Horoscope from last July

So I came across my horoscope for July 2007 - the month I moved in with my ex-boyfriend. The horoscope said: You go to the airport to find that the moving walkway is ending. My first translation: You think you are about to embark on a journey, but something about the beginning of your trip is disappointing, thus kind of ruining the whole thing. My second translation: The best part about airports are the moving walkways - but the best part is ending, caput, no more, gone. I don't typically believe in horoscopes, but for some reason this one just was so poignant and telling.

Rants and Rave

Rant:
I hate the bags you get in Gap. I hate them. The drawstring is always way too long. I am too short to carry the bag by these strings and it is awkward walking around the mall with the navy and white bag slung over my shoulder. Gap, you should definitely make new bags.

Rave:
Artichokes are just about the most amazing vegetable there is. They are so full of flavor and delicious. You can eat them cold by adding them to your salad or warm with eggs or pasta. The tanginess of an artichoke adds an interesting and unique flavor to any dish in which you add them. I just wish they were easier to cook from their raw form.

Crazy Bachelorettes

So my good friend, Carla, is getting married on Friday. Her bachelorette party was ten days ago in New Brunswick (I posted some ridiculous pictures below). She earned both her undergrad and grad degrees at Rutgers, so she felt that partying in New Brunswick would be the best way to celebrate the last days of her single life. And while she may be legally bound to another person in four short days (fourteen from the day of her bachelorette party) she is not the type to not have girls' nights out after saying her vows. Anyway, Carla's "last night out" started with drinks at the Heldrich hotel, where she and some of the b'ette party attendees were camping out for the night, followed by dinner, drinking and dancing at my man's (and Carla's good friend as well) show (he plays in a band called Scream Hello). Anyway, here are some pictures of the craziest New Brunswick night I have had since being a resident of dreary Middlesex County.


Left is Carla, I'm in the center and to the right is Juliet (one of Carla's bridemaids and best friend). Notice the subtle progression from content looking young women to slightly hostile girls on the town...


Photo 2 - Me after a few beers and...


Photo 3 - Yeah, I'm licking Carla's penis. Whatever it's a bachelorette party people! Stop judging us! At least I wasn't wearing any dick stickers...


Photo 4 - Okay, there's kind of a complicated plot to go along with the below photograph, but let me try to explain in less than 100 words. Carla was drunk; she started talking to this guy who claimed he was just dumped by his girlfriend and decided he was gay. She wanted to give him a kiss on the cheek, but he would have nothing to do with her and said, "I have someone for you to kiss," and waved over some chick. This girl was, in fact, a lesbian. She kissed Carla right on the lips; Carla got grossed out and walked away. The girl is on the left high-fiving her friend, Carla is yelling at the "gay" man and I am to the right making a disgusted face.


Fun times fun times. The night ended in the hotel with some, let's just say, choice, possibly illegal, activities. Now, the night was a lot of fun. But so not what I want when/if I get married. I want a night of dancing in a fun, low maintenance club in New York with girlfriends who will promise to dance the night away with me. I don't want to end up passing out with my head in the toilet (no offense Carla and I'm sorry because it was our fault for continuing to buy you drinks). I want a night of fun, hell yes! But classy fun. Dancing fun! Lots of Britney and a hot dress. (Got it maid of honor, Hayley?? Hehe). Actually, I want this night now, years before I will probably ever get the chance to tie the knot. Anyone want to go out this weekend?

South Amboy, N.J.

My dad grew up in South Amboy, N.J. and he works there as a police officer. My mother grew up in the town next to SA, Sayreville. They are Middlesex County kids and they knew they didn't want their kids growing up there. My brother and I were raised in High Bridge, NJ - in the v. rural Hunterdon County.

My mom and I went to the South Amboy Seafood Festival (SASF) today. It was, well, interesting. So South Amboy. By so South Amboy I mean shabby stands and crappy vendors with tons of people walking around paying way too much money for awful clam chowder and ice cream. Anyway, we made fun of the SASF and then visited my Mom-mom, my dad's mother. Here are some pictures of my family - Mom-mom first, then Dad in his uniform, Mom gesturing wildly while telling the story about the time the mouse she got from the pet store to feed our snake got out in the car on the way home and wound up crawling up her neck while she was driving, and me, hardly able to believe how ridiculous my family can be.

I love Woody Allen

So I just saw Vicky Cristina Barcelona. The movie, to me, is genius. One of his best. But I may think this because I can relate to both Cristina and Vicky's characters in an eerily intense way. Vicky is engaged to a man who is, well, he's just "fine." She is a righteous young woman who thinks she knows what she wants in life and love, and after spending the summer in Barcelona, realizes that what she thought she wanted, might not be enough. In Barcelona, she falls in love with a bohemian artist who is romantic, passionate and in love with being in love. His name is Juan Antonio. Cristina's character is lost. She knows what she doesn't want, but doesn't know what she does want. She has tried acting, writing, directing, painting and, in the movie, she finds she is a decent photographer. She floats from one adventure to another, never staying too long in each place because she starts feeling restless. The movie opens with Cristina and Vicky arriving in Barcelona. Vicky thinks she is content and happy with her pending marriage and is studying Catalan culture for the summer; Cristina just needed to get away. They both meet and fall in love with Juan Antonio. Vicky spends two days and one night with him; the night ends in the two making love. Knowing the relationship can go nowhere, Juan Antonia moves on to Cristina, who, shortly after beginning their love affair, moves in with him. Vicky, meanwhile, realizes she is in love with him, but being the righteous woman she is, agrees to marry her fiance that summer in Barcelona.

Now, how this pertains to me is very straightforward and easy to see, if you know me well enough. Like Vicky, I thought I knew what I wanted in a husband and I thought I found a person that encompassed what I believed I wanted. And then I met J. And I realized that I hadn't ever really been in love, not in the way I wanted to be. And we became great friends and I slowly fell in love with him. And I found out that, in his own way, he would be able to fit all of the things I thought were most important in a mate and more. Like Cristina, I have been able to identify what I know I don't want in a relationship and in a partner. However, I still don't know if I would be able to tell you what I definitely do want. What I don't want is to settle and I think this is very apparent especially since I could have done just that; I was weeks away from being asked the question most women want to be asked, 'Will you marry me," or some variation. But I chose uncertainty. I chose love. I chose a path where I couldn't identify how the end would look. But I chose the path that would teach me more about myself in the span of four months that I learned in 25 years. I chose the path of the most resistance. And it has been worth every second. Is J going to be in my life forever? I don't know. But I do know what I don't want-I don't want to take the easy way out and I don't want him to do that either.

So, people, go see this movie. It's thought provoking and romantic, yet realistic.

Rants and Raves

Rant:
Why are 98 percent of Pennsylvania residents terrible drivers? And why do they have to drive in the left lane on the New Jersey Turnpike when they refuse to accelerate to more than 68 mph? These drivers are kamikaze drivers - they are not afraid to die and aspire to take some New Jerseyians with them to the grave.

Rave:
Princeton Record Exchange rules my life. I need a lot of CDs for the hours of quality time I spend with my car and I can find many great CDs from the Record Exchange. Today I bought Beastie Boys "Licensed to Ill," Coldplay "Parachutes," Snow Patrol "Eyes Open," and the soundtrack for Rushmore, all for less than $25!

Decisions

Twenty-somethings have so many decisions to make. Seriously, the stress is enough to put me into a coma. 99 percent of the time I am high energy, my decision-making skills are at expert level, I thrive in high stress environments (I'm a clutch tennis player for sure), and I don't need a lot of sleep to function, but right now, I would pick a coma over having to make some of these decisions. Many people my age are feeling the same pressures and are forced to answer these questions:
1. Am I in the right job?
2. Should I go back to school?
3. Should I look for a different job?
4. Is this the right city/town for me?
5. What comes first, a relationship or a career?
6. Does love conquer all?
7. Should I start saving for a house in the country, or stay in the city?
8. I'm ready to settle down, but my boyfriend/girlfriend is not? Should I stay or should I go?
9. When is the best time to procreate?
10. What is the most important thing to me right now?

My own father asked me number 10 yesterday. It took me about 7 minutes of talking nonsense to fully answer that question. While every ounce of my scarred heart wants the answer to be love, it is not love. Well, it is in a way about love, but not in the loving-another-person-enough-to-plan-your-life-around-him/her way. It's the I-have-to-learn-to-love-myself-and-do-what's-best-for-me-before-I-commit-to-another-person way. So what's best for me? Well, I am going to continue to build my career, work hard, and make a name for myself in a surprisingly small professional field. But, it would be nice to share this journey with someone else.

Blog Posting #1

I don't even know how to start this off today. I had a post all written out - planned, outlined, edited and ready to go. But, eh, you don't want prewritten edited stuff. You want this, my weirdo mind. So, I'm going to start off by telling you a bit about me and what's going on in my life now to make me start this blog.

Okay, so I'm 25. I'm not going to describe how I look - I'll just post a picture. That's me on the left and my friend Norris on the right.



I am a general communications specialist at a pharmaceuticals company in Pennsylvania. The commute is awful - more to come on that later. I worked at a large healthcare company in New Jersey for three years and finished grad school in May of this year. I was living with my ex-boyfriend for a year before I, the maneater and heartbreaker I am, broke up with him. He moved and I moved on, into the arms of a co-worker and dear friend. Let's call him, J. J and I had a fantastic summer together and I am hoping that we can push through the stress of this fall to remain the ridiculously perfect couple we both think we make. Only time will tell what happens. Even though I love him, sometimes love is not enough. Cross your fingers people and root for us, okay? Thanks.

I hope these strange ramblings of my life can help you to get through yours. At the v. least, I hope you get a kick out of my stories, because I have a lot - some are heavier than others, but whatever, you'll see what I mean.