تكيف

i find myself in quite a pleasant mood at the moment. i'm playing Arabian princess - that means i'm sprawled out on my bed in my underwear smoking my hookah and listening to my 'Arabic Groove' album. this is all thanks to ben, who sent me new tobacco and new coals that work amazingly - i was getting so frustrated with the coal i have considering it wouldn't stay lit. with these i had thick, flavorful smoke in about 30 seconds. huzzah!

now this is after i biked home from campus. that's right, biked. i bought a bike from Jojo (LAG director) for $80 - a diamondback mountain bike with new city tires, a lock, and also an extra set of mountain tires. now since probably the year 2000 i have mounted a bicycle only once, while with my Polish boyfriend Jarek during the summer of '06. we went to the forest and lake region, Mazury, and we stayed at this lodge where he insisted we rent bikes to ride around. i recall being a huge spaz. nonetheless i managed to survive getting home today - it only took about 15 minutes. it was quite hilly, so i am definitely going to be sore tomorrow, but that's fine.

work was pretty lame as usual today, though i went and had coffee with bryan beforehand. i wish i could work in his office - everyone there is fun. i had to do some fulbright stuff for MT, which inspired me to work on the 2nd draft of my Fulbright proposal a bit. i think i made some good progress.

weekend review

well i'm recovered from a wonderful weekend with christopher and couldn't have any less motivation for work and class as a result.

he came in late on friday, and I really have no recollection of us doing anything overly fun. saturday after I got off work we got ready to head to Aquitaine for a nice dinner to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. I took quite a long time to decide on a pre-dinner cocktail, basically because I didn't want to seem like a little bitch with a cosmo, regardless of how delicious Aquitaine's version of it seemed. neither or us could remember what was in a sidecar, so I opted for that, and sure enough there came my sugar-rimmed drink in a little cocktail glass. so much for that!

after eating their delicious little cheese puff bread things, I moved onto the chicken liver mousse terrine with cornichons, whole grain mustard & warm levain. it was delicious, though for some reason my palate just wasn't going for its saltiness that night. oh well. for dinner i had the roasted lamb provençal, something i did not see on the online menu. it came with artichoke hearts and some other vegetables that I don't recall - it was delicious. bobo started with a French Manhattan, had the salade du marché, and then the steak au poivre. we both had wine with dinner, but we ended up being too full for dessert.

we then met up with bryan and proceeded to drink sherry and wine before we finally figured out what christopher's friends were up to, and as a result headed back to his place. we managed to get in a fight on the way home, as is often custom when we leave bryan's, but after drinking more at dwight we were just fine. seeing people like kaitlyn, pam, and mark there was a pleasant surprise.

sunday i worked, and in the afternoon went to a bastille day festival in harvard. it ended up being lame, complete with very unfrench brazilian dancers, but walking around harvard square is always nice. bryan, peter, kristen, and john accompanied us. that evening i ended up being tired as shit and passed out by 11.

we spent monday morning in beacon hill (i ditched work and class) and sat at a cafe for a bit. after grabbing pizza at upper crust, we went to eat it in the public garden. some shopping ensued - i got nice pants from zara - and then we headed back. stopping at trader joe's, we picked up stuff for dinner, then made dinner for kristen and gopi back at dwight. later we drank a bit and made s'mores before heading back here to sleep.

today i worked at BC, but Chris picked me up for lunch at Fin's. i really do love their lunch specials - such a good deal! i got the Unagi Bento and he the maki lunch. then it was a quick stop at pier 1 and then back to his place to pack before he went back to CT. i ended up working out, buying a bike helmet, and stopping at shaw's. that's about the extent of my day/weekend!

още само четвъртек

well thank Satan it's Thursday, I've had about enough of this week. i had anticipated doing my homework for class tonight, but of course i was stupid and forgot it at home, so work is particularly tedious today. the highlight of my morning has been campus mail from Bryan directed to the "front little desk" of my department.  

last night i had my first lesson with Adam chez Adam and Bob. it was an enlightening experience despite my inability to perform one of the musical numbers i had viewed throughout the evening, resulting in my sub-par grade of 80 on my exam. i am also happy to report that a 4:1:1 ration of gin, vermouth, and olive brine, makes quite a good martini.  

unfortunately the very end of my evening was spoiled by an unpleasant phone conversation. i think it must have been the moons last night that resulted in lovers' quarrels as such. i am over it, however, and very much excited to see christopher tomorrow. 

as for the rest of today, i'll pick up my check, go to the gym, go to class, and then tonight is a rommie reunion with Allie and Sistah Gurl (read: Alex and Jeff). we'll most likely end up at Estate. i certainly hope I'm not escorted out again, lol.  hopefully i'll just pass out at jeff's so i don't have to take a cab home by myself. 

oh, i've also become a fan of new musician, Jay Brannan. he just recently has become available on Itunes and is a cute gay boy who sings about wanting to be a housewife and other fun things.  

добър ден на всички!

I won a free flatbread sandwich or personal pizza at Dunkin Donuts this morning. Perhaps that means I'm in for a good day.  although i am poor, i still manage to scrape up the funds for coffee in the morning when I could have made it myself at home. this morning we were out of milk, however, so i suppose i can justify it.  i also enjoy listening to the people speak Portuguese at DDs. the one guy always smiles at me, though, and sometimes i wonder,  lol.  maybe i can get free food from him.

yesterday was an ok day.  it was christopher and my 1 year anniversary and i had to spend it alone with his being in CT.  he's coming in friday through tuesday, so really i shouldn't complain, but i couldn't help but feel a bit sad not being able to see him.  i ended up getting a haircut after work - only the best for me at SuperCuts - and then joined BSC for the 2-week trial membership.  i still have to talk to Peter to see whether or not joining for real with his friends & family discount is my best option.  then again, looking at my finances again last night, i can't afford it unless i get some more graduation checks in the mail.  

BSC is literally around the corner from me, and the air-conditioning alone is enough for me to justify not going to the plex anymore.  i'm going to miss looking at the orange/anorexic girls spending 6 hours on the ellipticals, but i must move on with my life.  i also like the tvs - i watched a fat, unpopular girl try to become prom queen on MADE while i ran on the treadmill. it was truly inspiring.  

today doesn't have much in store for me. i'm discussing the fulbright with MT at noon, then probably BSC after work. then i'll probably sit and waste away in the heat of my apartment. i want to learn how to make a good martini, so i could have fun with some taste tests (and getdrunk alone), but unfortunately finances prevent me from picking up a decent bottle of gin (i.e. not something that comes in a plastic bottle a la the gin we have right now)

oh well...

non volens diem carpere

and so begins another lame-ass week in the Slavic Department...

the 4th of July ended up being very nice. that morning Bryan, Mel, and I met at government center to go to Haymarket, but naturally it was closed due to the holiday.  we had though that the farmers would still have come and sold their produce considering they still would have had it and would've wanted to make money, but we were wrong.  we instead got breakfast at Starbucks, ate free samples (like pork tenderloin) from the random vendors there for the holiday, and after meeting up with our friend Anthony, Mel and I walked all the way back to the apartment, stopping at Shaw's along the way.  

by the time we got home it was perhaps 1, so we had lunch and started drinking.  we were soon joined by Christina and her bag 'o booze - i am now a big fan of Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat as a result of this magical  bag. we headed over to 1800 for a bbq drinks in tow, and after stuffing our faces (and after I stopped at a party where people were apparently doing acid), we headed back to the apartment.  

by this time i had gotten in a mood not even st. john's could help me overcome.  i don't know what it is with me drinking and getting upset lately, but i ended up for the rest of the night refusing to pick up my phone when christopher called. dick of me, i know. i felt somewhat better after another couple drinks, and so the three of us (anthony had left to meet his fam) headed to the fireworks.  

we met up with peter, bryan, adam, and bob on the mass. ave. bridge, and i ended up being quite satisfied by the Boston fireworks display.  i even found myself somewhat emotional when the pops played Nessum Dorma alongside the display. on account of the stampede leaving the bridge and the sardine-can-packed Ts, we walked all the way back, stopping at Joshua Tree to devour spinach and artichoke dip.  

the rest of the weekend was tiring and uneventful, mostly on account of my having to work 9-4 and 10-4 saturday and sunday.  unfortunately i really do need the money. i went and drank at kristen's saturday  night, then last night was spent writing my fulbright proposal and doing some latin.  

i suppose i'll try not to fall asleep now...i'm definitely going to fail my latin quiz tonight. oh well. 

senectus

so i suppose this means i'm an old man now. having just gotten home from class, i'm drinking tea, staying in despite my not having work in the morning, and i am looking up recipes for a good nightcap.

it really is becoming more and more apparent that going out with heterosexuals is no fun, despite how fun the people actually might be in an everyday situation. i have friends out on boylston right now, but after the 30 minute T-ride i would only be faced with long lines, hooker-esque figures calling themselves "ladies", and their male counterparts in an assortment of ralph lauren polos and oxford shirts complete with a backwards boston redsox cap. despite the fact that you may be attractive, i'd much rather see you in a porno and not have to actually interact with you.

i'm continued to hate and dread my latin course, but my grades are improving on those wretched quizzes and the "big picture" of latin is becoming clearer and clearer. class tonight dragged on, nonetheless, and i'd much rather have been out drunk somewhere. what i'd really like to do is split a bottle (or three) of wine with christopher and just...well...*sigh*

hopefully this "holiday" weekend is enjoyable enough. breakfast with bryan and mel in the morning, then haymarket for some produce. perhaps real grocery shopping later on. then who knows - probably drinking something red, white, and blue and stuffing hot dogs or burgers down my throat. then fireworks and passing out before work at 9 on saturday. fuck me.

главата ми боооооооли

I suppose it has been long enough since I updated, though there isn't much to be discussed. 

Apparently I've been mildly depressed as of late, as evidenced by my blackout sob-fests that have occurred over the last two weekends.  I'll attribute them to financial woes, the miserable weather (at least in an apartment sans a/c), Christopher's absence, general loneliness, and the ever-present uncertainty of my future endeavors.  I got myself overly worked-up yesterday morning over nonsense and found myself wanting to cry on the T on the way home. 

Thanks to Bryan, however, I became friends with St. John and his Wort.  I marched over to Trader Joe's after getting home and made the $7.99 purchase along with a body detox kit, then went over to Peet's to sit and people watch and work on my Fulbright personal statement.  Within 20 minutes of taking the miracle herb, I was feeling quite chipper - whether or not this was of my own doing, or the herb, I don't really care. Moral of the story is that I was feeling much better. 

With respect to the Fulbright, I am again pressing forward for the 2009-2010 grant despite previously having decided against it.  I sent some e-mails back and forth with MT, and she was incredibly encouraging, saying how what I had written to her was already a personal statement and project proposal in the making. To quote her, "Andorra or bust!"  Were I to receive and accept the grant, I would end up splitting my MA down the middle and finishing in 2011 instead of 2010. Seeing as I'm sure I'd come up with something for my thesis while abroad, I think it would help if anything. Yay Andorra. 

After Peet's I went home to study some Latin (still the bane of my existence), made some dinner, and then went to meet Jillian at White Mountain for some Mint Patty frozen yogurt. I really need to start leaving the apartment more frequently - I get nothing accomplished there, and regardless of whether or not there are people to hang around with, it's great to get out.  

Today is another humdrum day in the department. I have my interview for the Summer OIP assistantship at 2:00pm, so hopefully that goes well. At least it's something I legit am interested in, so hopefully that shines through.  Ok I need some caffeine. Tata!