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.