Oh this is the start of something good, don't you agree?

Okay, so the gorgeous Allison has requested I make a new blog post so that she doesn't have to see my bloody finger anymore and I kinda think she's right! So lucky for Ali and the rest of you tired of looking at my mangled claw, I've got an announcement:

I'm moving to Raleigh in the middle of February!

My last day of work is February 4 (a Wednesday) and my birthday is Sunday, February 8. I also found out as I got home tonight that Brian & Bobby got tickets to see "The Daily Show" on February 9, so I am going to go with them and then drive down to Raleigh that week and try to find a job, etc. I'll couch hop with Jay and Sara & TJ and who knows maybe Clif'll let me crash for a night. At least the slumber party will distract me from the absolute terror I have about finding a job haha. I told my bosses at work and although I was scared to do it, I was really more just sad in general. It's a nice place to work and they're really good bosses and I like the people I work with so it's kinda like I'd be losing more friends.

But anyway.

I'm really excited and really scared. I'm excited because I think that it'll be a great new chapter of my life but I'm scared about finding a new job. I accepted back in 2007 when I decided that if it came to it, I'd be the one to move that it would mostly mean giving up 90% chances of ever having a job in the fields that I have my degree in (Communications with focuses in Journalism & PR as well as a minor in English & Theatre). I worry too much and I think too much. And nothing is or will EVER be as beautiful as New York City and that's a fact. BUT I like Raleigh and even though it's clear that I will really want to end up back in NY someday, I cannot wait to start a new life there.

I'm just going to miss my friends. I'll miss Cassidy (bitch moved back from North Carolina as I was moving there), Tricia, Julia, Amanda, Amanda, Ali, Ian, Brian, Claudio, Randy, Anthony, Joe & Steph, Eddie, Bobby, and everyone around here that I know I'm not mentioning (forgive me). I'll miss the BTR crew, Annie & Jeff & Max & Maia and all of our mid-day margaritas. I'll miss Yankee games with Angri & Sabella & Storey. I'll miss my dog Strider. But most importantly I'll miss my family: my parents, sisters, grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousin. Just as way excited as I am to move, I'm just as sad that I won't get to see them whenever I want to anymore. I know that this post sounds somewhat shaky but I made this decision with both my heart and my head and I'm certain that it's the right one.

It's gonna be a big adjustment and I'm really gonna need a lot of support from all sorts of places.

Oh, and I'm gonna need a job if anyone's hiring...

'Kink' Just Got Kinkier

So who remembers when I shared with the world the view directly across the from my office window? Well, I got into work today to find that the Kink Museum of Sex has accessorized a bit:

Yes, that does say "Golden Showers," "Penetration," "Scat," "Mudlarking," & "Knicker Wetting." At work before, Jeff & I were trying to figure out what "Shrimping" is. I was going to look it up on urbandictionary.com, but got too lazy.

Updated: I did just look it up. Oooookay then. Shrimping. Anti-climatic. Probably doesn't taste as good as actual shrimp, either.

Yeah, Astoria.

Amanda and I are officially moved into our new apartment in Astoria! Yay, NYC livin' :) I'm too lazy to write about it, so enjoy some videos we made on our first night. OH! I had to go into the office really quickly during move-in day & was SO exhausted from not sleeping one bit the night before that I was waiting in the subway to go back to the apartment, just totally spacing out when some random dude just walked up to me and handed me this note:

SO funny. He didn't try to hit on me or anything like that. He just handed it to me, I thanked him & he shook my hand and thanked me for being so "hot" and then WALKED AWAY! It was SO random but it had been a rough ass like 9 days & it was just an awesome NYC story lol

Okay vidoes! A virtual tour:


I had a little trouble...

The end.

Peel out the watchword

What kind of world is it when these are the top headlines on PEOPLE.com?

Also, I just read in amNY, the free daily newspaper you get at train stations, subways, etc. that the New York City Council is looking to adopt a "symbolic" ban of using the N-word.

"I'm hoping this is the beginning of a move forward to a place where the use of the N-word is simply unacceptable," Councilman Leory Comrie (D-Queens) said after presenting a website called http://www.abolishtheword.com/.

Not that anyone cares, but to throw my 2 cents in: Just when exactly in present day society has it been acceptable to use that word? Not for nothing, but maybe Councilman Comrie should target the black communities to get them to stop throwing the word around because I don't know any white people who aren't Eminem, Paris Hilton or Michael Richards that use that word. Yet I was waiting for the subway last weekend & heard a group of young black men using that word like they were gonna get a dollar every time they said it. Maybe NY is more progressive than most places or the diverse world I grew up in gives me a reverse ignorance of sorts. While I'm not condoning the use of the word, isn't that ban somewhat contradicting that a little thing called the 1st Amendment? The N-word shouldn't be used because people make the conscious decision to stop using it because they find it morally wrong, NOT because a city council tells them they can't.

Sex is staring me in the face.

Ok, so first week at real job is almost over, woot woot. Sorry that I didn't really tell anyone about it; it happened quickly & it's a pretty freaking sweet job. I was kinda afraid that maybe it was too good to be true so I didn't want to make a big deal of it. I'm the editorial director for an online indie radio station called BreakThru Radio. Admittedly, I don't know a whole lot about indie music, but I do know something about writing, publicity & promotions so holler. I'll learn quick, it's just a matter of becoming familiar with artists, DJs, venues, etc. I actually work with Annie Russell so it'll be just like capping (Marist's senior class that everyone has to take & pass in their majors in order to graduate - Annie, Julia, Rachel, Courtney King & I made our own magazine, which was SO awesome) all over again, only with paychecks & free lunches twice a week. Sweet.

Anyway, I actually started this post to share with everyone the view that's directly across the street from the window in the office:

Please note that the sign to the right of the entrance reads, "Please do not touch, lick, stroke or mount the exhibits." Uh-huh, that's right. Dirrrrty.

P.S. Here's my new favorite thing. It's a spoof on Jeter/A-Rod's friendship. Fun for fans of all teams.

The audience loves him! (And he loves the audience for loving him.)

I got back from Marist the day after the Angri-Storey gala around 4ish. I hopped on a train to NYC to meet up with Julia & Ali to go see Eddie's off-Broadway debut, "What We Understood." I'm so proud of my Home Fry! :) It was really well done, written by some of the actors. It talked about how we react to different choices & circumstances & relationships in our lives, relating current situations in the play to each characters' past. The acting was impressive. Normally, student shows can be painful to watch cause they just don't have the right balance between art, acting & production. But it was really good. Julia & I were almost freaking out at some parts bc we felt like some of it was "really speaking to us" (insert awkward laughter). Afterwards, we all went to one of Eddie & my new fav places, Rendezvous (8th & 46th). On the way back to Penn, we took one of our awesome Coll/Eddie pics (not as awesome as our Britney/K-Fed picture, but close).

Worked all day Sat. with a wicked cough, likely due to the weather actually deciding to act like it was Jan. & the past few nights of 4 hours sleep. Sat. night was a 60th bday party for an uncle at a really nice party hall. Resurrected the Banquet/Sr. Formal/Tonys dress. I love that freaking dress.

I played hookie from work on Sunday to visit Julia & the Brooklyn Museum. We wanted to go to the Annie Leibovitz photo exhibit since it was closing that day. Neat-o. We also explored the Egyptian floor (mummies are rad). Afterwards, we went to some panini place in Park Slope Jules just discovered. I can't wait til Amanda & I get our apartment in Brooklyn & I can do shit like that all the time (not like I don't do it now anyway, but that I can do that shit & not have to sit through a train ride every time). 4 1/2 months...

Why are Allison & Julia so hot?

This may be a terrible picture of me, but Eddie still thinks I taste good...(?)

Did someone say "Peep Show"?! Home Fries are SO there.

(Caution: Mean Girls alert) I'm just here with my boyfriend...

Divas Take Manhattan

It's been a busy, busy few weeks with work @ AT, the "real job" hunt, the podcast & lots of crazy adventures. It'll be a massively long post if I talked about everything at once, so I'll just go in order over the next few days.

First weekend in Jan., as mentioned in "Don't go across the tracks," Allison, Amanda, Julia & I met up at Ali's apartment in Chelsea for a little diva reunion. (After I finally got there,) we (sadly) skipped the tree in Rockefeller Center in favor of dinner bc we were all starving. Julia took us to this place called Gingerman's on 34th that had beer from around the world. If you ever go, get one of the hot dogs. They're faaaabulous. We went back to change & decided to go to Marquee around 11:30pm. Ali lives just a few blocks from all those "trendy celeb" hangouts so it was lovely to not have to walk far. It was also ridiculously warm for Jan., as we were wearing short sleeves/tank tops without jackets. The club is pretty sick nasty, but you can only sit down if you buy a bottle of wine or Grey Goose or Cristal for $250, minimum. We were not all about that. However, we had a secret weapon: Ali's freaking hot. She's "that blonde girl" that everyone always stops to hit on, no matter where you are. Ali took care of finding boys to let us sit down & share their Grey Goose. But I get ahead of myself.

So, no matter where I go, I'm always all about exploring the joint. I have to know everything about everywhere & what the deal is. It's the reporter in me. After quizzing one of the bouncers near the bar, I decide the place for us to be is upstairs. At some point, Ali asks - and I quote - "Coll, what shot can I get that will get us the most fucked up?"

Never ask me that question.

I'm trying to figure out what level of inebriation that everyone's at (which at 11-f'ing-dollars a drink really wasn't that high at all), combine it with what time of night it was, divide it by number of non-sketchy hot dudes in the place who I'd trust buying one of us a drink (I'm picky & judgemental so that number was also very low) & then multiply that whole equation by just how nice I'm feeling at the moment. I consider going for Rumplemintz...because who doesn't like 150-proof toothpaste? But I can't do that to the girls. So I opt for 151. Yeah, I don't know why either. I think I was bitter that I'd been there for 2 hours, only had like 2.5 drinks & getting another would cost another $11. So I rationalized that I was doing everyone a favor.

No one threw up, but no one could quite breathe for a good minute afterwards. I've done 151 with Frankie & Brian at home and it's never seemed quite as evil as it did at that moment. Luckily, I came to my senses quick enough to ask for a glass of water for everyone to chase with.

So Ali finds some dudes to let us sit at their table. I become bored with them very quickly & turn to my left and make friends with these 2 gay guys, Mark & Lee, who lived in Canada & Michigan and had just spent New Years in Egypt. I'm fascinated by people's travel stories & quickly ignore the girls & the table of dudes and talk to my new BFF's for the next hour & a half. At some point, they start pouring me Grey Goose & tonic. OH - Dennis Rodman was at the club but I'm surprised I even remember the entire night. I didn't realize how much overpriced vodka I drank until after we got home. Ugh. It was not fun.

The next morning, we all woke up & I had the hangover that lasted the entire day. I'm talking I felt like shit until I got off the train at 8pm. I've only been hungover 3 times in my entire life - that being the third. Now I remember why I usually cut myself off & start drinking water about an hour before I leave a bar even if I'm not driving. We walked around, got bagels, went to see the tree (hooray!), went to Central Park & then got dinner. Ali got hit on a bunch more times. I don't know how she deals with it. Frankly, if someone had tried to hit on me in the middle of Jamba Juice at noon while hungover, I'd probably have to have a very intense inner dialogue to keep myself from dumping my drink on their head. It was overall a very pleasant day. I had an awesome time, we're going to all meet up again soon, maybe around my birthday (Feb. 8). Hopefully Meagan can come this time.

Allison, Coll, Julia & Amanda - I mean Lipschitz, Pop, Six & Squish

I love lamp! And 70-degree weather on January 6!

Ali's good at Photoshop. Hooray.

Looks like the Grinch won this round.

Amanda covering her mouth is an unnatural thing.

Don't go across the tracks

Ok, so last weekend, I went into the city again to party it up with the divas (Amanda Giordano, Julia, Allison Caruana & a no-show Meg Donoghue). A lot of fun, but it was an adventure & a half from the start of the night.

I get to the Hicksville train station & discover that all trains except my own are delayed because of "track conditions." One train was even delayed 62 minutes. I would've freaked out. But I stayed calm; my train ended up only being about 8 minutes late. Get on the train, it's moving somewhat slower than usual, but at least I'm moving. We were all supposed to meet up around 6:30pm at Ali's apartment in Chelsea. At this point, I'll get there only about 15 mins late. No biggie. Then we get to the Hillside facility. At Hillside, they tell us that our train is going to be delayed "indefinitely" & we could get out, walk around, whatev. I'm thinking, "Grrreeeaaat!" But I was still uncharacteristically calm & unbothered. Luckily, it only 10 minutes before our train started moving again. (Naturally, I stayed on the train so I could continue rereading Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets.)

We start moving & all's well in that glorious 6 or so minutes it takes to get to Jamaica, a big station where most lines run through & you can transfer, etc. The train stops & without warning the conductor announces, "Train service between Penn Station & Jamaica has been terminated. All passengers must get off the train."

Everyone's confused. There's another announcement: "Anyone who wishes to continue to Penn Station at this time can board the train to Brooklyn & take the subway up to Penn Station." That was it. No "Sorry for the inconvenience on this disgustingly muggy, misty evening!"

So I got on the train to Brooklyn with about half of the other confused passengers. I ask around & find out which stop will take me to a subway line that I needed to get to Ali's. Because I'll talk to anyone, I make friends with this 48ish-year-old woman named Kathleen because she was talking about how she was supposed to be doing a table reading of Taming of the Shrew. She ends up being a minister who had family members go to Marist & genius kids ages 18 & 23. We chat til I get to my stop. Or so I think. The train kept on going. Turns out, the A-line skips 8th & 23rd - only the C & E take you there. I had to get off at Penn Station. I was so impatient at that point that I just walked the 12 blocks/1 ave to Ali's. I got there, drenched in sweat. My newly cut hair was unfortunately frizzed & ruined. It was gross.

My parents saw on the news during my endeavors that someone had been hit by the train. It ended up being a 12-year-old boy who snuck through a hole in a fence down ONTO THE TRAIN TRACKS TO DO GRIFFITI & ended up getting hit. His parents are now screaming at everyone about how it's MTA's fault for having a hole in their fence. No, fuckers. It's YOUR FAULT for not teaching your kid that while defacing public property is wrong, playing on the fucking train tracks is just plain stupid. 13-yr-old boys will be 13-yr-old boys, but at 13-yrs-old, one should know that playing on the train tracks will get you a one-way ticket to the Darwin Awards.

As I was recapping my story that evening, it was still when we thought that someone had jumped on the tracks. I have come to the conclusion that committing suicide by jumping in front of a train during rush hour is probably the most selfish thing that you can do. It's how Randy would kill himself. It could even be more selfish than stealing from the poor box, I don't know. You're not only inconviencing yourself/loved ones by dying, you're also now affecting thousands of commuters who just wanna get where they're going. Could you BE any more selfish? Granted, someone who's trying to kill themselves probably isn't really in a very logical frame of mind, but as Gob would say, "Come ON." Don't make everyone else suffer bc you think your life isn't worth living. If you thought no one cared about you before, certainly no one will care about you after you've made them wait 5 hours on a train while police clean up your gallbladder from track 2. If you really want to do the train thing, get a razor, find a bathtub & go down the tracks that way.

That is all. More on the weekend/pictures later on. Ali & Amanda posted up pictures on Facebook, though. Ali did my make-up that night & I really don't look like myself at all. I think I'm just gonna stick with my eyeliner & mascara & call it a day.

Coll & Steph's Excellent Adventure

So last Saturday (Dec. 30), Speranza & I ventured into NYC to attend Tom "Jimmy" Durante's 23rd birthday gala. Jimmy was one of my editors when I interned at the Long Island Press last summer/winter. Steph wanted some excitement so she decided to come along. It was at some bar in Little Italy. There was karaoke. It was wonderrrrrful. We had a very long & interesting conversation about life, lessons, soulmates, fate, etc. throughout the entire night. We decided that we definitely knew each other in another lifetime (if there actually is such a thing as "reincarnation" & that she must've been some sort of teacher to me). She blogged about it in her MySpace blog, which is definitely worth a look (the entire blog, not just this post).

It's funny how we revert to spirituality, philosophy and the like when we need introspection on our own lives, when we feel lost & need some sort of explanation or change in our belief system in order to find reason, relief, peace, comfort & strength. But aren't we all just a little lost in some way or another? Just goes back to what I think is the fundamental human act of protecting ourselves: Do what you have to do to survive. Cause at the end of the day, isn't it all about survival?

Here's the story told through pictures & video:

Yeah, she's kinda really hot.

And I'm kinda really silly.

When will the subway arrive?

But why is the fun park in Chinatown locked?
Time to celebrate Tom "Jimmy" Durante's birthday in Little Italy!

Steph's got a total eclipse of the heart (link).

Here's a video of both of us trying to sing it. We're so funny, I can't stand it.

Peace & love, baby. Peace & love.

Over-analytical Depressive Fuckers Make Good Music

Ok, so I just got back from seeing Damien Rice at Beacon Theatre with Amanda Giordano. It was really, really good. Probably about 384,201 times better than this summer at Jones Beach. I think that Damien & co. just don't have the type of music that can really be appreciated at a place like Jones Beach. The emotion & musical intricacies that really make the music so outstanding are just lost in a big outdoor venue like that.

Anyway, the show was awesome (yeah redundancy!). He interacted with the audience a lot, which is always great. He called himself an "over-analytical depressive fucker" at one point and kept saying that it was weird that he got to write songs about being such a fuck up & then get paid to play them for everyone. He told us about the inspiration or moods he was in when he wrote certain songs. He said that his chatty state meant he was in "very strange form," since he usually doesn't even realize an audience is there, but tonight he was "aware of every single little [thing]."

There was a guy who was sitting a few rows behind us who kept calling out "DAMIEN!" really loudly. After the 4th song, Damien answered him back & made a couple jokes. Then he asked, "The person who just said 'DAMIEN!' [imitating his tone], what did you want?" The guy said, "I'm Dan from Long Island [of course the obnoxious guy would be from LI] & a little "Elephant" would be nice." Damien looked at Lisa, who was ready to start singing the next song, then went, "Well, then, your wish is my command" and busted into the song as Lisa went to straight chill at the piano.

The set list:

1. Woman Like a Man (no Lisa, but still AMAZING. Video link of clip here)
2. Insane
3. I Remember (Lisa sounded absolutely, absolutely flawless; just gorgeous)
4. 9 Crimes
5. Elephant [directly into]
6. The Blower's Daughter (I got almost all of it on video, click here)
7. Cannonball - An acoustic, no microphone, Damien-only version. Definitely the most powerful song of the night. I can't even describe it, I wish that I got it on video, but after "BD," I only had 33 seconds left & wanted to save it in case they did "Delicate".
8. La Professor (Lisa sang the 2nd verse, changing all the "I" pronouns to "he")
9. The Animals Were Gone
10. Coconut Skins
11. Amie (Crazy spaceship effects at the end; it was really intense)
12. Eskimo Friends
13. Volcano

Encores

1. Rootless Tree (my favorite song from the new album; the one that I wish had come out 4 years ago so I could've discovered it then & made it my anthem, ha. I only have part of it on video cause "BD" took up so much memory; I wanted to get the first half, but was busy trying to call Brian so he could hear it
2. Me, My Yoke & I
3. Accidental Babies (just Damien & the piano; it was very Fiona-esque a la "Parting Gift")

Amanda & I had great seats. I had been trying to get tickets since she asked if I wanted to go about a month ago and it was sold out. I know that some times tickets will be released a few days before a show because they're held for radio stations, etc. and we both really wanted to go, so I tried again at like 6:30pm Mon night and we got center orchestra seats in row G. Yeah, I hate me too. SO worth the - what $57 after Ticketmaster was done raping us? SO worth it.

Finally, because no NYC story is complete without a random subway experience: Not only were NONE of the ticket machines taking cash nor were they reading anyone's credit/debit cards on the first THREE swipes (think 90% of a sold-out Beacon Theatre crowd trying to get into a subway station & like 90% of them needing to buy a subway pass, ugh), but when we finally get onto the 2, this guy gets on & starts making the following announcement:

"Everybody, I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize for my appearance. My name is Steven & I am HIV positive. I am homeless & cannot afford medical shots. I can't live in a shelter since I was attacked. Now I am forced to ride the subways at night for a 24-hr McDonald's [I'm NOT making this up]. I'd like to take this opportunity to ask for your help. I am now going to recite some poetry for you..."

And he did. He recited some lovely Jesus/life is a wonder poetry. I just turned to the chick sitting next to me & said, "Of all the cars on all the subways in all the city and he gets onto ours."

[Update: here's Rolling Stone's review of the concert]

NYC Christmas Fiestas & Harry Potter = SO Fetch

I actually had 2 Saturdays off in a row, which for a Dec. in retail is unheard of. I need a real job where I can have Sats off all the time. But enough of the pity party. Last Sat (Dec 2), I went to Julie & Courtney's Christmas par-tay, all the way in Upper Bumblefuck, Manhattan. Actually, it was a really nice area; I'd totally, totally consider living there if it wasn't so freaking far. I think they're on 210th St or something? It was 5 blocks from the Bronx border, at the Dyckman stop on the subway. Julia met me at Penn & we rode the 45-min ride together. Their apartment is really cute, the party was fun; I'm really glad that I went. Anthony came with Amanda Nietzel, as did Matt Hittenmark & all of their old housemates. Good times :). Matero & Eddie drove in & Shawn Lynch came, but they got there after I'd left.

Of course, I was slightly buzzing when I left, so I missed the subway & subsequently missed the train I wanted to take back to Hicksville. (I was completely fine by the time I got to my car since it was 2 hours after I left the party, though, I promise.) All of the cousins on my mom's side had gotten together that night (there's 12 including my mom, aunt & uncle). By the time I got to Syosset & called my mom, they were all finishing up. I decided to just go home & go to a party all the way in fucking Mastic with Tricia. After driving around in circles, we finally found the right street, which of course was on the other side of Wm. Floyd, with no street sign. All we had to go on was it was "by 7-11 & before the Smith Point Motel." But it was fun. We didn't do too shabby in the beer pong dept. I made Tricia drink for me the last 1.5 hours since I wasn't even going to risk driving from Mastic to Coram to Ridge, especially since I'm a big fan of taking Whiskey Rd everywhere I possibly can, at all hours of the day/night. She was waaaasted. It was a looooong night of social activity for me.

On Tues, I went to a "Pre-Holiday Grand Opening" of a salon owned by a celebrity stylist in the West Village that I was invited to through STARKED NYC. I'm not going to say much here, but here's the link for the posting I did on the website about it. I didn't know if I could bring anyone, so I had told Tricia she couldn't come. Then, I'm on the subway & I look at the invitation again & see that I can bring a guest. I'm an idiot. I called Julia cause I knew she'd be getting out of work & on her way to the subway to go home & made her come meet me. Bribing people with free booze always works. Anthony met up with us afterwards & we continued all the drinking at some bar, though not for free. I went back to Syosset, since I had been there since Mon night bc of Grandma's surgery on Tues morning. I stayed there to help take care of her til Wed night. <3

Yesterday, I drove into Brooklyn to straight chill with Julia again. She, Annie Russell & I went to get a Christmas tree for their apartment, which we strapped to the roof of my car. Jules & I put lights & festive/gay red bows on it. After eating almost an entire bag of Swedish Fish in about 4 minutes, we decided it was time to get real food. So she, Annie, another roommate Kevin & I hit up a diner. Anthony, Amanda & Laurie were having a party that I had promised Matt Dunning I'd go to, but it was cold & by the time we finished dinner, it was late. They live on the Upper West Side & it's an hour subway ride from Brooklyn. That's not so bad, but I had to work today & couldn't get home really late. I felt badly, though. We promised Dunning we'd go to Boston before March 1 to make it up to him. So it looks like I'm goin' to Boston.

So instead of going out like normal 22-year-olds, what did we do? Watch Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire! I've been rereading all the books again. The only other movie I've seen is the first one, which didn't do much for me. This one = so good. I got ridiculously into it too. If I were Julia (or even Annie, who probably heard me in her room), I'd definitely have rolled my eyes at the extreme level of nerd that I was emitting. I may or may not have tried warning Cedric Diggory to turn back at the end in a vain attempt to save his life. I also may or may not have squealed when Voldemort came back. Fantaaaaaastic. I got home in an hour, 15 minutes. Great success! The L.I.E. isn't so bad when there's no traffic. OH & there's a Palace Diner in Queens - I feel as though I need to go there just out of principle.

Some P.S.'es:

• Mean Girls has been on TBS all weekend. So fetch. Holler.
• The 6th season of Scrubs started last week. Double holler.
• I'm now obsessed with The Office. Jim is my new crush.