This week Damir and I briefly marked the 2 year anniversary of when we first met. It went something like this:
Terra: Didn't we meet around this time of year?
Damir: Um, yeah, end of April
I actually had to check the blog archive to get the right date (for the record, April 21st). We've never been ones to celebrate each passing month or keep track of any particular anniversary. I guess we will if we get married, but that seems like a different ball of wax.
We ended up at the scene of our first encounter briefly for a beer last night. We had a kiss to mark the spot and that was good enough for me.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
What's For Sale
So did you know that the government is selling all kinds of STUFF? Check this out: http://www.govsales.gov/html/index.htm
Sure, I knew they sold land and the odd car and truck, but I had no idea they were unloading clothes, computers and a box of this stuff:
The above box o' tronics can be found under "Communication and Detection Devices" and is up for auction for a current bid of just $62.00. I don't know about you, but I call that a bargain. I was disappointed I couldn't find a 1950's style listening device or something Spy worthy. Alas.
But if you think that's the BEST bargain running on the site, you'd be wrong. Check this out (you might have to click on it to get the full effect of what is being sold:
Yes, folks. That really does say "ONE LOT OF TISSUES; USED". Find it under the category:
Home > All Categories > Clothing and Personal Items > Personal Items > Toiletries and Grooming > Toiletry Paper Products
Insert Bush joke here.
Sure, I knew they sold land and the odd car and truck, but I had no idea they were unloading clothes, computers and a box of this stuff:
The above box o' tronics can be found under "Communication and Detection Devices" and is up for auction for a current bid of just $62.00. I don't know about you, but I call that a bargain. I was disappointed I couldn't find a 1950's style listening device or something Spy worthy. Alas.But if you think that's the BEST bargain running on the site, you'd be wrong. Check this out (you might have to click on it to get the full effect of what is being sold:
Yes, folks. That really does say "ONE LOT OF TISSUES; USED". Find it under the category:
Home > All Categories > Clothing and Personal Items > Personal Items > Toiletries and Grooming > Toiletry Paper Products
Insert Bush joke here.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Back on the W.
Oh Lordy. Watch out!
I decided to go back on the Weight Watchers. Ugh. Boring! Today I went to my first meeting and I couldn't help but think that SNL should do a skit on this place. A group of mostly older women (its a Monday, so the attendees are mostly retirees) in their velour track suits and big hair dying to talk about Their Story... how they were once skinny....then had kids and got fat... then lost the weight...and now in their older years they've gained it all back again, punctuated by the odd hip replacement story or two.
But, it's all good. I applaud their effort, and in relation, mine as well. I have already apologized in advance to poor Damir to whom I am surely going to be a complete bitch once the hunger pangs and french-fry withdrawal take control of all my rational thought.
Speaking of poor Damir, he has some kind of tooth trauma going on that has one side of his face swollen nearly to the point of shutting an eye. I am home from work and about to take him to the oral surgeon, he definitely can't drive himself. That means we can kiss another couple of grand away, as certainly there is a root canal in his near future (his second in 4 months). Thanks healthcare for covering all the bases!
BUT GOOD NEWS: we finally bought a new mattress! It was a struggle, holy hell in a handbasket. We trolled all the usual places before finding an area in Long Island City where there are 3 or 4 mattress warehouses all in a row. They are pretty competitive with each other, so negotiating was like cutting butter with a hot knife. We ended up with a Serta Mattress by Vera Wang (yes, the wedding dress designer), Sweet Slumber, Sweet Comfort version (long enough name for ya?) for about $500... normal retail price is $3870. It was on clearance so we get no return policy or warranty so we damn well better like it. It's a latex mattress, and oh-so-pretty its a shame to put sheets on it. But there you go, hopefully we'll sleep better.
I decided to go back on the Weight Watchers. Ugh. Boring! Today I went to my first meeting and I couldn't help but think that SNL should do a skit on this place. A group of mostly older women (its a Monday, so the attendees are mostly retirees) in their velour track suits and big hair dying to talk about Their Story... how they were once skinny....then had kids and got fat... then lost the weight...and now in their older years they've gained it all back again, punctuated by the odd hip replacement story or two.
But, it's all good. I applaud their effort, and in relation, mine as well. I have already apologized in advance to poor Damir to whom I am surely going to be a complete bitch once the hunger pangs and french-fry withdrawal take control of all my rational thought.
Speaking of poor Damir, he has some kind of tooth trauma going on that has one side of his face swollen nearly to the point of shutting an eye. I am home from work and about to take him to the oral surgeon, he definitely can't drive himself. That means we can kiss another couple of grand away, as certainly there is a root canal in his near future (his second in 4 months). Thanks healthcare for covering all the bases!
BUT GOOD NEWS: we finally bought a new mattress! It was a struggle, holy hell in a handbasket. We trolled all the usual places before finding an area in Long Island City where there are 3 or 4 mattress warehouses all in a row. They are pretty competitive with each other, so negotiating was like cutting butter with a hot knife. We ended up with a Serta Mattress by Vera Wang (yes, the wedding dress designer), Sweet Slumber, Sweet Comfort version (long enough name for ya?) for about $500... normal retail price is $3870. It was on clearance so we get no return policy or warranty so we damn well better like it. It's a latex mattress, and oh-so-pretty its a shame to put sheets on it. But there you go, hopefully we'll sleep better.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
April Fools...Right?
GMail announced a new feature today: the ability to custom date your email. Need your email to show in the recipients box as read and sent 4 days ago? No Problem!
Read More:
http://mail.google.com/mail/help/customtime/index.html
Testimonials from Beta Testers (hilarious):
This is a great April Fools Joke.... Right?
Read More:
http://mail.google.com/mail/help/customtime/index.html
Testimonials from Beta Testers (hilarious):
Beta User Testimonials | |
 | "The entire concept of 'late' no longer exists for me. That's pretty cool. Thanks Gmail!" Miriam S., Delivery girl |
 | "I just got two tickets to Radiohead by being the 'first' to respond to a co-worker's 'first-come, first-serve' email. Someone else had already won them, but I told everyone to check their inboxes again. Everyone sort of knows I used Custom Time on this one, but I'm denying it." Robby S., Paralegal |
 | "This feature allows people to manipulate and mislead people with falsified time data. Time is a sacred truth that should never be tampered with." Michael L., Epistemology Professor |
 | "I used to be an honest person; but now I don't have to be. It's just so much easier this way. I've gained a lot of productivity by not having to think about doing the 'right' thing." Todd J., Investment Banker |
This is a great April Fools Joke.... Right?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Randomocity
I don't like it when people ride down the escalator. I prefer they walk. If they want to just ride, then they should stand to the side. Thanks. You don't have to walk the way up hill, I can understand that.
I don't understand the hype about the TV Show The Hills. I have no idea what its about or why everyone talks about it. And honestly, I can't say I am really bothered by that.
Businessmen seem to think they own the place. And by "the place" I mean they think they own all of the following things:
- the arm rest between his seat and mine
- the empty seat next to him on the train on which to rest his Tumi laptop-case even though the train is SRO.
- the prime corner in my office elevator in front of the little computer screen that broadcasts the news, weather, and interesting tidbits of information
- the coffee line in the deli downstairs
- just about everywhere else in New York City.
I am excited for an all-girls weekend in Boston this weekend for Ashbloem.
How is the name "Jack" a nickname for the name "John"? That makes no sense.
I don't understand the hype about the TV Show The Hills. I have no idea what its about or why everyone talks about it. And honestly, I can't say I am really bothered by that.
Businessmen seem to think they own the place. And by "the place" I mean they think they own all of the following things:
- the arm rest between his seat and mine
- the empty seat next to him on the train on which to rest his Tumi laptop-case even though the train is SRO.
- the prime corner in my office elevator in front of the little computer screen that broadcasts the news, weather, and interesting tidbits of information
- the coffee line in the deli downstairs
- just about everywhere else in New York City.
I am excited for an all-girls weekend in Boston this weekend for Ashbloem.
How is the name "Jack" a nickname for the name "John"? That makes no sense.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Apartment Therapy
When I walk by a home furnishing store, such as a Pottery Barn, Crate & Barrel, or your no-named mom and pop store I literally start to salivate. I want to go in and buy everything. Picture frames, flatware, furniture, wall decor, draperies, candles, fine china, throw pillows, table runners, candelabras, mirrors, bath towels and all things bathing related, area rugs, serving platters, pots, pans... you get the idea.
I want these things. But I don't buy them because I don't have a place to put them.
Before I say more, let me say this: I adore living with my sweetheart. We get along so well at home and manage to share our chores equally with little friction. I adore waking up with him every day. This isn't about him.
What I am not loving is living in a space that isn't mine to really manage. From the plates in the cupboard, to the sofas in the living room... pretty much everything belongs to my sweetheart and his parents and I feel that, since I moved into their space, it would be rude to supplant them with my own things, my own taste. Although, a few things of mine have crept into the apartment slowly: a paining in the dining room; a few kitchen accouterments. And now of course our bedroom has more or less been completely made over since I moved in, that is the one area of our home that I feel I can liberally change. Damir encourages me to treat this home as if it is my own home, but I just can't get over some sense that I am a guest here. And guests don't typically redecorate the home of their host.
Much of my stuff hauled here from Boston remains boxed in the basement. When I see those boxes I seriously ache.
The plan, when I decided to drop everything and move to NY, was not to move in and live together. But circumstances as they were made that the only viable option. So now that I am settled and in a relatively secure job situation, why not move?
2 Reasons:
1) As I said earlier here, I love living with Damir, however his job binds him to our building. He is on call 24-hrs a day so he really can't go far. I don't really want to live apart from him, and he is kind of stuck unless he quits and finds something new which creates a whole domino effect of problems (the most pressing of which is: where would his parents go?). I am very afraid that if I leave living with Damir, I am ultimately I am pushing our union further and further away from our future goals.
2) Free rent, dude. In the NYC Metro area.
Over the past 1.5 years since I moved here I have flirted with moving out, but the "right" situation never really presented itself. I have even seen a bunch of apartments. And of course, I struggle with the above 2 issues so nothing has really felt right.
Then, 2 Saturdays ago a really really good solution came to light: one of only 3 studios in our building opened up, just down the hall from the current place. Damir was showing it to me, not to rent it, but to show me some renovation work he had done. We were standing in that space and I looked at him and said:
Wait a minute... Why aren't I renting this place?
Hello....Light bulb! We called the broker immediately who said the place was mine if I wanted it.
It is perfect... the space is relatively large for a studio, with a big walk in closet, full bath and nice new kitchen. The price tag didn't give me hives. It is right now the hall, so I'd have my own space yet still be close enough to make it easy for me to be with Damir. Sharing the car and our other stuff would be a cinch. It would be our own little romantic pied-a-terra (ha, get it?). I took Sunday to make sure I was sure about the year-long commitment to take on a lease and started planning how I would create a home in this particular space. I had it all mapped out. I spent about an hour in the apartment just feeling it out. I took a bunch of pictures to post here on Interravision with the announcement that I had started writing in my head... I'm Moving! Just down the hall! I scoured Apartment Therapy for ideas on how to decorate a small space and was inspired by this beautiful, if small, space I saw on their Smallest, Coolest Apartment Contest:
Monday morning Damir called the Broker to lock it in.
But it was already gone.
It had been taken by Some Guy. The other broker let it go, not knowing I had the option to take it.
When I got the news I was instantly crushed and thrown into despair. How could something so perfect, so in tune with my needs, just go to someone else? It just seemed like the gods had looked down on me and had said, "You have struggled with this situation long enough, here is the perfect solution for you"... and then said, "Psyyyyych!"There's no way that Some Guy deserves it more than me! It isn't just about the apartment, you know that right? It's about finding a sanctuary that won't simultaneously take the relationship that I am so thankful for 15 steps backwards. That's not an easy order.
But as we all know, things just don't work out sometimes just because we deserve it. But, call me crazy, I am not really accepting that it isn't mine until Some Guy has actually moved in on April first. At night I visualize myself opening that door with my key (Walker is on the name plate over the buzzer)... walking into the closet with all my clothes hanging (neater than it would be in reality for sure).... cooking something delicious in the kitchen on the new stove while Damir enjoys himself on the pretty couch in the space I have mapped out to be the living area. My bed is in the corner, behind an asian-style screen with a cherry blossom design on it. Turquoise and chocolate with some creamy pink or yellow accents are the color scheme throughout the place. Sunlight is streaming in through the big window. It feels like a home. It is home.
*Sigh. I wonder if the power of my thoughts is really moving fate towards a miracle or just causing me torture. Friends keep telling me, "surely there is a reason it didn't work out, you'll see." Maybe. Maybe not.
I want these things. But I don't buy them because I don't have a place to put them.
Before I say more, let me say this: I adore living with my sweetheart. We get along so well at home and manage to share our chores equally with little friction. I adore waking up with him every day. This isn't about him.
What I am not loving is living in a space that isn't mine to really manage. From the plates in the cupboard, to the sofas in the living room... pretty much everything belongs to my sweetheart and his parents and I feel that, since I moved into their space, it would be rude to supplant them with my own things, my own taste. Although, a few things of mine have crept into the apartment slowly: a paining in the dining room; a few kitchen accouterments. And now of course our bedroom has more or less been completely made over since I moved in, that is the one area of our home that I feel I can liberally change. Damir encourages me to treat this home as if it is my own home, but I just can't get over some sense that I am a guest here. And guests don't typically redecorate the home of their host.
Much of my stuff hauled here from Boston remains boxed in the basement. When I see those boxes I seriously ache.
The plan, when I decided to drop everything and move to NY, was not to move in and live together. But circumstances as they were made that the only viable option. So now that I am settled and in a relatively secure job situation, why not move?
2 Reasons:
1) As I said earlier here, I love living with Damir, however his job binds him to our building. He is on call 24-hrs a day so he really can't go far. I don't really want to live apart from him, and he is kind of stuck unless he quits and finds something new which creates a whole domino effect of problems (the most pressing of which is: where would his parents go?). I am very afraid that if I leave living with Damir, I am ultimately I am pushing our union further and further away from our future goals.
2) Free rent, dude. In the NYC Metro area.
Over the past 1.5 years since I moved here I have flirted with moving out, but the "right" situation never really presented itself. I have even seen a bunch of apartments. And of course, I struggle with the above 2 issues so nothing has really felt right.
Then, 2 Saturdays ago a really really good solution came to light: one of only 3 studios in our building opened up, just down the hall from the current place. Damir was showing it to me, not to rent it, but to show me some renovation work he had done. We were standing in that space and I looked at him and said:
Wait a minute... Why aren't I renting this place?
Hello....Light bulb! We called the broker immediately who said the place was mine if I wanted it.
It is perfect... the space is relatively large for a studio, with a big walk in closet, full bath and nice new kitchen. The price tag didn't give me hives. It is right now the hall, so I'd have my own space yet still be close enough to make it easy for me to be with Damir. Sharing the car and our other stuff would be a cinch. It would be our own little romantic pied-a-terra (ha, get it?). I took Sunday to make sure I was sure about the year-long commitment to take on a lease and started planning how I would create a home in this particular space. I had it all mapped out. I spent about an hour in the apartment just feeling it out. I took a bunch of pictures to post here on Interravision with the announcement that I had started writing in my head... I'm Moving! Just down the hall! I scoured Apartment Therapy for ideas on how to decorate a small space and was inspired by this beautiful, if small, space I saw on their Smallest, Coolest Apartment Contest:
Monday morning Damir called the Broker to lock it in.
But it was already gone.
It had been taken by Some Guy. The other broker let it go, not knowing I had the option to take it.
When I got the news I was instantly crushed and thrown into despair. How could something so perfect, so in tune with my needs, just go to someone else? It just seemed like the gods had looked down on me and had said, "You have struggled with this situation long enough, here is the perfect solution for you"... and then said, "Psyyyyych!"There's no way that Some Guy deserves it more than me! It isn't just about the apartment, you know that right? It's about finding a sanctuary that won't simultaneously take the relationship that I am so thankful for 15 steps backwards. That's not an easy order.
But as we all know, things just don't work out sometimes just because we deserve it. But, call me crazy, I am not really accepting that it isn't mine until Some Guy has actually moved in on April first. At night I visualize myself opening that door with my key (Walker is on the name plate over the buzzer)... walking into the closet with all my clothes hanging (neater than it would be in reality for sure).... cooking something delicious in the kitchen on the new stove while Damir enjoys himself on the pretty couch in the space I have mapped out to be the living area. My bed is in the corner, behind an asian-style screen with a cherry blossom design on it. Turquoise and chocolate with some creamy pink or yellow accents are the color scheme throughout the place. Sunlight is streaming in through the big window. It feels like a home. It is home.
*Sigh. I wonder if the power of my thoughts is really moving fate towards a miracle or just causing me torture. Friends keep telling me, "surely there is a reason it didn't work out, you'll see." Maybe. Maybe not.
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