Snippets. May 1, 2007

Hi! I have nothing to write about! Nothing at all. Not even shopping (I know, right?) 
 
But I also happen to be a wee bit bored at work, so pointless drivel wins out. Apologies in advance. 
 
-I have been thinking a lot about eloping. Not seriously thinking, more like fantasizing. Kind of like the way I fantasize about going to Australia even though I know it will never actually happen because I don’t think I can be drunk for 24 hours on a plane and it takes 24 hours on a plane to get there. A friend of mine recently eloped. She and her fiancé-now-husband were engaged for all of seven days before they decided to go to Key West and get married at sunset on the beach. No friends, no family, no obscene price tag. “It was just the two of us,” she said, “and that’s all it needed to be.” I know, deep down, that I want the memories and the photographs and to be surrounded by friends and family as I bind myself to another human being for all of eternity. But I also know, deep down, that one day I would like to stop throwing thousands upon thousands of dollars into the abyss that is renting, and the more money saved for a down payment on an apartment or house, the better. I know this line of thinking is fleeting and that once I actually get engaged I will want to plan a wedding. Because I do want a wedding. I just want it to be free is all. 
 
-Speaking of things that are not at all free (and also, speaking of being drunk on a plane), M and I are in the early stages of planning a jaunt to Las Vegas (never been! Not once! Suggestions?) and California (been many times! Love!). We’ve been talking about going to Vegas and LA together since forever and ever. We’re finally starting to get serious about it, to the point that we may actually buy these plane tickets we’ve been mulling over all morning. One of M’s best friends is in Vegas (a short trip for a bachelor party turned into a permanent residence). Casinos are also in Vegas and casinos happen to have slot machines and I happen to be the Queen of All Slot Machines so that bodes very well for me (though not very well for my bank account). There may not be casinos (as far as I know) in Los Angeles, but I’m just as excited to go there. As much as us New York “industry” folk like to take digs every now and then (read: all the time) at our Los Angeles counterparts, I do really love LA. What’s not to love: sun, surf, sand. The three S’s of happiness, I say. I really need a vacation and while I’m still considering Greece in August, August is very very far away. My mental health is not stable enough to make it the next three months without some sort of reprieve, even if it is only 4 days. At least it will be 4 days in 2 very wonderful places. 
 
-The only foreseeable worry about the potential trip (other than the fact that it involves planes! Evil planes!) is that I need my body to be up to snuff by then. And by “up to snuff” I mean “bikini-ready.” While I’ve been great about working out and okay about eating right (okay, I’ve been downright shitty about eating right. Example, from last night: garlic parmesan chicken, lasagna and apple crisp with vanilla ice cream), I need to take it to the next level in order to feel confident come June. I’m going to have to kick my own ass. But maybe the trip as a dangling carrot is exactly what I need to revamp my workouts and my diet.  
 
-My boyfriend is going to Wisconsin on Thursday, to visit his sister and her husband and their delicious child. We were supposed to go this winter, but that fell through because of (my) work. And I was supposed to be going on this trip with him but again it fell through because of (my) work. We were there at around this time last year and while you won’t see me packing up my things and slapping a “Wisconsin or bust” sticker on the back of an RV, I did really enjoy it. Wisconsin is pretty much the antithesis of New York City and is therefore quite rejuvenating. I mean, there are tons of chain restaurants (Like Butter Burger! Which is exactly that, be still my clogged arteries), and no one looks at you funny if you suggest actually eating at one. (I almost lost a few friendships after I mentioned the T.G.I.Friday’s on 34^th Street as a possible dining destination to a group of my friends.) Also, there is sky. And there are stars. And it’s nice to be reminded that those two things do still exist, somewhere.
 
 -This weekend my mom and I are driving down to my alma mater, which is soon to also be my sister’s alma mater, as she graduates later this month. She “needs help” picking out a dress for the dinner dance. That is code for: she wants my mom to pay for the dress. I’m just along for the ride and the shopping at the mall and the free meal (possibly at a chain restaurant! Cheesecake Factory, perhaps?).  Also, spending some time on campus may remind me of just how skinny I was in college which may remind me of how nice it was to be so skinny which may jumpstart my motivation to be Little Miss Twiggy Arms and Legs by the time we go to Vegas and LA in June. Hey, it’s worth a shot.