a long overdue update...

shall be coming soon. :)

i could technically do it right now, but i need to figure out how to upload a document file on here so that you all can see the exquisite menu i made for christmas dinner. boy that seems so long ago and it was only a week ago! anyhow, this vaca has been going pretty well--though i did work a little everyday and at least 4 days of it. gah. oh well. i get the feeling this will always be the case.

anyhow, a more detailed update coming soon. for now--have a wonderful and SAFE new year's eve! nyc is ridiculously expensive for new year's eve (with nearly everywhere charging a minimum $100 cover charge) and we are headed to *surprise surprise* the upper west side for our celebration tonight!

i shall hopefully be back and blogging on a more normal basis on friday. and then--come monday--it's back to work! this is, of course, the problem with long vacations--you just don't want them to ever end.

anyhow, i shall update on christmas, new year's eve, and my vacation sometime this weekend.

also, if i don't go to seattle for my bday--i shall make it back for president's day weekend. it's about time. that will be around a year since i left and it's a year now since i last saw my family. there's still a nephew i haven't seen yet that i would like to see. minus the hideous track suit outfit of course. i have to travel to jersey the same week i want to go--so january might not happen.

warning: graphic content ahead

so i have been struck with some strange stomach virus. saturday evening i woke up every hour on the hour to diarrhea.

so on sunday, i ate only a bowl of oatmeal, an apple, and cranberry juice to minimize my bathroom visits. it seemed to help as i woke up only 3 times last night to run to the bathroom--though throughout sunday i certainly was making my nightly visits.

i have only had to go 3 times today--which is fortunate since i have been traveling to the hamptons.

so my hope is that it is only a 48 hour stomach virus. it just hit me out of the blue which is just mass strange. especially since i am still somewhat recovering from my phlegm-filled nightmare.

god. i am just a walking bit of gross.

joy and i have yet to plan our christmas dinner menu. because it feels like forever since i have eaten (though it really has only been 2 days) EVERYTHING sounds good to me. i see those damn whopper commercials and kfc commercials and i start salivating. i want lasagna. maybe we should do an italian style christmas dinner. or a really traditional lao meal. heck. i'll eat anything at this point!

i am THIS close to my last goal. and a part of me is like--YOU'RE ON VACATION--JUST LET IT GO. and another part of me is like--YOU'RE THIS CLOSE. i bet the latter part wins out. it usually does. i need to chill.

it is FREEZING HERE. i was using my laminated map of long island to try and scrape the 5 inches thick of ice on my windshield this morning. this old man was laughing at me when he saw, went inside his house and grabbed me one of those scraper/brush things. very nice of him!

i am thinking of so many things i need to do--and really--the best time to do it is NOW, while i'm on "vacation." i NEED some glasses--i broke my last pair cleaning them, and then, used duct tape for awhile--until i lost them completely (my bet is, i left them at a hotel). i need new contacts--because i have worn these ones for months and months and months--and they were supposed to only be monthly's to begin with.

yes. i think i shall do that these next few days.

i'll be back

cause while i was in jersey/philly for one night--newb came up to my hotel room after we had pho for dinner and watched some movies/shows. we stayed in downtown philly like--a block from chinatown at the hilton there. and that was very cool. we started with charlie brown--which i LOVE. then we did "i am legend" which should have been better--and ended with terminator 2--which I LOVE. first time seeing that one--and it definitely was worth it. i must say. loved it. great movie. i'd watch it again. even if there are loose ends all over the place!

so i told newb at dinner that i was confident he could handle the account himself but that i'd leave it up to him what he wanted and he replied with "if it isn't a burden i'd just as soon keep having you come."

which is fine. it isn't a burden or anything. and 2 hours out of my month doesn't hurt me in any way to be honest. and it's nice to feel like i actually have COWORKERS. which is probably why he prefers i keep going with him. gives us an excuse to do movie night and dinner and have someone to vent and talk about work to. you know. normal office politics that we otherwise would just conduct on the phone--but because our territories work out so nicely--we can actually get together at least once a month to do face to face. and that's nice. most of the other reps don't have that luxury i don't think.

i know a few of the other reps do that as well though. so i don't feel like we're doing anything strange. perfectly acceptable. and it's not like i'm hiding it from anyone. i've told our team leader we've done it and it didn't seem like it was a biggie.

~~

on a nice note. after i got home today--i did a few things--and then...what did i do? met up with my partner in crime for some...SHABU. yes. again. always. again. we also went to the macy's on 34th for some shopping--of which i didn't get anything. i'm too indecisive to purchase right away.

but i DID get the earth boots i ordered online on saturday today. i got home--and there they were--waiting right outside my front door. and they are SUPER CUTE. they have a negative heel--so you are supposed to be able to burn more calories with every step. and to be perfectly objectively honest--i've never huffed going up my 3 flights of stairs--i did today. i think they work. i can feel the difference in how hard steps seem to be after awhile.


on another note--i am officially on vacation until the 5th of january. that's a LONG time. and i have no set plans--i will work 2 days of it to visit my largest account--and to go to the hamptons for one of the days. but that'll be fine. i'm not as annoyed as i was. as working things go--it's not so bad to go on vacation and have to work a couple of days of it.

almost...

doesn't count.

it's rather unfortunate. there are many "almosts" this month. i almost didn't have to go to jersey. and then, an email i received today confirmed that i indeed, would have to go--at least for 1 night. which is even worse really.

it's also "almost" my vacation. starting the wednesday i drive back from jersey. and while it really won't be that bad--i am sort of dreading it. traveling for 1 night is worse than anything i swear. all that packing and unpacking--all for 1 night. blah.

on a good note--i think newb is doing well so i shouldn't have to go with him anymore after tomorrow's meeting--to that account. i think it should be ok for him to start going at that account alone. shouldn't be a big deal. i'll ask him at dinner tomorrow after the meeting to see where his head is on it. it's not that i hate doing it or whatever--but i'm sure he'd like to start doing it himself as well instead of having me hanging about!

i'm mass tired. all this traveling and phlegm and drinking. i'm over it! i am living for thursday. well. i do get to meet joy for dinner briefly, that will be nice. i don't think i've seen her since our dinner the week of thanksgiving.

also, i purchased j.k. rowling's "the tales of beedle the bard" while i was in burlington, vermont. it's much more elementary in its read than all her previous books--but there's a tale in it that is just grisly. even for me--the adult that i am. while i wasn't shocked--there was some nose-wrinkling action.

burlington, vermont

is one of the cutest effing cities ever. i just love the whole new england area--there is so much history in the buildings and the city and yet--they have done such an incredible job maintaining it. it's not ugly and old and decrepit. it's charming, historical, and old movie happy.

and can i just say the food was actually incredible? even to my standards? we're not talking authentic--but authentic or not--GREAT flavoring and original concepts and a very pleasing presentation.

the team meeting held no big surprises given the current economic woes and further dour forecasts. but it's nice to know that we are still up as a team and as a company. for how long--i'm not sure--but it's my job to help stave it off for a little bit longer--so let's hope i continue to have good news to write.

one of the bigger downers is--we are asked to reduce our spending abit and be more cost-conscious in these times.

to that end--i believe we spent quite a bit of money on alcohol in response. i think the coming months should be really interesting for our team, our company, and of course, the greater economy, country and world.

i wish i had the patience to blog about everything that went on these past 3 days--but i really don't. suffice to say--a lot happened!

after being around the entire national team during different meetings--i always thought in my head--my east coast team--was probably the loudest, wildest, drunkest, and most gregarious of all the teams. after comparing notes with the other groups--it was confirmed.

it's funny how my team actually BOASTS about it. hilarious. and getting to know people from the other teams--they really are a more sedate and serious sort. but it's all good--we're the highest achieving group as well. i'm proud to be on this team. i have a crazy team leader that leads the craziness and it's good.

work hard, play hard.

i can't drink like they can and i was still under the weather--but i held up my part well enough. though 3 drinks and drunk still is no good considering the team leader had about 10 and was probably doing as well as i was the next day.

but before the bar hopping started--there was dinner and the comedy club our second night there. i'm not sure the comedy would have been so funny if i was more sober--but by the time we were there? i was plastered. i was dying the entire time and the comedians actually all walked by us and kept saying "you guys were great." just to us.

there was this one joke about going to the bathroom and thinking there was a monster hiding behind the bathroom curtains that i was dying about. come to find out both me and my team leader always flip the curtains REAL FAST to see if anything is hiding behind there. freakin hilarious. we were literally on our knees on the floor of the place laughing together. all the while people walking by us either laughing at us, with us, or shaking their heads thinking, "fuckin drunks."

but i had fun--and that's all that matters!

bagel, cream cheese, and lox

one of my fave foods.

i am sitting here eating a late lunch/early dinner of it. the details: toasted whole wheat bagel, gaspe nova lox (though i still believe sockeye salmon is the greatest salmon ever--and to be specific--the wild copper river sockeye), some organic valley cream cheese and a little smattering of cippolini onions and parsley. very pretty looking and extremely tasty.

i can live off this stuff.

i talk about food a lot. but--i really love good food. i feel like it's the one luxury people forget about in their search for louis vuitton and givenchy--which, are of course, part of the lvmh (louis vuitton moet hennesy) family. food, when you don't have to eat it to just survive--is the epitome of good living. when you can afford to be whimsical and EXPERIMENT with ingredients and preparation--is just incredible. i love food. i love everything about it--the preparation, the experimentation, the presentation, the flavors and the eating of it.

i confess. sometimes (a lot of times when no one is around) i even talk while i prepare. you know, like they do in those cooking shows. haha

that said, i am feeling slightly better i think--but i'm still coughing phlegm and it's annoying cause it's the one thing i wish would go away before i have to fly. flying in close quarters with strangers and coughing phlegm into tissue? hell, i am going to be one of those people i hate. because, i confess, when someone in a plane even sniffles--i get annoyed and make a face. serves me right. i feel for the poor person who has to sit next to me. i'm discreet enough in public when i have to do it--but discreet or not--it can't escape a person's notice unless they are totally oblivious to life around them. or if they are paris hilton.

oh well. i feel bad i'll be sick for vermont, but i hope that it doesn't become too much of a hindrance.

this month

i have a WHOLE LOT to do this month--and VERY LITTLE time to do it in.

my own fault, of course. but just because it's my fault doesn't mean i can't complain about it a little, right? plus i've been sick with some nasty 2 week virus, of which i still have about 6 days left to go.

--i just finished 3 days in the hamptons
--i will be in burlington, vermont for 3 days come monday.
--i have 3 days in dirty jersey the following week.

so this month--every monday-wednesday has been/will be me traveling. i'm not sure why it's worked out that way--it just has.

then come the 18th--I AM ON VACATION UNTIL JANUARY 5TH.

that's right. 2 1/2 weeks of vacation. though i will work at the VERY LEAST 2 days of it--if not more. but still. right now....it can't come soon enough--but at the same time--it coming too soon means i have not done everything i wanted to do yet.

i have no fixed plans for this long vacation yet though...

phlegmy nightmares

so it continues. after taking the train into manhattan for 45 minutes and waiting for nearly 3 hours--the nurse came and took my temperature, etc.etc. for about 4 minutes and then, i saw the doctor for 3 minutes--and that might have been stretching it.

i'm happy to say it ISN'T walking pneumonia. however. it is a nasty viral infection which he can't prescribe anything for. the doctor graciously told me that this sort of thing lasts approximately 2 weeks and there isn't really anything to do but to ride it out. DAMN IT. anything he would have told me to use--i can't use anyways because i'm allergic to most drugs. so yay. he said just try to be as comfortable as possible and keep taking whatever it is i'm taking that makes me feel better.

times i wish i was taking heroin and got caught. "but the doctor told me to take whatever makes me feel good officer!"

anyhow. 7 more days of this? that means i get to suffer with this while i'm in vermonttttttt. damn it. i hope at least the worst of the phlegm will be gone by then...my coworkers do not need to see me spitting phlegm into tissue paper.

am i being too graphic and gross?

beautiful days...

and i am sick. sick. sick. sick.

which really sucks. i am coughing up phlegm and i feel very bad for the people around me. they try to hide their looks of disgust and horror with sympathy--but it doesn't quite come out properly--and i can't blame them.

i even disgust me!

when i get sick--i get SICK. and so, tomorrow, after doing some work or before doing some work, i will go to the nearest walk-in clinic that i have found, which is actually about a 45 minute train ride away--and seek out some meds. no doubt it will probably be azithromycin or the like again because--no doubt, i have walking pneumonia. again.

it never fails--if i nap? i get sick. this theory has not failed yet. and yet--i couldn't help myself--i had to nap after my thanksgiving day/black friday event. so the laptop isn't going to just cost me $399.99 and tax. it will end up costing me probably $50 more as well.

still worth it i suppose.

except that i just came back from 3 days in the hamptons, plus i have 3 days next week in burlington, vermont (which if i'm not sick--should be REALLY FUN) and then new jersey again before calling it good for the rest of the year on the 18th!

i might visit the pacific northwest for a week--but considering my lack of planning...we'll see.