words mean things

most people know that there are a lot of words i don't like (for example: 'my moist panties are chafing my badger') mostly b/c of the connotation or the way they sound. there's not really a good reason for why i don't like most of them, but it is what it is. love me, love the fact that i sometimes do things for not good reasons. (incidentally, more on why we don't like certain words here: 'why we hate the word moist'.)

hearn likes to make fun of me for this, mostly because i'm pretty vocal about the words i don't like, but there are a whole bunch of words i really do like too. so one day while bored in a meeting (back in the days when i used to go to meetings and not doing anything) i started making a list of words i do like. so here are some of them - just realize it's a work in progress. :)

giggle
resplendent
celebration
congratulations
cloud
marshmallow
wink
wish
dazzle
twilight
frolic
tickle
bubble
luminescent
firefly
pretzel
wharf
spinnaker
glorious
goblet
zephyr
euphoria
ecstasy
cozy
splash
sunshine
wiggle
dervish
deluge
squelch
puddle

have pong paddle, will travel

this will likely be the title of my next facebook album as well, as all my pictures lately seem to be of dartmouth kids playing pong.

fri night we took the metro north up to new haven to play pong at lamb's apartment b/c new haven has space along with shootings and crime. harbour to be exact. it was pretty epic. lamb kept reminding us that it was 'only eight beers' and we were going out to some yale law school party after the first game but those eight beers hit us hard b/c the rest of the night is pretty hazy. we ultimately decided that we had come to new haven to play pong and dammit that was what we wanted to do so back we went for harbour game number two. and that's where things stop being hazy and start being black out.

been an influx of good music lately, capped off by the return of fratmusic.com which makes me very happy. i saw 'easy a' last night which i really enjoyed and had an excellent soundtrack. came home and bought the entire thing (can't remember the last time i did that). i like a song called 'trouble is a friend' and a song that samples blondie's 'the tide is high'. highly recommend you check out the flick and the songs.

kylie minogue also has a new album out called 'aphrodite'. been a big fan of kylie's since the days of prancing in our underwear in richardson 309 and i am pleased to report the album passes the prancing test. check out 'aphrodite', 'illusion' and 'all the lovers'.

i have also secured an apartment and will not be homeless on october 31st. decided to go with the apt with the right location, price and layout. however this means that i'll be sharing a bathroom with the 4th floor of the brownstone i'll be living in. you can bet i'll report back on this.

otherwise it will be all about the upcoming move for the next couple weeks - packing and making arrangements and whatnot. it's been a good run but it's on to the next one.

i'll drink to that

tomorrow is the dartmouth club of nyc fall kickoff party, and as the new social chair of the d club of nyc (MUCH less glamorous than it sounds), i have been charged with decorations and music. i'm psyched on the decorations - jack b nimble mini pumpkins, fall hanging decorations and glitter leaves - but the soundtrack has been much more difficult.

normally the music for a party is my sweet spot. hearn even acknowledged how fantastic the playlist i put together for the 90s beach party was back in july. but having a lot of trouble putting together a soundtrack for a cocktail party that spans a few generations in the library of the yale club. surprisingly, itunes didn't have a great cocktail 'essentials' playlist or anything, which is their loss b/c i probably would have bought the entire thing. right now the list is a fair amount of low key alternative, some blue grass, some ragtime, and some oldies (think 'in the mood') with the dartmouth songs thrown in. not sure how it's going to go over, but i guess we can just drink ourselves a soundtrack. immediate stress aside, i am enjoying being more involved with the club, and got very drunk after last week's board meeting off of martinis. discovered at kjb's wedding that the dirty martini's weren't 'dirty' enough for me - apparently i like it filthy (#twss) so filthy martinis have become my poison of choice with predictable results.

had a delightful weekend out in cali visiting with diana, laurak and karla. i've been running around like a maniac lately with work, the d club and apt hunting, so the time change hit me really hard, but i did manage to stay up late enough on friday night for laurak's arrival from la so we could do a really quiet rendition of 'escape' for old times sake.

we played a lot of pong (which diana and i won handily to evan's chagrin). we also walked along the beach and saw a bunch of dolphins. it's so weird to me that SF has all these tropical elements like palm trees and pelicans and dolphins when it's foggy and the ocean is so cold! but dolphins are cool wherever you see them.

i also did not get to ride the cable cars like i had hoped; instead, we went out to a vineyard outside the city for the opening of a wine created by a friend of a friend (more here). kind of like going to a gallery opening in chelsea only we were out in this really rural area surrounded by vines that looked like corn shocks and drinking our faces off of delicious wine and eating goat cheese. it was a fun experience to do that.

we also heard a lot about the plans for diana and evan's wedding scheduled for july in monterey, ca. sounds like a number of the usual suspects will be attending and diana's djing, which means the enrique will be out of control. already looking forward to meeting back at the local saloon. unfort i missed most of the merriment of 'talk like a pirate day' on sunday due to the flight back to nyc. or in pirate speak - being held hostage by a bunch of landlubbers.

back in nyc the apt hunt continues. saw an apt tonight that has a shared bathroom and a lofted bed - debating whether i can live with that. i also saw an apt that is right near the apt charlo and i first lived in when we moved to the city. like i swear the air shaft is the one that littlechen booted out of during a party we threw in apt 27. debating if being right back where i started five years after the fact is worth having this apt search over and done with. tbd the room in this apt was available because the girl is moving to boston to live with her dartmouth '05 boyfriend. the world is too small sometimes. well that and dartmouth people are everywhere.

i'm in the city this wknd except for what is likely an ill-advised trip to new haven on fri night to play harbour at lamb's apt. two hours is a lot shorter than 5 hours when it comes to traveling to play pong but it means another night without sleep or downtime. then again, who needs those anyway??

will leave you with this quote i like from my friend at 'wanderlost':

“let us toast to animal pleasures, to escapism, to rain on the roof and instant coffee, to unemployment insurance and library cards, to absinthe and good-hearted landlords, to music and warm bodies and contraceptives… and to the “good life”, whatever it is and wherever it happens to be.”

- hunter s. thompson

bearer of good news

i am THRILLED to report that laurak is joining for our min-sd reunion in SF this wknd! now if only i can wake up for my flight (7 am tomorrow. tonight are the kickball championships. oy) and stay awake on west coast time (12 AM PST = 3 AM EST) we'll be in business.

years ago at like age 12 my dad opened an IRA for me for retirement savings or whatever. in 2007, when i turned 25, i got a notice that my dad would no longer have custody of the account and that i needed to assume control by filling out some papers and sending it to schwab. i am pleased to report that i finally got around to that on monday. you know - two years after the fact.

and a happy birthday to mallika and to kevin (tomorrow)!

microblog update time

 to save you the effort of asking what's new in my life, here's a blog update.

1. moving is the worst. am tethered to craigslist at any and all times and doing my best to fend off visions of homelessness on october 31. to make things worse, a realtor keeps coming through to show people the apartment which both depresses me (direct quote: why are these people moving out? this apartment is fantastic!) and reminds me that my apt hunt isn't going nearly as well. another fun, twisted thing about nyc is that the housing market is about 2 - 4 weeks out, and as i need a place to live on nov 1, i am still to early to do anything about the stress of moving. debating whether having lots of advance notice on the move or a 'surprise! you have to move in a month' notice like we got last time around is better. is ignorance bliss? the eternal question.

2. had a nice low-key weekend in nyc this past weekend. ended up staying out much later than i had planned on saturday night at cody's bday/coleman's going away party in the east village. several of the '06/'07 sds were in attendance - jenny w, celeste and jen thompson in particular - great to see them and catch up. woke up around noon on sunday as a result of sat's late night and made a pot of lentil soup. i have managed to perfect the recipe and i'm quite pleased about that. i also made up a batch of trader joe's gingerbread, purchased at christmas time last year. as part of aforementioned move i am attempting to clean out closets and eat up stuff that i haven't gotten around to touching in the last 9 mths or so - ergo the gingerbread. the gingerbread was delicious and easy to make - i would def recommend it.

3. having a bit of a stressful week on top of the moving nonsense b/c i am taking friday off to head out to san francisco to visit diana for a short trip. super excited to see her and i haven't been back to the city by the bay in a couple of years. we are going to ride the trolley cars and meet up with karla for some ponging. laurak is also planning to make an appearance - so we will have yet another mini sd reunion - this time on the west coast. can't wait for the trip - but so much to do before then! best get back to it.

high line

i spent my last summer friday of the summer last week exploring the high line. the high line is this new park on the west side of manhattan that's been created out of an old elevated rail road line that used to bring goods and materials to the factories along 10th avenue (essentially). chelsea market, where i work, used to be the nabisco factory, so the high line is literally outside my office. i've walked under it and heard a lot about it, but i hadn't gotten around to exploring it until last friday.

it was super cool. you're about one story up when you're in the park, so it's a very unique perspective on buildings. you're close to the west side highway and the hudson river - so you get glimpses of both as you walk along. they've incorporated the park into the old tracks - in some places the tracks are still there so you still get a feeling of the park's history. and of course you're strolling past and under buildings - some through buildings - as you go - so there's a feeling that the city is all around you but you're somehow removed.

 the high line currently stretches from gansevort street to 23rd street - and they're building the next piece now. eventually it will stretch all the way up to 34th street. it's narrow (rail road tracks!) but twists and winds along as you go. they've planted lots of grasses and flowers - probably the closest thing to a new england field in nyc - and there are plenty of benches to sit on. there some trees and even will be some water eventually. there's also art - one thing i really enjoyed was an installation under a building that chimes a bell from somewhere in nyc every minute, with a full on ringing of the bells on the hour. there's a map so you can see where in the city each bell tone is from - neat!

there's also vendors with drinks and ice cream along the way - so you can pick up a snack, plop down and read, people watch or soak up the sun. also highly recommend as a good date place or place to being out of town friends. take a stroll, chat on a bench and hit up the standard beer garden later on. i think the high line wins as my second favorite place in nyc after grand central. check it out!

from the archives

sigma delta in a nutshell:

6/30/2005 - author unknown

One dark and stormy night in June, a rowdy and ragged cast of characters set up shop at 10 W Wheelock.

That day has since gone down in the annals of history as the day a legend was born...


Now, after
15 hours
9 pong games
1 mike's mixed with orange juice
5 jello shots
1 hour spent wearing a cape
1 excursion into the pool
420 blitzes
70,000 choruses of Diana's song
4 billion 'Stones
5 hours of sleep

I had my first hangover and don't feel at all guilty that I spent all morning on the Collis porch.

They're out of whiskey here, so I'm headed back home.

present company the best that you can find

i've been thinking about how to describe this past weekend for a couple of days now. still not sure i know how to do this best, but i do know that i've been alternatively laughing to myself and blushing in the subway/on the sidewalk/at work for the last few days whenever i remember something from our 'seinfeld vacation' this past weekend.

we've been referring to our trip as a 'seinfeld vacation' (and we hope for it to become an annual tradition) because it was me, megh, dax and kevin out and about for kjb's (now to be referred to as kjbb) wedding in the berkshires of western mass.

kevin, dax and i picked up the car in stamford on saturday morning for our road trip up to lenox, ma. we drove up route 7 all the way - a gorgeous, scenic road through connecticut and southwestern mass. think the road to woodstock, vt - fields, water, goldenrod, black eyed susans, farmers stands and stone walls everywhere. fortunately nyc and this part of new england didn't get any of hurricane earl, which was threatening the rest of the east coast and it was partly cloudy and 70 the entire weekend. perfect early fall weather.

our road trip song ultimately became a song from the new lcd soundsystem album called 'dance yrself clean', primarily because of the incredible explosion at 3:08 and the completely accurate lyrics:

Present company accepted
Present company
Except the worst
It happens every night

Present company
Excluded every time

Present company
The best that you can find

met up with megh in lenox; he flew in from chicago where he's about to start bschool. lenox is an adorable little town - kind of reminiscent of hanover and the part of main street where ramuntos is. i did my best to impress upon dax and kevin that lenox was a very upscale part of the country with lots of culture and arts and they should be glad to be spending the weekend there. i think it ultimately got through to them.

we had some amazing meals during the weekend - a fantastic chicken liver and almond pate sandwich at 'nudel', a delicious dinner at 'the church street cafe' and some baked goods and brunch at 'haven'. lots of organic food and vegetables, though some of us thought the salads left a lot to be desired due to their lack of anything besides lettuce.

all 4 of us were in a room together at the hampton inn. megh suggested that we divide the room into zones to keep track of our belongings, which was a good idea, but then meant that we spent the weekend joking/complaining that someone's stuff was in someone else's zone, with the money quote being 'sorry, sorry i'm spreading my zones all over the room.'

the wedding was sunday evening, so we had sunday morning to explore the berkshires. we drove further up route 7 to mt. greylock - the tallest point in massachusetts at 3,491 feet. on the way we encountered a picture-perfect field with an old fashioned tractor parked by the road. kevin suggested we get out and frolic so we ran around the field and took some fantastic rural tractor pictures. cue 'she thinks my tractor's sexy' and a christmas card with the 4 of us on a tractor.

there's an 8 mile roadway up to the summit of mount greylock so we didn't have to hike to the top to see the incredible views, though we did encounter some kids from williams at the summit on what looked like a doc trip-like event. the appalacian trail goes over mt. greylock and i enjoyed the fact that we were connected to hanover in trail and in spirit. it was our own little doc trip.

the wedding was held at a farm outside lenox so we all got on school buses from the hotel to the farm. this wedding is probably the closest thing we'll get to a wedding at bates (in all senses of the word), as the reception was held in a barn next to a gorgeous field. this was my first jewish wedding so i learned a lot and got to dance the hora for the first time (super fun!).

the wedding was gorgeous - the ceremony was outside by a duck pond (they were very well behaved during the event) and then we moved inside for dinner and dancing. kevin and i never made it to a formal together in college (though we were often at the same formals) so it was nice to be there together. my new friend olivia has done a fantastic job describing the decorations and food at her blog so i suggest you check that out, and you can get a sense of the locale at the farm's website. i particularly enjoyed the tomato bar - such a great idea. kjbb looked gorgeous and we had a blast dancing and celebrating with her and her new husband.

a sub-theme of the weekend was 'look at your life, look at your choices.' not entirely sure where this came from, but it's sort of reminiscent of 'take a break and think about what you've done' from 'wet hot'. suffice to say that there were several occurrences during the wedding that this statement applied to. i won't list them out here but it was epic and there are now many good stories that can be told from kjbb's wedding. inquire directly if you're interested.

got back to nyc monday afternoon and promptly watched the episode of seinfeld where they go to a wedding in india ('the betrayal') to close out a fantastic weekend. so sad the weekend is over after looking forward to it for so long, but we have extensive photodocumention and memories to sustain us. 'memories? i LOVE memories. drinks for everyone'.

much love to the d folks and congrats to kjbb! :)

these are the days

it's hot enough to still be summer in nyc and i love this song and these lyrics so:

these are the days of the endless summer
these are the days, the time is now
there is no past, there's only future
there's only here, there's only now

these are the days of the endless dancing and the
long walks on summer nights
these are the days of true romancing
when i'm holding you so tight

these are the days that we now must savor
and we must enjoy as we can
these are the days that will last forever
you've got to hold them in your heart
- van morrison 'these are the days'

september

september is a funny month - i always sort of felt like it was an in-between month when nothing much exciting happened. the last lame duck summer days of warm sunshine during the day and then cooler nights, and the uncomfortable 'try to figure out what's going on now that school's started' feelings. there's nothing really to set it apart or make it stand out - it's like it doesn't know where it fits.

however i am, as always, conscious of the changing of the month and i did say 'rabbit rabbit' for luck last night when august became september and i wanted to share september's 'chicken soup with rice':

In September, for a while
I will ride a crocodile
Down the chicken soup-y Nile
Paddle once, paddle twice
Paddle chicken soup with rice

i'm pretty bummed that preparations aren't in full swing for the labor day jimmy buffett show as in years past, but also very much looking forward to spending the weekend with megh, kevin and dax at kjb's wedding in western, mass. kevin gets into to nyc on friday night and we're going to paint the town red, and then head up to 'the middle of nowhere massachusetts' to bum around on saturday and sunday morning before the wedding sunday evening. the temp is supposed to be in the 70s during the day and the 50s during the night up there, and as i'm currently broiling in the mid-90s temps here in nyc, dreaming of vests and fleeces sounds pretty good.  as do road trips and reunions with old friends. :)