stuff about where I live and play, and maybe some stuff about where I work and play.

11.30.2010

ok, so, we're on day 3 of the solo project, and by my count, aaron will be home in 17 days. i was hoping it was going to "fly by" but so far it's kind of just been slithering slowly. work is busy, but haven't fully put myself back into yet. it's coming, i can feel it, but for now i'm still kind of just plod plod plodding along.

i started my 2010 self evaluation for werk and so far i have lots of sentences that start with:


"played an integral role in..."

"effectively transitioned..."

"expanded...."



etc.



it's such a weird process to map a whole year's worth of activities and accomplishments. january was SO long ago. i can barely remember what i did three months ago, ya know? but it's also weird to toot your own horn. it's interesting, for sure, to ponder the value of myself and sort of, justify my role in the company. then! i get to do the same thing for my four direct reports. eeps.



i decided that instead of dragging my fattish ass to the gym yesterday that i would instead do some jillian shred something or other thing from my time warner on demand library. it was only 25 minutes which was enough to feel like i did SOMETHING but didn't really feel like a lot. however, today i am all sorts of sore, so you know. how about that. way to go jillian. today i haven't done anything but i think i'm going to eat some pumpkin spice kisses anyway.



bam.


11.28.2010

welp, i'm back in lalaland after a blissfully grounding and recharging stint in the frrrrrozzzzen tundra. i know it was an epic fail on the blog a day efforts, but OH WELL. what can you do.


dear minneapolis friends: HOW DO YOU DO IT ? i cannot survive so many chapped lips and staticky hairs. omg. i was a HOT MESS in minneapolis, minnesota.

also: fat again. but the reason is this: I HAD TO KEEP WARM, see? but i will drop this fat in no time, because aaron will be back home in just 19 days. NINETEEN DAYS!? :stabs fork in eye: how will i survive that? chapped lips, dry skins, staticky hairs = nothing compared to being without my rock for nearly three weeks.

maybe i will be inspired to go to the gym yet today (it's only 6:25p for chrissakes) and start to stave off the layer of blubs that has accumulated above my waistband. maybe? maybe not. a few short minutes ago i was in snoozeville on the couch, strategically spooning cosette who had her cold little dog nose buried in my thunder thigh and i woke up, confused and startled as i realized if i slept NOW, sleeping later would probably be a situation. in the process, i confused and startled my dog and mass hysteria set in rather quickly. but there is also this: i have a sparkly clean house because my delicious cleaning elves came while i was gone but i also have a cold, empty fridge with nothing to fill my belly but (maybe) moldy string cheese and past due -date- lettuce.

BUT. i have lots of brain vomits to spill on these pages and they aren't going to spill themselves so how about this negotiation with myself:

dear self: write your stupid brain vomits and then go to the gym and then you can have a treat. love, yourself.

okay: here we go.

maybe we can start today, where i had to wake my frozen bones up at 5a in the crack of dawn morning so that i could be at the minneapolis/st paul airport by 6a so i could catch my 7a flight! which all went off without a hitch except i cried a little when i hugged aaron's skeleton body when he dropped me off because i already missed him and i wasn't even gone yet. then! my personal tv thing didn't work on my delta flight but my internet was free (thank you, google chrome) so i was happily skipping around the internets wondering when the hell the beverage service was going to start when they suddenly announced over the loud speaker that if anyone on the flight was a doctor, they should come to the back of the plane (never good).

and so i was like, well, whatever, back to the internets. then, still no beverage service and my tv still wasn't working and then! they said two people had fainted and there was a weird (unidentified) odor in the back and some flight attendants were feeling a bit dizzy and lightheaded... so... we were going to stop over in denver right quick and investigate.

so, of course, immediately i decided that I felt dizzy and light-headed (not really, but kind of) and then started getting a bit nervous, and then everyone started getting nervously chatty around me and we were all like haha this is funnyweirdscary but if we make fun of it all, then it SHOULD be ok?! right!?! so i sent off a nice little note to some of my immediate family members to say "HAHA FUNNY STORY , weird shit on our plane, if i die, love you guys long time! KTHXBAI!" and something about: ps thank goodness for inflight internet! right!? I mean...

well.... needless to say, everything ended up working out except a bunch of people missed their flights to japan or somesuch and were a bit sad faced about it, but clappped when we finally landed in LA after a three hour unplanned layover in denver.

whew.


there's more! stories! but i have to go to the gym now because i just sipped some sprite and now i feel like i am full of bubbles and the only cure is this:

1. 3 miles on the treadmill to burn off the blubb

2. 15 minutes in the steam room to introduce MOISTURE back into my lips, hair and skin

3. grocery shopping so that i don't have to eat a mixture of moldy cheese and other strange items growing in my (mostly) clean fridge


:sigh: do i really have to go back to work tomorrow? thank jeeeeesus for PAJAMA MONDAY. hallelujah. amen.

11.21.2010

vacation, all i ever wanted

so it's been pretty awesome so far. except! my mom broke her hand yesterday and then a bus crashed into her car while it was parked at the hotel valet (separate, unrelated freak incidents) and then! we went to the vikings/packers game today and they LOST IN AN EPIC FAIL fashion.

but other than that, so in love with minneapolis and my favorite peoples and aaron's been awesome even though he's sustatining himself on sashimi and sugar free red bull. i might not want to go back, mostly because i might not be able to because i'll be FROZEN solid and last i checked, they don't allow ice blocks to occupy seats on delta.


and back to vacation i go.

oh and we haven't had internets in our hotel because my stupid f*cking air card hasn't been working (eff you, at&t air card) and i FINALLY broke down and paid the W $12.95 so i could feed my internet addiction, but i also paid the W $60 for two egg white omelets, so you know, maybe i should just give the W my first born child as well.


i love you, the W. you're lucky i do.


:epic sigh:



:W oxygen shot followed by a W overpriced glass of wine:

and, scene.




me and my momma @ origami



my sister-in-law and i at the vikings game





aaron, josh and pat at the game.

normal.

11.19.2010

FAILBLOPOMO

i missed a day! fuqua.

oh well. guess i was a just too busy hanging with my man, who got back in town yesterday. whoop! he's a bit skinnier then when we parted ways, and his energy is a bit frenetic, but he's adorable as ever and GUESS WHAT? on vacation starting tonight at 6p. DOUBLE WHOOP!

did you EVER think it would get here? holy balls in pants.

yesterday was fabulous in many ways! in addition to getting aaron back for a week, i headed over to santa monica to do a joint presentation with my (new favorite) client of the research study thingie that owned my life since august and it was actually quite energizing talking about it and answering questions and blahblahblah. i was thinking, hey ! i did this thing, it's causing BUZZ in the INDUSTRY and i get to be the EXPERT on it. i'm so ego-fluffed right now its ridix. RIDIX i say. but i am lapping it up because mmm it's delicious to be done and to be able to say THAT WAS A SUCCESS.

in other news, the other project i was killing myself over looks like it's also done, and my boss forwarded the final deliverable to another team the other day and said "ruby put together this beautiful document, we should recommend doing a similar analysis for Big Important Client X as well" and the recieving party was all over it. "this IS a beatiful presentation, ruby!" commence ego fluffery.

so life is freaking fantastic and i'm exploding with excitement and anticipation and best of all... i get to turn my MONKEY BRAINS off for a week, party people. A WHOLE WEEK OF NO BRAINS.

:i die:

11.17.2010

static noise

excitement cackles in every action i take as the countdown clock ticks down. checking things off the checklist, click click click. things that seemed so tedious just a week ago are now a breeze and my brain is already less cloudy, and the cobwebs have started to dissipate.

it probably seems so benign, a trip to minneapolis for the holidays when EVERYONE is about to go on holiday. it's not like my situation is unique. but guys, i don't know how to express to you how incredibly draining and exhausting my life has been (albeit super rewarding, now, in hindsight) and i just have been SO homesick for so long. it's been over a year since i've been home, and it was only for a couple days as i passed through to kentucky for a big work meeting. i need and crave the grounding that minneapolis people give me, and right now i need it more than ever.

(normally, aaron and i try to get home twice a year. it's been nearly 18 months since he's been there, so he's even more homesick.)

anyway. i'm chugging through my day, actually tending to overgrown inboxes and grooming and purging unnecessary files so my computer doesn't choke on the clogged pipeline that has been slowing it down to a near dead halt in some cases. i've been in email jail so many times i feel like i live there. and my computer keeps sending me warning messages about deleting / backing up files even though i've recently had additional RAM installed.

it's as if to say LADY STOP. smell the roses! get off of me! i'm a computer, not your damn slave monkey! you have a LIFE to live. so do it.

plans are falling nicely into place for our trip. saturday is a celebration dinner with my parents - our anniversary/my mom's birthday. i've been researching all the good sushi restaurants in town so aaron can actually enjoy some evenings out. so far: origami, moto-i, chino latino. yum. we've also got the vikings/packers game on sunday, and even though the season's a bust, it will still be fun to take in the excitement the big rivalary on our home turf. i've got happy hour plans with my favorite ladies, and yoga/aveda shopping plans with another of my good friends. my mom scheduled massages for us, and we'll be spending turkey day with a whole slew of rapscallions. we'll also see various friends interspersed throughout the week, and reconnect with both sides of the family. i'll get to spend time with all four of my nieces, as well.

:sigh:

so i have a spring in my step as i go about the normal day to day .. just your average holiday vacation for some, but so so much more than that to me.

tonight, i believe i am going to enjoy happy hour with my mother-in-law, and tomorrow aaron returns from new mexico so he can unpack and repack for minnesota.

and so we go.






11.16.2010

is it friday yet?

so. we are now on the business end of nablopomo and WHEW is it ever exhausting. but i love this month because it always forces me to be a bit more introspective and it encourages word vomit, and who doesn't love that.



i've started the initial process of formulating a new casting video for the next season of survivor. this edition will include items such as me jumping out of a plane and crossing the finish line of my most recent race, and i'm hoping to embark on some sort of snowy adventure in MN to add to the viewing experience. maybe catch a fish with my bare hands and / or wrestle a bear as well. stay tuned on that item.



i made it to the gym tonight! it was a victory over the onset of laziness that has been clouding me lately. luckily, i've been eating less since aaron's been out of town, so i've actually maintained pretty well. but let's be honest. running clears my brain and tones my calves. sitting on the couch eating dark chocolate kit kats and watching real housewives of bevery hills does NOT. ya heard?



TV Break: can we discuss how adorable gwyneth paltrow was on glee? so adorable. i also watched the season finale of the big C tonight and ! my eyes leaked! a whole lot! was not expecting that. i actually ended up liking the season even though it got a bit itchy in the middle. laura linney is the cutest.



two days until i get to see aaron

four days until vacation begins.



happy is an understatement.









11.15.2010

boogaloo

oh hello! today is an extremely important day because it represents the 58th anniversary of the day my MOMMA was borned! and had she not been born, i would not have been born and then you would not be reading this (maybe you are sticking chopsticks in your eyes while reading because i'm boring the everliving shizz out of you, but whatevs)


what was i saying?


oh! happy birthday MOM!! i was talking to her on the phone tonight and i asked her if she had figured out what she was going to do for the big 6-0 since now it's precisely two years away. and no, she hadn't. but she's reconsidering getting the tattoo she was going to get at age 5-0 that she never did (chicken! bawk!) and i think maybe two years from today would be the time. or else, i said, you should jump out of a plane, like i did for the big 3-4. maybe, maybe not. but then my final suggestion was a CARNIVAL CRUISE. she choked on the end of her 3rd glass of wine when i said that. i'm hilarious.



anyway. i'm going to be in MN in 5 days and then we will celebrate her birfday in person. v. excited.



in other news. my sister is getting divorced and moving to australia to be with a guy she met on the internets. she just went to visit / meet him for the first time and was in australia for two weeks and then she came back and dropped the info just like that. i loved it there and i'm moving. kthxbai.



good for her, though. because she NEEDS to be selfish because she's been in a relationship that was unhealthy for her and it's time for her to carpe diem all over the place. may as well up and move all the way from BFE, MN to melbourne, AUSTRALIA, right? it's so crazy, but then, it's so awesome :i die:



i don't talk about my family much in here do i? they are a crazy bunch of rapscallions. i love them. but let's review, shall we? i am the 2nd oldest of five kidlings. here is the order:



rachel (of the moving to australia flavor), born 1974

ruth (that IS my real name, but i shortened it to ruby) born 1976

renee (she's the one with the fraternal twins, single mama) born 1978

ranon (my little broham that just came out to LA to run the half marathon with me) born 1980

ryan (the youngest, marches to the beat of another drummer) born 1982



there's actually more to everyone, but maybe another time, another place.



in other news.... i booked a post-xmas mini-getaway for aaron and i in santa barbara and we'll be staying in a two-story loft thing in solvang in a room with a fireplace and we will be conveniently located to many wineries and aaron will be able to eat AND drink and i can barely stand it, i'm so excited.



i have to say, as far as mondays go, it was a good day.



vacation commences in less than five days.





meep!




11.14.2010

funky monkey

so last night was a bit of an adventure, but mostly because i'm getting old and it's starting to become pretty damn clear.



we started out our adventure at OB Bear, which is a pretty traditional korean establishment in k-town. we were meeting our chinese friend there, but she was late, so we were totally confused about what to order. also, not sure how the chinese lady was going to halp us navigate the korean menu, but i didn't question anything since i was along for the ride. we did know that this particular place received rave reviews for their spicy chicken wings, and that maybe there was some sort of kim chee pankcake we should investigate, but that was about it.



so when we got there, we were ushered upstairs to the non-smoking section (didn't realize there was a choice anywhere in LA, but OK) and we noticed quickly that we were the only non-korean persons in the joint. a man with a headset came over shortly after we sat down while we were staring at the korean-language menu. he handed us the "english menus" which, gotta admit, was a relief. then asked what we'd like to drink and i, of course, asked if they had, um wine? and he was like.. yes, but not like cabarnet sauvignon or MERLOT or anything. well OK good, because i was actually in the mood for SAUV BLANC, mister. but no, not that either. so i settled on some sort of lemon soju something or other that just basically tasted like warm lemonade.



we started investigating the menu and while "pork feets" and "squid on a rock" sounded interesting, we settled on the spicy wings and the leek pancake. which actually, was SUPER yum. however, the spicy wings were WAY too spicy for me, so i sorted of just nibbled on teeny bits of it while my face started on fire.



EVENTUALLY our chinese friend arrived and was NO help at all, but decided to add a sweet and sour beef ? item? to the table. so that came out and it looked really weird, but again tasted really good, so that was that.



i was really glad, in hindsight, that i had made liana and tal come to happy hour with me and that i had indugled in the curry mussels and tuna tartare appetizer so i at least had something in my belly.



ANYWAY. soon we were off to the brass monkey and i haven't been in YEARS and mostly all of my experiences there were supreme drunken nights out when my friends and i had the endurance to stay up until 5a drinking vodka and doing gymnastics. last night was not that kind of night. i noticed immediately that everyone in the karaoke joint was probably already halfway to pass-out-ville and i most defintely was not. i sort of felt warm from my lemonade concoction, but it was barely even what one might consider to be a mild buzz. so had i been buzzed? maybe the drunktards wouldn't have been so obnoxious? but i wasn't and they were.



it was actually pretty entertaining in its own way, and it was fun to see the group who was there to celebrate a friend's birthday, but liana and i only toughed it out for two hours and when the clock struck midnight it was basically lights out tokyo.



better than staying home missing aaron, but i'm not sure if it was my most favorite adventure of all time.



today i slept off the few vanilla vodka sodas i had at the monkey, i hit the gym and did five miles, then i cleaned, worked and watched all my favorite sunday shows: dexter, walking dead and amazin race. and now? i'm ready to hit the business and get this week started.



the sooner this week ends, the faster relaxation comes.



less than 6 days until i can find a bit of RnR.



yeahhhh man.


it's been a fantabulous day.. so far. woke up at 8ish? after passing the nuts out pretty early last night, as predicted. i leisurely hung out with the dogs for a few hours, cleaned the house a bit, did laundry etc etc. and then hit the gym for some cardio action for about an hour. then i sped over to beverly hills to get my hairs cut and i feel a thousand pounds lighter now. my hair was out.of.control. then i decided to ping liana and tal and see if they would be down for some happy hour shenanigans, and they were down. f yeah. so i had a beverage and some mussels and some tuna tartare and now i'm here!

in about 1 hour and 40 minutes, they will pick me up, we'll head to some korean food establishment in k-town and then we will hit the brass monkey and it will probably be 100% magical. i haven't done karaoke at the brass monkey in a million years. i wonder if i will even remember how to do it. we shall see.


anyway. i miss aaron, but it's only a few days until he comes home so we can head to MN, so i'm going to make the most of my alone time and clean and drink and work and sleep. and then.

hope everyone is having a great weekend.



cheers!~


11.12.2010

:sighhhhh:

today was just one big sighhhhhhh. i dropped my darling husbie off at the flyaway bus this morning at 8:30a and i thought i'd be sad, but really, i'm just so super excited for him and i can't wait for him to have this experience. he's been working so hard on his physical person and now he gets to flex his acting muscles in such a profound way... it's just super awesome for him.



i mean, i have a sad face, but it's powered by an excited soul. you know.



i worked from home today and wasn't as productive as i would have liked, so i'm sort of still working. but i have a lovely glass of sauv blanc by my side and my furry babies are flanking me and keeping me warm - even though it's warm outside, for some reason the cave is pretty chilly, so i need some furry warmth flanking me.



it's Mu's birthday! he's 3! which means he's 21! so he got to have BEER! but not just beer.. GOOD BEER. video evidence is attached. please watch both and waste just over 2 minutes of your life.







ahh. i'm exhausted. i knew i would sort of completely turn into a pile of mush on this day once all my projects were done and once aaron was gone.. but wow. i'm like, ultra bushed. i was chilling on the couch earlier click clicking away on a werk project when suddenly it was lights out, tokyo and i was like WTF did i just fall asleep? man alive. i wouldn't be surprised if i was completely passed the nuts out by 9p tonight. it would be a world record, but it wouldn't surprise me.





gosh, i'm relaxed.





wow, this feels weird.





oh! just found out that a trip to miami is on the books for january. additionally i'm planning a mini-getaway for aaron and i once he's all done with his movie, so there are many many many things to look forward to.



and right now? i'm going to be fully present in this moment that feels so foreign to me but so freaking amazing.



and, scene.





::SIGH::

11.11.2010

11-11

today we're celebrating our the 10th anniversary of our wedding day. it's been such an awesome day, for so many reasons, and i'm so very happy that aaron is actually here, right now, with me celebrating. he leaves tomorrow to start his film journey and i'm so excited for him. but today, i'm selfish and i'm glad i get to have him all to myself.


i woke up super early today to prepare for a big meeting. good thing, too, because i spent a good chunk of time posting pics on facebook and being nerdy about posting status updates about our anniversary. nerdy nerd nerd face. anyway, i got into work and cranked out the finishing touches on a presentation and then quickly tended to some housekeeping items and at 12:30p it was show time. and it went well. it was a weirdly exhausting and strange meeting, but the net effect was positive. and it was good.



then i was inspired to make a love song anniversary playlist and i proceeded to play it all day long and make myself extra nostalgic and sappy-faced and i was so emotional and just :sigh: feeling really relieved and really really good.





does this thing work?

http://www.playlist.com/playlist/20985197835





anyhoo.



it's strange how i get to FINALLY relax when aaron is about to get down to business. but i guess it's all kind of working out perfectly - he was here for me during all my recent meltdowns and was my rock, and now i get to do the same for him as he embarks on his own new adventure.





good stuff.







i got home EARLY for a change of pace (i even beat the darkness! lawdy, that was nice) and there were a dozen white roses waiting for me. i also got my very own pair of black christian louboutin heels and a stunning tiffany heart necklace. OMG. i'm normally not one for such showy material items, but i don't care. i felt great receiving some ridiculously awesome material items. : i die :





whee!



so then it was time for SUSHI IN OUR FACES and we just slithered out the door and over to the neighborhood sushi joint where they LOVE us and we LOVE them (holla, arashi!) and i stuffed my face with J's special roll (albacore and crab and jalapeno and YUM sauce), pete's japanese tostaditos (don't ask me to explain, but believe me when i say YUM IN THE FACE), the lemon roll (squee!) etc etc. and some sake that aaron had two baby sips of because he was LIVING IT UP ya'll! anyway, we rollled out of there with tons o' fish in our bellies and then it was time to reminisce, looking at pics and remembering significant moments and such and so on.





ahhh.





so relaxing, so lovely, and so happy-making.





i feel blessed.





11.09.2010

i'm going to try a new approach and NOT wait until i am in full zombie mode to write my entry o' the day and see that works out for all of us.



eff. damn. shite. it's 5:15p and it's pitch black outside. i had this vision/idea that i was going to quickly run over to the book store and grab an anniversary card for aaron since our 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY is not tomorrow, but the next day. i need to really think about what i'm going to write in that card. this requires some time. but it's pitch black out and i'm a wuss a) because now it's cold out and b) hollywood is scary at night



10 YEARS YOU GUYS! can you stand it? i really wish i would have been writing in this here thingie 10 years ago so i would have had some electronic versioning of our happy happy day, but alas, no. but gosh. it's such a nice fat milestone, isn't it? next year, we will celebrate 11 years on 11-11-11 and i keep telling people it's going to be EPIC! !! and i think it will be. but i don't want to poo-poo celebrating 10 years on 11-11-10, because it is also quasi-epic in its own way. only, aaron can't eat or drink right now, so you know, it can only be SO EPIC without foods and drinks to indulge in. and such. but still. TEN YEARS. i don't think i'm old enough to have been married that long.



also of note this week:



1. two year anniversary at my current job = tomorrow

2. camus' third birthday (he is legal drinking age in dog years) = friday

3. aaron OFFICIALLY AND REALLY leaves for new mexico = friday (SAD FACE, DENIAL)



big week, right? yeah, i'll say.





ok so. aaron went to the doctor today and got "checked out" and even though the doctor said he is "skinny" and he could "feel all of his organs and they feel fine" there wasn't major concern over the fact that he's dropped from over 190lbs to less than 160. NBD. even though his bones are protruding and his jeans are falling off of his person, he's actually pretty darn healthy. well, good, then. relieved about that. i can't believe he's actually leaving in a few days. it's blowing my mind. but the weird thing is that he will fly back on the 18th, then we will zoom over to MN from the 20th-28th, and then he will leave me again for most of december. ahhhhhh. craziness.



guys! in 11 days i will be ON VACATION/HOLIDAY/WHATHAVEYOU. Zomg.



oh! also! i've become supremely good at kicking Sick's ass. the latest accomplishment was a cold sore that POPPED up friday after my ever-so-stressful week in NYC and today, it's almost completely gone. also? it never got big enough for anyone to really notice and that was a HUGE success story. f*cking cold sores. just NOT what i need at this moment in time, but whatever, i kicked it's ass.





NEXT.

gah

oh weird. it's midnight and i'm.still.working. i have been since 7a this morning.shoot me. shoot me now.ONLY 11 DAYS UNTIL I LEAVE FOR MINNESOTA.pray for my survival.

11.07.2010

fall back

you would think with this extra hour and all i would have been able to gain some energy by sleeping in, but alas i am struggling to keep my eyes open once again and i'm just going to give the skeleton version of my last few days.

- saw due date
- much needed laffs
- caught up on most of my teevee
- met heather's new little girl, harper
- saw jamie's one month old, johnny jr, for the second time
- thought more about having a baby of my very own
- got exhausted by the thought
- worked a little
- ran a little
- drank a little wine
- generally enjoyed my weekend


that's pretty much that, for now.


oh sunday, why do you have to end?

11.06.2010

FML

no, not really.

i woke up early yesterday, maybe a bit hungover. but it was OK because really all i had to do for the first part of my day was get on a plane and fly home to los angeles.

but the events leading up to potentially being slightly hungover were as follows:

1. i was invited (last minute) to the super exclusive client dinner to celebrate the end of the project i've been KILLING myself over for the past few months

2. even though i was super f*cking exhaused and not wanting to do anything but zombie out in front of the teevee in my hotel room while mindlessly finishing some workstuffs, i comitted to rallying for said dinner

3. found out just as i was leaving the convention hall that OOPS just kidding, they were overbooked for the dinner and i could come for drinks, but unless someone cancelled, couldnt stay for dinner

4. hai, no thanks, bai.

5. i boarded some random shuttle at the convention center than seemed to be taking me more or less close to my hotel.

6. only, it was dropping me off on 47th and my hotel was on 42nd.

7. it was raining, did i mention this? and, i was carrying my laptop, but no umbrella. and i had a hooded coat on, but it was wool. since i'm allergic to wool anyway, there's only one thing worse than regular wool.

8. it's wet wool, case you was a wondering.

9. OK SO. i had to walk 5 blocks (NBD, but ugh) to my hotel in the rain with a wool coat on with nothing to protect my laptop.

10. oh, but before i forget, i had decided somewhere along this shuttle ride that i would text one of my favorite NY coworkers and take him up on his earlier offer of meeting up later in CASE i didn't end up at the client dinner

11. realized i had texted his old number when i got a call from "him" and it was someone random that said "please stop texting me! i'm not your friend"

12. and then.

13. i was like, this is probably a sign, i should just go to hotel and embark on plan A: zombie in front of teevee, doing workstuffs.

14. but the part of me that still has life in me, said EFF THAT NOISE YOU ARE GOING OUT TO CELEBRATE THE FACT THAT THIS PROJECT WAS INDEED A SUCCESS AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO ZOMBIE!

15. so then i emailed aforementioned favorite coworker, and, within minutes, he had agreed to meet me in TIMES SQUARE of all places (he was in soho) and i was like, OK there we go. but moment after that, I got REINVITED to the super exclusive client dinner.

UM, NO.

16. so i met my fav coworker at chez josephine and had a THREE HOUR DINNER that was so much awesome and so delicious and i was SO GLAD i made that choice to go out vs. stay in.

16a. for posterity: dinner included sweet potato fries, lobster salad, steak tartar and (3) glasses of sauv blanc

17. we parted ways at 10p and i was still a little bit in the mood to hang out before calling it a night, so as i got to the hotel, i happened to ride up in the elevator to the lobby with a fun group of slightly rowdy people who were heading to the hotel bar.

18. so i headed to the bar "with" them after having a friendly chat in the elevator.

19. i bellied up to the bar by myself, but was soon surrounded by the aforementioned lively bunch of fun people, and soon they revealed that they were the cast of the new "spiderman" musical and drinks were on them.

20. OK!

21. so i had a few and had some fun conversations and then soon, i realized, HOLY SHIT, i'm F*CKING tired. so then i decided to call it a night at about midnightish and headed back to my hotel room.

22. whew.

23. then i called aaron, my sister and maybe my bank.

24. 1a-ish? i called it a night. but was up again at 6a-ish? and then 7a-ish? and then i was headed to the airport with a heavy head but a lighter soul.





and that was that.





tomorrow, you will probably hear the events of last night. to preview:



1. delicious dinner at arashi

2. private practice viewing with aaron and his momma

3. hereafter viewing at the regal (maybe i fell asleep for a second, don't tell anyone)

4. a glass of wine

5. FINALLY, somesweetsexysleep









actually, that was it.



so tomorrow, maybe i will talk about today? stay tuned FOR WAY MORE EXCITING ADVENTURES.!!!





!!!

i'm totally and completely exhausted but so so happy to finally be home.

i know it's a lame excuse for an entry, but i'm a lame excuse for a human being at the moment.

so there you go.

happy weekend, ya'll

11.04.2010

so much.

i'm so proud of so many people in my life.

jamie, for giving birth to a beautiful baby boy and enduring so much pain within that process/

heather, for giving birth to a beautiful baby girl and i don't know the fully story yet, but YOU DID IT, and i can't wait to meet her

aaron, for all of his recent accomplishments and for what's to come. i'm truly blessed with one of the most amazing human beings in the universe as my husband.

kadee, for her work on private practice tonight. oh.my.god. i havent even seen the full episode yet, but i know that you did amazing work and i'm actually at a loss for words to describe the pride i feel in what you've done.


i, myself, i'm just so f*cking happy to be done with a project that nearly killed me, but didn't, so it made me stronger.

when my client, A, saw me today for the first time (we had only ever met via phone) she ran over and gave me a hug, and it was powerfully awesome.

today, i celebrate everyone, and all their accomplishments.. be proud of YOU today. you deserve it.

11.03.2010

at present

1. blood shot eyes.

-maybe because i'm so cold in my hotel room that i'm wearing my wool coat and i'm allergic to wool.
-maybe because i only slept 4.5 hours last night
-maybe because i am STILL staring at my computer and it feels like deja vu.

2. chapped lips.
-maybe because i spent the whole day talking my face off to random strangers and familar faces
-maybe because i walked a mile each way to the conference center and it was colder than i expected and the wind was whipping my face

3. sore/achy feet

-see aforementioned standing around talking all day and then walking to and fro to hotel/conference center in high-heeled boots that i thought were my "comfy boots"
-i thought wrong


4. fat belly


-french fries at lunch
-french fries at dinner
-lack of workouts as of lately due to ridiculous residual annoying pains from my race (SO LONG AGO! WTF!)


5. strained brains

-too much thinking
-too much typing
-not enough rest

that's about it.

here's to hoping tomorrow night is off the chain with celebration excitements for being DONE and/or just some sweet, sexy, deep sleep.

and so on.

11.02.2010

new yorkin

i guess if i have to be up until 1-sumthin in the morning working it's better to be by my lonesome in a hotel room 25 stories above the world click click clacking away basking in soft glowing lights and an accidental glass of pinot noir (i ordered sauv blanc, but felt too defeated to call room service back and tell them) than to be hunched in the dark illuminated by just the glow of my computer while the sleep sounds of my favorite human and dogs fill the air.

i guess.

so technically, it's 9:54p LA time, so technically, i'm not late with this entry for day 2 of the challenge. but here in chilly manhattan, it's technically 12:54a and so therefore one could argue i've already failed.

but let's not argue that, ok?

normally, when i step out of my cab at my NY hotel destination, i'm super excited to be back in the city surrounded by the amazing energy of the people here. but today? i'm just exhausted, frustrated and anxious.

one project that i've been tirelessly working on for over two months officially ends next week when i co-present a client webinar with our client partner. the other project will also soon be done and then i don't know. more items keep filling the pipeline and more custom work demands my attention, so even if i think there is light at the end of the tunnel, it might just be a mirage. more darkness. and more zombie-ruby filled nights.

but in all of this! super exciting things.

heather had her baby today. i think, from what i've gathered from the facebooking, that she named her harper. she was too tired to talk when i called, as she had been up all night delivering the little princess. i can't wait to meet her. i'm so very excited.

and then! my sister-in-law was on the view today and i've heard amazing things about it. she has a crazy week based on an episode of her tv show that airs thursday night, and this is one of the many things she's done to promote it. i can't wait to see it... but i just need to wait a few. more. days.

this too, shall pass. they say.


i'm still hopeful.

11.01.2010

walking dead

i suppose it's fitting that, as i write this, i'm watching the walking dead and i'm verging on the end of a project that has made me feel, at times, like a zombie.

this project reaches a fitting climax in just a couple days, on stage in new york. i'm pretty much packed and ready to go for my morning flight tomorrow. i just need to figure out how the hell i'm going to fit a winter jacket in my overstuffed carry-on suitcase. i'm an interesting mix of anxious and indifferent, excited and annoyed. more excited and anxious than the other two, but it's a strange mix.

for the fourth time in about in two weeks, i stuffed my facehole with raw fishstuffs from arashi. it's probably safe to say that i have a bit of an addiction problem with that place. my favorite roll at the present time is something they call the downtown roll. and how fitting is it that my most favorite downtown sushi place which is a stumble away from the back door of my downtown living box has a roll called the downtown roll and it's THE MOST DELICIOUS? i'd say it's: pretty fitting.

in other news, i am also cramming for the Big Vote tomorrow wherein we have to pick the lesser of a bunch of evils. we also have to decipher crytpic propositionings and try not to get tricked into voting "the wrong way." it's all simply too much for my little peabrain to handle right now. but like a good little zombie, i'm going to eat some brains (sauvignon blanc) and power through.

there is a light. it's coming. it will be documented here because i am attempting, once again, to write every single day in november. i think i probably lost all five (six?) of my readers by simply being a waste of cyberspace. but if you're still out there, stick around for a few won't you? it might just get interesting.