A New Project

Once again, I'm quite short on topics.

I've even gone so far as to Google search "Topics to Blog About"...and I found this list.

I fully plan on writing about each one of these topics at some point over the summer. So here goes.

1. The Story of My Most Serious Injury

This is actually pretty difficult to decide on. I've had a lot of pretty bad spills in my day (which is to be expected, considering I'm pretty much the clumsiest person ever) but there are two that stick out as being the worst. So I'll write about both of them!

The first was on Memorial Day of 2004, when I was in eighth grade. My mom, brother, and I had taken a trip to the drive-in movie theater the night before to see a double feature. In the wee hours of the morning, as we were packing up to leave, I was trying to make my way out of the open hatch of the Jeep. Danny, sitting behind me, decided to kick me, and I fell headfirst out of the car. I put my arms out to catch myself, and ended up dislocating my left elbow. It didn't hurt too badly at first, but as we were making our way towards the hospital, it started to throb. We got to the hospital, woke up whatever doctor was on duty that night in the emergency room, and had him take X-rays of the injury.

It seemed to take forever, and no one seemed to hear me when I told them how much it hurt (that's my biggest problem with hospitals: everyone there is so used to hearing people say that they're in pain that they're deaf to it). Finally, the X-rays came back and showed that my elbow was dislocated (which I had told them half an hour before, and which they could have verified by looking at the fact that my forearm was above my elbow joint) and the doctor decided it was time to reset it. He asked me if I wanted the medium strength or extra strength pain medication, and since I'm a sissy, I said the extra strength. They had to give it to me through a shot in my butt (TMI, I'm sorry) and I started feeling the effects pretty quickly.

Now, for whatever reason, the doctor had decided that right after he gave me the pain meds, he would take my mom outside the room to discuss insurance or the procedure or something. All I remember is lying on the table and starting to feel really woozy. I told Danny (who was sitting next to me) that I was feeling sleepy and he started telling me that I couldn't go to sleep, that no matter what I had to stay awake (I think he confused my injury with a concussion). But finally I did get knocked all the way out, and they reset the arm (thank goodness I wasn't awake for it, because from what my mom said I probably would have thrown up).

The recovery wasn't really that bad, but it did knock me out of the rest of softball season. Oh well. I became a very knowledgeable scorekeeper.

The second injury was my senior year of high school, near the end of volleyball season. I was in practice one night, scrimmaging with the other half of the team. I went for the ball at the same time as my teammate, and I ended up flying over top of her and landing -crunch- on my left ankle. I spouted a few choice expletives, which apparently my teammates all took to mean that I was joking around (it probably didn't help that I was giggling, which is always my first response to pain). When they realized I was serious, they all came over to help me. A lot of hugging, supporting, and wheelchair riding later, I ended up at the hospital, where my mom and I spent a solid three hours waiting around for someone to look at it. It ended up that I was the victim of a very bad sprain, and that I would have to be on crutches for at least a few weeks.

Now, I hate crutches. Sure, I always liked to play with other peoples', but having them is awful. I like being able to move, and get up and down stairs, and play volleyball, especially in my senior year.

I lucked out in the end, though, because I was supposed to be sitting out for our senior game, but the forces of nature combined with my orthopedist (who I think is getting tired of seeing me, to be honest) to give me a rescheduled game and the opportunity to play! Hooray!

I don't know how interesting these stories are to anyone but me, but maybe at some point I'll write about my experiences with Vicodin from these two injuries. Those are always good for a laugh.

In the grand ol' Catskill Mountains, by the Delaware...

Being an adult is hard.

Living in my own apartment, paying rent and buying things like toilet paper and lightbulbs, has made me realize how sucky being a grown-up can be sometimes.

Don't get me wrong, I love living on my own. I can come and go as I please, with no rules or regulations, and I can bring friends over without having to sign them in first (the best thing EVER). I can be as loud as I want (as long as my roomies are cool with it, which they are; this is a perk both of living on the top floor and living above an apartment in which a band practices pretty much 24/7). I can paint (which I did this weekend, and I am SO happy with). I can sunbathe on the roof all day. Yeah, living on my own definitely has its perks.

But there's a part of me that's really ready to go home for a bit. I'll be heading up to Deposit for a long weekend in about a month, and I'm more excited than I've been in a long time. Here's a few reasons why:

• Staying at home. This has pretty much innumerable perks: free laundry, a bed that I made perfectly comfortable long ago, a fully-stocked fridge, a big loving dog, and the freedom to lounge on the couch in front of the TV all day, never changing out of my pajamas. Plus, you know, my mom is there.
• Summer in the Catskills. It's beautiful, definitely my favorite season to be home, and I know the tiger lilies next to our porch will be blooming.
• Chilling with my family. It's going to be my birthday weekend (20!) and I'm going to see pretty much everyone. We're going to have a party at my aunt and uncle's house, and I fully plan on spending most of the day going between the pool and sunning on the deck. On that note:
• My birthday! I love birthdays (especially mine), and while I'm going to have a big party at the apartment to celebrate both my and Emma's birthdays, I'm excited to kick off the festivities at home.
• Seeing my friends. It's also going to be Lumberjack Festival weekend, so I plan on heading over to Fireman's Park one day to see everyone that I haven't seen since winter!
• My mom is going to come down and pick me up, and when she does, she's going to bring the box spring for my bed. I never before realized how important a box spring is, and it'll be nice to not be sleeping on a mattress on top of slats anymore.

So yeah, I'd say it's going to be pretty nice to head home for a few days. I'm not sure how long I'm going to stay, but at least a few days upstate will be just what I need, I think.

Hot Town, Summer in the City

I love summer.

But I feel like I don't really have anything interesting to write about. I'm steadily getting through my reading, working every day, and searching for another job. The apartment is good, my roommates are excellent, and for the most part, all of my friends and family are doing well and are happy.

A lack of drama certainly makes for boring/nonexistent posts!

I know, I know, I should be happy that things are going well. And don't get me wrong, I am. But I feel like I've hit a wall as far as posting things goes.

I just read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Steig Larsson. I had heard a lot about it, and I always feel silly when I haven't read the books that seem to be in the forefront of a lot of conversations. So I picked it up on sale at Target last weekend, and finished it last night.

It was pretty good. It made for easy, interesting reading (once I got all the Swedish names straight), and I certainly was entertained. Is it the next great novel? No. But I understand why it's become so popular. I think it's in the same thread as The Da Vinci Code, in that it's a fast-paced mystery with two interesting protagonists and a satisfying conclusion. I've read better mystery novels that have far less mass approval, but hey, I'd rather people read this than Twilight.

Speaking of those sparkly (is there a proper way to spell that word? AP Stylebook?) vampires, the next movie in the "saga" is coming out soon. I've read all the books, and seen both movies that have come out so far (illegally online, of course). I don't know why, since it goes against all of my better judgement, but for some reason I can't stop myself. I think I mostly just like to enjoy the "so bad it's good" phenomenon.

Also, today, I painted my room! This is something I've been wanting to do ever since I moved in (as of today, I've been sleeping here for a month) and since I got my tax refund a few days ago, I decided it was time. I worked pretty much nonstop for about six hours today, but it was SO worth it. The room looks great!

GLEE

I am a Gleek.

Big-time. I love the show. I watch it every week, and I download the songs. I've watched a few episodes more than once, and I know I'll rewatch every episode before the new season starts in the fall.

That's why last Tuesday was so bittersweet for me. The season finale was everything I'd hoped it would be (and more) but it was still the end of a wonderful season.

Watching the last song come to an end, I reflected on the characters and how they've developed over the course of the season. There's Quinn, the new mother (who had quite possibly the shortest labor in the history of humankind, but hey, that's TV), who gave her baby up for adoption by Shelby (that lucky baby is going to be raised by IDINA MENZEL). Puck, who seems just as stupid as ever, but realizes he really does care for Quinn. Kurt, who has come to terms with his homosexuality, and whose father is kick-ass about accepting it. Mercedes, who I actually am liking less than I used to (I really did not like her at all in the Funk episode; I felt that she was being generally ridiculous, and her capitulation at the end was unrealistic), but who showed that she is still an excellent singer during the Journey performance. Tina and Artie, whose relationship makes me SO HAPPY. Rachel, who I still don't like, and Finn, who loves her (though I can't understand why). Mr. Shue, who finally confessed his love to Emma, but she's dating John Stamos the dentist now! And best of all, Sue. I've loved watching her develop all season, and the speech she gave at the end of the episode was probably my favorite part of the show yet. She may have grown a heart, but she's still good ol' Sue. And that's why we love her.

At the end of the day, it was a perfect evening, spent with the perfect people, watching the perfect end to a perfect first season.

I'll take it.

Jersey Shore

I know it's been a long time since my last post, but I have an excuse, I swear!

I've been SUPER busy.

What with work, seeing friends, and looking for a second job, I feel like I haven't had a second to calm down in a while.

That's why the past few days were just what I needed. I headed down to Point Pleasant Beach, NJ to spend Memorial Day with Richie's family.

I got up bright and early on Sunday morning and headed to Penn Station. I bought my NJ Transit ticket and hopped on the train. The trip down was really nice, actually; once we got past the city, it was mostly heading through a bunch of small towns along the shore. After about two hours, I arrived in Point Pleasant. I had always made fun of the town's name before, but I understand now why it's called that. It really is pleasant: a small town right on the ocean, with tons of friendly people (and a LOT of tourists). Driving around the area made me think of the places we stayed when we spent vacations around Myrtle Beach.

I had a really nice time there, and I understand now why Richie loves being there so much. I was ready to stay a few extra days, just sitting in the sun and eating his mom's cooking! It was also nice to spend time with some people that I haven't seen in a while, and to meet a bunch of very nice new people. More than anything, though, I'm so thankful that even though I wasn't able to spend the weekend with my own family, Richie's family took me in and made me feel at home.

I got very tan, and luckily did not run into any guidos (although I was very near Seaside Heights, where Jersey Shore was filmed). All in all, it really was exactly what I needed: I had been itching to get out of the city, and since I couldn't go to my home, heading down to the beach for a couple of days was just perfect.

But alas, now I'm back in NYC, working as usual. This week will consist of continuing the job hunt, as well as hopefully doing the painting in my room over the weekend (since I get paid on Firday- hooray!). I'm still not sure what color I want- I'm thinking maybe green- but I'm really anxious to get it done so that I don't have to live with beige walls anymore. Last week I also discovered an indoor ladder that heads up to the roof, which makes me feel a lot better than the one I've been using, which is attached to the fire escape; no matter how many times I do it, I also get afraid that I'm going to fall when I come over the side of the roof backwards! I think our new apartment is coming together nicely (hopefully soon we'll be getting a couch, so we can get rid of our "crack den sofa", which is really just Emma's old mattress on the floor of our living room) and I'm really happy it all seems to be happening. We're planning a big party in July, celebrating both Emma's and my birthday (since they're only five days apart), and I really hope everything is finished by then so that it can be kind of a housewarming party as well.

Well that's about it for now...I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day!