Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Show me that smile again (fuck yeah!)

Last night was quite an adventure. I had plans to go to the Troc with Rich, Heather and Sam to see "Team America" (hosted by Preston and Steve). I picked Sam up around 5:30 and we headed for drive-thru at the local Wendy's. Big mistake. I placed Sam's order first.

Me: "Can I have a number 4, no onions, with a water?"

Silence for several seconds.

Me: "And can I get a number 7..."

Him: "Wait, wait... you can't get a water with a combo."

Me: "You can't? Okay... well can we have the water separate?"

Him: "I'm still in the middle of the combo order. What kind of drink with that?"

Sam: "Forget it. Just get a diet Coke."

Me: "Okay, a number 4, no onions, with a diet Coke. And a number 7 with a Mr. Pibb."

(Insert appropriate Mitch Hedberg jokes here...)

He mumbles the total and I pull up to the window. He thrusts his hand out the window.

Me: "Excuse me, what was the change again?"

Him: "What?"

Me: "The change. How much was it?"

After he tells me and I pay, I pull up to the next window. The girl hands me a drink, but the little buttons aren't pushed in.

Me: "Excuse me... is this the diet or the Pibb? The buttons aren't pushed in."

She stares at me, and then at the drink in her hand.

Her (exasperated): "I don't know!"

She turns and dumps the entire drink down the drain and then refills it with diet Coke. So now I either have the right drink order, or I have two diets. The only way to tell is to taste them. (It was the right drink order.)

Once we got in Rich's car, we unwrapped our dinners and started to eat. My order was fine, but Sam's sandwich had onions on it!!! Damn you, Wendy's!

We got into the city without incident and found a lot close to the theater. The lot attendant told Rich not to drink and drive. "That's how I lost my father," he said somberly. "Hey, you folks have a good time tonight!"

And with that, we headed into the Troc (secret password… Matt Damon!) and were promptly greeted by both Preston and Steve. They are awesome. I mean office. Once we had buckets of beer in hand, we settled into our seats and waited for the show to begin. It was GREAT. I've seen it twice before, but it's even better on the big screen with a roomful of drunk people who know the words to all the songs. It's a true experience to hear a whole crowd of people singing, "I'm so ronery… so ronery… so ronery and sadry arone…" Classic.

After the show, Heather had a craving for pizza, so we went to Lorenzo's on South for a slice. As we were walking there, we passed the TLA, which had a big sign advertising Robin Thicke in concert. I told everyone that he was Alan Thicke's son, and when Rich looked confused, I began singing the "Growing Pains" theme song. Soon, all four of us were walking down South Street singing at the top of our lungs: "As long as we got each other, we got the world sitting right in our hands…" Hilarious.

Back in the car with our slices (YUM), Heather popped in a CD of TV theme songs, and we sang the whole way home. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard. Good times, indeed.

Sunday, February 25, 2007

all night long (all night)

Last night was my long-awaited graduation party. It was a very fast four hours, but here are the important notes:

The music was awesome. The DJ played a ton of good dance tunes (including several line dances... whooooo!!!) and UpFall sounded amazing! Everyone kept telling me how good they were. And the new tunes were a pleasant surprise, especially the Hall and Oates. Way to rock the falsetto, PJ!

The food was extremely tasty. I didn't eat much... just three meatballs and some ziti, and that's only because James threatened to force feed me if I didn't stop worrying about the party. And the eclairs were divine. Mmmm... I wish I had another one right now.

It was so much fun to see everyone in their party clothes! Erin had on a retro print dress (very fetch!)... MK turned out in a flashy pink number... Melissa deviated from her traditional purple attire and opted for turquoise... and I got so many compliments on the shiny red shirt that Sam and Erin made me buy (thanks again, guys!).

I got to see all the people I love in one night! My friends (from the neighborhood, grade school, high school, all three colleges, former jobs, and everywhere in between), my co-workers (who turned out to be quite the party animals!), and my family. Having all those people there to help me celebrate really was the highlight of the evening for me.

And the party didn't stop when our time was up at the hall. A group of us headed to Out of Wack Jack's for more drinking and dancing. We started out as quite a large group: me, Erin, Mike, Sam, MK, Karen, Heather, Heather, Joe, Silvia, Scott and Becky. But little by little, people started heading home. After the bar closed, me. Heather, Becky and Joe moved the party to the Dining Car where I enjoyed French toast and hot cocoa... you know, to soak up all the vodka tonics I had been drinking earlier that night. (Thanks again for the food, Joe!)

When I finally got home (at 3:30 AM), I realized that my house keys were... in the house. Sigh. So I had to call my parents and wake them up to let me in. I checked my email, fell asleep around 4 AM and woke up at 10 AM with NO HANGOVER. Thanks to the French toast, no doubt.

Today, Erin and Mike brought Leo over for a playdate with Tasha. They weren't so much interested in playing, so we ate yummy leftovers from last night and rehashed key events from the party while the dogs ignored each other. By the way, there's a delightful new picture of the dogs (and owners!) in my pics. After they left, I uploaded pics from the party and then took a nap on the couch.

And that's pretty much that. Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with me last night! I had the BEST time!

Monday, February 19, 2007

oink

Hello... and a hearty "Gung hay fat choy!" to all! Saturday night I had the distinct pleasure of enjoying a cultural evening out with Sam and MK. First, we headed to one of Temple's smaller theaters to see "The Importance of Being Earnest." Oscar Wilde may be a kook, but he writes a damn fine play. The acting was superb and the wit was plentiful. From there, we ventured by cab to the Chinatown section of the city, whereupon I feasted on a delectable meal of won ton soup, kung pao chicken, and pork fried rice. We stepped out of the restaurant precisely at midnight and were greeted by a large crowd of onlookers eager to watch the fesitivities of Chinese New Year as the year of the pig began. The celebration commenced with lion dancers accompanied by traditional drum music. As the lions went from restaurant to restaurant, a string of firecrackers were set off. Once each string was complete, the lions tore through the bag of lettuce that was left behind, searching for hidden money. All in all, an entertaining and enlightening evening.

And that's about it for culture. In other news, I'm socially retarded. When I was addressing invitations for a party, I printed mailing labels from the computer. However, I didn't mail invitations to my co-workers... I simply put their envelopes in their mailboxes in the faculty room. Since I didn't print address labels for those invitations, I just wrote their first name on the envelope. Stupid me forgot to specify that their spouses are also invited. I couldn't figure out why no one was responding for two people until last night. Damnit. So now I have to go to work and tell them I'm an idiot. Oh well. Live and learn.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Love (and commercialism) is in the air

(This one is for Angie... who's known me long enough to remember the first time I did this. )

An old friend of mine once called Valentine's Day a "waste of time and money." He's married now, and I'm willing to bet that he spent last weekend running around trying to find some trinket for his wife to commemorate their love. Because apparently, that's exactly what a Whitman's Sampler does (as suggested by the ads in this weekend's paper).

This is the part of the blog where I will likely sound bitter and lonely and just downright depressed. Think what you will. I can't stop you.

Like most single folk, I just don't see the point in Valentine's Day. I didn't buy candy hearts, no one will send me flowers, and I'm not expecting a fancy dinner in a swanky restaurant. And if I was in a relationship, I would rather get "just because" flowers on some random weekday than have my man feel obligated to buy me something for a Hallmark holiday.

And that's exactly what it's become. Does anyone really even remember where it all started? I could sit here and tell you about the origins of Valentine's Day (which, if you've known me for a few years, I've done in the past). I could complain about the fact that a feast day for a Catholic saint has become commercialized and turned into an excuse to buy chocolates and lingerie. I'm not going to do that this year. I'm tired of fighting it.

The rest of the country has embraced the spirit of the day. My neighborhood is decked out in cardboard hearts and plastic Cupids. Red and white lights glow at night, replacing the Christmas lights that hung there a little over a month ago. Major television networks are advertising Love Week, and the radio stations are playing non-stop blocks of "your favorite love songs" all weekend long. It's high time I just shut up and kept my opinions to myself.

So this year I'm going to let the day pass quietly. There'll be no bitching from me. No complaining, no snide remarks, no eye-rolling.Happy Valentine's Day, to those who choose to celebrate. And Happy Wednesday to everyone else.

Saturday, February 3, 2007

a night out

Last night a group of us went to the Roadhouse in Bensalem. It's a fun bar, except for a few drawbacks. First and foremost, it's not a smoke-free bar. Before I left the house, I was clean and smelled fabulous. By the end of the night I smelled like I'd smoked a carton by myself. So much for my perfume.

Another drawback is the clientele. I've been to bars in center city and I've been to bars in the northeast (and its immediate suburbs). The difference in the type of people who frequent these establishments is vast. Last night I saw people in sweatshirts, people in shorts, people with mullets (of both the male and female persuasion). The average age appeared to fall into two categories: 21-25 and over 40. The "younger" crowd are the ones who get sloppy drunk and dance like they're having sex. The 40+ crowd gets drunk while sitting at the bar or attempting to play pool. I just don't feel like I fit in with either of those groups of people. Where do people our age hang out? But anyway, it was a good time overall.

So I was thinking about something on the way home. When I go out to a bar or club, I make an effort to look my best. I don't just throw on jeans and a hoodie and run out the door. I pick out clothes that I think are flattering, put on make-up, do my hair, accessorize, put on perfume. But I'm not sure it makes a damn bit of difference. I mean, I feel good about myself when I look good, so that's important. But the drunk men in the bars we frequent seem drawn to a certain type of woman, and I'm clearly not it. If I went to the bar in sweats with my hair in a ponytail, I would likely garner the same amount of male attention as I do in my "going out" clothes. Just when I think I have it all figured out, I find out I don't know as much as I thought I did. If that makes sense.

On a completely unrelated note... You know what I really need right now? Some people to hang out with who share my taste in music. There are two concerts near approaching that I'd like to go to. Sadly, none of my friends listen to either band (Aqualung and OK Go). Plus, I'm dying to go to see Ike or Jealousy Curve sometime soon. If you're a fan, LET ME KNOW!!! I miss concerts! I miss live music!!!

I guess that's all for tonight. Gonna go finish watching "Ron Burgundy." Stay classy, people.