A friend had this picture posted on FB and it just looked like a lot of fun to me. I wonder though, if you had the option to do this right now, would you? Or does it not look fun to you? (ps. The pic was taken from HERE).

Today is another sh*t show at work. I can't even explain it all.. people are mad at people and the kindergarten behavior is in full swing. I hate it here today. Thank goodness it is Thursday... allllllmost Friday. Plus, Trivia night tonight so I can drink away some of this frustration. They're having office drinks tonight as well but I will not be joining since Trivia Night is obviously more fun Duh.

Last night I had a great night. Had a date with someone awesome..  yup yup! I had a skype date with Ms. Gwen Styles. So fun! I then stayed up too late watching the Challenge, Survivor and American Idol. All I can say about Survivor is WHOA.. and The Challenge? Well it was fun as always. I thought that sending in Mark and Robin made perfect sense, however for CT and Diem sending in Ty and Emily, while dick-ish, would have been more strategic. I am sorta rooting for CT and Diem to win. Is that weird? Who cares. LOL.

In other news, there isn't really any. I better go find me some lunch. Allllllmost Friday. Allllllmost Friday. Alllllmost Friday. Sigh.

On the phone with a hotel trying to book a room and the automated system just said "Please speak naturally.." As opposed to what? "Machine"?!?

Then I received a call on my cell:
lady: "It shows here that you are a diabetic. Is that correct?"
me: "no, it isn't. I am not"
her: "Oh, I am so sorry sweetie" *hangs up*

So sorry i'm not a diabetic? Pshaw. I'm not. LOL. Yeah yeah, she meant for bothering me I'm sure.. unfortunately she was gone before I could ask her to remove me from the list.

Did ya'll see that the Gentle Giant on American Idol isn't quite so gentle after all?  Tonight is my favorite night of TV.. Survivor and The Challenge. I still need to decide on whether to stick with the multi-room DVR setup or whether to switch over to having 2 separate DVR boxes (for about $10 less a month). Hrmm, choices choices. The less $ part makes it appealing for sure but I do like just taping stuff in one place. 

In other news, I can report that I like the gel manicure. I went through a bit of hell to get it--but do think that in the end it was worth it. On Saturday a friend and I went to the nail place that I always go to. She was getting her legs waxed and a mani and I only wanted a mani but figured that the color gel mani would take longer so I'd try that. The girl who did the mani clearly was nervous and didn't seem to quite know what she was doing. The mani looked like a mess.. i had polish all over my cuticles and it looked kind of lumpy. She had my stick my hand in the drying machine and I could see the nail polish just sort of shrivel up. I showed her and she reapplied another coat and instructed me to hold my hand a certain way. It happened again and she again just sorta lathered on another coat. Because she was so nervous and therefore also shaky I felt bad getting on her case about it but she was making such a mess of things. Finally I suggested she ask someone...  and boy oh boy.. the assistant manager came over and was in shock saying things like "what did you do?" and "this is so bad" and "if you didn't know how to do it, ask!". So, the whole thing had to come off which kind of hurt since she'd also managed to irriate my cuticles by digging her nail in there to clean up the excess polish and whatever my hands were soaking in to get the gel stuff off was a bit stingy. In the mean time my friend was done with her waxing and manicure and so I let them know to take it off but that I could not sit to have it re-done. They wanted to just put a regular color on but we agreed i'd come back the next day for the gel mani and to not bother with anything else then. When I did go back on Sunday, the manager girl had to spend about 45 minutes trying to clean off the crap from the day before before she could begin the color gel mani. However, thankfully it turned out really well in the end and now, 3 days later it still looks pristine. It is supposed to last 2 weeks or so. We'll see when it comes off what kind of damage this does to my nails I guess but for now, me likey.  Note to self? Never let that girl Ellie near my nails ever again. 

I posted this on FB too but I just love it so much:

Also, this story really made me smile. Happy hump day, y'all.

Preface: I went to Rutgers.

Intro: So this morning at 9am Seacrest* (the one who was just made partner, looks like Ryan Seacrest, made the rude "ew, don't go near my cube" comment when I told him I had the bed bug problem and he is the one who uninvited me from an office dinner recently) and I sit down for our weekly recruitment meeting and we're talking about the Summer Analyst program and the 500+ resumes I have in my inbox that I can go through to find another possible candidate. Because there are so many resumes, Seacrest asks me whether I can sort them by GPA or school or something to sorta knock out the candidates we don't want. I explain that I can basically sort by name or by date received, but that because the resumes are mostly attachments I can't sort by info out of those.

Main story: So then this happens:

I'm angry with work and I don't feel like talking about it so instead here are some funnies:

Get it?

It's a PUPPY!

Happy ALLLLLLLLLmost Friday.

I have been SUCH a xanga slacker. That said, I just opened up a diet snapple and Real Fact #835 is: "You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television". I find this odd and unexpected.. I thought about putting it up on facebook, but then was like NO! Xanga! Xanga people are smart. They'll ponder this for me and explain it! 

In other news I went to New Orlenas and LOVED IT!

Seriously. It was a great trip. It was so fun to be somewhere new. We ate the best food (no joke, everything was delicious--crawfish, po' boys, shrimp, gumbo, jambolaya, grits, hurricanes, monsoons, bloody mary's with spicy green beans in them,  Abita Amber.. mmm), we walked around bunches and man, it is so cute in the French Quarter and Garden District, we drank our fair share, watched street performers, looked at things, and we slept.. and then we woke up and did it all over again. For 5 days! It was just oodles of fun. For those of you who are friends with me on FB--there are loads of pics there. For those of you who aren't.. here is a taste:

On the first full day there we walked around the Garden District, Magazine Street etc. Had the first (and actually the best po' boy of the trip.. fried oyster with some chipotle sauce and cole slaw of some sort. Thinking about it is making me drool).

The g string orchestra. No joke. They were good.

kicking a pedal into the suitcase, sitting on that animal, and rining a dinner bell.. it sounded great!

true story

Shrimp 'n grits from the Red Fish Grill. It was SO good!

Me and my partners in crime .. during the Saints game

Bourbon Street me thinks..

The beads grow on trees!

Our 2nd hotel.. fancy!

We went on a swamp tour one day.. got an inadvertant Katrina tour in the process. The driver drove us through New Orleans East.. some of the images were pretty shocking.

More swamp..
Be kind to your web footed friends..

For a duck may be somebody's mother

Be kind to your friends in the swamp.. where the weather is very very domp. Now you may think that this is the end, and it is.

Being back has been less than ideal. I feel like i've been on the verge of getting sick for a week now. I've also sort of been feeling like i'm over my job. I know I don't get that luxury, to be over working.. but this job specifically? I dunno. This week i've felt a bit over it. We'll see. I've been complaining for at least a year now. On the bright (?) side, the Giants are going to the Superbowl (i've never enjoyed Football before but we watched the 49ers (sadly) beat the Saints in N'awlins and it was so fun! So I had people over for the game on Sunday.. good times!) I received my Global Access card so now I don't have to wait in custom lines anymore at airports, and my former roommate will be here tonight (while the reason why he is visiting is sad since it is for a funeral) it'll be really nice to have him at 'our' place again

On that note, work is still work and so I better go do some.. that AND now that I just realized that HBO GO works on the iPad at the office I better pick out something to sneakily watch too. Yay for bosslike people traveling.

Stayin' alive! Stayin' alive!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, XANGA!

I'm still here. I'm still kicking. I haven't been reading or writing here AT ALL.. but things are good and hopefully i'll get back into the xanga-swing of things quickly. My dad and sister have been visiting and it has been very fun. Super sadly they leave today. The holidays were fun up in MA, I was spoiled on my birthday, and so far having entered the 4th decade and being 30 isn't bad.

On my birthday myself and 8 of my family members went to see The Muppet Movie. So fun! 

For NYE myself, my sister and 7 of my friends mostly from college, rented a house in Seaside Heights, NJ. Yeahhhhh buddy! It was oodles and bunches of fun. Seriously. Saw the boardwalk, the Jersey Shore house, Karma, the Shore Store.. all the big staples. Enjoyed a firework show. Had yummy food. It was all kids of good times!

Next week I head off to New Orleans but till then it is back to the grind of work and life and stuff. I bet my house will feel VERY empty tonight without my dad and sister there to entertain me. I'm glad i'll be seeing them in May in Iceland. Before then i have a good friend from Amsterdam visiting with her BF in February, and then some ladies from Toronto will be bachelorette partying it up at my place in April.

Typing this out like this sure makes it seem like i'll be quite the jetsetter in 2012. Going to see some new places is a good resolution to make. I've been to the Iceland airport but never the country itself. I've been to Louisiana but never New Orleans. I'm looking forward to both trips. Perhaps by year end i'll even go to Seattle or San Francisco too. We'll see.

oh, also, this song is very stuck in my head:

I'll keep this relatively short. Lots of work to accomplish at the office at the moment.. but here are some pictures from the 2011 Holiday season

 
In the car on the way to celebrate Christnukkah in MA


My sis and cousin loving on me

My sister with Zoey--our cousin's girlfriend's dog. The eyes are super freaky in this picture

Happy holidays from the x_naomi_x family sisters

This photo is completely bizarre. It was taken on my 30th birthday. I look about 8. Maybe 12. NOT 30.

Yay presents

My sis and I met up with a friend from high school after the muppet movie. Very fun. Also, yes, i put gift bows on me and my sister wanted me to keep them on so I look like a dork. LOL

On the way back to NYC from MA we stopped off at first the Wrentham Outlets and then my dad's college friend's place in CT. We went for a long walk.. it was lovely.



He has a very sweet dog too.

On our way to the Jersey Shore!

We stopped off in Red Bank, NJ for some diner fun.

On Facebook this picture is tagged with all the people who were at the party. We were well stocked. I think I was tagged as the red wine. There was also RonRon juice and Jameson both not shown in the pic. Yes, I said RonRon juice.. the secret ingredient? The sperm of a homeless man. Or ya know, not really.

The house we rented was great. Had everything we needed.. cable, wifi, 3.5 baths, enough beds, balconies.. also, everything was covered in plastic. It was one of the many jokes of the weekend. The beds had plastic under the sheets, there were plastic walkways on the carpets.. trashy yes, but sort of nice too. No worries about spilling.

The house had a couple hilarious features--one was that the mugs had butts on them.

We had a lot of dance party moments

Designed a new drink called the Irish Smurf

There was signs everywhere "Life's a beach". "Home is where the beach is". Soooo many jokes.


We played a lot of board games as well.

The next morning we walked on the Boardwalk and beach.

Fist pumping!

Happy New Year from Seaside Heights, NJ!

We also saw the Jersey Shore house

and the Shore Store and Karma..

The fact that they cab it to Karma is ridonkulous. It is 2 blocks from their house.


This was our house

This is S. being a gangsta'. LOL.

Fireworks show! Actually it was sort of a funny story. When we were at the Boardwalk they asked people to get off the beach so they could set up the 5PM firework show. At 4:58PM we all dutifully went out to one of the balconies to view the show. At 5:10PM there was one firework. We made a lot of jokes about there being a firework show instead of a fireworks show. Some of us didn't even see the first firework. Thankfully around 5:25PM the full show started and it was lovely.

We took some prom pics

We laughed a lot

and then we ended up in the Seaside Slammer. Ok, i kid. I kid. We just watched the po-po make a lot of pull-overs/inqueries from the balcony. I think they were really bored. There were MANY patrol cars and they were totally creeping--just to put it in Jersey Shore terms

THIS article.. well the headline made me snarf coffee. 

In other news, I turn 30 in 14 days..  so 2 weeks to do anything i'm supposed to have accomplished by the age of 30. Any ideas? I'll hurry up and try to make it happen. I'm good under pressure like that.

 

If THIS is true i am a MORON. 

I booked a flight to NOLA in mid January. I am UBER excited. I've never been and I can't wait to see it. 2 nights with a friend who is attending a conference there at the Holiday Inn Superdome and then two days at the Royal Sonesta which is ON Bourbon Street. Should be fun! I'm excited! Wait, did I mention I'm looking forward to this?

I'll start accepting recommendations on where to eat and what to do and see starting...  NOW.

Last week was a good albeit busy week.. went to a Shecky's girls night out with a friend on rainy Wednesday. The event sorta sucked and the gift bag wasn't great either..  now I know going forward just to do the beauty double gift bag event and forget the others. I think these things are the girliest things I ever do. Thursday we had our company holiday party at a fantastic restaurant. It was an 11 course tasting menu and it was expensivo. The wine flowed (and was fantastic) and after food multiple bars were visited. I got home at 4AM.. it was a very fun night and we were all (ALL) zombies at work the next day having had 3.5 hours of sleep.

This weekend I saw the movie Hugo and (somewhat surprisingly) really liked it. I also watched The Amazing Race finale. I thought the end was just.. although I had been rooting for a different team. I spent Sunday with a friend up in Stamford. We mostly hung out for hours at Target. Odd as that sounds, we had a great time!

The season of house guests is starting.. my old room mate arrives tomorrow and will stay till the 21st (with a break in the middle somewhere). Then my cousin will come and stay with me a few days, and then on the 22nd my dad and sister arrive as well. I can't wait--although I do have some more holiday shopping to accomplish first. Tonight I will treat myself to a mani/pedi on my way home from work. Is it time to make my way home yet? LOL.

Hmm, what else? I think that is all I can come up with for now. Tell me, what is new with you?

So my weekend was good up until Saturday night when I had a blast and drank way too much and felt it big time bad on Sunday. Sunday was spent mostly hanging over the toilet and in bed.. but Friday and Saturday were fun. Thankfully today I feel fine again. This week will be busy and thankfully quite fun.. and sadly will also involve some drinking, though nothing like Saturday night.

Tonight I am being responsible and picking up my laundry after work and possibly getting my nails done too. I have some errands to run and should go food shopping.
Tomorrow I am meeting someone for after work drinks.
Wednesday I am meeting a girl friend for a Shecky's night out event.
Thursday I have my company holiday party (a fancy 9 course tasting menu at THIS place)
Friday I will likely go up to Stamford to see my friend who I canceled on yesterday because of my ridiculous hangover.
Saturday friend and I will go shopping for holiday gifts and on
Sunday evening friends will come over to watch the Amazing Race finale and The Good Wife.

Sunday day is still empty at the moment and for now i'll keep it that way since the rest of the week will be busy.  Fun busy. But busy none the less. Also, unlike last week, I will try to leave work at 6:30PM this week (and not after 7:30PM).

I'm looking into going to New Orleans for a weekend in January with two friends. I have never been and am excited to finally see it. It won't be for Jazz Fest or Mardi Gras but I suspect it'll still be a great time and it should even be around 50 degrees or something while I bet at that time it'll be around 27 degrees in NYC. Alright, back to work.. Have a good week, xanga-peeps