vegetable dumplings

It was a glorious wednesday in south florida.  While I would have rather been able to hang out with him more I was still glad to be able to visit Joel at his work.  Especially because it involved dumplings.

The only thing that would have made it better would have been SOMEBODY in the seat across from me.

a cinco de mayo miracle

I woke up yesterday at like 6:00am feeling terrible for some reason.  Perhaps it was all the almonds.  I was not looking forward to squandering my morning as I waited for my 1:00pm shift at work.  That's when the first of my cinco de mayo miracles happened.

Elliot texted me asking me to come in early.  Apparently he saw me like something on facebook so he knew I was awake.  It was definitely exactly what I wanted, a quiet morning at work and getting out while it was still daylight.

Then the second cinco de mayo miracle, Joel texted me saying he was at the mall and needed to do some shopping.  I got to help him pick out some nice new things and then I met him for my post work (his pre-work) margarita.  It was really great to see him, I feel like we haven't done anything in forever.

I'm also glad he picked the restaurant he picked as it was also being patronized by this handsome guy:

He was wiggling so much that my camera wouldn't auto focus making the picture taking very hard.  I tried to put my hand out to pet him and steady him and he just opened his giant mouth and my hand went right in.  It was faintly terrifying, he could have easily chomped it right off.  Thankfully he was way too nice to do anything like that.

Now that I have an SUV I could get a nice doggy like this!  Hmmmm, maybe I'll just take a look at the adoption sites for down here.  

a nice day off

Sorry I left you high and dry yesterday but time got away from me.  I didn't really end up doing that much really, but somehow I came home exhausted.

Though many things were planned for yesterday I ended up just meeting Joel for a walk on the beach.  We talked about going in the water but it was never anything more than talk.  I only paid for an hour on the meter, and it was quite nice.  I mean it only cost a dollar and we got to take a nice walk along the beach.  I should come down more often.

On the way back to the mainland we got stopped at one of my favorite intersections of all time:

It's the only red light that I'm always ok with getting.  It's like you get to spend just a little more time at the beach.

After our beach walk I took Joel to Lime for lunch/dinner.  I have been there a couple times with Heather but Joel had never been.  He ended up knowing somebody who worked there which was cool.  Especially because this guy liked my car, any friend of my car is a friend of mine.

After a lot of chips and guacamole we ended up at Sidelines where Joel was able to contain himself but I continued to eat.  This time it was peanuts.  Ugh, I couldn't stop.

I blame the display.  After we'd been there for a while I looked around and realized that there was a bowl of peanuts on every single empty table, and they had positioned them to be directly under the light, making them look like glorious golden chalices:

It was so Indiana Jones.  I will say that after eating an entire bowl, I chose poorly.

Anyways, it was a great day, thanks Joel for hanging out with me on my day off.  For now I've got to go next door and check on those precious ladies before I start getting ready for work.

taking myself out

Yesterday was a strange day for me.  I woke up at 5:15 to take Heather to the airport and then drove straight home and went back to bed.  I didn't wake up again until like noon.

I spent the majority of the day cleaning which was good.  I found out at some point in the afternoon that I was going to have to work today, and in the morning no less.  I felt like I didn't want to spend my one day off sleeping and cleaning, but unable to find anybody available to hang out I ended up taking myself out to eat.

Well kind of, I harassed Joel while he worked, and I had dinner too.  It was nice, although my timing could have been better for me seeing Joel.  I ended up being there during old people time so he stayed pretty busy most of the time.

But at least I got out of the house, and you can't argue with this commute.

some sick jamz

I'd like some more of this from Christina please.  This song never gets old.

Joel came over to hang out at my place before we went to the beach all afternoon yesterday.  Since we were home I of course had to play DJ, which led to many an eye roll from Joel.  Sure, your instinct might be to laugh off certain hits from your childhood but I suggest giving them a chance again.  I agree, Chumbawumba will never be cool again no matter how much Heather wants it to be, but some hits from the 90s were hits for a reason.

Like this:




I put lyrics from this song as my facebook status yesterday and, judging by the lackluster response, nobody appreciates this amazing song.  Perhaps watching the video will refresh your memory?

I love how fresh she looks, how timeless and beautiful, and then she has to muck it up with those hideous sketchers.  I mean really?  All the other dancers are wearing white shoes and she's wearing those?  It had to be a choice by somebody.  I also don't like that one cojo looking back up dancer who seems a little too chummy with Britney.  I guess because he was in the hit me baby one more time video he thinks they are bf4e?  I don't care for it, I also don't like him because he always reminded me of somebody I went to middle school with who shall remain nameless here.  You can totally email me if you want to know who though.

What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't be so quick to dismiss songs from your past.  You might be forgetting about a gem like this:

thank you Joel!!!

Joel took me out to brunch today and surprised me with this book!  I haven't actually read it since I was a kid, though the name has clearly stuck with me.  I'm really excited to reread it now.

I also feel like I need to get a female kitty and name her Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.  I suddenly have so much to do!

Besides being surprised by this gift I was also surprised at brunch by this nice lady:

It was hard to get a good picture as she was extremely interested in a piece of paper that was floating around on the breeze.  I love her and her little hair clips.

Anyways, thanks for the book Joel, and for the kind words.

: )

it was only a matter of time

I knew I'd find Nathanael on erotic photo hunt eventually, I just wasn't prepared to be so dazzled by his beauty.  He's a delicate tropical bloom.

It was terribly overcast yesterday morning so Jon and I holed ourselves in the bar and played video games for most of the afternoon.  Joel met us before he had to go to work, which reminded me of the amazing dumplings they have at his restaurant so Jon and I ended up following him there where we spent several hours eating lots and lots of food.

You would have too if you'd been there with us, good food and good surroundings are hard to say no to.

We had grand plans of doing something exciting today, we even discussed flying to San Juan, but judging by our slow start I think we will probably just end up at the beach here.  It's beautiful outside now so I don't have a problem with it.  Maybe I can convince Jon to go with me down to south beach, maybe.

Either way, I'm enjoying my time off of work.

a nice day off

I had a nice day off yesterday thanks to new florida friends that know how to show a boy a good time.  Joel and I had lunch downtown and then walked through a park as seen here.  I love how many secret nooks and hideaways there are down here.

After hanging out with Joel I stopped by and said hi to Jed before he went out of town again.  I've not been to their house at sunset, it's really fantastic.

Besides me being distracted by their lexus and smashing in to a flower pot when I was pulling in it was a really nice visit.

I had just the right amount of fun yesterday which, compounded with my lack of sleep, provided for me to drift off early last night and get a great night's sleep.

I'm glad too because Jon came to visit bright and early this morning so we'll be having a fun filled next couple of days.

Yay friends!  : )

an average date with me

source

So Kim and Ariel want to come visit in January which I am very excited about but I was thinking last night as I was driving home that neither of them has really ridden in a car with me.  Ariel rode to ikea in my grandfather's minivan with me when I first moved in with them but otherwise they haven't had the experience.

I feel like Kim being from ny will be able to handle my driving as she is accustomed to cab drivers but it seems to unnerve people when they are in my car with the top down and they can see swift death approaching them with nothing in between them and the other vehicles but a door.

Everyone has their different coping mechanisms for riding with me.  Scott used to just slump down in the passenger seat with a scowl on his face like he was preparing for death, Joel does the grabbing on to the door handle while bracing his feet against the floor as if pressing an imaginary brake peddle.  Jonathan tends to just screech at me and hit me like an old hispanic lady.

But the point is, like in grand theft auto, even if my car is covered in blood by the end of the journey you had a good time and I got you where you needed to go.  In fact, after all of Joel's bitching the other day he actually commented that I got him to a bathroom quicker than he would have been able to.  So maybe I increased his likelihood of peeing his pants, but he didn't, I got him there, everything was fine.

It's why I can't wait for Meghan to come visit, she is my perfect passenger.  Meghan and I can have an in depth philosophical conversation as calm as clams while I'm zipping in and out of lanes, the speedometer creeping ever closer to the killing speed.  And she does it all with the grace and dignity of a passenger in a video game.

So hurry up and get down here Meghan!  I'm actually off to clean my car in a minute, just in case you show up at my door unexpectedly.

the weather is beautiful

All they were talking about on the news this morning was how beautiful the weather was outside.  I couldn't take it anymore by 8am so I had to go for a run down a1a and the weather was in fact beautiful.

So I waited until a reasonable hour until I begged Joel to go for a drive with me.  Even though he has to clutch at his pearls every time I change lanes he still agreed to go with me down to south beach for the afternoon and I was extremely happy that he did.

I mean really, how can you argue with it?

The best part about having a convertible is that you don't even mind having to serpentine up and down the streets looking for parking because you are soaking up the sun all the while.  And getting looks from the passerby's as well, at least when you're cruising in my car you do.

As thanks for him going with me down to Miami I took Joel to eat on south beach where our drinks were unexpectedly humongous.

They were the kind of drinks that are meant to be sipped casually all afternoon.  Or at least for as long as you can before two weird europeans decide to sit down at your table with you and begin conversing as if it wasn't weird that they sat down next to you.  Seriously europeans, I've about had it with you and your disregard for american customs like "not smashing in to cars when you parallel park" and "having privacy when you eat".

But besides that it was a spectacular way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  We even saw them filming something on south beach which made me feel like I was back in NYC, except with more g-strings.

I quite enjoy living down here I must say.

wish you were here...

best sign ever

I laughed out loud when I saw the neon sign in the window.  I like that somebody understands that prop comedy is sometimes just worth it.

Joel took me here yesterday for my last sandwich as an unemployed schmuck.  Yes, that's right, I am starting a job today.  After almost a year of glorious unemployment I will be back in the grind.

Well hopefully, first I have to get there this morning.  I know sort of where this place is but I don't know for sure.  My manager was supposed to send me an email with directions but she didn't.  My plan is to leave early and wander aimlessly.

I will report on how it goes.  9-5 today, hitting the ground running.

it's about time

I was just discussing the amazingness of Mariah with my new Florida friend Joel and I brought up how my favorite is when Mariah collaborates with vocalists who have a very different style to her.  I mentioned Crybaby as an example and Joel didn't know what I was talking about.  I then looked to see if I had posted about Crybaby before and realized that I haven't.

Sacrilege!

I might be confident in saying that this is my favorite Mariah music video of all time.  I feel like it has the irreverent attitude that I love in "Touch My Body" but at a time when she didn't know she could get away with shit like that.  I mean really, fruity pebbles?  Brilliant.

If you've never seen this video do yourself a favor and watch it.  Then download the song and listen to it until you've got it memorized.  You won't regret it.