recent where-abouts & who-abouts...

hellooo. its been awhile. i'm still here. really. in an effort to summarize the events of weeks' past, i shall efficiently utilize the bullet point technique. here goes:
aSt. Patty's Day in NY- Begins with a surprise visit by my younger brother Mike, his GF, and friend Steve. His drinking begins around noon, thus excitement is quite built up by 5pm, causing him to do the Irish jig in the lobby of my work building while yelling, "That's my sis!" as I come down the "elbow room-only" packed escalator amongst many co-workers. A thrillingly humorous way to begin the evening. Highlights of the night including my first experience with Chamay, man that told me he could fall in love with me right that second as he stared into my frightened eyes and I quickly retreated, catching up with my old friend Andrew, my lovely abbreviated commute the following morning (55th to downtown is muuuch better than the typical 2 1/2 hours).
aThe Daily Drag- Work. Work. Work. and more Work. But, no worries, its an "honor." Right. And so is staying late to complete the "honorable work". mmmmhhmmm. Highlights: Purchasing an entirely new outfit (minus pants) for a mere $11...curious to see whether outfit shall come out of washing machine in wearable state, or whether i shall be donating it to a small child...
aShannon is coming!- Yippee! Shannon visits from SF and we hit up Scruffy Duffy's for the night. Highlights: Catching up on SF dramas, endless laughing (neck muscles sore for 2 days), Shan likes her b'day present, running down 33rd street to try to catch PATH, to then catch train, hearing "hey baby, can i run with youuu?" as I run, proceeding to miss the PATH, catching later PATH, proceeding to miss the train, contemplating the comfortability of the Hoboken terminal benches for a good nights' rest, being saved by friend that offers to pick me up at 2am in good old Suffern. Ahh, the relief.
aI am the Winner!- Yet again, I take the cake on the Easter Egg coloring contest. This year, not just once, but twice-- Mom's and Dad's...and I'm sure I would've beat Shan & Ricky like I did last year. =) I know, its normal to get so riled up about eggs and yes, I'm humble about the whole winning thing.
aEndings...- All sorts of them, really...including the ceremonial clutter clearing- I've been dragging crap I don't use all over the country for years now- from NY to DE to NY to SF to NY again...since 1998...yeah, i guess it's time to get rid of the old things when you haven't even tried them on since high school. Endings also including the realization that when something doesn't work, it doesn't work, and that is that...
a...& Beginnings- the preparation for the big move to the city is finally underway...as is the roommate quest (although I may have found one already!)...as is the studying for the GMATs...as is the official quest to figure out "what should my career really be?" (okay, you're right, i've been trying to figure that out endlessly for years now-- but its different this time, i swear). See INTJ to a "T" for more details.....

i'll take it old man winter...i'll take it.

I became truly ecstatic this morning at the prospect of spring on its way. I could feel the sun beating down on my back as I walked down Bergen Street playing the temperature guessing game. How warm is it? 45? 48? 42?
I have always considered myself a true "fan" of the winter season. I was born in the heart of the winter, I LOVE the snow, I love Christmas, I love hats & scarves and I thoroughly enjoy snowboarding (regardless of my lacking skills).

But, this winter in NY was pivotal.

I may never again look at winter in the same lustrous light.

Perhaps it was the typical 2 1/2 hour (one way) commute into the city, that, with snow, became a 3 1/2 hour commute. Or maybe it was the fact that on weekends, I wanted to do something aside from looking out the window and saying, "Wow, it snowed again. I wonder how the roads are." Or possibly it was my recently becoming one of those "always cold" people. At times throughout this past winter, I truly questioned whether or not I just might freeze at any given moment. I even deeply considered whether it was in fact humanly possible to transform into an icicle.

And all that, really…just not that fun.

The first snow will forever be as amazing to me as it has always been.

And don't get me wrong, the occasional blizzard can still be a splendid time.

But, what I've come to realize is this. Winter is a magnificent, incredible season…. for all those who can sit back and relax with a cup of coffee and watch the storm roll in, watch the snow accumulate, for those children whose eyes can still light up with the sight of the glistening white snow and the hopes of a snow day….
…but, unfortunately, for all of those people who have to continue with their daily routines, it just plain sucks.
So, truly, perhaps I'm just bitter. Bitter that snow days no longer exist. Bitter that my cubicle has no windows. Bitter cold, really.

And that brings me back to the fact that I was, and am, truly ecstatic at the prospect of spring…the smells of spring in the air, the trees blossoming, the flowers blooming and the people of NY coming out from under their fuzzy scarves.

'Tis truly a spectacular time of the year.

Having said all of this-- the ecstatic moods, the blossoming & blooming, the smiles coming out from hiding, the spectacular time of the year-- you really have to wonder whether or not the winter was created to make us appreciate the spring.

Well, if so, mission accomplished.

Everyone and everything just seems to come to life…and everyone is talking about it. It's like the hottest new club on the LES just opened up. There is not a single day this week that I haven't heard someone in the elevator jabbing excitedly about it.

So, guess what folks, I've decided I'll take it.

I'll take the (often times) dreadful winter days in exchange for my glorious turning of spring. In exchange for my smiles abound and outdoor plans abundant. In exchange for my flowers blooming. And my trees blossoming…

...ahhhh the oh-so-anticipated, the lively and the joyous days of the spring…there really is no time quite like springtime now, is there…


(PS- I lost the temperature guessing game. It was, in fact, only 33 degrees this morning. Yes, 33, as in 1 degree higher than freezing. Really. And I was and still am giddy about it…see what i mean...)

...'twas a sea of green people...

...really.
you know that feeling you have (for me, it often occurs toward the end of the dreary winters) when you are just itching to get out of town. you can just feel it in your bones. well, i had a serious case of the itches a couple weeks back. so i planned a little trip to the good ole jersey shore. i know, i know...who the hell goes to the jersey shore during the winter? well, a girl that is saving up for a move into manhattan, and also, conveniently, has a grandmother with a vacation home down there.

so the jersey shore was the spot to cure the itches. and off chloe and i went on friday night. now, we knew, of course, that we were headed to the shore, but little did we know, we were actually headed into an sea of green people...like i said....really.

everything seemed normal. and quiet. until late saturday morning. i began to notice an unusual number of people around for your average winter weekend at the shore.

and then it started happening. kilts. shamrocks. tremendous green hats. large decorative floats. and cops shutting down roads....yup, you guessed it...st. patrick's day...and a parade.

chloe and i seemed to have picked the weekend of the (largely celebrated) st. patrick's day parade. after some shopping, and a brief accidental appearance in the parade (yes, we actually ended up in the parade, somehow), we decided to join in on the festivites.

being unaware that these festivities were going on, and being mostly italian, there was no green in the wardrobe for this particular weekend. but, hey, everyone is irish on st. patrick's day right? green or no green. so, off we went to our favorite little pub three blocks down, with thoughts of their fabulous food and a couple of beers with the irish.
en route, we crossed paths with many side-steppers, wannabe pirates (?), kilt-wearing band members, and young drunk guys who, apparently, were asking us to come with them to the next bar (this is where i admit to the fact that i never actually realize that i'm being hit on until approximately 30 minutes later-- and sometimes, never. sometimes i have to be told...yeah, some might call it oblivious). but that's aside from the point.

point-being...each and every one of them, not only wearing green but wearing a smile that was an obvious indication of the fact that we were a few behind on the beers. we arrived at the pub, chloe finished her cigarette (note: bouncer looked oddly at us when she did this & it wasn't until much later that we realized why-- you can smoke in bars in jersey-- we should have just been wearing signs that said 'sorry--i'm a damn italian from NY') and inside we went.

the tables were all gone and replaced with kegs, thus eliminating any thoughts of food that we had previously had. we decided to ponder the thought of eating elsewhere over a couple of Rolling Rocks (the apparent beer of choice for the celebration). and then one Bass (i switched it up-- its my all time fav) led to the next...and the next. and the...hmm, i lost count...and there was some irish jigging, and singing & dancing, a drunk guy acting like he was going to burn my purse (don't ask..i have no idea why) and new friends referring to me as "Danni-Girl"...all in all a jolly good time was had with the Irish...until we side-stepped our way home (really, who cares about dinner?) and passed out (i'd be lying if i didn't mention that a little drunk dialing did occur before the passing out...riight riiight).

now, the funny part is..this was at 8:30pm. really. and i only woke up in order to regurgitate the Bass that must have been sitting quite lonely in my stomach. and then pass out again. with that being said, i really should have been wearing a shirt that said "i'm a damn italian from NY that can't hold her liquor," because that's what i was thinking.

well, at least now i know that for next year...green shirt...learn the jig....and do some serious drinking in preparation for celebrating with the ole irish of the jersey shore...

purposeless living?! no...really.

so i recently had my numbers done.

i, as one, consider myself to be fairly well-versed in the world of astrology and the like (ok..maybe a stretch)..well, than, at least a step or two ahead of the average horoscope reader, if you will...(fine..fine..)..i know this much: i am an aquarian. my moon is in virgo. my rising is capricorn. and i'm a hierophant. i am AT LEAST quite well-versed about aquarians. i must say, i do know a bit about virgos. i'm fairly familiar with the capricorns. and i've been introduced to the characteristics of the hierophants.

buuut, numerology. add your birthday up, right? month-date-year, right? apparantly, WRONG. i thought i knew it all about the ole numbers. but, i have been proved wrong. (and its not just #s either-- its letters in your name & all kinds of crazy things).

anyhow. point being, numerology proved to be an extremely interesting experience. i wish i had my write-up sitting here in front of me (rather, i have an extremely well-crafted egg salad/lettuce/tomato wrap, cold cup of coffee (a #2 day), and diet vanilla pepsi in close proximity).

...ok anyhow.. back to business. it was different than anything i've experienced (palm readings, all types of horoscopes, info about moons and risings, tarot, etc etc)

why? well, mainly because there was a serious focus on your previous life and its effect on your current one.

now, if you think that all that is a load of sh*t, then you might not buy into, or enjoy, any of this. so then, stop reading...

if not, this is what i was told: each fetus, upon conception (i would guess) chooses who they want to be born to and the exact time of their birth. once born, each individual has what one would call karmic lessons. these are lessons from your previous life that were left unresolved in that previous life. thus, you are coming back once again, to complete/ resolve them. for example, my friend chloe's life lessons are the numbers 2 and 8. each number stands for something different. two = relationships. 8 = balance between spirit and material worlds. what that means is that she was born into her current life with a purpose, a goal, to complete- and this goal is to work on both relationships and balancing her spiritual and material worlds. interesting, i think. and if i might add, her life is freakishly based around certain relationships and various difficulties in balancing her spiritual and material worlds (and she's a libra nonetheless, geez).

now, what about me, you might be wondering. why am i going into great depth about this here chloe's karmic lessons when this blog is, in fact, danielle's. well, because, i have not a thing to say about my own. in having my numbers done, i have learned that i was born into this world with no (meaning zero, zip, zilch) karmic lessons. really, it can happen.

what my numerologist told me was that i didn't actually need to come back, i chose to come back. for one reason or another, i felt i should be here. i felt i had something i needed to give to the world. could have been for many reasons, could be just one. but, i will have to figure out what my purpose truly is, on my own (is what she said).

in all honesty, all i could think was..."well, isn't that something. i've been trying to figure that out for 25 years now." what is my purpose? life long goals? great questions. so, i was left with these questions just sitting there, lingering about in my head....

i've read zillions of write-ups on the characteristics of aquarians and virgos and caps and all of the signs, for that matter, and each time i read one i walk away satisfied. i fit the bill. or someone i know most certainly does. i am a true aquarius [free-spirited, creative (i like to think), unique (again...i like to think), and i LOVE my space] with a virgo moon (yes, i'm anal. i LOVE organization. and i'm sometimes critical) and i hide under the guise of my capricorn rising (you'd never know i was an aquarius b/c i come off quite serious, driven, etc). and that's that. its all true. and satisfying. and me.

so you can only imagine where the numerology initially left me. take a guess....

yup- confused. i have no purpose?! i have to figure it out myself?! thanks. and thanks. i sure do love these numbers (that i don't even have).

but now...with a few weeks of newly realized purposeless living under my belt, i've come to see this whole experience in a different light. if i chose to be here, then i ought to be performing acts of kindess while i can, truly affecting others, living it up, right?

that's what i thought too. so, in that case, i'm off to become a pirate. yes, a pirate.

okay, maybe not...yet.

honestly though, a couple of silly numbers truly have changed my life. already. hell, i started this here blog because of them. and i'm reconsidering my career choices. because, you know what...as cliche as it may sound...you only life once...

...antics and all...

new york, like most other cities, is a haven to great little pubs. some divy and quiet. some blaring music & offering elbow room only. this weekend brought me to one right smack in the middle of both. a great, little, perfectly crowded, Irish pub in the Village. enjoyable music including but not limited to classical rock (i recall hearing Shakedown Street at some point). a variety of great beers (Guinness, Magic Hat, Sierra Nevada, Brooklyn Lager, etc) and both bartenders and a crowd that were quite friendly.
with thanks to Hoboken's St. Patty's day celebration, we were all graced with the presence of an absurdly drunk guy.
i must say his tactics were quite entertaining. he somehow thought that trying to run out and then right back into the bar (often forgetting he was still holding a drink, thus slowing his process down a bit and making him all the more obvious) would disguise the fact that he was the drunk guy that was indeed cut off by the bartender. several times, apparently.
unfortunately for him, the staff wasn't as drunk as he was.
the whole affair began to remind me of a reverse episode starring my dog Lucy...escaping out the back door, wagging her tail in the glory of her successful escape, only to be dragged right back in just moments later.
after approximately three fruitless attempts at another beer, and a few variations from the original "out-in" method (my favorite including a full speed run towards the wall nearest door, a slide of his drink onto nearest table, and then a run out door) he was permanently escorted from the pub (with friend in tow this time).
...and i must say, a little piece of me hoped for his grand re-entrance at some point, purely because i wanted a tiny bit of his determination to rub off on me...
if you want to check out the scene of the crime... the four-faced liar

on ID badges...

...mine, fondly referred to as "Big Ugly"...

so, recently i've been getting de-activated on my floor for reasons unbeknownst to me.

this has now occurred twice in the past month or so. needless to say, i've begun asking my bosses whether or not they have something that they forgot to tell me...

anyhow, it requires me to voyage downstairs with a letter from my VP insisting that i do indeed work here (phew)

well this particular time, rather than waiting at the security desk for several minutes, only to be told that i need to continue trying to make my card work [requires my taking the elevator back up to the 28th floor, trying unsuccessfully to get in, having someone buzz me in, going back to my cubicle, calling the man downstairs, telling him it doesn't work, trying process once again, calling man again, and back downstairs i go], I was beckoned in to the security office immediately....

Why? why, one might ask? I'll tell ya. Because the woman making my card saw "big ugly" and didn't think it was actually me. Yes, really, this did happen. the conversation went something like this...

"is this you?"

"Umm, unfortunately, yes-- i hate that picture. its just really bad."

"Ohhh, i didn't believe that was you, that's why i had Ted bring you in here."

"ahh, yeahhhhh, it is."

"wow, sweetie, sit down, we're getting you a new picture."

"Really?!?!"

"Uh huh, just sit right there."

so that's the good part. a new picture. finally.

sad part is, the name "Big Ugly" shall live on, as it didn't come out much better...