So Fatiguée

I have had a lot on my plate lately, and most of it just deals with work and classes.
I went to Mariam's bday party at Crocodile Lounge; the singlemost worst place for me to ever want to go to. Free pizza per beer bought. Let's think about this one: a gluten and dairy-free girl walks into a bar....But it was fun regardless. I felt bad because a few of the kids there apparently knew me and my mind ran a blank. Classy. Katherin, Mariam, and I bonded a bit about the gym.

After about two weeks of going late-night to bars and hookah lounges and everything else in between, Lauren and I FINALLY successfully found a hookah café that served the tea we wanted for our birthday celebrations! Thank god! And it's an adorable little place. I'm excited for tomorrow...

The family came to town for last weekend to celebrate my 22nd. We mostly chilled out (literally, it's freezing) in the Roosevelt Island apartment, which is all fine. It was funny to me how hard it was to accommodate for me and my new dietary habits. My mom wanted to make a casserole dish with Cream of Mushroom, but was not convinced that it had dairy in it. And the next few times I requested certain foods that I knew were pretty safe for me, though everyone else seemed to look at the food as if it were alien. Oh, it was also funny to me that for my birthday dinner we made gluten&dairy-free chili.....and they had put out cheesy garlic bread. Hahaha at least the rest of them enjoyed it.
I got some really great business suits and dresses for my birthday.
On Saturday I dragged the girls to the MoMa because it had a few exhibitions I was interested in. I really do love art, but I'm not one to stand and gaze at the art for minutes. I like walking through it, taking it all in. Aimee and I were trailblazing the place while Andrea and my mom put every painting into their longterm memories. I'm just joking, Mom. But my favorite parts of the exhibits were the really weird stuff. Aimee and I enjoyed two very specific moving art pieces: "Gordon's Makes Us Very Drunk", where two proper British guys were sitting around repeating the phrase, and another where some earthy fellow kept moving in abrupt ways and repeating, "I Am Making Art".
The next day we say 27 Dresses with all of the other women of Manhattan. It was SUCH a chick-flick!!! But I enjoyed it mostly, I chortled at a few ridiculous parts, and the women's reactions to certain parts of the movie were stereotypical.
We also went to Lululemon's to get some new gym clothes for my birthday. That place is like gym-aholic's heaven! I could have taken one of everything!!!! Too bad I'm so short; I'm still waiting for a pair of pants to be hemmed for my height.

Before school started, I ended up getting some really sweet tea with Neil and chit chatting about our dysfunctional selves, and in between errands Aaron came over and remarked at my overly-somber mood. I'm working on it, folks.

And then my birthday occurred. I wouldn't say it happened, because I will be officially partaking in celebrating it this weekend, but it did happen; my birthday in fact exists, and I recognized its existence. As did about 65 other people on Facebook. But alas, it was the first day of classes, and I had work until 6pm. And some of my nearest and dearest forgot it completely. So, it wasn't too festive. Class was intimidating, and work was super busy, as always.
Afterwards, I met up with Katherin and Deej at Risotteria to have a little birthday dinner. Too bad it is gluten free, but not dairy free. I was a bit upset, and settled for the salad. I indulged in a brownie and a fudgey, though. So so good.

Oh yeah, I got my final grade for Fall semester in: Law = A. I rule. How appropriate I'm at a law organization now.

Wednesday I was nonstop for 12 hours. I had a class (where I met the most beautiful German. We'll be married soon, just you wait.) that I couldn't follow (mostly due to the beautiful foreigner near me....I was having trouble concentrating. I'm serious.), bought books, and then a 3-hour doozy where the ever-intense professor let us know just how much work we had in store for our class. Help? After class I had a Chambers meeting, and hit starvation mode, so I crawled home and ate some food before napping.

Yesterday was another day of classes and work. And then another Chambers meeting afterwards. I got home 10 hours later, and was so exhausted that I amounted to nothing for about 5 hours before allowing myself to sleep. Must keep a normal schedule, right?

I would just like to state now my disgust for Washington Square Park's state right now. Tourists stop me on the street all week asking me where the arch is, simply because it is pitch black at night. That's not the park nor atmosphere I recall and love of the village. Way to go, NYC; you're officially dismantling the charm and touristic value of New York City during a time it needs it most (like, say, a recession).

What else......hmmmm....today I worked again. I was nonstop working (be surprised) and a lot of the work was really frustrating. Oh well. And I talked to Kendra and played "catch up" with her for about 30 minutes before my phone conked out. I'm now debating going to a birthday party for Chantal from SciPo in midtown or staying in my warm apartment and doing something similar to that of last night: resting.

Right...

I keep forgetting to write in the blog. I either don't feel up to the challenge, or I just forget altogether. That is not to say that I am terribly busy; I'm just not really enthused about blogging lately. But alas, the things I do for the sake of immortalization via documentation.

Isn't it crazy that, at least in NYC, one almost always walks by little lounge cafes when they are not looking or particularly needing/have time for them. And yet, when all you want to do is curl up on a couch (or just comfortable seating), sip tea, talk to friends, and read, they are few and far between! No "Friends" Central Perk to your rescue, as Rob and I concluded on a coffee shop hunt last Monday. We walked around all over the East Village, and could only find restaurants and bars! It was so frustrating...but we finally sought refuge in a little cafe before it closed down and had a hurried night of hot beverages and catch-up.
Afterwards I skipped over to Lauren's where we watched the last half of a more recent Harry Potter (I deduced by the thickness of Harry's neck). Sometimes I feel like Lauren, Jenni (her roommate), and I are in "Charmed"; three relatively attractive girls out to save the world from itself.

Tuesday I went to FIAF after work and talked some French. It's funny, the majority of people there are these younger, attractive people that I would probably befriend in bars or clubs near my apartment, and what do I do? I make a bee line towards the older men sitting down. I made friends with an old black man, Winston?, who was hard of hearing but could uphold a slow conversation in French (for the most part). Then a friend of his came over to join us, and the conversation took a screeching halt. His French was still in it's brand-new phase, and so it was hard for me to listen to his sentences that he pieced together while translating everything word-for-word. And the accent.....I'm not saying I'm bilingual, but I do speak with a bit more ease than most of the people I meet at FIAF events. Usually I'll just go off into a rant in French about something societal or whatnot. Does that make me a snob?
I finished my book, The Russian Debutante's Handbook. It was rather amusing. I thought of it as a rather accurate portrayal of the Russian-American way of life.

Thursday I got a call from Lauren to see a free movie screening for "Looking for Sunday". It was pretty terrible. I enjoyed the fact that Lauren said out loud during the credits, "Wow, Kim, I'm so sorry..." You could tell that the makers of the film were trying so hard to attract masses with sex and clichés that they forgot a comprehensible plot or any character development. Lauren, being the movie aficionado, had to walk me through the actual point of the story.
Afterwards, Craig, his girlfriend, and Jesse swung by for a bit to chit chat. It was fine. How we've grown...

Friday I ended up going to a last minute rock show? A rather heavy metal rock show, no less. Lauren and I, not being much of drinkers, pre-gamed with fruit and chocolate at Whole Foods, and then went to this show for meeting Jenni's new rock band (a bunch of boys from NJ...whom I found to be a rather peculiar, though funny, bunch). The music was loud, and some of it I actually enjoyed.
Afterwards the buzzed band (and Jenni) brought Lauren and I to Phebe's. Not drinking still, I started dancing my tail off in an open space near the bar. Her band members took that idea and ran with it. Oh man, white boys can't dance. Lauren and Jenni enjoyed it, too. Though, I think I only attract Middle Eastern men or something...odd...

Saturday I went to see an animated French film I was dying to see, Persepolis. Really well done! I highly recommend it. There is a lot jam packed into that animated movie, and I can't think of anything that was inappropriate at all in the film. So good...
I then ended up walking halfway across Manhattan to meet some kids at some bar, only to be redirected by Nate to a Peculiar Pub by campus. The night was alright, though there was a lot of PDA in the group (which I always dislike strongly), and no real attractive strangers in the bar. I wanted to leave early, but somehow got roped into staying longer with a girl to wait for her boyfriend, who took 1.5 hours too late. It put me in a grumpy mood, especially because I feel like an outsider with that group of people for the most part. Anyways....

Sunday I went to see Joe Iconis' Rock'n'Roll Band Jamboree! It was at a pretty fancy restaurant's underground theater. The food I got was simple and unadulterated (thank god they were willing to give me just some greens and berries!), which contented me. And the music was actually really good. I had a lot of fun; the group of performers were clearly enjoying themselves up on stage, and I knew a few of them, which made it even more enjoyable!

Yesterday was ugly out. I went to lunch with Rob at a really good sushi place midtown ("Would I ever lead you astray, Kim?"). I enjoy my time with Rob. He's a good guy, underneath the stony grumble.
I then ran to a dermatologist appointment. Meh.
Marion was running back to the city for all of an hour, in between Paris and Boston. I helped her with a bag upstairs and then abandoned her for the doctor's appointment.
Otherwise, yesterday was rather boring. I did read my book, and I am so excited about finishing it now because it became ultra interesting. Steppenwolf, you know it?

Ketchup, #2

So, back to the lengthy excuses.

On Boxing Day I didn't do much, but Mucks and Eric came over for the evenings to hang out. Mucks ended up leaving early, so Eric came over in his sweats and lounged about with me.

Another thing I must note: my extreme cold altered my fashion sense dramatically into looking like a butch lesbian. Don't get me wrong, I love my lesbian friends, but I looked like a lumberjack! Big boots, baggy jeans, and a bulky wool sweater with every LLBean, Eddie Bauer color-paletted woven into it in a horizontal clash of colors. Eric admitted to my lesbian look, to boot.

Scott and I watched "The Namesake." Good movie, sad plot, surprisingly GREAT soundtrack! I bought it.

That Friday, after I majorly shopped with Mom (which I quickly lost stamina for; I don't like to shop much), Scott and I ventured to the Nines to see Jessica, finally. The frustrating part is that Jessica relied on my making all of the night's plans. Even though she was the one busy with things to do and called us at 9pm to hang out after she hung out with her other friends, I was the one to make plans. So, Scott and I opted for a drink at the Nines. Oddly, we ran into Jeff, Penny, Taylor, and Andy there, too! So our group twiced in size instantly!
It's funny because during high school we would go there and joke about the alumni who were in the bar. Still in NA, we'd say, how sad they haven't made a life for themselves yet. And here we were, in the bar, just in passing. I understand it a little more, now.
Anyways, Jess brought her new boy, who Scott and I thoroughly, strongly disapprove of. She barely talked with us because of doting on that dolt of a guy.
But we still had fun! The others and us enjoyed a joyful, rather entertaining conversation over drinks. We're getting old, folks.

The next day was, again, slow. My darling Vivek and Kunal came over (yay! brothers!) to watch the second half of the football game. We ended up getting into a hefty conversation about world politics and the like. And Vivek's job. They're such genuinely lovely kids, it's great to see that they haven't changed from high school.

The next day dad's roommate, Bill, came over. He's such a darling guy, I'm so glad my dad's living with him. And I like talking to him about nearly everything.
And then Penny and Ally (whom I haven't seen in years) came over and we instantly indulged into the details of Penny's wedding in July. We did that for a while and then just became a bunch of giggling girls and joked around for a while.
We went to Penny's for dinner with her frightening mother. The meal was good, but the cake (which, apparently might be the same as Penny's wedding cake) was PHENOMENAL! Chocolate cake soaked in a raspberry liquid, with chocolate fudgey ganache in the middle. Oh man, so good...
During dinner, my phone rang off the hook with people asking what was going on for the night. Just like high school... So, I told them all to go to my house and I would figure it out from there. Mind you, I didn't know if anyone was home at my place (just assumed really), and I had no keys, so when my family didn't pick up the phone I got worried....but they were there, so it was alright.
So we all gathered around in my family room like old days and bantered. And it was an interesting dynamic; different for sure, but I could see what was happening and who everyone is now so clearly that I mostly just observed the events. Jesse almost started making fun of a book that I was reading about spiritual stuff, and I put on my guard and armor as soon as he even touched the book. Better keep a close eye on that one...

So, the last day I was home was New Years Eve.
I had tea with Jen, old singing teacher, for an hour before her lessons. It is so great to see her! And we talk like girlfriends now, which I truly love. Too bad it was only an hour, there was so much to talk about after a year!
Mom and I went shopping for much of the day (or was it an hour? I can't tell the difference...), but I stopped and said "bye" to Penny, and Scott came over for a while to say "bye" to me. I love them so much, it's always bittersweet to know I won't see them for a while.
The thing that pissed me off about NYE was that my dad decided to leave at 5am the next morning to drive back into the city. Though most parties end about then for the holiday... And I had no car to be able to drive home early from any parties. So I ended up spending my New Years at home with the family, who fell asleep on the couch well before the ball drop, and made a bit-size picnic with some Dom Perignon before going to bed almost as soon as the ball hit the bottom.

So, came back into the city to be greeted by the Frenchies, of course. Broke out into the Franglish immediately (hard to do after a week of barely thinking).
I showed Steven around the city after Marion left for Paris. The best thing to do with French people, I discovered, was bring them to Katz Deli (see "When Harry Met Sally"). His face of horror and confusion was priceless! A typical NYC deli with its rundown charm and busy frantic lines of hungry New Yorkers really put Steven in a state of confusion. "Why are the waiters so ugly?" You mean grillers? "Why is there cereal on the floor?" You mean wood shavings? I made him try a knish and matzo ball soup, as well as the cheesecake. All around a good job on my part.
Thomas was over the next day. I love Thomas, he always is so polite and charming. Oh man, what a treat to have him around! He makes me blush. We bonded and I made him go get some pierogi's and carrot cake. Now, try to think about how you'd explain carrot cake to a French person, someone who has NEVER heard of such things. It took me 30 minutes to try to explain it, and 30 minutes after eating it how it worked. Another great past-time with foreigners.

The job is good. I started on Wednesday and had my first project due on Friday. Things are looking bright for me now. Though the job exhausts me....I would come home and just hit rock bottom.
I haven't been feeling like socializing or going outside much. I'm not depressed, guys, no no no. I just 1) fear the cold; 2) am really tired; 3) have a lot of little things I need to do for myself; 4) want to relax and read. I'll be seeing people in due time. I'm not worried about it. And I'm on a goal: to lose the weight, once and for all.

Ketchup, #1

I know I know...procrastination on the blog. I just haven't really felt like writing in it recently. Put the blame on Mame.

Right before I left for Boston, the Frenchies came and took over the flat for the week. It is always a treat to have the Frenchies here with me. And what a treat it was to see Steven, whom I haven't seen since the last day of classes in Paris!, who is doing so well and is really improving on his English! We were bouncing between languages so much the entire evening we were together that we got many-a-weird looks on the streets ("Is that English or something else?! I don't get it!").

Try to get all of the Xmas gifts I wrapped (including a bottle of wine and a painting canvas) from my place to Roosevelt Island was one of the worst treks I have ever had in NYC. I had 4 bags to haul onto the subways. I even left early, thinking that I would be beating the Friday rush. Well, it seems that the rest of Manhattan had the same idea as me. The trains were stuffed and people were scolding me about having taken a seat up with my many bags (it gave us all more standing room, though) while pinning me up onto my delicate canvas.
The bus ride while on the island was no small task, either; the kids on the bus had no sense of balance or common sense and were falling all over the place (near my stuff!). When I finally got off of the bus at Dad's apartment, my bag o' gifts broke and I scrambled enough arm room to hold it while briskly walking to the complex. I get into Dad's room to be redirected almost immediately to the car outside.
By the time we get to the car, I discover the bottle of relatively pricey NY wine I bought from the Farmer's Market had broken in the fall and was now drenching all of my wrapped gifts. I was the grumpiest Kim ever the whole ride back; my gifts were all partially ruined (sans canvas) and I wreaked of fine wine the whole ride up...a testament to the wine I would never get to enjoy on Christmas Day. At least the drive home wasn't terrible...only an hour longer than usual.

At least when I got home I was greeted by clinical Jeff and quiet Dom, a fabulous mix and ex-couple. We talked about what we had been up to, mostly.
The next day I ended up going out with Dom and her sister (Lauren) and Sam for the evening! It was Sam's 21st a few days before or so, so I treated him to a drink and dinner at Not Your Average Joe's. We had a lot of fun; Sam and I making fun of each other, Dom and Lauren goofing off on the side. And of course, the food was good. We then went to see "The Golden Compass". As an avid fan of the Dark Materials Trilogy, I was rather disappointed in the film. The ending wasn't even accurate! And I felt like if I hadn't read the book already, I would have been clueless as to the storyline. Then again, how could they actually put that dense book into a movie, anyways?
After the movie, Eric came over to my place and we chit chatted for a while. Love that boy.

Sunday Jeff came over for dinner. It's amazing to see how similar he is to my dad. Both are quite gregarious and boisterous when in a group of people. Howling at themselves or jokes, loads of stories or jokes to share.
And Scott came over. It is wonderful, I don't see him for months on end, and the moment he opens the door, it's almost like my spirit sighs with relief. He really is my soul-mate, even if he does like boys as much as I do (is that even possible?). We all talked about some, then Jeff left and Scott and I got into a very emotional conversation (one that included him eating our leftovers, of course). I love how I feel around Scott.
In between visits, I gutted my room. Most of the clothing I had, and little trinkets around the room, have been given to Salvation Army or are slowly being auctioned off on Ebay. I am starting to feel a bit better about my room, since it's full less of just...stuff.

Xmas Eve was Mom's birthday, as always. She wanted to go out to a movie, so we did: "PS I Love You". Actually not a bad chick flick! I got a bit weepy during parts of that movie. I especially loved the amount of Irish accents involved in the film.
Aimee and I made dinner and dessert for Mom. I know, I know, shocker; Aimee cooking. But she actually did a really great job! I'm proud of her, my little girl is growing up! Mom seemed to like the meal, and the presents we got her.
After her birthday we went to Midnight Mass at church. It is interesting, it seems as if the church has split once again into the "New Generation Churchies" and the "Old Generation Churchies", and the Xmas Midnight Masses seems to be made solely for the Old Ones. It was smaller than usual, but I knew almost everyone in the pews. It was really fun to see people I hadn't seen in years (or was it just a year ago?). My friends and I joked about how we felt we would burst into flames due to our attendance in Church, and the music was sung in warbles and slightly out of tune, like always. The only thing that made it hard to tolerated was our interim minister: she bounced around to be "lively" and gave a sermon that made absolutely no sense, eyes closed and all.

Christmas was mostly somber. Woke up and opened presents with the family. I didn't ask for much, so luckily I wasn't given too much to pack up and bring back to NYC or put away in my room. But I did get a fun Belly Dancing kit (which will be put to use). And some money and gift cards. It seems like everyone liked my gifts, so I was pleased.
The ugliest gifts were also bestowed upon me by the ever-"loving" Dad's Parents. They made it visually clear that I am the least favorite of the grandchildren, and I can only laugh about it. I mean, really, it's hysterical!
Dinner was good: prime rib, anyone? Not your normal dinner, but it was a pleasantly different meal.
Scott and I were then joined by Aimee and Andrea to see "Sweeney Todd: The Movie" (yeah yeah, not very Christmasy). I don't think Tim Burton could have done a better job on a Sondheim musical! Very symbolically done, and the singers were all impressive! I love Johny Depp's voice! Oh yeah, we met up with some of the other Andover guys (Dany and Josh), who laughed with me about the amount of food Scott scarfed down from concessions. We also ran into a lot of people before the movie, which I found odd.

I think now would be a good time to emphasize the freezer that was my house. My dad doesn't turn on the heat ever (is it his comfort, or the money? who can be sure). Which means, to me, it was about as cold inside as it was outside. I didn't leave my boots and 4 sweaters while in that house, and I became almost immobile from the cold, for fear that moving would only increase my chances of dying from hypothermia (which I nearly approached). He told me I was overreacting, as my mood slumped quickly into a grouchy, ice-cold Kim. I don't do well in the cold; in fact, I am in my worst sorts the colder it gets. I also grew a sinus infection (surprise surprise), and my body ached and screamed for warmth. It took me about 3 days back in my warm NYC apartment to thaw from the deep freeze.

I think it's time for a break in text.

Some More Joys From Profs

Ethics = A
Marketing Research = B (oh come on, ref! that was a total pass!)
Entertainment Marketing = A-

Just 2 more classes, and I'll know how much more I have to rev my last 10 credits for school. I just don't want to see any B-'s on the last two classes. That would suck.