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.