Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Flat cat

I just saw an unlucky feline lying dead in the street as I was walking home. I hate cats, but I don't like seeing them as roadkill either. But rats, on the other hand, I really don't mind when their mangled carcasses are run over beyond all recognition. I saw another of the nasty rodents today at Rittenhouse while there were a shitload of people congregated tonight for a concert in the park. Fucking mite-infested, belly-crawling, music-loving beast. You go away now!

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

My indecision...

...is slowly killing my inner lifeforce.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Whole Foods Hotties


This is the next in a series of my boy crazy postings (see Dr. McDreamy and my own proposed Axe Clix commercial). Topic du jour (or nuit, as it were) is the vast number of hot hot hot and most likely single (and healthy!) men that roam the produce aisles and peruse the salad bar at the Whole Foods on 20th & Hamilton Blvd. OK, I'm certain we need to insert a fudge factor of at least 50% to account for those cuties who are gay (why are all gay men so damn good-looking!!?!--it is so unfair!); nonetheless, the eye candy is exceptionally abundant over there. I randomly kept bumping into the same cute guy as I made my way thru the store (wouldn't that be great if he was stalking me??! haha!)--we entered the store at the same time, stood next to each other picking through fruit at the peach bin, were side-by side while staring at the dairy items, and even ended up checking out at the same counter (tho there was some girl between us.) I'm going to have to head over there to stock up on cage-free chicken and soy milk every Sunday evening from now on. Yowsas!

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Hooky

My sister from GA flew into DC last night so I decided to head down there yesterday evening to meet up with her & my other sister for dinner with the intent of returning to Philly tomorrow morning in time for work. However, there were problems with planes/trains/automobiles so she didn't end up dining with us and arrived around midnight. I decided that I'd take the next day off to have lunch with her and also enjoy an unharried evening out tonight with my best gals. I spent this morning shopping for an outfit (and doling out cash I should not be spending!) so I could pop straight into work tomorrow morning without going home to change first. Priorities, priorities. (Don't worry, I'm an excellent bargain hunter.) I feel like a schlub for skipping out on work but the chance to spend time with my sisters is well worth any negative consequences. (Well, ask me again when I'm unemployed & homeless, trolling the trash bins for dinner.) Byah!!

Note: To fend off a little of my self-imposed guilt, I did spend an hour or so writing a few cover letters for some DC jobs. So there.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Army Run: Training Update

My training routine for the DC race has been, in a word, sporadic. I've gotten to the point where I can run a few miles straight without stopping, but I believe that is in large part due to the milder weather we have been experiencing. The old shin hurts every so often, but it's a duller pain, nothing like the shooting, searing sensations I used to get. I still feel like a Clydesdale stomping along the path and am longing to regain that fleet footedness I've felt in the past. Age & gravity are slowly taking their toll. Only 51 more days. Yikes! Hoo, mama.

Monday, August 21, 2006

"These are the lives you'd like to lead..."

So says Fallout Boy. This weekend was spent reflecting and rejuvenating on the sand, being silly with the girls, and listening to the whishing sounds of the waves on the shore in Sea Isle City. I'm not a regular to the Jersey Shore but have been a handful of times over the past few years--this was the first time in a long while I had been to the area for reasons other than a wild last minute hankering to play a hand of blackjack in AC. I didn't realize how much city life had frazzled me as of late until I was sitting on a beach chair, getting sunburnt, and not caring one damn about all the bothersome notions and worries that typically infiltrate my mind. It was pure and heavenly relaxation that only sunshine, fresh ocean air and the presence of good people can deliver. I was even chipper at work this morning, a rare occurrence indeed. Ahhh, the simple things in life; it's all about the simple things. Yes, I'm talking crazy--once all that ocean air that's intoxicated me has flushed out my system, I'll be back to my normal bitchy self.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Parapluies de Cherbourg: It "le sucks"

I enjoy watching foreign films and when I received "Parapluies de Cherbourg" (or "Umbrellas of Cherbourg") from Netflix, I was doubly pleased to find out it was a musical--Gigi, Brigadoon, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers--love them. My expectations, alas, dithered away as I watched and listened with confusion to the first scene, set in a gas station. The dialogue was performed in a style called "recitative"--no rhyming, no particular standard cadence. So very strange. I couldn't get into it--I'm used to the grand MGM-style theatrical performances filmed by US directors with lavish sets, rows of gaily dressed chorus girls, and catchy tunes. I was wondering why on earth this came up in my recommendations & I looked it up online to find out the damn thing won the Palm D'or @ Cannes in 1964 (63?). WTF? My, how tastes have so greatly changed.

Friday, August 11, 2006

"Everything is Illuminated"--not so much

The first few pages of the novel "Everything is Illuminated" by Jonathan Safran Foer were guffaw-out-loud funny, they being written from the point of view of a Yiddish narrator, Alex, in awkwardly formal English peppered with colloquial idioms. "I had performed recklessly well in my second year of English at university. This was a very majestic thing I did because my instructor was having shit between his brains." But I'm barely 30 pages in and I need to put it down because it's just all over the place. After the Yid-glish intro, it went into a story about a newborn child that floated to the surface of a river after a horse-drawn cart with her parents careened into the drink. Then it described a ceremony by Jewish elders who held ceremonies to determine her fate. There was chanting and shouting and general chaos, and finally I just couldn't do it. I tried, but I think I need something with a straightforward story & sequence to process right now. I'll have to come back to it. I'm just going to rent the movie with Elijah Wood in it and finish "In a Sunburnt Country" by Bill Bryson, a hilarious account of his sojourn through the country/continent of Australia. I had to chortle when he described the unfortunate event of an Aussie Prime Minister's drowning as "The Swim That Needs No Towel." I got halfway thru a couple months ago (was reading 3 of his books at the same time and got B.B. overload even though his writing absolutely drives me to tears) and retreived it from under my bed the other day. I looked like a damn fool in the park during lunch yesterday shaking with laughter while reading it. Try it, you'll like it. Even love it.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Shout outs to some musical artistes

Spent another weekend in DC with the sis and got a chockful of live music at a couple bars in the Arlington area. Friday night we chanced upon a cover performer from Delaware, Paul Lewis, at an Irish bar, Molly Malone's, He had a pretty varied repertoire--slow versions of Prince's "Seven" and Robbie Williams' "Millenium" were both nice twists on the originals. Was enjoyable, sing-a-long background noise that went well with our cold brews. Sunday night, we stopped by a joint called "Galaxy Hut," a cave of a bar/restaurant that regularly hosts live acts in its intimate space (48 bodies max). We grooved to the tunes of two alternative country acts, New Heathens from New York and June Star from Baltimore. I'm not a huge country fan, but the drums and electric guitars certainly took away the honky-tonk twang found in mainstream C/W. The New Heathens sounded a bit like 'Gin Blossoms lite' and some of the lyrics made wanna say "huh?" (I wish I could remember a sampling), but overall not bad--hell, anyone who can get up & sing in front a crowd of 15 people & act like he's playing to a stadium deserves all kinds of kudos in my book. June Star's music was by far the better of the two--the front man's voice was nice & gravelly and the lyrics were headier. I love watching bands in small settings like this because you get a chance to talk to the performers. They feel comfortable enough to share on a personal level as well. For example, June Star's lead singer suggested several times during the show that the audience should peruse the book they just bought, "Penis Pokey." It's in the format of a children's book, only it has a big hole in the middle. Use your imaginiation. (I prayed that it hadn't been used as we flipped thru it, snickering.) Anyway, another lovely sejour in DC, tunes included.

Friday, August 04, 2006

The saga ends

After my last post, the pretzel guy calls later that night. I screen both calls. Then a text to meet up in the city. Then another call. I finally answer with an annoyed, "Whuuuuuuuuuuuut? I'm home already. We could have hung out earlier when I was out at happy hour." So we go back & forth: he didn't want to meet me with all my friends around, I didn't want to meet up with him alone coz of all his off-color comments, he says it's just the way he jokes, I tell him that it's funny a couple times but then girls think you're a perv, he apologizes and he'd still like to meet up & that he's coming to the city, tell him I still don't want to meet up alone--sounds like too much of a date and I'm not big on dates, he says don't think of it as a date, let's just go get coffee. I submit & tell him just to meet him at the bar around the corner from me.

Turns out he's harmless. Just a regular guy who is ready to settle down. He was easy to talk to, but he managed to interlace a series of queries that are straight from a "how to find a girlfriend" handbook. What kind of music I like, do I cook, do I like dogs, do I like sports, etc. After he asked me if I liked to cook, I asked him if he had a list of questions in his back pocket that he was working from. Sheepish grin, then he jokingly reaches back & feigns a search for the list. The only common links that surfaced were that we both liked playing Scrabble and "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon." (He gave me Vince Vaughn, I gave him Richard Gere, then I fumbled on Gene Hackman.)

He sent one final text--"thanks, had fun hanging out"--but I didn't respond. He was a nice guy, we had a good talk (interview), and I feel a little bad for poking fun and pre-judging. But I still hate dating. The end.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Slaving away in the office

Latest text banter between me & pretzel boy from an earlier post (yes, I am deathly bored and have nothing better to do):

This morning:
Pretzel boy (PB): Hot enough for ya?

After no immediate reponse:
(PB): Sorry 2 bother u

This afternoon:
Moi: no worries—and yes, its africa hot out here

(PB): I was just being facisious (his spelling)

Moi: missed that—i guess facetiousness doesnt translate well to text msg

(PB): :) are we meeting up tonite?

Moi: sure—if you wanna hang out with a bunch of chicks. Brasserie on Walnut

(PB): i thought we were going out?

Moi: just come out for a drink—no one will bite you

(PB): i was kinda hoping you would :)

Moi: oh boy—u need to chill. i’m all for hanging out but first you need to stop with the innuendo, romeo

(PB): Ha ha! U love the attention! Whats the name of the place you’ll be at & what time?

Moi: It’s cute for a minute then quickly gets old. U sure u wanna meet up? I don’t think our agendas r the same

(PB): I was just havin fun!

(PB): I’m looking 4 a girlfriend, wat is your agenda? (this dude is a piece o' work)

Moi: lol-- i just wanna have a beer and wax philosophical about life

(PB): OK…now I know your* weird! (*his spelling)

ALERT, ALERT! Tall, attractive entrepreneur type. Skilled in double entendre and calling without leaving a message. Looking for a girlfriend who he can take for walks on the beach and for who he can cook 3 course meals. Can be located in Citizen's Bank Park near pretzel stand.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Guess who's doing the Army 10 miler?

I have been scouring the bulletin boards at the Army 10-miler (the nation's largest 10 mile race!) website for the past couple months in the hopes that a registration slot from someone who could no longer run the race would open up since I didn't get around to signing up before the race sold out in June. My cousin is flying in from Cali to run it and had been bugging me to sign up before it ran out. Of course, I sat on it in my usualy procrastinator fashion. But today, I scored and will be running with 20,000+ others in DC come this October. Hoo-ah! I think the shin injury is healed up enough (jinx!!) for this endeavor. 67 days til race time--I need to get my butt in gear.

Clerks II: Delightful and Disturbing

I finally went to see Clerks II last night now that it's playing within walking distance of my apartment at the retro Roxy Theater on Sansom St. (no need to hoof it up to Riverview, my friends!) While I've heard good things about about the movie's donkey scene that more than hints at deviant human/animal sexual relations, I must say my favorite scenes are those with Jay dancing or rubbing his bare buttocks on restaurant windows and Randal ranting about the Lord the Rings trilogy. I wasn't into the jail scene where Randal started waxing emo, but overall, the film left me a-smiling. The Quikstop duo has aged a bit, but more a decade later, they can still make me snicker like a schoolgirl.

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