marmalade and toast

August 4, 2007

I think I'm running out of places to interview. Yesterday, I went on an interview with a city agency that already interviewed me… in February. What is going on? Have they run out of people to see so they’re re-interviewing everyone or am I just that unmemorable? Shouldn’t they have a record somewhere that they had already seen me and they didn’t want me? That's poor organization – your tax dollars at work everyone. I don’t think I’m going to get a call back this time either. Hmmm… getting rejected twice by the same people can’t be good for an already bruised ego. Although, I think my ego is very robust and healthy considering all the rejections. Anyway, I take every interview that comes my way even when I know that I don’t want to work for them just so I can practice. If I don’t practice then my mental filter gets weak and I scare the interviewer with my chattiness and honesty. That’s what happened during my very first interview when I started this whole looking for a job adventure – frightened the interviewers with my honesty. Suffice it to say, they didn’t call me back for a second interview. I wouldn't have either...

August 3, 2007

I am a confirmed Anglophile. It all started with Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte in my early pre-teen years. Since then, it’s evolved… I’ll go watch a film just because it’s a small British independent and I’ll spell color as colour (but that may be more of my high school and college French kicking in… the American spelling just looks wrong). I get most of my news from the BBC or the Guardian newspaper and I read almost exclusively non-American novelists. Also, there’s just something about the British accent and their penchant for saying words like “lovely” and “brilliant.” Still… I don’t know if I could ever live in the UK. London is still my favourite city outside of New York but whenever I talk about London I conveniently forget all the inconvenient bits. They have great theatre venues and museums, I can find a cup of tea pretty easily and it’s one of the all-time great walkable cities. BUT, the tube always crowded, half the time the escalators are broken in the tube stations, it’s easy to get lost there, and everything is so expensive. Yup... definitely can't live there. I wonder if a Brit would choose New York over London...

August 2, 2007

I am not a graceful person. I’ll find a bruise on my leg and have no idea how it got there or a cut on my finger and have no idea how that got there. Also, I would never call myself a dexterous person either. More to the point though, everyone in my family knows that I’m not especially skilled with my hands. When my grandmother taught me how to make steamed eggs she never told me to put minced garlic in it. After she passed away my sister told me that my grandmother told her about the garlic but didn’t tell me about it because she was afraid for me when I was using the kitchen knife. I think she was totally right. I’ll be slicing away and all of a sudden there's blood from one of my fingers. For some reason, the blood is always a surprise. Tonight while I was dicing an onion I sliced a bit of my left index finger right near the nail. Fingers really bleed more than you would think they would. I’ve been thinking of taking a knife skills class at the local culinary school for ages. I really should look into that...

August 1, 2007

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – movie tickets are really expensive in New York. It costs $11 for one ticket - highway robbery. Is it like that everywhere or just here? If you think about it, if two people go to a movie it costs $22 – basically the price of the DVD when it comes out in six to nine months. I would rather buy the DVD so I won’t usually pay $11 to watch a movie but I will pay $6. The AMC theatre chain offers a $6 movie ticket before noon on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Personally, I love this idea because two people can go to the movies for the cost of one regular ticket. But there aren’t a whole lot of people who will get up to watch a morning movie with me. However, there is my lovely sister. She works in publishing and they have “summer Fridays.” That means she gets every other Friday off during the summer. This is especially great for me because I have someone to go to a Friday morning movie with! More businesses should have summer Fridays so that I have someone to play with while I’m unemployed.

July 31, 2007

It’s very important for me to “beat the system.” I have this thing against the MTA. For those of you who don’t know the MTA is the Metropolitan Transit Authority. It’s the agency that runs the subways and buses in the city. It is also the agency that charges $2 for a ride on one of their said subways or buses. I know that $2 isn’t a whole lot of money but living in the city is expensive to begin with and it tends to add up because you don’t always have the time or inclination to walk 20 blocks. So I’ve figured out a couple of ways of beating the system. My favorite is taking the subway to get somewhere but then taking the bus back home. You only pay $2 for your whole trip since you get a free subway to bus or bus to subway transfer. However, this only works if my return trip is within two hours of my setting off. My second favorite way of beating the system is to borrow my sister’s monthly unlimited Metrocard for the day. This method is good if I have to make multiple trips. So take that MTA!

July 30, 2007

Today I had an interview with the umbrella union of the municipal unions in the city. It’s a position in the housing unit – basically fighting evictions and that sort of thing. I’m a little ambivalent about working with actual clients. During law school, all of my internships were either with judges or with nonprofits working on special projects. I never had to advocate on behalf of one person before. Honestly, it scares the crap out of me… It would be my fault if a person lost his benefits or got evicted or lost custody of her kids and I don’t know if I could sleep at night if a case went badly. I want to help people but I don’t know if I’m strong enough to do it. I think everyone has doubts when it comes to their profession especially in the beginning. I guess the only way to find out how strong you are is to throw yourself to the wolves. But honestly, housing court? It’s a zoo… a literal zoo. I’ve only observed housing court once and there was yelling and screaming and people everywhere. Maybe I should have gone into corporate law or tax law...

July 29, 2007

I seem to have a lot of interviews coming up… I don’t understand it but I suppose that saying is true: when it rains, it pours. Personally, I like a nice light rain… just enough to soak the garden but not so little that it just makes the first inch of soil damp. Hmmm... now that I wrote that it occurs to me that I should adjust my parent’s sprinkler system schedule sometime next month. Anyway, the one thing that I have learned from interviewing is that you get better at it the more you practice. My favourite tricky question is “Where do you see yourself in five years?” I always hated this question… I mean, what am I supposed to say? “In five years I’d like to be happy, not too stressed out with a reasonable blood pressure and cholesterol level” – not the best answer I think. I finally came up with an ideal answer (at least for me) – “In five years I’m not sure what I’ll be doing or where I will be working but I would like to be really good at whatever it is that I’m doing.” Now how’s that for an answer?

July 28, 2007

I love a good return policy. This morning my mother and I did a Costco run mostly to buy fruit but also to pick up some more water filters. My parents use the PUR water pitcher but Costco only sold the filters for the faucet attachment. After deliberating for about ten minutes my mom decided to buy a new Brita water pitcher and a box of filters. It was a good idea because then I could steal their water filters since I have a Brita water pitcher at my apartment. Anyway, the only thing we didn’t foresee was the size of the water pitcher. My parents’ refrigerator has this little door in the door so that you can easily access drinks and beverages but the new Brita water pitcher was too tall so it didn’t comfortably fit. In the end my mom decided that she had to return it… so we wrapped it back up, replaced the filter we had opened with a new one from the box of filters and taped the plastic wrap back on. When we took it back to Costco this afternoon, they just gave us back the money, no questions asked…

July 27, 2007

Today is the eighteenth of October and I have 83 entries to write if I want to catch up. I don't know if catching up with all of these journal entries is feasible. On the one hand, it would be so easy to ignore that I ever started a Word Count Journal. I could delete all of these stickies on my desktop and continue on with my life. On the other hand, I have all of these stickies on my desktop and there's something to say about closure. But then again, the fall television season has started so I have something to watch on most nights and I love fall in New York so I'm walking a lot or at least spending more time outside than I do in the summer.

I guess it'll come down to how much I can write before my brain goes all gooey. I like writing these little vignettes about my days or what I'm thinking mostly because I have a horrible memory and the idea of having my year documented in some way appeals to me. I guess in the end, it’ll be a question of my writing stamina…

July 26, 2007

Most people go back home to spend time with their families... so why is it that when I go back home my parents leave me home all alone for the whole day? Sigh... I guess it's better that they have their own lives instead of focusing on mine. It's weird how my parents are busier now that they are retired than when they were working. It's all good though... their absence gave me a chance to wash all the sheets. I hate folding sheets so I like to strip the beds, wash the sheets, then put everything back after it's dried. It would be better to rotate the sheets in the closet... although, I did see Martha Stewart fold sheets. Apparently, there's a trick to it. Other than washing sheets and making beds I didn't do much today. I did look into my parents getting an iMac. They really need a new computer and I'm trying to push them the Apple way. They need everything in Korean and that's really easy to do with a Mac but more than that you don't have to worry so much about viruses and other bad PC diseases.

July 25, 2007

It takes me forever to start on my journey home. Okay, I say that it's a journey but people commute daily from Staten Island into the city for work every day. Actually, I used to commute into the city to work from Staten Island for a little over a year. I didn't mind the commute at all... the ferry ride home every evening gave me time to decompress and I got a lot of reading done that year. You really can't get much reading done when you're just going a couple of stops on the subway. Actually, I just bring the New York Times and/or the New Yorker with me when I go out now. Although, I imagine that commuting for years on end would get pretty old, pretty fast. My brother went to school on the Upper East Side for about six years and he ended up going to Dartmouth for college. That school is literally in the middle of nowhere. I would have been scared to walk around there at night. At least in the city there are people everywhere... who would hear me scream in the middle of a field?

July 24, 2007

A LOT of walking today and thankfully it was a beautiful day... My best friend came into the city for the first time in ages and we just walked everywhere. We had brunch at the new Grey Dog's on University... Grey Dog's on Carmine is one of my favorite places to eat so of course I had to try their new location. The place on University was pretty good... it's where the hardware store used to be. That was a great hardware store... it was owned by this Chinese family and they were always really nice to me even when I would go in there just to buy one nail or one screw. Anyway, the service at the new Grey Dog's is a little uneven but I guess that's to be expected considering that they just opened a week ago. I'll go there to check up on them before NYU moves in for term. Other than that, we walked all over Nolita and all the way down to Chinatown where I found my new favorite fruit - the golden kiwi! That stuff is awesome - not hairy like a regular kiwi and really sweet.

July 23, 2007

I didn't read Harry Potter at all yesterday. I thought it would be best if i just took a break and digested everything that I had read on Saturday. Do you skip to the end of books? I don't do that but my mom does. I don't think she can stand the anticipation of it all... But if you don't read the end first then you're genuinely surprised that there was an epilogue. Actually, I was really disappointed with the New York Times - why (WHY?) would you publish a review of the book two days before it comes out when millions (MILLIONS!) of people are awaiting its unveiling? Honestly, it was a global event of the good kind and those are far and few between. The review wasn't even printed in the Arts section but in the National section - some wayward reader (who didn't want to know) could have just come across it accidentally during his morning commute. I didn't read the review until today but I'm glad that I hadn't read it beforehand... it doesn't give much away but even a little bit would have been too much for me...

July 22, 2007

The UK is under water... I hope everyone is okay there. Last year, my sister, mom and I went to London right after my bar exams. They were going through a real heat wave with temperatures in the nineties a couple of days before we had arrived but the weather while we were there was just perfect - low eighties and dry. What is going on with global weather patterns? Have you seen "The Day After Tomorrow"? I just saw that for the first time a couple of days ago and it was quite sobering. In the movie New York was flooded to about the third story and then everything froze over because an ice age had started. The entire northern two thirds of the country was frozen not to mention most of Europe and the population wasn't evacuated in time. I wonder if that could really happen... I mean, there must be an element of truth in the premise of the movie, right? It's something to think about... the way we treat this planet with such careless indifference. This is why I want a MINI Cooper when I grow up...

July 21, 2007

HARRY POTTER DAY! Since we ordered our books from Amazon, my sister and I were up rather early waiting for the UPS man. But it wasn't the UPS man who delivered our books but a USPS woman. She rang our doorbell at 11:06am and handed us a specially designed Harry Potter Amazon box. Talk about good packaging... you have to hand it to Amazon. Anyway, I started reading around 11:15am and finished reading at 10:00pm but that included eating two meals. I would have finished faster if I didn't have to eat but then I wouldn't have had the energy to actually read. So now it's over. Now what? Well, besides the reading and re-reading of it? Although, things to look forward to... two more movies are coming out and the theme park in Orlando is going to open in 2009. All in all though I thought it ended very well... I was really pleased that there was an epilogue although a few more details wouldn't have gone amiss. I particularly liked that Teddy Lupin turned out so well despite his sad beginning - a new world and all that.

July 20, 2007

IT'S HARRY POTTER WEEKEND! My sister and I decided that we would be more comfortable if we went back home to Staten Island to read so we took the ferry home this afternoon. Here's our logic... our mom could feed us while we're reading. If we just stayed in our respective apartments then we would have to take time out to cook or order in... precious minutes that could be spent on Harry Potter. When I told our mom that we were coming home to read she asked us what we wanted to eat during the weekend so I knew then that we had made the right choice. We also decided to have Amazon deliver the books to us. While my sister would have stood on line for the book, I can't get any quality reading done in the middle of the night, especially after standing in a crowd for who knows how long. Although... it is a seminal event in our lives so maybe we should've stood on line. Nah... best to have the books brought to us so that we can use our energy to read.

July 19, 2007

You learn something new every day. This is what I learned today... Virgin now has domestic flights in this country and tennis balls are packaged like cans of soda. While I was reading the newspaper today I noticed this full page ad for Virgin America airlines. When did this happen? Usually I don't notice the ads in the newspaper... you learn to tune them out but this ad caught my attention because I love Virgin Atlantic. In my lifetime I have flown across the Mississippi River only once but I've crossed the Atlantic more than a half a dozen times. But if Virgin is now offering domestic flights perhaps I won't fly across the ocean for my next vacation (I was thinking Florence or someplace in Spain next) but I'll try someplace like San Francisco... The other thing I learned is that opening a can of tennis balls is like opening a can of soda. I've never opened a can of tennis balls before so I wasn't prepared for the escaping air. Why are tennis balls under pressure? That totally surprised me but in a good way...

July 18, 2007

I floss more than anyone I know... Does anyone else floss every single night? I do. It's become a bit of a habit and it started three years ago when I got my braces off. My teeth were reasonably straight when I was growing up but then when I hit my twenties they started to move around. I think it's because I had my wisdom teeth pulled when I was 18 - all of a sudden my teeth had all this space. Anyway, while I had braces I flossed every other day - it's tricky flossing when you have all those wires on your teeth. But after I got my braces off I've flossed every night before going to bed. I wonder how much floss I've used over the years? Would it be more or less than a mile? I'm thinking less than a mile... Still, that's a lot of floss. Once when I was in law school a friend asked me if I had any floss. Do I look like the type of girl that would have floss on her? I did, but that's not the point...

July 17, 2007

Good lord dry cleaning is expensive in the city. I've been spoiled for my whole life because my parents owned a dry cleaning store up until a year ago. This is why I've never touched or used an iron until I was in college and why I have never paid for dry cleaning until the last year. Actually, I only used an iron once during my four years at NYU and that was an unmitigated disaster. Anyway, I didn't need free dry cleaning when I was growing up... I need it now. Should it really cost $24 to dry clean a coat? Really? Maybe it's because I go to the organic dry cleaner but I think it's because I go to a dry cleaner in Manhattan. Geez... and before anyone asks why I go to the organic dry cleaner it's because they did the best press job on my shirt. There are five dry cleaners within one block of my apartment and I took one shirt to each and the organic place did the best press job. I should just accept it and move on...

July 16, 2007

A momentous day - it's the half way point. For the first time I have written more entries than I will have to write for the rest of the year. Hmmm... rather anti-climatic isn't it?

Who knew that fabric softener is really a little disaster in a bottle? I am a dryer sheet kind of girl but I found an old bottle of fabric softener in my closet tonight and I thought that I should finish it - waste not, want not. Unfortunately, I should have just wasted it. It seems that when fabric softener ages a bit it'll separate and then leave spots all over your clothes. I didn't know that would happen and I didn't know what to do with all the spots. I thought that washing everything again would fix it but I'm telling you now that it doesn't do anything. The trick (and I found this out on Google) is to pretreat the spots with a bit of dishwashing liquid and then throw it into the washing machine. My dad always told me that dishwashing liquid was good for stains... smart man.

July 15, 2007

Picking up my diploma from the framer today seemed like a good idea at the time. Actually, getting there and picking it up was easy enough. It was the getting home bit that was a bit difficult AND I made it more complicated than I had to. Here's the thing... I hate spending money on the MTA when I don't have an unlimited Metrocard. So my idea was to take the train down to Union Square and then take the M7 bus home - that way I would get a free transfer and only pay $2.00 for the whole trip. What ended up happening was my standing at the wrong bus stop on University Place, the M7 wouldn't let me on when it did pass, and I walked over to Sixth Avenue to catch the M5, M6 or M7 home. I didn't really have to walk over to Sixth Avenue but I figured that I would have a better chance of catching one of three buses going up Sixth Avenue than just waiting around for the M7. Honestly, I can be so pig-headed sometimes.

July 14, 2007

A rather productive Saturday for once. My sister and I went to watch Harry Potter - first time for her, second time for me. There are few movies that I'll watch twice in the theatre. Actually, I can't remember the last movie I watched twice in the theatres. It's just too expensive. Why are movie tickets so expensive? It costs $11 in New York... does it cost that much elsewhere? Although... do you remember Sliding Doors? I watched that once in New York (possibly twice) and again in London. That was such a great story... between a romance and a fantasy and it was set in London. I have a thing for movies set in London. Hmmm... that was a long time ago... nine years ago. Anyway, as the kids get older in Harry Potter, they get more interesting. That's probably why I like this movie so much... that, and the underground anti-Umbridge society. The whole idea of a group of kids getting together to subvert the oppressor is very appealing to me. Maybe I have a touch of the revolutionary in me...

July 13, 2007

One of the theories of my not sleeping well is that I don't get enough physical exercise during the day. That's probably true but the idea of exercise is abhorrent to me. I might feel differently about exercising if I didn't have to sweat while exercising. More than that though, I just don't feel a need to exercise. Don't people exercise so that they can become thin or stay thin? I am naturally thin which just gives me a false sense of security. I say that I'm thin on the outside but fat on the inside. My sister says that I'm nicely marbled inside. That's probably true actually given my love of pork, pork products and the odd hamburger. (Oh!!! I could so use a hamburger right now...) As it is though, it doesn't matter what I eat or how little I move around but in ten or fifteen years it'll turn out that my cholesterol is through the roof and my blood pressure is dangerously high. I should probably cut back on my sausage intake now but it's so good!

July 12, 2007

[Not too bad... finished nine entries tonight. I figure it'll take me another three nights to catch up. Geez...]

[Well, that was a fantastically optimistic statement - three nights? It's going to take me an age and a day to catch up. Today's date is August 6th and I'm just procrastinating...]

I love Target runs! Although.. Target runs are not as much as fun as they were four years ago - the novelty of it all has worn off. Four years ago, I would go and find a whole bunch of things to buy but now I only get what's on the list. Today, I only needed toilet paper and Q-Tips and that's all I got. It's always good to have a stockpile of toilet paper. Other than that, I forgot to bring my cell phone out with me. It's really no big deal but there's always that first moment of panic... But then again, people did survive without cell phones way back when but who wants to pay fifty cents to make a call from a payphone? Highway robbery, I say...

July 11, 2007

A friend of mine never graduated from NYU but she's decided that it's time to finish. Finally! I've been bugging her about it for ages. But it's not that easy... apparently, you have to apply for re-admission and write an essay about what she's been doing since she left school. Personally I think that NYU should just give her the two credits for all the work experience she's had for the last nine years. She even moved out to LA for two years. I think that surviving in that cultural vacuum of a city should count for two credits. Okay, that's mildly dramatic... Anyway, so I edited her essay then had lunch and then watched Order of Phoenix. That was well done and considering the length of the book, very impressive. The casting was spot on. Helena Bonham Carter was deliciously disturbed and Imelda Staunton was perfect. She reminded me of my 10th grade English teacher - failed you with a smile she did. I bet she could have turned into a real-life Delores Umbridge under the right circumstances... scary.

July 10, 2007

Back in the city... I wasn't really planning on coming back but my parents were on their way to their ballroom dance class this morning and they dropped me off at the bus stop... most convenient. Also, I'm supposed to go watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with a friend of mine tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to that. It's part of getting ready for the new book that's coming out next week. It was another hot day today and I got my one errand done early in the morning... my eyebrows. I always get my eyebrows threaded every three weeks. I figure if my eyebrows are groomed then I don't have to bother with makeup and I can just pull up my hair and still look neat. Other than that, I watched Goblet of Fire again and watched Match Point. I don't really know Woody Allen as a filmmaker. I couldn't even finish Annie Hall. This one was well done but really dark. I think I better stick with my fluffy fun movies.

July 9, 2007

Another day at home in Staten Island. Actually, it was a pretty quiet day... I played in the backyard for most of the afternoon. I pulled out another azalea plant from the front yard and put it into a container. I don't know what is going on with the azaleas in the front yard... their color is off and even their blooms this spring weren't as impressive as it was earlier in their lives. The azalea plant I rescued earlier in the spring is doing fabulously... all green and full but there was some lacebug damage on it. Insecticidal soap and maybe some fertilizer? Anyway, we also picked the first two cucumbers of the year! Most exciting but now I'm bored with growing cucumbers... I know I can grow them so it's time to move on. Still it always amazes me how a tiny little seed becomes a plant. I planted seedlings at three week intervals so my parents should be pretty well supplied with cucumber this year. I wonder if my mom will make cucumber kimchi?

July 8, 2007

Since it's Sunday I went to mass with my parents at 7:30 in the morning and then we went to see my grandmother. Those wax begonias are fabulous... they've totally filled out the planter. Well, except for the very middle in the back. At the time we were planting them in we were leaving room for the chrysanthemums my mom likes to plant in the fall. I've never been a fan of wax begonias because everybody and their mother has them but they're really great. They're drought tolerant, are always in flower, and you don't have to do any dead heading. We also rescued the two holly bushes. I'm going to see if I can revive them but the prognosis is not good. We'll have to find something else to plant there... Actually, I just got this great catalog from Klehm's Song Sparrow Farm and Nursery. They have varieties of plants that I've never even seen before and you have to love that. I'm definitely going to need some gardening space when I buy a house.

July 7, 2007

I'm really not into music... I just need something that will keep me company while I'm on the subway or walking. My favorite band right now is The Feeling. They're this band from London and their sound is very mainstream. But my brother also introduced me to Lily Allen not too long. I love Lily Allen... she's this tiny little thing with this great voice. But here's the thing... I like music solely for the melody. I can't hear lyrics at all. I need to see and read the lyrics while listening to the song for it to make sense. That's probably why I like traditional Irish music and film scores... no words. My favorite film composer is Ennio Morricone. He's really famous for his scores for westerns but my favorite is his score for Cinema Paradiso. It's like listening to a dream but the odd thing is that I've never even seen the movie. I'll be really disappointed if the movie doesn't do justice to the music... best not to watch it I think...

July 6, 2007

Don't you love Costco? The size that everything comes in is so obnoxious that you can't help but love it. You don't just buy a pound of cherries, you buy five pounds of cherries and it's not a spray bottle of Windex, it's a spray bottle of Windex with an attached gallon "institutional size." Stuff like this is great if you have a big family or a house where you can fit everything but it's just not practical for most people. I imagine that Costco wouldn't work in Manhattan... it'll be driven out like Walmart. Actually, Walmart hasn't been driven out... it's just not welcome and the entire city has banded together and made that clear. I've only ever been to Walmart once. Every one tells me that it's not a big deal but it's become this mythic thing in my head. At least I have Target. We love Target! My Target is in Elmhurst because it's only twenty minutes away. Come to think of it, I must do a toilet paper run soon...

July 5, 2007

I like cleaning... I'm sure there are other people out there who likes to do housework. I find it to be therapeutic... something about finishing and seeing whatever it is all clean and shiny. My apartment is pretty small so I could probably clean everything in a couple of hours but it took me two hours just to do the windows at my parents' house. And let me tell you... those tricks and tips that you see on television actually work like using sheets of newspaper to clean glass and mirrors. Something about the ink or newsprint leaves glass lint free and shiny. You know what else works? Lemon juice to clean soap scum from shower doors. You just rub fresh squeezed lemon juice onto the glass with a sponge then spritz it with water and buff with newspaper print. The only thing is that you have to use disposable gloves when handling newspaper or else it takes ages to wash off the newsprint from your skin... learned that one the hard way.

July 4, 2007

Happy Fourth of July! Honestly, I find Fourth of July to be annoying because I hate the smell of gunpowder not to mention it's too loud. Although, it was not an ideal night for fireworks tonight because of the rain. You know, my family has never been into Fourth of July. It was just another day... Like this afternoon - my parents went to Flushing while I stayed home and watched Volver. Volver is probably the best movie I've seen in awhile. I had meant to watch it when it came out in the theaters but just never got around to it. If you haven't watched it yet I really must recommend it. The story is sweet, funny and really smart. Other than that, I watched a lightning storm that hit around midnight. I was never a fan of lightning storms but last year I watched a lightning storm from the third floor of the school's library and it was really amazing... although watching all the people getting soaking wet was amusing too.

July 3, 2007

[This is getting out of hand... I am looking at two vertical row of stickies on my laptop - all the days I have to play catchup with. It's actually July 25th but I'm writing about July 4th. I don't know how I got so behind. Actually, I do... I've just been lazy, no other reason. So I'm just going to sit down and write for as long as I can tonight and thanks to my stickies system it shouldn't be too bad... let's see how that goes.]

I dislike the city on major holidays. Tomorrow is the Fourth of July and already there are just too many people around... It's mostly tourists because city people vacate the city en masse. I imagine that this would be the week to be in the Hamptons. I don't like the idea of Long Island... it's juts out of New York all by itself into the ocean like a piece of poo! Hmmmm... that wasn't tactful was it? Ah well... but I'm right, aren't I?

July 2, 2007

Unbelievable! Another day without cooking gas... my poor little red kettle. It must feel so unwanted and useless. Don't tell my kettle this but maybe I should get an electric kettle. Although, I don't know how useful it would be. It'll take up countertop space that I don't have but it will be fast... On the other hand, I don't mind waiting for the kettle to boil. It's part of the whole making a cup of tea process. Hmmmm... something to think about. Other than that, I've been re-reading my Harry Potter books for the last couple of months in preparation for the last book. But for the last three weeks I've been stuck on the Order of the Phoenix. Harry and all are on their way to London to rescue Sirius but I can't seem to go forward because I know that something really bad is going to happen to Sirius. It's an avoidance thing. I should just read it and get it over with like a grownup, right?

July 1, 2007

I didn't get up until quite late this morning... actually, it was early afternoon. By the time I had woken up the Concert for Diana was already into its third hour and I had no cooking gas. For a few minutes I thought that the water I splashed on the stove had done it but when I called downstairs they told me that ConEd had shut it off around two in the morning. This is most inconvenient. The first thing I have every morning is a cup of tea. If I don't I cannot function for a couple of hours. So I had to go outside and look for a cuppa today. Let me tell you something... there is a lot of bad tea out there. But then again, I guess that's the thing about other people's tea - it's not yours hence, it's bad. Other than that I had the Diana Concert on in the background for most of day. Hmmm... those boys have grown up well, haven't they?

June 30, 2007

The iPhone came out last night at 6:00pm and the lines were around the block at the Fifth Avenue store. Actually, it was a pretty fun atmosphere. My sister and I were passing by and we picked up free Godiva chocolate and free bottles of Evian. I love free stuff! Anyway, iPhones are so pretty! So, so pretty! I want one! It's iPhone envy. But there's really no reason why I need one... I just want one. One of these days I'm going to succumb and walk in and buy one... but I'll wait for the next generation. I would rather all the bugs are worked out although considering that it's an Apple product I doubt that there'll be any serious flaws. Hmmm... I should just buy one now! In any event, that guy didn't have to wait five days for his iPhone. It seems that their supply chain is very steady... See how wonderful Apple is? I should work part-time for Apply until I find a job!

June 29, 2007

I guess it's true that there are more summer releases. Anyway, my sister and I met up at the Ziegfeld this afternoon for an early show of Ratatouille... I love Pixar. Their films are fun, funny, and they don't talk down to kids. But I wasn't expecting much from this one. Ever since they came out with Cars (which I still haven't watched) I've been a bit wary. I just couldn't believe in talking cars... I totally believe in talking fish, talking toys, talking bugs and even a reality where monster society is intertwined with our own but a rat who wants to cook? That's the story? But it turned out to be really sweet. The narrative held it's own and it's a beautiful movie to watch - cartoon Paris is better than real Paris. I was most pleased with this movie but my favorite is still Finding Nemo. I just loved that movie. Think about it - a small hyperactive blue fish with short term memory problems? Classic...

June 28, 2007

I've decided not to apply for the examiner job... I talked to my career counselor and this federal resume counselor service and they both said that I didn't have a very good shot. I'm just not qualified enough. Other than that, it's been a full day. I went on an interview which was okay. I wore a skirt suit and stockings... Stockings in this kind of weather is intolerable but it's part of the uniform. I took a cab there and back.. a bit extravagant I know but honestly... this weather! When I got home my parents were in my apartment which was a bit of a shock. If I had known that they were coming I would have neaten up a little. Then I had to rush downtown to meet a friend to watch Pirates. The movie was long and loud but great entertainment. I must remember to bring socks with me next time I wear flip flops to the movies... my toes were freezing!

June 27, 2007

Another part of the federal job application are the KSAs - that's Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. They're basically little essays about specific qualifications required for the job. They're annoying to write but it's an interesting way to apply for a job... It's like an interview except on paper. Sigh... at least Wimbledon is keeping me company although they keep having rain delays. What is going on with the weather over there? Moreover, what is going on with the weather over here? It was an unbearably hot day today... but hot in New York is different. It's oppressive and humid and you feel like you'll suffocate if you spend too long out there. That's why I didn't go out at all today! I rather like staying in all day... I got to iron my sheets and pillowcases! Don't you love ironed sheets? I love how neat it looks... Every time I do it I know that I'm turning into my mother and that's not a bad thing.

June 26, 2007

A federal resume is not easy to put together... I got this book called Ten Steps to a Federal Resume and it's helpful but I'm still having trouble. I have to be really specific about my work experience but my memory sucks so I really don't remember half of the things I did. But more than that it's the talking about myself part that's tricky. I'm not exactly the most modest of people but I don't want to inflate the work that I did. Does that make sense? I guess it's the idea of professional responsibilities and ethics. Some people laugh when the words ethics and lawyer appear in the same sentence but I'm one of those people who take it very seriously. Maybe that's why I'm having so much trouble finding work... I'm so afraid of working on something that ethically vague that I'm being too picky. At least it's hot and humid outside... forces me to stay in and work on this.

June 25, 2007

I was going to stay home for a few days but I had to come back into the city so that I could work on my federal resume. Did you know that the federal government has their own resume format? There's a job listing for an examiner position but I'm not sure if I have much of a chance. They seem to want finance or accounting people. So, I worked on my resume, met my dad for lunch and watched Little Manhattan. Have you seen this movie? It's a really sweet story about this eleven year old who falls in love for the first time. More than that though I learned about New York City's smallest public park. It's a vest pocket park called Septuagesimo Uno and I had never heard of it. It's on 71st Street between West End and Amsterdam. I'll have to visit but it's all the way on the west side. Still... it's a park and we like those.

June 24, 2007

When we're at home we go to the 7:30a mass as a family and then go and see our grandmother at the cemetery. It's unnaturally early for us but there's something to be said about going to church early in the day... it leaves the whole day to ourselves. Today we pulled out the pansies in my grandmother's planter... they get all sad and pathetic looking once the summer settles in. At least the begonias looked fabulous. My sister and my mom want something yellow in the center... I'll have to give that a think but I probably won't do anything about it until next year. Other than that we didn't do much today. My parents went out for most of the day because my mom needed new glasses. My sister, brother and I watched the SG-1 episodes that I've been taping for the last couple of months - that was a lot of television and we still have three more to go.

June 23, 2007

We all slept in this morning... well, us kids all slept in. We didn't get up until 11:30a which isn't unheard of for me but my sister was really surprised that it was so late. I like sleeping in but if I sleep too long then my back starts to hurt. I wonder if that's a sign that I'm getting old? When I was a teenager I would sleep in so long that my dad would complain. He's of the early to bed, early to rise school of thought. Anyway, since we got up so late we didn't do much. I pottered around the garden for about three hours. Mostly, I was weeding. It's amazing how weeds just lodge themselves in anywhere even in between the crevices in the stone. This year the backyard is full of clovers but I guess that's better than crabgrass. But then again, maybe crabgrass comes out much later in the season... must look that up.

June 22, 2007

My sister, brother and I are like locusts that descend on the house where we eat, sleep and play and then we depart en masse. We all came home this weekend for our cousin's wedding. By the time I got home my brother had already drove in and left to get his hair cut in the city. My sister got home 45 minutes before we were set to leave so her getting ready was like a whirlwind. On the other hand, I arrived and weeded for about an hour and then got ready at my leisure. Anyway, there were a lot of church people at the wedding I haven't seen in awhile and they all said the same thing to me (in Korean), "You've gotten prettier." What the hell is that suppose to mean? I haven't changed all the much... My mom says it was because people aren't used to seeing me in a dress with heels on. Geez louise...

June 21, 2007

I'm going to my cousin's wedding tomorrow night... nobody in my family really wants to go but since it's family it's obligatory. At least I have a great dress although I'm still not sure if I'll be wearing it. I also have a really cute backup dress from Target - the skirt is really full and poofs out when I twirl! Anyway, I went to Anthropologie to get some earrings to go with the backup dress just in case. Then, I bought stamps from the mobile post office. Do other places have mobile post offices? The one I go to is on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 58th Street so it's very convenient and there's never a long line. But then, while I was drying my hair, I found my first white hair! Only the middle of the strand was white but it was still shocking. I wonder if this has anything to do with my being thirty now...

June 20, 2007

An unusually busy day... Not only did I get my eyebrows done but I also met up with my sister, visited Anthropologie and J. Crew and got a hamburger for dinner. Since my parents have returned I won't be getting a monthly Metrocard since I like to milk it for all its worth and I can't do that if I'm in Staten Island. Anyway, that's why I took the bus back uptown from my eyebrow appointment - free transfer. I really like taking the bus... you see all sorts of things that you wouldn't normally. Like, did you know that Father Demo Square, the triangle intersection at Bleecker, Carmine and 6th Avenue, is getting a complete makeover? They've put in a fountain and planted new trees with benches underneath them. It's really quite lovely... it was all scruffy before. Next time I get a cream puff from Beard Papa I'll eat it in the new park across the way.

June 19, 2007

I woke up at the house for the first time in two months and that was weird. I've said it before and I'll say it again, my apartment is like a cave meaning that I get no sunlight. But my bedroom at the house gets southern light and that tends to wake me up. Actually, the sunlight, the sound of the sprinklers going off in the golf course and the incessant chirping of the damn birds tend to wake me up. What do they call it? The dawn symphony... more like the dawn racket. In any event, I puttered around the garden and weeded for a couple of hours and then went back to the city. I didn't want to leave the house but my parents were having company tonight and I didn't want to be around for that. Besides, it was the last day on my monthly Metrocard and I like to get my money's worth.

June 18, 2007

Our intrepid explorers have returned!!! When I called them earlier they were in Flushing... they had to buy groceries and my mom had to get her hair done in a rather urgent way. Anyway, I couldn't decide whether I should go back home so that I could be there to welcome them back. I thought it would be nicer if I went home and opened all the windows and aired out the house. The house can get awfully stuffy when it's all shut up for a couple of days. Then I thought to myself, I'm unemployed and didn't have much else to do so I took the 3.30p ferry back. I thought that they would beat me home but they didn't get back to the house until about 5:30p. I think they had a feeling of surrealism being back at home. In any event, they were both really well. It's good to have them back home...

June 17, 2007

Happy Father's Day!!! My daggles is in Saratoga Springs so I imagine my parents should be back from their expedition in the next day or so. Aren't fathers difficult to shop for? I think that we've given up getting our dad presents... he's just too hard to shop for which is probably where I get it from. I'll admit it... I'm nearly impossible to shop for and it's because I buy whatever it is when I think of it just like my father. Hence, nothing left to buy me. I don't really mind though. In most cases, it really is the thought that counts. I would rather have something that I want instead of something I'll have to sell on eBay. I particularly enjoy gifts of food... dinner, brunch, lunch, whatever. I really should consider making a gift registry then I won't hear that perpetual question, "What do you want for (fill in holiday)?" Perhaps...

June 16, 2007

The local weather people in NYC are pretty good. But they're only reliable if you listen to what they say before you leave the apartment. I prefer Janice Huff on Channel 4. Actually, does anyone remember when Al Roker was the weather guy on the evening news on Channel 4? I was ever so pissed when he was poached by the Today Show... and recently Sam Champion was poached by Good Morning America on Channel 7. It's so annoying... You get used to someone telling you what the weather is going to be like and then one day he's not where he's supposed to be. I just hate change... Anyway, this afternoon I went in for a facial at Shobha and the sky was blue and clear. When I left, the sky was gray and a half hour later... downpour. I hate getting caught in the rain. Thank goodness for scaffolding... the urban umbrella.

June 15, 2007

Another house visit today and probably the last one before my parents come home. My parents coming home on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday... they're not sure yet. My sister and I just wanted to go home and clean a bit and I had to sort out the cucumber plants. The cucumbers are starting to climb so I had to set up something for them... Also the weeds were getting out of control in the garden. I hate weeds and I love weeding. It's fortunate that I like weeding. I find it to be very therapeutic... It's immensely satisfying when you pull the life out of an invidious plant before it can multiply and spread. Other than that, everyone else seems to be doing well. The tomatoes already have set some fruit, the lavender has sent up stalks so they'll probably bloom in a couple of weeks and the peppers are settling in nicely.

June 14, 2007

A vaguely productive day - went to the library and paid my 75 cents late fine, bought a lip gloss from Fresh, looked at books in Barnes and Noble, and then went up to Gracious Homes to buy Spic and Span. Spic and Span is nearly impossible to find in New York City. I just don't understand it... They have all these commercials on television so you think that when you go into a store like Home Deport, Target or Kmart, they would be giving it away but that is not the case. I'm pretty sure Staten Island supermarkets have it. Perhaps supermarkets in the city just don't have the shelf space for loads of different products. In any event, Gracious Homes is always the place of last resort to find home things in the city. If they don't have it, then probably nobody does. But they are so expensive... I hate that.

June 13, 2007

I got my hair cut today. I really should get it cut every three months but I think I last got it cut before Christmas. There is such a thing as hair that is too long for me. That point came when I started to tie it back before I slept. If my hair was that long and loose while I slept I thought someone was strangling me when I woke up... not a good feeling. That and there was hair everywhere in my apartment. Since I live alone I couldn't even blame that on anyone else... maybe I should get a dog! I've been wanting a dog because then I'll have someone to play with all the time. But my brother thinks I'll get bored with the dog in a couple of days. I'm like that... it's not that I have a short attention span but I get bored easily.

June 12, 2007

My birthday was two days ago but I got three presents today! My sister got me Arthur and George by Julian Barnes and a set of computer speakers. Then my best friend sent me a box of lovely baked goods. There were crumpets, mini english muffins, scones, and jam. It's weird... I was thinking about buying a packet of crumpets last week and then thought that I might try to make them myself. I wonder how they made the blueberry scones. Scones are made from dough like bread so wouldn't the berries get squashed when you bring the dough together or cut them out? Anyway, it was lovely to get food in the mail. The speakers sound amazing. I'm not much of an audiophile but I've been listening to music lately and my little computer speakers didn't cut it. The entire month of June should be devoted to celebrating me!

June 11, 2007

My hard drive started failing over the weekend... again. He just wouldn't shut down or go to sleep. He was very cranky so I ran Disk Utility and got the red failing message. I brought him to the genius bar this morning and they told me that it would be two to five days... But I got him back by 6:30p this evening! He was repaired in-house so same day service. My dry cleaner doesn't even have same day service. I'm glad he's back so soon... Anyway, this afternoon I went to the movies and finally watched Waitress. It was really good... well-written, good premise. It was either that or La Vie En Rose but subtitles are tiring... maybe later this week. Also, I did a Fairway run so I actually have food in the apartment for the week... I guess my third decade is starting off relatively well.

June 10, 2007

My birthday was psychologically traumatizing but otherwise uneventful. Okay... that was definitely melodramatic. Turning thirty wasn't all bad. Actually, my day was pretty good... very low-key. I spent the day with the sibs since my parents are still on their road trip. First thing I did when I woke up was to call my mom to wish her a happy my birthday. I was not an easy baby... my mom was in labor with me for 24 hours. 24 hours!!! Can you imagine? Anyway, we had brunch at Le Pain Quotidien. They make perfect soft boil eggs. Then we watched Ocean's Thirteen... highly recommended - nice and fluffy. Then we went to Virgil's where I got the fried shrimp po' boy. But the city was packed today because of the Puerto Rican Day Parade. Didn't they know it was my birthday?! I hate it when the city is crowded...

June 9, 2007

My 30th birthday is tomorrow and I am not handling it well. I've had a couple of invitations for dinner but I don't think it's fair to inflict my company on others when I'm in this state of mind. Although, I will be going out with my siblings tomorrow - brunch, movie and barbeque. That should be fun. But today... I stayed in my apartment all day, sat on the couch, and watched television. I was going to stay inside all day, sit on my couch, and watch television with the lights off but that would have been a tad melodramatic. I have a feeling that I'll want to celebrate my birthday in a couple of weeks after the initial depression of turning thirty has worn off. Actually, I made plans to watch Fantastic Four next week so I hope I'm better by then. We love Ioan Gruffudd!

June 8, 2007

I put an honest effort into looking for a dress but I really am hopeless as a shopper. Maybe I just need to find a more specialized store... like a boutique. I tackled Bloomingdale's this afternoon. I know Bloomingdale's pretty well so I knew where to go but they just have too much stuff. I don't like sorting through things. This is probably why I buy everything from J. Crew. Everything is all laid out for me in the catalog so I just have to pick and choose. But in a department store you have to try on things and some clothes have no hanger appeal at all. Also, why are people so tall? Hmmm... that's not the right question. The question is why do designers design for tall people? I'm 5' 2" and most clothes are just too long on me. Sigh... the search continues...

June 7, 2007

I really slept in this morning... I slept in until about one in the afternoon and considering I went to bed at midnight I got thirteen hours of sleep. I'm still tired. I didn't do much today but I did go to the library for the first time in a long time... The New York Public Library is great. You can do everything from your computer except have the books delivered to your home. Renewing books and requesting books from home is pretty convenient but there is something to be said about being able to browse. I found an interesting biography on William Wilberforce... Although, I really should lay off borrowing books from the library for awhile. I still have a stack of brand new books on my shelf that I haven't even gotten to yet. I just can't help myself... I like owning books.

June 6, 2007

Another trip home today! It was an exhausting day but only because I slept around four hours last night. I started reading this chick lit novel around 11:30p and I was going to stop around 1.00a. At 1.54a I told myself that I would just read until the end of the chapter but then I kept reading. Finally at 4.06a I closed my book, shut off the lights and tried to sleep. But I find it difficult to fall sleep if I'm awake past 3.00a-ish. Then on my way home the worst thing happened... The Dunkin' Donuts near my house didn't have any medium size cups so I had to buy a small ice coffee! At least all my plants are doing well but there might be an ant infestation. The ferry ride home was lovely... the clouds looked like they had been painted.

June 5, 2007

I am not a good shopper. I find shopping for clothes exhausting... Most of my clothes are from J. Crew. I like them because I know my size, the clothes fit me, I can have everything delivered to me and it's just my style. But in a couple of weeks I have to go to a family wedding and I have to find a dress as per my mother's instructions. I was told to buy a dress weeks ago but I put it off until last week. Last week I bought the perfect dress in Anthropolgie. It's silk and doesn't even have to be tailored. But my mother won't approve... it's much too conspicuous. But I just had to buy it - just have to find an occasion to wear it. So the search for a dress continues... time to check the department stores.

June 4, 2007

Those student loan consolidation people are persistent little buggers aren't they? I haven't gotten so many calls on my home phone ever... For the last couple of weeks, sometimes twice a day, they call to see if I consolidated my loans yet... At this point, I already have my stock answer, "Yes I've consolidated. Last year. With Citibank. And no I haven't taken out any new loans since I consolidated." Their last strike came this morning when they called at 8:15am. Honestly... people are sleeping! When they called again at 11:30am I was not my usual polite self. The person who was calling though was apologetic and she didn't have to be... it's not her fault - she was just doing her job. But she was really helpful - she put me on the do not call list. Hopefully, that'll stop them waking me...

June 3, 2007

My birthday celebrations started today. My siblings and I were going to do breakfast and catch an early show of Pirates of the Caribbean but Pirates is two hours and 45 minutes long. Seriously, two hours and 45 minutes?!?! Without even watching it I can tell you that at least a half hour could have been edited out. Instead, my sister brought over an Indian feast from Jackson Diner. That was fabulous! Then we watched TLC's Inside Brookhaven Obesity Clinic. It was like watching a massive train wreck in slow motion. Then my sister and I did a walk around the Time Warner Center where she bought me a t-shirt with Wilt on it. Wilt is our favorite character... There was also a cute doll of Cheese. We finished with a chocolate bouchon from Bouchon Bakery. Lovely ending to the day...

June 2, 2007

My birthday is in exactly one week and a day and I'm not looking forward to it. I'm really not sure why but I have a feeling a big part of it is turning thirty. I never wanted to be one of those people who dreaded turning a year older. When did birthdays stop being something that a person was excited about? It's just that thirty sounds worse when it's you who's turning thirty... I don't feel thirty. I certainly don't look thirty. More than that though, my life is not where I thought it would be... I'm unemployed, I have no money, and I'm not married. Must not get maudlin because my life is good. My family is wonderful, I have great friends and my tomato plants are doing well. If it would just rain I would be happier...

June 1, 2007

I love sausages... and bacon... and ham. Actually, I like most pork products. I've said this before and I'll say it again... The day that God made pigs was a great day. My favorite sausages are the chipolatas from Myers of Keswick. It's this small shop in the West Village on Hudson Street. They specialize in British groceries and they make their own sausages right in the store. Besides chipolatas (the perfect sausage for breakfast), you can also buy Cumberland sausages and bangers. Beyond their sausage selection, they also carry British candy, crackers, biscuits, teas, drinks and junk food. They even make pork pies and scotch eggs. No matter what people say about British food, I find British cuisine to be very comforting. Shepherd's pies, fish and chips and scones with jam are just lovely especially with a cuppa...

May 31, 2007

I have been going to the greenmarket at least once a week in the last six weeks. I haven't gone so often since I was in college. During my last year in college I lived on Union Square. I loved my room... it was fairly large, comfortable and had a great view. In any event, going to the greenmarket so often does teach you about what's in season and what's not... This week I bought a small bunch of sweet peas. They were on the expensive side but they are only in bloom until the weather gets hot. This will probably be the last time I can buy them this year. There were also peonies. I've only ever seen light pink peonies but one stand also had them in a magenta shade. You see something new every day...

May 30, 2007

Last September I got my hair straightened. You would think that an Asian person would have typical super straight Asian hair. But the truth is most Asian people don't naturally have what you would think as Asian hair. They have to work on it... Now, I'm not that interested in my hair. I tie it back into a pony tail almost everyday. I should get it cut more often... But I've been thinking about getting my hair straightened again. It's a convenience thing. Straightened hair is immune to humidity, it last for a good few months and I like that there's less volume... But you can't wash your hair for a couple of days and it takes about three hours which is a long time. Crap... I should just grit my teeth and get it done tomorrow.

May 29, 2007

I just spent $35 on two mugs... But in my defense, that includes shipping from England and the dollar is really weak right now. A couple of months ago I broke my favorite mug. I was distraught... I was really attached to it. It was a "Lovely Day for a Guinness" mug with the toucan - made in Ireland, perfect weight and it made the perfect cup of tea. Since then I've been scouring New York looking for a new mug but nothing. But a couple of weeks ago I came to the realization that eBay might have it. Last week, two different versions of my mug were listed and today I won both! Here's the logic - best to have a backup standby mug just in case this tragic accident happens again... I hope it arrives soon...

May 28, 2007

Happy Memorial Day! The official start of summer... I'm not a huge fan of summer. It's just too warm and sunny and in New York it can get oppressively humid. If I had my way, I would summer in England. I spent a summer in London when I was in college... gorgeous weather - no rain, blue skies every day, and not humid. I still remember overhearing two old dears complaining on the tube about the heat. It was only 78 degrees that day... Although, their summers are starting to get warmer. When my mom, my sister and I went last year it was on the warm side - not hot or humid but definitely warm. I guess global warming is rearing its ugly head everywhere which means New York summers are just going to get worse...

May 27, 2007

Exhausting day... going to Staten Island and back is very tiring especially when it's hot outside. But maybe it was tiring because I was playing in the dirt for a couple of hours... The pepper plants were really happy and the tomato plants are just blooming. I also put another five pepper seedlings into the ground... I had set them out last week and they acclimated pretty well. But it's going to be quite warm this week so I'm a little worried. The cucumber plants seemed fine but they're growing a little slowly - I hope they're adjusting well. Hmmm... I could talk about plants forever but there aren't a whole lot of people who I can talk to about gardening. I guess people get interested in gardening as they get older... there's hope then...

May 26, 2007

I hate being sick when the weather is warm... it seems so unnatural and against everything that is right and good. Perhaps that's a little overdramatic... I guess this is my comeuppance. I didn't get sick at all this winter. Unemployment makes your immunity system really strong since you definitely get enough rest and you're not around germ spreaders. I'm sick but I can still function... I baked two batches of scones and made a cottage pie. Did you know, it's a shepherd's pie if it's made with lamb but if there's only beef then it's a cottage pie. I was only going to make one batch of scones but I forgot to add the currants in the first set. I'm going to try making plain scones with a cinnamon topping next time...

May 25, 2007

I had an interview on Wednesday and I think the interviewer gave me a cold! J'accuse!!! I was fine when I went into the interview but later that night I started to feel a sore throat. I thought he just had allergies... he was really congested and I saw a tissue peaking out of his shirt pocket. Loads of people have allergies right now but it turns out that he was a germ spreader in disguise! How rude! The worst bit of it is that the skin under my nose has been rubbed raw because of the runny nose and now it's all flaky - not pretty. I've also been running a really low fever since Wednesday... won't break 100 degrees but I'm still uncomfortable. I better get hired after all of this...

May 24, 2007

The question of the week: grass or poppy? On Monday, I bought an Orla Kiely wallet from my favorite bag store. It's really cute... but I couldn't decide between the grass and poppy. My initial choice was grass - great shade of green. But then, I thought that the poppy one wouldn't get dirty as quickly... so I bought the poppy one. When I brought it home, I regretted getting it in poppy so I went back the next day and returned it for the grass one. But then, I brought that home and I started to think that the poppy was more cheerful. So at the risk of seeming like an indecisive airhead, I returned the wallet again and got it in poppy. I'm really pleased with it... I think... sigh...

May 23, 2007

It's Fleet Week! There's something about the city being flooded with all these men and women in their uniform whites. They tend to move in packs of four or more so they really pop among all the people walking on the sidewalk. And they all seem really pleased to be in New York... Staten Island plays host to a few of the ships so you see the white uniforms on the Staten Island Ferry all week long. Come to think of it, I saw the ships from the ferry this afternoon... I wonder how they manage to keep their uniforms so clean? Impressive. I could never do it... there's just too much dust in the city. I wonder if it's part of Navy training or maybe there's an invisible bubble...

May 22, 2007

Have you ever seen that Friends episode where Ross comes in and tells Joey, "I am bored out of my mind. I've already been to the bank, the post office, and the dry cleaners" and Joey says, "Dude, you just described seven days worth of stuff. You've got to spread it out a little, you know? Haven't you ever been unemployed?" That is the state of my life... Today I did a Target run but I didn't really need anything. I did buy Rice Krispies with Real Strawberries. I found it disappointing. It was the commercial that induced me to buy it - great tagline, "Childhood is calling..." I had forgotten that I didn't like Rice Krispies... it becomes soggy too quickly. But a Rice Krispies treat wouldn't go amiss...

May 21, 2007

Another nice thing about unemployment is having the time to go to the green market whenever I want. I usually go to the one at Union Square on Wednesdays - good mix of vendors and there aren't huge crowds unlike on Saturdays. Anyway, while I was out today I stopped by... There aren't many people selling on Mondays but I did buy a bunch of lilies of the valley. The lilac season is over and there are no other cut flowers available just yet. Well, maybe the hot house roses... but I don't like to buy them and they weren't there today. A lot of people love lilies of the valley but their scent is a little too sweet for me. Still, they do look charming in a vase...

May 20, 2007

I may well be in love with my new external hard drive... It's shiny and silver and matches my PowerBook! I should name it! Does anyone remember the days when a 1 GB hard drive was considered huge? Why would anyone need that much space? How many files could a person possible have? Actually, I think my first computer's hard drive was 250 MB... These days, that wouldn't be big enough to hold a 45 minute video file. Anyway, my new hard drive is so pretty!!! Not that it's about looks but who wants to use an ugly gadget? Mac people prefer pretty toys... This external hard drive is formatted for the Mac out of the box. Now, that's a company that has its priorities in order...

May 19, 2007

I like to write... Most people don't write during their day (memos and emails don't count). I guess that's why people write blogs but there's a lot of crap out there. Do people even write letters anymore? I haven't written one in ages. They say that letter writing is a dying form. Understandable... it's a futile exercise if you send a letter and get no reply. But there's satisfaction in writing this type of journal because there's a definite end - it's the idea of "collect them all." I'm one of those people who must collect them all... This is why I've always been rubbish with collecting things - where's the end of it all? But this... I write every day for one year and then the end.

May 18, 2007

I like the month of May... The trees are all full and the flowers are settling in for the summer. But May is also a sad month because it's the end of the television season. Last night, Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy ended for the season... I have been watching Ugly Betty since the beginning but I've only gotten into Grey's Anatomy in the last month. I never got into Heroes either because it was on before Studio 60 and I couldn't commit to two hours of television on Monday night. But they canceled Studio 60 so I guess I can start watching Heroes. A lot of television to catch up on this summer... the consequences of the choices that you made in the fall.

May 17, 2007

This was an unusual morning - I actually got a wake up call. Well, not call in the American sense but call in the British sense, as in a visitor. I knew that maintenance was coming by today to change the air conditioning filters so I had set my alarm for 10:30a. Instead of the alarm waking me I got woken up by the building engineer's opening my front door and calling to see if anyone was in. I gave them a shock when I came out of my bedroom in my blue ice cream print pajamas. I have known the building guys for so long that the early morning call didn't bother me. At least I got up at a reasonable hour this morning...

May 16, 2007

I think I walked too much. Yesterday, I went to Staten Island to check on the plants that I put into the ground on Saturday. The tomato plants were very happy but the begonias at my grandmother's place were petulant and cranky. As long as we get the rain tonight and some cloudy days for the next week, they should adjust to their new environs. At least the pansies were all bright and cheerful. I guess it's a good thing that I'm still yet to be employed or else I wouldn't be able to do this while my parents are away. Come to think of it, I'm happiest when I'm playing in the dirt and I fear that practicing law will not compare...

May 15, 2007

I'm almost done with my bar admission application - just have to get the application notarized and wait for one more reference letter. Then I get to wait months and months, get interviewed by the character board and wait some more. If anything, getting admitted will give closure to the past four years. I'm big on closure... Speaking of which, tonight was the series finale of Gilmore Girls. I love this show - they are so good at the chat (well, not them, the writers). It was actually filmed to be the season finale but it did very well as the series finale. The episode introduced Rory's future working life and reconciled Lorelai's relationship with her parents - tidy and hopeful. Good times, good times...

May 14, 2007

It's time to buy an external hard drive. Don't tell anyone but I download an awful lot of video files... mostly television shows I can't get in this country like Doctor Who and Kingdom. I've only watched one episode of Kingdom but Stephen Fry is always great. He plays a solicitor in a small town. It's nice to see a lawyer on television who isn't evil or greedy. The town is small and full of its own characters. I like the idea of small towns but I don't think I could ever live in one... no anonymity. You know, this is just a different kind of pack-ratting - instead of collecting stuff, I'm collecting files. At least it takes up less space...

May 13, 2007

Happy Mother's Day! Our mother is somewhere in Colorado right now... The road trip seems to be going well. When I called her this morning she hung up on me! But, it's only because she was in church... She called me back and told me that my dad bought her breakfast and three roses in our place. Later on, I called my brother to make sure that he called our moo but he already had. I guess that's an indication of whatever it is that comes with age. In any event, we still have to get her something... I was thinking of a jasmine plant. She likes fragrant plants but I don't know if they're difficult - must do some research.

May 12, 2007

My sister and I had a long day of gardening today. At the house, I got the grape tomato plants and the cucumber seedlings into the ground. Hopefully, they won't be attacked by slugs while I'm gone. Then we went to my grandmother's place and my sister and I cleaned up the crocuses and planted the wax begonias I got the other day from the green market. I'm not fond of wax begonias but they are sensible. They're drought tolerant and the leaves of these particular begonias are a nice bright shade of green with red edging and the flowers are a cheerful red. I hope they settle in okay... I should try to visit them during the week.

May 11, 2007

I went through a morbid stage when I was in high school. I didn't think it was that bad but I found out later that my French teacher had been worried about me. In any event, I turned out fine. But as I get older I realize that morbid thoughts arise with greater frequency. My most frequent morbid thought occurs when I pass a firehouse... any firehouse. I always peek in the window to see if the truck is in there and I'm always relieved when I see that the truck is in the garage and all the jackets are hung by the wall. But if it isn't, I start to worry... just a touch. Isn't that awful?

May 10, 2007

I love lilacs... Yesterday, I went to the green market at Union Square and picked up three grape tomato plants for my parents, three packs of wax begonias for my grandmother and a bunch of lilacs for me. Lilacs are finicky as cut flowers. They are only in flower for two weeks of the year. You can probably buy them for about a month but if you miss it, that's it... And you can't just cut the ends and put them in water - you have to bash the ends in a bit or else they'll get droopy. But their fragrance fills up the whole room for a couple of days and that makes it worth the trouble...

May 9, 2007

My sleep schedule is erratic, to say the least... I wonder if all unemployed people are like me. I wonder if people who have nothing to do are like me... I imagine not. My parents are retired and they get up before six every morning. And they are always busy... places to go, people to see. I have no places to go and no people to see. I have to space out my errands over the week so that I leave my apartment at least once a day and even then I don't usually leave until after lunch. Although, I will leave my apartment before noon for my eyebrow appointment. Just shows you my priorities huh?

May 8, 2007

Another interview today and it went reasonably well... but I don't expect a call back. Come to think of it, I think I can relate to actors at this moment of my life. You send in your head shot, wait for a call, go in, try to make an impression, and wait for another call or a rejection. The rejection part is getting hard to deal with... Hmmm... at least I don't have to audition constantly. Once I find a job, I won't have to go on another interview until I'm unhappy with my job. But actors... they have to go through this constantly. I guess it's better to be a lawyer than an actor...

May 7, 2007

Last week I got my knives sharpened. Everyone tells me that sharp knives are safer but it's not true. This afternoon, while I was slicing a cucumber I took a piece of my thumb. But then again, maybe it wasn't the super sharp knife but my loss of fifteen minutes of sleep this morning. Don't you hate it when you wake up before your alarm clock goes off particularly when it's set for earlier than usual? I set my alarm for 6:45 so that my brother and I could catch the 8:00 ferry for home but I woke up at 6:30... middle of the night for me. By the way, thumbs bleed a lot...

May 6, 2007

A very large bruise is coming out on my foot... but it's really uneven. That annoys me a little - the lack of symmetry. Most of my regular bruises are one color (blue), on my shin and always a surprise when I notice it. This time, I have two red bruises on my middle toes, a thick line of blue near my ankle extending to my pinky toe and it's light blue everywhere else... Although, I guess that's the point of a bruise - all the pretty colors in between. At least the swelling has gone down - the Ace bandage was definitely helpful and it was self-adhering! But I still can't see my toe knuckles...

May 5, 2007

My siblings and I like watching movies when the theatre is nearly empty. Last year we watched the second Pirates movie at 9:15 in the morning at the Ziegfeld on the Friday that it opened. There were about twenty people in the place and it was fabulous. Today we watched the third Spider-man movie at the 11:15 show at the Ziegfeld. (I'm about to talk about things in the film so you should stop reading if you haven't watched it yet...) You would think that an action movie would have more action in it. Although, I won't walk down Sixth Avenue again without thinking about that crane sequence... that was pretty cool.

May 4, 2007

I have spent the better part of my evening on my couch and not by choice... At least I have everything I need in reach and Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis were on so that helped pass the time. Did I also mention that my foot has also been elevated all evening? Yup... I've had frozen peas on it every hour for a half hour. While I was putting some of the plants out on the deck at the house, I rolled my ankle... surprising and painful. It felt bearable while I was at the house but now, I can hardly put weight on it. This resting thing is really boring...

May 3, 2007

I live a strange existence even for a New Yorker. My local grocery store isn't just any ordinary grocery store... I shop at the biggest supermarket in Manhattan - the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle. My local theatre is not some multiplex type place... My local movie theatre is the Ziegfeld which has only one screen, is the location where almost all New York film premieres take place and has the best bathrooms. I don't have a lawn or a garden... But I have Central Park at my doorstep. I mean, literally at my doorstep... Central Park is across the street. It's an odd life for anyone but it's convenient enough...

May 2, 2007

I've had the same wallet for ten years. I bought it at Gap for $19.99 plus tax. But it's time I got a new one and I've been looking for the last couple of years. I was leaning towards Orla Kiely but her wallets are bigger than I'd like. Then yesterday I was down at my favorite bag store on 8th Street and I found a cute little purse/wallet and a bag both from Jack Gomme. Here's a thought, maybe I'll make a gift registry for my birthday this year. But I'll probably buy it myself before then. That's why I'm difficult to shop for - I buy everything first...

May 1, 2007

There is no such thing as climate control in my apartment building. They put the air conditioning on last week but the building is still cold so my apartment is freezing. In the summer, the building retains heat from the sun and the air so it balances out the air conditioning. Actually, it's perfect during the summer unless we're in a heat wave. But, it's a bit on the nippy side right now. Not only do I still wear flannel pajamas but last night I had to fill up my hot water bottle because my feet were really cold and when I have cold feet I can't sleep...

April 30, 2007

My new favorite word is gumption. It's a great sounding word but it's also a great character trait to have. I always associate gumption with movie stars from the 1930s and 1940s - women like Katherine Hepburn and Barbara Stanwyck. They don't make movies like The Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby or The Lady Eve anymore. Those women (or their characters) had spirit, initiative and moxie. They knew themselves, spoke their mind and held their own in any situation. I always thought that I had healthy amount of gumption but lately... I've been less than my spunky usual self... I hope I can find it again and soon...

April 29, 2007

Do you know what never ceases to amuse me? Throwing out contact lenses and then seeing them all dried up and plastic-y. I'm a girl with simple pleasures... Along that vein, do you know what I saw on NYCTV last night? Actually, it was at three o'clock this morning (I'm not sleeping well again...) I saw this piece on The Soda Shop down in Tribeca. It's on Chambers Street. They sell old fashion candy and egg creams! I never knew what went into egg creams... It contains milk, seltzer and chocolate sauce and there's a special way in mixing it. Really must try it one day...

April 28, 2007

Last time I left the apartment was on Thursday. Yesterday it was raining all day so I couldn't go outside. But I finally left my apartment today to go to mass. It was warmer than I thought it would have been. I went to St. Patrick's and there were an awful lot of people there. Same thing last week... probably because of the warmer weather. Probably best I went out today because it doesn't look like I'll be going outside tomorrow... The police barriers are going up which means that the city will be full tomorrow. I wonder if I should go to yoga anyway...

April 27, 2007

Does anyone else do this? Watch a movie that's playing on television that you already own on DVD? My brother always complained when I did this - "Don't you already own this?" (in an accusing tone). Although, since my brother moved out, I hear that complaint a lot less often. Anyway, it's a mystery, isn't it? Why watch a movie on television with all the commercial breaks included when you own it? Here's a thought... you'll finish the movie a lot faster if you pop in the DVD and watch it from where you left it on the television broadcast. Try it, you'll like it!

April 26, 2007

I subscribe to two magazines, The New Yorker and Premiere. The New Yorker is my subway read and Premiere is my fun read. Although, I should say that Premiere "was" my fun read. Were you aware that Premiere magazine is no longer? I got a little note in the mail informing me that subscribers will be switched to Us Weekly beginning in May. By the way, I didn't know that it's "us" and not "U.S." - my sister had to correct me. Hee hee! So I got my first issue today - gossipy isn't it? I don't think I'll renew it but it's entertaining enough...

April 25, 2007

I've finally started on my bar admission application. Good lord there's a lot of paperwork... I need affidavits from all my previous legal employers, two personal references, a certificate of good standing from New Jersey, and a letter from the New Jersey grievance committee. Not to mention I also have to fill out the 12 page application. How come there's no warning about this before you start law school? But then again, would that stop a person from going to law school? Probably not. I'm just annoyed but New York isn't that unpleasant compared to New Jersey's 27 page bar exam application...

April 24, 2007

The water was shut off in my building today - one of the inconveniences of living in an apartment building in the city. So while the water was off I took one of my favorite walks - down West 10th Street until I hit the Hudson River. I found this walk during university and I used to do it pretty often. The weather was perfect - very sunny, slight breeze and warm but not too warm. But the wind was strong by the river and it got pretty cold. Still I found it peaceful... probably because I couldn't hear the traffic from West Street.

April 23, 2007

Not only is it Applesauce's birthday (Happy Birthday duckie!!!) but it's also my one hundred word day! Serendipity! But coincidences are strange things and sometimes not entirely welcome... Like yesterday, it was a coincidence that I met a friend from law school while I was at Filene's Basement. It was great to see him but for the life of me I could not remember his name. It was most embarrassing although I don't think he realized... And this isn't the first time this has happened to me. It's just that I can never remember people's names... must find a remedy.

April 22, 2007

A most productive day... My sister and I got up early, took the ferry, went to Staten Island, visited my grandmother, watered some plants, then ate instant noodles for lunch because there was no food in the house. Then we did a spot of shopping near Union Square. I bought a pair of sneakers but I'm going to return them - poor impulse choice. I'm not a good shopper. I don't like shopping for shoes and I really hate shopping for clothes. But I like shopping for bags... and books... oh! and stationery. What I need is a personal shopper!

April 21, 2007

Urban gardening is an interesting concept. I went down to Chelsea Garden Center this afternoon. If you've never been, I really must encourage you to go. It's this green patch surrounded my traffic and concrete all the way over on 11th Avenue. And everything there is perfectly sized for an urban garden, even the trees. They don't have anything that will grow to be too big. In the garden centers on Staten Island, they sell saplings that'll grow to be monsters. Sometimes I think that I should have taken a horticulture course instead of going to law school...

April 20, 2007

I have two different internal clocks... it's dependent on where I am. When I'm in the city, I go to sleep around two in the morning and I wake up between ten and noon. When I'm at home, I go to sleep around midnight and wake up between eight and nine thirty. What I really need is a reason to get up in the morning. Ellen used to be my reason but they moved her to four. A job would be ideal but for now I'll write a letter to NBC to move Ellen back to ten...

April 19, 2007

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I am in terrible shape. My arms and shoulders have been sore for the last few days - heavy lifting. Normally, I don't carry heavy things but I am without minions at the moment. You know... I used to call my Toy Story 2 Happy Meal toys my minions. They said to collect them all and I did... I miss those little guys. In parental news, they spent the day at the National Shrine in DC. They took a tour, went to mass and ate in the cafeteria.

April 18, 2007

First day back in the city and I had errands to run. Got my eyebrows done, shopped a bit at Kate's Paperie's moving sale, and went up to Fairway. But in the middle of Fairway I get a phone call from my dad. He had forgotten his address book; the address book with everybody's contact info in it. So while my parents were touring Baltimore I was on the ferry back to Staten Island. I was in the house for Ellen's monologue and then back to the city where I FedEx'd it all. Long day....

April 17, 2007

Did I mention that my parents were going on a cross country road trip? Honestly, why would they want to drive across the country? But then again, I'm far from curious about this country. The parents left this morning, four hours behind schedule. I woke up at seven and thought they had left without even saying goodbye to me. But when I went downstairs I found them repacking the car. They finally left at 9:15, returned at 9:20, left again at 9:25, returned at 9:35, left at 9:45 and arrived in Baltimore this afternoon.

April 16, 2007

Not a good day, to say the least... I woke up to news about the aftermath of record rain in New York and New Jersey being in a state of emergency due to flooding. Not bad news actually... just news really. But then, a couple of hours later the weather was no longer the lead story. I never understood this phenomenon of school shootings. Students going on shooting rampages was non-existent when I was in school. Sigh... All I kept thinking today was that the world was going to hell in a handbasket...

April 15, 2007

Why do they call it a nor'easter and not a northeaster? Is it just laziness or is it because nor'easter just trips off the tongue. Anyway, it's been raining all day. The wind was less than impressive but the downpours were something to behold. The last time I saw downpours like this was in July when I was studying for the bar. We watched the storm from the third floor of the library... I still remember the people huddled underneath the colonnade of the school and the lighting traveling across the sky...

April 14, 2007

Moving day! Today, the houseplants played that wonderful game musical pots. Bad news: the dragon tree's roots were completely dead so I had to take cuttings from it instead. Hopefully, they'll survive and make some roots... Also, both of the rubber trees had a scale infestation. One of them had to be cut down but the other one was healthy-ish. The good news: everyone else seems happy enough. Plants don't like to move... like me. They are creatures of habit... also, like me. Maybe that's why I get along with plants.

April 13, 2007

I am way geekier than I may appear. I know that most people view me as a cultural elitist. There's nothing I love more than Jane Austen and I would rather watch a play than go to a concert. But the highlight of my day was my evening television viewing - new episodes of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis on SciFi channel! I have been looking forward to this for over two months! I also have a thing for Doctor Who and Torchwood but they'll never show Torchwood in the States.

April 12, 2007

They didn't pick me to sit on the jury. I can't imagine why... Actually, that isn't true. I know why they didn't pick me... probably the same reasons why I wouldn't pick me. First, being a recent law school graduate is a strike against me... they whole idea of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing. Second, I have a distaste for criminal law... I feel about criminal law how most people feel about tax law. In any event, I got eighty dollars for my two days of service!

April 11, 2007

Jury duty day! I thought that time flew but I'm weird that way. I really enjoy the jury duty experience. Well, except for the chairs in the central jury pool room. Damn my butt is sore. And I'm glad to report that the retired comedian judge is still alive and funny. I was called for a jury pool for a criminal trial. They didn't have a chance to question me yet but I'm almost positive that they won't choose me. Criminal law and me don't get along well...

April 10, 2007

You can never find what you want when you need it or you do find it but not without some difficulty. Does that make sense? It's that time of year when plants need to be potted up... I needed two fourteen inch pots - one for a rubber tree and one for the ficus. The ficus is miserable. I finally found what I wanted at Kmart - Martha Stewart designs. Not my usual thing but it'll do. There's going to be a great game of musical pots this weekend!

April 9, 2007

I take back what I said about the hyacinths that I bought for my mom. In the last couple of days, the flowers have opened up and their fragrance hits you like a sweet smelling brick. The flowers are scenting the whole first floor. You can even smell it from the second floor. It makes my mom really happy but it's giving me a headache while I'm watching television. But then, I might have a headache because it's going to rain in a couple of days.

April 8, 2007

Happy Easter! I never did get the point of the Easter Bunny or Easter egg hunts. But I was watching South Park with my brother the other night and this is what I learned. The reason why there's an Easter Bunny is because St. Peter was actually a rabbit as in "Peter Rabbit." I just loved this episode and I usually cannot stand South Park. You have to love a good parody and South Park did it well. The show is smarter than I thought...

April 7, 2007

I have never done my own taxes... my parents' accountant has done them for me for over ten years. I'm sure that I can do them myself but there's math involved and it's so easy this way... a big envelope comes with two sets of papers to sign and mail and I get a copy for myself! And he puts those red "Sign Here" stickies where I'm supposed to sign and I love those... it seems so official. I can't wait for my refund!

April 6, 2007

It's so disappointing when plants don't do what they're supposed to do. In this case, I bought my mom two pots of hyacinths for Easter and they don't smell at all. The whole point of hyacinths is the fragrance. Without their smell hyacinths are just multiple purple flowers on a stem that bends toward light. And what is up with the crocuses this year? I've seen bunches of them in bloom this past week... they're two months late. Something is off this spring...

April 5, 2007

I forgot to mention that my laptop returned on Tuesday! He's feeling much better... He went in for a new logic board and returned with a new logic board, hard drive, CD drive, heat sink, and couple of new cables. And it didn't cost me a fortune. My Applecare had expired but Apple charges a flat fee for repairs afterwards. It's like a brand new computer! No wonder Apple had kept him for so long. But I think he might be heavier...

April 4, 2007

I got my jury duty notice! I love jury duty... not only is it your civic duty it's something to do. I think jury duty on Staten Island is fun... they bring in this retired judge who does a standup comedy routine explaining what it is and what'll happen. He's really funny... I'm getting my activities together for next week. So far, I have a Jasper Fforde novel, two Doctor Who audiobooks, and a book of Sudoko. I hope it's enough...

April 3, 2007

I want fish and chips from A Salt and Battery! I'm watching Food Network right now and Bobby Flay challenged the guys from A Salt and Battery for a throwdown. How many shows does Bobby Flay have?! In any event, I haven't had fish and chips in a few months and the ones at A Salt and Battery are perfect... Bobby Flay is not going to win this one - no way, no how. I really want fish and chips now!

April 2, 2007

Spring cleaning is easier if there's a new toy to use - this year it's the Swiffer Duster. This thing is absolutely brilliant! I got a box of twenty on Saturday and there's only four left now. Just in case you're wondering, the most dust in the house can be found on the blades of the ceiling fans and under the beds. I get a great sense of satisfaction when the duster is chock full of dust... is that weird?

April 1, 2007

I do appreciate a good April Fool's joke. The best one today was on Gmail... did anyone else see it? About their new service Gmail Paper? My first thought when I read it was "WHAT?! They'll print out my emails and mail them to me so that I'll have a hard copy of it? Why the hell would they offer that as a service?" Then logic and reason returned to me from its momentary lapse. Excellent joke though...

March 31, 2007

I always feel better after playing in some dirt. This afternoon I went to the cemetary with my parents to plant some holly bushes and a few pansies at my grandmother's grave. The weather was perfect... lovely blue skies without a hint of clouds. The crocuses have finally come up... late this year probably because the winter was so ambiguous. And the pansies from last fall survived the frost... hardy little buggers. It was a good day.

March 30, 2007

A brilliant idea! Since there are no jobs on the horizon I'm thinking about applying to a LL.M program! Although, going full-time is probably not the right answer but going part-time will help fill some time in September. But, truth be told, the immediate problem is filling the time from now until September. Perhaps my brilliant idea is not so brilliant. But I like school... I miss school... And I wouldn't mind being a student forever.

March 29, 2007

This morning confirmed where I get "it" from. My mom called to ask about my laptop and then she suggested that I just buy a new one. No wonder I'm difficult to shop for if this is where I get my sensibilities. Not that we don't know what things cost but I think there's a fine line between cost and convenience in our family. Although, the new MacBooks are pretty... but it's not time yet...

March 28, 2007

A bad day - didn't leave the apartment at all. Although, I did open the front door to get the paper from the hallway. Other than that, just watched loads of television. I wonder if this is what other people do while waiting for their laptops to come back. But I have been catching up on Charmed. The last two episodes of the series will be on Thursday so that's exciting in a sad way.

March 27, 2007

Still sans laptop and still at the Apple store but not as crowded as usual. I wonder if this is the modern equivalent of a slash occupation for actors. Most of the guys here look like actors... fairly good looking and chatty. So instead of being waiters they're Mac store people. The hours are fantastically flexible considering that the Fifth Avenue store is open 24/7... and the pay has to be considerably better...

March 26, 2007

Still no laptop... I wonder how he's doing. I think he went to Kentucky or Tennessee to get better... I imagine that he's homesick and uncomfortable. I get homesick when I leave New York. In other news... Since, I'm thinking of painting my bedroom and my bathroom I went to Home Depot. There are so many different colors to choose from... I'm leaning towards a light purple with a hint of grey...

March 25, 2007

Playing catchup since I haven't been able to go online in a couple of days. The last week without my laptop was not a good week for me. I don't know if it was the boredom or the loneliness. Probably a little bit of both... and still I'm waiting. This week seems to be going better... maybe I've been weaned off of having a perpetual internet connection. Maybe this is healthy...

March 24, 2007

My laptop is still away but I just checked his status and he was repaired today. Now he just has to make his way back to New York. I hope he gets back here soon because the Apple store is not the most conducive place to write a blog or anything else. Although, not having a laptop does force one outside if for no other reason than to check email.

March 23, 2007

Black, black day... my favorite mug fell and broke. I knew it was too close to the edge but I had moved it there because I was reading the newspaper. I know that it's just a mug but it was my favorite. I had bought it in London about seven years ago... made of ceramic and stained with tea from all those years of use. I'm still in mourning...

March 22, 2007

My laptop is still at Apple... It seems that his part has been on order since Tuesday. Sigh... at this rate, he won't be back home until next week. Although, I have been outside... Today I went to Target to return something that I bought yesterday. After I watch Ellen I'm going to Restoration Hardware to find a coat hook. Such is the excitement that is my life...

March 21, 2007

Not having a laptop with his connection to the outside world is strangely liberating. I'm not obsessively reading my five or six newspapers or spending time on the IMDB message boards. Instead, I'm watching news on the television and actually reading the newspaper that's delivered to my door in the morning. I suppose I should spend more time outside but the weather has been unsettled. Maybe tomorrow...

March 20, 2007

Since my laptop went away to get well, I realized that I spend a lot of time online... At the moment, I'm in the Apple Store checking my email in the midst of tourists. Today, I was so bored that I put up the door hook in my bathroom that I bought weeks ago. I had forgotten how much fun it is to use my drill.

March 19, 2007

It's worse than we thought... it's not an anxiety attack at all. The anxiety attack was a sympton of a larger problem, that is, he needs a new logic board. Sheesh... expensive procedure since my AppleCare expired last August. I could get a new shiny laptop but I really don't think it's time yet... but for the next big problem I might have to replace.

March 18, 2007

My laptop is having an anxiety attack. I'm pretty sure it's a kernal panic... something isn't quite right with his software. I guess he needs a therapist more than a physician. I'm hoping a chat with one of the geniuses at the Apple store tomorrow morning will sort him out. Until then I have no one to play with so I'm bothering my family.

March 17, 2007

My laptop is ill... I've made an appointment for him at the Genius Bar on Monday morning at 10.00a. He's almost three and a half years old and that's not young in computer years. If one human year is equal to 15 computer years then my computer is 52 computer years. Oh dear, oh dear... At least he still looks good... like Oprah.

March 16, 2007

A most frustrating afternoon. The weather is the big news and they're interrupting Ellen! How rude... and it's a new show today. But then again, those little ice pellets that are coming down are troublesome. Why do I always want takeout when the weather is crap? I guess I shouldn't get takeout tonight, huh? But I'll tip the delivery guy really well!

March 15, 2007

My environment has truly shaped my political and social views. The evidence is in my preferred sources for current events: The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, BBC News, MSNBC and CNN International. Solidly liberal though no surprise that... NYC is like no other place in the country. Even our Republicans aren't exactly mainstream Republicans... Isn't New York fabulous?

March 14, 2007

Today's high was 69 degrees - deceptively spring-like. Two things signal spring for me in the city. One - the budding trees in Central Park with that great shade of green. And two - seeing the white flowered trees running down both sides of St. Mark's Place from Astor Place. Probably another month before either event happens... sigh... I'm getting bored with winter.

March 13, 2007

My contact lenses hate me... or maybe they love me. I don't wear them often but when I do I have the hardest time taking them out. Are they purposely giving me a hard time or do they like being in my eye? I know there's a trick to getting them out, I just haven't figured it out yet...

March 12, 2007

I find tourists to be very watchable - rather like animals in the zoo. They all have funny accents, wear different clothes and have interesting habits. But today, a crowd of teenagers with their chaperones inflicted themselves into my subway car. I was trying to read Bleak House but had to give up because of them... how very vexing.

March 11, 2007

Just checked my reviews on Netflix and now two people out of 32 didn't find my review helpful! I would love to ask them why they didn't like it. I don't know why I'm taking this so personally. I would never had made it as an actress or writer or chef... any occupation that's critiqued by strangers.

March 10, 2007

Driving around in Staten Island is starting to get annoying... Why are there so many cars here? Where did they all come from? Today while driving all I could think was, "Get out of my way!" or "If you're going to drive, then drive!" It's probably best that I don't have a car in the city.

March 9, 2007

I was reminded today about the church I go to when I'm in London - Farm Street Church in Mayfair. It's old and beautiful... very elegant. There's something about churches that old... like the walls remember the histories of generations of parishioners; happy and sad, good and bad. And this one has a lovely back garden!

March 8, 2007

I had forgotten how heavy duty Charles Dickens is... he's wonderful to read but the font is small and the lines are spaced close together. My left eyeball is doing that twitching thing again and it hasn't done that since I was studying for the bar exam. Ahhhh... to suffer for Dickens! How glorious!

March 7, 2007

Strange weather. It feels like January with temperatures in the 20s... but it's supposed to go up to 50 degrees on Sunday. But at least I'm at home where the kitchen floor is heated. Whoever invented heated kitchen floors was a genius. It's a lovely and warm place to start reading Bleak House.

March 6, 2007

Finished another Jasper Fforde book. He's really quite fun - fantasy writer who does homage to great literary characters. I read the second Thursday Next novel, Lost in a Good Book. I really love the idea that books are alive and need their own police force to watch over characters and plot lines.

March 5, 2007

Best news story from last week is "Swiss Accidentally Invade Liechtenstein." A company of 170 Swiss soldiers got lost in the night and marched a mile into Liechtenstein. When they realized their mistake, they turned back. What an ideal introduction into the first lesson of international law - the idea of sovereignty.

March 4, 2007

Since last Sunday I've developed an obsession with scones. Particularly the scones from Sarabeth's. (Bought another one on Tuesday.) This past Friday I finally found a biscuit cutter at Gracious Homes and made the currant scone recipe from the Joy of Cooking. They were unremarkable. Must find a new recipe...

March 3, 2007

The Staten Island Ferry was full of tourists today - especially from France. I guess it's understandable; it is Saturday. But why were so many of them from France? Maybe there's some school holiday because an awful lot of them looked like teenagers. Why didn't my school trips go abroad?

March 2, 2007

Cut through the park on my home this afternoon and there was another bagpipe player piping (is that the right verb?) away. He was practicing under one of the bridges in the park and the acoustics were amazing. Are all the bagpipe players in New York following me?

March 1, 2007

The most surprising thing - a bagpipe player playing on the roof of a bar on West 3rd. I kept hearing it while I was walking around - thought he was following me. He sounded okay but how does one judge a bagpipe player's proficiency? I have no idea.

February 28, 2007

Woke up at 6.15am - gave up trying to fall asleep again and got up at 7.30am. I watched the Today show for the first time in weeks and weeks. I wonder, does Today air on the West Coast? It would be on in the pre-dawn hours...

February 27, 2007

What to do for dinner? Part of me wants a cheeseburger and part of me wants shepherd's pie. Shepherd's pie would require me to cook and I would need to go to Whole Foods. A cheeseburger it is. Guess I'll run down to Burger Joint.

February 26, 2007

A grey day - the streets are wet and slushy but the forecasted snowstorm didn't materialize. Although, the buildings are dripping and that's annoying. I might run over to Sarabeth's to buy another scone - it will go well with my tea while I'm watching Ellen.

February 25, 2007

A very nice brunch this morning at Sarabeth's. The scone was particularly good. Later I passed Bryant Park. I love the trees there - all lined up. It's nice when they're leafy but I prefer the trees when they're naked - so tall and graceful.

February 24, 2007

I'm in an ambiguous reading phase. I really want to start a Shakespeare run but I'm still stuck on the Brontes. I still need to read Villette, The Bronte Myth, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and reread Wuthering Heights. What to do?

February 23, 2007

The Plaza is being renovated. On the outside there's this enormous pink board with Eloise that says "I am a city child." That's exactly who I am. I can't live anywhere else - maybe London but I would miss Manhattan too much.

February 22, 2007

I feel it's a minor achievement when I leave my apartment and today I left for five hours - got my eyebrows done, had lunch with friends, walked through the park and did a Fairway run. Wonder if I'll leave tomorrow...

February 21, 2007

Back in the city... I always love taking the ferry in the middle of the day and today it was especially lovely. The water was clear and sparkly and the sky was blue and there weren't too many tourists!

February 20, 2007

I reviewed the new Jane Eyre adaptation on Netflix and 11 out of 12 people found it helpful. Why didn't that one person find it helpful? A blow to the ego but perhaps I'm taking it too personally.

February 19, 2007

I think I'm starting to get old... a muscle in my lower back is hurting. Or it could be a sign that I have to do something more physical than getting out of bed in the morning.

February 18, 2007

I've gotten my sister hooked on Doctor Who! I think the Queen Victoria episode with the werewolf slightly freaked her out... but seeing K9 in the next episode made her feel better. He's metallic but winsome.

February 17, 2007

How is magic milk so magical? Organic Valley makes milk that lasts for weeks and weeks - like six weeks. How is that possible? Normal milk doesn't do that. That's why I call it magic milk.

February 16, 2007

I feel like a hibernating bear - I'm not doing much and I'm waiting for spring. But four out of four people found the review I wrote on Netflix helpful - that's something for the ego.

February 15, 2007

Unemployment is not for me - I'm looking for things to do. So far, I've written two reviews on Amazon and one for Netflix. And I've been obsessed with the message boards at IMDB.

February 14, 2007

Happy Valentine's Day! Just finished reading The Eyre Affair. Ever since I was young I wondered what it would be like to be "in" a book and this was a clever framework.

February 13, 2007

Just noticed the "Local Favorites" list from Netflix's main page: A Nous la Liberte, New York, L'Atalante, Barbarians at the Gate, Merci Pour le Chocolat.... Talk about eclectic and the forgotten.

February 12, 2007

It's been exactly one month since I've started this. I feel like I should be given something, like AA's three month sobriety pin. I know! I'll buy myself a present!

February 11, 2007

DVDs watched or re-watched this weekend: Elizabeth I, Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Madness of King George III, and Real Women Have Curves. All in all, a fairly entertaining weekend.

February 10, 2007

I am having the most awful time falling asleep lately. Last night I gave up after a couple of hours and read about divorce in 19th century England.

February 9, 2007

My favorite thing in the world right now is my hot water bottle. It has a lovely red woollen cover and keeps my toes warm at night.

February 8, 2007

Ugly Betty is on tonight! Such a great show! Other great shows: Studio 60, Doctor Who, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, House, and Masterpiece Theatre programs.

February 7, 2007

A part of me knows that I should go outside - it's not healthy to stay in my apartment for days. But it's so cold out!

February 6, 2007

My reading list for the next week: 1776, Marie Antoinette, Twelfth Night, and Villette. Unemployment leaves a girl a lot of time to herself.

February 5, 2007

Insomnia strikes again. Last night at 4.00am after four hours I was still awake so I gave up and got out of bed.

February 4, 2007

Had lunch with my dad today - he had to kill some time waiting for my mom. It's always nice to be fed.

February 3, 2007

Freezing cold today but at least it's pretty. Walked a little through the park - most exercise I've had in a week.

February 2, 2007

Saw a little dog wearing a parka today. Cute parka - green with a fur collar... my coats aren't that cute.

February 1, 2007

Another interview today - but I wasn't enthusiastic at all. I hope they don't call me for a second interview.

January 31, 2007

Being unemployed has its perks - I met my parents for lunch at Kun Jip today. That was nice.

January 30, 2007

I need some unemployed friends. Just people to hang out with in the middle of the day.

January 29, 2007

I am too chatty. I had an interview this morning and I think I scared them.

January 28, 2007

My apartment is a cave (no sunlight or view). I have to force myself outside.

January 27, 2007

This entry marks two weeks and I'm amazed because I have trouble with commitment.

January 26, 2007

It's too cold to go out so I'm a prisoner in my apartment.

January 25, 2007

20 degrees tomorrow. I went to Fairway to stock up on provisions.

January 24, 2007

A new Subway shop opened on 58th Street and it's disturbing.

January 23, 2007

I'm reading Jane Eyre again - haven't read it since college.

January 22, 2007

The new BBC adaptation of Jane Eyre - well done.

January 21, 2007

She asked me, "What are you waiting for?"

January 20, 2007

i'll live and die in new york.

January 19, 2007

foster's home is my favorite cartoon.

January 18, 2007

another day of unemployed listlessness.

January 17, 2007

time to watch ellen!

January 16, 2007

collect them all!

January 15, 2007

gracefully tripping

January 14, 2007

cuppa