Sunday

I freakin love Wai-Wai.

I also love Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I am addicted.

I just finished my second children's book.

A lady at the dog park was talking to her husband when I walked in with Riley. She said, "This dog is always a riot." Awwww, she's our little riot.

Can't wait for belt graduation on Wednesday!

Zen Shorts

A Heavy Load

Two traveling monks reached a town where there was a young woman waiting to step out of her sedan chair. The rains had made deep puddles and she couldn't step across without spoiling her silken robes. She stood there, looking very cross and impatient. She was scolding her attendants. They had nowhere to place the packages they held for her, so they couldn't help her across the puddle.

The younger monk noticed the woman, said nothing, and walked by. The older monk quickly picked her up and put her on his back, transported her across the water and put her down on the other side. She didn't thank the older monk, she just shoved him out of the way and departed.

As they continued on their way, the young monk was brooding and preoccupied. After several hours, unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. "That woman back there was very selfish and rude, but you picked her up on your back and carried her! Then she didn't even thank you!"

"I set the woman down hours ago," the older monk replied. "Why are you still carrying her?"

Jon J. Muth

an open letter:

ok, ok - kell, i'll admit, you are unusual. and great.

sue - you're still not. (just kidding)

and i'll still visit your stupid manhattan apartment with your stupid terrace.

guess i am just jealous that you guys will get to saki bomb without me all the time and i'll just be "in the south." ;)


in other news:
- it's zach's birthday weekend. there are lots of surprises in store. i've been tricking him for months. it's awesome.
- i am guaranteed the next permanent position at work with a pay raise and paid vacation due to my STELLAR interview yesterday.
- i got a new hair color today. not sure about it.
- i actually went to bed early yesterday and didn't have to take a nap today.
- beth - if you read this - stop playing phone tag already!

that's all.

i wasn't kidding...

no, seriously. in reference to my earlier post - it's not unusual to live in ny. it's not cool. it's not trendy. it's normal.

no, you don't understand is always the response to you don't understand

thinking...

dirty, shit water seedling shoots into beautiful flower

Bathroom Talk

On my recent trip home, I saw an old friend in the bathroom at a bar. Not unusual. Deanna and I were pretty good acquaintances and shared a lot of the same friends in high school. She went to college with one of the girls I played soccer with for several years, and maintained her group of high school buddies, same as I have. Anyway, they have all reunited to live together in Manhattan, as most of the people in my town do. Not unusual.

My friend Jay has been working at Bear Sterns since he was 16. His dad got him the internship and he was bright enough not to fuck it up, now he has moved up the ranks and has a salary that I can only dream about. He meets up with our other corporate money-hungry friends for happy hour on Fridays. Not unusual.

Here's the thing about Manhattan that many young people who are not from there do not understand...it's not unusual. New Yorkers can be mean and unfriendly, the city smells like urine and hot, musty urine in the summer, people decide to move in together because rent is too expensive, everyone looks stylish whether they're wearing flats or heels, sometimes people get shot and sometimes their i-Pods get stolen and sometimes they talk about making laws that you can't wear your i-Pod while crossing a Manhattan street, you will see Matt Lauer or Al Roker or hopefully, Sam Champion on the subway, you will watch Channel 7 Eyewitness News and see bodega shootings and high school soccer or lacrosse scandals all in the same segment, you will never, ever be able to see the Met in one day - ever, homeless people die on the street all the time, it's expensive - stop complaining - it always will be, and definitely not last, it's the greatest city in the world.

So what inspired that rant? I was always a New York Girl, someone my family thought would never leave. I always wanted to live in Bay Ridge because that's where my dad is from. I was always on a successful track where i would have a job that would provide me with a huge salary and opportunity to own a brownstone. But now I'm not. When I went home, I felt very tired of all the talk - who lives where, who's apartment has a fireplace, who can walk to work, who get's a car to work, who takes the subway, who's company pays for what, who get's free lunch, blah blah blah. I have corporate friends, writer friends, sales friends, artsy friends, teacher friends, lawyer friends and doctor friends and they all live in Manhattan...and guess what?

It's not unusual.

Wedding Forecast

SURPRISE! - Nin and Vin got engaged this weekend! He took her to the boardwalk for breakfast and proposed on the beach. Her ring is gorgeous, of course, Vin wouldn't have it any other way. Easter weekend was ful of celebratory events :)

This weekend: Nanette's Wedding

This year: My cousin, Lindsay's Wedding

Next year: Nin and Vin's Wedding

WOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTT!

no really...