Yeah, so I can't sleep. What else is new right. Not much to say. I've been hanging out close to home for the past few days. I did find some time to do a few things though. Ok, so most of those involve watching Unsolved Mysteries on channel 14, but I'm fine with that. I know the show is close to 20 years old and Robert Stack is probably just a mess of bones by now, but damn that show is mighty watchable. I might not know where those two orphans disappeared to after the depression and I might not know who killed the guy in Tucson, but by God I can't get enough.

I also had some time to do some walking around the neighborhood in the very cold weather along with my sister Celee and her special lady friend Margaret. They came up from DC for two days and we spent our time watching the corniest movie ever, which I hastened to add, left both Celia and Margaret with tears in their eyes! They cried! Ugh. Softees. I thought the ladies of the Lesbos persuasion were supposed to be tough. Ha! Another myth busted at Krista's house.

We also spent some time giving Celee a skin cleansing, masking, etc. I know I spend a lot on my skin products and you may laugh at me, but my skin looks pretty damn good these days...Celee learned for herself. I talked her into getting this minikit of Sonya Dakar facial goodies and she wrote me an email the other day telling me how much improved her skin is looked. I told you so! See, Big Sisters do know some shit.

Ahh, what else did I do? Hmm, oh I spent some quality time at JP's house drinking flirtinis, eating homemade pizza, and playing Apples to Apples and the very entertaining Mafia vs. Citizen. I found I'm kind of stinky at the Mafia game...apparently I make too much noise with my lips when I'm trying to be sneaky. Oh well. I don't care I want to play more and more!

I also took the Cel and Marge to a very nice brunch at Dizzy's. Mmm, Eggs Benedizz. Good stuff.

I also found myself at Freddie's Backroom recently. What was I doing there you ask? Well, I was participating in a Spelling Bee....and take this 6th Grade English Teacher...I made it to the final round! ME! AHAHAHA. Total fluke. During the Spelling Bee I got a call from my sister Allison...she wanted to make sure I knew MTV was having a True Life episode on Competitive Eating. Haha. Of course I knew! I was actually recording it at home. No worries. Oh and in case you missed Liz and my grilled cheese article (the servers were down for a bit) click here and read it in all it's cheesy glory. While your at it check out our following interview with Patrick Bertoletti who recently won the St. Valentine's Day Chocolate Massacre.

Ahh...it's almost 2 AM, I have to be up in 5 hours....can I sleep now! God of sleeping! Let my people sleep!

Snow. Lots of snow. 26 glorious inches.

I haven't done a thing all day. I'm freaking bored out of my mind and it sucks because all I wanted to do all day was run around in the snow, go sledding, and basically act like a 7 year old. However, I had no one to act silly with. Everyone was snowed in.

So I just stayed in for most of the day and watched movies. Bad movies.

I found myself getting nostalgic for those days in when my sisters and I would sled down the little hill in between our house and the neighbor's. It wasn't the biggest hill, but it was enough. Enough to sled all afternoon only coming inside when our pants were soaked through and our legs bright red from the cold. Those were good times. Next snow day I'm not going to stay in. Life is too short to stay inside when there are hills covered in snow. If anyone reading this is also a aficionado of the sled, please get in touch with me next snow day...we can have some good cold fun.

So my friends Miki and Ryan are in town, visiting from Japan. I had such a good time hanging out with them.

We went to Barbes, an excellent bar located just a block from my house and co-owned by the ever French Olivier. We went there because Ryan is currently designing the website of a band who was performing there that night. (Was that a real weird and drawn out way to say that last sentence?)

Anyway, the band is called Slavic Soul Party* and they play every Tuesday night at Barbes. (*Note, this is not the redesigned Ryan website.) This band rocks. It's an 8 member ensemble playing, what I call, Eastern European, big band, free lovin music and they describe as fiery gypsy brass, soulful Balkan anthems, and hip-grinding American funk. Whatever it is, it rocks and it sounds good. It also makes you happy. By the second set most of the small back room crowd were on their feet and dancing. I was happy to be watching everything, taking it in. I'm mostly an observer. I enjoy observing. I'm good at it. However, that was not to be. One of the members of the band had his eye on me...I could tell. He wanted me to dance. I tried not to make eye contact with him. And at one point it was very funny, he was almost right in front of me, wiggling his hips, getting ready to grab me when another girl grabbed him and swung him in the opposite direction. I was so relieved and Ryan and Miki laughed at my good fortune. I was saved by, instead of the bell, by the crazy dancing girl. However, my reprieve didn't last long. Within 5 minutes he was back in front of me and I had no choice but to get up and shake what my mama gave me.

So I shook for a bit and finally was able to sit down when the band member had to start playing again...but it wasn't to be for long. I had the very funny chance to be "reeled in" by one of the crowd. Seriously, this guy did the "pretend fishing pole, reeling in" thing. And I was the fish. So what is a girl to do? I had to get up and dance. But I have to admit, it was good fun. By that time Miki and Ryan started dancing too. My "partner" was an older man who got a little touchy feeling towards the end of the song and he felt the need to kiss my cheek when I was leaving, but it was good fun. Who knew in addition to cab drivers I am also attractive while listening to Slavic Soul? haha

After all that soul Ryan needed to go buy some new underwear and socks from the local CVS. It was either that or go another day wearing crusty socks...so off we went. It was then we decided that the second half of our evening would involve a lacy heart full of "delicious candies," a red sharpie marker, a quick drop in front of a door, and a late night anonymous phone call to the unsuspecting early valentine. Needless to say we were feeling very "tween." I have a feeling it was either the valentine or tping a house. I'm not sure the object of my valentine was pleased, although, seriously if you got an early valentine, wouldn't you be happy? And, come on...lacy heart candy? I bet my fishing pole dancing buddy would have enjoyed being my valentine.

So anyway, it's almost Friday and I have a fun weekend ahead of me. Friday night is a friend's birthday party. Saturday night Ryan and Miki want to do a little karaoke. I better start warming up my pipes. I think I'm gonna have to sing Jolene, just for Ryan.

Ohhh. Ohhhh. Never drinking again. Never. Feel like shit. I've felt like shit all freakin day cause last night I had just a bit too much fun. Ugh.

Totally have a headache, totally threw up this morning (I never do that), totally felt like staying in bed all day.

Julie had one hell of a birthday party. I will have to write about it later cause right now I just want to be in a dark room and not move.

In better news I picked up my new table today. It's awesome. I found it on craigslist. It's so pretty and makes my kitchen look very classy. That's all I ask. A classy looking kitchen. Riding in the cab this afternoon getting the table back to my house from the upper east side sucked ass. I get car sick on a good day. Add to that a fucking bad hangover and you get one suck-ass cab ride.

Ah, but you know what is almost worse? The cab ride I had last night. Riding from midtown. Drunk as can be. I didn't want Helen to have to drive me all the way to Brooklyn, so I grabbed a cab. And what a cab I chose. I was picked up by a 50 year old Rasta who decided he was going to try to convince me...the entire way home....that I should let him, "make love to me." Because he could tell I was very good based on how I looked and the day of month I was born on. When he asked which day I was born I should have known it was for something weird. He said a lot of other things, but I don't feel like reliving every moment, so I shall refrain from repeating them.

I wish I could tell you this is the only time this has happened. Unfortunately, I have the very odd luck to be asked out almost every time I get in a cab/taxi/livery. My take on this is that I must look really good in a rearview mirror because when I'm not in a cab I'm not asked out in nearly the same numbers...at all. I once had a cab driver hold my luggage hostage in his trunk in order to get my phone number. Yet I go to a bar and nothing...nada. What am I doing that makes these drivers feel I'm the one for them? It's just weird. I say hello, sure....but doesn't everyone? I tell them where I want to go...but isn't that standard?

Sometimes I admit it. I find it funny, so I'll smile and roll my eyes. If it starts getting weird I'll tell them my "boyfriend" wouldn't like it if I went out with them..yes, even if it meant getting driven around the city for free. Last night the guy wasn't taking no for an answer. I was going to be his, no matter what. He would also drive and turn all the way around in his seat so he could, "get a better view." (Sidenote, I wasn't wearing anything the least likely provocative.) Which I pointed out wasn't really a safe driving maneuver. Liz told me I should have got his license number, but I was drunk and I never felt like he was going to take a detour to his place or anything. Maybe I should have, but I've grown to feel these horny drivers are almost a part of the fabric of the city. That's just what happens here. It's part of what makes this place entertaining.

I have to go to bed now. I still feel like shit. Too much vodka. Too much entirely.

Liz and I finished our Grilled Cheese article. You can read it here . I hope you enjoy it. We had a great time watching the events unfold. Good times.