rachelpink rides the bus

Alone

Chuck headed off to the airport at 4am. He's traveling to North Carolina to help his sister deal with a lot of sticky family issues--medical and then some. Meggie is down there too, and it's good that he'll get to spend time with his niece. I haven't seen her since Christmas, and she's crazy cute.

And now I'm home alone. It's a strange feeling because I'm never alone. Chuck works from home. He doesn't have the same itch that I do on the weekends to be out and about. So here I am. Me and the cat. And the cat's not going to like this.

The Kids

Talked to the kids last night while I was finishing up at work.

Delaney's voice was full of sunshine. She likes to ask "why." I told her I was still at work. WHY? Because I'm moving offices and I need to pack up? WHY? Just because? WHY?

OK, time for a new strategy. I said, You know, I really really miss you! I can't wait to see you? She said: Yes, me and mommy and daddy and donovan and blonde grandma (my mom is brown grandma, gloria's mom is blonde grandma). I misheard her and thought she brown grandma. NOOOO! BLONDE grandma. Oops. Then she told me that she was having chicken for dinner.

Next up, Donovan. I asked him about school and it's clear he's having a fantastic time. God, that makes me happy. He has a good teacher and friends in class. Yesterday he spent recess finishing up a big Lego ship with some other boys. Today, they will use it as the backdrop for an alien war. After the school check-in, I told him that I found a website with pictures of cats wearing wigs. I spelled out the URL for him letter by letter. It took some time, but he treated the task v. seriously.  When I finished dictating,  I realized he was using his kid computer profile--and he can only view pre-approved websites. Oy! So Gloria came in to save the day--and locate the cat pictures.

And that was that. I miss my Florida family.

Mind. . . Failing. . .

Oh the work-angst is almost funny this week. Almost.

Signs that I'm starting to crack-up?

The water in the shower went cold, and I started cursing. Damn! No hot water! Actually, there was plenty of hot water. I had just turned the knob in the wrong direction.

Yesterday we had an author come in to sign 1000 copies of a big hardcover book. On the way to work, I started sketching out what the set-up would look like, planning who would stand where, etc. The next time I looked up, the doors at the W. 4th St. stop were closing. Oopsy.

Today I was up at 5:30 and I'll be at work by 7. I will get the worst of the work done before lunch, and I will try to be calm, measured, and reasonable.

Hipster Olympics

I missed this link on BoingBoing. Chuck convinced me to watch it--and it's filarious.

Hangin' Tough

This is going to be a tough week.

Work is the first woe. Too much to do and not nearly enough time to do it in. I could work from 7am-10pm every day and still be behind. And this all doesn't let up until October. Goody.

And then there's that pesky food and exercise thing. I talked to Maya the nutritionist last week and told her that I was not doing a good job. And I'm not. All the stress from the last month took its toll on my good habits, and I've resorted to badness. I made a pot of lentils yesterday in the slow cooker and I'm going to start Twittering my food this week. At the v. least, the pressure of that will stop me from going anytime soon to RARE for their outrageously delicious burgers.

There's also Chuck's mom--she's having a rough time after back surgery. Looks like he'll need to go down to help out. The cat is going to be very surly.

On the bright side, and there always is a bright side, the hot weather will break soon and fall will come. And my nephew loves second grade and Delaney is cute even when she cries and I get to go to New Orleans in October with my mom and my friends.

Enough griping, I'm blessed.

Pool

I pass the local pool hall every day, but for the two years I've lived in LIC, I never stepped foot in the place. I don't know why. It's clean and well maintained. There are always lots of neighborhood men sipping frappes and strong coffee at the tables out front--and they're not terribly scary. And still I never stopped in.

On Friday Chuck suggested out of the blue that we play a few games of pool. I was excited and nervous. I've only played pool once or twice in my life. I tried to learn on my high school senior trip. And I think I might have tried again sometime in college.

I was terrible then and I am terrible now, but pool is fun! I tried to learn from Chuck and the other people playing around us, because I was having hard time getting a good strong hit. The white ball would bounce and jerk off the table when I hit it. I would stamp my foot and curse. Chuck told me it was just a game.

I know! But I like to be GOOD at games.

We went back today and played 3 more games. Chuck beat me easily until the third game. I won! Narrowly, but still, a win! My first. And as each game progressed, the ball lurched and skipped less. I learn to love my neighborhood a little more every day.

Ravelry

At long last! I got my invite to Ravelry tonight. I've been waiting for over a month. Despite getting home late tonight and being bone-tired, I couldn't resist poking around the site. It's awesome.

If you're a knitter, you'll understand.

Sleep Over

I remember the alarm going off at 6. And I remember hitting snooze.

Next thing you know it's 7:30 and my alarm is on the floor and I'm waking up from a bad (and long) dream.

F. And it's still grey outside.

Speaking of grey--I hear that they're releasing a movie based on one of my all-time favorite Stephen King stories: "The Mist."

I think I read that 100 times when I was a pre-teen King fan. I should re-read it.

MASH!

If you ever played MASH (mansion, apartment, shack, house), then you'll love the version up on Scholastic's site. It's for kids, but still.

Here's my result:

You will attend Smith to become a Princess. You will live in NYC, in a mansion.You will marry Anthony Bourdain in Long Island. Your honeymoon will be in Costa Rica. You will have 2 kids and a Bird. You will drive a Blue VW Bug.

Pie

I made a peach pie. It's my first. I've made a cherry pie, a pumpkin pie--but never a peach pie.

UPDATE: I don't really like pie. I just like the fruit filling.

Delayed Birthday Girl

My mom sent some pictures from Delaney's birthday party last month. She really really likes red. And she really really likes her goggles. She's such a funny munchkin. We talked a lot over video iChat this weekend. She kept asking for everyone but me. "Where's Kevin?" "Where's Grandpa?" "Where's Chuck?" She also told me that she wasn't a big meanie, and that she likes to watch Drake and Josh. I'm betting she'll miss her big brother today, now that he's headed back to school.

Finished

Last night I finished my galley of Extras. It was bubbly-making, but not my absolute favorite in the series. Still, there's lots of smart commentary about blogging and fame that impressed me.

Now it's onto Bess-wa, because she reminded me that the galley was coming. Don't worry, Meg--she reads fast.

First Day

Donovan starts second grade today. His teacher is Ms. Jones, and he knows a lot of kids in his class from last year.  Yesterday we video iChatted a few times. He had his outfit for today all picked out. He had new pins on his backpack. He had lots of snacks available including granola bars and fruit-by-the-foot.

He was so impatient that he wished he had a remote control that could fast-forward him into Monday.

Good luck, munchkin.

The Secret

On Saturday I went with my parents to a party. It was a college graduation.

My lungs didn't know what to do with all the fresh suburban air. Breeze blew and trees swayed and the sun shined.

We struck up a conversation with another party goer, and she told us that she got the graduating girl the audiobook of The Secret. I gasped inside--but kept my cool. I find The Secret nutsy. That said, tons of people believe, so I tucked away my skeptical self and listened. I nodded where it was appropriate. I bit my tongue. My mom jokingly told the universe. "No more bills!"--but the Secret-lady said that was wrong. You can't ask the universe for something negative.

Like "No more The Secret"? No wonder it hasn't worked.

Speed Hiker

I have no idea how I ended up buying shoes described as "speed hikers."

But I did.

I have not hiked in quite some time, unless you count the walk up to our nose-bleeds seats at the Yankee stadium this week. For the record, I would not describe my walk up those endless circling ramps as "speedy."

Now that I own this miraculous Merrell end-of-season-clearance "speed hikers," I'll need to figure out what to do with them. Apparently, they're comfortable for walking.

Note: I also bought a clearance pair of red flats. I know exactly what to do with them.

Smile

While waiting in line for my iced coffee, a little boy blew me a kiss.

Misc.

1. Happy Birthday to Anna!
2. It's humid and gross. Anna deserves better birthday weather.
3. My grandma turned 83 this week. She celebrated with riblets from Applebee's.
4. I'm going to Long Island this weekend.
5. Donovan starts school on Monday.
6. Delaney's favorite color is red.
7. Samantha Cat loves her new scratching pad.
8. There was a street fair in my neighborhood last weekend and it was weird.
9. I'll be going to St. Louis in October to work a book festival.
10. Chuck will give a talk at the festival about his forthcoming Lincoln book.
11. NY1 says the weather today will be a "warm mix."

Grey Dog's Coffee

One of my favorite places in New York is Grey Dog's Coffee. I love it to pieces because it's relaxed and they play good music and serve damn good iced coffee. And when I'm feeling splurgey, the nonfat iced spice chai tea latte rocks.

Anyhow, there's an interview with one of the owners on Gothamist about the new Grey Dog location.

It's my dream to live within walking distance of Grey Dog, but that's for another day.

Note to Mom

Hey Mom,

COME TO NEW ORLEANS!!!

You're going to be 60. I already booked a hotel room. We'll be steps away from beignets.

Love,
Rachel

P.S. Doesn't EVERYONE think that my mom should go to New Orleans with me in October? She's never been. It's a delightful and relaxing place to be.

Root Canal of Doom

My root canal sucked. It took three shots of novocaine to numb me properly. Dentist had to take 6 whacks at my crown to get it off. Blood splattered all over, and it was hard to get my gum to stop bleeding. It took a long time because I've got wacky roots.

This was not pleasant, but I did it. And as my reward, I was given a delightful prescription for Tylenol 3. Codeine, baby. Just a little, but I'm sure it will go a long way.

So now I'm in bed hoping to sleep off the pain and have sweet narcotic nap dreams.

UPDATE:Root canal? Who cares! I'm enjoying the painkillers. They're simply delightful.

 

Star Hat

Just whipped this up for Lylablu.

Spiegeltent

Last night I joined Sarah and her sister, Amanda, for the Absinthe Show at Spiegelworld.

Meg and Anna highly recommended the show--and they were right. It's v. hard to describe the whole experience, but I'll say this: It's crazy, dirty, naked, breath-taking, salty, saucy, hilarious fun. There are hot chicks hanging from the ceiling and doing amazing acrobatics. There's a singing, gender-bending emcee, a rich producer and his funny goofball assistant, Penny (who acts a little like me. just a little.). She's played by someone named Anais Thomassian, and I dig her. (I just looked on line and she's in a band called Fish Circus).

Amanda was plucked from the audience during a roller skating act. The picked her up and spun her around on stage. She had the presence of mind to hold tight onto her flip flops.

The whole thing was exhilarating and fun--and I'm pretty sure I need to go back before the show closes down. Meg, Anna, Jaimie?

Shots After Shots

Lemon drop shots + co-worker's going away party =
GOOD TIMES

Blue Steel

I was a model for two hours this week.

Yeah, it's hard work. The waiting. The pressure.

But it's worth it.

Ha! Seriously, my photo shoot for Gl@mour exceeded expectations. It was fan-fucking-tastic. When I arrived, they gave me a glass of champagne. The first stop was the make-up chair. You know me--I don't wear a lot of make-up. Maybe in the fall I'll slap on some foundation and eyeliner for a special occasion. Maybe I'll put on some lipstick if I'm feeling fancy. In high school, I had a whole Goth routine (ivory foundation, rice powder, lots of black eyeliner and black lipstick)--but that's not really the look I'm going for today. Make-up isn't a language I speak.

It's fascinating the make-up thing. It took around 30 minutes from start to finish. I had to look up, look down, close my eyes. I had to blot my lips on a tissue 3 times. There were so many pots of color, brushes and wands. I learned that I have tiny eyelashes. I learned that I can pull-off red lipstick!

With my make-up complete, I moved over to hair. They all decided that I had a Betty Boop vibe. That's how the red lipstick happened. And the hair stylist took it to the next step. She studied my hair and worked slowly and thoughtfully. She'd tease a tiny handful of hair and then tackle another tiny handful. When she was done, she glazed my hair with spray gel. It looked natural and cute. I kind of loved the whole thing.

The final stop was the photo booth. This wasn't a traditional shoot. Instead, each of us took over 70 pictures in the booth while the photo editor prompted us with emotions. It was hilarious. When the first pictures came out, everyone oohed and aahed. I was so relieved. They showed me the photos and they were great. I did sad, happy, bashful, angry. I had trouble with "girls gone wild" and inspired. This went on for close to 40 minutes. Four emotions at a time. Stop. Reset. Another four emotions.

I looked at all the pictures together and they looked so cool! And while there's a chance that some of us will be cut from the final article, I'm hopeful at least one of mine will make it in. And if it doesn't, I almost don't care. The experience rocked. And when I re-watch Zoolander, I think I'll understand the whole thing on a deeper level.

Weird Wednesday

For Meg and lots of other folks, it was HORRIBLE Wednesday.

For me, it was eh.

I left at 8 and believed that it would probably take me over an hour to get to work. I didn't understand that the subways were totally kaput.

They were. Kaput. A handy MTA person waited above ground at my subway stop with news, so I never went down the stairs. I heard her tell a girl that they had to evacuate people off the train at 36th St. through the roof!

So I just waited on the corner for the Q101 which I hoped would ferry me to 58th and 2nd.

A bus passed--it didn't stop. Too full.

Another passed and didn't stop.

Another. I called work, said it would be awhile. And right then I decided to go to Starbucks and wait it out a bit. The bus line was huge, and I was pretty far back. So I walked over, ordered an iced tea, and did what work I could do. Wrote reminders. To-do lists. Drafted letters.

My blackberry battery was dead, so I charged it. I was pretty darn productive for a stranded person.

At 9:15 I decided to give the bus another whirl. The line was disorganized and hardly a line at all--so I insinuated myself up front. 9:30. No bus. 9:45. No bus. 10. A full bus that didn't stop.

I considered hopping in a car, but hardly any of them were stopping. One man pulled over and asked for $100 to get over the bridge.

A little after 10, the sun started to beat down. Everyone started melting. The man behind me was completely soaked with sweat. Sometimes a big wet drop would land with an audible thud. Audible sweating! Too hot! So I gave up. I went home, changed into a tank top and flip flops, and headed to Esparks, the local coffee place with free wifi.

And you know I love me some free wifi.  I  stayed there from 11 to 5. Wrote tons of emails, edited a press release, made calls--no distractions. I bought drinks now and again to "pay" for my spot.

I left, bought another possible shirt for my photo shoot tomorrow, and came home.

I'm lucky today. For once, living in Queens proved to be a good thing. When you're impossibly stuck, you're impossibly stuck.

[Awesome picture courtesy of Gawker]

Almost Better

I went to the doctor! I got my prescription!

Oh sweet joy. Of course, it's never that easy, is it? After I took my medicine (sweet delicious medicine), I had Chipotle for lunch. I was still hungry, so I had some cookies.

Time passed, and the medicine met my lunch and they disagreed. Next thing you know I'm calling a car and Vince is walking me downstairs because I'm green with nausea.

Fortunately, I made it home without incident. Down to bed I went.

I really really believe the worst is over. And I really really believe that anti-depressants are some strong shit.

Things I Did Between 2 am and 6 am

2 am:
Something bit my arm. Looks like it was a mosquito--but now I can't sleep.

2:30 am:
I'm up. I put on a Family Guy I've seen 80000 times.

3 am:
I start to research trips to Costa Rica. I would like to go on a trip and see a big turtle.

3:30 am:
Do a little research on Shinzi Katoh. I want it all.   

4:00 am:
Attempt sleep.

4:10 am:
I don't feel good.

4:11 am:
I wish I were rich and didn't have to worry about money. Brief happy fantasy in brain.

4:15 am:
I really don't feel good.

4:30 am:
I throw up. I'm surprised.

4:45 am:
I try to go back to sleep.

5:00 am:
I succeed!

5:00-8:am:
I dream that I'm breaking up with my ex-boyfriend. I convince myself to start over in Buffalo. While in Buffalo, I'm with my parents and I'm watching a baby. My cell phone starts to die. I pick up the want ads and start driving away from the city. A clown cries (ok, i lied. no clown).

YEAH!!!!

Just heard from my mom, and grandma doesn't have cancer! The doctor had us all scared for nothing.

YEAH!

Dizzy

What a crap weekend (with a few exceptions).

I was supposed to go to Matt and Renee's with Vince and Lisa for a BBQ on Saturday--but I felt so awful on Friday night, I had to cancel. Every time I ate food I felt HORRIBLE. Sick to my stomach and dizzy. And when I didn't eat, I still felt dizzy and weird.

Today, Chuck and I went to Water Taxi Beach and I only lasted an hour and a half. We did have a few drinks and a hot dog. We did play poker using change from my purse for bets. But then I started to feel terrible. Pounding headache, sick to my stomach, and dizzy as hell. We moved into the shade, but I still felt awful. So we packed up and headed in the direction of home. Chuck flagged down a car and soon I was in the air conditioning and under the covers. And I just woke up.

On the bright side, Chuck is making me Chicken, Rice and Peas for dinner. And I finished the skull sweater. And I saw "The Bourne Ultimatum" (fantastic) and "Hairspray" (full of sunshine). And when I talked to my grandma, she sounded more up than I thought she would.

Tomorrow is Monday--the world's original fresh start. And I plan to use it. I'm really done with this dizzy miserable thing.

The Procrastination Sweater

This is a tiny little black cardigan, and it's taken me a million years to finish.

Well, not quite a million years, but months and months. And it's not like I couldn't have whipped through it. And it's not like I didn't dig the pattern (I've used it several times before). It's just that I HATED the yarn. HATED it. And worse, I doubled it up and had to manage two giant skeins. It was too much yarn to tote around on the subway. It's acrylic, and I hated how thick and weird the fabric knit up. BUT, I promised my co-worker that she'd get a skull sweater--and that's what I've done. And a skull sweater has to be black, and it's pretty darn tough to find black yarn suitable for a baby.

So, it's done. And I kind of love it now, and wish I had finished it sooner. It will still fit the baby--he's only 3 months old. And he won't really need a sweater for another month or two.

The skull is an applique that I bought at M&J Trimmings.

Voila! Done. And I've already got another sweater on the needles for Lylablu. It's going to be purple heather with a green puffy applique frog. You can start timing me know--I'd like it done in two weeks.

Oh F

My grandma might have cancer.

And that's just bad and ridiculous.

Not helping is the fact that due to the jackass receptionist at my doctor's office (and my own inability to be forceful and demanding) I'm completely out of medicine--the kind of medicine you're not supposed to stop taking abruptly. I'm dizzy, sick to my stomach and completely out of sorts. I went to see Hairspray and I burst into tears 5 times (and not once because of John Travolta's fat suit). This is not at all helping my ability to process significant news, good or bad. Especially bad.

My grandma has had cancer before. I made her a giant get-well card in school. The part I remember most clearly: "When you come home I will make you chicken cutlets for dinner."

That was a significant promise because I considered chicken cutlets to be a serious, delicious, and complicated culinary challenge. To bring the point home, I decorated the card with a pencil-drawing of a giant chicken cutlet on a plate.

But I digress. In fact, I'd like to digress myself a week ago when I spent the weekend skipping around town with a pocketful of kettle corn.

F.

A Little Off

I'm the queen of work anxiety. Even when things are going great (and they are--my department rocks) I stress out. I want to fix everything. I want everything to be fixed.

So yesterday I had a completely fantastic work meltdown. Kind of. And it came to a head late in the day. And I was not at my most logical. Still, the situation resolved itself. I saw some light at the end of the tunnel. I took a breath and a step back and refocused my attention.

But it was tough and I was kind of crazy.

Anyhow. It was suggested that I should take today off. And I did. I am off right now and it's 11:10 on a Friday and I'm still in my PJs.

A day off was a lovely idea.

And still, my Spider-Pig sense tingles.

I need more. I need distance. I need to get the heck away.

I thought I should flee immediately, so I spent the morning look up localish destinations like Atlantic City and Baltimore. But then I determined that what I really really wanted was to visit the family in Florida.

I haven't asked Gloria yet, but I'm hoping I can swing 3 or 4 days down there. I found some decent-priced flights, and a cheap car rental.  And if this all works, I might try and surprise the kids for bonus fun.

This is a good idea. Letting work be work is an even better idea.

Feet

I am not freaked out by feet. I know many people who are. They hate feet. They don't want to see feet.

Even though I don't mind feet,  I still don't want to see them at work. My old boss in Chamberland would bumble around the office in socks or bare feet. It was weird. On the first day I started working for him, he didn't have shoes on. My inner voice said, "Nutsy." My inner voice was right.

I worked late last night, and around 7 I kicked off my shoes. I don't know what compelled me to do it, but I did. And I wasn't just working from my desk. I was running around, putting books on shelves, mailing out advances, throwing out old papers.

Without shoes, I felt happier and more ambitious. I deftly reorganized my bookshelves. I repositioned my tchokes. Before I knew it, it was 10 o'clock. My office gleamed. Emails were answered.

It's a little gross that I spent 6 shoeless hours traipsing around the industrial-patterned carpeting, but I can't say I won't do it again.

Crabby

I spent my Tuesday in crabby town.

There were lots and lots of presentations and meetings. I frowned. I ate bad-for-me catered "meeting food." I wanted to kick over a recycling bin.

Then I went to dinner with the sales folks, drank lots of mojitos, and got lovely drunk.