Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Epic

The words on the building stated epic, and as soon as I entered, I knew that the evening would be, somehow, epic.

Two steps inside I recognized someone I knew, talking to the doorman at the front desk.  I suppose he was getting directions to the same place I was going, so when he started walking down the hall, I followed after, and called out his name - both first and last.

He turned.

And I suddenly didn't want to take another step further.

Monday, May 30, 2011

New York Times

Memorial Day Weekend...



And no, I'm not pregnant.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Top 10 TSA Prohibited Items

Top 10 TSA Prohibited Items not to pack in your carry on luggage when traveling by plane:

10 Hand Grenades
9 Dumbbells/Hand Weights
8 Gel shoe inserts - Gel shoe inserts are not permitted, but shoes constructed with gel heels are allowed and must be removed and screened.
7 Chlorine for Pools and Spas
6 Gas Torches
5 Cordless Portable Power Saws
4 Bows and Arrows
3 Dynamite
2 Snow globes and like decorations regardless of size or amount of liquid inside, even with documentation.
1 Vehicle Airbags

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Pinto NYC

My first year working as an RD in California, I had about 20 Laurens living in my dorm - and two of them showed up at my apartment tonight.

After a brief stay at my place, we took the 1 from Penn Station and headed downtown to the West Village for Thai Food.

http://www.pintonyc.com/

Over dinner we reminisced about all the Laurens that lived in my dorm.  I had forgotten that one of them had been on Dr. Phil's - for being a shopaholic.  She also was a bro ho, and drove a big truck with big tires, and had star tattoos all over her body.

There was also another Lauren...

And then there was Lauren Holt, who eventually became one of my RAs, and when she did, she played this prank on me...

Monday, May 23, 2011

Saying Ayo!

"I want to celebrate and live my life..."  sings Taio Cruz in his song Dynamite.

And I sang the song with him around 2 AM Sunday morning (for me, it was still Saturday evening), as I was out at a pub called...

I mean, he wasn't Taio wasn't actually present, but his music was blaring throughout the place.
And even though it wasn't a dance club, my friends and I made a corner of the pub into one...

We were there celebrating the birthday of a friend of mine who is in my small group. 

It was my 3rd small group outing in the same week.
Tuesday I ended up at....

Thursday I got lost, but eventually ended up at...


To be honest, I thought I was going to someone's home, so I was a bit confused when I arrived at the address, and discovered a Sports Bar.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Instant Connection

"And there was this instant connection."

I was on laying out on the rooftop of our 25 story building, listening to a guy friend of mine tell me about this girl that he had recently met.

I held my cell phone close to my ear...

 

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Middle East Gate

In the words of REM, "It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine."

I do feel fine; however, it's not the end of the world.  Once again someone predicted incorrectly the 2nd coming of Christ.  What's funny to me is that people predict at all, when clearly the Bible says no one shall no the day or the hour.  But in 1988 I didn't know about that verse in the Bible and so I thought it was for real going to happen - and the thought occurred to me - I'll never have to go to school and take another test AGAIN. 

But oh, no.  Jesus didn't come back, and 23 years later I'm still having to go to school and take tests.  Jesus, please save me from this hell.  If you're on Hawaii time, you still have several hours to fulfill this prophecy - I say, lets do it!  Or at least before finals week (June 5-10). 

I will say, that pondering the end of the world makes you consider your life and if you might do anything differently.  And really, I can't say there's a whole ton that I would do differently.  (Although, I'll admit, for a brief moment last night, I considered that perhaps I should elope so I can experience the sex benefits of marriage before I go.  But I realized finding a willing party on such a short notice might be difficult - well, a willing party, that I'd willingly want to have sex with... ) 

But I think this is a good thing that's there's not a whole ton that I would do differently. 

Because it means that the life I'm living isn't one that I'd someday look back on with regret.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Ticket to Vegas

Tonight, sometime after midnight, I got into a conversation with a couple of students about tipping at Starbucks.  (Confession: I don't typically tip at Starbucks - but then again, I don't typically pay with cash and it's hard to tip a portion of your debit card.  I suppose I could clip off a small corner of my Bank of America card with my nailclippers that I always keep in my purse, and place the plastic in the jar; however, I don't the barsistas would find much value in or appreciation for my thoughtful act.)

But in this tipping conversation I asked, "What percentage of cumstomers do you think leave a tip?"  One said probably 10%, and the other agreed that sounded about right - because, she insisted, that is about the same percentage amount of people that tip street performers. 

She then explained the break down of the street performance audience, in a very factual sort of way.  And so I asked, "How do you know this?"  I thought perhaps she had conducted some research for some paper for some class, and was presenting the "data" from a nationwide street performance study conducted in New York, Santa Monica, and in Key West. 

That wasn't the case.  Instead, she explained, "Oh, because I've done a lot of street performing."  She went on to tell me how she occaionally taps for money.  And I told her that maybe I should try that too as an additional source of income to help pay off my student loans.  (Hmmm... dance for money?)

Somehow the conversation transitioned from street performing to the television show So You Think You Can Dance.  As it turns out this student had auditioned a couple of seasons ago and in doing so she got a "ticket to Vegas," where she continued on through many rounds of tryouts - and made it rather far in the competition.

She didn't make it to the top 20 this particular time around, but she's considering auditioning again in the future. 

FINISH SECTION

Because, she explained...

In Vegas, one of the co-producers insisted that the guys that are auditioning, even if they're gay, need to perform and act masculine on and for this show.

The same co-producer also insisted, that the women need to accentuate their feminity as much as possible by always being done up (make & such) and in the way they dress. 

And I walked back to 34th Street pondering that fact that there is a television show where producers know that the gay life style doesn't "sell." 

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Assertive - eh?

Tonight I spoke with a guy friend of mine who told me several years ago, "Katrina, if you wanted to be married you could be."  He went on to insist, "You're just not applying myself."

I'm not sure what he means by "applying myself."  But funny that he would say that because he also mentioned to me at one point that he thought I was assertive - too assertive for him.  Which, to be honest, devastated me.  I cried a bit and told my dad on the phone that I finally know what's wrong with me, and why I'm still single.  I explained my "sin."  I'm too assertive.

Later my guy friend explained that he didn't mean anything negative by the "a" word.  And that if you look at the Proverbs 31 woman, she's an assertive woman.

However, I started to make a point to become less assertive - at least in my interactions with men.

Because even though most guys agree that the Proverbs 31 woman is great - I'm convinced they don't really want to be with someone who is that competent and has her shit together to such a high a degree that it makes the guy feel incompetent and not good enough for that woman.

(My current boss recently told me that he wishes that I would have been more assertive and spoken up...)

Which brings me to this question:
Guys, would you rather...


Because honestly, I think you'd prefer the parking ticket because that would only cost money - not the trust and respect that you desire as a man...

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Friday, May 6, 2011

The Vogue

Last night (Wednesday) I met a published poet at the Borders located at Madison Square Garden...


And yet another business card is added to my collection. 


Earlier in the evening I met up with some of my Student Leaders at http://www.penelopenyc.com/ where they discussed and wrestled through the same topic that I'm currently wrestling with in my graduate studies...

And it was during our discussion that I received a text from my boss, insisting that I read my e-mail immediately.  I'm still lagging behind in technology, but one of my student leaders pulled up her e-mail and read the news...


It is a roof top that I've become well acquainted with this year...
And last time I was there I sent a text to someone else who was familiar with its scenic views...

And the text started a dialogue that made me hopeful that perhaps we could return to the friendship that we once had.  But I'm starting to acknowlege sometimes even friendships must come to a close, and in that closure there is the possibility of something new...

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

College Confessions

Last week I met with a college student and she told me that in heaven she'd like to have a place next door to King David's.

She explained, "I have a Biblical crush on King David." 

"Really?"  I inquired.

"Yeah.  Because if the Bible says you're attractive you must be REALLY attractive."

Hmmm.  I hadn't considered that before.  However, I had considered that Jesus is ugly.

Because the Bible says, "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him."  Isaiah 53:2

Okay, so maybe not ugly, but certainly Jesus didn't fall in the category of "hot."

"Yeah, but he probably still had a nice body."  The college student argued.  "After all, he was a carpenter and was probably was in great shape."

Good point.

Okay, so this post might be slightly sacrilegious (to religious people), but I think God would find it rather amusing.