Things I love about New Jersey:
-Jeff
-the kitschy boardwalks
-Jersey City
-my in-laws
-my in-laws' pool
-my in-laws' snack pantry
-the beauty of the refineries, especially at night
-how easy it is to get to EWR from Penn station
-that the smoking ban was passed several years ago
-the Italian food (both made by my extended family and in restaurants)
-that anti-pasto is a staple at every gathering of more than 4 people (maybe that's just my extended family and not all of NJ, though)
-that you can buy liquor in the grocery store
Things I hate about New Jersey:
-the way you have to turn right to turn left and vice versa
-all the mall traffic
-the PATH train
-Bergen county being closed on Sundays
-having to pay to go to the beach and it still being really crowded
-only being allowed to put my first and last name on my drivers' license
-the stench of the refineries
-that a taxi from EWR to home costs $35, even though it's only a 15 minute drive
-the St. Patrick's Day parade in Hoboken
And last, but not at all least, I hate its horrible reputation. Don't knock it until you've tried it!
I reserve the right to add to this list.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Heimlich?
There is a restaurant in our town that we frequent fairly often. We go there because the food is cheap, but good, and they have craft beers.
The down side is that the wait staff does not seem to have a clue about serving food. They are very nice, but all they seem to know is standing behind a bar and uncapping Heinekens for people sitting at the bar.
Couple that with the fact that the owner seems to think that the bar is running itself nicely enough without him ever seeming to be there any more. And what you get is really lousy service.
Wednesday nights you get a small order of cheese with a select few beers, of which of course we always partake. And pretty much every time, the cheese comes out 15 minutes after we order our beers, along with our meals. Not exactly when we'd prefer to have it.
Then there is the matter of our never being offered glassware of any kind with our beers. I do not understand how you could own a bar and offer up all sorts of craft beers and seemingly not have a clue that good beer is intended to be drunk from a glass. Not to mention, its flavor comes out more when it's poured into a glass and then drunk. Would you want to drink wine out of its bottle? No. Of course not. Anyway, that's a different rant for a different day.
What happened tonight is that I started coughing as I do sometimes, where I cough really hard and then it sounds like I'm about to vomit. In the past few years this has only happened a few times, where I am coughing with such force that I then, I guess, start to hyperventilate? It's the only thing I can figure. At first I signalled to Jeff that I was fine. Because I was coughing after all, and that means air is coming in.
And then I couldn't cough any more and I think I got scared. I stood up and mouthed "Heimlich!" and he tried to do it, but he didn't do it hard enough. He said afterward that he was afraid he'd hurt me. Awww.
The waitress sauntered over from behind the bar, smiling. I didn't see any of that, but it royally pissed Jeff off. "Help!" he said, "she's fucking choking here!" The waitress clearly had no idea what to do and offered to call 911. Jeff yelled, "doesn't anyone know the Heimlich?!" No one stood up.
And then, all I can say is, it passed. I could breathe again, just like that. I was mortally embarressed and had lost my appetite. I think I was just hyperventilating, but it was scary. The same thing happened at work a few years ago and at least then a group of people gathered around and offered any help they could.
Afterward, the waitress offered me a glass of water with no ice. "This should help," she said. Thanks. My water glass was empty.
I feel bad bad-mouthing this place and that is why I'm not naming it by name. Because it's a good restaurant/bar to have in our town. It just pisses us off almost every time we go there, despite its good food and good beer.
We made a vow to make the effort to try more restaurants and stop defaulting to the places close to home. We paid a bundle on a mortgage to live right outside of Manhattan for a reason, dammit.
The down side is that the wait staff does not seem to have a clue about serving food. They are very nice, but all they seem to know is standing behind a bar and uncapping Heinekens for people sitting at the bar.
Couple that with the fact that the owner seems to think that the bar is running itself nicely enough without him ever seeming to be there any more. And what you get is really lousy service.
Wednesday nights you get a small order of cheese with a select few beers, of which of course we always partake. And pretty much every time, the cheese comes out 15 minutes after we order our beers, along with our meals. Not exactly when we'd prefer to have it.
Then there is the matter of our never being offered glassware of any kind with our beers. I do not understand how you could own a bar and offer up all sorts of craft beers and seemingly not have a clue that good beer is intended to be drunk from a glass. Not to mention, its flavor comes out more when it's poured into a glass and then drunk. Would you want to drink wine out of its bottle? No. Of course not. Anyway, that's a different rant for a different day.
What happened tonight is that I started coughing as I do sometimes, where I cough really hard and then it sounds like I'm about to vomit. In the past few years this has only happened a few times, where I am coughing with such force that I then, I guess, start to hyperventilate? It's the only thing I can figure. At first I signalled to Jeff that I was fine. Because I was coughing after all, and that means air is coming in.
And then I couldn't cough any more and I think I got scared. I stood up and mouthed "Heimlich!" and he tried to do it, but he didn't do it hard enough. He said afterward that he was afraid he'd hurt me. Awww.
The waitress sauntered over from behind the bar, smiling. I didn't see any of that, but it royally pissed Jeff off. "Help!" he said, "she's fucking choking here!" The waitress clearly had no idea what to do and offered to call 911. Jeff yelled, "doesn't anyone know the Heimlich?!" No one stood up.
And then, all I can say is, it passed. I could breathe again, just like that. I was mortally embarressed and had lost my appetite. I think I was just hyperventilating, but it was scary. The same thing happened at work a few years ago and at least then a group of people gathered around and offered any help they could.
Afterward, the waitress offered me a glass of water with no ice. "This should help," she said. Thanks. My water glass was empty.
I feel bad bad-mouthing this place and that is why I'm not naming it by name. Because it's a good restaurant/bar to have in our town. It just pisses us off almost every time we go there, despite its good food and good beer.
We made a vow to make the effort to try more restaurants and stop defaulting to the places close to home. We paid a bundle on a mortgage to live right outside of Manhattan for a reason, dammit.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
A mystery
Things that are in my desk drawers at work, in no particular order (ie, that they are tossed in there all willy-nilly):
-mints
-multiple half-eaten gourmet chocolate bars (Don't ask. I tired of them for some reason. But you can't throw away a gourmet chocolate bar.)
-spoons
-lots and lots of tea, loose and pre-bagged (I don't mean loose in the drawer. Loose in their bags.)
-zinc tablets
-cookies that are more than a year old but which still are not in the least bit stale
-a caribeaner/flashlight
-a fortune cookie
-napkins (both sorts)
-photos of my parents' dogs
-chapsticks
-chopsticks
-cough drops
-a breakfast cookie
-a newspaper article on vegetarian travel tips from 2005 that seems to only cover rural VA
-a rock sugar-coated swizzle stick
-a piece of tinfoil, folded up (from a sandwich brought from home long, long ago)
Things that are supposed to be in my desk drawers at work, but for whatever reason, I cannot locate at this juncture:
-batteries for the podcast recorder
-mints
-multiple half-eaten gourmet chocolate bars (Don't ask. I tired of them for some reason. But you can't throw away a gourmet chocolate bar.)
-spoons
-lots and lots of tea, loose and pre-bagged (I don't mean loose in the drawer. Loose in their bags.)
-zinc tablets
-cookies that are more than a year old but which still are not in the least bit stale
-a caribeaner/flashlight
-a fortune cookie
-napkins (both sorts)
-photos of my parents' dogs
-chapsticks
-chopsticks
-cough drops
-a breakfast cookie
-a newspaper article on vegetarian travel tips from 2005 that seems to only cover rural VA
-a rock sugar-coated swizzle stick
-a piece of tinfoil, folded up (from a sandwich brought from home long, long ago)
Things that are supposed to be in my desk drawers at work, but for whatever reason, I cannot locate at this juncture:
-batteries for the podcast recorder
Being alone
I didn't plan to do anything in particular while Jeff was away and certainly not in particular anything that I enjoy doing specifically alone.
However, last night, I found myself reading while listening to the radio at 11pm. I turned it on at 9 because I remembered hearing on Morning Edition about the NY Philharmonic playing in N. Korea and then I just left it on. At 11 a program came on that I used to always listen to when I lived alone, New Sounds. Sometimes the music is pretty weird, but often it's great.
I relished listening to it. It's no fault of Jeff's that he doesn't enjoy listening to the radio the way I do. I'm sure he will say that he does too enjoy the radio. (But he never, ever turns it on himself, which, I repeat, is NOT a fault, just the way he is.) Alls I'm sayin is that I never ever would have been sitting in the living room at 11pm listening to WNYC if Jeff were home. And I have to say, I really enjoyed it. Not because Jeff was away. I just enjoyed it in and of itself. I hope that makes sense.
As for the concert in N. Korea, it was just like most any classical concert. What was more interesting was listening to interviews with the musicians this morning. One woman was moved to tears by the experience.
However, last night, I found myself reading while listening to the radio at 11pm. I turned it on at 9 because I remembered hearing on Morning Edition about the NY Philharmonic playing in N. Korea and then I just left it on. At 11 a program came on that I used to always listen to when I lived alone, New Sounds. Sometimes the music is pretty weird, but often it's great.
I relished listening to it. It's no fault of Jeff's that he doesn't enjoy listening to the radio the way I do. I'm sure he will say that he does too enjoy the radio. (But he never, ever turns it on himself, which, I repeat, is NOT a fault, just the way he is.) Alls I'm sayin is that I never ever would have been sitting in the living room at 11pm listening to WNYC if Jeff were home. And I have to say, I really enjoyed it. Not because Jeff was away. I just enjoyed it in and of itself. I hope that makes sense.
As for the concert in N. Korea, it was just like most any classical concert. What was more interesting was listening to interviews with the musicians this morning. One woman was moved to tears by the experience.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Drink this
I don't have anything significant to report aside from some drink suggestions. These are my two favorite non-alcoholic drinks right now.
1. Iced tea brewed with one Assam tea bag and one lemon tea bag. I got all this tea from Jeff for our anniversary in November. I'm not a huge fan of flavored black teas when they're hot, but combined with regular black tea and iced = super.
2. This one is not new, but I am still loving it as much as ever. Plain seltzer with a little bit of fruit concentrate added. I had been buying flavored seltzers, but then it turned out that some flavors taste like ass-perteme and that was no good, so I'm just sticking to the plain and flavoring it myself.
Here is a lesson in knowing what you can handle. I know my tummy usually rebels when I eat food from carts on the street. I don't know why this is. I don't actually think I want to know why this is. Today a coworker's meal from a cart smelled really good and he said it does not upset his tummy so I thought what the hell! That cart is right outside! How bad can it be? I need to get this on a cross-stitch to hang in my cubicle: Stay away from the cart food. What my tummy has to say about the cart food: gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.
Jeff is away for a few days. I can't say specifically what it is about his going away on business trips that I enjoy so much, just that I crave this time by myself. I don't even do anything that I wouldn't do while he's home. I just like it. It doesn't mean I wish he'd leave or anything like that. I just need the time alone. I can't explain it. It has nothing to do with him and everything to do with me.
A person might say, "but what is it that you can't do when he is home?" It's not that there is anything (except maybe reading in bed past 11pm). I just like the option every now and again, I guess? He comes home tomorrow, so I fully intend to read in bed until 11:30. I know, wild and crazy am I.
1. Iced tea brewed with one Assam tea bag and one lemon tea bag. I got all this tea from Jeff for our anniversary in November. I'm not a huge fan of flavored black teas when they're hot, but combined with regular black tea and iced = super.
2. This one is not new, but I am still loving it as much as ever. Plain seltzer with a little bit of fruit concentrate added. I had been buying flavored seltzers, but then it turned out that some flavors taste like ass-perteme and that was no good, so I'm just sticking to the plain and flavoring it myself.
Here is a lesson in knowing what you can handle. I know my tummy usually rebels when I eat food from carts on the street. I don't know why this is. I don't actually think I want to know why this is. Today a coworker's meal from a cart smelled really good and he said it does not upset his tummy so I thought what the hell! That cart is right outside! How bad can it be? I need to get this on a cross-stitch to hang in my cubicle: Stay away from the cart food. What my tummy has to say about the cart food: gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.
Jeff is away for a few days. I can't say specifically what it is about his going away on business trips that I enjoy so much, just that I crave this time by myself. I don't even do anything that I wouldn't do while he's home. I just like it. It doesn't mean I wish he'd leave or anything like that. I just need the time alone. I can't explain it. It has nothing to do with him and everything to do with me.
A person might say, "but what is it that you can't do when he is home?" It's not that there is anything (except maybe reading in bed past 11pm). I just like the option every now and again, I guess? He comes home tomorrow, so I fully intend to read in bed until 11:30. I know, wild and crazy am I.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Whoopsie
Where did 10 days go? Aaaaanyway, I've been here, doing the usual. Where have you been?
I ordered these placemats yesterday. We could use something bright and cheerful on our table and also, I had been looking for some cork backed placemats for a while.
A tablecloth would probably be ideal, but the table gets moved around, leaves are put down, put up. Clothes are folded on the table, that sort of thing. So, it can't look like a dining room table at all times. And I can't be bothered with removing a tablecloth and then putting it back on at dinner time.
Plus, fear of stains. I have a lovely white linen tablecloth that I got when we got married. I have yet to use it. It might get stained! Some day maybe I'll use it when we are only eating water for dinner.
This is the way of the 740 square foot apartment. Rooms double and triple for multiple purposes. I don't even know what to call the middle room anymore. Dining room slash library slash dressing room?
The main problem now is that in the middle of that room is where the dining room table fits best, so there it stays. We said we'd put it in the corner of the TV slash workout slash crafting room after Christmas was over. And then we went and got a comfy chair and stuck that in the corner. So, now next Christmas we not only have to figure out where the comfy chair will go when we get a tree, but we still don't have any better place for the dining room table.
Also, Booie thinks we brought home for her a gigantic blue scratching post and matching scratching ottoman. So, our lovely new comfy chair and ottoman are always covered with a quilt a piece. For whatever reason, scratching the quilts does not appeal to her. Neither does the actual scratching thing we gave her for Christmas. Ingrate.
I ordered these placemats yesterday. We could use something bright and cheerful on our table and also, I had been looking for some cork backed placemats for a while.
A tablecloth would probably be ideal, but the table gets moved around, leaves are put down, put up. Clothes are folded on the table, that sort of thing. So, it can't look like a dining room table at all times. And I can't be bothered with removing a tablecloth and then putting it back on at dinner time.
Plus, fear of stains. I have a lovely white linen tablecloth that I got when we got married. I have yet to use it. It might get stained! Some day maybe I'll use it when we are only eating water for dinner.
This is the way of the 740 square foot apartment. Rooms double and triple for multiple purposes. I don't even know what to call the middle room anymore. Dining room slash library slash dressing room?
The main problem now is that in the middle of that room is where the dining room table fits best, so there it stays. We said we'd put it in the corner of the TV slash workout slash crafting room after Christmas was over. And then we went and got a comfy chair and stuck that in the corner. So, now next Christmas we not only have to figure out where the comfy chair will go when we get a tree, but we still don't have any better place for the dining room table.
Also, Booie thinks we brought home for her a gigantic blue scratching post and matching scratching ottoman. So, our lovely new comfy chair and ottoman are always covered with a quilt a piece. For whatever reason, scratching the quilts does not appeal to her. Neither does the actual scratching thing we gave her for Christmas. Ingrate.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
No words
I am still in shock that this weekend I went to CA and met 11 women who I only knew via the internet (plus 2 I already know in person but who I originally met online). I kissed cats who I never thought I'd ever see except in photos. I ate at restaurants I thought I'd only ever read about. I spent time in houses I was sure I'd only ever hear about. It was an incredibly surreal feeling to walk into Catie and Tracy's houses and feel like I'd been there before, except only in a dream (or in photos, as the case may be).
I already was crazy about Catie, but to meet her husband was a treat. And I love him, too. He has that dry wit going on and he was totally not overwhelmed (at least as far as I could tell) by a room full of giggly broads.
The weekend started out as a suggestion tossed out as an idea for people to go to San Jose to celebrate Catie's 40th birthday with her. Within hours, people were purchasing their plane tickets and figuring out who would room with whom. I still get a little teary-eyed when I think about how excited everyone was about going and about seriously how much fun we all had.
Today is Catie's actual birthday. Happy birthday to my wonderful friend, Catie! You are truly an exceptional person and my life is so much richer with you in it. I hope you know how much we all appreciate all the trouble you went to this past weekend to put together an amazing mingling of some of the most awesome women in the universe.
ps - I turned off comment moderation, so no one should have trouble commenting now.
I already was crazy about Catie, but to meet her husband was a treat. And I love him, too. He has that dry wit going on and he was totally not overwhelmed (at least as far as I could tell) by a room full of giggly broads.
The weekend started out as a suggestion tossed out as an idea for people to go to San Jose to celebrate Catie's 40th birthday with her. Within hours, people were purchasing their plane tickets and figuring out who would room with whom. I still get a little teary-eyed when I think about how excited everyone was about going and about seriously how much fun we all had.
Today is Catie's actual birthday. Happy birthday to my wonderful friend, Catie! You are truly an exceptional person and my life is so much richer with you in it. I hope you know how much we all appreciate all the trouble you went to this past weekend to put together an amazing mingling of some of the most awesome women in the universe.
ps - I turned off comment moderation, so no one should have trouble commenting now.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
#45 Bill
I know it's trite, but when I shook your hand and you looked into my eyes I could see the power and the sexual energy. Also, your nose was red and veiny.
Monday, February 4, 2008
#44 Beverly
You hired me one summer to do odd jobs for you, which wound up mostly being chatting with you in your luxury condo that you were too infirm to leave every day.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
In a cafe in JC
Three kids are working the counter. And there are three customers in the cafe. So the workers don't exactly have a lot to do. From their giggly conversations:
She's dating a really old guy!
How old?
Like 30!
Can you believe we're almost two decades old??
Stop it! I don't want to think about that!
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