This Christmas

Merry Christmas!!!

Started off Xmas Eve at a swanky hotel in the area getting our photos taken by the music teacher from my old school - he is a photographer on the side. Photos turned out well I think. My sister was in a mood the whole time. She didn't want her photo taken, she wanted to go to bed, she didn't see why we had to do this. It was part of my mom's Christmas gift, so tough it out, dumb bitch sister. My mom was so annoyed with my sister after a while that my mom spanked her and said that she was going to behave or she was not going to have a good afternoon. THAT MADE MY CHRISTMAS. It wasn't hard, but it was hard enough. She shaped up, and was good after that. Sis returned to moody after.

Soooo... my dad and I hung out this afternoon, talked, drove around and ran errands.

My dad made dinner.

My sister is apparently selling a bunch of random shit on craigslist, and we had a constant influx of people coming to buy things she was selling. She sold a jewelry box, chopped wood, and something else. There was some guy who came as we were opening gifts to pick up something.

So I really don't get my sister. She got me a 5lb bag of jawbreakers, which I gave to my mom. I don't need all that candy laying around. Every gift she gives she has to use an index card to write some snarky comment, or inside joke, or something that doesn't make sense. I guess maybe she gave me jawbreakers a few years ago because the card said "don't you need a refill?" My sister was giving my parents their christmas gifts back in mid November. She I guess bought them a Kitchenaid mixer. Last year she gave my parents a camera and put some snarky index card on it. Tonight she gave my dad tongs and my mom a bag of jelly beans. WTF?

My sister used every opportunity she could to paint me as a polar opposite of her - I only care about material things, fashion, celebrities, and she is a saint who gives back and helps everyone. She loves her animals. She threw a fit that I scare the dogs when I am around and how the dogs had to be outside because I was there. Dumb bitch.

Apparently she is collecting kitchen utensils and received a lot for Christmas. She still lives at home? I don't know.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful - I told my parents this back at the beginning of November. They were insistent I gave a list of what I wanted for Christmas. I listed stores I liked and didn't like. I listed brands I liked and didn't like. I gave internet links. I told my parents I would rather have things on my list, or a really nice gifts, and not a bunch of things I wouldn't use. I mentioned a few specifics I wanted - a few pairs of Vans shoes, a couple scarves along with links/photos of prints I liked. What did I get? Horrific Burlington Coat Factory shirts and sweaters. The sweaters are godawful and weigh a few pounds each with all the yarn used to knit them. Do you know how impossible it is to return anything at Burlington without a receipt, even if the tag is still fully intact? It is crazy hard. Did I make it too hard by listing things I liked and didn't like? My mom said she was worried I will freeze in NY. I got an electronic hand warmer that can be charged by USB. I got a bunch of thermal shirts and long underwear and knit gloves. I told her I don't freeze like she does. I don't like sweaters that weigh 10 pounds. She asked me after we opened gifts if she did a good job picking out gifts for me. I told her no. I felt bad saying it. I said I don't like the Burlington clothing. I said I want a few nice gifts from places I like - even if i is not stuff on my list. I like a few surprises. I got a few, and told her those were my favorite. She gave me some mixes for cooking etc. But I guess my question is how do you tell your parents to lay off on the gifts, or at least get you stuff you like? I probably sound ungrateful. I know. I tried to tell her in the nicest way I appreciate the thought...

Elex

When did Elex Michaelson become ABC7's lead reporter at 11? I have to turn overtime he is on. I cannot watch him. He makes me cringe. He often needs a haircut. Tonight he was doing a breaking news story, and I had to turn the channel. I turned to Beverly on Channel 4 to tell me about it.

Last weekend as he was anchoring the weekend news I couldn't take it. I cannot watch him. He's just difficult to watch.



Maybe its his head movement? Too full of himself?

Alert me when I'm near

So I'm a nerd. I have places I want to visit, but I know we won't go out of our way to visit. Someone needs to create an app for when I'm near one of those points in NY where if I'm near I can decide to walk down to.

I mainly want to visit celeb houses and hangouts, and if I'm near, then great. Some people whose houses/apts. it would be interesting to see include:

- Truman Capote
860-870 U.N. Plaza.

- Edgar Allan Poe

- Mark Twain
14 West 10th Street
21 Fifth Avenue
Chelsea Hotel  <--janis joplin="" p="" too="">
- John Steinbeck
38 Gramercy Park N.
330 East 51st street
206 E 72nd St

Joan Baez

Washington Square Hotel (formally Hotel Earle) 101 Waverly Place

Bono
The El Dorado — 300 Central Park West <--moby span="" too="">
San Remo Apartments —145-146 Central Park West

Bob Dylan
161 West 4th st. 

Jimi Hendrix
55 West 8th near Sixth Avenue
59 West 12th Street
61 Jane Street

Billy Joel and Idol
The Brentmore—88 Central Park West <--sting span="" too="">


John Lennon
434 East 52nd Street

Carly Simon
The Langham—135 Central Park West

Cary Grant - Warwick Hotel

Katherine Hepburn 244 East 49th Street

Marilyn Monroe - 444 East 57th St, 13th floor.
569 Lexington Ave


I should probably create an offline map I can look at while in NY to be able to remember the places I want to go. I just need to figure out how to create the map or alert...

Nerdy me ;)

My NY Wear

And my quintessential NY song to go with it.

My clothes surely aren't as exciting as Dan's - I love the color of his, and his shoes. His shoes he is bringing along put mine to shame. Probably my Guess black boots with laces and a pair of dress shoes. Going to bring my peacoat that I don't get to wear enough.

Undershirts to match... lol. Going to wear sweaters over the shirts - a navy blue sweater, purple, and pink.

Nearly a month

I've been meaning to blog, but I've been so busy. Here's the rundown:

- Thanksgiving was good. Mike brought spiked cider to my cousin's. My uncle is very anti-drinking, so that was his way of getting some in. Just so happens my cousin had a friend there who was opening up bottles of wine. The wine hardly got drank, so Mike had to polish it off at the end. I didn't really hang out with my parents at Thanksgiving. My mom could hardly walk, so she was pretty stationary in one of the chairs. I did go and talk a little bit to her. Felt kind of bad.

- Spent some time in the hospital - only an evening - esophagus constriction - glad that's over

- My mom's hip replacement didn't go so well she found out - she's been in excruciating pain for over a month. Turns out the hip wasn't cemented into the joint properly. She has an appointment later this week to find out what, if anything, they can do to fix it.

- Last week of work. So excited. Lots of grading. Lots of teaching. Lots of high kids.

- New admin, both principal and VP. Lots of feeling everything out.

- Spent the weekend, Saturday, with J&B, exploring Newport Beach. We don't need to go back. We ran into a bunch of Santas doing the Santa Pub Crawl. We started off with lunch at a seafood place. Good to catch up.

- Went off to the Christmas party for my old school - the party for my new school was at the same time, but I didn't want to go to that one as much. EXCELLENT time catching up with old friends. Apparently there was some apple pie cider spiked with moonshine that got me talking. I apparently knew everyone.

- Yesterday morning we had brunch, everyone was probably hungover from the night before... good to have my coworkers over. Love them. So glad Mike helped and did all the cooking and buying. I cleaned.

- SOOOO excited for this weekend. Going up the coast, then spending some time with Mike's cousin and hopefully aunt. They're both really fun to be around.

- Christmas should be a blast.

- NY is so near. Cannot wait. So many people to see, things to do, and places to go. My list is mainly eating places - a couple of restaurants and bars. I am so sad Mike's friend is no longer in the West Village. I loved it there. She's now in Brooklyn. I feel like that's so Miranda from Sex and the City, and what happens in Brooklyn? Want to go to some of the popup shops. Want to visit my favorite shops - Century 21, ABC Home, Fishs Eddy, and a couple more. NYE is gonna be a big dinner with a bunch of friends, cooking, and celebrating.