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Saturday, July 5th, 2008
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1:30 pm - Bike trip
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So, because I'm apparently crazy, I decided to spend my 4th of July Friday biking 60 miles. Turns out, biking 60 miles is tiring. While I don't expect to do it often, it was still a nice trip. Here are some of the highlights:
1. A deer crossed the path about 20 feet in front of me. That was neat.
2. Right in the middle of the bike path was a large black snake. A man was throwing rocks at it. I was more scared of the man than the snake, so I rode by quickly.
3. The terrain was gorgeous. From Hermann to Matson, rolling hills, river, and vineyards on the right; bluffs on the left.
4. Notable smells: damp earthiness; cow dung; smokiness; wine.
5. Things I'll bring next time: sunscreen, seat cushion
6. People I met: friendly fellow cyclers - some alone, some in couples or with children. One guy was riding the same distance I was, and we seemed to end up at the same trailheads at the same time. Another guy I met epitomized my hatred of suave men. I stopped at a brewery to get some dinner around 5:00. In rolls this Matthew-McConaughy-lookalike in a Ferrari, along with his trophy girlfriend - tall, blonde, tan, thin, huge boobs, white tank top and daisy dukes. A guy comments on his nice car. "Thanks," he says ever-so-smoothly. "It's a 2007. They only made about a thousand of this kind." "Wow, well it's really nice," says the patron. That was all he said, but his whole vibe and demeanor made me want to kill him. (Editorial note: No, I do not wish I could a) be him, or b) be with him).
7. I love the biker bars in Defiance....maybe I should get a motorcycle.
Anyway...this was a great week.
On Wednesday I did this fun trampoline workout class with a girl from work...it kicked our butts, but was so much fun.
Last weekend I went to San Diego for Joanne's wedding. It was a great time. I'm jealous that in San Diego you can have an outdoor wedding and know it will be 75 degrees and sunny. It was fun being a bridesmaid. And I love how the couple incorporated all kind of whimsical silliness into the wedding - which is a major facet of their personalities. They walked into the reception to the Star Wars theme, and their first dance was to "The Rainbow Connection."
Mark unfortunately couldn't make it because he still had the kidney stone, but thankfully, that ordeal seems to be done. Two full weeks - can you believe it?
Also, I met an awesome new friend - this guy Dan who was Joanne's grad school classmate and former roomate. We spent much of the weekend hanging out and having a blast. We're going to try to stay in touch.
Those are all the updates for now - hope everyone's having a fun holiday weekend.
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| Saturday, June 21st, 2008
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4:25 pm
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| Monday, June 16th, 2008
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8:10 pm - Fun at the ER
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So the fiance has a kidney stone. Which is like the most horrible thing to think about ever. Thinking about kidney stones produces in me a sensation akin to scratching my nails on a chalkboard while having my toenails ripped out. And I'm pretty sure it's worse for Mark.
So we went to the ER at 5 AM this morning when Mark woke me up in absolute agony. We were pretty sure it was his appendix since the pain was in the lower right, but we were wrong, which is probably for the better.
It SUCKS seeing him in pain - but unfortunately we just need to wait for him to pass it (read: pee it out). Gahhhh, ugh, I really can't think about it.
New topic, new topic.
Um, so I've been biking a lot - today I biked about 10 miles on the Katy Trail after work (a trail parallel to the old railroad tracks that runs across the entire state of Missouri, east to west, and borders the Missouri River. And this weekend I biked the park and local roads. It was pretty nice.
Lately I've been feeling really claustrophic about Missouri though - like I need to get out of here for a few days even though I love living here. Boston had so many great roadtrips within a short distance - the beaches of Cape Cod, the lakes of the Berkshires, the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire, the mansions of Newport Rhode Island, and of course, New York. There's nothing near Missouri, and the nearby terrain is all flat. I want to go somewhere pretty.
And I'm craving something particular. How would I describe it? Less of a sit-on-the-beach-sipping-margaritas, and more of a....hiking or biking along scenic terrain, or taking a road trip somewhere with mountains and lakes. I'm wanting the west of the northwest - parts of the country I haven't explored much.
It's not just Missouri - it's my particular area that's draining my soul a bit. I love the convenience of suburbia, but I feel like I'll shoot someone if I have to look at one more Qdoba, Panera, or Target.
This weekend Mark and I were driving through the Loop on our way to hear Nick Swardson (Comedian) at the Pageant, and being in the Loop reminded me of all that I miss. There were hippies selling hemp necklaces; Jews for Jesus proselytizing; the farmers market selling fresh local produce; young couples eating at cafes that line the sidewalk; and people who stay up past 10:00 on a Friday night.
I need a change...if only for a few days.
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| Sunday, June 15th, 2008
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7:57 pm - Also random
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6:27 pm - random
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I know this is totally cheesy, but I love the song "God bless the broken road." So romantic.
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| Friday, May 23rd, 2008
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9:32 pm - Friday night updates
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1. Mark bought the Amazon Kindle. It is SO frigging cool. It's apparently Amazon's first product. Basically it's a wireless device you can use to read books. The screen looks just like reading an actual book - doesn't have that computer glare that hurts your eyes. And it's a good value, because even though you pay $400 for it, you can then buy Amazon books for it at around $8-$10 or even less. Far less than you'd normally pay.
2. We met with the Rabbi yesterday who will hopefully be marrying us. He rocks so hard - we really felt like we could open up and be ourselves. It's very fortuitous, because he's in St. Louis now but moving to Boston in a few weeks, where he'll be the Rabbi at my parents' synagogue! Crazy coincidence. I told him it was really nice to talk to him about Mark and my relationship, because it feels like all everyone wants to talk about is the dress, the flowers, the band....you get the idea. I hadn't really noticed it until we started asking us what we loved about the other. If you're curious, my response was that I love Mark's sense of humor, intelligence, and character/integrity. His response was that I'm "brilliant, funny, and a great person."....so apparently we love the exact same things in each other. We did have to explain the embarassing fact that we met through the Conservative Leadership Association when I was its President, and then we went on and on about how we don't hate gay people and love war and stuff.
3. First friend my age announced today that he and his wife are going to start trying to have babies soon.....and so it begins.....
4. I decided life is too expensive. Okay, so next month is Joanne's wedding in San Diego (yay!), but unfortunately Mark's 30th birthday is the day before....the day we'd have to spend traveling. So I suggested we add on a mini- California vacation of some sort. Maybe San Fran, maybe wine country, LA...or an extra day in San Diego to do the zoo and sea world and stuff....Yeah, so it turns out that even if we just do the extra day in San Diego (i.e. no extra flights or anything), it would cost about $400 extra between hotel, airfare increase, car rental, and attractions. That sucks. So we need to do something else. But yay for Joanne's wedding! My fish-head will be a gorgeous bride.
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| Tuesday, May 6th, 2008
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7:32 pm
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Okay, I have a shameless boy-toy crush on David Archuleta from American Idol. He's so frigging adorable and sweet and talented! He's like 10 years younger than me and looks 15 years younger but YUM.
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6:30 am - Wedding!
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So after briefly floating the idea of a destination wedding in Hawaii past my old man yesterday (it was shot down within seconds), we at last have our wedding date and venue:
We are getting married on Saturday night, October 17 2009 at Boston's Fairmont Copley Plaza.
Yay!
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| Sunday, April 27th, 2008
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9:48 pm - A little annoyed
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Okay, keep in mind when I make this post that it is not directed at any one person - and it is not directed at any person who (that I'm aware of) reads my livejournal.
Here's the thing. I have a lot of sympathy for people who are single and want to be in relationships and just haven't found the right person yet. But I feel like in some of these cases, it's because the person is looking for the wrong things - namely: looks, wealth, or an impressive resume.
I understand that these things aren't inconsequential. Physical attraction is necessary in a relationship, and likewise I understand the desire to not live in poverty. I understand that professional success is attractive - because aside from wealth, it may sometimes indicate ambition and confidence.
But I'm sick of people who are looking for the dream promised to them by tv, magazines, and films. Ask anyone who's been happily married for a long time: the key to a happy marriage is friendship. It's being able to confide in a person and work as a team. I'm so annoyed with how superficial our society is. And I get annoyed with all the talk of one person being 'out of another's league.' Think of how different things would be if a person's 'league' were not defined by his/her social standing but by his/her character.
I dunno...I also tend to find superficial, suave guys repulsive (not that you can't be rich and kind, of course). But that type of guy....the one Matthew McConaughy portrays in like every movie he's in. I know I'm supposed to find him irresistable, but I'm completely disgusted by him. Ugh.
Okay, off soapbox.
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| Friday, April 18th, 2008
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12:22 am - South Park
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If you're a South Park fan, you MUST check out the latest episode, "Overlogging." It's the funniest one I've seen in a long time.
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| Wednesday, April 16th, 2008
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9:45 pm - Craziness
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Okay, so my parents went to take one last look at the two contenders for wedding venues tonight. They wanted to see how they looked when it was dark outside. One of them they had an appointment, but the other, the Copley, they just stopped by.
So they walk into the room where the reception and ceremony would be, and there were two guys who didn't look like hotel employees, and very dramatic theatrical lights and incredibly ornate table settings.
"Can we help you?" One of the men asked my father.
"We're considering this site for my daughter's wedding. Can I ask what the event is that you're setting up for? It looks unusual."
"We're actually filming a film here tomorrow."
"No way! Which film?"
"It's called The Bride Wars. I'm the Set Director, and this is the Creative Director. Comes out in 2009."
"Jesus! Who's in it?"
"Nobody important, really."
.....
On the way out, my dad sees a sign. "Filming for The Bride Wars Starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson." (Also has Candice Bergen, as I later found out from Googling).
Dad asks the person at the front desk, "Are Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway actually going to be here tomorrow for the filming?"
"Yes," he replied.
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8:54 pm - Addendum...
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Also, I ate quite possibly the most unhealthy way a person could eat today. Literally....don't think I've ever been this bad.
Breakfast - nothing. In a rush to leave.
Lunch - me and VP of dept ordered chinese since we had to work through lunch. Shrimp lo mein and crab rangoon.
Dinner - Was it work until 6:30 so ate doritos from the vending machine and a large piece of leftover chocolate cake from colleague's birthday. I was still starving because of course those foods are not nourishing, so I went to McDonalds. 6 chicken nuggets plus like 3 bites of a grilled chicken sandwich.
That's right. I ate chicken. Because I was starving and it was there. Yup, so on top of my semi-crappy day, I'm a hypocrite.
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8:25 pm - Kind of sad
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I'm in a kind of sad mood...nothing huge, just....I dunno. I'm pretty overwhelmed with work. And the VP of my dept knows it...the problem is we're understaffed, but there's a soft freeze on hiring for the moment due to concerns that earnings will be low this year thanks to the recession. So we're trying to make due with what we've got, which means all of us working like crazy.
But...at least my bosses and colleagues rock, and apparently the CMO has told the VP of the dept that he thinks I'm smart. And he wrote me a really nice email last week saying he's been impressed with my work. So that's nice to hear.
Sorry if I'm bragging a little. One of my character flaws that I'm trying to work on is a tendency to brag. And now here I am doing it. Probably because I'm feeling insecure so I need to boost myself up. But a few months ago someone really important to me told me that I should just try to be a good person quietly - not to wear it on my sleeve. And the person was right. When I think about the people I admire most, they don't try to advertise how great they are to the world. It's self evident.
Anyway, I'm really annoyed with a few of my Republican friends lately. I feel like they are the living, breathing stereotypes of the heartless conservative. No ability to put themselves in someone else's shoes.
The issue that came up was immigration, and one of them was apparently upset that they don't "just learn to speak English." Being from a pretty ethnically diverse town in Boston and having several friends who were first or second generation immigrants, this really annoyed me. Think about what it must take to pick your life up and move to a new country where you don't speak the language or understand the culture. Of course you often do it because there's opportunity there, but it sometimes takes until one or two generations down the line for that opportunity to be realized. It's very hard to learn a new language when you come here at age 40. And guess what? English-speaking Americans aren't lining up to befriend 40-year-old immigrants who don't speak their language. So it's hard to adjust. But this person is more concerned that he not have to overhear so much as a word of Spanish (living in St. Louis, by the way, not Miami).
The other Republican friend is annoying me because he believes there is only one proper way for a person to live. Every person should get married and have children, and the latest is that the appropriate number of children to have is 5. For all people. Everywhere. I literally asked about cases where there was a 100% chance of transmitting a debilitating genetic disease, and he stuck with his argument.
The tough thing to reconcile is that both of these guys are really nice people on many levels. Both have stood by me when I needed someone to listen. Both are really sweet and attentive and make it a priority to ask what's going on in my life. And I wouldn't call them superficial people either. They both care about being moral. I know....people are complex, and I should be less judgmental.
Oh well...this weekend I'm going to NY to have Passover w/Mark's family. I'm looking forward to it, although I have to bring tons of work with me. And on Sunday my friend Ron Jackups from college is staying with me, so that'll be fun. Sigh...I'm really exhausted. I need sleep.
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| Sunday, April 13th, 2008
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12:34 pm - Romantic comedies
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I think I decided I just don't like romantic comedies as a genre. Obviously there are a few exceptions, but I'm just getting more and more annoyed by them with time. Except for Keeping the Faith, which is on my top 10 favorite movies list.
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| Sunday, April 6th, 2008
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8:00 pm - I have issues...
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Okay, so I seriously have a problem or something. I like to think of myself as pretty cultured. My father is extremely knowledgeable about classical music, and started taking me with him to symphony from a young age.
But for whatever reason, I cannot handle opera. And I don't just mean I dislike it. I mean....one time my friend Ashley took me to an opera when we were in college, and I started laughing uncontrollably. Something about the melodrama and the way it's expressed. This woman was doubled over clutching her abdomen in pain over an unrequited love. I had to bury my face in Ashley's shoulder to prevent an outburst. It was HORRIBLE!
Fast forward to this weekend. Mark and I were hanging out with a group of friends, and it was one of those gatherings that was left up in the air. We had dinner at one of their houses, and then they said we'd either play board games, watch Arrested Development, or go to symphony. All sounded great - how could we go wrong? We decided symphony it was.
Mark casually asked what the piece they'd be playing. "Fidelio," they said. "Beethoven's only opera."
"Oh no," I said.
"What?" they were perplexed.
"I can't do opera."
"huh?"
"I laugh. I'm apparently too immature to handle the genre."
I explained that the melodrama was too much for me. They reassured me that it wouldn't be "acted." Just sung.
But sure enough....it was acted enough that I could not contain myself, and I started convulsing uncontrollably. I think Mark kind of wanted to kill me for embarassing him. I asked if I could switch to a seat near the door in case I had an outburst, and that annoyed him more.
The whole thing was just hilarious. I know it's immature, but I really can't control it.
Anyway, the rest of the weekend was awesome. Great weather, rode my bike a ton, had a picnic in the park w/Mark, we went on a date Friday night, got a lot of shopping done. Just perfect start to finish.
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| Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
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6:37 pm - Ugliest and prettiest states
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Mark and I were just discussing which states have the most hot - and least hot - people. Here's what we picked as our top 5 of each:
Hottest:
1. Arizona
2. California
3. Florida
4. Georgia
5. South Carolina
Least Hot:
1. Michigan
2. North Dakota
3. Missouri
4. New Jersey
5. South Dakota
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| Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
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3:38 pm - Best ever Onion article
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12:12 pm - Home again
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Coming home to Boston is always such a journey down memory lane. When I look at my room, it's as if time stopped. On my desk are the acting trophies I got at age 13; the picture of my high school field hockey team after our pumpkin-carving party; a picture of me and Ali at prom. If you dig a little deeper in some of the stacks of paper, some issues of Seventeen Magazine, the bible of my preteen self. And I'm just now looking at a "book" I authored in first grade - complete with illustrations - called "My Grandma." (Or more accurately, "My Grama"). Under the "About the Author" section is says: "I like pizza. My name is Emily and I am seven." I remember my parents laughing at me for that at the time, and I didn't understand why.
And how could I forget my diary...
I started keeping a diary when I was in third grade and wrote in it every day. The entries were things like:
"I'm THIS close to beating Super Mario 3. Just have to figure out how to get through the maze level in World 8."
OR
"Camp was AWESOME today. I did wood-working and soccer."
I started updating it more and more sporadically over the next few years, and by the time I got to seventh grade, there was only one entry:
"I want to f*** Adam so hard. Seriously, I want to f*** his brains out."
Wow.
Anyway, I'm home this weekend for a business trip on Monday, which I've coupled with a wedding-planning weekend. So last night I was going to bed and started reading through my high school yearbook. We all look so young. It was hard to believe that the high schooler I was looking at is engaged and has a career. And even weirder when I looked at the picture of my mother holding me as a baby. "That baby girl is engaged," I kept repeating to myself in marvel. But anyway, I started reading the things people wrote when they signed my yearbook. Here are some of them:
Dear Emily,
I am so happy I've gotten to know you over these past two years. I remember walking into Ms. K-J's class and talking to you. I thought you were beautiful. I'm so glad I've gotten to know that you're so much more than that! You've got so much love in your heart that I know will change things. Know that I support you and I will always support you and that I consider you one of my best friends. I wish you the best at "Wash Jew." I hope you find a Jewish boy that will fulfill your dreams.
Love,
Katherine Glickler
Dear Emily,
Well, I think we have said what needed to be said. We have certainly been through everything together. Still, through all our trials and tribulations (excuse the cliche!) we have endured. You know how much I love you. (You better keep in touch or I will kick your tuchas!) Words really cannot express truly how I feel, but whenever you read through this, wind back to the recesses of your mind and take the memories with you.
:-)
Love always,
Dana
Ben Roberts (written in Hebrew)
At times, I remember. Of what, I know not? The random darkness of fond memories assault me. Though I cannot decipher my own thoughts, I can remember a sweet personality and a deep set kindness that surrounds your image.
The future looks at
You with fondness and kindness
Emily is luck
-Ben Roberts
My Dearest EmKatz,
I love you dearly! We've been through so much this year, so many trials, and survived. I'm better for having known you. I'll remember your thong thong thong thong thong thong thong (editor's note: picture of ass with thong drawn). Eating at Ground Round and Friendly's, rides in Rebecca and Ben's cars, you falling asleep during movies, meeting Danny, James, and David S., your family who I loved, your house, and your strangely colored bedroom, that vacation where I saw you almost every day, etc etc. But anyway, I know we'll stay friends, I wouldn't dare lose a friend like you. You mean a lot to me, you've been kind and understanding when I was in pain, and I appreciate that so much. So anyway, we'll see each other over the summer, and visit each other at school. I love you!
Love, Dara
XOXOXOXO
So I started thinking, and a few themes popped out once I finished reading everything that everyone wrote.
The first is that it seems almost everyone - or at least everyone I was friends with - viewed high school as something of a survival test. There was this feeling of relief at the end that we really made it through - and a feeling of deep camaraderie that comes from surviving a difficult experience together. When I talk now to my friends, there's still that level of love and friendship, but usually the heaviness is absent.
Another thing I started thinking about was what my high school self could learn from my current self - and vice versa. Could I learn anything from this person who I now see as a good-hearted girl who was struggling with depression and self esteem and family troubles? I noticed that the word most often used to describe me among those who signed my yearbook was "kind."
Kind is still the most important value in my book. It runs deeper than being nice. Nice is just polite. Kind is loving; understanding; compassionate; and forgiving. I also think it has a connotation of being humble - maybe bordering on naive. My friend Stephen Carson talked about how he thinks we have a tendency to view kind people in this way - as naive, as wanting to see the good in people so much that they fail to see the harsh reality of the world. He said this in the context of Christ...how Christ was deeply kind, and yet KNEW, in the deepest sense, man's sinful nature.
So I wondered, would people still use that word to describe me? I think I'd still use it to describe myself - but something has changed a little that it's hard to put my finger on. I'm still sort of naive - albeit less so. I'm still a plain person not terribly into material possessions - well, at least compared with other people of my upbringing. I'm still caring. It's just that now...if a friend is having a problem, I listen to them and try to offer counsel....but we're not lying on my bed until 2am crying and hugging.
Maybe it's just that we're adults now, and we're happier than we were then. But if I am in any way less kind than I was back then, I need to sit and rethink my priorities.
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| Thursday, March 13th, 2008
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8:58 pm
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| Tuesday, March 4th, 2008
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9:20 pm - Quite a day
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So I always thought American Jewish people had a tendency to overstate the amount of anti-semitism that exists in our country. I have simply never had an incident with anti-semitism. I'm one of only two Jewish people in my department of 50, and my experience has been that non-Jewish people are fascinated to learn about Jewish culture and rituals. I'm often asked questions about the religion, and the closest it ever gets to off-color is when people will jokingly offer me bacon or laugh when the Christmas tree gets placed right outside my office.
But okay, maybe people are just nice to my face. What do they REALLY think about Jews? My guess is: they don't. I simply don't think it's any more part of their lives than thinking about Baptists is part of my life.
I still believe this, but today Mark experienced an anti-Semitic incident for the first time. Part of his job (thankfully, a small part) is to handle customer service. Mark's boss has a Jewish last name, and when an angry customer couldn't get a refund, he called Mark and yelled and used anti-Semitic phrases.
Mark was really upset by it. It's very unfortunate that these sentiments still exist in our country, even if in small numbers. Have any of you experienced open hostility due to your race or ethnicity?
Anyway...
So it was nearly 80 degrees here on Sunday, and today we got a foot of snow in Creve Coeur. They didn't even bother to plough our apartment's lot, so I (and several other motorists) got stuck in the snow trying to park. So get this: these three young guys who were random residents (sheerly out of good will) were helping to shovel and get everyone out of the snow. So two of them pushed my car while the other drove. I fell flat on my ass - not once, but twice in front of them. It was so much fun - I was laughing so hard. Then the one who was driving started skidding and lost control, and the car started coming toward me....at only a few mph, but still scary, and I screamed. The whole ordeal was both fun and hilarious.
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