Inxshopper

Pleather vs. Leather

2011-04-25T19:29:00.001-04:00

So one trend i've noticed recently is that there seems to be a lot of pleather goods out there; bags, jackets, shoes, etc. It seems to be harder and harder to find good quality leather products these days. Are environmental freaks to blame for this? The worse part is that even though these products are made of crappy quality, retailers are charging leather prices for some of them. For example, there was this cute Guess jacket I saw made of what I thought was black leather. No, it was actually made of black pleather but you'd never know it from the price tag. It cost $128! Why would I pay that much for something that's basically made of plastic? I want something that's going to last me. If I wanted to buy crap, I would expect to pay cheaper prices. I feel like recently, everyone's been trained to pay high prices for crap products. It's sad really but I refuse to give into this trend.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Magic 8 Ball

2011-04-01T18:28:00.001-04:00

So one of my favorite apps on my phone is the Magic 8 Ball app. Why? Well, first off, it reminds me of my days on the chatrooms after I'd discovered the beauty of the internet. The chatrooms I'd frequent (The Megadiner and The Tavern) had a command where you could ask the Magic 8 ball a question. Those were the good ol' days!

Secondly, I like to ask it questions as if it truly knows the answer to what I am asking. A lot of times (like right now), I'll be sitting on the train trying to make a decision about something so I'll consult the ol' 8 ball. Is it stupid? Maybe a little, but I can be easily amused.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Single and Unemployed

2011-03-29T17:00:00.000-04:00

So the two things I want more than anything right now are a job and a boyfriend. The funny thing is that the process of acquiring either one is actually quite similar. Dating is like interviewing for a job. You go out, get to know the person, try to impress them and then hope that you interested them enough to ask you out again.

Right now I'm not sure which is more difficult to attain. I've been unsuccessful at both recently so I'm not feeling very good about things. In fact today I've been especially unmotivated. Blah, I'm going to bed now (keep in mind that it's 5pm).

I wonder...

2011-03-25T22:23:00.000-04:00

So being that I am currently unemployed, I have plenty of free time to do as I please. This can either be a good or bad thing depending on how productive I am. I tend to get easily distracted and will spend hours on Yelp or other websites. I've been trying to go running more because I can fell myself getting fatter by the minute. Anyway, free time also means lots of time for me to ponder about things. The other day I was thinking about how every decision you make affects your life and how some decisions, although you may not realize it at the time, can completely change your life's course. I think back to my days in Florida and there are a couple of choices I made that altered my life forever. Sometimes it's about things that you do, or don't do, or people that you meet. I find myself wondering "what if..." and where I would be right now had I made a different choice than the one I did. I don't dwell on these things, but it's interesting how life is like a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book. I only wish life came with a manual where you could skip ahead to different outcomes so you could make the best choice.

What is a date?

2011-03-13T08:36:00.001-04:00

So as you all know, I'm not a big fan of dating in the city. It hasn't quite been the best experience for me but being that I'm staying here, I'm giving it another shot.

One of the things that I can't stand about dating is that half the time I'm not sure what's a date and what is not. I mean I guess the word date means something different to everyone. To me, a date is when someone asks you out, whether it be to dinner/drinks or whatever, and they pay for it. These days that definition seems to be so obsolete, at least in my experience. Perhaps I'm attracting the wrong kind of guys. I don't know but there have only been a select few that have been gentlemen about it. I mean, I always offer to pay for my food/drinks but if someone asks me out, I expect him to pay. It's all just very confusing and frustrating. All I know is that first impressions are everything and if a guy throws the bill in front of my face after he asked me out and it wasn't even expensive ($20 really?) I'm out. And yes, that really happened to me.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Change of Heart

2011-03-11T18:05:00.000-05:00

So I obviously haven't updated this blog in a while. A lot has happened since my last post but before anything I just wanted to make my official announcement that I will not be moving to CA after all. I went out there set to find an apartment and during the trip, I had several realizations that made me ultimately decided to stay in NYC. The only bad part about all this is that now I am job hunting which has been a bit of a slow process but I'm trying to make the best of the situation. I've been enjoying my free time as much as possible. It's been nice to be able to do things on the weekends. Working in retail I was rarely off on Saturdays and Sundays so it's been nice having a bit of a life.

Anyway, now that I have all the time in the world, I should be able to update this blog on a more consistent basis. Well, we'll see how that goes. ;)

All I want for Xmas...

2010-12-10T23:58:00.000-05:00

This year has gone by quite fast. I can't believe it's almost Christmas. The sad thing is that it doesn't even feel like it to me. Maybe it's because I have no one special in my life right now. It's like they say, it's not where you are but who you're with, and right now it's just me. I've been feeling especially lonely lately but I've been trying not to think about it and instead keep busy with planning my escape from the Big Apple. I don't think I could stay here another year and maintain my sanity. I've just been unhappy here. Sure there have been some good times, but overall, it's just not what I am looking for. The time had come for me to break up with NYC. It should all be finalized in mid February. I have a new year in a new city to look forward to. Hopefully this will be where I will find my one, or where he will find me.

Loving my Evo!

2010-11-05T11:50:00.001-04:00

So, I did it! I left T-mobile and switched over to Sprint to get the phone I wanted, the HTC Evo and I love it! In fact I am blogging on it right now! Fun times ahead!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.4

Wine time

2010-10-16T01:04:00.001-04:00

I'm in the middle of having a bottle of wine all to myself. Sometimes it feels like that's all I do when I'm alone. It's my "me time" to relax and reflect on things but usually it turns into me reminiscing about the past. This generally ends up in me being in a melancholy mood. I begin to think about "better times" and ultimately this makes me feel sad. I know better though, but wine has a way of throwing any common sense out the window. It's funny how wine affects me differently depending on the situation. If I am out with someone and having fun, it can have the opposite effect on me. I guess this means I need to limit my solo wine consumption.

What to do...

2010-10-14T00:19:00.001-04:00

Time flies here in NYC. I can't believe it's already Fall and I've passed my one year mark here in the City. A lot has happened since my last post and instead of things being clearer, I feel more confused than ever about everything. I had initially decided that I'd be leaving NY to move to CA, but now part of me is having second thoughts. I still have issues with NYC life but I don't know that moving right now is necessarily the best choice.

Perhaps I am over-thinking things. I don't quite know. I do know that regardless of whether I leave here or not, some changes in my life need to happen fast.

On a lighter note, I am ready to get a new phone. Last year I bought a Nokia N97 and for the longest time that was my dream phone. Today, that phone is up for auction on ebay. It was a decent phone but did not live up to my expectations. I am now looking for a new one. I really want the HTC Evo because it has all the features I want in a phone (except a qwerty keyboard) but it is only available on the Sprint network and they don't use SIM cards so purchasing an unlocked version is not an option. The new Iphone is nice but I'd have to switch over to AT&T and I hear to many complaints about their network so I wonder if it's worth it, especially since it would cost me more than my current plan.

Tonight I saw the G2 for the first time and overall I like it. It has everything I want in a phone with the exception of a secondary camera for video chatting. For some reason I really want one. It was one feature thing that my N97 had that I really liked. I'm not sure I'd do much video chatting anyway but it was nice to have as to use as a mirror (slightly lame, I know). Anyway, this may be my next choice which would mean I am sticking with T-mobile for now. A part of me didn't want to change carriers anyway. It's the one thing in my life that's remained consistent for the past 7 years or so and for some reason, it bothers me to think of leaving them. Perhaps my relationship with T-mobile has a deeper meaning for me.

Anyway, all this phone shopping made me realize that nothing is ever perfect and sometimes you have to let some things go in order to reach some sort of happy medium.

One year later

2010-05-02T02:32:00.000-04:00

It's officially May and you know what that means? It's been almost a year since I returned to Brooklyn. It's kind of crazy to think that I've been back for that long already and it's really got me thinking about things. My move back here was a last-minute decision based on circumstances beyond my control so it wasn't entirely planned out. Fortunately things like finding a job have worked out well, however, I am still not sold on the idea of staying in NYC long-term. I'm not sure this is the lifestyle I want for the rest of my life. I promised myself I'd give it a shot to see how things go, but so far I'm not sure I want to stay here. Despite the length of time that I've been back, I still don't feel at home and I miss the quality of life that I had in other states. Ultimately the lifestyle I want would not be one that I would have if I stayed in the city. Most people here would think I was crazy if I told them what I want because it sounds so cliche and boring but it's what I seek. I want to have a big modern house in a nice quiet neighborhood that I can drive home to (emphasis on drive) every night where I would be greeted by my dog(s) and future husband. If I stay in NYC I wouldn't have a big modern house, I'd be commuting home on the train and I'd probably be single because everyone who's single out here seems to be too busy to have a relationship. These are the things I consider when I think about the possibility of staying here. I think that deep down I know I won't stay, it's a matter of getting myself together and planning my escape. Anyway, it's something I'll just have to figure out by the end of the year. I will say that thought of a new adventure excites me and what keeps me going each day. It's funny to think how many people out there would envy me for living in NYC. It's not terrible, I just don't think it's right for me.

Springtime Strep

2010-04-30T23:50:00.001-04:00

So last week my throat started hurting a bit but I didn't really think much of it. I hoped that it was minor and would go away on its own. After a couple of days it seemed to improve but then returned with a vengeance this week. The past two nights were especially painful to the point that I could not sleep through the night. I knew I had to go see a doctor. Fortunately I was off from work today and I found a doctor in the area and went first thing in the morning. Today was one of those days that I was so thankful that I have a car. I would've hated to have to take public transportation feeling the way I did this morning. Plus, that's probably how I got sick in the first place.

Anyway, it turns out I had Strep throat so the doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics and 5 days worth of a steroid to help reduce the swelling in my throat because it was that bad. The first thing that came to mind when she said steroid was "will it make me fat?" but I didn't bother asking. I figure it's only 5 days. How much harm can that do, right? Well let's hope so anyway.

It's funny though, I started thinking about how your priorities change when you're sick. For example, this morning my sister texted me to ask me if I was going shopping this weekend (it's Macy's friends & family this weekend) and I was annoyed that a) she texted me before 9 am (I was only up this early because I thought I was going to die from the excruciating pain) and b)shopping was the last thing on my mind at this point. In fact, things that normally matter to me on a day to day basis meant nothing. All I wanted was to be healthy again. I guess it also made me realize that I ought to be more thankful for the fact that I rarely get sick and when I do it's never anything major.

Anyway, I spent all day in bed today and am already starting to feel better. Can't wait to be my old self again!

Where are you?

2010-03-10T00:40:00.000-05:00

Today the weather was really warm. You can tell that Spring is right around the corner and I don't like it. Whenever temperatures rise, the number of annoying couples out in public tends to multiply greatly and this is the last thing you want to see when you're single. I'm sure that judging from my previous posts you can tell that I strongly dislike being single and as a result, I hate Spring! I'm tired of being the single one and do not intend on being single forever but being that I've decided not to date until I move out of NYC, it will be a while before I am once again in a relationship.

Right now I can't seem to see the light at the end of the tunnel but one day I will hopefully find someone that can truly make me happy. Sometimes I think about that and I wonder where this person is. Where is he and what is he doing right now? Is he wondering the same thing about me? How much longer must I wait before we meet? Some days feel like that day will never come, but I have to remain hopeful that one day I shall find my one.

Time to let go

2010-02-17T01:39:00.000-05:00

People always say that if you want something badly enough you should never give up because anything is possible or attainable if you try hard enough. Sadly this isn't always relevant when it comes to love. I ought to know because for the past 3 years I've been in love with someone but things never quite worked out the way I wanted. I tried really hard to prove to this person that I loved him and that I would do anything for him but nothing I did or said really changed anything. Recently I found out that he's moved onto someone else but for some reason, even though I knew that I needed to forget about the possibility of us ever being a couple, my heart refused to give up. People have told me to move on for so long and deep down I knew it was the right thing to do, but I just couldn't do it.

This morning, however, I found something else out about him and something finally clicked and I knew that things were officially over. It was one of the worst feelings in the world. I felt like something inside me died and all day I felt really empty. I think it's funny that you can have 100 people tell you the right thing to do and in your mind you know they're right, but it takes one little thing to finally make you realize that it's time to let go.

Anyway, if my life were a book, this would be the end of one of the longest chapters in my life and time for a new and more rewarding one to begin. I wish I could just skip to the good part.

Pensive-induced insomnia

2010-02-03T02:29:00.003-05:00

So I was really tired and ready for bed but as I got under the covers I started my usual pondering. I started thinking about how I'm really considering leaving NYC sooner than later and whether or not this is the right choice. Do I give living here more of a chance? I always believe that time is money and at my age I can't afford to waste any of it. However, I then started wondering what it would be like if I did leave and go to CA. I started kind of thinking about the possibility of things not working out once I'm out there. Really I think I'm just getting cold feet because it would be a complete new start. Changes like these always excite me but a little part of me also tends to get a bit scared. I suppose that's natural. All I know is that I'm not feeling being here right now. I think a big part of it is that I've met too many jerks and this is discouraging for me. I also miss driving my car and I just don't get to do that enough out here. I feel like I spend most of my life in the subway and I'm not a fan.

Blah, I really need to take a break from thinking and get to sleep.

Time to give up?

2010-01-24T22:16:00.004-05:00

I am so sick of the dating scene in NYC. It just plain sucks. If you think the economy sucks, try dating in this economy. It's the worst thing ever! I've basically paid for dates 3 times in the past 6 months and most other times my so-called date and I have split the bill. What ever happened to a guy paying for a first date? Is that now reserved for a certain kind of girl or has everyone gone cheap? I can't stand to go on yet another bad date so I think I just give up completely. I think I'll just focus my efforts on getting the hell out of this place...

New year, new blog entry

2010-01-23T22:33:00.002-05:00

My poor, poor neglected blog. Why don't I update you more often? I'm sure my reader(s) wants to read about things such as all the bad dates I've been on and how much I despise the MTA. This year I must be better about doing so, starting with tomorrow night. ;)

11/12/2009

2009-11-12T20:23:00.001-05:00

The cutest Village Voice cover ever!

Lunch @ Au Bon Pain!

2009-10-28T15:33:00.001-04:00

Butternut squash & apple soup in a bread bowl. Yum!

Perr and his new vest!

2009-10-26T19:56:00.001-04:00

Pay phone

2009-10-25T11:05:00.001-04:00

These still exist???

10/14/2009

2009-10-14T22:07:00.001-04:00

Belated update

2009-10-10T11:13:00.003-04:00

It's been way too long since I've written in this blog. So much has happened since my last entry. For starters, I am now working in the city for a different company. I am still working in retail but am still looking for a way to break into e-commerce. For now, however, I am doing ok. As usual, things don't necessarily work out exactly the way I want, so an alternate plan is required. This is not only the case career-wise but also in my love life (or lack thereof). Ok, so I can't say that it's totally lacking, things just didn't work out the way I had wanted so I find myself single and back at square one. That's right people, I am single and up for grabs, lol. ;)

Anyway, I've been thinking about my life lately and what I truly want long-term. I am trying to do what is best for me but sometimes it's hard for me to think straight because my feelings tend to get in the way, and sometimes that holds me back. I blame it on the fact that I am a woman and we tend to be overly emotional at times. I wish I could just stop thinking about certain things and move on. I guess that's something I'll be working on for a while. I feel like I'm progressing but very slowly. I always say this and I mean it when I say that I wish I could fast forward time to the point where my life is complete. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever get there.

My Petco purchase

2009-10-08T17:05:00.001-04:00

10/01/2009

2009-10-01T19:55:00.001-04:00

My new store!

My current location!

2009-09-10T11:57:00.001-04:00

09/06/2009

2009-09-06T23:35:00.001-04:00

I miss my baby!

09/06/2009

2009-09-06T18:52:00.001-04:00

You know you're in CA when...

Pug Treats!

2009-08-06T18:38:00.001-04:00

Omg how cute!

@ MSG

2009-08-03T21:13:00.001-04:00

Depeche Mode is playing tonight & I have no tix. There's always tomorrow!

Rooftop view @ The X-Change

2009-07-23T07:26:00.001-04:00

More sites from The X-Change

Day 4 without Diet Dr. Pepper

2009-07-17T00:47:00.003-04:00

So the other day I decided I would try to stop drinking so much Diet Dr. Pepper. Anyone who knows me pretty much thinks of me whenever they see a can of Diet Dr. Pepper because that's pretty much all I ever drink (well, besides alcoholic beverages). On average i drink 3-4 cans a day (sometimes more) which is a lot. My addiction is so bad that if I don't have a can in the morning, I'll get a bad headache and feel lethargic.

Anyway, the other day, I decided to cut down on my soda intake. In fact, I decided to see how long I could survive without drinking any soda at all. I had tried to cut back once while I was in Florida by replacing the soda with Crystal Light, and I was doing quite well for a while, but somehow I regressed to my old ways. This time I have managed to survive 4 consecutive days without even one can of Diet Dr. Pepper! I haven't felt as bad as I thought I would but it hasn't been easy. Yesterday (Day 3) was especially bad. I was feeling really tired and didn't run as long as I wanted. Today was better but still a tough time at the park. I mostly power walked. I'm not sure if I was feeling tired because it was so humid out or because of my lack of caffeine. It's really hard to say. I wonder if I should've tried to quit more gradually. I'm not sure how much longer I will continue to avoid Diet Dr. Pepper but I can't say that I miss it as much as I expected.either way, my plan isn't necessarily to stop drinking it entirely, I just want to be able to avoid being dependent on it to function on a daily basis. Maybe I shall have a can tomorrow, or maybe not...

Pre-party drink!

2009-07-10T18:23:00.001-04:00

D-9 ad in NYC

2009-07-10T16:11:00.001-04:00

2009-07-09T19:45:00.001-04:00

Jersey Day of Fun

2009-07-01T22:28:00.001-04:00

So yesterday I spent most of my day in South Jersey by myself. I went for a couple of reasons, the main one being that I had to get my car serviced and I refuse to get that done in Brooklyn. I just don't trust places around here. You think I'm crazy huh? Well no one knows better than I that people in Brooklyn are out to rip people off half the time and I refuse to put myself in that position. Plus I had gotten this lifetime alignment at Tire Kingdom and it just so happens that the closest one to me is located in Maple Shade which is where I used to live. So I went there to get my tires aligned as well as an oil change. I also figured that while I was there I could do some grocery shopping since they have better grocery stores than we have here in good ol' BK.

Anyway, I went on my merry way. I had hoped to meet up with my friend Jason but unfortunately he had to work late and my Facebook invite to hang out with any other South Jersey friends went unnoticed, so it was all me. I didn't mind it much, especially since the purpose of this trip was mainly to run some much needed errands.

While I was there I realized that part of me missed NJ. Being back there was like being back home, mainly because I spent 7 years of my life there (not all in S. Jersey). There are things that I didn't like about it while I lived there but overall, it wasn't bad. I have a lot of good memories of times spent there with friends, adopting my first dog, starting a new job; so many things that have shaped my life and made me who I am today. Everything you do in your life and everyone you meet affects your life in one way or another, and NJ had played a big role in mine. I'll always have a special place for it in my heart.

Running for my life!

2009-06-29T23:05:00.002-04:00

Since I am currently unemployed, I can't really do too many things that require spending a lot of money because I have no idea how long it will take me to find a job(with this economy, I'm guessing forever?). I decided that I should start running consistently again like I did when I lived in FL. I had kind of stopped for a while but about a week ago, I started going to Marine Park (the least frightening park in Brooklyn). It's actually a pretty nice park in a pretty nice area by Brooklyn standards.

At first I'd go running in the early evening because it wasn't as hot but also not completely dark. I always loved running after dark but something about doing that in Brooklyn just sounds wrong. However, tonight I decided to do the unthinkable and went running at night! I figured, I may never find anyone to go running with me at night and really, who cares? If something bad is meant to happen to me it'll happen regardless of where I am. And now that I've done it, I can honestly say that it wasn't scary at all. There were a lot of people in the park and I'll most definitely do it again. I think the key to maintaining my sanity will be to live my life as close to the way I want to live it despite my current location (and stay thin in the process ;).

Guys in NY are weird...

2009-06-28T02:05:00.002-04:00

So I've officially been back in Brooklyn a month and although I'm from here, I am still getting used to it. One thing I'd forgotten about NY is how forward and overly self-confident guys here can be. Just last week I had a couple of random happenings.

Wednesday I went to a bar in Williamsburg for this Yelp elite event where I met some new people, a couple which were guys. Now, although I am single, I was really just looking for some new friends. This one particular guy seemed nice, fun and actually lived in my neighborhood (which was kind of far from where we were) so we talked a lot and ended up taking the train back together. Anyway, I was in one of my "I hate guys" moods and mentioned this on several occasions. I'm not sure what part of that he didn't understand or why he would think that he could be excluded from my sentiment, but apparently he did because when we went to say good-bye for the evening, he went to kiss me. What was that about? We were not on a date, I never acted like I liked him that way, I was just being nice. I guess around here being nice can be misinterpreted for being flirty? I don't know, but I am far from a flirt.

Then the next day, I was dressed up to go to this Nokia party at the Marquee in NYC and I was wearing this black Kenneth Cole wrap dress which was a bit lower cut that I am used to but I wanted to look hot so I went for it. That was slightly annoying. While waiting for a train, some guy walked over and stood in front of me, looked me over and told me I looked sexy. Then another guy kept staring at my cleavage while on the train as well as the guy at the news stand where I bought a Redbull. I'll never understand why guys think cleavage is so exciting. They're just breasts! And why must guys in NY always go out of their way to tell you they think you look hot? This has happened to me several times since I've been back and never happened while I lived in Florida or even in NJ. must be a NYC thing. I guess guys are are just more confident or they think that can get them somewhere. It's weird.

Dating in NYC is sure going to be interesting!

Love sucks!

2009-06-24T12:14:00.003-04:00

I think the title of this post is pretty self explanatory. It's how I'm feeling right now. I am technically single but my heart still thinks it's involved in a relationship. How do you move on when you know it's the best thing to do but you still have feelings for someone? I obviously don't know how because I've been trying to do just that for a while now. I wish I could just take a pill that would erase that person from my memory.

Ugh, love just plain sucks.

Back where I started

2009-06-21T22:31:00.002-04:00

I've been wanting to update this blog for a while now but haven't gotten around to it, however, enough is enough ad there is no reason I should not write daily, especially with all the extra free time I have now that I am not working.

To update you on the happenings of my life, I moved back home to Brooklyn for the time being instead of moving to San Francisco. It was a last-minute decision based on a lack of sufficient funds and place to live (finding a room on CL was much more difficult than it seemed). Plus I also came back for other personal reasons. It was not an easy decision, especially since I swore I'd never move back to Brooklyn, but sometimes you can't have everything you want in life exactly when you want it.

So anyway, my change of plans made moving slightly easier. Moving fees were cheaper and I didn't have to worry about finding an apartment/roommate because I was moving back home. Part of me was kind of excited about it. I mean, I love NYC, and moving to Brooklyn meant being a subway ride away from the greatest city in the world! Sure coming home now would be so different than the last time I officially lived here (when I was 18). I now had a dog, a car, and some sort of career (more on that later), not to mention a lot of life experiences. I saw this as an opportunity to re-visit my hometown and see things from a more grown-up perspective. I'd always hated Brooklyn when I was growing up here. I felt that I never fit in but looking back, I really didn't know all that much about it, especially since I grew up in the same neighborhood my entire life. Brooklyn is NYC's biggest Borough and I only knew a fraction of it. It's changed a lot since the last time 1121o was my zip code, and so many people seem to be moving here on a daily basis so perhaps there was more to it than I thought? I decided that this would be my time to see and experience all I never did before so that I can make a more educated conclusion about how I feel towards Brooklyn.

Not ony would this move mean literally exploring new territory, but it would also mean exploring new territory career-wise. I left my full-time retail job that I had for 6.5 years to explore something new. Moving to SF would've been a big risk for me, but this is an even bigger risk especially the way the job market is today. I'd been wanting to make a change for a while now and the time has finally come to make it a reality. So now, not only do I have to re-adjust to living in Brooklyn, but I have to find myself and a job that will truly make me happy.

This is a tough challenge but not an impossible one...

2009-05-30T16:48:00.001-04:00

Lunch @ Soho Park!

zuchini sticks and chicken sandwich!

Out drinking in NYC

2009-05-29T20:04:00.001-04:00

Lounge bar!

2009-05-28T14:14:00.001-04:00

Perr Perr!

2009-05-27T16:06:00.001-04:00

Perry hiding from the sun @ a rest stop in NC!

Ramada

2009-05-27T09:10:00.001-04:00

Where I am right now...

Bfast time!

2009-05-27T08:43:00.001-04:00

the waffle I made in SC

Perr!

2009-05-26T19:07:00.001-04:00

Road Trip

2009-05-26T16:05:00.001-04:00

somewhere in Mims, FL

Going home...

2009-05-26T01:59:00.002-04:00

So this is it! The moment I've been waiting for, time to move out of Florida! After 2 years and 9 months I am finally leaving! I know in my last post I said I was moving to the Bay area, however, I had a change of heart and have decided to return to the best city in the world, NYC! There were many factors that resulted in my change of plans. Initially the main factor was financial. Things came up and it wasn't working out financially for me to move all the way to CA without having anything set job-wise. However, after much pondering and a visit home, I realized that I need to do what will result in my overall happiness and that is return to NYC. Not just because I love the city and I have a lot of friends in the area, but because it's what I am meant to do right now.

Despite how much I dreaded living in FL at times, I feel it was beneficial in the sense that I learned a lot about life, love and myself. I feel that overall I have grown up a lot and although some of my realizations have been difficult and painful at times, I feel I can finally move on and become the person I know I can be. The longer I stayed here, the longer I was prolonging my new life. I'm finally doing something solely for myself. The past couple of years I felt like I lost a piece of myself but now I am going back to find it and become the real me again.

My ride home

2009-05-25T10:47:00.001-04:00

Pontius & the trailer.

2009-05-02T18:32:00.001-04:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Holy Flip Flop!

2009-05-01T18:46:00.001-04:00

The Old Navy on 34th St not only had an entire section dedicated to flip flops, but also had them throughout the store!

Posted via Pixelpipe.

2009-05-01T16:47:00.001-04:00

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Welcome to NYC!

2009-05-01T10:36:00.001-04:00

Arriving @ La Guardia.

Posted via Pixelpipe.

Moving on & starting over

2009-04-28T17:31:00.002-04:00

So, it's official, no turning back now. I am moving to the Bay Area. I was going to try and stay in FL until the end of my lease but things happened (work-related), and it led me to make the decision to make my move now. I like to think that everything happens for a reason and am therefore excited to be moving sooner than later even if it may be a bit of a struggle.

I know the last time I wrote, I had decided that I wasn't going ahead with my plan of moving to CA, but I had time to ponder and really think about what I wanted for myself and came to the conclusion that I do want to go out there and try something new. It seems right to me and maybe I'm crazy and/or wrong, but am going ahead with my gut feeling. In my last post when I said I wasn't moving out there, it was based on a personal issue involving someone else. But I realized that I need to do what I want to do and right now I feel I need to go somewhere new where I can start over and perhaps re-invent myself once again. I have had a lot of tough times this year and a lot of changes have happened and are up ahead, but I am looking forward to a new challenge and a new beginning. I really need this right now.

Where have all the people my age gone...?

2009-04-13T22:23:00.002-04:00

I can't believe I didn't write in my blog at all during the entire month of March. How lame of me. I know had some great ideas for blog entries but they never made it to the computer. A lot of times I'll blog in my mind and then forget to actually type it up. I need to get better about that.

Anyway, one thing that's been on my mind lately is age. I feel like no matter where I go, everyone I meet is younger than I am. Whether it's at a bar, a Yelp outing, or work, people seem to all be in their mid-late 20's, maybe 30 max, but never early or mid-30's. I wonder where all the people my age have disappeared to. Are they all at home living lame married lives? Is it possible that I am the only single girl in my early 30's who goes out around here? I feel like I'm older than I should be. If/when I do manage to meet people that are within my age range around here, they always seem way older than me appearance-wise and out of touch with anything I like. Not like these encounters happen often but when they do, this seems to always be the case. Sometimes I feel like I was born before my time. I should at least be in my late 20's. Hopefully after I move I shall meet some younger-looking, cooler people in their early thirties because I'm over being the oldest one around.

Old songs, new meanings

2009-02-27T20:04:00.002-05:00

I've always loved music and it's always been an important part of my life. Certain bands are especially dear to me because their music helped me get through difficult times in the past. When I was in high school I primarily listened to heavy metal because a lot of the songs have an angry sound to them and they matched my emotions at the time. Although metal was my favorite, I also listened to more mellow rock. I loved rock ballads even though I couldn't necessarily relate to the general topic, lost love (I never dated in high school. I know, pathetic). Anyway, years passed and my taste in music has changed slightly. I'm not saying that I no longer like the music I listened to back then, but my genre of music of choice now has evolved a bit. As a result, there are a lot of albums that I haven't listened to in years.

Earlier tonight, while driving to the grocery store, I pulled out an Aerosmith CD that I hadn't played in a while and I listened to track after track. Suddenly, this one track started playing that I remembered loving, not because I could relate to it at the time, but because it was just a good song. Tonight, however, it had a new meaning for me because tonight I could relate to what Steven Tyler was feeling when he wrote those lyrics. It made me love the song so much more and once again, music is there to help me get through a tough time.

Help me! I'm addicted to Facebook!

2009-02-25T11:04:00.003-05:00

Lately on my days off, or when I am not at work, all I do is lay on my couch and go online. A lot of my time is spent on Facebook updating my status, responding to other people's status messages, and responding to other people's responses to my status/pictures. When I am not at home on my computer I'll log onto Facebook on the mobile app on my G1. I know I'm not the only one who does this but it's getting addicting. Is it pathetic? Probably. At least I'm not the only one. I must say, I definitely have a tendency to get addicted to anything online. Makes me wish I'd pursued being an online editor after I graduated college like I had thought about.

I'd make a bad, bad parent

2009-02-22T18:04:00.002-05:00

So as you know, I have a Shih-Tzu named Perry. I love him very much and don't know what I'd do without him. At this point he's pretty much all I have and he keeps me busy. There are days when I probably wouldn't get out of bed if it weren't for him.

Despite my love for him I haven't been giving him the attention he deserves. I've been so wrapped up in my pathetic life that I haven't really thought much about him. I walk him, feel him, play with him for a little while if he asks to play, but that's pretty much it. I realized that I've been ignoring him the other day when I was walking him and noticed that he went to the bathroom on the grass. Now, for most dogs this isn't a big deal. In fact that's what dogs do, they poop on grass, but not Perry. For the longest time he's avoided grass and if I picked him up and put him on it he'd run off. I always thought it was funny. Anyway, the other day I was walking him and looked down to realize that I was standing on grass and he was pooping on it. He actually had been doing so for days but I hadn't even thought about how for him this is a big deal. That was when I realized that I was being selfish by not paying much attention to him and just worrying about my own problems. My poor baby! This also made me realize that I'd probably make a lousy parent because everything would always be about me. Not like I want to be a parent or like anyone would want me to be their kid's mom. It was just a weird realization.

My Personal Debit Card Fraud: The Conclusion

2009-02-21T18:00:00.003-05:00

So the fraudulent charges on my debit card finally cleared today which meant I was able to call Bank of America and officially file a dispute. Apparently, whoever made the charges had a card present which means that someone made a fake card with my information on it. Normally I'd think this was creepy but this happened to me once before when I lived in NJ. Someone had withdrawn as much as they could out of my account at an ATM in NYC and then purchased a Metro Card with the remaining balance. Gotta love thieves. What I don't get about these latest thieves is why they'd choose to buy stamps. I mean, really? Stamps? You have access to someone's account and you choose to buy stamps on three different occasions? Weirdos!

I think the most annoying part of this whole experience was how many times I had to tell a BofA rep that no, I have not been in Texas. The rep today asked me if I was sure I hadn't been there. Do you really think I could forget going out of state let alone, to a place like Texas?

Anyway, they filed the dispute and they are giving me a credit for the amount which is supposed to clear on the 24th. The only thing left for me to do is sign and mail back the affidavit they are sending me. I can't wait to get my new debit card. I am not a fan of using cash because I don't believe in it. I feel like everyone should use a debit card, even though the system obviously has its flaws.

More irony

2009-02-20T19:59:00.003-05:00

So the day after my entry about staying positive, what happens? Something negative! I was out having a drink with my friend Erika when I get this email message from Bank of America about possible "irregular activity" on my debit card. I get these a lot from them so I thought it was probably just them being over-protective again but I call anyway because when you get one of these notices, your card has a hold on it. So, I call and wait what seems to be a million years (about 30m min) and finally get to speak to someone who tells me that there were three charges from USPS for $37 and change. Two were in Houston, TX and one was in Richardson, TX. Wtf? I have been nowhere near Texas in years so obviously there is something fraudulent going on. What was annoying was that the representative kept asking me if I'd bought stamps. I said no and he asked me that on a couple of different occasions. Would I really fly all the way to Texas just to buy stamps 3 times? Retarded! Anyway, I wanted to dispute the charges then and there but since they were still in their pending stages I couldn't do so. They told me to call back when the charges clear. Annoying! At this point I just wanted a new card sent out to me. In the meantime, the rep said that I could go to any branch to get a temporary card which I attempted to do this morning but failed at my mission. Apparently, because I opened my account in NJ, they couldn't do it for me. It needed to be a FL account. What? I don't understand that but whatever. I just withdrew some money and left. I just want this to be over already but it will probably take a while because the charges are still pending and they said the amount of time for the dispute to be settled "depends." Fun times ahead!

Anyway, I thought it was ironic that this happened the day after I said I was going to try to be more positive about things. I swear someone out there is testing me. Well, I haven't given up yet! I just hope there aren't any more tests anytime soon. ;)

Staying Positive

2009-02-18T17:01:00.002-05:00

So the past few blog entries have been me complaining about everything that's gone wrong but today I decided that I need to take a different approach and not give up on what I want. I need to stay positive about things and continue to try to find a way out. For me this is especially difficult because I am not a very patient person and like things to happen right away, but obviously, this is not always going to be the case. At this point I will not discuss what I have in mind, I will merely do what I have to do and once I am set to go, I will announce my decision.

I also wanted to take a minute to say hi to my readers who I have not yet met. Yes, I have readers who actually read my blog and don't know me personally! How exciting! :) Sure we all write with the intention of having someone read our content, but I really didn't think that ever really happened. I thought that the only people who read my blog (besides myself) were a couple of friends, but today someone signed my guestbook! So I wanted to say hi to Terje and thanks for signing my guestbook! And anyone out there, please feel free to leave me comments either through the site or on my guestbook. I'd love to hear from you! :)

Life is depressing sometimes

2009-02-17T15:14:00.003-05:00

Lately I feel like I've been wasting away on my couch, surfing the web and looking at Facebook. I'm feeling really discouraged about everything because it seems like getting out of Florida will be a bigger task than I had anticipated. As a result I have either been laying around being unproductive or gone out drinking (or even stayed in and drank at home). I suppose this is my latest way of dealing with my depression.

Anyway, in order to get out of here now, I will have to either wait for an opening with my company to become available or leave the company entirely. I've been wanting to do the latter for a long time but unfortunately, with today's sucky economy, it will be another difficult task to overcome.

Problem #1: Most companies don't want to bother with an applicant who is not currently residing in the state in which they wish to re-locate to. They have a million other candidates, why settle on the one from out of town?

Problem #2: although I'd love to pick up and leave so that I can look for a job, it's ultra risky. I do have some vacation time saved up but what if I can't find a job in 3 weeks? Chances are I won't, and then what do I do?

Regardless of the problems, I think it might be time to move on. I'm not happy with doing what I am doing and I should do something that motivates me and makes me happy. (Hmm, it's like deja-vu only the last time I had a similar idea it wasn't work I was referring to)

It's funny how these days, things that were once simple are so difficult, like finding a job. I think it's so depressing. Goals that in another point in time were normal and easily attainable seem so far away and unlikely to happen (having a great job, owning a home, being in a perfect relationship). I really expected to have my life be more together at this point in time but I feel like it's a bigger mess than ever, in all aspects. I wonder what will become of me and if it'll all work itself out in the end. All I can do is keep trying.

My ironic life

2009-02-11T15:34:00.004-05:00

I hate the way life works out sometimes. As we all know, Valentine's day is coming up and this is the first year in a long time that I will be single for it. My anniversary used to be on this day and every year, it was a hassle to try to get the day off because other people also wanted the day off. Several times I had to work an early shift so that I could at least have the evening free. Well, ironically this year, the year that V-Day means nothing to me and the year that I wouldn't mind working, I get the day off. How annoying is that? I swear, sometimes I feel like there's a higher being controlling my life and torturing me while laughing at my misery.

So anyway, now I have to figure out what I will do that day. Maybe there's some kind of support group for the pathetically single out there. ;)

Pointless Planning

2009-02-05T12:44:00.003-05:00

I've come to the conclusion that planning anything is completely pointless because nothing ever goes as planned, or at least for me it doesn't. This happens to me all the time, at home, at work, everywhere and frankly, it's annoying. Why put so much time and effort on something that's bound to fail?

What am I talking about? Well, my most recent pointless planning is my move to San Francisco. I planned everything out and nothing seemed to work out. I won't get into the details but at this point, I feel like the entire thing wasn't meant to be. Sometimes things don't work out for a reason and I really feel this is the case here. As a result, I will go with my original idea which is going back to NYC. I'm not quite setting a date or anything this time around. We'll just see what happens. ;)

Revisiting my geekdom

2008-12-14T15:54:00.006-05:00

So this week I have been in flashback mode. Why? Well as you all know I am on facebook and someone on there decided to create a group for people who used to chat on these telnet chatrooms back when I was in college. The original chatroom was called the megadiner. This was a chatroom for fans of the band Megadeth. Later that chat shut down and others called The Promised Land and The Tavern were created. I was a regular on all of them. I spent many hours on these chats during college and even met some of my chatroom buddies irl. (in real life for those of you who aren't as geeky ;) Anyway, after college ended, those chats did as well and most of us lost touch. I hadn't thought much about any of this until this week when I was invited to join the group on facebook. It's been so much fun talking to people who I hadn't heard from in a long time and seeing what everyone's up to. To make things even more fun, they set up an IRC chatroom for us to use and the first day it was up, I literally spent about 8 hours on there. I totally lost track of time but it was a lot of fun. When I told some of my regular friends about, it they thought I was a total geek for being on a chat all day but I don't care. So have geekish tendencies. Deal with it! ;)

Anyway, here is the link to the facebook group site:
GlobalPromised Land and Tavern Alumni (and old original Megadiner crew!)
Global

The megadiner chat lives on!! ;)

San Francisco, Here I Come!

2008-12-12T02:13:00.002-05:00

So although most of you know this by now, I haven't made an official announcement yet, so here it is: I am moving to San Francisco! That's right, I am leaving Miami and starting a new adventure in California! I know I had originally planned on going back to NYC, but I decided to try something new and San Francisco is the only other city in the US that I would ever consider living in so I'm giving it a shot! There's nothing more exciting than starting over in a brand new place you've never been and you only have one shot at life so I may as well try it now! Besides, NYC will always be there for me if I ever decide I want to go back.

Anyway, I should be leaving here after January. I added an updated counter so those are the number of days left before my new life! :) I am pretty excited about it! I will have a new city to write about! The good thing about this move is that unlike when I moved here, I will actually have some friends who live in the area so I won't be completely alone and they can help me explore the city. That always makes for a better transition.

Well, I have a million things left to do before I leave here so stay tuned on my progress (or procrastination)!

The disadvantage of working retail

2008-11-28T22:22:00.002-05:00

I've been working in retail for 6 years now (scary) and although I manage to survive doing so, there are many disadvantages for working in this industry, especially during the holidays. Sure this time of year is what we all look forward to because this is the time of year when we make the most money, but it's also the time of year when we all pretty much become slaves to whatever company we work for. There is no 4-day Thanksgiving weekend, or 4-day Christmas weekend, or even flying home for any of the end-of-the-year holidays because that would mean not being at work and unless you want to be fired, that is not really an option. Now, I've never been one to care much about the holidays, but after not having a life for so long, it's starting to get to me. I want to have the option to go home and be with my family if I choose to do so. And I want to have a 4-day weekend to do nothing but sadly, if I continue to work in this industry, that will never really be an option for me. Don't get me wrong, there are things I like about what do, but I don't want to do this for the rest of my life (if I ever really want to have one). Then again I never planned on doing this for as long as I have. I guess there are worse things in life, like being unemployed for 9 months (been there, done that). Anyway, I guess I'm just rambling at this point. I'm just feeling annoyed at the fact that I can't do what I really want to do right now. Someday...

Home Sweet Home?

2008-11-22T18:51:00.002-05:00

So as most of you know, I live in a small 1-bedroom apartment in Hollywood with my dog, Perry. This is the first apartment I've ever had to myself. I always had a roommate and never lived alone so the whole experience is rather new to me. I wasn't sure how I would react to being by myself because I'm not a huge fan of doing things solo. It has now been three months since I moved out on my own and although I have been ok with the living alone aspect, one thing I am lacking is a sense of feeling at home. Maybe it's because I'm missing all the nice furniture and commodities I had enjoyed for so long, or maybe it's because my apartment isn't as nice as the ones I lived in before. Perhaps it also has to do with the fact that I don't really like living in Florida, but whatever the case may be, I never come home and feel like it's "home sweet home." I wonder what it'll take for me to feel that way again. I miss coming home and feeling comfortable and wanting to be there more than anywhere else, or really looking forward to being there at the end of the day. Maybe things will be different at my next location. We shall soon find out!

A New Beginning

2008-10-09T01:45:00.004-04:00

One of my biggest flaws is that I have a tendency to be a little on the insecure side when it comes to making decisions. I have been known to take risks in the past (like going to school in AZ when I'd never been there before) but the past few years, for some reason, I've doubted myself. I guess it's a fear of making the wrong decision and later regretting it for the rest of my life. That's kind of how I felt about my most recent life-altering decision to be single again after so many years. It was a decision I had been putting off for a while because I was afraid of making the wrong choice, not to mention all the people who questioned my decision because it didn't make sense to them. This made me second guess myself, putting off the inevitable.

Even after I had finalized my decision to pursue life on my own, a little part of me wondered if I had indeed made the right decision. It felt right but one can never tell. One thing I knew was that my break-up was going to be different from everyone else's. It was going to be an amicable decision and my ex and I were to remain good friends. At least this is what was said. I was all for it and had no doubt in my mind that I could handle that. After all, we'd been together for so long, how could you just throw it all away, right? Well, apparently I was wrong. Although this was supposedly what was going to happen, nothing could be further from the truth. Something happened the other night which proved to me that what was said was a complete lie. There will be no post-break-up friendship. My relationship was to end with no future contact. (Well, there was the one encounter because there was money aat stake, but that will be all). I refuse to say what happened to make me realize this, but honestly, it doesn't really matter. The point is that no matter how well you think you may know someone, you never truly know them 100%. In a way I'm glad this happened because it confirms the fact that I made the right choice. It's time for a new beginning.

Laundry day postponed, yet again...

2008-10-01T20:27:00.002-04:00

I hate most household chores but on the bottom of my hate list was always the laundry. Why? Because all you have to do is throw your clothes in the washing machine/dryer and let it do its thing for however long it takes. However, my new apartment does not have a washer/dryer on premises because it's a small, older building which means a dreaded visit to the laundry mat is required. I haven't visited a laundry mat since I lived in my dumpy apartment in Belleville, NJ. Back then there was one around the corner so it wasn't terrible. Still not a pleasant experience but at least it wasn't far.

Anyway, I haven't done laundry since I moved out of Aventura which was a little over a month ago. I meant to do so about a week ago. I even put my laundry in my trunk. However, the day I was going to try to do it, I had a list of other errands I had to run so I figured I could always do it "tomorrow." Well, like I said, that was about a week ago. I've been driving around with my dirty laundry in my trunk since and the hamper in my closet is now full again with even more laundry to be done. How sad is that? Needless to say, right now the number one thing I am missing from Aventura is my washer/dryer.

Maybe I'll do my laundry tomorrow. ;)

Good-bye Aventura, hello Hollywood!

2008-09-17T16:55:00.002-04:00

I've been meaning to update my blog in what seems like forever and a lot has happened since my last entry. After my decision to (reluctantly) stay in South Florida longer than planned, I spent a lot of time searching for a decent apartment. I learned a lot about South Florida while doing so (like how scary it can be) and after looking at so many creepy places, I finally settled on an apartment in Hollywood. It's not Aventura but it's still a pretty cool area with a lot of restaurants and bars just walking distance from here which is great because there's always something to do.

It's been an interesting experience going from being in a relationship with 2 dogs to being single with one dog. (For those of you that don't know this already, I am now single and living on my own which is a new experience for me.) It's just Perry and I (I lost Prince in the break-up :() and I feel like a single parent. I miss Prince very much but there was no way I could take care of two dogs on my own. The sad thing is that I may never see him again.

Anyway, it's a new place and a new beginning but my goal remains the same, to get out of Florida as soon as I can!

Age Matters

2008-07-13T22:51:00.002-04:00

As those of you who know me personally know, I am a retail manager. Most of the people I manage are younger than I am, and they get younger and younger each day. It creeps me out when I look at their paperwork and I notice that they are born in the 80's because I can actually remember those years. I try not to think about age much, especially since I've been told that I look younger than I am (I also look way hotter than I did when I was younger btw. Just a little side note ;). Occasionally though, the subject of age does come up, like yesterday. Somehow one of the employees started talking about age and the other manager who was sitting there there mentioned that her birthday was coming up this week. She mentioned she was turning 25 and seemed bothered by that which shocked me because I thought she was older. Not only did it surprise me but it disappointed me because it meant that I was older than her. So anyway, to make matters worse, the employee then asked me how old I was and I reluctantly told the truth (which I refuse to repeat because I'm not comfortable discussing that matter anymore and if you know me, you already know my age, and if not and really want to know, there are ways to find out aside from asking me :P).

Anyway, I've been thinking about it all day and wonder, have I reached the point in my life when I should start lying about my age? Whenever I tell anyone how old I am they seem shocked and I'm not sure that it's always a good thing. I mean, yes, it can be a compliment because it can mean that you look younger, but it can also mean that they think you're a loser for not accomplishing more with your life at that age. I don't know. That's definitely the pessimistic view but not totally out there. Needless to say, I don't know what the right thing to do is aside from avoiding the subject of age like the plague.

Extending my stay...

2008-07-12T20:05:00.002-04:00

If everything in my life worked out exactly as planned, right now I'd be celebrating the fact that I have less than 2 months left in Florida. Of course, being that this is my life we're talking about, this is not the case. Instead I have decided to prolong my stay a few more months and am in the process of finding a new place to live. I decided to stay longer for a variety of reasons which I shall not bore you with, but primarily it's because I am not ready financially. Moving to NYC will require more savings as well as more planning. For now my new goal date is mid January so we'll see how that goes. Really the sooner the better but I don't see myself leaving anytime before then. Sadly this means I get to spend another holiday season in hot weather. :(

I killed my MDA!

2008-06-21T12:15:00.003-04:00

Last night I managed to kill my MDA. How? I managed to wet it somehow. I don't know how exactly but it happened while using it while in the bath. I don't think I dropped it in the tub but I suppose it's possible (Don't ask me why I don't remember).

Anyway, this is not the first phone that I've murdered (unintentionally of course). I once dropped my Motorola V600 in the bathtub and then had to buy another one on ebay. I'm not sure I totally killed this one because it's still giving me signs of life but the screen is flickering and the touch screen does not seem to be working. :( Needless to say I am really depressed about it. Fortunately I have my RAZR as a backup. The funny thing about this whole experience, though, is that I used to love my RAZR and thought it was really great before I had my MDA. Now I realize that it sucks. I can't go online as easily and I can't log onto google talk which I'm generally logged onto all day on my MDA. I'm feeling really deprived and am having withdrawals. I may have no choice but to buy another phone, however the timing is not good. I just spent way too much hosting my family and am supposed to try to save money for my escape from Florida. This is why I've decided to start the "Buy Inxshopper a New Phone foundation"! Yes, you can help make a difference in my life by donating money to help buy me a new phone! Interested? Feel free to send your donations to my Paypal account. Contact me for details. ;) Thanks!

I survived!

2008-06-20T22:15:00.005-04:00

So I survived my week with the family and didn't feel the need to kill them by the time they left which for me is quite remarkable! I must say, having family (or anyone for that matter) over is quite tiring, so by the time it was time for them to leave I felt like collapsing and sleeping for at least one day straight. The funny thing was that I was off the day after my mom and sis were scheduled to leave which seemed perfect. However my sister's flight was canceled (they were on different flights) so she ended up spending an extra night with me. Normally I would've been ecstatic but I was actually kind of disappointed because I had been looking forward to having a day to myself. It turned out well though and I'm glad they were able to come visit me before I leave Florida. Not too much time left. Speaking of, I still have a ton of stuff to get rid of before I leave. Anyone interested in buying all my old fat clothes? ;)

Anyway, here's a video of one of my sister's favorite things to do while visiting me in FL: annoying Perry!

Family Time!

2008-06-14T01:48:00.002-04:00

My sister has just completed her junior year at Ohio State and decided that she'd take a detour before heading home and visiting me, which was smart on her part because I (hopefully) won't be living here much longer. Anyway, I figured it would be fun even though I knew I'd have to work most of the time she'd be around. I'm pretty good about making time. However, it turned into a family affair when my mom decided to come around the same time as well.

So, my sister arrived Wednesday and my mom arrived late last night. So far so good but I wonder how long it'll be before we get on each other's nerves. I give it two days and since I actually have the weekend off, perhaps one. We shall see...

Stupid Neighbors

2008-05-04T12:42:00.004-04:00

I am not an outdoorsy person at all. I don't care for any outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, fishing, etc. Probably the only thing I like to do outside is go running and sometimes barbecue or maybe go to the beach. I especially don't want to be outside when it's humid and/or hotter than hell which is usually the case here in South Florida. This is why I don't understand why people insist on eating or being outside around here. Part of what got me thinking about this are my annoying neighbors. There's this large family (or at least I think they're a family) who lives diagonally across from me, and every day they are sitting outside at this table they've placed in front of their apartment and there is literally someone there all damn day! They will socialize out there, eat every meal out there and just sit out there for no reason. I don't understand the need for them to sit outside at all hours of the day. It's almost as if they take shifts doing so. I feel like going up to them and asking them why they insist on sitting there at all hours of the day (and I mean literally all hours, like as late as 2am). Part of what makes this especially annoying is that they will seriously sit there and stare at you. Sure, I can be fun to watch ;)but this is getting ridiculous. I mean, were they not taught that it's rude to stare? I guess not everyone has manners. All I know is that it's getting old and they better stop soon before I get mean about it.

Why I make a bad Hispanic

2008-05-02T15:14:00.003-04:00

So I went to this new lounge bar/club in Aventura (the "city" that I currently live in)last night, and I was having a pretty good time. The place is nice, with a cool bar and lots of seating where you can lounge stylishly. When I first walked in they were playing regular club music and which I generally like but then all of a sudden they started playing Spanish reggae-ish music (forgot what that's called, all I know is that it sucks). So, being that I'm in S. Florida of course a lot of the people there are Latin and once the crappy Spanish music started playing they all started dancing. It began with that, continued with other Spanish songs that you wouldn't know unless you're Latin and you like that crap, i.e. nothing very mainstream. Anyway, all this got me thinking about how I am the complete opposite of what anyone thinks of when they think of a Latin (Hispanic, whatever you want to call it) girl. In a way I am almost like the Anti-Hispanic and for the following reasons:

I don't speak Spanish: or believe that just because you live in Miami you should be lazy and just go around speaking it when you're perfectly capable of speaking English.
I hate dancing: For some reason people think that all Latins love to dance. People freak when they find out that I really don't. I think most of them do but for some reason, that's not my thing. It just never has been.
I don't like Latin music: I really don't care for any Spanish music at all. Enough said about that.
I went to college and have a college degree: I know a lot of Hispanics these days do go to college but the percentage is still quite low. I've met several people who are Hispanic in Miami and most of them have not attended college.
I don't believe in extended families: Hispanics are weird about their living conditions. They have a tendency to live with their entire extended families and think this is normal. Who on earth would want to live with their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc? Not me! I believe in growing up and living your own life.
I have a social life outside of my family: This ties back to the extended family thing. A lot of Hispanics who live with their relatives also hang out with them 24-7. Their cousins, siblings or whatever are the main people they hang out with and they rarely have real friends outside of the family. Weird but not me...
I am not Catholic: Yes, I've been to church before and technically I was raised Catholic but religion does not play a strong role in my life and if it did I would not call myself Catholic. If I did I would make a very bad one. ;)

There are other reasons why I make a bad Hispanic but these are all I could come up with right now. Perhaps I'm just weird in general. I don't know but I also don't care. ;)

Welcome Perry!

2008-04-06T22:31:00.004-04:00

I've been meaning to write in this blog for the past 2 weeks but haven't gotten around to it because things have been very busy and chaotic. The highlight has been the new addition to the family, our new dog, Perry. He's a black and white Shih-Tzu and looks a lot like Prince. I found him on Petfinder.com and fell in love with him when I saw his picture. I knew I had to have him. He was located in Orlando where had been rescued by a non-profit organization. I submitted an application and fortunately we were able to adopt him even though we lived outside of the area. It was a long drive up there but definitely worth it.

Perry is super cute and the complete opposite of Prince. He's thin (he needs to gain some weight), super energetic and very outgoing. He's adjusting well to his new home.

Prince is adjusting well too. It took him a couple of days before he seemed comfortable with everything. Initially he was acting jealous and would occasionally growl at Perry, but he seems to be getting better about it. Our hope is that they'll become best friends because that was a big reason for getting Perry.

Anyway, I'm still getting used to walking two dogs and just having two dogs in general (you should've seen me at Petco trying to handle both of them. Pretty embarrasing). It's more tiring than I thought but I'll get used to it. It's nice having two Shih-Tzus greet you when you come home from work.

No sense of time...

2008-03-15T23:40:00.003-04:00

One of the things I dislike about living here is the consistent heat. It's always hot and humid (ok well maybe not always but 98% of the time). Like right now, for example, it's 80 degrees outside but feels hotter than it actually is because it's so damn humid! As a result you have no sense of season and if you do what I do for a living you also lack a sense of time. Now, if you know me, you already know what I do for a living so I won't get into that, but basically my job requires me to work random hours every week. I don't have a set schedule and my hours are very sporadic (I may go in at 5am one day, 2pm another day, etc) so I have difficulty knowing what day of the week it is, which combined with living in Florida with it's lack of seasons, has resulted in a very confused me. ;)

Sometimes I wonder what the hell possessed me to think that I could possibly be ok with living in a hot climate. I've always loved Fall and Winter, and wearing coats, boots and anything that has to do with cold weather. Plus I don't even like Summer/Spring clothes. The colors are always bright and cheery (very unlike me). Do you know how difficult it is to find a summery wardrobe when your favorite colors are black and grey?

Anyway, in conclusion, it's hot and I wish it were 50 degrees outside. ;)

P.S. I've added a countdown to moving day counter on the bottom of my blog. It's set to the date when my lease here ends give or take a day. (I've been too lazy to actually pull up the actual lease and double check but I'm almost positive it's right) As of today I have 162 days left. It sounds like an eternity but it'll probably go by faster than expected.

Weird timing

2008-03-11T00:49:00.003-04:00

Life is weird. Several months ago I was on here bitching about how I hadn't met any cool people in FL. After a while I had met a couple of new people (primarily through work and still not as many as I would've liked) but it didn't matter as much because I was busy with work and most recently had made the decision that I'd be moving away, so it didn't really matter to me anymore. My focus shifted to just getting ready to head out. Anyway, the other night, per one of my Yelp buddies' suggestion, I decided to attend something called an "Art walk" in Miami's Design District. The walk happens every second Saturday of each month but what differentiated this one from all the rest was that this particular Saturday would be a gathering of some of South Florida's Yelpers. (If you don't know what Yelp is, click on the link to find out) Anyway, the event pretty much consisted of walking from art gallery to art gallery while acquiring free alcoholic drinks (trick-or-treating for adults as I referred to it). It was a great time but one of the best parts was meeting new and interesting people, proving that there are indeed some cool people in Miami. ;) I knew there were, I just hadn't met any and had kind of given up. It's just funny how things happen when you least expect it.

Within the past couple of days I've also been getting e-mails from old friends I haven't heard from in a while. Weird, but very cool. ;)

Anyway, here's a pic from our outing on Saturday night!

Still longing for you...

2008-03-06T14:21:00.001-05:00

Out of boredom and a strong desire for Diet Berries & Cream Dr. Pepper, I came across this commercial.

R.I.P. Diet Berries & Cream Dr. Pepper. I'll never forget you!

On Vaca...

2008-03-03T14:10:00.002-05:00

So yesterday was the official start to my vacation. I'm taking 9 consecutive days off from work just to do some things around the house and to have time to myself. One of the most annoying things about telling people that you're taking vacation time is them asking you "where are you going?" as if going somewhere is mandatory. I can't tell you how many people have asked me that question within the past week or so and then reacted surprised or disappointed upon finding out that, no, I am not going away anywhere. Is it really that unheard of to just take time to get some things taken care of or even to just get away from work? I will be spending my week posting items on ebay (lord knows I have a million things to sell), running errands and just spending time with Prince. Little things like that take a lot of time and when you work crazy hours like I do, they don't always get done. Ebay alone takes a lot of time (taking pics, posting listings, responding to people's questions, going to the post office) but I guess people don't think about those things. Anyway, I wouldn't mind just taking the week off doing absolutely nothing but lounging at home but that's not going to happen. Lots to do if I want to move to NYC!

See you soon, NYC...

2008-02-28T23:44:00.002-05:00

Last weekend David and I went to NYC. It was the perfect weekend getaway, complete with lots of shopping, drinking, eating out and cold weather. In other words, all of my favorite things. ;) The trip started out with the potential to be disastrous thanks to Mother Nature. The day we left there was a snow storm in the Tri-State area so a lot of flights were being canceled including our connecting flight leaving Atlanta. Fortunately we were on standby on another flight and actually made it onto the plane.

We stayed in a suite at the Hudson Hotel on W. 58th. It was the coolest hotel I've ever stayed at. It was very modern and chic, almost as if it had been designed for me (how many hotels have dark grey hallways?). ;) Not only was it an awesome atmosphere but the customer service was great the entire time. If I could live there, I would. It was definitely difficult to say good-bye to that place and the city in general but visiting confirmed what I already knew; it's time to move back to NYC and get the hell away from Miami.

David and I have been talking about moving back once and for all for a while now but now I realize how strongly I feel about that. I've always known deep down that this is where I truly want to be (and belong) but never really pursued it because it can be quite pricey. However, living in Miami made me realize that things are quite pricey here as well and not as great as I had expected. I could make a list of the reasons I could never live in Florida long-term (but I won't right now, I'll save it for a later post)and after having lived in several places I've realized that it's best to just be wherever's going to make you happy and for me it's NYC.

When I was there I was happier than I'd been in a long time. I know I'll have to put up with other annoyances (no place is perfect) but overall this is where I fit in and where I want to be.

Now the countdown to moving back has begun and I have a lot to get done to make this happen. Number one on my list is getting rid of a ton of stuff. Ebay's about to become my best friend...

New Obsession

2008-02-18T22:02:00.002-05:00

I've always been obsessed with handbags, particularly silver metallic leather ones, but most recently my obsession has reached a new level. I am now obsessed with Chloe handbags. Before, I would have been satisfied with a Kenneth Cole or DKNY bag but that has changed since I discovered my love for Chloe.

Actually, the first time I discovered Chloe handbags was about 3 or 4 years back when I lived in NJ. I remember it as if it were yesterday. I was at Short Hills mall and I saw my first Chloe handbag. It was one of the camera bags with chain straps. There were actually a couple of different ones and they were all beautiful. They were made of black leather and had silver chain straps. I remember picking one up and looking at the price tag. They cost around $1500 or so which made me think I'd never have one of these but if I had the money I would have bought one in a heartbeat. I walked away and didn't think much of it again, that is until now.

I recently found and bought one of these on ebay for $350 which was a steal! I found it in the midst of a quest to find a more current Chloe; a large Chain Betty bag in either black, grey or silver, and/or a large Betty bag in grey or silver. These bags are from previous seasons so they're not as easy to find. The chain one is the most difficult to come across, at least if you want one that's authentic (found that out the hard way). Anyway, I am not giving up on my mission to find it. If anyone reading this has one they'd like to sell, please feel free to contact me. ;)

I am also seeking a pewter Balenciaga Weekender bag. Wish I had one of these for my trip to NYC this coming weekend...

Anyway, it's weird but I feel like in a way I'm becoming a purse snob. I even joined The Purse Forum (a website for bagaholics like me where we can discuss and obsess over our favorite bags). Some might say I need help but what I really need is a new bag. ;)

Sad, sad update...

2008-01-27T22:31:00.000-05:00

So my mission for this weekend was to find my favorite drink, Diet Berries and Cream Dr. Pepper in some shape or form. I didn't care if it was a 2 Liter bottle, a 12 pack or a single small bottle of it. I just needed to find it because it has been too long since I've been able to enjoy the best soda in the world. I went to the following places:

2 Publix locations
2 Walgreens
2 Winn Dixie Supermarkets
1 7 Eleven
2 Wal Marts
1 CVS drugstore

Unfortunately, I did not find a single drop of this soda. I did, however, find Dr. Pepper's latest flavor: Cherry Chocolate Dr. Pepper which up until now I had only heard about. I decided to buy a 12 pack of it because I figured it would be good. Fortunately, before I opened the 12 pack I purchased a small bottle of it so I could try it immediately. Sadly, it was pretty gross. It was so bad that I returned the 12 pack the next day. Thank god that flavor is only Limited Edition because it's quite disgusting.

In the meantime I am still frantically searching for any inventory of this soda that may be left out there so if you've seen it, please e-mail me. Life just isn't the same without it. :(

Mission Impossible?

2008-01-25T15:24:00.000-05:00

If you know me you are aware of my love for Diet Dr. Pepper products. I'm a big diet soda freak and my favorite was Diet Dr. Pepper until the release of Diet Berries and Cream Dr. Pepper. It's the greatest soda ever invented (imo) and I usually stock up on it. My addiction is so bad that at work people know I'm there if they see a can of it in the break room. Lately, however, I have been unable to find it anywhere. I wasn't too concerned at first because it had a tendency to sell out but I'd usually find it a couple of days later. It has now been over a month since I've had the pleasure of drinking that delicious drink and I am beginning to worry. My sister who lives in Ohio said that she hasn't seen it in a long time either and brought up the possibility of the dreaded "D" word - discontinued. Is it possible? Could my favorite soda in the whole world have been discontinued? Will Diet Berries and Cream Dr. Pepper become merely a memory? Will I have to add it to my list of favorite things that have been discontinued? (stay tuned for that list)

Well, I am off for the next couple of days so I have decided that my mission this weekend is to find this soda. The last time I went to Walgreens the other day there was still a sign on the cooler with the Berries and Cream label so there's still hope. I refuse to give up. I will go to every Target, Walmart, Publix, and any other place that might have it until I find it. I shall report my findings in a couple of days. Wish me luck!

What do I want for Christmas?

2007-12-06T21:06:00.000-05:00

I keep forgetting that it's almost Christmas. Perhaps because it's always hotter than hell (OK well maybe not hell) in Florida. I have yet to buy one gift or send out one card. I most likely won't do cards again this year, so if you're my friend and you're reading this, don't be offended that I didn't send you a card. I'm just a little bit out of it this year. If only I could find the two boxes of Christmas cards I bought at Target 2 years ago to prevent this from happening. Someday I'll find them. Probably when I'm packing to move away from here.

Anyway, I can't think of what I would want for Christmas this year. I think I have most of the material things I want for now. Cold weather would be nice. Ok that sounds good. I want a cold front (a real cold front, none of this upper 60 degrees crap that people seem to think is cold) to come through and drop the temperature down to 50 degrees or less so I can wear my Kenneth Cole leather jacket! :) If not, a one-way ticket to NYC. ;)

Blah...

2007-12-06T02:07:00.000-05:00

I haven't updated my blog in so long that I feel obligated to do so. I've had several topics in mind since my last posting but I've just been either unmotivated or too busy with work. I don't even think anyone reads this but someone must since my counter keeps going up, even if it is gradual.

Anyway, the most interesting thing that's happened is me making the decision that I don't want to live in Florida much longer. Although I've learned to accept some things, I realize now that I don't want to be here for good. At my age one should figure these things out because this is the time when most people settle in the place of their choice. I feel like I'm lagging behind in this aspect of my life, but whatever, you can't change past mistakes.

There are other changes about to take place in my life that I do not wish to discuss at this time, but stay tuned, fellow readers (whoever you may be)!

INTERPOL RULES!!!

2007-09-20T15:29:00.001-04:00

So last night was the night I'd been waiting for, the Interpol concert! Needless to say I had an awesome time! The band was great and they played all my favorite songs. Carlos D and Paul Banks looked hot! ;) Here's a video of my favorite song, "C'mere"!

1 Year later...

2007-08-26T13:10:00.000-04:00

Today is my one year anniversary from when I first moved to Miami. I can't believe it's been one year already. Although it's taken a while for me to adjust to a new place I can honestly say that it's finally starting to feel like home. I realized this the other night when I was returning from my road trip to NY/NJ and we drove past the Target in Aventura. I don't think I'd ever been so happy to see that shopping center. At this point I knew I was home and I was glad to be back!

That's one good thing about road trips, they give you the opportunity to see new places and appreciate what you have.

The disadvantages of losing weight

2007-08-11T01:24:00.000-04:00

So as I've mentioned before I've taken up running since moving to South Florida. The main goal was to get in better shape and of course to lose a few pounds. Fortunately it's been working. I have no idea how many pounds I've dropped but I know I've lost weight because all my pants are too big for me now. I was a size 6 when I first moved here and am now a size 4. As great as that is that means that I now have nothing to wear. Yesterday I decided I'd attempt to go jean shopping at Loehmanns. They usually have cool designer jeans for pretty cheap so I was sure Id find something but I was wrong. I looked through all the jeans they had and there was not one pair in my size. Apparently everyone else is also a size 4. I guess I'll have to keep rotating the 3 pairs of jeans that do fit me. Maybe I'll find some cool jeans in NYC. Century 21, here I come!

"Is Is" is Awesome!

2007-08-07T22:07:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I bought the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs EP, "Is Is" and it's awesome! The sound is a lot more like their "Fever to Tell" album which I didn't expect but I love it! My personal favorite is the opening track, "Rockers to Swallow." I think I'll be blasting that one in my car for a while. Interpol needed a break anyway. ;)

Boredom + google = social life

2007-07-21T21:40:00.000-04:00

Earlier today I was bored so I decided to look up random people on google. One of the people I decided to look up was an old co-worker/friend from NYC who I hadn't spoken to in about 4 years. Sure enough I found her profile on her company's website so I decided to send her an e-mail, not expecting to hear back from her anytime soon. Five minutes later she had written me back. We exchanged a couple of e-mails and then ended up talking on the phone and catching up. It was totally unexpected but definitely cool. Now we'll most likely get together next month when I go to NYC. Finally something posiive came out of my boredom.

I love google. ;)

P.S. 59 days before the Interpol concert!

Interpol!!!

2007-07-21T00:09:00.000-04:00

The other day I bought the long-awaited new Interpol album, "Our Love to Admire." It took me several days to listen to the whole thing because I like to listen to songs a couple at a time. After having listened to the whole thing I've decided that my top three songs are as follows:

1. Rest My Chemistry - A song about taking a break from drugs/partying.

2. Scale - Not 100% sure what this song is about but I love it anyway. The song just has a great sound even if the lyrics don't mean anything to me. ;)

3. No I in Threesome - This is a song in which Paul Banks asks his lover to try something new, i.e. a threesome. This is the perfect guy song. I wonder how many guys will dedicate this song to their girlfriends.

Naturally I went for the gloomiest songs on the album. (See playlist below) That's one of the things I love about Interpol. A lot of their songs have a gloomy sound to them. As a result, they've quickly become my favorite band. (sorry Strokes. I still love you!) I don't think I would say this is my favorite album by them though. I still like "Turn the Bright Lights" better.

Anyway, today was great because I got my Interpol tickets in the mail! (finally) I'm so excited that they added dates in Florida. Now the countdown to September 19th begins! :)

Miami moment

2007-07-14T22:11:00.000-04:00

So last night was one of the weirdest nights I've had since I moved to Miami. My friend Darlene and I decided to meet at a local bar in Hallandale after work to catch up and have a couple of drinks. It was literally supposed to be just a couple of drinks but two drinks turned into three, then four and it all would have ended there had this writer and photographer from In the Biz magazine (a local magazine) hadn't walked in as we were finishing our "last drink." They came up to us and asked us if they could take our picture and ask us a couple of questions for some story they were writing about the bar scene in the area. So of course we said yes, however since our drinks were almost gone we needed to get another drink for the picture. So we take some pictures and finish our drinks and are about to leave when the bartender mentions something about Dennis Rodman being outside. So we look over and there he was having a drink with some girl. So Darlene and I walk up to him and she casually pulls out a cigarette and asks him for a light. So he pulls out his lighter, lights up her cigarette and then asks us to join him and his assistant. So of course we couldn't refuse. We ended up hanging out with Dennis Rodman who of course bought us, you guessed it, more drinks! I was really surprised that he was so nice and that he invited us to join them. I think he liked us because we weren't making a big deal about him being famous. That and we played along when he initially pretended to be someone else. (as if we didn't know)

Overall it was an interesting evening. The last thing I expected was to have my picture taken for a magazine and then meet (and hang out with) someone famous on what was supposed to be a casual outing. This never would have happened in New Jersey. It was definitely, as my friend Jason said, a "Miami moment" even though technically this took place in Hallandale. ;) I can't wait to see what happens next time we go out. I could get used to this.

Blue Martini Groupie

2007-06-29T22:24:00.000-04:00

And now for a more positive blog entry. Today I completed my tour of Florida's Blue Martinis. Blue Martini is a local chain of lounge bars which specialize in, surprise...martinis! The first one I went to was the one at the Galleria Mall in Ft. Lauderdale and I loved it. Since that fateful day in March I've visited their other locations in West Palm Beach and Orlando. Tonight I finally went to the 4th and last Blue Martini in Florida; the Tampa location. After visiting all four locations, here is how they rank:

1.Blue Martini @ Galleria Mall, Ft. Lauderdale
2.Blue Martini @ Millenia Mall, Orlando
3.Blue Martini @ International Plaza, Tampa
4.Blue Martini @ City Place, West Palm Beach

Blue Martini is definitely one of my favorite things about moving to Florida. Finally something positive. ;)

Lost...

2007-06-19T23:51:00.000-04:00

Those who know me are aware of the fact that I am feeling lost careerwise. It's nothing new really, I've been feeling this way for the past year or so if not longer. Lately the feeling's been stronger because I'm not happy at work and the other day I realized that I am six months into the 30th year of my life. It's time to get my act together and figure something out once and for all. If only it were that easy. :/

I am at a scary point in my life. I'm living in a still relatively new place, working somewhere I no longer want to work at and feeling uncertain about what my next move should be, not to mention the fact that I owe a lot more money than I would like. This is definitely not where I expected to be at my age. When I was a teenager I thought I would have my life figured out by the time I was in my 30's. Silly me.

Anyway, a friend of mine suggested some books that might help me find myself which I will read. I always thought it was so stupid when people said "I'm trying to find myself" but now I totally understand what that means. I kind of wish I didn't.