Stupid daylight savings time made getting up for work this morning NOT fun. blah.

but I had a lovely weekend. Pearl St and Encore on friday...
then last night roller derby and a party downtown.

I love/hate how giddy it makes me for a cute guy to flirt with me. (especially when I have been warned that said cute boy will only break my heart and to avoid him.)

And I hate the fact that I am so reluctant to believe a compliment. Last night as we were leaving, some totally random dude looked at me and said "you're hot". And rather than thinking "damn straight!" and being flattered, I mumbled thanks, but assumed he was mocking me and being sarcastic.

7 hours down, 20 to go. I so do not want to be at work today, and am sad to be missing brunch and movie night. Pout.

hey peeps... haven't been around in a while, not sure why... but now that I'm more or less caught up, I'll be all addicted again I'm sure.

Hmm, what's new.

let's see. Well I think dan and I might actually be "friends". Sadly this seems to involve not really talking, but... I think i'm finally over everything. And have plans to go out with him and the new GF in a few weeks, and I'm actually really looking forward to it. He made a comment that made all residual feelings magically disappear- which is good. Now can really be platonic friends with no hidden agenda to hopefully 'win him back' or whatever. Yay for healthy relationships.

Had a few spectacularly drama- filled days/nights over the last couple weeks... suffice it to say, I really think all men will cheat if they think they won't get caught. Boo.

Have spent more time than I care to at the stupid Snooty Fox. But... when there are reps there expensing magnums of Veuve... it's hard to say no.

I bought plane tickets to go to Belgium for my vacation in April. Can't wait. Will visit my cousin living there, and may even get to go see my other cousin in Florence. If there's no time for that, will have to 'settle' for a day trip to Paris. Oh, shucks.

I don't know why I hate going to the grocery store so much. I have all these recipes for delicious stuff to make, but just can't bring myself to get in the car and go. I really don't think I've bought food once in 2009 aside from milk to put on cereal. Which means that when I do go, it will be a massive ordeal and I'm sure I'll spend >$200. I eat most of my food at work, and when home I seem to subsist on pickles and popcorn. I was going to go to wegman's today, planned it for days. But made an excuse that now i'll go on friday, and instead of going, answered all my email and caught up on estrip.

but on a somewhat related note, I've lost 14lb since new year's. woot woot.

What else. This is the time of year that I hate Buffalo. It warms up a little, I get all excited, friends around the country are talking about spring... stores have cute clothes out... then it fucking snows again and I want to poke my eyes out. March sucks.

What else. My niece is super adorable. here's a pic. or ten. That navy blue sweater was handknit for me by my mom when I was a baby. It has little silver buttons on the shoulder that are bears. :)

Ok, THIS is what I hate about NYC. Dumb little shits like this. Or, maybe they're super cool, and my sense of fashion is just underdeveloped. I especially like the one in green sweats with silver uggs eating Fun Dip.





I also did not like the twelve, yes TWELVE, pairs of god-awful Uggs that I counted at just one baggage claim carousel in BUF in a span of about 30 seconds. On girls/women ranging from about 14 to, oh, 60? Hawt.

I did, however, like the 73 degree weather in Charlotte this morning, and having lunch with my cousin. And the text I got back from the cute boy after I sent 'on my way to the airport'- "shitty! I really wanted to hang out more. I hope I see you again." Aww...

And I love the big "fuck you, environment" of the shower in my hotel room. (I'm sure the little "hang up your towels and save water!" signs make up for it.)

So...
Dan is "in love".
I felt like I'd been punched in the gut.
I think (hope) maybe I'm finally done crying about him.
Guess it's finally time to put out that little flame I was burning for him, and move on with my life.
We actually talked for a good hour and a half the other day (first contact we've had in at least a month), and it was... hard... but, good. I think i said most of what I wanted to got off my chest, and maybe now we (I) can move forward.

So i'm in Charlotte for a conference.... when I got here it was about 20, and I thought "WTF, I thought it was warmer here than in Buffalo!" Little did I know it was 1 in Buffalo. So, I guess it's still warmer. Hit 58 today though, it was lovely.

Saw my cousin and her mom (my aunt), and her kids, who I've never met. We realized it's been >5 years since we saw each other.

Had dinner tonight with a friend from med school, who I also haven't seen in >5y, which was nice.

Ate fried pickles. (the diet is in the toilet this week. I've given up. There's too much free food everywhere, and few/no healthy options. So, I'll just enjoy myself (within SOME reason) and get back on track when I get home.)

Met some people here the first morning, and have hung out with them... also met a cute guy... we all went out for dinner and beers the first night. Talked to the cute boy all night, it was flirty and fun. Thought I would see him at the conference, but he hasn't been there since. Today finally asked one of the girls I'd met for his number, to invite him out (with all of us) for drinks tonight.
Sent the text "hey- thinking of going out for drinks tonight, if you're interested."
Got the reply "totally interested... but on call again tomorrow. this is my fri-sun weekend. :( Hoping to escape for a bit- hopefully see you tomorrow."

And I have to say.... that made my day. hell, made my month.
I mean, i'm leaving tomorrow, I'm not sure what I think could possibly happen, and I'm sure I'll never see him again. Nonetheless, it made me smile.

And, speaking of smiling...
Check this out.



you can put it on any website.

.... but HAHAHAHAH I kind of can't stop laughing.

Remember how a while ago I said I was in the 'facebook faceoff' with this chick, and the best she could come up with was to call me 'fat'?

Well...
Last night I finally heard the infamous voicemail, and she calls me a fat pig about 6 times, goes on and on ranting and raving, tells him to tell me I need jenny craig, and then, the part that cracks me up, says I need Proactiv. Isn't that acne medicine? Huh? I may be a lot of things, but bad skin has (fortunately) never been one of my problems. I mean, I don't wear an inch of makeup every day, and so you can see my freckles, but really?

But so here's the kicker.

Here are two recent pictures of her. In the Bills sweatshirt.
Um, wait, fat? Pot? Kettle? hahahahahaha.

Ok, this thing has been going around facebook, and I finally broke down and did it. Figured I might as well put it here too. It's one of those chain-letterish things where you're supposed to reply with 25 things about yourself.

1: I am painfully shy, but you might not guess it by how much I talk/write.

2: Buffalo is the 8th city I've lived in, even though my parents have lived in the same house since '74.

3: I have crushes on several people, and doubt they will ever know it, and miss a few others more than they will ever know.

4: I seriously overuse ;) and :)

5: I am a HUGE sap, and cry ridiculously easily.

6: I will tell just about anyone just about anything they want to know about me- but at the same time tend to keep my real thoughts/feelings to myself.

7: I voted for Nader.

8: I laugh when I'm nervous. I was once called Dr. Hibbert, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

9: I once told someone that I'm not sure I can be friends with anyone who doesn't like the Simpsons. I think I sort of meant it.

10: I judge men by their shoes. Big time.

11: I am scared to death that I'll never get married.

12: I can speak Italian.

13: I just learned that both my paternal great-grandmothers were named Daisy.

14: My middle name is my grandmother's maiden name, and my dead older brother's first name.

15: Music is huge to me, and I think musical compatibility is important.

16: I pretty much hate rollercoasters, but I will still go on them if you want me to.

17: I idolize my father.

18: I have put "missed connections" on craigslist twice, and BOTH times the person answered!

19: I skipped first grade.

20: I am going gray, and do not like it.

21: I am not good at letting people know how much they mean to me.

22: I have always wanted a tattoo, but still have not come up with something important enough.

23: I would rather be hurt, than hurt someone else. This can be a problem.

24: I was recruited for hockey.

25: I am genuinely surprised that I could think of 25 things to say about myself.

Ok, my dad just sent this to me. And this may be a poor judgment call on my part, but I just had to share. Don't say I didn't warn you. It's really gross. I hope it's not real, but it kinda looks like it might be.
It didn't come with any story besides the caption "Don't fish too close to the bank".

Oh, how I love Mickey Avalon.

So filthy and fantastic.

Especially when mixed with happy little synth pop.

Please, listen to my new user sound.

"Dick Move" - Mickey Avalon vs. CSS

A sample line...

My dick.... parts the seas.
Your dick... farts and queefs.

My dick.... rumble in the jungle
Your dick... touched by your uncle

And in other news-
last night was MY LAST TRAUMA CALL AT ECMC. EVER. IN MY LIFE.
This might be the happiest day ever.

And, now I am on vacation for a week!!!!!

Too bad I need to spend every second of it cramming for my exam on Saturday.

But really. Go listen to Mickey.

1: 2 weeks. -6 lb. woot!

2: Paul just sent me this message he got by accident-
"For some unknown reason I was googling [name hidden from google] today. He is my great grandfather. My maternal grandmother was Auguste Vintschger whose brother was [name hidden]. Jr (I guess). What I do know is that Uncle Gus, whom I never met was married to my [name hidden]. I could not find this reference on your blog. But I guess we're related somehow. [name deleted] . I live in Palo Alto, CA"

Wow- random family I never knew about, found via estrip! [name hidden] was my great-grandmother's sister.
I also learned yesterday that someone has made a whole website about my family, going back to like 1550. Apparently there are only like 400 of us?! The site is hard to use though, so I might be missing stuff.

3: New Andrew Bird came out yesterday.
I love these lyrics-

From "Anonanimal"-

The seemingly innocuous plecostomus
Though posthumous
They talk to us
They talk too much

See a sea anemone
The enemy
See a sea anemone
That'll be the end of me
Vicious fish was caught unawares
In the tend'rest tendrils
Underneath her tender gills and

I will become this animal
Perfectly adapted to a music hall
I will become this animal

Anomalous appendages
A non-animal

4: Congrats to our new president, and good luck. I hope he can live up to even half the hype. And on that note, a completely wrong card, just to lighten things up a bit.

So, I'm really trying to stick with this move more/eat less business. So far so good, I'm down about 4lb.... The other night I went to Coles, and was SO jealous of the big juicy bacon cheeseburger and fries on the other side of the table, while I munched on my salad with dressing on the side.... But, I was good.... And I've been exercising, even if only a little, every day (well I've missed two)... I just keep looking at cute clothes and stuff and imagining how worth it it will all be when (not if! WHEN!) I can look hot in a bathing suit....

I haven't bought myself any new clothes in FOREVER, b/c I don't have the patience for shopping and have no fashion sense, but I just got a new catalog today (that I'd never even heard of- Boden??), and OMG I want about 75% of the things in it. Seriously, it's worth looking-
example- I want the dress AND the purse-


The thing is, I never cook. I end up eating a lot of Lean Cuisine type things, and cereal. And the food at work is so awful, and it hasn't even been two weeks but a cup of bland vegetable soup and a lousy salad with the only "lo-cal" dressing option is getting boring...

So I was perusing the weight watchers menu section... and wow, I'm almost inspired. They have a "staples" shopping list, that I really should just go out and buy. It will cost a ton initially, but then it would be so nice to actually be able to make something on a whim, without requiring a trip to the store.

Some of these "make stuff healthier" cheater recipes suck, because they take all the deliciousness out, but some are really good. I think this will be my first venture:

Thai chicken and string beans-

Ingredients
3 cup(s) uncooked string beans, washed and well-drained, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 spray(s) cooking spray
2 tsp jalapeno pepper(s), seeded and minced, or 1 medium Thai chile, seeded and minced*
1 medium garlic clove(s), peeled and smashed
1 cup(s) light coconut milk, divided
2 tbsp green curry paste, **
1 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce, (nam pla; see note)
1 tbsp lemon grass, minced**
1 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
2 tbsp basil, fresh, minced
2 cup(s) cooked brown rice, or cooked jasmine rice, kept hot

Instructions
Steam green beans in a steamer basket on stove or in a microwave, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well; set aside.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and set over medium heat. Add jalapeno or chile and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of coconut milk, curry paste, brown sugar, fish sauce and lemon grass; bring to a simmer.

Add chicken and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add string beans and basil (mixture may separate). Add remaining 1/4 cup of coconut milk (sauce will be smooth again). Simmer until hot, about 1 minute more; remove garlic clove and serve over rice. Yields about 1 cup of chicken-string bean mixture and 1/2 cup of rice per serving.