hot mess

trader joe's does it again with this spicy "India Relish." i eat this stuff like it's food.

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the amateur cook in me is ashamed of myself for enjoying something i could potentially make on my own, but trader joe's makes it so easy to be lazy.

growing out Li'l Puff's hair

in a post dated december 2, 2007, i listed growing out Li'l Puff's hair as one of my big plans.

behold: spring 07 vs. february 08.

my doorman is a doormat

One of the +/- 5 revolving doormen (not to be confused with revolving door doormen or revolving revolving door doormen) in my building is such a stickler for rules and regulations that he ruins everyone's lives. Today, he ruined mine.

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In the interest of self-preservation, he unfailingly sides with building management on all things tenant-related. In short, he's a tool.

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People in the service/hospitality industry can accommodate someone whose needs might fall in a gray area of the rulebook while still being a good employee. In fact, that's probably at least 85% of what being an effective doorman is all about: (1) knowing the rules and (2) knowing when you should bend them. The other 15% would include, inter alia, sound judgment, brawn, and observational skills. With this combination, a doorman in NYC can make out with at least 4 figures in tips at the end of the year and build goodwill, which can take you farther than $9,999 ever could.

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* * *

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Analyzing the shortcomings of my doorman has given me peace. I think I'll print a copy of this post and share my genius with him.

no more delays

i've been giving much thought to my future (what's left of it, egads) and have come to the conclusion that i need to stop delaying what i expect my life to be. if i expect it to be X, then it should be X right now, not later, when A, B, & C happen and Y finally falls into place. make it X now.

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in consequence, i've been mulling over some major life decisions of late. my conclusions are still incomplete, but the most valuable aspect of my racing mind is the sensation that i need to come to grips with the reality of my life as i never have before. this is my life. i can't keep wishing or waiting for it to be something else--it is what it is. and if it is not what i've been waiting for it to be, then i need to stop waiting. i need to make it what i wish it to be right here and now.

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i am many things at heart, one of which is a yuppie, through and through. on valentine's day, the new york times ran an article about the eyesore that a house becomes once children enter the scene (read the article, "Parent Shock: Children Are Not Décor," here).

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it may be that everything i read these days lights a fire under my ass, but this article lit an atomic bomb. it resonated with a lot of my recent thinkings. in sum, it interviews 3+ couples who had just gotten to a place in their lives when they could get their house interiors the way they wanted, and then they had children and the decor went to hell (ugly children's toys, begrudging safety precautions, etc.).

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i'm 28, and though i have great interest in interior design, i have thus far delayed having a home of any permanence or aesthetic accomplishment due to what i have perceived as my transitory life. granted, i've lived a more transitory life than many others, but shouldn't i breathe fullness into each step i take? if i keep postponing the transformation of a living space into the coveted paradise i fantasize about in my head, then i may never get around to having that paradise.

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corollary - am i:

1. who i strive to be
2. who i am on occasion
3. who i am usually or
4. who i end up being through inadvertance?

likewise, if i keep postponing the proper routine of domesticity that i want to have, then i will never have such a routine, and i will never be the person i want to be (e.g., i'm not martha stewart until i act like martha stewart).

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i've focused this discussion on interior design, but the thought process i'm teasing apart is applicable to all facets of my life. distilled down, it amounts to two maxims:

1. don't delay
2. be what i want to be & live the life i want to live right here and now

i'm eustressed and distressed with these revelations. i feel i'm seeing things with a clarity that is unprecedented. and for the first time in my life, i know that i'm on the brink of something good.

tomorrow, the bronx

today, i go to staten island. should i stay in new york city, i choose to live in a backwater.

Haaaaaaa

Stuff White People Like.

If you're in a rush, just read clander's posts and skip over the other contributors'.