calling out

when i woke up with crusty eyes sealed shut, i decided i should call out from work. i was feeling pretty sick but would have gone in anyways, had i not cared about getting anyone else sick (conjunctivitis is contagious).

dropped the boy off at jfk around 6:30 and was back at my place by 7am. made breakfast and rested until 9 am when i knew people would be in the office. left a message with my manager than called HR.

fell asleep around 9:30 and woke up at 2pm. ate lunch and talked to Q2 for a bit then went back to sleep from 3:30 to 6pm. folks, that's 7 hours of sleep!! woke up, made some soup and looked online for a bit . . . finally dragged myself out of the apartment to buy some groceries, vitamins, and medicine. got back home, feeling pretty rested, i cleaned the bathroom, cleaned myself up, and in back in bed. i've had millions of cups of hot tea (hmm french vanilla, masala, and white tea) and caught up on news and read some of my magazines.

tomorrow morning i'll make more chicken soup and some ginger-cinamon tea. hopefully, all this sleep, vitamins, and rest will kick whatever bug i've got to the curb, i'm anxious to get well and get back to work.

return of the pink eye?!?

yesterday was a big charity event at work. we were swamped and i found myself busy helping one client to the next. to top it off, i had my first bridal registry which went well. was even able to sell a charity ticket to the mother of the bride and help her with a purchase on another registry. hopefully the bride's sister will be coming into register in a few weeks as well.

by 4:30, i was exhausted and still hadn't had a lunch break. a floor manager insisted that i go take my break, tho i didn't need much convincing. . . i headed over to naturalizer to get more comfortable shoes since it seems that i'll be running around quite a bit! i was spoiled at my last work place where i could essentially dress however i pleased and while i wore heels, mostly shuffled around the office in my sandals and flipflops.

i think the week is catching up to me and this cold which started off with me losing my voice then getting other cold symptoms (headache, runny nose, a cough) might be ending with pink eye. . . yech yech, i've had it once in grad school and it seems to be starting up again.

i guess i'll be able to tell if i wake up with sticky eyes. . . what a way to start the weekend!

birthday girl

the only thing that made turning 27 easier (b/c 27 definately rounds up to 30) is the demonstration of love and affection from my friends and family.

from an 8AM wake up call from Q2 wishing me happy b-day followed by my dad then vern and mom. midway through the day, the boy called and sang me happy b-day. during the afternoon, my brother called to wish me happy b-day. Q2 treated me to dinner and a madeleine peryoux concert (absolutely fabulous!). afterwards, we met up with theng and jpan at the QT for a drink.

was exhausted by the time i got home (battling a cold) but was overjoyed to find a bouquet of flowers from cassanova and emails from various friends waiting for me.

sigh of contentment.

it's been a wonderful birthday and V has no complaints. . . 26 has been good but 27 will be a banner year!

getting my hands dirty - literally speaking

first time closing today. . in a way, it's nice, i have the mornings to hit the gym and run a couple of errands before heading to work. although traffic was a bit heavier than i expected, i still managed to make it to work on time.

headed for the manager's office to look for the schedule and see whose around. no one was in.

odd.

walked by the restaurant area to see the executive team serving food, taking orders, and running around frantically. turns out a couple of the waitstaff called out and they were severely short-staffed. when the rush came, management decided to pitch in. seeing the line of customers waiting to be seated and the seated customers trying to place orders and waiting impatiently for their food, i decided to roll up my sleeves and start bussing tables. . . hadn't done that since sophomore year in college when i worked at a tavern on dog street.

a glass broke in my hand- the glass was hot, straight from the dishwasher and i poured water in it for a customer. . luckily, it broke into two pieces. that was the only major mishap.

after an hour, i went back to my department. . funny, i had no idea my job duties would entail busgirl. . . but, it was kind of cool seeing the management team getting down and dirty to keep things running smoothly!

losing my voice

it started as an itch in the back of my throat on saturday. saturday night went out to verlaine with a bunch of friends to celebrate 3 birthdays- Q2, the boy, and mine. trying to talk over the loud music strained my voice and it started to go a bit hoarse. . .

sunday and monday the itch persisted but i didn't have any other symptoms of the cold. in the past, i've lost my voice as the final stage of a bad bad cold, but i don't know what's going on with me. last night after a day at work and catching up with reesy on the phone for an hour, i could tell it was really starting to go.

i made some chicken soup last night and have been trying to refrain from speaking too much. . this doesn't bode well for work the next few days, how am i supposed to help anyone when i can't talk? luckily i'll have wed off and will take it easy. . . sigh, i'm falling apart and i haven't turned 27 yet (you betcha, i'm holding on to 26 right up until wed)!!

reflections on week one

i can safely say that i have found a job that i will love. will, only because i still have so much to learn! however, once i gain product knowledge and understanding of the company's processi, i can really grow the department and improve the business. i finally met both of my staff members and i think it will be a challenge to manage them. luckily though, both seem like reasonable people and are quite good at what they do.

a funny thing that i've encountered several times during my first week at my new job is that some people really don't care what is on the registry and purchase whatever they want.

"the bride chose this?"

"that's really ugly"

"i don't like that at all"

which really gets me since the registry has products that the bride/groom chose because they like them and it reflects their tastes and will be in their homes!

go figure!

the last straw

was in a great mood this morning. excited about work, got to go to the gym and get a solid 45 minute cardio session in. . . out the door, dressed with breakfast and lunch packed by 7:15. walked out to my car and noticed that the passenger car window was down.

hmm. . .that's odd. i don't recall rolling down the windows at all last night, it was raining all night.

got into the car. shit. the radio is gone. fuck. there is broken glass everywhere. i pause for a few seconds. not wanting to miss work during my first week, i decide to hit the road regardless. thoughts racing through my head.

when is the soonest i can go to a repair shop. have friday off. will have to cancel lunch with theng. cancel appointment with the lawyer. shit, it is going to rain?

so that was the first thing that went wrong. i was shaken up. had thought willie b was safe. . and kicking myself for not taking the stereo face off. . granted i was tired, i was on the phone, and had just forgotten, but still. . .it was stupid and caused me a huge inconvenience.

got to work half an hour early. went to the housewares seminar. found a good glass repair shop that comes to the customer. was able to get it fixed by the time that my lunch break was over.

afternoon was okay. did a lot of computer based training. scheduled my first appointment to set up a new bridal registry. after i clocked out, decided to check out the women's since there is a big sales for workers. managed to get a stuck in a dress (the zipper broke) and had to go to alterations to get it fixed. rushed out since had an evening planned with the boy. got to my car only to find that THE BATTERY HAD DIED. i saw a mall security guard driving around and began jumping up and down and waving my arms frantically. . did the security guy stop?

nope!!! just whizzed right by. in fact it seemed like he sped up! went inside to talk to ruby and he notified the security of the situation. got my car restarted and FINALLY made it back to the road.

but NO the story is not over yet. got off at the midtown tunnel to A TRAFFIC JAM!!! evidentally, a lot of the roads had been closed down. . why? i dunno! but it took me forever to get to the boy's place. finally got here. . now i can relax. . let's just hope the car starts okay tomorrow.

first day

i'm beat.

woke up at 6 AM so i could leave the apartment by 7 AM to give myself plenty of time to get to work by 9. got to huntington by 8:15 AM and luckily there was a WAMU nearby so i could go to the bank.

went by the group manager's office. had breakfast with the execs. started some general training with the group manager. then went with the housewares manager for a tour of the floor and some procedures. had lunch with both group managers. completed a sexual harrassment course online. got an entire store tour with the group manager and met a lot lot lot of people (i'm really bad with names, yikes!) then i spent the rest of the afternoon with the housewares manager. dealt with a fussy bride (yay, my first. . .) who wanted to return items from her wedding that was two years ago and became upset when she couldn't get credit on her store charge card. . go figure. . . i suspect this is fairly common.

started feeling slightly overwhelmed around 4 so spent some time cleaning & organizing my desk. turnover meeting from 5:30 to 6pm. then hung around to chat with one of my bridal consultants until 6:30pm. traffic wasn't too bad and i was back home in 40 minutes or so.

i think there's a lot to learn but i'm very excited

reminder: must get a coffee travel mug to make my morning commute bearable and some books on tape or foreign language learning cd's so i can use the time productively!

will fill in about the remaineder of my weekend in NN when i'm better rested!

party time

have been spending quite a bit of time helping vern prepare for my nephew's birthday party. all i have to say is MOONBOUNCE! for that alone, my sister is a rockn mom.

since wessy's b-day falls mid-october, the theme tends to lend towards halloween/costume parties. last night we made and decorated sugar cookies, made "spiders" out of black pipe cleaners, and little ghosts from white tissue paper. today we went to the grocery store and stocked up on goodies, stopped by dean & don's to pick up pumpkins, and i worked on a couple simple flower arrangements. . . during this process, i realize how similar my sister and i are.

both like to throw theme parties. cook from scratch. and go overboard with the quantity of food.

we sat down to a delicious dinner prepared by mom of grilled steak, salad, veggies, and fresh rolls. when i saw about 3 or 4 whole steaks, a bowl of veggies, and a fridge full of more steaks, it kind of hit. . .like mother like daughter(s).

the adorable things they do

1. my niece calls me ma ni and my nephew calls me ohmni because while he can say ma and ni properly when spoken separately, he just can't put it together properly

2. my nephew tells knock knock jokes whose punch line is his own laughter.

nephew: knock knock
V: who's there?
nephew: candy
V: candy who
nephew: candy, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

3. my nephew repeatedly calling an orange an egg after both my dad and i tell him 6 times that its an orange

4. my niece wants to hold my hands when we walk anywhere

5. my nephew clinging to my leg for dear life

6. my niece shaking her tush and singing "shake shake shake. shake shake shake. shake your booty. shake your boooteeya." to make her little brother laugh.

7. my niece talking like an adult "i haven't done that since i was three years old."

8. my niece acting as translator for her little brother's needs

9. my nephew kissing his sister on the shoulder and telling her to sit in his automatic jeep with him

10. my newphew mumbles most of his sentences but can say in the most clear voice "but i don't want to"

home sweet home

little tj jumping up and down, grinning ear to ear, waving enthusiastically, and yelling ma ni ma ni. . . mom and dad standing by her side, then wes gunning up from the side trailed by vern. . . .home sweet home.

a home cooked meal. stewed fish. stir fried bamboo shoots and cabbage. shrimp a la mom. coconut soup with tomato, fish, and pineapple. . . home sweet home.

a pantry stocked with diet sodas & tasty treats that can rival any convenience store. . .home sweet home.

a huge tv with nice speakers and enough channels to keep my surfing fingers happy. . .home sweet home.

it's a short trip in bad news. three full days then i'll fly back to nyc on sunday. better get my chick-fil-a, cracker barrel, cheeseshop, pierce's pit bbq fix while i can! yes. . .i always have food on the brain.

soho sightings

my celebrity radar has been going nuts today. met up with VK for lunch in soho. we had planned on going to ivo & lulu but that was nixed as it turns out they only serve dinner. instead, we settle at some french restaurant on spring. over the course of lunch i spot famke jansssen, campbell scott, and ewan mcgregor. famke was walking her dog, talking on her cell phone, and looking tall and fabulous as one would expect of jean gray. campbell scott looks like he does on the new show, six degrees, but i swear he's had some work done. . kinda shiny skin. the icing was ewan mcgregor of whom i've been a great fan of ever since trainspotting. . .all within an hour or two, almost more than this unabashed US, OK, gawker, defamer reader can stand. . .i said almost.

Weekend of Foodie Heaven

Vern and big-M arrived around 2:30 AM on Friday morning, an unfortunate consequence of the Verrazano bridge being closed, poor detour signs, and being armed with only mapquest directions and no map. After I got them settled in, I spread out on the couch and rapidly asleep. Woke up around 7:40 AM to move the car and by the time I got back to the apartment, Vern was up making tea. While I made eggs and bacon, we chatted and planned out the day.

After wandering around Gramercy/Flatiron we decided to eat lunch at Gramercy Tavern. Walking through the immense doors, autumn engulfs you- towering branches with russet colored blossoms hug the long wooden bar, pots of tulips and other seasonal displays gather around the hallway leading to the tavern. We are quickly seated and eye-catching servers sharply dressed bring us menus, water, and bring us thick slices of delicious, hearty bread- perfectly crusty on the outside and soft in the center. The fish stew caught my eye while Vern ordered the lentil soup and rabbit sandwich and big-M ordered the lamb sandwich. The server did a wonderful job pairing wine to our dishes and the food was splendid. The fish stew, essentially, a refined boullabaise with chunks of lobster, mussels, and white fish was expertly balanced. The broth and seafood neither competed nor overwhelmed the other. I did not sample the other dishes but based on the blissful expressions on Vern and big-M’s faces. We shared a slice of blueberry cake served with vanilla ice cream. Good but nothing memorable. Overall, I quite enjoyed Gramercy Tavern and recommend it for out of town visitors for its old New York air. Moreover, the wait staff is friendly, skilled, and doesn’t rush you out the door.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Soho and doing some window shopping. We stopped at Lombardi’s for an afternoon snack which became a meal once we realized they only serve whole pies. We ordered a small pizza- half with anchovies and half with sweet Italian sausage. The consensus- great sauce, flavorful and not too sweet, and just enough cheese to add flavor but not dominate the other topics.

After resting our feet and warming up, we headed up to Central Park. There we walked around, took pictures, and happened upon a practice session for a concert at Center Stage. We met up with the boy around 7:30 at the starbucks at astor place and headed for Curry Row. We found a little hole-in-the-wall, chili pepper lights strewn haphazardly all over the restaurant. We ordered nearly half of the menu and over the feast, Vern and big-M got acquainted with the boy, we shared some laughs and good conversation. However, by 9:30 we were all fading. The three of us got in a cab and headed home, I was fast asleep by 10:30.
























10.5 hours later, I woke up refreshed. Vern & I got up around the same time, made some eggs and bacon, tea and chatted. After big-M got up and we all got dressed and ready, we headed out to the Marcy Ave stop to take the JMZ into Manhattan. Along the way, we stopped at the Bagel Store so Vern and big-M could sate their bagel craving. Three transfers later, we were in Chelsea and onto our second food stop for the day. Pastis. Very much a blend of Balthazar and Schillers in decor and menu, Pastis nonetheless managed to maintain its unique identity.

Vern and I both ordered the nicoise salad with seared tuna and big M ordered poached eggs with prosciutto topped with bearnaise sauce, all served on two slices of bread. The salad was delicious, the tuna was seared exactly according to my taste- rare, and the anchovies were incredibly fresh. Paired with champage, it was a very decadent brunch.

We walked off our full bellies, walking up along the west side and eventually crossing back over to the east side. The weather was beautiful, sunny and not too hot. We got onto the 6 uptown and I showed Vern and Matt some fo the apartments I was interested in. By then, the boy was done with his class so we all met up at 77th and lex. The four of us walked to Central Park and strolled around, stopping at the Alice in Wonder Land statues and then near the petting zoo where a woman was selling little signs that she painted children's names on. Vern got two for the kids.

We headed to Union Square afterwards hping to catch a showin of the Departed but everything was sold out. Instead, we headed to the Sri Lankan restaurant I mad been meaning to try. Along the way, we picked up a couple bottles of wine since the restaurant is BYOB (all the more reason to love it). This was probably my favorite restaurant of the whole weekend. A hole in the wall, peaceful atmosphere, warm and intimate. The food was amazing, very spicy and flavorful, not totally unlike Indian and with hints of asian elements.I can't remember the names of the dishes except for the black pork curry that was hot hot hot and was in a curry broth sans coconut. We shared an appetizer platter with assorted fried delicacies. The boy ordered a lentil curry and rice meal cooked in banana leaf. Vern ordered a chicken noodle dish and big-M ordered coconut rice. The desserts were exotic and delicious as well. One was a yogurt with honey, the contrast of sour and sweet was enticing. The other dish was a more standard custard but filled with nuts and surprisingly good. Will definately be going back there. 

surviving on redline

somehow i manage to be more sleep deprived and busy when i'm not working then when i am. i'm thinking about buying an apartment (renting just feels like throwing money away) and thought i'd use some of my time off to look around and get a feel of the market, etc.

coincidentally- if you believe in coincidences-the ex-girlfriend, babs, of one of my oldest friends happens to work at a large real estate company. this may not sound so odd in an of itself. . .BUT (1) the two had not been in touch for months, (2) my friend had actually lost babs' cell phone number, (3) and a day or two before i asked my friend if he knew of anyone in real estate, babs had called my friend.

in any case, we spent all of tuesday trekking up and down midtown east and the upper east side.

tuesday afternoon i went to talk to a mortgage consultant to see what the buying process would be like. then i stopped by the grocery store to buy odds and ends for "bachelor night" with VK. after the stop at whole foods, i went to enterprise to pick up my rental car and drove the car to park near the boy's apartment. then i rushed to VK's place to eat dinner and watch the bachelor.

wednesday morning i dropped the boy off at work and went back home to dress and go to long island to talk to HR of my company. traffic was hellish but i made it to my appointment on time. talked to HR for a bit, filled out paperwork, and discussed some things with management. then it was off to manhattan to return the car, go back to brooklyn, hit the gym, then meet up with DJ for drinks. one drink turned into two/three drinks. it was a fun time, different crowd of people, interestingly enough, lots of fashion/beauty industry peeps.

thur morning went to meet up with babs to check out places in the LES was amazed at how expensive real estate is there. talked to a couple other mortgage brokers before heading back to brooklyn to go to the gym. was supposed to meet up with ddt for drinks but luckily (b/c honestly all i want to do is take a nap) she postponed for next week. . now am lazying around, cleaning up the apartment before vern and big guy arrive.

the wedding planner gets her start

it's a perfect rainy, lazy sunday. the boy is 1/2 reading the times and 1/2 watching football.

it's been an exhausting few weeks, but all the late nights, effort, and stress paid off as the wedding came together beautifully. deliveries were made on time. the buses showed up on time and transported guests from the church to the botanical garden and back to manhattan. the weather held out. the ceremony went well despite not everyone being at the rehearsal. although there was little or nonexistent contact with the maitre'd, MC, dj, or photographers, we all managed to work well together and stayed relatively on schedule. the bride & groom looked beautiful, managed to actually sit down and eat for a bit, and the guests all seemed to enjoy themselves.

the logo- stylized initials of the bride and groom's name intertwined in fuschia and black designed by Q2- was incorporated into the church decorations, the place cards, and the programs. the color scheme displayed by fuschia table cloths overlaid with tan textured paper and orange & fuschia paper flowers, provided a sharp contrast against the white, brightly lit glass house at the brooklyn botanical gardens.

























a couple minor problems provided important lessons for the future. . . but all in all a successful event, providing me with a great sense of satisfaction and the best feeling was being complimented by the guests. in particular, the DJ's wife who said that she's been to many weddings before and has rarely been to one that was run so well and suggested that i make a career out of it!

the most memorable moments:

1. during the sermon, the pastor reminding the groom and bride that "love is not irritable. love is NOT irritable. love is NOT IRRITABLE!"

2. the mother/groom dance during which all of the groom's sisters came onto the dancefloor and danced with arms intwined. it was perhaps the most touching and personal moments during the entire wedding.

3.the groom's mother complimenting me on a job well done and saying "i know you've been working hard and didn't sleep. your eyes are puffy!"

later in the evening, the bride, groom, theng & kev, q2, and a few other friends met up at yello for some karaoke. it was a bittersweet moment as it sunk in that jpan was leaving us and moving to shanghai. . .like we are losing a sister. . .but there will be other reunions, other weddings, and perhaps some baby showers on the way. . .