the girl takes like, 3 showers a day

I just wanted to do the laundry. But to do that would mean getting the dirty towels and bath mat out of the bathroom. Good luck.

The girl took 3 showers between 10:30 and 2pm. She's still in there.

I think there really must be something wrong with her.

Do you think it could be drugs? It's just so weird.

And here are some other odd things...(see photo above). Deodorant on the kitchen counter. High heels on the kitchen counter.

Strawberries in the fridge...This was the early stage of rotting, so I left them there for a bit longer. But after they started turning more white, I threw them out.

Now to look at some pretty things...


my engagement ring.

and with its new friend, wedding ring.

and my bday gift, Louis. :)

He's suppose to "patina" and turn that brown color over time. I'm not sure how long it'll take, but he's already a bit darker than when I got him 2 weeks ago.

Okay, I think she's finally outa there! :)

Another little story...

The little bird

And into his hand he took the bird, its white feathers soft. Stroking the form and sweet shape of the little animal, admiring the way nature so carefully places forms together, with feathers in their correct patterns and shapes. So carefully crafted by a higher power. And his eyes lit up with the same energy of life, the feeling in God's heart that created this little creature, became the feeling in his own heart. And as the bird fluttered and scurried and tried to hide -- that natural fear of being trapped -- that fire in its little heart burning and telling his little legs to run and wings to fly, that fear in the bird, became excitement in his own heart. And he sat calmly, soaking it up. And he watched the creature closely, as the natural burning of fear grew, and intensified, and he squeezed tighter, like a child trying to pull out the last bit of chocolate from a melted silver wrapper. And he calmly watched in wonder, this energy, until, that energy faded completed. A fire burnt out. And the bird relaxed back into the place from which he came -- the ultimate place from which he came -- not the sky, because the sky is not a place he would see again.

He stepped back, surprised at the sudden stillness. And his focused eyes looked to the side with his eyebrows down -- why had it stopped? Where had that brilliant energy gone? It was just here a second ago. And he became angry. Where was that beautiful energy? That pure white light with the perfectly positioned feathers, all arranged in the way God had chosen? Where was that magnificent fire in the little bird's heart?

Without realizing it, he was stepping back, away. He continued to notice his feet retreating, until there was a hand on his shoulder. Without turning, he knew the warm touch. He knew he didn't need to explain, and she would know.

"It's gone darling," said the voice.

"But why? I want it back!" he said, the anger brewing in his voice.

"Somethings cannot be brought back, once we have killed them."

And his eyes remained on the little white form in front of him. The shiny eyes reflected the scene, but they did not understand it.

"Cause and effect."

But no words would get through. It was like a snapshot taken, without the little words written underneath to provide a concise explanation. And he continued to stare at the little white form, that was now no different than the ground beneath it. Still, quiet, dull. And he wished for the bird to come back.

"But I'd like it back! I'd like to see its little eyes again!"

"It will not come back. It is gone," said the calm soothing voice, as the purple and pinks mixed in the evening sky, and the sun was gone. They were silhouettes now, soon to become invisible against the black of the night sky.

Some more tips on moving to NYC...

I got some questions recently. Here are answers!

1) How much money should you have saved before moving?
Obviously, the more the better! I didn't do things the typical way though, and I hadn't saved up much. I would say to bring at least $4000. Most apartments are at least $1500/month in the city -- and that is sharing with one or more people (so you'd have your own bedroom and share the kitchen, bathroom, and any common areas if you're lucky to have that much space.

If you want a studio or one bedroom the rent is crazy expensive. Often at least $2000 or $3000 a month. Plus utilities, cable, internet, etc.

They often require a first month's rent and deposit = $3000. Some require a last month's rent as well. $1450 total just to move in! And of course it's an expensive place, so if you want to buy some food, extra cash may be a good idea.

However, if you can quickly make more money -- for instance, if you already have a job here, or can get one quickly such as a waitress job, etc., then it might not be as important to have $10,000 saved. Many people scrape by on less here.

Another option is to live far from the city and commute in (up to an hour is doable if you're young), and you might be able to pay only $700 in rent. Take into account safety, however. Will you want to ride the subway late night on weekends if you go out? Still, splurging on cabs on the weekends might be worth it to save overall -- a few $30-$40 cab rides home is still less than paying $1500 a month.

If you want to commute, consider Jersey City, Hoboken, NJ, safe parts of Brooklyn and Queens.

Or maybe you have a friend or relative in the area you can stay with? Most people, unlike me, do know a person or two before they move. If they are busy at work, you can offer to do housework or even cook or do laundry to make it easier on them to have you stay. But look for work quickly, as these apartments are small and you don't want to annoy your friends and family!

Another option is to bring the minimum in cash, and be okay with getting into some debt for the short term. Do this only if you're really chasing a dream that you think you can make happen. You want to balance avoiding debt with not forgetting to live your life and go after your dreams -- remember that time is more valuable than money. You can always make more money or pay off a small amount of debt. You can't get the years back you may waste. That said, don't dig a hole too big than you can handle. Debt is stressful. Think of the amount of money you'll expect to be making in a year when you are settled with steady work, and don't spend more than you think you can handle at that point.

Of course, you can also try to secure a great job before moving, to ensure money won't be a problem. Many jobs pay much better here than in other parts of the country, because the cost of living is so high. So you might check out some online job boards like monster, or ask around your network to see if you can't find a great job in your field. For instance, you can sometimes make $100,000 in NYC as a writer, where as in Arizona you'd only make $40,000 or $50,000.

There are many dreams in NYC that are time sensitive. Modeling, acting, arts, business, and anything you feel a burning passion to do NOW. Will that burning passion still be there in 10 years after you have 2 years of rent all saved up? Maybe. Maybe not. Only you know the amount of risk you are comfortable with. That includes the risk of not moving, the risk of delaying your dream, and the risk of long-term debt -- all would be stressful. Which would be most stressful to you?

So in conclusion, bring as much cash as possible. Look for cheap apartments farther from the city. Ask friends or family to stay with them if possible. Look for well paying jobs. Allow yourself to get into debt if necessary. But most importantly, find a way to chase your dream. Don't let it die!

I can never think of titles...

Today I again had to brush my teeth elsewhere, but just used the kitchen sink. I usually am good at avoiding her, as I wait for her to be in one room before I sneak out to another room really quick and then come back. That way I avoid hearing about all of her drama. It's a skill I learned w/ all of my past roommates. I once avoided a roommate (who was crazy) for about a week, even though I worked from home and she was laid off and on the couch all day. But then she started emailing me.

Then I remembered that this building has awesome amenities. So I went downstairs to the gym and used the bathroom in there, and then brought my laptop to the "club" part which is this really cute room decorated sort of like a lounge. And there are outlets and wireless! Wow I could get spoiled here.

In past roommate situations in the East Village, there were of course no extra bathrooms or amenities. Most apartments in NYC don't have laundry inside, don't have gyms, or lounges, or a place to keep packages that are delivered for you (you get "we missed you" slips and have to walk all the way to the post office to get your stuff). But this place has a nice big front desk that keeps track of everyone's packages. And it's of course safer to have some people down there, and nice if you lock yourself out. I've never locked myself out in 3 years, because I couldn't - I would have no way to get in for about a week or more (the girl I subletted from was flaky and didn't even live in the city).

So I guess that makes up for the crazy roommate, and we only have about a month left here anyway.

Edit: I just don't get it. She spends at least 2 hours in the morning getting ready, and then is in there throughout the day. Times like this make me miss my old place, where when I had to pee, I just could. I'm not even sure what she does in there. I've never known anyone who takes that long to do their make-up and hair.

the roommate

Before I get to the main story, let me just say....she scrubbed the bathtub with the toilet bowl scrubber. Let's just stop there for a pause. Soaked in that idea yet? Ya. All of that disgusting bacteria has now been spread all over the shower and bathtub.

We're living w/ my um, husband's roommate, wow it's weird to use that word! Ok, so my husband's roommate is still living w/ us for a couple months. She is going through a lot of drama and likes to corner me to tell me about it. I dislike this. I'm sympathetic and just can't ignore her and walk away like he can.

I try to sneak away, but can't because she corners me when I'm doing something like washing dishes or chopping something for a salad, and there is no escape.

Today she was in the bathroom for a total of probably 2.5 hours, but it was really the first hour that was a block of time. I would have liked to put in my contacts or brush my teeth.

I also didn't want to delay starting my whole day, and I also didn't want to knock on the door and open myself up to another hour story of the strange things happening in her life (and this is not someone I know by the way...I didn't even know her name for a while, but she's one of those people who tell her life story to someone on the bus).

So, out of fear of having an hour wasted hearing more stories with no where to escape, I actually brushed my teeth and put in contacts in my bedroom.

I was pretty amazed that it worked okay. I had some travel toothpaste/toothbrush in my room and just used a water bottle and some tissues and threw it all away. And as for the contacts, I had to open a new set of them, since my contacts were in the bathroom. Of course, I had to make sure my hands were clean so I used that hand sanitizer spray and then some wet wipes to make sure I wasn't putting alcohol into my eye!

I could have used the kitchen sink of course, but I was afraid she'd happen to come out right as I as brushing my teeth. And then there would be a conversation about why I was brushing my teeth in the kitchen, and that of course I can just knock on the door, and then, again, I would get an even longer story about her life.

sigh.

random writing stuff

It's a star hanging in the sky waiting for me to grab it and pluck it out of the dark, black night of potential, and pull it in close to my heart to watch the glow reflect in my eyes.

Virgin America Airlines Sucks!

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/worst-airlines-extra-fees-saving-money-flying-discount/story?id=10543922
"Last year, U.S. airlines took in more than $7.8 billion in fees from passengers, according to the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. And those fees are rising quickly. In the last three months of 2009, the airlines charged passengers $1.9 billion in extra fees, up a whopping 18.3 percent from the same period the prior year."

I was initially thrilled w/ this new airline, that promised to be different. They have purple lights on the ceiling and music that plays as you enter. I thought WOW, maybe this airline is different and not just after $$$$ like the other airlines.

Their was a song playing on the Virgin music station that had the lyrics "What will you fight for? What will you die for?" And I thought, wow. Maybe the people behind this give a damn. Maybe this is not about taking as much money from people as possible. Maybe this is different.

On the way to elope in Vegas, they didn't let us hang my finace's suit (in a thin small bag), in the front part. But okay, we understand. Maybe there wasn't room, etc. We stored it in the top of his carry on.

On the way back, they didn't even let him take his suit onto the plane! So here we are giddy and just-married, still looking at our shiny new rings, and met with rude, used car salesman attitude at the entry to the plane.

They insisted we pay $25 to check his thin little suit bag.

I told them that wasn't in our best interest, though it clearly was in their's. And this little rude college-aged people were snotty and horrible.

We ended up stuffing his wonderful expensive suit into our (already small to meet the stupid airlines tiny size requirement) carry on. Yes, we had to stuff it in there and get so many wrinkles we'll probably have to have it professionally fixed.

Thanks a lot. Money-hungry airlines.

You know, greed is greed. It doesn't matter the context. And when you put greed out there, that's what you get back. Eventually, airlines like this are going out of business the minute there is any sort of alternative.

People feel they are being sucked dry by airlines these days, and they are. Just like they are by the scams all over the place. Enron and beyond. It's a trend of being horrible to others, and it's never going to benefit anyone.

It's especially disappointing because I've always been a huge fan of Richard Branson. I actually recommend that my clients read his book. He seemed to stand out as someone who strived for more than just money -- though money is important. He seemed to be striving for change for the better, and things that benefit people. That is a good-hearted mission that is more than being a business shark.

And this sort of policy is no better than the other sharks out there, practically stealing from people. Because when you ruin someone's day to make $25, that's what you are.

I was going to write about how cool the little touch screen was, that is similar to Jet Blue, but with a removeable remote control. But no. This is the feeling I'm left with. Greed. Selfishness. And any idealism I had about Richard Branson making something better, something different, something bigger than the other examples of business lies and greed that are so common today, they disappeared when I realized it's exactly the same.

Airlines are also charging people to take their dogs onto the plane and keep them by their feet. What are they charging for? There is no benefit to the person flying, and certainly no benefit to ALL of the other passengers who have to listen to barking and whimpering and possible smells during the flight. And is there even a check of whether people on board have serious allergies to pets? Nope.

They only care about making that extra buck. At your expense.

Let's hope this business greed trend is on the way out. Let's hope people begin to treat others in more of a good, giving way -- because that is what comes back to you.

When you are greedy, people naturally hold their purse strings tighter. They don't trust you. They take a step away from you when you enter a room. And that cycle increases, to the point no one wants to give you a damn thing. And what did you expect?

To get, you have to give, from a good place. And those are the people you open your purse to, because you want to. They are the people you rush to in a room, and that cycle increases, to the point you love to give. That's what we should all expect. From people and from business, because business is nothing more than groups of people.