Ahhh, good to be home.

Welcome to the new and improved Monkeehaus!

The Monkeehaus is back and better than ever and all of your favorite links are here. I am, of course, assuming that someone reads this thing. I have found that since my experiences on "The Trail" that I have quite a following of people who actually want to read my thoughts. Well, that's good to know. So I have included links back to "Tales from the Trail" as well as pictures from the trail in the sidebar on the right. I am also now keeping track of folks who are visiting and will include a guestbook soon. Of course, my next project is to update the website which is so old now. But small steps, folks.

So here's a pseudo update on me and I will be back to posting in no time!

Some thoughts I've had recently:

1. Apparently, Megan was having a to-do because some woman has a knitting blog named "monkeyknits" and Megan thought I should sue. I would sue the girl for using the monkey as a prefix, however, upon further inspection, it seems that I have no grounds. I am, afterall, MonkEE and she can still retain MonkEY. So we’re all good in that hood.

2. Coro events are still a lot of fun and good networking opportunities. Apparently, I made some sort of splash at last year’s Selection Day (the day the finalists for Coro are chosen) that many of the current Fellows remember me and want to talk to me. Yipes. This is a good thing, right?

3. What is with the new skinny scarves being in? What does that cover? A mole above your throat?

4. I am in the process of moving out of my apartment - it's a loooong story - and I haven’t been packing to move out of my apartment not because of sheer procrastination, but because Noel’s two-year old nephew is in town and the child in me has come out. On one hand, I see myself procrastinating the inevitable. On the other hand, I’ve made a two-year old friend. Nesting syndrome. Nesting syndrome. Warning. Warning. No need to panic. I have a hard enough time choosing what jacket to wear, let alone find a man that I wish to marry and have cute babies with. One thing at a time.

5. Won’t be going home for Thanksgiving because I have to pack. But Fab makes a fabulous (her-bulous) turkey. I’ll be picking up my grandmother in Brooklyn on Wednesday and from Wednesday to Friday, it’s hang out time in East Harlem with my best friend, my adorable Korean roommate, and my adorable muffin of a grandmother. Can you say Blockbuster Video?

6. If you have food left in your fridge from before Seattle or Iowa, throw it out and don’t cook it. I learned the hard way. Your stomach – and colon - will thank you. Don’t ever say that I didn’t give you good advice.

7. Having a best friend as a manager of a restaurant in the West Village is adventageous. Freebie drinks and dessert. Been twice already. Which is good, ‘cause I had to throw away a lot of food (see number 6).

8. Ani DiFranco is AWESOME solo. Fee-fi-fo-fucking douche bag behind me wasn’t. Look, if your girlfriend drags you to an Ani DiFranco concert, your penis will not get ripped off. So stop being an asshole and ruining my sixth row aisle listening experience by talking through the concert, booing when she says that we should be proud of the work we did during the Presidential election, and groping your girlfriend during a song about coveting another man’s wife shamelessly. Assjack. I knew I should have turned around and punched him in the neck.

9. I have successfully taught my roommates, Korea and Pina Colada (psudonyms to protect the innocent) how to knit. In return, I will be learning how to crochet. Hmmm. Perhaps this is what we will do when my cutie patootie grandmother is over here for two days.

10. Walking tacos are still disgusting. If you don't know what this is, check out the "Tales from the Trail". Okay, to save you some time, imagine a taco in a Doritos bag without the taco shell and you have a walking taco.

11. However, Frito pies are good. Went to the Cowgirl saloon the other day and in honor of Iowa, ordered up a frito pie, which is essentially a walking taco. But since I was in NYC, it felt different. Quite good.

12. Sims 2 is awesome. I highly recommend it. Of course, it is contributing to my lack of packing up my apartment, but what the hell, that game rocks. Oh yes, that game will be mine.

13. My Lance Armstrong bracelets haven’t arrived yet and I’m moving out of the city in a week. Of course, I also made a mistake and had them shipped to the old apartment down the hall. Smooth move, ex lax.

And finally, what I will be doing very shortly

14. Why is New Jersey called the Garden State? Because they couldn’t fit oil and petrochemical refinery on the license plate (name the movie. Seriously. Name it). I find that since I have had a dalliance with AFSCME, I find myself saying things I never would have said otherwise. So here’s one to add to the books along with “I’m going to Iowa. On purpose.” - Move over Big Apple, Jersey, here I come.

That's right, I'm leaving the bright lights, big city for the state that is in it's shadow. So the Jersey jokes officially stop from my end because I'll be working with AFSCME to ensure that the state stays in Democratic hands. Remember what I said in Tales from the Trail? That's right, the fight begins anew. One state at a time if we have to - we will regroup and take back our country.

So in the meantime, I will be spending a month at the house in Delaware playing "While You Were Out" and cleaning and repainting and doing all of that fun stuff. I will miss NYC terribly, but there is work to do out there in that big world and I will be able to return to my beloved city in a much better place financially and mentally. So here's to my city that I sadly leave in a week. Time to pack. Or sleep. Whichever comes first.