Joanna and Matt's television binge

Thursday I worked in the morning, which was pretty normal. Went home and did pre-trip laundry, which was actually pretty pleasant since I brought my computer and finished watching "The Graduate" while I laundered. Went home and packed until Matt arrived, at which point we ordered Indian food and watched tv...a lot of tv. We had planned to watch 30 Rock and The Office from 8:30 to 9:30 and LOST from 10 to 11, but then they switched the schedule and had Scrubs on at 8:30 and the other two after it, so we watched a lot more tv than we'd planned, or ever do usually. It was strange, but all our shows were good. LOST is not kidding around this season. Talked to both Jordan and Julie on the phone to make sure we're all set for tomorrow, sent Matt home, and finished what I could of packing. Tomorrow is work and then V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!!

All those years on dance team paid off?

Tuesday I don't think I really did anything. Practiced in the morning, went to work in the evening.

Wednesday I opened at work, so after closing last night it basically felt like I never left. Greeeeeat. Anyway, finished work, stopped at home, then went back into the city for an audition for a new musical out of the Grad Musical Theater Writing Program at NYU. It's directed by a guy I know from Tisch, and it's about cheerleaders. Awesome. I had what I felt was one of my best auditions ever, and it was so much fun! I wish all auditions could be fun, it would make things so much easier. Anyway, I was super excited and proud of myself. Went to Matt's for tacos, then tried to call it an early night, with moderate success.

So glad to not be an addict

Monday I did a little yoga, scheduled an audition, and poked around the house. Went to work, which was really slow, and found myself crabby for no reason, although I seemed to get over it by the end of the shift. Came home to the news that I've successfully secured a share in the Prospect Heights CSA for the summer, so starting mid-June I'll be getting weekly bags of crazy veggies and fruit from a local farmer. Good thing Kim gave me a book about vegetables for my birthday. The title of this post is a reference to the book I got from Mom and Dad, "Beautiful Boy." You've probably seen it at Starbucks. It's all about the author's son's meth addiction, and man, that's some serious stuff. I feel very lucky to not be a drug addict and to also not be related to one. Thanks, everyone involved in making that happen.

Foggy Sunday

Sunday morning I worked, and it was really busy, which made it fly by. Went out for late lunch with Kim, Karin, and Hannah at Silver Spurs, then went home to do all the stuff I ignored all weekend, like paying bills. Napped, then went to Matt's for mac and cheese. We took a walk and ended up at the Tea Lounge, which was really nice. I drank peppermint tea and Matt had decaf coffee for maybe the fifth time in his life (this is the guy who drinks full caffeine coffee at 10 pm on a regular basis) and we listened to Ella Fitzgerald and hung out.

A Perfect Saturday

Saturday was pretty much perfect. I slept extremely late to recover from being out late for my party, and then I went to Tom's with Matt and Randy. At this point I must mention that it was totally gorgeous out and I wore a sundress. YES! Had brunch, then Randy went to work and Matt and I walked to the Greenmarket and Prospect Park. While walking there Ben called us, and soon he and Atsuko met us for park sitting. We sat on a blanket and watched the rest of the population of south Brooklyn welcome the spring. It was absolutely packed with soccer players, dogs and owners, babies and kids of all sizes, kite fliers, and plenty of sunbathers. By 5:30 we parted ways and Matt and I went back to my house to make sloppy joes. While they were cooking, we set up Skype so that Mom and Dad could watch me open my birthday presents they'd sent me. It was nerdy and fun, and I love all my presents, thanks again! We ate dinner, and then Matt and I watched "Shortbus," which was one of my gifts.

More birthday photos...

are now available on my photo site, link at left. Enjoy!

Happy birthday to me!

Friday was my 23rd birthday, hooray! I went to work in the morning, and Charles and Oliver brought me a lemon tart with a candle in it during our pre-service meeting, awww. The shift was really busy, so hopefully I made a bajillion dollars. Grabbed a sandwich and headed home to decorate the cake, shower, get dressed, and turn around again to meet Matt at Patsy's for dinner. We had their amazing pepperoni pizza and agreed that if it turned out that the pepperoni was actually made out of people, we would still eat it. Headed up to Me Bar, the location of my party. It's on the 14th floor of the La Quinta hotel on 32nd street, which means it's on the roof and they have a big rooftop patio under the light of the Empire State Building. It was a beautiful day, which meant it was packed, but with the help of Hannah, Ben, and Atsuko, we staked out a spot outside in the corner. Throughout the night a bunch more people showed up, from Bouchon and CAP, and we ate mayonnaise cake and had a lovely time. By 1:30 I was pretty much asleep, so we called it a night and Matt, Randy, and I took a cab home. Thanks so much to everyone who called or emailed or sent a card, it was so nice to hear from you!

Photos!

I finally put a link to my photo website on the left hand side here, and I also added some new post-Christmas photos. Check them out!

Last day of 22

Thursday was mostly exciting because it's the day before my birthday. Went to work in the morning, and my allergies were annoying but not too debilitating. Talked to Ali after work, then went home and sat around like an invalid for an hour. Got up off my behind and made pasta primavera, which Matt and I then ate for dinner. We watched "30 Rock" and "The Office," which never fail to make us laugh, and then we started to bake my birthday cake...only I realized my cake pan was still at Matt's house from making HIS birthday cake. Good boyfriend that he is, Matt hopped on his bike and brought back the pan, and I used the time to talk to Kate on the phone, which is always nice. Matt came back, and we made classic mayonnaise cake and ate ice cream since we couldn't eat the cake, and Matt played a little on what is temporarily my guitar and I sang a little. It was nice. We can do almost two songs. Anyway, now it's quickly to bed so I'm rested for tomorrow!

Productive day off

Wednesday I was very productive. Got up and did my laundry, then went to the doctor for a physical (getting my money's worth from this health insurance, you know). I appear to be healthy, although my blood work hasn't come back yet. Hooray for health! Celebrated by getting a beets and mache salad at Bouchon and eating it in Central Park, since it was a beautiful day. Sat out in the sun for a while, then did a couple errands in Union Square. Came home and my allergies were hitting me hard, so I took a Benadryl and fell asleep. Went to Matt's and grilled with him, Randy, and Austin, and now I'm heading to bed, hoping I don't feel so allergic tomorrow.

Starting out the week

Monday and Tuesday were basically the same: I slept in, puttered around the house, and then went to work in the evening. Tuesday I did grocery shopping too, and Matt came and ate at the bar while I was working, which made it a little more exciting. Other than that, a pretty typical start to the week.

Party all the time

Sunday morning I went to work, which was remarkably smooth for me. No troublesome guests or anything. Went home and took a nap, then went to dinner with Matt at Zaytoon's. Then, we got on the train for our adventure to Astoria, Queens for my friend Kevin's birthday. For those who don't know, getting to Queens from Brooklyn is incredibly difficult without a car. Or, if not difficult, at least illogical and cumbersome. We had to go through Manhattan, and it took us 50 minutes. Honestly, it wasn't so bad, but it explains why we don't go to Queens much. Anyway, Kevin's party was fun, lots of Bouchon folks were there, and Matt, Randy, Kim, and I split a cab home, which was really nice.

A nearly perfect Saturday

Saturday was supposed to be rainy and gross, but instead it was warm and awesome! Matt and I went to Tom's for brunch, then I came home and talked to Granny and hung out with the windows open until Matt's piano lesson was done. Met back up with him and went into the city, where we got Pinkberry (I'm trying to tell myself I won't do that every day this summer). Then we walked over to 5th Ave. and did some spring clothes shopping, and we were both pretty successful. It was still so nice out that we decided to have the spring's first BBQ! Got hot dogs and sausages and Randy, Ben, Atsuko, and Diana came over. A good and delicious time was had by all. After eating, Matt, Randy, and I went to Derek's housewarming party in Park Slope.

The Frog Prince

Friday I worked in the morning. On my way out, Rachel offered me an extra Pinkberry frozen yogurt she'd gotten because they messed up her order. It was delicious! Came home and relaxed, then went to Matt's for dinner. Eventually we went to the 4th Avenue Pub and met up with Ben and the small frog figurine that was standing in for Atsuko, who is hard at work on her thesis defense.

SPRIIIIIIIIIIING!

Thursday I had to work in the morning, and I also had to get my soup in the crock pot, so of course I overslept by half an hour. Luckily I gave myself lots of time, so I still got everything together in time. Went to work, which was busy but not bad. However, it was torture looking outside at the park because it was SO NICE OUTSIDE! Seriously, 70 degrees. Amazing. After work I went out to Columbus Circle and ate my sandwich and remembered what enjoying being outside is like. Came home to a house smelling of leeks, and got dinner together. Matt came to help eat it, and then we watched the triumphant post-strike return of "30 Rock" and "The Office," our two favorite shows not set on a desert island.

Mild adventures and Quiche disaster

Wednesday I had the day off, so I slept in and did stuff around the apartment in the morning. Then, I hopped on the bus to Williamsburg to go to the big thrift store up there, Beacon's Closet. What I'd forgotten is how overwhelming thrift store shopping is. I didn't end up finding anything, but it was still good to get out of the house. Came home, did some writing, got more leeks for dinner tomorrow, and then made quiche for dinner tonight. Except, parts of the crust broke off in the oven, and egg filling started spilling everywhere. Ahh! With Randy's help I got everything settled, and by the time Matt came over we had delicious quiche for dinner.

Typical Tuesday

Tuesday was pretty normal. I got up and did my laundry, ran some errands while it dried, had lunch, and went to work. It was a quiet night, which was good since one of our servers called out sick. Nothing exciting to report.

A fast audition

Monday (April 7, since this will be catch up for most of you reading this) I got up at 6 and went to an audition for a production of "Beauty and the Beast" in Ohio. I arrived at 8:15 and found that not only was the studio not open yet, but that the list posted to the door for signing up only had about 7 names on it. A miracle! Went to Starbucks and had a chai latte, then went into the studio when it opened. Sat around until 10, then danced right away, since I was in the first group. The combo wasn't hard, but my brain is out of dance-learning shape, and since I signed up so early I was the first small group to dance for the auditioners. I didn't embarrass myself, but I wasn't shocked when they didn't have me stay and sing. Lesson of this audition: go to more dance calls so that I can get back to learning fast. Anyway, this all was over by 11, so I actually got to go home, have lunch, and relax before heading back to the city for work. Work was busy for a Monday, which was probably good, kept my mind off of how long I'd been awake. Rode home with Kim and had shepherd's pie leftovers.