my heart belongs to the napili sunset beachfront resort

Last night I was at work and I totally got scammed out of $97 in the box office. We have the guy on tape. It was your basic big bill to pay for low amount, lots of change, asking for singles and then totally tricking and confusing me and me somehow never noticing I didn't have the $100 bill until I was counting the money at the end of the night. As soon as I saw it was gone I asked Chris, who was taking tickets, if he saw the guy come back. He did not. He remembered the whole thing (and the house manager saw it too) but they guy was so NICE after he left, THAT was all we had to comment on. You know, later, when we realized he stole almost $100, that's when he stopped being nice. Right before he left he even handed some guy some money and said, "Hey Buddy! You dropped this!" The guy was all "Thank you so much!" and the criminal said, "Don't thank me; I've got JESUS on my side!"

I mean, maybe he does. Maybe he's stealing for the church. Or maybe he's a member of one of the religions where if you do any amount of wrongdoing and then pray for forgiveness, it's magically granted (but if you're a perfect human being but don't pray, you're doomed to Hell). Maybe he was speaking of another Jesus... you know, the one from his neighborhood in Spanish Harlem who helps him in his career as a professional scammer. WHO KNOWS. All *I* know is that I lost my job $97 and had to file a police report for petty larceny.

It of course adds insult to injury that he made the comment about Jesus being on his side while stealing from a Jewish arts organization. Maybe it was a hate crime.

I feel bad about the whole thing but what I'm most mad about is the fact that I honestly never thought this would happen to me and I spend a large amount of time thinking of all these horrible things that could happen to me... just so I never have to say, "I never thought it would happen to me." I imagine people pushing me in front of subways, getting stabbed or mugged or shot, being in car accidents, getting terminal diseases, being in a terrorist attack... but I am SURE I saw something on Dateline NBC at some point in my life about petty scam artists and blew it off thinking, "Yeah right. I'm IMMUNE!"

(You might wonder how I am able to live a normal life while thinking of all these horrible things happening to me. You might wonder how I can possibly be a happy person. I wonder too, sometimes, but I am a happy person. I think it makes me more cynical, but that's one of my best qualities. PLUS, the cynicism evens out the happiness. Imagine how crazy happy I'd be all the time if I DIDN'T think of these things.)

In other news, I've had a headache or migraine just about every day this month. I thought at first that it was my new contacts/glasses prescription, but now I'm thinking it's the cold weather because I found out that there is a correlation between migraines and cold, dry air. Considering I have nose bleeds every day, I'd say it's pretty dry. Just another reason to move to Maui. Take a look at this webcam I found. I've been watching it a lot. Well, "watching" is probably the wrong word.... "obsessing" and "daydreaming in front of" is probably better. Sometimes I imagine the cold draft that comes in is actually a warm ocean breeze and that's whats making the trees in the video sway. If only round trip tickets to Hawaii weren't over $700.

My day went really fast today. Maybe it's because yesterday I was ta work from 6am-8:30pm with only an hour break between jobs.

winter is really bumming me out, man!

Tomorrow the high is only 20 degrees. I guess I can deal with this since the next day the high is 40. What. the. eff. That just doesn't seem normal. Of course, as per usual, along with the 40 degrees temps, Tuesday is bringing another snow storm. I hate how it's always the day before rockababy and the one thing I look forward to during the week is always in jeopardy. I would say I need an attitude adjustment right about now.... and, basically, I DO, but I can't help it. We are only a MONTH into this ridiculous season, we have 2 more left, and it already feels like it's been going on for years. Blllllaaaaaaaaarrrrrgggggg.

Is there something FUN I can do in the winter? Something that will make me hate it less? I feel like I hated it less when I didn't have to walk everywhere.... but I don't have that option anymore. I guess I'd hate it even more if I didn't have ANY type of transportation from place to place and LITERALLY had to walk everywhere.... but that thought is not making me feel better. It also won't make me feel better when it's beautiful out, in the spring time, and I'm stuck inside at work. Or in the summer when it's hot as balls again and we sweat all night and spend $100+ on the electricity (air conditioning) bill. This is a terrible place to live.

Last winter seemed to be never ending, also. It did end, though. This one will end, too. I have to remember that... even though, at this point, it seems like we're caught in frozen hell.

Last winter was the first time I really thought about winter as being similar to life experiences. I remember comparing it to the last couple of minutes of the Beatles song, I Want You (She's So Heavy). It's so dark, minor-y and heavy (obviously). I would never have known this being born in 1982, but apparently the guitar riff play-off lasted on the original LP until the END OF THE RECORD. That's why, if you've only ever heard it on CD, mp3 or even tape the ending sounds so abrupt. So, you're listening to this heavy, DARK repeating pattern and it's lasting forever and forever and forever.... and then the record ran out of room, flips over and the first song on side 2 is Here Comes the Sun. Think about that when you're depressed, too. The depression seems to last forever... the WINTER seems to last forever.... but it will end. And the sun will come out. And you might cry. Not because you miss it.... but because the Beatles are freaking GENIUSES and it's too overwhelming for a normal heart to bear.




Whenever I work at 9am and Chris is working at the museum we go to work together. This morning this woman at 30th ave was screaming "HOLD THE DOOR!" as she was running up the stairs. You shouldn't hold the door ever, especially for people screaming about it, but some OTHER crazy lady DID hold the door, so the screaming woman got on. She forced herself into a seat that was too small for her: the seats fit three normal sized people but there was a normal sized girl and a big guy in the other 2 seats. She flung herself into the seat so hard that she hit the girl next to her, who was drinking tea. The tea spilled ALL OVER HER. It spilled onto her face and actually into her eyes. HOT tea. She never apologized. The crazy woman also had all these bags which were, I am not kidding you, on the poor girl's lap. Crazy woman didn't move them. In fact, her phone kept ringing and she would rummage through her purse (which still had a price tag on it), find it too late, answer anyway and then it would start to ring again. Crazy woman's coffee cup was also just resting up against the big guy in the other seat. AND THEN SHE GOT OFF THE TRAIN AFTER ONLY 2 STOPS!!!!!!!!! This is half a mile, people. She held the entire train up for 20 seconds, spilled hot liquid in a woman's face and put on the worst JERK SHOW we've ever seen and she only traveled 2 stops. Why did she need to sit down at all?????? That is why I HATE 30th avenue. Chris was laughing out loud after she got off. I was too disgusted.

street soup

It's raining slush today. There is, no joke, about 4 inches of water and ice in a puddle covering the sidewalk right in front of our house for about 20 feet. I was like "You've gotta be KIDDING ME!!" Because the snow removal was so bad in this area and our landlord never had anyone shovel the sidewalk, there is just nowhere for the water to go. It's still too cold to actually melt most of the snow. It's really terrible and disgusting. I feel like we need to build a bridge to get out of here.

What's REALLY irritating is that this is not what snow boots were made for. Not PUDDLES of water. So, of course water got into my boots. Not a lot, but still. I'm hoping it's not one of those "it got in once, now it'll always get in" situations because they cost too much money. In normal rain I'd wear rain boots.... but, as we know, rain boots have no heating ability and since it's raining, essentially, ice water, I don't want to have to have my toes amputated.

As you can tell, this weather is HORRIBLE. All I can think about is spring. We had another snow storm last week, too, and I just can't TAKE IT anymore. It's all making me want to move. Of course, spring is really nice, and I'm really looking forward to exploring more of the places in Astoria that I have heard about recently. There's a place on the avenue we off of called the Creator's Co-op that I haven't been to yet (despite walking past it every day) and several restaurants I'd like to check out. Not to mention the freaking PARK. The Astoria Park is 50% of the reason I wanted to move to this area and have we been there once since we moved? Of course not. There's also the Museum of Moving Image which I'd really like to go to.

I am hoping to get some potted flowers this spring, too. I wanted to do a window box but I don't know if we could actually DO that. I just don't think it would work with our windows. Regardless, I love flowers and I'd like to try keeping them alive as long as I can. Who knows, maybe I can keep them alive for a long time. Or maybe they'll go the way of my knitting.... I'll be really good at it for a while and then it'll sit in a tote bag for 7 months.

If you're looking for some good new music, Elizabeth and the Catapult put out a great album recently. Their first one is really good, too. If you like Ingrid Michaelson or Sarah Bareilles or you'll like them. Also, if you like GOOD music you should like them. Another band new to me is Buke and Gass (new as in, I just heard them for the first time last night). Chris was ushering at work and he text me "This band reminds me of a cross between the White Stripes and you and Chris Johnston." I immediately turned on the monitor in the box office to listen (obviously). He said they had some kind of deconstructed instruments and she was this little, unassuming girl with a big, rocking voice. OF COURSE I would like them. I also became depressed that Chris Johnston and I didn't start this band first. Both these artists have albums on amazon for $5 so please, do something to better yourself and at least listen to the samples. Elizabeth and the Catapult is relatively pop-y but Buke and Gass take some pop elements and mix them with some kind of Radiohead-like intelligence and have made something very new. Anything that reminds me of Radiohead or reminds me of NOTHING gets ten thousand gold stars in the Alisa Big Book of Good Music.

I got my hair cut today. My salon (the Gigi Styling Studio by Aveda) was voted Best Salon in NYC. You'd think this would make it expensive. Nope. It's just awesome. Even though it required me to walk through the ice soup on the sidewalk it was worth it because it's so great. I've had salon loyalty before (Tease in Staunton and Rudy's in Los Angeles) but never salon AND stylist loyalty. I wouldn't want to go anywhere else in this weird city.

Lastly, I am really mad that Glee won the Golden Globe for best comedy tv show. Over 30 Rock AND Modern Family? No. First of all, it's not even that good this season. Second, it's nowhere near as good as either of those shows. Third, not a real award (I know, I know....I say "real" lightly)... a People's Choice award? Sure. Not a Golden Globe.

my kitty is a celebrity

First and foremost, I must share this adorable video:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

If you're wondering why I've posted that, take a look at the last minute of the video and then at the black cat on the right hand side. THAT'S MY CAT!!!!! I remembered her ID card saying she was on the Today show at one point, but I only got to see the clip today. I can't believe she wasn't adopted immediately after this, but we're very lucky she wasn't. She is the best little kitty in the world and we love her soooo much. Meow meow meow.

I guess it's supposed to snow bad again this week. Boo. Major boo because the storm is supposed to be Wednesday, which is the first day back at Rock-a-Baby for me. I am doing FIVE classes that day (2 substitutes in the morning and my own 3 in the afternoon). I hope I can still get everywhere and that nothing is cancelled. I hope the parents still COME to class! It's tough in the city with a stroller. I mean, I'm assuming that. I don't know for SURE, but considering it was tough to walk without a stroller during the last big snow I can guess this would be worse.

So, my manager at my box office job is quitting. She was the 3rd manager I've had in a year. How am I about to have my FOURTH MANAGER IN A YEAR there??? Sounds like a great situation, doesn't it? Uggggggh. And what's WORSE is that she made me the assistant manager and now I'm afraid they'll want to re-structure everything and I'll lose my position. I mean, anything can happen when you get a new manager. I do not want to lose my position because I do not want to have to work 7 million hours a week again. I have gotten myself to a place where I have at least 1 day off a week, even with 3 jobs, and I am not afraid that I won't be able to afford my rent. I really do not want this situation to change. I didn't DO anything so that it could, but you just never know. It happened to me at the ASC, I'm pretty sure it could happen here.

The tourist season has ended and we have a couple months before they start coming back... not that they're enjoyable months, but at least the sidewalks aren't as hard to get through anymore. The last couple of weekends before the new year 6th avenue around Radio City was seriously impassable. You literally couldn't walk 5 feet without having to dodge someone. 5th was not much better and I can't imagine any other avenue was, either, but I didn't go anywhere near them. I didn't even see the Rockefeller tree this year. Remember how I said I was going to go EVERY DAY? Yeah. That didn't happen.

Man. I just sat here for 10 minutes staring at the screen, not typing or anything. I feel depressed. It's probably the job fear. And the seasonal depression... even though I started to take vitamin D to try and combat it. Blah.