First of all, I read this NYTimes article which totally explains myself/post below. I used to cry when I was a baby when people sneezed. So I come by my neoroses honestly.

I moved. And there's lots of good. I like my apartment, my roommate and my price better than before. I don't like Astoria as much as Williamsburg. I moved from a fun place to a functional place. But it's only been a week.

And I just met one of Josh's friends I'd never met who read this blog. So weird to think anyone reads this (though most have stopped, understandably). Maybe I'll start updating more again.

worrying too soon

"It's not time to worry yet,"just the other day I said to my roommate who was freaking out because she thought she lost her planner. Umm, wow, I am such a black pot. 

But I just had an emotional breakthrough I wrote in my journal that I had to share just to make it real. A list of things I've spent energy in my brain worrying about in just the last four days that either didn't come true or I am yet to know if they will come true:

Being late for yoga, never going to yoga again after moving, getting kicked off Metro-North for not buying ticket, packing, hating Astoria, missing Williamsburg, being alone forever, adopting a Chinese baby that has emotional problems, having to make another trip to doctor's office, having my Mad Men story killed, hurting my back because I bought too soft a mattress, not having a career, my hand surgery resulting in nerve damage, not being able to handle planning D.C. rally, my frequent flier miles expiring, a friend being mad at me,  having swine flu.

Just to reiterate, none of these have happened. At least not yet. And most of these I can control the outcome of. And many of the ones I can't matter very little in the scheme of anything.

Goal: Worry after the fact, not before.

Thanks for  sharing in my emotional breakthrough!

goodnight!

diana

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

I'm moving to Astoria in October. The top reason I'm leaving is because I'm living with Sara, one of my best friends in the world who I've known forever. And everyone loves Astoria. And I'm saving literally thousands of dollars on rent. But I'm getting a little anxiety, because, why am I leaving Williamsburg?

I'm leaving for really practical reasons. My rent's expensive, even with the landlord lowering it. I know what a pain it will be to find someone to rent the small room. And if I were to move within in the neighborhood, I'd still have to move and would live with strangers.

And it's also good to have change, especially since I've been restless with my life.

And everyone hates on Williamsburg, but I think I really love it. Today I had a few, 'aww, i'm going to miss it here' moments.

1) I went and read a book by the water, and then ran into Alex and Cameran just out of the blue and chatted with them for half hour. I only know like 3 people to run into in Astoria.

2) emily called me as I was attempting to clean my room (ha) to say she was at The Gutter, so I met her and my friends there for an impromtu bowl, whcih was of course very fun. In Astoria people will only call me if they go to the beer garden.

3) ok, this is really the thing that got me. I went to Jesus MiniMart, where I go basically every day for something, and I asked the guy behind the counter (who used to work the morning shift and makes the best coffee) if he had any boxes I could have, since I wanted to attempt to start packing. He asked if I was moving, and when I said yes he said "All the good people move away."

I don't know what I've done to be one of the good people, but I was quite touched. I should have told him I still have three weeks. I'll say goodbye before I leave.  Though I don't know any of their names, and they only know mine if they remember from my credit card.

We're also moving offices. So I'm going to have to say goodbye to the people at S'Nice too. 

I obviously can't handle change as much as I thought. If I ever leave New York I will probably cry.

p.s. I have jury duty tomorrow. If I can I will blog about it after!

Hi there

Wow, I haven't blogged in more than 6 months. I wonder if random livejournalesque blogging (ie this) has been reduced by twittering and facebook status messaging. I should research. I kind of want to resurrect this. I just am at the point where not much is happening. 

Oh, that's not true. Things have happened. I met more celebrities. 

I was also featured as a socialite in Manhattan Magazine. 

My roommate moved out and I got another roommate. And then he left like a week  later and then I got another roommate. 

I dated a girl for like a month, but it wasn't working, but I also don't think I really gave it a chance to work because I'm crazy.

I went to Ireland by myself and had an excellent adventure and saw lots of green things and met lots of Australians. And also Irish people. Who are pretty similar, actually. And I kissed a married man. But I didn't know he was married. And a married woman hit on me. I knew she was married because her husband was just standing there sadly. I also lost my camera that night. Oh, I was going to write a story about that. I still can.

I got a Mac.

I started Spanish socialism classes!

And I've worked. And I'm over it, but I'm also not quite but mostly because it's safe and all I've known in my post-college life. and don't really know what comes next. 

As John Mayer sang, before we all realized what a douche he was, "It might be a quarter-life crisis."

But John perservered and became famous and dated Jennifer Aniston. So I will be fine too.

The inauguration

I will map my inauguration journey for posterity's sake. (most times are estimates)

Some time in November: Applied for tickets through Sen. Schumer and my Congresswoman but have no aspirations of actually getting a ticket.

January 7, 10:47am: Received an e-mail from Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez's office that began like this:

Dear Friend,

Thank you for expressing interest in attending the Swearing-In of the 44^th President of the United States. An unprecedented number of people are expected to travel to Washington, DC for this historic event. It’s an honor to help provide New Yorkers with the opportunity to attend.

Isn't that a totally misleading way to start an e-mail with buzzwords like "expressing interest" and "unprecedented number of people"? But yes I got a ticket. I screamed at my desk for a few minutes. Updated my facebook status. Called my boss who caused me to freak out for a few minutes saying I might not be able to go since I'd have to go down w/HW. But that was resolved shortly.

3:48pm: Pay $350 for an overpriced Amtrak ticket.

Jan 10: My dad tells me how stupid I am for paying $350 for transport without checking out "other options." I check out other options and buy Greyhound tickets for $60. I save $240.

Rest of week: Make plans to stay with Marcy; tell everyone I know I won a ticket to inauguration so everyone can be jealous of me.

Sunday, January 18: Go home for my grandmother's 90th birthday and borrow a fancy dress from my mother to wear in case NYMag sends me to an inaugural ball like Iwant.
Monday, January 19, 5am: My dad drives me from Ossining to Port Authority to catch the bus. Not sure why he offers to drive me, but much appreciated since I am way overpacked.

6am: Arrive at Port Authority. Woman behind me has a dog. Chat with line mates about the historic nature of our trip. One dude refers to this as "our generation's Woodstock" and it totally is. Also unlike my bus trip to Boston, this is a diverse group of folks (though on the young side).

7am: We board the bus. The bus is packed, but I somehow get my own seat. Life is beautiful. Or I smell. I go to sleep.

12:30pm: Arrive in D.C. Read a text from NYMag editor asking if I can go to the Hip Hop Inaugural Ball. Ummm, yes.

1:00pm: After nice city worker helps me buy a Metrocard, which I should be totally capable of doing since I'm from NY, I schlep to the Rayburn Building. I even get a seat on the Metro. This doesn't even happen in NY. So far Obamaland is nothing but happiness.

1:30pm:First roadblock in Oz. I thought I'd just walk into my Congresswoman's office, chat a little, use the bathroom and move on. WRONG. The line wraps around the building in a sort of an amateur Disneyland hell. I then get a text from my editor at NYMag asking me to interview people on line. This sort of passes the time as I ask adorable children why they like Obama and grown-ups if they'd sell their tickets for a million dollars (most won't) while the nice man in front of me directs my suitcase.

3:00pm: Some brilliant people jump over a barrier to a shorter line, and my line friend and I follow, with suitcase.

3:30pm: Finally get in the Rayburn building. Get ticket from Velazquez's office. Disappointed I'm in the silver section, which is basically the front of the Mall, and there's no way it would have qualified as a ticket in a pre-Obama world. "So I'm in the mall...with all the other people?" I ask the woman at the front desk.

3:45pm: Decide not to be a spoiled brat and be thankful for what I got. Also meet the deputy mayor of Buffalo while waiting to get in the Metro. On the Metro meet an adorable oldish couple who met girls who took ballet with Sasha and Malia.

4:45pm: Meet Marcy at her stop in Columbia Heights. Eat Popeye's then go to her HOUSE. Seriously, she has a house! That she shares with one person. A little D.C. envy.

6:00pm: Marcy and I prep for Hip Hop Inaugural Ball while discussing how un-Hip Hop we are

8:00pm: Arrive at Hip Hop Inaugural Ball. D.C. does not know how to run a red carpet, but I guess they don't have much experience. Interview Don King, Russell Simmons, Tatyana Ali and lots of hip hop people I've never heard of. (See some of the Q&As here)

8:45pm: Go into the party. Drink some Obama drinks, eat some bad appetizers, and feel pretty white. Sneak our way up into the VIP lounge and have to be all paparazzi-stealth like when they ask all press to leave. Talk to LL Cool J. He is nice but says a lot of nothing. The best part is I say "This is my friend Marcy" and he kind of checks her out and goes "Mar-ceeee!"

10:30pm: Watch Hip Hop Award Show. Busta Rhymes has good performance. Best part was TI, rapper formerly on house arrest, says of his volunteering to get out the vote for Obama, "It didn't even count as part of my 1,000 hours!"

midnight: Have to leave just as the party's starting since I am not actually a partier but a reporter and need to type up all my notes from the party. The party was fun though!!

January 20

4am: Go to bed after typing up notes from Ball.

6:45am: Wake up.

8:00am: Leave with Marcy's super-sweet roommate and her coworkers at a senator's office to go to Inauguration.

9:00am:After walking miles throughout the city and through tunnels arrive at the line for silver ticket holders. No end in sight.

9:30am: Walk two miles to the end of the line. Assume there is no way we'll see inauguration. Prep myself to miss the most historic happy event of my life.

10:45am: The line breaks up! We're in the mall!!!

Despite being all-ticketed, there's no way to see the stage. Strain to see the jumbotron, since lots of trees (that smart people sit in) and tall people in front of me. One man has a hat on that blocks jumbotron so people start cheering "Take the hat off!" He does only to reveal hair that sticks up.

A fiercely partisan crowd, we cheer the Democrats (and Colin Powell) when they turn up on screen and boo Lieberman, Clarence Thomas, Dick Cheney (who looks more evil in wheelchair for some reason) and Bush, which seemed a little innappropriate since he is (or was) our president despite being a crappy one. People also cheered "Na na, na na na na, hey hey hey--goodbye."

12:00pm: Obama becomes President! We totally miss the flubbing by Roberts, since can't really focus on details. Ditto the speech. But still, excitement, crowd, joy!!! hope!!! change!!!

The rest of the day consisted of walking, crowds, more walking, Ethiopian food, napping, hanging out at Marcy's, seeing Ruby and sleeping.

But twas a joyous inauguration. And now Barack Obama's President. the end.

Reasons to know who your congressperson is

Mine just got me a ticket to inauguration! I applied for a ticket, then promptly forgot I did, then found out I will be one of 240,000 who will be able to sit in the cold and see our most historic president sworn in. If you know anyone going, let me know, since I want a friend to sit with/wait on line with.

I feel like I must have good karma right now, since my luck has improved dramatically in recent years (in every way but one, of course).

I'll write a real post later that isn't all 'omg, my life's so fun.'

Is Zach Braff dying of AIDS?

Someone searched that and ended up on my blog, according to Google analytics.
That pretty much sums it up.


and in case you haven't seen it yet here's the article I wrote about Fran


Thanks to this coup, my life has become suddenly glamorous. I'm going to the premiere of Shrek: The Musical Sunday. This is so fun!