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| 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 |
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Friday, April 30, 2004 Day before yesterday I was having this conversation with Lisa. She believes in destiny, tarot, palm reading, the works. I believe in free will. She asked me if I did not believe destiny was what had me meet my husband. I had to say no. It was not destiny, it was proximity. I find it more than a little farfetched to believe that everybody has a soul mate and that they always happen to be living within two blocks from you, or they are your cousin's roommate or your coworker. Lisa's idea of destiny is a little off too. She says she believes both in destiny and free will, meaning by that that one can either embrace one's destiny or chose to ignore it. In my book if you can chose it's not your destiny anymore. Anyways, all this is to say I might have to reconsider my belief structure. This frigging trip was not to be. Whoever or whatever is pulling the strings of my life had nothing better to do lately than screw up my holiday plans. I am off to Alitalia's office to straighten this out. 1:54 PM Not meant to be Like every morning, I woke up today and glanced at one of my two always-on computers to look at my messages. Then I started checking the news and there it was, splattered on the first page of an Italian on-line paper: strike goes on at Alitalia, flights cancelled. I spent an hour on hold with the assholes but could only confirm, through an automated service, that my flight is indeed cancelled. Now I need to talk to a human being or somebody posing as a human being, to adjust my plans. I am considering canceling the whole trip. I am not looking forward to wasting hours at the airport surrounded by angry stranded passengers. I don't want to spend a week on the phone with Alitalia trying to make sure I have a flight back. I just don't want my holiday highjacked by their strike-happy inclinations. Vacations are for fun, not to be tortured by bureaucrats. Let's call again ... On the bright side, given that I will not be departing this evening, I will get to go to Anastasia's pijama party. Yay! 10:56 AM Thursday, April 29, 2004 I should be sleeping. Instead, I am in a downloading frenzy. Over 40 songs so far from the iTunes store and counting ... 2:57 AM Wednesday, April 28, 2004 I over-baked my sculpeys yesterday. I think it was more a matter of temperature than time. I had made a ring and wrapped it around a plastic cylinder and it melted. For a while I had to worry whether it released toxic fumes. I have to assume it did not, given that I am awake this morning. Monday evening Pilar came over after work and we gingerly ate and sipped wine and badmouthed every living soul we ever met. I was in a particularly vicious mood, so I had great fun. Lisa is arriving today from Geneva via Boston. Nicolas left yesterday for California. I hope Pam is not yet in Damascus . Now I need a coffee. 9:17 AM Monday, April 26, 2004 When you promise kids a picnic, you can't get out of it that easy. Even if it's freezing. Even if it's raining. Anastasia and Nina were all worked up so Cecilia and Silvio and the kids, and Nicolas and I met at 72nd and Park at 1.30 PM, walked into the park, gobbled down a couple of sandwiches real fast, played three seconds of frisbee and were out of there within half an hour. We then tried to go get a hot chocolate at Serendipity 3 but the place was packed and we did not feel like waiting about an hour and a half to get in. So Cecilia and Co. ran to the nearest bus to get back home and Nicolas and I went to the movies (Hellboy - I fell asleep for awhile but I loved it nevertheless, it's just that I tend to sleep at every movie I attempt to watch, something about sitting still in the dark - and by the way, I HATE the new Revlon ad, so long and pointless - Halle Berry with long hair is no longer Halle Berry and whoever the blonde broad is, she's one of those generic blah faces the world can do without), some magazine and book buying at Borders' and a Chinese dinner afterwards. All in all a swell Sunday. Dinner with the guru Yesterday I walked into a restaurant with Tony Robbins. We were double dating with another couple, maybe my husband. We made our way to our table. He was walking funny. People were looking at us, not necessarily because they knew who he was, just because of his size. We sat down. He turned to me and said "Well, look at you" . I turned to him and whispered in his ear: "Why are you limping?". Before this exchange, while we were waiting outside the restaurant, he has whispered something in my ear, though I can't remember what. I did not get the feeling we were having a wild affair, we were more like good friends or maybe an old couple. I was dreaming, of course. 12:08 AM Saturday, April 24, 2004 Nostalgia Talked a lot, eat too much. Great couple of days. Thursday evening we spent quite some time googling friends from schools. Seems a lot had done pretty good, at least those who did not end in rehab. We started with Alessandro , a guy I briefly dated back in high-school and whom Raoul still sees occasionally.. He was unusually brilliant at math and I was drawn to his geekness. He seems to have done very well recently. Then of course we had the two Brunis sisters, Carla and Valeria,. They were much younger and thus not in school with us, but their brother Virginio was my best frend and part of our clique. Then there's Zeno Toffano, certainly not a friend but in class with us. Nora Ferruzzi is now an artist. My friend Adriana is the translator of both Letterman and Leno's shows. Paola O. has her own public relations company in Turin. Three guys are into the foreign service now. Ghego's sister Roberta is a researcher with the Department of Egyptian Antiquities at the Louvre Museum. And on and on. Azaming what such a little school has produced. Friday we had dinner at Ruby Foos. He loved it. A cocktail and a couple of beers each and we were on a roll. Friends, family, life, what we were, what we are. He refers to his wife as an exceptional woman and the best mom. He also told me she is still stunningly beautiful. Maybe I should market my skills at matchmaking. Today we woke up late and went downtown so he could buy something for her. We had lunch at Zoe, had a nice little chat with the waitress, just back from spending time in Florence and working at the Guggenheim. We also chatted with the chef - we were sitting at the "chef counter" - he too has lived extensively in Italy and goes back every November. A few more days now and I'll be in Rome myself. In the meantime, Lisa will be arriving on Thursday. Pam is leaving tomorrow for Syria.  Too much eating out shows on those middle buttons. 8:43 PM Thursday, April 22, 2004 After sleeping barely three hours yesterday I crashed just upon coming home from work this afternoon. An hour-and-a-half siesta and now poor Raoul (who just called from the cab) will have to stay up all night to keep me company! 10:26 PM Tuesday, April 20, 2004 Yesterday we were talking with Francia about the relationship between having your period and getting drunk. Empirical evidence leads us to believe alcohol hits you much harder just before "those days". So of course we go out after work, Francia, Pilar and I. We have three margaritas each. Actually, I have two and a half and I am bombed. Sooooo unlike me. Very very unlike me. They take me back home. I crawl into bed. I feel like hell. The room is spinning. They leave. I sleep. This morning I wake up. The room is still spinning. I still feel like hell. I just got my period. Pimping as a side job Raoul called from Las Vegas. I had it wrong: he's arriving on Thursday. Before I talked to him he had left a message saying he's "dying" to see me. Isn't it nice? After all, he owes me his wife, a friend of mine whom I introduced to him. She was married to a perfectly unbearable wealthy snobbish Greek guy and he had just ended a relationship with a somewhat limited Italian jewelry designer obsessed with playing golf. I knew they were meant for each other. I was right. They now have two adorable kids that I will meet personally for the first time in Rome in a few days. 11:19 PM Sunday, April 18, 2004 Look at me standing Here on my own again Up straight in the sunshine No need to run and hide It's a wonderful, wonderful life No need to laugh and cry It's a wonderful, wonderful life 8:40 PM Slowly getting into the swing of things. Did a funk class yesterday and then a 30 minutes stretch class that was quite demanding and hence quite satisfying. Then had lunch with Nicolás, bought sandpaper and glue for my Sculpey creations and came back home. I spent a few hours on the phone with Pilar and then worked a while. The day was gorgeous, just as it is today and today will be a repeat of yesterday. A dance class + a stretch class + some hanging around to enjoy the weather + some work. Raoul is arriving on Tuesday. I will keep him up all night. So many things to chat about. 11:38 AM Thursday, April 15, 2004 Nothing drives me insane more than working my ass off (till almost 10.30 tonight) to produce shit. I had 14 lousy pages, had them for 9 lousy days, read them a hundred times and came up with the shittiest text. I felt like shredding the whole damn thing and starting over. 11:37 PM Dashed to Old Navy and Macy's with Nicolas after work. Did some minor damage. Later we had dinner at Red Lobster's. I had about a third of what Nicolas eat and I am about to burst. It will probably take me the rest of the night just to begin to process the food. It took us forever to leave the restaurant. On one hand, the conversation was gripping. On the other, the digestion was difficult. Side note: the guy in charge of the seating is absolutely spectacular. Huge. Monster shoulders. Beautiful black skin. Chiseled face. Totally worth the cholesterol overdose. 12:37 AM Wednesday, April 14, 2004 I am back. I am tired. Good night. 3:02 AM Tuesday, April 13, 2004 Frantic Gotta rush home. Then gotta rush to the gym. Take the class. Rush back home. Take a shower. Rush to Pilar's. Everything's gotta be done within 3 hours from this ... very ... moment ... go! This is NYC after all, isn't it? 5:57 PM I've created a monster! Atrocious photos taken with my cell phone. Eventually I'll use a decent camera.   My first little bottle and my second little monster  My first monster  Bottons? Magnets? Covered pennies and quarters? 12:43 AM Sunday, April 11, 2004 No pain no gain? I should be a millionaire by now I had an early brunch with Vivienne today. We went to the Vegetarian Dim Sum House. She was going for a facial in Chinatown later and I decided to go with her and get a massage. We got there and waited and waited and waited. I hate this Chinese thing of never saying no! The third time I was told they would start on me in "5 more minutes" and then "just 2 more minutes" I got up and left. I'll probably get one hell of a massage tomorrow at my usual place. If I can walk there, that is. Right now that seems quite improbable but we shall see. I might be able to crawl in the morning. All my aches and pains are the direct result of another class I took today: a hip-hop class with Leslie Feliciano. I was one of a few new people today and, I think, the only one left standing at the end. Everybody else had been working on the coreography for 4 classes/weeks and today was the last time they did it so I made a complete fool of myself desperately trying to mimick the woman before me. I did not give up though and was rewarded with some clapping and lots of positive feedback. This is all fine and dandy but a little less pain would be even better. Perusing around Leslie's website I found a picture of him with MaDonna Grimes. I had completely forgotten that name and yetI I did take a couple of classes at her studio in L.A. quite a few years back, when I was in town after an IDEA convention in San Diego. I also checked this year's convention schedule and to my surprise some of the old timers are still presenting: Patrick Goudeau, Scott Cole, Angie Bunch ... ahhh ... 8:44 PM Saturday, April 10, 2004 Walking to the gym today and knowing somebody was subbing for Derek I was hoping it would not be a 20-something that would try to get us rolling on the floor or doing other knee busting movements. I was pondering how old my poor knees are and then how old poor me is. Then it dawned on me what a disempowering thought that was. I modified it to something less harsh: it's not me that's getting old, it's just some parts of me, like the knees and, well, the boobs. There are other parts that just get better with age, pity I couldn't come up with any but I am sure if my memory wasn't shot already I could remember at least a couple. Then Nadia, the instructor, comes in. She was clearly not a dancer and I thought I've seen her before. Of course! I've seen her do capoeira at the Y. Sure enough, after teaching us the first 8 counts she started with low turns and the getting on the floor, exactly the kind of things I was dreading. Amazing how the universe gives you what you expect of it. In any case, that was the end of the class for me. It was the end of the class for a few others too. Just about everybody over a certain age or weight. But not for Marc. He came with me as a guest and he did just fine. The bastard. My humiliating experience of the week. Make that of the day, as there's most probably something else coming my way tomorrow.. On my way home I stopped at a Hallwmark store where I saw a vaguely menacing card. It said "God will take care of you". I can only shriver and wait for the Holy Wrath to hit me. A night at home I am in a Sculpey frenzy. I did my first bottle yesterday. I am ready for another one now. I will prepare myself some veggies and stay home tonight. Tomorrow I am meeting Vivienne for an early brunch. 7:02 PM Friday, April 09, 2004 Slowly emerging from a nite out. Cecilia's sister Lucia is in town for a few days and I hadn't seen her yet. They decided they wanted to go check out the sex shops on Christopher St. and walk around the Village a bit. Dinner was at Deborah Life Love Food (yup, that's the name) where, according to Cecilia, the chef is a lesbian and where, according to me, so were the waitresses (aside thought: Wednesday night I went with Monse, her brother and her sister-in-law to the Cubbyhole. What is it with this lesbian trend?) The food was unequal. My fried calamari were very good. Lucia's chicken was blah. Same thing with the drinks, my mojitos (notice the plural) were great, their Manhattans' were not. Guess I lucked out. All of my choices were better (what's new?) so I ordered a drink for them, a mint chocolatey dessert cocktail and, of course, it was excellent. We stayed and stayed and stayed enjoying one of those alcohol-fueled rapid fire conversations until they turned on the lights and started cleaning the place. I was certainly in no mood to come back home so we ducked in at the Duplex for a beer. A lot of fun, as usual. The tunes were somewhat different than other nights because the requests were made mainly by a few old geezers contorting in a disjointed fashion .... Plenty of Elton John and the Beatles - good staples to sing along. Cecilia got progressively chatty, dancy and lovey-dovey with Silvio and I started fantasizing with the appallingly gay men surrounding us. Definitely time to go. A second cup of coffee sounds like a very good idea now. In a couple of hours I should be in Chinatown for dim sum. Then it's playtime at Pearl Paint! 11:13 AM Wednesday, April 07, 2004 Weird attraction Call me crazy, but I've been in lust with this guy forever ...  I know, I know. He's old. He's short. Who cares? The man is full of energy and he is bright. It's not a I-want-to-rip-your-clothes-off-with-my-teeth kind of lust but, given a choice, he would be my favorite dinner date. Of course I could always rip his clothes off after dinner. 6:08 PM 3.11 AM 3:11 AM Tuesday, April 06, 2004 11:30 AM Monday, April 05, 2004 Quietly working the frustration off It was not meant to be. I found myself producing bleak dark paintings in the middle of the night but also sculpting a little happy piggy.   Life is too short to brood. This morning I tried to change the ticket. Was told I could, for a fee. Just in case I checked the dates with M.A. but they don't work for him either. So fuck him. I've reprogrammed the whole thing now. I spoke to a friend in Rome and I will be staying with her the whole time. I am not paying for the flight, will not be paying for a hotel. I can spend all the money wining and dining my friends and shopping for shoes. And I am excited once again. I can't wait! A week in Italy with long lost friends is just what I need. Nobody can ever accuse me of being unable to see the silver lining. 11:49 AM Sunday, April 04, 2004 I am so damn upset right now I could kill somebody. And I have a pretty good idea whom the murdered person would be. Except that this thing that's pissing me off is not really his fault so I should direct my frustration at the Universe in general and not him in particular. I am also extremely upset at myself because I pretty much knew this was going to happen and I still chose to believe it would not. I am probably still going to Rome at the beginning of May because the chances of being able to change my ticket are nil. This afternoon, after the great news, I went out on a shopping spree and to Toy R Us to get Anastasia a birthday present. Then I picked up Melissa and went with her to Cecilia's to make chocolate Easter eggs and eat cake with Anastasia. Back home now, counting to ten billions and breathing deeply. Tomorrow morning I am going to wear that treadmill thin. 10:11 PM  
1:46 AM
Saturday, April 03, 2004 Yay yay yay I really liked the funk class on Tuesday so I went for more today. A lot of faces I knew, either from Tuesday class or from when I used to take classes regularly. Lots of people. Friendly people. I came out of it so energized that I hopped directly on the treadmill for a 10/15 minutes jog that I interrupted only because, after drinking almost a bottle of water, nature was insistently calling. I am so psyched I might soon go back to Sheryl's classes too. I've researched the instructor on the Net and this is what I came up with:  Derek Mitchell - Jazz, Funk, Hip-Hop, Musical Theatre Derek has studied for over 20 years with such masters as Frank Hatchett, Gregory Hines and the Erick Hawkins Dance Company. He teaches Jazz, Funk, Hip-Hop, Lyrical and Theatre Dance all over the U.S. and Canada with Dance Olympus, Tam Jams, Dance Masters of America, Thunderstruck, Pick the Stars Int’l, Headliners, Dance Technique Camps and other touring conventions. He is also on the NYC faculties of Broadway Dance Center, Steps And Peridance. He choreographed, created and directed the N.Y.C. debut of “Thin Line” a new dance drama. Derek is a drama graduate of Performing Arts H.S. and has won numerous acting and choreography awards. He is currently an instructor, Group Fitness Director and Payroll director for Crunch and Public Relations and Marketing for Peridance. 5:05 PM Friday, April 02, 2004 Plans for breakfast, lunch, drinks after work and dinner. Breakfast in honor of somebody's birthday at the office. Lunch in honor of somebody's 20th anniversary at the office. Drinks for the same reason. Dinner with Nora, Pam's friend. I liked her. Liked her husband. Liked her Jewish Brazilian translator friend. Exchanged business cards. Too tired to blog now. 1:04 AM |
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