of 1st and D. people stopped moving. turns out, there were barriers up at the end of the block. there was nowhere to go. this crowd only grew larger by the minute, as everyone packed tighter and tighter onto the block. it's 8:30 in the morning, the woman behind me has got her walker up my ass and around my foot, it's cold as shit, i'm hugging complete strangers, and we're not moving. at all.
there was no security anywhere in sight.
you would think, when crowds of 2 million were expected, dc would have its shit together and monitor these forecasted crowds. instead, we were forced to listen to men like richard, a foreigner who decided to take it upon himself to direct the crowd. he was standing directly behind and above us on a lamppost platform and was yelling at us, with no credibility whatsoever, where to go, what he saw up ahead, and what he thought was going on.
he was stupid. and wrong. and all he did was work up the crowd.
9:30am
a man next to us called 911 to alert the authorities of the sheer magnitude of this situation and that complete chaos was not all that far away. "it's inauguration day. whaddya expect?" he was told.
i can't even tell you how closely crammed together we all were. i think i got further, sexually, with more people in 3 hours than i have during my life so far. suddenly, around 10:30 or so, after literally not moving an inch since getting crammed in this street corner, we surged forward about half a block. and when i say surged, i mean i had no control over where i was going. i was swept up in a wave of people and planted a half a block closer than i had been. apparently, silver ticket holders had broken down a barricade and this in turn allowed space for us to move. this is what i've been told, at least. who knows. i don't know what to think anymore. either way, we had finally moved. people were now given the opportunity to cut the line, much to the dismay of those of us who stayed in order. ["i hope your congressman is more honest than you!"]
we were now in a new mob of people which started about 10 deep and quickly grew to the width of the block again. i called my mom to see if she was hearing anything on tv about ticketed guests and whether or not everyone would be allowed in. she hadn't, but while i was on the phone i DID overhear a woman saying that if you had a purple ticket, your best bet would be to go over to the Yellow Gate and try to get in there. seeing that it was nearing 11am and the purple gate wasn't even open, we decided that we had nothing to lose, and went and joined our 3rd mass of obama-goers.
11:10am
new mob. new people. new hope.
again, closer than i would like to hundreds of people. so close, in fact, that when my phone rang, it not only vibrated in my pocket, it vibrated on another woman's leg. she thought it was her phone, until i, laughing, told her that no, it was just mine. on her leg. she told her friend to stay away from me. "she'll vibrate on you!" later on, when she accidentally hit me in the head with her glove, she told me that now we were even. this was a good crowd.
11:20am
a girl in front of me, realizing the time and that we haven't moved, is crying. i wanted to give her a hug, but knew that i wouldn't be much comfort. i was starting to freak out about not making it in, too. los angeles. i flew from los ANGELES. i have a TICKET. i had BETTER get through those gates or i am going to raise HELL.
11:30am
"purple tickets in the air! purple tickets in the air! this section is for purple ticket holders ONLY!"
this is the first order we have been given since arriving 4 hours earlier.
thousands of fists fly into the air, all of them bearing purple tickets.
we all had tickets.
finally, by some stroke of luck, our mass started moving forward. and kept moving forward. matt and i reached a security guard at a gate. really? there are people manning this? somebody works here? one of the first officials we'd seen all day. matt got let through, and a hand came down in between us. matt and i were still holding hands [the only thing to keep us from being swept away from each other] and the security guard decided that was grounds to yell at us. he was yelling at everyone to stop pushing, and, looking down at matt and i, proceeded to add, "this is what screws everything up. let go of each other."
slut.
just let me through the fuckin gate.
we finally busted through the "purple gate," which wasn't the original purple gate at all, but was actually the exit to the yellow gate, sprinted through metal detectors [for the record, there is tighter security at airports than there was at barack obama's presidential inauguration], and tried to find a viewing spot. barack is being introduced to the crowd as we're running around, and the moment we stand up on what ends up being our ledge for the rest of the ceremony, aretha breaks into song.
talk about timing.
during the days after the ceremony, i've been able to realize just how lucky we were to get in through that gate. at least 5,000 people, and probably more, WITH TICKETS, never even made it in. the planning committee cites overcrowding, but that's bullshit, because there was tons and tons of space in the ticketed area that matt and i were in. they just didn't have their shit together.
eff you, dianne feinstein, for almost giving me a coronary.
but in the end, thank you, dianne feinstein, for ultimately being the one to allow me to be present for such an occasion. this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and i still can't believe i was there for it. i can't put into words how i was feeling during the ceremony, except that the smile on my face was unwavering. and i think it will stay that way for quite some time.
barack obama, you are my hero.
so are you, matt, for wearing what you did.
untitled (Matt and purple tights)
cause i've got a purple ticket [the day before]
i just got back from barack obama's inauguration.
it was unbelievable. amazing. incredible.
and really, really, cold.
and if i didn't want to savor every moment of it, i would leave it at that.
but i do, so i won't.
so here we go.
matt and i took a red eye from los angeles on sunday night. we had a [very very brief, due to a delay - think home alone style] layover in cleveland, and neither of us slept. we arrived in dc around 9am to an empty reagan national airport, and headed straight to ben's apartment, where we were staying. we dropped off our bags and immediately trekked over to the rayburn building, where we would pick up our tickets from howard berman's office. we found a long mass of people [surprise, surprise] and found our way to the end of the line, where we waited a little under an hour to get into the building. we met a nice woman in front of us from massachusetts, whose sons go to the same high school that matt's uncle teaches chemistry at. small world.
we made it inside rayburn and easily found our way to rep. berman's office. we figured we would come across a secretary, be handed our tickets, and leave. however, after receiving our tickets [from a woman who informed me that after living in california for a year, i "really should have gotten a california id already." whoops.] we were told that if we wanted to meet mr. berman, he was in his office. really? cool!! we waited while he finished talking to another couple and then headed in. he asked us if we wouldn't mind holding on just another minute ["you know how it is. you've waited so long already, what's another 3 minutes?"] so we took it upon ourselves to take a seat on his couch. oooh, look at us. fancy valley villagers on our congressman's couch. he came back into his office and chatted with us for a few minutes. we found out that he lives within walking distance from our apartments in valley village, and that if we ever have any issue we'd like him to bring up, to please contact his office in van nuys. wow. does our government ACTUALLY work like that? it was really reassuring to see that it does. i had already succumbed to the idea that nobody really cares what i think. glad to see i was wrong. thanks, howie.
half wanting to go pass out and half wanting to make use of this beautiful 30 degree day in DC, we decided on the latter, and took a stroll down the mall, stopping in the botanical gardens, the air and space museum, and the american history museum. i don't quite know how we did it. we were running on no sleep and hot dogs and nasty ass pizza. not the most ideal combination for being a tourist, though i suppose those are what make these trips memorable.
while in the air and space museum, i stopped for a pee break. i came out to find matt sitting on a bench outside the restrooms, talking with a girl. i came over and she just SHUT UP. it was amazing. i have never caught a girl red-handed hitting on my boyfriend and then had the power to stop her in her tracks just by walking up. i couldn't believe it. so good.
i bought sarah palin condoms.
after the history museum [in which steven colbert has indeed managed to hang a portrait of himself] we stopped at an organic food stand and bought a barackwurst [clever. veeeery clever.]. matt and i had the grossest burps until we woke up the next morning.
after the museum fest, we headed toward the washington monument, which was under construction the last time i was in dc [dcs '99, anyone??] so it was exciting to finally be able to get all the way up to it. the only obnoxious part about this monument is that it is impossible to take a photo of the entire thing. this makes for a limited number of photo ops unless you're willing to get creative.
we finally made it to the lincoln memorial [from the capitol to lincoln is 2.7 miles, i have just learned] but there was a line to get up there, and it was getting late, so we decided to leave it for another day. we found a nearby trader joes, got us some dinner and some snacks for the am, and headed back to ben's around 8.
longest. day. ever.
[i shall break this entry up into 3 separate ones to spare your eyes and your attention span.]
untitled (Matt and Barackwurst)
it was unbelievable. amazing. incredible.
and really, really, cold.
and if i didn't want to savor every moment of it, i would leave it at that.
but i do, so i won't.
so here we go.
matt and i took a red eye from los angeles on sunday night. we had a [very very brief, due to a delay - think home alone style] layover in cleveland, and neither of us slept. we arrived in dc around 9am to an empty reagan national airport, and headed straight to ben's apartment, where we were staying. we dropped off our bags and immediately trekked over to the rayburn building, where we would pick up our tickets from howard berman's office. we found a long mass of people [surprise, surprise] and found our way to the end of the line, where we waited a little under an hour to get into the building. we met a nice woman in front of us from massachusetts, whose sons go to the same high school that matt's uncle teaches chemistry at. small world.
we made it inside rayburn and easily found our way to rep. berman's office. we figured we would come across a secretary, be handed our tickets, and leave. however, after receiving our tickets [from a woman who informed me that after living in california for a year, i "really should have gotten a california id already." whoops.] we were told that if we wanted to meet mr. berman, he was in his office. really? cool!! we waited while he finished talking to another couple and then headed in. he asked us if we wouldn't mind holding on just another minute ["you know how it is. you've waited so long already, what's another 3 minutes?"] so we took it upon ourselves to take a seat on his couch. oooh, look at us. fancy valley villagers on our congressman's couch. he came back into his office and chatted with us for a few minutes. we found out that he lives within walking distance from our apartments in valley village, and that if we ever have any issue we'd like him to bring up, to please contact his office in van nuys. wow. does our government ACTUALLY work like that? it was really reassuring to see that it does. i had already succumbed to the idea that nobody really cares what i think. glad to see i was wrong. thanks, howie.
half wanting to go pass out and half wanting to make use of this beautiful 30 degree day in DC, we decided on the latter, and took a stroll down the mall, stopping in the botanical gardens, the air and space museum, and the american history museum. i don't quite know how we did it. we were running on no sleep and hot dogs and nasty ass pizza. not the most ideal combination for being a tourist, though i suppose those are what make these trips memorable.
while in the air and space museum, i stopped for a pee break. i came out to find matt sitting on a bench outside the restrooms, talking with a girl. i came over and she just SHUT UP. it was amazing. i have never caught a girl red-handed hitting on my boyfriend and then had the power to stop her in her tracks just by walking up. i couldn't believe it. so good.
i bought sarah palin condoms.
after the history museum [in which steven colbert has indeed managed to hang a portrait of himself] we stopped at an organic food stand and bought a barackwurst [clever. veeeery clever.]. matt and i had the grossest burps until we woke up the next morning.
after the museum fest, we headed toward the washington monument, which was under construction the last time i was in dc [dcs '99, anyone??] so it was exciting to finally be able to get all the way up to it. the only obnoxious part about this monument is that it is impossible to take a photo of the entire thing. this makes for a limited number of photo ops unless you're willing to get creative.
we finally made it to the lincoln memorial [from the capitol to lincoln is 2.7 miles, i have just learned] but there was a line to get up there, and it was getting late, so we decided to leave it for another day. we found a nearby trader joes, got us some dinner and some snacks for the am, and headed back to ben's around 8.
longest. day. ever.
[i shall break this entry up into 3 separate ones to spare your eyes and your attention span.]
untitled (Matt and Barackwurst)
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
4. hours.
i watched 4 hours of american idol last night.
i am not an american idol fanatic like my parents. it's a pretty religious event at my house. my mom keeps notes from each week. she met a contestant last year at the dutchess county fair and almost peed herself. well, so says my dad. i think he was secretly star-struck, too.
so while i do not have to go to confession for missing an episode, i do enjoy watching it when it's on and i'm free. but i missed the premiere on tuesday night because i was watching the biggest loser. [what? is that laughter i hear? shut the fuck up.]
jesse tivo-ed..tivo'd. tivoed. tivo'ed. *the fact that tivo is not a real verb is proving difficult in this particular situation.*
jesse taped tuesday night's ai for me so that i didn't have to fear about being left behind in the process. seriously, these audition episodes are key. KEY, i tell you.
since ai takes over the airwaves for not one night a week, but TWO, we first had to watch wednesday night's 2-hour episode before putting on tuesday's. i can't believe i watched 4 straight hours of that shit. seriously.
there were some entertaining contestants, though. the creepiest for SURE being this guy. i actually wanted to throw up. listening to him sing was rougher on my stomach than cleaning the shit off of jesse's roommate's cat's ass fur.
see you in hollywood.
i am not an american idol fanatic like my parents. it's a pretty religious event at my house. my mom keeps notes from each week. she met a contestant last year at the dutchess county fair and almost peed herself. well, so says my dad. i think he was secretly star-struck, too.
so while i do not have to go to confession for missing an episode, i do enjoy watching it when it's on and i'm free. but i missed the premiere on tuesday night because i was watching the biggest loser. [what? is that laughter i hear? shut the fuck up.]
jesse tivo-ed..tivo'd. tivoed. tivo'ed. *the fact that tivo is not a real verb is proving difficult in this particular situation.*
jesse taped tuesday night's ai for me so that i didn't have to fear about being left behind in the process. seriously, these audition episodes are key. KEY, i tell you.
since ai takes over the airwaves for not one night a week, but TWO, we first had to watch wednesday night's 2-hour episode before putting on tuesday's. i can't believe i watched 4 straight hours of that shit. seriously.
there were some entertaining contestants, though. the creepiest for SURE being this guy. i actually wanted to throw up. listening to him sing was rougher on my stomach than cleaning the shit off of jesse's roommate's cat's ass fur.
see you in hollywood.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
sucks to be you, fargo.
it currently feels over 110 degrees warmer where i am than in fargo, nd.
[edit: 1:48pm - it now feels like 84 in los angeles and -33 in fargo. and it's snowing.]
[edit: 1:48pm - it now feels like 84 in los angeles and -33 in fargo. and it's snowing.]
fri, sat, sun.
this past weekend was a-ok.
i don't remember what i did friday.
not because it was so good that i became inebriated to the point of forgetfulness, but because i don't think i did anything. did i? geez. i probably sat around hermitage watching it's always sunny.
saturday i woke up and made matt and i breakfast. scrambled eggs, fake sausage, toast, and seeded clementines that were virtually impossible to peel. by the time mine was rind-free, i'm pretty positive all the juice was gone and i was left with skin and seeds. tasty.
i cleaned up around the house for the rest of the morning and then went to pick up my car. $261 later and i've got myself a new, working turn signal. don't ask. keith, my skeevy mechanic, made sure to point out to everyone there that i was wearing my 'discount' shorts. i tried to make it a quick visit, but i was inevitably cornered while he told me about the various millionaires with "huge cocks! you wouldn't believe the size of this guy!", the girls who 'work' at the massage parlor around the corner and who "make so much money, you wouldn't believe it. and with most guys they're done in 5 minutes! easiest $200 you could make!" and the young girl he found using one of the abandoned cars in his lot to turn tricks with her 40-year old sugar daddy. "should i buy her condoms?"
after escaping keith's grasp [literally], i made some returns at joann's fabric and michael's. i stopped into home depot and picked up some potting soil for the garden. arriving at the hermitage, i found chris ladd, and we went to santa monica and met up with tim and jesse. we walked down the pier a bit, got some eats, and then headed to venice to stroll down the boardwalk. ahh, venice in the p.m. my favorite. crazies, galore!
seriously, don't walk there alone. it's sketchy as shit.
when we couldn't take the ever growing drum circle any longer, we peaced out and drove to find the canals that run through a small area of venice. i had seen them from a car, but had never walked along them before - i didn't even know you could, but we soon figured it out and walked canal side down along the houses. this place is gorgeous, and everyone that comes to visit me out here is now mandated to see these. the houses are ridiculous, the canals are real pretty by moonlight, and the foot bridges are adorable. someday. when i have enough money..canals, here i come.
then we went back home and chris and i drank some bottles of wine and watched it's always sunny.
sunday i woke up early to find charlotte in the kitchen cooking breakfast. what a nice treat! she made her version of chile quiles. mmm. william and i went to the spca to look at the animals. the cat rooms are my favorite. i hung out with this 4 yr old male named academy [lame]. he was so great. he had the BEST face. and when we scratched him under his chin, he stuck his neck out, closed his eyes, and almost grinned. real real friendly right off the bat. though when we were playing, one of his claws got stuck in my hand and now i'm left with a puncture wound and a bruise. battle wound in check, i went over to hermitage and pulled up the garden. time for round 2! i didn't have the heart to pull out the green pepper plant, though, because despite not being watered for at least 3 weeks, it's still producing fruit. so i'm trying to work around it. we'll see how that works. digging a foot down and mixing the soil is hard work, so i only got about 1/3 of the way done before i ventured inside and found a hungry chris and tim. we went to hugo's and got some mexican and then headed to menchies with william for some fro yo. mmm.
then we went back to hermitage and i watched more sunny. with chris. and wine..
matt got home real late, but i stayed up, since i haven't seen much of him since he's been working since he's been back. i was POOPED today.
all i want to do now is have a glass of wine...and watch some sunny.
i don't remember what i did friday.
not because it was so good that i became inebriated to the point of forgetfulness, but because i don't think i did anything. did i? geez. i probably sat around hermitage watching it's always sunny.
saturday i woke up and made matt and i breakfast. scrambled eggs, fake sausage, toast, and seeded clementines that were virtually impossible to peel. by the time mine was rind-free, i'm pretty positive all the juice was gone and i was left with skin and seeds. tasty.
i cleaned up around the house for the rest of the morning and then went to pick up my car. $261 later and i've got myself a new, working turn signal. don't ask. keith, my skeevy mechanic, made sure to point out to everyone there that i was wearing my 'discount' shorts. i tried to make it a quick visit, but i was inevitably cornered while he told me about the various millionaires with "huge cocks! you wouldn't believe the size of this guy!", the girls who 'work' at the massage parlor around the corner and who "make so much money, you wouldn't believe it. and with most guys they're done in 5 minutes! easiest $200 you could make!" and the young girl he found using one of the abandoned cars in his lot to turn tricks with her 40-year old sugar daddy. "should i buy her condoms?"
after escaping keith's grasp [literally], i made some returns at joann's fabric and michael's. i stopped into home depot and picked up some potting soil for the garden. arriving at the hermitage, i found chris ladd, and we went to santa monica and met up with tim and jesse. we walked down the pier a bit, got some eats, and then headed to venice to stroll down the boardwalk. ahh, venice in the p.m. my favorite. crazies, galore!
seriously, don't walk there alone. it's sketchy as shit.
when we couldn't take the ever growing drum circle any longer, we peaced out and drove to find the canals that run through a small area of venice. i had seen them from a car, but had never walked along them before - i didn't even know you could, but we soon figured it out and walked canal side down along the houses. this place is gorgeous, and everyone that comes to visit me out here is now mandated to see these. the houses are ridiculous, the canals are real pretty by moonlight, and the foot bridges are adorable. someday. when i have enough money..canals, here i come.
then we went back home and chris and i drank some bottles of wine and watched it's always sunny.
sunday i woke up early to find charlotte in the kitchen cooking breakfast. what a nice treat! she made her version of chile quiles. mmm. william and i went to the spca to look at the animals. the cat rooms are my favorite. i hung out with this 4 yr old male named academy [lame]. he was so great. he had the BEST face. and when we scratched him under his chin, he stuck his neck out, closed his eyes, and almost grinned. real real friendly right off the bat. though when we were playing, one of his claws got stuck in my hand and now i'm left with a puncture wound and a bruise. battle wound in check, i went over to hermitage and pulled up the garden. time for round 2! i didn't have the heart to pull out the green pepper plant, though, because despite not being watered for at least 3 weeks, it's still producing fruit. so i'm trying to work around it. we'll see how that works. digging a foot down and mixing the soil is hard work, so i only got about 1/3 of the way done before i ventured inside and found a hungry chris and tim. we went to hugo's and got some mexican and then headed to menchies with william for some fro yo. mmm.
then we went back to hermitage and i watched more sunny. with chris. and wine..
matt got home real late, but i stayed up, since i haven't seen much of him since he's been working since he's been back. i was POOPED today.
all i want to do now is have a glass of wine...and watch some sunny.
Monday, January 12, 2009
somebody's got a case of the mondays,
but it's ok, because today is IN 'N OUT DAY AT THE OFFICE!!!!
every once in awhile, if we're lucky, a higher power decides that we should order in 'n out for lunch.
today is that day.
every once in awhile, if we're lucky, a higher power decides that we should order in 'n out for lunch.
today is that day.
marisa will get it.
this weekend, when i wasn't drooling over the cats and dogs at the spca, meandering along the canals in venice, or working in the garden, i was seated on the couch [usually with wine and chris ladd at my side] watching it's always sunny in philadelphia.
if you have never seen this show, you need to go out and find it. now. and watch lots of it.
if you have seen the show before, watch more.
if you are easily offended, keep watching. that's the point.
charlie's temper tantrums are my favorite part of the show. and if you're lucky, they just may become yours, too.
watch it.
now.
if you have never seen this show, you need to go out and find it. now. and watch lots of it.
if you have seen the show before, watch more.
if you are easily offended, keep watching. that's the point.
charlie's temper tantrums are my favorite part of the show. and if you're lucky, they just may become yours, too.
watch it.
now.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
what earthquake?
there was an earthquake about 50 miles east of here tonight.
jake was on the front porch and he felt it.
matt, dave, and i were in the driveway and we didn't.
so, naturally we didn't believe jake when he told us he had just felt his chair shake.
"yeah, whatever, jake. how much wine have you had?"
20 minutes later, my phone rang. it was home, with dad on the other line. when i answered the phone all i got back was, "is everything ok?"
"what?" i asked?
"is everything ok??"
"is everything ok?"
"yeah. there was an earthquake."
"oh. there was?"
"yes, it's on channel 4."
"oh, haha. really? hahahhaha.."
"ok, well..i guess everything's ok, then."
"..hahahah. yeah. hahahah. everything's great."
jake was on the front porch and he felt it.
matt, dave, and i were in the driveway and we didn't.
so, naturally we didn't believe jake when he told us he had just felt his chair shake.
"yeah, whatever, jake. how much wine have you had?"
20 minutes later, my phone rang. it was home, with dad on the other line. when i answered the phone all i got back was, "is everything ok?"
"what?" i asked?
"is everything ok??"
"is everything ok?"
"yeah. there was an earthquake."
"oh. there was?"
"yes, it's on channel 4."
"oh, haha. really? hahahhaha.."
"ok, well..i guess everything's ok, then."
"..hahahah. yeah. hahahah. everything's great."
hand me my tiara, please.
after talking for months about how i've always wanted a white, terry cloth robe like they have in the fancy hotels, i finally got one.
i've never actually worn one, but lounging about a 5-star hotel suite in a big, fluffy, white robe like they do in the movies has always been a dream of mine. it's always seemed like a status thing to me. if you're rich and famous, you have a bright white terry cloth robe.
this is obviously not true, as anyone can go out and purchase their very own.
but i guess i've been mentioning it quite a bit, because matt picked up on it and bought me the most WONDERFUL white turkish terry cloth robe.
i live in it.
nothing has ever felt so good against my naked skin as this thing. it's gotta be made of 20 lbs of cotton. it's so heavy. and huge. and wonderful. and warm. and it smells good. and since i've begun wearing it after my evening showers, taking it off and getting into bed has become the most difficult part of my day.
now i prance around my apartment in white fuzzy socks and my robe pretending that i'm anne hathaway in the princess diaries.
..after she's a princess, of course.
i've never actually worn one, but lounging about a 5-star hotel suite in a big, fluffy, white robe like they do in the movies has always been a dream of mine. it's always seemed like a status thing to me. if you're rich and famous, you have a bright white terry cloth robe.
this is obviously not true, as anyone can go out and purchase their very own.
but i guess i've been mentioning it quite a bit, because matt picked up on it and bought me the most WONDERFUL white turkish terry cloth robe.
i live in it.
nothing has ever felt so good against my naked skin as this thing. it's gotta be made of 20 lbs of cotton. it's so heavy. and huge. and wonderful. and warm. and it smells good. and since i've begun wearing it after my evening showers, taking it off and getting into bed has become the most difficult part of my day.
now i prance around my apartment in white fuzzy socks and my robe pretending that i'm anne hathaway in the princess diaries.
..after she's a princess, of course.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
god bless you, mr. rosewater
I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE IS THIS MUCH SNOT IN MY NOSE.
if i were to give you directions on how to Live Like Jess For A Day, this is what i would tell you to do:
sneeze about 11 times.
empty nose into 3 tissues.
let 15 minutes go by.
repeat.
feel free to cough intermittently.
how is this possible?
i have no idea where all of this fluid is coming from, but the amount of it is freakin me out.
i don't mind blowing my nose all that much. when i first got my nose pierced, the thing that most upset me was that i wasn't able to pick or blow my nose for a few weeks. so i'm lucky to be able to drain my face. but i do feel bad for parker, who has to share an office with me. poor guy wasn't hungry at lunch today. i probably made him lose his appetite.
i'm hoping i get this all outta my system real soon. a snotty jess is an unattractive jess.
or so i can imagine.
if i were to give you directions on how to Live Like Jess For A Day, this is what i would tell you to do:
sneeze about 11 times.
empty nose into 3 tissues.
let 15 minutes go by.
repeat.
feel free to cough intermittently.
how is this possible?
i have no idea where all of this fluid is coming from, but the amount of it is freakin me out.
i don't mind blowing my nose all that much. when i first got my nose pierced, the thing that most upset me was that i wasn't able to pick or blow my nose for a few weeks. so i'm lucky to be able to drain my face. but i do feel bad for parker, who has to share an office with me. poor guy wasn't hungry at lunch today. i probably made him lose his appetite.
i'm hoping i get this all outta my system real soon. a snotty jess is an unattractive jess.
or so i can imagine.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
i'm beating kristina
i've started running.
today, should i continue, will be day 3.
YES!
i can't make it too far before i wonder why the fuck i'm outside doing what i'm doing.
so far, this point has been whitsett. which is exactly one mile from my house. my goal right now is to at least keep my jog to this 2 miles, followed by my 15-minute ab workout from hell.
i must be doing something right, because i can't sit down or bend over without feeling excruciating pain. going to the bathroom is the worst, because your legs are at a complete 90 degree angle with your ass, and there's no getting around it. at least in a nicer chair or a couch you can recline a bit, or stretch your legs out. but not when you're peeing. i dread the trips to the bathroom i will have to make today. and i guarantee you there will be a lot.
also, i have more posts in 2009 than kristina.
this will quickly change.
so soak it up while you can.
today, should i continue, will be day 3.
YES!
i can't make it too far before i wonder why the fuck i'm outside doing what i'm doing.
so far, this point has been whitsett. which is exactly one mile from my house. my goal right now is to at least keep my jog to this 2 miles, followed by my 15-minute ab workout from hell.
i must be doing something right, because i can't sit down or bend over without feeling excruciating pain. going to the bathroom is the worst, because your legs are at a complete 90 degree angle with your ass, and there's no getting around it. at least in a nicer chair or a couch you can recline a bit, or stretch your legs out. but not when you're peeing. i dread the trips to the bathroom i will have to make today. and i guarantee you there will be a lot.
also, i have more posts in 2009 than kristina.
this will quickly change.
so soak it up while you can.
Monday, January 5, 2009
seriously?
the other night i went to cj's pizza in rhinebeck with matt, my family, and our neighbors, the fishers. i didn't bring my wallet or my id because a. i wouldn't be paying and b. i never get id'd when i'm with the rents.
we sit down and matt and i order beers, no problem.
our beers are delivered to our table, no problem.
i even take some sips of my beer. no problem.
problem.
a new waitress beelines it to our table, her presence directed towards myself and matt.
"excuse me, can i just see some ID?"
matt takes his out.
i can't.
"uhh.." :fumbling awkwardly in pockets: "i don't think i have mine on me..."
"alright, well i really need some id."
"alright, well i don't have mine. so i guess you'll just have to take this beer away from me." [i didn't think she actually would.]
:takes beer and walks away:
"........." everyone at the table is silent for a moment while we process what just happened, except for my brother who shouts out, "oh my GOD, she's 23 years OLD."
i didn't know they were allowed to take a drink away from you after you've already begun consuming it. if i had known what was going to happen immediately after i suggested to the waitress that she steal my beer back, i would have chugged my beverage, at my dad's suggestion.
after my dad went and talked to the manager [my family is much better about sticking up for me than i am for myself], who still denied me my already-sipped-from beer, we settled down a bit and i angrily sipped my water. matt suggested i steal something from the restaurant. i went into the bathroom to look for some loot, only to find that there is nothing in there. not even a lousy vase.
last time i ever eat at you, cj's.
we sit down and matt and i order beers, no problem.
our beers are delivered to our table, no problem.
i even take some sips of my beer. no problem.
problem.
a new waitress beelines it to our table, her presence directed towards myself and matt.
"excuse me, can i just see some ID?"
matt takes his out.
i can't.
"uhh.." :fumbling awkwardly in pockets: "i don't think i have mine on me..."
"alright, well i really need some id."
"alright, well i don't have mine. so i guess you'll just have to take this beer away from me." [i didn't think she actually would.]
:takes beer and walks away:
"........." everyone at the table is silent for a moment while we process what just happened, except for my brother who shouts out, "oh my GOD, she's 23 years OLD."
i didn't know they were allowed to take a drink away from you after you've already begun consuming it. if i had known what was going to happen immediately after i suggested to the waitress that she steal my beer back, i would have chugged my beverage, at my dad's suggestion.
after my dad went and talked to the manager [my family is much better about sticking up for me than i am for myself], who still denied me my already-sipped-from beer, we settled down a bit and i angrily sipped my water. matt suggested i steal something from the restaurant. i went into the bathroom to look for some loot, only to find that there is nothing in there. not even a lousy vase.
last time i ever eat at you, cj's.
rappy poo near
i had the best new years ever.
the past few years i've stayed in with my parents, watched the ball drop, and hit the hay at 12:01.
this year i was in vermont with matt and his family. it was sooo wonderful. first off, his family is SO GREAT and i felt at home the instant i arrived. second, vermont is just one of the best states out there. despite the below zero degress temperatures, i wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.
i arrived at matt's on tuesday evening, where i was immediately thrown into family dinner. it was delicious, and after a few beers and over 2 hours of apples to apples [ha.], i felt completely at home. the family dog, bela, and i had a love affair with one another. if i ever get myself a dog, it will be one of bela's kind. talk about love. the kitten, fight club, was hilarious and had neverending energy, which is great, because i can play with cats til the cows come home.
after waking up late the next morning [sidenote: i don't believe i got out of bed before noon the entire time i was home] to a delicious breakfast, matt and i got bundled up and went outside to work on the snowfort. once 11 feet high, the rain and warm days had melted it to about 5 feet. it was time to bring it back to life. we [i say we. i stood around playing with the dog and complaining about the cold.] sawed out [and i mean sawed. with a saw.] enormous bricks of ice that required not only myself and matt, but at times even his father, to hoist up on top of our snow structure. before long, i was colder than i could ever remember being, so i stayed outside with matt for just a little bit longer. because that's what you do when you love somebody. you suffer for them.
so what could be better than spending a vermont afternoon building a snowfort?
well let me tell you!
hot apple cider and SANDWICHES FROM PUTNAM are better than spending a vermont afternoon building a snowfort!!!
what a treat we had waiting inside for us. on my way up the day before i stopped in saratoga [i couldn't help myself] and picked up some sammiches from putnam. MM MM GOOD. i mean they better be flippin delicious. goddamn $9.00 sandwich.
we spent the rest of the day hanging out around the house, and after a dinner of tasty hors d'oeuvres [sp?] matt, his sister julianne, their parents and myself headed out to montpelier's First Night. there we froze through a creepy bread & puppet parade and a nice fireworks display at the capitol building. i would freeze through montpelier's nye celebration before times square's any day.
from there we went inside and warmed up a bit before matt, julianne and i headed over to langdon st. cafe for their new year's eve festivities. $10 entry to see two bands included one free drink! woo! what a deal!
the first band we saw was called primate fiasco. a mix of dixieland, new orleans jazz, funk...you get the point - they were sooo fantastic. we danced the night away beside the sweaty group of smelly [read: reallysmelly.] hippies. we fit right in. finally, a public gathering in which i felt 100% completely comfortable [except for the man in only a vest. my nose was not comfortable when i was within a 5 foot radius of him]. i dare you to find me a place like that in LA. i triple dog dare you.
[please? will you?]
sean showed up after work, and it was great to see him. we did the ol' slip-a-wristband-off-and-bring-it-outside-so-that-sean-can-put-it-on-his-wrist-and-get-in move. it worked. i had to pee a lot, and the line for the bathroom was always a bit of a wait. it reminded me of waiting in DAs. always feeling like i'm in someone else's way, and always waiting until the last possible moment before getting in line. i guess the latter problem is my own. matt and i went into the bathroom together a couple times, at the suggestion of a girl behind us, and came out to stares. even though it annoys me when i see other people doing it, it really does save time.
after primate fiasco finished their set, they came down into the crowd while Rusty Belle [skidmore band!!!] took the stage, and together they both rang in the new year with a fantastic rendition of After Midnight. my first midnight sans dick clark came and went, i finally had a boy to kiss, and after julianne and sean left, matt and i stayed on and danced allllll night long. the music MUST be good if I'M dancing. and the beer. the beer must be good, too.
rusty belle played on until past 2, when matt and i were getting ready to leave. what a partay! and cheap, local beers! unheard of in my new life. what a great time. it's been so long since i've been at a place like that. a nice little cafe filled with music and fun and love and free spirits who don't give two shits about anything except having a good time. smelly and sweaty as it was, i wouldn't have traded it for anything else.
as soon as we got home, matt and i dove into the remainders of our putnam delicacies and leftovers from dinner. it was a late night. but that's what new years is for.
the past few years i've stayed in with my parents, watched the ball drop, and hit the hay at 12:01.
this year i was in vermont with matt and his family. it was sooo wonderful. first off, his family is SO GREAT and i felt at home the instant i arrived. second, vermont is just one of the best states out there. despite the below zero degress temperatures, i wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.
i arrived at matt's on tuesday evening, where i was immediately thrown into family dinner. it was delicious, and after a few beers and over 2 hours of apples to apples [ha.], i felt completely at home. the family dog, bela, and i had a love affair with one another. if i ever get myself a dog, it will be one of bela's kind. talk about love. the kitten, fight club, was hilarious and had neverending energy, which is great, because i can play with cats til the cows come home.
after waking up late the next morning [sidenote: i don't believe i got out of bed before noon the entire time i was home] to a delicious breakfast, matt and i got bundled up and went outside to work on the snowfort. once 11 feet high, the rain and warm days had melted it to about 5 feet. it was time to bring it back to life. we [i say we. i stood around playing with the dog and complaining about the cold.] sawed out [and i mean sawed. with a saw.] enormous bricks of ice that required not only myself and matt, but at times even his father, to hoist up on top of our snow structure. before long, i was colder than i could ever remember being, so i stayed outside with matt for just a little bit longer. because that's what you do when you love somebody. you suffer for them.
so what could be better than spending a vermont afternoon building a snowfort?
well let me tell you!
hot apple cider and SANDWICHES FROM PUTNAM are better than spending a vermont afternoon building a snowfort!!!
what a treat we had waiting inside for us. on my way up the day before i stopped in saratoga [i couldn't help myself] and picked up some sammiches from putnam. MM MM GOOD. i mean they better be flippin delicious. goddamn $9.00 sandwich.
we spent the rest of the day hanging out around the house, and after a dinner of tasty hors d'oeuvres [sp?] matt, his sister julianne, their parents and myself headed out to montpelier's First Night. there we froze through a creepy bread & puppet parade and a nice fireworks display at the capitol building. i would freeze through montpelier's nye celebration before times square's any day.
from there we went inside and warmed up a bit before matt, julianne and i headed over to langdon st. cafe for their new year's eve festivities. $10 entry to see two bands included one free drink! woo! what a deal!
the first band we saw was called primate fiasco. a mix of dixieland, new orleans jazz, funk...you get the point - they were sooo fantastic. we danced the night away beside the sweaty group of smelly [read: reallysmelly.] hippies. we fit right in. finally, a public gathering in which i felt 100% completely comfortable [except for the man in only a vest. my nose was not comfortable when i was within a 5 foot radius of him]. i dare you to find me a place like that in LA. i triple dog dare you.
[please? will you?]
sean showed up after work, and it was great to see him. we did the ol' slip-a-wristband-off-and-bring-it-outside-so-that-sean-can-put-it-on-his-wrist-and-get-in move. it worked. i had to pee a lot, and the line for the bathroom was always a bit of a wait. it reminded me of waiting in DAs. always feeling like i'm in someone else's way, and always waiting until the last possible moment before getting in line. i guess the latter problem is my own. matt and i went into the bathroom together a couple times, at the suggestion of a girl behind us, and came out to stares. even though it annoys me when i see other people doing it, it really does save time.
after primate fiasco finished their set, they came down into the crowd while Rusty Belle [skidmore band!!!] took the stage, and together they both rang in the new year with a fantastic rendition of After Midnight. my first midnight sans dick clark came and went, i finally had a boy to kiss, and after julianne and sean left, matt and i stayed on and danced allllll night long. the music MUST be good if I'M dancing. and the beer. the beer must be good, too.
rusty belle played on until past 2, when matt and i were getting ready to leave. what a partay! and cheap, local beers! unheard of in my new life. what a great time. it's been so long since i've been at a place like that. a nice little cafe filled with music and fun and love and free spirits who don't give two shits about anything except having a good time. smelly and sweaty as it was, i wouldn't have traded it for anything else.
as soon as we got home, matt and i dove into the remainders of our putnam delicacies and leftovers from dinner. it was a late night. but that's what new years is for.
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