negative networking

The adorable Afshaan and Kate, pre-drinks. We make a great venting team.

Favorite job search story of the week:
On Monday the creepy IT guy (you know who I mean: the one who stares too long and gets really nervous during conversation) stopped by my office with a hand-written note.
IT guy: You got another job yet?
me: No
IT guy: Call this guy. He'll give you a job.
me: Wow, thanks.
IT guy: It's just a lead. Just call him and tell him you know me. He'll give you a job.
me: Cool. Thanks, man.
IT guy: It's just a lead.
me: Okay, thanks so much.

The IT guy leaves and I look at the note. He's given me the name, phone number, and email address to become a customer sales rep at this website.

Lingering questions:
1. What on earth would make the creepy IT guy think I would want to work for a police supply website?
2. How does the creepy IT guy know about the website?
3. Should I be afraid to be alone with the creepy IT guy?
4. Is there such a thing as negative networking or reverse helpfulness?

Everyone keeps telling me I need to be open to possibilities, but I think this lead might be a bit extreme.


Hot Alexis at work. I'm giong to miss seeing her everyday!

Great news! A story of mine is going to be published in Geurnica. More on this soon.

More eye candy for Oscar

Oscar requested more pictures. So here. We took a total of 95 photos at the Amsterdam reunion dinner. I think this will suffice, right Oscar?

Our super gay party playlist is incorporated:


The Seeker by Dolly Parton


Cool Blue Stole My Heart by Joan Armatrading


If I Was Your Girlfriend by Prince


She Drives Me Crazy (cover) by Dolly Parton


The Heart Remains A Child by Everything But the Girl


Maneater by Hall & Oates


Don't Stop Believin' by Journey


Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen


Touch Your Woman by Dolly Parton


You Ought to Be With Me by Al Green


Stay (I Missed You) by Lisa Loeb


Somebody to Love by Queen


Hymn to Her by The Pretenders


Rich Girl by Hall & Oates


Manhunt by Karen Kamon


99 Balloons by Nena


Brass in Pocket by The Pretenders


Careless Whisper by George Michael

Amsterdam reunion dinner

Tech Question

One of my dreams is to open a Bookstore/Winebar. I've found another person with a similar dream, but I can't figure out how to contact her. Does anyone have a suggestion as to how to get in touch with this woman? Do I have to join the website and post a comment on her page?

I searched for "A Randall" in Minneaoplis, but the facebook page I found is probably not hers.

This is all very stalker-y. Why else would anyone use the Internet? Moving on; can you help?

elusive sleep

The mid-week lack of sleep from the election excitement made for a kind of emotional exhaustion by the time the weekend rolled around.


Much sleep-deprived socializing took place including attendance at Goat Island's last performance. I don't have a large threshold for experimental theater. I kept looking around and wondering if everyone but me understood what we were watching. Many audience members were taking notes, but I couldn't read what they were writing. It's probably good to catapult myself out of my comfort zone once a month, and I can appreciate the challenge of trying not to over-analyze, to stay in the moment, but ninety minutes of confusion with no intermission might have been too mind-expanding for me.

another busy day

After work, I met up with my parents in between their theater appointments.


Mom and I shared a cupcake hence the enormous smile.


Then I dashed across Central Park to eat more sugar with Veronica at Alice's Tea Cup.


In our sugary food coma, we headed to tap dance. Our teacher told Veronica that she'd have the basics down after eight classes. She's at a disadvantage: little girls don't learn to tap dance as frequently in Romania as they do in our beautiful country.


One of the other students yelled at me for taking pictures, but not before I had snapped several shots of the class in action.

All this tap dancing makes me miss Aikido. Nothing compares.

We're really doing this.

My friend, Vanessa is passionate and wise, an amazing cook and hostess. Note the homemade apple pie.


Vanessa invited us into her home to collectively writhe/panic in the revealing hours of Election Night.


A list of activities to attempt to subside anxiety (NOTHING WORKED!): eating, pacing, curling into a ball, hula hooping, drinking, encouraging a cat to jump through a hula hoop, eating, calling family members and friends in other states, mocking the people on television, texting, eating, watching others pace, telling stories, crying, laughing, binging, taking pictures, searching for the perfect ringtone, washing dishes, berating James.


Joseph traveled all the way from teaching in New Jersey to be with us; he held my hand the whole time.


And then...the future.

Blissed out, hopefully for a long, long time.

nervous nervous nervous

Am I the only one who shed a tear or two while voting today?

Off to Vanessa's election party to hopefully watch this country become livable.

Cultural notes:

*My new Bookslut column is online!

*Must-see even though it's a vampire flick: Let the Right One In

a Woodstock birthday weekend

The challenge: fitting 21-23 chairs around a table for Gaela's Sixtieth Birthday Dinner.


It worked.


The meal.


Gaela seemed much calmer than usual about hostessing. She confessed that she had taken half a Xanax. It's good to know your limits. (Note to a certain prescription writer I may know: I've decided that for my next birthday, I would like a single dose of Xanax to make it through my party.)




Gaela blew out candles in the sweet potato-pumpkin-ginger pie, which Joe and I made.


Riva and me.


In the morning, Mahalia, Chaya, Riva, and I decided to register as a single, sexy, 23-year old lady on sugardaddies.com, seeking a silent business partner (for Chaya and me). When the website asked for our credit card information, we gave up.


This summer, Chaya opened Aviary, a beautiful vintage clothes and antiques store in Woodstock. Gaela bought each of us one item from Chaya's store to celebrate her own birthday.

I love my second family.