For those of you who don't know, I went to New York City last weekend. It was great fun.
We did the following things:
Empire State Building
Subway
Stayed in Times Square
Broadway Show (Sweet Charity) (We got kick ass seats for half price.)
Staton Island Ferry (where we viewed the Statue of Liberty)
Battery Park
Metropolitan Museum of Art (where I saw Tiffany windows--a life goal)
Guggenheim
Central Park
Who Wants to Be a Millonaire (3 tapings. I was not smart enough to get on.)
China Town
Little Italy
5th Ave.
Today Show
Rockefeller Center
Jazz club (live jazz)
Cuban restaraunt
Best tortellini of my life
Pizza
New York Times building
There was probably more, and if you know me well, I'll probably tell you about it. It rained a lot, and we got soaked on the way back. We definitely danced in the rain on the Staton Island Ferry as the winds started blowing in from the big storm out there this week. I spilled mustard from a NYC hotdog on me, which I think is classic. When we were riding the subway for the Staton Island Ferry, we realized we had to be farther up the train in order to get off where we wanted to, so we had to run like maniacs at every stop in order to get up far enough in the amount of time we had left. (The subway cars were way to crowded to make crawling through them all effective.)
So on the whole, really kick ass time. NYC is way faster paced than MN, and it was fun to visit. I think living there would probably be hard for me because I am by nature a slow person, but I would definitely go back in a heartbeat. We hardly saw half of everything there is to see, but it was fantastic.
Then I got back and had a $700 bill for my car. Guess whose car has been pumping exhaust into the cabin? Mine. The guy asked me if I'd been having a lot of headaches lately, and when I said that I couldn't remember the last time I didn't have a headache, he looked at me with horror. So, if I don't remember conversations I've had with you (which has happened once or twice lately) it's probably because my car has been trying to poison me. :)
NYC is a trip you should all take, but beware of your car's jealousy when you get back. :)
I don't know why, but I find my second job strangely satisfying. To some extent, it's quantifiable. It has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Since most of what I do is filing, when it's done, it's done. I don't have to think about the ramifications of my filing. There won't be files coming back to me years from now telling me what a good job I did with them or how horribly I screwed them up. They're just files. They go back on the shelf. If I screw up, I'll either know instantly or never hear about it at all.
I don't know what it is about work that has an end, but it calms me down at the end of the day. It's a buffer period between me and the rest of my life. It's much easier for me to leave that kind of work at work.
That's not to say that I don't really wish I had one job, but sometimes, I know there's more to it than just money. I know part of it is that I want stuff, and part of it is that I want my parents to be proud and impressed with me. But if I have to have a second job, I'm glad it's one like the one I have now.
Ummm. So, those of us who have been out sick have not kept up with our blogs.
Let me just take this opportunity to remove my foot from my mouth. I apologize to any and all who were offended by the previous entry (which I have removed from the blog). I did not mean to start a fight among my friends. Looking back, I can see why this happened, and I'm very sorry about it. I'm also very sorry that I didn't notice it sooner. I'd posted the entry earlier in the week, and the blog had been pretty much idling since then, so I didn't think to check up on it.
All I can say is that I fired the entry off in anger after a particularly irritating email conversation with someone I met on craig's list and it didn't even occur to me that anyone would take it personally since he doesn't have my blog address and he was the only one I had in mind when I wrote it. Clearly, I didn't think the entry through.
And, yes, that's right. I'm so lame I've been chatting with people from craig's list. I didn't mention this to most (any?) of you because I feel that it proves that I am lame.
The previous entry was a compilation of many of my college experiences (haven't lost too many friends post-college) including one with someone who will remain unidentified (who thought it his/her God appointed duty to get me into Bethel's counseling program) and one of my "brothers" from my freshman year. There was also a very annoying individual from my college days who led me down the infamous "Give it all to God" campaign that I blame for most of my idiocy sophomore year. All people on this list have long since fled the scene. The list includes people I don't even remember any more. It all came back (as it usually does) when this person from craig's list shared crap with me about himself and then freaked out about my issues.
I didn't mean to offend anyone. I think I was more trying to excuse my craziness of the last couple months with a metaphor. It didn't work out so well. At any rate, it wasn't funny like I thought it was, and I'm sorry.
I would like to take this opportunity to complain about the phrase "on tap."
I want to complain about this primarily because everyone and their mom is using it these days. The weather girl actually said, "We've got a couple nice days on tap for the weekend" last week. People at work are saying, "Oh, I've got this meeting on tap for today."
"On tap" is a bar term. It refers to the kinds of beer the bar has "on tap," meaning not in a bottle but in a keg. Usually, only sub-standard beers like Honey Weiss are on tap. I know many of you will dispute this, but admit it; they're substandard unless you're at Old Chicago.
So unless you are going to pour me a substandard sunny day in a glass, don't be using the phrase "on tap" while giving me my weather report. Unless I have suddenly started working in a bar (and let's be honest, somedays that would be nice), don't tell me what you have "on tap" while I'm at work. You're not filling my glass with liquid, and you're not cool.
Here it is, folks: The September Book List. Be aware that I think all but one or two are children's books.
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett: This is the one adult book I read this month. It's fast becoming an old favorite with me, and it did not disappoint. This is the first discworld novel I read. It's one of the Witches series, but I don't remember exactly where it falls.
The Astonishing X-Men 1-6: This is one that Joss Whedon had a huge part in, and it was pretty fabulous. It's newer, and I enjoyed it a lot. It's got Whedon's humor in it, which makes for a pretty excellent read.
The Erzatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket: This was another in A Series of Unfortunate Events. I would say that the story starts getting pretty interesting here, especially at the end. I won't give it away, but this is the turning point in the series as far as I'm concerned. If you've read one, you know the plot. The children get a new guardian, Count Olaf finds them, and the children have to try to defeat him all alone.
The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket: The series takes another interesting twist here. The children go to the Village of Foul Devotees and meet a surprising visitor.
The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket: The children end up hiding in a hospital and working in the records department. As someone who does work in the records department of a clinic, I found it pretty funny. It was very amusing to hear the lead clerk describing what passes for data privacy in Lemony Snicket's world. I laughed; I'm not going to lie. This series is getting more and more interesting.
The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket: The children end up at a carnival where they pose as circus freaks. They end up learning more about the secret surrounding the fire in their house. I would say that the last half of this series is better than the first half. I think they get funnier as I read, too.
The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket: The children are seperated, and they all journey into the mountains. They all have to get pretty resourceful, and they find a surprising person. Additionally, Sunny gets cuter and cuter as the series goes on. Not something that probably everybody is interested in, but I enjoyed.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson: This is one of my favorite books of all time. This is responsible for my total love of and devotion to Stevenson throughout my high school life. Jim Hawkins, a couple of dumb older guys, and a crew of pirates (unbeknowst to Jim Hawkins and the older guys) sail off to find a pirate treasure. Adventure on the high seas ensues. And Jim always saves the day. High quality book.
The Secret Garden by some chick: I really liked this book when I was younger, and it's still good, but it isn't Treasure Island. There's very little drama in this book. The plot is pretty mellow. It's all about Mary who is a very unpleasant little girl. She finds a garden and a cousin and friends and becomes nice and pretty. It was strange to read it after Lemony Snicket, which basically is satirizing this style of literature. I laughed.
Well, that's it, kids. Mostly childrens' books this month, and I'm not sorry. :) Feel free to share your monthly picks.