So I feel a little less loser-ish since I finally did some summery stuff. I have been noticing people around me getting tanner and tanner, while I do not, and thought "gee, maybe they actually go OUTSIDE sometimes"

So friday night I met up with a girlfriend and we had pizza and wine at trattoria aroma- yum- and then heard that people were at stillwater so we headed there. But as usual, it was a weird/lame scene. That place has potential to be so cool, but the 1: music and 2: crowd just kills it. I usually the describe the scene as 50-something moms thinking they're "wild" for dancing to some band's cover of Superfreak.
But last night we gave it another shot... and the crowd seemed a little better, but the band was just playing beach boys and the beatles. Nothing wrong with that, but not really what I want to hear out at a bar... I dunno...

So we moved to the Snooty Fox. I'd never been there before, but frankly it's just another variation on a theme- as is that whole little area (mothers, scarlett, stillwater, snooty fox, prespa)... Sort of the latest see-and-be-seen kind of place. Who knows, maybe I'm just jealous, but I am just not into the girls that hang out at places like that. They all strike me as golddigging bimbos, who just want to show off their $400 Prada purses or whatever. Yuck. So, it was kind of a mixed night. Felt good to get out and socialize and spend time with some friends, and it was flattering to be flirted-with, but in the end wasn't all that fun, and I found myself wishing I were just hanging out, chilling, drinking beers, talking, watching movies and being comfortable, rather than standing there all made-up in uncomfortable shoes and wondering if I looked too fat/old for the place. YUCK.

I keep bitching about how I need to get out more, meet new people, broaden my horizons... but then I do- and realize that actually I'm pretty happy with how things are, and that I'd rather spend time with the people I already know and care about, then spread myself thin with superficial people that don't care about me.

But so then I slept in this morning (just about my favorite thing in the world, and I only get to do it a couple times a month), and then went 'yachting', which was nice. Even though I did little more than sit and drink beer, I am still WIPED OUT. I guess the sun will do that to you... But it was fun. We actually put up the sails and tooled around for a while, even went out past the breakwater, but it was a little rough out there today- much more pleasant when we were sheltered from the waves.

So here are a few pix. I must say, as far as camera phones go, the iphone camera isn't too bad, I don't think- except that I've noticed if you're not holding things totally still, instead of blurring, it just bends and distorts, which is a little odd.


That's the 'Dirty Dinghy', as it is affectionately called, with the yellow sail cover. Notice the 'bent' skyway in the background.


It's (I think) a 22' Tanzer, and thus has a decent sized "below". I like the way the head is under the bed, and you (would) have to pull out part of the mattress to use it. But, it wasn't an issue, since the head doesn't work. Now 3 people and 3 12-packs of beer and no toilet unfortunately is more of a problem for me than it is for the boys. Oy.


Now that's what I call multi-tasking. Drinking beer, talking on the phone, AND steering with your leg.


Proof that I was in fact on the boat. (nice hair, and my teeth look like dentures, but whatever. ;))


And finally a cute little family of ducks back at the dock.

Yay. I love summer.
Wish I didn't have to work tomorrow. :(

P.S. Isn't IE practically outdated by now??
I went to the ATT Wireless website to update my account info, and it wouldn't take my changes. I thought maybe it was a browser thing, so I switched from safari to firefox. Still didn't work. So I sent them an email, and got this reply:
"After reading your email, I have reviewed your concerns. Unfortunatly [sic],
website changes are not compatible with Safari or Firefox. If you do not
have Internet Explorer, you log on to your online account and request
any changes via email or contact customer service directly"

WTF. Get with the program, guys.

I hope everyone had a lovely fourth... rain notwithstanding... Are there rescheduled fireworks at some point?

And does everyone know about this free music on bidwell on tuesdays?

I didn't... But ended up going on tues... it was nice... drank some wine, hung out, then went to heenan's/mcgarrett's/whatever-the-hell that place is called now... and hung out with some friends. One friend of mine (who i may or may not have a bit of history with) was there, but forgot to tell me (when he invited me) that he was on a date- then proceeded to ignore his date most of the time and pay attention to me. I like the attention, but I felt kind of bad for her, and while she put on a nice face, i'm sure she HATES me now... oh well. it was a fun night anyway. Nice to get out for a bit.

Then yesterday went to a barbecue, which was nice. :) we had salmon and pork tenderloin... which was delicious, don't get me wrong, but yeah, I kinda think the 4th is all about burgers and dogs. Went for a lovely boat ride on the lake... very nice. Then gave up on fireworks since it was rainy and foggy and watched horror movies instead. (dead silence, I think it was called. about a murdering ghost and her ventriloquist dummy. it was ok.)

Now back to work... might get some 'yachting' in this weekend, which I look forward to. ("yachting" = sitting on the boat drinking beers and hanging out, as opposed to "sailing" which means paying attention and actually trying to go somewhere).

posted from iPhone. (no not mine) ok gotta go

Well, I'm back- by popular demand.
Thanks for noticing! :)

Unfortunately... I don't have much to say...

One work year has ended, and a new one has started. But not much has changed for me, for the moment.

[word to the wise- stay out of the hospital if at all possible for the next few weeks. Give the fresh-faced new interns some time to cut their teeth and to realize that yes, "doctor" means YOU.]

I am going to Boston this weekend since I am MOH in my friend's wedding.

other than that... oh not much. Have spent a large part of my time being an idiot over boys, with varying degrees of success. I am such a disaster... hehe.

I haven't gone out or been very social in quite a while, come to think of it. Hmm.

One of my best friends from work (and about the first person I met in buffalo) MOVED last week, without even saying goodbye. I am still stinging from that one.

My current dilemma is whether or not to buy an iphone. I really shouldn't spend the $. But... i kinda want it....

god, I can't even think of any good work stories...

I keep thinking summer has just started, but CRAP it's almost july, and I have been outside about twice total.

I have this feeling lately that my life is just passing me by, and I am not making the most of it. I don't like that feeling. :(

Ok, well I am falling asleep in my chair. If anything interesting happens, I'll be sure to keep you all posted.

Haaapppy Father's Day everyone! :)

So...
last weekend my sister had a surprise party for her husband for his 30th birthday. They had a big crab boil down in the Outer Banks, where his grandfather lives. I guess the surprise was blown too early, but it still sounds like it was a good time. And one of the things they did was to all go hanggliding at Kitty Hawk.

As you may or may not (probably not) remember, we were supposed to go hanggliding last year, but I didn't have time, and there wasn't enough wind anyway. I was relieved, because while I thought it might be fun and cool, I was also kind of scared.

Well, I guess I shouldn't have been scared. Dad sat it out due to his broken ribs (ouch), and took some videos.
The first one is sis's husband (i think), and looks like a typical run. The second one (I think) is some random kid that he filmed, because he got 'so high'.

hahahah, and to think I was scared!

::Download Flash Video::

::Download Flash Video::

And my date for graduation ended up working out last night. Ended up having a very nice night. Thank you, date. :)

oh yeah, and another thing...
So last night at graduation, one guy was talking about juggling multiple girlfriends. And someone asked what the hardest part is, and he said one of the toughest parts is keeping the names straight. when asked how to deal with it, he said it's easy, just call everyone baby.

Now for me, I've always kinda liked it when a guy calls me baby... I sort of thought it was a sign of affection that he's giving me a 'nickname'. But now I'm going to be all nervous, and every time I get called baby I'm going to assume it's b/c he has 10 girlfriends and can't remember my name. Grrrr.

So... my treo won't sync with my computer and it's pissing me off. It used to work just fine and I have no idea what happened.

So I went to palm's notoriously mac-unhelpful website to look for help.

And lo and behold, the first thing I see is the new Palm 'Foleo'.


And I have to say.... I don't think I get it.

From what I can tell, it's NOT a computer. It's a "mobile companion". It's basically just an expanded screen/keyboard to use WITH your treo. It has wifi and bluetooth, but not its own internet access. I don't think it really has installable apps or anything- just email, photos etc from your palm/treo.

And it's $500.

Now, I like my treo. And sure, there are times I wish I had a full size keyboard and/or a bigger screen. But is there that much email that is really SO URGENT that you need to be able to type a major reply at the grocery store, or wherever you are?

It's way too big to fit in your pocket, which means you need to have some kind of other bag or purse or something, which kind of defeats the purpose of 'mobile email' to me. But it's too small/underpowered to replace your laptop...

Am I missing something? Can someone tell me why this is a fantastic thing that I should spend $500?

[of course, if it was made by Apple, I'd probably pay twice that just to have their newest thing, sight-unseen. This iphone is going to kill me. I want one. But I really SHOULD wait for them to get the bugs out, to make sure it's worth it, etc, before shelling out $500 or whatever it's going to cost. But... but... I know I'm going to HAVE TO have it, the second it comes out.]

So... I just had a delightful little picnic lunch from Globe Market. Yum yum. Fizzy lemonade and caprese sandwich and a spinach/strawberry salad... delish.

But after I had been rung up I saw this little book at checkout... I forget the exact title but it was something like "cheap eats in buffalo" and it was a little restaurant guide. I was in a hurry and couldn't get back in line to get it, but now I want it. Has anyone else ever seen this little book? Google was no help.

The next few weeks of work are going to suck. I wish I could just fast forward about a month. Or better yet, just skip it all and be on vacation. God, wouldn't that be fantastic...

This makes me cry.
Watch the video.

dammit, i missed allentown? Bummer.

So... I just got back from my reunion.
It was fun. somehow not quite what I was expecting though, but I'm not sure what I was expecting.... It was quite the baby-parade. Which I guess I should have known, but I hadn't thought of. I guess we had record attendance- 800+, from a class of ~1100. Though that might include spouses. And there were 75 kids registered. The "not married no kids" women like myself were few and far between, which made me feel lame. Whatever.

According to my friends, the 5th reunion is 'your chance to hook up with people you wanted to hook up with in college, but didn't' [too bad i didn't know that at the time] and apparently the 10 is the time to bring your kids.

I had a great, great time at my 5th. Not sure what it was. I didn't hook up. But it was a great time. So I was hoping for that again, but somehow the vibe was just different. But I got to see my old friends, even my freshman roommates that i haven't talked to in ages- and immediately it was like no time had passed at all- like we had just seen each other the week before, not ten years ago. So this was fun too. I guess just a little more mellow. Too mellow for some of the guys, apparently, who went to "crash" the 5yr reunion, because there wasn't enough 'young skirt'. Whatever.

Getting there was a disaster. Fucking air travel. But I'll save that rant for later. I did have a few creepy old guys on the plane though ask if I was a current student, and i said no I was going for reunion, and they asked what year, and when i said ten they said 'time has treated you well!', which I thought was a weird thing to say. But I guess it was a compliment, so I guess it was nice. shrug.

Finally got to eat at the ethiopian place I love, which is a good thing b/c I was so tired and cranky by the time I got there, that if i hadn't gotten to go I think I would have cried.

ended up pooping out early friday. But saturday caught up with people, and checked out the art gallery- they have some amazing stuff in there. Picasso, etc. And a piece they called the 'oldest known painting in america'

They had all sorts of lectures and stuff, but I wasn't feeling that ambitious.

then saturday night was the big reunion event. Everyone got all dolled up, and drank too much. One gay guy told me I make him wish he weren't gay. And one guy too drunk to even stand up called me beautiful. hey, I'll take what I can get. One of my close friends asked me why we had never hooked up. i realized I didn't have a good answer. [but no, we didn't last night, either.] And I saw two guys from my high school class, who I had had huge crushes on in HS, who are both still cute, but kind of boring... Which somehow made me a little bit happy.

And we finished dinner (at which they served ONLY decaf coffee, btw, which I thought was very odd) by singing our alma mater... It's only two verses, but somehow I can never remember the words. I know the beginning, and the end, but not the middle.
but I've always liked it- especially the part that goes 'bright college years, with pleasure rife, the shortest, gladdest, years of life...'

Bright College years, with pleasure rife,
The shortest, gladdest years of life;
How swiftly are ye gliding by!
Oh, why doth time so quickly fly?

The seasons come, the seasons go,
The earth is green or white with snow,
But time and change shall naught avail
To break the friendships formed at Yale.

In after years, should troubles rise
To cloud the blue of sunny skies,
How bright will seem, through mem'ry's haze
Those happy, golden, bygone days!

Oh, let us strive that ever we
May let these words our watch-cry be,
Where'er upon life's sea we sail:
"For God, for Country and for Yale!"

Aww crap. Gives me warm fuzzies.

And then at the end there's a big crescendo and we all wave white napkins and belt out the last line.

A very ridiculous line, I realize, but... it is what it is. I dunno. It's so embedded in the culture of the school. it actually makes me tear up a little. Queer, I know. but i got in almost an argument with someone over it, and i felt like an ass. A big privileged spoiled brat. Which maybe I am... but what am I supposed to do about it? I'm trying to do something good with my life... bah. [I was also told that I act like a retard in relationships. I wanted to say "no shit. I know this. I am working on it."]

From the definition of 'anticlimactic' in the American Heritage Dictionary. :/

A sudden descent in speaking or writing from the impressive or significant to the ludicrous or inconsequential, or an instance of it: "Waggish non-Yale men never seem weary of calling 'for God, for Country and for Yale' the outstanding single anticlimax in the English language" (Time).

What can I say. it was my college experience. i can't, and wouldn't, change it for anything. I understand that 99% of the country may not be able to relate and may think I'm some ridiculous snob... but... I dunno... I try not to be...

And to end, a few pix. I barely took any pix, which is a major bummer. I wanted tons.

Crap! it's 1am?! I have to work at 6. boooo!


Me and 2 of my 3 freshman roommates- who I hadn't seen/talked to in YEARS. Apparently whoever took the pic didn't know how to focus, which is a bummer.


Probably my fave friend... which I didn't realize til last night. He cracks me up. We were staying on campus (i.e. in dorms), so there were random desks in the rooms, and we're just hanging out, and he goes "hold on, just let me lie down for a second" and we finished our conversation with him laying on a desk. Seemed very uncomfortable.


I always had a bit of a crush on this guy. Well, everyone did. Well not so much "crush" as I thought he was a great guy, and a catch. He's greek. We have the same birthday. And this is his new (as of last week) fiancee. Also greek, which makes his family happy. She's a sweetheart (and beautiful, no?) so I'm happy for both of them.


Me and my friend and her fiance- they're getting married in a few weeks and I'm the MOH. Hadn't spent much time with her fiance before, but he seemed cool.




Sunday brunch in the Freshman Commons. This place is huge, and looks like a train station. And that banner is absolutely ginormous. They only get it out for special occasions, so I had to take pix.