Boy, do I have some Tales to Tell...
Sometimes, I wonder why some of my friends and family just don't understand that I work for the Customer Service industry. I wonder why, that in the 11 years that I have worked for the gym or the food industry, they still can't grasp that Saturday and Sunday are not my weekend. Even my partner of 8 years seems to have a hard time grasping this concept. AND he met me AT THE GYM!
WORKING! It's very irritating to most of us who work in the Customer Service industry when people query us as to why we cannot hang out/do something/attend an event during their weekend. Maybe because I have to work and I don't really want to go out afterwards?!?!??! Maybe because I may be tired or wiped out or overstimulated? Maybe, just because.
Most of us in the Customer Service industry also hesitate from taking consecutive weekends off because it is not fair to the other people who have to work in our place. Think of it this way: what would your boss say if you took off the two busiest days in your industry, two weeks in a row. Yeah.
I asked a co-worker, who has been working for the company for 19 years, when the questions/moans & groans/assumptions will stop. She said that she is still waiting for that moment in time. Great. Later.
I don't know how people do it. No, not that... get your mind out of the gutter. I'm talking about the gym. I went to the gym today to do some cardio... at 4:30pm. It was so crowded. I got on the machines I needed, got a locker, and was able to shower. What I missed was my time in the steam room. I just didn't want to go in given that there were so many people going in and out of it. For some reason, I have forgotten how busy Monday nights are at the gym. Acccchhhh!
Since I started working for a grocery store, I have been able to visit the gym at "off hours". I tend to get the pick of the machinery and equipment. I tend to have the steam room to myself. It's so nice to be able to not have to wait for anything or be concious of someone else in the room with you. The lockerrooms also tend to be less populated at times that I go, so I don't have to worry about having a person right on top of me as I try to open my locker. It's all so wonderful and easy-going.
Tonight was just insane. As I got to the gym, I noticed a good amount of people walking into it. That was my first indication of what I was about to face. On the way to the lockerroom, I passed by the weight room which was full of people. Well, that ruled out any chance of me lifting. So, I headed upstairs, with Discman, to do some cardio. The only available Stairmaster was "out of order". For about a millisecond, I considered giving it a try, especially since the guy on the one next to it had a really nice butt. Luckily, there was an available working treadmill, so I jumped on and began walking. That's when I realized that all the machines were now taken. Talk about overstimulated. Acccchhhhh!
I don't know how you guys put up with that. And to think, most of you pay to be part of it. I kinda suck it up because I do get a free gym membership for working for them. I guess I just have to suck it up and deal with it while I have the early shift at work. Accccchhhhh! Later.
After my recent trip to WYSIWYG, I realized that I never read blogs written by women. As a matter of fact, I only read blogs written by gay men. I have started reading one that is written by a bisexual male. But his wishy-washy ambiguous thoughts are beginning to irritate me. So, in order to expand my horizons, I have linked to Chris of
Uffish Thoughts. I found her absolutely hilarious at WYSIWYG. And on top of that, I like her writing. AND she is one of the founders of WYSIWYG. Goddess does not describe.
So there... the barriers have been taken down. I'm not sure why I never read any blogs written by women. Maybe it's because I have always linked to my homo brothers. Maybe it's something subconcious that I need to examine. Nevertheless, I have opened my mind. I feel free. I feel blessed. I guess it was only a matter of time; seeing that the last two strong friendships I have made are with fabulous lesbians. I need to let more women into my life. Later.
On Tuesday night,
He and I went to the
WYSIWYG show. What a blast! I have not laughed so hard in a long time. It was nice to attend something fun that was culturally cutting edge yet not pretentious or elitist. I plan on attending more of these shows in the future. It was sold out, so plan ahead if you go.
He also introduced me to a restaurant that merits mention.
Cacio e Pepe is know for a dish that takes hot pasta, cracked pepper, butter, and herbs, throws them into a block of Percorino Romano, then swirls & tosses it all around to melt the cheese. The pasta is then placed on your plate and the melted cheese scraped on top or it all. For those of you not eating carbs or watching your waistline, god, your life is boring. Eat some fucking pasta, bitches! I am definitely going back to try the olive oil ice cream. Who needs abs when food tastes this good.
I had a great night. The food was divine. The show was funny. The company was great. Since I've been "married" for eight years, I rarely get to spend a night out like some of my single friends do. Thank goodness my partner is not the jealous type. And after almost 12 years of living in New York City, I tend to be jaded about a lot of things. Tuesday night has renewed my love for this City. Thanks Hugo. Later.
Like most of NYC, I too have a cold. It's slowly working it's way down from my head. It's currently in my throat and chest. So by the end of the week, my belly button will feel sick. Come to think of it, my belly felt a bit... well... sickly. Not in bad way. Just in a god-we-ate-too-much way. That was Monday night.
Valentine's dinner was wonderful. We started with shrimp cocktail with tons of lime. We then had some crab and endive salad. I think I will cut down the amount of creme fraiche I used to bind it next time; maybe just lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Then, we had sole meuniere. I love sole. I've been eating it since I was a child. Mike, eh, not so much. Then, crispy skin salmon with string beans and roasted tomatoes. Overall, he loved the meal. We were so full, we decided to skip the Epoisse and sheep's brie. They're still sitting in the fridge.
He remembered that crispy skin salmon was the first meal I cooked for him EVER. It was the first night I went to his place to cook dinner. I stayed "most" of the night. I had to leave early to go catch a flight to Miami the next morning. I hated getting out of bed. I hated having to leave the "cosy-ness". And now I don't have to. Later.
Happy Valentine's Day!!!
Eight years and still going strong. No, not this blog. My partner and I. When I woke up at 5:30am this morning to go to work, he whispered, "Happy Anniversary." It's the little things that make you smile. The little things make you happy. At least, make me happy.
So, dinner tonight is crispy skin salmon, pan-fried sole with a beurre noisette, shrimp, and a crab & endive salad. I also have garlic string beans and roasted tomatoes. For dessert, I have a simple cheese plate consisting of an epoisse and a sheep's milk brie. Of course, some wine.
Before I left for work, he mentioned that I did not have to cook. That we could go out for dinner. I told him that I would rather just cook. Plus, I'd rather not go out on a nasty night like tonight. It's nasty weather-wise and, unfortunately, otherwise. Later.
It's been a beautiful couple of days in New York City. Sunday was so nice, I actually walked around with Janice and my bf. There are very few things that compare to spending a nice lazy Sunday with a couple of your loved ones. I used to love the Winter but as I have gotten older, I cherish the Spring-like days where I can lazily laugh the day away with friends.
It's also quite nice today too. Got up to see the bf off for work. Poured some coffee. Had some breakfast. Threw in some laundry. Put on Ray Of Light CD. There's something about this CD, combined with the nice weather, that just puts me in a good mood. It reminds me of spending 10 days on South Beach with my friend Frank. Back in the day. We had decided to go down for Winter Party. He went a few days early for business. I joined him a day later to just hang and relax. We had a blast. We got as close as any two friends could. For some reason, our soundtrack for that weekend was Ray Of Light. To this day, we still talk about how much fun we had. And any song on the CD brings us back to those days.
It's the only non-mixed-non-dance CD that I can listen to on the treadmill. Even my bf loves this CD. He bought a copy of his own, hence the two copies in our CD cabinet. And like some people, he is not a Madonna fan. He too can listen to the entire CD as he works out. Funny how one thing can bring so many good feelings. Later.
Quite a few years ago, I taught a very popular Step Aerobics class on Sunday night. One Sunday, before class, one of the male participants told me that he would be missing class next week. As my usual response, I said, "Okay." He informed me that he was going to be watching the Superbowl.
I politely smiled and began to walk up the stairs to the aerobic studio. He followed me and said, "I bet your class will be empty next week." I turned around and said, "I guarantee that you'll be the only one missing." He paused, grinned, and said, "I think you may be right."
The next Sunday, he showed up for class. Later.
