Giddy Girlie

So I finally read A Clockwork Orange, which was surprisingly not as disturbing as I had imagined. I had seen clips of the movie here and there and the rape scenes made me cringe deep inside - where your whole intestinal tract seems to shrivel and bunch up - and so I never really gave it much thought.

But rummaging the bookshelf for a new book to read, or re-read for the 10,000th time, I saw it there and for some reason I felt it was the time to confront Anthony Burgess head-on.

The book was actually very good, and I caught on to the slang relatively quickly, so I didn't have to flip to the glossary so damn much. The deeper story really caught me someplace... deep... and really skewed my perception for some reason... I have just felt very heavy and very dark all week. And yet, it's like I can't turn myself away from it. I suppose this is the part where the ghosts show themselves, isn't it?

Last night I sat and watched the movie with plenty of chocolate to counter the mal-effects, and all that I could think was that Kubrick really missed the point. Too much "fancy" and not enough substance. It was good, and true to the story, but still lacked so much. Or maybe I am just too dark and weighed down right now to see through it. It's truly a blue mood. So maybe this book wasn't the best choice -- I need the Garfield anthology or some crap -- or maybe the moon wobbles are bringing me down. But it's been a profound and heavy week and I am so glad to be able to turn the tables this weekend with some extra sleep, extra sweets, and plenty of good ol' fashioned fireworks. Who has ever been uncheered by a sparkler? No one.

Posted by giddygirlie at 4:53 PM | Permalink

Man, time just flew right by! The rest of the Buffalo trip was exhausting and kind of fun and the training was intense, but I guess I am a better person for surviving it.

In the interest of time (which I don't have a lot of), plus legal implications, I will say only this :
* Canadian strip clubs were involved. Definitely a story for another time.
* I didn't use the jacuzzi
* yes, I took pictures and am uploading them to Flickr today
* I am deathly afraid of clowns (statues or not)
* it took me 15 hours to get home on Thursday, the only upswing is that I racked up some frequent flyer miles
* Niagara Falls is just as beautiful as the pictures (even though I only saw it at 3am - BUT I did see the Canadian side which is supposed to be "nicer" than the US side)

This weekend was fun, too. We had another gathering of the cool neighbors, this time for a pirate party and movie viewing on the lawn. It was really a good time. Many rum runners and pirate jokes were had. On Sunday, Ryan and I went over to Disneyland to try and ride the Pirates of Caribbean ride (now re-opened with the new Jack Sparrow additions), but the line was over 2 hours long and it was something like 90 degrees and humid and awful even at 7pm, so we bailed, but we will go back in a few days and try again.

Now the work is piled on and I have absolutely no free time at all, but I have been staying up late at night to read A Clockwork Orange, which I have never read before. I am about 1/2 way through and I'm really liking it. The only time that I saw the movie was at a party, where I didn't get to actually "watch" it and was thoroughly disturbed by the ultra-violence, so I am not sure that I am ready for the flick yet...

Posted by giddygirlie at 12:11 PM | Permalink

The hotel is even CHEESIER than I could have imagined. I mean, you saw the pictures -- WTF?? I walked in and suppressed a smile 'til the hallway and then I couldn't stop giggling. I took some pictures, but I am working with dial-up here and they take foreeeeevvvvvvveeeeerrrrr to upload. If I get a shot at some high-speed access, I'll post them tomorrow. Take this with you : ceramic clowns. In the hallways. every 3 feet. hundreds of them. Also : yes, my room has a jacuzzi tub. And : my neighbors were "using" theirs in the noisiest manner possible last night while playing some crappy R&B and all of this morning, the housekeepers were all coming around saying that the boss told them not to go into that room. I don't even want to speculate, mostly because I can't without throwing up in my own mouth.

You have been warned.

I was able to meet up with a friend last night for some dinner in downtown Buffalo (yeah, I know, "downtown"?) and it was great - true smoked BBQ. Awesome. Then we toured a bit and oogled at all the historic buildings which are beautiful. I kept laughing that he'd point out "oh, this is a bad neighborhood, but 2 streets over is really nice" when it ALL looked the same -- how do you have a bad neighborhood in classic brick row-houses?? We also swung by his friend's house over by the lake, so we walked over to the lake for a chat, where he told me all about his annual naked pagan camping trip. Can I say how much I love Mark? Or how good it feels when you find work/travel friends who are totally your peeps? But he dropped me off early, because he had to go finish packing for his 3 week vacation to Italy (yeah, I know, I am crying a river). I was (am) semi-jet lagged and not adjusted to the time change, so I was up 'til 4am (1am in California, which is my usual bed time). It didn't help that Shaun of the Dead came on about 2am -- can YOU fall asleep when Shaun is on? I thought not. Man, I love that movie.

Today was pretty dull. I actually worked most of the day from the hotel (curse you dial-up!) and then was starving to death and there's nothing around here, so I asked the front desk and they suggested the mall. I'm always up for shopping, so I signed on... but... but... well, let's just say that the mall left a lot to be desired. Subway was the anchor of the food court, so I got a sammich and sat near the indoor fireplace (which is cool, and I know it's totally practical for these parts, but I just loved that the MALL FOOD COURT has a fireplace). Then we had our welcome reception at an Irish pub down the street and I officially got to try authentic Buffalo, NY Beef on a Weck, it was pretty good and very salty. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, but I am still hoping that someone will want to cruise up to Niagara Falls. Cross your fingers.

Posted by giddygirlie at 5:33 PM | Permalink

Not Mad Max, but I will be traveling again next week.

Check out the hotel where I will be staying. I challenge you to not laugh when you see the pictures. Why yes, that IS a jacuzzi tub IN THE ROOM with mirrors all around.

It's like a little slice of Vegas in upstate NY. Nice.

Posted by giddygirlie at 10:26 AM | Permalink

Cheers all around and the bottles hit the ground... Ryan & I celebrated our 9th anniversary as a couple last week and will do a booty shaking dance on July 7th when our 5th wedding anniversary rolls around. Time really goes by fast. Like, seriously, dude.

Part of the anniversary party that lasts all year is that I got some new bling (I will post pictures to Flickr after I get my nails done tomorrow). And we've been pretty excited about how far we've come and how much we've grown and how much we actually still like each other and all that. Which is kind of rad.

But the sad part is, that all around us other people are falling apart. One of my friends and his wife are divorcing after being together for 16 years and being married for 10. And they're awesome people, which just breaks my heart. And other couples that I know just aren't doing so well... little things are becoming big problems and pieces are chipping and cracking, and I wish I could save them all. It's just so gut-wrenching to watch.

And then yesterday, I found out that the boat that we got married on SUNK over the weekend. Is that a bad omen or something? Maybe I need to stock up on sage and voo doo candles...

Posted by giddygirlie at 8:42 AM | Permalink

I just kind of realized that I haven't written in a while and I have so much catching up to do, but instead I have to tell you about my new lady love : tap dancing.

In Chicago we saw a lady on the El with tap shoes on and ever since I have had brain freeze about it. So my new BFFs (anyone who taps is a BFF, BTW) are signing up to take a class with me this summer through the Parks & Rec department. $23!!

Plus, now I have an excuse to wear patent leather mary janes with a big fat bow... I'm on my way to class. Ahem.

Posted by giddygirlie at 4:36 PM | Permalink