Some days you're a redhead, others you're a blonde.....

I was at a friends BBQ….Muscle Jay. I think it was his birthday, actually. Pig roast, lots of Coors light, sun, ladder golf, and best of all, amazing friends. Laughs abounded, birds were singing, and I was being given crap about my ugly feet. Feet are SUPPOSED to be ugly!!

We felt bad about the local bartender that had to work and couldn’t come join the festivities, so we made several trips back and forth to the bar to keep him company. After the third or fourth trip, three of us decided that we wanted to change up the venue completely. We settled on Uptown to grab another drink or two and crash at my place.

We all decided that none of us were in any shape to be driving (hooray good decision making!), so we called Dry Drivers. The location change to Uptown was also nice because it was the closest – saving us all cab money. Bald Man had driven, as had I, so the only decision left to make was which car to take. He wanted his with him and I, of course, wanted mine with me. We were going to be at my place, it was the thing to do!

After many minutes of back and forth, we finally settled on his car, but only because he agreed to let me smoke one cigarette on the way home. Dry Drivers is cool because they follow you home in your car, so that you have it in the morning. Seriously a great service.

Well, when we arrived at my place, I figured out the real reason I wanted to take my car with me. As will happen, people tend to not believe the drunk chick, or the young chick, or any chick for that matter. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been right in life (I’ll give you a hint, it’s more than I’m wrong), and yet people still don’t trust my judgment. When it comes to boys I’ll concede that my judgment sucks (future post coming on that), but when it comes to life, I think I have a pretty good grasp of it and know what I’m doing. So just trust me dammit.

We’re getting ready to pay the guy when the light bulb goes off in my head. I have my car key, so I can get into it in the AM, but I don’t have my house keys. I don’t carry a purse, so I left the house keys in the car, and kept the car key with me. After much embarrassment and loads of apologies (along with an extra $40 in cab fare), we ended up back at Bri’s. Bald man gave me a ride back to my car in the am, and I crashed. In fairness, I was born a blonde…..

Sunday Funday!

Well, it started out that way, anyway. I got up early to catch the Italy v. New Zealand game at the local bar. Not that I really care about soccer, but somehow I drew Italy in the bar pool, and if they win the World Cup, I win $300. ITALIA, ITALIA, ITALIA!!!!

After the game, the bar emptied out, but as it got closer to the Brazil game, it filled back up a bit. There were a couple guys sitting near me for the first game that left and came back. When they came back, we started chatting, and I found out one of them plays kickball at the field close to my house. And they both live within stumbling distance to the bar. There weren’t any kickball games due to it being Father’s Day, but there was a party on the field, so we decided to check it out.

En route to the field, my phone died…and then really died….like done. Finished. Kaput. Of course with my luck, it had to happen BEFORE I called my father, but that’s just par for the course in my life. It was hotter than hot, so we stopped into the bar right by the field, where I’m pretty sure I consumed my weight in water. We eventually made it over to the field where a kiddy pool and a makeshift ‘Slip n’ Slide’ were set up. We chatted and laughed with their teammates and I said hello to a few friends….but after about an hour, I thought I was going to die. I walked back home and crashed.

I don’t know if it was the heat or something I ate, but I thought I was going to die. I slept fitfully until about 2 in the morning and couldn’t get myself back to sleep…too late for a sleeping pill, too early to think about going to work. So I stared at the ceiling and reflected. And then all of a sudden, it was time to go to work. I haven’t felt right since, and I’m hoping I will by tomorrow…..this is not a good time for me to be sick. To a better week!!

Saturday Boringday?

The life of a single girl isn’t always as glamorous as it seems. Saturday was one of those days. A trip to Target, a venture to the suburbs to meet a friend for a beer, moping (and by moping, I mean eating Baked Doritos, drinking Diet Coke and writing blog posts) about on my porch due to the lack of a social life here – ah, the mundane boring things that married people do!

But then, sometimes the life of a single girl IS as glamorous as it seems!!

A call out to my assistant, pleading for girly time lifted my mood immediately. She had mentioned earlier in the day that she had made a verbal commitment for the evening (which depressed me immediately because I was being a negative nancy). Turns out, the verbal commitment was with a couple co-workers at a super cute restaurant with a fabulous patio.

She had told me a week or so prior about the exclusive “Veuve” parties thrown by one of our co-workers. I didn’t know him that well, but when someone says Veuve, I say how high? I agreed immediately and inquired about the dress code. Fancy schmancy, of course. And what better dress to wear than my new dress straight out of Sex and the City 2?! I of course wanted to wear my new shoes, but the pedicure I treated myself to the day prior dictated open toed shoes. Not wanting to change my yellow purse out for the black one, I settled on these, in blue snakeskin. Yum.

We met at my place and cabbed it here, an ULTRA cute restaurant in the Marigny that used to house servants on an old plantation. The history in this city is amazing. We sat in the little courtyard, sipping champagne, the sounds of water fountains dancing in our ears. While I wasn’t particularly hungry, the crab cake was toying with me, until I saw the macadamia nut cheesecake on the menu. Dessert for dinner? Sold.

After a while, we packed up and into the “bus”, and headed off to the house party. I assumed this would be a most extravagant event, with tons of fabulous people, and amazing appetizers. I was a bit disappointed it was just the four of us, only because the utter hotness I was radiating was completely and utterly wasted with three girls, one husband and the first member of my NOLA gaytourage. Once I got past that though, it was super fun. The house was pure southern charm – his partner is an artist and basically painted the whole house. It was stunning!

We made it through three bottles of Veuve before we cracked the absinthe….in fairness, I only had a sip, but it was much better than I remember it. Maybe it was in the presentation (traditionally with a spoon and flaming sugar vs. out of a bottle in Ireland), maybe it was the company (fabulous colleagues), but it was delightful – the anise danced all over my tongue and down my throat, warming everything as it made its way to its resting spot.

It was one of the best evenings I’ve had since I’ve been here – so thanks to all involved. I really appreciate and can’t wait for the next time.

This will not destroy me....

It will make me stronger! Cliché, cliché, cliché. I’m a walking, talking, living, breathing cliché. Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’m also a ridiculous blonde sometime, most recently in the sense that I completely blew off a site tour at another hotel to watch soccer. Really?! I neglected to put it in my Outlook calendar; if it’s not in my Outlook calendar, it doesn’t exist. I felt awful about it, especially considering what transpired in the interim (future blog post), but because it was at one of our sister properties. Eventually the sales guy made it to the happy hour spot and I bought him a couple beers to smooth things over. How ridiculously unprofessional of me.

We all departed and with my plans for the evening in the same place my phone was a couple months ago (the toilet for those not in the know), I could have sat home and moped about. Instead, I went and had dinner at our hotel bar, and discovered a new bar in a new part of town.

At the Mono concert a couple of weeks ago, a fellow fan and I were discussing music in general and where to go to see it. Music is one thing that is definitely not lacking in this town. He mentioned that there was a similar band playing the following week called “This Will Destroy You” at a bar in the Bywater called Saturn Bar (though for some reason I always want to call it Sunset Bar). I decided to hell with it, I was going to go enjoy some decent live music. Even if it was by myself.

And enjoy I did. They were awesome. A little more rock-y than Mono, but the sound was great. The bar was slightly too small for a stage, so they were actually playing in the audience. I didn’t catch the name of the opening band, but met a couple of the members. Good guys and decent music. Overall, the night could have been a complete bust, but I made the most of it and ended up having a most delightful evening.

Amazing what a little positivity does to a person….

Laughing

*I swiped this post from a previous blog I started. It seems fitting right now. I'll elaborate in the future, but suffice to say, yesterday afternoon was challenging. I'm my own worst critic and worst enemy sometimes, and I just need to remember that it doesn't have to be like that.*

At myself. If I can't, who can? I took a step back when I got home last night and looked at the last week of my life. And all I could do was laugh. Laugh at how wonderfully ridiculous I can be, at how many wonderful things and people are in my life that I don't recognize sometimes. Laughing at something as silly and insignificant as a Post-It note and how integral they are to my life. I laugh at how oblivious I can be. I laugh at where my priorities lie. I really laugh at how clumsy I am.

As I sit here reflecting on the direction my life has taken, and the places I've been, I realize how ridiculous it is when I complain when something less than ideal happens. I've been extremely fortunate in my lifetime. I have a pretty amazing lifestyle. Granted, I've worked extremely hard for it. I travel to amazing places, I attend fabulous events, the food I consume is nothing short of incredible and I dress well. I drive a shitty car, but that's because cars are stupid (I've put less than 20K miles on it in 3 years). I'm able to save for retirement and still live comfortably.

Next time I complain about a situation that doesn't turn out how I want it to, or about a bad day at work, please refer me to this post, and tell me to put it into perspective. Tell me how utterly ridiculous I sound. Because there are a lot of people out there that have it a lot worse than I do. I'm extremely optimistic about my future and I'm going to stop taking things and people for granted. I'm going to continue to live with passion and I'm going to focus on living with purpose.

Someone I admire very much is Randy Pausch. If you haven't seen "The Last Lecture" run, do not walk, do not pass go and do not collect $200, to watch this video. This man was absolutely incredible. His passion for life and appreciation are to be admired and cherished. Sadly Randy passed away a couple of years ago, but the lessons he shared stayed. This is one of my favorite quotes from the speech...

"Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people."

- Randy Pausch ( 1960-2008 )

This one is the full speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

This is the short Oprah version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IjVl8xzCSk

Cochon and Blues

One of my last meals in Minneapolis was cooked by none other than Tim McKee. I follow him on Twitter, and when I read that he was cooking behind the tapas bar, I made it my mission in life to eat there. I mean, how many people have the opportunity to have a James Beard award winning chef make them dinner!? Anyway, I mentioned that I was moving to New Orleans, he suggested I try out a couple of restaurants by a fellow Beard winner.

The restaurants are Herbsaint and Cochon. A friend of a friend of a friend works at Herbsaint, so it's definitely on my list of places to eat. Everyone at work has absolutely been raving about Cochon, so when I was invited out to dinner with a new friend, I jumped at the opportunity. And good lord....was it delightful. Fried boudin with pickled peppers, tomato soup with fresh basil, some sort of fish skewers, and one of the greatest entrees I've ever had in my life - soft-shell crab served on a corn and tomato salad with a jalapeño vinaigrette and fresh cilantro. Delightful. The dessert menu underwhelmed me (soooooooo sad), the service was fabulous and there was great company. Really, that's all I need in life - good food and good people.

Well, good music helps. After dinner we trekked to the Funky Pirate Blues Club to see Big Al Carson. A friend was raving about him when we were there after the Tomato Festival, so we popped back in. Other than the feedback from the mic, it was wonderful. Big Al's voice was like velvet. It wasn't super packed, which meant it wasn't super smoky. After a while we stopped at another bar to watch the end of the LA/Boston "game".

All in all, it was a fabulous night filled with great company, music and food. Not much in life makes me happier. Now, if I could just win the Pirates vs. Ninja argument..... :)

Ok, seriously....

I must be horrendously out of shape. These workouts are kicking my ass. Literally. The only time I enjoy being as sweaty as I've been have been when I'm....Parents: eyepatch it for me.....a lot less vertical than in class. I mean dripping. Gross. However, it is good for me, it is good to get my body into shape, it's developing me (how I'm not sure) but moreover, it's keeping me from my vices, all of which are well documented. I was going to attempt three classes a week, plus a bag class....realistically, for the first month, two may be all I can handle. I wanted to give up today, and then I pushed harder. The facilitator of the class, and my classmates don't care if I succeed or fail. The only person that I hurt is me, and that's the exact opposite of my going at all.

So. I'll be there Wednesday (or Thursday depending on how I feel). Will shoot for Saturday. If I can go every three days, it's not quite three times a week, but I think it's enough for now and it gives my body time to recover. I'm not going to quit on this. I may be a whiny human when I'm sore and attempting Bear Crawls, but I'm not going to quit (also, it's quite expensive).

And an aside, the owner of the studio invited me to join his kickball team. So I did. In the absolute hottest time of the year. Hopefully we don't get too many rainouts. It's literally rained every day I've been here. Ah....life. Interesting where it takes us....

Woo hoo!

Yet another fabulous weekend is in the history books. Friday may have been the first day that I didn't feel like a 90 year old. I am ridiculously out of shape, it would appear. I felt completely normal on Saturday, but Friday was great. Productive day at work, LOTS of laughs had...all in all a great day at the office. We left around 4 for HH.....and what was supposed to be two at Cajun Mikes turned into four. Then we made tracks to the Bulldog (closer to home for both my counterpart and I), where one turned into four. Analytical conversations interspersed with dirty jokes is a wonderful way to end the long week. I was supposed to meet up with a friend I met at the concert, but it turns out my body had a different agenda. As I laid down to read the newspaper, I let my eyes rest......and four missed calls and two texts later, it's 1AM. Guess I wasn't going out further.

Saturday I woke up super early....like 7AM early. After forcing myself back to sleep for a couple hours, I grabbed a cup of coffee and waited for my couches to arrive. I HAVE COUCHES! Plural! And they're SUPER nice. Soft, comfy black leather. I really only have room for one of them, but the pair was about half of what I paid for my previous couch. Singular. They're my first "official" pieces of furniture (the clothing racks and air mattress don't count). I had some time to kill before the USA v. England soccer match, so I caught up on the most recent Wine Spectator.

The destination for the soccer game was the Bulldog, and I went a bit early to secure a table. There were only a few left when I got there, none of which were in the bar area, but I call it a success. It was absolutely packed after an hour....like to the point of not being able to move. Beers were drank, laughs were had, friendships started. I had intended to meet up with my friend Rob, but by the time I got home, the furthest I was going was McCools. I wanted to check to see who my team in their pool is (Italy....and if they win it all, I win $300) and there were a few people I knew sitting outside. Stayed for a couple drinks and called it an early night.

I really thought people were lying to me when they said there's a festival here every weekend. There literally is. And when I saw the Creole Tomato Festival, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I woke up super early again on Sunday, grabbed breakfast and finally was able to meet up with Rob for this festival. And it was super lame. The highlight of it was the creole tomato bloody mary mix. We stopped into Margaritaville to bask in the air conditioner, ate alligator and then found Ryan's pub for the Germany v. Australia game. The rest of the afternoon slash early evening carried on like that - something good at one bar, something good at another bar.....The best was the Pimm's Cup at the Carousel bar though. The bar itself was odd at first....spinning around took some getting used to, as well as the kitsch factor of the place. Lots of old people. And cougars. Overall worth the experience though.

Should be another good week this week....I have my first client lunch today, I'm going to the gym Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Tuesday a few of us are going to check out Cochon and Friday there's another great concert. Seems that I am taking to this city after all.

MONO.

Wow. A person who I believe to be my personal guardian angel introduced me to this band. I met them before I started on this journey, and my only wish was to have met them a year prior. I may not have left. It’s quite refreshing to get a completely different perspective on life from someone that has absolutely no vested interest in success or failure. No reason at all. And perhaps that’s why I listen to them; because they have nothing to gain or lose. They just want to be honest about what works and what doesn’t in life. And while I may not listen, or only hear what I want to hear, I truly do appreciate the unsolicited advice. Because when it comes down to it, the people that have nothing to gain by helping you are the ones that can help the most.

I’ll stop pontificating now, and say that to date, this show may have been one of the best I’ve ever been to. Powerful, dominating, moving in so many ways, and yet so fragile, like a Faberge Egg. Dainty, and peaceful, but at the same time like a bull in a china shop (not unlike myself). The femininity of the xylophone coupled with the masculinity of the drums created an almost out of body experience unlike anything I’ve ever seen or heard. The crescendos were reminiscent of waves crashing on the beaches of Mexico. I’m listening to it as I type and I may be even more moved now…thinking back, and how much I wish I could have seen them in Minneapolis too.

There are no words, literally. They don’t sing - no dancing or pomp and circumstance. Just four people that are so passionate about their craft, they could do it blindfolded. And, perhaps, that’s part of what moves me about them. I want to be so good at my job I could do it without sight. And to care that much about it. To be able to put every fiber of your being into that which moves you the most. It’s got to be an amazing feeling. I know it resonated with me – the passion.

With everything in life, there should be passion. The only thing in life I will fault someone on is doing something because they feel they should, because it’s comfortable, because “that’s the way it’s always been done”. No. As I listen to the magnificence that is “Ashes In Snow” it rings even truer. Stop accepting the status quo, because it’s “comfortable”. Now.

Of everyone I meet, I ask him or her one of two questions. The first is – if you could be anyone, from any time period of life, who would you be? The other is – what do you want out of life.

All I ever ask of people is to know what they want. It’s a tough task, for sure, but not impossible. I feel sadness for those that can’t answer it. I truly do. I know it’s not the easiest thing to answer, and I’m grateful I could answer it at the age of 17. The belief that I have is that everyone knows what they want out of life. They may not want to admit it for whatever reason, or they haven’t yet touched the part of their psyche that it’s hidden, but everyone knows what they want. Do yourself a favor; figure it out.

I truly didn’t mean to get back on my soapbox, and I’m sorry. It’s just that this music…brings back so many things for me. Amazing, wonderful memories that I want so badly to relive again. Memories I haven’t yet created. I’m so hopeful, even with all the crap I’ve been through and will go through in the future. The crap and how we respond to it is what makes us better people. And all I want is the best for everyone, for people to be happy.

In closing, to the person that opened my eyes up to something new and exciting, I thank you. I cannot thank you enough for your words of wisdom; the things you told me that if it had been anyone else, I wouldn’t have listened to. For the new perspective on so many things, I appreciate it in more than words could ever express. I hope that our physical paths cross again soon, and I can give you a hug like I’ve never given. So you can see in my face how unbelievably appreciative I am. You went out on a limb, something I have great difficulty in doing, and I was receptive to it like I’ve never been before. I mean every letter of describing you as a guardian angel, and I truly hope to see you soon. Thank you. For everything. I mean that in truly every possible way.

I'd recap the concert from last night

If I could move. Krav is kicking my ass. Literally. Every muscle in my body hurts right now. That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right? Yeah, keep telling myself that.....

Just try......

To break into my house again. Let me start this entry by declaring my undying love for all things JLo. Except maybe perfume, if she has one. She doesn’t really excel at anything, but is really good at a lot of things. She’s not a great actress, but she picks roles that suit her and they make a ton of money. She’s not an excellent singer, but she knows how to choose booty shaking songs.

In any event, the whole point of this entry is a bit of a follow up to the break in post. I’ve heard everything from it’s an isolated event to buy a shotgun, but I’m landing somewhere in the middle. As such, I refer to my personal hero, and the movie Enough for inspiration. It’s a horrible movie, really really bad. Some good eye candy, but other than that, there isn’t anything redeeming qualities about the movie and I’m willing to admit that. The payoff comes at the end. If you can sit through 90 minutes of “mailing it in” acting, the climax scene is an adrenaline boosting few minutes of heaven. If kicking the shit out of your abusive ex husband is your idea of heaven, that is.

By the end of the film, JLo’s character has had enough. He’s never going to leave her alone until he kills her, so she takes matters into her own hands. She meets with a lawyer and he suggests to her the art of Krav Maga. It’s a fighting technique taught to the Israeli army, with one simple idea: the use of force is met with excessive force. To the point of death. It’s really brilliant in the sense that anyone can learn it and use it effectively. ANYONE. Even the giant pansy laying here typing this out.

It’s taught to people of any age, male or female and can be used in any situation because it’s based on stress. They work you out for 45 minutes AND THEN they teach you the techniques to get out of holds. They do this so you’re tired, beaten, out of breath and ready to leave class. And they teach it in a way that’s easy to recall if for some reason you ever have cause to use it. Movement, force, focus. That’s pretty much it.

So, basically, a year from now I’ll be able to kill you. For now, I can break out of a headlock at kick you in the head.

My New Toy!!

No, it's not the kind you think, you dirty bird. I’m typing away on my brand spanking new laptop. I heart Apple. I’m an Apple whore. First they announce the iPhone 4, and then this comes. As soon as they release the second generation iPad, you can bet your sweet ass I’ll be buying that too. I’ve become a serious technology geek since I bought the iPhone 3G. I can hardly wait the mere two weeks till the new one comes out.

Another weekend in the Big Easy is under my belt. Friday was not supposed to be anything special, just a quick happy hour with a couple colleagues. We left at our apprised time, and went on our way. My car was still at the hotel and when I walked by, a couple of our chefs were outside. I started talking to the one I knew, and then my phone rang. I was going to ignore, as I assumed it was the next friend I was meeting up with, but I didn’t. It was my assistant. Her car had disappeared. After a few minutes of trying to figure out what happened, I took her to the impound lot.

Which was closed.

So, we drove back downtown to some office building where we were told that someone would be back in 20 minutes and she’d have to fill out some paperwork, pay a fine and then they’d give her a ride to her car. 45 minutes and $165 later, she had her car back. Is that cheaper than Minneapolis? I don’t remember what mine cost to get out of hock the two times it happened. Anyhow, we went back to my local bar, Finn McCool’s where we met up with a mutual friend.

I swear I try so hard to keep my life drama free. Apparently the universe has some issue with me. I LOVE attention don’t get me wrong. But I like to be the one to draw it to myself. I don’t like it when I want to be left alone. Which was all I wanted to do. Have a couple drinks with some friends and have a low-key night.

Now, on my first trip to this bar, my assistant claims that she was roofied and that it was meant for me. I have no doubt that she was roofied, and I believe her when she says it was likely meant for me. She’s married, and quite obvious about it. Typically I wouldn’t go back to a bar where I got roofied, but this one is right down the street, it’s Irish, and I’ll try almost anything twice. So back we went.

And I witnessed my first bar fight in NOLA. What is it with guys!? Grr. That’s it, I’m going home.

Saturday I woke up super early and found a local breakfast spot. If my stupid camera on the phone worked, I would have taken photos of the best pancakes I’ve ever had. Hell’s Kitchen lemon ricotta deliciousness on a plate can’t hold a candle to the magnificence that was the bread pudding pancakes. With a whiskey cream sauce. And bacon. Mmmmm. Salty magnificent bacon. Makes everything better.

I digress. After breakfast I lounged for a bit, napped, lounged, napped. Watched a car accident unfold (see?!? I'm a magnet!). Lazy, hot, perfect. My assistant came over at some point. Found a cute little Mexican joint, another Irish pub, called it a night.

Sunday was kickball day. Haddad picked me up and we hit up the fields. Sadly I missed the start of this league by a couple weeks, but I’m a shoe-in for fall league. There was a bar on the field. ON THE FIELD. If this doesn’t have my name written all over it, I don’t know what does. Until the games actually started. I’m all about trash talking, but when you’re talking about a kid’s playground game, there’s really no need to get all Yelly McYellerson. It’s a freaking game for crying out loud.

When I witnessed the second bar fight in three days, I contemplated just watching fall league. Seriously….what is it with boys and booze and competition?! Ugh. Anyway, went out for a while afterwards and was home in bed my 9. Now that’s a Sunday Funday I can get on board with.

Week Recap

It's been a week of ups and downs, that's for sure. Friday was somewhat a blur. Went to the local hotel bar with some colleagues, met a new friend and an old one showed up. Couldn't figure out anything to do so we sat. And drank. And laughed. And drank more. And laughed even more. Seems like a recurring theme with me. In any event, we had a great time, and I was out shortly after arriving back at the hotel around 10.

Saturday....I had to finally cowboy up and hit Tar-zhay. In the suburbs. Yikes. Now, I'm one of like three people on the planet that can go into Target to buy shampoo and walk out with said shampoo, and shampoo only. I don't walk in and walk out $300 later. However, this time, I had a list. In the future I shall rethink what I sell when I move. I could have saved probably $150 on stupid shit. I need everything. Literally everything. So I did what any sensible person would do. I made a list. I'm talking everything from curtains to a toilet paper holder (which I, of COURSE, forgot). When I saw how full my cart was, I put the over/under at $500. Final tally? $493 and change. I could have had a new pair of shoes for that! Stupid necessities.

After assembling my clothing racks, and putting my shower back together, I headed even further into suburbia to meet up with my friend Cory (see previous post for his heroics). His buddy was having a crawfish boil, which of course I was down for. I unintentionally took the scenic route, so I was a bit late, and unfortunately by this point, it had started raining. There goes the boil. His buddy Shawn brought over probably 10 pounds of the stuff, sausage, corn, potatoes, the whole 9. Then I discovered the video game obsession. We couldn't find Arch Rivals, nor CastleVania, but we did find Contra. AND he remembered the code! Awesome times 1000. Played until we beat the game, and then headed to the drive thru daquiri bar (YES, they have them here!!!), and to another friends for the UFC fight. Dude had a sweet golf cart....which I tried to trade my car for...different story....different post. After the fight (and a mini-nap), they brought me to their local bar. And for some reason they let me be the DJ....yeah. 'Nuff said.

Woke up on the couch at some point, had coffee and then headed back to the city. I was having a porch party that afternoon and wanted to be ready. Super fast stop at the hotel for a shower, hopped in a cab and headed home. Thankfully I remembered my keys were in my hotel room BEFORE I got home (yet another story for yet another post), so the cabbie was gracious enough to turn back. Not gracious enough to hit pause on the meter, but gracious nonetheless. The details of the rest of this day are in the previous post, so I won't rehash them here. Suffice to say it was mostly a great afternoon and evening.

The rest of this week has been pretty mundane. I've been rocking out at work (Chemical Brothers currently), hanging out at the local bar, convincing numerous suitors that I'm perfectly happy single, trying to get in the mindset of quitting smoking (must quit by my next b-day), eating copious amounts of gyros, and becoming better at biting my tongue. Next we shall work on our patience level (currently non-existent). I will rant about why that is such a challenge for me at a later point in time. I did discover a bar called....drum roll.....Bulldog!! And they have a fabulous beer selection! Drank a bunch of Rogue's beers last night with the work crew. It's super close to home, not walking distance, but definitely less than a $10 cab ride (some mistakes I actually DO learn from!).

Not much planned for this weekend though. Grabbing dinner with a friend tonight, searching out a laundromat and giving my apartment a good scrub down tomorrow, and I guess being dragged to SATC2 Sunday. Not that I don't love, love, love Sex and the City, I just haven't heard a single good thing about this film. And I don't really want to PAY to see it. But, it's a chance to meet some girls, and hopefully start to recreate my girls back home. I know they aren't replicatable (is that a word?), but I need some girly time sometimes!

Next week should rock pretty hard. My computer should arrive Monday, Imogen Heap at the House of Blues Monday night, which means I need to re-schedule my first Krav Maga class for Tuesday, MONO Wednesday in Baton Rouge and on top of it all, because I should have my computer, I'll FINALLY be able to start learning French! The easiest way to ease the homesickness is to stay busy, focused on other things. Yes, I just admitted I'm homesick. I miss the shit out of all of you back in MN. It's only been a month, and I know it'll get better, but it's still made me sad this week, and made me question the decision to move. I know in my heart of hearts it was the right thing to do, I just need to keep telling myself. And keeping my mind on other things here. So I shall.

XOXOXO ~ Me

Life goes on....

I was tempted to not write about this particular event, mainly because I feel like it was an isolated incident and I don't want people to worry. It's over with and (almost) done, and changes to life will be made due to it, but all of said changes I think are a good thing. It's about taking care of myself and making sure that I'm ok, because if I'm not, then no one else around me can be. That whole "looking out for number one"? Not so much a bad thing.

I signed the lease to my apartment on a Monday, and promptly started moving things over. All week, in with loads of stuff and then out and back to the hotel. My plan was to clean it over the weekend and officially be out of the hotel on Sunday night (Monday at the latest). Saturday I went to Target and spent an obscene amount of money on things to turn this empty shell of a house into a home.

I stayed with a friend in Suburbia Saturday night (which I likely will post immediately after this), and headed back to the city Sunday morning. I stopped into the hotel to shower and grab a few more things. Headed back to the casa to meet some friends for a Sunday Funday on the porch. We drank some homebrews, laughed a lot, met some of the new neighbors. Good times. At some point we got hungry and went to the Mediterranean joint down the street. Delightful food, great wine (which we had to bring), and the acquisition of a hookah.

You can guess what happened next....more porch time with said hookah. Invited a couple neighbors over to partake, missed the beginning of the Twins game. Eventually we packed up and it was down to the two of us. We headed to the pub the other way down the street, parked at the bar and watched the Twins. Met a few people that were interested in a game or two of darts (which turned into one because, quite frankly, cocktails were involved).

At some point we stumbled back to my place. I put my pajamas on and as I went to turn out the lights, I noticed a man walking down the sidewalk. Then he turned like he was going to approach my house. I turned off the lights and turned around, thinking nothing of it. A minute or so later, I thought better of it, but when I went back to the front door, he was gone. All is well, I think. I turn again, and he's now walking down the driveway, which is fine, because there's an apartment in the back as well. He's probably just lost or drunk or whatever. So I head to bed.

Trying to fall asleep, I'm unable to. Something isn't right. I mentioned it to my friend when it happened, and he agreed. Just a drunk trying to find his way home. Nothing to worry about. But now, I'm worried. I lay in bed with my eyes wide open, knowing something is wrong, but unsure what to do. Well, in the span of about ten seconds it was clear. I heard an odd noise, almost a thud, but not quite. Then I hear another sound. This time I know exactly what it is. It's me screaming after hearing a window breaking. My friend chased after him for a minute as I'm on the phone with the cops. I'm unsure how I remember my own name, let alone the address.

Then we're on the porch, waiting for the cops to arrive. I can't even speak; my friend does all the speaking for me. "He took off on foot, that way", pointing down the street. The cops drive off, looking for him. Neighbors come home, ask what happened. Story re-told, another cop shows up. This one clearly looks like there are things he'd rather be doing, like watching paint dry while eating a Krispy Kreme. He takes my name, the story (again), my ID.

"That's him!!! That's the guy!!", my friend yells. He looks like he's the guy. He's definitely drunk. He's definitely short. He's definitely not speaking any English. He's cuffed and put in the car. All is well. Except for the broken window, of course. I don't have a drill, or boards or anything, really. So the landlord is called. He has all these things! And he's close! Window somewhat fixed. Me unable to sleep. I still had the hotel room, so we hopped in my friends car and stayed there. And I stayed in bed all day. And night.

Court is at the end of July, though I doubt I'll retain any of this by then. People tell me one of two things - buy a gun (almost typed guy there - though I suppose that would work too), or quit overreacting, it was just a drunk guy that couldn't find his house. I'm landing somewhere in the middle. Monday is my first lesson in the art of Krav Maga. Just try to break into my house again.

Good Deed of the Week

My first day on the job, our HR director let us know that she needed volunteers for a Habitat for Humanity build. As I'm new around here, and didn't see anything pressing on my agenda, I said I'd be happy to. From what I've heard about it, painting was going to be about as "manual labor" as I would have to get.

My assistant picked me up, and I navigated. Apparently it was in a part of town she'd never been (AKA: not the best part). We arrived on time, she introduced me to some people, we got our shirts and then we gathered. The area General Managers spoke and then we were given our tasks. Mine was not painting. Ugh. You mean I was going to have to pick up a shovel?!?

And so it was. We had to shovel out 6" deep for an 8' wide driveway, all the way to the sidewalk. Thankfully there was a sidewalk already there, so we didn't have to dig that too. We had to cut boards for stakes to mark where we were shoveling. We had to make the ground higher near the house and slope it down towards the sidewalk. Something about rain and drainage around here?? I have never seen my hands in worse shape than they were over the weekend. They still haven't completely healed.

Overall it was a great experience. I met a lot of people that work for various hotels and expanded my network just a little bit. I did something good for someone less fortunate than me for no reason at all. However, I will limit my volunteering in the future to the events where I get to see the appreciation on the recipients face. I know that volunteering is supposed to be done completely selflessly and all that, but the truth of the matter is that I get out of it just as much as the recipient does. But I want to see them appreciate it. It may sound selfish, but it's that gratefulness and appreciation that drives me and makes me want to do more. Do it more often, do it for longer, recruit others to the cause, whatever that cause may be. I don't donate money to non-profits, but will round up the best silent auction donation items you'll ever see (and likely even bid on them!). I'm happy to put a contact from a worthy cause in touch with a decision maker. This H4H build though....first and last. I'll be supportive and whatever, but I'd love to see what that house (or any other H4H builds) looks like a year or two or ten after we've put our time and sweat equity into it.

I know that last sentence sounds extremely cynical, and not in the same vein as the rest of the post. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the majority of recipients of H4H homes appreciate them and take care of them until they get back on their feet. As such, I'll stick to the group I love working with the most: Special Olympics. I'd give up any day/night of my life to help this organization.