Thoughts on New Orleans

Since so many blogs that I read daily have been commenting on the devastation in New Orleans, I thought that I would add my thoughts about the city to cyberspace.

I have only been to New Orleans once, in October 2003, for a public relations conference. One of my former colleagues and I were really into professional development (read: we loved going to conferences in cities we were dying to visit).

Anyway, it was two months before I was to be married, and right before my friend's fiance (now wife) moved to the US, so we were ready to party it up one last time. Our first night, we hit Bourbon Street and the French Quarter - tired from our flight, we were just going to go for a little while to see what it was all about. About five hours or so later, we were stumbling through the streets, decked out in beads (I didn't actually earn them), drinking daquiris and repeating to ourselves, "What an awesome place!" We hit a jazz club, a bar featuring an 80s metal band, and of course, a dance club, where everytime my friend went to get us drinks, drunken frat guys would start dancing with me (of course, once my friend would come back, they would scatter - mind you, he is a big guy). We drank and drank and drank some more before hailing a cab back to our hotel. That night, sitting on the benches in the front of the hotel, we vowed to do it again the next night.

Of course, the next day rolls around and after a trip to the hotel gym - needed to sweat out all that alcohol the night before, a greasy breakfast, and a full day of educational sessions, I was spent... did not go drinking again once the entire trip (of course, my friend is a much better partier than I am).

But, contrary to my original misconceptions, New Orleans is not all about Bourbon Street. We ate at some great restaurants (including a small Italian place where they topped their Caesar salads with warm, breaded pieces of eggplant). We went shopping. We walked along the river. We even went to the casino. And, in spite of the cockroach who decided to room with me at the Marriott (I went out to the front desk in my pajamas and politely requested a room change), we had a great time. It's sad to think that all of that hustle and bustle is not there anymore.

It breaks my heart to see those photos of what the city is today, and my thoughts go out to those people. It really puts things into perspective...

Am I getting old???

Hubby and I area sitting here watching the VMAs... and I am so confused. I have been watching this show every year since its inception, and this is the first year that I have been itching to change the channel. Who are these people? Diddy (guess he dropped the P) did a dance-off with some guy that I guess I was supposed to know (but didn't), not a single song in the Best R&B Performance category rang a bell with me, they featured MC Hammer (???) and we haven't recognized a single performer yet.

Every time they announce a presenter or an artist, Ari and I just stare at each other blankly. On a positive note, I did recognize Beavis and Butthead, Ashlee and Jessica Simpson (I knew that reading "In Touch" would eventually pay off), and all of the artists in either Best Group Performance or Best Alternative Performance (Green Day, The Killers, Weezer, and Beck).

Now they are doing yet another dance off - clowning vs. crumping. Oh. My. God.

At this point, the Hurricane Katrina coverage seems more interesting. I would like to consider myself a music aficionado, but I feel so out of it.

Someone please tell me that I'm not alone...

Greetings from Panera.

Thank God for free WiFi (and hazelnut coffee!).

So, with the end of the week right around the corner (well, maybe not - just work with me), I have to say that this week has been much better than last. I am starting to get my footing at work, there has been very little crying, and as long as I keep from listening to Sirius Love while driving to/from work, I think that I am going to be okay.

Took the annual trek up to the Saratoga Race Course with work today. I won no money, although one of my exacta picks in the sixth race did come in first - fittingly enough, the name of the horse was "What Dreams May Come."

In my last post, I discussed how some people can be idiots. Today, I need to comment on the kindness and goodwill of many more people out there. While I have been bitching and moaning about my sad situation, I have neglected to take the hubby's feelings into account. Even though he has the dogs and the comforts of home, I am sure that he gets lonely sometimes (face it, there's only so much Playstation one can play).

Friends, colleagues and even family have been thinking about him, though. He has gotten tons of dinner invites - in fact, he is at Bensi with some friends now. I am happy to know that he isn't sitting at home, eating frozen pizzas every night, and it makes me smile to think that there are many people out there who realize that he is a truly great person and think fondly about him.

One thing, though, we never get as many invites when I am around. It can't be me, though... right? :-)

Weekend Update

Well, I just spent 45 minutes writing a post that I managed to lose, so I am not happy. Weekends are my only time to post, since my parents don't feel that online access at home is a necessity, so it will be no surprise if my blog grows pretty silent.

So, instead of spending quality time with my husband on my last night at home, I am trying to get this off my head, once again. To recap...

I hate this. It is just too hard to be away from my hubby, the dogs and my house every week. I cry every time I think about leaving home, and when I actually do, I feel like my heart is going to break. Would it be a bad idea just to give up and admit defeat? I am sure that I could find a new job in NJ. What am I supposed to do? Ugh.

Everyone has babies on the brain. I love how my family is already planning a shower for the baby that will not exist for a long time. My mom has already picked out the location, and as I filled her in on the shower I went to today, she kept saying, "Oh, I was planning on doing that at your shower!" Not that we're even thinking about trying anytime soon, but last I checked, getting knocked up is a lot easier if you live in the same state as your husband. Sigh.

Finally, do people really have such shallow, unfulfilling lives that they need to be concerned with the appearance of others? Now, I am the first to admit that I am addicted to the scale, that it can define my day for me, but I couldn't care less about how much others weigh. It's none of my business. And, until I read one of her recent posts, I didn't believe that someone would be so rude as to comment on someone else's appearance. But it seems as though moronic behavior has been going around lately. One of my friends was telling me that she was having dinner with family last night and a close relative said something along the lines that she was looking fat, and needed to go on a salad and water diet. Um, excuse me? My friend is absolutely, stunningly gorgeous, has a wonderful hubby and child who adore here - and IS NOT FAT. Not even close. What is wrong with people?

And, finally, this is for my hubby, who tagged me.

1. What is the ratio of sexy panties to granny panties currently in your possession? Now, some of my panties are not completely sexy (depends on how you define "sexy" - cotton vs. satin vs. silk, bikini vs. thong, etc.) but I do not own any traditional "granny panties."

2. Pretend you won one of those 'make your dream come true' deals that Oprah is always giving away... what would you ask for? Just for everything to work out (and maybe to go on an all-expenses-paid trip with all of my friends to somewhere warm and sunny).

3. Describe your high school days in one word. Okay.

4. If you could shag any celebrity in the world, who would be your top three picks? I am not much into celebrites, but I guess that if I had to pick, it would be Scott Gomez (I am gessing that he counts as a celebrity), Stone Phillips, or Billy Bob Thornton.

5. If you had all the money in the world... more than you could ever spend in four lifetimes... would you eat some?? Will it help me lose weight?

Until next week...

So happy.

Why? I'm home with my hubby for two glorious days before I head back to NY.

The first two days of work were okay... I think that the new job will be fine. The only tough times were when I thought of my hubby and my dogs and how I was away from them - then I started to cry (or at least I wanted to... I know, I'm a wuss). Part of me just wanted to throw in the towel - quit the job, come back to NJ, take the home off the market, and find another job in the area.

So, it's Saturday night and the hubby and I are winding down from an awesome day - but all I can think about is how I have to leave him tomorrow for another week. It's just not fair. I have been on tons of business trips over the years, but this is different - it just seems so permanent.

On another note, at the insistence of my Italian family, we purchased a statue of St. Joseph today and buried him in the front yard. Legend states that this helps the house sell more quickly. We'll see...

A Farewell to Freedom

Well, I start my first day of work at my new job tomorrow, so I am enjoying my final hours of freedom before I have to head up to NY, watching a daytime episode of the Golden Girls on Lifetime.

This past week and a half has been a great one. Some of the highlights included:

• Visiting my best friend (and my godson) in Virginia over the weekend
• Lots of lunches out with friends, including my group of C21 friends (all 10 of us), one of my closest friends, and one of my first professional mentors
• The bris of one of our good friends' babies (not necessarily a highlight, but something very important in his litle life)
• One very expensive trip to the car dealership (plus I got my new registration and my car inspected!)
• Getting my roller coaster fix at Great Adventure with hubby yesterday (first time riding Nitro - very good!), and stopping at Wawa for fountain sodas on the way home
• Lots of good workouts at the gym and Pilates classes
• Spending time with the pooches

So, I'll fill you in on my first days of work at my new job over the weekend. Wish me luck!

About my last post...

Guess who is our new Realtor? Yup, our old Realtor.

He folded and agreed to help us find a home without charging us a dime.

Hubby is beside himself with pride... it was his negotiation skills that did the trick. He is one smooth operator.

The House-Hunting Blues

The house hunt officially began on Saturday. We met with our "friendly local Realtor" which turned out to be somewhat of a letdown. I will not say what company he was with (let's just say it rhymes with Tree-Max :-)) but when he met with us, he threw us for a loop by letting us know that he expects us to pay him 1/2 percent commission (this is in additon to the commission split he gets from the seller).

Um, excuse me? We have bought homes before, I have worked in real estate for the past five years, and I have NEVER heard of a buyer paying a significant fee for the pleasure of having some fool drive them around to look at a handful of homes - unless the Realtor negotiates a FSBO and can't get the commission paid by the seller.

He first tried to explain this by saying that it's standard practice in NY, we are not in NJ anymore. Bullshit. My brother bought a home less than a year ago and didn't pay his Realtor a cent. Then he tries to tell us that we are paying for his superior negotiation skills. If your negotiation skills are so good, you negotiate the money with the seller, not us. Finally, he lets us know that it will probably "only" around $2,000 or so. Great. Oh, and not bothering to tell us this until we met with him? Real classy.

We are not some lookie-loos who may or may not buy a house in the next year or so. We are motivated buyers, looking in the mid- to upper-end of the market, and we need a home. And we are Internet-savvy buyers - we look online, we know what we want, we identify the homes we want to see, and will not be wasting his time. We are already paying out a commission to our seller's agent and I am not in the mood to pay for something that I can get at no cost from another agent who would be more than happy to work for his or her commission split alone.

Since he wouldn't budge on this 1/2 percent, he will not be getting anything, as we are finding another Realtor.

Anyone looking for an agent in the Albany, NY area? Give me a call - I have a person that I would never recommend...