sugar

2011-03-16T22:01:00.002-04:00

Early today I left the house while still dark, leaving behind my warm, fresh-faced little turnip, standing in her jammies with her magnificent tummy and rosy cheeks. She cried when I turned the corner. I ran out the door.Shortly after, I nabbed a coffee at the café of a cultural arts client, only to notice I was surrounded by mommies and babies not dashing off to meetings.

2008-12-14T19:42:00.004-05:00

A recent rainy morning, I felt my wheels skid out and pull me in an opposite direction. Naturally, I avoided the drivers-ed rule. I instead tried to correct the car's course and slammed on the breaks. All that kinetic energy only made things more out of control--I veered way right, way left, the car almost flipped. I somehow managed to end up going backward, fast, across 4 lanes of 70 mph traffic

2008-08-10T11:10:00.003-04:00

So, here I am in this new, strange chapter of my life where I've come full circle. I am living in the very spot where I grew up; now with my parents and brother in houses on either side of us. It happens to be in the prettiest spot I can possibly imagine.Beachy views, BBQs, blond-headed tots running about, screen doors, sandy feet-- sounds Kennedy-ish, right? Thankfully, its not.The many years

2008-05-16T13:47:00.004-04:00

All time low. This is my first post of the year. My dear friend just blogged her way through childbirth and I can't bring myself to update my trusty, erstwhile blog. Low.Alas! Since my last post, I am proud to announce that I am a homeowner. I'm in! A new, for-real house! Its surreal. Freshly painted rooms, appliances that work, windows that open. And views! Its breathtaking. Every morning, I

2007-12-09T08:32:00.000-05:00

I'm a holidork. Bundling up to go shopping, evergreens, candles, baked goodies, wrapping paper-- the works. And, of course, Christmas music. Lots of it.In the midst of this flurry, someone has decided to buy our house! The kicker: they need to move in... now. We have one week to move out.Now, what this really means is that my annual ritual is being unceremoniously thrown off. I have to take my

2007-11-07T20:49:00.000-05:00

We're delerious.Scott's found a whole new way to get on my nerves.Scene: Scott's sitting on the couch eating soup. As there's no TV or music, or really anything in our living room, its quiet. I'm standing right in front of him.Me: I think Doug is feeling more self-worth since we've been including him in more meetings.Scott: [looking me square in the eye, nods importantly] Hm, feeling left out?

2007-11-07T20:18:00.001-05:00

A recent, warm day we ticked one of the last items off our freakin' house staging list. Windows. We left the upstairs windows open, which meant that our fat, feisty kitty escaped. Which was bad, since the day before she's been massively sedated after biting a vet. Hard. She was still loaded, sleepy and zig-zaggy.Hours later, we heard her wailing from a crawlspace under our deck and came to the

2007-10-27T08:34:00.000-04:00

I've never owned anything before. Nothing of value, anyway. That means, I've never really had to work at selling anything. Of my own, that is.We asked a realtor to come look at our city row home, knowing that in 4 months or so we'll be moving into our new, grown-up house (!). He did his best to choke out something about "potential", grabbed his briefcase and promptly sent a professional over to

2007-10-02T16:49:00.000-04:00

Idea for a single girl in advertising: submit an RFP for landing a hot dude. She could clearly outline her background, dating history and, of course, her requirements. I bet some adsy press would pick it up and she'd have some juicy responses. May even work.

2007-09-25T17:18:00.001-04:00

I just returned from a typical flurry of a trip to New York. I attended this conference a few years ago and returned completely charged, head reeling with promises of innovation and rules-breaking. Yes! Recalling the effect it had on me, I packed my bags and rolled back up to New York, along with five other Baltimorons. And, typically, I felt way too guilty to contact my oldest buddies who I

2007-09-10T09:50:00.000-04:00

Scott was in Scottsdale over the weekend at a conference, so I attempted to be Responsible and knock out some of the 60,000 decisions to be made for the house.For example, driving to Glen Burnie (the name says it all) to pick out bricks for the fireplace. In the boiling heat, sitting at stop lights flanked by strip malls and used car lots, I applauded myself for my Responsibility.Who knew. There

2007-09-10T09:44:00.000-04:00

Here are the things no one tells you when building a house, and should:1. It is a full-time job. So, if you work 11 hour days, you will need to give up sleep or socializing.2. Things on paper do not look like they do in reality.3. Anything custom or painstaking will be shot down by an army of eye-rolling men.I really like our builder, I do, but things are moving at the speed of light. Some pics

2007-08-15T19:03:00.000-04:00

Just back from DC. I love it there, it's this great cultural mish-mash that I often crave here. However, its laid out by someone on crack. Honestly, getting home from our meeting downtown we were sharply advised by our well-heeled clients: Just take K street all the way to New York Ave and you'll eventually come to signs 395/295. Remember: K and a right on New York.Translation:Once you leave the

2007-06-03T09:11:00.000-04:00

Old friends. New friends.I've moved around since college and have had the luxury of making new friends somewhat easily. Moving here and becoming a married lady, its a little trickier. Scott's my favorite person to spend time with, so it becomes a matter of laziness, really.[Quick aside] Happily, a beauty that I work with came along. A relationship born from a burgeoning addiction to caffeine,

2007-06-03T08:43:00.000-04:00

Driving to Rehoboth, I was filling Whit in on my recent crusade to get in shape. And that I've been religious about going to my downtown gym.Me: "Everyone there is super young. It's ridiculous. Like, perfect bodies."Whit: "Wow. Huh. [pause, starts giggling] Cougar."I shot her a sideways look, perplexed. Laughing, she explained to me what a cougar was.How can I not have known this term? Its

2007-04-06T16:36:00.000-04:00

Christina didn't fit in. Our Manhattan ad agency seemed to attract only the freakishly outgoing -- those not addicted to hip jeans and not sharp-tounged went unnoticed. Which was Christina. And if memory serves, she had a tragic, overt crush on one of the foxiest art directors.We'd go a little out of our way to make her feel welcomed. She was a single mom and lived out in NJ. One my closest

2007-03-18T12:34:00.000-04:00

I've fallen in love with Ina Gaarten's kitchen after many wintry, gray Saturdays watching the Food Network. I googled images to pull for our future home-- I didn't have too much luck; it just culled many East Hampton links. I chuckled a bit.East Hampton. A few years back I was seeing this guy who lived out there. Mind you, this was years before I met Scott, of course.I was in a dating

2007-03-18T11:36:00.000-04:00

After living surrounded by concrete for about 15 years, I have lost the appreciation for city life. I grew up, after all, waking up to blowing sycamore trees and chirpy birds. Camping and swimming.I also have a theory about always being bordered by tall buildings. For me, personally, it tends to turn thoughts [more] inward. Me, me, me, my job, my hair, my daily victories or disappointments, the

2007-02-18T10:16:00.000-05:00

Hayseeds no more!After the last trek-- we may be redeemed. We headed up to NYC again this week just for the day for a few meetings. One was a new business prospect with exciting potential. We assembled a small version of the band we took before, all woke up very early and made it just in time for the first meeting-- which went exceedingly well.A brief portrait here needs to be painted. A key

2007-02-18T09:36:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, we were invited up to present to the Philharmonic for some potential new work. We'd made it to the top three finalists. Assembling our top folks, we all packed our bags and rolled up to NYC for a fast and furious trip. The plan was to arrive around dinner time, where we'd all meet and review our game plan for the meeting the next morning.My heart broke as we hailed a cab from

2006-11-15T15:48:00.000-05:00

Scott is every inch a guys-guy. A metrosexual he is not. He's also one of the lucky few who never had to wear braces, had acne or bad eyesight. Just a healthy, handsome, rough & tumble kind of fellow.Until recently, when he started to notice that one eye was bothering him-- things seemed a little fuzzy. Convinced he was going blind, he went to my eye doctor and ordered a first pair of glasses--

2006-11-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

Ryan just mentioned things are surreal lately. Yes. Recently work feels like I've stepped inside a syrupy, illogical dream that's moving at a frenetic pace. Its been a circus. Added to the mix are these crazy balls that have somehow collected on our office floors. An enormous dodgeball, furry colored ones with sound effects when they make contact (a super loud, cartoony BOI-OING!), spongy ones,

2006-09-30T09:33:00.000-04:00

A handful of Scott's friends were staying with us for before a fishing trip. These particular friends live out in the country, all married with children, hardworking, sweet and, well, good ol' boys. Working late, I came home to find them all strewn about our living room, beefy and lumberjacky, flanked by a couple empty brown bottles. The screen flickered with sports highlights, the room smelled

2006-09-12T17:46:00.000-04:00

Our office building is very corporate. And the same joke kills me every single time we get into the elevator. Ryan looks down, cups his hands together and eeks out a hand-fart noise that is so very faint and then says quite convincingly, as if in pain: "Oh, I am so full."I love that it kind of doesnt work. Full? Frrrrnt. I have to stand there shaking, holding in the laughter, while all the

2006-08-23T08:53:00.000-04:00

I think I hated my college. something I will never tell my parents. I went to a small, liberal arts school on a beautiful campus with excellent faculty. I was recruited to play field hockey. I hugged my sweet parents goodbye the fall of my freshman year, and off I went for the picture-book experience.Not so. At the time, all socializing was through an arcane greek system. The sororities were "dry

2006-08-15T21:02:00.000-04:00

As an 'atta girl for launching a huge web site [that had basically usurped the last 6 months of my life], Scott decided to take his lady out. I was back! I went shopping, bought a pretty new dress and he squired me to one of downtown's snazziest joints for dinner. By snazzy, I mean, hilarious. The walls are laquered black, the carpet is leopard. Gilded framed "art", piano bar, men in tuxes. The

2006-08-15T20:38:00.000-04:00

I should know better than to call a meeting at 4:30 on a Tuesday. Nowhere near a day off, not too close the end of the work day either. I ran through a web site, clicking and asking questions, digging deep to try and cajole creativity out of all of us. I stopped, glanced around the table and saw all members of our small army slumped way down in their seats, chewing on pen caps, looking a little

2006-06-29T11:03:00.000-04:00

Two unrelated facts:We picked out a very neutral stain for our deck that was starting to warp & splinter and hired a neighborly guy to paint it for us. I came home from work, walked upstairs: its Dorito-colored. Getting dressed for work each morning, Scott's new habit is to exclaim "Tickets!" when looking my way.

2006-06-23T13:50:00.000-04:00

Me: Dag, they have spoonbread!Scott: Nah, its corn souflee.David: Both wrong. Its corn pone.S: How do you know that?D: Cuz it is.S: What's pone?D: It's when you take corn and make it, well, pone. [shrugs]S: [pause]...I don't get it.M: C'mon, Scott, its one of the earth's elements. There's fire, water and pone.

2006-06-18T13:43:00.000-04:00

My precious husband manages the mail. With rigor. Mail comes in, is opened (and, until yesterday I didn't know) and is placed "on view" (on a small portion of the desk in the office) for five days. Then all is recycled. What this means is, I never know what event I'm going to, what time to be there or how to dress. I have to rely on Scott to tell me these things, like, what sort of venue are we

2006-05-27T08:51:00.000-04:00

I knew a girl named Julie who got married about the same time I did, at that time it had been roughly a year. I saw her one day looking exasperated. She collapsed on the floor near me and blurted: "I can't believe it! My husband won't let me go on tour my old friend's band. I am so pissed!" The band was all male. I laughed outright and sympathized gently with her new hubby.This Thursday I came

2006-05-14T11:56:00.000-04:00

For a completely plan-free weekend, things ended up pretty comically. Directly from the office on Friday, I pretended I was 10 years younger and went out with the fun club from work, eventually landing us back in Federal Hill. After Scott got stuck talking to the same person thrree times (shooting me COME SAVE ME NOW! looks across the room, which I admit to ignoring), he told me he'd received a

2006-05-04T14:32:00.000-04:00

I was telling a work story recently to my brother. It went on and on-- the plot thickening, the turns unpredictable, the dialogue hilarious. He listened with eyes widening and when I was finally done cracking myself up, he stated frankly:"Holly. Does it concern you that you just used the term team about 5 times just now?"I'm so self-concious now. Goooo team! Lets make a pyramid! Nonetheless, my

2006-04-30T22:04:00.000-04:00

I'll admit to having some sort of prejudice against Chicago. Most probably from all the countless corn-fed coeds I went to college with (in the midwest): Oh my gad: Chikaagoh is the BAMB! It seemed like this homogenized, insular place where you would drink Diet Dr. Pepper and go to the mall. They returned there immediately after their crazy fraternity experiences and will live there for the

2006-04-30T21:48:00.000-04:00

It dawned me: I'm thoroughly incapable of ignoring any form of text addressed to me. Voicemails, absolutely. I detest talking on the phone, I'll let the red light on my phone blaze on for hours, ignored. Rude people-- calling me? But text messages, email, or IM? I will drop anything, I will rudely multitask when I shouldnt, if I've been given any indication there is verbiage suspended out there,

2006-03-23T14:04:00.000-05:00

I just typed this email and am uncontrollably laughing. Not sure why:i started laughing here just now thinking about that trip to the berks and how our return flight didnt leave until like super late. and we were soooooooooo tired but kicked out of granny's pee-stained hotel room, and we had that biggol minivan and we were so tired. didnt we like almost take down a mailbox or something?

2006-03-19T09:37:00.000-05:00

"How are things?""Busy, man.""Yeah, me too."Doesn't it seem everyone says the same thing?I woke up in the middle of the night last night, my arm thoroughly asleep, heart racing. The lighting in the bedroom was blue. Throwing back the covers, I stumbled into the bathroom and flipped on the light, blinking into the mirror. Its like someone screwed off my head, poured a ton of new ingredients into

2006-03-04T09:34:00.000-05:00

This may go down as the wierdest meeting. Ever.9:00 am. I was seated on a bench next to our art director, in a client's lobby waiting for a meeting to discuss some stuff for a rather large-scale web site project. We weren't talking much, both feeling a little groggy.As it turned out, our main contact had a conflict and couldnt make this meeting. But our trip wasn't wasted, there were a bunch of

2006-03-04T08:16:00.000-05:00

When folks come to visit, Fells Point is the natural destination. With its cobblestone streets, old colonial shops & and endless string of pubs overlooking the water--its a sure thing.Which is why when Scott's chum came to town on business, we met up at an old, creeky joint in Fells. Coming straight from work, I found them clustered at the end of the long bar, talking animatedly. I hugged the old

2006-02-12T11:57:00.000-05:00

After months of hoping the temperatures would drop low enough to turn the rain into snow, my wish finally came true! Unhappily, the conditions decided to cooperate when were down south. Friday was nothing short of heroic. We had been so looking forward to getting out of town, just the two of us, for weeks. Work has not become any easier, namely since I've consumed myself in a new project for a

2006-01-18T18:41:00.000-05:00

We leave town a lot. It struck me the other day when I overheard Scott leaving a message for our neighbor, Joe, asking for the 400th time if he "wouldn't mind" walking our elderly dog twice a day and feeding our obese cat who's fiesty and shaped like a football.Joe is a great guy, a few years older than us, has a good job. Very Brawny and reliable. Offers to help with moving large objects, that

2006-01-16T21:24:00.000-05:00

I can't stop with this, I think its about the funniest series. Ever. Loggins! Yes. And Scott and I cant stop singing the Michael McDonald-- for like three weeks. So, so bad. And the same thing happens at work. I'm totally hooked.

2005-12-04T21:27:00.000-05:00

Travels with Whit.Our goal was to start Christmas shopping and to just get away, out of the city, since both our husbands had plans that weekend. Keeping things low-key, we drove a few hours away to the Brandywine area in PA.That said, we took our time checking in. We bundled up and sported around, shopping, lunch, girl's stuff.Another thing: we never travel with a map. Which means we're always

2005-11-27T15:28:00.000-05:00

An avid outdoorsman and snow-boarder, our best pal Jeff would leave us a few times a year to travel to Idaho. He'd return, furry and tan, and always threatening to move there. More particularly, he was eyeing this college town out there to open a bagel shop-- this was his dream. The dream of a guy who made a good fortune in business and real estate by the age of 30. Bagels? Idaho? We nodded and

2005-11-12T09:40:00.000-05:00

Mom is an expert sailor. As early as I can remember, she would take me out on her old, wooden Hampton and we'd skate across the bay. We drove rusted Buicks, but sailboats were always in the mix.Since I moved back to the area, she'd been begging to take Scott and me on a weekend trip in the sailboat they treated themselves to once my brother and I were on our own. The timing has never worked out,

2005-11-12T09:31:00.000-05:00

Ah, city life.Walking our old wobbly-legged dog down our block the other morning, Scott passed a large, parked SUV. At nearly eye-level, he couldnt help but notice there were people in it, asleep. Curious, he glanced a second time to notice it was a couple, not very sightly at that, totally passed out. Her shirt was half-on, and the rest was overtly on display.

2005-10-30T16:58:00.000-05:00

Mike & Carrie up and left us. Moved to Austin. Poo. A little older and very respectable, you wouldnt guess how spontaneous and extremely funny they are. Nothing predictable about them. We didnt see them nearly enough when they were here, I guess 'cuz they lived an hour away. Sigh. I miss them. The night before they left, their friend Jen & her beau threw a farewell dinner party in their honor.

2005-10-28T16:05:00.000-04:00

Its Friday. This week I helped birth two documents of 80-page lengths and presented some crazy portal-project..and actually sounded like I knew what I was saying. Monumental!Continuing my accomplishment streak, I took some papers to our mortgage guy for some sort of financial rearrangements that by some miracle give us more money. Real estate. Mindblowing. We need it, as we are to move out of rat

2005-10-24T13:20:00.000-04:00

I can't put this down. Gary, Rock on! Its bringing back a flood of first-city-apartment memories. Which are not altogether excruciating. But mostly. For example, my mind keeps flashing back to a specific time where I was standing in the middle of a dusty lot next to a set of bleak, industrial storage units in south SF. At the time, the home of this bunch. The sun was brilliant, the music loud. I

2005-10-24T09:40:00.000-04:00

In the best-love-story-ever department: this takes the cake! Sara is engaged to the most handsome and kindest gent there ever was. Also happens to be her long-time best friend and now-famous sculptor/artist (Rob-- at the Whitney!). This story couldnt have had a happier ending. Er, beginning. This makes me happy, like, bubble-over happy.

2005-10-23T18:30:00.000-04:00

The fall makes me absolutely crazy. I love it. Still warmed by the recent wedding-reunioning, I rostered up a ladies' luncheon with my three oldest girlfriends again. [I obviously managed to forgive them for putting the one and only slide of me into the now-mandatory rehearsal-diner-video-montage: me with bobbed hair and curled bangs, sickening forced-smile, in purple guess jeans. Displayed to

2005-10-17T17:21:00.000-04:00

Just returned from two back-to-back weddings, polar opposite in nature. One, a best friend's beautiful, low-key beach wedding. Intimate, original. I was humiliated to find that I'd parked Scott and myself at the ye olde Inn where the only other room was occupied by the bride & groom. Oops. What that really meant that Scott got kicked out all day Saturday and the ladeez took over-- it was chaos.

2005-10-04T12:01:00.000-04:00

What's cooler than being a rock star? This! I wish I could go the reading. Hooray, Paul!

2005-09-28T19:03:00.000-04:00

The aforementioned bachelorette party (I truly was left out of any planning after my theme-suggestions, by the way) took place at our friends house in Easton-- a precious, cobblestoney town on the remote eatern shore of Maryland, I think where Wedding Crashers was filmed. The guest list consisted of four-- four of us who were inseperable growing up, we were each others sisters. And like some

2005-09-13T19:38:00.000-04:00

I was asked for theme ideas for a best friend's bachelorette party. I vollied forth:- summer camp - client dinner - math class - chinese restaurant I've since been left out of the loop.

2005-09-10T20:50:00.000-04:00

There have been a few things that have flattered this blogger more than I should admit: being solicited for a job (and then taking it) from a sugar reader, receiving a thoughtful wedding gift from a fan I'd never met, ongoing loyalty from friends scattered about, and most recently being asked to post a eulogy for a the closing of the company I worked for in New York for six years. The latter,

2005-08-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

Holy smokes. Its been two months and too many amusements have passed that warranted posting. I've been moving at a quick pace since I started my 9 millionth new job in the past three years. But just now, I sat at my desk, quietly typing away in my 30-something "senior" status here, I was jerked back to blog-dom. This, just 1 minute old, an exchange that took place in front of a group of workers

2005-06-23T14:53:00.000-04:00

Cyclone. Since my last post, the following has occured:1) I quit my job.2) I took another job.3) I have planted 32 pots with flowers. Capsulated, in quitting, I felt as if I was dumping a steady, hometown boyfriend for the guy with the motorcycle. I had been surrounded by mature, plainly dressed people with many-times-over-practiced work tactics. Ahem.I am now surrounded by the cast of the

2005-05-10T15:18:00.000-04:00

Just returned from being away and its hard to be back. I want to herd sheep. The first time I visited this beautiful island, I was struck by the French. Their sinewy, smooth bodies, olive skin and overall lithe beauty. Strolling the crooked-laned towns or walking the white-sand beaches in simple, tasteful clothes that seemed to almost fall off their frames. Quite a juxtaposition to the masses

2005-04-21T16:55:00.000-04:00

Whit keeps sending me the office jargon offense-of-the-day from her cubicle and I love it. Horrific and so uncessary. The latest gem: "Well, I could just throw my crayons on the floor and leave the whole project." Why. Why is this necessary?I hope this is accurate, and all this will soon be phased out. Its like living inside Walmart with filtered air and generic music piped through my brain

2005-04-20T17:50:00.000-04:00

Predictably, our highest paying client is a hot-head. And worse, he's brilliant, so nothing 'slips' by. Ever. He intimidates me into a humorless, speechless ditz. "I'll get right on it. Great idea", I dryly squeak. But its not just me, its this way for everyone.On a call recently, he dialed in from a remote location. Painstakingly, we chugged through each item on our endless status report

2005-04-13T16:43:00.000-04:00

Stuart always said that the coolest person she knew was the person who was uncool. Right, I thought, I got it: those that aren't trying to be cool are cool. This worked well for me, as I skewed toward the dot com guys with glasses, or the skinny east villagers.What she meant was those that aren't trying to be cool or uncool. The person I think she admired the most was a coworker from her first

2005-04-13T13:44:00.000-04:00

I find myself spelling out my passwords a lot lately at work, training a new woman here and a few IT issues. I want to change mine to be specific anatomical ones. How brilliant that would be? With no apology or explanation. I'd be running around in my heels and ponytail, calling cheerfully across the office: "Go ahead and log on as me: username is Holly, password is anus." Or writing it on

2005-04-03T19:02:00.000-04:00

Grey. Blustry. I actually enjoy the early spring, even though I know it brings near-dispair to Scott. This time of year he's stricken with an indefatigable case of cabin fever. If it weren't for his love of the Cheasapeake, I bet we'd be living in San Deigo. Or Death Valley. Whatever.Happily, we had some visitors arriving, providing solid distraction. Scott's sister's family were all flying

2005-03-24T15:11:00.000-05:00

A past injustice came to haunt me last night. When I was sadly and a little nervously packing up my life from NYC to Baltimore, I was ecstatic when the movers arrived. I was useless after 5 straight days of packing and moving 800 lbs of clothes [back] to the thrift store, all done with a total lack of sleep from teary goodbye nights out. They didnt even yell at me that they had to move like a

2005-03-24T15:00:00.000-05:00

I just hit a work-low. I demand (or more likely beg for) crap from people all day and its starting to wear thin. On the people. Just now, I needed some artwork from an old archive, so I asked someone to email it to me. I almost hit send to forward it on to a client and realized the email copy he sent to me just didn't appear to display a whole lot of respect. "I'm only sending you one

2005-03-24T09:47:00.000-05:00

Acute. This morning I watched a tall man with gray hair walk along the city sidewalk, large steamy coffee in one hand, breakast in another and a large work-bag over his shoulder. The wind blew hard against him and his warm coat collar was upturned. All at once he tripped and fell down hard on the sidewalk, all the way down on his shoulder-- coffee upside down, papers everywhere, breakfast

2005-03-22T10:03:00.000-05:00

Spreading love.Driving to work, this youngish woman in her dark "power suit" and sunglasses tried to cross in front of me near an intersection where I was slowing down. With the jaywalking pedestrian in mind, I braked, and then braked again, not sure if she was going to go forth or I was. Shockingly, she snarled into my window: "Make up your mind, bitch." She crossed the street in front of me

2005-03-04T08:32:00.000-05:00

Everything at work launched at the same time. A project cyclone.Last Saturday, at last curled up on the couch, deadlines and meetings far removed from thought, the phone rang. My heart sank when I saw the caller ID. It was our two friends, our two generous friends who have had us over to their remote home countless times for dinners, boatrides, bonfires. They were excitedly preparing to drive

2005-02-07T17:50:00.000-05:00

My mom's recent birthday was spent with all of us huddled over this book. It is about the funniest thing I've ever read. The author has chanelled his creative energies into a format of fictitious letter-writing to various organizations. And posting the responses. I think Ted truly outdid himself with a letter he wrote to Hanes Underwear. He wrote to pitch a new invention: a pair of

2005-02-07T16:41:00.000-05:00

At my last (MOST peculiar) job, I was new to Baltimore and felt totally stripped without my girlfriend possy. 6 pm pavlovian sensibilities would kick in-- and where to go? Who to meet up with to talk silly workday crap with? Happily, a high-energy, sarcastic cat named Eddie was often also working late, circling the old building to corrale his favorites to a cozy Mt. Vernon venue. The new

2005-01-20T13:20:00.000-05:00

I was recently reminded how far removed I am from NYC when I passed a gaggle of female coworkers on my way out the door. As I bundled up to combat the light dusting of snow outside, I felt the uncomfortable collection of eyeballs upon me until finally one blurted: "You're going outside in those shoes?" A snort, eyes wide. I looked down at my not-terribly-high heels and shrugged. An NYC credo

2005-01-07T16:19:00.000-05:00

I rode the bus home on a recent damp night. I was tired and not a little grouchy, the 10 minute commute felt like 10,000. The stank bus careerened around corners to halt, let folks in or out, and rattled up one of the city's least attractive strips known as Fort Avenue. The street is lined with dingy, grey formstone rowhouses bookended by small, low-ceilinged bars with Bud signs illuminating a

2005-01-06T13:44:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine was recounting a personal family tragedy that happened over the holidays involving a house fire and children. Unthinkable. It forced me to pause. How is it possible that simultaneously all these things can happen on our planet? Asia, the middle east, disasters, inner city murders-- all the while the office lights hum steadily above my head? Traffic streams along outside my

2004-12-29T13:46:00.000-05:00

Working between the holidays. Means reading far too much of this and putting off doing my friggin TPS reports. But please, how can I not? Allow me to indulge you with an exchange between the TGIF and his coworker: Coworker: "I think our department will be changing from the Windows XP Platform to the Windows XP Professional since it appears to be a more stable operating system with a

2004-12-28T15:43:00.000-05:00

Whitney used to work with Shirley, an energetic, curvy black woman who many times a week would appear unannounced in her office. She was there on business, Whitney's personal business, that is. With one hand on her hip, she'd try and understand why this cute, shiny-haired girl wasn't hitched yet. Her drop-bys of this nature began to increase, Shirley's sheer bewilderment turned into

2004-12-28T14:01:00.000-05:00

Working on advertising projects if kind of like running track. The kind with hurdles, but maybe with a finish line that is hardly visible. It just keeps going. I've been slaving away on an recently-won account and finally got some approvals on a very cool looking design, far more racy than I ever thought they'd go for. I came back to the office, truimphant, giving everyone the play-by-play,

2004-12-09T16:54:00.000-05:00

A lot of folks are out of the office, making for a quiet, dark December afternoon. Only keyboard tappings could be heard along with the gentle swishing of the nearby kitchen dishwasher. Industrious. At once there was a sonic blast: KA-BLOOM! Klang, klang! It sounded like a large truck had just exploded on the other side of the kitchen. I jumped up, along with around 8 other alarmed

2004-12-05T10:39:00.000-05:00

Still being somewhat new here, it was hard to believe that Saturday night we had a conflict: two holiday party invites. One, a large, festive one out in the country, and another a dinner hosted by two close friends, the wife is a great cook & perfect hostess. We opted for the second, knowing we were guaranteed a funny, more personal evening. These folks are always fun. I was ready! I made a

2004-12-01T15:29:00.000-05:00

A friend threw her first dinner party for me, Scott, and her somewhat-new boyfriend the other night. I offered to bring a vegetarian item, as I learned the main course was a very sophisticated dish of braised ribs. Scott must have asked me five times what braising was. I was impressed, way to aim high for a first effort! We all filtered in, feeling festive and toasty. She thoughtfully had

2004-11-22T15:57:00.000-05:00

So happy this was on last night. I was laughing by myself. Hard. Jon Favreau's character (a not-so-funny comedian) is at a bar trying to get this super hot girl's phone number. Girl: "You look familiar." Jon: "Oh, sure, you have probably seen me at the Ha-Ha Hole on Friday nights. You ever go there?" Girl: "Uhm, No." I think I need to get out more. I sat in a client's office today

2004-11-18T19:01:00.000-05:00

A few years ago, I withdrew a mitten from my purse causing some change to fall out onto the floor of a store and I started to cry. I've got the flu, I thought. Sure did. Barely recovering a nasty post-birthday flu, I peeled myself out of bed at 5:30 this morning to head to D.C. with two coworkers for a seminar. It was dark and cold, and after a 'tussin*-induced half-nights sleep, I weaved my

2004-11-12T14:50:00.000-05:00

Dialogue during a recent cab ride: "My boss is so boring." [Silence, we bounce over potholes] "No, seriously, she is so boring. She spends the day telling me longwinded stories that aren't remotely interesting. I am an infinite loop: 'That is so funny'. 'You are so funny'". [Empathetic groans. Silence] "I am going to start saying 'That is so boring'. 'You are so boring!'"

2004-11-12T09:17:00.000-05:00

Why do I care so much? No, really, why? Clearly, I care too much about my job, the earth, people's feelings, furry & feathered critters-- and why? Doesn't seem anyone else is, and they all seem a lot more content. A lot like the shapely MTA driver who escorts me to work in the morning. One morning this week I raced around the house, choked down a cup of coffee, barely hugged Scott goodbye to

2004-11-11T16:21:00.000-05:00

BRANDING. Everybody's doing it! We recently took on a project to re-brand a company. I usually don't get involved this early in the process, but this time, there I was. We met with their principals who were very passionate about their company, it was evident that these were the people who formed, lived and breathed "it". They were heartfelt about their brand, they gave us fervid answers to

2004-11-08T16:23:00.000-05:00

In a spontaneous move, I got in my wee car Saturday morning and drove up to my old town of NYC. I get a huge bang out of driving through the city, its all offensive. Its like the city itself; at once you're stuck in deep street grooves, careening ahead fast flanked by unorganized masses in a hurry. Only way to get control is by hitting the gas peddle and gunning it ahead, out of their groove

2004-11-05T13:32:00.000-05:00

Flowchart 3 days after election: Phase 1 - Close to what I felt in NYC after 9/11: horror, shock. Later stage: depression. Fear. Phase 2 - Anger. Disdain for the faux-compassion from the "Right". Rage. Fear. Phase 3 - Repulsed by jingoists. All of them. Fear. Let me embellish Phase 3. While I can barely get out of bed in the morning for thinking of what will happen to our rights, our

2004-11-01T13:49:00.000-05:00

Happily, IFC has been on a Woody Allen kick. I've got to reiterate (as best I can) a brilliant scene from one of my now-favorites. Diane Keaton's royal character was duped into marrying Woody Allen's character, Boris. He hauls her out to a very rustic home in the Russian countryside and the quick scene opens as they are dining over a wooden table. "Things were a little tense at first,"

2004-11-01T13:38:00.000-05:00

People are smoking. Mom devoured a bag of Almond Joys long before any trick-or-treaters knocked. Folks are looking too forward to holidays and comforts in ostrich-attempts. This election. Hooo. I am floored that the bloody, horrific facts have been skewed in a way to brainwash half the US into thinking Bush is capable. Open your eyes. If only our media would show the carnage. My heart

2004-10-24T21:41:00.000-04:00

I dropped off my darling betrothed at the airport Saturday afternoon, work has sent him off to Oregon for a week. After a few minutes of feeling an acute loneliness, I didn't know what to do with myself. Then it hit me. I had about 42 hours to myself: GLORIOUS. Whimsy would be my guide. I headed home and threw open the late-afternoon windows, letting in the sunshine & crisp air. A stack of

2004-10-22T16:43:00.000-04:00

Every day should be treated like Friday. Why not? The spirits are markedly improved. Half the office poured in from the pub at 2:30, all inappropriate and singing along loudly to Journey. My webtrends reporting was actually enjoyable. A new restaurant concept was hatched for all stinky foods, we'd call it POW! The menu's a real showstopper. And, now, my Friday work day is now made nearly

2004-10-13T17:25:00.000-04:00

Note to self: question taking on an IT company’s web site. Errrr. And putting a woman with a Spanish Literature major on it. Second note to self: question Citysearch's cobbler results. I have some cool vintage boots that are getting [more] beaten up. Threw them in a bag, searched for a downtown Baltimore cobbler. Always love going into Gipetto’s workshed to get my thrift handbags & purses

2004-10-11T09:58:00.000-04:00

Reenactments! The quest for a girl-getaway on the east coast has not ceased. Our criteria is impossible: California-style weather, California cuisine, a choice of outdoor activites. Oh, and clean, non-B&B lodings. The B&B thing's just a little too much for a non-couple. And a little too much in general, for my liking. Fall is here. With some foresight, Whitney and I put this past weekend

2004-10-06T17:27:00.000-04:00

I should know better than to plan a huge bash. As part of my PR reponsibilities at work, I was charged with throwing a fancy open house for all our clients & prospective clients. Big doinz. First party of this nature in five years or something like that. My instructions? "Make it nice." 350 (very well-designed, I must add) invites went out. More than I invited to my--- wedding! Yep. One

2004-09-14T09:47:00.000-04:00

Ed lives at the top of my street. Ed has lived at the top of my street since 1940 and has never left. Ed sits on his porch and likes to complain or criticize. A lot. Here is a list of the top 3 criticisms lobbed my way: -God, girl, you are always running, why don't you get up earlier? -Why do you wear those high heels- YOU'RE GUNNA BREAK YOUR NECK! -Why you gotta always be working on your

2004-09-08T15:50:00.000-04:00

Since I've re-instituted the contact option (and chose this lovely template, which I must change), I was contacted by an old friend I worked with at Wired who I havent spoken with in 10 years. He was the most hard-working guy on the advertising side but got fired out of the clear blue sky for seemingly no reason by our two insane bosses. The first office was super shotty, a third floor loft

2004-09-07T13:07:00.000-04:00

Must rant, now, from my Achievement Zone: Who are these people who must be the first to blurt news? Who? Its a race! Pant, pant. I don't get it. But I am starting to. Which helps somehow. Just sat through a generally dreary yet palpably tense status meeting. I actually had some good news to report-- a project I (and only I) have been slaving away on. I drew in a breath, and a woman (

2004-09-01T17:18:00.000-04:00

The following statements have made my day: "I have to go interview someone now. Think it would be bad if I just pulled her in a conference room, put my head down on the table and fell alseep?" "Next to the words craft and offering, I think the most abused word is now appreciate. 'I appreciate your concerns with the entirity of our creative campaign.' Bullshit. 'I appreciate the fact that

2004-08-27T09:01:00.000-04:00

Walking up Charles Street yesterday amidst the usual low-pump/necktie shuffle, I noticed a man in a light blue polo shirt with greasy combed-over hairs. He was zigging in my direction briskly with the corners up his mouth faintly upturned. Before I knew what was happening, he popped smack in front of me and snapped a picture. I turned around to see that he was missing. Gone, blended in with

2004-08-23T09:51:00.000-04:00

Is it the sparcely-attended olympics? Is it the fact that our president can't articulate? The depressing four hundred sub shops in my neighborhood? (I mean, Subs? SUBS? In a world of delectable varieties, how many subs does a person need to shove in their cram-hole?) Wal-Mart? My soul hurts. Whatever the cause, I burst into tears in a newly-opened store this Saturday without warning. In