Courtesy of sitcomgirl, wherein you tell me all about you:
1. Can you cook? Yep, and I have the scarred hands to prove it.
2. What was your dream growing up? I really, really wanted to learn how to fly. $36 bucks at the Shell station this morning to fill up the Packback says I still wish I could.
3. What talent do you wish you had? Nice handwriting. Years of email and Microsoft Office have rendering my writing to just a notch or two above 'completely awful.'
4. Favorite place? Anywhere my family is, usually around a big meal.
5. Favorite vegetable? Onions, tomatoes, red cabbage, broccoli, arugula, potatoes...I like most veggies, except asparagus and peppers.
6. What was the last book you read? The Tummy Trilogy by Calvin Trillin.
7. What zodiac sign are you? Capricorn.
8. Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Pierced ears. No tattoos, but I have a scar on my right pinkie shaped like New Jersey. That counts, right?
9. Worst Habit? Worrying. I can obsess and make myself insane with anxiety like no other. No wonder I take the little purple pill. I also drive too fast but I consider that a well-honed skill, Officer.
10. Do we know each other outside of our blogs? 9 years now.
11. What is your favorite sport? Probably baseball, but only because J told me to say that.
12. Do you have a negative or optimistic attitude? Depends on what day and what time it is.
13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me? Discuss we were going to eat the second we got out.
14. Worst thing to ever happen to you? I've been fortunate to haven't had any significant tragedies in my life so far. Getting laid off and being unemployed has been the worst thus far and it sucked pretty badly.
15. Tell me one weird fact about you. My pH levels are out of whack; eventually, I bleach most of my shirts and towels just by wearing and using them. I even managed to fade my white gold wedding ring back to yellow - it's only two years old.
16. Do you have any pets? No, we don't welcome anything with more than 2 legs in this house.
17. Do you know how to do the Macarena? I did go to prom after all...
18. What time is it where you are now? 5:30pm, PST
19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary? Scary and weird.
20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be? I'd be as tall and thin in real life as I am inside my head.
21. Would you be my partner in crime or my conscience? A little from column A, a little from column B. I'd never let you hurt yourself or get in big bad trouble. I will, however, help you steal the cool silverware and nice hotel bathrobes.
22. What color eyes do you have? Blue.
23. Ever been arrested? Nope.
24. Bottle or draft? As long as it's vodka, it can come from a can for all I care. Mix it with grapefruit juice and call it a day.
25. If you won $10,000 dollars today, what would you do with it? Give Amex and the government their cut, and then go on vacation for awhile.
26. What kind of bubble gum do you prefer to chew? Nothing really, it hurts my jaw.
27. What's your favorite bar to hang at? My couch with a cocktail or 10. I'm just that cool.
28. Do you believe in ghosts? No.
29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time? Nap, go to the pool, hang out with friends.
30. Do you swear a lot? ::insert obvious answer here:: (yes)
31. Biggest pet peeve? People who clip their names in public, people that walk too slowly in front of me, people that drive too slowly in front of me, people that...hmm, a theme.
32. In one word, how would you describe yourself? Flexible
33. In one word, how would you describe me? Superfantastico
34. Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you? Just did. :)
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Monday, July 02, 2007
As of late...
1. Went back to New Jersey for a few days to throw Peckle a surpriiiiiiiiiise bridal shower. I worked like a psycho leading up to the redeye to Newark, resulting in the first (and last, I'm sure) almost-pleasant overnight flight I've ever taken. Fell asleep just after takeoff, woke up when we touched down in Atlanta, where I changed planes and promptly conked out until arriving in Newark.
2. Spend some time in New York City. It was a tossup on whether I wanted to walk the 12 blocks from Penn to my meeting or take the train for old time's sake. Luckily, I was wearing some good Reefs, so I walked, along with 8 million other people, ten thousand cabs, a bunch of hot dog carts, a lot of mystery spots, and I loved/missed every second of it. Summer here in suburbia is great, if for no other reason than the pool is less than a thousand feet away, but hot town, summer in the city? Awesome, every urine-scented inch of it.
3. In the same vein, I got to spend several days living it up in New Jersey, The Greatest State In The Union And Don't You Forget It, Sucka. Even better, lots of quality time with Dr. Lu and dbg, which always = good times, especially when Jello shots are involved. Which also leads to...
4. I made Jello shots for the first time in my 28 years. And even bigger testiment to just how big a dork I am, I brought the box o' Jello to the liquor store to ensure the correct amount of booze was purchased. And by correct amount, I mean the right number of little bottles of the hard stuff to go along with the two jugs of sangria required for the weekend. And we ran out. And had to get more. From my GRAMMA. Because that's how we roll.
5. The morning of my return to the Wrong Coast, Dr. Lu and I purchased approximately ten thousand (or so) bagels to stash in my luggage for those long cold nights. Yes, I checked a bag containing nothing by bagels. And I'd do it again.
6. While slicing and packing said bag, I sliced my left middle finger open. Instead of spending the afternoon knocking back some Dunkin' Donuts, Dr. Lu sped me to the emergency room, where I waited on line behind a kid with a sore throat and a woman with a sprained ankle, lifeblood literally, figuratively, and actually draining out of me. The nurse was not impressed, by either my bleeding or my need to get on a plane in 3 hours.
7. It took my finger over four hours to clot, and that was with me, three nurses and two doctors standing on top of it, willing my insidey parts to go back from whence they came. Apparently I have a knack for hitting blood vessels with pointy things. Go hard or go home, I always say. I was still bleeding when I was discharged at 5:30, just in time to make it home for dinner AND to wave goodbye to my flight that left at 5:18. On the upside, it got me out of setting the table.
8. For the first time ever, Delta Airlines actually made up for their eXXXtreme degree of suckitude last February and sent me back to California for free. Sure, I had to take an extra flight, EWR-DCA-ATL-ONT, and spend almost 4 hours in the Atlanta airport, but I've had worse flights and didn't even get stuck in the 7th circle of hell, aka A Middle Seat. I even got home early enough to lay on the couch for awhile and spend some time with my old friend, Tivo, as it should be.
9. Did I mention it's 100 degrees here now, all day, every day? I need to get one of those oh so hip sun shades for the Mazda Jansport because hot sun + black leather interior = burnt hands. Ouch.
10. I made cupcakes tonight. Nothing says July like turning on the oven.
2. Spend some time in New York City. It was a tossup on whether I wanted to walk the 12 blocks from Penn to my meeting or take the train for old time's sake. Luckily, I was wearing some good Reefs, so I walked, along with 8 million other people, ten thousand cabs, a bunch of hot dog carts, a lot of mystery spots, and I loved/missed every second of it. Summer here in suburbia is great, if for no other reason than the pool is less than a thousand feet away, but hot town, summer in the city? Awesome, every urine-scented inch of it.
3. In the same vein, I got to spend several days living it up in New Jersey, The Greatest State In The Union And Don't You Forget It, Sucka. Even better, lots of quality time with Dr. Lu and dbg, which always = good times, especially when Jello shots are involved. Which also leads to...
4. I made Jello shots for the first time in my 28 years. And even bigger testiment to just how big a dork I am, I brought the box o' Jello to the liquor store to ensure the correct amount of booze was purchased. And by correct amount, I mean the right number of little bottles of the hard stuff to go along with the two jugs of sangria required for the weekend. And we ran out. And had to get more. From my GRAMMA. Because that's how we roll.
5. The morning of my return to the Wrong Coast, Dr. Lu and I purchased approximately ten thousand (or so) bagels to stash in my luggage for those long cold nights. Yes, I checked a bag containing nothing by bagels. And I'd do it again.
6. While slicing and packing said bag, I sliced my left middle finger open. Instead of spending the afternoon knocking back some Dunkin' Donuts, Dr. Lu sped me to the emergency room, where I waited on line behind a kid with a sore throat and a woman with a sprained ankle, lifeblood literally, figuratively, and actually draining out of me. The nurse was not impressed, by either my bleeding or my need to get on a plane in 3 hours.
7. It took my finger over four hours to clot, and that was with me, three nurses and two doctors standing on top of it, willing my insidey parts to go back from whence they came. Apparently I have a knack for hitting blood vessels with pointy things. Go hard or go home, I always say. I was still bleeding when I was discharged at 5:30, just in time to make it home for dinner AND to wave goodbye to my flight that left at 5:18. On the upside, it got me out of setting the table.
8. For the first time ever, Delta Airlines actually made up for their eXXXtreme degree of suckitude last February and sent me back to California for free. Sure, I had to take an extra flight, EWR-DCA-ATL-ONT, and spend almost 4 hours in the Atlanta airport, but I've had worse flights and didn't even get stuck in the 7th circle of hell, aka A Middle Seat. I even got home early enough to lay on the couch for awhile and spend some time with my old friend, Tivo, as it should be.
9. Did I mention it's 100 degrees here now, all day, every day? I need to get one of those oh so hip sun shades for the Mazda Jansport because hot sun + black leather interior = burnt hands. Ouch.
10. I made cupcakes tonight. Nothing says July like turning on the oven.
Monday, June 04, 2007
We're all a little bit racist sometimes.
It constantly amazes me, the differences between LA and NYC. Two huge, influential cities, their populations can be strikingly similar, but in all my time in NYC, no one I've ever encountered has used such strong racist remarks as those I've come across lately. Maybe it's because you'd never find anyone there that's not a cross between someone and some place, but it's not like LA is White People, All The Time, which makes it even weirder.
1) At work the other day (oh yeah, I got a job. Goes through August. Pays the bills. Helps me sleep. Hooray! For now!), I was talking to a prospective talent, going over her contact info. When I got to her email, I made her spell it three times, because I couldn't believe it was something so WRONG, so inappropriate and so....she thought it was funny? Because she's Asian? Seriously?
2) Again, on the job, I was meeting with someone looking for a spot on the team, and when I asked if she was in or out, she said she wanted to, but "they're trying to Jew me down on my rate." Now, we'd just met. She has no idea who or what I am, but in that instant, I learned all I needed to know about her. If she's the kind of person that's okay with throwing that kind of thing around in casual conversation with someone she just met, I really have no interest in working or crossing paths with her ever again.
This kind of thing makes me once again re-examine who I am and how I present myself here. I can blend right in; unless you've spent enough time around Jews and don't know there's a whole line of us with red hair and pale skin, you wouldn't think me as anyone "ethnic." I'm not, nor do I pretend to be, but it makes me think about how it looks like I blend right in with everyone that's not outwardly "different." I'm not really comfortable with that, and it unsettles me to feel like this, because I'm not striving to stick out or BE DIFFERENT HEY LOOK AT ME I'M NOT LIKE YOU or anything like that. I know who and what I am, I just never thought I'd be somewhere that what I am IS different. It makes me think; I definitely don't want to be less than what I am, but do I want to be more? Do I actually want more or just look it? If this is how I feel now, in June, I can only imagine what the Christmas season will bring.
It's funny, when we came out here, I expected a lot of things to be different; I never imagined this would be it.
1) At work the other day (oh yeah, I got a job. Goes through August. Pays the bills. Helps me sleep. Hooray! For now!), I was talking to a prospective talent, going over her contact info. When I got to her email, I made her spell it three times, because I couldn't believe it was something so WRONG, so inappropriate and so....she thought it was funny? Because she's Asian? Seriously?
2) Again, on the job, I was meeting with someone looking for a spot on the team, and when I asked if she was in or out, she said she wanted to, but "they're trying to Jew me down on my rate." Now, we'd just met. She has no idea who or what I am, but in that instant, I learned all I needed to know about her. If she's the kind of person that's okay with throwing that kind of thing around in casual conversation with someone she just met, I really have no interest in working or crossing paths with her ever again.
This kind of thing makes me once again re-examine who I am and how I present myself here. I can blend right in; unless you've spent enough time around Jews and don't know there's a whole line of us with red hair and pale skin, you wouldn't think me as anyone "ethnic." I'm not, nor do I pretend to be, but it makes me think about how it looks like I blend right in with everyone that's not outwardly "different." I'm not really comfortable with that, and it unsettles me to feel like this, because I'm not striving to stick out or BE DIFFERENT HEY LOOK AT ME I'M NOT LIKE YOU or anything like that. I know who and what I am, I just never thought I'd be somewhere that what I am IS different. It makes me think; I definitely don't want to be less than what I am, but do I want to be more? Do I actually want more or just look it? If this is how I feel now, in June, I can only imagine what the Christmas season will bring.
It's funny, when we came out here, I expected a lot of things to be different; I never imagined this would be it.
Monday, May 07, 2007
June Cleaver
- Cleaned the apartment, including vacuum- and Windex-ing
- Went grocery shopping
- Did laundry, washing, folding AND putting it away
- Brewed ice tea
- Baked cookies
- Made frozen pizza for dinner (what?)
How disgustingly domestic. I better go eat a Big Mac while not wearing pants in my front yard while yelling at those damn kids to get off my lawn.
- Went grocery shopping
- Did laundry, washing, folding AND putting it away
- Brewed ice tea
- Baked cookies
- Made frozen pizza for dinner (what?)
How disgustingly domestic. I better go eat a Big Mac while not wearing pants in my front yard while yelling at those damn kids to get off my lawn.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
closed
Please take your problems with your roomate, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, job, boss, coworker, salary, apartment, landlord, neighbors, weight, cat, dog, mother, father, brother, sister, wedding, divorce, engagment, car, subway, bus...
...somewhere else. I'm closed for business for awhile.
...somewhere else. I'm closed for business for awhile.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
All I need to know, I learned on the 405
Things I've Learned about California:
1) Radio is awful. There's a collection of about 50 songs, no matter what station is playing. I thought maybe I was making this up, but then I heard "I Want to Sex You Up" three times in one week on three different stations and...no. Color Me Bad, people. COLOR. ME. BAD.
2) No matter what time of day, month, day of the year, or season, there's traffic. I know it's a bad day when I'm stuck behind four cars and I haven't left the complex yet.
3) Even with all the cars, never has the concept of supply and demand been so well demonstrated by watching the guy at the Shell station down the hill raise the price of regular to $3.50.
4) Restaurant portions are huge. On the upside, hellooooo 2-for-1 dinners. I feel like we're in training for our wrinkly years in Miami with all the other Jews.
5) Speaking of food, this state has an afinity for the Arnold Palmer (iced tea-lemonade), which is fabulous. Also, oddly, they make a great potato salad. Seriously. Everywhere we go, the taters are top notch.
6) Summer sneaks up behind you, clonks you over the head and boom, it's July. Except its April. On the upside, our apartment is half underground, so it's like 20 degrees cooler in here. Come power bill time, that's going to be awesome.
7) I need to wear more sunscreen if I want to leave the house. A lot more. Like, say, a bottle a day.
8) There's no hands-free cell law. Considering how many merges are involved just to leave town, I can't see how this is practical in the least.
9) Flipflops are never not appropriate footwear. I adopted this look 30 seconds after getting off the plane, and know I'm in for a world of hurt and cold toes when we get back to New York. I don't miss socks at ALL.
10) I miss New York like crazy, but like this place a lot more than I thought I would.
1) Radio is awful. There's a collection of about 50 songs, no matter what station is playing. I thought maybe I was making this up, but then I heard "I Want to Sex You Up" three times in one week on three different stations and...no. Color Me Bad, people. COLOR. ME. BAD.
2) No matter what time of day, month, day of the year, or season, there's traffic. I know it's a bad day when I'm stuck behind four cars and I haven't left the complex yet.
3) Even with all the cars, never has the concept of supply and demand been so well demonstrated by watching the guy at the Shell station down the hill raise the price of regular to $3.50.
4) Restaurant portions are huge. On the upside, hellooooo 2-for-1 dinners. I feel like we're in training for our wrinkly years in Miami with all the other Jews.
5) Speaking of food, this state has an afinity for the Arnold Palmer (iced tea-lemonade), which is fabulous. Also, oddly, they make a great potato salad. Seriously. Everywhere we go, the taters are top notch.
6) Summer sneaks up behind you, clonks you over the head and boom, it's July. Except its April. On the upside, our apartment is half underground, so it's like 20 degrees cooler in here. Come power bill time, that's going to be awesome.
7) I need to wear more sunscreen if I want to leave the house. A lot more. Like, say, a bottle a day.
8) There's no hands-free cell law. Considering how many merges are involved just to leave town, I can't see how this is practical in the least.
9) Flipflops are never not appropriate footwear. I adopted this look 30 seconds after getting off the plane, and know I'm in for a world of hurt and cold toes when we get back to New York. I don't miss socks at ALL.
10) I miss New York like crazy, but like this place a lot more than I thought I would.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Garden Stating
Thanks to jetlag, I'm wide away at 7:30am on Friday morning. I don't have anywhere to be until noon, but this actually works out well, because I was able to minimize the time between sleeping and getting some sweet, sweet Dunkin' Donuts. Bagels are for crap in Southern California, and the only reason I had to wait so long between getting off the plane and swathing myself in carb-y goodness was the lack of sleep. Our 9pm flight turned into an 11pm takeoff, with an unscheduled layover in Las Vegas, making our landing at 7:15am the 24-hours-awake mark. It took another two hours in transit get from JFK to WO, but thanks to the tri-state area's BIG, EASY, INEXPENSIVE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION (are you listening, SoCal?), by the time we got home, showered and into jammies, it was 10am. Ouch. After all that, I felt no guilt at sleeping the day away.
(omg this bagel is awesome.)
Today's plan is to get a dress for the s'wedding and get my fill of all the goodies NJ has to offer. Tomorrow I'll hit up NYC, and the idea of visiting the city, rather than going home to 89th Street is a little odd. After a baby shower in Queens, we're going to cram ourselves full of Mexican food down at NYU, possibly followed by shakes. Sunday is visiting the other end of the family, capped off by Starlight.
(omg pizza. SoCal pizza sucks.)
Monday is acupuncture with Dr. Cupcake, followed by odds and ends, and then...sniff...back to the airport. Pleh. Fortunately, both she and Peckle* are scheduled for west coast appearances in the coming weeks. That'll be good, but I wish my time out here wasn't so limited. The tri-state is small, but mighty and there's just not enough time to get in all the good stuff. Oh, New Jersey, how I've missed thee.
(*omg maybe they'll bring me bagels and pizza.)
(omg this bagel is awesome.)
Today's plan is to get a dress for the s'wedding and get my fill of all the goodies NJ has to offer. Tomorrow I'll hit up NYC, and the idea of visiting the city, rather than going home to 89th Street is a little odd. After a baby shower in Queens, we're going to cram ourselves full of Mexican food down at NYU, possibly followed by shakes. Sunday is visiting the other end of the family, capped off by Starlight.
(omg pizza. SoCal pizza sucks.)
Monday is acupuncture with Dr. Cupcake, followed by odds and ends, and then...sniff...back to the airport. Pleh. Fortunately, both she and Peckle* are scheduled for west coast appearances in the coming weeks. That'll be good, but I wish my time out here wasn't so limited. The tri-state is small, but mighty and there's just not enough time to get in all the good stuff. Oh, New Jersey, how I've missed thee.
(*omg maybe they'll bring me bagels and pizza.)
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
It hath risen
Mmmmm...leavened. Nothing says goodbye to Passover like yellow cake with chocolate frosting AND sprinkles.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Mmmmm bread
N: OMG OMG OMG OMG
N: It's almost not Passover.
L: This must be what xmas morning is like.
L: OMG IT'S SANTA AND HE'S MADE OF BREAD
N: Doughy Claus
L: It really IS the most wonderful time of the year.
N: I'm going to go buy a baguette after work and tie a bow around it.
N: It's almost not Passover.
L: This must be what xmas morning is like.
L: OMG IT'S SANTA AND HE'S MADE OF BREAD
N: Doughy Claus
L: It really IS the most wonderful time of the year.
N: I'm going to go buy a baguette after work and tie a bow around it.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Un. Leavened.
Five effing bucks for a box of matzoh.
Also, Safeway lady? Please don't look at me like I had anything to do with what went down back then.
Also, Safeway lady? Please don't look at me like I had anything to do with what went down back then.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Berry good
After yoga and some lunch, we headed over to Knott's Berry Farm for some quality time with the Scrambler and bumper cars. We hit the Snoopy store, but left empty hadded after determining that we could either spend nothing or everything, with no middle ground. It was harrowing, considering their dvd section, but for my emotional sanity, we had to leave it all behind. Anyone that can watch Snoopy Come Home without a total, crocodile-tears breakdown has a cold, black heart, with a soul made of carbon steel; I can't imagine what a wreck I'd be if it actually lived in my house.
Friday, March 30, 2007
3am
I was turned down for a job today. On one hand, I wasn't thrilled with the position. It would been the right title and a relatively good salary, but the job was a very loose definition of what I do. It was much more of a support position, which isn't my specialty. On the other hand, it was a job and one I could have done with not a lot of stress. So, it's still a bummer.
Still, I'm better today. I think what's bothering me at night, is when I sit down to check email, look at blogs, etc., I have no one to talk to. I can't pick up the phone and call my nearest and dearest because they're all asleep back east. We're definitely past the phase of weeknights, and I don't think anyone would appreciate me bringing back that trend.
Still, I'm better today. I think what's bothering me at night, is when I sit down to check email, look at blogs, etc., I have no one to talk to. I can't pick up the phone and call my nearest and dearest because they're all asleep back east. We're definitely past the phase of weeknights, and I don't think anyone would appreciate me bringing back that trend.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Night
It's amazing how suburban we're quickly becoming. Saturday morning was yoga, followed by a nap, and then the rest of the weekend was a whirlwind of Target, Ikea, and various other shopping outlets. It's gotten so out of hand, we bought a little grill and even drilled a few holes in the wall to anchor the bookcases. What's become of us?
The state of the apartment these days sort of mirrors my state of mind. Some things are in order and in their place, but most everything else is out of whack, balanced on top of itself, being held together with dusty packing tape that's almost lost it's stick. I don't want to lose my stick, but I'm afraid. I haven't really slept well, staying up far too late, hoping exhaustion beats anxiety to the finish line. The longer I wait to go to bed, letting the tv fill the silence, the less time I'll spent lying awake, staring into the darkness, thinking. I'm bored. I'm getting lazy. I have no job. I'm at loose ends, with nothing to do. I have no purpose. And I'm lonely.
Poor J has to bear the brunt of it. He comes home after working all day, and has to hear about all the nothing I've done to pass the hours. I'm dragging my feet on doing things that need to be done, like dropping off a prescription or making a phone call, because once I do them, they're done, and I'll be left with nothing all over again. He does his best to keep me up, letting me call the shots with regards to our free time, but I don't want him to feel like he needs to babysit or constantly entertain me. I know I'll feel better once I get a job, which is a whole other worry in and of itself. There are more opportunities here, but a much, much larger talent pool, making the competition stiff. I thought I was getting a stronger response, but it's been quiet lately, and that makes me uneasy. When this happened in New York, I had a fallback. Here, I'm working without a net.
When you're sick, it's known as sundowning - you feel okay during the day but as the sun goes down, things start to feel worse. I actually feel okay throughout the day. I don't hate living here. Of course I miss home, but when it's light out, it's easy to see this adventure for what it is. It's when it gets dark and J has gone to be and it's just me, that's when I start to feel really alone. I try to remind myself at night that it's not so bad, but it's hard. I just keep wondering when we can put it all back in the boxes and go home.
The state of the apartment these days sort of mirrors my state of mind. Some things are in order and in their place, but most everything else is out of whack, balanced on top of itself, being held together with dusty packing tape that's almost lost it's stick. I don't want to lose my stick, but I'm afraid. I haven't really slept well, staying up far too late, hoping exhaustion beats anxiety to the finish line. The longer I wait to go to bed, letting the tv fill the silence, the less time I'll spent lying awake, staring into the darkness, thinking. I'm bored. I'm getting lazy. I have no job. I'm at loose ends, with nothing to do. I have no purpose. And I'm lonely.
Poor J has to bear the brunt of it. He comes home after working all day, and has to hear about all the nothing I've done to pass the hours. I'm dragging my feet on doing things that need to be done, like dropping off a prescription or making a phone call, because once I do them, they're done, and I'll be left with nothing all over again. He does his best to keep me up, letting me call the shots with regards to our free time, but I don't want him to feel like he needs to babysit or constantly entertain me. I know I'll feel better once I get a job, which is a whole other worry in and of itself. There are more opportunities here, but a much, much larger talent pool, making the competition stiff. I thought I was getting a stronger response, but it's been quiet lately, and that makes me uneasy. When this happened in New York, I had a fallback. Here, I'm working without a net.
When you're sick, it's known as sundowning - you feel okay during the day but as the sun goes down, things start to feel worse. I actually feel okay throughout the day. I don't hate living here. Of course I miss home, but when it's light out, it's easy to see this adventure for what it is. It's when it gets dark and J has gone to be and it's just me, that's when I start to feel really alone. I try to remind myself at night that it's not so bad, but it's hard. I just keep wondering when we can put it all back in the boxes and go home.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Moving in
We've been here 10 days and are settling in. It remains to be seen just how well, but for now, things are okay. We've been unpacking, albeit slowly. We did get the cable and internet hooked up. Couple that with the super comfy new couch and it's easy to see why unpacking isn't moving right along.
It's interesting here. We're about 35 miles outside of LA, and while I loved living in the middle of it all in New York, I think I'd really not enjoying living in the city here. It's so different from what we know, that I'm finding the suburbs to be okay. The biggest change so far is the driving. I like to drive and being from New Jersey, I'm damn good at it, but I miss the subway like crazy. Even on it's worst days, you got where you wanted to go in less than an hour for the low, low price of two bucks. Here, it's a crapshoot. It took me over three hours to get to LA on Wednesday, 90 of those minutes spent sitting on the approach to the freeway. Two overturned tractor trailer within 10 miles of each other snarled traffic up but good:
That's eight lanes of cars all trying to merge onto a road that had no intention of moving. Whereas Thursday was smooth sailing. Weird.
On the other hand, where traffic comes along with driving, it's a handy accessory, like a backpack on wheels. I can get whatever we need/want from the store instead of only what I can carry. And when I say store, I mean Target. There's one in every direction which is awesome for keeping us in discount toilet paper, but awful for keeping us in snacks, dvds, shoes, and all the other fun stuff they have. Must...resist...
In other news, after working (yes!) for two days this week with some old friends, I got my first sunburn of the season. I coated myself in so much sunscreen had I tripped and fallen (which is always entirely possible), I would have slid 15 feet into traffic. To be safe, I tethered myself to the building with leftover hot dogs. Waste not, want not.
It's interesting here. We're about 35 miles outside of LA, and while I loved living in the middle of it all in New York, I think I'd really not enjoying living in the city here. It's so different from what we know, that I'm finding the suburbs to be okay. The biggest change so far is the driving. I like to drive and being from New Jersey, I'm damn good at it, but I miss the subway like crazy. Even on it's worst days, you got where you wanted to go in less than an hour for the low, low price of two bucks. Here, it's a crapshoot. It took me over three hours to get to LA on Wednesday, 90 of those minutes spent sitting on the approach to the freeway. Two overturned tractor trailer within 10 miles of each other snarled traffic up but good:
That's eight lanes of cars all trying to merge onto a road that had no intention of moving. Whereas Thursday was smooth sailing. Weird.
On the other hand, where traffic comes along with driving, it's a handy accessory, like a backpack on wheels. I can get whatever we need/want from the store instead of only what I can carry. And when I say store, I mean Target. There's one in every direction which is awesome for keeping us in discount toilet paper, but awful for keeping us in snacks, dvds, shoes, and all the other fun stuff they have. Must...resist...
In other news, after working (yes!) for two days this week with some old friends, I got my first sunburn of the season. I coated myself in so much sunscreen had I tripped and fallen (which is always entirely possible), I would have slid 15 feet into traffic. To be safe, I tethered myself to the building with leftover hot dogs. Waste not, want not.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
The Amazing Race
For all of you that know me and what happens when I go to the airport:
Our flight from Newark to Phoenix was relatively uneventful. 30 minutes in, the man behind me starting yelling for the air marshals because the women behind him kicked his seat. Twice. Threats of lawsuits went back and forth, with him demanding we land and get the cops involved. Needless to say, we had better things to do than sit in Pittsburgh over a playground argument and we made it to Phoenix, with him complaining the whole way.
Here's where it gets interesting: we landed at 7:15 in Terminal C, with 64 minutes to catch our connection to Ontario (CA) in Terminal...4 (I don't know either) With no signs to guide us, we tracked down a security guard who pointed us in the direction of a shuttle bus. We got on the bus at 7:30 and after a 10 minute ride, arrived at Terminal 4. After a series of wrong turns and some elevator rides, we found ourselves at the back of a 20+ person line for security, with 14 minutes to make our flight.
(As an aside, this bitchy woman in front of me tried to one-up me in her knowledge of NJ. She was from Philly, so I think you all know how that ended.)
J and I took turns taking off our shoes, getting out our laptops, etc, so we'd be ready when we got to the scanner. As we got closer, we could see the TSA agents taking their fine, sweetass time checking tickets, looking at IDs, asking about flights. When we finally got to the front, the agent insisted on flipping through my passport, looking at both sides of J's license, examining our old tickets from Newark, all the while commenting on how soon our flight was and how far the gate was from security.
We finally got through and me with a huge backpack and J with 2 bags, start running through the terminal. OF COURSE the moving walkways were broken, and we were gate 28, all the way at the end. The terminal was nothing but kids, old people, nuns, dogs, and I think at one point, we had to stop and let a family of ducks go by at gate 15.
We arrived at the gate at 7:59. We boarded...and were promptly delayed 30 minutes for equipment problems. We finally took off at 9pm.
This is all a roundabout way of saying we're now safely in California.
Our flight from Newark to Phoenix was relatively uneventful. 30 minutes in, the man behind me starting yelling for the air marshals because the women behind him kicked his seat. Twice. Threats of lawsuits went back and forth, with him demanding we land and get the cops involved. Needless to say, we had better things to do than sit in Pittsburgh over a playground argument and we made it to Phoenix, with him complaining the whole way.
Here's where it gets interesting: we landed at 7:15 in Terminal C, with 64 minutes to catch our connection to Ontario (CA) in Terminal...4 (I don't know either) With no signs to guide us, we tracked down a security guard who pointed us in the direction of a shuttle bus. We got on the bus at 7:30 and after a 10 minute ride, arrived at Terminal 4. After a series of wrong turns and some elevator rides, we found ourselves at the back of a 20+ person line for security, with 14 minutes to make our flight.
(As an aside, this bitchy woman in front of me tried to one-up me in her knowledge of NJ. She was from Philly, so I think you all know how that ended.)
J and I took turns taking off our shoes, getting out our laptops, etc, so we'd be ready when we got to the scanner. As we got closer, we could see the TSA agents taking their fine, sweetass time checking tickets, looking at IDs, asking about flights. When we finally got to the front, the agent insisted on flipping through my passport, looking at both sides of J's license, examining our old tickets from Newark, all the while commenting on how soon our flight was and how far the gate was from security.
We finally got through and me with a huge backpack and J with 2 bags, start running through the terminal. OF COURSE the moving walkways were broken, and we were gate 28, all the way at the end. The terminal was nothing but kids, old people, nuns, dogs, and I think at one point, we had to stop and let a family of ducks go by at gate 15.
We arrived at the gate at 7:59. We boarded...and were promptly delayed 30 minutes for equipment problems. We finally took off at 9pm.
This is all a roundabout way of saying we're now safely in California.
Where am I?
I don't know how it happened, but apparently, I now live in California. It's a temporary exile, but I hope New York is okay without us.
I don't know how okay I am without New York.
I don't know how okay I am without New York.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Poke poke
Yesterday, as a favor to Dr. Lu, I had 20 needles stuck all over me, in a variety of places. I was also willingly set on fire and chained to a bed.
What?
What?
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Peak ticket
Every day, he waits by the information booth, in the middle of Grand Central Station. As the minutes tick by, people coming and going, meeting and greeting. And as time slips away, he continues to wait, everyday, knowing, hoping, eventually, someone will be there to meet him.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Insufficient fare
On the W this evening, a bunch of cute girls got on behind me, one prettier than her friends. Decked out in brand new Uggs, a big Coach bag, the latest Burberry scarf, and a $100 manicure, she was in the process of regaling her friends with yet another tale of her latest bad date. His crime? He wasn't tall enough.
She sat next to me, and I saw the guy across from me check out the pretty one. He saw me looking and smiled briefly, embarrassed to be caught staring. He wasn't bad-looking himself, with a nice suit and a leather briefcase, complete with a schmancy new video iPod. The girls got off at 28th Street, and the guy was still looking at the pretty one, trying to work up the courage to say something to her. His eyes followed her out, and he watched her tell someone to get the fuck out of her way. The doors closed, his gaze still on the platform.
He looked back at me.
"I should have gotten her number, huh?"
I glanced up from my book and shook my head.
"No way. You dodged a bullet there. Girls like that? Will eat your dreams and destroy your soul."
She sat next to me, and I saw the guy across from me check out the pretty one. He saw me looking and smiled briefly, embarrassed to be caught staring. He wasn't bad-looking himself, with a nice suit and a leather briefcase, complete with a schmancy new video iPod. The girls got off at 28th Street, and the guy was still looking at the pretty one, trying to work up the courage to say something to her. His eyes followed her out, and he watched her tell someone to get the fuck out of her way. The doors closed, his gaze still on the platform.
He looked back at me.
"I should have gotten her number, huh?"
I glanced up from my book and shook my head.
"No way. You dodged a bullet there. Girls like that? Will eat your dreams and destroy your soul."
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Delta, we have a problem
This is how I spend Wednesday. :
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to express my extreme displeasure for the service I did (and did not receive) on February 14, 2007.
Due to the weather on February 14, I arrived at JFK at 8am, almost four hours early for Flight 1841 to LAX, set to leave at 11:46am. I called the status line several times between 7am and during my trip to the airport and was told repeatedly the flight was on time. The check-in area was a total zoo, with a line wrapped around the terminal. I was fortunate to have no baggage and after some searching, found the single terminal for self-check in (which did indeed give an option to check bags.) More of those terminals would have gone a long, long way to alleviate the crushing line.
Around 10:30am, the flight had its first plane/terminal change, from Terminal 2, to Terminal 28, in a completely different section of the airport. There was no announcement made, just a semi-periodical scroll on a message board.
After moving to Terminal 28, we were told the flight was now delayed to 12pm, which turned into 12:30, 1pm, 1:30pm, etc. Terminal 28 is located in a forgotten part of JFK, with no food available other than a tired sandwich cart. I’m sure Delta is very proud of having a Discovery Channel store in that area, but as it sat, empty, while the sandwich cooler was raided, perhaps that should have been rethought.
Around 1:30pm, it was determined our new plane had broken bathroom doors and would not be suitable to fly to LAX, necessitating another plane/gate change, this time down to gate 27. Again, there was no announcement made, just a scroll put up on a television screen. The passengers were left to find out for themselves.
In the midst of all this, a woman was permitted to walk her very large, barking, untrained, and uncrated dog around the terminal. It was made clear to everyone that she intended to bring the dog on board and let it roam free. Many people were concerned and did not wish to fly next to a large dog with no crate.
At 2pm, the pilot made an announcement about a mechanical problem with our new plane and we’d have to wait until it was fixed, at least 30 minutes. The only reason I heard it, is because I was standing right next to him at the time. The PA system was so bad; the announcement was inaudible and garbled. When people rushed to the podium for clarification, the pilot returned to the plane, leaving myself and several other passengers to spread the word.
They finally made a boarding announcement at 2:30. However, we were not permitted to board until all the dogs in cargo and the one in the gate area had been walked. I can’t even begin to describe how angry and upset many, many passengers, including myself, became after seeing that. It’s inexcusable that Delta is placing animals ahead of people on their priority list, especially in a situation like this. It’s awful and insulting and possibly one of the worst things that could have happened at that moment.
We finally boarded at 2:45 and that’s when this ill-fated trip went from the sublime to the ridiculous.
At 3:15pm, when we were supposed to be pushing back, the jetway broke, refusing to detach from the side of the plane. On the other side, a luggage cart had slid underneath the plane, unable to finish loading bags, and was now stuck in snow. Our plane was now actually physically prevented from moving.
At 4pm, neither problem had been fixed, but we were being repeatedly assured that as soon as they were, we’d taxi out to the runway, get de-iced and be on our way. We were also informed that every other airline had canceled their flights hours ago, a Jetblue plane was currently frozen to the runway and ever better, if we didn’t get going before 6pm, the flight attendants would go into illegal overtime and would not be permitted to fly.
At 5:30, with both the jetway and luggage cart situations finally fixed, we tried to push back from the gate. We could not, as both the plane and tug was now also stuck in the snow and unable to move. At this point, passengers were pleading to be let off the plane and for Delta to follow the other airlines and cancel the flight. We were told that should we get off the plane, we’d forfeit our seat and no flights were available until at least Saturday. Additionally, should the plane take off, all the luggage was going to LA no matter what, and wouldn’t be returned for at least two business days (as this was Wednesday, the bags would be gone for over five days when returned.) The airline also refused to deliver the missing bags to homes, forcing people to return to JFK to retrieve them.
By 6:10pm, we attempted to push back from the gate once more. We jerked to a stop, because in the time it took for us to start moving, a Lufthansa plane had jumped the de-icing line, and was now in out spot, on the runway, with no de-icing trucks available. We couldn’t move until that plane had been towed away and the trucks located.
Which didn’t matter because at 6:20, our flight crew went illegal and were no longer permitted to fly.
Another crew was located, but they were also stuck on a plane on the runway, with no gate to taxi to. In order to get to us, the plane was to be towed to a parking lot, and the crew bused in. At this point, the pilots chose to inform us they had 90 more minutes before they too went illegal, and Delta still refused to cancel the flight. We were completely out of options and hope of getting out tonight if we didn’t get underway by 8pm, as there were no more flights beyond ours for the night. We were essentially being held hostage by Delta’s whims and refusal to end this nightmare at 2pm when it was clear this flight had way too many problems to continue. There’s absolutely no excuse for playing with people lives like this.
At 6:30pm, the jetway was brought back down to the plane, and the captain told everyone to get off. However, the gate agents and tower disagreed, and wouldn’t permit us to get off. Until a decision could be made, we were to sit on the plane, with the door open, and the weather frigid. We were told that should ANYONE got off the plane, it would become unsecured, and we’d all have to get off, be re-screened and re-boarded.
Perhaps the worst, most insulting part of the evening came next. Although we were banned from leaving the plane, Delta permitted the woman with the dog to go out on the jetway to walk the dog. Despite protestations from the entire plane, the flight and gate crew decided once again, the dog’s comfort was more important than any human on board. A woman with a toddler pleaded to get off the plane to get baby food and she was refused. There are no words to describe how horrible this situation had now become and this was the ultimate insult.
It was finally determined that it would be best to let everyone off the plane to get something to eat and use the bathrooms while they figured out this complete catastrophe.
Ordered not to leave the terminal, we sat there and watched the pilots collect their bags and coats and leave the plane. Delta still refused to cancel the flight.
Finally, at 7:30, they admitted defeat, and with no flight crew or pilots, ended the nightmare and canceled the flight. Over 150 people waited on line to try and get home and were being informed that not only were their no flights until at least Friday, Delta wouldn’t be providing hotel rooms or transportation or anything, not even a food voucher, for stranded passengers, blaming the entire situation on weather, completely ignoring the multitude of mechanical and customer service failures. I was forced, once again, to wait on line behind a dog, to get my tickets canceled and refunded.
Being delayed due to weather is one thing, but the snow stopped at 12:30pm. Delta had every opportunity to cancel the flight and instead, chose to hold over 150 people in limbo. There was no attempt to plow the runways or make alternate plans or help passengers in any way. Between allowing dogs more comfort than people, and refusing to do anything to help the situation, Delta has sent a clear message to their customers that they simple do not matter, no matter what the situation. Had the flight been canceled earlier in the day, it’s entirely possible that at least half of Flight 1841’s passengers would have been rebooked for same-day travel, either on other airlines or from LaGuardia or Newark. There were many children on board who are now missing school and sleeping in hotels (or worse, the Delta terminal), because the airline was stubborn. This goes so far beyond wanting to get people to their destination and is now firmly in the corner of refusing to do the right thing.
Due to Delta’s complete disregard for their passengers, I’ve had to forfeit a job in LA. Is Delta going to compensate me for that? Are they going to apologize for placing an animal’s priorities over paying customers? People need to know that Delta is only concerned with their bottom line, to the complete and total detriment of their customers (and inflight crew that was also forced to suffer.)
I am sending this email on Thursday February 15, 2007, as well as sending it via registered mail on Friday, February 16, 2007 to Delta CEO Gerald Grinstein. Delta has five business days from the receipt of this letter to contact me with both a formal, written (not emailed) apology and some sort of compensation for this entire, avoidable mess.
I await your response in this matter.
Me
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to express my extreme displeasure for the service I did (and did not receive) on February 14, 2007.
Due to the weather on February 14, I arrived at JFK at 8am, almost four hours early for Flight 1841 to LAX, set to leave at 11:46am. I called the status line several times between 7am and during my trip to the airport and was told repeatedly the flight was on time. The check-in area was a total zoo, with a line wrapped around the terminal. I was fortunate to have no baggage and after some searching, found the single terminal for self-check in (which did indeed give an option to check bags.) More of those terminals would have gone a long, long way to alleviate the crushing line.
Around 10:30am, the flight had its first plane/terminal change, from Terminal 2, to Terminal 28, in a completely different section of the airport. There was no announcement made, just a semi-periodical scroll on a message board.
After moving to Terminal 28, we were told the flight was now delayed to 12pm, which turned into 12:30, 1pm, 1:30pm, etc. Terminal 28 is located in a forgotten part of JFK, with no food available other than a tired sandwich cart. I’m sure Delta is very proud of having a Discovery Channel store in that area, but as it sat, empty, while the sandwich cooler was raided, perhaps that should have been rethought.
Around 1:30pm, it was determined our new plane had broken bathroom doors and would not be suitable to fly to LAX, necessitating another plane/gate change, this time down to gate 27. Again, there was no announcement made, just a scroll put up on a television screen. The passengers were left to find out for themselves.
In the midst of all this, a woman was permitted to walk her very large, barking, untrained, and uncrated dog around the terminal. It was made clear to everyone that she intended to bring the dog on board and let it roam free. Many people were concerned and did not wish to fly next to a large dog with no crate.
At 2pm, the pilot made an announcement about a mechanical problem with our new plane and we’d have to wait until it was fixed, at least 30 minutes. The only reason I heard it, is because I was standing right next to him at the time. The PA system was so bad; the announcement was inaudible and garbled. When people rushed to the podium for clarification, the pilot returned to the plane, leaving myself and several other passengers to spread the word.
They finally made a boarding announcement at 2:30. However, we were not permitted to board until all the dogs in cargo and the one in the gate area had been walked. I can’t even begin to describe how angry and upset many, many passengers, including myself, became after seeing that. It’s inexcusable that Delta is placing animals ahead of people on their priority list, especially in a situation like this. It’s awful and insulting and possibly one of the worst things that could have happened at that moment.
We finally boarded at 2:45 and that’s when this ill-fated trip went from the sublime to the ridiculous.
At 3:15pm, when we were supposed to be pushing back, the jetway broke, refusing to detach from the side of the plane. On the other side, a luggage cart had slid underneath the plane, unable to finish loading bags, and was now stuck in snow. Our plane was now actually physically prevented from moving.
At 4pm, neither problem had been fixed, but we were being repeatedly assured that as soon as they were, we’d taxi out to the runway, get de-iced and be on our way. We were also informed that every other airline had canceled their flights hours ago, a Jetblue plane was currently frozen to the runway and ever better, if we didn’t get going before 6pm, the flight attendants would go into illegal overtime and would not be permitted to fly.
At 5:30, with both the jetway and luggage cart situations finally fixed, we tried to push back from the gate. We could not, as both the plane and tug was now also stuck in the snow and unable to move. At this point, passengers were pleading to be let off the plane and for Delta to follow the other airlines and cancel the flight. We were told that should we get off the plane, we’d forfeit our seat and no flights were available until at least Saturday. Additionally, should the plane take off, all the luggage was going to LA no matter what, and wouldn’t be returned for at least two business days (as this was Wednesday, the bags would be gone for over five days when returned.) The airline also refused to deliver the missing bags to homes, forcing people to return to JFK to retrieve them.
By 6:10pm, we attempted to push back from the gate once more. We jerked to a stop, because in the time it took for us to start moving, a Lufthansa plane had jumped the de-icing line, and was now in out spot, on the runway, with no de-icing trucks available. We couldn’t move until that plane had been towed away and the trucks located.
Which didn’t matter because at 6:20, our flight crew went illegal and were no longer permitted to fly.
Another crew was located, but they were also stuck on a plane on the runway, with no gate to taxi to. In order to get to us, the plane was to be towed to a parking lot, and the crew bused in. At this point, the pilots chose to inform us they had 90 more minutes before they too went illegal, and Delta still refused to cancel the flight. We were completely out of options and hope of getting out tonight if we didn’t get underway by 8pm, as there were no more flights beyond ours for the night. We were essentially being held hostage by Delta’s whims and refusal to end this nightmare at 2pm when it was clear this flight had way too many problems to continue. There’s absolutely no excuse for playing with people lives like this.
At 6:30pm, the jetway was brought back down to the plane, and the captain told everyone to get off. However, the gate agents and tower disagreed, and wouldn’t permit us to get off. Until a decision could be made, we were to sit on the plane, with the door open, and the weather frigid. We were told that should ANYONE got off the plane, it would become unsecured, and we’d all have to get off, be re-screened and re-boarded.
Perhaps the worst, most insulting part of the evening came next. Although we were banned from leaving the plane, Delta permitted the woman with the dog to go out on the jetway to walk the dog. Despite protestations from the entire plane, the flight and gate crew decided once again, the dog’s comfort was more important than any human on board. A woman with a toddler pleaded to get off the plane to get baby food and she was refused. There are no words to describe how horrible this situation had now become and this was the ultimate insult.
It was finally determined that it would be best to let everyone off the plane to get something to eat and use the bathrooms while they figured out this complete catastrophe.
Ordered not to leave the terminal, we sat there and watched the pilots collect their bags and coats and leave the plane. Delta still refused to cancel the flight.
Finally, at 7:30, they admitted defeat, and with no flight crew or pilots, ended the nightmare and canceled the flight. Over 150 people waited on line to try and get home and were being informed that not only were their no flights until at least Friday, Delta wouldn’t be providing hotel rooms or transportation or anything, not even a food voucher, for stranded passengers, blaming the entire situation on weather, completely ignoring the multitude of mechanical and customer service failures. I was forced, once again, to wait on line behind a dog, to get my tickets canceled and refunded.
Being delayed due to weather is one thing, but the snow stopped at 12:30pm. Delta had every opportunity to cancel the flight and instead, chose to hold over 150 people in limbo. There was no attempt to plow the runways or make alternate plans or help passengers in any way. Between allowing dogs more comfort than people, and refusing to do anything to help the situation, Delta has sent a clear message to their customers that they simple do not matter, no matter what the situation. Had the flight been canceled earlier in the day, it’s entirely possible that at least half of Flight 1841’s passengers would have been rebooked for same-day travel, either on other airlines or from LaGuardia or Newark. There were many children on board who are now missing school and sleeping in hotels (or worse, the Delta terminal), because the airline was stubborn. This goes so far beyond wanting to get people to their destination and is now firmly in the corner of refusing to do the right thing.
Due to Delta’s complete disregard for their passengers, I’ve had to forfeit a job in LA. Is Delta going to compensate me for that? Are they going to apologize for placing an animal’s priorities over paying customers? People need to know that Delta is only concerned with their bottom line, to the complete and total detriment of their customers (and inflight crew that was also forced to suffer.)
I am sending this email on Thursday February 15, 2007, as well as sending it via registered mail on Friday, February 16, 2007 to Delta CEO Gerald Grinstein. Delta has five business days from the receipt of this letter to contact me with both a formal, written (not emailed) apology and some sort of compensation for this entire, avoidable mess.
I await your response in this matter.
Me
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