Things are going well here in vibeland!

Firstly, (and obviously, from the title), I got a job! I should tell you — since the economy is shit and since I’m not willing to move away from my honey, I’ve been searching for jobs that are in no way related to radio. I DO have a part-time gig as a DJ on Long Island on 106.1 BLI, so if you’re ever online on a Sunday from 2-6/2-7 in the afternoon, or you live on Long Island, check me out However, full-time, I am now back to being a Web Designer. I’ve been hired as the web designer for Integrated Medical Professionals. I know, I know. Big transition. A 9-5er in an officey-type office with a dress code and cubicles and post-its and whatnot. It’s wierd. It’s going decently well though. My first job was to redesign their foundation website, which, frankly, needed some help. Here is the newly finished product:

http://www.imfcares.com

I wish you could have seen what it looked like before. It would make the whole thing much more dramatic.

So YAY! Employment! Employment is good! Paychecks are GOOD!

The only problem with the new jobby job is that it’s on LONG ISLAND! Long Island is farrrrrr. The office is an hour away Mostly, this is not a problem, as it is a reverse commute. However, this commute involves the Cross-Bronx Expressway, which, if you live and drive in New York, you know translates into TRAFFIC HELL. Have you ever had a moment when you become acutely aware of yourself and what you look like at the time? I had one of those yesterday. I decided to take a picture.

I call this “Traffic Face”

My face had been permanently twisted up into that position for a good while before I noticed.

By the way, I dedicate that photo to Stacey, as a throwback to her appreciation of this photo. Also, I would like to point out that posting that picture is such a clear sign of how much I love you, since that photo of me is so. ugly. that I would HAVE to love you to share it with you.

Secondly, although it is the longestmoveeverinthehistoryofmoves, Adam and I are in the midst of moving into our new apartment! We’ve moved my stuff in and we’ve been cleaning and unpacking, but we all don’t MOVE IN move in until later this week. THEN, in about a week/week and a half, the cat moves in with us and then all hell breaks loose.

Thirdly, today was a beaaauuuutiful day! Sunny and 75! The perfect “top down” day. The New York Swartz Boys agree:

They wanted to “transform” the car.

OH OH! I almost FORGOT! I became a Quasi-Aunty! Adam’s (and Anne Marie’s) brother and sis-in-law (Drew and Joanna!) had a baby!!!!! Little Hayes!

Tell me he isn’t the cutest thing!*

I say Quasi-Aunty because I suppose I’m not really Hayes’ Aunt until Adam makes an honest woman out of me, but I still kinda think of myself that way anyway It’s not like these Swartz’s are getting rid of me anytime soon anyway…

That’s all for now… Hopefully I’ll catch you sooner than later.

* pic stolen from Joanna’s Flickr.

Ch-ch-ch-check it ouuuuuut! TWO IN ONE WEEK!

I figured that I really need to try and keep this thing going. It’s sad to look at my archive list and see it jump from JULY 2008 to FEBRUARY 2009! While nothing is going on right. this. second! We still have some catching up to do!!

Here are some more pictures from Greece:

Santorini. Those windmills are amazing!

Santorini. The Caldera.

Santorini must have been the prettiest island, since I seem to have the most pictures from there

KNITTING!

I’ll admit, not much knitting was done in Greece. On the beach there was too much sand and sunscreen for my taste and on the boat, well…for a girl who spent the first day at sea hurling her digested lunch over the side of the ship, knitting wasn’t really a recommended activity. It kinda had that reading-in-the-car effect. Times 10.

That little scrap of knitting in the picture grew up to be the right front of my Central Park Hoodie. You remember CPH, no? Oh, yeah, maybe not since I started it back in September of *2007*!! Yeah, I don’t blame you for forgetting. What can I say? I’m an easily distracted knitter with a currently low knitting mojo. Last year the main distraction was Christmas and baby knitting. This year, so far, it’s been a little bit of Christmas and a lot of holy-fuck-it’s-cold! knitting.

Malabrigo Hat

Malabrigo Mittens

These were both made with 2 hanks of Malabrigo Worsted in Applewood. There is also a Clapotis scarf to match, but I apparently never took a picture of it. It came out a little short for my taste (14 straight sections), but functionally, it does the job. Plus, I’m really impressed that I got the whole set out of just 2 hanks! WOOT! The hat is a combination of the kittyville hat and my bananahead baby beanie. The mittens I made up on the fly. They mostly came out alright, but if I ever knit another pair, I would make a few changes, for sure.

Between those three and another clapotis scarf for a friend (24 straight sections. PERFECT!), CPH has seen little action. However, she has not been forgotten. All the pieces have been knit and are ready to be sewn up (except for the right front, which WAS finished until I realized I’d f’ed it up and now I have to reknit the armhole. no biggie). I am optimistic that it will be done for next fall

More random pics! These are from a wedding Adam and I went to in East Hampton:

Yes we belong in the Hamptons. Why do you ask?

Adam and Gianmaria. Don’t ask. I have no idea.

These are from when Adam, the boys and I went to the Big Apple Circus:

I swear they had a better time than they seem to have had from this picture.*

Adam IN the circus!

Adam got picked to be IN the circus. They selected a member of the audience to compete in a dance contest with “grandma” and Adam was chosen! HE ROCKED IT!! LOL. He had to do the Robot (pictured), Lord of the Dance, and Disco! He was kick-ass! The audience loved him!! For his grand efforts, he was the proud winner of a box of popcorn (which Elias stole and housed immediately.) Hee!

Lastly, in the name of Valentine’s Day, I leave you with this:

Butterfly Sex.

Have a good one!

ps - Happy Anniversary to my Momma! She and my dad would have been married 44 years today. (or 45? 43? Whichever. I think it’s 44.)

*Well, Emile *appeared* to enjoy it. He was smiling and on the edge of his seat for a good portion of it, especially when the train came out and all of the doggies jumped out of it. However, if you ask Emile if he liked the circus, he will say, “NNNO! It’s too FUNNY!”

I’ve really topped myself this time.

What’s it been, *7* months? For serious?

Hay-SOOS.

I’m sorry, I really am. You would think, given the SCADS of free time I have now, that I would have been blogging like a MANIAC! So wierd. I’m barely even READING blogs anymore. I don’t really understand it either, frankly.

Anyway, you *might* be wondering what I’ve been up to (if you’re still checking, that is. You could possibly have completely forgotten about me, considering the 7 months and all…)

Well, I went to Greece. My quasi-cousin chartered a boat and 20 of us sailed around the Greek Islands. Now, while that sounds all kinds of glamorous, and while we did have a fabulous time, it was way more Pirate Adventure than Posh Yacht Voyage. I spent the entire first day puking over the rails!

The Aegeotissa

Also? We totally got stranded at sea. For two days.

Stranded.

At Sea.

When the Rescue Boat came, we literally had to jump from one boat to the other (after throwing our luggage over to the other boat.) There were other adventures too, like when the on-board chef badly sprained his leg two days in and had to bail on us. We got a new chef a day or two later, but in the meantime, the captain cooked us spaghetti. IN GREECE. LOL. OH! And one of the lower cabins flooded! AND! I broke my toe on the last day. ON LAND (ironic, no?) BUT! Really, it was a nice trip

See? Nice!

One of my favorite pics from Santorini

Since then, I have:

• Gotten a new laptop (funded by crap I sold on ebay for mad cash!).
• Moved to NY.
• Taken Hayley to the vet approximately 10 times (she’s fine now).
• Been to 2 funerals and 2 weddings.
• Taken 3 weekend road trips (including MDS$W!).
• Designed one portfolio website.
• Bought my car (which I was previously leasing).
• Missed You.
• Gotten addicted to Facebook.
• Applied for hundreds and millions of jobs.
• Gotten 2 interviews.
• Cried over my application to interview ratio.

I have also pissed off the City of New York with my failure to keep up with alternate side of the street parking regulations.

The Scarlet Letter Sticker of SHAME.

Unemployment has been tough, but I’ve been hanging in there. This has helped greatly:

three fingers neat.

I would like to thank Adam for keeping the whiskey stocked in the house and Ebony for passing on that three fingers neat will cure anything that ails you. Although, I will tell you that right after taking the picture above, I accidentally kicked the whiskey INTO the tub. Bathing in it does not have the same effect as drinking it. FYI.

Besides that, I’ve just been spending a lot of time with these guys:

Rock Stars. All of them.

So far, I’ve been shuttling between my mom’s house on LI (where I officially live and mooch) and Adam’s in the Bronx (where I UNOFFICIALLY live and mooch). However, in about a month and a half, I will be officially be MOVING IN WITH ADAM After nearly three years, I finally broke him down.

So hey, it’s not all bad, right?

Bad news is always easier if it’s followed by GOOD news, so we’ll start there, yeah?

I’m unemployed.

After 7 years as vibegrrl on HOT 99.5, I have been let go. Ryan Seacrest’s new syndicated show is going to replace me.

:-\

It’s wierd. I don’t really know what to say about it.

Which brings us to the happy news, right?

It looks like I’m finally moving back to New York!

Over the next month I’m gonna go through all my stuff and pack it all up and by Sept, I should be up there, looking for my next gig. The best part about that, of course, is that after two+ years of keeping up a long distance relationship, Adam and I are finally going to get to live in the same city

No more being apart.

No more 4:40am Monday morning trains from NY to DC.

No more Long Distance.

Everything happens for a reason, right?

Now, you may be wondering why it’s gonna take me until September to get my stuff together. This would be the reason:

I am going to be on this boat, cruising around the Greek Islands.

The timing ended up being a little wierd, considering the unemployment factor, but if you’re going to get canned and feel the need to reflect on the meaning of life, you might as well be doing it on a yacht.

I guess everything *does* happen for a reason.

Hey, maybe this will mean I end up blogging more! you know, since I have all this new free time an’ shit. HA!

Anyway, I’ll be back August 4th with tons of pics, a new zen attitude, and a word or two about boobies (I didn’t forget about the contest )

‘Till then, ok?