Last Weekend in Ithaca

Despite the fact that it's our last weekend in Ithaca, Dan left an hour ago to see his friend Justin and won't be returning until tomorrow night. He was also gone last weekend. Needless to say I am not happy about this. I'm not happy that I won't have one last friday night at the Chapter House - my only source of fun this entire year.

Amy and I will hit Lake Cayuga for a final swim tomorrow.

Sunday I will start packing for my trips.

Amy found her way to a part on campus and did shots of vodka. On Wednesday night we drove around for an hour looking for her. She was loaded.

Signing off

Amy is coming today. I have anxiety about this. I have anxiety about everything these days. With Dan gone for a few, it gets even worse. He's become the only person who can break things down and help me make sense of things. I can't take a valium because I will wind up falling asleep, and I have my last therapy session today. Gosh, I will miss Tom. Tom's office is very colorful and has a lot of toys for his kid patients. Dan and I couldn't decide if Tom actually likes toys too. So I bought him a bunch of fun colorful play things last night as my departing gift - a koosh ball, some tiny rubber duckies, fun stuff - that at least he could put out for his kid patients.

Rick and Emily left yesterday at 2pm and I miss them already. No more Chapter House on Friday nights. Those Friday nights saved me this last year.

Big Love - so happy it started. I've like a pig in shit with Big Love, So You Think You Can Dance and Footballers' Wives.

Amy and I will go out for sushi tonight and then I will show her around town. The last time she was here our mother was alive and we shopped, shopped, shopped and ate, ate, ate. It was fun.

S - go to Spain.

K - thanks for the advice on the meds.

M - owe you a phone call and hope you are doing ok.

SN - Holla back atcha

K - thanks for all the support (no pun intended) this week

Everyone else ... This blog is coming to a close in less than two weeks. Stay tuned for Annie in Astoria. Signing off

What's New

I had one of those crazy work weeks again. Late hours, overwhelming, something going on in the cosmos as the days would start off fabulous and end horribly.

-Amy coming to visit on Wednesday
-Rick & Emily leaving Ithaca on Thursday (They are buying a whopper of a house in Cleveland)
-My bridesmaid dress is still not in
-Dan's back has been out again
-Had is out with Cliff last week. We are going to "try" and work on our relationship. Y'see - the reason why we don't speak is all my fault. Also, Dog Face and her children hate me. Really? Awwwww.
-Marshy has an unusual growth - and that means more testing!!! Teaching hospitals are alot to handle.
-Friday is my last day of therapy. What on earth will I do.
-I'm on a shoe buying craze lately
-I'm scared as shit lately - each morning I wake up feeling like my heart will jump out of my chest
-I want to have a baby
-Peter turned 15 on June 1. (Can you even believe?)
-He called me last night hysterically crying that his father was going ape shit and threatened to put one of the dogs to sleep
-Dan and I are arguing about furniture
-Dan is going to Seattle this weekend to see Robby
-I might take Amy on a road trip to Columbus, Ohio to stay at Rick's family's for a night. His mom organizes an annual Latino Festival
-I packed most of my closet last night
-Amy turns 18 on June 27 - her father threatened to kick her out of the house. Seems Kathy has him by the balls.
-The Acura didn't pass inspection, and the Neon wouldn't start last week. You think it might be time for a new car?
-Tried a new French restaurant on Friday night - Dijon - AMAZING!!! Emily and I shared some country pate - delish
-Saw Oceans 13 on Saturday - Entertaining - after sushi and a shot or two of Soju.
-Saw Knocked Up the week before - AWESOME
-Netflixed Little Children - FAB
-Here, here for the new (and last season) of Footballers' Wives
-I'm incredibly pissed at my mother these days
-Got some great media hits for clients last week - NY Post, WABC-TV, AOL Black Voices, Jet Magazine - Boo-ya

Signing off.

Congratulations Are In Order

I'll make this quick, because I have no time to blog.

I just want to give a hearty congrats to Andrew and Stacy for their new positions.

-Andrew has become the first full-time staff photographer at Atlantic Records. A tremendous achievement and exactly what he's dreamed of doing since I met him a very, VERY long time ago.

-Stacy has a new position at a venerable law firm, and she's absolutely loving the work.


Here. Here.

Signing off.

Today She Would Be 50

Mom and Amy, 1987, Somers, N.Y.

To Be a 30 Year Old Graduate

OK so Anthony Kiedis is having a baby with some 21 year old, and I'm jealous. http://perezhilton.com/topics/baby_blabber/growing_a_chilikiddo_20070524.php

After about 18 months of living in Ithaca, Dan will graduate this weekend. He made it, and frankly it's some sort of fucking miracle that we all survived this foray into ivy league academics as adults. This week is particularly memorable as Dan celebrated the Big 3-0 the same week as graduation. He did good. He worked hard, and I'm proud of who he has grown up to be.

Dan has begun packing. I'm actually shocked by this, but relieved because I have no urge to lift a finger. Yesterday I actually saw him washing the windows. I would have preferred he scrubbed the toilet bowl, but I guess I should take what I can get and not complain.

I had a mini-breakdown yesterday. I doubted myself. I doubt myself. There is something to be said about trusting your gut. I'm overwhelmed - it's expected, I guess.

I will cut out of work early today as I caught up on my work last night.

Today is a Good Day

Dan graduates this weekend. Wow! He's all grown up. I bought him Ray Ban Aviators for graduation - a no so conventional grad gift, but he has everything else...the briefcase, the engraved pens, the clothes, the electronics, the leather bound notebook. He needs to rock out with a new sunglasses for training in Orlando for two weeks this July.

Anyway, I'm considering getting him a helicopter ride around the city as well. I think I may have mentioned this before.

My ass is sweating again.

Shan - The Yankees game busting into the season finale of SVU - how pissed were you? The Yankees lost and we missed the murder!

This is why today is a good day: My phone started ringing at 9am - I was still in bed - as I slept maybe two hours last night - and it was a syndicated radio network calling for an interview. That's the way for a publicist to start her day. Cheers!

For those with HBO - try and catch the movie Brick - making it's rounds. Brilliant. I saw it in the movies, but was up at 4am watching it as well.

Signing off.

Untitled

Sorry to those I haven't written or called back.

Friday night we hit the Chapter House for a coupla beers then headed to a french bistro called Dijon. It was 9pm and they asked if we had reservations. Hello??? This is fucking Ithaca. So we went off to ZaZa's Cucina and they were equally packed, but had a table for three. We realized later that it was Ithaca College commencement weekend. The service was poor, but the papardelle and mushrooms was amazing (K - like Mappamondo). We then went bowling, and I kicked everyone's ass the second game.

On Saturday Dan and I went to a town called Watkins Glen to walk the gorge trail. This town sits on Seneca Lake. It was a nice walk, but had tons of stairs. At some point I thought I would collapse. We had a lovely drive throught Central/Western New York covering WG as well as Corning and Elmira. There is no shortage of mobile homes.

We hit a TJ Maxx in Elmira (yes, we're addicted) to buy rugs for our new apartment. We hit the jackpot and walked out with three beautiful hand woven rugs - one for the bedroom, one for me office and one for the library. We also walked out with two Cross pens, two Calloway golf polos, 1 black t-shirt, 1 turquoise t-shirt, 1navy blue absolutley adorable dress, 1 new pet bed, 1 package of Ralph Lauren undershirts, 1 pair of men's Rockport flip flops, 1 White Gardenia pillar candle, and a nike swimsuit in gray.

Sunday I woke up with aches and pains from the walk and major congestion. Allergies. I popped a Tavist and some tension headached Exedrin and wound up sleeping for most of the day. I thought someone had slipped me a mickey. Turns out the Tavist does cause drowsiness.

Yesterday was Dan's 30th birthday. I cut out of work a bit early and we ran some errands together. We hit Kyushu for sushi with Rick and Emily and had a cake from Purity for dessert. It was a nice evening.

I'm trying to stay awake today. Signing off.

How is it that today is Thursday?

This week went by quickly - too quickly, and I'm not sure what I have done. I still haven't gotten my eyebrows waxed or a pedicure. I still haven't gone to the gym. I still haven't written that press release I was supposed to write for my accountant about a month ago.

Dan and I are bored. He sleeps until noon each day and when he wakes he tries to find someone to play golf with. It's been hard for him. Our first year here, he tried to find a job and was constantly in the city, meeting with companies on campus, going to various events...When he wasn't doing all of this, he was with me - trying to comfort and console me - even though I spend much of my time in the bathtub. So we don't have many friends. And now we're both bored, but mostly lonely, and I feel badly about this, because Dan is just the type of guy that loves to love and give. I haven't had much interest in playing golf anymore, but he really wants the company, so I went and hits some balls at the range with him on Tuesday night. He likes to teach, so I listened carefully, and it was fun.

Last night after prime rib at The Antlers, I begged not to go home. It was cold and rainy, so a walk around the lake was out of the question. There isn' anything playing at the movies that we like really want to see, and last weekend we bought up TJ Maxx - even tried driving to Cortland to find another bigger, better one. We settled on bowling at the Bowl-a-drome, which was closed over the summer. While I had fun, nothing seems to be fulfilling these days. Dan and I had a long talk about this last night. Conclusions? I'm just not sure. We did discover that I'm having trouble accepting the fact that I'm supposed to have joy in my life.

Obviously, if my mother didn't kill herself and my father didn't have this mental breakdown and move in with Dog Face, and my sister...well, Amy, what to say... if none of this happened Dan and I would probably have tons of friends and tons of plans and tons of fun. Right now we're in limbo, eagerly awaiting our new lives, yet trying not to disregard the lives we have to live.

And Monday is his 30th birthday and I ordered an ice cream cake from Purity. We haven't decided on dinner yet, but perhaps lobsters. I bought him a golf bag.

Signing off.

Mom and Me 1976

And So It Is

Has it always been this hot in May? Yesterday was redick, a total summer day.

So it's 10 days into May and I still haven't started my exercise routine for this wedding and the summer. Even though my favorite denim skirt from last summer is a bit tight around the waste. Something's gotta give. I'm in some sorta permo-lazy mode that's just gotta end. I feel a loss of order. I don't even cook anymore.

I've been reading that Memory Keeper's Daughter book - the best selling book of 06. It's no great shakes. And as Kathryn told me when she mailed me the book, it's overwritten. K - did you hear they are turning The Lovely Bones into a movie?

It's oddly quiet this morning - not too many e-mails. No responses to the hundreds of pitches I sent out yesterday. I fucking hate that.

Recently seen movies: The Namesake, Grindhouse, Fracture.
Rose Mcgowan is hot and so is Ryan Gosling ( I know I've said that before). Kal Penn is pretty hot too. Dan and I thoroughly enjoyed The Namesake. I can't wait for Harold & Kumar 2.

It's time to start working. Signing off.

My Ass is Sweating

Paris

How fucking funny is it that Paris Hilton is going to jail?

Kyushi (sushi joint) has a tv on in the background and I actually saw one patron clapping when she read the scroll on CNN.

The thing is - jail will make her bigger than ever.

Oh and Nancy Grace is on Headline News, different channel than regular CNN. Sorry, should have made that clear sooner. (Andrew that's why you kept finding Paula Zahn.) So Thursday at 8pm on Headline News.

Cheers.

I Don't Feel Like Working This Week

Ithaca has given me allergies. OR I still have a sinus infection. Either way, I wake up feeling like shit.

Sorry Stace - I wound up going out for a late bite to eat and then doing some shopping at the mall.

Mother's Day coming up. Last night I packed up my gifts for my aunt and grandma, dan's mom and grandma.

I found a million things I would have bought for my mother. I hate Hate HATE this.

Anyway, I want to play hookie today.

What's New

A certain lawyer friend just got a hot new job...mum's the word still, but we can offer a little teaser.

My new address is:
24-61 Crescent Street
Astoria, NY 11102
My phone numbers will probably stay the same.

For those I told about Nancy Grace (on CNN)...the date has changed from Monday to Thursday night at 8:00-9:00 p.m. Please, please watch, set your DVR's, support. Cheers.

And So

We watched Season 5 of 24 in a record five days. It's a fascinating show, but we've gotten good at predicting Jack's Bauer's next moves.

Saturday Marshy celebrated his 10th birthday. He went to the park, sniffed as many trees as he wanted to and had a nice spare rib (of course he had diahrea on Sunday).

I missed seeing TV on the Radio on Friday as I got stuck coordinating four media interviews. I was annoyed, but what can you do? By the time I made it to the Chapter House, I was so on edge, I couldn't stop looking at my PDA. Dan was upset with me because he says I've been a real snot lately. He's right.

So we made up over some rolls and sashimi at Kyushu. Then hit TJ Maxx where I bought him a new golf bag for his birthday coming up in a few.

Overall the weekend was pretty sweet. Some minor client relations on Saturday, but no work on Sunday! Hoofuckingray.

Signing off.

What Luck?

My horoscope was a bunch of bullshit.

Turns out they have rented our current apartment for July 15. (I think they are lying. New managment company started like two months ago and already this place is going down the tubes.) Right now we're figuring out where to house our dogs for the 2 weeks while we are away, and where to stay once we return. We're leaning towards splitting The Boys as Marshy is a lot of work. (Also I don't think a kennel will accept him due to his disability.) Then when we return, we'll either stay at Dan's parents for two weeks or at a hotel. (I'm pushing for the hotel.) It comes as no surprise that all of this makes me highly uncomfortable and that I'd rather find a new apartment, but Dan won't hear of it. I believe he's already found storage for our stuff while in Argentina and movers for July 31.

I don't work well when things are up in the air - as most of you know. I've worked too damn hard to have any glitches in the way I run my business. And most of you know how much work Marshy is. I think I'll be able to have my aunt take care of him.

Anyway, got to get back to work as I'm out this afternoon. TV on the Radio is coming to Cornell U today for Slope Day, and Dan got me some tix. Cool, yo.

Signing off.

Some Changes

I suppose I've missed my blog, but the truth is I haven't really come up for air in the past six weeks. Business has been really good. Fingers crossed.

As many of you know, the plan was to move mid-June, settle into an Astoria apartment, and venture off to Puerto Rico and Argentina for two weeks, returning around July 15.

Today, my horoscope reads, "If you attempt to reapproach a situation that you'd thought was truly past hope, you could be pleasantly surprised. Apparently there's a reason people say "you never know."

Last night Dan called Fran - the woman who owns the house in Astoria where we were planning to take an apartment before the Cornell U. call came. Turns out her current tenant must return to Morocco and the apartment will become free at the end of July. Essentially, we just scored a good-size two bedroom with a parking space near the subway, the Triboro, the Beer Garden, the Grand Central Parkway and Neptune Diner, by just making one phone call. It's a little closer to the tracks than I'd like, but I can totally deal.

The thing is that we won't be settled in until August 1 so we'll stay hear in Ithaca for a little while longer. Dan starts work on July 23 and has training for two weeks in Orlando. I will have to handle the move on my own.

Even though I am eager to return to all of you, I feel good about all of this. I feel as if every once in a while I get a nice bit of luck.

Signing off.

What's New

• Sinus infection (sucks the big one)
• Dan - weirdo stomach thing that caused massive diarhea and dry heaving
• 300 - I enjoyed
• Pan's Labrynth - was an incredible movie
• Dirt - isn't Courteney Cox the prettiest? And the show has gotten much better. Too bad rumor has it that it's probably not going to be renewed another season due to low ratings.
• Picked up some interesting work this week (CONFIDENTIAL)
• Back to W.C. for taxes on April 6 (see amy and stay)
• Sister - most likely not graduating
• Dan's graduation day - May 26
• Can no longer fall asleep without the Family Guy on
• Read my first full-book since early November - Tom Perrotta's Little Children - wonderful (K - I'm going to drop it off at your house next time I'm in W.C. with some other books too)
• Weather = warm! Snow gone.
• Daffodils sprouting in the backyard area of my patio
• Miss her - Mom that is
• Love him - Dan that is
• Tired - me that is

Signing off

It's Been A While

I'm on a lot of new projects this week, but I've stressed myself out. There is only so much I can take on in one week, with my short window of time to get things done in the PR world. I'm pretty exhausted and I think I'm coming down with something. I actually have to stop pitching today as my throat is sore. I still managed to make 60+ phone calls today though. I think I will actually have to skip happy hour tonight - though I want nothing more than to drink heavily - it'll have to wait. Also, it's snowing. This weather is weird man.

So - if any of you haven't heard of Amy Winehouse - please check her out. Perez talks about her daily - but all drunkedness aside, her music is awesome. (Sandra - Audrey will have.) And if you haven't listened to Lily Allen yet, please do so. Cheeky little bitch makes some great pop.

I visited the tax man last friday, which was bad, but not soooo bad. But I am happy to report that my first full year in business went pretty damn good. There were times when I was too depressed to work and too much in a daze to focus, but I guess at the end of the day I always pulled it together. This gives me faith. I need faith.

So I have a message to all the Central New Yorker's who live along Rt. 79: Take down your mother fuckin Christmas lights. Christmas was in December. It is now March - why are you still paying for extra electricity when the roof of your trailer looks like it's caving in?

As for that ugly little church along Rt. 79 - I don't like you or the messages you put on that movie theater-type stuck on your front lawn. The most recent was "Jesus Loves You." Yeah, well I don't love him back - so there. Last year around Christmas it read, "Put Jesus First in 2006." Jesus doesn't even make my list. To the person who comes up with these clever little messages, my suggestion is to "Shove Jesus Up Your Ass in 2007."

And to think I was raised as a Catholic.

Signing off.