Five.... five.... five dollar footlong

I met my soul mate today-- or should I say "sub mate."

We both got a 6-inch veggie on wheat, toasted, with swiss cheese, all veggies (no black olives) and honey mustard. WHAT are the chances, people???

I felt like a crazy stalker lady, because I was behind him in line and basically repeating everything he said. At the end, I looked at him and went, "yaaay- we got the same sub!" He didn't seem amused in the slightest and was far too focused on how the cashier was being way too slow, thus preventing him from exiting at a quicker pace to run away from the weirdo behind him in line.

Ouch... Sorry, dude. Just commenting on the awesomeness that just happened when we ordered the exact same sub. Come on!

Can I just say, that I'm so lucky to have already found someone who actually gets amused by those things? My man and I are so not submates and probably not even soul mates for that matter (like that even exists), but we certainly entertain each other with our silly quirks and not-so-funny jokes....what complete strangers find scary, we find endearing. I dig that.

...even though he would totally put olives on his sandwich. *shudder*

Identity Crises!!

Lately I've been having some internal debates over the great change-of-name situation that will soon be upon me. Let me first say that I find absolutely nothing wrong with taking your hubbies name and I am completely in love with the idea of having a family and someday having the children take his name... but I, myself, am having a bit of an identity crises. This is what I've been called my entire life- this is the signature that I've signed on the dotted line since I could hold a pen. And to top it all off?: I looove my name- I reeeeally do. It's a great stage name, it's Irish, it matches my face/hair/freckles perfectly and I just really. truly. love it.

While I'm completely ready to take every part of him, I'm just not ready to leave my name behind. It's such a big part of me. so I have to wonder: do other women deal with this? Is it easy for some, difficult for others? Am I just being Mrs. Selfish?

Hmmmm

But recess was sooo my favorite class!

Sometimes my little pea brain can't quite wrap itself around the concept of a recession. My friends are losing their jobs, yes. Others are being threatened. My little company has even had a few "lay-offs"(read: fired!) as well. However, tonight, in order to keep morale high, we are all skipping down to our company holiday party for some merriment and funsies... even though I have a feeling that "keeping up appearances" had a lot to do with our choice of venue:

This is cutting back??

Some might say this is being paid for by rich people, so why not enjoy? But the sad reality is that I'm paying for this party. It's coming straight from the raise I deserve and the bonus I was expecting. I would frankly rather buy a cheap bottle of wine, order a pizza, and put the difference in my already dwindling savings account.

Oh well-- cheers!

You are what you eat....

Saturday is the big Thanksgiving/Christmas Celebration! This will be my parents FIRST Thanksgiving without turkey. Here's what they're in for:

Appetizers:

Pumpkin Bread
Baked Brie in a honey walnut sauce

Dinner:
Celery and Pecorino salad with walnuts and dates
Wild Rice Salad with dried apricots and cranberries
Cranberry-Pomegranate sauce
Roasted vegetables with pine nut pesto
Mashed potatoes with creme fraiche and chives

Dessert:

Spiced Molten cakes

I'm guessing that at least 2 of these dishes will fail, but all in all I'm super proud of my vegetarian menu =)

What a lucky bride I am...

Nobody is telling me that I can no longer get married. No rights have been stripped. No vows have been silenced. My attraction to men as a person of the opposite sex has earned me a right. Nobody is stopping me from making a lifetime commitment.

Gee, thanks.

Let's take a moment here. Why is it okay for John and me to get married? John, penis; Sarah, vagina. I now pronounce you husband and wife...

No, science and anatomy have nothing to do with"proposition-hate." This gets stripped right down to religion. God didn't create us for some sweet man-on-man action, no no no. That's for the perverts and the sinners! There is a special place in hell for people like that, I tell ya!

Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus Christ say that homos are sickos. Shocking, right? People are relying on this information from crazy fucked up prophets and the aftermath of Paul's tripped-out excursion down to Damascus where he saw a blazing light and was given the power to discriminate.

Yes, indeed! The Bible is behind Prop 8 and you alll know it. Yet, JESUS CHRIST never says "Boo, homos!" it's the other crazy followers. You know, the ones who are actual human beings and flawed and make mistakes. Mistakes like, oh, I don't know, making up rules that Christ could care less about?

Okay, so even if the Christian faith really does "frown upon" the gays, so be it. It still sucks, but I guess that's religion for you. Don't let them get married in your sacred sanctuaries. Fine. I get that. If my home church found out that John was an atheist and I was ambivalent, they would turn us away. We'll go to city hall or hire an officiant who can legally marry us elsewhere. The "state" is on our side.

Aren't we so lucky....

But that gap of separation between church and state is slowly being filled.

Let's talk about the hypocrisy of banning gay marriage. It's strictly coming from a holier-than-thou point of view. Because the Bible says so, we have to abide by it. So what about the people who don't believe in the Bible? Why on earth is it okay for John and me to get married when we don't believe in the sanctity of marriage in that way. Where do you draw the line?

Penis + vagina = marriage?

What if two heteros get married but they don't like vaginal intercourse, they prefer taking it up the butt only. Sinners? Blasphemy? Do their rights get taken away?

What's next? Christians only? Mormons only? I'm sorry, you must be able to quote John 3:16 and Romans 5:8 in order to say "I do."

What about the people who do believe in the Bible? Lots of gay people are Christians...but I guess if one Christian thinks another Christian isn't Christian enough, then they're not Christian (repeating over in my head, wondering if it makes sense.... and moving on.)

How can a gay person want to rejoice and be a part of a religion that is so quick to dismiss them? Here's why: they believe in the kind of God that I wish existed: forgiving, loving, & accepting.

Everyone who voted YES on 8 would tell you that their god is just that: forgiving, loving, & accepting. They just seem to find ways to twist the definition of the word "accepting."

What better way to conclude my rant than with a prayer. Bow with me:

Dear God,

Ahem....Um, I kinda need you to stop allowing this to happen. I don't know if you exist or not, but if the prop-8 supporters are made in your image, then I don't want to know you. I don't want you to ever reveal yourself as an omnipotent God with more hatred and spite for these others that you created. The ones who can't help but follow their hearts, passion, and instinct.

Seriously, God, this is ridiculous.

Amen (on men)

La di da, di, doo? No, wait. da! I meant da!!

I'm totally terrified that I'm going to forget the words to my own songs tonight...

Yes we did!

Everyone who writes a blog should be posting today. We should take all of the blogs and live journals and diary entries from the entire country, put them together, and reference it for future inspiration, because people are definitely feeling it right now.

Last night was incredible. The streets of Brooklyn erupted in cheers when they announced that Obama had won. The yells and screams did not stop until well after midnight. The snowball effect of McCain calling Obama, conceding, and then Obama's speech was a complete blur of tears and emotion.

I am excited, tired, more excited, and definitely hung over.

Totally worth it.

And I want a puppy!! Puppies for everyone under Obama!

Your Religion is a Dirty Word.

I had a lovely time with some lovely women last night.

Then I got home and talked to my mother, another lovely woman, who unfortunately wasn't being so lovely. I mean, she was sweet as can be when she told me she was voting for Palin '08... and laughed when I corrected her by saying, "oh, you mean McCain, Mom."

Then I jokingly said "I thought you were voting for Obama!"

I figured she would just laugh it off and say her typical "oh, Sarah" and then sigh.

But, instead, she said this: "I'm voting pro-life and pro-Christian all the way."

Huh. Pro-Christian... There are so many things to say here...

First of all, there is the obvious separation of church and state that has supposedly been put into place in this country. Blah blah blah. Why can't voters accept this? Talk about being elitist...

Then, there is the more obvious response, which is that Barack. Obama. Is. A. Christian.

This is exactly what I said to her and the second I said it, John whipped around from where he was standing and whispered "No no no, it's not worth it! Don't fight with her!"

He knows my mother so well.

Her response was very quick. "Do you know the definition of a Christian, Sarah?"

My heart was actually racing. This has been a hot topic with my parents, even since I told them I was not a Christian anymore and I wanted nothing to do with it. (woops).

This is NOT a fight to get into with someone like my mother. No matter what you say or do she will absolutely not listen or bend from her impression. So I simply said, "Of course I do, you raised me as one."

Luckily this conversation did not go as badly as it could have. I simply brushed it off by saying, "oh well, I'm just glad to hear you're voting!" and we said our goodbyes and our I-love-yous and hung up.

BUT NOW, I have this sinking feeling in my heart, knowing that somebody that I love so much does not understand my side of things. And there is no way she ever could. My mother is a wonderful woman, a lovely person, but she is stubborn as hell. I know there are people that don't believe that Obama is a Christian, but I don't like it when those people are my family.

How "Christian" is it to judge other people's level of Christianity? The Bible teaches that it's God who will ultimately decide who is telling the truth and who isn't. Does she think he's not Christian because he doesn't fit her definition? Perhaps because he's not pro-life? Is it because of his ties with Rev Wright? Does this mean that anybody that votes for Obama is not a Christian? I know a lot of people who would disagree.

"Do you know the definition of a Christian, Sarah?"

There is no definition, screw the question. The definition is different among everyone. There are over 10 denominations within the Christian faith, not including the billion divisions of the Catholic Church. I thought a Christian was somebody who believed in God, and that Jesus was the Messiah and he died for their sins... and if they repented their sins they would be saved.

Hallelujah. Amen.

That is exactly what Barack Obama says he believes in, so he's a Christian to me. That's what a Christian is. He's been baptized. He says he's a Christian. Who are we to say he's not?

Christian is becoming a dirty word to me. Christian.

But it's not a dirty word. Neither is Muslim. Muslim. You can just feel the shudder rippling through the Conservative base.

And here is the definition of Christian (there are several of course)

• of, pertaining to, believing in, or belonging to the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ

• a person who believes in Jesus Christ; adherent of Christianity.

• a person who exemplifies in his or her life the teachings of Christ

• a member of any of certain Protestant churches, as the Disciples of Christ and the Plymouth Brethren.

Who is anybody to say that somebody else isn't really anything? Who puts anybody above anybody else to decide what they really are. What makes my mother so far superior to everyone else?

What a dumb reason to vote. Taxes, healthcare, the economy, the war, etc. Those are some good reasons. Women's rights is a good reason, but basing your vote entirely on whether the candidate is pro-life and a Christian? It's narrow minded and silly.

Christian.

I've worked myself into a frenzy over something I always knew about my family, but still hate to hear more than anything. Here's hoping there aren't too many people like them out there, because if there is, this election will take a cold turn for the worst.

This is how it goes...

Two of my friends from high school are going through divorces. I mean, really? Already? Divorce?

The great debate in my head

Today, on the F train, there was a man with a bike and a basket and a box. The box was in the basket and the basket on the front of the bike. In the box? A bird. It was curious. I'm hoping he was rescuing the bird? Needless to say, I was freaked out. I have a fear of birds which has been slowly cured by living in New York City, however I will never ever ever be able to deal with birds indoors. Not okay. I had to get up and move. I'm a total loser.

New thought: What should I do what should I do what should I do?

Let me tell you, this question has been haunting me for years. Singing or flute? Songwriting or classical? Joni Mitchell or Emmanuel Pahud? (grrrar, I know). Everyone who doesn't understand tells me to do both. But it's not that easy. In order to play flute, I need to practice consistently and a lot. That means coming home from a full day of work and playing my instrument for a couple of hours. Leading a band takes just as much time. Getting gigs, setting up rehearsals, practicing and writing new music that people will actually like... pressure!

I know I want to go back to school. I know I don't have time/money to go back to school for about two years. I know that in order to go back to school I need to practice and audition and try to get money thrown at me. I know that I love my fiance and my friends a lot and I don't want to neglect them. Soooo, BAH!

This week is especially crazy because I have been gone for two weekends in a row, which means the house is a mess, laundry has piled up, the kitchen cupboards are barren, and I haven't spent a minute of quality time with my sweet man (or friends for that matter)... annnnd on top of the normal activity of keeping up with life, I have my flute lesson, two rehearsals with our new vocalist, one rehearsal with the band and tons of preparation to do for all of it-- all this week.

Oh yeah, and our save the dates need to go out pronto. Martha Stweart says to send destination wedding notices out 9-12 months before your wedding and I totally believe her. We're falling behind, people!! Martha frowns on my wedding.

Vent session over.

Angelic City

We are heading to hot and sweaty LA tonight! Of course we are leaving NYC during the 7th Ave Fall Festival and as soon as the 60 degree weather kicks into gear. Sad!

Oh well, California here I come!

Out of my way, door!

I think one of the most sinking feelings you can have is arriving at your front door only to discover that your keys are, in fact, on the other side of that door.

French Fry Quest Part 1

Pommes Prites:

I started with the supposed best, which probably wasn't the greatest idea, considering it's all downhill from here: Pommes Frites has been rumored to have the best fries in the city, with everything else falling short of its glorious greasiness.

I think they might all be dead right.

Pommes Frites, located on the lower east side of Manhattan, is your classic "hole-in-the-wall" joint. We arrived late on a Friday night and had to stand in a long, chilly line outside. They fry the fries right in front of your face, which you would think would be kinda gross, but it actually makes the experience even more suspenseful and exciting.

There is limited seating in the back, which we didn't score, but I think standing on a street corner, devouring the best french fries in the entire world made it even more worth it. There's something special about stopping dead in your tracks, unable to move from the need to keep (nom nom nom) shoving (nom nom) french fries (nom)... into (nom)... your face (nom nom.)

There are 25 dipping sauces to choose from, which made the ordering process more time consuming since, you know... there are 25 dipping sauces to choose from. So cool. And so good. We went with Rosemary Garlic mayo and Honey Mustard. Yes, indeed.

My rating:

1. Saltiness, greasiness, goodness.... 5
   
2. Crispiness, crunchiness, and soft in the middle.....4
   
3. HOT (so important!)....5

That is a whopping 14 points PLUS a bonus point for dipping sauces. Um, hello. That's a perfect score, people.

Go there now.

I said now.

You say potato, I say "gimme!"

No matter how you slice, dice, saute, bake, boil, mash, or fry up a potato, it's the most wonderfully delicious food that one can possibly consume, right right right?

Over the next couple of months, I am going on a quest for the finest fries in the city. There are many places that brag to have the best of the best when it comes to my favorite little side dish and what better place to look than in this fine city of ours.

I will be visiting some of the most famed french fry joints in the city and then blogging about my experience. Here is who made the cut, all according to word-of-mouth and my own research.

Pommes Frites (2nd Ave and 7th Street)

Loreley's (7 Rivington Street)

Cafe de Bruxelles (118 Greenwich Ave)

Grand Saloon (158 East 23rd Street)

Dram Shop (Park Slope)

Sidecar (Park Slope)

Chain Restaurants: Five guys (Park Slope) and Uno's (Bay Ridge).

Here is how each place is being judged, each on a scale of 1-5

1. Saltiness, greasiness, goodness
2. Crispiness, crunchiness, and soft in the middle
   
3. HOT (so important!)

Bonus points go to dipping sauces of any kind that are not ketchup.

Fun times are sure to be ahead for me!

PS- Yes, this is really only an excuse to eat fries and feel like I'm doing something constructive at the same time.

Shiny happy people holding hands....

I get to wake up next to my best friend every single day.

It's hard to escape thinking about friendships when my future mister and I are currently going down a list of everyone we've ever known and marking them as "yes" or "no" for an invite to our wedding. I feel like as I get older, my friends start to take on a different meaning to me. To risk sounding cheesy, they become more like family...Obviously college was completely different, when we literally had dozens of friends at our doorsteps at any given time. Now I feel fortunate to have a handful of friends that I can trust and rely on whenever life is good, bad, or ugly. I think my friends know that I would absolutely drop anything for them in time of need and I know I could expect the same in return. And as I sit here writing this, I'm thinking of several people who I know would do that, hands down, in a heartbeat, no questions asked. I want to be that kind of friend.

I had a friendship end this past year, which of course has catapulted me into uber-reflective mode. It's not worth going into the details, but what I can tell you is that there was a complete realization on my part that I was being undervalued as a friend. And let me tell you something: that is the worst feeling. That moment in life where you realize that this person doesn't like you. Bottom line. Breakup.

It's more than not being liked though, it's being appreciated and respected for who you are and the roadblocks you've been through to get to this point. And I can say, with confidence, that my friends love me. Am I perfect? Absolutely not. Could each of my friends rattle off my flaws to you? Indeed. Would they? Never.

I get very ruminative when it comes to things like this, mostly because I want to learn from past mistakes. Life is too short to just cross your arms and walk away from something, dismissing the meaning it could have on your own growth as a human being. With each year that goes by, I can't help but notice the new shapes my life is taking. It's hard enough to make time for myself, much less the people that have somehow found me interesting enough to keep them company. But it's worth every second of time that I put into friendships. I guess I just feel lucky.

Surprise Undecided Voter of the Week

"I just saw part of Sarah Palin's disastrous interview with Katie Couric. I think I'm voting third party in November." -my socially conservative brother

Perhaps there is a light at the end of the Palin Tunnel (or bridge).

Where is my hairbrush?

Holy crap. We're so busy. Everyone I know is so busy. The entire world is so buuuuusy!

We can't even sit down in my house... one reason being there is no place to actually sit, but also because we're too busy packing up our lives. We're also very busy pretending to know what the hell we're doing when it comes to buying a house. We're surrounded by legal documents and certified checks, and our consuming doubts over the distressed economy.

I normally have a comfy-cozy schedule which involves coming home from work, practicing flute (nerd alert!) playing some guitar (redeems my nerdiness), working out, cooking dinner, hanging out with my man or friends and then falling asleep to Letterman. Obviously my schedule has been greatly disturbed over the last week... I don't do well with disturbed.

Oh yeah, it's my birthday on Thursday... would you look at that.

Fall-ing for crispy air and orangish leaves...

This weather makes me want to buy school supplies.

We're moving in a week! I have tons of stuff to go through and throw away... and some things to sell on Craigslist and lots more to buy... fun! I love the whole concept of "out with the old, in with the new."

I find it fitting that this transition is happening during an election year, since that's exactly how I feel about these candidates: Ready for a change. Out with the old, in with the new...

I'm ready to pull out my sweaters and walk around Prospect Park with my sweet lad. We do it every fall... even when we were long distance, John came to visit and we trampled the leaves of our favorite park and snuggled under hoodies. Love it. New house, new president, favorite season....

All I need now is a bowl of Halloween candy. Oh yeah, and Obama needs to win.

The little things in life...

It's been pretty much doom and gloom around these parts the last couple of days. My job security has taken a serious hit along with this economic meltdown and my mind has been going to dark places. Signing on the dotted line for a mortgage in a week terrifies me a bit more now. Dipping into our savings to pay for a wedding makes me cringe a little. The "what ifs" are popping up left and right during an already stressful time for us.

But then something lovely happened: On my way to the train, a stray cat came up to me, meowed, rubbed my leg, let me pet her, and then moved on. This is the part of the day where I stood on a street corner in Brooklyn, Joni Mitchell piping in my ears, and I realized life was going to be ok.

It's the little things that bring us back to our own realty- you know, the really good kind of reality that we create for ourselves. Mine consists of neighborhood stray cats, friendly people, artists, music, love, and really only enough money to satiate our needs. I would much rather focus on that one.

I'm about to 'moon you.

Last night, the future-mister and I spent some quality time talking Honeymoon. We've been tossing around a couple of ideas for where we should spend our unfortunately short, but hopefully relaxing and blissful 'moon. Our criteria:

1.) Incredibly beautiful
2.) Domestic (mostly due to the amount of time we're allowed to take off)
3.) Cooler climate (preferably nothing hot and sticky)
4.) Preferably near one of the following: mountains, lake, ocean, trees

5.) Vegetarian-friendly

6.) Near decent wine.

7.) Comfy bed ('nuff said!)

What we've come up with so far:

Alaska, Jacksonhole, WY and Mendocino, CA.

I have to say, I'm currently most excited by the idea of Mendocino. It's on the ocean, near the redwoods, cool climated and about 3 hours north of wine country. Doesn't it sound damn near perfect to fly into San Francisco, drive up the coast (stopping in Napa to stock up on vino, of course) and rounding this all out by staying in a cliffhouse overlooking the ocean? Excuse me while I run off and get married today just so that I can go there tomorrow.

I also love the idea that our actual wedding is taking place where I grew up and the honeymoon would be just up the road from where J grew up. He showed me last night where his boyscout summer camps used to be and they literally dot the map just around Mendocino. I like the idea of making this wedding special and what better way than revisiting our roots... only this time not as children but as a married couple.

Hopefully we'll decide soon so I can start getting excited and planny. Because, you know, moving into our first real place and planning the actual wedding isn't enough for me.

Selfishly?

I hope I don't lose my job...

In a Blog Fog

One of my girlfriends and I have recently been talking about blogs... we both work in an office that sometimes throws a lot of dead time our way, which has made both of us take an interest in other people's stories and ideas. You know how it is: you start reading one blog, you click on a link to another... before you know it, you're reading 15 different blogs at one given time. You find yourself feeling deprived if your favorite blogger doesn't post for a few days- or you feel cheated if your favorite political blogger doesn't report on what you felt was the most insane news of the year.

I started to become more interested in creating my own blog when I first moved to the city, but never felt like I had anything interesting to say-- that was before I started reading other people's blogs and became intrigued by a complete stranger's life. My life is far from crazy and/or interesting, but there is nothing simple about it. Like most New Yorkers, I am one who was born and raised in a different zip code/time zone, but flocked straight from college to the Big Apple to "chase my dreams." I have several friends and acquaintances dotted across the country, which got me to thinking: Is this the new way of keeping people up to date?

Or am I just being slightly pretentious to think someone might care...?