i've been secretly stealing [or, as i would like to call it, quietly taking possession of] these amazing neon colored straws from the pizza place down the street from my serving job. it came about because i went in there one day to grab a slice and a large fountain soda to scarf down before work, only to be disappointed upon the finding that their fountain soda machine was out of order. i asked how long they expected it to be in disrepair. the man behind the counter responded quite simply, "i don't know." i asked the helpful man how long it had been broken and was met once again with a simple, "i don't know."

at that i raised an eyebrow and, with a slight sneer, i thanked him for my slice, handed over my cash and waited for my change. it was then that i noticed the beautiful neon straws, all alone and crammed together in an old coca cola cup from the stupid soda machine. while the man was buried with his head in the cash register extracting my change, i reached into that cup and took one of every color straw, placing them carefully into my bag.

since then it has become my little rebellion to take possession of a handful of those pretty little things every time i go into said pizza place for a slice and a large fountain soda and am faced with the grave news that the machine is broken. only now there is no disappointment, just slight glee when i spot those neon brights.

at least until the day they catch on and i am left with no soda and no pretty straws.

check it out--always be prepared

as the boy scouts motto goes, always be prepared. i may have just made that up but whatever. this website will tell you whether you need to wear a jacket outside whereever you are. it's pretty convenient.

http://www.doineedajacket.com/

random note-not so hot stuff

one day not too long ago i had just stepped out of a hair salon. new color, new cut, newly straightened. i thought i looked good. i still think i looked good. only it was short lived. as i was crossing the street, with my full cup of scalding hot tea in my left hand and my cell phone in my right hand, cemented to my right ear, gabbing away with my mother, i stepped up onto the curb of the sidewalk. unaware of the metal plating on the curb's edge, i picked my backfoot up out of the street and that was it for me.

my tea went nowhere but up and unfortunately, gravity being my dear friend, came quickly back down. meanwhile, my cell phone, defying physics, flew out of my other hand [evidently not secured to my right ear] and disappeared into thin air. as for me, i can only say that i must have looked like those comedic characters straight out of old movies where they slip on a banana peel and their feet come out from under, landing them on their back. so there i was sprawled in the middle of the street, doused in hot tea, my hair--and the rest of me--in a state that i had not remotely envisioned upon exiting the salon.

a young couple attempted to help me out, in between their muffled snickers. i was a lost cause, though. i proceeded to pick myself up off the ground, hastily search about for my phone [discovering that the battery had fallen down a drain], and walked away as quickly as possible. whereas i had walked out of that salon with a strut, i walked away from the street corner with my tail between my legs, leaving behind that cell phone battery, in the company of my dignity.

random note-ughhh

2 nights in a row i had dreams about wacktressing recently. i'm disgusting and pathetic.

gibberish

i walked away with what dignity remained....which, unfortunately, was very little

random note--room please

okay this is not south america. this is not europe. this is the us. you should not be engaging in foreplay in public. ever. not as a teenager, not as a young adult, and certainly not as a straight up grown ass man/woman. i don't even know what to say about the adults who are guilty of this. yes we're a very liberal and socially relaxed society in many ways but that's not the point.

in other countries, it's quite common to see pda all over the place. i was in argentina with matty cf and there were kids/young couples straight lying in the grass on top of one another going at it. going at it in the clubs. going at it on the bus. everywhere. it was kinda shocking at first. the truth is, kids live with their parents till much later in other countries [ahem, living at home during the summer when you're in your mid-twenties does not count]. so they don't really have anywhere to go to be alone with their boo. anyways, it's pretty much a social norm for everyone to make out everywhere in other countries.

also, people in other countries don't tend to have the available space/multitude of rooms that we do in our private homes. so they can't just hide out in the living room or in the basement, or in that bathroom that the rest of your family rarely uses.

that's not the case here. go rent a room by the hour. go back to your place. or their place. just go somewhere. i don't want to see your hands roving all over at like 4 in the afternoon on the streets of new york. especially when you're middle-aged. that's just ridiculous. you cannot blame it on being drunk. i mean i guess you can but that opens up a whole new can of worms and issues to look into.

i'm all for lovey-dovey crap but for real just show some discretion.

gibberish

if i could write you off i would

check it out--the wackness

go and watch the wackness. it'll take you back. well, if you grew up in manhattan in the 90s. and sold pot. whatever, it's great film. one of my favorites.

"i just look at the dopeness. but you, it's like you just look at the wackness"

how poignant is that?!?

random note--practicing my o-face

does anyone else feel like most people they know have a job or a career path, and then they have aspirations and what they'd actually like to be doing?

often times it seems like the choice between a profession and a passion.

like a lawyer who wants to be a writer, or a doctor who wants to be a dancer.

how wack is that? is there even a way to reconcile the two?

any suggestions are more than welcome

check it out--negro y blanco

it's actually called black and white. it's really fun. if you know dc9, it's got a similar vibe, but MUCH smaller. and real hipsters. hah. anyways, it's really fun. it's a block from my house so i know it well. i don't know anyone who doesn't love being there.

just make sure you have a real id [if you are underage] or an id period because they almost always card and are strict about it [they can afford to be]. have fun!



ps i read somewhere recently that the dreamy robert pattinson [edward cullen from twilight] was there getting sloshed. so that's sort of cool i guess.

check it out--the new beauty bar

so there's a beauty bar in manhattan on east 14th street. it's alright. it's pseudo trendy/hipster. it's very much a scene. to be honest, it's kind of played out. omg like so four years ago!

however, they just had the grand opening for a new beauty bar in brooklyn. its at 921 broadway. you can take the j/m/z trains to myrtle-broadway and it's right there.

there's actually a pretty chill party throwing down there tonight. a couple buddies will be djing. i believe there is no cover which is pretty dope.

check it out. shake it. drink up. have fun.

check it out--bomb the system

for real. watch this movie. it's so dope. mark webber does some pretty legit acting in it. first thing i ever saw him in was "you drive me crazy" [the melissa joan hart teenybopper bubblegum pop chick flick which also starred a certain adrien grenier], then mr. webber followed up with a starring role in nickelodeon's "snow day." needless to say, i did not have very high expectations of him or this film. i was pleasantly surprised. turns out the kid was homeless, living in a car/on the street with his mom for a while and isn't as cookie cutter as i assumed he was [you know what they say about assuming things...]. also, there's a serious hottie with a body in this film that even the ladies gotta appreciate. she's just that good.

here's a link in case you don't feel like renting it at blockbuster or whatever:

http://quicksilverscreen.com/watch?video=35826

enjoy.

random note

forgive me for not sharing anything deeply personal--thoughts, opinions, feelings, states of being. i am simply uncomfortable with showcasing such substantive summations and ultimately i don't feel this is an appropriate forum.

check it out--passion pit and others remixed

a certain matthew c.f. sent me a remix of sleepyhead by passion pit so i went and looked it up online and came upon this website that has tons of other remixes of other songs. so check it:

http://iguessimfloating.blogspot.com/2008/12/mp3-passion-pit-sleepyhead-wallpaper_16.html

this is my happy place

for the fellas-hot vid

check out this zzzzexy rendition of single ladies......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP-KFnYg6Hw&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjustjared%2Ebuzznet%2Ecom%2Fpage%2F5%2F&feature=player_embedded

for real though, i cried i laughed so hard watching this. if you can, watch it side by side with beyonce's video. it's hard to believe but it's even better.

for the ladies-bags on the cheap

i was in court all day, which means i took the train to and from the canal street stop [not a stop i generally frequent]. anyways, it reminded me. if you are looking to buy knock-offs [primarily bags, but i'm sure there are other goodies], head to canal street for stuff on the cheap.

dope food-dolce e bella

go to la lanterna on macdougal off of washington square park south. order the tiramisu and a hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream......yes, even in the summer. you'll thank me later.

check it out--dining decisions made easy

hey so if you are in nyc and need to narrow down the endless possibilities of food, check out this sick website:

http://www.alwayshungryny.com/

it's really a great new search engine with a very different angle.

who let the dogs out

soooo i was doing wacktress thing saturday night. i was one of two girls in the entire downstairs restaurant and i was the only girl in the back party rooms. i was surrounded by male staff [servers, runners, bussers, bartenders, barbacks, and management]. my only female companions were 5 bachelorette parties that i had the privilege of servicing.

i want to be a quiet observer at as many bachelorette parties as i can in my life.

i watched one lady grab a male server to make out with him. i watched another rip open a different male server's shirt. i saw one of the poor bussers, a teenage 6'5'' african boy, being backed into a corner by ten drunk and excited women. and i watched as two of my co-workers thought it was funny to drag another server, an adorable 20 year old boy, into a party room and leave him alone with a bunch of these women and a large penis balloon.

all of this, and the women kept a rousing chorus of 'who let the dogs out' up for the entire night. the whole restaurant was privy to the 'fun' that everyone in the party rooms was having.

check it out--harlem shakes

if you're in nyc july 1st check out the harlem shakes show. they are fun pop/dance/indie rock band who released technicolor health in march. i've seen them several times, they always put on a great show.

they're playing at the bowery ballroom at 8pm. see you there.

http://www.boweryballroom.com/event/2977

dope food-this little piggy went to market......

soooo, spotted pig. pretty well known restaurant/pub. i guess it's technically considered a gastropub [whatever the heck that means...too lazy to google]. it's in the west village. jay-z is a part owner. it's super trendy, fairly small, dimly lit, and very noisy. it's very fun, particularly with large parties [but you gotta have a reservation for that]. this place is basically always crowded with beautiful people, glittering famed ones, and the pseudo a-listers, spending lots of paper and hip by default. there's a nice dichotomy, though, because it's also a very laid back establishment.

as far as my memory serves me, they only take cash so make sure to go to an atm before you settle in for a drink or some food.

so i know i said that the BEST fries were at pommes frites. still true....however, i'd like to give a tip of the hat to the shoestring fries that they serve up at the spotted pig. really long, super thin fries. and LOTS of them. they are sooooo tasty--albeit a little bit salty.

another dish i'd recommend is the sheep's ricotta gnudi with brown butter & sage. it's pretty good. but again, kinda heavy on the salt.

i can't give my personal opinion on it cause i don't eat red meat but they're known for their chargrilled burger. so i'd definitely give that a try.

overall i'd say go here if you are looking for a scene, not if you're looking to be well-fed or to make your stomach blissfully satisfied. otherwise, skip it and go to cowgirl hall of fame for a good burger and some real food [i'll post on this restaurant at some point soon].

i'm not even posting a link. go find it yourself

check it out--sartorialist

if you think fashion is art, like i do, then you should already be an avid follower of the sartorialist. if you aren't, shame on you. anyways, check it out.

breathtaking.

http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/