and then it was all over

do you know how addicted i am to that So You Think You Can Dance video? everytime i come upon my blog i just have to watch it at least once. it's just too good.

yes, i'm hopelessly behind on trying to keep this thing updated. it's just been a very blah period for me and i just can't seem to get myself motivated. i hope this funk doesn't last too long. i'm too young to be going through mid-life crisis already...

the revelry and summer antics began once law school finished up in mid-May. as soon as finals was over, Senior Week began. as i learned, Senior Week=drunken revelry. the finals party was at ReBar in DUMBO. from what i can remember, the place is pretty nice (trendy, dark and loungey), except when it gets packed it's practically impossible to get drinks and the drinks are pretty pricey for any Brooklyn bar i've ever been to. i think it was the pre-gaming before the Finals Party that got me in trouble altho all i drank was beer and didn't even participate in flip cup and i'm pretty sure i only had 2 or 3 drinks (altho ReBar does make them heavy-handed on the alcohol FYI). for whatever reason, i got trashed. in about half the pics i post here from that night i'm admitting now that i don't remember taking them. and sadly, i lost my jacket that night, which i've only owned for about 5 months (at the time). so sad. tho it led to something funny happening later: i wanted to step outside for some air but didn't have a jacket and it was still pretty cold at the time so Adidas lent me his. i stumbled outside and ran into Buddy who had been drinking around the corner and somehow convinced me it was time to go home. i later found out that Buddy was so wasted that he had passed out at the bar around the corner. anyways, Buddy hailed a cab and was grabbing my arm and pulling me into it (tho i was so drunk it wasn't that hard). anyways, i wake up the next morning and noticed i went home wearing Adidas' jacket. luckily he lives in my building so it wasn't that bed. i bent over to pick it up and realized something else: Adidas' wallet was still in his jacket. i checked my phone and there was a bajillion calls from Adidas, Egg and DRC who i'd walked out on w/o saying bye or letting them know i'd left. needless to say i profusely apologized to Adidas and Egg, altho it turned out it wasn't as necessary to DRC b/c she was also pretty drunk and got into her own hijinx (and it's accompanying scandal but let's leave that alone since it's so over and done w/).

a few days later was a going-away party at M1-5 which was another drinking fest altho way more dramatic and i completely wreaked havoc on my body. point of fact: you should stop drinking when the sun comes up. i didn't heed this advice and was up drinking until 7 am and then woke up at 11:30 am to go to the Mets game w/DRC and the rest of BLS. it was a nightmare riding the 7 train to Shea Stadium and (of course) the seats were very high up and you can imagine how fun that dizzying climb was while i was super hungover. i was so pissed i was in such bad shape that i couldn't eat any stadium food e.g. hotdogs and beer. and poor DRC could tell i was suffering on the subway ride back to Brooklyn. i'm pretty sure i even announced at some point that i just wanted to throw up-not a smar thing to do on the subway.

the week consisted of birthday parties and meeting up w/friends for more drinks and by the end i was burnt out but what a way to go.

the room was spinning

the night before July 4th, the girls and i decided to get together and do a mini-drink fest since nobody had to work the next day. however, i got an unexpected call from my parents who advised me Cousin was in town and had missed her planned flight and had taken a red-eye instead but they hadn't heard from her since. being concerned, she is family after all, i made a few calls and found out she was doing fine and hanging w/Snoopy. it's pretty much obligatory to have to see family when they're visiting, especially when they're visiting from out-of-town. so i made plans to meet up w/her after work and hopefully i would help her get the bus back to Jersey to meet w/my parents for dinner.

except things never go as planned when it comes to Cousin. she's notorious when it comes to time-management.

so i was supposed to meet Cousin in Chinatown around 5:30/6:00 pm. except i know her well enough to anticipate she's going to be late so i told her to call me when she was leaving Grand Central and even gave her directions on how to get to Canal Street from GCT. except of course she didn't do either. she failed to follow my directions and didn't call me until she was already at Canal Street in Chinatown-although i shouldn't complain really b/c she ended up having to wait for me instead of vice versa. we then met up w/Snoopy and by then it was pretty obvious that Cousin wasn't gonna make it back to jersey to have dinner w/my parents so instead Snoopy, Cousin and i ended up getting dinner together instead. and this in turn made me run late to go meet up w/the girls back at Feil. see the chain reaction when it comes to Cousin?

So you think you can dance-bleeding love


luckily, although i missed So You Think You Can Dance (which, aside from the video posted here, i'm not that crazy about-i just can't get into all that ballroom dancing stuff), i didn't miss my favorite show to watch: America's Next Best Dance Crew. phew. we sat around and watched the show, caught up on gossip during the commercials, and then headed over to Trout for drinks. i'm always shocked at how packed Trout is on weekend nights. and not full of law school ppl either but just regular joe-shmoes out for the night. weird. in reality, i didn't really want to go to Trout that night, and the crowd just made it more so but DRC had made a royal edict that if we went to Brazen she would leave or go home. i mean what can you do when 1 of your good friends drops a statement like that? so there was really no choice.

fortunately, we only stayed for 1 drink b/c Shy told me he was at Brazen and we all headed over there after our 1 drink. love this place. maybe b/c it's so cheap. or maybe it's the bartenders who have started to get to know me by face. or maybe b/c it's 2 minutes walk from my apt. anyways, DRC left shortly after we got there and then it was just me, Coleslaw, Shy and his friend. did i mention we were getting free PBRs? my favorite bartender was working that night and, as it turns out, the PBR rep had been in earlier that day so all the PBRs we ordered for free. and we were very grateful. and then Shy's friend bought 2 rounds of shots (1 jack, 1 SoCo & lime). before we knew it, Shy was very drunk. so you ask me, how can i be sure? b/c don't you hate it when ppl think you're drunk when you're definitely not? well, i can be pretty positive b/c later when we were hanging at his place he did 2 very drunk things:
1.he plopped down on the couch and then immediately shot up and announced, "i need water" and proceeded to stand at the sink and chug water.
2.he went to go lay down and then announced, "no good. the room is spinning" and then spent some time sitting up but lamenting the fact that he was tired and just wanted to lay down.

Creepers

one of the things about living in (or near) the city after having grown up in the suburbs is that during the summer you miss having a pool to lay out next to, a backyard to BBQ in, and house parties. luckily for me, Pimento invited a bunch of us to his house in Long Island for a backyard BBQ. upon getting there, i felt like i was back in my hometown-the only thing missing was a pool.

i was totally thrown off by Pimento's initial behavior which was very gentleman and host-like. so not Pimento. as more ppl arrived and more drinks were consumed Pimento turned back into the one i know and love. phew.

even tho i knew it was gonna be a house party and DRC, Coleslaw and i would be going together, it wasn't until we got there that i remembered the "fresh blood" concept. see, whenever you bring new ppl home to a house party where everyone else knows each other and grew up together, it becomes feeding time in the shark tank. and since Pimento's a boy, it figures a lot of the ppl he knew there were all boys and intrigued by the fresh meat to feast on. tho, i'll be clear, they were all for the most part nice and polite. it wasn't until later in the night that things started to get creepy.

as it got later and later and it was apparent that we would be staying over at Pimento's, DRC and i got caught in a trap set by 2 Creepers. it all started w/a joke i played on Creeper1 and then Creeper2 made me feel bad about teasing Creeper1. Creeper2 kept telling me how sensitive Creeper1 is and how i should really go apologize. and so i started to feel a little bad, since we were all guests and these were Pimento's childhood friends and i didn't want to offend anyone. but the straw that broke the camel's back was when DRC started joining in w/Creeper2 and telling me to go and apologize (and she did this all w/a totally straight face). so on DRC's urging i went outside to tell Creeper1 i was sorry. and that's how the set-up was put into action. it managed to separate me and DRC so the Creepers could prey on us individually. after a few traumatizing events, DRC and i finally got on the same page and decide to hold a united defensive front against the Creepers. we refused to separate from each other (altho there were some dodgy moments where DRC would abandon me) and we kept moving from room to room-leaving 1 room whenever they entered it.
except it didn't work. they just kept following us around! i was starting to get seriously creeped out and roped Coleslaw into helping us. so DRC, Coleslaw, Pimento and i moved to an upstairs bedroom to hide out. but the Creepers knocked on the door! so Coleslaw covered for us saying we weren't there and they should go look somewhere else. except they knocked again! this time they used the pretense that they left their cellphone in the room and needed to come in and get it but Coleslaw stood her ground and didn't let them in and eventually they left.

ok, ok, i know this sounds childish but i want to stress the fact we were in an area we didn't know and couldn't get away from and the host (Pimento) was pretty drunk and passed out so it's not like he could've helped us. and it is really creepy to have guys who just don't get the hint. when i'm in a club or bar in the city i have no problem dealing w/creepy guys but that's also b/c i'm in a large crowd w/bouncers and tons of ppl around.

brr...i'm getting creeper chills just remembering this incident.

i rocked Rock Band

after the 4th of July festivities w/friends i went home for a reunion BBQ w/the fam and Debs' fam and cousins. i haven't hung out w/Debs' fam since Jerry & Jing's wedding so it was definitely worth the trip back to Jersey.


even tho the weather was a little crappy (extensive sporadic showers and super humidity), the spread at Debs' was, as always, amazing. there was shrimp cocktail, veggies and dip, and guacamole made from scratch w/tortilla chips. and those were just the finger foods. Debs' mom always makes this delicious green bean, grape tomato and edamame salad (a Rachel Ray recipe) and burgers and steaks galore. then there's my mom's famous potato salad-me and MiniDebs are in love w/it. btw, MiniDebs has grown up into such a hottie! i mean i know it every time i see her but still, it's astounding sometimes when i see her how she grew from a chubby little baby to the skinny tall hottie she now is.


the biggest highlight of the BBQ was when Debs' cousins brought Rock Band for Wii. and i learned a little talent i never knew i had: i can totally sing most of the songs on Rock Band. well, not well, but at least i know most of them. even i was impressed w/myself.

also, as a side note, i managed to make my sister cry b/c i accidentally ate all her blue gummi bears. i swear it wasn't on purpose. i was on the phone talking to Shy and there was the bag of gummi bears sitting next to me so i decided to try 1. and then we kept talking and i just kept taking 1 and then all the blue gummi bears were gone. i did apologize but it was to no avail. she was crying and pissed.

....awkward....

argh...it seems like getting to work always makes me grumpy. today for instance, i had to wait forever for the 4/5 train to arrive. then when i get off at my stop, i always, without fail, get stuck on the stairs behind someone who refuses to let me pass around them yet walks excruciatingly slow. that 1 always makes me the most irritated b/c it's like a torturous death. then i get in the elevator w/2 other ppl and press my button for the 9th floor. the elevator stops on the 4th floor. ok, i can handle that since the 2 other ppl get out and it's just me left in the elevator. except, no wait. those dicks pressed the buttons for 4, 6, and 8 as well! so i'm stuck making all those extra stops on the oldest and slowest elevator ever (ok that's not true but it felt like that at the time). sheesh.

as a more interesting diversion, it's Restaurant Week again! yea!! i know there are those pompous assholes who detest Restaurant Week- i distinctly remember someone specifically announcing "i never order from the Restaurant Week menu" but whatever, they're not as broke me and i'm not as spoiled as those ppl so suck it.

whoops, lost my temper there again. that's not what i meant to say. what i meant to say was that as i was googling restaurants and making reservations, i found out that Top Chef will be filming in Williamsburg this summer! ok, so it might just be a rumor but w/Real World and Top Chef coming to Brooklyn i've gotta admit i'm excited to be validated when i told my Manhattan/Jersey friends that Brooklyn is cool but i know i'm also gonna super-annoyed when the area becomes trendy central. blech.

so that's the rant portion of this entry. on to the main point.

prior to the end of school i attended Transitions Dinner which is an event for the student orgs and honors specific faculty, staff and students for their impressive work. since i'm never gonna win 1 of those awards in my lifetime, i was really just there for the free food and drinks. the dinner was "eh", the drinks were the typical fare and, based on the review of last year's BLS SBA performance (they're not the students' favorite it seems), a lot of the honoring going on was more just going through the motions vs. actual appreciation. however, there was 1 moment that was kind of hilarious.

DRC and i were sitting during the speeches and the newly-elected SBA president was saying a few words and then called up ChaseHoneycut to say a few words. while DRC and i were (of course) listening raptly to these speeches we also were goofing off and making jokes w/each other (as we always do...) and it just happened to coincide that during 1 of our fits of giggling was when ChaseHoneycut was walking up to the podium. it wouldn't have been that bad except the dinner hall had become completely dead silent. so it sounded as if DRC and i were laughing at ChaseHoneycut (which we weren't). it was 1 of the more awkward moments i've been in. it had the same feeling as when you trip and fall in front of a crowded room. everyone was looking at us for a good 5 secs and all we could do was look back at them awkwardly. and then everyone started laughing at us.

yea...super awkward...

you're so cute!

who knew dates still exist, and even more so, that i could possibly go on one? i mean, who would be that bold to risk going on a date w/moi? everyone who knows me knows that 1-on-1 things aren't usually my forte. i think i'm pretty proficient at hanging out w/friends but as soon as it's labelled a "date", i'm much less able to function normally. i get all caught up on thoughts like "what are we gonna talk about", "how much am i gonna eat", "do i have food in my teeth", etc.

this one seemed to go better than usual, maybe b/c it came completely out of the blue. Chop and i have been hanging out on the weekends and on friday i called him to see what his plans were and he surprised me by asking if i wanted to go watch Get Smart w/him. the movie's pretty cute and funny; very family-fare stuff. after the movie we ended up catching dinner around St. Marks area at Village Yokocho. i'd never been there before that night but i've always heard really good things. however, it's a little pricier than my usual spots of Kenka and Yakitori Taisho but the menu's more extensive (it's on par w/the options at Kenka) particularly w/asian-style soups and rices. i think i'll give this place another shot in the winter-i'm sure i'll like it more than this time. it was kind of adorable to see Chop try to figure out the crazy asian menu but he was open-minded and not scared at all in trying new foods.

afterwards, we headed back to Brooklyn Heights and headed over to Brazen Head for drinks where Chop ended up getting very tipsy. i've never seen Chop drunk so this was a new sight and super endearing. Chop's usually very composed and shy but when he gets tipsy he's more open and affectionate. apparently, i am a very "awesome" girl (but this may only be when you've had a few drinks).

on saturday i attended a dinner for my aunt and uncle who just had an adorable baby girl, my new baby cousin. it's so weird to see them as parents b/c they're not that much older than me. this is the same uncle who taught me what "dookie" meant and practiced WWF wrestling moves on me. so weird that he's now a dad. the dinner was in Rego Park and the train ride took forever but seeing the new baby was worth it. there were a ton of little kids at the dinner (i guess that age group is really starting to pop them out) and it totally made me feel my maternal instinct kick in and want a baby. i can't wait to have 1 of my own (although i'm not looking forward to the birthing part).

after dinner i got back to Brooklyn and had every intention of just spending the night in, but then i got a call from Pal who was having a housewarming for their new apartment on St. Marks. i haven't seen Pal since her engagement about a year ago. however, i was still going to skip out on the party except she texted me that DougLife was also there. i haven't seen DougLife since i moved out of Hoboken in 2006. after i heard that, i had to go and see them.

i've never seen an apartment on St. Marks. her place is on my favorite block between 3rd and 2nd Ave. it's kind of small and it's definitely ironic that only after she's become engaged is when she and her fiance get a roommate to live w/. however, while she's definitely changed and grown since the last time i saw her, there are some things that never change. she made me the most delicious drink called Orange Crush (1/2 a fresh squeezed orange, triple sec and rum, but otherwise i'm not sure what else is in there) and got very wasted herself. that's more like the Pal i know. an interesting part of the night was when we were all on the rooftop. i was talking to DougLife when he proceeded to inform me that there was a man in the building next door who was walking around his apartment in speedo underwear. of course i immediately turned around to see. the guy was pretty physically fit but the black teeny-eeny-bikini underwear he had on, along w/his curly longish hair made him look like eurotrash gigolos. it also didn't help that he had a zebra-print rug on the floor of his apartment. since DougLife and i were so interested in the scene, soon the whole party had moved over to look into the guy's window. and the 1 of the very gay members of the party started to cat-call and soon we all were. o well, that's what you get for walking around you apartment in just your underwear and the window shades up.

once the party dwindled DougLife and i went to Bull McCabe's to have a few more drinks and do some more catching up. he's really moving forward in his life, but still the same old hilarious teddy bear he always was. seeing him and Pal really brought me back to those Pressler & Pressler and Hoboken days. we even called Bligh that night out of nostalgia.

sometimes, i really miss those days.

our own Hills cast

so at some point, on a night when DRC and i were recovering at Coleslaw's place, we stumbled upon the MTV Real World/Road Rules Award Show. totally hilarious. it was really all about showing the most memorable moments and then picking a favorite one. o, that and having all the old cast members get completely wasted. sigh, how i sometimes wish i had been able to be on Real World, although not any of the new casts b/c it's only about hooking up and getting wasted, but the old ones. they were the best. it wasn't like jerry-springer-reality-tv every episode. i think i'd wanna be on old Real World or else Inferno b/c that's the most exciting (someone always fights and gets kicked off & someone always goes to the hospital)-but let's be real, i wouldn't last 1 challenge on Inferno.

somehow in the midst of all this, we started talking about the Hills and we decided we could each be a character. writing this right now reminded me of when every woman and her clique of friends did the same thing w/Sex and the City. how times have changed. i can't remember who was who: i think i was Whitney or LC and Coleslaw was Lo but i remember DRC was not happy w/who we labeled her as. which probably means we said she was Audrina (for sticking w/a guy who's a total dick) or Heidi. i don't think it was Heidi (b/c she's my least favorite character) so let's go w/Audrina.

if you love something, set it free...

my last duties as Co-Social Chair of APALSA was the Alumni Dinner. and luckily i didn't have to do much b/c the Alumni Chairs took care of most of it. the only thing i had to really plan or take care of was the after party at Floyd's. the set-up was long and tedious but once that was all taken care of and the dinner started i was completely free to do what i wanted and passed off all duties to the new e-board. so i proceeded to get rocked.

i was so excited to eat the food and hadn't really eaten anything that day so that i could eat all the food. i even got a mountainous plate. and then i got sidetracked somehow. don't ask me how, i can't remember. i don't know how time just flew by but it did and then i had to hurriedly go downstairs and change and head over to Floyd's to set-up the drink deal and tickets with the bartenders. and i ended up not eating any of my food. that just blows.

i remember the beginning of Floyd's. i remember saying "hi" to ppl and forgetting my wallet. yet somehow, i got more rocked as the night progressed. even tho i had no money. interesting. i'm sure there was a lot of generous drink-buying going on b/c i know i had a lot of jack and cokes. any pics taken at Floyd's on my camera are ones i have no memory of.

there was something that happened that night that i do remember tho. and good thing i did. ManEater was out at Floyd's and all the 2L APALSA guys were fawning over her and i noticed Crush hovering on the edges of that crowd of fawning boys. i happen to run into ManEater on the way to the bathroom and we have this convo where she reveals that she thinks Crush is really cute (naturally i agree) and i reveal i have a Crush on crush too. being younger than me ManEater immediately starts eating her words and backtracking but i assure her it's alright: after all, he's obviously like-able or else i wouldn't like him right? who wants a crush that when you tell ppl they give you that "blech" face? through some other weird twist of events i end up being at the bar standing next to Crush and we start chatting. i mention i noticed him noticing ManEater and (in a moment of complete selflessness) i reveal to him that ManEater's definitely interested and he should go over and talk to her. he's kinda shy and takes his time so i give him a few more pushes of encouragement and they're off! and they've been a couple since.

i guess the old adage is true: if you love something, set it free. if it comes back to you, it's yours. if it doesn't, then it never was. ok, so i do understand the logic behind the saying. but i'll admit this: whenever you do "set something free" you do so always hoping that they'll come back and it sucks when they don't.