So we are more or less moved into the apartment now - everything is more or less clean (a few closets still need to be cleaned out, but the bulk of the apartment is now livable).
On Tuesday we ended up going up to Chelsea to see the guy who had subleted my apartment. He was supposed to stop by my place at 11 am, but he called us at like, 10:15 and we were still in the car on the way to the city from Mom's. He was all, "Hey, I'm in the neighborhood, can I stop by now?" and I was like, "Um, no...". He refused to stop by after work, so he suggested we go to his office to get the keys back. I was kind of annoyed about it, but the H said we'd better go because otherwise we would NEVER get the keys back.
So we took the crosstown bus over and I have to say, the guy was definitely getting over his pneumonia and other illnesses. He looked deathly pale and was really, really skinny, and had dark circles under his eyes. I was all, "Dude, what is up with the air conditioner?" which he claimed still worked, but it was so dirty and disgusting that I didn't even test it out. Then I was like, "Where's my check?" and he said he didn't have the money, and would let me know when he could give it to me. I did feel bad for him, but I was like, "Give me a check and I won't cash it now; I'll wait until you say it is okay to cash it." He didn't seem to want to do it, so I said his options were either to give me a check for the full amount, or else write me out some sort of payment plan - i.e. in 2 weeks he'll give me $200, in another 2 weeks, $250, etc. He didn't seem into that either, but finally I said, "Listen, I know it's been rough going for you, but you have to look at it from my point of view, too. I have to pay the bulk of the March rent plus the April one, and I still haven't been able to move in, because there is SO MUCH CLEANING to do." He was a bit pissy about it, but said he'd put a check in the mail (which I still have not received). He was also a bit pissy about the ConEd bill, insisting that when he talked to them, they said his payment was good until the next bill, so he didn't understand why there were new charges from the period of March 14 - April 14. He was all, "I'm not responsible for April 'cause I wasn't there," and then I was like, "Well, neither am I because I haven't been living there, and I didn't even set foot in there to start cleaning until the H arrived in NY, on April 14th." Finally he took the bill, said he would call ConEd and take care of it. Hmmmmph.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Hell Hath No Fury....
Grrrrrrrrrr.
That female time of the month came around this weekend...which happened to coincide with the Pope's visit.
The Pope was in NYC of course, but on Saturday he took a little trip up to Westchester...right near where Mom lives. So we had gone out to do some shopping and ended up being blocked from our own street. We realized this when on our regular route home, the whole street leading to my mom's little street was blocked, and the police officer said we had to go around to the other side of the street in order to get through. So we took like, a 30 minute detour only to be blocked from that side, too! The mean police officer on the other side refused to let us through despite our pleading that we were actually RESIDENTS on that street and he was all, "Too bad, you gonna have to wait til 8 pm." (It was like, 4 pm when he said that). I was really mean and upset because I was having major cramps and a headache and all I wanted was to go home, pop a couple of Advil, smoke a cigarette, and lie down. I mean, I have nothing against the Pope and all that, but still, I really do think residents of blocked off streets should be allowed through because some of us NEED to go home and do not want to spend all our time sitting in a car for four hours. Anyway, we ended up taking another detour which meant that we had to go the opposite direction down a one way street in order to get back to mom's. By that point, I was REALLY upset and ready to bitchslap anyone who got in my way.
In other news, the apartment is coming along, but now I am really mad at the guy who subleted. He finally responded via email last night that he has been up and around for the last 3 days (since he was recovering from pneumonia). I asked him to please stop by the apartment this week to give me back my keys, plus the remainder of the March rent, plus $70 of the $81.60 ConEd bill; also there was a bunch of mail for him and we needed to discuss the condition of my apartment. To which he responded that he was "quite frankly surprised" that I could be so upset because "I was residing in your apartment for the last 3 years and when you said you wanted it back, I gave it back to you without a hassle." Excuse you? It was a freaking sublet, of course you are supposed to give it back without a hassle! Then he said with three years of living in an apartment, I should expect the furniture to have wear and tear and I should expect to clean an apartment, which was why he paid an extra $100 on top of the regular rent, to cover the costs. Um, excuse you again, but my apartment was FULLY FURNISHED and okay, a little bit of dirt is ok, but NOT THREE YEARS OF DIRT! I am paying the April rent, but cannot even live in the freaking apartment because it is so DIRTY! And he should have ASKED ME before he went around taking apart my furniture! And he only wants to pay $40 for his half of the ConEd bill, but excuse me, the billing period is from Mar 14 - Apr 14 and the H didn't even arrive in NYC until the evening of Apr 13th. I went by the apartment once for 30 mins on like, Apr 12 to survey the damage done, so I am so not paying $40 for the 30 mins I was there. Not to mention, the guy sent me an email on April 6th at like, 10 pm to tell me he had vacated the apartment as of April 1st, but "my internet was down all last week and I didn't have anyone's phone number". Um, whose internet service could POSSIBLY be down for an ENTIRE WEEK in the NY Tri-State area???? Like, he couldn't go to a friend's house and use the internet, or go to an internet café????? And now he's all like, I don't have the money for the March rent; I'll pay you when I can. Well, I know the guy is having financial problems (he is also in trouble with the IRS) but I'm sorry, this is not my problem, and it's already almost May.
Argh! Mom says to be civil to him so I can a) get the keys back; and b) so I don't piss him off so much that he won't pay me the $820 + $70 for the rent and ConEd. But still, I am THIS CLOSE to bitchslapping his ass. I mean, he left a paper plate with leftover food on it under my bed! Who does that????? And who breaks your 4 year old air conditioner? I'm sorry, but air conditioners do not just break like that after 7 years, not if you take good care of it like normal people do.
That female time of the month came around this weekend...which happened to coincide with the Pope's visit.
The Pope was in NYC of course, but on Saturday he took a little trip up to Westchester...right near where Mom lives. So we had gone out to do some shopping and ended up being blocked from our own street. We realized this when on our regular route home, the whole street leading to my mom's little street was blocked, and the police officer said we had to go around to the other side of the street in order to get through. So we took like, a 30 minute detour only to be blocked from that side, too! The mean police officer on the other side refused to let us through despite our pleading that we were actually RESIDENTS on that street and he was all, "Too bad, you gonna have to wait til 8 pm." (It was like, 4 pm when he said that). I was really mean and upset because I was having major cramps and a headache and all I wanted was to go home, pop a couple of Advil, smoke a cigarette, and lie down. I mean, I have nothing against the Pope and all that, but still, I really do think residents of blocked off streets should be allowed through because some of us NEED to go home and do not want to spend all our time sitting in a car for four hours. Anyway, we ended up taking another detour which meant that we had to go the opposite direction down a one way street in order to get back to mom's. By that point, I was REALLY upset and ready to bitchslap anyone who got in my way.
In other news, the apartment is coming along, but now I am really mad at the guy who subleted. He finally responded via email last night that he has been up and around for the last 3 days (since he was recovering from pneumonia). I asked him to please stop by the apartment this week to give me back my keys, plus the remainder of the March rent, plus $70 of the $81.60 ConEd bill; also there was a bunch of mail for him and we needed to discuss the condition of my apartment. To which he responded that he was "quite frankly surprised" that I could be so upset because "I was residing in your apartment for the last 3 years and when you said you wanted it back, I gave it back to you without a hassle." Excuse you? It was a freaking sublet, of course you are supposed to give it back without a hassle! Then he said with three years of living in an apartment, I should expect the furniture to have wear and tear and I should expect to clean an apartment, which was why he paid an extra $100 on top of the regular rent, to cover the costs. Um, excuse you again, but my apartment was FULLY FURNISHED and okay, a little bit of dirt is ok, but NOT THREE YEARS OF DIRT! I am paying the April rent, but cannot even live in the freaking apartment because it is so DIRTY! And he should have ASKED ME before he went around taking apart my furniture! And he only wants to pay $40 for his half of the ConEd bill, but excuse me, the billing period is from Mar 14 - Apr 14 and the H didn't even arrive in NYC until the evening of Apr 13th. I went by the apartment once for 30 mins on like, Apr 12 to survey the damage done, so I am so not paying $40 for the 30 mins I was there. Not to mention, the guy sent me an email on April 6th at like, 10 pm to tell me he had vacated the apartment as of April 1st, but "my internet was down all last week and I didn't have anyone's phone number". Um, whose internet service could POSSIBLY be down for an ENTIRE WEEK in the NY Tri-State area???? Like, he couldn't go to a friend's house and use the internet, or go to an internet café????? And now he's all like, I don't have the money for the March rent; I'll pay you when I can. Well, I know the guy is having financial problems (he is also in trouble with the IRS) but I'm sorry, this is not my problem, and it's already almost May.
Argh! Mom says to be civil to him so I can a) get the keys back; and b) so I don't piss him off so much that he won't pay me the $820 + $70 for the rent and ConEd. But still, I am THIS CLOSE to bitchslapping his ass. I mean, he left a paper plate with leftover food on it under my bed! Who does that????? And who breaks your 4 year old air conditioner? I'm sorry, but air conditioners do not just break like that after 7 years, not if you take good care of it like normal people do.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Spring cleaning
Ugh.
So the H arrived on Sunday, and since Tuesday we have been spending all our time shopping for, and cleaning the apartment.
I had warned the H over the phone before his arrival that we should probably hire a cleaning lady (people tell me that it will probably be in the $60-70 range for a studio). The H kept saying, "Oh, it can't possibly be THAT bad; you'll see, we'll clean it ourselves and save that $70 for something else, like a new air conditioner!"
Well, when he went to look at my apartment on Monday, he was like, "Oh, crap." It was unfortunately quite overwhelmingly dirty. But seeing as he doesn't believe in hiring cleaning ladies, he was quite stubborn about us cleaning it ourselves (to my extreme dismay).
We spent several mornings going to places like Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Ikea. In the afternoons, we clean. I have to be honest and say it is mostly the H who cleans, as I have a tendency to take many cigarette breaks (also because of the severe amount of dust in the apartment, I get massive allergy attacks the minute I touch something in there). Anyway, it took about 2 days, but we managed to completely clean every inch of the bathroom - and it looks really good! It is all white and shiny just like it used to be. Last night we got part of the kitchen done.
While it's nice to be making progress in the apartment, the H and I keep saying every few minutes, "Dude, what is this guy's PROBLEM???" It is so obvious that the guy has not cleaned in like, 3 years. On Tuesday we started throwing out a whole bunch of his stuff and when we went through the kitchen sink cabinet, we found all of my cleaning products that I had left behind. They were all clustered together way in the back gathering dust. I was kinda like, "Wow, so he basically just never cleaned ever since he came into the apartment! My cleaning products have not been used since last time I lived here!" (And believe you me, I left a LOT of cleaning products behind).
The most disgusting part has been cleaned - the toilet. In fact, we even bought a new toilet seat because it was just so gross. Yesterday when we cleaned the kitchen, there was like some weird moldy dirt all around the kitchen sink and when we cleaned the stove, there was like all this dried food stuck everywhere, including INSIDE the stove top - like dried pasta, garlic, etc. "Ugh," I had said, while vacuuming the inside of the stove top, "no wonder this guy has been single for 3 years. He has some seriously questionable hygiene. Like, okay, so you don't like to clean - at least hire a cleaning lady to come once a week or something. I mean, who can LIVE in this kind of a mess? You have to wonder how often he showers!" To which the H replied, "Well, considering how dirty the bathtub and shower were, I'd have to say he must have showered regularly, but maybe it wasn't very efficient considering the build up of dirt in there..."
The guy still has not contacted me yet regarding the rent (and last month's ConEd bill, which I just received, for $81 from March 14 - April 14; I'm going to have to ask him to pay like $65 of it, since I wasn't really there until April 14th when H and I went over to check out the damage. Earlier this week though, I did get an email from him saying he was just recovering from pneumonia. I sort of feel sorry for him, because he obviously has been very sick and has financial problems - I received a bunch of mail for him, and among them were tons of credit card and bank bills as well as several doctor's bills and medical lab bills - so he wasn't lying when he said he had been sick with heart problems previously. At the same time, from my point of view, it's kind of like, "Well, it's not really my problem, considering the mess you left me with, plus the money you owe me." So most likely, the guy really did have pneumonia, which I am very sorry about, but it's also like, "Dude, you could have at least contacted me earlier, and where is my money? It's been like, 3 weeks now..."
The other piece of good news is that H managed to put part of my Ikea Billy bookcase together. We also opened our new joint account with HSBC US (we already are with HSBC in France). All that is left now is to install some new Ikea furniture (well, not furniture, but we bought some shelves for the bathroom and kitchen) and wait for H's social security and green card - he is pretty much blocked from doing anything in the US until he gets that social security number.
Anyway, we are off to my apartment again...hopefully it won't be too much of a nightmare - we have to take my mom's car in as we need to bring a bunch of stuff with us and bring back all the cleaning supplies for my mom's cleaning lady tomorrow. The problem is that the Pope is visiting New York right now, so there will most likely be some major nightmare traffic going on. Oh, well. At least progress is being made and that is always good. (But still, who DOES THAT to an apartment that they SUBLETED?!)
So the H arrived on Sunday, and since Tuesday we have been spending all our time shopping for, and cleaning the apartment.
I had warned the H over the phone before his arrival that we should probably hire a cleaning lady (people tell me that it will probably be in the $60-70 range for a studio). The H kept saying, "Oh, it can't possibly be THAT bad; you'll see, we'll clean it ourselves and save that $70 for something else, like a new air conditioner!"
Well, when he went to look at my apartment on Monday, he was like, "Oh, crap." It was unfortunately quite overwhelmingly dirty. But seeing as he doesn't believe in hiring cleaning ladies, he was quite stubborn about us cleaning it ourselves (to my extreme dismay).
We spent several mornings going to places like Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Ikea. In the afternoons, we clean. I have to be honest and say it is mostly the H who cleans, as I have a tendency to take many cigarette breaks (also because of the severe amount of dust in the apartment, I get massive allergy attacks the minute I touch something in there). Anyway, it took about 2 days, but we managed to completely clean every inch of the bathroom - and it looks really good! It is all white and shiny just like it used to be. Last night we got part of the kitchen done.
While it's nice to be making progress in the apartment, the H and I keep saying every few minutes, "Dude, what is this guy's PROBLEM???" It is so obvious that the guy has not cleaned in like, 3 years. On Tuesday we started throwing out a whole bunch of his stuff and when we went through the kitchen sink cabinet, we found all of my cleaning products that I had left behind. They were all clustered together way in the back gathering dust. I was kinda like, "Wow, so he basically just never cleaned ever since he came into the apartment! My cleaning products have not been used since last time I lived here!" (And believe you me, I left a LOT of cleaning products behind).
The most disgusting part has been cleaned - the toilet. In fact, we even bought a new toilet seat because it was just so gross. Yesterday when we cleaned the kitchen, there was like some weird moldy dirt all around the kitchen sink and when we cleaned the stove, there was like all this dried food stuck everywhere, including INSIDE the stove top - like dried pasta, garlic, etc. "Ugh," I had said, while vacuuming the inside of the stove top, "no wonder this guy has been single for 3 years. He has some seriously questionable hygiene. Like, okay, so you don't like to clean - at least hire a cleaning lady to come once a week or something. I mean, who can LIVE in this kind of a mess? You have to wonder how often he showers!" To which the H replied, "Well, considering how dirty the bathtub and shower were, I'd have to say he must have showered regularly, but maybe it wasn't very efficient considering the build up of dirt in there..."
The guy still has not contacted me yet regarding the rent (and last month's ConEd bill, which I just received, for $81 from March 14 - April 14; I'm going to have to ask him to pay like $65 of it, since I wasn't really there until April 14th when H and I went over to check out the damage. Earlier this week though, I did get an email from him saying he was just recovering from pneumonia. I sort of feel sorry for him, because he obviously has been very sick and has financial problems - I received a bunch of mail for him, and among them were tons of credit card and bank bills as well as several doctor's bills and medical lab bills - so he wasn't lying when he said he had been sick with heart problems previously. At the same time, from my point of view, it's kind of like, "Well, it's not really my problem, considering the mess you left me with, plus the money you owe me." So most likely, the guy really did have pneumonia, which I am very sorry about, but it's also like, "Dude, you could have at least contacted me earlier, and where is my money? It's been like, 3 weeks now..."
The other piece of good news is that H managed to put part of my Ikea Billy bookcase together. We also opened our new joint account with HSBC US (we already are with HSBC in France). All that is left now is to install some new Ikea furniture (well, not furniture, but we bought some shelves for the bathroom and kitchen) and wait for H's social security and green card - he is pretty much blocked from doing anything in the US until he gets that social security number.
Anyway, we are off to my apartment again...hopefully it won't be too much of a nightmare - we have to take my mom's car in as we need to bring a bunch of stuff with us and bring back all the cleaning supplies for my mom's cleaning lady tomorrow. The problem is that the Pope is visiting New York right now, so there will most likely be some major nightmare traffic going on. Oh, well. At least progress is being made and that is always good. (But still, who DOES THAT to an apartment that they SUBLETED?!)
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Nightmare
It's been awhile and I've been busy, busy, busy!
I've had four interviews so far - 2 with headhunters, and 2 for jobs (1 of which was provided via the headhunter). Like in France (or anywhere else), entry level positions into the more prestigious houses are hard to come by - I mean, theoretically, if you worked at Chanel for example, you would not be planning on leaving anytime soon! I've mostly interviewed with a few higher price point contemporary brands (none of which do runway) but I don't have much US experience as a designer, so at least it would get the ball rolling.
However, I've been busiest with my apartment. I had subleted it out for the time that I was in Paris to this guy. I had forewarned him back in like, February, that I would take back my apartment in May. Unfortunately, the guy emailed me like, this weekend and said he had vacated the apartment as of April 1st. Back when the guy moved in, I made him pay me a $100 security deposit. I know, I know, it's not a lot, but I had subleted my apartment several times previously and had never really had any problems. Plus, this time, as I would be leaving for an incredibly extended period of time, I had cleared all my stuff out of the place, except for the furniture.
Well, suffice it to say, when I went to check on the state of my apartment yesterday, I was quite shocked! The place was absolutely FILTHY. Not just a little dirty, but really, truly, FILTHY. My air conditioner (which I had bought since the apartment didn't have one before, and Manhattan in the summer without air conditioning is akin to suicide) was completely broken - the entire front cover was lying on the floor along with the filter, wires hanging out of it, paper bags stuffed into the vents, and a large gap on the side of the window. The smoke alarm has been taken apart for some odd reason. My bathtub is disgustingly (and possibly permanently) yellowed. The knob to switch between the shower and bath is missing, as is the plug for the bathtub. My shower curtain has disappeared along with my coffee table, and my cheap Ikea bookshelves have been dismantled and are lying in a heap on the floor. There are 4 dirty glasses in the sink, a thick film of dust all over the place, and some creepy yellow liquid in the vegetable crisper in the fridge (which I think might be beer seeing as there are about 12 bottles of beer in the fridge). Plus, I had this desk from Ikea that had a shelf system attached to it, which has also been dismantled. Pots and pans are sitting in heap on a dirty stove (though the pots and pans seem to be somewhat clean) and there is a piece of silver foil with crumbs sitting inside the oven. The only good part was that the freezer had been defrosted and was extraordinarily clean, but still, I was really, really shocked. I mean, who takes apart your furniture??? It's a SUBLET, not a permanent rental!
Anyway, I was planning on bitching out the guy - he still has an extra set of keys for some reason, and I definitely want them back. The problem is, he still has not finished paying the March rent, and owes another $800 or so. I like to think that I am a nice and sympathetic person, and I understand that this guy has been having a hard time recently - I think he is in trouble with the IRS, and he doesn't really have health insurance since he is a freelance graphic artist, and I know he had some major health problems recently, which included a stay in the hospital. He also managed to find an apartment, but had to hand over a 3 month security deposit. I know that life can be tough, and I know what it's like, but still, my apartment looks like it has been trashed!
I told the H the whole story and he was nonchalant about paying an extra month's rent for April, but pointed out that once Ikea furniture has been taken apart, you most likely cannot put it back together again. We might have to hire a cleaning person to come in and clean the place up, and I guess we'll be getting some newer furniture, or at least putting up some shelves. Plus, we'll have to buy a new air conditioner, so these are more expenses that we were not counting on. Everyone says that since the guy still owes me $800+ for last month's rent, I should not bitch him out as this means that he might just not pay me the money he owes, and that I should be courteous. But still, who DOES THAT to a sublet???
Anyway, the H is arriving on Sunday night, so we'll see what we can do. I've emailed the guy asking him to meet me on Monday at the apartment as there are several things we need to discuss, and if he could please bring the check for the remainder of the March rent.
I've had four interviews so far - 2 with headhunters, and 2 for jobs (1 of which was provided via the headhunter). Like in France (or anywhere else), entry level positions into the more prestigious houses are hard to come by - I mean, theoretically, if you worked at Chanel for example, you would not be planning on leaving anytime soon! I've mostly interviewed with a few higher price point contemporary brands (none of which do runway) but I don't have much US experience as a designer, so at least it would get the ball rolling.
However, I've been busiest with my apartment. I had subleted it out for the time that I was in Paris to this guy. I had forewarned him back in like, February, that I would take back my apartment in May. Unfortunately, the guy emailed me like, this weekend and said he had vacated the apartment as of April 1st. Back when the guy moved in, I made him pay me a $100 security deposit. I know, I know, it's not a lot, but I had subleted my apartment several times previously and had never really had any problems. Plus, this time, as I would be leaving for an incredibly extended period of time, I had cleared all my stuff out of the place, except for the furniture.
Well, suffice it to say, when I went to check on the state of my apartment yesterday, I was quite shocked! The place was absolutely FILTHY. Not just a little dirty, but really, truly, FILTHY. My air conditioner (which I had bought since the apartment didn't have one before, and Manhattan in the summer without air conditioning is akin to suicide) was completely broken - the entire front cover was lying on the floor along with the filter, wires hanging out of it, paper bags stuffed into the vents, and a large gap on the side of the window. The smoke alarm has been taken apart for some odd reason. My bathtub is disgustingly (and possibly permanently) yellowed. The knob to switch between the shower and bath is missing, as is the plug for the bathtub. My shower curtain has disappeared along with my coffee table, and my cheap Ikea bookshelves have been dismantled and are lying in a heap on the floor. There are 4 dirty glasses in the sink, a thick film of dust all over the place, and some creepy yellow liquid in the vegetable crisper in the fridge (which I think might be beer seeing as there are about 12 bottles of beer in the fridge). Plus, I had this desk from Ikea that had a shelf system attached to it, which has also been dismantled. Pots and pans are sitting in heap on a dirty stove (though the pots and pans seem to be somewhat clean) and there is a piece of silver foil with crumbs sitting inside the oven. The only good part was that the freezer had been defrosted and was extraordinarily clean, but still, I was really, really shocked. I mean, who takes apart your furniture??? It's a SUBLET, not a permanent rental!
Anyway, I was planning on bitching out the guy - he still has an extra set of keys for some reason, and I definitely want them back. The problem is, he still has not finished paying the March rent, and owes another $800 or so. I like to think that I am a nice and sympathetic person, and I understand that this guy has been having a hard time recently - I think he is in trouble with the IRS, and he doesn't really have health insurance since he is a freelance graphic artist, and I know he had some major health problems recently, which included a stay in the hospital. He also managed to find an apartment, but had to hand over a 3 month security deposit. I know that life can be tough, and I know what it's like, but still, my apartment looks like it has been trashed!
I told the H the whole story and he was nonchalant about paying an extra month's rent for April, but pointed out that once Ikea furniture has been taken apart, you most likely cannot put it back together again. We might have to hire a cleaning person to come in and clean the place up, and I guess we'll be getting some newer furniture, or at least putting up some shelves. Plus, we'll have to buy a new air conditioner, so these are more expenses that we were not counting on. Everyone says that since the guy still owes me $800+ for last month's rent, I should not bitch him out as this means that he might just not pay me the money he owes, and that I should be courteous. But still, who DOES THAT to a sublet???
Anyway, the H is arriving on Sunday night, so we'll see what we can do. I've emailed the guy asking him to meet me on Monday at the apartment as there are several things we need to discuss, and if he could please bring the check for the remainder of the March rent.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
It's called "Star WarS"...
One of the better things about being back in the US is hearing words the way they are meant to be pronounced.
Much as the French hate to admit it, English has managed to creep its way into French vocabulary, but what is kind of endearing (or annoying, depending on my mood) is how the French have Frenchified it all.
For example:
Tum Onks = Tom Hanks.
Reeshar Zsere = Richard Gere
Patreeck Swayz = Patrick Swayze (I gotta admit, hearing "Patreeck Swayz" still makes me crack up)
Brad Peet = Brad Pitt
Nyk = Nike
Levees = Levis
Star War = Star Wars
Ow I Met Yore Mozere = How I Met Your Mother (that TV show that FSIL is a big fan of. Except when she was telling me about it, she kept pronouncing it in French and I was very confused for about 10 minutes)
Owse = House (the TV show) (That one also threw me off, when this summer FSIL's friend was all, "Oh my gosh you have to watch this new TV show called Owse, it's really good!" and I was like, "Oooh, I never heard of it, is it an American show?")
Arnaud et Willy = Different Strokes
Zsorge Cloonay = George Clooney
Goldie Awn = Goldie Hawn
Gweeness Paltrow = Gwyneth Paltrow
Eetan Awk = Ethan Hawke
Reese Weesserspoooon = Reese Witherspoon
Uma Tureman = Uma Thurman
Neecole Keedmahn = Nicole Kidman
"un sweet" = sweats
Calveen Klah = Calvin Klein
Cate Blonshett = Cate Blanchett
Eees Legere = Heath Ledger
Michale/Keerk Dooglass = Michael/Kirk Douglas
U Gront = Hugh Grant
Lahdee Dee = Princess Diana of Wales (or Lady Di, as the French call her)
Eeex Men = The X-Men
Zsorge/Barr-Barah Booosh = George/Barbara Bush
Ilary/Beel Cleentonn = Hillary/Bill Clinton
Meet Rohmnay = Mitt Romney
Beep-Beep (actually spelled "Bip-Bip" in French) = Road Runner
Mee-kay = Mickey Mouse
Kees Reechars = Keith Richards
Meek Jaggere = Mick Jagger
Bub Deelahn = Bob Dylan
Justeen Teembearlake = Justin Timberlake
Orrrr-Aaay = Jorge (not a celebrity or anything, but the name of this Mexican guy who married this French girl I know. I only met him once at a wedding of this other couple, and I was all, "Hey, what's your name?" and he was like, "Zsorge" and I was like, "Cool, where are you from?" and he said, "Mexico" and I went, "Oh! So, is your name really Jorge?" and he said, "Yes, but French people can't pronounce my name." Then these French people standing near us overheard and they asked in alarm, "How do you pronounce your name????" Then they tried saying "Jorge" for 15 minutes before they gave up).
**Edit:
Estair = Hester (from The Scarlet Letter). I just remembered when I was a student in Paris and I watched part of The Scarlet Letter on TV and I was really confused for about 20 minutes. I hadn't read the book since high school and then they kept referring to Demi Moore as Estair. I was all confused, like, "I don't remember any Esther in the book....let alone as the main character, which Demi Moore must surely be..." Then when the movie was over I was like, "Ohhhh! Hester Prynne!!!!"
Much as the French hate to admit it, English has managed to creep its way into French vocabulary, but what is kind of endearing (or annoying, depending on my mood) is how the French have Frenchified it all.
For example:
Tum Onks = Tom Hanks.
Reeshar Zsere = Richard Gere
Patreeck Swayz = Patrick Swayze (I gotta admit, hearing "Patreeck Swayz" still makes me crack up)
Brad Peet = Brad Pitt
Nyk = Nike
Levees = Levis
Star War = Star Wars
Ow I Met Yore Mozere = How I Met Your Mother (that TV show that FSIL is a big fan of. Except when she was telling me about it, she kept pronouncing it in French and I was very confused for about 10 minutes)
Owse = House (the TV show) (That one also threw me off, when this summer FSIL's friend was all, "Oh my gosh you have to watch this new TV show called Owse, it's really good!" and I was like, "Oooh, I never heard of it, is it an American show?")
Arnaud et Willy = Different Strokes
Zsorge Cloonay = George Clooney
Goldie Awn = Goldie Hawn
Gweeness Paltrow = Gwyneth Paltrow
Eetan Awk = Ethan Hawke
Reese Weesserspoooon = Reese Witherspoon
Uma Tureman = Uma Thurman
Neecole Keedmahn = Nicole Kidman
"un sweet" = sweats
Calveen Klah = Calvin Klein
Cate Blonshett = Cate Blanchett
Eees Legere = Heath Ledger
Michale/Keerk Dooglass = Michael/Kirk Douglas
U Gront = Hugh Grant
Lahdee Dee = Princess Diana of Wales (or Lady Di, as the French call her)
Eeex Men = The X-Men
Zsorge/Barr-Barah Booosh = George/Barbara Bush
Ilary/Beel Cleentonn = Hillary/Bill Clinton
Meet Rohmnay = Mitt Romney
Beep-Beep (actually spelled "Bip-Bip" in French) = Road Runner
Mee-kay = Mickey Mouse
Kees Reechars = Keith Richards
Meek Jaggere = Mick Jagger
Bub Deelahn = Bob Dylan
Justeen Teembearlake = Justin Timberlake
Orrrr-Aaay = Jorge (not a celebrity or anything, but the name of this Mexican guy who married this French girl I know. I only met him once at a wedding of this other couple, and I was all, "Hey, what's your name?" and he was like, "Zsorge" and I was like, "Cool, where are you from?" and he said, "Mexico" and I went, "Oh! So, is your name really Jorge?" and he said, "Yes, but French people can't pronounce my name." Then these French people standing near us overheard and they asked in alarm, "How do you pronounce your name????" Then they tried saying "Jorge" for 15 minutes before they gave up).
**Edit:
Estair = Hester (from The Scarlet Letter). I just remembered when I was a student in Paris and I watched part of The Scarlet Letter on TV and I was really confused for about 20 minutes. I hadn't read the book since high school and then they kept referring to Demi Moore as Estair. I was all confused, like, "I don't remember any Esther in the book....let alone as the main character, which Demi Moore must surely be..." Then when the movie was over I was like, "Ohhhh! Hester Prynne!!!!"
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
What is wrong with him?!
Oh, Nicolas Sarkozy. What is WRONG with you? This is not how a head of state should behave!
First, he was drunk at the G8 conference:
He also walked out of a 60 Minutes interview in the US:
He insulted a guy at the Salon de l'Agriculture (the famous "casse-toi, pauvre con" incident)"
He totally swiped a pen while meeting with the President of Romania:
After which Angela Merkel totally called him out on it by presenting him with the pen - during the conversation, they explain that it was the same pen that Sarko had signed the documents with, and you hear the Germans being all, "Oh, do you um...collect...pens?" and Sarko is all, "Yes, I collect them."
And then, at a state dinner with Israel, he was totally checking out the cleavage of Bar Rafaeli, the Israeli model best known as Leonardo DiCaprio's arm candy:
Dude, that's not cool! Okay, maybe the first two incidents are sort of excusable. I mean, what with hanging out with Vladimir Putin, and he's probably a very sneaky guy and totally drank Sarko under the table, so he was really drunk by the time he came out for his press conference. And okay, so maybe he was miffed about being asked about his wife. But you don't insult your people by telling them to "get out, you stupid jerk"! And you don't swipe expensive pens at a press conference/official paper-signing ceremony with the president of another country! What, Sarko can't afford to BUY a nice pen, what with his salary hike and the fact that he doesn't pay any expenses??? And then ok, so maybe the Israeli model is hot and has crazy cleavage, and maybe she is so tall that her boobs are like, right at Sarko's eye level, but still, I mean, does he not KNOW that he's being filmed????
Hmmmph! Good going, France! And all you French people who keep making fun of me because I'm American and Bush is the president - shame on you! His antics are just as embarrassing, if not more so, than that time that Bush practically assaulted Angela Merkel by hugging her.
All I can say is that at least I managed to convince the H to turn in a blank ballot! The same cannot be said for my other in-laws, all of whom voted for Sarko only because they couldn't stand Ségolène Royal. Except for the SIL. She voted for Sarko because even though she can't stand him, she thought he was going to win and she said she "wanted to be on the winning team."
Don't even get me started on that one.
I sincerely hope that should Barack become the next president, he will not do anything to embarrass us in manner of Sarko (swiping pens, checking out boobs, being drunk, insulting passerby, marrying supermodel/wannabe singer who talks rather than sings), or Elliot Spitzer (involvement in prostitution ring).
First, he was drunk at the G8 conference:
He also walked out of a 60 Minutes interview in the US:
He insulted a guy at the Salon de l'Agriculture (the famous "casse-toi, pauvre con" incident)"
He totally swiped a pen while meeting with the President of Romania:
After which Angela Merkel totally called him out on it by presenting him with the pen - during the conversation, they explain that it was the same pen that Sarko had signed the documents with, and you hear the Germans being all, "Oh, do you um...collect...pens?" and Sarko is all, "Yes, I collect them."
And then, at a state dinner with Israel, he was totally checking out the cleavage of Bar Rafaeli, the Israeli model best known as Leonardo DiCaprio's arm candy:
Dude, that's not cool! Okay, maybe the first two incidents are sort of excusable. I mean, what with hanging out with Vladimir Putin, and he's probably a very sneaky guy and totally drank Sarko under the table, so he was really drunk by the time he came out for his press conference. And okay, so maybe he was miffed about being asked about his wife. But you don't insult your people by telling them to "get out, you stupid jerk"! And you don't swipe expensive pens at a press conference/official paper-signing ceremony with the president of another country! What, Sarko can't afford to BUY a nice pen, what with his salary hike and the fact that he doesn't pay any expenses??? And then ok, so maybe the Israeli model is hot and has crazy cleavage, and maybe she is so tall that her boobs are like, right at Sarko's eye level, but still, I mean, does he not KNOW that he's being filmed????
Hmmmph! Good going, France! And all you French people who keep making fun of me because I'm American and Bush is the president - shame on you! His antics are just as embarrassing, if not more so, than that time that Bush practically assaulted Angela Merkel by hugging her.
All I can say is that at least I managed to convince the H to turn in a blank ballot! The same cannot be said for my other in-laws, all of whom voted for Sarko only because they couldn't stand Ségolène Royal. Except for the SIL. She voted for Sarko because even though she can't stand him, she thought he was going to win and she said she "wanted to be on the winning team."
Don't even get me started on that one.
I sincerely hope that should Barack become the next president, he will not do anything to embarrass us in manner of Sarko (swiping pens, checking out boobs, being drunk, insulting passerby, marrying supermodel/wannabe singer who talks rather than sings), or Elliot Spitzer (involvement in prostitution ring).
Friday, March 21, 2008
Conspiracy Theories
Hahahaha. I know it is very mean and uncool of me, but I could help but think this was really funny. And this too.
Poor Marion Cotillard. Now that she has her Oscar and she's all psyched to become an international A-list celebrity (which are admittedly rather rare in France) she's all regretting everything she said about the conspiracies, and has fallen back on the old "My words were taken out of context!" excuse.
Then again, I don't know if it's just the kind of people I know in France or what, but it seems to me that a majority of French people are really into conspiracy theories. The H and the in-laws are definitely no exception.
So this was a recurring conversation for awhile:
(Entire family of in-laws, plus the H and I at dinner)
FIL: (ranting after several glasses of wine): Blah blah blah...and everyone KNOWS that 9/11 is a conspiracy too!!!!
Me: Um, no it's not. It was totally real. I was in NYC when it happened.
FIL: Well, yes, it HAPPENED, but everyone KNOWS that it was done by the US government.
Me: Um, no it wasn't. It was done by Al-Qaeda.
FIL: (snorts) Why would you think that? Everyone KNOWS that the US government planted bombs in the bottom of the WTC!
Me: Uh, because Al-Qaeda was like, "HEY EVERYONE, WE DID IT! WE TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY! WOOOOOHOOOOOO!"?
FIL: Don't be silly! That was faked too! You can tell because the building collapsed from the bottom.
Me: No it didn't. It collapsed right under where the 767's crashed. All that fuel and everything created a lot of structural damage what with the intense heat.
FIL: Haha! Or so the US government says...! I'm telling you, because I KNOW, that it was all planned out by the US. Like Pearl Harbor. So you would have an excuse to attack Iraq.
Me: Oh, man. Well, first of all, Pearl Harbor wasn't planned. Because what happened was that the US intercepted all the messages, yes, but they were short on codebreakers, so most likely, the message about Pearl Harbor was sitting in the inbox of some tired and overworked codebreaker by the time Pearl Harbor happened. In addition, the waters of Pearl Harbor are quite shallow, which is not very conducive to a bombing, as everyone thought that the bombs would go "Plop! Fizz! Splat!" in the mud. Moreover, the US had not wanted to get involved in WWII as we were into our isolationist policy and coming out of the Great Depression. In fact, the US was about to sign a non-aggression pact with Hitler, but then we got roped into the war when A) the French were brutally defeated by Blitzkrieg in 1940 and despite their deep hatred for the Brits were suddenly all, "Merde, we 'ave lost; you come 'elp us now, non?" and then B) the British, what with all their territories and being the largest empire ever, were totally cracking under the pressure because they had to help France and set up the French Resistance, and so they were all, "Blimey, could you help us, mate?" to the US, to which Congress replied several times, "Um, no, but we'll give you money," and then...
FIL: (interrupting my fascinating lecture about American involvement in World War II) Whatever! That's all bull! We all KNOW that the US government is behind every single conspiracy! Like, that flight were SUPPOSEDLY the passengers kept the terrorists from crashing into like, the White House.
Me: That would be United 93. Also known as UA93, via the IATA designator...
FIL: (interrupting my fascinating lecture about IATA designator codes) Whatever! It was totally a FAKE FLIGHT. Like, the government MADE UP those transcripts!
H: Or, I bet you the flight was SHOT DOWN by the US MILITARY.
Me: Oh, please. It was a real flight. With real people. Why would the government spend all that time and money to make up a flight with transcripts?
FIL: Because. Duh! That's what the US government does. EVERYONE KNOWS IT.
Me: I don't know. I mean, how do YOU know? It sounds REALLY far-fetched to me. I mean, they would have had to be planning all this stuff for like, 10 years. And I know there were real people on United 93 because the brother of this girl I used to vaguely know when I was a kid was on that flight.
FIL: Oh, you Americans are so NAIVE! You believe everything people tell you!
Me: (thinking in head, "Well, I don't know, I am not believing anything YOU are saying...")
FIL: You people have no idea how the world REALLY works. I mean, everyone knows that accidents don't just "happen".
Me: Um, yes they do. It's just that in the case of really big disasters, they are always freak accidents and there are always weird anomalies that no one can figure out. That's why they are freak accidents. Like you know, back in the 1980's when Pan Am 103 blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland, or the Tenerife incident, which was like, the biggest accident in commercial aviation, when those two 747's crashed into each other on the run...
FIL: (interrupting my fascinating lecture on commercial airline disasters) Whatever. My point is that the world is full of conspiracy theories.
H: Yeah, like those two French guys who just so happened to be filming a documentary about firefighters and they just so happened to be at a firehouse when 9/11 happened? You know they knew about it.
Me: I don't know. Why would 2 random French guys know anything in advance.
H: Duh. Because they are like, rich, so they know everything.
Me: What?! That doesn't even make any sense.
FIL: Yeah, and like, people think that the US actually LANDED ON THE MOON.
Me: But they did!
H: No, they didn't. EVERYONE KNOWS that it was all filmed in a TV studio because there was the Cold War going on so you had to beat Russia to the punch. Why else has no one ever set foot on the moon since the 1970's?
Me: Maybe because you can't actually LIVE on the moon. There's like, no oxygen. So it must be very expensive to suit up and head over to the moon. And you can't do anything on it except you know, leap around in an unwieldly space suit and be all attached to oxygen.
H: (snorting) Whatever. That is so stupid. The US government totally faked the moon thing.
FIL: Yeah, and JFK was totally assassinated by the US government.
H: Or the mob.
FIL: Yeah. You Americans just don't understand ANYTHING. You are all so innocent and naive and easily gobble up all those excuses your government tells you. I KNOW.
Me: Um. Okay. You people are weird and are freaking me out. I can't believe you all believe all this crap. I have to go smoke now.
Poor Marion Cotillard. Now that she has her Oscar and she's all psyched to become an international A-list celebrity (which are admittedly rather rare in France) she's all regretting everything she said about the conspiracies, and has fallen back on the old "My words were taken out of context!" excuse.
Then again, I don't know if it's just the kind of people I know in France or what, but it seems to me that a majority of French people are really into conspiracy theories. The H and the in-laws are definitely no exception.
So this was a recurring conversation for awhile:
(Entire family of in-laws, plus the H and I at dinner)
FIL: (ranting after several glasses of wine): Blah blah blah...and everyone KNOWS that 9/11 is a conspiracy too!!!!
Me: Um, no it's not. It was totally real. I was in NYC when it happened.
FIL: Well, yes, it HAPPENED, but everyone KNOWS that it was done by the US government.
Me: Um, no it wasn't. It was done by Al-Qaeda.
FIL: (snorts) Why would you think that? Everyone KNOWS that the US government planted bombs in the bottom of the WTC!
Me: Uh, because Al-Qaeda was like, "HEY EVERYONE, WE DID IT! WE TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY! WOOOOOHOOOOOO!"?
FIL: Don't be silly! That was faked too! You can tell because the building collapsed from the bottom.
Me: No it didn't. It collapsed right under where the 767's crashed. All that fuel and everything created a lot of structural damage what with the intense heat.
FIL: Haha! Or so the US government says...! I'm telling you, because I KNOW, that it was all planned out by the US. Like Pearl Harbor. So you would have an excuse to attack Iraq.
Me: Oh, man. Well, first of all, Pearl Harbor wasn't planned. Because what happened was that the US intercepted all the messages, yes, but they were short on codebreakers, so most likely, the message about Pearl Harbor was sitting in the inbox of some tired and overworked codebreaker by the time Pearl Harbor happened. In addition, the waters of Pearl Harbor are quite shallow, which is not very conducive to a bombing, as everyone thought that the bombs would go "Plop! Fizz! Splat!" in the mud. Moreover, the US had not wanted to get involved in WWII as we were into our isolationist policy and coming out of the Great Depression. In fact, the US was about to sign a non-aggression pact with Hitler, but then we got roped into the war when A) the French were brutally defeated by Blitzkrieg in 1940 and despite their deep hatred for the Brits were suddenly all, "Merde, we 'ave lost; you come 'elp us now, non?" and then B) the British, what with all their territories and being the largest empire ever, were totally cracking under the pressure because they had to help France and set up the French Resistance, and so they were all, "Blimey, could you help us, mate?" to the US, to which Congress replied several times, "Um, no, but we'll give you money," and then...
FIL: (interrupting my fascinating lecture about American involvement in World War II) Whatever! That's all bull! We all KNOW that the US government is behind every single conspiracy! Like, that flight were SUPPOSEDLY the passengers kept the terrorists from crashing into like, the White House.
Me: That would be United 93. Also known as UA93, via the IATA designator...
FIL: (interrupting my fascinating lecture about IATA designator codes) Whatever! It was totally a FAKE FLIGHT. Like, the government MADE UP those transcripts!
H: Or, I bet you the flight was SHOT DOWN by the US MILITARY.
Me: Oh, please. It was a real flight. With real people. Why would the government spend all that time and money to make up a flight with transcripts?
FIL: Because. Duh! That's what the US government does. EVERYONE KNOWS IT.
Me: I don't know. I mean, how do YOU know? It sounds REALLY far-fetched to me. I mean, they would have had to be planning all this stuff for like, 10 years. And I know there were real people on United 93 because the brother of this girl I used to vaguely know when I was a kid was on that flight.
FIL: Oh, you Americans are so NAIVE! You believe everything people tell you!
Me: (thinking in head, "Well, I don't know, I am not believing anything YOU are saying...")
FIL: You people have no idea how the world REALLY works. I mean, everyone knows that accidents don't just "happen".
Me: Um, yes they do. It's just that in the case of really big disasters, they are always freak accidents and there are always weird anomalies that no one can figure out. That's why they are freak accidents. Like you know, back in the 1980's when Pan Am 103 blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland, or the Tenerife incident, which was like, the biggest accident in commercial aviation, when those two 747's crashed into each other on the run...
FIL: (interrupting my fascinating lecture on commercial airline disasters) Whatever. My point is that the world is full of conspiracy theories.
H: Yeah, like those two French guys who just so happened to be filming a documentary about firefighters and they just so happened to be at a firehouse when 9/11 happened? You know they knew about it.
Me: I don't know. Why would 2 random French guys know anything in advance.
H: Duh. Because they are like, rich, so they know everything.
Me: What?! That doesn't even make any sense.
FIL: Yeah, and like, people think that the US actually LANDED ON THE MOON.
Me: But they did!
H: No, they didn't. EVERYONE KNOWS that it was all filmed in a TV studio because there was the Cold War going on so you had to beat Russia to the punch. Why else has no one ever set foot on the moon since the 1970's?
Me: Maybe because you can't actually LIVE on the moon. There's like, no oxygen. So it must be very expensive to suit up and head over to the moon. And you can't do anything on it except you know, leap around in an unwieldly space suit and be all attached to oxygen.
H: (snorting) Whatever. That is so stupid. The US government totally faked the moon thing.
FIL: Yeah, and JFK was totally assassinated by the US government.
H: Or the mob.
FIL: Yeah. You Americans just don't understand ANYTHING. You are all so innocent and naive and easily gobble up all those excuses your government tells you. I KNOW.
Me: Um. Okay. You people are weird and are freaking me out. I can't believe you all believe all this crap. I have to go smoke now.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Damn you, La Poste!
Argh! Where are my boxes????
About a week before I left, I went down to the post office near our apartment in the 16th arrondissement and mailed myself a bunch of boxes of crap. Most of them (well actually, I only mailed out 2 boxes - one of wovens and one of knits) contained fabric scraps and balls of yarn that I am using for my portfolio. They told me it would all arrive in about 2 - 3 weeks, as I was sending them Economy rather than Priority.
Well, it's been at least 3 weeks now and I STILL have not received my boxes!!!!
And now I find that desperately I need those stupid fabric scraps as I have redone my portfolio (well, I redid the collage and edited down my croquis, but as I used spray mount to put my croquis in, I have managed to un-stick and re-stick everything in nice manner. But I need those fabric scraps so I can recut out little squares to go with my croquis!
Hmmmph. Why is it that sometimes things arrive quite quickly via La Poste and sometimes they take forever? Like a month before I left, I mailed a box of books to my mom's house and it got there in a couple of days!
One could say that I could just go out to Mood Fabrics and buy a bunch of 1/4 yard scraps of fabric to use for my portfolio, but it's just the principle of it. I am not going to be using those Frenchie fabric scraps for anything else other than portfolio use.
Argh. Now I am off to Career Services with a half-done portfolio. I am sure I will receive some sort of mini-lecture about how one's portfolio needs to be presentable and COMPLETE.
Oh yeah. And while I am in the whole "damn you!" mode, damn you, Apple France! Where are my 97,50 euros????? They STILL have not reimbursed me! And I have left the country! Well, at least I left my computer's serial # and all other pertinent info for the H, who has already called once and been told that I should have been reimbursed by now (duh) but that he needs to call back another day to speak to someone else. Hmmmmmph!
About a week before I left, I went down to the post office near our apartment in the 16th arrondissement and mailed myself a bunch of boxes of crap. Most of them (well actually, I only mailed out 2 boxes - one of wovens and one of knits) contained fabric scraps and balls of yarn that I am using for my portfolio. They told me it would all arrive in about 2 - 3 weeks, as I was sending them Economy rather than Priority.
Well, it's been at least 3 weeks now and I STILL have not received my boxes!!!!
And now I find that desperately I need those stupid fabric scraps as I have redone my portfolio (well, I redid the collage and edited down my croquis, but as I used spray mount to put my croquis in, I have managed to un-stick and re-stick everything in nice manner. But I need those fabric scraps so I can recut out little squares to go with my croquis!
Hmmmph. Why is it that sometimes things arrive quite quickly via La Poste and sometimes they take forever? Like a month before I left, I mailed a box of books to my mom's house and it got there in a couple of days!
One could say that I could just go out to Mood Fabrics and buy a bunch of 1/4 yard scraps of fabric to use for my portfolio, but it's just the principle of it. I am not going to be using those Frenchie fabric scraps for anything else other than portfolio use.
Argh. Now I am off to Career Services with a half-done portfolio. I am sure I will receive some sort of mini-lecture about how one's portfolio needs to be presentable and COMPLETE.
Oh yeah. And while I am in the whole "damn you!" mode, damn you, Apple France! Where are my 97,50 euros????? They STILL have not reimbursed me! And I have left the country! Well, at least I left my computer's serial # and all other pertinent info for the H, who has already called once and been told that I should have been reimbursed by now (duh) but that he needs to call back another day to speak to someone else. Hmmmmmph!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Busted!
Good God! How embarrassing, the whole Elliot Spitzer debacle!
Even more embarrassing is that Elliot Spitzer went to my high school (though he graduated like, before I was born or something). Hmmmph. When he was elected governor, he was practically on the cover of the Alumni Magazine - he got a massive article dedicated to how his greatness and it most likely discussed how he got to where he was because of the fine education he received during his formative years at our high school. (I didn't actually read the entire article). I suppose he will not be featured in our illustrious Alumni Magazine any time soon, considering that his career is totally over.
I passed in front of his apartment building on Fifth Avenue this afternoon. Not because I wanted to, but because I was stuck in crazy Fifth Ave traffic jam due to massive camera crews camped out in front of his building. I mean, even the CW11 had their camera crew too! (I have always thought of the CW as a not very newsworthy-serious type channel due to programs such as "America's Next Top Model", that Pussycat Dolls reality show, and "Gossip Girl"). Though it was all rather non-exciting because Spitzer was not even outside.
Jeez. As my friend Annie pointed out this afternoon, either you crusade against the hookers, but don't do it with them on the side, or you do it with the hookers on the side, but don't crusade against them.
This whole thing merely serves to reinforce my unfounded belief that all politicians are creepy, megalomaniac liars.
(Photo from NY Times). I think it's absolutely priceless, the way his wife is glaring at him. He's all giving his speech like, "Oooh, I resign, and now I will work towards healing my family blah blah blah" and she's all, "Dude, I am so going to kick yo' ass!"
Also, here is the link to the SNL skit where they make fun of the Clinton-Obama debates. I'd been wanting to post it since last week, but couldn't figure out how to link to it, so yay me! I finally figured it out! Anyway, it's really hysterical:
Even more embarrassing is that Elliot Spitzer went to my high school (though he graduated like, before I was born or something). Hmmmph. When he was elected governor, he was practically on the cover of the Alumni Magazine - he got a massive article dedicated to how his greatness and it most likely discussed how he got to where he was because of the fine education he received during his formative years at our high school. (I didn't actually read the entire article). I suppose he will not be featured in our illustrious Alumni Magazine any time soon, considering that his career is totally over.
I passed in front of his apartment building on Fifth Avenue this afternoon. Not because I wanted to, but because I was stuck in crazy Fifth Ave traffic jam due to massive camera crews camped out in front of his building. I mean, even the CW11 had their camera crew too! (I have always thought of the CW as a not very newsworthy-serious type channel due to programs such as "America's Next Top Model", that Pussycat Dolls reality show, and "Gossip Girl"). Though it was all rather non-exciting because Spitzer was not even outside.
Jeez. As my friend Annie pointed out this afternoon, either you crusade against the hookers, but don't do it with them on the side, or you do it with the hookers on the side, but don't crusade against them.
This whole thing merely serves to reinforce my unfounded belief that all politicians are creepy, megalomaniac liars.
(Photo from NY Times). I think it's absolutely priceless, the way his wife is glaring at him. He's all giving his speech like, "Oooh, I resign, and now I will work towards healing my family blah blah blah" and she's all, "Dude, I am so going to kick yo' ass!"
Also, here is the link to the SNL skit where they make fun of the Clinton-Obama debates. I'd been wanting to post it since last week, but couldn't figure out how to link to it, so yay me! I finally figured it out! Anyway, it's really hysterical:
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Lack of motivation
Arrrggghh!
What is it about working at home that makes me want to procrastinate like crazy?
I am faced with massive indecision re: my portfolio. I cannot decide which direction to go. I have great ideas, but all requiring massive execution and just do not feel like doing it. Would rather spend all day doing useless things like Facebooking.
Though, re: portfolio, I am also completely unsure of exactly how to go about it all. Luckily I have a meeting with my former professor tomorrow afternoon, but fear she might not like my ideas (mostly in that a) do not want to do full figures with complete outfits; i.e. jacket, shirt, skirt, shoes); and b) do not want to do flat sketches (loathe flats!) I much prefer just drawing each individual piece of clothing on my girls and then omitting the rest. Then again, this is probably due from when I used to work, hardly anyone ever spent their time doing complete head to toe outfits.
I wonder if this is not all due to the fact that whilst in my depressive funk, I merely got comfortable. Not happy, mind you, nor even satisfied - believe you me, was quite unsatisfied with direction of life - but eventually was just comfortable where I was. Like, comfortable with my dissatisfaction. I wonder if this is what typically happens to French people - knowing that so many factors and decisions in your life are so not in your own control, but rather in control of nasty fonctionnaires, cruel HR people, and whether or not your contacts are feeling inclined to "pistonne" you. I mean, I look at the H, who is obviously not happy with his career but is also comfortable because it is all familiar and also because there is not much that is in his control. Luckily I have managed to convince him that change and adventure are most excellent things in life that one should welcome with open arms. Except that I may have been overzealous because he is wondering why, since I have been home for exactly one week, I have still not found a job yet.
Anyway, it's not like I haven't done anything. I have resketched some of my stuff (as had ripped all pages out of last portfolio in fit of rage after having been rejected by all-important luxury conglomerate group, which was quite unfortunate as portfolio was in pretty notebook) and I am waiting for a size 4 dress form to free up from a particular website so's that I can take pictures and start draping - perhaps will get the creative juices flowing more if I can drape. Have also halfway completed a cute skirt which shall go into portfolio as well. However, the massive indecision attacks I am having have further prevented me from continuing on and would rather not start flat sketches. (I really despise flats, as flats in general and as a whole are boxy, rigid, full of rules, and demand precision and mad skillz with an array of rulers).
Hmmm. Well, hopefully will have a clearer picture after tomorrow. Just wish the H would lay off a little bit, though he is right, I am lacking motivation. It is just really hard to suddenly re-adapt to the U.S., in manner of "I can achieve ANYTHING I want!" when am so used now to being completely bogged down by opposite school of thought (i.e. "You will get nowhere in life and career because you are not a famous daughter of VIP").
Bugger!
What is it about working at home that makes me want to procrastinate like crazy?
I am faced with massive indecision re: my portfolio. I cannot decide which direction to go. I have great ideas, but all requiring massive execution and just do not feel like doing it. Would rather spend all day doing useless things like Facebooking.
Though, re: portfolio, I am also completely unsure of exactly how to go about it all. Luckily I have a meeting with my former professor tomorrow afternoon, but fear she might not like my ideas (mostly in that a) do not want to do full figures with complete outfits; i.e. jacket, shirt, skirt, shoes); and b) do not want to do flat sketches (loathe flats!) I much prefer just drawing each individual piece of clothing on my girls and then omitting the rest. Then again, this is probably due from when I used to work, hardly anyone ever spent their time doing complete head to toe outfits.
I wonder if this is not all due to the fact that whilst in my depressive funk, I merely got comfortable. Not happy, mind you, nor even satisfied - believe you me, was quite unsatisfied with direction of life - but eventually was just comfortable where I was. Like, comfortable with my dissatisfaction. I wonder if this is what typically happens to French people - knowing that so many factors and decisions in your life are so not in your own control, but rather in control of nasty fonctionnaires, cruel HR people, and whether or not your contacts are feeling inclined to "pistonne" you. I mean, I look at the H, who is obviously not happy with his career but is also comfortable because it is all familiar and also because there is not much that is in his control. Luckily I have managed to convince him that change and adventure are most excellent things in life that one should welcome with open arms. Except that I may have been overzealous because he is wondering why, since I have been home for exactly one week, I have still not found a job yet.
Anyway, it's not like I haven't done anything. I have resketched some of my stuff (as had ripped all pages out of last portfolio in fit of rage after having been rejected by all-important luxury conglomerate group, which was quite unfortunate as portfolio was in pretty notebook) and I am waiting for a size 4 dress form to free up from a particular website so's that I can take pictures and start draping - perhaps will get the creative juices flowing more if I can drape. Have also halfway completed a cute skirt which shall go into portfolio as well. However, the massive indecision attacks I am having have further prevented me from continuing on and would rather not start flat sketches. (I really despise flats, as flats in general and as a whole are boxy, rigid, full of rules, and demand precision and mad skillz with an array of rulers).
Hmmm. Well, hopefully will have a clearer picture after tomorrow. Just wish the H would lay off a little bit, though he is right, I am lacking motivation. It is just really hard to suddenly re-adapt to the U.S., in manner of "I can achieve ANYTHING I want!" when am so used now to being completely bogged down by opposite school of thought (i.e. "You will get nowhere in life and career because you are not a famous daughter of VIP").
Bugger!
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