ensconced in luxury

It seems like every time I check my rear view there is a different super car staring back at me.

The important thing is that they're in my rear view mirror.

Yeah like they couldn't totally smoke me if they wanted to.  At least I don't have to deal with idiots in traffic trying to take a picture of my car all the time.  That must suck!

I suddenly live here

I got a call this morning at 7 from the delivery guys that work at the furniture store telling me that they would be at my apt between 12 and 2.  Was that really necessary?  Apparently.

I couldn't get back to sleep so Jon and I were up all morning doing nothing.  He actually asked if we could play Scrabble which led to these first two words.  I said that was Jon's nickname for his testicles.  He was grossed out.

No sooner had we finished laughing about Jon's pet beans than the couch arrived.  I must say, Scrabble looks a lot better like this:

It seems a little obtrusive but I think I'm just getting used to it.  I really like having somewhere to sit and so far kitty hasn't payed any attention to it at all.

We played Scrabble for a little longer, I was able to invent an amazing product.  Picture it, we live in an alternate reality where people become terribly addicted to figs.  Along I come with my brand new product:

It's ingenious.

I also came up with Jon's new nickname:

Though the competition was fierce we both felt we needed to take advantage of the day that we still had after the couch had been delivered.

We ended up at Ikea where Jon found a chair that was just his size:

I happened to glance at the piece of paper laying next to him to discover that it was right up his alley.

I don't know what that means but it sounds perverted.

At least it's not as overt as this:

Why would they name a cookware set after Jon?

I don't know, but however you slice it, I had a productive day for getting apt wares.  I ended up finding a $20 coffee table at Ikea that is the perfect size.  Not necessarily for my car but Jon was totally ok with being crushed by a giant box for the entire ride home.

And it was worth it, I feel like I have a real apt now!  And I don't know if I've ever seen Jon this happy:

So houseguests, you are welcome to come whenever you want.  I can't wait!

I know why the caged bird sings

This morning I had to go out to get quarters for laundry.  As I was locking my door I turned to see this sour puss glaring at me from behind the glass.

Feeling bad for keeping him cooped up in this little apt all the time I decided that when I returned I would let him have some outside time.  Since he can't be trusted it had to be monitored outdoor time, which means you get to enjoy some nice pictures.

I like how he uses his tail as an accessory to compliment his outfits.  He's so dapper.

Haha except when he makes that face.  It rained last night so it's very cool and clean out this morning.  He was enjoying sniffing the air, which is one of my favorite activities to watch.

He gets such a look of concentration.  It's just so nice.

Of course it doesn't take long for him to become irritated with my picture taking.

But I can't help it!  He's just so handsome.

Haha awww : (

Moments after these pictures were taken he bolted off the windowsill and I had to chase him down the street.

He's not kidding around.  He means business.

I love him.

a couch for Kim

I felt bad for canceling my nyc trip this weekend so I told Kim I would make it up to her by using this time at home to finally take care of my couch situation.

I have turned away more than one house guest because of my lack of furniture in my apt, but it's Kim who has waited the most patiently.  You will be rewarded Kim, with a beach vacation.  You just have to help me figure out which couch to get.

Heather was nice enough to take me couch shopping today.  We ended up trying to decide between the gray L shaped couch seen above, and this more classic one:

Here are some pros and cons to help you understand the debate.

Grey Couch
PROS
-fun L shape, you can switch it to the other side as well.
-more comfortable for multiple people to sit on.
-Heather claims she would only need something for her feet to rest on and then she'd be, "totally comfortable sleeping on the end piece" though I'm suspicious.
-fits the style of my current apt, for whatever that's worth.

CONS
-$100 more expensive than the beige couch.
-weird checkerboard pattern on the cushions which showed signs of wear on another model and look like they would hold crumbs quickly and efficiently.
-texture of the material isn't anything to write home about.


Beige Couch
PROS
-So comfortable (reminded me of Eliza's mom's couch for those of you that have been so fortunate)
-more classic looking.
-the arms were really comfortable to lean against so when Heather and I sat at either end we could pretty much face each other.
-texture of the fabric was very nice, kind of like suede.
-it's the same as Heather's couch which she says is very easy to keep clean.

CONS
-much larger, in reality but also just looks.  The oversized cushions and whatnot, I'm afraid it will look silly in my little apt.
-The arms stick out so dramatically that they just end up requiring the sofa take up more space than it actually needs.
-can you imagine how annoying the detective's furballs will look on this?


So you see my dilemma.  We might go to another place tomorrow morning but most likely it's going to come down to these two.  I just don't know which to pick.

That's not true.  I know what I really want but it's just not going to happen.  At least not at this apt anyways.

Someday I'll realize my I Dream of Jeannie fantasy life, until then I'll have to settle for an ordinary couch. Kim, would you like to put in your two cents as the first person who will be sleeping on it?

ghost riding the whip

Meghan and I are having a debate about what it means to "ghost ride the whip".  I (and Jon) say that its when you let the car roll forward slowly and you get out and walk along side it, or dance.

I'm still not entirely sure what Meghan thinks it is but she sent me this picture to illustrate her point adding, "you have to RIDE on it"

This looks more like two guys being run down by a crazed motorist than it does like they are riding on it but either way I don't think that's ghost riding the whip.

Can I get a verdict?

this was me

I love when Sarasota makes national news.  It's always for something like this.

haha I love this

Thank you Jonathan for sending this to me, and the news that she is coming out with a new album!!!

I can't wait.

I love when she reads those lyrics from heartbreaker and asks what they mean.  I have literally asked Jon the same thing, in a similar fashion.

really important stuff

Like I said, I'm finding some things in this stuff from NY that I really can't believe I lived without for this long.

I think Jojo gave this to me?  For my birthday maybe?

It was definitely worth saving and transporting down here.  In fact, maybe I'll watch it as I continue to unpack...

responsibilities

A lot of the things I got from NY last week were boxes of bric-a-brak that I didn't want to deal with when I left my apt.  Now as I'm unpacking them I am discovering the most random and wonderful things.

Like the sculpture from the king cake we had at Susanna's apt however long ago that was.  I think that was the party with the ice luge?

The question is didn't me getting this mean that I was supposed to bring the king cake to the next years party?  If so I really dropped the ball on that one.  Why did nobody remind me?!  Meghan I'm looking at you.

Other things I've discovered include lots and lots of pottery painted for me by a variety of people.  I finally have dishes to eat off of!  It has contributed greatly to my 'eat at home' diet.

So thanks again Jon for going with me to get all that stuff, and thanks Nathanael for letting me stash it for so long.  Now I've got to get back to unpacking this junk.

coming back from a run

I feel reassured knowing that he is guarding the apt like the grim spectre of death.

Of course if anybody did break in he would do nothing to stop them but instead use the opportunity to escape.

He's a precious precious angel.

can you imagine?

To even be asked to sing this song would be crazy but to do it for Whitney?  For Whitney who is sitting in the front row giving you inspirational coaching?

I would just die.

I'm glad J-Hud is the consummate performer that she is.  I like her version of this song, it's just the right mix of classic and reworked.

Of course J-Hud can do no wrong in my book, but you should still watch the video.  It's worth it.

Thank you Jonathan for sending it to me.

SO NICE

source

Meghan sent me this set of pictures from some black cat auditions with the encouragement to seek out such an audition to take the detective to in a similar fashion.

He would hate it!

I love these pictures though, especially this one:

source

That is exactly how I hold the detective, and exactly the face I make.  And that cat on her shoulder looks suspiciously familiar.  And that guy next to her is obviously Nathanael.

Am I having a past life regression?

the wizard behind the curtain

source

I'm having coffee and browsing reddit when I stumble on this photo from the making of the original Mortal Kombat game.

There was no way I was allowed to play this game when it came out but thanks to having an older brother it would somehow find its way in to our house.  One Saturday morning I woke up really early and decided that I was going to see what this game was all about.

I ended up getting all the way to the end (using Sonya of course) but completely froze when I got to Goro.  I was literally so terrified that I could do nothing but shoot my bracelets, blow kisses, and wait for imminent death.

I don't know how I thought they made this game, I guess I never really gave it much thought.  If I had known that Goro was literally an action figure I may have been able to make it all the way.

My whole childhood has been turned upside down this morning.

we had words

I was cleaning this morning and that bad cat kept trying to escape.  I finally snatched him up to have words with him and he looked me in the eyes and hissed in my face.

I don't like that.

Things were prette tense around here for a while but we just tried to stay out of each others way.  I ended up doing yoga and afterwards we had a nice talk.

I think he feels bad.  That's a look of remorse right?  I'm going to go ahead and think so.

We're best friends again.

for Andrew

Andrew sent me this website and I like it very much.

Maybe someday the detective will be a gif.  Someday.

post life chore mini vacation

The great thing about living in Florida is that you can turn a regular day off in to most people's vacation dreams.

And even though he isn't feeling well Jon pulled it together to be good company.

Now we're doing the afternoon after beach routine (beers and showers) before heading out for dinner.  We got in an argument earlier about how key lime pie isn't green so maybe we'll drive down to settle this dispute once and for all.

JFK twice in a day

For my birthday Jon agreed to help me move my junk from my old apt down to the sunshine state.  I've been stalling for far too long so today was finally the day.

I woke up at 4 this morning to begin my journey that I have been dreading for a while.  The above picture was from around 9 when Jon and I met at JFK.  As you can see he was already belligerent at this point.

We decided it was best to ride the wave of sleepless delirium and go straight to the apt to deal with the closet that time forgot.

Ahh the old stomping grounds.  I have to say, between the bitter cold and the endless ever changing 2nd Avenue maze I was reminded of why I left this desolate wasteland.

But then I stepped in to the old apt and came face to face with this guy:

awwwwwwwwww.  And just like that I was missing life in nyc.

I just had to remind myself that for every picture perfect innocent doe eyed looking cat there lurked a vengeful gargoyle-esque demon bubbling right below the surface.

He's nice.  But sadly, I had to leave him behind, as I did with new york.  But not before having brunch at the old barking dog, and beginning the process of trying to soothe Jon's rage with booze.

I'm not sure why our drinks are bathed in a heavenly glow but it is appropriate as they were quite delicious.  The blinding white light emanating off the whip cream is actually keeping you from seeing Nathanael who is in the shadows just on the other side of the Nathanael.  In case you're wondering he of course roofied our drinks.

After lunch Jon and I headed back to JFK for round two.  Unfortunately the afternoon flight did not go as smoothly as it had earlier this morning.  Due to circumstances beyond our control we were stuck at the airport for several hours, which meant there was only one thing I could do to satiate Jon.

There were a lot of pictures taken over the course of the next several hours.  We've had several fights about what is and is not allowed to be posted on the internet.  The compromise that we reached was that I can post this picture:

Which Jon actually posed for, that wasn't like a candid shot while he was in the middle of talking, that was a face he was making at me to show his disinterest in something I was saying.  Anyways, I was allowed to post that picture but then I had to also post this picture:

In case it isn't obvious the drinking has continued throughout the day.

And believe it or not I'm back home and everything is as it should be.

I wish the photo weren't so blurry but I could not stop laughing to save my life.  But it's time for the laughter to end as I tend to the chore of unpacking all this junk I just moved down here.

The worst part is that I only emptied like half of the closet.  So you can expect a "JFK twice in a day round two"

i can't

Thank you Kim for sending this video to me.  I am overwhelmed by the cuteness.

And then I watched this:




I don't know where you are finding these videos but please keep sending them to me.

HOW ARE THEY SO NICE?!

: ((((

the requests keep pouring in

Everyone was jealous of Sarah's mix cd at work so I've since made these two cds as well.

While Janelle's cd is unique for her its composition was made easier by having spent the past three days immersed in Mariah for Sarah's mix.  I did get to include a special "Janelle only" surprise of Loverboy after I remembered that she said she liked Glitter.

Stina's mix proved more of a challenge.  I wanted to steer clear of songs like Without You or Heartbreaker and stick to the "I'm fabulous" message of Someday.  Because of the limitations Stina's mix ended up a lot shorter than Janelle's or Sarah's, for which I feel bad.  Perhaps Stina will be getting a second cd in the future...

what did I just watch?

In support of my new years resolution Jon suggested I watch this music video and post it.

I honestly feel like an old person trying to understand what the kids are in to these days.  I like it, but I am completely confused about how we got to this point.

I think it's weird when she talks about grinding on your boo.  Do you think she grinds on Jay-Z?  I imagine she must but I have a hard time imagining when they find the time for grinding.  Somehow I bet she finds away.

Beyonce can do anything.

hahahaha

Thank you Jonathan for sending this to me.

I can't stop laughing.

for Dan

Dan sent me a very special facebook message that contained this music video.  I had never seen it before which was clearly a mistake.  I'm downloading the music video to my phone now.

I don't know at what point Dan and my love story became intertwined with Beyonce but it seems like in most of my memories the two always go hand in hand.

I told you about how on my birthday Dan paid the dj to play nothing but Beyonce for as long as he could?  I think he played Single Ladies three times in a row.  Ahhh good times.

Anyways, it's funny that Dan would send me this video because I was just thinking that I never do any posts about Beyonce.  Meghan commented that she was shocked I didn't post about Beyonce giving birth.  It really didn't even occur to me.

So I'm making a new years resolution to have more Beyonce coverage.

Enjoy

his big face

I left the blinds raised up a bit and this is what I came home to.

It was really hard to capture just how hilarious it looked but you get the idea.  Glowing rage eyes, angry screech owl ears, like the cheshire cat only less interested in doing anything besides glowering.

And he wasn't done with his creeping and peeping even after I'd come inside.  Here is the view of him being the neighborhood watch from the other side of the glass:

this precious angel came in to my work

Her name was Layla I think.  She was so well behaved when her owner was holding her but then turned in to a wiggle monster as soon as she was set down.

It took me a really long time to get a good picture but I didn't mind spending extra time with her.

I would like a nice doggy as beautiful as her.

in my mirror

This was behind me in traffic the other day.  So pretty.

It all seemed very james bond to be looking at that car in my rearview mirror.

his version of sharing

This is exactly how he slept last night, and most nights for that matter.  He didn't move when i got up this morning so I took this picture to document the inequality I have to deal with every night.

Why can't he sleep lengthwise?!  Why does it have to be sideways, and always with his butt pointing towards me.  The butt isn't even the thing that I mind, it's the tail.  That horribly fluffy tail, look at the range of that thing.  There is no escape.

He didn't move from that spot all night as far as I know and yet this morning when I woke up and went to pet him he licked his lips pointedly and looked over his shoulder at me like I was a stranger on the subway inappropriately touching him.  Shocked, angry, and a little bit disappointed.

the playlist

I dont know how I feel about this mariah playlist.  I hope it goes over well, I still haven't heard from Sarah.

Here's what I ended up with:

1)  Fantasy (ODB remix)
2)  Vision of love (MTV unplugged)
3)  Honey
4)  My All
5)  H.A.T.E.U. (remix)
6)  We Belong Together
7)  Bliss
8)  Heartbreaker
9)  Someday (MTV unplugged)
10)  Emotions
11)  More Than Just Friends
12)  Crybaby
13)  Bringin' on the Heartbreak
14)  All In Your Mind
15)  Up Out My Face (Nicki Minaj remix)
16)  I'll Be There (MTV unplugged)
17)  The Impossible

I feel like I would be pleased to receive such a mix cd.  Wouldn't you?

his favorite

Heather claims that she doesn't hear when he's playing with his catnip ball but I don't see how that's possible.  I still don't have a lot of stuff in my apt so he when he rockets the catnip ball across the room it just rattles over the tile before slamming in to the wall or door.

Haha it still cracks me up thinking about when he was doing it in the middle of the night and Jon just sat straight up and goes, "WHAT IS THAT NOISE?!" hahaha.  He got up and took the catnip ball away from the detective and put it up on the counter where he couldn't reach it.   : (

I've of course put it back on the floor which means throughout the day and night I get randomly surprised by the, 'roll roll roll BANG pause pause pause roll roll roll BANG' routine.

It's nice to see him enjoying life though.  That's why I don't want to take it away, it's so rare to see him actually playing with something.  I guess it would help if I got more carpeting.

Can somebody take me to Ikea please?