Excessively Clean and Sparkly

So last night as I mentioned Wednesday, was one of those evenings chock full o nuts. I actually ended up with five things on my calendar including a rooftop thingy in Brooklyn that would have been a serious rager, but I'm trying to slow down and keep it clean these days. I made it to three things with a minimum of cab fare, just one to start and one to finish. I am trying to economize because in Manhattan dollars have wings. Just fly right on out of your pocket and you'd be surprised the folks who make mad loot who are broke as a joke. Trying to become the former not the latter, right now too close to the latter not the former.

Interestingly about this full social calendar thing. I've realized one can fall into the trap of thinking a full social calendar is a fulfilling social calendar. Not so. Now this isn't in reference to anything I did last night but just in general, I have had moments here where my calendar was full and I moved from thing to thing with no fulfillment or real enjoyment. There is something to be said for going through the motions just to stay alive but occasionally going through the motions feels just like the opposite. See "A Sad Day In Gotham".

Well I don't know why exactly I thought of that since I didn't feel that way last night. In fact I felt great although I had a headache because my hat was tight. I don't usually wear hats but it's touch up time and my hair was in need of some lovin, but I needed to be cute, so you know, I built an outfit around the hat. Have you ever done that? And WORSE, have you ever had so much new growth your hat was too tight? That was me last night.

Anyway I went to this going away drinks last night which is becoming a frequent event. So many friends are leaving the city having lost jobs in finance here and found meaning elsewhere. Each one of them is moving someplace warm making me so jealous. I wonder how many more winters I can take. But I'm so in love with Manhattan, I can put up with almost anything. Walking in was a little awkward though because I wasn't sure about the outfit I had built around said hat, and my ear was kinda hurting because the hat was rubbing, and at the last minute I thought - "this t-shirt kinda makes me look like I have a soft belly, which I don't, it's just the fabric, but I'm wondering if anyone is looking at that" - and I only recognized the person who is leaving when I walked in.

You know how you are sort of not in the mood and you walk into a room of folks you don't know? It's immediately like, where's the bar? But I've lost the taste for alcohol after that run in at MSG* (Britney) the other day so it may be a minute before I really get back into recreational use. Ok, so back to that icky feeling you get when you walk into a room of strangers not feeling like you have any mojo. I looked around, smiled thinly at a few folks who all seemed super nice, but I just didn't know them and sort of didn't feel like being all greeting committee with it. After a few weird moments I made my way to the guest of honor, kee kee'd for a few minutes, got introduced to a few people then bounced. I'm gonna miss that guy, he's definitely one of the nicest guys I've ever met.

So this was all the way on the west side at the southern part of Chelsea, and I needed to get to the LES* after that for karaoke at Sing Sing which is kinda trashy and hilarious because the song videos are like stock 80s footage or melodramatic Chinese movie clips. I am so proud of myself for walking two whole blocks west and a a few south, and grabbing the train. I took the Hipster Express, aka the L, to my next destination. A few things about that: 1) Seriously, what is up with this Hipster Express? Why was everyone on the train dressed so ironically? Is this attire required to live in Williamsburg? Is it in the lease terms to wear designer clothes like a homeless person and to forgo all hair removal techniques? I felt excessively clean and hairless and sparkly; 2) Have you ever been to karaoke with professional singers? It's kinda soul destroying but kinda like going to a concert; 3) Why are so many guys on the LES so achingly cute yet kinda dirty?

Excessively Clean and Sparkly

I took the train all the way from the LES, I mean like Alphabet City, ALL THE WAY to the upper UWS*, I mean like almost Harlem. Despite my late arrival no one had yet left the event, a birthday dinner. This was all warm and fuzzies and fun all over the place. PLUS, I knew folks and in a bizarro small world moment one of the people I met at the first going away drinks thing was there too. A completely different social circle. Go figure! Also, I had sort of eased into the hat headache, just was rolling with the pain, plus this crew was way more clean and hairless and sparkly than I, so I felt more at home than on the L train madness. What's crazy is they continued the party beyond 1:30am but I had to go home and sleep because mama is gettin' old and needs to get her rest.

Today the weather is not going to cooperate with my grand plans. The sky has been heavy with the threat of a serious storm named Danny since yesterday morning so I think this Michael Jackson birthday celebration in Prospect Park is a no go. I also cancelled a half day trip out of town because I really need to give some home things serious attention. Like laundry, organizing, cleaning. And frankly I'm going back to bed. I'm up mad early out of habit but since it is Saturday I should probably take advantage and catch a few more zzzzsss. I'm supposed to go to a party tonight, even got an outfit picked out but it's looking like a low probability event at the moment. I'm actually a seller in size (to borrow the phrase from a friend) of the parties by this promoter so wondering if I need to take a bow on that.

NY sky since yesterday

Am I getting like, boring? Well, I'm Brunching tomorrow so there's hope.

Glossary of terms and acronyms:

MSG = Madison Square Garden

Chelsea = Known for being a fashionable gayborhood, 34th st south to 14th st, west of 5th av

LES = Lower East Side, east of Broadway and below 14th st, includes East Village

Williamsburg = Arty farty Brooklyn neighborhood that's just as expensive as Manhattan but still across the damn river

UWS = Upper West Side, above 59th st to ~105th st, west of 5th av

I am sooooo tired...

Well well did I kick up a sh*t storm with that last one. No excuses or backtracking though. I'll let it remain up for people to get their knickers in a twist about. Because although I definitely got more serious and personal than I would ordinarily in this forum because it is the Internets after all, it's you know, honest and what not. So please scroll down to "Seriously, though" and continue to comment if you indeed want to further discuss.

What I want to discuss right now is the fact that I hate going out on Fridays and I have three invites for this Friday, all three things I want to do and am honored to be included in. Something at 6, something at 9, something at 10. Oh, and tentative plans with another friend who I don't think will want to tag along to any of them. FYI this isn't bragging for you non-New Yorkers. Pretty normal schedule for a summer Friday if you have a couple of not really overlapping friend groups. But honestly right now I'm too tired to sleep and am exhausted just THINKING about my weekend. And I need to wash my hair, and everything is a mess in my apartment, and I need a manicure and to visit the eyebrow lady and to floss.

But as per usual I am delaying going to bed because I have this thing about not walking into my room until I'm dead tired to minimize ceiling staring time, and I just worked out and need to shower, and it's just so overwhelming! What I really want is for my mommy to come and give me a bath and tuck me in like old times. I love my mom. She's the bestest.

Perhaps I wouldn't mind some empty space on my calendar but if I had the empty space I'd be bored and feel all depressed that nobody liked me enough to invite me anywhere, so I am tired AND confused/conflicted. I should be in bed by 8pm tomorrow to get all rested up in advance so my face won't sag (which now it kinda does sometimes when I'm tired, isn't that HORRIBLE?!?!) But tomorrow is the REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA! Which I have to watch live at 10pm. Or semi live, starting at 10:15 to skip the commercials. What to do what to do?

Anyway Friday is a terrible night for festivities for me because I haven't gone through my weekly Saturday morning beautification rituals. Which should perhaps now include some headstands to counteract the face sagging? Maybe I won't charge my camera...

The adventures continue!

I'm Baaaaack!

Guess what? I'm back. I've been silent all summer. Why? A dumb reason. I'm embarassed to go into it. But just know, that you gotta do you no matter what you think that guy is gonna think. Oops...did I give it away? Yep yep.

So much trashtasticness has happened in the past four months of this lonely exile from the Internets for me. The most impactful was the death of my first boyfriend and the architect of the soundtrack of my childhood. Michael Joseph Jackson. May he rest in peace. But what a train wreck. As much as I loved him, you know...I do believe in mercy killings/euthanasia (especially for myself). So like, not that I'm not mad as hell at Dr. Conrad Murray and every other enabling person in MJ's tragic life, I can't imagine how he wouldn't have sullied his legacy and made an even bigger mockery of himself with that series of concerts. Throughout it all no one ever challenged his dominance as a performer. That London gig would have been a lot worse than when Jordan went and played baseball. Anyway, RIP MJ, I love you forever.

What else has been a hot mess? Let's bring it to the present. It may take several entries to go through all that's happened. I'm going to consult my favorite blogs out there to refreshen my memory. But in the moment I am salivating waiting to see tomorrow's episode of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. Sheree done lost her crib and brought the Cleveland out. Did you see her fighting with that queeny party planner? And I can't wait to see her snatch that crazy wig off Kim's head tomorrow. So I have a new tv, it's HD...and now I can see how awful Kim's wig is. I am shocked and appalled frankly. Who knew? I mean, since most fake hair is either Caucasoid or Asian in origin you'd think a white girl would be able to get a better match for texture and what not. I expect that kind of travesty atop a chickenhead from the hood. Oh but wait...that's what Kim is. Because really who else rides the Bentley to Target? Anything more than a Mercedes in that parking lot is overkill.

I guess Kim is performing in line with expectations, as is Sheree. Some people thought Sheree had some class because umm....she said so. But having a few bourgeois credentials (by association, not personally) myself, I could tell from her "ax" rather than "ask" etc, that she was from the hood and straight frontin. Perhaps she should consider anger management? And some diction classes. Homegirl would not cut it in the Inkwell. Ha! And boo hiss on Lisa and Ed with respect to their foreclosure. It's not the first time flossy "good" hair good girl Lisa from the hood of Englewood has gone belly up...she's filed for bankruptcy before. Will save more comments for after tomorrow's episode though, it's getting late here in the Big Apple and I need to get my blogging stamina built back up.

Anyway it's good to be back. I'm gonna ease in and hope you start reading and commenting again too. And stay tuned for some of my adventures while I was away which include international travel on some Coming to America-ness and a weekend in Vegas that I may not be able to say much about...ok maybe just a lil bit. ;-)