Jan-isms

On being friends with an ex:

"There are millions of people in this world who you haven't dated, and they make great friends."

--Jan Thomas

Things That Make You Go Hmm

This guy sat across from me from 14th Street to Church Ave in Brooklyn, a Q-tip sticking out of his ear the entire way. Toward the end of the trip, he rummaged through his bag, shook a couple pills out of a few different bottles, and gulped them all at once with a swig of water. I have come to no conclusions about this guy other than he must have had quite a headache.

Collected Thoughts

1. The other night, Nate and I were shocked by a new Verizon commercial that featured an interracial couple. I can't find this commercial on YouTube, but I swear we saw it. So, go Verizon!

2. Watched the Mets win today from the upper deck.

3. Jonah is exhibiting behavioral issues again and it is breaking my heart. If he keeps it up he's gonna be sent upstate.

4. Finished In Cold Blood--what a terrific book! Loved it, want to see the movie, and also want to see Capote.

5. I am 6 months away from getting my Master's Degree.

Meme

Where is the next place you will travel to?
South Florida.

Do you have any gay friends?
Ha! Um, a couple..

Do you want to get married & have children one day?
The jury is still out on that one.

Do you like to have long hair or short hair?
Long hair for the look; short hair for the maintenance. Sooo I'm screwed.

What is your favorite color?
Pink, with black at a close second.

Last vacation destination you went to?
Greece, I think.

Do you like sushi?
It's my favorite!

What was the best movie you have seen in the past two weeks?
WALL-E.

Do you like your first name?
Wouldn't change it for anything. Last name, too.

Name something great that happened today?
Literally watched a storm roll in, open up, and then roll on. From the 34th floor. It was beautiful.

Do you like your life as of now?
Yes, there are a couple things I would change given my druthers, but all in all I am a happy gal.

Regret doing anything in the past week?
Not getting to the river in time to nab an unobstructed view of the fireworks.

Does anyone call you baby?
Nate calls me Bobo. Does that count?

Have you ever slapped someone?
Once, in the seventh grade. I remember it to this day because I felt so bad about it.

Have you ever been suspended or expelled from school?
No, I was a good girl.

Do you want someone back in your life?
I go back and forth.

Rent a movie or go to a movie?
Go to a movie. It's getting to be a bit much though. $12? C'mon.

Has anyone told you they missed you lately?
Yep, that's what happens when the majority of people you love and who love you live far away.

Did you talk to anyone on the phone before bed last night, who?
Yep, Kate.

How many cousins total do you have?
We just figured this out the other day. 18, I believe, was the number.

Where were you born, and how old were your parents?
Susquehanna, Pennsylvania. Mom was 26; dad was 30.

What were you doing at 12 this afternoon?
Sitting in the Marie Claire office, researching how much it would cost to take a private jet somewhere. I am not even kidding.

Kathleen the Campaigner

Love, Love, Love

My best gal-pal from undergrad, Amie, got married last weekend, and I was one of her bridesmaids. Ame and her new husband are hippies. And their wedding reflected that. Everything from the cake (see below) to the flowers to the music (she walked down the aisle to "Something in the Way" by the Beatles; they were announced at the reception to "Truckin'" by the Dead; their first dance was some Phish song) to the dresses (all of them, even Amie's, were 100 percent hemp) had Ame and Denny written all over it. But the best part? It all felt really organic and natural. The ceremony was beautiful--it was outdoors, and the girls all walked in bare feet. Our bouquets were simple daisies and sunflowers. Also, the pair have been together for eight years, so it felt really wonderful to watch them get married--like it was just the natural thing to do. The couple wrote their own vows, and they were just beautiful. Though I originally protested the dress (hello--is there anything in the world that's more the opposite-of-me?), I eventually got over it, because the dresses really worked. And, I was really happy to be a part of the whole thing.They had a photo booth at the reception. This is possibly the best thing I have ever seen at a wedding. Everyone loved it. They had dress-up bins with all sorts of costumes, and there was a glue stick on a nearby table for guests to glue a photo in the guest book and sign their names. Here I am with the other bridesmaid, Amanda.

The wedding cake. That's a little Denny-and-Amie figurine sitting on the side of the cake. Thankfully, it tasted as good as it looked.

The girls: me, Amanda, Amie, and Amie's sister Cindy.

Obsession Confession

So, it's been more than a month--but now I have a TEENY bit more time on my hands so I will be updating more frequently, because, truth be told, I really love my blog.

Some of you may know about a little obsession I have with dance. I go to as many performances as possible; I go to see all the cheesy dance movies; I rewind and watch dance scenes dozens of times (I'm looking at you, Dirty Dancing finale), and I watch So You Think You Can Dance loyally. My favorite styles are hip-hop, lyrical hip-hop, contemporary, krump, swing and ballet.

Here are my favorite two dances of the So You Think You Can Dance season so far. I just needed to have them in one place so I can watch them, obsessively, over and over again. The first is hip-hop with Chelsea and Mark; the second is hip-hop with Katee and Joshua. Both routines are choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon.

Where I'll be in 2025

...as written by one of my professors. Not even kidding.

Lurie, a precocious Albany-based editor and regular Facebook correspondent, was one of a very few New York City residents who in early spring 2008 knew that surprise-governor David Paterson’s surname had only one “t” letter in it. Lurie also knew just how profane an environment the state capital could be. Said Lurie: “Every third word I heard in Albany was the f word.” This shocked Lurie’s Craft II professor, who until that moment had not realized journalists cursed. Said Lurie: “The guy had an odd way of looking at things sometimes.”
Lurie was an accomplished student of business while at CUNY J and continued to achieve great things within the world of economics and finance after she left. Much to the surprise of those who knew her, Lurie in midlife took a break from heavy-duty business reporting and in early 2025 moved to Iowa where she joined with classmate Fritzie Andrade to open a successful salon that brought together artists and readers of 10-K financial reports.
Lurie is also remembered as Professor Wayne Svoboda’s first—and, so it seems, only—friend on Facebook. Said Lurie: “Somebody had to do it. Otherwise the whole situation seemed so sad.”

One Word Free Association, Part Deux

1. Yourself: girl
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend (spouse): nada
3. Your hair: long
4. Your mother: kind
5. Your father: unpredictable
6. Your favorite item: passport
7. Your dream last night: questionable
8. Your favorite drink: tea
9. Your dream car: Jaguar
10. The room you are in: bedroom
11. Your ex: moving
12. Your fear: death
13. What you want to be in 10 years? fulfilled
14. Who did you hang out with last night? cats
15. What you’re not? bored
16. Muffins: chocolate
17. One of your wish list items: gym
18. Time: fast
19. The last thing you did: showered
20. What you are wearing: flats (!)
21. Your favorite weather: fall
22. Your favorite book: Milne
23. The last thing you ate: oatmeal
24. Your life: challenging
25. Your mood: calm
26. Your best friend: many
27. What are you thinking about right now? stories
28. Your car: silver
29. What are you doing at the moment? sitting
30. Your summer: exciting
31. Your relationship status: free
32. What is on your TV? nothing
33. What is the weather like? drizzly
34. When is the last time you laughed? school

Reason Why I Love Kate No. 4,682

Me: Hey!
Kate: Hi, I have a question and I can't seem to do this by myself.
Me (growing worried): Why? What? What's wrong?
Kate: (sighs) I have been searching for the perfect bathrobe. Which has been like a month-long journey so far.
Me: A . . . bathrobe?
Kate: Yes, a bathrobe. And I think I found one but now I can't decide which color to get.
Me: You're telling me the sole reason for this phone call is to help you decide what color bathrobe to buy?
Kate: . . . Yes.

Most Annoying Trivia Competitors Ever

Here's the scene: Trivia night at the Lighthouse in Park Slope. Fritzie, Erin, Eliot and I are in two teams participating in the game. Sitting on the next two bar stools were a man-and-woman team who really could not have been bigger douchebags if they tried. Between shouting in our ears and making ridiculous comments and just being generally douche-y, these two were riding our nerves. However, the following comment proved to be the one to beat.

Fritzie, who is Mexican and fluent in Spanish and French, is arguing a point with the trivia host on a question about a translation of the song "La Cucaracha."

Fritzie: I'm Mexican, and this is the translation I learned growing up.

Woman Douchebag: You're in AMERICA NOW. You're in AMERICA.

Reporting in the Bronx

Erin: i am going to be in the bronx all day tomorrow, from 4 to like 9

Me: oh my god, what? are you serious?

Erin: kill me!

Erin: oh wait I'm a young, white girl in the Bronx - someone else will probably take care of that.

Sweet Asa

Fun!

This is such a great idea. I want to remember to do this on all future trips. Very reminiscent of my London jumping photos, some of which I will post once I find them.

Kate's Survey About Katie

Had to post this on my blog so I would have it always. Kate posted this survey on MySpace:

Can YOU answer 22 questions about YOUR number 1? DON’T change your top friends, and answer 22 questions about the 1st person in your top friends.

1) Who is it?
Kathryn Lurie

2) Where did you meet them?
I met her in Albany years ago.

3) What was your age when you first met?
22

4) Is this person one of your friends?
My best

5) How long have you know them?
5

6) Is this person older than you?
A few weeks.

7) When was the last time you saw this person?
December

8) Do you miss them?
Always, always always.

9) Are you related to this person?
not so much.

10) Do you have nicknames for each other?
Um, not really. We call her Katie, instead of Kathryn, maybe that is a nickname.

12) Do you think this person will repost this?
Not likely.
She is busy, busy, busy!

13) Why is this person #1 on your top friends?
Because she is always in the trenches with me, no matter what.

14) Have you seen this person cry?
yes.

15) Do you know this person’s last name?
Lurie!

16) Do you tell them a lot about your life?
She knows many, many details.

17) Doing anything with them tonight?
Sadly, no.

18) If yes, What?
Refer to #17

19) Would you have them at/in your wedding?
yes! of course.
She will be the one holding onto my train as I try to escape!

20) Would they date you?
if we were lesbians, we would be life partners.

21) What’s something this person is obsessed with?
pink? the cat fur accumulating in her apartment? Where all time in her day goes?

22) Does this person make you laugh?
always.

Mitch and Kathy Come to Visit

So my brother Mitch and his girlfriend Kathy came to visit me for the weekend. I was thrilled to see them, and thrilled for an excuse to have some fun.

Here are some of the things we did:

• walked through Central Park
• went to the Museum of Natural History to see the butterflies and the H2O exhibit
• had lunch in the Upper West Side
• went to Union Square, where a hungry squirrel ate peanuts out of Mitchell's hand
• toured my school
• went to the Build-A-Bear store on 5th where Mitch and Kathy added two to their collection
• took a pedi-cab ride down 5th
• ate BBQ in Times Square
• went to see Horton Hears a Who at the AMC on 42nd Street
• on Sunday, spent the morning at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, where we bought cactuses

Looking at some of the awesome plants at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden.

OK, It's Time to Give Up the Dream and Go to Bed

I will dream about Obama getting the nom.

Good night.

Damn. Clinton Wins Ohio.

AND she's pulling ahead in Texas. WTF is going on here?

If Wolf says that Texas is "a nail-biter" one more time, I will flip. That is all.

Texas is Going to Rock & Roll All Night

Texas will likely not be called until the wee hours what with their caucuses and all.

The race is Texas between the Dems is thisclose and the gap is closing a bit in Ohio.

CNN is all high-tech with Apple technology--their big flat screen may as well be a giant iPhone. The political analyst who is laying out the nuts and bolts of how this election is actually working is using the "pinch" element to zoom in and zoom out of maps and graphs.

Holy Teleprompter, Batman

Can McCain make it any more obvious that he's reading off a teleprompter? I mean, really.

And if you're gonna run for president, try pronouncing Taliban correctly. It's not Talley-ban.