Friday: Jason wasn't feeling well, so instead of shopping and movies, we stayed in with rentals. Perhaps due to a conversation I'd had with a friend earlier in the day re: women, their bodies, and objectification, our choices of movies were less than great. Superbad had some laughs, but mostly, I was disgusted with the juvenile (read: totally misogynistic) humor. In the end, I was glad they made the point in several ways that getting someone drunk to sleep with her is a really bad idea (mostly 'cause I repeatedly yelled at the tv, "that's rape, you asshole!"), but overall, I just didn't understand the hype. Shoot 'Em Up was even worse than that, and we ended up turning it off about 30 mins in. Clive Owen + Monica Bellucci. And we turned it off. Yes, it was that bad.

Saturday: Got up early and took the bus to NYC. The 4-hour trip ended up taking almost 5. I napped a lot. I even napped when I got to Tex's-- have I mentioned that these meds are kicking my ass? But we got up and readied ourselves for dinner at STK in the Meatpacking District. Oh gods. Let me tell you about this dinner. First of all, the place was swank as hell. Appetizer: picture a bed of sea salt dribbled with lime. On it are four seashells. In the seashells-- cilantro, scallops, fresh lychee. It was tingling good. For dinner, I had the filet medallion with blue butter sauce, served with asparagus dressed in lemon butter. Tex got the filet with hollandaise, garlic, and truffle sauce. Both sauces were unbelievably tasty and complimented the light salting of the steak perfectly. Dessert was a molten chocolate cake with hazelnut ice cream presented like a work of art. It was... oh man. Just amazing. After that, we went to the LJ meetup, and I met bunches of new people, and got to see Carly and Karyn as well. Still, I couldn't drink, so I was again the loser nursing water at the bar. We ended back at Tex's, and I passed out pretty much as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Sunday: We slept in late. Late. When we finally got up at around 1pm, Tex made us breakfast, we showered, and then we headed to Forbidden Planet near Union Square. I picked up volumes 4 &5 of Y: The Last Man to keep me company on the bus back. Volume 4.... man, there were some things I was not expecting. Still haven't finished volume 5, as I got sidetracked talking to Matthew, the salsa-dancing JHU med student with the pretty eyelashes. Spent some time with my mother when I got in, then headed home to relax, call Jason, and pass out.

Tonight: Dinner with my bro, cleaning up my room, catching up with BSG.

So last night, I dozed off and woke up to a message from tamnonlinear, who was at the Tribal Night show at the Palace of Wonders. It was a bunch of people shouting get well soon stuff. The only voice I recognized distinctly was James the LJ-less (at least I think I heard him), so I don't know exactly who was in the crowd, but thanks, it meant a lot.

Dixie made breakfast of amazing awesomeness this morning. Veggie turkey bacon and eggs, plus this fantastic yogurt coffee-cake. She said she likes the idea of having a daughters, just as long as she doesn't have to pay for college or their medical upkeep. :)

Okay, good things... I never did talk about NYC. Hmm, well, for starters, when I got there, Tex presented me with the NFT 2008-- a complete, detailed, not-for-tourists guide to New York broken down by neighborhood with everything you could possibly need to know on-hand. We went to brunch with his sister Leah, who is very cool and sweet, then we walked around Chinatown and SoHo. We saw an art installation and sipped some couture cocoa at Vosges. We went back to Tex's apartment in the East Village and chilled out with some Thai food before watching a movie with the awesome Miss Carly and some of her friends. Before we headed out to Ace Bar, which was basically Chuck-E-Cheese for adults (margaritas + skeeball = score!); I pwned Tex in skee-ball, and Tex pwned me with his real V-Day gift. A shiny new black iPod tricked out with all of his favorite albums. Sarah exclaimed, "oh my god, it's like getting a mix tape from James Bond!" And you know, it kinda is. So I have joined the mp3 age and now must go on an iTunes spree.

Ace Bar was very very crowded; I'll have to go back on some other night. We ended up at 2B with Carly and another of Tex's friends (Dave?). 2B had a much better atmosphere-- two floors, chic, comfortable-- good music, but nothing you can't talk over. Great martinis. After pizza, we got back to Tex's sometime around 3:30. The next day we were lazy and slept in, then got bagels and did some cuddling before I headed back to the bus. Tex and I cuddle exceptionally well. We're like the yin and yang of body temperatures. And also covers. This is why he is my favorite manpillow.

Overall, I'm kind of easing into getting to know NYC. I know that I can be a little slow to make major life decisions, but I'm sort of trying the city on for size, seeing if I could live there. And I think I could. But I want to make sure I'd be moving for the right reasons and all of that, so I don't want to rush to a decision. But the city is exciting and vibrant and a place I definitely want to spend more time.

Ohhhkay. Have been parked on the couch with Ariel watching old-school Angel this morning. I'm not really planning on moving. I swear, this sofa has qualities of amazing regeneration and comfy-ness.

Yep. It got me. It got me good. My little sore throat blossomed into a full-blown head cold about an hour before midnight. Everything hurts. I am both miserable and also stunned at how my waking up every ten seconds to blow my nose last night didn't wake Tex up. He slept through the entire pitiful thing.

Needless to say, festivities were cut a little short last night. We did go to the formal party, and I am pleased to announce that I got my hair into the most awesome twisted updo all on my own. We also made the afterparty at Club 87, but didn't stay long, as my sneezing was starting to make it impossible for me to stay. BUT. I did get to have one cool moment where we were let into the club in front of a line of people waiting. Ahh, if only there had been a velvet rope. So we came home and Tex put on Little Miss Sunshine, and I passed out about 15 minutes into it.

He's currently in the kitchen making breakfast and tea. I've gone through a packet of tissues already. I am so ready for this to be over, 'cause I'm whiny and disoriented and feel about five years old. Definitely not looking forward to the bus ride home tonight. With any luck, I'll sleep. But gragh. So not the way I planned on ringing in the new year.

As I suspected, the sickness is getting worse. My throat feels like it's got golfballs in it. My voice is steadily dropping, and I expect to have an adam's apple by late afternoon or so. Feel slightly woozy. This is no good.

At any rate-- marinatempest, last night, we went to a funky diner that you would love. Victorian wallpaper, leopard-print booths, crazy retro bits with creepy twists (dolls heads interspersed with golden pineapples and framed pinups). It looked very Vegas-y, in a way, but way more indie. It was called Yaffa Cafe, and the food was pretty damn good, too.

Tex is out running errands and picking up losenges for me. Before he left, he made me tea. BLAR for being sick. Ah well, brunch in a bit. I want chocolate-chip something. Pancakes, maybe. Or hey, I still have leftover nutella crepe from last night.

Hola from NYC. I got in yesterday morning, and haven't had a lot of downtime. After Tex and I did our gift swap, we went to a delicious little Italian restaurant called Frank, and then to Washington Square for some walking around. After I dorkily pointed out the exterior of the townhouse used in I Am Legend, we went to the cinema to see Margot at the Wedding. It was easily the most pitch-black dramedy I've seen in recent memory. Nicole Kidman was superb as the most repugnant person I've seen in a long time. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jack Black were also fantastic, and there were some especially good child actors. Still, I came out of it incredibly depressed, mostly because the depiction of an incredibly dysfunctional family was spot-on, and I was kind of upset that I knew that. But a bottle of reisling and Love Actually helped to restore my faith in humanity.

This morning, we got up, had breakfast at an awesome little bagel joint, then headed to the Met to see some antiquities. We got through ancient Greece and Rome, some of Egypt, and a good portion of the medieval art collection. Also, there was an awesome temporary exhibit on fashion throughout time-- Blog Mode: Addressing Fashion. God, seeing some of those French court dresses up close was something to behold. So unbelievably beautiful and ornate. Got to see a lot of fascinating Galliano and Dior, as well as some of the hand-pleated dresses by Madame Grès. And, uh, a necklace that included several vials of human sperm. Don't worry, I'm not going to attempt to duplicate that any time soon. And the Temple of Dendur was also completely awesome. From there, we walked to Central Park and saw the Jackie O reservoir, then hopped the subway and headed to 7B to watch the Ravens beat the Steelers, then came back for a little downtime. My throat is starting to get sore. I highly suspect this has something to do with hanging with Shaun and Jenny on Friday night and the three of us sharing glasses. Anyway, I would like to not get sick, and I hope my body gets that message loud and clear.

Anywho, we're about to head out for coffee and perhaps some dessert. Brunch tomorrow with Tex's cousin, then going to Macy's so he can pick out an extra tuxedo shirt, then we get ready for this black tie swanky New Year's party thing. God, I can't believe we've got only a little over a day until 2008. Ah well. Arrivaderci, 2007. I learned a lot, but a many of the lessons were painful and not terribly in line with my youthful idealism. On the other hand, I learned the true value of friendship, and that's not worth nothin'.

And, uh, Tex just told me the worst joke in all of history. As an act of contrition, he's making me an icon that states a simple truth: "All your sheets are belong to me."

If I don't post tomorrow, Happy New Year, everybody!

Blergh. It is cold and damp, and I want to be nestled somewhere warm and quiet. Probably working on something creative, which is what I'll hopefully be doing this evening if Ariel comes over for dinner, crafting and Buffy time. I have a pair of earrings to finish before I can play around with other things. Since I have my commissions under control, I might offer up a few items for sale in the next few days, for those of you still working on your holiday shopping. Mostly, I need focal stones for necklaces, and I'm hoping a trip to the bead shop will remedy that. I am such a sucker for faceted gemstone nuggets. At any rate, I need creative time tonight. I also need tea.

Despite my crummy mood today, I had a wonderful time this weekend in Manhattan. The Fidessa party was held at 583 Park Avenue, très swank. And, as a bonus, I got Tex in a Tux! Very dashing. I wish there were better pictures-- alas, the ones of us (with Alex) were kind of blurry. But the party was nice, and the chocolate fountain was made of win. And delicious gourmet cheesecake with amazing raspberry sauce. Afterwards, in all our formal finery, we hit an afterparty in Brooklyn, for which Tex's friend Patrick had rented out an entire bar. We were there fairly late, finally getting to bed at around 4am. The next morning, er, afternoon, we got up and Tex made a rather Texas-sized brunch. A gigantic omelette with cheese and diced tomato, pancakes with cinnamon, and loads of bacon. Total food coma, and we couldn't finish it all, so Carly had to help.

Oddest moment of the weekend: Tex returned from his GMAT class at around 5pm. "You have to see this," he said. I protested that I didn't have any shoes on. He told me it didn't matter, I had to see it. So I ran to the door in my socks and peeked outside. There was a sea of Santas moving towards us. My low estimate was easily 500 Santas streaming out of Tompkins Square Park. I suddenly felt like I had taken a lot of drugs. At any rate, Carly / ctpolkadot has the explanation for the profusion of Kris Kringles here: it was a Santa convention. Wrap your head around that for a sec. Ho ho homg.

Also, in the realm of things I'd never thought I'd say: I actually kind of like New York. I'd visited a few times before, and I mostly I was really overwhelmed and slightly claustrophobic. But when I think about it... those times, I'd seen the super-touristy areas: Broadway, Times Square, etc. The more I see other neighborhoods, the more I get a taste for NYC culture, and it's almost an embarrassment of riches. There's an entire city full of interesting (and sometimes downright bizarre) stuff to explore. Anyway, I think I'll be going back for New Year's if I can swing it with work.

In conclusion, I leave you to drool over Vosges' newest creation: The Sensory Collection. Each collection includes:

• 28 dark, 6 milk and 6 white single origin chocolate bars from Ecuador, Papua New Guinea, Trinidad, Java, Ghana, Madagascar, Venezuela, Grenada, Bolivia, Tanzania, Peru, Costa Rica & Santo Domingo, 15 countries in all.
• 42 aromas with the essences of dried banana, cocoa butter, tobacco, earth, cocoa powder, leather, charcoal, orange blossom, jasmine, asparagus, burnt sugar and more…
• A comprehensive chocolate guidebook that chronicles the history of chocolate, the making of chocolate from bean to bar, the science of taste, recipes and more…
• A flavor wheel to help you describe each chocolate
• A notebook for your thoughts and inspirations
• A blindfold for party fun

Dude, that sounds like a foodie dream, but wow, look at that price tag!

But to start, ow. Ow, I think I broke myself. I feel like I've pulled every single muscle in my body in the last four days. Seriously, the muscles in my arms and hands are so tight that I'm having a little bit of a problem with typing. Plans for tonight definitely include collapsing in the bathtub for a long hot soak. Eeesh.

( Wednesday with Shaun & Jenny, Thanksgiving at home.Collapse )

Friday, I embarked for NYC. I took the Chinatown bus up, which was confusingly un-marked but otherwise non-skeevy. I have never heard so many languages at once. I settled down and laughed at some Laurell K. Hamilton pr0n. Arrived in NYC ahead of schedule, where I was met by texmorgan. We did some chilling, watching Top Secret (which I found surprisingly funny), before he left for work, and I did some hip drills and watched Amadeus. We had midnight dinner at 7A-- yummy lemony garlicky tomatoey cheesy pasta goodness.

Saturday was sleeping in, then brunch at B Bar with Tex and his friend Alex. I liked the décor-- greenhouse meets urban meets Asian. I had yummy nut and berry pancakes, then we went to Babeland to peruse the wares. I got one of the special candles in a mango vanilla, plus a few other odds and ends. The cone? It mystifies me. Anyway. We went back home to chill, trade backrubs, and watch State and Main before heading to Ninja.

Let me say this about Ninja: it was total culinary debauchery. A long, decadent food orgasm. Here's what we had: ( Food porn under the cut.Collapse ) Aside from the amazing food, the presentation was very friendly and fun. We had ninjas jumping out at us ("Why aren't you scared?" one ninja asked. "You've never met my mother," I replied). We had ninjas attacking with swords to take away our plates. All of the menus were on scrolls. The private table-for-two was enclosed and hidden away, with a faux rock-wall dripping in greenery. We even had a table-side magician. It was an incredibly special meal, and my thanks to Tex for taking me. After dinner, we took a walk around City Hall and up over the Brooklyn Bridge. I oohed and aahed at the lights, and Tex turned into a giant Texcicle. We then went to Otto's Shrunken Head, a rockabilly tiki bar where the women were dressed and coiffed within an inch of their pinup-loving lives. There was a band playing that had great instrumentals (I love punk rockabilly double bass), but disappointing vocals. Boo to that, but everything else was very cool.

Sunday, we got up for bagels, then headed to the batting cages at Chelsea Piers with Tex's friend, Mike. I was a little worried that I'd lost my batting-fu in years of non-playing, but I seem to have done quite nicely for myself. Little-known secret? I used to be a jock. Six years of all-state ball. Shh, don't tell. Anyway, I broke an aluminum bat, which I don't think is supposed to happen. But overall, I was pleased that I didn't embarrass myself. We then went to Lush, where I picked up some Ocean Salt and a Holiday bubble bar, 'cause I'm a glitter fanatic and red glitter was just too cool to pass up. Though with few exceptions (Jingle Spells!), I've forsworn Lush bombs for Fantasy Bath ones, some of the newer bombs were really neat, and I want to try the Silver Clouds and Geo Phyzz... is Bling Crosby any good? Anywho, then it was off to Mud Coffeehouse for a snack before winding things down. I got to meet Tex's cool roommates, then he escorted me to my bus. Overall, it was an awesome, awesome weekend, and I'm excited that I'll be back in NYC in just a mere two weeks.

I came home to a fun package from pallid_regina from my Wishlist swap-- awesome yarn hairfalls to wear to my performance next weekend, armwarmers, and a wonderful letter. I see the start of a beautiful pen pal relationship.

But oh, this morning, I am feeling every muscle in my body. I think it was the batting cage that did me in. I also had cracktastic dreams involving me singing Pamina in The Magic Flute, only every time I tried to sing, my mouth was filled with cookie dough. Uhh. Also, for some reason, Jared Padalecki was playing Tamino, and he was very irritated at my inability to do my lines. Brain, WTF?

I also pre-ordered Asharah's Instructional DVD, and if you bellydance, you're probably going to want to do that, too. Dooo eeeet!

I think that's everything that's fit to print... note to self, watch the Ten Inch Hero preview and download BSG: Razor.