September, 2005

The September Roundup: Part One

Here are all my pics from the first half of September 2005!

Tuesday, August 30th

The day after returning from my (unplanned!) month-long trip to Korea and Japan, Meredith surprised me with a belated birthday cake! (My 29th birthday happened while I was teaching in Korea).

me, meredith — Here's Meredith giving a look to the camera that says "I like you enough to buy you a belated b-day cake, but I'm still not quite sure if you're boyfriend material, Disappearo!"

Wednesday, August 31st

leigh — The next day I got lunch with this funny looking lil' elf and then we did some people-watching in Union Square.

Afterwards, I ended up in a bookstore where I found this amazing book of magazine ads from the 1980s. Check out this fucking AMAZING ad for a clothing store called Chess King. A dragon? Curly-haired muscle dude wearing headphones and holding a broken chain in one hand and an oiled, topless slut with a ceremonial dagger strapped to her leg in the other?

Whoa, upon closer examination, I realized that the dragon's tongue is turning into the dude's headphones. I'm not sure what the deep symbolism means exactly, but it's sure-as-shit left me speechless. Wow. Just wow.

vin — After the book store, Vin came over to Sarah's (where I was still staying before moving into my new apartment with Niki in a few days) and I gave him a bunch of nerdy Japanese action figures that I'd bought for him in Tokyo.

Thursday, September 1st

grant — On Thursday morning, Grant grabbed the NJ Transit train with me out to my parent's house...

...so we could rent a U-Haul and pick up all the stuff that I'd stored in my parent's basement so that I could remain semi-homeless and travel.

I'd just gotten the keys to my new apartment with Niki and after loading up the truck...

fatty, grant — ...we drove back to NYC and then Fatty (and my Dad, not pictured!) helped Grant and I move all my stuff into my new place. Thanks so much, guys!

Here's all my stuff dumped into our new living room! Woo!

And here's my new bedroom!

hot karla, me, niki — Later that night Niki and a few of her friends came by to drop off some of Niki's stuff...

niki — ...and I busted out the decorative bottle of Ouzo (shaped like a Greek Warrior!) that my parents had brought back for me on their trip to Athens. Here's my new roomie Niki admiring him.

hot karla — Niki's friend Karla (aka "Hot Karla") showing him off.

meredith — Meredith cut right to the chase: she popped his lil' Greek Warrior head off so she could drink his delicious licorice-flavored blood.

hot karla, meredith, niki — Here's to new roomies! Opa!

Friday, September 2nd

fatty — Friday morning I took the Fatty out for some delicous pad thai to thank him for helping me move, then I headed downtown to meet up with Niki so we could do some...

niki — ...furniture shopping for our new apartment!

Here's me testing out a chair. (Check out that sweet peek-a-boo panty action down my right leg. *ROWR* That's a bonus for all you ladies out there! You're Welcome!)

We ended up buying this set! (And we ended up getting a crazy deal! We furnished our entire living room with eveything you see here for like $1100 including delivery! Wooo!)

leigh — Later that night, I helped Tinny carry some piece of furniture she found on the street up all five god-damned flights of stairs up to her apartment! It was just a furniture kind of day!

Saturday, September 3rd

me, meredith — On Saturday morning Mer and I got up bright and early and took the A train out to Rockaway Beach! Fuck the Broadchannel shuttle transfer to the 118th St. Beach! We stayed on the A all the way out to 60th Street and go to the (sorta sketchy, but always totally empty) beach out there in the middle of nowhere.

Plus, the last house on the street before you get to the boardwalk always has the sickest hotrods parked out front. How do you top this bad boy?

How about with a slammed Cadilliac hearse with straight-pipe exhaust? Hoo-ah!

And see what I mean about the beach? Almost empty!

meredith — Oooh-la-la!

I didn't even go swimming and somehow I still managed to get beach-hair.

meredith — After we left the beach, we took the train up to Chelsea and hit Bed, Bath and Beyond to get some pillows and sheets for my new apartment. Meredith kept trying to convince me I needed this sweet-ass Bon Jovi pillow. Hahaha.

josh m — Later that night we all went to Misshapes. I didn't even dance. I just hung out in the backroom, got krunked on free vodka (woooo!) and somehow took pictures of a bunch of people wearing the same creepy, ShirleyTemple-esque wig. Here's Josh.

leigh — Leigh.

meredith — And Meredith. Hahaha.

Sunday, September 4th

leigh, piper — On Sunday a whole buncha us when to brunch at Kate's and we all fawned over Ellen's brand new chiuaua puppy named Piper that she snuck into the restaurant. Here's Leigh about to chomp her tiny lil' puppy ear off.

meredith, niki — After eating, Meredith and Ellen came over to Niki and my new apartment to check out the view from our sick roof deck. Here's Mer and Niki.

me, piper — And here's me carrying tiny Piper in her puppy-papoose. Hahaha.

ellen, meredith — Later we went to Circuit City so that I could buy a new TV for our apartment wooooo!

ellen — Then Ellen came over and helped me unpack and set up the new TV. Thanks, honey!

ellen, piper — Here's me out on the street wishing Piper the puppy and Ellen a good night.

jen hoche — Later that night after unpacking some more, I headed out to Park Slope to meet Jen, Amy and Jess for a drink at a bar called The Gate. (When I moved to NYC in 2000, I lived in Gowanus, BK with Amy and The Gate was like the only bar around back then!). Here's me and Jen!

amy a, jess d — Amy and Jess D. (Holy funniest photo ever. Have anotha pitcha, ladies!)

Monday, September 5th

niki — On Monday morning our new furniture that we'd purchased on Friday was delivered. Here's our living room filled with boxes. Fast forward a few hours later and...

...check it out! Furniture! We have furniture!

Wednesday, September 7th

Meredith snapped this pic of me enjoying my newly-unpacked bedroom.

sarah — Later that afternoon I went over to Sarah's to pick up some more of my stuff and give her the awesome visor / welder's mask I'd scored in Korea. Here's visor mode.

sarah — And here's welder mode! If anyone ever tries to shoot her in the face with a Roman candle, she's all set!

Then later that night I went to see Group Sounds and Fiasco play together and Pianos! Group Sounds was on first.

fatty, frank — Fatty give Frank the ol' "get a load of this guy."

sexy joe — Fiasco performed last which meant they had to endure Sexy Joe's naked antics while they played (check out Grant's face! Hahaha).

sexy joe — Heave-ho! Throw the naked guy up onto the stage!

jared, meredith, sexy joe — Hahahaha. Sexy Joe and Meredith recreate what happened after the last Group Sounds show (when Jared laughed so hard he threw up!).

meredith, sexy joe — Sweet hat!

karen, meredith, sarah — Then we went to Orchard Bar to see Karen and Sar!

brandon, lizzy — Look! Lizzie and Brandon were there too. Woot.

Thursday, September 8th

meredith — After an early morning breakfast at the Dunkin Donuts on Houston, Meredith and I walked over to the 6 train and headed up to...

...the Bronx Zoo!

Monkeys!

Er, I forget what this was called! But he was sorta like a giant, lumbering ant-eater type guy!

Giant fishes!

meredith — Hahaha.

Look how close one of the male peacocks came to us! He was so friendly!

Errrr, ok. Or maybe it was because I was tempting him with some delicious zoo-fries!

That's right! Come an' get it!

Hahahahah! He likes it! He likes it! Look at him with a fry in his little beak! And don't pretend you disapprove! Just because he's pretty doesn't mean he's not just basically a giant, turquoise pigeon. Hahaha.

Afterwards, we went into some critter-house, but it was too dark in there to take photos (and you weren't allowed to use a flash for fear that you'd sear the all the little creatures' retinas). So instead, I took this backlit photo of one of the signs on the way in. Awwww, he's so cute!

Polar bears!

They were so fun to watch moseying around.

Then we went over to the tiger house!

Tiger bath!

Eight feet tall?? Who knew!

meredith — Stretch.

Well, now you know.

meredith — Before leaving, we made sure to feed some ducks.

sarah — Later that night I met up with Sarah and we had a kick ass dinner at that Argentinian restaurant on Ave. C (Esperanto?).

And then we went to Joe's Pub to see Fiasco play.

Friday, September 9th

meredith — Friday night, Meredith and I headed down to the Jersey shore to hang out with my parent's at their little shore house down there. Reststop Pizza Hut on the way down. Greasetastic!

Saturday, September 10th

dad, me — This pic pretty much sums up how I spent the next two days. Passed out on the beach with a book on my lap.

For dinner, we all went to this awesome all-you-can eat buffet place that's right around the corner from my parent's house called Ming Dynasty. It's pretty much the most food I've ever seen at a restaurant ever.

The best part about Ming Dynasty is that they're always having to change their "eating policies" because all-you-can-eat places attract really fat people who go there because they want to make sure they get "their money's worth." Check out how they had to amend the sign to reduce the maximum stay down to two hours. Think about that. That means that at some point, enough people would show up, eat, then hang out for like 3 or 4 hours until they were hungry, and then eat again! That's why they had to update this sign!! Incredible!

It's hard to tell from this picture, but one of the seats in our booth was broken and sunken-in from all of the super-huge fat people that must've been responsible for the reduction in "maximum stay" time.

Nobody loves the all-you-can-eat dessert bar more than...

dad — ...this guy! Treat hound!

meredith — Meredith...

mom — ...and my mom totally didn't get their money's worth.

Sunday, September 11th

me, meredith, mom — Whoa, I'm actually awake on the beach here! How'd that happen?

meredith — Later that night Mer and I went to the grocery store to do some shopping because Meredith offered to cook my parent's dinner to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary!

meredith — Who's a Good One?

meredith — Thanks, Mer!

meredith — After a long day of the beach and then cooking in the kitchen, Mer passed out early! I woke her up from her little nappity nap, and then she and I took the train back up to NYC so that I could head to...

neil perry — ...Neil Perry's studio to sit in on Fiasco recording their record.

frank — Check out the intensity with which Francesco plays the triangle. Hahah. (This picture looks like it belongs on the back of the Spinal Tap DVD).

grant, neil perry — Grant preparing to lay down some "hott lixx."