YET ANOTHER RANT

I find myself in New York City for the week for work. And yes, I am still torn about how much I miss this city. After a long day at work and yearning for some sort of entertainment, I decided to see what the great city has to offer.

Since I plan on going to the Tribeca Film Festival Drive-In tomorrow, I opted for the arts. I debated going to TKTS since I'm a block away. I entertained Yankees tickets (good thing I didn't go since they lost). I remembered that Lincoln Center isn't too far away, so I went to see what was up there.

Turns out they had the Akram Khan Dance Company performing in their New York premiere- a fusion of modern and kathak (one of the six major classical dances of India) dance. For those whom I haven't spoken to in a while, I happen to be embracing my South Asian neighbors - I've been a serious fan of Indian film, music, and culture for, well, my whole life, but really getting into it with fervor over the past six months. I'm even learning sitar, which is pretty damn cool and I'm sure I'll tell you all about it soon.

So, obviously, I was drawn to it.

After finding out that they still had a good deal of tickets left, I hopped over to the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle - which, P.S., is a fantastic place to spend some time because it's a cool damn place.

I was rather excited, given that I was finally going to a live Indian performance. Imagine my surprise when I bought my tickets to find out that they also had a late performance of Sapthaakshara in their U.S. debut after the dance performance. They perform Indian classical percussion. So I bought two of the best seats left for both performances, preparing for a night of sublime Desi culture.

In getting the best seats, I neglected to think about the particular sight lines of this theatre, having never seen it before. Sure, I was in the second row. But the lip of the stage was high, they had monitors and lights in the way, and a majority of the performance involved the dancers rolling around the floor.

The opening of the show paired two dancers in an elaborate yoga pose telling a rather funny story. They were soft-spoken, but mostly due to the very strange position they were in - both arms extended to the ground, one leg lifted to a diagonal across the body - basically as if they were about to get into a head stand and got distracted by something shiny halfway through and froze. It was cool to see.

I noticed the audience was an interesting mix of Lincoln Center regulars (you know, older folks with some serious money of the pale persuasion) and a good mix of South Asians.

The woman directly behind me happened to be an older woman with her husband and during the entire opening, she kept whispering, "I can't hear you!"

When I say whisper, I mean normal voice. She was disrupting the show, interrupting the story, and eventually the entire second row turned and loudly shushed her. At which point, she whispered something inaudible to her husband, though the whispering was still enough to distract us - at which point her husband loudly hushed back, "I'm sorry."

Neat.

I admit the performance was rather strange, but terribly interesting. There was some really amazing parts to it - and I think if I had been further back in the audience, I would have really really really enjoyed it.

All of us in the front had to crane our necks and move our heads at various points to see, so it was really very distracting and unideal. At which point, I notice a couple sitting in the middle of the front row.

I should mention that when this couple entered the space, the girl was like, "Oh, I don't want to sit there." And the usher calmly told her she couldn't change seats. Well, it was obvious why since the sight line was so bad, but it became apparent that she didn't really want to be there at all.

Because all the couple seemed to want to do was make out during the show. It was really obnoxious and annoying - I really don't give a damn about PDA, but if you're in the front and center of a show, have some damn restraint. They got it about 40 minutes into the show when they got up and left in the middle of a number. Yeah. Great.

Another pairing got up and left halfway through, but I suspect it was because they were getting frustrated they couldn't see properly. At least they waited until a blackout. Those are good theatregoers.

Between the shows, I hopped into a room they had where they had set up a really amazing jazz listening room (I was at Jazz at Lincoln Center, after all). That relaxed me again.

Sapthaakshara was next and I found out that I had again thought wrong when getting the tickets. This time, however, the theatre was amazing. It is settled in the front part of the Time Warner Center with high glass windows (all the way from the bottom floor - and we were on the 5th floor) overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park. So I had an amazing view of the park. I just didn't have a great view of the show. They were sitting in a circle and one of them was directly in my line of view from watching the amazing percussion.

See, I'm a really really huge fan of Indian percussion instruments. Vikku Vinayakram (who is the head of the merry group) is considered the greatest living master of the ghatam, an ancient percussion instrument of South India which is basically a clay pot. He was breathtakingly amazing. The entire show was fun and fantastic - and I couldn't really see how they were playing it. And for all of you that know me, this was obnoxious to me, but at least I was in the front row, listening to amazing music and sounds, and overlooking Central Park.

So my night ended on a really great note. My soul feels great. But damn those audience members.

Right. Oh, and please tell me someone else thinks this picture is funny:

I know it's not a clear picture, but it's a NYC sewer cover (I think you can make it out).

But it reads: "NYC Sewer" in the middle and "Made in India" along the bottom. I find it highly amusing.

Just a great way to cap my Indian night, I suppose.

Holla.

WISDOM EXTRACTION

So I recently had my wisdom teeth removed. I thought this would be an experience that would be chalked up under my Traumatic Experiences files, given what they had told me before the surgery.

I was wrong. I don't remember a damn thing. Drugs get a bad reputation.

Yeah, I have holes in my gums. And my jaw, for that matter. The worst pain was when the novocaine wore off. That was awful. But they sent me home with a medicine cabinet that made everything good. And happy. Except that I had dull pain for two weeks, which I was content to do because I was intentionally under-dosing myself so I don't pull a Rush Limbaugh and get the shakes and sweats when it's all gone.

I'm doing well.

But my favorite part of the whole process is when the Oral Surgeon sits you down, explians what's up, then says something like, "Now, you may lose feeling in your jaw, lips, and mouth because of the proximity of the teeth to the nerve that runs alongside the under of your jaw. For the most part, it will go away after a few weeks. But given your age and the development of the teeth, there's a chance that this situation will be permanent. Okay?"

You sort of numbly nod your head, thinking, "Permanent? Seriously? I'll need a bib everytime I drink?"

Then they shove a clipboard with a disclaimer in front of your face and say, "This is just to acknowledge that we had this conversation, you understand the risks, and are going ahead." They start to leave and turn and say, "Oh, that we're not liable for loss of feeling in your mouth/gums/lips area."

Yeah, 'cause I went in and drilled the holes myself and thought it would be a good idea to personally re-enact the end scenes of The Princess Bride as Wesley - for the rest of my life.

What is that all about?

JUST BECAUSE

I know that last blog was long. It's what I've been up to and mama's been quite busy.

It's 2am. I'm in NYC. I got bored. So I started surfing the links I have to the right.

I stumbled upon my old friend, Big Daddy Sung's blog. And I got to clicking around to find a page full of postcards he has made. And I'm reminded of why he is brilliant.

So this post goes out to my good friend, Johnny, with kudos for still ruling the world all the way on the left coast and a reminder that I really need to get in touch with some of my old high school friends because hell, we had a good time and we're all quite crazy.

I mean, honestly, this one had me rolling on the floor for a good hour (click to enlarge):


Or this juicy number:

I mean, brilliant!

So go and see for yourself. I promise you'll laugh your ass off. And I'll be sure to link it on the right soon.

WHY I AM AN ASS-A-MA-HOLE

I somehow managed to spill soda on my work laptop and while it's working now, I can tell it's just not quite the same. Looks like it's tech time for my computer.

I'm quite annoyed at myself. Because this sort of thing happened to my mother's friend and ever since, I've been so good at being careful about spillage around the technology.

One distracted second and an cup of Sprite between the phone and laptop proves that I'm a sacca douche. Sigh. I had hoped it was only a phase.

LOOK! A NEW POST!

In the immortal words of Johnny Goodtimes, "Ho-ooo my goodness."

Yes, I have been under a rock. Or at least circling it a few times. Life has been full of travel and craziness since the last post waaay back when. So let's do a quick "what-the-hell-have-you-been-up-to" list. I've learned a lot in the past month. And I have much to share, as you'll see. This is long, I warn you. You may want to grab a snack. Or come back periodically. It has been a long time:

1. Work has been kicking my ass. Figuratively and literally.

2. I have now only spent two weekends in Albany since I moved here in December. This must end at some point. I can't believe I'm saying it, but it's true. All this travel has kicked my little monkey ass.

3. Where have I been travelling to? For work? NYC. And not just day trips, hoo no. At least two days a week. I know, I'm bitching. I did, after all, used to live there and you bet your pants that I miss it like the Dickens. But having to travel back and forth between the Capitol and the City every week for over the past three months is exhausting. INSANITY!

4. I've also spent a fair amount of time between DC, Philly, and Southern Jersey. Hey, I figure I might as well see my friends while I'm at it.

Moral of story: I miss living close to all of my good friends.

5. The weather in Albany is pretty lame. It gets nice, then cold. I understand it's happening all over the place. I would like to personally thank Global Warming.

6. I spent a couple of days in DC a few weekends ago (it's all starting to blend together since I went to California). It was absolutely gorgeous. The weather was a warm 70 degrees. It was fantastic hanging out with MadDog and Corsica and having lunch with the Divas - except that once I crossed south of the Mason-Dixon line, my throat started to swell, my eyes started to burn, and my nose started itching. If there's anything I DON'T miss about the good 'ol state of Maryland, it's the pollen count.

Moral of story: carry Allegra at all times.

7. That same weekend was the Big East Tournament and I'm happy to say Syracuse kicked some serious ass at Madison Square Garden.

Moral of story: Gerry McNamara kicks ass and I'm gonna miss him.

8. Once I stopped being distracted by the Syracuse/Georgetown game that evening in DC, we had a fantastic night out in Chinatown, Adams Morgan, and Capitol Hill. The last stop of the night was at a bar I'd been to before, Hawk and Dove. Except that I didn't know that there was dancing on the top floor. Cheesetastic. I haven't seen that many tube tops and sweaty boys trying to rub up against girls since I went to a frat party in college.

Moral of story: I think I'm getting older when I can't appreciate a dance party, no matter how cheesy it is.

9. Mad Dog and I went shopping the next gorgeous day in DC. Surprisingly, I didn't spend a lot of money.

10. We did, however, see lots of minis (children, in our speak). One of the minis had on this huge hat to match the one his dad was wearing. It was very Amish-looking. He was holding his dad's hand as him and his family walked down the street. The hat wasn't as strange as the fact that every three steps, the mini opened his mouth to scream. Three steps later, he'd scream again. His family didn't pay a damn bit of attention. Another mini was carrying a shovel as he crossed the street with his mother on their way to a park. It wasn't a real shovel, it was a plastic one. But I urge you to think. How many times have you seen a mini wielding a shovel? Probably not too many times. We also noticed he had on little gardening boots. Adorable. I wonder if the parks department cares.

Moral of story: minis are wicked cute. But if your child insists on screaming while walking, you need to rethink your parenting skills.

11. I find myself being too exhausted to finish unpacking my apartment when I get home at night from work when I actually AM in Albany. Yes, it is March. Yes, I moved to Albany in December. Yes, I still have about six boxes to finish unpacking a lot of things to find places for. Yes, my delicate Feng Shui sensibilites are being shart upon. Trust me, this won't last much longer. I just need a day and an afternoon. I shall settle soon.

12. Last week, I joined Boom-Boom for St. Patrick's Day events in NYC. It's tradition. There's so many events to go to. All work-related. Seriously. They've found a work day to turn into a party where you're seriously running into everyone in the NYC Labor Movement as well as elected officials. Needless to say, you probably don't remember much of the work you did that day since it starts at 7am at the Mayor's Breakfast.

Moral of story: I wish I was Irish sometimes.

13. Boom-Boom and I knew we were going to be in the city together, so we shared a room at my usual hotel. This time, instead of giving me what I asked for (I did make the reservations that week, so I can't really complain), they gave us a king-sized bed in a usual-sized room. Which isn't a problem. Until I got there. After assessing the situation, I immediately called Boom-Boom on the train and explained that because I was her friend and I loved her that she need to know that a. I was a spooner and that b. our room faintly smelled like urine and I did not pee on the floor and/or the wall. Seriously. It smelled like pee. But whatever, it was St. Patty's Day and I noticed there were three firemen from California checking in when I was. And they were cute. So I quickly forgot about the pee-smelling room until I got wafts of it every now and then. Neat.

14. Needless to say, given our work schedules, Boom-Boom and I opted to miss the first two events on St. Patty's Day and go to the 10am event to start off the day. Within minutes of arrival, I had a beer and breakfast. In short order, I had another beer and a shot or so of Jameson on our way to the next event where I had another beer. We made our way over to the Roosevelt Hotel where I continued my beer-drinkery.

15. They do this big thing at the Roosevelt where they have the bagpipers and drummers play inside the hotel before the parade. McMai (my Japanese hero) and I couldn't resist going over to watch. We debated jumping in the middle of the bagpipers and doing a geisha-like dance before running away while laughing in a high-pitched tone complete with hand over mouth, but decided against it.

16. I still think the idea was funny.

Moral of story: Not everyone thinks my self-inflicting Asian humor is funny. I hate those people. Not really. Or do I? Ah, being the inscrutable Asian stereotype. ("I'm not inscrutable! You can scrute me!" - regards to Christopher Durang and Drama Mama and mindy.)

17. After a few hours and beers, McMai and our other labor/Coro friend (we're all over the place), decided to go to the Fireman's event at the Armory.

18. There really is nothing like being surrounded by 2,000 firemen in full dress uniform from all over the country.

19. Absolutely nothing like it.

20. We grabbed beers and then downed them quickly when I realized that firemen were carrying pitchers of beer. So we were halfway through our first beer when we met Ed, a fireman from Costa Mesa, CA who had a full pitcher of beer. This was pretty much what we did for a while.

21. It actually took us a good hour before we found an actual FDNY fireman. We realized how much we love New Yorkers in that instant because instead of the usual small talk, we actually had a debate about the proposed West Side Stadium (thank you, McMai) and NYC politics. Niiice. Did I mention that firemen are hot?

22. Scariest part of the day: almost being accosted by an older gentleman fireman (think Chester Child Molester Creepy). It happened to be the same fireman we had met at the 10am event where McVranich (we're all Irish on St. Patty's Day) actually had touched this older fireman's rear (long story). After he tried to make out with both McMai and me for beads, some other fireman said he needed for us to show him our boobs for his beads. I asserted that he needed to buy me dinner first before anything would be shown. It was like a meat market in there.

Moral of story: they're just beads. And they're cheap. I ain't showing nothing for that or making out with you unless they're diamonds or pearls. Or both (regards to Prince or whatever he's calling himself now).

23. But firemen are hot, so it's okay. And for the most part, they were polite and gentlemanly. At least the married ones were. Actually, the FDNY firemen where pretty good about it. The other firemen were like dogs in heat.

Moral of story: Did I mention firemen are hot?

24. After this, we went to another bar where it was starting to get super crowded because it was the beginning of the next wave of revelrers: those who had just gotten out of work. We managed to find some space at a pub in midtown. I noticed that with the large amount of firemen in the room as well as the large number of people in the room, no one seemed to particularly be paying attention to the fire code. Oh well.

25. We then left the bar where we had space (albeit quite limited) for another bar where we were practically on top of each other. It was exactly like a frat party. I haven't seen a crowded place like that where everyone's drunk and trying to rub up against each other since the weekend before at the cheese-tastic dance club at Hawk and Dove.

Moral of story: I hated frat parties then and I still hate them now.

26. Given the situation noted in number 25, I decided to call it a night. McVranich had enough as well. Ten minutes after arriving at the pee-smelling hotel room, I got a call from Boom-Boom saying she'd be home in a minute. 10:30. More than 12 hours of drinking. Lots of stuff. And I was sober all day. I guess the legendary tolerance has returned with a vengence.

Moral of this story: iv's of beer do nothing to me. I need to do more shots.

27. The next day, we headed to Philly where I was directing a reading and then Fabs and Jilly-pants had their birthday party that night.

28. QUICK SHOUT OUT: HAPPY BIRTHDAY FABS AND WALSH - THE TWO BEST FRIENDS A GIRL COULD ASK FOR.

29. The reading went quite well. I think I actually might like the play now. I hated it before the reading, but now I have a new appreciation for it.

30. The birthday party was a lot of fun. It was a crash of worlds for me, college friends, high school friends, NYC friends, and Philly friends. And yes, the birthday girls had a great time, too.

31. The rest of the weekend was quiet, relaxing, and I got a lot of work done. Surprisingly. The past week has been busy with work, but nothing to really write home about.

Moral of story: I need more quiet and relaxing days.

32. Last night, I went to an AFL dinner. The girls from work went since we had the tickets and we were representing AFSCME. It was fine. Sort of boring, actually. But the food was fantastic. The most interesting part of the night had to do with the priest who gave the blessing. Instead of saying, "This goes out to all my homies," he insisted on listing as many sorts of people as he could. "For all of those who are underpaid; for those who are greedy; for those who work hard; for those that coast by; for those who have tongues; for those who don't..." I'm serious. And he had a lisp and substituted "W's" for "R's". After his litany of every possible person in the world, we wondered why he couldn't have just said "everyone." Oh, and we didn't know all the folks at our table. Except that the 90's called and they want their parted-hair down the middle back from the guy sitting across from me. And Ricki Lake called, too. This woman across the table had the exact same hair.

Moral of story: never allow me and my co-workers to sit at a table together and a formal event. We will find ways to amuse ourselves.

33. I thought that would be the last post until I got onto the train to come to NYC this afternoon. Oh yes. More interesting happenings.

34. Since when is it socially acceptable to stare at a person while they are getting their things ready? And to lean your seat as far back as possible so that no one can sit behind you? I swear, this guy sitting across from me was the most obnoxious guy I've seen in a long time. He kept coughing and sneezing without covering his mouth, he found every possible way to take up space, talked loudly on his cellphone, and found it okay to stare at me the whole time. I mean, I know I'm cute and shit, but Jesus. If there weren't as many people, I would have moved.

Moral of this story: don't be that guy.

35. Then I ordered some food from a Korean restaurant near the hotel. I should have known there would be problems when the woman on the phone kept saying "34th Street?" and I kept saying, "No, 31st Street." After half an hour of waiting, I got a call from the delivery man who said, "34th Street?" It took at least twenty, "No, 31st Streets" before he finally figured out that my hotel was on 31st Street. And no, I'm not being an asshole, they were not from the same continent or country for you to label me an ignorant bastard on this. OH! And then, when the delivery guy finally did show up, the bill was $16 and some change. I handed him a $20 and asked for a dollar back. He promptly said, "A dollar?" I said yes (I need the change to add to the money I was going to give the housekeeper tomorrow). He asked again, "A dollar?" I nodded. He then stuck his hand in his pocket and turned on his heel and walked away. Eh?

Moral of story: I can walk the block away to Koreatown next time. I was just too tired to think it was going to be a problem. I know better now.

So yes, I've lived and learned quite a bit. And now you know what I've been up to. And what I've learned, for that matter. I hope you did enjoy this installment.

I hope it'll be sooner the next time I blog. So that it's at least shorter for all of us involved. I shall work on it.

Until then, I hope this blog finds all of you well. Thank you for your continued patronage of my twisted little blog.

Cheers,
Keeza

MINNESOTA IN ATLANTA?

So this past weekend, I found myself in California for my grandmother's 75th birthday with my two North American uncles, their families, and my mother.

My grandmother moved to LA to help my uncle with his three kids (one of whom is my Godson) in August of last year when they moved to CA from the Philippines. I haven't seen her since my father passed away and she was always worried we wouldn't all see each other for a long time. So my uncle and his wife came in from Toronto (his three daughters stayed at home, read: they threw a party), my mom and I came in from NYS, and we all met up in Ontario, CA.

It was a nice weekend, reconnecting with family. My cousins are getting bigger. And cuter each time I see them.

We decided to go to Vegas since my uncle and his wife from Canada had never seen it. And we were only three hours away. Why not?

So after spending lots of money and cruising up and down the strip, we headed back to Ontario, only to get up an hour later for my mom and I to return to New York.

It was exhausting. I was in NYC last week for work and then left Friday morning to come back to Albany to get my stuff, swing by the office, and get on a plane to California. Then we were there Saturday, went to Vegas on Sunday, and got back on a plane on Monday.

Tomorrow I'm going to NYC. Again.

Sheesh. I'm going to need another vacation soon.

But on the way home, my mom and I stopped in Atlanta before heading back to our respective homes (me, Albany - her, Syracuse). So we separated in Atlanta and I found myself with a couple of hours to kill. So I decided to get some food.

As I sat to eat, I was people watching and listening to conversations of folks.

I didn't realize Atlanta would be such a popular stop for folks headed to Minnesota and Wisconsin. At least that's what their accents seemed to tell me. Every single person sounded as if they were from Drop Dead Gorgeous. I was highly amused. Especially by the children and their ridiculously strong Minnesotan accents.

After an exhausting day of travel, I found myself at a Budget Briefing at 8:30 the next morning. I'm still in the office now and it's almost 8pm. I still have to go home and pack for New York when I get home. Oh, and clean my entire house because somehow my cat managed to get a tapeworm. Gross.

So eventually, I shall settle down. I am looking forward to this weekend. Since I'm going to be halfway there, I'm headed to Delaware on Friday to register my car and then to Philly to hang out with friends. Very exciting.

I plan on stopping by Ikea on my way home to finish furnishing my home. I finally got a new tv. The only question for me is when I will finally get a chance to review my budget. Perhaps I'm putting it off.

So this isn't really an amusing post. But trust me, I'm sure I'll have something really funny to say very soon. Lots of funny things happen on the road.

Until then, keep commenting - I'm surprised at how many comments I've been getting lately. Whoot!

LOTS OF NEWNESS IN THE NEW YEAR

I find myself lacking sorely in my blog duties. I apologize. I've been busy.

Before I give a general blog update, I would like to address the myriad of comments I've received on this blog since I last posted. Would you believe that despite the comments asking you for your email that I cannot access it? So I can't answer y'all back.

That being said, here are my responses:

* Jeff, if you're out there, I'd love to commiserate with you. Hell, I have friends I haven't met yet. If you'd like to email me, click on "About Me" and drop me a line. How 20 something I am? Well, I'd be offended, but I can hardly be. Since I am in my 20s. So... um. Yeah.

* Kate, you hear my pain. Be sure to heed Jill's advice, though. Seriously.

* Jill, I miss you and Quizzo like a monkey misses crack. Or, well, you know what I mean. Tuesday nights and random Thursday nights just aren't the same without the girls. Sigh. Hopefully I can make a cameo on the team sometime soon.

* Mad Dog, I'm all about the gay cowboys. And the pedis.

* Maichan, one of these days I'll reference the strike. When my members end up paying more for their health insurance because of the standard the TWA set. I still don't know how good that all is. And Stegausarus has plates and spikes.

* Petey, where have you been all my life? We should get together before that time of the year when we can't talk to each other. Especially this year since it seems us New Yorkers added a very interesting lead-off hitter. You can hit me when you see me.

* Dave, testicle tap is a fun game that my friend created when drunk. I think you must be drunk to engage. Well, that's not entirely true, I guess. And all of these gay men are adorable as you all are and some of them were taken. And living in Philly. I kind of remember how it started, but testicle tap probably sounds much more fabulous that it is. It is simply a game where gay men allow the women and other gay men at the table to tap their testes. It's cheeky fun. That's all.

Now moving on to our regularly scheduled program:

So besides a new year, a new apartment, a new home, a new job, we can add new car to that list.

Yes. I got a new car. I realize I bought a new car a year and a half ago. Well, it was used. But I had to part with my Jeep when it became evident that with the events of late last year I had acquired my father's Nissan Quest. So four cars between my mother and I do not equal happiness in the wallet. I decided to trade in two for new (a phrase I have coined in the past week). And got something completely unexpected.

It's extravagant. It's huge. And it makes me nervous because it's new and I've never ever owned a new car in my life. I've always had hand-me-down cars or used cars that I drove into the ground (even the Liberty was no exception to this). So now I have a completely new car to drive into the ground.

I have a new, fully loaded 2006 Limited Dodge Durango. It's fairly amusing. But I got an AMAZING deal. Partly because of the trading two for new thing, but also because I negotiated like a pro. I had intended to get a new and fully loaded 2006 Limited Jeep Liberty. Or a smaller car that I wouldn't have to pay much on. But I basically got this car for the same amount I paid on my Liberty for less time and with everything thrown in. And because I'm union, I couldn't even look at many cars, I was keeping within the UAW list of built cars for 2006. Solidarity, friends.

So if you see a little brown monkey driving around in a huge car, it's probably me. It's really funny. And I'm getting used to it. It still makes me nervous, though. I hope I get over it.

Other than that, there seems to be nothing to write home about. Except that I've been busy. Especially now that Session has started and there's nothing but events and receptions to go to. Which would be fun. Except the whole time I've been out there, I find myself distracted by a singular, nagging thought: I hope to hell I get home in enough time to find parking for my tank.

Yeah. My life is complicated. Ha.

Oh, I'm really serious about doing this whole Asian excursion at some point. I hope someone will join me for the trip. I need a spiritual cleansing. I picked up learn Hindi the other day. I've reclaimed my Dhammapada, my Bhagavad Gita, and my Upanishads. I have been searching for interesting locales in India, Japan, Nepal, Tibet, mainland China, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, and yes, the Philippines. I have netflixed foreign movies out the ass lately (specifically Chinese Kung-Fu movies and Bollywood). It's time for mama to get in touch with her Asian/Pacific Islander roots. Who wants in on the fun?

Right. Now off to do some budget analyzation. Whoot.

LOST IN THOUGHT

I write this first blog of the New Year in a rather introspective time of my life. I have been pontificating and musing for the last week, at least. I'm in deep pontification and muse-ation, I suppose. I can't really put my finger on why, but I suppose such things happen from time to time and I find it rather healthy and at least a yearly happening.

I can look back over the past year and understand why I am in such a thoughtful phase in my life. Like Volansky, I feel like I have fallen down the rabbit hole, though I don't oppose company. I just don't know if I keep it well these days. I suppose the first holiday without my father and dealing with all the life changes with family, work, and even living environment can bring about such times and I can say that perhaps it is well deserved. I never took time off to deal with anything, was overwhelmed at times during the year, but now I find myself at the beginning of a new year and it's time, I guess, to take a little "me" time. I'm starting a new phase of my life and I look forward to it. I just need a good breather and this past week has sufficed.

But besides my mental and emotional state, I have a bone to pick. No, I shall refrain from the soapbox on this first post of 2006. I think this past year, in political terms, has been quite played out and very well picked-apart already. Like many in my party, I shall simply allow events to play out. It seems people have begun to wake up and are starting to pay attention. Let's hope it continues.

But I choose to pick away at a bone that has been bothering me for a couple of weeks now and came to a head this past Friday: PEOPLE NEED TO LEARN MOVIE AND THEATRE-GOING ETIQUETTE. NOW.

Let me break it down by category:

WHEN GOING TO A MOVIE:

1. I know it tells you to turn your cell ringer to silence. I wish we could go one further to turning it off. But since people haven't quite even grasped the "silence" mode, let's at least try not answering it in the theatre. If it's that damn important, take it outside, mmkay?

2. Just 'cause the seats recline now and there's more room still doesn't give you the right to put your feet on the seat in front of you, especially if I'm sitting in front of you. I can still feel it.

3. Don't throw food. This works for the dinner table, too.

4. One or two comments to your friend/girlfriend/boyfriend/family member is okay as long as it's whispered. Full conversation is still a no-no.

5. This goes with the previous one, but pay attention. If you're talking, you miss something. And it's definitely still not okay to ask your movie-going companion(s) what you missed. Especially if you ask loudly.

6. Please refrain from speaking to the actors on screen. They can't hear you. You won't be able to change the storyline, I don't care how good your magic is.

7. If you're gonna make out or do other things in the theatre, please sit in the back. Or far away from people. I didn't pay $10+ for a show, I paid for a movie.

8. Unless your name ends with Ebert, please do stop criticizing the movie before the credits roll. I don't care what you think.


WHEN AT THE THEATRE:

1. If you are 20 minutes early to the theatre, please take the time to go to the bathroom before you sit down. Especially at a show that is closing the next night. Yes, the theatre is packed. Especially on Broadway. Do not make us get up when you find your seat only to have us sit down and then make us get up again five minutes later when you decide to go to the bathroom. The funny thing about Broadway and entertainment in general is that they are trying to make a quick buck. So the theatre seats are usually much closer than comfortable. Please remember this as you make us sit down, stand up like yo-yos. If you have time, pee or whatever before you find your seat.

2. Do not bring food to live performances and then expect everyone to not look at you funny when you open it in the middle of the show.

3. If at a musical, it is not okay to talk during the Overture or Entre' Act. They give you a hint when the performance begins:they turn off the house lights. Just because no action is happening on stage does not mean you can talk.

4. Remember what I said about the seats being close together in a theatre? Right. Draping your jacket or coat or cane over the arm rest I must share with you is not neat. I did not pay $100 to sit cock-eyed because you can't put it in your lap or in front of you.

5. It is customary to clap after musical numbers. It is not customary to start up your conversation where you left off until the actors start speaking again.

6. As at movies, pay attention. I know it's a little different because in live theatre there's a lot more happening, but because it's live theatre, it's especially important not to discuss the plot. For one very good reason: I cannot rent a performance of a show to watch at my lesuire because you were too busy yapping away to pay attention.

7. As with movies, turn off your cellphone. You'll put off the actors. And piss the hell out of everyone because theatre costs a hell of a lot more than movies.

8. At musicals, please wait until the musical number is over before getting up. In fact, if you are five minutes from the intermission, wait. Cork it. I don't care what you do. Especially if you're in the middle of the row. Forcing an entire row of people up in the middle of the 11 o'clock number or even the number before the intermission, or any number whatsoever, is just wrong and rude.

9. The actors and actresses are getting paid a lot of money to act and sing and dance. I'm paying a lot of money to watch it. So please refrain from singing along or humming along to the numbers.

10. Just because you've seen Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Les Miserables, or any of the current shows on Broadway does not make you an expert. I have a goddamn degree in Theatre and you don't hear me saying things like, "Well, it's what to be expected at a show like this. I mean, I know I see more 'classic' musicals, but you just can't compare this to Phantom." You really don't have a clue, do you?

Seriously. And there's more, I just hit the highlights.

Since the holidays, I've seen lots of movies: Harry Potter (twice), Rent, Elizabethtown, Walk the Line, Memoirs of a Geisha (twice), The Producers - and every time, I am reminded why I prefer DVDs in the comfort of my own home on the couch.

And last Friday, I saw Sweet Charity with Christina Applegate because it's closed Saturday and I had been wanting to see it. And yes, Christina was amazing. And outside of the theatre, I wanted to say, "Look, there's Jesus!" but it was really difficult since she wasn't speaking much because she was saving her voice for the next night and because we had to rotate quickly after she signed programs or whatever. Jill wanted me to say "Why don't you go back to your home on Whore Island?!" but I opted against it for obvious reasons, as well as the reasons I outlined above.

But despite how good the show was, I found myself plenty annoyed at the theatregoers my mother and I were surrounded by. Besides talking, being rude, acting like pretentious theatre snobs (I mean, really, I think I have a legitimate bone there), getting up in the middle of numbers, or singing along, I thought I was going to go out of my mind. I made the best of it, of course, but the Christ.

I would also like to say, as a fan of Fosse and "Rich Man's Frug", I was amazed at the choreography for that number. I think I had my mouth open the whole time. That is, when I wasn't killing my neck trying to see around the woman in front of me who was bobbing her head around like a liver on a stick.

I mean, come on! I can't seem to find any sort of live entertainment I can enjoy anymore without someone mucking it up for me. And that even includes concerts. It's becoming unacceptable. I'm spending far too much money being annoyed at things that I used to enjoy.

Sigh. I'm happy that's off my chest.

Best wishes for the New Year, loyal readers. 'Till the next blog inkling...

CROUCHING CONCUBINE, HIDDEN GEISHA

I have finally moved into my apartment in Albany. I need to buy more surfaces before I can finish unpacking, but until then, at least I'm moved in.

But between wrestling with Ikea furniture with the help of one Mad Dog Darby, moving cartons, dealing with ridiculous amounts of packing paper, and trying desperatly not to get a cardboard cut, I've been reading Memoirs of a Geisha since I not only want to see the movie, but Walsh had told me years ago that it was her favorite book and I've been meaning to read it.

Plus, it's the only book not in a box right now. Right.

It really is quite a fabulous book. You learn so much about the Geisha and despite the story breezing through the second World War in Japan, it's still a great read.

But it's in Japan, right?

So doesn't anyone else find it funny that the main women in the movie will be played by Chinese women?

And basically the entire cast of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?

I mean, I heart, HEART Michelle Yeoh. And Ziyi Zhang - I anticipate she will have learned English for this movie? Would be fun to see the two of them in a film again where they weren't trying to kill each other with strange weapons. And Ken Wantanabe! I'm very excited for this movie - and not only because it's another chance for a bunch of Asian actors (who are fantastic) to get together.

But let's call it what it is, shall we? I have always strove for proper and clear definitions (well, at least since I was a Coro). So let's call it what it is and give it a proper subtitle:

Memoirs of a Concubine: Adapted from Memoirs of a Geisha, but we couldn't find enough Japanese actors who could play the lead women roles.

Not as misleading and better, ethical marketing. As an Asian, I wouldn't be offended.

HIGHLIGHT REEL:

Okay. So much has happened since I last posted. So to follow in the shoes of Walsh, I will hit the highlights of what hast passed in the past week or so...

1. Frustrated by the moving process (you will see this several times).
2. I spent almost $700 on a hotel room for the Spitzer Fundraiser in NYC. Think that's crazy? He raised $5 million that night.
3. The next night, dropped almost $500 on a different hotel in NYC. But got almost 6,000 points for staying there one night. Whohee!
4. That same night, got the Fighting Painting Monkeys, the Lobby Song, and Pass a Bill song stuck in my head.
5. Later that night, I got two hours of sleep and then Jessica and I left NYC only to be almost killed on the ride home because of the Noreaster that hit last Friday. We did two 360's near exit 13a. Luckily, we weren't hit, nor did we hit the guardrail, we spun over three lanes, and everything was fine. We've been touched by an angel, yo (name the movie line).
6. Friday evening, spent time with the WC kids for SF's birthday. Of course, this meant spending time with Ross, Michael, and Jilly Bear before the event, only to be joined by the fabulous Christine. Five or six short beers, two Boli Stolly's, and a limon shot later, we headed to the party. Where I proceeded to hang out with Elle and the gay boys, Sofa Kingdom, and of course, the WC kids. And included a chocolate cake shot, two Nutty Irishmen, two shots of Jameson, and a shot of SoCoh. And a game of Testicle Tap with all the gay men. Yes, it was as fun and as fabulous and as strange as a drunk night can be.
7. 8:00 am Saturday morning (after going to bed at 4ish), I headed back to NYC with Fabs, Chris, and Chris's roommate, Stevie. Jill couldn't get anyone to cover her shifts at Morimoto. We had a fabulous time.
8. Got to see the Van Gogh drawings at the Met. Awesome.
9. Got to see Ilana and Olivia and Vicki. And Vicki's friend. Who is interesting, to say the least, at karaoke.
10. Got a hug from the Karaoke man for my It's the End of the World (As We Know It)performance. Whoot-whoot!
11. I still miss Lucky's and Lalo. Sigh.
12. And Houston's.
13. And the Union Square Holiday Fair.
14. We had a great time.
15. The movers came to pack my stuff on Monday. The guy who assessed my stuff didn't do a great job of assessing how much work they'd have to do. They were fantastic, though. Just took all day. So all of my stuff got packed. Well, stuff for the most part. There was stuff that they took that I didn't want them to take. And stuff they didn't take that they should have. But it's small stuff enough. They worked hard, though. And they were fantastic guys.
16. I went to see Dave last night with Ooter at the Wachovia Center and we had amazing seats. Fantastic, if you will. I realized I am getting old because we bowed out before the end of the encore to avoid the traffic associated with concerts. I have vowed not to do this again.
17. Went to Quizzo just in time for the last two rounds. Placed 4th. Not too bad, considering that we had won twice in a row. Sofa Kingdom placed 3rd, not too far above us. But seriously, do you know the name of the operation that netted Saddam Hussein? Without googling it? Yeah, thought so.
18. That was my last Quizzo for a while. Tear. I'll just have to find it in Albany. Or start it in Albany. Huh.
19. I move into my new apartment on Saturday.
20. I still have lots to do today.

With that being said, I shall leave you be since I need to leave Delelelel at the butt-crack of dawn to make it into Albany by the 11pm conference call. Sweet Lord.

HELL HAST FROZEN OVER.

I'm sure you thought hell had frozen over when the BoSux won the series last year. Hell, I did, too. And it probably did then. But something momentous has happened.

We won again last night at Quizzo.

We even beat Sofa Kingdom.

Dizzy from our first win, we were excited, but I think the reality is setting in. We kicked their asses.

No 100 point game this time. In fact, it was almost a mirror of last week. With help from Padrino, who finally managed a cameo at our Quizzo game, we got every question right in the first round, including the bonus, to net us 11 points (Dave was instrumental in knowing FSU is playing in the Orange Bowl) and then we totally sucked the second round (50/50 before or after Pearl Harbor round - it was hard) and we only got 4 right for an awesome score of 19 (fourth from last).

Then we were saved.

See, we attributed the first win to Nick and Jessica and Malaysia. This time around, we attribute the win to our alcoholism and Richard Strauss.

We got two questions wrong in the Wild Card Round, but good enough to get us 43 points, good enough for 4th place by the end of the third. The Wild Card Round was alcohol. As if God herself couldn't give us a better topic. We didn't know the breweries in Philly, which is the reason we got two wrong, but we even got the Grappa question.

Then the infamous "Impossible Round" happened and surprisingly, we were feeling pretty strong. After much deliberation as to which President in the 20th century had the shortest tenure (Ford, by the way, and yes, we got it right), he threw us a softball with the 10 point bonus question - and we were only one of two teams to get it right: Which German composer wrote Thus Spake Zarathrusta, made famous by the movie 2001 Space Oddessey? I think Fab and I almost fell out of our seats.

Strauss, by the way. Not Wagner. Which is what everyone else guessed. Finally! All those years of being a classically trained violinist pay off! Granted, it was Quizzo, but whatever!

So with one wrong in the round, but still with the 10 pointer, we got a whopping 50 points to bring our score up to 93. We figured we had at least placed in the top three.

Then Johnny says that there was a pretty serious race for the top three. We're like, no way, we might have a chance at 2nd. Then he tells everyone to give a hearty boo to this week's winners, I Went to College With Prince Humperdink's Daughter. We found our name funny.

Total upset. We won by 7 points. Over two top teams that usually win or place first or second - one being the infamous Sofa Kingdom. Sure, there were only two of their members there, but we still took it from them.

And thus hell froze over again. Now onto the Three-Peat. Though I won't be there next week. Mama's seeing DMB with Ooter.

I would also like to take this opportunity to plead with Maury Povich: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO A DIFFERENT SHOW BESIDES "WHO'S YOUR DADDY?" IT IS GETTING OLD. If I may make a suggestion, he sometimes breaks from the usual paternity tests to do makeovers. He might start with offering to fix the teeth of his many guests.

I know this is mean. But honestly. It's worse than an English Pub in there. I had to change the channel. Besides the fact that I'm tired of the concept.

I also realize that my last two posts have been Quizzo-related. Lots of people have been like, how's the move? Next question. It's complicated and annoying and frankly, I'm going out of my mind. So Quizzo it is.

But look out! The next post will be NYC related. The Philly Phabulous girls and I will be hitting the city this weekend. Hard. I'm sure something rather amusing will come of it.

Unless a rant comes first. But I dunno that will happen.

In the meantime, spay and neuter your pets. Monkey, out!

FINALLY!!!

Last evening, the Philly Phabulous girls and I, under the name, Alicia Keyes is my Second Cousin Twice Removed, CAME IN FIRST PLACE IN QUIZZO LAST NIGHT!

Yes. I come to you with much gloat. Of course, the evil Sofa Kingdom wasn't there, but that's neither here nor there. We finally broke the 100 point mark last evening to win by 2 points. Good thing Jill and I spent an hour studying "Today in History" before Quizzo.

I know we're geeks. Embrace it.

But as Johnny Goodtimes (the Quizzo Master) surmised, we won because of Nick and Jessica's love. Or lack of, now that the two of them are separated. See, the wild card round, in honor of the separation, Johnny thought it would be fun to have the topic be "Famous Jessicas and Nicks in History." And thanks to Jessica Tandy, Stevie Nicks, Eight is Enough, and Nick Nolte, we got every single question in the round correct, moving us from 4th to last to 3rd place. We had done decently in the first round, bombed the second, and then rocked the 3rd. We then also get only one wrong in the Impossible Round and thanks to LBJ, Malaysia (the big 10 point question), and Michigan Football, we managed the win.

Seriously. Johnny was proud (the team picture will be there soon). So we got gloating rights for an eveing, $40 off the bar tab, decided to share with the guys at the table next to us (who gave us the correct answer to one in the impossible round), little old man at the bar (who gave us the correct answer to another one in the impossible round), shots of Jameson all around, and then closed the bar. We managed to make a few more friends as the night went on, but all in all in good fun.

That's the good news.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Alicia Keyes is Jill's second cousin twice removed. Yeah. We were surprised, too.

'Till next time...

WHEN THERE'S NOTHING ELSE...
I've been rather introspective lately. Had lots of time to mull since Turkey Day. Didn't really leave the homefire too much these past five days, caught up on sleep, paperwork, thinking.

Nothing terribly new to report except that I found this on the Brotzman's page and we all know that I can't resist a survey. So here goes:


1. What high school did you go to? Fayetteville-Manlius High School, baby.

2. What year did you graduate? 1997

3. What were your favorite band(s) or artist(s): Dave Matthews, Ani DiFranco, Indigo Girls, Dar Williams, Dancing for Nickels (my band, we did lots). This was all when I wasn't playing in the orchestra, so I guess that classical figures in there somewhere.

4. What was your favorite outfit? Jeans and a t-shirt. Birkensocks. And cargo shorts when it was nice out. Didn't really care much about fashion so much as comfort. Crunchy granola I was.

5. What was up with your hair? Not a whole hell of a lot. It was long in high school. For the most part.

6. Who were your best friend(s)? I had circles that expanded and closed tighter as folks graduated. For a while it was Joanna and that whole crew. Michelle. Elizabeth. Kelly. Nisha. Jamie. Sugene, Steve, Ander-Pander Whoopsie-Poopsie, Billy, Big Daddy Sung, Dave, Leah, Jeremy, Workman, Ange, Wound, Gibbon, the band. I was fortunate to have such great friends in high school. Most of us are still in touch when we can.

7. What did you do after school? God. I was President of my class all four years, so that took time. Orchestras - Chamber and the Pit variety. Yearbook. Various clubs I belonged to which I now conveniently forget. Thespians, MUN, NHS, I was always up to something, I remember not having much time in high school. Not much has changed since. Yeah, I'm a geek. I love it.

8. Where did you work? Well I did work at Fay's Drug Store in the Pharmacy for a year. Then I started at Mailboxes, Etc, which was a much better place of work. Better schedule. Even worked there when I was home for vacations from college for a couple of years.

9. Did you take the bus? Until I got my car, you betcha.

10. Who did you have a crush on? I think I might have had a crush on my guy friends as the years went on. Until I realized they really were just friends. But that's really about it. The good ones were all taken and the rest didn't interest me much.

11. Who did you date? See previous. I was rather busy, I didn't date much.

12. Did you fight with your parents? Who didn't?

13. Did you ever get detention? Maybe once? I can't quite remember, though upon more reflection, I don't think I ever had detention. I was quite the good kid.

14. Favorite subject? Orchestra with Hebert. Hands down. For obvious reasons. But I also always enjoyed my english and social studies classes.

15. Who did you have a CELEBRITY crush on? Jesus. Dave Matthews for a good long time. Brad Pitt - hello, what girl didn't in our day? Or now, for that matter? Keanu around Speed. He had that sexy arm thing happening when he was under the bus. His acting might have sucked, but I sure as hell didn't mind watching him.

16. My grades were... Pretty good when I applied myself. Which was often, I have to admit. Because I'm Asian. That's how we do it. But I always walked that extracurricular/academic line, I probably could have done better.

17. Did you smoke cigarettes? Nope.

18. Did you lug all of your books around in your backpack all day? Not if I could help it. We used to take Freshman who had those huge L.L. Bean bags and spin them because they used to carry their all their books - they couldn't stop spinning from the weight in those bags. I learned pretty quick.

19. Did you have a clique? You could say that. I traveled in different circles, but I had my close circle by my senior year, for sure. We travelled in packs where ever we went. We were very close.

20. Where was your Senior Prom? The Landmark Theatre in Syracuse. It was historic. I picked the place myself - couldn't have asked for a better location. It should have been a sign of things to come.

21. Did you have a Max like "Saved by the Bell"? No, but my parents were always gone on the weekends to Delaware, so we hung at my house a lot. And I guess you could say that Happy Endings in the Armory was our Max - if we could get out there. I did a lot of lying to get out there. Nobody ever spends that much time in a library...

22. Admit it, were you popular? I don't know that I would ever characterize myself as popular. I certainly didn't hang out with the crowd I'd peg as the popular, in-fashion, perfect all the time kids. I just got along well with everyone for the most part. We were a crowd unto ourselves.

23. Who did you want to be just like? I was pretty content with me. No point in pretending to be someone I wasn't.

24. What did you want to be when you grew up? President. I'll admit it. Or just doing something that would make my kids proud. Helping people. I thought politics was where I'd end up. I was right on the money for the most part.

25. What was the color of your yearbook? For the most part, ours were green. Except for that year we had a blue one. Didn't understand that.

26. What were the colors of your school? Forest Green and White. Loved it.

27. What was your school mascot? The Hornet. It's an angry hornet if you look at it. GO HORNETS!

NOT GREAT QUIZZO NEWS. AAAND PAT MORITA. SIGH. BUT LICKING THE DOORKNOB DOESN'T WORK WHEN YOU HAVE A CHECK IN HAND...

Had a great Thanksgiving, but that's neither here nor there. Really.

For everyone's information, we came in sixth in Quizzo even with the Kennedy Wild Card Round. It was a rather difficult Kennedy Wild Card - all assassination - and the last five questions weren't even about Kennedy. We did what we could. We didn't do too bad. We got some really hard ones in there. But what can you do? Looks like we'll just have to keep trying - even though I'm leaving the area.

Sad news that Pat Morita, aka Mr. Miyagi died today. I am very saddened by it.

But there has been lots of good news on the horizon. Had lots of good qualitiy time with family and my aunt who is leaving tomorrow to return to the Philippines. My mom, myself, and my aunt, have had a fantastic time lately.

But most importantly, I found that even if you lick the doorknob, that can't trump someone with a check in hand. I have been searching for apartments in Albany for a while. Though I actually only did leg work for two days. Anyway, after looking at more than a dozen, I walked into the last place and just knew. You know what I mean? Where you just know? You get the feeling? I got it. And pretty strong. I knew this was the apartment that I wanted. It was pricier than I had hoped, but you know, it was exactly what I wanted. Right size, right location, perfect building.

Apparently, some girl had already seen it before me and the guy gave her "dibs" on it. Mad Dog was like, "Did she lick the doorknob?"

Well standard shotgun rules will never apply in apartment hunting. This girl had her parents come up from Westchester to see the apartment. My guess is that mommy and daddy were kicking in.

Long story short, I got the apartment. Turns out Mommy and Daddy Westchester didn't want baby living in an "urban" area, so they wanted her to go with the "safer" suburbs. Which don't really apply in this case. So hahahahahaha, I get the apartment. Now I just have to do the whole "moving" thing and get the process going. Which is a whole other story for another time.

Hope you all had good Turkey days. Talk to you all soon when I have something remotely entertaining. Which might be soon. Who knows?

SECOND PLACE AIN'T SO BAD SOMETIMES...

So my Philly Phabulous girls and I had a boffo time at Quizzo this week. Our team, "Alan Alda is my Friend's Cousin" came in SECOND PLACE waaay above Sofa Kingdom, the team that ALWAYS wins at Quizzo. We got a whopping $20 off our bar tab and an evening of pointing fingers and laughing at the members of Sofa Kingdom.

So give me a second to gloat. We only came in second by a measley 2 points, which we could have won if we had guessed South Dakota instead of West Virginia or Little Ricky Ricardo instead of Bobby Brady. Or had gotten the Edward Muskie question right and put 1972 instead of 1980. You get the drift.

But the winds are 'a changin' 'cause you ain't seen so many 's in one sentence. Seriously, though. I have a good feeling about next Tuesday. Could it be that it is November 22nd and Johnny promised us a Kennedy Wild Card Round if the assassination happened to fall on a Tuesday? Hells yes. And I reminded him, too.

So hang on to your hats, kids. We might have some good news next Tuesday.

Until then, I'm getting my Ikea furniture delivered tomorrow for my new apartment in Albany, which I will be searching for on Friday. New York City and Thursday. Buffalo and Niagara Falls on Saturday. Back to Albany on Sunday if necessary, but watch out, this Monkee may be coming to a town near you soon!

Hah! I've always wanted to say that.

Until then, be well, friends.

WELCOME TO THE MONKEEHAUS' 100TH POST!

I actually can't believe it's only 100. I need to be better about this.

So I find myself cleaning and packing. And bored as all hell.

Yes, we won big in Buffalo. Something like 64% to 27%, which can basically be described as a blowout victory. In fact, all the Upstate Mayoralties are all Democrat. We won in Virginia, New Jersey, and defeated all of the Governator's ballot proposals in California. To say we didn't have a good night is understated. But we celebrated and now it's back to work. It's a long way to next November...

In the meantime, I am back in Delaware and attempting to clean, organize, and pack. And finding it difficult to do because after the campaign and being sick, all I did for three days was play tour guide with my family, one of whom was visiting from the Philippines. So now that I've fully caught up on sleep and rest, I'm turning towards the cleaning. Which I am not too happy to do.

In the meantime, I'm bored as hell down here. So bored that I have been studying for Quizzo tonight and found out that it's illegal to have sex with a porcupine in Florida. You heard it here. Which of course makes me wonder: "Why would anyone have to write this law down unless someone actually attempted to have sex with a porcupine in Florida?"

Chew on that one for a minute.

I also forgot to tell all of you that if you find yourself on a puddlehopper from Albany to Buffalo, your stewardess might also be the co-captain of the flight. Just FYI.

Right. I'm really off to clean and pack now. Sigh. Gotta get some work done. Off I go.

IV's ARE FANTASTIC

So I started writing this post and then I lost it. So here's the short version.

I'm sick as a dog. Extremely sick. So sick that I was in the Emergency Room yesterday. Nothing to worry about. I was just desperate for medical attention. After spending an hour with every doctor in my network in Buffalo, no one could see me. So I called the insurance company who said to go to the ER. So to the ER I went.

After much waiting, they finally saw me. See, I was not only feverish, I was achy, I was sweating, I had the chills, I couldn't swallow, I was breathing shallow, and I felt like I was going to pass out. I knew I had white spots on the throat that doesn't go away with rest alone, needs medical attention, I hadn't eaten for over 24 hours, and I was starting to have trouble swallowing water because my throat and glands were so swollen.

Enough to warrant an ER visit, I feel. So did the doctors.

By the time they saw me, my blood pressure had dropped. My heartrate was accelerated. I was dehydrated. Any longer, they suspect I would have gone into septic shock - after at least another few hours, of course, but it's a good thing I went in, they said.

So they worked quickly. They stabalized my fever, gave me steroids to undo the swelling in my throat, they hooked me up to two ivs to replace my lost fluid and slow my heart rate. It also stabilized my blood pressure. I immediately started to feel better. The pressure on my head went far away. I was able to swallow again. In fact, my mother and I went to get food afterwards because I needed it. A good sign.

So in the meantime, I am resting. And with everyone at work telling me to get my strength back. It does me or the campaign no good to continue being sick. And I certainly wouldn't want to infect anyone. It's just nice because it's been so long since I've had a bacterial infection, I forgot antibiotics work. I've had viral infections every time I've been sick in the past five years or so that all I can do is rest. So it's nice knowing that I can be better with a few pills. Seriously.

Back to rest. And work from the hotel. I find that I'm catching up on a lot of things - there's only so much sleep one can take in a day. Especially me. In the meantime, I've added yet another new link to the left - Deviation by a brilliant mind - my friend and yours, the brilliant mindy. a beers. So take a look around. Check it out.

And take care of yourselves. And each other.

THE HAPPIEST MONKEE...

Well, sort of.

My prayers (?) have been answered. I will be rather busy starting tomorrow morning. At least I might feel useful.

On the other hand, I'm in a lot of pain. My back has locked up in the past two days and movement of any kind is really quite painful. Sitting for a long time, standing for a long time - I just seem to be uncomfortable no matter what I try to do.

So I caved in. I called a local chiropractor, had him contact my chiro in Delaware, and went in for the adjustment. Different method, but nonetheless, useful. My back still hurts, but that's to be expected considering that I haven't had an adjustment in weeks. The whole "unwinding" thing that I don't feel like going into. But instead of the bear hugs that I get from my chiro, I had the "drop" method. Which is really interesting. You lie on your stomach onto a table where the waist down moves. The doctor pokes around on your back, lifts up that part of the table, presses on the vertebrae, and then the table drops, moving your back into the correct position. It's interesting. To say the least. But I can already tell my back is unlocked. Now it's just sore as hell and I need to be drinking lots of water because of all the moving around they did back there (all the negative juice the spine releases when adjusted). So I think I'm headed for the jacuzzi as soon as I post this.

But why am I a happy monkee? A few reasons.

1. I will be busy starting tomorrow. GOTV, here I come.

2. AFSCME has been working their little butts off over here. And it makes me happy knowing we're kicking ass and taking names.

3. I drove by two Frank Lloyd Wright houses here in Buffalo - might be the best I can do given my schedule. Maybe I can work in a tour. I'm hoping. But driving by was enough - jeebus, that man was a brilliant designer and architect.

4. And finally, RIGHTEOUS BABE RECORDS.

So yesterday I spent all day at the AFSCME office, which happens to be right 'round the corner from the Righteous Babe Records Headquarters - which I didn't know was there (Ani DiFranco's company - for those who don't know) - and across the street from the future home of Righteous Babe Records, the church the company saved from demolition (I did know this).

And as we were leaving to go to lunch, apparently, my car keys fell out of the hole in my old peajacket pocket. I'd mend the hole if I had some cloth and a needle and thread. I heart this old jacket.

Either way, my keys fell out. Neat.

It wasn't until I was done with lunch 15 minutes away did I realize my keys must have fallen out of the pocket. I had gotten a call over lunch that I ignored because I didn't recognize the number. Turns out someone had found my keys, called the Avis number, and Avis called me to give me the guy's information. So I called. Matt is the guy who had my keys and he told me to come over to 121 W. Tupper Street, right around the corner from the AFSCME office.

So I walk into the place. And suddenly, it becomes clear. I'm standing right in the entrance of Righteous Babe Records, a Mecca for any aspiring independent musician. And after I ask for Matt, I say, "So you guys are here, huh?" They were like, "Yes, yes we are." They were all really laid back and cool. And so then I take a look around and realize that all of the RBR products are on shelves, posters, promo materials are all over the walls. And I ask if I can buy RBR stuff there instead of online and they're like, "Hell yes, you can."

So being busy with AFSCME work yesterday, I told them I'd return to take a look around. So I returned today.

Spent a pretty penny, but I ended up chatting with the folks that worked there, getting to know them. I think we all thought each other was cool. So I tell them that I'll definitely be back for more when Matt asks me if I want some free stuff. Hell to the yes.

I ask them when they are moving into their new space. They were like, "How long are you in town?" I told them that I was only here for another week when Matt and the other chick (I never got her name) were like, "Well you have to definitely come back for the opening or after we open, we'll give you a grand tour of the space - the whole nine."

Who wants to go to Buffalo in January or February? I'm totally taking them up on this offer.

So not only did I spend a lot of money, but I walked away with loads of Ani promo material that's pretty damn cool. And for someone who's been listening to her since I was 15 (that would be eleven years and counting), this is a pretty damn cool day. And I made some pretty cool friends in the meantime. I think I'm going back there soon.

In the meantime, it's to the jacuzzi for me. Surreal.

FRIENDS I HAVEN'T MET YET

First and foremost, congrats to my Philly girls for coming in at a close second last week at Quizzo. Well, actually, let me congratulate Jill, who is probably the only one from the team who reads this. Walshie, my girl, please be sure to keep me updated on the team names, I find them quite humorous. I don't know why it is that last month we sucked holy balls, but I'm still planning on trying to make Quizzo on the 22nd for the Kennedy round. Remind Jerome, er, Johnny, that he promised there would be a Kennedy round. We shall prevail.

Now onto Buffalo.

Surprisingly, my schedule hasn't been too crazy. For many different reasons, I feel like I haven't been doing much. But I know this will change on Monday when we turn our focus to GOTV and I can actually be a part of the planning process. So until then, I've been told to relax a little. So I shall. In my jacuzzi. When I'm not trying to figure out how I can be useful to this campaign.

I know this will change. I noticed right away the first day that I got here that it was strangely quiet in the campaign office. I hoped it was because everyone was out, knocking on doors, at phone banks. And I'm beginning to wonder. Because all the balls are up in the air, no one seems to know what's happening where or when, and today, I sat at the front desk answering phones while waiting for my canvassers to show up. A handful did. The good news is that we're on fourth or fifth rounds of canvasses and lit drops, so I guess it's not as bad as I think it is. I've been observing and sitting for three days and the guy I'm working with assured me that this is what it was like for him when he got there the week before me. But he's dealing with a death in the family, so he told me that I should see what's happening tomorrow, but assured me that not much would be happening since the Bills are playing tomorrow and nothing happens in Buffalo when football is on. So it looks like I have another day of rest before we get together, piss and moan about lack of communication, come up with our last week plan, and start implementing. I expect to be very busy soon.

But the most interesting thing so far are the random people I've met.

For starters, I forgot that people in Upstate New York have an accent. In Syracuse, it's more nasal. We have really flat vowels. Instead of "I spent time with my ah-nt yesterday" the phrase sounds like, "I spent time with my A-nt yesterday." You get the idea. "I broke the vah-ze" becomes "I broke the vAA-se." And sometimes it borders on Canuck.

West of 'Cuse, folks talk with a weird mix of Canadian and Midwest. Soda is pop out here and I swear at times that I'm in the middle of a Minnesota Toronto, or a Minneonto, if you will. Or even a Torosota. But either way, it's amusing. I just hope I don't pick it up. Because we all know I have a tendency to pick up on accents. Very quickly. But for now, I'm just amused every time I talk to someone here.

I've encountered two very interesting people here that really stick out in my mind.

First, we have Dancing Man. I've seen Dancing Man every day since I've been here - four times in one day, even. I suspect that Dancing Man is homeless or in a shelter as he travels around in the same outfit wielding a plastic bag filled with something every day. I don't like to judge, but that's what I think. Judging by his clothes that are dirty and ragged in places and that his face seems to gather more dirt each time I see him, I have to assume such a theory.

But the thing about Dancing Man is - you guessed it - he's always dancing. Doing ballroom dancing moves and twirling and even some ballerina in him. Yesterday, I saw him do a West Side Story move as he crossed the street. He is completely oblivious to onlookers and seems content to dance to the music in his head. Which, for some odd reason, comforts me. I find him to be not amusing, but somewhat uplifting. No matter where he goes, he's dancing. And this makes me happy. And I know I'll see him everyday, near the campaign office, and run into him at some point. He's like "Where's Waldo" for me every day.

Then there's Antonio. Or Tony. I don't really know.

Last night, I realized at around 8pm that I hadn't eaten all day. I think part of it is the trying to save money thing. Because while I have a jacuzzi in my room, I have no kitchen, no refrigerator, and no microwave. So I have to eat out. I have nary a choice. My hotel is located in a pretty good spot in downtown Buffalo where there's a great coffee shop across the street and bars and eateries all around. So I wandered outside for a spell and wanted something healthy, but I'm around bars and dives and things like that. So I went to Jim's Steak Out, which claims to have the best steak hogie in Buffalo.

But in Buffalo, like in Rome, do what the Buffalonians do. Yes, they're called Buffalonians out here.

So I got wings. Because yes, they do make them damn good out here. And yes, they are different here than other places.

But as I rolled up to Jimmy's, there was another guy in the place. He was all over the place and very clearly, a good-looking gay man. And we all know that I collect gay men like they were baseball cards or even Pogs. Yeah, pulled that one out of my ass.

So he's talking to the girl behind the counter, apparently they all know him there. And he's saying weird things, they're saying he's pretty drunk. And the girl behind the counter goes out back and he takes notice of my presence, still halfway through his conversation with the now dissapeared girl when he suddenly turns to me and was like, "Go ahead, slap my ass."

So i did. Because why not?

And so he introduces himself to me with a curtsy and a kiss on my hand as Antonio. And I realize his eyes are really scary. Because he has these light-almost-white blue contacts in. For Halloween, I assume. I hope. And then we start talking, conversation all over the place, him just flaming all over and me somewhat happy to have made a friend.

While we're waiting for my order, he reaches down to tie his shoe and declares, "Oh, fashion faux pax! I'm wearing white socks with brown shoes." And the girl behind the counter (who has returned) says in response, "You're not doing your community any good if you're dressing like that, aren't you guys supposed to have a superpower fashion sense?" And he commiserates over his faux pas when some girls walk in - you know the type, tube tops, low rider jeans so the whole world's their gynocolygist, and shiny, sparkly bags that looked like they were bejeweled. And he turns to me and says under his breath, "Talk about fashion faux pas." Then he proceeds to talk really loudly in a valley girl voice and we're laughing.

Meanwhile, he's still making me slap his ass. And then he returns the favor. All in good fun.

And the girl behind the counter is like, "You know him?" And I laugh and shake my head no and explain we just met. Then he comes up behind me and slaps my ass and turns around so I can do the same and she's like, "Oh, you know him?"

I was like, "We just had this conversation."

So after much more ass grabbing between the two of us, we go outside while we wait and he tells me more about him. And he keeps telling me I'm just adorable when his friends call and ask him where he is. He tells them he'll meet them down the street in a minute and explains that he met this cutie pie gorgeous girl and then hangs up and decides he's going to hang out with me a little longer. We chat, it's nice. Get to know each other a little bit. Then he takes me back into Jimmy's, I'm getting my food, he gives me a hug and a kiss and then leaves.

I expect I'll run into Tony again, but it was a strange, but nice little point of contact in what would otherwise be a no-contact day. It's strange to be on a campaign, sitting on my ass, feeling like I have nothing to do, sitting in a hotel room by myself - so I felt somewhat happy I ventured out. I don't know why, but it was funny and happy at the same time.

Who says you can't have fun in Buffalo? Even for a moment. At least it was something. If I find time, I'm going to stalk the Righteous Babe headquarters and see if I can get some good stuff before I leave. Hell, I'm in Buffalo. And I really want to check out the Frank Lloyd Wright houses at some point. Watch. I'll get really busy and I won't get a chance. Won't that just be a bitch?

Off to bed to enjoy the extra hour of sleep. Hope you're all doing well, faithful readers.

HOOKED UP IN BUFFAFALO!!!

Okay. So I shuffled off to Buffalo yesterday and I have been running around this city like it was going out of style.

But I got hooked up here. HOOKED UP!
So Brian and I get to the Avis Rent-A-Car where the woman asks me if I'd like the convertible for my luxury car. I kind of do a double take. I squint back at her. I'm conflicted. I've been asked for the first time if I'd like the convertible. And I have to turn it down. Because no one in their right mind would chose the convertible in Buffalo in October-soon-to-be-November.

Of course it's going to be 60 degrees on Sunday. Neat.

So I'm like, "Great, I got the Malibu or the Pontiac."

Mad Dog still has it good with the 'Stang, but mama got a Pontiac Cruiser.

Yes. It's a strange as hell car. But considering my other rentals - the Grand AM, the Focus, the Impala, the random GM car that I can't ever remember the name of - I think it's an interesting choice. Hell, I could have had the convertible. Damnhellass.

But that's not all. So I had to change hotels - nothing big, just they couldn't get me at the one downtown, so I was at the Hampton at the airport. It was nice enough. The Hampton at the airport in Albany is suhweet.

But the Hampton Downtown Buffalo is AWESOME. I'm worried I'm not going to get a suite. I think I'm getting a single or worse, a double (two twin beds - what the hell am I going to do with that?).

Nah. I got the King Sized single with JACUZZI.

Mama's living large!

Of course, I'm at the office and meetings and running around all the time, so who can enjoy it?

It might have been 2:30 in the morning. I don't care if my neighbor is asleep. Mama got in the jacuzzi. It is niiice. I have a feeling I'm spending time in that thing for the next 13 days.

The campaign is interesting. I dunno what to think yet except that I'll be busy getting canvass stuff ready all day tomorrow for Saturday.

Oh, and one more thing. I'm an Ani DiFranco fan, right? Been listening to her for over 10 years, right?

The church she and Scott saved (as documented in "Render") is a block down the street from me. I could spit on the future of Righteous Babe Records - they're conserving and rebuilding the church into a concert and art center where RBR's office will be.

Dood.

I'm finding Buffalo to be exactly like the Ani song, "Subdivision", and I'm finding that I also love a lot of the cute little businesses around here. I heart the coffee shop across the street from the Starbucks where there are more folks in the coffee shop than in Starbucks (success!) and the row of restaurants and pubs around here. Me like. I have a feeling I'm stopping into that coffee shop every morning before heading into the office.

Oy. It's late. And I need to get up in a few hours. So hope you're all doing well.

And to my Philly Phabulous Girls: I really missed all of you Tuesday night - it felt so strange to be so far away. Hope you're kicking some Sofa Kingdom ass! Or at least someone's ass! And remember, when in doubt, Martina Navratilova.