Friday, December 29, 2006

Aruba: 6/10

I have returned safely... Aruba's too hot & humid though. The mosquitos bit me unmercifully, & the whole place looks like a ghetto. On the plus side, the beaches are gorgeous white sand, the cliffs overlooking the water are made of fascinatingly eroded rock, & the ocean is a very lovely shade of blue. I don't see why people make such a big fuss about it, although I think my opinion might be colored by my family's constant sniping at each other & complaining about everything. The best part was hanging out with my siblings. They're a little more grown-up now, so I can connect with them about more stuff, & I got to play tennis with them every day that my ankle didn't hurt. (It started giving me trouble in dance class a week before I left & only healed after 2 weeks of total rest.) I also finished 7.5 books. So I guess I had an ok time. But I'm very glad to be back.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Catch-up

I've been a very busy woman lately. Let's see: Hedge Funder is permanently out of the picture for blowing me off when I didn't want to play with him one night. I've never slept with him & even though he says he's not dating other girls I don't trust him, so even if I weren't getting deeply involved with Tech Exec I wouldn't do him. I'm actually glad to see his true colors now, before undue complication.

I had the most fantastic lunch at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in the Four Seasons with this old guy Jewish Princess & I met when we had that crazy night a few weeks ago. The food is amazing in every way, at least to my untutored palate. I have never liked foie gras but after having it in several dishes there it might be my new favorite thing. Maybe it's even good for me, I have very low blood pressure anyway. We had the langoustine, chestnut soup, quail & scallop appetizers with hanger steak & steak tartare. The prices are astronomical for the amount of food - the bill was $350! - & it is worth every penny. (To be fair, it wasn't my money.)

I discovered when we went out on Thursday that Tech Exec broke up with all his other girls for me. [See also my semi-drunken post on this.] We went to Pastis with his friend/colleague & that guy's girlfriend, where TE could not keep his hands off me. Literally, he was kissing me every five seconds & trying to cop a feel so I had to keep reminding him that we were in a nice restaurant. We were totally the lovebirds everyone rolls their eyes at, saying "Get a room!" I don't care - I've been pretty starved for affection my whole life & someone who's not afraid to show his feelings is refreshing.

Less happily, not one but two dates walked me to the bus at 4am, earning them disfavor forever. Not broke guys either. Friday night was scary because I was tipsy, reading my book quietly, & this old guy came to sit by me & ask about it. I tried to politely rebuff his advances but I was afraid he'd make a note of where I live. Fortunately nothing happened. But what kind of guy lets a pretty girl go home on the bus at that hour? It's not safe. If he's poor & doesn't have $10 for cabfare then ride up with me. If he has $10, what the fuck. It's not a matter of feminism, it's looking out for my safety even if I'm broke.

Saturday I had brunch at Paris Commune with a new guy, Nice Lawyer, & ice-skated at Chelsea Piers. It's so much fun! I was doing pretty well until they started playing Beyoncé & I got too excited. I'm a good dancer but movement is different on ice, as I discovered to my chagrin when I fell spectacularly on my ass & elbow, knocking the wind out of me. There was a collective "oooh!" from everyone - all of whom had until this point politely pretended not to notice most mishaps. You know it's bad when that happens. I'm fine though, it was super fun.

Later I went out with Fashionista for another adventurous night. We were supposed to go to a party on Park Ave. South, & grabbed a bite at Sushi Samba 7 first (closer to her house). That's where I met the hot Asian model/financial consultant. F & I ended up hanging out with him & his friends the rest of the night & having a great time. Financier/Model & I have a lot in common - tattoos, taste in jewelry & women, & love of books, to mention a few - & I think I like him a lot. I kinda feel torn between my strong feelings for TE & my obvious wandering eye. Just the eye though, I was good. Also, F/M is so hot & has been around so many incredibly gorgeous women that I almost think he must be a player. His high assessment of my beauty is a bit baffling too. He called me on Sunday & Monday so at least I know he's trying to be sincere.

Sunday I had Treo problems. Basically, through my own stupidity, incompatible software & the second broken Treo 600, I lost several days' worth of notes & spent a couple hours talking to the insurance & phone companies. I managed to regain my zen after a few hours though, & took Fashionista to Resto Manager's restaurant to hang out (at his invitation). It was an uneventful night until he walked me to the bus.

I had a fitness evaluation on Monday where I learned that I've lost another 1% body fat. Yay!! I had a session with my favorite footslave after that - we had a lovely time catching up after all these months & he brought me the most beautiful silver Manolos.


Afterwards I met up with some of my girlfriends - Dancer was bartending & I brought Fashionista, Brooklyn Hottie & her friend, & Pixie Mistress who rents space at the same dungeon as me. Everyone got along famously! It was so wonderful to watch my friends hitting it off - they all actually ended up exchanging numbers. Totally awesome. We hit up Café Noir later, the Room, then Odessa Diner & finally I dragged my ass home around 6:30.

So now you're all caught up! I've been sitting in the Aruba airport waiting for my family for the last six hours because of some flight delays or cancellations. Not sure what's happening but it gave me a chance to remedy the neglect of my dear readers. Fingers crossed for me that they're on the last flight in tonight...

[Update: at the airport, a nice (non-Dutch) guy lent me his cell to call my parents & then offered to drive me the 7 miles to my hotel if they didn't show. I guess it's a good thing my family arrived so I didn't have to find out if he was a psycho killer.]

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

super shuttle of evil

I'm on my flight now, finally... it was touch & go for a while. I had the worst experience ever with Super Shuttle. They were supposed to pick me up at 5:30 for my 8:10 flight. I was ready in time, miraculously, but nothing. At 5:39 I called to see what the holdup was. I was inexplicably on hold for fifteen minutes as I paced around my apartment, heart leaping every time I heard rings, only to be disappointed with crappy Muzak jazz. Finally I got someone who put me on silent hold for another five minutes. She said the driver would be there in seven minutes, so I took half my luggage downstairs. The shuttle was outside! When I had all my things & walked outside, I asked why he didn't call. He said he did but got no answer, which was bullshit because I had reception every step of the way & had missed no calls. Already this is a bad start.

He proceeds to mix up the next pickup address, so we circle around the block & waste more time. Finally he asks, "Everyone going to JFK?" & the girl next to me says, "No, Newark!!!" As we wait for another van to pick her up, the driver refuses to hurry things along by digging her luggage out of the bottom of the pile. He wants to just sit on his ass. Fortunately, in a few minutes the poor girl is en route to the correct destination & we finally get underway. To add insult to injury, the driver is terrible. He lurches & doesn't pay attention, causing several near-collisions & side swipes. I am so frustrated & not zen that I end up just closing my eyes & falling asleep. We get to the terminal with about 10 minutes to spare - not counting walking through traffic ourselves - before the hour cutoff mandated by international travel. The rest of the process went smoothly, though tediously, & I made it on the plane almost at the last minute.

I took Super Shuttle this time because I used Airlink the last three times & they're not very good at picking me up from the airport in a timely manner. However, they rock at getting me there with a minimum of fuss & other passengers (the S.S. van had 8 other people). Airlink was always punctual if not a couple minutes early, & I was either alone or with two people. They're cheaper too - just don't bother reserving a seat on the way back because it'll take as long as if you don't.

I don't know what Super Shuttle's problem was today, but I see no excuse. It's the 20th, not quite crunch time yet, & that driver was utterly incompetent, which calls into question their hiring standards. Barely making it to my plane fifteen minutes before takeoff, partly because I didn't have trouble with security, is entirely too close for comfort. I'm never taking Super Shuttle again.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Could he be any sweeter?

Oh my god - I just saw Tech Exec. All day we were trying to schedule when we could meet up & I could tell the poor guy was frazzled & exhausted, but he insisted, "I don't know where or when but I am definitely seeing you tonight." We've talked every day but I last saw him Thursday, & I'll be in Aruba for ten days with my family. We settle on him coming uptown to hang out - his considerate idea. I need to pack before the shuttle picks me up at 5:30 so staying in my area is awesome but I live about 70 blocks up from him, so I am pleasantly surprised at his willingness to make the trek.

My dear sweet man arrives bearing a dozen red roses. Not crappy corner deli roses, either - these are luscious, blood-red beauties. I'm almost in shock, I can't believe how sweet he is. "You didn't have to!" I exclaim, to which he replies that of course he wants to make up for not being around the last few days. He even insists on putting them in a vase for me. The gesture is even more darling & extravagant since we both know I'm leaving in a few hours. Although we've discussed just staying in, he immediately says we can go out to dinner if I want, & he really seems to mean it even though he's obviously tired. Of course I demur, & after he shows how much he missed me, we order up $120 worth of sushi from the fantastic little place down the block. I think it was all the à la carte sushi & sashimi that made it that much. We have fun cuddling on the couch, watching South Park & devouring yummy food. When I come back from taking out our trash despite his protests, he is apparently so bereft by my two minute absence that we end up in bed again. (This is twice in 1.5 hours.)

Then he starts putting on his suit to go home since he needs to get up early. I'm absolutely floored. I thought he was staying over, I had no idea he made the whole journey just to see me for two hours. I can't believe how thoughtful he is. The flowers, the way he keeps asking which hotel I'm staying in so he can call me, the snuggling... I think I'm starting to fall for him. & the way he's acting is exactly how I imagine someone who loved me would act. I'm so used to neglect, I guess I gave up hope on guys behaving properly. Wow. Oh & when he left, he said "I love you." It wasn't the super serious kind but I could tell he meant more than the "Love you" he started saying recently. This time I said it back. :)

sexyback comic

Brooklyn Hottie forwarded this to me, knowing my love of Sexyback:








It still cracks me up after telling about 20 people about it. :) Hopefully I'll have internet while I'm on vacation in the Caribbean - I have a lot of posting to catch up on.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

too many drunken nights

I've had a lot of fun in the past couple days but I have really got to stop going out so much. Will fill in the details later - wanted to post my new dilemma, which is that I met another guy I really like last night. He's a tall, sexy Asian runway model with an MBA who's also a financial consultant. (I know, it's so weird, I usually don't like Asian boys.) I still don't know what to think about TE. We haven't seen each other since Thursday so no chance to talk. I think that rationally speaking, I can trust him to be a good, faithful boyfriend, so the problem is whether I'm ready to be vulnerable again. Also, is he the best guy for me now? He's the most serious about me but my new boyfriend should be my choice & not just whomever wants me to be his girlfriend the most. I feel that I must not be ready if I'm still meeting other guys I like - if TE was the one for me right now, I wouldn't have a wandering eye, would I? My half-baked solution at this point is to not fool around with anyone else & try to figure out how I feel. Your advice is very welcome.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

TE & me, sittin' in a tree...

So I have to decide. Tech Exec has told me - in the most non-demanding, honorable way possible - that he broke up with all his other girls for me. I.e., he meant what he said last week. He didn't ask how many other guys I was seeing. He didn't say "So what are you going to do for me?" He said it the way I imagine Sir Lancelot told Queen Guinevere that he loved her deeply, madly & truly, with no expectation of anything. But after hearing how serious he is about me, I feel I really have to make a choice. He is much too good for me to fuck around with his emotions. I'm terribly afraid to take him seriously, despite all the evidence that he is a good risk & his consistency since day 1. Help! I just can't stop wondering what he's doing when I'm not there. He calls me every day (besides the last few super-busy days) so I know whom he's with & exactly what's going on, yet I still wonder if he's lying & if I can trust him to truly love me. It's a bit hypocritical, since I'm still going out with other people, but I was hurt so badly with the ex & Handsome Young Guy that it's like a burn victim walking past an oven - I will keep those limbs well away from any possible flame, thank you very much. It almost doesn't matter that he can't keep his hands off me & does everything in his power to make me happy. I really wish I could just trust him. I nearly can, except for that nagging voice inside that says, "You'll be sorry when he fucks your friends & you realize you should have listened to me." Tell me I'm wrong, someone?

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

anorexic clothes

I forgot to mention that I have exercised myself down to the point where I can now fit into clothes I bought 4 years ago, when I was anorexic. It was only one summer but I've never been that thin again. The best part is, I'm not constantly dizzy & fainting like before, & I'm toned all over instead of skeletal. Yay! I love being thin. Hedge Funder noticed when I saw him briefly on Monday & said, "Oh my god - you were all muscle when I saw you a couple weeks ago, & now you're tiny. You're the hottest I've ever seen you." :)

Monday, December 11, 2006

Asurion convert

I have insurance on my Treo 600, since it was an expensive phone, & it kinda doesn't work so well anymore so I called Asurion last week. They sent a replacement phone that buzzes during all sounds. Within 1 week I can replace a replacement, so I called yesterday to do that. The guy asked if I'd charged my phone for 12 hours. No, of course I hadn't, you can't do that with Treos or it will fuck up the battery. When I got the new one it was already charged so I left it alone. He argued with me politely that I had to follow the activation instructions. I argued less politely that I didn't want to break the battery & the problem was the sound, possibly something loose internally, not battery life. He told me to charge it up for 12 hours & then call back. It made me really mad but I said fine. Today I called back after following orders, happened to get the same guy, & we reset it, which didn't fix anything. So he said he was very sorry I was having difficulties & could he make up for the annoyance with a free upgrade to a Treo 650 or 700? I was floored. Asurion has been nice the last 4 times I had to get my phone replaced but this was above & beyond. I did some research online & called back to get a 700p. I couldn't believe it! Now that is real customer service. I'm so happy, I can't wait until I get the new phone tomorrow.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

action-packed week

I've had the craziest week of working, shopping, partying, fucking & exercising. Let's see - Tuesday was the GenArt sale & capoeira with Brooklyn Hottie, all pretty fun. We got some sushi on St. Mark's place afterwards & Tech Exec met us there & then we (TE & I) went to his apartment nearby. He is such a stand-up guy, especially compared to my ex - if that had been the ex, he would have just said "come over when you're done." Instead, TE came to hang out with us, grabbed the check away, & insisted that we take a cab the three blocks to his house because "princess, you're shivering." He calls me princess because I mentioned I love that nickname the first time we met. More importantly, he generally treats me like a princess too. He called himself my boyfriend that night, which was really sweet. & he has more energy than I know what to do with. We got home & had sex twice before bed, he woke me up at 3:30 to do it again, & if he hadn't overslept we would have done it before work too.

Wednesday TE took me & Fashionista to a client dinner at Buddha Bar. The food's great there, although the place is a little loud. I was talking to his boss by the bar while we waited for our table & Tech Boss says, "I see why [he] is falling for you more & more. But don't tell him I told you that." I was like wow! I really didn't take TE seriously before, knowing that he dates a lot of beautiful young models & is quite the player. Lately with all that's been happening, I'm starting to look at him differently. Anyhow, I made sure the clients had a great time, intelligent conversation-wise, & TE & I somehow stumbled home (don't mix red wine & copious cocktails) & pretty much had sex all night until he had to get up a couple hours later. His firm is signing a contract with those very same clients next week, which makes me feel like I helped.

Thursday I had a session with a strange guy who may have been high on coke. It was fun despite that - I got to break a cane on him. Well, he did ask me to cane him bloody (I did not, too dangerous with a new client). Then I had one of the best shopping trips of my life. There was a crazy Sigerson Morrison sale, where all the shoes were $60 or $40. These shoes retail for $350 & up - one pair I bought was $515. Made me wonder if the inventory fell off the back of a truck. I picked up only 2 pairs after some disciplined decision-making. Next stop: my favorite consignment shop, Ina, where I got a Michael Kors leather jacket for $125, fierce Burberry cargo pants for $75 & an incredible S&M-looking big purse by Jennifer Scott for $150. It's embossed leather that looks like crocodile & has all these straps & hardware. I love it so much I've been carrying it around every day even when I don't really need to. Although everything was a ridiculously good deal, it was still a lot - I think I got too excited by Sunday's cash.

Thursday night I wore the new pants & jacket out with Hollywood Ex & Jewish Princess, whom I was trying to set up. JP was extremely not zen. She got especially frazzled because of the bitter cold & I felt terrible because this was HE's first time meeting her & she was basically being an ass. I did explain to him that she's usually not like that. She went home early, he went back to his hotel after we had a drink, & I met up with Cute Gay Guy. We ended up at Guesthouse & Home where I discovered that I, too, can choreograph! I made up a club-friendly Sexyback dance (the combinations we learn in dance class generally require too much space) & almost got into a fight with a big guy I rejected. I politely gestured no thanks, I was dancing with CGG; the gorilla grabbed my arm really hard & shouted something I couldn't hear over the music. I wanted to shove him or something but I could tell he was at least 3 times stronger than me so I contented myself with screaming at him not to fucking touch me. Very scary. It reminded me of a quote from The Gift of Fear: "At core, men are afraid women will laugh at them, while at core, women are afraid men will kill them." Good thing he walked away & we left shortly thereafter. Spent the rest of the night hanging out with CGG & talking about everything... really meant to go to dance class at 11 but I left his apartment a little too late & was too jittery to do a good job dancing, so I wisely opted to take a nap instead.

Friday I had an orchestra rehearsal in NJ & then a fashion party back in the city. Took Brooklyn Hottie, who pulled out all the stops to look super sexy. We went to Crobar after, where we danced a lot, even on top of the bar for a couple minutes, & met a cute bartender. BH stayed over (platonically) & we went down to Chinatown for lunch the next day. I had a liquor promo that night, & I was so exhausted from my very busy week & lack of sleep that I just went home afterwards. Today has been a lazy day. I did dance class & have been napping for the last 5 hours. TE finally got back to me - I hadn't heard from him since he said "Love you miss you have a great day Princess" Thursday morning - saying he was flying out to the clients from Wednesday. I was worried about him before, & now I'm a little pissed that he was too busy to say hi for 4 days, but he seems to take his work ultra seriously so I'll wait & see what happens when he gets back. It sucks because I was just starting to take him seriously & I feel like this is a huge step back. Anyway, I have got to get at least something done today. 'Til next time...

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Bond is back

Saw Casino Royale with Resto Manager today, after a lovely dinner at Klee, a new little place on the west side. Daniel Craig is a superb James Bond. He's dark, ruthless & sexy - the perfect bad boy. I love that they followed Ian Fleming's original vision of 007 as a focused killer instead of the wealthy playboy he was becoming. Don't get me wrong, Pierce Brosnan was great, but I like Bond with a little discipline & viciousness. & the women... mmmm. Caterina Murino (Solange Dimitrios) & Eva Green (Vesper Lynd) are gorgeous & so are their dresses.

The story makes a lot more sense than the last few movies have, though admittedly that's not saying much. Bond has just earned his 00 status with 2 very messy kills, & now he's after an amoral financier. In the course of tracking him down, he becomes part of a very select, high-stakes poker game, the eponymous Casino Royale. MI6 sends the lovely but icy Vesper Lynd to watch over their money. I don't want to give away too much, so I'll just warn that there's a bizarre torture scene later. Shades of Hostel... although I think perhaps it was just an excuse to show off Daniel Craig's truly amazing physique. Blue eyes, handsome face, hard muscle everywhere & a nice tight ass make R.D. a happy woman. *cough* Ah, so it is a very good movie with an engaging story & lots of action & eye candy - definitely worth seeing in the theatre.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

adventures in NYC nightlife

Sorry for not posting - I had a long weekend, as usual. Thursday night I had a session & a date with Brooklyn Hottie. We tried this new place in Soho called Bar Martignetti. It was their opening night & the place was packed with beautiful people. In the chaos, though, the kitchen lost our food ticket & we sat there drinking for over an hour. But the waitress & manager were super apologetic & surprisingly, took care of our entire bill. The food is great French bistro style, kind of like Odeon in Tribeca, & it all worked out for the best because the place is not exactly easy on the wallet. Afterwards we heard Junior Vasquez spin at Ultra (he rocks!) & went home early.

Friday was clubbing with Tech Exec, his boss, client & some British girls. We hit Nikki's in midtown & then Manor, where I ran into Handsome Young Guy & he apologized for being an ass. He was inordinately (& a bit puzzlingly) excited & happy to see me. We had a good talk, he wasn't back with his ex as I had heard, & who knows, we might go out again. Thank goodness his table was all the way in the back & TE's was near the front, or we might have had a repeat of the HYG/Hedge Funder fiasco. Went home with TE, who really impressed me with his stamina. He is inexhaustible! I had to tell him no the 3rd time after we got home because I was sore. I know he's a player but I don't think I've ever gone out with a guy who was so sweet & reliable. Not quite sure what to think - he's said some things that make me think he's modelizing for fun until someone serious comes along. I don't know, my intuition isn't the best when it comes to guys.

Saturday I went to martial arts yoga class & then lunch at L'Annam with an old friend/date. We went out about 3.5 years ago but nothing really happened. It was fun to catch up & oh my god the food is good there. The beef sate appetizer is so yummy & my chow fun was great too. Next stop: Barrow St. Bar with Fashionista for the USC v. UCLA game. I don't care about football - in fact, I think it's kinda silly for men to run around wearing pads & deliberately crashing into each other - but I wanted to support her since she loves USC so much. It was fun though. We ate buffalo wings, she drank beer, we yelled at the tv & basically acted like guys. After that we were about to get into a cab & go to a party until the guy getting out, Young Pretend Mogul, charmed us into joining him & his identically named friends. Fashionista & I ended up zooming around the city with YPM for the next several hours as we enjoyed interesting substances. We bounced around some East Village places & ended up at a karaoke bar, where I managed not to strain my voice too much. After closing time all of us - about 10 people at this point, including Cute Gay Guy - traipsed over to Fashionista's. It was a lot of fun except YPM started acting more & more like an asshole. It was strange because at first he was so charming & nice & totally into me & as the night progressed, I could see his true colors coming out. He wouldn't stop squabbling with F & CGG, the kind of serious squabbling that you get scared if your parents engage in, which was weird because it was too early to stop trying to impress me. Being nasty to my close friends is not on my list of desired qualities. Also he was very shady about himself & later I found out some jackass stuff he said to other people. In any case, it was amusing to see the microcosm of what our relationship would have been like without the bother of actually spending all that time & emotion on him. He probably would have hurt me so I'm glad.

I got home around noon today, whereupon I took a quick nap before my session. It was an outcall with a friend - I was really worried even though he's a long-time client of hers. The thing about outcalls, which is why I don't do them, is that a guy who has that much money to throw around is going to expect a lot for it. I'm not a wuss anymore, but it's hard to keep saying no & enforcing my boundaries. Fortunately everything turned out all right & we walked away with a small pile of cash. Now that you're all caught up, I'm going to go enjoy my KFC & crash.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

self-discipline

Conversation with self:

"I'm really hungry."
"It's 4 in the morning."
"I know, but I really want some pizza."
"Absolutely not."
"But my tummy hurts!"
"No it doesn't. Stop being a spoiled brat."
"I'm hungryyyyy!"
"Shut up & go to bed already. Why are you still up at this hour? There's nothing on tv anymore. & you know eating late is bad for your voice."
"Please?"
"No. You have to get up early & go to the gym. You can eat after that."
"Pffff. Fine."

I'm trying to lose the pound I gained because my family thinks the more you eat the better.

busy day & pretty new shoes

Today was a very busy day of strenuous exercise, dance, voice lesson & errands. I left my house around 10:30 to get to the gym & got home at about 7, so it was like a full day of work. I'm also extremely sore all over from the conditioning classes I've been punishing myself with (missed exercise entirely last week), which means that I walk a bit stiffly & squeak in pain when trying to sit down. The teachers really love thigh work.

My voice lesson went very well - my teacher has me learning Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing", among other songs. I'm supposed to listen & sing it exactly the way she does, down to every note of every riff. Today he exclaimed happily, "In one month you went from white girl licks to black girl licks!!" I don't always know what I'm listening for but I guess my ear knows.

After my lesson I walked by Columbus Circle & noticed that Stuart Weitzman is having a sale. Against my better judgment, I went in to browse, & was seduced by these shoes:


Aren't they gorgeous? They're the same patent leather shoe, just different colors. I ended up buying both, because I couldn't bear to leave either behind. I will have to cut back on food in December but you know what, I had a good lesson despite being sick half this month, I had to deal with my mother all last week & I've had several sessions recently so I think a little indulgence is ok.

movie reviews

I saw two good movies over Thanksgiving: Transporter II & Happy Feet. Transporter II was really fun & just a great action movie, pure & simple. The lingerie-clad femme fatale assassin (Kate Nauta) was a major bonus - her Uzis were sexy too. & Jason Statham kicking ass in a tuxedo is a delicious sight. He's so serious & efficient, like a handsome white Jet Li. There are certainly some incongruities, like his Audi's pristine condition no matter what he puts it through, but this is action eye candy & those are niggling details.

Happy Feet was so good! Live penguins, of course, are almost unbearably cute, & CGI penguins are even more so. (None of them are dirty or scarred or anything.) The way they arranged the songs made me want to sing along, & the story was heart-wrenching. I hear some people think it's about how gays are marginalized, or a veiled political commentary, but I think it's more general. It's about young people who think of a new way to do things, & old people who want to stay with the tried-&-true rituals. But above all it's an incredibly fun movie, although it will probably make you cry, & is definitely not just for kids.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Rihanna is a dumbass

OK, that's not quite fair, as I'm not sure who wrote the lyrics to her song Unfaithful. But it's more fun ragging on her so I'm going with that. What the hell is the problem? You want to stop cheating? Break up with his pathetic ass! Either stop fucking around or just be honest with yourself & go out with other guys. I don't see why he's still with you. & you certainly have an inflated opinion of yourself, thinking he's going to die without you. Obviously you don't love him that much if you keep doing other guys while "trying" to stop. You can call it whatever you like, but cheating is cowardly - you're unhappy & looking for satisfaction elsewhere, & instead of being an adult & talking to your man about it, you just quietly disrespect him.

This song pisses me off so much because the melody is gorgeous. Rihanna's voice sounds almost as sexy as she looks but the lyrics totally ruin it for me.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

I'm back

I have safely returned from my family's clutches... finally got to play tennis today. Hopefully Brooklyn Hottie - or someone at all - & I can find time to play here too. I'm exhausted after the tennis & 2 hours (conditioning & dance) at the gym, so I'll post more later. It's good to be in civilization again!

Friday, November 24, 2006

trapped in tennis land

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Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Rashomon

I just watched Rashomon today. I know we are supposed to worship it as this amazing Kurosawa classic but I really didn't like it. Let me admit up front that I don't know much of the context, or anything Kurosawa may or may not be quoting. I don't think that should matter though - when a movie is good it draws you in & makes you think & feel, regardless of when or where it's from.

The movie did interest me on the intellectual level, with its issues of what truth is & how you can decide what to believe. As a lawyer, I frequently think about that, since we deal in many versions of the truth that are all just different ways of looking at the same facts. I tried to understand everyone's motivation to figure out what the truth really was, which was complicated by my uncertainty about the mores of early 20th century Japan. My best guess was that the bandit exaggerated to make himself look good. The woman tried to protect the bandit by taking responsibility for her husband's murder. The husband was vengeful & wanted his wife to look as bad as possible. The peasant (or fisherman or whatever) wanted to enjoy the drama a bit. So I think the real story is along these lines: the bandit rapes the woman. At some point she decides she likes his "passion" better than her proper, traditional marriage. The husband realizes this & now looks at her with total contempt. She sees that her honor is stained unless he dies. The bandit kills him, either honorably or not, but now that he has no competition he rejects her too. She escapes from him somehow & they are all so stupid they end up at the courthouse.

I didn't find the story very convincing. The bandit & the wife in the last story laugh maniacally & disturbingly. Why are they deranged? If they aren't, why does Kurosawa have them laugh like that? Is that how Japanese people laughed then? Because I don't think anyone would consider it sane. What was Kurosawa referencing or trying to convey by making the woman's hands look spider-like every time she was raped or seduced? If he's trying to compare her to a black widow spider, the bandit is superfluous. I also don't see why the husband was so easily overpowered. He looks like a samurai, certainly more with it than the half-naked bandit, & it makes no sense that he could be tied up so easily & just sit there quietly watching his wife assaulted. Ropes aren't that hard to wriggle out of, especially ones that look as loose as his. I violently disagree with the way everyone in the movie accepts the viewpoint that once raped, the wife is dishonored & a whore, but I'm aware that's how they thought back then. Why do the husband & bandit keep falling down? They're running around in the woods on leaves & dirt, not in sand or mud. That almost turned it into a bad comedy for me. & in the last version, why is the bandit so tired from defeating the husband that he can't catch a small crying woman wrapped in tons of flowing clothes? Supposedly he is a terrifying criminal who preys on many travelers & I'm expected to believe that he can't feint with an incompetent opponent for 5 minutes without collapsing.

I also have Throne of Blood out from Netflix. I really hope it's better than this one.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Jon Fasman - The Geographer's Library

Not much time & many errands - was so caught up in what would happen next that I had to finish this book, & I highly recommend it. It's an enthralling story & though a bit confusing at the beginning with so many different strands of story, it rewards persistence. Basically it alternates between the present day, where a journalist investigates the slightly suspicious death of an engimatic small-town professor, & the past where several characters collect interesting objects in cold-blooded, frightening ways. The young journalist is a bit dense from the omnipotent reader's point of view, but that actually made it more realistic for me. If he'd caught on too quickly I would find it glib. I'm off to the library now for more booty. Let's hope I'll have enough reading material to get through nearly a week with my family.

interesting weekend

Sorry for the lack of posts... I've been busy working & partying. I started doing liquor promotions for a couple top-shelf brands, I've had 3 sessions with the same client since Wednesday (apparently I am a "genius" at his fetish), & I've gone out every night until dawn while still exercising every day. Hmmm. In retrospect, I probably should have stayed home some nights. Oh well. Thursday night I went out with some girls who weren't cute enough to get into Cain's 2 year anniversary party, so for the first time ever, I was ruthless & ditched them. I felt terribly guilty, since I've never ditched anyone before, but we're not that close & I made up a pretty good cover story. I'm going to make sure that situation doesn't come up again though. Friday I hung out with Brooklyn Hottie & then I was bad & ate very very late at Popburger with Resto Manager. (I've disciplined myself out of eating late at night, because it makes one fat & increases the chances of acid reflux.) He is incredibly sweet & I think maybe he could be a good boyfriend.

Saturday I spent most of the day with Jewish Princess, who is a sweetie but absolutely the definition of a trust fund baby. We got our night started a bit too early - really shouldn't have taken E before dinner, as it stole our appetites - but you know me, I'm the Energizer bunny when it comes to parties. She went home after the 1st club & I continued on to this hookah lounge on the west side to hang out with one of my exes, Fledgling Magazine Mogul. I thought he was over me but apparently we are not just friends yet. I was cruel & let Tech Exec & his friend come get me, although in my defense, I was rolling out of my mind & barely remember much of FMM's earnest pleas to give him another chance. TE & friend & I dropped by Cielo & I subsequently slept with TE, despite intentions to the contrary, also a result of the E. It was pretty hot, actually. We sat around chatting & destroying brain cells line by line until I went to dance class at noon. The rest of the day was spent snuggling/fucking/sleeping on TE's giant sofa.

Oh, in case anyone is keeping track, Handsome Young Guy has been out of the picture for about a month & a half. No badmouthing - I just believed his intentions were better than they were. On the one hand I miss having a boyfriend, but I think that my ex & HYG burned me pretty badly & I'm kind of gun-shy right now. (Cue Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable", my new song obsession: "I can have another you by tomorrow / So don't you ever for a second get to thinking you're irreplaceable.") There are a couple guys in the picture, & hopefully the Girlfriend will be around more when she finishes school in a few months. Brooklyn Hottie is lots of fun too. I don't know, I just don't really take girls seriously for romantic relationships. The girls I "date" are bi anyway so it's not like we're really going to run off to NJ & get married. That's not to say that I wouldn't, I just haven't met that girl yet.

This has been your update in my crazy life. I'll be in Florida with my family for the rest of this week so I might not post any. Happy turkey day, everyone!

P.S. This is the 100th post - hooray. :)

Thursday, November 16, 2006

fun night

I've had 3 sessions in 4 days. I guess men need discipline before the holidays. Or maybe it's just the sight of me in leather - yesterday's slave told me he loved me about 5 times. Wasn't sure what to say to that. Yay for me & yay for my bank, since I always put my cash away. My stripper friends keep telling me to put it somewhere safe at home but fuck that & holla at my HSBC 5% savings account. (Am I using that phrase correctly? I don't like hollering at things anyway. I'm an ex-classical musician, we protect our ears.) Besides, I pay exorbitant taxes on my lawyer earnings so I figure I'm ok throwing some undeclared cash in the bank.

I had a doctor's appointment & tough dance class before my session at 9. Hung out with Dancer & some of her friends afterwards... there was Gansevoort rooftop partying with yummy food, Home dancing, & Scores West lap teases. They played Sexyback at Home, so you know I got my sexy on with this cute guy friend of Dancer's, Resto Manager. There aren't many activities that can top shaking my ass on turbo for someone who appreciates it, especially since I can bellydance. (That's right, Asian Shakira is in the house.) Also the stripper hair toss with my super-long hair - the trick is to flip your hair up immediately & slowly, seductively, let the rest of you follow. Oooooh & Scores was really fun! This Korean-Japanese stripper took a shine to me &... let's just say the boys got quite a show. :) I got a dance from this smokin' hot Russian chick too but she had her eye on business more & I wasn't comfortable recklessly spending other people's money. We checked out Bungalow 8 afterwards. RM & I had fun dancing & dipping me. Now I am home, a bit tipsy, blogging before I forget how much fun I had tonight. Time to quit while I'm ahead? You betcha.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

help! I'm clicking & I can't stop!

I can't stop playing Minesweeper. I don't know what it is. I was obsessed with Freecell for a while but now I'm back to defusing bombs. I think I might get carpal tunnel but I can't stop trying to beat my times. I waste so much time procrastinating on it! I know I could make a program that would lock me out automatically after a set period of time but I want to fix the underlying problem. I'm not sure what I'm avoiding. Cleaning the apartment? (It is not a mess, just dusty & could be slightly better organized. I am a neat freak, after all.) Furthering my careers? I think I like the rigorous logic & order of the game. There aren't any fuzzy edges as in life - either there is a bomb or there is not, & if there is then I am dead. It's really quite comforting. OK, well you know why I'm up this late now. *explosion*

thank you Dear Readers

I can't tell most of my friends about my blog, usually because they don't know I'm a dominatrix, & sometimes because I have many complaints about them. So it's really hard for me to build up circulation. I like to check Sitemeter & see who's been tuning in, & I always find it hilarious how many totally random people read me, even if it's just the one time. I seem to have a fan in Prague - dobrý den! - as well as someone in Fiji & a couple people in New Zealand. Also a shout-out to Future Lawyer friend who reads me faithfully, unlike some friends (yes Girlfriend, I am making a face at you). Good luck on finals both of you.

I always wanted to be a writer but found myself ripping up all the extracurricular stuff I wrote, thinking it wasn't good enough. There are probably a grand total of 4 stories that survived the carnage. This is my way of keeping my writing, thinking about stuff I read or that happens to me, & feeling like I'm connected to the world. I hope to stay entertaining - feel free to comment & ask questions, & thanks for reading!

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Saw III

Went to see this with a couple mistress friends, which was awesome because they enjoyed it as much as I did & I didn't have to pretend not to be a sadist. It is gruesome though! There were a lot of parts where I had to cover my eyes because I just could not bear to see, even though I tried to watch. I'm surprisingly squeamish. I thought the story was better than Saw II - the characters were less annoying & there are a ton of twists that untangle at the end & you go, "Ohhhh that's why..." Seriously, it is extremely gory. For instance, a guy rips out large chains deeply embedded in his flesh by himself & you see the blood pouring down - watched that through my fingers - & another guy tries to saw off his foot but can't so he bashes it repeatedly with some metal board until it's broken enough for him to pull it out of the shackle. Oh my god that part I couldn't even watch. In general, though, it wasn't too preachy & made me think about if I actually appreciate my own life. I bet Jigsaw would come after me if he were real - I guess I'm pretty lucky & I kinda take everything for granted. Thank goodness he's imaginary! I don't think I could do anything disgusting or horrifically painful to save myself, as that would demand a commitment to surviving that I doubt I have. So yeah, it's fun, go watch if you have the stomach for it.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

happy Saturday

I spent all day with Tech Exec. We had brunch at Blue Water Grill - we got the Shellfish Castle, which was fantastic - 4 whole tiers of shellfish. I love seafood & he loves seafood & we finished every last oyster. Then we walked around shopping a bit, & saw Babel. Since everyone & their dog has reviewed this movie, I will just say that I am kind of ashamed of being an American, the way they behaved in the film, & it is really sad in many places. I also felt terrible for the deaf Japanese girl. Then we snuggled at his house for a couple hours as I blocked his advances. I mean I like him, but I'm not ready to be intimate. Also his friends told me he's a total player so I don't want to sleep with him & get myself all emotional about him unless it seems like he's going to be serious about me. It was a really fun day though.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

tonight

Tonight I will be partying with Hedge Funder & his friends & Brooklyn Hottie... very much looking forward to it. I haven't seen BH since I met her on Halloween though we've chatted over text. HF took me to Mercer Kitchen last night because I wanted steak & he lives in Soho. We had a nice talk about relationships & stuff & I discovered that he actually wants to date me, not just fool around. We haven't done anything but he tries, & I thought he just wanted to score. It was nice to find out that he's really into me. & oh my god the food was so good. I'd been there before a couple times in my banker days, & I don't remember it being that fantastic. We had the shrimp salad & crabcake appetizers, which were amazing, then I had the NY strip & he got the lamb chops. I almost thought I died & went to heaven. So that was a very good date. & I expect to have a super crazy night tonight. :)

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

I'm so sleepy

I really need better (or any, actually) drugs to keep up this lifestyle. Friday, Saturday & Sunday I was partying very late & up early every day while running around during the day so no time for naps. This is on top of working in Jersey full-time & working out for at least 2 hours when I finally get back to the city. Once I'm home I still have to practice if it's not too late & make dinner. I end up only getting 5 hours of sleep on a good night. I am so psyched for this project to be over at the end of the week so I can just curl up in bed & SLEEP for a long time.

Monday, November 06, 2006

you know you're fabulous when...

hot gay guys come up to you at a super crowded club & tell you how fucking awesome you are. That was Sunday night at Hiro - totally made my week.

Friday, November 03, 2006

yucky subway perv

Yesterday it was super packed on the train. This tall guy put his hand on my back to steady me when the train lurched, which was weird. & then as we were all squished up together, he positioned himself so as to maximize his frontal contact with my ass. I kept shifting around trying to get away from the possible bulge in his jeans. No dice, he shifted right along with me. He was basically spooning me upright for at least 5 minutes (we were on the express train). There were a few layers in between us so I'm not sure if he was actually hard, but I was trying my utmost not to find out. I think he was even attempting to talk to me. At the next stop I moved to the opposite door & he followed me! & again put his hand squarely on my back to catch me when the train swerved. Thank goodness enough people had gotten off that he had no excuse to press himself against my poor ass.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

less food = more life?

This week both New York magazine & the Times have articles about calorie restriction (CR). Its premise - which may be supported by research, they're not sure yet - is that drastically reducing one's caloric intake, while still getting enough vitamins, can significantly prolong life. I find the NY mag article better because the writer actually tried the diet & spent time with people who have made it their lifestyle. By the end, he implies that he was a bit delusional & had completely lost sight of his standards for good food. One of the really fascinating points had to do with CR devotees' hope that science will keep finding new ways to prolong life quickly enough to keep them alive indefinitely. They call that reaching actuarial escape velocity, "that moment in the acceleration of biomedical progress when, for every year you live, technology adds another year or more to your maximum life span." Which is a really interesting idea, but also makes me wonder if such a life is worth living. Sure, keeping yourself in a state of near-starvation will make food taste amazing & produce a low level of constant euphoria (although that can be problematic too), but you'd give up all yummy food. You might also be cold all the time & have no stamina or sex drive. I'm not sure the tradeoff is worth it.

The Times had an article about the benefits of red wine which also addressed the CR diet. Red wine has a substance called resveratrol which can suppress the bad effects of a high calorie diet. Basically it mimics what happens to someone who follows CR, but scientists are not quite sure how it does that. That's really exciting though - maybe soon we can have the benefits of not eating very much while still eating whatever we want. I can't wait for that pill.

yummy Thai

Went to this organic Thai place, Tigerland, with the Girlfriend last night (she's on an organic/everything natural kick). It was awesome! A bit pricy, considering we were in the East Village, but the service was very attentive, the food was wow, & I really liked the ambience. I got the shaking beef which was so good I ate every last bite of it & wished there was more, though it was already a decent-sized plate. The GF got a slightly fatty Berkshire pork chop which was amazingly tender & moist. The shrimp cake & spring roll appetizers were also very good. The Thai tea cupcake was incredibly yummy. All in all, my pleasantest experience with organic food ever.

don't squish me!!

On the train this morning I was sitting quietly, trying to read & not fall asleep (but failing) as I do every day, when a very fat man came towards me. When he turned around to sit down he was so big I thought he would sit on me! Fortunately he had good aim & sat in the next seat. A few seconds later another large male, species Sumo, plopped into the seat next to me. I was a comatose sardine for the next 15 minutes.

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

today's outfit

Having dinner with the Girlfriend tonight - I don't think I've seen her in about a month. It'll be good to reconnect, we've both been so busy & stressed out. I'm wearing the little booties Fashionista "lent" me with a Dolce & Gabbana skirt & little black top. Today at work my deskmate is joking that everyone has whiplash from doing a double take at my beautiful black boots. You can judge for yourself when I get home & take some pictures.

punk-ass bothersome client

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Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Buddakan

Last night Tech Exec invited me to a business dinner with his client/friend at Buddakan. It was really good. The shrimp dumplings are yummy, chili rock shrimp is crunchy delight, & charred filet & miso black cod are fantastic. They have some delicious & amusingly-named cocktails as well. Not sure how things will play out, but I can say with certainty that TE likes me a lot so we'll see what happens.

punk-ass clients

This hasn't been a busy month for me as a dominatrix, probably because my schedule is so circumscribed. Last weekend, though, on top of all the Halloween festivities, I had a session on Saturday & Sunday each. Saturday was Talkative Sub, who is pretty easy. He always wants to "indulge [my] sadistic side" & bond with me, blah blah blah. All I have to do is beat him at a steadily increasing level of intensity with a variety of different implements in an empathetic, caring way. It's nice because I don't need to talk much to him. He's a little annoying, but a reliable client & always obedient. Sunday was a very demanding guy. He's into all this sick perverted stuff (although fortunately not requiring much from me other than making him do it) & is always trying to take liberties. I had to be very firm with him. I call him a punk because he's old & wears a diamond stud in his left ear like he thinks he's cool or something. At least I demand a shitload of cash for dealing with these guys.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Halloween madness!!

My Goddess of Perversity costume was quite a success, judging from people's reactions. I wore a backless leather couture top, a lace-up leather miniskirt, a collar that says "Queen Bitch", several spiked wrist cuffs, & these boots:


I went on an early pub crawl with other very dressed-up people in the East Village, which was super fun. There was one adorable girl who kept telling me how she was totally straight but I was such a beautiful Asian princess & Lucy Liu had nothing on me. A nice ego boost. I also met a smokin' hot girl, Brooklyn Hottie, at the last bar. I took her to my friend Petite Lawyer's party, which was supposed to be open bar but wasn't, so Tech Exec picked us up to go to the Skin party at HQ, a new strip club in far west Chelsea. Now that party was off the hook. I'd actually been invited by that cute couple I met last week, so it was good that TE was going anyway. People were crazy there. Most of the women were topless & they weren't even the strippers! I danced my ass off & let BH take care of me while I was rolling... in fact, at one point 6 of my friends (who were also rolling, except for BH) were all petting me. That was uniquely fun.

The Prestige

I was blown away by this movie. It is far & away the best I've seen all year. Every single actor does a bang-up job, the story is suspenseful & surprising, & the cinematography is gorgeous. There are lots of twists in the plot & the script is so well-written that it just seems organic & not annoying, as it very well could have been. Basically it is about 2 magicians, Angier (Hugh Jackman) & Borden (Christian Bale). For reasons I won't give away, they become archrivals. They keep messing with each other, each time escalating the destruction, although they both know they have got to stop. Unfortunately, neither can, & there are several tragedies along the way. The dénouement was a nailbiter & a complete surprise.

Scarlett Johansson & Piper Perabo are wonderful as supporting actresses. The costume & makeup department made them absolutely beautiful. David Bowie also does a surprisingly good job as Nikola Tesla, accent & all. It was so exciting to watch Angier & Borden go back & forth, one-upping each other, losing all sense of proportion in their obsession to beat the other. The director, Christopher Nolan, perfected his backwards technique for this film. He starts with the end & goes back to explain it, jumping around a bit along the way, but much less confusingly than in Memento. The story definitely demands attention but at the end I pretty much understood everything that happened. I don't know how much more I can say without giving away plot twists so - go see it! It's fantastic!

Friday, October 27, 2006

The Gift of Fear

Just finished this book by Gavin de Becker. It's about how fear & our intuition tell us things, but we've forgotten how to listen. It's not as foofy as that sounds. He starts with examples where people had a bad feeling & ignored it & awful things really did happen, like a woman who reluctantly let a guy help her carry groceries into her apartment & ended up assaulted & almost murdered, because she didn't realize what her intuition was telling her at first. De Becker moves on to show how people's behavior gives clear indications of what they're going to do, & it's a matter of whether we choose to pay attention. He discusses ever-increasing levels of danger, from creepy dates through domestic violence to assassination attempts. The last chapter talks about when we should listen to our fears. There certainly is such a thing as worrying needlessly, & once we understand what it is we're really afraid of we can evaluate those fears & live much more calmly.

My favorite chapter was about people (men especially) who won't take no for an answer. I love that he laid it out clearly. "Stalking... is a crime of power, control, and intimidation very similar to date rape. In fact, many cases of date stalking could be described as extended rapes; they take away freedom, and they honor the desires of the man and disregard the wishes of the woman." We are allowed to simply say no! I can't believe something so fundamental has escaped me for so long. From what my girl friends have said, I think a lot of women think this way - we feel we must be nice & let guys down easy & give them excuses for why we don't want to see them. That is actually counterproductive, according to de Becker. Anything except "No, I am not interested & I will never be" just gives that kind of persistent guy the wrong idea. It's so simple & yet so foreign to American society. I am incredibly glad I read this book before it was too late.

Halloween costume

I decided to be the Goddess of Perversity this year. I was just going to be a dominatrix (without telling people I actually am) but I thought this sounded more original. I also recently finished Bram Dijkstra's Idols of Perversity, which was a real eye-opener. Since I'll basically be wearing my domme outfit with more accessories, I'm not sure how to "perversify" it... I think the title will just be for conversational purposes. After an extensive Google search the only name I can come up with is Eris but she's the goddess of discord. So I suppose I will create my own mythology. Ideas, anyone?

Thursday, October 26, 2006

gay marriage in Jersey!!!

New Jersey has basically allowed gay marriage!! (See the NY Times article.) They're not sure they want to call it that yet, but the court has ruled that gay couples must have the same marital rights as the heteros regardless of name. This is so exciting! I guess this means if the Girlfriend & I ever get married (though that's unlikely) we could just go over to NJ instead of all the way up to Massachusetts. In any case, I'm really happy for all my gay friends.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

utterly exhausted

I haven't posted much this week because I'm so tired from partying all weekend. Friday night I went to a friend's birthday party & met some nice people including a very handsome Irishman who works at Lehman & a cute couple. The couple invited me to a party on Saturday where I met their (also handsome) friend, Tech Exec, & let him come downtown with me to Fashionista's house where she was throwing a party for Cute Gay Guy's birthday. We got there at 3am so everyone was leaving for the next place, but not before Handsome Young Guy unexpectedly came home & saw me with TE. Of course. TE was just trying to put his arm around me but I'm sure that didn't help. (It's been a bit rocky between us - HYG has a new 16-hour-a-day investment bank job & I think maybe he's wondering if he wants to be in a relationship so soon after his last one, so we haven't talked much lately.) This is like the 5th time in the 3 months we've been going out that he's met another one of my guys or ex-boyfriends. I feel bad, & I wish I could tell him I'm not being physical with anyone else, but it was his choice not to be in a relationship yet.

Anyway, he wasn't coming out with us so we went to Cute Gay Guy's house, but there was drama so Fashionista & I picked up supplies & hung out at TE's house. Nice quiet powdery fun. I left at 10:30 because I had to get to exercise class, before which I made the mistake of taking 2 Tylenol PM to try to come down. I literally fell asleep in class. It wasn't even yoga or meditation or anything like that, it was called Speedball. Then I ran to my voice lesson, & tried to go to dance class after. I realized that was a mistake when I couldn't follow the very simple footwork the teacher started with. Instead of embarrassing myself further I went home. However, since I was completely exhausted, I fell asleep on the bus & woke up when we were 2 miles beyond my stop. It took another half an hour to get home. All this week I've barely been sleeping, so in a nutshell that is why I've posted very little & fall asleep all the time everywhere.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

women & science

Check out this NY Times article: isn't it amazing? Basically they did a study in Canada where they gave women 2 math tests & an essay to read in between. Women who read that they are bad at math because they're women did twice as badly as those who read that scores are different because men & women are taught differently or that there is no difference between the sexes in that respect. Cosmic Variance analyzes the data more thoroughly. But basically, reading that we do badly in math because we're women is a self-fulfilling prophecy. I'm shocked that such a little thing has such a huge impact.

Friday, October 20, 2006

homemade shuriken

I found this site online that shows how to make all sorts of cool origami things, including a throwing star (shuriken). As a martial arts junkie, I felt honor-bound to make at least one. Here's what it looks like:


Isn't it cute? It doesn't fly straight but that is probably due to it being made out of thin notebook paper. It actually wasn't too hard to make either, the directions are very clear.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

another late night

Every time I go out with Fashionista it ends up being a long, crazy night. Last night was no exception. I hung out at her apartment with some of her other friends & Handsome Young Guy when he came home, drinking wine & vodka & watching Project Runway's finale. Fashionista gave me Sergio Rossi ankle boots to wear because I only had sneakers. Technically I'm just stretching them out for her, because they're size 7 & she's an 8 1/2, but I'm a 7 so I don't think they're ever going to be stretched enough for her - hehe. Finally we were ready to go & went to Annex. There was a lot more drinking & other stuff before Fashionista & I ended up in Brooklyn at her friend's house. I basically went to bed at 4:45 & got up for work at 8:10. That might be a big part of why this post sounds so disjointed... that & the stifling heat in the building making me fall asleep. Also the very boring & tedious docs we're reviewing. Back to the grind I go.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Dawkins interview

Just found this thought-provoking interview with scientist Richard Dawkins in Salon through Pharyngula. He discusses why he is an atheist & how it is the logical, intelligent position to take. He is the author of The Selfish Gene & The Blind Watchmaker, among other books about evolution. It's nice to know that there are still thinking, questioning people out there.

annoying old people

I got to exercise class late on Monday. It's a very tough class that involves a lot of jumping around & lunging & hoisting a medicine ball through different positions. It was also really crowded & I got several dirty looks for joining in. Then this old lady, maybe 60-ish, came in after me. She didn't do the exercises. She'd just kind of stand there, halfheartedly lifting a ball once or twice, lunging about 2 inches forward, that kind of thing. I wanted to scream at her. "If you're not going to do the exercises then stop taking up space! Don't just stand there getting in the way!" It was really clear after about 5 minutes that this was not the class for her, whatever the reason was. Plenty of other people left when they figured that out. She was so irritating, standing there like a fat deer caught in shouted commands.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

fitness

I went to my second fitness test today... I've lost 3% body fat in 6 weeks & almost an inch in circumference. Not quite at my goal yet but at least things are improving. My trainer is very happy with me, even if I'm still disappointed. Although I do have completely unrealistic expectations so I guess I should average our reactions.

Monday, October 16, 2006

isn't it romantic

I was in the subway the other day & saw this sign:


It says, "Melissa, met you here Wednesday, 9am. Lost your number. Email me at" [redacted]. How adorable is that? I wish more guys were romantic like this.

shoe comparison

Yesterday I noticed that Future Lawyer has really big shoes. (We are just old friends so I don't know about the corresponding part of his anatomy.) It struck me that my sneakers could wear his sneakers & after saying so, we decided to see if it was true.

Halfway there...

Hah! It worked. That's my other little sneaker next to his big ones. We had a very funny 5 minutes trying to photograph this phenomenon clearly.

Saturday, October 14, 2006

fun with toys

Today was toy shopping day... Future Lawyer friend is visiting for interviews, so I've been showing him around the city. After visiting Babeland, we went by that new store, Kiki de Montparnasse, in Soho. It's gorgeous. They have some cool clothes, but the accessories are really the draw. They have all sorts of things, from glass dildos to sex jewelry & elaborate bondage kits, even discreet little cameras & camcorders to spice things up, which are so tiny I thought they were toys at first. In particular there's an adorable Leica, smaller than the palm of my hand. I was really lusting after the Samsung Handicam too but it's $650. Everything in the store is so expensive you'd think it was plated gold - which, in fact, some of the vibrators are. They've got some other naughty things that you should probably see yourself on their site. Today was also fun because Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts was throwing a party there so as we walked in we saw a bar & lots of cute girls & a couple women dressed as dommes. I don't know much about the school but it definitely made for a unique shopping experience.

rent comparison

Found this site yesterday through Lifehacker: rentometer.com. It's cool, you put your address in & it tells you how your rent stacks up to other apartments in your area. It works for places outside New York too. I was happy to reaffirm that my place is a good deal.

Friday, October 13, 2006

street art


I fucking LOVE this Parisian graffiti (via Gawker). The modeling industry summarized in one classic picture. This should be the official poster of afterparties.

haha

I've been reading this comic all day: http://xkcd.com. It's smart & nerdy & funny & helps this interminable day pass.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

sexyback redux

I finally got Sexyback... & promptly noticed that in the bridge he says "I'll let you whip me if I misbehave." How cool is that? Of course technically he should say "Please Mistress whip me if I misbehave" but as soon as I heard that it became my new favorite song. I can't wait to do it in dance class.

Margot Fonteyn

I've almost finished this book about Margot Fonteyn, which is a good thing because I desperately need sleep. (I do most of my reading in bed, in an attempt to fall asleep.) I am currently obsessed with ballerinas & ballet, so much so that I just stay awake reading even when it's 5am & I have to get up in 2 hours. I'm also obsessed with going to hip-hop dance classes at Equinox but that's another subject.

Meredith Daneman has written a meticulously-researched biography of the great ballerina. She's an engaging writer & frequently quotes Margot's friends & contemporaries in a way that makes me feel like I'm right there with her. I was really enjoying myself, following Margot's career & all her triumphs, until she married Tito Arias. The more I read the more upset I get. Did Margot really think her marriage to a philandering, unsupportive, political bumbler was working? I almost can't believe that she watched him run around seducing tons of young women while she was dancing her heart out making money for his ill-conceived revolution. He couldn't even be bothered to care about her performances. Right when she finally starts considering divorce, one of his political rivals shoots him. He becomes quadriplegic & instead of taking her leave, Margot chooses to become a martyr. She continues dancing to pay their bills despite being in her fifties & takes care of her lousy husband like a saint.

I wish I could say I don't understand why she stayed, but I do. I stayed with my ex-boyfriend way too long as well, & though he didn't abuse me quite as much as Tito, it was transparent to everyone but me that he was a terrible choice. I guess it's a lot harder to be objective about a situation when you're in it. Anyway, the book is upsetting me, but it's well-written & makes me love dance even more, if that's possible. I wish my mother had made me take ballet class when I was little - I'd be a lot better at it now. Well, that's why we have hip-hop & jazz & all those other less stringent styles. :)

gmail access

For all of you working at corporations that restrict email access, here is the backdoor into gmail: https://gmail.google.com/gmail. Apparently I was the first to think of this when I started working here in July. It's like quietly bringing the truth to a totalitarian régime... I feel like part of the Résistance under the Vichy French.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

sweet waitress

On Sunday after dance class with Dancer friend we got some food at Yakitori Taisho on St. Mark's. It's this busy, crowded Japanese place that serves lots of appetizers as well as some main dishes & it's very yummy. The funniest part, though, was that when the waitress took my AmEx Butterfly card, she brought it back to me taped up. This is a credit card that folds up into a holder on my keychain. I love it - it lets me leave my wallet in my overstuffed purse. Although every time I use it, I have to tell people it's supposed to bend because otherwise they freak out & think it's broken. Now, I have been using it for at least 3 months & never once, anywhere, has it been brought back to me meticulously taped up. I was touched by how sweet our waitress was while at the same time annoyed because I had to pull all the tape off. Dancer & I had a good laugh about that.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

dearth of posts

I have to go back to document review at the same giant corporation next week, so I will post more then - this weekend is all about organizing my place, finding the ever-elusive new cheap giant apartment, & exercising as much as possible. I'm overdoing it, I know (hurt my ankle in dance class today) but I'm worried I won't have time to exercise as much with increased legal work. Ah well. Incidentally, check out Showtime, they're doing a promotion so it's free through Monday. That show Dexter is phenomenal. The book rocked & somehow the show captures it perfectly. Good night... tune in Tuesday for more interesting posts.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

fall shows

Showtime is doing a promotion this weekend which introduced me to the joy of Dexter. It's based on the killer book by Jeff Lindsay. Somehow the show captured Dexter's awkwardness in social interaction without making it too uncomfortable to watch. Michael C. Hall does a fantastic job portraying an amoral, highly intelligent, well-meaning killer. I'm not as enamored of his sister, who is whiny & asks stupid questions. I think that's a minor script problem which hopefully will be fixed as the season goes on (I only saw the first 2 episodes). I'm also impressed by the tasteful way they show the bodies. There are lots of gory scenes which are really quite bearable. Too bad I don't have Showtime & will have to wait for the DVD to come out.

I also like Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It's witty & the characters really draw me in. It's fun watching Jordan battle her ex-husband's outlandish allegations while fighting to allow Matt & Danny to write quality material despite focus groups, "crazy Christians," & other assorted philistines. Of course it also helps that everyone in the cast is very easy on the eyes.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

bringing sexyback

I hate Justin Timberlake but I will have to get that SexyBack song. Yesterday in class we were in plank (basically a pushup you hold at the top) & it came on & I couldn't help dancing a little to it. Twitching, really, which probably looked funny. So I give in, I'll get it.

Went to dance class with my Dancer friend today... it was hot sweaty sexy fun. We did a lot of super dirty moves & I got most of them when I focused. (Of course she got all of them & looked awesome doing it.) Afterwards we had some appetizers at Republic, one of my favorite places in Union Square, & ended up meeting this very good-looking guy. I feel a little bad because he liked me better than Dancer, but we all had a great time chatting & drinking at Blue Water Grill. Oh & Handsome Young Guy left me a cute message about how work is killing him. With all this male attention I feel much better about myself now. :)

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Science of Sleep

Saw the Science of Sleep yesterday... it's a very bizarre movie. Gael García Bernal's perfect sense of comic timing made it quirky & amusing instead of just weird. It still didn't make much sense, but at least it was funny. Basically Bernal plays this strange man-boy Stéphane, an artist who is always confusing dreams & reality. He ends up living in his mother's building, falling for his neighbor Stephanie's friend, then switching to Stephanie. He tries to win her heart in various ways while also trying to keep his job. This is difficult because he misses work a lot as he dreams intensely of her. There are lots of confusing scenes, but it's a fun movie if you're in a good mood.

HYG update

Cake was even more fun than I thought it would be. Handsome Young Guy loved my outfit, & the Girlfriend showed up as a happy surprise for me. She's so adorable. Usually Cake parties are kind of tame, some girls make out but there isn't really any sex. I tend to have a wilder time but that's just me - everyone else pretty much behaves. This party was a marked departure from that. We saw a guy eating a girl out on top of a banquette, a couple going at it in the corner, & I ended up doing a girl in between dancing with her & HYG. As you can imagine, this brought HYG & me... closer. We basically spent most of the weekend together. He took me to dinner with a bunch of his old friends & their girlfriends last night, but said he wasn't ready to dive into a relationship so soon after his last one. It seems like we're kind of moving towards that, but until I get the girlfriend title, I guess I can keep going out with other people.

Friday, September 29, 2006

fun night

Tonight I'm going to the Cake party with Handsome Young Guy & some of my girlfriends, although probably not the Girlfriend because she's busy. I'm so excited! Cake is for girls who like boys & girls, & sometimes when I go it is crazy. One time this hot girl went down on me in the bathroom, another time I had a threeway with 2 hotties in the VIP room... so yeah. It'll be insanely fun. We have to dress in lingerie, which is great. Also I haven't seen HYG in about 2 weeks & I think he will really like my outfit.

On a more ascetic note, I've worked out for at least 2 hours every day this week. Even yesterday after the hours & hours of work. I'm kinda proud of myself for that. I have not practiced at all, though, so I better go do that before HYG picks me up. I'm sure I'll have some kickass stories for you tomorrow. :)

Thursday, September 28, 2006

hallucinogenic exhaustion

I just got home from 17 straight hours of work. A big law firm needed papers ready for production tonight - a roomful of paper - so I have been working at that since 6pm last night. I have a headache, I think I might throw up, & I keep catching little rainbows out of the corner of my eye. It was kinda fun though; efficiently going through boxes & boxes of paper is a specialty of mine. Just wanted to say hi to everyone before I crash. :)

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

oops

I hate guys making comments at me on the street. Today it got me so cranky, I snapped at this woman walking with her friend. I stumbled on a crack in the pavement in front of her as she was saying, "Look at the tourist," & I assumed she was making fun of me. (People have been known to do that.) I turned around & told her I wasn't a tourist, & when her friend explained that the first woman was actually talking about her, I felt really bad. I should be more zen about stuff said on the street, I guess, but sometimes it's just too much.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

dominatrix photo shoot

Tonight I did a shoot on the FDR in some of my dominatrix clothes. It was fun but weird - we started around 10:30 pm to avoid viewers, but there were still people on the path by the East River. They seemed to really enjoy my black leather corset & thigh-high boots. When I changed into my red latex cropped halter & miniskirt, this homeless guy just stopped right there & watched me. I tried to hide behind the car door but unfortunately the window was fairly low off the ground. Despite the distractions, it was a pretty good shoot. I did the requisite sadistic, angry, & "I'm going to KILL YOU" looks very well. & the outfits, of course, are designed to be super-sexy. Thank goodness we finished around midnight, when all the police cadets started streaming into the parking lot. I've never peeled latex off faster!

Tomorrow I have my hair appointment, finally. Very exciting. I also have a legal job from 6 pm to 12 noon the next day. It will suck but it's easy, they're paying well, & I've got an Adderall from my friend. & of course, I'll be that much closer to paying my rent.

My first movie premiere

Hollywood Ex-Boyfriend is in town this week & invited me to the premiere of School for Scoundrels. I've never been to one so I was very excited. The movie was ok, I'd give it maybe 5 out of 10. The first half was pretty funny but as Billy Bob starts being more & more of an asshole it became uncomfortable to watch. His motivation wasn't clear at all. Jon Heder was good & made me root for him though, & his love interest, Jacinda Barrett, was great too. Michael Clarke Duncan & Sarah Silverman are very funny in their bits as well. The afterparty at Stone Rose was more interesting. They had some nice hors d'oeuvres, though never enough to go around, & cutesy drinks. I got to meet most of the actors. All in all, a pretty fun night.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

crazy night #???

I went out with Cute Gay Guy last night, which was fun. I just got home (10am!) & I am about to leave for an 11:30 exercise class. I'm not sure if that says I'm insane or just really dedicated to exercising. I'm gonna go with dedication. It was a fun night, a little flirting, a lot of talking, especially a lot of talking about how much we love our siblings - seriously, if anyone ever in the slightest threatened my brother or sister, the wrath of this Goddess would rain upon his/her head. & I know my torture. So don't do it.

Anyhow, going to a Budokon class in a few minutes. Also I advised a young NYC newbie on the bus with some Manhattan tips. I believe #1 was listen, & #2 was always give your girls cab fare. It really says a lot about a guy in the beginning of a relationship if he's not concerned that you get home safely. The bus & train are yucky late at night.

Friday, September 22, 2006

blog books

I am exhausted today - possibly from drinking all night with Morgan Stanley Ex-Boyfriend - but I just finished Wonkette's book. She's a very interesting, funny writer. I never read her blog, since I don't care about politics (no, I will not listen to nasty or scolding comments about that); I just heard the book was great. It's certainly well-written, but towards the end I stopped liking it so much. Melanie Thornton is a junior aide in the Democratic presidential candidate's campaign who's having an affair with a married TV guy. Her best friend Julie is a savvy, capable consultant. When rumors start going around about Melanie & the married guy, Julie & Melanie start a blog pretending to be a Beltway call girl to deflect attention. I won't give away the rest of the plot, so I'll just say it's a little disappointing.

More importantly, Melanie pissed me off more & more as I watched her flounder around. She was so Midwestern & sad & square, despite sleeping with a married man. I wanted to read more about Julie, who was an inspiration, the way she thought everything through, kept her head on straight, & didn't get sidetracked by how things should be, instead concentrating on what to do with how they were. I guess I just don't identify with "the little guy." I like the ones who are rational & accept whatever needs to be done without pretending to feel bad about it, probably because that's how I want to be.

The other blogger book I read recently was Anonymous Lawyer. That was much more satisfying. Anonymous Lawyer is hilariously cruel to everyone but I think it's really just an exaggeration of his frustration with incompetence. I wasn't as enamored of the ending but overall it was great & you should definitely read it.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

brave new world

Well, maybe just a brave new me. Wednesday morning I was supposed to get a free haircut at Equinox's salon with the head guy - they've got some "hair model" promotion & when he saw my hair he wanted to cut it himself, though normally he wouldn't. I booked this 2 weeks ago. I called Tuesday night just to make sure, since they didn't confirm with me, & the phone girl says not only do I not have an appointment, it wouldn't have been with the head guy anyway, it would have been with an assistant. Which is not what we discussed, so I decide to confront them the next day. Turns out I actually was incorrectly scheduled with the assistant, which last night's dumbass somehow didn't see, & the desk girl insists on rescheduling me with the assistant for next Wednesday. I don't have the energy to keep arguing with her so I go swimming. After 50 laps being mad about it, I decide I need to stop being a wuss & go get what I was promised. This time it's a very nice guy at the desk & he totally takes care of everything. So I'm still getting my free haircut with the head guy AND I can be proud that I stood up for myself. Ahhh, the benefits of being a dominatrix...

rude guy

I was on my way to Equinox yesterday morning, trying to eat fruit & not drop any of my bags while speed-walking, when I saw this guy. He was singing along to himself arrythmically & out-of-tunefully so I thought maybe he was retarded. But no, he was just a jerk. As I passed him he yelled out, loud & clear, "Shake it but don't break it! 'Cause it took yo momma 9 months to make it!" & then he made some comments about my ass. Ick.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Hollywoodland

Hollywoodland was pretty good - a bit slow, but Adrien Brody was decent, Ben Affleck actually did well & Diane Lane is to die for, as usual. It was cool to see Hollywood in the '60s, although the plot was a little confusing. I would say the main idea I took away from it is how tough & sad the industry can be. Even if you're talentless & fuck your way up, there will still be somewhere that you draw the line. That's when you lose everything. It's not as depressing as that sounds. It's interesting to watch Adrien Brody try to figure out what really went on & keep revising his idea as he talks to more people & uncovers more secrets.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

busy bee

Today I had a great workout with my trainer & then Hot Movie Star texted me. I haven't talked to him in over a year, so this was quite a bolt from the blue. I'll let you know how it goes if we ever actually go out again. :) Meanwhile, I have a voice lesson to practice for tomorrow, & am meeting up with Record Exec later. It's funny, I'm busier now than when I was working about 12 hours a day. Tomorrow I have a hair appointment, dance class, swimming, voice lesson, & short film with Future Director before meeting Handsome Young Guy & the Girlfriend (& maybe her boyfriend) for a movie & drinks. Speaking of busy bees, the Girlfriend went back to school & is working too so I barely ever see her anymore. But she's finally learning what she really wants to do so I'm happy for her.

Monday, September 18, 2006

an almost utter waste of time

I've spent the last month practicing like mad, & this last week in particular driving myself insane trying to get a good recording of at least one piece to send in on an audition CD. I didn't want to use my old mp3s because I wasn't sure they were an accurate representation of me at this point. I probably spent 20 hours this week trying to get a 2 minute piece sounding acceptable with the crappy iPod attachment (more on that later). Today I finally, unwillingly, decided that a recording from 4 years ago actually sounds pretty much like me now. The good news is, I was at my peak then & apparently I've practiced so much I'm that good again, & I don't have to worry about the CD making me sound a lot worse than I really am. I'm still kind of pissed (& I'm sure my neighbors are too) that I had to play that little piece hundreds of times & now I'm not even using it. Well, maybe I'll play it at the live audition.

The bad news is, I thought this Belkin TuneTalk would really be CD quality as advertised & it most certainly is not. I can still use it for lessons, I'm sure, but whatever I play comes out sounding very choppy & uneven. I know it's not what I really sound like because I taped myself with a minicassette recorder simultaneously & it sounds fine that way. I guess I got what I paid for - it was $69.99 at the Apple store. Thank goodness I had those professional recordings on the computer.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

tribute to Jet Li

I wanted to write about how much I love martial arts in general & Jet Li in particular, but the Times did it for me here. What I personally love about his fighting is that he's so efficient & powerful. He doesn't waste time or energy. He quickly cuts through his enemies with a grace that ballerinas would envy. I can't wait to see Fearless. Of course I wish he'd keep making movies, but I admire so much that he's retiring on the top of his game.

dancing mood

I feel totally in tune with my body & all rhythm today... even in exercise class when we were doing thigh work & I thought I was about to collapse, I couldn't help shaking it a little to "Sexyback." Now I really want to go dancing. I must be in a good mood! :)

Saturday, September 16, 2006

fun on TV

Today I was in a pretend commercial for my friend Future Director. She's a smokin' hot chick I used to go clubbing with (when I was a party girl) who actually has a brain & ambitions. For her film class she made up some commercials, & for today's I played the wife, who is PMSing like crazy. She cast this very handsome guy as my husband who just rolls his eyes as I throw a wordless giant tantrum, including hitting him with a pillow. Finally he gets up to buy me tampons. It was hilarious to stomp around & be a total bitch - I never get to act a fool like that in real life. & I learnt more from half an hour of taping than auditing several acting classes. David Mamet is right - you learn acting by doing it, not necessarily by reading about it & following theories. So much fun! We are definitely filming some more stuff together.

another good date...

with Handsome Young Guy. I met some of his friends & he seems to really like me... I think he might be a keeper. Stay tuned for more developments in Celibate Dating Land!

Friday, September 15, 2006

another crazy night

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I've just been practicing, stressing out & exercising, which I figured was really only interesting to me. Last night was a different story. Hedge Funder, whom I've gone out with a couple times, asked me to meet him at this bar downtown. I'd been talking to Fashionista & her roommate so I invited them too, because that's how I roll - with an entourage. Just kidding. We'd go to a loft party & then we'd join HF. Well, Fashionista has 2 roommates. The other one is Handsome Young Guy, whom I've also gone out with a bit. She brought him too! I tried to figure out what to do & then just said oh fuck it we'll all go & say he's gay. (We forgot, though.) So we're at this bar downtown. At one point HF, HYG & I are talking & HF starts telling HYG how I'm really special & beautiful, etc. & stroking my arm. I'm standing between the 2 of them, totally uncomfortable, watching them make friends & talk about me. HF blithely sails on & says to HYG, "You know how sometimes you meet the right girl at the wrong time?" (we went out once 2 years ago & started up again recently) as I berate myself silently for not managing this better. Oh it was so awkward. But I talked to HYG later & explained a little bit so it's ok & we're going out tonight. Dear god I hope they never hang out.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

pain

My trainer worked me so hard yesterday that I can barely walk today. Of course, being dedicated to a perfect body, that didn't stop me from going to a class & swimming, although I made a lot of faces during all that. I am currently struggling with my Belkin TuneTalk - an attachment that allows me to record to iPod - because I sound maybe half as good recorded as live. At least my ears think I sound a lot better when I'm physically playing. It's discouraging & challenging at the same time. All right, back to practicing.

Monday, September 11, 2006

deplorable children

I was walking out of the subway today trying to find the bookmark in my book when this schoolgirl almost walked right into me. I was visibly startled & said "Oh sorry!" but instead of apologizing or at least saying excuse me, she & her teenage friends laughed loudly. They kept laughing as they walked down the stairs, saying "Haha we scared her!" Nasty little brats. Reminds me of the time I was on an extremely crowded subway car & this teenager in school uniform bulled her way on while a bunch of people were trying to get off. Even her friends knew better than to try to get on then. She intentionally shoved me & several others in the process so I bumped her harder back & she yelled something at me but I was already at the turnstiles. It's no wonder New Yorkers have a reputation for rudeness. If the kids are this bad now, they'll only be 10 times worse when they grow up. Who the hell laughs & insults when they walk into someone? & I notice it's always the schoolgirls traveling in packs, though one would expect the boys to be more aggressive. Maybe the girls are trying to be tough & show off for their friends, but they are old enough to know better.