Meow meow meow. Sad cat. Kind of. Coasting to Longport for a long, holiday weekend away from the hustle bustle fustle grump truck of New Yawk. Listening to dis schtuff...
Chained (Panic City Remix) - The xx
Did I hold too tight? Did I let enough light in?
There Might Be Coffee (MILLERTIME Edit)
OMG.
Voltage - Skrillex
Yurp. It ain't sad without a little dub sauce from the Skrill.
And what I need to remember...shake ya booty even when you don't wanna :)
Turn Up the Radio - Madonna vs Laidback Luke feat. Far East Movement) [Radio Edit]
Sorry, no video for dis one. You should still listen to it.
I Love It - Icona Pop
This song reminds me of last summer. DEFINITELY do not wanna relive that bullshit.
No Beef - Afrojack & Steve Aoki
Loves and loves and loves some more. Steve is my doppleganger. Don't know why it took me so long to realize this.
Everyone have a happy, healthy, and SAFE Labor Day Weekend. Dance and relax and hang and sun and smile. Never forget to smile.
:)
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Rebuilding the sidewalk.
Earlier this summer, there was construction being done outside of my apartment. It's still going on to this day. From what the foreman told me, considering I see the construction workers doing their thing when I leave for work (not only forcing me to say hi but also being cordial to strangers before 9am), he said they were "going to improve the water system", which would essentially benefit our building along with that part of town. I didn't really get what he saying because I'm not well versed in construction talk or whatever Eastern European accent he fashioned.
Still, he's nice and his eyes are kind and he asks me once a week how the sidewalk is looking. I give him a thumbs up and tell him, "you guys are doing a great job!" With all of this construction being done on the water system underneath the sidewalks, this forces them to rip open parts of the sidewalk and close other parts off, forcing passersby to walk on parts of the street along traffic. This is quite an inconvenience sometimes when I'm wearing too long (and also too big) of dress slacks and they brush on the dusty, ground. I sometimes have to wipe the soot off my pants when I get into my car.
Aside from the summer heat and humidity beating down on all of them, they really are a nice group of men. Or as nice as they'll ever be considering it is really hot outside. And they are doing a great job, aside from it taking pretty much all summer to fix. I didn't realize there was so much pipeage to deal with underground. In a way, it reminds me of how someone rebuilds their self to better function in society, in life, and in relationships...
And I guess I'm trying to do that.
According to my landlord, there's a power box underground that eventually people in our unit and the unit next door can access when the power goes out in their apartment unit. I'm not too sure this is going to work but essentially he said people will be able to go underground, into some sort of bomb shelter-like opening and flick a switch. This concept kind of reminds me how Keebler elves work when they make cookies and the power goes out. All in all, I wasn't really listening when he was talking to me, something I should probably work on. And what even confused me more was the connection between water and power so if someone could enlighten me one day then it would make this blog post less confusing.
In order for all of these pipes to be working, the construction workers have to break away pieces of the concrete, the exterior, and expose the pipes. There, in front of our apartment you can see the long, rusty, water pipe exposed in a deep opening in the ground. The pipe is vulnerable and everyone who walks on that side of the street can see what's inside. Like it's getting ready for surgery. Everything. Is. Exposed.
They break away huge chunks of the concrete too. Going around the curve to the parking lot in the back. A majority of the sidewalk is taped off so you can't walk on it. There's rubble, dirt, dust everywhere. You hear drills and jackhammers penetrating through the hard concrete, breaking away layer after layer of thick ground. Men are shoveling and scooping dirt and ground out to deepen the exposed pipeage. That noise when wheel loaders back up echoes in my head, and as it scoops dirt out of the ground to expose more pipe, you see more of a problem that has to be fixed. You can almost jump inside to take a closer look but I'm sure the foreman wouldn't want me doing that in my work clothes. And without a hard hat.
I guess in order to improve the productivity and longevity of an important energy source, a vital organ, you have to open it up to find the root of the problem and fix it so it'll work better in the future. And as you expose every layer of yourself, attempting to fix your own pipe, you're becoming more vulnerable to outside sources. But you kind of let that pain happen, knowing that after it's all over you'll get better. Your pipe will be in tip-top shape. Water, or energy, or whatever source is trying to be fixed will be able to flow again and life will go on as normal. Or as normal as you let it be.
Even after construction is complete, there's always room for error. Something could go horribly wrong and the pipe could encounter a blockage. Something could crack in the pipe, causing water or energy or whatever source is supposed to be flowing to cease. A complete shutdown. A curveball. An expected moment in time where you question whether all this work was done for nothing.
Like doctors, the construction workers have to go into the ground again and fix whatever error occurred. Not only is it like a rush to save a life but it's to lessen the inconvenience for all the tenants, myself included, who rely on this energy source in their apartments. Sometimes, it's an easy fix and other times it's not. And when you're trying to fix a pipe inside yourself, you don't really know how long it will take before you get better. You just know you have to get better in order to fully function to the best of your ability, and to maybe have better relationships, better health, better faith, whatever better you need.
The sidewalk is actually looking a lot better these days. They re-opened one of the traffic lanes that had been blocked off all summer. Since it was closed off, it was forcing all the traffic to merge into one complicated lane. The openings along the sidewalk are now covered with new concrete and sidewalk looks a lot cleaner. The gravel is paved and smoothed down for people to walk on. It kind of feels good walking on new ground, like it's kind of cushy on the bottom of your feet. A lot of the orange cones have been removed too. I now see them not in front of my apartment building but now across the street working on more pipeage there. Although it will take a while for everything in the area to finally be complete, I have no doubt that they will do a great job...and they may even encounter some bumps along the road over there too. But that shouldn't stop them from doin' work!
The pipes after being fixed can still encounter an unexpected problem. A repair to anything can still sporadically collapse. It just takes a little bit of tenderness, a dash of patience, a little faith that slowly but surely things will get better and the pipe, your pipe, whatever pipe that needed fixing, will be in tip-top shape.
Hang in there.
Still, he's nice and his eyes are kind and he asks me once a week how the sidewalk is looking. I give him a thumbs up and tell him, "you guys are doing a great job!" With all of this construction being done on the water system underneath the sidewalks, this forces them to rip open parts of the sidewalk and close other parts off, forcing passersby to walk on parts of the street along traffic. This is quite an inconvenience sometimes when I'm wearing too long (and also too big) of dress slacks and they brush on the dusty, ground. I sometimes have to wipe the soot off my pants when I get into my car.
Aside from the summer heat and humidity beating down on all of them, they really are a nice group of men. Or as nice as they'll ever be considering it is really hot outside. And they are doing a great job, aside from it taking pretty much all summer to fix. I didn't realize there was so much pipeage to deal with underground. In a way, it reminds me of how someone rebuilds their self to better function in society, in life, and in relationships...
And I guess I'm trying to do that.
According to my landlord, there's a power box underground that eventually people in our unit and the unit next door can access when the power goes out in their apartment unit. I'm not too sure this is going to work but essentially he said people will be able to go underground, into some sort of bomb shelter-like opening and flick a switch. This concept kind of reminds me how Keebler elves work when they make cookies and the power goes out. All in all, I wasn't really listening when he was talking to me, something I should probably work on. And what even confused me more was the connection between water and power so if someone could enlighten me one day then it would make this blog post less confusing.
In order for all of these pipes to be working, the construction workers have to break away pieces of the concrete, the exterior, and expose the pipes. There, in front of our apartment you can see the long, rusty, water pipe exposed in a deep opening in the ground. The pipe is vulnerable and everyone who walks on that side of the street can see what's inside. Like it's getting ready for surgery. Everything. Is. Exposed.
They break away huge chunks of the concrete too. Going around the curve to the parking lot in the back. A majority of the sidewalk is taped off so you can't walk on it. There's rubble, dirt, dust everywhere. You hear drills and jackhammers penetrating through the hard concrete, breaking away layer after layer of thick ground. Men are shoveling and scooping dirt and ground out to deepen the exposed pipeage. That noise when wheel loaders back up echoes in my head, and as it scoops dirt out of the ground to expose more pipe, you see more of a problem that has to be fixed. You can almost jump inside to take a closer look but I'm sure the foreman wouldn't want me doing that in my work clothes. And without a hard hat.
I guess in order to improve the productivity and longevity of an important energy source, a vital organ, you have to open it up to find the root of the problem and fix it so it'll work better in the future. And as you expose every layer of yourself, attempting to fix your own pipe, you're becoming more vulnerable to outside sources. But you kind of let that pain happen, knowing that after it's all over you'll get better. Your pipe will be in tip-top shape. Water, or energy, or whatever source is trying to be fixed will be able to flow again and life will go on as normal. Or as normal as you let it be.
Even after construction is complete, there's always room for error. Something could go horribly wrong and the pipe could encounter a blockage. Something could crack in the pipe, causing water or energy or whatever source is supposed to be flowing to cease. A complete shutdown. A curveball. An expected moment in time where you question whether all this work was done for nothing.
Like doctors, the construction workers have to go into the ground again and fix whatever error occurred. Not only is it like a rush to save a life but it's to lessen the inconvenience for all the tenants, myself included, who rely on this energy source in their apartments. Sometimes, it's an easy fix and other times it's not. And when you're trying to fix a pipe inside yourself, you don't really know how long it will take before you get better. You just know you have to get better in order to fully function to the best of your ability, and to maybe have better relationships, better health, better faith, whatever better you need.
The sidewalk is actually looking a lot better these days. They re-opened one of the traffic lanes that had been blocked off all summer. Since it was closed off, it was forcing all the traffic to merge into one complicated lane. The openings along the sidewalk are now covered with new concrete and sidewalk looks a lot cleaner. The gravel is paved and smoothed down for people to walk on. It kind of feels good walking on new ground, like it's kind of cushy on the bottom of your feet. A lot of the orange cones have been removed too. I now see them not in front of my apartment building but now across the street working on more pipeage there. Although it will take a while for everything in the area to finally be complete, I have no doubt that they will do a great job...and they may even encounter some bumps along the road over there too. But that shouldn't stop them from doin' work!
The pipes after being fixed can still encounter an unexpected problem. A repair to anything can still sporadically collapse. It just takes a little bit of tenderness, a dash of patience, a little faith that slowly but surely things will get better and the pipe, your pipe, whatever pipe that needed fixing, will be in tip-top shape.
Hang in there.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Things to do in my twenties
I guess you can say this is inspired by Thought Catalog, considering a lot of their articles are lists and a lot more are directed at twenty-somethings. But this list is for my personal benefit...or setback. I don't know we'll see...
In no order in particular...
1. Take advantage of more free events (i.e. music or film events, food festivals, beer and wine, physical activities in the park, classes, etc.)
2. Tell people to "take care of yourself." This one I got from Ryan O'Connell (naturally).
3. Travel to other U.S. cities on long weekends.
4. Read more.
5. Get more sleep.
6. Drink Crystal Light - it doesn't make your hair fall out. My Grandpa was joking.
7. Find a good protein powder and stick to it.
8. Eat more fruit (even better if I could pick my own in a farm or something).
9. Take my vitamins REGULARLY.
10. Be conscious of sugar...sometimes.
11. Order a stiff drink here and there.
12. Cook more, eat out less.
13. Actually, do/make/try the things I pinned on Pinterest.
14. Watch a tv series regularly with your roommates (it brings everyone together after a long day)
15. Drop arguments when they're pointless.
16. Smile during conversation more, especially with new faces.
17. Sit in the grass.
18. Buy locally grown produce at farmers markets.
19. Love animals like new friends (I'm talking big hugs and deep conversation kinda love).
20. Be mindful of my tone when in conversation - my tone is usually misread for bitchiness...sometimes I don't mean it that way. Sometimes.
21.Go for a run outside without headphones and take in the natural noise around me.
22. Don't be afraid to get a little spiritual.
23. Cry if it makes me feel a little better then get back to work.
24. Be honest, be patient, be calm.
25. Love myself like I love my favorite people.
In no order in particular...
1. Take advantage of more free events (i.e. music or film events, food festivals, beer and wine, physical activities in the park, classes, etc.)
2. Tell people to "take care of yourself." This one I got from Ryan O'Connell (naturally).
3. Travel to other U.S. cities on long weekends.
4. Read more.
5. Get more sleep.
6. Drink Crystal Light - it doesn't make your hair fall out. My Grandpa was joking.
7. Find a good protein powder and stick to it.
8. Eat more fruit (even better if I could pick my own in a farm or something).
9. Take my vitamins REGULARLY.
10. Be conscious of sugar...sometimes.
11. Order a stiff drink here and there.
12. Cook more, eat out less.
13. Actually, do/make/try the things I pinned on Pinterest.
14. Watch a tv series regularly with your roommates (it brings everyone together after a long day)
15. Drop arguments when they're pointless.
16. Smile during conversation more, especially with new faces.
17. Sit in the grass.
18. Buy locally grown produce at farmers markets.
19. Love animals like new friends (I'm talking big hugs and deep conversation kinda love).
20. Be mindful of my tone when in conversation - my tone is usually misread for bitchiness...sometimes I don't mean it that way. Sometimes.
21.Go for a run outside without headphones and take in the natural noise around me.
22. Don't be afraid to get a little spiritual.
23. Cry if it makes me feel a little better then get back to work.
24. Be honest, be patient, be calm.
25. Love myself like I love my favorite people.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Things I'd Do For You If I Loved You
Now to clear things up, this is an unofficial list of different things I'd do for you if I loved you enough to do them. Primarily for someone I loved and dated simultaneously but I mean, I'd do this for a few good friends too!
1. Skip lunch to pick up your dry cleaning.
2. Drive to Kinko's if you needed an important document sent and you were without the capable technology to do so.
3. Wear a cheesy, Christmas sweater with you to your family's holiday gathering. Besides, Christmas sweaters are sexy.
4. Shell out hundreds of dollars on the most expensive cheese burger just so you would stop crying about being hungry and craving a burger but didn't want to go to McDonald's, Burger King, or Zip's.
5. Cook/make you a meal that is not particularly my favorite (i.e. hard boiled eggs - I would peel them for you too...with a grimace on my face. But still, that's love).
6. Wax your butthole.
7. Take the last train into the city if you really wanted me to.
8. Try not to roll my eyes when you want to watch something stupid on TV.
9. I would "serenade" you with my unqualifiable-for-American-Idol voice. I truly believe I'm tone-deaf.
10. Stay with you in the bathroom if you were sick from food poisoning/drinking/stomach virus/etc.
11. Go with you to the doctor's office even if it was something minor like a papercut or scraped knee.
12. Dress your wound even if it was something minor like a papercut or scraped knee.
13. Baby you when you wanted to babied. Even though I'm not naturally like that.
14. Cradle you like a silly child.
15. Let you fall asleep first if you were afraid of the dark.
16. Let your parents stay with us if for some reason their home died due to a natural disaster or they wanted to save some dollas on hotels and shiz.
17. Let you have the last bite of whatever we were eating.
18. Share one of those stupid milkshakes with you like we were at some 50s-themed diner and sip out of two straws looking into each others eyes. Ugh.
19. Give you a lapdance*
*This, however, will take a lot of practice and confidence in my abilities before I conjure up the courage to do this sexy deed. Meow.
20. Say "sorry" even if I don't have to.
21. Let you sleep in the bed if we got into a huge fight and didn't want to be around each other, forcing me to sleep on the couch.
22. Remind you every day that I love you even when I'm being a huge, crabby bitch and not in the mood.
1. Skip lunch to pick up your dry cleaning.
2. Drive to Kinko's if you needed an important document sent and you were without the capable technology to do so.
3. Wear a cheesy, Christmas sweater with you to your family's holiday gathering. Besides, Christmas sweaters are sexy.
4. Shell out hundreds of dollars on the most expensive cheese burger just so you would stop crying about being hungry and craving a burger but didn't want to go to McDonald's, Burger King, or Zip's.
5. Cook/make you a meal that is not particularly my favorite (i.e. hard boiled eggs - I would peel them for you too...with a grimace on my face. But still, that's love).
6. Wax your butthole.
7. Take the last train into the city if you really wanted me to.
8. Try not to roll my eyes when you want to watch something stupid on TV.
9. I would "serenade" you with my unqualifiable-for-American-Idol voice. I truly believe I'm tone-deaf.
10. Stay with you in the bathroom if you were sick from food poisoning/drinking/stomach virus/etc.
11. Go with you to the doctor's office even if it was something minor like a papercut or scraped knee.
12. Dress your wound even if it was something minor like a papercut or scraped knee.
13. Baby you when you wanted to babied. Even though I'm not naturally like that.
14. Cradle you like a silly child.
15. Let you fall asleep first if you were afraid of the dark.
16. Let your parents stay with us if for some reason their home died due to a natural disaster or they wanted to save some dollas on hotels and shiz.
17. Let you have the last bite of whatever we were eating.
18. Share one of those stupid milkshakes with you like we were at some 50s-themed diner and sip out of two straws looking into each others eyes. Ugh.
19. Give you a lapdance*
*This, however, will take a lot of practice and confidence in my abilities before I conjure up the courage to do this sexy deed. Meow.
20. Say "sorry" even if I don't have to.
21. Let you sleep in the bed if we got into a huge fight and didn't want to be around each other, forcing me to sleep on the couch.
22. Remind you every day that I love you even when I'm being a huge, crabby bitch and not in the mood.
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