Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Rain, Summer, Money.


Men's Member-Guest
Originally uploaded by chlorinebeach.
It was the first day of summer the other day, which means the end of June is almost here, which means the year is already half over. Have you kept your New Year's Resolutions? Did you make any? Do you even remember them? I think my resolutions this year were significantly less interesting than my ones from 2008, but I wouldn't know. I'd have to check my Livejournal.

Anyway, the summer is really here. I guess I kind of knew that, since I've been home from London for almost two months. But with all of this rain and everything, it certainly doesn't FEEL like summer. [For anybody reading this who doesn't live in my area: it started raining at the beginning of June + hasn't stopped since. This is only a slight exaggeration.] My mother complains about feeling like she lives in Seattle, and certainly the rain isn't good for business at either job # 1 or #2, but I don't really mind the rain. Or I wouldn't if I had time to enjoy it.

I feel like I had a few nice weeks about a month or so ago, when I had time to sit at the gigantic table on my back porch and scrapbook after doodling all morning, or maybe lie still and listen in the morning if it was raining. I thought it was going to be kisses and ice cream sundaes all summer, but then M.ton got a job, + business at jobs #1 and 2 picked up, and then I decided house-sitting was a good idea, and all of a sudden I'm coming home from work at about 10:30 every day + crawling straight into bed so I can get up and do it again the next day. Even today, when I got home early (8:30!), I can't accomplish all of my goals for the night because I am too drained from running around all day and all weekend.

I appreciate the money, I really, really do. I've had spending money each week, and I'm going to be able to save enough so I'll have money at school AND I'll be able to buy a new computer at the end of the summer. I'm a lot better off than some people in this current economic environment. But when you work for millionaires and their little trust-fund babies... well, it's hard not to compare yourself, right? I was reading Jane's blog over at seaofshoes.com, and while I love her, and I think she's great + finds wonderful stuff, I actually think I'm going to have to stop reading her blog because it always makes me really bitter. She's a really lucky person- she had the fortune to be born to a woman who is already in the business she's interested in, and they seem to not want for anything. But seeing a 17-year-old girl have any totally fabulous clothing she wants.... well, it's just sort of annoying for me.

But that's not the point. The point is, I guess, that I'd really like to have some time to myself, some time to relax + develop ideas + exercise my creative brain for a space longer than a few hours in the evening. Maybe when I save up enough money, I'll take the rest of the summer off (ha). I look at all of these country club wives, with their tennis and their free time, and it seems like they have it made, + they're mostly really pleasant people. Really. They get it, and they don't have to be nasty to the help, which is great. But the ones that are nasty to the help? It seems like they're the ones who are feeling trapped. They don't like staying at home all day, they haven't invested themselves in anything other than their children or their garden club or whatever, and maybe they don't feel like they're realizing their full potential as human beings. So I guess, in a way, I'm also glad I'm not them. Because if I were married to some rich guy, the reason I would be home all day certainly wouldn't be children.

I'm already doing my summer funk of being excited to go back to school? Maybe it's all the rain.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Bag Shopping


Bag contents
Originally uploaded by chlorinebeach.
Okay, so I was sick last week, which not only meant totally ignoring the world, but also that I didn't go in to work (Except for six hours on Monday), so now I have zero dollars in my weekly spending budget.

But that doesn't stop me from looking at shit online! I've been kind of wanting a new bag lately. The little pink one I got in London was GREAT for London, really carried just the perfect amount of stuff, but now that I'm home I'm lugging extra clothing to work, a bigger wallet, etc.

[Aside from which, the part where I broke my point and shoot means that my extremely generous boyfriend lent me his SLR which is AMAZING (I cannot take a bad picture with that thing, srsly), but gigantic. BUT THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW].

So I want a bigger bag. I'd actually just really like to be able to get my hands on the next largest size of the cute hot pink Carpisa bag I bought in London, but apparently they don't sell online, + I can't find a distributor in NY anywhere,which is really too bad because it was pretty cheap and seems to be durable. I found this really exciting bagin my very favorite color, but it is a) sold out for 3 weeks, and b) far more money than I am willing to spend (I am willing to spend about $0 on things right now). And of course, in a dream world I would have been able to afford a coach bag I fell in love with two seasons ago. Not because of the name, mind you, but because it was the perfect size, shape, lots of pockets, really gorgeous navy blue leather... of course it was great. If the company ONLY makes bags, I would hope they would make them well, right?

I was checking out the website for the super grimy bag I am using right now (which was actually a 1 1/2 year old lost + found find), and apparently it's kind of fucking expensive, and Angelina Jolie has it. So at least I can be hip in my cheapness, but I hope that doesn't mean I have to start popping out Brad Pitt's babies, because I don't really like kids.

Monday, June 1, 2009

This is where I blog from.


Pretty Pretty phone
Originally uploaded by chlorinebeach.
What the fuck is a fucking Blogger follow list? Goddamn. This is why I'm not a computer programmer, or a hawt haXOr like Violet Blue: if something involving the internet needs more more than like three steps, I'm not doing it.

THIS IS WEB 2.0 PEOPLE, I am getting far too much stimulation from everything else, if I can't figure you out I'm leaving. Web Attention Defect Disorder, that's us. This is also why I don't add any RSS feeds, AND why I don't have a tumblr. Oh, and why I never post twitter updates as entries (like some). Just read them on the sidebar. Or add me on Twitter.

Twitter. Fuckin' speaking of web 2.0 ADD. I only follow 15 people on Twitter. You know why? Because I want to actually READ everything that the people I follow write. I had to un-follow some people, because they were updating too much, or they were too fucking boring to be worth the page space. SORRY KIDS, MOM'S BUSY LOOKING AT ETSY RIGHT NOW. PESTER ME LATER.
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Anyway. I was sick for a week, it was the opposite of fun. My camera's still broken-stein, but I'm getting used to it. My boyfriend visited me today, and we were so disgustingly happy I thought I might be the mean character with the perfect life in some Disney tween-age movie. I have the next few days off so I'm going to lie around the house reading and drawing and working on my scrapbook.

You know what a scrapbook is? It's a book full of pictures of things that I did and that you didn't do, and I show it off to you and you have to pretend to be freakin' interested for an hour, AND not be jealous. Just thank God it's not a scrapbook of all of my kids or something, because those ones are fucking boring as hell. 'Oh look, here's little Johnny when he was two weeks old.' You know what? All two week olds look like little pink bug monsters from space. Sorry 'bout it, but it's true. They're not people yet. How about documenting them when they do something real, like go to London on a four month vacation? Aw hell yeah.
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I don't know what's gotten into me. But I think it's time to work off some of this energy by cleaning my room + listening to the campiest showtunes I have.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Rain Holidays


man dives off boat
Originally uploaded by 4eva.
Hello Kids, I hope you're all enjoying your holiday weekend.

I was talking to my father the other day, and we concluded that it seems like people who only work 9-5, Monday thru Friday must have a lot of free time. Of course, it's probably not as much as it seems, what with commuting and all, but really. My Dad did point out, however, that when those people try to get stuff done on weekends, everybody else is too.

The Country Club (of course) means working nights, weekends and holidays, which is actually not what I'm here to complain about today, considering I am extremely used to that.

No my friends, what I am here to complain about today is (of all things) the weather.

I used to aggressively Not Care about the weather- I lived by that Fall Out Boy song lyric "you know it's sad that I never gave a damn about the weather, but the weather never gave a damn about me." There was no use in complaining about the clouds, or the heat, since there was nothing I could do about it, and I had to work whether it was raining or not. In fact, if it WAS raining, I usually had a calmer day at work and so really didn't mind.

That was all well and good last summer, but NOW I'm bitter. It's been a (reasonably) nice Memorial Day Weekend- hardly any rain, lots of sun, really pretty good temperatures. The kind of days that make me want to lie down with a book in the grass. My father and I had planned to borrow his friends boat on our day off tomorrow and go out on Lake Mahopac. I was really looking forward to lying down in the boat and soaking up some warmth in the sun. I had this whole mental picture of standing up on the edge of the boat, arcing my back and doing a perfect jackknife dive down into the cold depths of the lake. We would drive by and wave to the Frank Lloyd Wright house, and maybe get a little bit of color on my wintry looking legs.

It seems all of that must now be abandoned, as the weather has chosen to crap on those in the service industry tomorrow and chase us all inside with a high of 57* and mostly cloudy skies. That leaves my father and I with nothing to do after we finish our house chores.

This is a recurring problem, but can anybody think of something to do with your dad on a cool-ish day? He recently had knee surgery, otherwise we'd take the dog to the park, or go walk around the beachfront in Rye. There isn't really anything to see in the theaters, and I'd like to do something that doesn't involve spending too much money. We'll probably wind up just going out for lunch, but it would be great if somebody could think of a better option.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Scrapbooking, links + Sweaters


Scrapbooking...Purple Style
Originally uploaded by Nicki_2004.
I was thinking, about a week ago, that I don't really have any goals for the summer. So I settled down with a movie (Company!), some snacks + a pen and waited for the ideas to come rolling in.

I could be completely impossible, and decide I want to read a book a week, but really all that's going to be is a source of stress, since I just don't have free time or patience like that. I think a more realistic number is about four, depending on density.

I have decided that I want to finish my scrapbook from London by the end of the summer. I have given myself until June to collect all of the supplies (print the photos, buy a book and stickers, etc...), and I think that'll be a really good project for me, especially considering I want to make it a fun, attractive layout, not just photos stuck into an album. I could get a shitty book printed online if I wanted that.

Other than that, I have a few activity-related goals- go to the beach, see certain plays, but this summer is going to be all about working so that I can buy a NEW DESKTOP COMPUTER by the end of the summer! Hooray!
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OMG, this sweater!

When I was at work today, I was looking at Etsy, and I remembered that I owned this piece of hideousness, and got really excited about coming home and putting it on! Of course none of the guys in the shop understood, but I got home and went straight through my sweater chest + found it. It was kind of dusty-smelling, + was making me itch, so I'll have to wash it before I can really wear it again, but I LOVE that sweater.

Have I talked about this sweater before? Because I definitely should have. M.ton + I were watching "Step Brothers" (which is actually MUCH funnier than I thought it was going to be, I recommend it for the sake of seeing two funny guys given full license to just PLAY), + it got to the scene where they're opening Christmas presents, + M.ton grabbed my arm and went

"oooh, can I have a sweater like that?!"
"I'll get you one, but you have to actually wear it."
"Can I wear it ironically?"
"Of course!"

Well, the very next day I was in a secondhand store, and I didn't find a Christmas sweater (it was the beginning of December, they had probably all been snapped up already), but I DID find one with cheesy alpacas marching around it, with alpaca buttons, + this ugly herringbone sweater. I bought them both for less than $5, + M.ton got a big kick out of his sweater, + I wore mine like a sweatshirt every day for a week.
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And now, a few links:

the Hype Machine is a wonderful little thing to discover new music on. I like to run it in the background when I get tired of my iTunes library. It helped me discover this post, which is really well phrased, even if I don't like the song that much.

This group on Flickr, which was pretty much made for freaks like me.

And Nubby Twiglet who pretty much always wears something that complements her complexion AND looks good on her, has a job she loves, and remembers to update her blog every day. She's living the dream, basically.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

List Addicts: Party Drinks

One of the blogs I frequent, listaddicts.blogspot.com, recently opened up for submissions from their readers, and this is mine!
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That's right, you have 15 people showing up at your house in two hours, and you just remembered that you haven't got anything for them to drink. What to do when you need to mass-produce beverages for party friends? Never fear! My list is here!

-Mom's Punch: Totally PG, it's made with a few types of fruit juice, sparking water and floating globs of Sherbet. This is SO GOOD on a hot summer night, or at a teenage birthday party. It feels very decadent, and you can still see straight.
-Apple Cider: Get some from the Farm stand in October, heat it up + throw in some cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. Show up at a party, dish it up (with shots of rum, if you please), become everybody's best friend. It's totally happened to me before.
-Egg Nog: This stuff is sooooo good! I mean, you really, really shouldn't be planning on getting in a car afterward, since the drunk sort of hits you like a sandbag, but seriously. Who doesn't want to drink their daily calorie intake in one little glass?
-Mint Julips: Anybody who makes Julip that is worth anything mass-produces it, making it the perfect party drink. If you do it right, with shaved ice, proper rum, and silver cups, you're all set to sit around the backyard in your big derby hats and discuss where you and your husband are going to vacation now that he has quit the financial industry.
-Mojitos: This may just be because my pretend secret crush makes really really good ones, but they're really good and summery. Although, they're not really quite as easy to mass-produce.
-Plum Wine: Specifically, Plum wine mixers. Wine + sparkling water= another summer drink that is distinctly easier to make than a Mojito that is equally refreshing.
-Champagne: I mean, come on. It is THE party drink, isn't it?

What about the rest of you? What are favorite drinks to produce in five-gallon bucket quantities? Anything you think I should try out?

Sunday, May 10, 2009

My lovely new job


A variation of ensembles.
Originally uploaded by chlorinebeach.
This year, for a change of scenery on weekends I work in the Golf shop, instead of the clubhouse. It seems pretty okay so far, although it's Mother's Day so the place is pretty dead.

If I'll be here a whole lot, I'm thinking I need to subscribe to Google Books, since I'm not allowed to sit with a book open, but I am allowed to play on the computer (I guess it looks like I maybe might be accomplishing something). The only problem is that a computer screen, after a while, really starts to hurt my eyes.

Lights

But the main point of this entry actually has little or nothing to do with my job- I have poorly directed rage at the Box Office (or whoever is in charge of ticket pricing structure) for West Side Story.

As a college student, and particularly as a college student coming home from London, I like to do everything REALLY cheaply, so the fact that they have no student rush, and the cheapest ticket is $45 REALLY annoys me.

"But Bef!" you cry "They have a lottery, and the tickets are only $26! If you go on a not so busy day, you're guaranteed to get a seat! I really don't see what the problem is."

The problem IS, that the tickets which are being lotteried are in the front row. And for a production that looks as amazingly danced as it does (I'll put a video at the bottom of the page), which kept the original Jerome Robbins choreography, I'd really like to be able to see their feet. Actually, not their feet might be okay, but I sat in the front row to see Merwin in 'The Little Mermaid', + I couldn't really see them below the knee. NOT interesting.

So I guess the solution is to wait a little while into the summer and see if the tickets go on sale, or to beg for tickets for my birthday. Or to just cough up the 45 bucks, and then not do anything fun for the rest of the week. Which is beginning to look like the solution.




[This actually isn't even a good example of the dancing. If you are clicking through the theater section of the NY times ( http://theater2.nytimes.com/gst/theater/tdetails.html?id=1194827556329&scp=1&sq=west%20side%20story&st=cse ), you might come across one of their advertisements which has a pretty good selection of clips from the whole show, and it looks PRETTY HOT. Just sayin']