Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd. - Edith Sitwell

Not that I'm an aristocrat or a genius. Promise my scholastic tests from childhood and my barely above mediocre SAT score will back me up. But I do sometimes think people think I'm crazy. So it's nice to know I'm not the only one of us out there.

I'm so looking forward to this weekend. Tonight my good buddy J here is making G and I dinner and then tomorrow evening we are celebrating Xmas again with G's familia. Lots of celebrating to be done! Sunday evening we are having a little soiree at V's house on the upper east side. muahahahahaha. That just sounds snooty to me. I will go to visit but happy I live in the kitchen of hell. Sounds much more hip right? :)

So we are back in New York from a great trip home with the folks. I felt of course spoiled once again and I got to visit with friends and family all over northern Virginia. Of course I totally exhausted myself per usual. I guess someday I will learn that I don't need to make myself batty every time I go home but I feel like it's worth it. I had a great time with my parents, sis and the bebe. We went to my favorite crab cake sandwich making place Chadwick's in old town. I had two crab cakes while home. There is nothing really that compares to crab cakes in the chesapeake bay area.

As for this week, work has been DEAD. Just plain boring and I'm having a very hard time making myself do anything remotely productive other than online shopping. :) My friend here at work M gave me this funny list called the SHIT list. It has an offender, what their violation is and my plan of attack. There are little boxes you can check off including, confront, ignore, stew, avenge and my personal favorite - TALK SHIT. :) I think I need to do that more often. ha! Last night my good friend I's brother was in town with his new lady. We met up with them for a drink and she is really nice. I'm very happy for him. Tonight G's friend from college and his girlfriend are here. It's a busy time here in NY with LOTS of people visiting. I have found it hard to really keep up with my exercising so I'm committing to a yoga class on Saturday morning. I think that will help me feel a little more relaxed. I'm about eliminating some of the stress in my life right now. This city is amazing but it can really make you a little insane sometimes.

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."
--Robert F. Kennedy, former U.S. attorney general and politician
Thought that was a good quote for today. G and I had a nice weekend. The second cabinet is finally all put together so we spent some of Saturday going through some of the boxes that had been sitting in the corner collecting dust. Our apartment is coming together! Slow and steady wins the race! Next we will focus on the entertainment center and perhaps a bookshelf. My freelancing thoughts for the new year are a little in flux so I'm thinking I don't need to harp so much on having the desk. I am thinking I need to really think more about what it is I want in the next year or so. I'm doing some evaluating and I really need to plan some things out. We have some awesome weddings coming up next year so I need to focus on planning my time. I leave tomorrow for home for the holidays. I'm going back early since my mom is retiring! So excited for her!

I feel like I'm getting predictable. Apparently I like to post on hump day and Friday. Well fine, I'm a predictable blogger! I have decided that G and I need to get a digital camera. We have had 2 recently but they disappeared. A story for another time. Needless to say, I am going to Rolf's the crazy xmas decorated place again this evening. I was trying to find a photo on google images but nothing is truly doing it justice! I'm having a pretty uneventful week at work. I need to buckle down and get some stuff done but the holidays have made me want to just say eff it!!!

Happy Hump Day! Today I'm wearing this great new skirt that I got over the weekend with G's mom. I went out to LI to visit her and A. It was great to get to know them better and I'm feeling quite snazzy in my tweed pleated skirt. I wore it with my brown boots from Spain. I got these back in college. They say "come with me across the universe" on the sole of the boot. They really really need to be re-soled considering I have had them now for 8 years but I can't bring myself to do it. They are not even really comfortable anymore and have lost the majority of the cushion on the inside. But really, who would take come with my across the universe off the sole of the shoe if they could in any way prevent it? Other than that, just continuing to gear up for the holidays. I still feel like I have SO much to do before we go home. I guess this weekend will be a whirlwind of getting ready, doing laundry, blah blah blah. I found out a good buddy of mine from high school and his girlfriend are coming up for a visit. I'm taking them to this place called Rolf's. It's totally hilarious. Every square inch of the place gets decorated for xmas. And I say every inch, I'm really not exaggerating. It's totally nuts.

Holiday, celebrate! I think I have gained 10,000 lbs from the past weekend of holiday fun. Well okay, maybe just 2 or 3 pounds but you get the picture! Tonight I also have my work holiday party which will be at Bryant Park overlooking the ice skating rink. People in the office were talking about how fun it would be to ice skate after the party and I reminded them of my senior formal in college where we incorporated drinking and skating. In case you were wondering, NOT a good idea. My dear friend S's date got wasted and broke his foot and managed to crack his head open. He's fine now, just slightly brain-damaged. Okay he had to be brain-damaged to get on the ice in that condition so maybe that was beforehand. But it was rather hysterical seeing her with blood on her. It was like Carrie on ice. And while my date managed to not inflict any bodily harm on himself, I managed to get drunk and break up with him that night. And he cried like a baby. I mean, horrible. He was so upset and told me that he knows I love him because I said it one night at the bar we worked at. I sat there in my drunken haze trying to remember when the eff I told this guy I had been dating for about 2 months that I loved him. He finally reminded me of the night. Yes folks, apparently while he was bartending and I was enjoying a friend's bday party equipped with a male stripper I told him I loved him. I also remember telling pretty much everyone in the bar that night that I loved them. I think it was my goodbye to everyone actually. Something like, "I love you and you and you and you," pointing around the room. Needless to say, not a genuine love offering but hey, that must have been hard for him to figure out. It sucked though since then he decided to stalk me for about six months. So ice and drinking do not mix people. Friends don't let friends skate drunk.

"Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius."
--Fulton J. Sheen,
Archbishop, prominent TV preacher

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!!
Last night I went out with my friend A for a few drinks in the upper west side. We went to a bar called Prohibition. Insert snorty chuckle on that name. G had his looney holiday party last night. I guess it was not as good as the past ones in LA. And of course it wasn't because I was not there. Hello people! How dare you think to have some cool holiday party and not invite me? Doomed to failure I say! Tonight we are going out with our friend C for her bday and I'm going to be working most of the weekend. It's good for me though extra money. I am going out to have dinner/shop with G's mom tomorrow afternoon. I think that will be a good bonding experience. I need to get to know her better.

Happy Hump Day!
G has been super busy with his new job. Not that I enjoy not having him around but per usual I have managed to find the silver lining. I have been getting lots of our holiday shopping/card giving done with my spare time. I also went to the dermatologist yesterday and drum roll...I have adult acne! Ick! After accutane I thought nothing could grow on this face. :) But alas, all my best efforts at taking good care have failed. Turns out that I'm not supposed to use stuff with microbeads. All along, Cetaphil. G of course gave me a big I told you so today. I have been keeping up with my walking to/from work despite the cold weather. I love being outside. I don't care how cold it gets. I'll just put on more layers! I miss my LA ladies but my good friend N will be here this weekend for a visit. I really do think a LIFT in NY is needed. We must make that happen.

Cumin Crusted Chicken Curry Goodness
That was our dinner last night. YUM. I think tonight I'll kick it up a notch with a little more of the curry since I was fearful of it being too spicy. I should know us better! This past weekend was fun. One of my best buds from college H came to visit. We went to Lombardi's for pizza and partied like it was 1999. Or I guess 1998 since that was when we graduated. We ended up at Rudy's which always cracks me up. G's sister C came out with us which was so much fun. I tell you, I got so lucky in the sister-in-law department. She truly is amazing. I hope she knows how much I adore her. We are gearing up for all our holiday shopping and getting gifts. We started buying things online. Now I need to order a bunch of frames tonight so we can start getting the photos I have picked out for people done. I need more spare time!!

Financial dating
No, I have not invented a new form of speed dating that involves playing the stock market. But G and I have decided to start being more on top of our finances. To make it "fun" we have been installing finance dates into our relationship. We have our second one tonight where we will focus on not going broke for Christmas. I'm excited to be more on top of our spending plan. We have been calling it that instead of a budget since that's just such an icky word. Spending plan good, budget bad. Today I also got my first paycheck as a Director. I must say, holy moly. I mean I know most of it will go to rent but it was certainly nice to see that in the checking account! Woo hoo!

Let the tree lighting festivities begin! So I have now been to the Lincoln Center tree lighting and I'm going to the one at Rockefeller Center tonight. I guess tree lighting is uber important in NY. The one at Lincoln Center was very fun and they even had this HUGE street fare with all sorts of culinary delights. G met me there and we wandered through everything. A little nutty even by NY crowd standards but we had fun enjoying our new town. Then we went to Indian food at this fun place near Columbus Circle called Balucchi's or something. I know, sounds Italian right? Last night my friend N from high school came into town for a visit. He was here for work. It was fun seeing him and he came over for dinner at our pad. I made a lemony chicken concoction that involved using whatever we had in the kitchen. I only had to buy garlic and lemons in order to make it. I love when I have good stuff at home so I don't have to spend a lot at the store. G started his new job this week. It's going well I think. I'm VERY proud of him and I just know this is going to be a great new chapter in his career. I think working hard on something you enjoy and believe in is exciting so I'm happy that the man I love gets to do just that.

It's the holiday season, It's the holiday season. I get it now why they say there is no place like being in New York over the holidays. I walked into work today and let me just say, the lobby of my building is gorgeous. The tree lighting at Rockefeller Center is happening on Wednesday. The windows as Saks Fifth Avenue are all done up. I mean, you cannot beat it. There is that smell of the season in the air. It just seeps from every direction. I think today I have decided to let it envelope me. G and I are sitting down this week to figure out our gift giving strategy. I know silly to strategize on such things but since we are still trying to buy furniture, we gotta really have our arms around it this year. I think unfortunately that means a lot of people I would normally buy gifts for are getting cards. I know, lame but I think all my years of crazy purse sale/DVD giving will get me a get-out-of-jail-free-card this year. I love giving presents. There is something so great about the look on the person's face. They are just so happy that you thought of them. So maybe that thought of them is a candy cane taped to a card. I think all the change and starting of a new life will buy me a little forgiveness this season. I vow that while I will never be as good as my friend H about buying throughout the year that I will start shopping earlier next year so that it does not all come out of the same paycheck! :)

Ludicrous Speed! Yes, that's me, living in Spaceballs the movie. This past weekend in DC was a giant whirlwind. All fun, but insane. I think just because I now live closer to my family that doesn't mean I have somehow turned into a super hero that can get more done than normal humans. I pulled one of my famous cram as much into one weekend as I can scenarios where I end up feeling like poo come Monday. One of my best friends from high school A had her baby shower this weekend. It was so much fun to see her and she looked amazing. I hope I look half that good whenever I am pregnant. It's just so nice to see someone you love getting ready to embark on something so incredible. I mean, she has a baby in there! It's real and it's about ready to come join us. :) Other than that I spent the weekend with family and G came with me. We tried a new mexican restaurant which was so great. Very tasty for DC standards I must say. yes, I know, I'm an LA snob when it comes to Mexican and I don't care! I will say this, taking the bus back up to NY last night and getting in at midnight was not the best thing ever. But in the cab ride back home, I had a moment. More like a flicker. Of knowing I was going home. Just me and G sitting in the cab and looking out the window at the still somewhat busy NY streets that I was heading to my home. My overpriced, one-bedroom, box ridden home. However imperfect it may be, it's ours. And we will figure it all out in time. I felt pretty calm for the first time in about 72 hours. Sometimes it's just nice to remember that no matter what, we will do this together. This whole thing called life. I might not tell him enough how lucky I am to have him. But I like to think he knows.

It's FRIDAY!!!!! Just in case you forgot. :) This has been a busy week for me so sorry for not writing. I have been working my tail off and I am leaving for LA on Monday evening so it's just been one thing after another. Last weekend was an absolute blast. My dear buddy M was in town and we managed to make it to RUDY's after an afternoon of drinking/napping. That place just totally cracks me up! People get so into playing songs from the juke box. Yours truly included. I really could have partied there all night. Sunday G made us chili which was delicious and we watched football. Very all american of us! This weekend our good friend B is joining us which I'm really excited about. We haven't seen him since the wedding so it will be nice to catch up.

"Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is not something that can be demanded from life, and if you are not happy you had better stop worrying about it and see what treasures you can pluck from your own brand of unhappiness." Robertson Davies.

G sent this to me this morning. Not sure if I buy the glandular part but it goes back to what I am always saying. You need to spend EVERY day waking up thinking about the little things that will bring you happiness. Like my walk home every day. I love it. I love the sounds and the people and the action. Or my coffee with skim milk and two french vanilla creamers. If I just have one creamer, not as happy. But for some reason two really does it. Or the smell of my hair when I put this over-priced, leave-in conditioner my mom gets me with shea butter. I could spray that crap on as perfume. Or eat it. :)

Holy crazy week Batman! I went to Philadelphia yesterday to meet with this company that I might start contracting with in January. I might be leaving my current firm which all seems so crazy to me. I guess I made a good impression though and A said they loved me! So we shall see. I can't really believe I might be leaving where I am but I kind of already know it's time. I am just sort of not growing much at all at this point. Which is really quite boring for me. I'm going out to CA for a week in November for my review so we shall see how that goes. I know they will not give me a big raise due to the state of the business. Or at least they will make some mention of that regardless of what they could do and that will be the end of it. I am excited about working with A and this other firm so that's good. Man, could I really be a freelancer??? I guess I could. I guess I just have to decide to do it and do it! I'm uber excited too since my friend M is coming into town this weekend and we will play on Saturday evening. Nothing too crazy due to the ear saga but we have to go to her favorite bar called Rudy's. It has this giant pig out front that makes me think of her every time I pass it. Not because she is a piggy. Well maybe Ms. Piggy but only in the nicest most muppety fun way. :)

I'm happy to report that things continue to get better with the ear situation although not as quickly as I would like. I'm still hearing the sound of my own voice when I talk and when I'm quiet, I just hear my heart beating in my head. It is actually quite nice when falling asleep at night but REALLY annoying the rest of the time. This weekend G forced me to be very chill given that I'm still not really all better. We did do some returning of a few wedding gifts which was fun because we are now getting a bunch of gift certificates back! We are going to use the ones from Pottery Barn to get lamp shades for the bedroom. And we bought a meat tenderizer at C&B. G also made me a very yummy dinner on Saturday. Chicken Souvlaki. I'm putting it out into the universe that G should be a master chef and I can run the restaurant. Maybe we move to Nicaragua and open a restaurant! But first, we are thinking of signing up for a cooking class here in the city. I really enjoy cooking but G has just that natural skill. Thank you whoever decided I would be blessed with a man that loves to cook! We also went back to this place called El Centro for brunch in Hell's Kitchen. While it's not La Playita in Hermosa, it's as close as we have been able to find. Now we just need a place that serves Machaca!

Still can't hear...but couldn't STAND being at home any longer. I think I could work remotely for sure but I would have to be able to go out of the apartment sometimes which was not really an option given how snotty I still was yesterday. But today, much better despite how insane I'm still feeling with the steroids. I think I have roid rage. ha! I'm off to the doctor again tomorrow morning to see if there are other things they can do to help the hearing issue. I know my ears are really inflamed but come on people! A whole week of this? I had to cancel going to B's wedding this weekend since I don't think all the travel will be good for me. In fact I know it wouldn't but I still feel really bad about it. But that will mean I can relax this weekend and perhaps do a load of laundry since I have been so far under a rock this past week.

Sorry I haven't been around lately. I have literally been on the verge of losing my hearing for over 4 days now. I have a severe middle ear infection in both ears. You name it, I'm on it. Vicodin, steroids, antibiotics, ear drops. Nothing seems to really be working too well. I am going back to the doctor today to see if there is more they can do. Not sure why this has kept me from blogging other than I'm so miserable I couldn't fake enjoying writing right now. :) I know, I'm a big baby but so what! I'm working from home AGAIN which I'm getting really sick of doing actually. I am trying a new tactic of no tv so i'm sitting in silence. My best friend J and her hubby/my buddy L were here visiting this past weekend. It was soooooo great to see them but I felt horrible that I was not 100%. Thank god I have such good friends that forgive me for being a drug-crazed deaf woman. Oh and we had possibly the world's best gnocchi ever at this place in the east village. And I can't actually taste very much so that's impressive. I wonder what it REALLY tastes like!