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| Tuesday, July 31, 2007 |
| Nothing Big |
My love of Tim Wakefield has been well documented throughout the course of this blog. A quick google search comes up with 38 separate references to him. So you all know by now that he's my favorite MLB player and not in that CFB "OMG he's so cute" way but in a I-really-respect-his-loyalty-to-the-team-and-work-horse-mentality-
never-mind-how-charitable-he-is.
So you'll all know how absolutely flabbergasted I was last night to return home to find a small package with my name on it, a slightly belated birthday present from Cope. Now, when he was sending it I was given the "Don't worry, it's nothing big" speech. Lowering expectations? Maybe. But NOTHING would have prepared me for pulling this out of the box:
Is it weird that I now want to take the day off from work just to stare at this thing?Labels: baseball, Red Sox |
posted by FINY @ Tuesday, July 31, 2007   |
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| Monday, July 30, 2007 |
| The Best Family Ever |
Have I ever mentioned how fantastic my family is? Yes? Oh well, I'm going to do it again.
This weekend, in honor of my 27th birthday, Mom, Dad, and my newly-21-year-old brother all came down to NYC to celebrate. And let me tell you, best birthday weekend ever.
It started out on Friday night with dinner at Good, which lived up to its name (at least for my mother and I. Dad and my brother weren't as happy with their selections). The birthday cake which Mom had arranged before she even arrived in New York (got to love the power of the Internet and a determined mother) was absolutely to die for. It was like a doughy chocolate pudding. Not too rich, kind of melty, oh God it was just so ... well, GOOD.
After dinner the four of us made our way to the White Horse Tavern where many drinks were had, MM and her boyfriend met up with us, and I laughed harder than I had in a long time. Mom and Dad called it a night around 11pm and my brother and I promptly found another bar near my apartment where more drinks were had, I kicked his ass at darts, and we got to catch up in a way that's not really possible over the phone.
Saturday found my brother and I nursing hangovers and heading with my parents to the Central Park Zoo. It may be kind of small, but it's a very nice zoo for being in the middle of Manhattan. They've done a lot with a small amount of space and I swear I could have sat and watched the penguins all day.
Next came a trip to the 7-11 in midtown that was recently turned into a Kwik-E-Mart in honor of the new Simpsons movie. Too much fun. With large character cut outs all over the place, signs that were fashioned in the style of the show, and merchandise such as Buzz Cola and Squishees, there were a lot of photo opportunities. Going to have to get them up here soon because they really did do a good job of making you feel like you had walked into the cartoon.
After killing time for a while at Dunkin Donuts and a bar nearby in midtown (where my brother and I decided it was time to rally and had two pint-sized red bull and vodkas) we headed down to Professor Thom's for dinner and to watch the Sox game against Tampa Bay. Having heard so much about it and knowing how much time I spent there it was really great to be able to share it with the family. The Welshman met up with us for dinner and the game as well (he's met the fam multiple points at this point)And even though Mom's not a sit-down-and-watch-all-nine-innings kinda person, she and dad made it all the way through the tenth and to around 10:30 before bailing and heading for the hotel.
Which left my brother, the Welshman, a few of my friends who showed up towards the end of the game and I to head to 2nd and 2nd for karaoke. I should have known the night was going to go downhill when we did a round of soco and lime shots and then a round of Jager Bombs. But I had no idea that at 4am I'd have watched my brother sing Annie Lenox's "Walking on Broken Glass", that I myself would have sung two songs, or that my little brother and the Welshman would have found each other to be twin souls and how entertaining the two of them would be singing "Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy" together.
Sunday at brunch the Welshman, my brother, and I tried to recount the night to my parents and failed miserably as there's no way you could adequately do so (and I am doing just a woeful job right now). But the mimosas helped my hangover at least!
So sure, I got a new iPod for my birthday (mine broke a year ago and I never replaced it) but what really made it so great was to have all four of us together for the weekend. I mean come on, I've got parents that I actually like having hang out with my friends and who don't mind having a drink or two out at the bars and a little brother who's just the man. There's no other way to say it.
Am I the luckiest girl in the world or what?!Labels: family |
| posted by FINY @ Monday, July 30, 2007 |
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| Friday, July 27, 2007 |
| My Name Is Zoom ... |
I've talked before about the song that my mother plays for me on my birthday each and every year. The song, which has lodged itself into a loop in my brain, was played yet again this morning, over the phone, as my family finished preparations for a weekend long trip down to NYC to help me celebrate my birthday.
And after much searching, I finally found a youtube video in which the song can be heard. Which means I FINALLY know all the words. I literally try to find these every year, so this is a pretty big discovery for me. So of course, I clearly need to share them with all of you:
All systems are go for your message to Finy
Hey Finy, it's your birthday
I'm in charge of the stars and I'm here to say
Hey Finy, you're the big start, today!
My name is Zoom and I live on the moon
And I came down to earth just to sing you this tune
Cause Finy, it's your birthday, today!
A present for you I wanted to find,
An outerspace creature, a one-of-a-kind,
A wild wop or a kookoochoo
An applethwop or a buzzardsnew
Or maybe a three eyed tickleshnay
For your birthday
Did you ever ask, "Ah what's a kookoochoo?"
Well up on the moon it's nothing new.
But that won't do for you!
On your birthday
I've searched behind the clouds and stars
I even Zoomed my bike to Mars
And met my friend, the Saucer man
And he said "Hey Zoom, I've got the bestest plan,
What your friend needs, is something new!
So how about a song, just from you!"
And so tonight, when you're in bed
I'll be singing to you as I zoom overhead
Singing Finy, Happy Birthday
Singing Finy, Happy Birthday
Singing Finy, Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday Finy, see you next yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrLabels: family, misc. |
| posted by FINY @ Friday, July 27, 2007 |
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| Wednesday, July 25, 2007 |
| Yes, That Was Me You Saw Exiting The Gay Brothel |
My coworker and good friend had just gotten thrown under the bus. And then run over by it. Repeatedly. As she sat in my office with tears sparkling in her eyes I did what any good friend does in a situation like this:
I suggested we go for drinks.
So to Stillwater we traipsed. Located in the East Village, with a good happy hour and outdoor seating it was the perfect location for a nice summer night. Plus you get to play the "who's going to go in there" game.
The "Who's going to go in there" game was born when a waitress at the bar informed my girlfriends and I that the parade of men we had seen going in and out of the unmarked door to the bar's left were customers of a not-so-discreet male brothel. I think you can now guess the rules of the game. Pick a guy out as he walks down the street, make guesses on whether he's a customer or not.
Flash forward to a few hours after arriving at the bar. My coworker and I have more than a few beers in us, and since those beers were accompanied only by a hummus plate shared between three people, their effects are quite clearly being felt. The decision is made ... we were going in.
With my coworker leading the way we confidently opened the door not knowing what to expect. Part of me figured there'd be a bouncer right in side ready to throw out anything with a vagina. Instead we found a well lit stairway painted a bright, if a bit dingy, red and plastered with various movie posters.
At the bottom of the stairs we emerged into ... a movie theater lobby? Directly ahead of us was a ticket window and to it's right a black door. The man behind the window rose from his chair and as my coworker asked for directions to a place that didn't exist, I started observing certain things. Like the lack of movie times. Or the fact that the theater listings had things like "Theater 1:Comedy" "Theater 2:Film Noir".
And then I tune into the conversation happening directly in front of me:
Coworker: So what is this place, a movie theater?
Man: Um, ah, no. Eets for zee gays.
So yes, that was me you saw exiting the gay brothel on east 4th street last night. But at least now you know why I was laughing so hard.Labels: drinking |
| posted by FINY @ Wednesday, July 25, 2007 |
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| Monday, July 23, 2007 |
| Pieces of Me |
The two thin white lines on my ankle were courtesy of a cat whose name I can't remember. A cat owner myself now, I realize that all she wanted was to play. She was lonely and I hadn't stayed with her long enough on that particular trip to refill her food bowl. But as a youngster who had never lived with a pet before, I was terrified. I left so quickly after her teeth sunk into my skin that I didn't even lock the door. I ran the three blocks to my house with tears streaming down my face and blood trickling into my sandals.
The raised skin on my knee came from the pavement of Robin Christy's driveway. She and her family had recently moved into a new house just blocks from the previous one that had been two doors down from my own. I was anxious to be with my friend again. My bike was not as anxious as I, as if it was confused by its new surroundings.
The bubble-like mark on my left side is a reminder of my struggle with the chicken pox. And it was a struggle. As a fifth grader I developed a secondary infection and was only hours from being hospitalized when my fever finally broke.
The discolored circle on my left elbow I blame entirely on Ms. Hayes. She was the teacher in middle school that everyone was afraid of. When a particularly heated game of dodge ball found me gushing from an open wound she denied my need for a trip to the nurse. The doctor later said I should have received stitches.
On my left hand you'll find what looks like the beginnings of a wart, but is instead what is left of an extra appendage. I was, technically, born with six fingers on my left hand. It didn't have any bone or muscle tone, but it was there none-the-less. They tied it before I left the hospital and told my mother to expect it to fall off. It did, but the weirdest part is she never found it.
A little below each of my ears, right where the jaw bones connect, two small incision marks can be found, the only outward remnants of the jaw surgery I endured when I was seventeen. It is still amazing to me that there are six screws in there, holding together a jaw that was unhinged, broken, had pieces removed, and then completely realigned.
There is a faint line in my right eyebrow where hair still will not grow. While riding around the neighborhood on bikes with some of the girls who lived nearby, a few of the boys decided to start chasing us. One of them stuck his foot in front of my front tire, meaning, no doubt, to scare me. Instead, the front of my bike stopped short sending me headfirst into the pavement and my glasses frames straight into my eyebrow. The ensuing concussion was so bad I threw up into the phone that night while trying to tell a friend what getting stitches felt like.
In reality, the reason most of those scars are there is the psoriasis I was diagnosed with when I was young. My scar tissue builds up faster than most people's. But in an age when scars are removable, wrinkles are hidden, and imperfections erased, I feel a certain warmth towards each and every one of these physical memories. I pass a walk-in Botox clinic on my way into the office every morning and think "Maybe it's because I'm still so young, but why would you try to hide your age? That you've lived a life worth living, no matter how seemingly insignificant the memories attached to the wrinkles, scars, and marks are?"
Maybe one day I'll get it, but I doubt it. Bring on the laugh lines.Labels: misc. |
| posted by FINY @ Monday, July 23, 2007 |
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| Home Sweet Home |
It seems I always take these little blogging vacations around the same time of year. Summer is always when I'm busiest. I return after a visit from Cope, a trip to the banks of the St. Croix River (MN), and a weekend of birthday celebration (my party, not the actual day - that's not until the end of this week).
Since I've left you all, work has gone to hell (got to love transition periods), Cope and I decided against trying to continue the long distance thing, and the Sox have dropped a few games on the lead (we're still 7.5 up but still).
I've sat and tried to write about a multitude of things since I last posted, but everything has felt forced, not the least of which a post about my recent trip to MN. But having recently been shown up by a certain friend Coughcoughsteddycough who had also taken a blogging break, and having received questions from friends, family, and a coworker alike, it was clearly time to get back on the blogging horse.
So to follow shortly, a post that has little to do with anything other than the fact that I wrote it while I was sitting at the end of a dock while soaking up some sun while at Eddypolusa trying desperately to kick start myself back into the writing trend. And from here on out, well, no promises. August sees me in the Boston area twice and the Baltimore/DC area twice as well, so traveling abounds. But I'll do my best and leave it at that.Labels: blogging |
| posted by FINY @ Monday, July 23, 2007 |
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| Monday, July 09, 2007 |
| Vote Now! |
Taken directly from an email I received from the Alzheimer's Association:
Add Your Voice!
Vote by July 15th
Help Make Alzheimer's the American Express Members Project
Thanks to hundreds of American Express cardholders who are champions for our cause, the Alzheimer's Association has been chosen as one of the top 50 projects in The Members Project, a new initiative from American Express that will award up to $5 million to a project selected by American Express cardholders.
Now is your chance to put your VOICE into action again: Vote from now until July 15 to make sure the Cure for Alzheimer’s Project is selected as one of the top 25 projects!
TAKE ACTION!
All you have to do to cast your vote is visit www.membersproject.com. Users who have already registered can search for CURE for ALZHEIMERS or Project ID 01909.
You’ll be directed to the project details page, where you can click “Vote For This Project" at the top of the page. That’s all there is to it!
If you haven’t already registered, have your American Express card number ready and go to www.membersproject.com. From there, you’ll be asked a series of questions, and after completing them you’ll be able to vote.
Spread the word to make sure we advance to the next round: Forward this email to your family, friends and colleagues and ask them to help more the cause forward today by registering and voting for our project.
Someone new develops this disease every 72 seconds in the United States alone. A few clicks of your mouse can help us move closer to a world without Alzheimer’s — vote today! Labels: Alzheimer's |
| posted by FINY @ Monday, July 09, 2007 |
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