Chrissy's Blog

My sister and I spent most of the day in and around Harvard Square, visiting amazing bookstores and coffeebars. We went out that night and drank lots of beer and whiskey, but it was overall a relaxing day.

This is Miles. I went up to Boston for the weekend to spend some time with my sister, but I also ended up spending time with Miles. For years, I have struggled with felinophobia, an intense fear of cats. More and more, though, I have faced my fear and come to realize that perhaps cats aren’t the symbols of Satan that I once thought they were. But I have always been wary. I don’t like them to come near me or to touch me, yet they feel ever-inclined to do so. Their owners often tell me (much to my chagrin) that their cat never likes people, and that I am the first person they’ve ever warmed up to. This has happened to me my whole life. But recently my friend Angie told me she read an article about how cats respect being ignored, and they flock to people that don’t like them. Hence my problem. Somehow, this knowledge has eased my fear of cats considerably. They aren’t taunting me. They actually like me. Anyways, Miles is super soft and laid back. He even snuggled with me on the couch. I felt so happy in this treaty I had apparently signed with my arch-nemesis. Then, I woke up Sunday morning sneezing like crazy, and I didn’t stop until I was back to New York, showered, and away from the cat hair. Oh well, it was nice to have a feline friend while it lasted.

I felt lazy and ordered in a burrito, and a large one at that. I paid an extra 50 cents to get jalapenos in the burrito. However, they turned out to be the worst part. I wholeheartedly believe that there should be a clear distinction on menus between jalapenos and pickled jalapenos, because pickled jalapenos are disgusting, and I hate them. Fresh jalapenos? I could eat those for days.

Ah, yes. A blurry picture of a broken, ipod USB cable. This was all I had, and my camera just would not focus. I am trying to blame my camera less for my underwhelming pictures, but the fact that I can neither control the focus nor the flash makes it really hard. My camera is a fickle machine.

Anyways, I bought a bunch of new music to listen to on my 20-minute walks to work, but I can’t find my USB for the life of me. I mentioned it to my boss at work, and she gave me hers to take home and use. That’s when I realized I really like her, and one of the reasons I’m enjoying my new job so much is because I am finally under decent management. She’s fun and manages the office well with authority, but also with understanding. It got me thinking of all my past employers when it struck me that the best managers I have had in the past were all women, while the worst were all men. Mind you, this is my 18th job! The women-run workplaces I have experienced are always better staffed and have a more productive environment. I’m just saying, women know how to run things smoothly. I (and most every other woman in this country) would love to see what America would be like with a white house and a congress dominated by women. I honestly believe we’d all be a lot happier.

This is across the street from my new place of employment. It’s so charming. I’m also showing off my camera skills by displaying my new gloves in the lower left corner. They’re blue!

We ordered in from Tiny Thai….again. This time, it seemed different though. I’m pretty sure they have a new chef or something. In the past, my pad thai with tofu was mediocre with pathetic pieces of tofu. This time, I got the large deep-fried chunks of tofu I’d become so accustomed to in Seattle. It also just tasted better somehow. One of the things I love about Travis is that we always order spring rolls, it isn’t even a question. But this time I got the large order. I love me some spring rolls.

Well, as we all know, nothing in life is free. I ended up really paying for those five hot dogs I ate. I gave up my whole Friday. I don’t work on Fridays, so luckily I got to sleep in a bit. It was a gorgeous day, practically spring. 60 degrees and sunny. I wanted so badly to go outside, alas I could not. I spent most of the day curled up on my couch watching old Law & Order episodes, hating my hot-dog-loving self for wasting the beautiful day away. The only exciting part of my day was getting Chicken Noodle Soup from my neighborhood Chinese place. I’m addicted to it, and it was certainly nice to walk there in a light jacket.

I met up with my friend Chase at a dive bar in Hell’s Kitchen called Rudy’s. It seemed like the stuff of legend. Beers under $5 in Manhattan? Unlimited free hot dogs? Good atmosphere? No, these things couldn’t be true. But they were, and by the end of the night we were both declaring how Rudy’s was the best damn bar in New York. (This was after I had 5 beers and 5 hot dogs, I wasn’t keeping track of Chase, but I believe his numbers are similar.) It was a great bar though. We got an amazing booth right away. It was so coveted that a couple of girls bought us a pitcher of beer, just so they could share with us. The bartenders were cool and not uptight New York bartenders. Did I mention unlimited free hot dogs?