i keep a diary

July, 2011

The July Roundup

Here are all the photos I took in July 2013 that didn't end up in their own entry!

Friday, July 1st

I woke up on Friday morning to an email notifying us that our recently launched Pictimonial app got its very first customer in the wild. We were excited!
pictimonial ˆ work ˆ yodle
me, meredith
A little after noon, Meredith and I put on our beach best...
camera ˆ mirror ˆ me ˆ meredith
...and hopped on the A train out to Rockaway.
subway
Beach 110 Street Cadillac hearse!
far rockaway ˆ hearse
meredith
Beach 110 Street is usually pretty empty.
far rockaway ˆ meredith
meredith
It's especially empty...
beach ˆ far rockaway ˆ meredith
...on a Friday afternoon!
beach ˆ clouds
me, meredith
Beach bunnies.
beach ˆ best ˆ sunglasses ˆ me ˆ meredith
Nice and quiet.
beach ˆ flip flops
meredith
Getting ready to pack it up.
beach ˆ sunglasses ˆ meredith
Hey, everyone: MOAR CONDOS!
beach ˆ boardwalk ˆ clouds ˆ condo
me, meredith
Solid day.
boardwalk ˆ me ˆ meredith
Ah, Rockaway.
boardwalk

Saturday, July 2nd

On Saturday Ellen and I walked over to Tompkins Square park and found a crowd of people...
crowd ˆ tompkins
Swing dancing to a...
dance ˆ tompkins
...piano & banjo combo!
dance ˆ strangers ˆ tompkins
ellen, piper
Ellen and Piper!
tompkins ˆ ellen ˆ piper
Ellen brought us cupcakes!
cupcakes
ellen, meredith
Frosting hands!
cupcakes ˆ ellen ˆ meredith
meredith
Cleans up nice, no?
meredith

Saturday, July 2nd

On Saturday I started going into plant stores and looking around. (Two years later, I have A LOT of plants).
plant
meredith
When I got back home, I found Meredith & Ellen decorating our place to celebrate Catrinel's birthday!
e9th apt ˆ meredith
ellen, maddy, meredith, piper
Such party professionals!
dogs ˆ ellen ˆ maddy ˆ meredith ˆ piper
catrinel, sarah h
Later that afternoon, we met up with the birthday girl for lunch at Back Forty.
birthday ˆ brunch ˆ catrinel ˆ sarah h
ben, meredith
Meredith & Ben.
brunch ˆ ben ˆ meredith
caiti, ellen, me
Caiti, Ellen & Me.
brunch ˆ caiti ˆ ellen ˆ me
ben, meredith
The only thing better than birthday cake is BIRTHDAY BISCUITS!
birthday ˆ candles ˆ ben ˆ meredith
catrinel
Hahaha.
best ˆ birthday ˆ brunch ˆ meta ˆ catrinel
catrinel
Happy birthday, Cat!
birthday ˆ candles ˆ catrinel

Monday, July 4th

I was up early and headed to the subway to meet Cat at the beach.
walking
Stolen smile.
graffiti ˆ smile
I made it to the beach a little before noon.
sign
Pegs!
bike
Empty lots.
far rockaway
catrinel
After a little bit of wandering, I managed to find Cat.
beach ˆ catrinel
Small waves + holiday = not very crowded.
far rockaway ˆ surf
Long boards help...
surf
...you catch ankle-biters all day long.
surf
catrinel
Pretty nice little Monday.
4th of july ˆ best ˆ far rockaway ˆ jump ˆ surf ˆ catrinel
catrinel, dominika
A little later that afternoon, Cat's friend Dominika met up with us. (She is one of the best surfers I know!)
4th of july ˆ beach ˆ catrinel ˆ dominika
Meredith rolled us beach-doobers! (Sour Diesel & Blackberry Kush)
joint
catrinel
I even got to catch a ride back!
car ˆ tongue ˆ catrinel
Surfboard jigsaw
surf
catrinel, dominika
Haha.
hug ˆ catrinel ˆ dominika
catrinel, dominika
All loaded up and ready to head home.
4th of july ˆ driving ˆ surf ˆ catrinel ˆ dominika
One of my favoritest 4ths.
4th of july ˆ driving ˆ far rockaway ˆ surf
We passed PUMPS on the way to Dominika's.
driving ˆ pumps
catrinel, dominika
Let's hear it for new friends!
4th of july ˆ catrinel ˆ dominika
Brooklyn.
brooklyn ˆ driving ˆ nyc
me
The sunset was...
driving ˆ me
...so colorful! Tangerine...
bridge ˆ driving ˆ nyc ˆ sunset
...then pink & purples! Nature's fireworks proceeded the man-made stuff.
driving ˆ nyc ˆ sunset
catrinel, me
Same thing again tomorrow?
catrinel ˆ me
Magical sunset next to the new mural that was painted on our building.
sunset

Tuesday, July 5th

On Tuesday morning I got a text from Cat about going surfing again! Meredith and headed out to Brooklyn and met up with Cat & Dom...
surf
catrinel, dominika
...and we all headed back to the beach!
driving ˆ surf ˆ catrinel ˆ dominika
Why get a surf rack when you can just put it in?
driving ˆ surf
This time we can down to Beach 92nd.
catrinel
Unloading zone.
surf ˆ catrinel
Professional setup.
beach
me
Sexy neck-growth?
beach ˆ rockaway beach ˆ sunglasses ˆ me
dominika
Adventure stories!
beach ˆ dominika
me, meredith
Beachjers.
beach ˆ me ˆ meredith
catrinel
The Queen of Snacky Beach.
beach ˆ catrinel
We packed it up around 5:30.
Did you know if you zoom in really close...
bridge ˆ driving
...you can see Manhattan in the distance?
nyc ˆ skyline
dominika
Afterwards, we went back to Dominika's to hang.
dominika
dominika
BAT MOBILE!
dominika

Wednesday, July 6th

piper
On Wednesday evening, Ellen (and Piper) came and picked me up and we went out to Brooklyn to see...
driving ˆ piper
...Partha Mitra speak at Super Secret Science Club!

Thursday, July 7th

On Thursday afternoon, I went over to the LES to hang with Edie.
dogs ˆ edie
A little after 2pm, we walked around the corner to see if we could get in on some...
buildings ˆ clouds
...Thursday afternoon...
leigh, ryan m
...hotel pool action!
pool ˆ leigh ˆ ryan m
Wherever you go, there you are.
After a nice relaxing swim, Edie got gang-brushed! Hold her down!
dogs ˆ edie ˆ teeth
jeet
Gurj came over for a hang later that evening!
lifted ˆ jeet
maddy
We ordered veggie Vietnamese food from Lan Cafe (mmmmm!)....
food ˆ maddy
jeet
...and then headed around the corner to Sheen Brothers on a...
thumbs up ˆ treats ˆ jeet
...TREATQUEST!
thumbs up ˆ treats
meredith
Later that evening Meredith came home showing off a new volunteering shirt.
meredith
jeet, maddy
We watched Egyptian pyramid conspiracy movies and then lapsed into treat comas!
asleep ˆ jeet ˆ maddy

Saturday, July 9th

maddy
Taking the pooch to the park.
walking ˆ maddy
catrinel, ellen, mark holmes
Later that evening, we met up with Ellen, Cat and Mark!
crosswalk ˆ nyc ˆ walking ˆ catrinel ˆ ellen ˆ mark holmes
catrinel, meredith
Summer lovelies!
sunglasses ˆ catrinel ˆ meredith

Sunday, July 10th

catrinel
On Sunday I took the subway out to BK to meet up with Cat...
catrinel
...and we drove out to Rockaway!
sign
The waves aren't big...
rockaway beach ˆ surf
...but they're ridable if you've got enough board under you!
rockaway beach ˆ surf
catrinel
We grabbed a slice around the corner while we waited...
food ˆ pizza ˆ catrinel
...for some longer, wave-appropriate boards to arrive.
surf
catrinel
Who needs a roof rack when you've got a mom-van?
driving ˆ surf ˆ catrinel
me
Here, I'll hold them in place with my head!
sunglasses ˆ surf ˆ me
catrinel, me
Headed home! Good day, buddy.
driving ˆ catrinel ˆ me

Monday, July 11th

maddy
Not impressed with the pack at the park. We go look for squirrels now?
dog park ˆ maddy
The Experts.
movie
eric g, louis kanganis
Later that evening, I met up with Eric & Louis and we reminisced about the Spring Street Networks days.
spring street networks ˆ eric g ˆ louis kanganis

Wednesday, July 13th

On Wednesday afternoon I moved a painting in our living room and found that someone who had been in our apartment in the last two years had secreted away a mystery bag of drugs and/or anthrax. (Turned out to be the former, btw.)
painting ˆ wtf

Thursday, July 14th

This is what is what working from home looks like! Woooooo! (I like this photo in contrast to the previous photo! Mystery drugs! Chocolate croissants! I like to hold things up to my camera!)
flux capacity ˆ home office ˆ work ˆ yodle
Later that afternoon, I went into BuzzFeed's offices to discuss some possible work.
flux capacity ˆ work

Friday, July 15th

maddy, meredith
I woke up super early on Friday and got all my work done by 10am. I bid farewell to these two...
maddy ˆ meredith
...mounted my trusty TREK (which has since been stolen. RIP, buddy!) biked down to the B train...
bike
catrinel, me, siege
...and met up with Cat & Siege for another day at the beach!
driving ˆ catrinel ˆ me ˆ siege
Q: What does Brooklyn have in common with pantyhose?

A: Flatbush!
driving
me
We rented two longboards at Boarders...
driving ˆ surf ˆ me
catrinel, siege
...and then drove over to Beach 67th.
boardwalk ˆ catrinel ˆ siege
Totally empty on a Friday!
boardwalk ˆ far rockaway
siege
Not only did we bring an umbrella...
beach ˆ umbrella ˆ siege
catrinel
...we also brought a serious snack-spread along!
beach ˆ treats ˆ catrinel
catrinel
Beach uke babe.
beach ˆ best ˆ catrinel
catrinel, me
The water was totally flat all day, so we did lotsa paddling around.
beach ˆ surf ˆ catrinel ˆ me
catrinel, siege
Love these two.
beach ˆ far rockaway ˆ surf ˆ catrinel ˆ siege
catrinel, siege
Better than work.
beach ˆ best ˆ far rockaway ˆ laugh ˆ catrinel ˆ siege
Plane.
airplane ˆ clouds
Look at the monstrosity of a jellyfish that washed up on the shore! Eeeeek! I dare you to touch it!
beach ˆ best ˆ feet ˆ gross ˆ jellyfish
TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU!
beach ˆ feet ˆ gross ˆ jellyfish ˆ wtf
catrinel, me, siege
Picture this as a tetraptych (four-panel series): One...
beach ˆ squinty ˆ catrinel ˆ me ˆ siege
catrinel, siege
...Two...
beach ˆ jump ˆ catrinel ˆ siege
catrinel, me, siege
...Three...
beach ˆ squinty ˆ catrinel ˆ me ˆ siege
catrinel, siege
...Four!
beach ˆ best ˆ kiss ˆ sunglasses ˆ catrinel ˆ siege
catrinel
We stayed until 6pm and then decided to...
surf ˆ catrinel
...head on home.
bridge ˆ driving
catrinel
Take us away, Catrinel! Hey what are you doing later this weekend?
driving ˆ hat ˆ sunglasses ˆ catrinel

Sunday, July 17th

catrinel, meredith
Cat came over to our place early on Sunday morning and dropped off Drese with Meredith!
e9th apt ˆ catrinel ˆ meredith
Did you know there's a peach tree in the East Village?
peach
Crazytown!
peach
catrinel
We had a brief delay of game when we couldn't get the car open because the battery had died!
catrinel
catrinel, me
But after a jumpstart-recharge, we made it all the way out to Long Beach before 12:30!
surf ˆ catrinel ˆ me
Awesome gardens on the walk to the water.
flower ˆ surf
Long Beach...
tickets
...here we come!
beach
The waves that day were the biggest we'd seen in weeks! After two hours we took a break to wander the boardwalk...
boardwalk
catrinel
...and have a big Italian lunch and beers!
food ˆ catrinel
me
I love my Edie shirt so much.
edie ˆ me
The waves got huge at 4pm and we stayed until 6:30!
sign
me
That feeling when you're driving home and you can still feel the waves moving under you.
driving ˆ sunglasses ˆ me

Monday, July 18th

On Monday I biked down to the Financial District at 8am...
biking ˆ nyc
...because I'd been called for Manhattan jury duty.
buildings ˆ nyc

Tuesday, July 19th

On Tuesday night, I worked on my home office!
home office
The plan was to get rid of these bookcases, replace them with wall-shelves and make room for a new daybed.
home office
books
Keep or give-away piles.
books
Later that night I did a little bit of sketching..
drawing
meredith
...while Meredith...
dehydrator ˆ kitchen ˆ knife ˆ meredith
meredith
...sliced up all sorts of melons in the kitchen!
dehydrator ˆ kitchen ˆ meredith
She was pureeing them, putting them in the food dehydrator...
cooking ˆ kitchen
...and, voila! Homemade watermelon fruit-leather.
dehydrator
It's hard for me to get rid of stuff so I take a photo of it and somehow that helps me let it go. See you later, fictitious Saturn media plan that I had to do for university in 1997.
stuff i got rid of
Look how impressively thick you were!
stuff i got rid of
With in-line color graphics of cars and what-not? You were certainly ahead of your time!
stuff i got rid of
I also found the first draft of...
stuff i got rid of
...Grant Stoddard's (hilarious!) book Working Stiff!
stuff i got rid of
By 2am, I'd managed to clear the office out!
home office
books
Bookshelves in the hallway as a temporary solution until I can put the new shelves up!
e9th apt ˆ books
books
Shelves designated as: KEEP ME / CHUCK ME!
books
maddy, me
Finished up the night relaxing on the couch with my buddy.
couch ˆ maddy ˆ me

Wednesday, July 20th

maddy
New daybed got delivered first thing on Wednesday morning. Maddy was a big fan.
couch ˆ home office ˆ maddy
maddy
Adorable.
maddy
me, meredith
I met up with Meredith and she gave me...
sunglasses ˆ me ˆ meredith
...flyers to hang up in Rockaway that afternoon! Now that I'd started working for myself and didn't have to go into an office every day, we'd decided to try to rent a beach house for the month of August!
beach ˆ flyer
jared
Then I met up with Jared and we took the subway out to Beach 90.
subway ˆ jared
Before hanging up any flyers, we went to check out a place (that we ended up taking). The outside was under construction (and continued to be under construction...foreshadowing!)....
beach house ˆ rockaway beach
...but the inside was in decent shape.
rockaway beach
The price was right and it was only 1 block from the beach!
rockaway beach
After snapping a bunch of photos to show Meredith...
rockaway beach
jared
...we hit the beach for a bit! (Not much going on).
beach ˆ rockaway beach ˆ surf ˆ jared

Friday, July 22nd

After work on Friday, I went to the Container Store and bought some shelving hardware for the home office project!
home office
I like the actual building part, it's all the prep work that I hate.
DIY ˆ home office
Time to get the shelves!
home office

Saturday, July 23rd

Two planks cut and sanded, need to get another piece of wood to finish it up!
DIY ˆ home office
maddy, meredith
That heart stopping moment when you really hope you know what you're doing when you realize that living things you care about are actually going to be napping under the hundreds of pounds of books you've just hung on sheetrock.
maddy ˆ meredith
After dinner, I hid out from the 100-degree heat and watched a Bill Hicks documentary in the AC...
movie
amanda, katie d
...a little after midnight I went out to Katie D's rooftop party in Williamsburg!
party ˆ roof ˆ amanda ˆ katie d
Hungry? Why not cook an egg on the platform while you wait?
subway platform

Monday, July 25th

Tiny howler at the dog park!
dogs

Tuesday, July 26th

eileen, eric g
On Tuesday night, I met up with Eric & Eileen to work on Vaultfolio (RIP!).
vaultfolio ˆ eileen ˆ eric g
jonah, meredith
Later that night, Jonah came over for a hang! Fistfulla ice cream sandwiches, yes! (I just finished listing the Chris Connelly / Saves the Day episode of Going Off Track and it's SO GOOD!)
ice cream ˆ treats ˆ jonah ˆ meredith

Wednesday, July 27th

maddy
On Wednesday I took Maddy over to Leigh and Ryan's.
dogs ˆ edie ˆ maddy
ryan m
Getting ready for the beach...
sunglasses ˆ ryan m
leigh
Dog shades?
edie ˆ sunglasses ˆ leigh
leigh
No cameras, please!
dogs in outfits ˆ edie ˆ sunglasses ˆ leigh
A perfect day of big waves, bodysurfing and cheese fries!
beach ˆ feet
leigh, ryan m
The very minute Ryan's eyes closed, Leigh sprang to work!
beach ˆ leigh ˆ ryan m
leigh, ryan m
The plat de resistance!
best ˆ leigh ˆ ryan m
ryan m
From the deep confines of a wave-crashing lulled sleep, Ryan suddenly became aware of a presence next to him.
asleep ˆ beach ˆ ryan m
ryan m
EGADS! Beach Dong strikes again!
beach ˆ laugh ˆ ryan m
While waiting for the subway to arrive, we spied upon the tracks the remnants of what looked like, an interesting night, to say the least.
subway ˆ wtf
Georgi, getting the job done!
party ˆ wtf
BROKEN TOENAIL, NOOOOOOOO!
gross ˆ ouch ˆ wtf

Thursday, July 28th

Thursday morning at the home office!
flux capacity ˆ home office ˆ work
Later that afternoon, worked on Vaultfolio collaboration with Eric.
vaultfolio ˆ work
maddy
Ah! as the dew I fall,
As the dew I vanish.
Even Osaka fortress
Is a dream within a dream.
- Hideyoshi
best ˆ the cushion ˆ maddy

Friday, July 29th

meredith
On Friday Meredith took the three plastic piggy banks we'd filled up with coins to the bank to cash them in!
meredith
My forty-pound backpack was magically converted into chocolate chip pancakes! Hooray!
food ˆ pancakes
meredith
So granola.
diner ˆ food ˆ meredith

Saturday, July 30th

On Saturday I came down to NJ...
beach ˆ nj
me, mom
...to spend some time with the fam. Related much?
sunglasses ˆ me ˆ mom
Quiet Saturday at the bay.
beach ˆ lifeguard ˆ nj
Ah, New Jersey!
beach ˆ nj
teddy
HAS SEEN MY PEOPLE?
dogs ˆ teddy
grandma, me
Got to spend a bunch of time with Grandma!
grandma ˆ me
amy b, dad, evie
Amy, Evie and Dad getting their BBQ fixins on!
food ˆ amy b ˆ dad ˆ evie

Sunday, July 31st

grandma
On Sunday I spent the morning hanging out with Grandma on the back porch. (I found out she had a sister that I never knew about that passed away when she was in her late twenties!)
sunglasses ˆ grandma
Green yard.
trees
Visitor.
bugs
Sunday bus ride home. What a fantastic month. Happy July 2011!
driving ˆ nyc ˆ skyline

3 comments

  • carolinedecember 7, 2013

    After reading your blog for probably a decade I was pretty startled to see my full name at the beginning of this entry. Super weird! I was that first pictimonial user! I'm sorry to say I don't use it anymore, but I still do hair and still read your blog, so everything's ok.

    • brian battjerdecember 10, 2013

      Hi Caroline! Nice to hear from you! Hope it was a terrible surprise. Thanks again for trying out Pictimonial back in the day. Glad to hear you're still reading this silly thing. ;)

      • carolinedecember 18, 2013

        I still do! I got into it through either Grant or Siege's stuff on nerve back in the day when I was working a summer internship and had A LOT of dicking around time. It must be strange to have all us randos following your life periodically, but thanks for still doing it.