WebJournal - The blog will set you free
News of no interest whatsoever except to very close and patient friends and family members and maybe people with no life


Wednesday, June 30, 2004  

untitledToo punk rock

The Real World san Diego season is over. Good, no more obnoxious Frankie to get irritated by. No more of her appallingly huge flat fingernails to be distracted by.
I've been a fan of the show since forever and I've followed every installment but I have to agree that it has gone downhill for a while now.
Dan, the insufferable token gay guy from the Miami season has a blog. Maybe you have some time to kill. As for myself, I am just a little too punk rock for this so excuse me, I've gotta get some sleep.

It's a boy!

The baby Pascale and Johanny are expecting is a boy. I talked to both of them and her father today. Everybody is ecstatic. Me included.

11:57 PM
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Shoppingmania

Got my web ordered cami and orange thongs yesterday. Loved them. I also bought some Gapinvoid cards. And I am not finished yet.

Joe!

My friend Joe left me a voice mail yesterday. He's coming to spend a couple of months in the U.S. I saw him last two years ago, I think, when he tried to move back to NJ from Brazil with his Italian wife and two kids. It did not work out and they moved to Italy.
I met Joe a gazillion years ago, when we were both living in Milan. He had posted an ad on a billboard at an English bookstore. He wanted somebody to teach him Italian. I called him. We met. I never tought him anything but we ended up being really good friends. I left, moved to Switzerland. Invited him for my first wedding anniversary party and he came with his girlfriend, the girl he eventually married. We have kept in touch ever since and last time I got to meet his kids. Now I am really excited about seeing him this summer.

1:22 PM
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Tuesday, June 29, 2004  

Magic

I've just seen the most moving film: In America. A strangely realistic fable with fantastic acting.

1:00 AM
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Sunday, June 27, 2004  

Is he really 58 years old?

Saw Bill Clinton on Larry King tonight. Wow. That's all I can say. Wow. Monica Lewinsky can die a happy woman.

11:28 PM
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untitledSaturday and Sunday, so far

Derek did not show up for the class but his sub's (Jim), routine was a lot of fun. Not funky at all, very Broadway-jazzy but fun.

On my way home from the club I managed to blow a hundred bucks on two pairs of flip flops, a new wallet, tan-in-a-can and voila.
There was this pushy lady at the first shoe store (just across from the gym, I did not manage to get too far without whipping out that card). We were both looking at these bright-colored heeled thongs, 2 for the price of 1. She somehow figured out we could get them for less than $10 each if we bought them together. We plotted, tried them on, went to pay and found out she had the wrong price and they were really $39 each. She backed off. I still wanted them, so I got them for $20 even though I only bought a pair. They are lovely and comfy and I might go and get another pair tomorrow.

After a nice siesta or more like it a deep unconscious nap, I was awoken by a call from Nicolas, back from his cruise. He was drunk and shout-it-from-the-rooftops happy. The cruise was fantastic, the crowd was fantastic, he looked good, the weather was spectacular, the town rocks and he loves me. The sweetest call. It's so nice when people want to share the good times too, as opposed to the gloomy obsessive details of every day life.

I met Annie and Elettra, a friend of hers from Florence, Italy, for dinner. Annie is 28 years old but Elettra is 21. Suddenly I found myself in the middle of plans to go out dancing with a whole bunch of twenty-something girls or, to be more lots of twenty-something girls and a few forty-something guys, for a total of about 30 people. No need to go through that. The owner of the restaurant was fawning over Elettra, who is 21 but looks like a very fresh 18 years old at the most. An adorable girl, but a very young girl. The guy on the other hand already has a wife, three kids and a 24-years-old lover. What's with him? In any case, the food was excellent, true Italian food, not tourist fare. It was good to see Annie again, she is doing very well. I'll probably go out with her and Pascale sometime this coming week.

On my way back from dinner yesterday I was playing with my Nokia, could not remember my PIN, got it wrong three times and was asked to enter my PUK code. Hu? I played around for a bit but luckily enough I went on the Net before it was too late: if you enter an incorrect PUK number more than ten time, the SIM is screwed and you've got to get a new one.

Update: Woke up, glanced at the sorry state of my feet after wearing the new flip flops yesterday (not the comfy ones), spent some more money shopping on-line for more shoes and a cami and then called ATT to get a PUK number that is not working so I now have to buy a new SIM card.

Strong coffee, please! I need to go get the new card before people start calling me.

10:53 AM
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Friday, June 25, 2004  

Religious experience or ultimate stupidity?

You deserve the best in life
So if the time isn't right then move on
Second best is never enough
You'll do much better baby on your own

The lyrics so spoke to me. Proof that I am going bananas.
Anyways ... Wed. night Nicolas, Marc, Olivia, myself and just about all the fag population of NYC were at Madonna's re-invention concert at Madison Square Garden ready to be dazzled. Lots of pretty boys. One just within reach of my roving hand, distracting me from the show with his gyrating hips. Damn, I am such a sucker for a good dancer. I just can't resist a man who can move. OK, so they are gay 99% of the time, but that still leaves an exciting 1% to aspire to. But I digress. Madonna was great. Period. She has lousy posture though. Surprising for a dancer but she slouches. I was first appalled to notice that she had a somewhat bulging belly. I looked harder (binoculars are part of my standard concert gear) and no, not an ounce of fat on that girl, it's just that she sits on her hips and hunches her shoulders. Tsk tsk, it shows she had no nagging mother around when she was a teenager. Some girls are lucky that way.
Marc noticed it too, but of course I had to be the bitch who said it out loud. Well, the show was sold out and there was really not one seat available in the house. We were to the left and the back of the stage. Initially it looked like they might be shitty seats but they were not so bad after all. We could see just fine. In a way they were better than other seats because we could also see part of the backstage. She arrived about 45 minutes after opening time and she had all of us, and I do mean all of us, on our feet dancing for just about the whole concert, except for maybe 3 songs. She sang a nice mixture of oldies and new songs. She did not dance much, mostly moved around, strutting her stuff and striking poses. This is not to say that she did not dance at all, only that she did not dance up a storm. Her troupe did though and I was trying frantically to commit the steps to memory. A useless exercise, especially since I had a couple of margaritas at Mustang Sally afterwards.

This guy was there too. And so was this one. I have no idea who they are.

As for all the Kabbalah hoopla, seems we have a coworker going to the center in Midtown to "study it". Personally, I am waiting for something newer to come along. Kaballah is so last week and I hate to be behind the latest fad.


Blurry view from our seats before everybody started arriving



Keeping in line with my eclectic ways, today I went to Toy 'r Us with Cecilia, Silvio and the kids to get Nina a belated birthday present. We then had a quite forgettable dinner at an Indian restaurant.

Once back home I proceeded to download and listen to:


Stand by Me by Ben E. King
The Rose by Bette Midler
Anytime by Brian McKnight
If You Don't Know Me by Now by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
Brown Eyed Girl by Jimmy Buffett
To Be With You by Mr. Big
Sweetness Follows by R.E.M.
She Hates Me by Puddle of Mudd
Blurry by Puddle of Mudd
The Reason by Hoobastank
Blister in the Sun (MTV2 Version) by Guster
What I Like About You by The Romantics
Memory (Acoustic) by Sugarcult
Gin and Coconut Water (Jelly) by Baha Men
Blame by Chacon
Wartime Prayer by Clarence Bucaro
Raja Vedalu by DJ Cheb i Sabbah
Kese Kese by dj Cheb i Sabbah
Stay by Jackson Browne
American Life (Oakenfold Downtempo Remix) by Madonna
Bhangra Fever by MIDIval PunditZ
Kiss Kiss (Main) by Stella Soleil
Represent, Cuba by Orishas, featuring Heather Headley
We Came Along This Road by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Can't Get You out of My Head by Kylie Minogue

2:07 AM
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Wednesday, June 23, 2004  

Oh yes!

Busy day. CPR training in the morning (fantastic! a must for everybody). Regular work in the afternoon. Funk class in the evening. Then dinner at Pilar's with lots of dancing. I want to be at the office tomorrow by 7 AM and I'd like to sleep a little so I can be awake and functional for Madonna's concert tomorrow night, which means I'd better get my sorry butt to bed right now but not before making it known that if yesterday I was sort of blue and out of it, today I was blown away by the most fantastic sunset on 57th St. looking West. Maybe I am bipolar or maybe I just have bad days, but the rest of the time life rocks.

12:20 AM
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Monday, June 21, 2004  

Lousy mood

There are days when one should not leave the bed. Today was one of them. So that's what I did. Almost. I called in sick and never left the house. I worked some from the comfort of my bed. Still have a while to go. I baked some clay. Burnt most of it. Shit. M.A. is coming back soon and I was supposed to try and get him an apartment to rent. It is proving way more difficult than expected, but of course, this being NY, it's not surprising at all. There's a lady who has me calling her every few hours and I still have not been able to get her to show me a damn place. Last time I called I got her answering machine. I hope to have enough time to cool off before she calls me back, if she ever does.
Right now I am filling the tub with warm water and Demeter's rain scented bath oil. I found the book I could not find yesterday, I poured myself some delicious wine (sherry, actually) and I am ready to soak until the lousy mood is gone. More later.

9:13 PM
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Sunday, June 20, 2004  

untitledNo gizmo, not photos - yet another shopping spree

Can't find the media card reader so I can't upload a few very recent pictures, including my last clay creations. Can't find a book I was reading. Can't find anything, actually.

I seem to be on my way to being found dead under a pile of rubbish. Everywhere I look there's paper and clutter. I can't move in the bathroom without knocking out something. Maybe one of the three or four hair dryers. Maybe the boxes of make-up. Maybe the dozens of shampoos and shower gels. In my room I am surrounded by boxes of clothes that I never wear and never will plus every single gadget and gizmo out on the market. If radiations from computers are bad for you, we'd better start saying our goodbyes. My iMac is always on by my bed and my iBook is always on ON my bed. And now I also have all this polymer clay paraphernalia. Even a pasta machine! Ugh! M.A. wanted to help me clean up the mess last time he was here. God knows I should have jumped on the offer. I HATE this clutter. It drives me crazy.
So of course today I go out with Pam and J. and buy more junk. Well, maybe not junk, but there I was again at Kiehl's, like I needed some Orange Spice shower gel! Also, Surprise Surprise is just a block South of Kiehl's, so I went in and bought a new bathroom rug (lime green, to match the new shower curtain I had bought on Broadway just a few minutes earlier, along with a couple of key chains and some sheets). I also had to visit Pearl River . To make a long story short: it was an expensive afternoon. Then I came home and fell asleep, exhausted by such active consumerism.

Ashley is gone!

I've been following Ashley and Chris' story for several years now, on and off. I hadn't peeked at their website in several months and yesterday, to my dismay, I entered the URL, saw a totally different layout, no pictures of Ashley, no Ashley journal, no nothing. So I quickly got a membership to the site and I've been reading avidly ever since to find out exactly what went down. THEY SPLIT!!!! I am devastated. They were really a cute couple. The cutest, probably. If only I were ... 10 ... well, 20 years younger ... that Chris boy, he is absolutely adorable and he has abs to die for. If he's ever in need of a perverted mother-like figure, I'll be sure to get in touch.

11:36 PM
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Do you like to watch?

NY is celebrating the Solstice in Times Square. You can join in the fun via webcam. The streaming video has audio too, so you might even be able to dance to the music.

Pam and J. arrived at 3 AM, I was already in bed so I haven't seen them yet.

8:49 AM
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Saturday, June 19, 2004  

untitledChange of plans

I was supposed to meet Annie and a bunch of friends of hers in about 15 minutes at Mediterraneo but I cancelled. I started trying on different outfits, hating how I look in each and every one of them. One of those day. Also, they will be going to a party later at some hotel and I am not in the mood for smooching with a bunch of strangers. I've done diddly-squat all day but I am somewhat tired. Not too tired for a drink in the neighborhood though. Pam called from D.C. She's with J. and they've decided on a whim to come over tonight. She should get here about midnight. Yay. I can't wait to hear everything about Syria, etc.

8:53 PM
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Be afraid, be very afraid

Some things send a chill down my spine.

1:40 AM
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untitledSaturday night fever

Back from the party. Had a blast. The girls were all lovely. We exchanged e-mail addresses and cell phone numbers. They promised to "deluge" me with invitations. I sure will keep them in mind too. The guys on the other hand were more like boys and, except for one, quite forgettable.
Just got home. Stopped at a nearby deli to buy a couple of Diet Pepsis. The Arab guy at the counter (very young and cute) complimented my necklace, which was a nice way of drawing my attention to my shirt and the fact that too many buttons were opened. He then asked me if I had been running. Wow. I had to say no, just dancing. I indeed looked like I had run a marathon, absolutely drenched in sweat, with my hair all sticking up. Very attractive. And this notwithstanding the fact that I had asked Monse for a towel and actually took a shower at her place, in the middle of the party. I just can't stand sticky hot weather. I could live in the shower.
Yesterday I showered in the morning, went to work, came back from work, showered again before going to the gym, got soaked in the rain walking to the gym, then in sweat at the gym, only to come home to take another shower. You might as well say I had a very humid day.

1:23 AM
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Friday, June 18, 2004  

Jumping from one thing to the next

One: Today Marc and I took a Hip Hop Bhangra class over at Crunch's. We both LOVED it. It was great great fun and quite demanding. Still, few things are more enjoyable to me than a dance/fitness class. Actually, I can't come up with something I enjoy more. Some things I enjoy as much but I can't really think of anything that would top it. It's the whole concept of flow, I think. Easy enough, challenging enough, playful, totally focused, totally in the moment. Maybe not ecstasy, but pretty darn close.

Two: By pure chance I've stumbled upon the website of a really cool shop in SoHo where I stop by every chance I get. The ugly dolls are great, and so are the Pontiki (I have a feeling I will start collecting them compulsively).

Three: Danny Gregory has started sketching the homeless and listening to their stories. Quite disturbing how normal they are.

And four: I gotta a party tomorrow! I gotta a party tomorrow! I gotta a party tomorrow!

12:35 AM
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Wednesday, June 16, 2004  

Toying with the idea of a makeover

Would you have your face done by this guy? Notice the weird eyebrow on patient #1 and the Michael Jacksonian nose on patient #7. And what about the strangely shaped ear reconstruction? This guy seems to specialize in windtunnel effects and surprised looks. There must be somebody out there who can sculpt natural faces ... maybe something like this or like this near miracle. This one looks great, but she has better make up on in the second picture, so it's hard to tell.
And now, just to make everybody feel better, check out this poor woman. And you thought you were unattractive, hu?

11:28 PM
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Spring in NYC - Photo by Heather Conley

6:16 AM
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Tuesday, June 15, 2004  

Blogmania

Another blog worth reading. Well written and oh, so to the point.

12:05 AM
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Sunday, June 13, 2004  

10:11 PM
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Quiet days

Thursday I babysat for Cecilia, Friday I was there for Nina's 4th birthday, then yesterday I got some adult company. Having read my previous blog entry, Nicolas called to see if I wanted to grab something to eat and catch a movie with him and Daniel. It was a beautiful day and I was relieved to get out of the house. We took a long walk to the Park, saw raining men, as in a guy who fell off a tree branch and on a huge rock by the Diary exactly when I was watching (he seemed to be fine on landing, although he did not get up and was taken off by ambulance) and through it to the Lowe's cinemas on the UWS.


Nicolas and Daniel

We saw Stepford wiwes. I am a big fan of the original version so I wasn't too excited about the remake. And I was right. This version is quite silly, though I did laugh a couple of times. The new ending is preposterous. The best part of watching the movie is taking notice of Nicole Kidman's deterioration. Her face is unlined, clearly botoexed, but her eyes are getting more and more slanted and she's starting to resemble Jack Nicholson. Check out the wrinkly neck.

She's filming at the U.N. now. Every weekend dozens of trucks are parked all around the compound, up to my building's door. A couple of coworkers have found their way into the set, working as extras. I could not be bothered. It's slave work. Of course, if Tom Cruise had been around I might have been willing to get up in the middle of the night and be sequestered for 16 hours plus without pay. Here's Nicole at the U.N. party.

Trashy taste going international

Italian TV is notoriously bad. RAI is notoriously bad among Italian TV channels. So there I was, watching an unspeakable program, Sposami, where poor guys and gals are ambushed by their significant others and made to marry them. Between this and all the bachelor, bachelorettes show here one has to wonder what the hell is going on. All this ridiculous romanticism, the you-are-my-soul-mate bullshit. Do people really believe this? No wonder they divorce so quickly.

But, never one to shy from a contradiction, I have every intention of seeing The Notebook and bringing with me a couple of jumbo boxes of tissues.

9:28 PM
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Saturday, June 12, 2004  

Damn!

I opened my eyes three seconds ago, much too late to make it to the the funk class. Damn. Damn. Damn.
Now what?

12:19 PM
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Wednesday, June 09, 2004  

Kindness pays

After 20 minutes at a street corner trying to hail a cab, two girls materialized three feet from me and one extended her arm up, then turned around, saw me, apologized. I thought it was a nice gesture, given the cab war in the city so I asked her where were they going. They were going downtown, I was going downtown. I told her we could share the ride. We waited for another long while, taking turns to lift our arms. Then they said they gave up and started walking away. Five minutes later one of them came running back to get me: they had secured a cab. Lovely. One was a big girl with great skin, a pop singer in a girl band, originally from South Carolina, in NYC for 4 years. The other a skinny, tiny, pretty blonde with a strong Southern accent, visiting for the summer. Random acts of kindness in the city.

Hooked on a new show

Don't miss Blow Out. I have yet to decide whether that Jonathan guy is totally gross or totally hot. A profound question that will keep my mind busy for a while.

Beautifying process

Got a haircut today. Not just any haircut. A GREAT haircut. I love this guy, Oscar. I've sent tons of clients his way. Tomorrow I'll probably have my braces taken off. Now, if I could only get new breasts ...

11:50 PM
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Monday, June 07, 2004  

Masochism

I took a spinning class today. I remember taking another one several years ago at 6 AM. Maybe I was not ready or maybe it was just too damn early.
This one I loved and I had fun.
I am aware that tomorrow parts of my lower anatomy will be aching for all the wrong reasons, but I will be taking the class again either Wednesday or next Monday.

So mean it's not even funny

I watched bits and pieces of WB Superstar USA. It's such a mean show that makes fun of a dim witted delusionally pathetic bunch. Sad, sad, sad. I wonder about the people who were on on the deception. Why would they take part in it? It can't be the money, they do not seem to need it. It can't be the notoriety, some are famous in their own right and anyways, who wants to build a reputation as cruel and merciless?

Bye Ronnie

I wish I lived nearby and I could go pay tribute to Ronald Reagan.
The man had an endearing personality. Must be great to be able to get people to love you so.

11:13 PM
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Sunday, June 06, 2004  

untitledFamily life vs. freedom to party

Yesterday I had dinner at a coworker's I am only starting to know now. She has the most amazing apartment. A beautiful duplex with a huge terrace. Her husband being a painter trained as an architect it took them a year and a half to finish it but now it's extremely cool to say the least. It's loft-like and gorgeous enough to be in a magazine. Every little detail has been thought of. The huge silver fridge, the little blue Sharp microwave oven, the pebbles and painting in the bathroom, the rock garden in the terrace.
I can't keep but wonder if I could ever have had that or whether I could still have it. It's a moot point. The truth is I don't want it. I am not even sure why. She has a beautiful house, a good marriage, two great kids. I should want that life, but I don't. It seems so tranquil, so predictable.
Instead I've just come back from several hours of dancing on high heels and a bottle of water. And I am not even on drugs. My feet are about to detach from my body but I am absolutely happy. I am indeed a shallow broad.

2:07 AM
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Wednesday, June 02, 2004  

Spooky

I can't seem to remember what I had for lunch today but browsing around on iTunes I found several Disney childrens' song that I hadn't heard since I was maybe 5 years old and, lo and behold, I found myself happily singing along, remembering the lyrics perfectly ... and the green grass grew all around all around ...

10:22 PM
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Oh, yes!

Got a ticket for Madonna's re-invention tour!

9:33 PM
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Fed up with my Internet connection

My DSL connection at home has been spotty at best lately, hence the lack of postings. I do have Internet access at work but I don't like to write elaborate entries here. The DSL company called and I am supposed to call back to troubleshoot. I might be too fed up to bother. I am looking at better options.

10:21 AM
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