a (couple of) funny thing (s) happened at the met

met up with DDT and her lil sis at the met this afternoon. i haven't seen her sis in 10 years, amazing how time flies and how people grow up.

i was excited, i've been meaning to check out the rooftop bar/cafe for over a year and for some reason or another it just hadn't happened. we made our way there after visiting the egyptian exhibit and the european scultpure and decorative art section. getting out of the packed elevator, we stepped out onto the rooftop to see several large metal sculptures.

#1 funny thing. . .

as i circled around the black piece, i noticed an older asian couple standing right next to the sculpture. the man was speaking animatedly to his wife and started banging his fist against the sculpture. to my astonishment, this continued for a good minute.

i'm guessing he was trying to figure out what it was made of?

finally, a couple of the museum's employees approached the man and the banging ceased. i had to walk away because i couldn't help but burst out laughing at the audacity of it. . .i guess a reminder that social etiquette varies by country!

after having a cocktail with the girls, we decided to check out the chinese/japanese art exhibit. btw, the drinks are terrible!! stick to wine or beer!

#2 funny thing

i had forgotten how big and complicated the met's layout was and the three of us had had to ask for directions repeatedly. once we got down the stairs, i asked one of the employees (rabbit) where the chinese art was. he explained how to get there and the three of us went on our way.

once we got back to the lobby, we looked at the map again and reconfirmed the directions with the attendants there. . .much to our surprise, rabbit reappeared. he motioned to us to follow him up the escalators.

rabbit: here, i'll personally escort you there!

V: wow, that's great customer service! thanks!

rabbit: so you from out of town?

V: no, two of us live in new york and my friend's little sister is visiting for the weekend.

rabbit: oh. where do you live?

V: i live in manhattan my friend lives in queens.

rabbit: oh, that's nice. rabbit proceeded to guide us to the exhibit for chinese and japanese art and gave us a mini tour. i don't usually do this.

V: we appreciate it! thanks!

rabbit: at the end of the tour. so what's your name?

V: V.

rabbit: ok V, it was really nice to meet you. my name is rabbit. y'know, i also work on saturdays and i hope to see you again.

V: oh ok, thanks.

wtf was that? was that a pick up? that's the first time a museum employee has ever tried to pick me up!!!

now. . that's GOOD customer service

i decided to go for a run this morning to clear my head and get pumped up with endorphins. running along to pencilgrass, pjpj, and modest mouse did much to lift my spirits. i decided to cool down by walking around the nabe and remembered i had run out of eggs.

i stopped by dags and picked up a dozen eggs- quickly checkin for any damage before making a selection. while i was waiting in line, the manager came up to me and asked me if i found everything ok.

v: yep.

m: you probably have shopped here before. i just wanted to take the time to introduce myself. would you like some coffee?

v: would i like a coffee? um, would i like a million bucks? YES!! yea, that would be great.

m: follow me. here, help yourself to whatever you want. this coffee is from me to you.

v: wow, that's really nice. that's excellent customer service, thank you!

the manager told the cashier to comp the coffee. excellent customer service doesn't happen often. as a manager working in retail, i have discovered just how rare it is and just what a difference it makes on customer loyalty. . now, i will probably continue to buy my seafood, meat, and produce from agata & valentina but i will definately continue to buy my staples there and i will definately share this experience with others.

lonely alina

my friend alina was a sad little girl growing up. her greatest desire was to belong, to have her own family to love and to be loved by. alina grew up to be a beautiful young woman and unfortunately completely naive and completely romantic. she met a dashing, charismatic man from a good household. soon after the two were married and started their own family.

alas, alina soon discovered her prince was nothing of the sort. the love, happiness, and fulfillment she hoped to find in marriage would remain a fantasy. it would be her children, not a career, not hobbies, not friendships, that would sustain her.

her loneliness haunts me. saddens me. so i do what i do best. i make myself busy. i rush around from the gym, to work, to hang out with friends. i do everything but stop and think. i laugh with friends. i enjoy good food and wine. i listen to upbeat music. i do everything but stop and think. because if i stop all i will think about is alina. and her loneliness. and how much it saddens me. but tonight, i cannot help but stop. and think. of alina.

pure incompetence

got to the parking garage at 7:20 AM to pick up my car. . .as usual, it was not ready for me. i sighed and rang the bell for the attendant. 10 mintues pass by.

the garage door opens and two men are standing there, one man i recognize as another customer who drives out in his SUV.

hmm. . that's strange. i don't recognize the other guy though he's dressed in uniform.

the service at the parking garage has gone downhill in the past month. the management/ownership changed with a brand new staff. the cars were never read when you requested it. the attendees took their time and had a bad attitude.

the man in uniform explains that there is no attendant. he disappeared who knows how long ago. i ask him to help me find my car but he says that's not his job. i have no idea what level my car is parked on.

it's 7:35. i normally leave at 7:30 to get to work on time. shit. i call my boss and leave a VM on her cell explaining i may be late. i decide to wait another 10 minutes. then another ten.

finally, another attendee (who i think is the supervisor) rolls up in his car. i have no idea if he's the missing attendee or not. the other man in uniform explains that the attendee has been missing. finally, i get my car and am on my way to work. by some miracle, traffic is light and i manage to make it to work in an hour.

i am infuriated. terrible service. the guy didn't even apologize. i don't understand how someone can just walk out on the job that way. . .

too good

have had a maddening craving for sushi for the past few days and so i asked the boy to go with me to kura sushi. unfortunately, it was such a late dinner that my appetite had waned to some degree and i also didn't want to look like a pig eating in front of the boy. (yes, i am always like this in the beginning of a relationship and yes i hope it goes away soon!)

so tempted to go to death & co., the cold weather is perfect for a sazerac. . but we both wanted to try something new so we headed to von which i had read good reviews about. supposedly a nice divey bar with a good beer and wine selection, and few douchebags. not a great selection, but definately a great wooden bar for leaning with hooks for coats & bags and nice foot stool, plus a fun bartender and generally speaking a nice & low key clientele.

over the course of the night, i learned a lot of interesting new things about the boy:

1. he has traveled to thailand, china, japan, and uganda
2. he is in a lot better shape than he was when he was in high school
3. i can talk to him for hours without getting bored and i totally lose track of time around him

(3) explains why we managed to close down the bar on a weeknight and i'm in bad shape today. .

high school reunion

my 10 year high school reunion was smack in the middle of my last holiday.

as senior class president (and just because i love planning things) i had taken it upon myself to take the lead with planning the reunion. three fun but simple events- happy hour friday night, saturday picnic at the park across from my high school geared towards families, and the finale was a dinner/cocktail party at a nice japanese restaurant. everything went smoothly and i was quite happy with the actual turnout for most of the events. we also didn't go over budget which was a major stress for me.

it was surreal seeing old friends & classmates after so long. . . a handful still looked the same and have held up great over the years. . a handful i had to do a doubletake because i didn't recognize them. many are married with children. many are still living in the hampton roads area though a good number are in NOVA/DC, and some are abroad serving in the military.

it's funny how these milestones make you stop and reflect on your life. over the past few years, my priorities have shifted and my sense of self has developed tremendously. in a way, i think i've changed more in my mid/late twenties than ever before. . . i guess it's called growing up, and hopefully older and wiser. . .

allmooost over

i am so not looking forward to returning to work. my vacation has been wonderful and it will be another long stretch before i have any time off. . . how depressing.

neurosis

i love throwing dinner parties- whether it's just for one friend, or ten, or twenty, i truly enjoy it. however, i also have the tendency to drive myself crazy with the preparation and stress myself out.

today for instance, i was having the boy, Q2, and char over for dinner. initially it was just going to be the boy and i, so the original menu was quite simple- moules steamed in a white wine sauce and frites with a mixed green salad. ever since i invited Q2 and char, i was obsessed with revamping the menu. i spent some of my free time in NN reading through a variety of mussel recipes and settled on a saffron cream recipe. this morning i caught an 8 o'clock flight from NN to NYC and during the entire trip (albeit a short 50 minute jaunt) i debated about what sides to accompany the mussels. . .

got home by 9:40 and ate breakfast, scanned through a couple of my recipe books, and took a nap. when i woke up, i looked through the books again. too many decisions:

1. saffron mussel and leek soup OR mussels in a saffron cream sauce
2. wild mushroom risotto OR seafood risotto (where i would omit the mussels and just use calamari and scallops) OR shrimp risotto OR fries
3. mixed green salad with balsamic vinagrette OR tomato and zucchini casserole

i called my sister, reesy, Q2, VK, and theng for a second opinion all to no avail- no one picked up, maybe the sensed the ridiculousness of the call. by a fluke, i was able to get in touch with reesy.

V: blah blah blah (going through 1-3)

reesy: are you sure everyone likes mussels?

V: yep, everyone does and likes seafood.

reesy: have you made any of these dishes before?

V: yea, i've made a different version of the risotto and the mussels before. i think they are fairly simple recipes, just hope they are good.

reesy: well do the risotto. that's always good and is impressive.

V: you don't think i should do the saffron soup? it's a little more complicated but sounds really good.

reesy: are you nuts? you just got back from traveling. just do whatever is easier!

V: you're right you're right. . i just have a tendency to choose the more complicated things. ok, i'll stick with the mussels and shrimp risotto. thanks!

somehow i managed to get off schedule, probably because i had to go to three different grocery stores to get all the ingredients. firstly, the guy in front of me at agatha and valentina bought one too many pounds of mussels so i had to go to citarella to get another pound. secondly, i realized i forgot to buy grated parmesan. then, i got the bright idea to decorate the apartment with flowers (always cheers me up when i'm down and nice when there's company). so rather than starting food prep at 4 i didn't start until 4:45PM.

i called Q2 to tell her to come half and hour, 45 minutes later. . . the boy arrived around 6 and helped me with odds and ends and managed to pull most of it together by the time Q2 and char arrived. i forgot to take pics (see how flustered i musta been?) but it turned out beautifully and quite tasty. . trusty old epicurious!!!

and y'know what? i want to do it all again!

feeling "bleh"

you know when you have a list of things to do? but you don't want to do any of them?

yup. that's how i'm feeling.

or maybe this is what is called relaxing.

hmmm. not sure if i like it.

there's something about home. . .

i find myself staying up watching old episodes of the cosby show. subsequently sleeping in way past my normal time. feeling lazy.

and yet, this trip feels weird somehow. perhaps it's because my sister, nephew, and niece are no longer here.

my parents' home has always carried a sense of melancholy and calm. . . it was masked temporarily by dogs, the stream of friends that my brother and i would bring home, then later with my sister's little tykes. . .but now, the house seems a little forelorn.

some things never change

enjoying a nice dinner with my folks at a local steakhouse in port warwick. we catch up on family gossip, work, news about my friends, and my immediate plans when my mom can no longer hold her thoughts back.

momma V: you know what would really make me happy?

V: (rolling my eyes, bracing myself for the onslaught, and silently to myself) um, nothing???

momma V: for you to have someone that loves you and takes care of you. your sister and your brother are settled. i won't be happy until you have someone.

V: i think my main priority right now is to get my career settled.

poppa V: you really are my daughter (with a hint of pride)

momma V: it would just make me so happy if you told me you had a boyfriend. i'm just waiting for that day.

V: mom, that's my last worry. besides, by american standards, especially in a big city, i'm not considered old yet!

poppa V: yea, you don't have to worry yet. maybe once you hit 40.

momma V: no, she needs to have kids before then.

V: well, it would be safer to have kids by 35. . . BUT, if i don't meet the right guy by then, i can always adopt.

momma V: young kids these days put their careers first.

V: mom, i am just asking you one thing. i understand where you are coming from and your concerns. but please don't ever mention this to me again. you can complain and express your thoughts about me not getting or being married to dad or my brother or sister but don't tell me. it'll either make me sad or piss me off.

momma V: chuckling. ok ok.

for now that is. . . just temporary respite.

chocolate rain

too good not to share. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA

perfectly lazy summer days

had a beautiful weekend and indulged in merry making and various leisurely activites.

friday night, the boy and i went to the nuyorican cafe to check out some slam poetry. it had been on my to-do list for awhile and i'm definately glad we checked it out. highly entertaining and two of the guests were quite talented. afterwards, we headed to tried and true death & co to meet up with theng, hosmillo, and his co-worker. several rounds of sazerac's later and way past theng's bedtime, we headed back uptown.

the next day i ran a few errands and took care of a couple of work things. then it was time to get ready for celestial's b-day party. lack of sleep from the previous night meant neither the boy or i were in condition for another late night. we left around 1am and grabbed a snack at schiller's before heading home.

sunday was all about catching up on sleep and taking it easy. have had quite a hankering for asian food of late, so upon ricktitintin's recommendation, we headed to yummy noodle in ctown for spare-rib casserole. it was delicious, hearty, and definately hit the spot. something nice about sharing a meal with a non-asian who is completely comfortable with eating meat on the bone and slightly exotic (read: weird) food.

we checked out the dvd store for fallen angel and simpson's movie with no success. the boy insisted on getting boba tea so we checked out a few teahouses before settling on ten ren. turned out to be an excellent choice as my first boba tea in years was perfectly mde.

before i knew it, it was time to queue for the upright citizen's brigade 9:30 PM free improv show. we anticipated a long line because of the beautiful weather but were overly cautious and were on the early side. we passed the time people watching, blowing tapioca pearls as far as we could, and etc. once we got our tickets, we headed to trailer park diner to grab a snack and drink. it's a great, kitschy place with funny signs, random and slightly freaky mannequins, and elvis paraphenalia. the boy ordered a fat dog and tater tots but by the time it was done we had to get i to go. upright citizen's brigade was very funny- the best was amy poehler and horatio sanz.

monday was sunday 2. completely lazy. hung out doing not much of anything until my hunger got the better of me and i insisted we head out for food. craving a good burger, we decided to go to dumont burger in williamsburg. after a very satisfying meal, we went to the levee for a couple drinks before calling an end to a delightful weekend.

just semantics

celestial's b-day dinner/party was last night- our group of ten feasted on upgraded comfort food at alias. during dinner, Q2 mentioned that char, her current romantic interest, was coming to the party at fatbaby.


Q2: we aren't dating though.


V: yes you are!


Q2: but we aren't. we have only been seeing each other for two weeks.


V: length of time doesn't matter, you've been spending lots of time with eachother. . .


Q2: but we don't really go out places.


V: yea you should work on that.


then the question of what do the phrases "dating", "seeing someone", "hanging out", "talking to someone" all mean became the topic of conversation at our end of the table.


the unofficial conclusion?


talking to: you have not really had a chance to spend much time with someone so you are still figuring out how much you like them


hanging out: on the casual end of the spectrum of dating, not necessarily going to end up being romantic though i suppose it could be sexual


seeing someone: you are spending time with someone with the potential to become serious but more casual than dating someone

dating: you are spending time with someone and checking out their seriousness potential but have made no commitments as of yet

ai-ya. . . dating, hell even defining anything, is no simple task!

day trip to the city of brotherly love

woke up quarter til 10 and debated if i could get down to chinatown in time to catch the 11 o'clock ride to philly. hopped outta bed, quickly showered, grabbed my things and was out the door.

got to the bus station around 11:05. there was a white bus and an attendant yelling at me, "ride to philly?"

v: yes!

attendant: ok, get in.

v: ok! wait, what time do you leave?

attendant: noon

v: damn! aww. . ok.

i walk around the shops to buy some iced tea and a snack. walk back to the bus and climb on. make some calls to kill time then put my headphones on and sit back and try to nap. it's twenty til. the attendant comes back and starts barking at everyone.

attendant: where are you going?

v: philly.

attendant: the bus for philadelphia is in front of us.

i scramble off and run to the philly bus. the door is shut and the driver starts pulling away. i bang on the door and he lets me in. phew! that woulda been bad. i am surprised that we are already leaving as it's still 11:40.

i text my brother and let him know i'm on my way. the bus starts driving around. i close my eyes and try to nap. when i open them, we're back to the same stop! wtf? what's going on? we wait around a man climbs on the bus. then we pull away again and start driving.

i close my eyes again to nap. i open them again and see that we are back at the same stop again!!! i feel like i'm in a b-movie version of ground hog day.

finally, it's after noon and we leave for real.

the trip to philly was short. at least it seemed short as i slept through it. fun day with my big bro and his wifey. did the cheesesteak thing at jim's steakhouse. window shopped in the blistering heat. checked out his apartment. then grabbed dinner at el vez. back on the bus at 8pm and home by 10:30pm. nice day off.

no mean to disrespect

minding my own business. standing in front of washington diner in the west village waiting for mr.ct to pick me up. cleaning out my text message inbox, when. . .



random guy (rg): yo yo yo.



i look up.



rg: can you show me how to do that?



v: huh?



rg: can you show me how to put that stuff in my cell phone.



v: with no attempt to disquise the annoyance in my voice. i think you know how to use your cell phone. i can't help you.



rg: c'mon. i really don't know how to use this phone.



v: wtf. asiatic? i have a different phone. i don't know how to use your phone. i can't show you.



rg: now now, miss asiatic. you are disrespecting me. just because i'm a black man. you assume that i know more than i do. i just got this phone. i don't know how to use it. see. what do i do after i get to the menu. gestures to his phone.



v: ok, that's nonsense. how is that disrespectful to assume someone knows more than they actually do. i'm really sorry. i don't know how to use your phone. i have a different one.



rg: ok. . i'll leave you alone. i'm going now. but i really just wanted you to show me how to do that on my phone.



v: yea sure, whatever.



and saved by the text. mr. ct textes me, "i'm here". i spot his car and hop in.