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Friday, June 30, 2006 ( 12:36 AM ) teahouse  Hit The Road, Jack!I'm heading out of town for a few days to relax and celebrate Independence Day. It will be nice to just veg out, sleep a lot (which has not been happening these past few weeks), and do NOTHING for a few days. Happy Fourth of July! May you have a lovely holiday..and never forget how remarkable it is to live in a country whose citizens are independent, self-determining and not under the rule or fear of a foreign sovereign or military regime. It's a beautiful thing; don't take it for granted. I'll see y'all on the other side. # 0 comments Thursday, June 29, 2006 ( 7:08 AM ) teahouse Running on Empty Yesterday was a grueling day. I got up at the crack of dawn, caught a 7:30 train, got off the train, got the Sister's car out of a parking garage, drove 25 miles to the office, had an early meeting, had a lunch meeting, had two afternoon meetings, talked to 4 car dealers, gave a presentation, wrote several diplomatic and delicate attorney-client privileged emails, left work exhausted, drove 25 miles to the train station, honked angrily at a jerk who cut me off on the road and almost killed me, caught a late train, got back to the City, hoofed it to the tennis club, played tennis until 10:30 p.m., caught a ride home, showered, ate and stumbled into bed exhausted. The good news is, I won my singles match 6-0, 6-1. The bad news is, I can't remember my own name anymore. # 0 comments Wednesday, June 28, 2006 ( 7:00 AM ) teahouse Iced Out Rims I'm on the market to buy a car. Having lived in the Big Apple for more than half a decade, I've never had the occasion to need wheels. Here, everyone walks or takes the subway or cabs everywhere. Having a car in Manhattan is foolish unless you're a millionaire - the monthly cost to park a car can exceed rent in some other cities. But my new job requires me to do a reverse commute to the 'burbs every day. There's no convenient train. It's too far for a bicycle or motor scooter. Hence, I need to buy a car. For now, I'm borrowing the Sister's 1998 Toyota until I find one of my own. But the poor little car needs to rest. When it goes above 60 mph, the steering wheel rattles disturbingly. One of the windows has popped out of its frame, and is secured with duct tape. It's ghetto-fabulous! I don't want to drive that car to an early death. So I need to get one of my own. Preferably small, reliable and with good gas mileage. I'll probably regret asking this, but does anyone know someone who's trying to sell a used car? # 0 comments Monday, June 26, 2006 ( 12:02 AM ) teahouse  Summer SolsticeA couple of weekends ago the Boy had some college friends in town, so we went out to dinner with them. Several of the other people hadn't seen each other in years, so it was like a mini reunion of college friends. There was a lot of catching up going on at the table over dinner. I struck up a conversation with one of the guys, someone the Boy had known only peripherally. He was a pretty funny guy, so when he said at one point to the whole table, "Yeah, I'm pretty religious. Last year I become a Druid," we all laughed really loudly. Then we all realized he was serious, and quickly stopped laughing, embarrassed. "Uh, so I've never met anyone who's a Druid," I said, trying to fill up the awkward silence and counteract the offended look he gave us all. "Uh, so what do Druids do?" His eyes got a reverent, glassy look. "We gather at twilight, and we celebrate nature. It's very mystical. A lot of my role playing friends have gotten into it. It's an ancient religion with many traditions. " There was silence at the table, and then someone changed the subject, and the volume of conversation went back to normal. Without skipping a beat, the Boy leaned over to me and whispered, "Druish? Funny, he doesn't look Druish!" # 0 comments Friday, June 23, 2006 ( 8:10 AM ) teahouse Some Some Some Summertime One of the benefits of working for a corporation is that the office closes early on Fridays from June-August. But I have gotten permission to work from home. So I'll be participating in conference calls while in my pajamas today. Life is good. # 0 comments Wednesday, June 21, 2006 ( 7:04 AM ) teahouse Pet Peeves I'm generally an easygoing person. That said, I'm a stickler for both grammar and usage, and hence, I have some esoteric pet peeves that I will now share with you. It drives me crazy when people misuse the words alumnus, alumni, alumna and alumnae. Blame my classical education. Specifically, I can't stand when someone says, "He and she are alums of xyz school." Arrghghghg! Alums???? Quit making words up!! Male singular = alumnus. Female singular= alumna. Male or mixed plural = alumni. Female plural = alumnae. I also hate when people say "a whole nother." Arrghghghghgghhg!! Don't try to split up the word another. I also hate when someone says, "Well, if he would have told me about it, I would have helped him." Argghghghghghghg. The correct sentence is, "Well, if he HAD told me about it, I WOULD HAVE helped him." Stop using the word would twice in the sentence. It's the pluperfect subjunctive, people! Sheesh. And ending a sentence in a preposition is something up with which I will not put! Hahahaha. # 0 comments Monday, June 19, 2006 ( 6:50 AM ) teahouse Street Fair! The Boy and I were walking around midtown Manhattan yesterday, when we stumbled into a Street Fair. It's that time of the year, when every weekend some road or another in Manhattan is shut down for one of these events. You'd think that street fairs would be fun and unique. But once you've seen one, you've seen them all. They're highly licensed and regulated. Like outdoor shopping malls. Here's a list of things I've seen and/or bought at street fairs in the City: -- watered down lemonade and gyros -- Italian sausage -- corn dog on a stick -- crepes of any kind -- cheap orchids and bonsai trees -- gray market cell phone accessories -- vaguely Central American-looking ponchos with desert designs -- jar of pickles -- chair massages from threatening-looking Chinese people -- cheap t-shirts with "I Heart NY" on them -- irregular sheet sets -- tacky ties and socks -- cds of a guy playing Muzak on the pan flute -- the newest miracle cleaning fluid -- cheap department store brand cosmetics in half-melted tubes -- bland Thai food sold by Chinese people -- free copies of Dianetics from the Scientologists. Yesterday we saw all of these things, but I wasn't tempted to buy any of it. I just had some watered down lemonade and some pad thai and chicken skewers. # 0 comments Thursday, June 15, 2006 ( 7:00 AM ) teahouse The Ballad Last night I saw the Broadway production of Sweeney Todd. Can I just say AMAZING? It's a new production in which the orchestra pit has been jettisoned, and the actors themselves play the instruments on stage while they're simultaneously performing. That is, they take turns singing and dancing, and then well, playing the instrumental music to accompany the singing and dancing. Or they play an instrument while they're singing and dancing. We saw the actors playing the cello, violin, clarinet, flute, trumpet, triangle, drums, piano, xylophone, bass and guitar (among other instruments). Patti LuPone even played the tuba. It's an unparalleled feat of coordination, producing, and intricate stage timing. I'd never seen anything like it before. After the show, the tourists from Arkansas (or maybe it was north Texas; either of those was my guess based on their accent) who were sitting behind us were overheard saying, "Yeah, Ah don't know. Ah guess that was good. It was so saaaad." # 0 comments Wednesday, June 14, 2006 ( 8:02 AM ) teahouse Career Changes As promised, here is the update on my professional life. After several years of bowing to the BigLaw gods (i.e., sleepless nights, long trials, car service rides home at midnight, busy weekends and late-night dinners at the office), I have made a big step. I have gone in-house. I have moved to the land of regular workdays, stock options, no more billable hours. Now I am the client. If life is a Jane Austen novel, going in-house is the final wedding scene, after which it ends, since the reader assumes the characters have marched down the aisle to an eternity of wedded bliss. As Cameron Stracher described it, going in-house is the last chapter of the book. After that step, there is no more story to be told. I don't think any job is complete nirvana. The grass is always greener on the other side. There are different expectations and different pressures, no matter where you are. But I am having a good time so far. My group is terrific, the company is fantastic. But never fear! This blog continues. There will always be enough drama elsewhere in my life. # 0 comments Monday, June 12, 2006 ( 7:10 AM ) teahouse Competing Interests This weekend I ran the Mini 10K. I did pretty well. I didn't run as fast as the fastest 10K I've ever run, but I beat my time on my previous 10K by 3 minutes. So I was satisfied. But I think, overall, my running times are slowing down. The problem, I've discovered, is that I've gained weight. I used to be pretty light. But all of that tae kwon do and tennis has hardened my muscles. So I'm much more toned now than I was this time last year. Overall, the muscles are more defined. You can now bounce quarters off my legs and butt (or so the Boy says). But of course, muscle weighs more than fat. So I guess I've bulked up a little bit. All of that makes me a better martial artist and more of a menace on the tennis court. But it also slows me down as a runner. Oh, well. I guess that's the price I'll pay for true chiseled muscular perfection. HA! After the race, I went to Cafe Ronda with my friends and ate a huge brunch. After all, a girl has to maintain her muscle mass! # 0 comments Friday, June 09, 2006 ( 8:45 AM ) teahouse Things Aren't What They Seem My tae kwon do school is above a pet shop and a nail salon. I have to climb 2 flights of stairs to get to it. Yesterday, on my way up the stairs I walked behind a huge, burly guy carrying a gym bag. He was ENORMOUS. His biceps bulged out of his shirt. His legs were the size of tree trunks. He had tattooes all over his arms. He looked like Hulk Hogan. I assumed he was a martial arts student I hadn't seen before. But he surprised me by turning at the landing and going into the nail salon. I heard the twittering of a dozen Korean women giggling when he went in through the door. An hour later, when I was leaving my class, I saw him coming out of the nail salon. His nails were buffed to a clear, shiny finish. # 0 comments Wednesday, June 07, 2006 ( 8:57 AM ) teahouse Blessed Freedom I'm in-between jobs this week. I will post more later about what's going on in my career. But for now, suffice it to say that I'm starting a new job next week, and I'm off until then. I decided that instead of traveling, I'd spend my time off here in New York City, catching up on my life and being a tourist. So far I've met friends for lunch and drinks almost every day. I've slept a lot. I've spent lots of time with the Boy pretending I'm his kept woman. I greet him at the door when he comes over to my place, ask him how his day at work went, and give him a lot of massages and footrubs. He LOVES it. I've cleaned my place, gone shopping and exercised a lot. I've taken leisurely walks around my neighborhood and enjoyed summer in the City. Today I'm meeting a friend for lunch and going to a museum. A girl could get used to this. # 0 comments Tuesday, June 06, 2006 ( 9:28 AM ) teahouse Credit Card Nation Last night, I stood in line for 10 extra minutes at the supermarket checkout, because the guy in front of me left his credit card at home, so he couldn't pay for his groceries. He explained to the checkout girl that he would have to run home for it, and would she mind leaving his bagged groceries there for 10 minutes while he ran home and came back with the credit card? She looked confused, and called the manager. "I don't know what to dooo!" she wailed. In the end, she voided the entire checkout. The man walked off, clearly annoyed. Then it was my turn. After she checked out my 4 items, she asked, robotically, "Will this be credit or debit?" "Neither," I answered, reaching for my wallet. "This will be cash." She gave me a blank look and did nothing for 5 seconds. Then she turned to the cash register and muttered, "I don't remember how to do that..." The man behind me snickered, "Your machine IS equipped to accept cold, hard greenbacks, right?" The girl looked even more confused and said, "I'm going to have to call the manager again..." # 0 comments Monday, June 05, 2006 ( 8:37 AM ) teahouse Legal Eagles I had a nice post all ready to go for today. But that plan was blown to bits, when over the weekend, my friend K sent me this link: http://www.anonymouslawfirm.com/ I seriously think it's the funniest thing I've ever read in my life. It's a fake website for a fictitious law firm. HYSTERICAL! I especially like the attorney bios (check out Jennifer Kim, the firm's token Asian lawyer) and the descriptions of the various offices worldwide. Enjoy! # 0 comments Friday, June 02, 2006 ( 12:08 AM ) teahouse Priorities The Boy and I went to a birthday party tonight. It started to pour rain after we'd been there for only about 20 minutes. But I really wanted to leave before 9 p.m., so I dissed my friend, and dragged the Boy through the rain, and onto a bus, all the way back to my place. Is it lame that I made him leave with me because I wanted to get home in time to watch the end of the National Spelling Bee? And is it also lame that I cried when it was down to 3 kids, and they were all GIRLS? Because you know, that girls rarely win. So I was really excited about it. Yeah, spelling bees make me cry. I remember that I bawled the whole time I was watching Spellbound. I just think it's so sweet how these kids work so hard for this and are under so much pressure. Yeah, you think I'm lame? I thought so. # 0 comments Thursday, June 01, 2006 ( 12:12 AM ) teahouse Yum Yum Yum Blogger was giving me all kinds of problems earlier today. So now is the first time I'm getting the chance to post the photo that I've been wanting to post, to show you all what the Sister and I had to eat over the long weekend. Rather than having a barbecue according to popular Memorial Day tradition, we bucked the tradition by having a big party and boiling some of these critters:  Yeah, with all of these, and some cold beers, it was a pretty fantastic weekend overall. # 0 comments |
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