Category Archives: just silly

March 22, 2011

Super Soaker

By simply three cents

Doh! In the bathroom at work, there are three sinks. I went to use the middle sink (as there was someone on the far left). About the time I realized there was no soap, a girl I knew was about to use the right sink.

Since I knew her I excused myself and leaned over to use the soap dispenser, which was on the right side of that sink. Would have been all well and good except my arm happened to be directly under the faucet, which is a hands free, triggered by motion.

Because my reaction time was too slow, most of my sleeve got completely soaked through.

It was as if I had dunked my arm in a pool of water. Blotting with paper towels did nothing. I was so soaked I actually had to wring my sleeve out.

Note to self: roll sleeves up. So basic, really.

Leave a comment | posted in just silly, why

March 20, 2011

Skype Shopping

By simply three cents

My sister and I Skype quite a bit. Love it. The best part about Skype is actually seeing her while we catch up.

Because of her good sense of style, I have declared her my personal shopper. So, the other best part about Skype is that we can online shop together. I send her links, she shares her screen and we go through them together. In our pajamas and across the country.

She finds it, I buy (some of) it.

Great way to spend – pun intended – a Sunday.

Leave a comment | posted in just silly, shopping, things that make me smile

March 19, 2011

Slow Sushi System

By simply three cents

Boyfriend and I went for sushi last night and I have come up with a system so there’s not a whole lot of food on the table all at once.

I should clarify. I am a pretty slow eater. Before you say it, I have heard it before. You know someone who eats really slow.

I can pretty much guarantee I eat slower. Always have. To give you a point of reference, as a kid, my mom would have the dinner table cleaned up and the plates would be loaded into the dishwasher, and yes, I would still be eating.

I can remember everyone dispersing from the table and my mom cleaning the table and place mats and I would still be eating. Which looking back is really kind of rude. On the plus side, I don’t think I ever cleaned up after dinner as a kid, other than my own plate, because it was already cleaned up by the time I finished.

So you get it. I eat slowly. Back to sushi last night.

It’s quite simple really – put the appetizer order in, and when it comes out, put the rest of the order in. This buys me more time to eat the app so I don’t feel like I am rushed when the entree comes out. Also, it prevents all the food coming out at once in case the server screws up (which has happened and foiled the plan).

I must caveat that this only works in a sushi restaurant. Most other places like to put everything in at once, and being a former server, I get it and can respect it. They’ll still just have to wait until I finish.

Leave a comment | posted in food, just silly, observations

March 17, 2011

Sláinte!

By simply three cents

Happy St. Patty’s Day! Today is when the world wants to be Irish, and I am no exception.

Listening to all the crowds outside my office window earlier today made me reminisce for more carefree days. Back then some may have called me lucky, no pun intended, that my geographic location enabled me to partake in one of the world’s biggest St. Patty’s Day celebrations. Some may not.

Besides the green shirts, the drinking and the good times, I am also reminded of various injuries sustained on St. Pat’s. Not just mine, mind you.

Like the scar on my left knee that’s still there all these years later. That was a result of trying to catch my pizza slice when the box went flying. Or what about my dear friend’s chin and her scar after she fell in a gutter?

Some of you reading may be horrified, and others might be laughing. Just make sure you are laughing with me.

Another year, the parade in NYC – it fell on a Saturday, and at some point late in the day, I had to use the bathroom. I had the bright idea to not go into McDonald’s to use it but instead visit the nearby off-track betting shop, as I figured they must have bathrooms, with no line. And alas, I was right. Always thinking outside the box.

Now that I’m older and wiser, but certainly still fun, I’m planning on a low-key pint of Guinness with some friends later today. And as I am older and wiser, I am not anticipating any injuries.

1 Comment | posted in holidays, in and around NYC, just silly

March 16, 2011

A Pleasant Surprise

By simply three cents

Getting to walk to a doctors appointment is one of the perks with city living.

Waiting 30 minutes to be seen is royally annoying, no matter where you live.

I totally understand doctors falling behind a few minutes throughout the day to put them that far behind for say a 4p appointment. But my appointment this morning was at 9am. I was one of the first appointments of the day!

The plus side of my visit was finding out that since my last appointment in August until today I lost a whopping 6 pounds.

I know this doesn’t sound like a lot given the time lapse and considering Lent (and my forced diet plan) started a week ago, but still, I’m pretty happy.

Maybe it was the healthy eating in Croatia, the hiking in Argentina or even getting sick in January, or maybe I am paying more attention to what I’m eating. Who cares. 6 pounds down is better than half a pound up!

1 Comment | posted in in and around NYC, just silly, peeves

March 8, 2011

Working 9 to 5, and then some

By simply three cents

I liked this article. I think it’s true. Take a look.

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2523-Job-Info-and-Trends-4-jobs-everyone-should-have/?SiteId=cbmsnhp42523&sc_extcmp=JS_2523_home1>1=23000

I’ve had jobs that fall into every category:

1. server, bartender – Serving was my favorite job ever. When you were busy, you were making money and when you weren’t, you went home. Plus every shift you worked entitled you to a free meal, and as a college student, that was sweet.
2. cashier at a drugstore – I got busted in the local paper for unknowingly selling cigarettes to minors, when I sold a pack to an undercover reporter. After that, I only worked in the pharmacy or the gift wrap section.
3. telephone surveyor – You know who this is… the people that call at dinner.
4. painted houses – Yep, I actually responded to the college painters signs that you see on telephone poles.

Reflecting back on this short list I realized that I have had a lot of customer service jobs. Some summers I had multiple jobs, so some overlapped. I remember always having various uniforms in my car that I could change into at a moment’s notice. In no particular order, my non-desk jobs included:

  • Scooping ice cream at a local ice cream shop
  • Making bagel sandwiches at a bagel shop – very early hours
  • Taking phone orders at a pizza place – when we were really busy I had to actually make deliveries
  • Handing out flyers for a cell phone company – on the street outside of a subway station
  • Working in the mall at the Christmas stocking booth – you know, where you can get your name written in glitter on your stocking.
  • Lifeguarding – this only lasted a few hours. I had no certification or training and there was no one else guarding the pool. My mom made me quit at lunchtime.
  • Wrapping gifts – when ladies come behind the counter to wrap their gift purchase, you know you have no business working there.
  • Putting kids on rides at an amusement park – I will never go in a ball pit again.

One job I wanted but I didn’t get was working at the local car wash. You know when the car comes out and the people wipe it dry…I was in high school and I thought it would be a good way to work on my tan. My dad tried to make me feel better when he told me they probably don’t like to hire girls.

Leave a comment | posted in just silly, observations, things that make me smile

March 5, 2011

Battle of the Sexes

By simply three cents

Last night. Game night. Board games. Battle of the Sexes.

Four boys against four girls.

The girls definitely need to study up on ridiculous trivia and current event knowledge though the wild cards definitely helped us out.

The boys were just lucky, this time.

Leave a comment | posted in in and around NYC, just silly

February 17, 2011

Ski lifts serve many purposes

By simply three cents

Today is our last day in Ushuaia. Had time to visit a glacier — not like the one in El Calafate and do a short hike, then would go back to pick up our bags and head to the airport to go back to BsAs and proper summer weather!

Headed up on the ski lift for a 15 minute ride to the base where real hikers could spend the entire day.

 

We went for the easy hike, and the gorgeous view.

 

On the way up we had seen an empty jug of water coming down on the lift. It was probably for a refill for the lift operators at the top. On the way back down we saw an oxygen tank heading up.

 

At least it was secured by the flimsy little bar. Hikers watch out below!

Leave a comment   |  tags: | posted in just silly, travel, travelogues

February 7, 2011

Sexy Boot

By simply three cents

I had to exchange a pair of jeans at the Gap the other day. I bought them a few weeks ago yet I realized they didn’t fit right when I went to put them on a few days later. Yeah, that’s the kind of terrible shopper I am and even worse, I procrastinate when I have to go back to the store to return and/or exchange anything.

I had thought the problem was an easy fix…clearly it’s the stitching and that’s why there was weird bunching in the leg. When I tried another pair of the exact style and size, I realized what was wrong with them, was actually me.

I wanted to get this over with as soon as possible because I don’t love shopping unless I am with someone who can find the diamond in the rough (my sister rocks at that). I simply wanted to find a pair that fit. Anyone who has ever tried to find that perfect pair of jeans knows that this was going to be a pain in the ass.

Because I am a terrible shopper, I immediately friended the salesgirl in the fitting room. I think she felt bad for me because now in this second pair of the curvy jean style, even I could see they did not fit right. In fact, anyone could see that they weren’t laying right in the leg. I would like to say it was a result of shoddy labor, but again, two pairs from two different stores, in two different states, had the same problem. I admitted defeat by realizing the curvy fit was probably not the right pair for me. And the perfect fit, not so perfect for me either.

The salesgirl was SO helpful and went back and forth from the dressing room to the store to bring me different styles, sizes and washes. This was NYC around lunchtime, on a Friday. The personalized service was totally not expected. It almost felt like I was  shopping with my sister – who is the best personal shopper ever – but again, almost. It wasn’t as fun as when I am with my sister.

What fits me is, get this, the sexy boot.

This makes me laugh, because it is purely a marketing ploy.

I once worked for a man who headed up marketing at the Gap, and I remember a conversation we once had. I remember telling him how I loved my long and lean Gap jeans. They fit me perfectly, and still do! He told me they came up with that name because the target body shape was short girls who wanted to feel long and lean. I don’t know that I want to feel long and lean. I just wanted a damn pair of jeans that looked, and felt, good.

Because I have some knowledge about how they name different fits for different body types, buying those sexy boot jeans today made me laugh. What was the Gap marketing team thinking about the body type of women who fit into the sexy boot? I wasn’t buying them to look sexy, I was buying them in ankle length, to wear with my Converse, so it’s not exactly fitting the mold – or looking back at the target for the long and lean, is it?

Ladies, it’s something to ponder when buying your next pair of jeans, and the search to find the style that works best for your body type. Ignore the name, just find that perfect fit – even if it has a silly name. When you find the fit and the size that works for you, embrace it. I did, and now I am the proud owner of a pair of sexy boot jeans that fit me, even with my Converse, perfectly.

2 Comments | posted in in and around NYC, just silly, observations, shopping, things that make me smile

February 3, 2011

Observations – Morning Commute

By simply three cents
There were no seats left on the bus so I was standing. Of course, there was no where to hold because the handles are on top of the seats and where I was standing the girl sitting had long hair which covered the handle. Instead I surfed*, because I am pretty good at it.
Because I felt like crap and already was achy, it didn’t help that my purse felt like I was carrying a ton of bricks even though it was pretty empty.
The first time the bus stopped it just so happens that one of the seats next to where I was standing opens up. The seat is next to a middle aged woman who’s been talking on her cell loudly and incessantly even before the bus pulled out. I knew this commute was only going to get better because now that I was sitting, I could actually take notes on her conversation.

Here are my observations, which turned into amusement, during my morning commute (you don’t get this in the burbs!):

  • I gather that she travels a lot. ‘January has flown by, I’ve been in LA, Florida and Chicago.’
  • She has had ‘ENOUGH of hotels’ and ‘can’t wait to sleep in my own bed.’
  • I also gather that she works in fashion or has a shoe fetish. She spoke about espadrilles, pumps and flats.
  • More evidence leaning towards working in fashion – she later spoke about different factories and different cities in China
  • She’s ‘not accustomed to public transportation because we had to give up the car once the lease ran out.’ Clearly you are not accustomed to public transport and its golden rules because you are the only one talking on the phone while everyone fidgets with their BlackBerries. Some of us, are even taking notes on your conversation.
  • Words heard multiple times throughout her conversation making me laugh – cuckoo, insanity, crazy, ridiculous and my personal favorite, three ring circus.
  • Every item she is wearing has a designer label from the Prada sunglasses (Really? We’re on a dark bus) to the designer pocketbook (there’s a logo but I don’t know whose it is) and I’d be willing to bet that the overpowering perfume she has on is even a fancy label.

Once it is time for her to get off, she tells me she feels like a bag lady. Only then do I see she has three designer purses (not gym bags – purses) on her lap.

I said we all have those days. She said, its every day for me. I wanted to ask, but didn’t, what could you possibly be carrying in those bags every. single. day?

As she walked to the front of the bus I saw that the fur coat she was wearing was actually floor length. So, she’s right. She really must not use public transport that much, or ever, because the bottom half of that coat would be a mess in the snowy, slushy mess of a city otherwise. I suppose if you have a car, or a driver, you don’t need to climb through mounds of snow to cross the street, or plod through large rivers of slush at street corners like the rest of us.

2 Comments | posted in in and around NYC, just silly, observations, winter