August

I'm trying to make arrangements for a trip down to Baltimore next week and am having difficulties in the details. Do I stay longer and help in Towson and rent a car for an ungodly amount of money (can't seem to find a good deal today) and risk having the car in Eytan's neighbourhood or do I just leave Monday evening? And do I take the train to BWI rail station so I can rent a car, take the train to New Carollton and have Neil pick me up, or take it to downtown Baltimore and see if Rebecca is still in town and see if she wants to meet me there for a little while and have her drop me off at Paula and Harvey's? Too many details. And I'll have to wait till Friday to see about staying longer to work in Towson since they will know better then (it doesn't hurt my plans to wait that long). I just hate being up in the air about things.

Today I finished going through my pictures to scan. I probably have around 100. I'm really excited about finally doing this.

Since I was looking into train schedules today, I discovered Amtrak finally implemented their new design that I helped with. It doesn't look as great as I had hoped, but it's much better than it was. I just wish they had a way to make reservations for multiple destinations. They sort of do, but you can't depart from one place, arrive at another, and then depart from a different location than where you arrived. Oh well, a minor detail that won't bother most people making reservations- I just noticed since that's what I was trying to do with New York to New Carollton and then from Baltimore back to New York.

Today I also found out how to get my refund for "Urinetown" (since they pushed the opening a week) and got a ticket for the next week. I wanted to see the first preview, but I'll have to wait till Tuesday since I'll have my first class Monday night. And August 27th, "Thou Shalt Not" goes on sale!!!! Can't wait for that!!! Craig Bierko!!!

It's getting late. I was going to run out to pick up some blank video tapes since I seemed to have run out and then rent a few movies as well. Do I really want to do that now? Yeah, I probably will. I wasn't going to leave the apartment this week unless I had to, but this seems worth it since there's nothing on TV tonight except South Park and that will only keep me entertained for a half an hour. On second thought, maybe I'll do that tomorrow since I'll already be out to see "tick, tick... BOOM!" perform in Bryant Park. Yeah, I'll wait till tomorrow, and tonight I'll find a book to read. Unfortunately, the only books I have are travel related and I really don't want to read about travel right now. Oh, I'm sure I have something else that sounds good.

So now I guess I'll go call Rebecca and then watch a movie or two.

I got an email this morning about Bach's "Goldberg Variations". It said he wrote it to help his friend, Count Keyserling, who complained of insomnia. Maybe I should pick it up and give it a try. I've tried everything to fall asleep faster, but I haven't tried that particular piece of music yet.

I feel much better than I did earlier this morning. I guess I'll have an early start to my day. Okay, time to go make train and car reservations.

In a little while I'll head over to Bryant Park for the afternoon concert. After that, I'm toying with the idea of going to see "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" since it's right up the street from me, but it doesn't start until 4:00 and if I go home in between, I'll probably not want to go back out. I had this idea that I would stay home as much as possible this week, and so far I'm not doing a very good job.

My hair colour seems to be getting quite popular. I love redheads, but it's getting tiresome to see 30 women in a group and almost half of them have various shades of the same red. Maybe I should go back to black for a while- my hair has been some shade of red for several years now- nah, I like my red hair.

Speaking of hair, I was looking through the pictures that I want to scan and noticed the constant changes in my hair. That's the only thing different about me in about 12 years of pictures- I look basically the same age throughout the years. I LOVE that! I just read an article in Time Out about a 24 year old intern who can pass for 12. She spent a few days going around the city getting child discounts on everything. I can't quite pass for 12 anymore (I'm getting wrinkles around my eyes), but I still do it occasionally- the last major one I did was at Disney World in '94 and passed for 10 and under. I was wearing overalls and had my hair in braids (although my hair was green and purple at the time which was a little unusual then) and went to the ticket counter (which was over my head) with my tall friend. He said, "One adult and one child," and the woman looked down at me and accepted me as 10 and under. How crazy- but I got in for half price!! The rest of the day, every time there was an announcement that said, "Please take small children by the hand," one of my friends grabbed my hand. That started to get annoying, but saving money was definitely worth it.

That was a ramlbing paragraph.

I'm feeling hyperactive right now! God knows why- I only slept around 2 hours last night. And it seems like I got my emotions back. I don't know if it was because of last night's dream or what, but today I'm definitely HAPPY!!! Seeing the performance in Bryant Park was highly enjoyable!!!

Okay, back to work...

Today I took the subway to Times Square and it reminded me of going back and forth to and from there with Andy. That was fun! Not the going back and forth to Times Square part, but everything else!

My emotions are definitely back! I'm adding to my radio station at SonicNet and listening to it at the same time. Music is back in my life, emotions are back in my life, life is good!

And Sunday I can have a snowball!!!

I was IM-ing with Josh last night and also emailed Jeff (who sent me an email back this morning even though he's leaving this afternoon for Alaska). I like catching up with my friends. Rebecca called me briefly from the airport today (she's going to Baltimore this weekend so I'll see her for a few hours on Sunday) and she mentioned Daniel. She actually mentioned a lot of those people I barely knew (Scott, Emily, Naomi, Michael...). I can't believe that little soap opera of a group is still going on. I feel slightly responsible since I introduced Rebecca and Daniel and then a bunch of us went out for snowballs one day and Rebecca brought Naomi... Now all of them still talk to each other (I haven't talked to any of them in a LONG time). But her mentioning Daniel made me feel like catching up with him again. Perhaps I'll send him an email later today.

I got the last of the pictures from my trip developed (not very many, just some group pictures at the last dinner in Madrid). I had finished off the roll yesterday at Braynt Park. I really wish I had a better camera! I wasn't sitting that far away and I used the zoom, but you can still barely see the subject. I HATE that!

Tomorrow I need to clean up the apartment and figure out what I need to bring to Baltimore with me. I'm also debating whether or not I should see "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" or "Apocalypse Now - Redux" or neither. I want to see both but hardly ever feel like actually getting myself to go to the movies. I really think both are movies you need to see in the theatre.

I feel like I had a lot to say today but can't remember anything now. This day flew by!

Last night I was reading my journal entries from this time last year and I got slightly nostalgic for Phoenix. Why? My life was extremely hectic and a mess with the car insurance situation this time last year. Yes, but I missed waking up early for summer classes and going to Starbucks and driving with not too much traffic in the mornings and it wasn't extremely hot yet at 6:00 AM. I think that's all I missed about Phoenix.

Maybe this week in Baltimore, I can wake up really early and try to find a coffee shop open in Towson around 7:00. Maybe that one in that shopping centre with the Super Fresh across from the Sheraton (where I'll be staying). I also have this idea that I'll use their crappy fitness centre in the mornings before work. It'll only be for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday since Monday I'll have to go out to the airport to return the car... maybe. I called the BWI Avis location to see if it would be any extra to return the car to the Towson location, and they told me, "Your cost now is $28 and it would go up to $78 to change the drop off." I didn't understand that but the woman already hung up before I could ask her what she meant. So this morning I called the Towson location and asked them the same question, and that guy told me it shouldn't be any extra as long as I tell them when I pick it up what I want to do. I'm hoping this guy is right. So Monday I might or might not have to go return the car to the airport. It would be nice not to have to drive all the way out there plus pay for a $30 cab ride. That way I'll only have to pay for a $30 to return to the BWI rail station. Anyway, I have great ideas for being in Towson next week (get up really early, work out, find a coffee shop, have dinner with Eytan, see Leah, snowballs) and I'll probably only do one of them (snowballs every evening after work).

I still don't know what to do with myself. I'm almost ready to get back to cleaning but not quite. I looked at Starbucks web site to see how many locations are near me. WAY TOO MANY!!! I still don't know how places like that make a profit when the rent is so high. I know what they charge for the products is WAY MORE than it costs to make, but still...

So now I'm trying to decide whether I should finish the apartment now and then read or read for a bit now and then clean. For once, I think I'll actually clean first. I've been procrastinating enough. Then I'll be more relaxed when I go to read Bill Bryson's "Made in America : An Informal History of the English Language in the United States". I started it a little over a year ago when I was staying in Baltimore and then put it away when I started summer classes in Phoenix (there was almost no time to sleep or eat, let alone read for fun). Anyway, I forgot all about it and am looking forward to finishing it up today.

Okay, time to go clean and pack.

I called Rebecca and dialed the number (at her father's house) like I called it yesterday. I'm sure if I had thought about where I was calling her and that I hadn't called that number for years, I would have had trouble remembering it. So, I called and we decided I would pick her up and then go have snowballs.

I started driving to Rebecca's and started getting all these childhood flashbacks (of course I don't remember them now). I drove to her father's house like I drove there yesterday. I was on automatic pilot. Again, if I had thought about what I was doing, I probably would have made a few wrong turns.

The snowballs were good and it was fun hearing about her trip and seeing her pictures and showing her some of mine. While we were looking at pictures, two women sat down at our table (even though there was an empty table right next to it, but ours had an umbrella and I guess they wanted shade). They asked where the pictures were from and when we told them, one woman said she had been there and one woman said she just got back from Africa. I asked where and she said Senegal. I told her I just got back from Morocco. Then Rebecca gave us a little lecture on Israel- the fighting, the Ethiopian Jews, and Kibbutzes. That was random thing to happen.

After I dropped her off, I drove to Paula and Harvey's for dinner. Again, I had lots of flashbacks. I was driving on Falls Rd. between Old Pimlico and Old Court and I saw a cute guy riding a bike. My instant reaction was to stop the car and flirt with him. I guess that's what I would have done when I was in high school. Then I realised that this guy on the bike probably was in high school, so it's a good thing I didn't stop. Then I continued up Falls Rd and was so happy it was a Sunday so there wasn't much traffic. As I entered their neighbourhood, I started looking around to see if there were any changes. I don't think there were any in the immediate neighbourhood. I saw a cute couple walking on the street, and I started thinking about the people in that neighbourhood. I realised there wouldn't be any single people to flirt with (I have no idea why I was in a flirtatious mood). Everyone in the neighbourhood would either be married or the children of the married people. Then I realised all suburbs are like this. I guess that's one reason why so many single people live in the city- it's easier to meet people.

Dinner was good (chicken and veggies) and it was great seeing everyone (Paula, Harvey, Neil, Maxine, and Abby).

I got to the Sheraton and checked in with record speed. Once the woman found out I was a Starwood member, she treated me like gold! Why? I have no idea, but it was certainly better than what I usually get at that hotel.

I took a shower and watched some TV- Six Feet Under, (I missed the first 10 minutes of Sex and the City, so I'll have to catch it tomorrow night), the end of the Making of the Producers, and The Weakest Link.

This morning I woke up at 6:30 but didn't feel like getting out of bed yet even though I wasn't really tired. The people in the room next to me were taking showers, running the water in the sink, and flushing the toilet constantly. It was SO LOUD!!!! Every few seconds, more noise would start. It drove me nuts. I guess I fell back to sleep and dreamed that all the people on my floor were on a Trafalgar tour. I knew because I looked out my peep hole in the door and saw people putting out their luggage with Trafalgar tags on them. I yelled at them to be quiet and then my door started opening. I quickly put the chain on the door when I realised someone was trying to come in. Then I was on a tour too- but I don't remember that part exactly. When I woke up, I was sure that there really was a tour group staying on my floor. It seemed so real. So I woke up around 7:45 and had to rush to get ready since I had to go pick up Paula since Harvey left for Minnesota this morning.

Today I returned the car, started scanning some pictures, had a snowball, and now I'm about to get a little work done before Eytan comes back here at 8:00. We're having dinner somewhere.

Tomorrow after work, I'm meeting Leah (I got a hold of her Saturday night) at Friendly's.

I had so much more to say, but of course I can't remember any of it now.

Eytan and I went to the good snowball stand on Joppa Rd. yesterday afternoon! I LOVE that place! They have so many flavours to choose from! Butterscotch, Vanilla Butter Nut, Cotton Candy, Cold Duck (whatever the hell that is)...

Yesterday with Leah was fun! We went to Friendly's and talked for a while. Caught up on each other's lives, remembered old times (I had forgotten how we used to steal graham crackers from the principal's office, or near the principal's office.). Then we tried to go see a movie in Towson, but it was 8:00 and nothing started until 9:30. So, we went back to the Sheraton and watched an in-room movie ("Angel Eyes"- stupid but had a few redeeming qualities- it was the only movie that we had heard of and hadn't seen already). So, Leah's doing very well for herself. She has her medical degree and is a resident at Siani. She has two children, 5 and 3. Her husband just got an MBA from University of Maryland in Baltimore and is now working on his medical degree from there (crazy guy). Anyway, she looks good, she seems happy (although exhausted- long hours at the hospital), and it was really good to see her again.

Today I plan on working late- typing, scanning. Harvey mentioned wanting to do dinner before I leave. I suggested that he can go home and eat dinner, and then come back to Towson, we can go get snowballs, and then he can take me back to the hotel. That way I can still get work done but still have some time with him. Or, if I do stay till Saturday, I can have dinner with them either Thursday or Friday night.

Yesterday afternoon, it was decided I was not needed and I could go home today. Well, I should be on a train back to New York right now, but this morning, I got talked into staying through Saturday since there really is still a ton to type! Oh well, fine with me. Nothing too important going on at home and anything that is important in my life can be done from here. I just wish I had something fun to do tonight, but that's another story.

Last night as I was walking back to the hotel after work, I walked by the mall and remembered that I was supposed to try to find summer clothes on sale. So without thinking about how much I really didn't want to do that, I walked in. I looked around Hechts, Express, and Nordstrom and didn't find anything. I was getting irritated with the shopping, and was about to leave when I walked by Ann Taylor. I went in and in 10 minutes found 3 nice, inexpensive shirts that fit me! So I felt good yesterday. I got back to the hotel and watched "Josie and the Pussycats" (the only movie left in the in-room movie choices that I haven't seen yet)- it was a good idea but was SO STUPID!!! Still, I like PArker Posey (although, she wasn't spectacular in this one. Oh well, it passed a little time. Then I watched "Sex and the City" again (I watched it Tuesday night as well).

Today I'm having trouble seeing. Perhaps it's all the stare-at-the-computer-screen-stare-at-the-lot-pages thing- my eyes are getting confused in which direction they should be looking and what they're looking at. They're tired.

So, what should I do tonight? I was thinking about going to see a movie at the theatre in Towson, but I don't like being there alone at night (it's really gotten creepy in recent years). Then I thought I could just go sit at the hotel bar and hope someone interesting (or not interesting, I don't care) comes to sit down and that could pass some time. Then I decided to see if Jon was doing anything tonight (even though it's short notice). I just paged him so now I'll just wait to see if he calls me back.

Tomorrow night, I think I'm hanging out with Eytan and Jeff (his boyfriend). I suggested going to see "Hedwig" and then hanging out at Central Station or something. Eytan seems fine with that, but he hasn't talked to Jeff yet. So, we'll see. I hope we do something fun (no theatre going on in Baltimore right now- or at least nothing that's any good) since I can't do anything tonight and tomorrow night will be my last night with a social life for a while.

Oh, good news of the day! I found out Eric Lewis (from Once Hush) is performing in Baltimore on August 25th. Well, I'll be in Northern VA for the Yes concert the night before, and I don't need to be back to New York until the 27th. So, I think I'll have to figure out the details of how Josh, Chandra and I can go see Mr. Lewis. I've never seen him perform solo- that'll be fun!!!

Yesterday was a busy day at work! I wound up typing George's lots since they were the only ones left to do (since he's SO SLOW!!!!!). It turned out that I oddly enjoyed typing his conveluted, no pattern lots. It was comforting or something- never mind, I can't explain it. All I know is that it was fun and I got done extremely quickly! After work I got to finally meet Jeff- Eytan's significant other. So now I can tell everyone he really does exist- he's not a figment of Eytan's imagination.

I stayed in Towson longer than Eytan to finish up some work while he went to the gym. I got a ride with George to the hotel and then took a cab from there down to Brewers Art (I went back to the hotel since it's easier to get a cab from there than from the middle of Towson- you still have to call a cab but they come more quickly). So I went to the Brewers Art and had a few drinks (it was crowded) and talked to some guy about traveling (he's going to Mexico this month and Spain, Italy, and France next month- lucky guy!). Then I walked over to Eytan's apartment and had dinner with Eytan and his friend, Frank. Jeff came over after we had eaten, and we walked to the Charles to see "Hedwig"! It was okay. I liked the way it was filmed and I thought the acting was great! I probably would have liked it more if I wasn't so tired and uncomfortable. I could not find a comfortable way to sit and I almost got up and stood on the steps for the rest of the movie, but I didn't. I just kept shifting around and probably driving everyone crazy. I had trouble keeping my eyes open for most of it. After the movie, we went to Central Station for a few drinks. I felt more awake there, but I was still pretty tired. Jeff and I talked about theatre since he's been doing theatre in Baltimore for years. We knew several of the same people. We went back to Eytan's, Frank went home, and Jeff and I hung out at Eytan's apartment for a bit. I got to meet Eytan's new bird, Saturn. Now he has two birds, Io (pronounced EE-O, coming from Cheerio since the bird likes the cereal) and Saturn (named because Io is the name of one of Jupiter's moons so Eytan thought he'd keep the space theme going). Jeff gave me a ride back to the hotel since Towson is on his way to Bel Air. We talked about travel (he recently went to Japan to visit his brother and went to Australia as long as he was in that part of the world). He's been to Amstersam, so we talked a lot about that. I like Jeff. I'm glad I finally got to meet him.

When I got to my room, I was exhausted. At 1:45, I got in bed and felt like I could fall asleep quickly. At 2:00, a loud, drunk group of people went in the room next to me and continued their partying all night. I banged on the door but that didn't do anything. I was going to call the front desk but then decided against it. I should have done that before I banged on the door, but I wasn't thinking. If they got a call from the front desk, they would know I was the one who complained, and then they could make my life even worse. So I just tried to fall asleep. I think they got slightly quiet around 4:00 and I fell asleep. At 7:30 this morning, they were shouting and laughing again. So much for sleeping in.

I got up, packed up my stuff, and headed for the office to finish typing George's stuff and to answer some of my email which I've been avoiding.

I feel like I've been very productive today and I'm SO ready to go home. Harvey offered to take me to the train station this afternoon. We should leave about 3:30 so I can go get my stuff at the hotel first and then head down to the station and exchange my ticket.

I'm in the mood to watch some old movies tonight. So I think I'll rent "Casablanca", "High Society", and "The Maltese Falcon" when I get home. Of course by the time I get home, I could be in a completely different mood, so who knows what I'll actually do.

I didn't do much last night besides finish answering email. No movies for me.

Today went by super-fast! I went through all my mail. I got 6 credit card offers in the mail. That's usually how many I get in a year. What's going on? I also got several checks which is always a nice thing.

I also wrote an Epinion on my Trafalgar tour. It's rather long and took a while to write.

I talked to Marcell for a few minutes and made tentative plans for lunch this week.

The weather is so dreary right now. I don't mind it like this in the winter, but not when it's the end of summer. I'd like a few more days of sunshine and warmth before we go into the long winter season.

There was a great line that Miranda had in Sex and the City tonight. She was talking about morning sickness and wondered why it was called morning sickness when it lasted all day... "unless it's M-O-U-R-N, like you're mourning the loss of your single life." Loved that! Six Feet Under was great tonight. Can't wait till next week's 2 hour season finale. I love the character of David- he's so blunt! I used to be more like that- I think I'm losing my bluntness, and I don't like that.

Every once in a while I think I want to be in a relationship. Tonight seems to be one of those nights. Most of the time I usually forget about such a possibility, which I have no idea how I can do that with the way couples are EVERYWHERE- in the movies, on billboards, in the bars & restaurants... I don't know how I've avoided relationships for so long. I've been in about 2 semi-relationships (both times the guy was much more into the relationship than I was). And I've been in several "situations" with several people. And as of '98, I've even been on a few dates. But I don't really count anything I've had as a relationship. At some point, I'd like to experience a real relationship. Tonight, I wish I was in one now. Sometimes I'd like to breeze past all the preliminary stuff (meeting, dating, seeing if the relationship will work) and move right into the comfortable pattern part of the relationship. Of course, that's not possible.

I still can't get over how fast today went. I know I woke up late (I think around 10:30), but that would mean I've been awake for 12 hours. What did I do in those 12 hours?

Tuesday Stephen Ambrose is doing a reading at the Borders in the World Trade Center. I think I'll go check it out. His new book, "The Wild Blue: The Men and Boys Who Flew the B-24s over Germany", sounds fascinating. Hopefully it'll be easier to understand than "Ike's Spies"- especially since he'll be reading some passage in the middle so we won't have the beginning to familiarise ourselves with his subject. And he is rather wordy and writes like his readers are experts on his subject. Oh well, it'll be fun. Maybe I'll even meet some interesting single person there or something.

Yesterday on the train, I was reading the Amtrak magazine and read an article on 4 European cities that you should travel to by train. This woman got paid to go to 4 European cities (Venice, Amsterdam, Paris, and Munich) and write a 2 paged article about it. It got me thinking (as I do once in a while) about finding a career where I can travel. But it has to be something where I can make money, so travel writing is out. I'm terrible at sales, so I can't be a salesperson. The advertising world is too competative or doesn't pay enough. Then I thought about being the person who works for a hotel chain and travels all over staying in hotels making sure they're doing what they're supposed to be doing. How do you get a job like that? Then again, I don't want to be doing it for the long term. I'm hoping that some day I'll have a family and I won't want to be traveling all the time then. So Psychology still sounds like the best road (even with all the math I have to deal with). If only there was a way to do the hotel checking thing while still taking classes. If I did online classes, it might work. But I can't learn that way. I need to sit in a classroom. I learn by listening, not by reading. So the online classes thing won't work. I should just give up. I will in a few days. Then I won't think about it again for a few months.

Today is flying by too. I hope this isn't a trend for August. I want to enjoy my last few weeks before school.

I made all my travel arrangements for the end of August except for the car rental I need to do so Josh and I can go to Eric Lewis' show in Baltimore and the train reservation for Balpex. I'm flying down to DCA on the 24th, staying at the McLean Hilton, and flying home on the 26th. Then I'll be taking the train down to Baltimore on the 30th, staying at the Hunt Valley Marriott, and either taking the train back on the 3rd or 4th (depending on whether or not Jay has a BBQ on Labour Day and if I'm invited and if I can find a place to stay and a way back to a train station... hmm- there are a lot of details there, maybe I should just leave on the 3rd).

I meant to write about this yesterday- I got an email from BRIE!! I guess she finally figured out how to use her email software. Now I just have to see if she can still figure out how to use it so she can get my reply. It was great hearing from her! She mentioned wanting to come to New York at some point. I'd love for that to happen, but I'm not holding my breath. They probably won't get around to figuring out how to get here and all those lovely travel details that I LOVE doing. I was thinking about going out to Phoenix for an extended weekend in January and using my US Air miles, but then the more I thought about it, the less it sounded like a good idea. Besides hang out with Matt & Brie, what the hell will I do there? So then I thought I could see if they wanted to meet me in Vegas for an extended weekend. They're always going up there, so I'm assuming that would be easier and better than me going out to Phoenix.

First I started thinking about Frank Sinatra- what kind of man he was- how he respected women in the movies but didn't really in real life.

Then that got me thinking about how women act. Grace Kelly's character was a strong woman but very flighty and girlish. She acted the way women were expected to act in the 50's.

Then I thought about the difference between men & women in the 50's and men & women in the present. I don't think much has changed in the way we think about each other even though our actions have changed.

Then I started thinking about how I wish I wasn't female. It's so much easier to be a man, socially. You can act a certain way and it's okay, whereas a woman could act that way and it's not okay. And there are so many times when I'm hanging out with a group of men and enjoying the conversation and then some man will say, "Oh, we shouldn't talk about that in present company," or "Well, you girls don't think about that the way men do,". I get so tired of those comments. I don't get offended by their conversation and I usually agree with them.

Unfortunately, I think most stereotypical comments about women make sense. Not all women are flighty, emotional, and easily offended, but many are. And when I'm with a group of men, they automatically assume I have those stereotypical female traits, and I don't think I can change their minds. I think it'll always be assumed that even if I say I'm not easily offended and I say that don't cry at the drop of a hat, I really don't mean it or they don't even hear what I'm saying.

And in a professional situation, it's also easier to be a man. It's assumed that I don't know what I'm doing because I'm female. Surely, I should be off teaching children or going to nursing school. I can't possibly know how a business runs or how to handle finances.

And I know there are plenty of women who are bothered by this sort of thing, but all the ones I meet who are bothered are usually the extreme feminist type. I'm certainly not one of those. I don't think women are better than men. I think, and this is all generalisation, men and women can do most things equally and some things men are better at and some things women are better at.

And sometimes I think men are better than women at many things. And most women I meet are absolutely irritating. But then again, people are irritating in general . But I think I would usually rather have a conversation with a group of men rather than a group of women. Once in a while, I'll find a group of women who aren't over-emotional and only talking about wedding rings or aren't overwhelmingly gruff and talking about how much they can bench press. But that's only once in a while.

And I hate that it seems like men only need women around after they're all finished having a good time- watching a ball game, drinking with their buddies...

And I think I've written about this before- people only write good male fictional characters; the female characters are always irritating. Now is this life immitating art or art immitating life? Maybe if people wrote about the few of us females who aren't either extreme, people would start believing that we really do exist.

And sometimes it bothers me that I too, think like a straight guy. I think women are attractive but usually not fun to hang out with (the stereotypical woman, that is). I'd rather hang out with the guys and then go find some cute chick to take home.

So what's my point? I wish there was a way to ignore all those irritating comments men make when talking to me, both socially and professionally. But that's impossible. Okay then, how can I let it not bother me? If anyone knows a solution, please let me know. Until then, I'll just get irritated and/or angry.

Oh, but I did still manage to enjoy the movie.

These past few days have been flying by way too fast! I don't appreciate this. Someone tell August to slow down!

When I left Borders at the World Trade Center, it looked like it was about to rain. When I got off the subway at 59th & 3rd, that station was already flooded. It wasn't raining too hard though during my walk home. It was raining, but I thought it was beautiful. The weather was cool but not too cool that you feel uncomfortable walking in it, and the sky was that gorgeous colour reserved for summer thunder storms! I love it!

I should go to more book readings- they're fun. The trouble is, I don't have too many favourite authors. Well, Neil Gaiman has been working on that movie, maybe he'll come around to a bookstore or something soon. And Bill Bryson is due for a new book out soon, maybe. I should go try to find out what he's up to and if he'll be in New York any time soon. And I could try to find other travel writers who will be doing readings in New York. Then I could go to a book reading AND learn about a new author.

I'm hoping to participate in my other hobby this weekend- walking tours. I wanted to do several of them this summer, but I've only done one (in New York, that is). So, if it's not raining, I'll see what's going on in the world of walking tours. I was hoping there would be one in Central Park so I can learn that area better. Visitors always want me to take them to Central Park and I always take them to the one area I know. The park is HUGE and I should learn more of it.

For tonight's entertainment, I rented "Pollock"- something I've been wanting to see since I saw the trailer for it in the movie theatre some time this past winter. Last night I watched "The Maltese Falcon". It was good, but I wasn't impressed as I thought I would be. This is one of those classic movies that everyone loves. I really thought it would be more... I don't know... more something.

I really need to mail my pictures to Lucy (the woman on my trip) and to Sylvia. But in order to do that, I need to put my pictures back in order (they're in 4 groups right now and they need to be sorted so I can figure out which are mine and which need to be mailed). I guess I should do that today, then I can mail them tomorrow before I head over to the park. It's not supposed to rain tomorrow- I hope that's true.

I made a reservation to rent a car in DC so Josh and I can drive up to Baltimore for Eric Lewis' concert. Now I just need to figure out when I'm taking the train down to Baltimore for Balpex and I'll be all set. I suppose I should just make a round-trip reservation and depart on Monday and then if Jay decides to have his BBQ, I can worry about the travel changes then. Okay, I'll go do that now.

I'm still working on updating my Photos page. I have some random pictures and some theatre pictures. I need to add travel pictures now (and there are quite a few of those).

August is FLYING by!!!! I really don't appreciate that. I thought about what's going on in the next few weeks of my life and it scared me. In 8 days, I will be on a plane to DC/Virginia and seeing Yes in concert. In 10 days, I will be back in New York. In 11 days, I will have my first day of classes. In 14 days, I will be on a train to Baltimore. In 15 days, I will be at the Tull concert. In 18 days, I will be back in New York. That sounds like plans for the next 2-3 months, not the next 2-3 weeks.

Okay, gotta go get ready for my day.

The concert in the park was okay. It started late so I only got to see "42nd Street" and "Chicago". "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" was the last show to perform, but I left right before they started since I had to meet Marcell. Michael Cumpsty was of course not at the performance : ( but Christine Ebersole was, and she did a fabulous job. I liked her better today than I did when I saw the show. The "Chicago" cast was okay but nothing to write home about. I'm glad I went, but if I knew Mr. Cumpsty would not be present, I would have skipped it. Then maybe I would have gone to the movie this afternoon (which I could still make if I left now... no, forget it).

Lunch was okay. I showed Marcell my abbreviated batch of pictures and we talked about "issues" as usual (today's issues were kids on medication and the westernisation of the world). I hate "issues". And Marcell is a dramatic, liberal, "issue" person, so that makes it even more difficult to talk about such things. I find it easier to just agree with her since I'm not passionate about my disagreements and it would just upset her. It seems most people I have contact with in my life are liberal, issue people. Why is that? Where did all my non-liberal, issued friends go? Where's Daniel? I haven't heard from him since I sent him an email a week or two ago.

So tonight is "Eat the Runt" which I know nothing about. Maybe I should find some reviews of it before I leave. Nah, I'll just be surprised. And if I don't like it, at least it was free ticket.

What did I do with my time this afternoon since I didn't go see "Apocalypse Now - Redux"? I updated more of my Photo page. As I was doing that, I thought about how sometimes random people are in the background (and sometimes foreground) of my pictures. I then wondered how many people have pictures with me in the backgroud. And all those people in the photography books- not the ones where they're posing, but the candid shots. Who are they? Did the photographer ask their permission or did they just take it from a distance without their knowing. If the subject didn't know, I wonder how many times those people opened up a book of photography and found a picture of themself?

I turned on "Dream a Little Dream" because I wanted to remind myself what Corey Feldman looked like and to see if I still thought he looked like Robb. Well, yeah, he kind of does (did). And then I remembered that people thought Robb and I looked similar. That was scary! I never saw the resemblence but at some point I think I began to think so (power of suggestion, I guess). And then I started thinking about my time at Camp Debut and how I hardly remember any of it. I wasn't too happy there my last year (I was definitely the odd ball, and everyone treated me like crap- yeah, and where are they all now? Probably not as happy as I am.). Anyway, I was feeling lazy so I let myself get caught up in the movie. It was pretty bad.

Now I'm hopefully going to finish adding pictures to my website and maybe watch a little more TV. I deserve a lazy day (although I've felt guilty all day).

I didn't feel as bad about not seeing "Apocalypse Now - Redux", because I talked to Harvey briefly today. He informed me that he and Paula would be coming up here on Monday (glad someone told me- unlike that time I had no idea they were coming and I was sitting naked in the living room when the doorbell rang and it was doorman with their stuff) and that he would like to see the movie with me. Great, then I'll have to go (although he's good at talking himself out of plans too- but between the two of us, hopefully we'll make it). So they'll be up here for a few days before the fly to Chicago. Guess we'll have to do a Mayas dinner and margaritas one of those nights (preferably the night we're not at the movie).

Today is another day that is flying by. I only did a little work this morning and that's about it. I need to go food shopping, but I don't feel like going yet (maybe I'll go in an hour, maybe I won't). I guess I decided it was finally time for a little much-needed rest. I don't think I've had much rest time in ages- probably not since I was sick at the beginning of January.

I don't think I'll do much of anything the rest of today either (maybe go food shopping and probably finish updating my Picture Page and maybe read a book or something).

Tomorrow I need to clean the apartment, get my pictures organised (the ones I took with me to Baltimore- I need to put them back where they belong), and mail some things. Then Monday Paula and Harvey are coming up here. Harvey and I will go see "Apocalypse Now - Redux" on Monday and Tuesday night we will all go to Mayas for dinner. Then Wednesday and Thursday I'll get important stuff done (work stuff and organisation stuff). Friday-Sunday I'll be in Northern VA. Monday classes start.

Before classes start, I'd really like to finally decorate my apartment walls. I know exactly what I want, just don't know where to get all of it. I want either a long, horizontal picture of some sort of fantasy-looking purple(or blue)-night-with-a-full-moon type thing or a gorgeous picture of a view of an ocean or river or something with a great sunset to go above the couch in the living room, a medium sized picture of Fenway Park (without the word "Fenway" on it) on the other living room wall, several black and white framed postcards of old movie stars or singers (like Frank Sinatra or Grace Kelly or Dean Martin) to go in the hallway, and then a few 5x7 or 8x10 black and white city-scape pictures to go around the dining area walls. Those shouldn't be too hard to find, but I've looked in a few stores and have looked online and can't find what I'm looking for.

I just found out (I don't know why I didn't find out before) that American Airlines is giving members 20,000 miles for using 20 partners from May-September. Of course I wanted to jump right on that (I've used about 4 so far), so found partners I could use without spending too much money and proceeded to use them. Problem? I got an error message when I submitted my member number and pin. I called tech support and found out it's some problem on their end and they couldn't give me a time when it would be resolved. So I couldn't accumulate any partner usage today. That's a GOOD thing- that would have been more wasting time activity. I'll do that at some point AFTER I finish important things (of course, I think earning 20,000 miles IS important).

Last night I finally completed my Pictures page! I still have a few I want to add (I need to find them and scan them first), but I've put up about 99% of the pictures that I wanted to.

Okay, I don't have anything else to say (because I haven't done anything) so I really need to start being productive... Starting now...

Just as I was about to start cleaning, Jeff called. Of course I welcomed the procrastination. It was good hearing from him again. He got back from Alaska today and it sounded like he had a good time. He mentioned possibly going to Baltimore for Thanksgiving and it got me thinking about what I was going to do for Thanksgiving. Neil mentioned me having it up here which sounds like a possibility. I'll buy a pre-cooked turkey, make a few sides (both onioned stuffing and non-onioned stuffing, so we can all be happy), and get to try out the table leaves (I'll just have to get a few more chairs or let Paula, Harvey, Neil, and Maxine sit around the table and I'll hang out in the living room with Abby). The sleeping situation might be a little crowded (and I'm assuming they have some sort of travel crib for Abby), but it'll only be for a few days. In fact, the more I think about it, the more it sounds like a good idea. I hope everyone else agrees. Otherwise, I'll probably just stay up here and either look for some sort of singles Thanksgiving dinner, or stay home and avoid the holiday all-together.

I have jury duty September 12. They certainly didn't wait long to get me in there- I just sent the "yes, I can perform jury duty" form back a few weeks ago. I'm looking forward to it since I forgot to go the one time I got called in Phoenix and I've never done it anywhere else. I just have to remember to go this time. I will, the only reason I forgot when I was in Phoenix was because my life was in a major mess at the time and I couldn't keep track of anything. I was planning on taking an extended weekend away (preferably up north to enjoy the Fall foliage) that weekend- I hope jury duty doesn't conflict with that. Chances are, it won't. I'm sure I'll go the one day and they'll decide they don't need me. But the problem is that I won't know ahead of time and I'd need to make my plans ahead of time. I kind of wanted to go to Montreal- to go somewhere I've never been. But that would require staying in a hotel. I just sent Rebecca an email asking if she wanted to join me (to cut down on hotel costs), but I'm sure she won't be able to since she'll be down in New York the weekend after. So, now I'm hoping she won't want to go. Now, as I was typing all this, I decided it would probably be best just to go up to Vermont and stay at Stephen's (if I can get a hold of him in England and ask if it's okay). That way it's free and I can wait until the last minute to make plans (I'm sure I can either get a cheap Jet Blue or US Air flight or just rent a car from here). I should try to get a hold of Stephen soon since it's less than a month away. How does the time go so quickly? So where did this rambling paragraph start? Ah yes, jury duty. I'm looking forward to it.

And the weekend of the 26th, I'll probably be down in Baltimore (if they need me, which they probably will) for a Harbour Sale. The problem is that the sale is from Friday-Monday. I'd have to leave on Sunday to be back for classes on Monday (unless I left really early Monday morning, which now that I think about it, I guess I could do). Okay, so they'd have me for 3 of the 4 days. That's not bad. Guess I'll be doing that.

Also that weekend, Rebecca will be meeting her father in New York for Cal's last game here at Yankee Stadium (lucky bastards). Last I talked to Rebecca, she wanted to see if she could stay here. So, I guess she and her father will be staying here while I'm away.

Okay, enough rambling for one night. It's almost time for the season finale of "Six Feet Under". I'm probably the only one happy that it's the season finale for this and "Sex and the City". As much as I like the shows, I hate having to keep up with them every week (remembering to watch them when I'm home, remembering to tape them when I'm away...).

So it's supposed to rain all day tomorrow. That'll be fun- trapsing all over the city (Park & 32nd for lunch, 3rd & 72nd for the movie, somewhere else to find a Mailboxes Etc.) in the rain. Maybe the rain will stop from time to time. I should remember to bring my umbrella. I finally bought one, I should try using it.

Fortunately, I don't have much to do today that requires concentration. I do want to finish organising the pictures from my last trip so I can finally mail the pictures to Lucy (from the trip, she lost a batch of pictures when her purse got stolen) and Sylvia (who just wanted some hard copies of a few of the pictures). I guess I should do that now since in a little over an hour, I'm going to lunch with Paula and Harvey. I can mail the pictures on the way back from lunch. Then at 6:00 is "Apocalypse Now - Redux" with Harvey.

I only got about 4 hours of sleep again. I wasn't tired but was going to try to lay in bed and fall asleep around 1:00. Then Josh IM-ed me about some important stuff he was dealing with, so I wound up chatting with him for a little while. Then I still wasn't tired, so I wound up goofing off online a little longer (reading Epinions, checking my fatasy baseball team, reading the latest sports stories...)

I'm having old showtunes in my head right now- "Young and Healthy" from "42nd Street" and "Wundebar" from "Kiss Me Kate". I guess they're in my head because they were both at a Bryan Park concert in the past 3 weeks. I've actually had "Young and Healthy" in my head for the past few days. It's a song that can EASILY get on your nerves (or at least it gets on mine)- it's just way too chipper for me.

Harvey and I almost didn't make it to "Apocalypse Now - Redux". I wasn't ready to leave at 5:30- I mean, I was ready but I just didn't want to leave yet. But I forced myself to go. We get outside and it started pouring. So we went back upstairs to get my umbrella. Then of course, it took a little while waiting for a cab (finally an off-duty cab decided to take us when we told him we didn't want to go too far). But we got there on time, and I was SO GLAD we went! The previews didn't look too promising. Something about a prison for soldiers where the soldiers take over (with Robert Redford)- it looked like it had potential but didn't live up to it, something about drug/street violence with the cops being Denzil Washington and Ethan Hawke- that one didn't look too bad but it wasn't anything new, and the worst was "New York Gangs"- an undramatic drama about the Irish immigrants starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz (ugh). "Apocalypse Now - Redux" was wonderful!!! The sound was great (especially the helicopters in the beginning with The Doors' "The End" playing. The extra footage certainly made things more clear (especially with the French woman and adding more character to Captain Willard). And it was fantastic seeing it on a big screen and was so glad I had a chance to do that (since I was a little too young to see it when it first came out). It definitely made an impact! I couldn't talk to Harvey on the walk back- I actually made him walk a block over so I could be alone. I wasn't ready to come back to the real world yet.

Tonight, we're all going to Maya's for dinner. I probably should stay home, but I think I've managed to get enough done this afternoon that I can have an evening out. Paula would probably be upset if I didn't go- she's been looking forward to having margaritas with me for a while now.

Tomorrow night I'm going to see "Eat the Runt" again- can't wait! And I thought something exciting was going on Thursday night, but I can't remember now. Maybe I'll remember to check at some point. Also on Thursday, it's time to colour my hair. Then Friday I leave for Northern VA- ah, too soon!!!!

Tomorrow I need to deal with my mail, dye my hair, pick up the dry cleaning, and pack. Friday I leave for the Yes concert. Saturday is Eric Lewis' show up in Baltimore. Sunday I come home. Monday classes start.

I'm taking a poll: I think I want to cut my hair but I don't know if I should. If I do, it'll just be a few inches (maybe 3-5"). Let me know your thoughts.

Yesterday was quite busy in the morning (and most of the day too). As I was dealing with some work stuff, I got an email from Neil asking me to call. If course I called right away. He was telling me about his conversation with Jay. He (Jay) thinks nothing he does is right, Paula and Neil always gang up on him, and he's always uncomfortable getting together since he can never participate in conversations. So, he makes no effort to get together. I'm sure I've written about this before. I think Jay knows that what he's doing isn't right, but he won't do anything about it. He cancels lunch with Neil, refuses to drive out of his way to see Neil or Paula (yet will drive all over the place for Sherry and her kids and grandchildren), has only seen Abby twice (and one time was only because Maxine came by with her), and he didn't send Maxine or Harvey birthday cards (guess these in-laws aren't important enough). I think Neil did a great job with their conversation, and I'm glad he did it rather than chicken out and spend the next month feeling angry and hurt. Go Neil! That's all I feel like writing about this subject now (I have a ton of things to do before I leave).

So while I was talking to Neil and expecting another phone call, Eytan called with a business question. I told Eytan I'd call him back later (and didn't remember to do that until late afternoon- whoops. Well he could have called me back). So I finally got the call I was expecting, finished talking to Neil, and proceeded to get back to work.

When I finally called Eytan back, Bev answered the phone since Eytan was on another call. Of course I left a message for Eytan and Eytan didn't call back. Bev never seems to give people messages that I called- bitch. So I called Eytan back and told him I talked to Bev and she just didn't give him the message. So, the question was the same as Harvey's questions the other day when he was up here. We talked a good length about how to use Microsoft Access for his project. Well, now Eytan had to ask me the same thing. It didn't take too long- I don't feel like much was accomplished in the talk to Eytan, but he seemed to think it was helpful.

Yesterday evening I wrote an Epinion on the Sheraton in Towson. I wanted to write one on Artisanal (the wonderful Bistro I went to the other day), but of course that one wasn't in Epinions' database (too new). So rather than write one in a slightly different category and get attacked by the members of Epinions (they love attacking people for any little thing), I wrote one on the Sheraton instead. Maybe one day I can write one for Artisanal.

Then in the evening, I coloured my hair. It was a new colour (Clairol's Hydrence- Mediterranean Passion- I love these names), but it doesn't look any different than when I started (except for covering the grey). I don't think I like Clairol products- hope I remember that next time. I didn't care for the Herbal Essences I used last time. The product worked fine but I didn't like the colour, and they didn't have any other colour choices that I did like (I think they only have 4-5 choices). Anyway, at least the grey is gone and I don't have to think about it again for another 6 weeks or so.

Around 8:00 last night, I got really tired. I still had to organise some stuff, do some more work, and pack, but I just couldn't get myself to do anything. Oh, my sleeping schedule is REALLY screwed up now. The night before last, I wasn't paying attention to the time and finally looked at a clock when it was 6:00 AM. I was slightly tired so I went to sleep around 7:00 and woke up around 11:00. So last night at 8:00 I was tired. It was dark and rainy which also makes me sleepy. I thought I was tired enough to maybe fall asleep, so around 9:00, I got in bed. I think I fell asleep around 10:00 and was very confused when the alarm went off at 5:00. Fortunately, it didn't take long to figure out what was going on and to wake up. Now I'm fairly awake and can tackle the important things this morning. I have to leave at 10:30 to go to the airport.

I'm looking forward to this weekend. The Yes show should be great, the Eric Lewis show should be fun too, and I have all day Sunday to do something fun (have no idea what I'll do yet). When I was talking to Eytan yesterday, I told him that he should meet Josh and I in Fells Point for the Eric Lewis show (although I don't know why he'd want to do that exactly- go to a straight bar on a Saturday night- the horror). He sounded possibly interested, so I said I would call him when I got into town with the details.

Okay, time to go get things accomplished.

Friday I got to the airport WAY early for my flight, so I flew standby for the earlier shuttle. I got a seat in one of the last rows and at first I was upset. Then I remembered that shuttles exit from the back so I was in the best place possible! The flight wasn't very full anyway. It left late but I still got in 30 minutes earlier than if I had taken the later flight (and who knows how late that one would have been). So I got in and called the hotel to see if they had shuttles from the airport. They didn't. She was about to hang up (this was a really helpful woman- she didn't want to tell me anything at all) but I stopped her and asked how much a cab would be. She said about $25. I didn't feel like wasting money on a cab and called back to see what the closest Metro stop was. She told me and was about to hang up again but I stopped her and asked how far it was from the hotel. She said it was 5 miles and I asked if there was a hotel shuttle that picked up from there. She said no. So I just went and hoped there would be a taxi I could take. I spent 40 minutes on the Metro and 10 minutes in the cab (at $12 ride, I'm sure the ride from the airport would have been more than $25). Anyway, I got to the hotel around 2:30, and had a drink at the bar while waiting for Josh and Chandra. They showed up an hour later, and we hung out at the hotel until it was time to head to Wolf Trap to meet Josh's friends from Scotland.

We wandered around Wolf Trap for an hour and eventually Josh's friends (Judith and Kenneth) called. They were funny and nice people and we talked to them until the show started. The show itself was awesome! They played for 2 1/2 hours! Highlights were Gates of Delirium and Ritual (awesome drum section). They played 2 new songs, and I liked the second one a lot. Good to know they're still putting out good stuff.

After the show, we all went to the Silver Diner- bad service, good memories. I had so many flashbacks from when I used to go to the one in Laurel with Andi- we would flirt with the waiters, get the health shakes, and one time we thought we were being followed when we were walking at night- since we didn't know if the guy was still out there when we were leaving (doubtful, but you never know) we carried butter knives from the diner back with us (it made us feel better- it seems really silly now.

Saturday, we slept in and then Chandra drove us to the airport to rent a car. The guy at the counter screwed up and put my name and address with another guy's rental order. That guy had rented a full size car, so I got the full size car. I think that's what happened, anyway. The traffic driving to Baltimore was absolutely horrible!!! IT took 45 minutes to go from National Airport to the 295 ramp (New York Ave. was backed up for some reason). Then there was construction on 95 near the Baltimore Beltway, so of course it was backed up from before 175 (Columbia/Jessup)- I saw no reason for the traffic to be backed up that far. We eventually got to Fells Point and had difficulty finding parking- both of my secret spots are now permit parking only. One of the spots said only until 6:00 PM and it was 4:00 PM at the time. So I parked there and hoped I wouldn't get a ticket (it's out of the way and so I thought the cops wouldn't drive by there as much- I was right, I didn't get a ticket). While driving for parking, we saw a sign for snowballs. We looked but couldn't find where this supposed snowball stand was hiding. So I went to the other two locations where I had seen snowballs in the past. One place stopped selling them and the other place was shut down. If I hadn't seen the snowball sign, I wouldn't have cared, but seeing the sign made me remember I was in Baltimore in the summer which means "time to have a snowball" in my book. So then I thought I could get a frozen drink at the bar and that would be a compromise. They didn't have a blender. Oh well.

Eric Lewis and his band played from 5-9!! It was such a great show (and it was nice that the TV was right next to where they were playing so I could watch a little baseball while listening to some great music!!!!! The new bass player is good but sings too loud. His voice harmonises well with Eric's, but he needs to quiet down a bit. They did a few covers- Van Morrison's "Moondance" and Radiohead's "Creep" were great! I ususually don't like covers, but Eric did a great job. Then at the end, he covered Phish's "Sample in a Jar"! Now that was really awesome! I don't really like Phish, but I used to really like that song (reminded me of road trips and listening to that tape- alone driving down to Virginia, driving around with Andi...). After the show, Eric and I went to his truck and smoked a bowl. That was really random and fun! I used to have a little crush on Eric (probably because he reminded me of my friend Dan from Ellicott City that I hung out with when I was in high school). I never really talked to him much (just said hi after shows and enjoyed watching him play bass), which probably made the crush even bigger. I'm glad that the crush is gone now. This was the first time I ever had an actual conversation with him and he's a really nice guy but I'm certainly not attracted to him (which is good since he has a girlfriend- who's really cute, by the way). Anyway, the entire evening, once we got to Baltimore, was highly enjoyable!

Josh was very drunk. After I got back from Eric's truck, I went to get Josh. He wanted one more drink before we left, so we went back in the bar. Then we walked back to the car. After we got in, I was sorting everything out (keys, seatbelt, etc.). Before I had the keys in the ignition and my seatbelt on, some homeless guy knocked on the window. I was really scared and tried to get the keys in the ignition as fast as I could. Fortunately, he walked away as I was backing out of the parking spot. That was scary and put me in a bad mood as I drove away, heading back to 95. Well, I drove out of Fells Point and tried not to run over any drunk people who were walking in the middle of the road (I really hate Fells Point on a Saturday night!!!!!). I finally made it out and tried to get back to 95, but stupidly went on the wrong road- the one I took turned into a dead end. So I had to go back through Fells Point to get going the right way. More drunk people, more idiots driving, TONS of traffic!!! As I was heading the right way towards 95, the traffic got worse and worse! It was like there was a baseball game letting out, except the baseball game was over. Why were all these people on the road? And why did I have to sit 6-7 minutes for the light to change, have it change, but not move forward anyway, and then have to sit at the red light again? I HATE Baltimore!!!!! It took an hour to get from Fells Point to 95 South- ridiculous!! I finally got on 95 and there was construction (which of course means lots and lots of traffic). It wasn't too horrible, actually. It was much worse on 495. I was on 495 dealing with a drunk Josh who had been babbling the entire time, repeating himself constantly (the only things he told me in the car was that he was happy I was there and he wanted to tell me something important but he never said what that was). He wouldn't let me listen to the radio. I had brought a bunch of CDs just in case the car had a CD player. Well, it actually did since they gave me the full size. I handed the CDs to Josh at the hotel and he forgot to bring them. Not a big deal, there was always the radio (which has gotten worse in my opinion). I asked Josh if he minded me turning on the radio. He said it was okay but I had to turn it off when he told me too. I said fine and turned it on. Two seconds later, he turned it off. He complained he wasn't feeling well several times during the ride, but when I pulled over, he told me to keep driving. Later, I tried to turn on the radio again, he told me to turn it off. Anyway, back to 495. I was driving in silence and dealing with heavy traffic. Suddenly, there were cones in the road and it looked like I was heading toward an exit. No, it was just the road splitting- both parts were still 495, I was okay (although a warning might have been nice). Then the lane I was in ended (again, no warning). There was a car coming up behind me and I prayed he saw I was stopped and wouldn't hit me). He stopped, but he was homking at me. Um, excuse me, there are cars flying by on the right- I can't merge until they're gone, what else do you want me to do? Finally I got back on the road and was fine the rest of the way. It took almost 3 hours to get from Fells Point to the McLean Hilton. I swore, as I was driving during the 495 split, I would never drive in Baltimore/DC/Virginia again.

When we got back to the hotel, Josh waited outside and I went to the room and got Chandra. I went back down with her since Josh still had my phone... or so I thought. He said he gave it back to me. It wasn't in my purse, but I thought maybe he dropped it in the car. I left the car keys in the room and was too tired to go check that night. I said goodbye and went back to the room.

Sunday, I checked the car, and no cell phone. I was sure Josh still had it (I hoped he did, anyway- I didn't want to have to buy another phone, I like my really old cell phone). Anyway, I went to visit Neil, Maxine, and Abby in College Park. The drive wasn't as horrible as the night before, but there was traffic at the 495 split and even more traffic further up on 495 because there was an accident on 95 North. I had a nice afternoon hanging out. Maxine and I went to get some Mexican for lunch (the place was called something Chipotle). Neil and I talked about spending a weekend in Vermont at Stephen's house. We finally found a weekend that would work- Oct. 13. Whoops, I remembered last night that Eytan and Jeff are coming to stay with me that weekend. The weekend after that might work for me (hopefully it will work for Neil and hopefully it won't be too cold and the leaves haven't all fallen yet).

I got to the airport early again. The flight before barely had any people on it, so the woman at the counter didn't even make me do standby- she just gave me a boarding pass for the earlier flight. I've gotten lucky with these shuttle flights- they're empty, they are ontime... (which means they will probably do away with them soon- US Air isn't doing too well and they could save some money by getting rid of the shuttle flights and just flying express flights between DC, New York, and Boston- but I hope they don't figure that out too soon).

I've been having weird dreams. I remembered last night's when I woke up, but of course can't remember most it now. It took place in New York- I was running around to different bars, trying to find good atmosphere. Paula and Harvey were running around too with some friends, I think trying to do the same thing. Then I was either rehearsing for a scene in a movie or building the set (or maybe both, I can't remember). It was raining and flooding. Then I realised I was at Camp Debut. We had to walk through the muddy river to do what we were supposed to do. I think a row of people in the audience at "Eat the Runt" (I think they were regulars at the show) were in this part of the dream. That's all I remember now. Two nights ago, I dreamed that I had to shave my head for some production I was in. I was excited about it but scared too. I had always wanted to shave my head and I finally had a reason to do it (without having to take full responsibility). That part of the dream came from Josh telling me that his father had to shave his head for a show and decided to keep it shorn. Anyway, back to the dream. I was on a bus back in New York- it was the same route at the L train but longer. People wouldn't let me off the bus- they kept asking me things- Percy asked me to put a link to my web site up on some list serve thing, Harvey was talking to me about a picture I took with him in the background. When I first got on the bus, I took out a newspaper. I looked at it briefly and was about to put it away. Before I could do that, a woman yelled at me to clean up my mess. Mess? I had a newspaper out and was about to put it away. Anyway, I needed to get off the bus at 8th Ave and 14th Street. Since people kept talking to me, I missed my stop and had no idea where it was going next. I figured I could get off anywhere and even if it wasn't where I wanted to be, I could take another route and get back on track. The further the bus went, the more desolate the area became. I had no idea where I was. Then I woke up singing Eric Lewis' song "If I Were You".

Anyway, now I'm home. Last night I was going to email Josh to see if he found my phone. He had emailed me first. I assumed it was about the phone. No, he wanted to know about the previous night- he couldn't remember any of it and he wanted me to call him. I called, told him he was obnoxious but didn't do anything too terrible, and then asked about the phone. He said he didn't have it. Damn. About 20 minutes later the phone rang. I said hello and heard, "I have it". It was Josh telling me he found my phone. It was under the seat in Chandra's car. That sounds right- he was laying back in the car on the way home and it fell out of his pocket. I got lucky! It could have fallen out when he was outside waiting for Chandra to come out of the hotel so they could go home. Josh will be coming up to Baltimore for the Tull show on Friday so I'll just get my phone then.

I'm glad they made it back alright. I know Chandra had been sleeping/resting all day, but it's a long ride and it was late.

Oh, I had Josh call Chandra from the car on the way back on Saturday night since we were going to be later than he originally said (because of the traffic). She was upset because she was hungry and she hadn't eaten all day because she had no money. Josh said he left her money but she couldn't find it. I told her to get something from room service and charge it to the room. When I got back to the room, I asked her if everything was okay. She said no. They didn't have anything on the room service menu that she liked and they wouldn't make what she wanted because it was too late. She was going to eat something out of the mini bar but it had all expired. She was upset that housekeeping stole the $20 Josh left her. She got harrassed by a bellman. She said the front desk people were tired of her and couldn't do anything about the situations. So she filled out the survey card. I'm glad she left the card on the desk rather than give it to someone. I took it with me. I really think she was making it all up. I've noticed her lying about other things before so I assumed she was about this too (if these things did happen, I know the manager would have done something about it). I did not want to accuse the hotel of something that I did not see personally.

I'm sure most of what I've written today is a jumbled mess, but it'll have to do. I have to get a lot done today and then I have classes tonight. I'm looking forward to it. It's always fun on the first day- to see who will be teaching, what will be learned (unless I get another senile teacher who doesn't give out a syllabus), what kinds of people are taking the class... Then an assignment will be given out tonight and will be due in a week, and it all goes downhill from there.

Tomorrow night I'm going to see "Urinetown"!!! Oh, and I got a ticket for "Thou Shalt Not" for September 20th. I actually forgot about getting a ticket but happened to read this web site, and she mentioned getting a ticket for the show. Glad I read that. Who knows when I would have remembered? So I'm really excited about both shows! And at some point, I'll have to go see "Eat the Runt" again. Tonight is class, tomorrow is a show, Wednesday is class, Thursday-Monday is Balpex. I guess I could try to see if I can get a ticket for that following Tuesday.

Okay, enough rambling- time to be productive.

Oh, I woke up singing Eric Lewis stuff today too. And I've had them in my head all morning. I really like his songs!

Before I forget... La Guardia airport did a really cool thing when I came home the other day. As I was walking down the hallway to get to ground transportation, Beethoven's 7th Symphony was playing! That put me in a good mood!

Right now I'm trying to find a good air fare for Neil and Maxine for October in Vermont. If we go the weekend of the 20th, that works for everyone. So far I haven't had good luck with the air fares, but maybe I'll get lucky soon.

School- well, the music class seems like it will be okay even though the woman spent most of the class coming up with all the rules we will have to follow and told us we shouldn't think of the class as an easy one like we did when we signed up for it. Even though she said that, I don't think it'll be too much work for me. I already know a lot of terminology and the papers we will have to write won't have to be too long (she said she would rather have consise papers- my kind of woman!). The modern Japan class sounds atrocious!! First of all, it will be difficult learning names and places since they're all hard to pronouce and spell. Then the syllabus lists 2 non-research papers and 1 research paper (all about 5-8 pages) and the mid-term and final will be long explanations of terms and essays. And the professor was dry and boring. No thank you. I tried all last night to switch into a Cultural Anthropology class (which counts for the same type of pluralism and diversity requirement as the Japanese history class) but of course it was full. All classes are full at this point and everyone wants to switch into something else. The classes that aren't full get cancelled and the people originally signed up for it get placed into other classes that are already too full to begin with. So it's next to impossible to switch into another class. The phone registration (the only way to register at this school) is only open until 11:00 PM (why 11:00? What happens after that? The phone line goes to sleep? That really makes no sense to me since it's all automated). So I woke up this morning and tried again. I probably called a total of 10-15 times. Well, the last time it worked!!!!! I got so lucky!!! Someone dropped the section of the Cultural Anthropology class I wanted!! And now someone will be able to get into the modern Japan class that I dropped (although I really don't know why most people would want to- the subject is fascinating but the amount of work...). One positive thing about the Japan class- he was talking about how much Japanese culture has influenced American culture. I always knew that but it made me think about it even more. Food, comic books (I mean, graphic novels), karate, karaoke, electronics... there really is a lot of Japan in the United States. Anyway, Wednesday I will go to the Anthropology class and hope it's not too much work (but at least all the terminology won't be in another language).

Tonight is "Urinetown"!! Tomorrow I have to do a lot of school stuff- go to the admissions office and give them my last transfer credit thing that I never gave them last semester, go to the Oasis (where you get your bills and photo ID and stuff) and get my bill to see if I owe any more or if I get a credit from switching classes, and go to the Math department to see about the Math workshop. Oh, yesterday I managed to get a current semester sticker on my ID very quickly (quickly- a word hardly ever used at this institution). The stickers were not designed correctly- it doesn't fit on the front so I had to wrap it around on the back, but you can see the "Fall 2001" clearly enough. Then on Thursday I take the train down to Baltimore. If I get in early enough, I was thinking about heading over to the State Fair (since the Light Rail actually goes from Hunt Valley where I'll be staying to Timonium where the fair is located). I could ride my favourite swing ride and feel some freedom before going into Balpex- one of the several weekends from hell.

Speaking of Balpex- Paula has been fighting with the Hunt Valley Marriott again about having the room for the auction for the entire length of time that they need. There's a wedding scheduled for 7:30 and they had settled the whole mess back in May. Well, the person at the Marriott who it was settled with no longer works there and now the mess is back. After several days of arguing, they "compromise" is that the auction can be in the Maryland room for the beginning and then will have to move to the Worthington room which is way too small. So in the middle of the auction, we will have to break down all the computer equipment and fix the phone set up and move to another location. This is absolutely ridiculous!!! Why can't they hold the wedding outside? Aren't people supposed to like outdoor weddings? Well, there's no other way this thing is getting solved. I'm tired of thinking about it so I can imagine how Paula is going out of her mind. I hope she calms down and gets in a good mood soon. I hate the fact that she finds life so miserable. I was trying to think of a good comedy for her to watch tonight but couldn't think of one quickly. Maybe I'll think of one soon and give her a call.

Oh, Chandra just IMed me about the Hilton issues she "had". She said that the bellman that harrassed her got sent home and might possibly be fired and that security was dealing with the stolen money and would call her soon. I hope she's either telling the truth about all of this or really didn't tell anyone about these things. I'm sure she wouldn't have continued to take action if these things really didn't happen. She's not a bad person, right?

I was up all night last night thinking about what to do about the Marriott situation, talking briefly to Rebecca, and IMing Josh (he's really going through some issues right now). I wasn't tired which was a good thing. So I slept from 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM (which means maybe tonight I'll get some sleep tonight which would be great since I have to get up early for the train, unless I change to a later train which I'll try to do this afternoon).

I'm not going to do any school stuff today except pick up my new bill to see if I need to do anything about it. All the other stuff isn't urgent and I have more important things to do (like go to the bank, organinse some stuff, change and add some travel details, and maybe eat something).

There was so much more I wanted to write but can't remember it now.

I was trying to find a place to stay during the Harbour Sale in September. The Marriott Burkeshire is old, uncomfortable and has horrible customer service, the Sheraton is loud and I don't like being woken up by noise, George has someone staying there, Eytan always has issues with me staying there, so I'm going to stay with Bev and Lisa. Bev may be hard to take for more than a few minutes, but most of my time in Baltimore will be spent working and I'll probably not see her much at night (I'm hoping). They have a very comfortable couch!!

Okay, I should call Amtrak to see if I can change to a different train that's the same cost- hopefully that way I can just use the quick self-ticket thing.

Oh, "Urinetown" last night was WONDERFUL!!!! They took out the box seats at the theatre so they could have catwalks like at the old theatre, most of the cast was the same, and the audience LOVED it!! I love going to see previews- you see a show with an audience who appreciates what they're seeing since they are regular theatre-goers instead of the tourist-type who goes to see a show because they were told it was good or read about it in USA Today or something. One of my favourite lines in the show (of course I'm paraphrasing)- Little Sally: "There is hope Mr. Lockstock, when a little girl like me gets as many lines as I have, there is still hope.

Last night I got a ticket for the first preview of... "NOISES OFF"!!!!!! It's coming here in October. First I saw the list of actors so I mentally cast them. Then I looked at the cast list and they had it all mixed up. Peter Gallagher should not play Lloyd, he should play Gary. I thought Richard Easton would have made a good Lloyd (but he'll make a good Selsdon too).

I got to school and when I was walking into the building, I overheard a group of people talking. One guy wanted to open a bar near the school (yeah, I'm sure the residents will let that one go through). They were trying to come up with school appropriate names for the beer- one girl suggested pot and then one guy said, "I don't know, is there a good name for a waiting in lines all day brew?" I should have said, "No, you can name the beer anything you want, you will just have to make patrons form a line to get it and then when they get to the front, tell them that they can't have beer without a signed form by the brewery stating that it's okay for that person to consume a beverage. And then when they get the form signed and bring it back, tell them that they forgot to have the signed letter on letterhead paper to go with it and if they ask why they need that too, tell them because the form should have already been at the bar and since they had to go get it themselves, they had to provide another form of documentation and then add, 'someone should have told you that when you were first here'". Anyway, then the guy started talking about how Hunter was rated in some report that rated 320 schools. They weren't on the list at all for academics. They were on the list three times- 3rd worst for waiting in line and red tape, 11th worst for dorms looking like dungeons, and something like 15th worst for unavailabilty of teachers. Lovely. I was glad to see I wasn't the only one having problems. I knew I wasn't, but it's nice to be reminded of that.

So I got to go to the Cultural Anthropology class today. It's SO MUCH BETTER than the modern Japan course. This one doesn't have any papers because, according to the professor, "I don't want to grade 200 papers," so that's wonderful. There will be 2 short tests (one essay question each test) and a mid-term and final (also essay tests). The guy is Scandinavian and tries too hard to be funny (he told us that the department says we are allowed 3 non-excused abscences and while he had to enforce it, said he thought that was silly- he knows that we have lives and there are other important things to do... like go and have a beer...), and that will get annoying but I'm not complaining. A class without too much work is my kind of class.

In music class, we watched a video about the making of orchestra instruments and how each instrument sounds separately and with the entire orchestra. It seemed like a video you would show a 5th grade class, but again, who cares? It was mindless. And it got me thinking, why are people who play the harp always so odd looking?

One thing I still find odd... all these instructors talk to us like we're all 18. Looking around the room, I'd say the average age of both of my classes is 24. Why can't they look at us before talking to us like we're 18? Like tonight, the Anthropology guy was telling us this is the time of our lives to learn and make mistakes because later when we have jobs, we won't be able to make as many mistakes. I'd say 60% of the class had just come from their day job. Most of us are over those traditional-age college years. I thought the music instructor was different. Last night she was talking about mandatory attendence (do all schools have this now?) and how important that was but she understood emergencies, like if your child is sick and need to take them to a doctor. But tonight, she made a comment implying that we were all 18 (don't remember what it was though).

So, two classes without too much work. This won't be bad- won't be bad at all. Oh, I did stop by the math centre to see about the workshop, but the person I needed to speak to wasn't there. She will be in tomorrow, so I'll call her tomorrow morning before I leave (I did get a later train, so I don't have to leave here until a little before noon).

I was good today- I managed to finish organising travel stuff, do some work, go to the bank, eat something, and go to school to see about the math and get my new bill (I owed $10 for a late fee- I know I wasn't late but I didn't feel like figuring out who to take up an arguement with for $10).

Tomorrow morning I will finish up a little more work, straighten the apartment a little so I don't have to come back to a mess, and then I'm off to Baltimore for the weekend from hell. Oh, I do need to work on Thursday night so I won't be going to the fair. Maybe I can go on Monday (although I don't want to since it'll be PACKED). I wonder if I can convince Eytan to take me to the snowball stand in Cockeysville after work on Thursday night. I doubt he will, but it's worth a shot. If not, I'll insist that I have to leave early on Friday (when Josh comes to pick me up) and we can go. He was almost as upset as I was we couldn't find a place in Fells Point last weekend. And the Cockeysville one is the best in terms of consistency. The only reason the one on Joppa Rd. out in Parkville is better is because they have many more flavours. But the Cockeysville one will be great this time since I was at the Joppa Rd. one recently and I'd rather just have a really good snowball. I'm way to obsessed with these things. I should just buy some syrup and used the crushed ice thing on my freezer to make snowballs at home. They won't be as good, but they would be better than nothing.

I hope I remember to go to jury duty on the 12th. Maybe if I remember to write about it every day in my journal, I'll remember to go. Yeah, that should work. Even when I have things in my Palm Pilot, I never remember to look at it until later (after the task should have been done). Maybe voting in the primaries the day before will help me remember. Two dutiful citizen type activites in a row.

RCN has been having issues the past few days (service going on and off all the time or just running the speed of a 56K modem...). If it's like this when I get back, I'll call to bitch about it.

I feel like most of what I wrote tonight doesn't make much sense. I wrote most of it without thinking and jumped back and forth between paragraphs so I wouldn't forget things I wanted to mention. But right now, I don't care. I need to start thinking about getting tired. I'm not having another bad sleeping hours night. I need to be on a normal schedule for the next few days.

Hey, I know Atlanta and Phili are flip-flopping back and forth with first place in the NL East, but why did Phili have to lose on a night that my fantasy pitcher (Omar Daal) was pitching? Damn Mets (hmm... a new musical?)! It was probably because Jose Mesa (I have him as a closer as well) is suspended and wasn't there for the save. I've been flip-flopping in my fanatsy position- I've been between 2nd and 5th place (out of 10) for almost the entire season. I need to rack up some more wins and keep getting enough RBIs and I'll be fine. My HRs and Saves are awesome, my batting average and ERA are pretty consistent but could be better. I won't win though- this one guy has been in first place the entire time and won't budge- he's amazing!

I was reading a little about this new Miss America. In a way, I say, "Why mess with tradition?", but I also say, "Hey, this is a cool idea!". The only thing I don't like is that it'll turn into a pretty person's Who Wants to be a Survivor. But I would like to watch them answer trivia questions (but that's just because I like trivia games). I think I still say, "Why mess with tradition?"

Okay, time to go get ready to go. I won't be updating this journal for a few days, but I hope I can at least have time to jot down a few things at night or something.

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