Gnomes and Diamonds

Just to recover some sanity left in my brain, let me wrap up my weekly life...

Grandparent story: The MORNING Aimee and I were to drive them to the airport for their flight away, grandma pulled this MASSIVE pout-fest. She had apparently hid a small container of a single piece of baklava in the dining room (3 days before) under a napkin. When the boys came over, I was trying to clean up and made the executive decision that she no longer wanted the dessert, and that I could eat it. And it was eaten. That morning, I woke up to find she'd be upset and throwing a fit all morning about how "it was just nasty" that me and my friends came in and ATE all of the sweets in the house. She made it a point to say that it had been OK if it were all "family members", but this was just unacceptable. "We had to eat salty things for breakfast." HEAVEN FORBID! And things got worse from there....
Anyways, for those of you who know my grandparents, this went on all day until we finally dropped them off. No tearful goodbye this time.
Aimee and I vented it out at Cheesecake Factory in Cambridge while I exchanged an Ann Taylor dress.
And that night, after a fruitful and fun run around the neighborhood, I fell asleep on Muck's lap while watching "Dodgeball".

I grabbed hot cocoa with Garrett. Just to get out of town, we found ourselves in a Dunkin Donuts in Salem, NH. We had a good 2-hour conversation about life and whatnot. He is such a great guy, I'm so glad we still talk.
And Jessica came over to watch Dane Cook, who is a very sexy man. It was a good night.

Yesterday I ran a lot of errands, focusing mainly on France things. And then I went to say goodbye to Craig before he moved back to NYC. Lucky bastard.

I FINALLY got an email back from Darrell. You know, I don't care what's going on with this whole......thing. I just get frustrated when friends don't keep in good contact with me, especially when I care a lot about them and am going to a FOREIGN COUNTRY in about a month. Common courtesy, in my POV. Agh, men.

Went into the North End with Steve F. today to have a lunch date. We talked in french, I told him about college life, tried to help him out with some of his problems. He acts a lot older than he really is, and I'm so impressed by him.
Wisdom teeth surgery victim Scott and I went out to dinner and a movie later tonight. We basked in the gift card glory at TGIFridays, and saw "Blood Diamond". It was a very good film. A lot of violence about the West-African diamond black market and it's relations with the RUF. Makes you frustrated with humanity, that's for sure.

I would like to take this time now to shout out to Deejay. I see you reading my blog. Hey, you. Let's chat soon.

I don't know anyone else who reads it, which is why I'm perplexed why someone in Latvia or Algeria would stumble across it....which they apparently have.

Back at Home

The chocolate thing I had was, in fact, the flu. Just to let you know. The worst jogs of my life...
Moving out of the apartment in Manhattan was a real bitch. I had to pack everything up all by myself into the car in the basement garage. Where Buck was so conveniently placed TIGHTLY (as in no moving room) between a BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar, and Escalade. I'm serious. Rough 2 hours of packing my life into a Buick LeSabre.
And did I mention that there was a protest outside of my apartment at the time? Something about police brutality in Africa. There were more cops than protesters, I swear. That means Wall Street was completely blocked off, and the COMPLETELY PACKED garage was not able to get rid of any cars. Rough.
The drive home was uneventful. Dad and I talked some. I pined some. You know how I do.

Back in NA, life is same-old-same-old. Translation: lots of time. It's as if time abruptly slows down like you've hit a patch of molasses when you get to the burbs from the city.

The morning after, after a terrible run (again), Scott and I went shopping with Mom. Mom had gotten in a car accident, so she was pretty bummed out, but we tried to make her happier. Both of us kids got haircuts (though, Scott forbade me from cutting more than 1 inch off...). It was a short shopping trip, actually. We ended up getting dinner at the Loop, and then talking in my room for the rest of the night.
The grandparents came in, and my life got harder automatically. Not the cute ones, the evil ones. The biggotted ones. It's been an interesting few days.
Aimee brought home her cat, Ron. He's adorable, but a bit feisty.

I went to the doctors to discover my actual flu symptoms were legit. And I had a sore on my foot. Good, clean fun for everyone. And Jesse came over to say hi for a few.
We ended up (Jesse & Craig & me, that is) going to Dany's house for a party. Lots of people. One hour limit, thanks to the other 2 who didn't know anyone at the party but me. It was nice to see them all, but I sadly realized how far apart I really was from a lot of them. There's not as big of a connection to everyone as there used to be. Craig and I ended up going back to his place to discuss my boy problems.

Christmas Eve was uneventful. Aimee and I went to the grocers for Mom's birthday, the family went to Wilson's to get food for Xmas, and that's about it. I cooked dinner.
Ido called me, surprisingly. I was so glad to hear from him. I missed him, and it's nice to know that we can still talk. Though, his English isn't as good anymore. Oh well, I'm used to it.
Aimee and I went to Church for Candlelight Mass a bit early, where the youth came together to say "hi". Again, there was a stronger disconnect between me and the other Andover kids, which surprised and disappointed me. Oh well, que sera sera, right?
It was interesting going to church after my personal seperation from Christianity. Lots of interesting things are heard when you're not so hooked on the religion.
Grandma has the most hideous, shrill, out of tune singing voice I've heard in a long time. It made a lot of us giggle during the songs.

Christmas was fine. My family woke me up in a cruel way: continuously calling my mobile until I came downstairs.
Too many presents. I got what I wanted, and then some. I plan on donating some key things to charity, along with a lot of things from my room already.
What did I get? Money...gift cards...a piece of lingerie (thanks, mom)...a gnome (thanks, aimee)...and other joyous things.
Dad and I went for a jog around the neighborhood. It wasn't too bad.
Ido and I talked again for a while. Aparently he's going to call me more often so he can work on his English, and I owe him a song?
Scott saved me from the family, and we went to go see "Dreamgirls". Not a bad movie. MAN, do those women have chops on them!!!! Jennifer Hudson's GOT PIPES!!! That movie's really made me want to get back into the jazz singing scene.

Today, well, was amazing. After lunch with the family, Jeff and I ended up going to Salvation Army, where Jeff found the most ridiculous clothing to buy for a grand total of $15. And we ran into Maxx & Molly, which was great fun for all.
Jeff and I talked in Starbucks for an hour about life, futures, and politics. And I talked to his girlfriend on the phone.
We came back and took a long walk around my neighborhood, and talked some more.
After I made us dinner and we took pictures of Jeff being sultry, Scott joined up with us, where we decided to go to Salisbury Beach after a glass of Pinot Grigio. We sang carols on the beach, and joked about life. And we found the most dismal bar on the beach. Big place. We were the ONLY people in the bloody place. Dismal, I tell you! We had a few chuckles and headed back to my place, where Jesse stopped by for a while.
I love them.

Thanksgiving

Wednesday, I woke up a bit lately and tried as quickly as I could to get to Laguardia. After getting into Queens, I hailed a cab to share with 2 other people to get to the airport. I was in the itty-bitty shuttle terminal. I got on the early flight home.
I took the T and Commuter Rail to Reading for Jesse to pick me up and drive me home.
Mom drove me back into Boston late at night so I could spend the evening with Alex. We went to a bar, then I helped him pack for his weekend (and do his laundry). Every time someone called me, he made groaning noises to distract me. Why do men find it funny to distract people with unsettling noises? We talked a lot.
He drove me back home late at night, for me to quickly pass out in bed.

Now, I'm sick.
Our kitchen is ripped up (floors are being put in...), so we've postponed the real dinner until Saturday.
On Thanksgiving Day, we went to Angelica's for dinner.
I went for a jog on the treadmill.

Friday: Penny, Mom, Aimee, and I went shopping. I bought 3 pairs of shoes, and a DVD. Penny bought shoes and a watch.
After the shopping, Jesse & Craig joined us at my house to hang out.
Jesse has a promise ring. Everyone giggle.
Then Jeff swung in so we could team up and hit Dany's house party in Andover. We left everyone at my house.
We stayed at Dany's for an hour. It was the most overwhelming hour I've had in a long time. Basically, almost all of my Andover friends from childhood to now were packed into this 3-story mansion. In an hour, I had to talk to all of them, catch up with them, and make plans with people. There wasn't enough time for everyone. I got so stressed/excited, that I started to get flushed.
When Jeff and I got into his car, we both stopped for a minute in complete dumbfounded silence, and said, "....What the hell just happened?"
When we got back to my house, Shivangi and Erin were there.

And I have to do all of my homework tomorrow.
Will this chaos never stop?

I'm going to bed now.

Happy Birthday, James!

James came in very early Friday morning (his 21st birthday). Luckily, he wanted to nap as soon as he got here, so I could sleep some more.
When we both agreed to wake up, we decided to sally forth outside. We were trying to find a DMV on Greenwich Street (which apparently exists, but we absolutely could not find), but ended up walking all the way up to campus. Since we were at campus, I grabbed my sneakers at Coles so we could jog together. I also made James go to Whole Foods to grab a heap of groceries for his birthday dinner party that I was cooking for. Lots of food. We got into an interesting conversation with our cashier...apparently he was only working for the hell of it. He had plenty of cash and investments, but he liked working for the sake of human interactions, and such. It was an interesting tale.
I got home to realize I had missed my very important meeting with my advisor about studying in Paris! I called and beseeched her, and she found mercy on me. I ran to campus for a meeting (at which I found out that I'm over credits, and not only do I have enough credits to graduate on time, but I have the ability to graduate a semester early if so feeling inclined). Oh, stress cometh!
The dinner was nice. 7 of us gathered around (after my manic cooking festivities). I was the only female around. The men lavished me with compliments on my fabulous cooking abilities and wonderful hostess skills. Loved it. And Steve, James' old roommate, took out his shaman rattle, and we took a journey with our animal guides. It was very interesting, and I think it really added to the party.
I journeyed to a place in the White Mountains I went to when I was in middle school. There was a large lake with a shining moon lighting it up, in a large open surrounded by forest and mountains. In the middle of the lake I saw a naked woman with long brown hair standing above the water. There were fish swimming up towards her. She was telling me to get into the water, but I kept refusing the proposition....when I was going to finally give into her orders, Steve brought us back out of our journeys. I'm very interested in it what that could have been all about.
After dinner, James, Neil, & I made the mistake of going to see "Let's Go to Prison". Mistake.

Saturday was a late morning for James and me. We woke up around noon and got ready to go visit his old suitemates in Brooklyn. It was a fun afternoon of guitar playing, singing, art showing, and poetry reading.
When we got back to my place, we agreed to go for a run outside. We ran up around City Hall, over towards Battery Park, and around the tip until we returned to my place. It was a nice run, and James told me I was a good runner (way to make me excited!!!).
Afterwards, James, Dan, & I went to the NY Comedy Club. We laughed, and we didn't laugh. Perhaps 60% of the show was good and funny. The rest was forgettable. Though, most of the comics picked up the fact that I was with 2, not 1, men. One assumed I was going out with Dan, one with James, and one assumed I was having sex with both! I laughed at that, hard.
Neil met up with us afterwards and we hit up a sake bar for a huge dinner and a 4-hour political/social debate. Ah, it was like old times. I was in my element. We got home around 5am.

On Sunday I had to wake up early to go to school for some meetings. Long, long meetings. And I had to run a Chambers rehearsal, which was slightly frustrating.
Then I met up with the 3 boys to go to a Japanese Tea House for a tea ceremony. It was very interesting to watch the woman go through the meticulous movements. And it was very relaxing. The tea was excellent.
We went nextdoor for some sushi and sashimi. Aaron met up with us, and we returned to the Tea House for some more tea, only without the ceremony. James and I got into a physics discussion and its role with the uncertainties in the universe, as well as God, and morality. Very intense. Aaron and Dan got in an argument about morals, too...but on a different level than us.
Afterwards, James and I went back to my place to sleep. We ended up getting into a Kim-needs-to-vent-and-tell-her-emotions-to-James conversation. He only had 2 hours of sleep. Bless that boy.
I love my boys. They are my home away from......life.

This Just In

I'm very excited.
I have this Marilyn Monroe cocktail dress (only it's black) here with me in NYC, but nowhere to wear it to.
I was very distraught about it.
It's a pretty dress.
Where does one wear a cocktail dress when they can't drink cocktails?

Oh, but I have a place to wear it now: The International Emmy Awards!!!! Because I'm working there!!!!!!

Chaos

Before I left NA, I watched "Big Fish" with Mucks. It made me weepy, somehow.
And Jeff (have I mentioned he had 6 wisdom teeth pulled?), Dom and I went for a carride to Newburyport to eat at Not Your Average Joe's. You know, considering I used to work there, I'm impressed that I still want to go back. We also walked the harbor/boardwalk. But the best part of that day was when Dom purchased a "Celtic Pure Chill" CD and made us play it while we cruised with the windows down. It was the kind of CD where the makers obviously dubbed out the original singers of the song (think Bryan Adams, Mamas & Papas, Elton John, etc.), and replaced it with celtic flutes. Hilarious.

I'm back in NYC. Watched the "DaVinci Code". My move-in experience was wretched. Note to future locals: if you live on Wall Street, DO NOT move in during weekday lunchtime. WORST IDEA EVER! My mom was attempting to drive in circles, since you can't park on the sides of the narrow streets down there, but kept getting stuck, lost, etc. It was humid, I didn't have my name on the tenant list, yet...and most importantly, the girl that I was replacing in the apartment hadn't moved out, yet. Her double-sized bed, along with ALL of her stuff, was still in the room. We had to attempt to make my twin bed fit somewhere in the mess. What a mess.
Craig was a dear and helped us bring stuff back from Bed Bath & Beyond. I had to buy everything, sans desk.
I saw my girls, Danie the Trini & Cassie from NJ. We ate Thai food and acted girly. And I saw former roommate Lauren all day yesterday. We ate Indian food and walked around. I mutilated my feet in my heeled flip flops. It has been raining rather consistently, and not the soft British kind, either.
Since returning here, I've been honked at, asked directions, interrogated by a friendly old man who was either speaking Hebrew or something Slavic. And I've been asked if I want some cocaine (et cetera). I love being back in NYC.

Michigan

This weekend was full of tripping over to Ann Arbor, Michigan to see my family. My grandfather has been in and out of the hospital for the last few months, and we went to go see him in a kind of "just in case" mentality. He looked alright, considering the amount of surgeries and close calls he's been having. My poor grandmother is holding up, too, considering. They both are tired, though. That was quite obvious.

Mom booked our flight for 6am, meaning we had to wake up at 3am and get there by 4.30am. Really, it was fabulous. Northwest is the way to go. Sarcastically speaking.
Anyways, we got our rental car, and went to Meijer's for some breakfast. Meijer's is much like Wegman's...it offers everything, it's midwestern, and it's open all of the time. I love those stores.
We went down an isle that had 2 signs: "International Foods" and "Mexican & Chinese Foods". I had to think about this for a while. Anyways, we hit jackpot over in the British & German section of that aisle, and I pranced out of the store happily with my booty of Hob Nobs, Fig Rolls, Cadburys, and Ritter Sports.
Hit up Aunt Mary Jo's (yes, that is her name), and I hung out with my cousin Joe while my mom and Aunt Mary Jo went to a funeral for some relative. I have so many relatives I don't know that "Do I Know Them?" has become quite an interesting constant game with my family. Joe and I goofed off on the computer for a while (we goofed off all weekend, but anyways), until I went to the basement and used their in-home gym to get some blood pumping. The machine of the day was the Nordictrack-like thing, where your legs literally swing back and forth at full speed while your arms attempt to keep up with your legs on the bars. It was an interesting machine that freaked me out a lot, and made me feel like a prancing gazelle. I made Joe do abs with me, which he was less than excited about.
After checking into our hotel room, we finally ended up at The Farm (my grandparents' home) where I took inspiration from my grandfather and took a 2-hour nap. I woke up to find much of our family in the family room, and dogs everywhere.

Welcome to my mom's family. Veteran farmers with a tiny (and ooolllddd) farm house that consists of a single room extension that is of equivalent size of the rest of the house. The decor of the house consists of holiday gifts and family presents (mostly unused or overused) dating back from pre-Vietnamian times, save a stash of doggy treats that somehow finds itself in every nook of the place. At any given moment, an estimated 2.5 dogs can be found running frantically around the 2 rooms and 1 kitchen, begging for food from the "Food Lady", my grandmother. If for some unknown reason there aren't at least 2 or 3 other family members in the house (who, mind you, have western accents), you can find grandparents sleeping on reclining chairs or working on 1000+ piece puzzles.

Anyways, after dinner with some family, Mom and I drove back to the airport to pick up Aimee. When back at The Farm, my cousin Jodie came over with her boyfriend/fiancé?, Nick. Nick's from Liverpool, England. His accent was not very thick since he's been living in Michigan, but I could definitely hear his Northern Britain accent. It was WONDERFUL to talk to a Brit again. Apparently Jodie and Nick are moving to Liverpool in February for a year or so....which means I get to visit. Excitement, commence!
Jodie, being a physical therapist, tried to help me with my tendonitis problem. It's still bruised, and it hurts to move it....but it may all be for the best.

The next day I went to the hotel's gym to run on the treadmill before we enjoyed another day at the farm. It was a good jog, but I was being stared down by a few co-guests for the treadmill that I was using. I pulled my quads on the damn machine somehow, but it was good nonetheless.
We were going to have breakfast at The Farm, but their one toilet broke (and Uncle Mike had to come over to fix it), so we went to Baker's Pantry. All 8 of us. Afterward, Aimee, Mom and I went over to CostPlus World Market and splurged on more international foods (Milka, Cote D'Or, marzipan, etc). We're spoiled, I know that much.

It's funny, because there's not much to do at The Farm but relax and do nothing, so that's what we did. After calling a few friends to say "hi", I took another 2-hour nap, and woke up to find (again) more relatives. We decided to, as a family, go to Red Lobster for dinner. All 14 of us. Leave it to my family to be he huge family that ruin the waiters' days. Granted, it must be noted that 2 of the people with us were Aimee and my other 2 grandparents: the evil ones (we'll refer to them as the republicans). We tried really hard for a few hours to find reasons not to call or see them, but we were found wanting, so we obediently invited them to dinner. Now, this may sound harsh, but it's completely legit. Ask anyone who's met them. Ask my father. They aren't the best people in the world, that's for sure. We have a family rule with them: don't spend more than 24 hours with them, and if you have to see them, cap it at 2 hours. ANYWAYS...

Dinner went over rather well. I made the mistake of telling my republican grandfather that I was dating an Israeli for a while. I didn't hear the end of it....then I made the even worse mistake of bringing up computers...then my mom made the mistake of telling my republican grandmother that I was learning how to cook. Otherwise, I talked to Nick, and we reminisced about England.
After dinner, Jodie, Nick, Joe, Aimee and I went out to downtown Ann Arbor and hit up a comedy club. It was pretty funny. The first guy wasn't much, but the other guy was pretty funny. I still can't get out of my mind when one of the guy's just stood on stage and shook his fat around and said, "Look, I'm Jell-o. Eat me." I can't figure out whether it was funny or disturbing. Ah, good times with cousins.

Sunday began with a pancake breakfast that lasted for a while. Then some lowkey puzzle making. Then some throwing of dice with the cousins. Then not much. Then a drive to the airport.

On a different (and more depressing) note, Ido is going back to Tel Aviv on the 9th. I want so badly to see him, but it's simply impossible for me to do so. How much do I not want him to go back.... Also, James is transfering to SUNY Buffalo, due to money problems. So, there's 2 of the closest, best men I have, leaving me for other places. And Deejay's going to Thailand on Thursday. I'm a mess.

Uneventful

I worked out Friday night extra long and met up with my parents at The Loft for lobsters.

I went shopping with Mom on Saturday for new gym clothes that fit and cute flip flops.
I felt extra cute, so I wore a skirt, for once!
I barbequed some chicken kebabs for the family.
I went to Craig's house, where I made him brownies, he recorded me some music, and we watched "V for Vendetta". The film was alright, I feel that the directors could have done a lot more with the idea of the film, but it was still enjoyable.

Sunday was a long day. Went to the gym, cleaned the kitchen, and my room. Started studying french. Read some. Grocery shopped. Made catfish for dinner with pesto from scratch (highlight of day). I wore sweats all day.
I reminisced some about pre-middle school years.

I really hope Ido doesn't move to Israel now....

Binghamton, NY

So on Friday, I went for a jog after work, and drove 5 hours to Binhamton, NY. If you'd like to know where that is, take the map of New York state, and go to the bottom border, and then divide New York in half. The left area is about where Binghamton is.
That's where James (& the family), Ben, and Mike live.
Because Binghamton had tremendous flooding lately, I-88 was shut off partially, so I got terribly confused, and after a mild panic attack at the wheel while James & Co. tried to calm me down, I finally ended up at the local Wegman's parking lot. It's interesting, because there's so much to do inside a Wegman's, all the time, and yet there is not much to do outside of it in this area of the town.
The boys met me there, where we proceeded to Mike's to play some video games before collapsing of exhaustion. James took me back to his new house, which is completely and utterly ridiculous in both size & style. Each bedroom even has its own bath. I am in love with his new house.
I honestly went to Binghamton just to see James & the boys again. After roughly six months without them, I was feeling kind of sad. It was really nice to just be with them. I didn't even really require talking, just being with them around me was what I wanted. And needed. James tends to bring me sanity...a feeling of balance.
Also, I love James' mom. She and I have a bit in common. And we have nice conversations. She's really open & friendly. And acts like I'm just part of the family. I love that.
After waking up & eating breakfast, and after James' mom gave him a much needed haircut, we started working on cleaning out the basement and garage of items they didn't want/need & were going to give away to flood victims. James actually tried to discourage me from helping out, claiming that I was there to "relax", but I felt that it was a good idea to help out, and his mom encouraged me to join them. Sure, I like doing physical labor. No joke.
We started watching "The Last Samarai", and stopped halfway to go to his old house (that they are refurbishing before selling it) to picnic with pasta & speedies.
Off to the movies we went with the rest of the boys to see "Superman Returns". It was during that movie that I realized I hung out with mostly men. They were being such boys during the movie. James tried helping me out with the comic plot, since I'm not much of a comic strip afficianado, though sometimes he distracted me from the movie with his all too humorous remarks.
Carrides happen to the gas station (for tire air) & Ben's house. We played Apples to Apples. I won.
My role as the woman became apparent when Mike insisted that I cooked for him, and cleaned. James took over the role by cooking instead.

Sunday roled by too quickly. I read some of "Kim" before James woke up. We finished our movie, talked a bit, went to Lowes with his mom, and to a little restaurant called Little Venice. It was a sad goodbye, since James might not be returning to our college, but transfer to SUNY Buffalo. Let's hope all turns out well, though.
The drive home was pretty wretched.

NYC For A Day

So I drove into the city with Mom and Craig on Saturday. Mom had a wedding to go to for one of Dad’s assistants in Long Island, so she offered the free ride in for us. I went to see the apartment I’m hoping to sublet, and Craig went in because he is unbelievably bored in our little New England town. It took a few hours to get into Long Island, we got lost perhaps twice. On our way down, though, the girls I was supposed to meet up with that day for the apartment let me know that they forgot I was coming down, and that they were at one of the girl’s sister’s weddings. They would try to come back Sunday evening, but no promises. I was livid.
When we ended up at the parents’ hotel, my Dad brought us to eat at some ritzy hotel restaurant. We talked about music, business, France, my sublet….and I ate one of the magnificently tasting and ludicrously filling lunches ever; a shrimp burger. It is what it claims to be…it is a burger made out of packed shrimp. Delicious.
Craig and I waited to hit up the LIRR to get into the city finally, and we got into Penn Station probably around 4pm. We took the subway up to 50th street and walked to Molly’s apartment over in Hell’s Kitchen (I stayed at hers for the night, while Craig went to a friend’s in New Rochelle). Her apartment was absolutely adorable. She had a friend over, Mike, and we talked for a while only for the boys to conclude that they wanted to go to Guitar Center over near Union Square. Alright, we went.
As we’re in Guitar Center, my friend Rob (whom I was supposed to eat dinner with) called me to let me know that he had a few parties to go to, and he was eating dinner with his brother, but that he still planned on meeting up with me sometime. Right, sure. Frustration was quickly lurking. And Danny called to let me know that he wanted to see me as soon as possible, but he didn’t have a lot of time to kill, and that he wanted me to plan out an agenda for us. Having not been in the city for over 6 months, I insisted that we just meet up and walk around because I couldn’t remember for the life of me what there was to do specifically. After a while of bickering and lost phone connections, we concluded to meet at the cube in Astor Place.
All 4 of us met with him, and began walking around St.Mark’s Place. Molly and Mike parted with us, while us other 3 continued our path around the village. It was nice to talk to Dan. I could tell that he was a massive stress ball and a little bit on the fritzy side (hear the sarcasm….a little bit?), but he was calming down towards the end of our time together. Craig and I left him at the subway station, and got some Jamba Juice. Mmm Mmm.
We met up with Molly and Mike at a new little place over by school called Cafetasia. I got Pad Thai (of course), we split a calamari, and it was a wonderful (and cheap) meal. After that, some more loitering in stores, and then I brought Craig to Penn Station for his train to New Rochelle. We get there to find out he actually needed Grand Central, so he ran to a cab.
Andy called me and told me to meet him at Madison Square Garden (how convenient). As I walked to meet up with him, Rob called me and told me to go to a party that he was at so we could see each other. Okay, I thought, a nice little get-together should be neat. Andy and I walked and gossiped all the way to the place.
At this apartment, we could not get a hold of Rob so we did not know which apartment number to buzz. Luckily, a strand of guys our age (by our age, I mean around 20, since Andy’s an old man ;)…) came to the gates and let us in. Assuming this is the crowd we wanted, we followed them right to an apartment where the parents were greeting us at the door. It must be kosher, right?
Walk down the stairs of this NICE apartment, and we realize this shin dig is something as close to a, underage kegger in the city as possible. And it was all males (save a few females with questionable dispositions). But where, oh where, was Rob? Ah, there he is…talking to that person……. completely wasted. Wonderful.
He comes over and starts talking to us, we laugh for a second, and off he goes. Andy and I giggle about his ADD-ness, and continue to watch the awkward party around us unfold. We commented on how young the kids were (I’m so used to hanging out with people older than me that I’ve grown accustomed to thinking that anyone my age is young.), and observed some extremely amusing sights around us. Rob came back to us, slightly more sloshed, and started hitting on us. That’s odd, right? But why is he trying to rip off my shirt? And WHY ON EARTH is he all of a sudden molesting (oh, I mean hardcore full-handedly molested) Andy?! Completely confused, and partially frightened, Andy and I agreed to ditch the party if a DJ starts playing. And a DJ does start playing. We leave, laughing hysterically. *Andy, I’m keeping the conversation to us, because I think it could never be truly redeemed in writing.*
We walk around for a bit, hit up Times Square, and decided (stupidly) to go get some dessert at Maxie’s. The a la mode cheesecakes we ordered (I ordered the Triple Chocolate Brownie, Andy had the Apple something something), though glorious, were GINORMOUS!!!!!! I’ve never thought that a dessert was going to rip me apart like these did! We rolled ourselves out, and crawled back to our designated sleeping zones.
Molly had some friends over, and the room was a little smoky, so I read for a few hours until they went out for a late night walk.

On Sunday, I didn’t get much sleep. Dad woke me up via phone to make me call the apartment girls again, and to let me know they were going to be at the Renaissance in Time Square soon. The girl I would be subletting for told me that she’d be back at 6pm, but I couldn’t meet my potential roommate today. I got up, met up with Craig at Grand Central, walked to the Renaissance, and made Mom go out to get a wonderful 6th street Indian Lunch. I ate soooo much this weekend!
We walked around Prince Street and the West Village to kill time. James called me, which made me ecstatic.
Craig and I went to go see the sublet in Battery Park. It is exquisite! The girl was bubbly and eager to let me see the whole place and plan out our subletting. I put down first month’s rent, and I agreed to come back in the city 2 weeks later to meet the other one and finalize the deal. Craig was/is jealous.
A long drive home was accomplished by me as Craig slept and Mom talked with me.