Testing...

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Drat!

OK, so none of my mobile posts have been posting... hmm. Must figure out how to get cam pics onto this page.

Sick?

Ode to the pharmaceutical industry:

I'm tired, can't sleep tight.
My head hurts, don't feel right.
My life is depressing.
This wound needs clean dressing.
I'm weak, feel so helpless.
My legs, they're quite restless.
My whole body's aching,
My heart might be breaking.
My teeth, how they've yellowed.
My sex life? It's mellowed.
Not sure what to do,
I'm feeling so blue.
Just want it to stop,
Maybe some pill to pop?
I've shed many tears,
These ads play to my fears.
Everything has a name,
Ads say I'm not to blame.
I'm too fat, I'm too thin,
There are marks on my skin.
All those packs that I smoke,
They're now just a big joke;
Ads say I'm free and clear.
Same goes for my fat rear!
Take this pill, sip this drink;
No loose hairs in your sink!
Don't you want to look younger?
Swallow this, curb that hunger!
You're not yet medicated?
You should be educated.
These ads give so much info,
They all make me feel so...
Lazy
Energetic
Fat
Skinny
Hungry
Full
Happy
Sad
Better
Worse
Bought
Sold
Enabled
American
Pathetic

The Ting Tings played an awesome show. It was more of a dance party with a live band rather than a typical show. Danced around like a teenager. Loved every second.

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Does the DMV know how silly we think it is when they tell us that the reason for the long wait is increased security for our protection?

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Yes, those are radishes and strawberries and bok choy and... garlic scapes! The star of the show. Google them. Then find a local place that sells them where you are. What a flavor!

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Basil makes me happy. Little baby potted basil from Farmer Ted is quite a treat! I'm going to try to keep it going in the window and pinch some leaves every now and then for caprese salad. Yum!

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I want to move to Sweden

In Sweden, new mothers get a year for maternity leave and it's not without pay like it is here in the States (unless you work for a "progressive" company that pays for leave). Fathers get time, too. Several months. And they can elect to take more at a lower pay rate if they so choose. I think it's brilliant. It's just plain good employee retention policy. Plus, it's natural and humane and makes damn good social sense.

A guy I work with just had a baby yesterday. Well, his wife technically had the baby, but you know what I mean. He is taking 2 weeks off to be home with her and the new kidlet. 2 weeks is nothing. 2 weeks will go by in the blink of an eye. Even if those 2 weeks are filled with sleepless nights and endless diaper changes, the time will pass so quickly this poor guy will barely know what hit him before he has to come back to work. It's just wrong.

It's about time!

As of yesterday, California began performing and recognizing same-sex marriages. The first couple to wed in San Fransisco was a couple that has been together for more than 50 years. Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon, 84 got married. They actually married back in '04 during the brief window when CA said same-sex marriages were legal... only to later have that union invalidated.

These two women are an example of perserverence. They are an example that love can triumph and that committment can last. For more than 50 years they've shared their lives and been partners. That's all I can hope for my husband and I - that we reach the 50 year mark with as much tenacity and love as those women.

Best quote ever. Click the photo to see it bigger.

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R.I.P.

Tim Russert is dead at the age of 58. He had a heart attack. His father, Big Russ, has now outlived him. That is such an unnatural thing - a parent who outlives his child. I can't even imagine the heartbreak.

Yes.

Rep. Denis Kucinich from the great state of Ohio has introduced Articles of Impeachment to be exhibited to the United States Senate. The powers that be finally have proof enough on paper (after the report released this week) that our President and his cohorts conspired to start a war based on lies. This is the first step toward impeachment. Many people are outraged, most of the ones I know are thrilled. It is so obvious that our country invaded Iraq based on false information. False information was knowingly used to ramp up support for invasion even when there was nothing to back it up. Years have passed and thousands of people have been killed. I do not understand why there is a case to be made for the status quo. It is unfathomable to me that we would not impeach our president.

What pisses me off to no end is how loud and inattentive the House was during Rep. Kucinich's turn at the podium. Notice at :34 seconds how he has to tell Madame Speaker that the House wasn't in order. Why the hell wasn't she calling order again before he started speaking on her own accord?

No kidding

Thirty-something woman: All my nephews are boys... All of them.

--Uptown 1 Train

Overheard by: Suze V

Duh.

If you haven't already checked out OverHeardInNewYork you really should.

I will never learn

One of the many perks of a new job - happy hour. This place has happy hours fairly often, at least twice a month. About half the time they're company sponsored, so that means a couple drinks on the corporate card. Nice. Me likey.

It's not a common thing for me to have more than 2 drinks. I'm a bit of a lightweight and I've realized I'm not as young as I once was. I'll have one or two and then be done with it. I'm content hanging out sans additional adult beverages. I mentioned it's not common for me to imbibe to a higher level, but it's not impossible. Sometimes it happens.

Take last night, for example. Allow me to set the stage: happy hour at the bar across from the office, corporate card thrown down for the tab, bosses and counterparts in abundance, martinis and gimlets flowing like water.

I will say this - I woke up this morning, stumbled into the bathroom, tried to close the door, but it wasn't latching. After several tugs on the door I finally looked down. It was broken. Half of the metal plate around the doorknob was missing.

Me to poor hubby, "Honey, what happened to the door?"
Him to me, "Um..."
Me again, "Oh no. I broke it?"
Him, "Uh, yeah. Apparently you couldn't get out of the bathroom and through sheer brute force you broke it. I think I can fix it, though. Don't worry. You feeling OK?"
Me, "Baby, can you please leave the room? I need to puke."

Embarrassing. Very embarrassing. My poor husband, thank god he loves me.

Slight Chub

I am not in good shape.

Really, it’s true. I’m strong as an ox mentally and emotionally, which is a pretty awesome feeling, but when it comes to physical strength I’m a big old wuss. I’m soft. I’m squishy. I don’t want to be a rock, I just don’t want to be so jiggly. I’d also like my pants from 2 years ago to fit. Right now they don’t. I can almost hear them screaming on the rare occasion on which I temporarily liberate them from the dark depths of the closet to see if they can stretch over my expanded backside without popping every strained stitch that holds them together.

I didn’t obsess about my weight before the wedding. I refused to get sucked into the whole I-must-look-perfect-in-those-pictures mentality. I knew I’d look as pretty as possible and that would be that. What was more important was how I felt – and I felt great… mentally and emotionally. Physically I felt OK, but now it’s time to bump that up a notch. I would have felt better without the handful of pictures that hinted at back fat and/or multiple chins.

Over the weekend my darling husband and I were talking about fitness and weight and all sorts of fun subjects and I mentioned that many of my friends who went on strict exercise and diet regimes before their weddings ended up gaining fairly significant amounts of weight post-nuptuals. Most of the time it was because they slowed down enough after their weddings to enjoy their new spouse and get comfy… which leads to some weight gain. We, on the other hand, started our progressive addition of 15-20 lbs each about 6 months into our relationship when we moved in together. He says that since then we’ve “maintained a slight chub”. He’s right.

It’s time to banish the slight chub. Those pants deserve to see the light of day once more.

Sweaty

It's hot. It's so hot. I can't think. 97 is too hot for this cold-weather woman. The only reprieve is the beach. At least there's a breeze at the shore.

How much is too much?

I am often among the first to stick up for liberal civil policy, artistic freedoms, personal choice, expression of any sort as long as no one gets hurt. That said, I've discovered a new found hesitance within myself when it comes to film/television that depicts graphic violence and extreme acts of depravity.

Case in point: my reaction to M. Knight Shamaylan's new movie The Happening. Have you seen the trailers? 3 particular bits spring to mind - 1) a man who lays himself down in front of a thresher, 2) a woman who stabs her own neck with a letter opener while sitting in Central Park, and 3) people throwing themselves off buildings in Manhattan.

The premise of this film is that there is an unseen, unidentified force that is sweeping in and affecting people in very bad ways. Namely, they kill themselves. They kill themselves quite calmly, as a matter of fact. Which, I must say, is a very creepy way to kill yourself. Anyway, this shit makes me nuts.

As if the death by thresher wasn't enough, the people tossing themselves off the building is enough to put me over the edge. I don't want to be one of those people who thinks everything is disrespectful to the memory of those who died on 9/11, one of those people who is hypersensitive about firefighters, skyscrapers, and terrorism... but there are some things that are a little too close to actual events for comfort. People throwing themselves off buildings is one of those things.

9/11 sensitivity aside, I still think this movie is pretty screwed up. At least, the visual representation of this "unseen force" is pretty screwed up. It's like they thought of 10 more things to freak Americans out with. 10 more things that housewives all over the country will suddenly be paranoid about. 10 more things that will end up on a Dateline NBC investigation next time sweeps roll around. 10 more things that will spur the manufacture of a drug made to counteract the anxiety they cause. I find it offensive because its just a pandering tactic to the lowest common denominator and somehow that bothers me. Do we need to have every last graphic detail shown to us? Have we lost all powers of imagination?

The road to Providence is long... and filled with donuts and coffee.

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My team lost. My beloved Penguins lost. It is a sad, sad day. Pittsburgh is very well represented in my new office and we're all a little quiet today.

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My own OverheardInNewYork moment

Drunk homeless dude to me: Hey!
Me: Hi. (as I was walking past)
Drunk homeless dude: Hey lady!
Me: *silence*
Drunk homeless dude: Can I come home with you and do you in the butt?
Me: *silence, picking up the pace*
Drunk homeless dude: Hey! HEY! In the BUTT!

I wish I was making that up.

New things

I sat at my new desk today. Well, my new-to-me desk. I used my new computer today. I got various new gadgets that help me do my job. All those things are cool and they're fun for me because they're part of this new gig I've got and that's all well and good. But, those things aren't the best new things of the day.

The best new thing of the day is my new email address. Why? It's my new name. I have a new email with my new name. They novelty of it makes me grin from ear to ear.

RANDOM: I have perfected the art of the fish taco. Tonight we had a friend over for dinner and the fish tacos I made truly were outstanding. I make one hell of a chipotle cream! No, this photo is not of said fish tacos... mine were prettier.

The wonders that await

This is what happens when you take an extended break from the city in which you live and then return - you see things with fresh eyes. Like this mosaic in the Houston St subway station. It's gorgeous. I've been in this station countless times before, but I've never noticed these whales until today. It's as if I've woken from a long sleep and the city has been renewed while I slumbered. There is something about New York that is always sparkly new and comfortingly old at the same time.

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My new view. A beautiful old church. Sunlight and a view of Manhattan. This is great.

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Waiting for new hire orientation. It's been an hour so far. I think I might have been forgotten about. At least the chairs are comfy... and stylish! I'll wait another 10 mins and then ask the receptionist... again. Until then I'll relax by the waterfall. Yes, the waterfall.

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Oh boy

I'm happy. I start a new job tomorrow. I walked stray dogs at a shelter for 4 hours yesterday. Today we went to Tar-zhay, Matthew hung our new wine rack, we are doing laundry later, we're on the way out the door to dinner right now. I've had a lovely bottle of prosecco (oh boy!) and the weather is gorgeous. Duke got to play with his little doggie friends this afternoon and all is right with the world... at least in Brooklyn.

It's hard not to think of all the people who will go hungry tonight when I have had such a beautiful day. I'm thankful. I'm grateful. I am a very lucky girl... and I know it. I hope you feel lucky today. You are. You are breathing and the sun shines. That's a wonderful thing. Be thankful for your life. I'm thankful for it. I'm thankful you stopped by here during your busy day. Cheers to you and yours.