ugh...

it's 9:3o pm on a friday night--and i am still working. i didn't actually get to take care of "office stuff" so i get to do it now--reaping the rewards of a WAY TOO BUSY MONTH. i went to east setauket and the hamptons (both on long island) on thursday--slept there, then went to white plains (upstate new york) today and am back home for the weekend.

then on monday i head to morristown, new jersey for training until wednesday, sleep on my floor for a night--then on thursday--catch a flight to la for labor day weekend and some MUCH NEEDED rest.

~~

there is mass family drama at the moment and i feel very far removed from it--meaning--just too far to do much good--helpless and trite. it's hard being so far away and not being able to be there for the ones you love. how do you help when you are across the country in a different time zone? when you can't go there to defend them yourself? how do you make that difference without sounding trite? for that matter, how do you even make that difference being so far away? i don't know. i just don't know how to bridge the gap.

all these kids (by "these kids" i mean my nieces and nephews) are growing up so fast and i am missing so much of it now. there's so much an aunt can do that parents can't do. i love being the one they want to play with cause "auntie jenny" is so fun. it helps i suppose that i really am a big kid at heart. it's not tough to play with the kids when you enjoy the stuff they do still. i don't really know anyother way to be. i still love the kid stuff that i always have--still prefer disneyland to vegas and medieval times to an expensive night out in the hamptons. there are some things that will never change about me.

~~

my older brother has finally proposed to his longtime girlfriend--of 12 years or so i believe. we've always called her our sister-in-law anyways--but it's nice that it's finally official. so congratulations to the two of them and let's hope that the wedding doesn't take another 10 years or so to occur!

premature memory lapses

it seems i must be suffering from it. i have had far too many instances of forgetting my wallet--which of course holds my driver's license and money. it really messes up your day when you have to drive over 30 miles back to retrieve it...not to mention...

i didn't find this out until i was at the triboro bridge heading upstate. i was about to go through the tolls when...i realized, CRAP. i don't have $5!!! for that matter, i don't have my wallet or driver's license with me either! i have nothing.

so i drive on up and flag the closest worker to me. and i am very contrite and very sad when i tell him i have to turn around and go back home because i have forgotten my wallet and have no money on me. he asks me if i have any cash at all. i say, no i forgot my wallet. he asks if i at least have my license. i say no--i forgot my wallet. he asks me if this is my car and i said yes. he asks if i have the registration--and i managed to pull that out. so he let's me through and tells me i have to be back at least in 20 minutes and to go through the closest toll so that he can let me through.

i lucked out this time. the bastards at jfk airport are hardcore!

so i am on the deegan expressway trying to figure out how to get back on the brooklyn-queens expressway to the triboro bridge. it wasn't too bad thankfully, so i managed to get back and he sees me and i thank him profusely and head back home to retrieve my wallet.

i figured trying to get back upstate today was a lost cause--so i changed my plans midway through my day. i will have to tackle white plains some other day!

~~

i have unpacked as much as i possibly can. the rest of it--i have to wait for various pieces of furniture to arrive.

~~

i am getting very excited for my short trip to la. i am in need of it very badly.

YAY!!!

there's a ton of great news about to be listed. i can't say i'm disappointed by that news!
1. i am MOVED from that awful, hideous situation--i slept at my new place last night--and i must say--i haven't slept that well in quite awhile.

here's why i had to move out:

my over 40 year old roommate was a chronic pot smoker. now, i totally know a ton of people that smoke the stuff since college--and i still know people that do it currently--and that doesn't bug me. i'm pretty tolerant and understanding i think with regards to personal choice--so long as it doesn't cause me any undue harm. so why did this bug me?

because she smoked it TWICE a day--AT LEAST. and it wasn't for medicinal purposes.

she also rented out her entire apartment to me and an awesome kenyan guy that i got along with great--which meant that she shouldn't have been around--at all. i signed on for one roommate--not 1 and a freeloader.

however--she was there pretty much everyday and crashed on the couch most of the time. she also ate our food, used our resources and made a mess--without contributing to any of the replacements that would be needed, cleaning, or even asking for permission to eat the food. now, i understand people suffering from hard times--but the fact is--had she even been a tad considerate and pleasant to us--we might not have minded as much. however, she was basically unpleasant, demanding, rude, and inconsiderate. that doesn't make me want to be charitable to someone i just met.

she also smoked cigarettes in the apartment. not only was she not supposed to be around--but she would lie about her daily activities. i don't smoke. duncan doesn't smoke. who else could it possibly be??? she lied alot. i mean. we're talking about someone who just doesn't know what the truth is.

i'm sorry--but if you're over 40 years old and you still smoke pot twice a day and have no job? there's a problem. here's a thought--maybe the two are connected?

she would invite her various male friends over daily. and smoke pot, eat our food, etc. all this from someone who wasn't supposed to be there.

really??? i mean. really????
~~
2. i purchased my ticket to l.a. for labor day weekend! yay! i get to see my sister and brother-in-law and their 2 girls and 2 boys. i'm very excited. the kids are just stinking cute. they have moved here from singapore for a few years. if you listen closely, the kids have adorable accents.

keira: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhDRlmygLDY

scott: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2p5NVQ5Peg&feature=related

greg: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJnF8D5yxXg&feature=related

elizabeth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG_d3ZHGekU

i happen to have 9 more cute nieces and nephews. i might not be blessed but the rest of the family seems to be!
~~
august is VERY NEARLY OVER. and i'm still trying to figure out how to make this month work. i just need 3 extra days!!!
~~
i was very torn watching the men's backstroke final. i've always loved piersol...but that ryan lochte is HOT. come to it--did you check out those russian swimmers? favorite all-time swimmer is the "russian rocket" alexander popov--but that new one...it must be a requirement that you need to be extremely easy on the eyes to be an olympic swimmer for russia...

alexander popov

ryan lochte

aaron piersol

starting to get...

cranky.

and all because i am staying up past my bedtime.

curse you olympics. curse you!!!

~~

my handheld is behaving in a subpar manner again.

~~

getting ultra excited for my move!

~~

i'm not sure how i'm going to get everything in that i want/must do this month. i'm just not sure. argh...

the olympics

i really need to purchase an umbrella at some point soon. this is the second time i've been out and about and got caught in the pouring rain. i have been soaked through within 5 seconds--no kidding. the rain here comes down a lot harder than over there. it doesn't rain as often--but when it does--boy does it! that drowned rat you see walking around?

that's me.

~~

i love the olympics. i love love love it. i remember watching it every year it was on with my family and taking bets and rooting and all that stuff. i stayed up past my bedtime to watch the relay--which was AWESOME. it was absolutely intense. totally great.

i am going to look into it a bit more--but i want to see if this could possibly be one of the more bloody olympics. how about those russians and georgians? so much for the olympic spirit. i knew where georgia was--but, i must confess that i did go look up where south ossetia was. i don't feel so ashamed about that.

shopping...

i am currently online shopping around for various articles of furniture...

here is what i have decided on thus far:

mattress frame from west elm--one of my fave stores for this sort of thing:

http://www.westelm.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?partNumber=WE-PRODf828&storeId=17001&langId=-1&catalogId=17002&viewSetCode=E&parentId=WE-SH1FRNBDF&retainNav=true&cmsrc=WE-SH1FRNBDF

that's it thus far. i need to find a mattress now. luckily no need for a box spring with the platform frame. so i'm pretty stoked. and it's the same chocolate as my desk--since i bought my desk from there. anyhow, if any of you have suggestions on where i can find a decent mattress for a great deal--LET ME KNOW. :) at the moment--i've found one at overstock.com for about $300 (10 inch coil with foam pillowtop).

that's all i got for today--just some online furniture shopping.

mixing it up...

so i've had a few emails asking how to post a comment on here. so here's a quick rundown.

--you DO NOT actually need to have a blogger id to post comments to me. here's the easiest way to post a comment:

1. click the "comments" link towards the end of each post.
2. click the circle that says "name/url"
3. type in your name, the url is optional.
4. type your comment in the comment box.
5. click the "publish your comment"

and you're done! :)

~~

ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL MY MOVE! :) i'm totally way too stoked for a move...but, at some point--i will post why it is something that NEEDS to happen. some of you already have a clue but i'm wayyyyy excited--and again--most likely i will be posting the various details about why soon...

on another note--does anyone else love "so you think you can dance" cause--man...damn i wish i could dance! it's just crazy how people can move their bodies in such incredibly strange and hypnotic ways. it's just mesmerizing...

craziness.

i hate my handheld

so everything i do for work is inputted into this handheld. all the programs i use, etc. can be uploaded into this handheld and it sends it instantly into the corporate office once i sync it. it's wonderful...

when it's working and cooperating.

unfortunately, about twice a month--strange errors will prevent me from doing anything with it. this can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 days.

then i spend 10 hours off the clock putting in everything that should have been in there all over again.

aargh!

it cracks me up...

when people insist on arguing and/or defending a point that is clearly fallacious on so many levels, fail to realize the enormity of scope and then proceed to offend and defend the ignorant opinion that they have decided is "fact."

on another note. i'm feeling more and more excited about the move. i'm very stoked.

also, i had pierogis for the first time. i purchased a small box of "potato and garlic" ones. errr...maybe it was just a bad company that made it or a bad mix or whatever--but i wasn't terribly impressed. it was like mashed potates wrapped in thick wonton wrap. and if that's the case--i prefer the asian versions of dimsum and stuff. but i can admit that i might be biased.

progress

i am almost nearly completely packed up--and i still have 2 weeks to go before i actually move! i'm either extremely incredible or completely insanely premature. i can be both though. all i have left is the kitchen cupboard and my clothes. that's it. both of which i can do in about an hour max.

so, i'm feeling very accomplished. i am also pretty amazed at the lack of stuff i have. if i wasn't living on the 4th floor and moving into the 3rd floor--i'd do it myself. oh well.

it's the start of the first week of august and it's already kicking my butt...

a slight oversight...

so i move in 2 weeks--well, the movers move me in 2 weeks...but, i just recalled that the new place has no closets--at all. there are no closets in any of the rooms--which means i have to purchase some sort of armoire/wardrobe for my clothes. i've been trying to find one but anything that is remotely passably nice looking is hella expensive. as for the ugly, cheap looking ones--they aren't even worth the asking price.

so--the search continues!

i also need to look for a bed. maybe my priorities are a tad off--but the wardrobe matters more to me than the bed...

oh well.

rude awakenings

so the other night...i went to bed. no covers since it's so bloody hot here and felt a tickle on the small of my back. i was asleep, but awake enough to feel the tickle and awake enough to move my hand there to scratch my back...only...

once my hand got there, i realized it wasn't a tickle from the fan. it was a bug, which woke me right up. i swatted, jumped up and turned on the light. i can say i've never woken up quite so quickly and quite so fiercely before.

but the very disturbing fact that woke me up wasn't that it was a bug...but that what i felt, was a HUGE bug. so, blind as a bat, with the lights on, i look for my taped up glasses and look around, knowing that it was lurking somewhere...slightly hurt.

i start moving things around, fearfully, and still quite dazed with sleep. i grabbed my pillows, thinking, maybe it's lurking there...unfortunately. i was right.

it flew out and i was able to confirm the size of the thing that was making itself comfortable on my back. i have no clue what the hell it was still. but it flew. it had the wings of a moth--but the body of a grasshopper. and it was 2 inches long. that's sizable man. big, beady eyes. sentient. staring at me. i proceeded to figure out how to get rid of it without getting close and without screaming at 2am. i finally worked up the nerve to bundle my right hand up in toilet paper--grabbed it, wrapped it up and squished it. i know. i know. but even that freaked me out.

i hate bugs. i understand they play some role in the greater scheme of things, but i still hate them. i especially hate being woken up to one parked on the small of my back.

anyhow. i was still freaked out at the size of the thing, so i kept my light on and tried to go to sleep. at 4am i realized, i am not going to be able to fall asleep with my lights on. it makes it hotter and brighter (imagine that).

anyhow, after that i felt sufficiently safe to sleep enough to turn off my lights. promptly fell asleep cause i was dead tired. and about...ohhhh...an hour later....

i felt a tickle on my leg. smacked it. and no. it wasn't the breeze again. it was a fairly large mosquito or bug of some sort. but after the earlier scare, well, a smaller version just didn't freak me out quite so much--but...

enough to call an end to sleep for the day. i decided to get some packing done instead.

~~

on another note: i caved and hired movers. :) i'm actually pretty happy with it. i think i'd have died trying to move my stuff myself--and it's not like i have all that much. i really don't, but the month is already going to be pretty stressful, there's no need to add what doesn't need to be added, right?