Mahjuju

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Im looking forward to this weekend for so many reasons and not looking forward to it for so many reasons.

Job interviews make me queasy.

So do long bus rides.

On spoiling myself.

Take a minute to think about the last time you took yourself out somewhere nice. You know, you don't always need someone to take you - and in fact it is kind of exhilarating going out on the town alone. Free to go where you want! Free to stop into a little shop! Free to eat anything!

I have actually been spoiling myself quite a bit since the weekend. Friends Iggy, Mary D and Mei came into town to be new yorkers for the day! It was a blast to see them all and tour around the city, eating devilishly good brunch at Community Food and Juice, visiting little Russia aka Brighton Beach, pizza and flea market in Brooklyn, it wasn't long enough! But I love my girls. They are all such lovely ladies and I love our conversations - life, love, jobs, literature, movies, politics, etc, etc. Girl time is so good.




Mary D stayed for an extra day so we went out on the town. Complete with more pizza and dancing at Covo, Harry's burritos, Magnolia cupcakes, and scoping out the guys in Manhattan 8th ward (for her, not me TH). Oh and Dylan's Candy Bar. Mmmm....candy.

Anyway tonight I really took myself out. I had a great time with me - I took myself to Maoz falafel, then to the ballet to see a "short stories" - a mixed repertory of romeo and juliet, swan lake, tin soldier, and slaughter on 10th street. SO GOOD. I'd try and describe it, but I will instead just say - go see a ballet. They are so lovely and inspiring, and yes I cried. I always do. I took skittles with me. I made friends with the girl next to me. I went to the bookstore afterwards and purchased 4 new books.

Man, I took myself OUT. I feel like myself again. I lose myself periodically going through my grad school program. It really takes a lot out of you - which is why it's so important to restore once in a while. Plus, it's just fun to spoil yourself sometimes.

i can smell vintage from a mile away.

Boyfriend likes to make fun of me for my love of vintage. I'm not even that obsessed! I just really like pretty things! In the time spent with moi, he has decided to jump on the vintage train. He went rummaging through his dads closet and found some cool ties. I knew they were vintage and I asked "where did you get that tie?" and he told me where and he claims i said "i knew it. i can smell vintage from a mile away." This is the tie, that you cannot really see. I do not remember saying that. But no matter - either way it is true. I love vintage and I can smell it a mile away. This post is dedicated to all things vintage.

1973 VW Karmann Ghia

beautiful suitcases.

1930s antique ringi love this world map
such a cool mirror. kind of spooky, kind of beautiful.love, love this chair. i would maybe recover it, but the pink is kind of cool.

1920s broochI will continue working on straddling the line of love and obsession for all thing vintage.

1:00 pm on the UWS.

I used to live in Northeast DC in a neighborhood well known for its poverty, rioting, crimes, and drugs. None of that ever really bothered me. The main thing that bothered me was the absence of nearby grocery stores. Anyway, I left the house in the morning for work, and returned around 6. I never really saw what mid-day was like, but I assumed it was quiet because "Everyone works during the day".

No, Gnomie.

Everyone certainly does not work during the day. Everyone certainly does not even work. A woman I worked with, we'll call her Jackie (because that is her name) owned a house about 3 blocks away from me and would constantly complain of the drug dealers in her neighborhood messing with her property and breaking into her house. I was always surprised. "But Jackie", I would say, "I never really see drugs in my neighborhood."

Until.

One day I stayed home from work. I went out around 12 or 1 to get some lunch. The streets were rife with junkies. Rife. The freaks come out at night? Oh, no. They come out after they've woken up from a crazy night around 12 or 1. It all makes sense now. I went back to Jackie to tell her my revelation and she couldn't have cared less. "Of course - the junkies. That's who I'm always talking about." Ok. Anyway. I knew then.

And now I'm in NY. And some days, like today, I don't leave my house until 1 or 2. I saw a lot of crazies on the way to school. People who appeared to never fully wake up. It's kind of weird, but it made me feel like I was back home for a second.

I love new york, I really do. But DC is home. And I'll be moving back in 3 months. I can't believe how quickly time has passed.

new phrases

I was just thinking - with all the french I know, I can create a number of phrases.

Recap: Here is what I know--

Ne me quitte pas (don't leave me)
Je suis fromage (I am cheese)
Je me pelle (my name is)
Je taime (I love you)

Oh and I learned Ou est (where is) from AmandaStretch, so that is going in, too.

Here's what I can say:

I love cheese.
Where is the cheese?
Don't leave the cheese.
Where is i love you? (i can say this to unrequited lovers)
Also, Ou est la boulangerie - where is the bakery?

Umm, ok yes, I may still be in trouble, but I do not think I'll have any trouble eating cheese or bread. So seems like a fine trip to me.

Having trouble sleeping.

I just cannot sleep. I need to try something different - I usually don't fall asleep until at least 2, then have to wake up normally by 8. Not enough sleep.

Anyway, TH is gone on his whirlwind tour of Europe. Turkey, then London, then Brussels, then back to the states and straight to San Francisco. When he was considering jobs to take (over a year ago now) he really wanted to have a job that allowed him to travel, so he chose his current job. Well, I think he got his wish. Who gets to go to Istanbul for work?! So cool.

Not to be outdone, I am also planning to get my jet-set on. I'm going to France and London for my spring break. It was just going to be London, but last minute I was selected to go to France - a French energy company is sponsoring 10 Columbia students for 4 days. I'm thrilled! We will be going to Paris, Cherbourg (yes, as in umbrellas of cherbourg), Avignon, and another city I can't remember. I went to France years ago to pick up my brother from his mission, but it's been long enough to where I have forgotten a lot of the details. After the French tour, I'm taking a train to London to spend the weekend with TH. Less than a month away - I need to start planning!

So I'm flying into Paris a few days early to check out the city, then I'll have some free time in London, too.

What should I do (Paris or London)? I need tips! What should I pack? What should I eat? How fast can you learn french? Here is what I currently know:
Ne me quitte pas (don't leave me),
Je suis fromage (I am cheese)
Je me pelle (my name is)
Je taime (I love you)

I'm not going to get very far. So I will be watching this:


Should I drop out of school in the meantime? Because, wow - I'm not getting anything done lately - and this trip is yet another distraction. Oh me.

Umbrellas of Cherbourg

I started The Umbrellas of Cherbourg a couple weeks ago, and finally finished it last night. I recommend you watch it immediately. It's french with english subtitles, and the entire script - all dialogue is in song. Everything is sung - it is a true true musical. But that's not the best part. The colors in this movie are absolutely brilliant. I took a few screenshots for your viewing pleasure. I was coveting the wallpaper in the umbrella shop the entire movie. I seriously want to fill my life with colors like these.



The story line is kind of boring - girl and boy fall in love, boy goes to war, life happens, plot thickens, loose ends are tied up, blah blah blah. Just watch it for the beautiful colors and luscious songs.

visiting queens.

On saturday we took the 7 out to flushing meadows park to see the worlds fair memorabilia and queens museum. The worlds fair came to NY in 1964.The queens museum had a model of new york city - all 5 boroughs with all buildings appropriately scaled. There was the bronx zoo, coney island, the statue of liberty, columbus circle, the flatiron, and columbia university to name a few. It was really very cool. Worth the hour long subway ride.
It was really cool and this place felt years away from manhattan. It would make for an awesome summer day trip.

On the way home we stopped in times square for a jamba juice and sat at the stools in front of the window to watch all the tourists go by. Then back to UWS for vday flowers, get dressed up, then out to Indus Valley for delicious indian food.

All in all, a great weekend. I love exploring the city - especially with TH! Now he is off on his world tour 2009 and I won't see him for a month. But good times when I do. More about this later.

My friend Josh takes really amazing pictures.

I'm so jealous of the iPhone and its cool apps. Plus Josh is just a super great photographer - these were from today at church. Also, my boyfriend is really cute.

How do you like your aggies?

I just saw a story in the Times that USU basketball is on a 19 game winning streak. Their only loss this year was to BYU. Hahaha.

All I can think is - Lars must be LOSING it right now. I would hate to be next to her on the couch during these games. Remember the abusive slaps from bball Larsie, Heathbar!? :)

I listen to Radiohead all day.

I think I've probably blogged about this before, but Radiohead makes the BEST study music I've found. That and Trentmoller, but Radiohead speaks to me.

And this song made me run a 7 minute mile recently (video is mildly disturbing):

Summertime.

I am COLD. It is cold here. I love winter - I really do. I love the crispness and the bite in the air. But around this time of year I start aching for the long, hot, sweaty days of summer. Some of my favorite memories from last summer:

Trip with Josh and Jess to City Island in the Bronx

On Columbia campus with my hon-eh

Lizzie pealing clementines in the Battlefields Park

Brooklyn's backyard photo sesh with me and Mom

Nats game with TH - last night before moving to NYC!

So...remember how TH was supposed to be out-of-country for 2 months on a million business trips? Well, he's coming this weekend to pop by for a few days in between some of his trips. He's ruining my plans to boycott valentines day. What a jerk. :)

New people, new things

I hung out with grad school people this weekend. It was fun. Who knew?

Rooftop parties, loft parties, foosball championships, rockband, etc.

This past week was awful. I'm so stressed out. I stayed up until 230 the other night because I couldn't figure out which policy is best to support renewable energy. I'm officially a nerd. School has kicked into high gear, the resume is being polished, then the job hunt is ON.

All the advice I keep hearing from alumni and career panels is "network, network, network". Ack. Well, I am. I go to at least one networking event a week, sometimes two. Some are fun, some are schmooze fests, but they always have amazing free cheeses and cookies. One day someone will ask me - "how do you know so much about cheeses?" and i will reply "oh, i went to an ivy league school. that is why it costs so much to attend is because someone has to subsidize all the free wine and cheese." I would ask for a kickback since I don't drink any of the wine, but I think I make up for it in cheeses.

Cheeses.

I was having a really awful week and my friends really brightened it up for me. Jess, Sara, Adrienne, Sarah L., Jen, Josh, and some new friends too - love you guys! I'm so lucky to have made such beautiful and kind friends in this huge city.

Lets get physical, physical.

Shouldn't I be writing about grad school more? Or my adventures in nyc? I've been busy with things, and seeing as how I use my blog as an outlet to get away from school for a few fleeting moments, it doesn't make sense to write about grad school. In the words of my friend, Matt, "so...."

I started a work out regimen this week with my roommates. P90X. It is bad ass. Beach body in 90 days or your money back. I'm not actually sure if they return your money, but they should because what a waste of time if nothing happens. There are 12 videos that focus on different parts of your body, each about 60 minutes long, and so far - each torturous in its own special way. The videos are designed to confuse your body so you burn more calories and develop muscle more quickly. Oh and I also get up at 7AM to do this which increases the fun factor exponentially.

My arms have never felt so restricted. I did like 150 push ups on Monday, I'm not joking. This thing is legit. The P90X guy - Tony - is a total douche bag, though. He reminds me of Andy from the office, so at least I get to laugh at him during my 7AM loathing workout.

Conundrum of the Day.

Can you wear flannel shirts a la Kurt Cobain if you were around for the first go? It seems illogical, really. I hope the V neck Cosby sweater stays out of this 90s trend. The 90s were an abysmal time for fashion - why bring the decade back?

The post with photo absence.

I left my dumb old camera cord at TH's house and now he is GONE for 2 months and I have no power to upload pictures. I am totally depressed.

Anyway lets just pretend shall we?

We begin.

So TH decided for christmas this year, we would have an interactive present in which we could both benefit AND extend the holiday season for a month afterwards!
(picture of me looking really cute and shocked because TH gave me tickets to the Met for christmas)
We went to Orfeo ed Eurydice, which is the story of Orpheus wherein he descends into the underworld to reclaim his wife who died by snakebite. It was at the Lincoln Center, and this was my maiden voyage. It was beautiful.
(beautiful picture of lincoln center in all its splendor and chandeliers flowing like water)
The opera was of course amazing. There was a chorus of 100 people, all representing different famous people throughout history. Their costumes were so elaborate and detailed - people like Abe Lincoln, Ghandi, Queen Elizabeth, and Babe Ruth. The part of Orfeo was played by a woman and it was perfect. I cried. The opera is so intense and I cry every time. I love it.
After the opera, we walked to a nearby restaurant and we saw a celebrity from the Food Network (I don't know if those people are considered celebrities, but whatever. They are on TV.)
(Insert picture of cloudy dark sky with city buildings backdrop).
TH wore his new super-euro suit and I wore a hot black and white dress with stilettos, AND i walked around the city in them. I am learning.
(picture of TH and I in the mirror, pretending we are disaffected youth)

And that was my christmas present from TH. Splendid. I like him. Lesson to men: Girls like having the chance to dress up in their shiny nice stuff. Not that we operate on the point system or anything, but if we did, TH would have earned like points through to Spring, which is good since I will not see him until then. He needs them. Ha.