More About My Trip, Part One

The main reason that New Orleans rules are signs like this. Cheap beer and you can drink it on the go:

We had a great time down in the Big Easy, eating at our favorite restaurants (Crescent City Brewery, Coop's, Maspero's, Bubba Gump's) and drinking at our favorite bars (Lafitte's and Tropical Isle). We did lots of shopping and spent lots of money (that was our contribution to post-Katrina N'Awlins - you were not going to see my ass out there cleaning up or building houses, but I can pump money into the economy like nobody's business!). We really spent most of our time walking around, enjoying the atmosphere down there (so relaxed and casual, jazz music everywhere you turn, good smells on Decatur Street from good restaurants - bad smells that still smell good on Bourbon Street).


Me and Patsy on Bourbon Street, standing with another sign that you only see in New Orleans.

My favorite part, other than the obvious (which would be Voodoo Daquiris, with My Chemical Romance playing on the jukebox) was eating at Nola, Emeril's "casual funky" restaurant. It was not casual in terms of price, that's for sure (my meal itself was $27 - whereas I am used to paying $8.99. Yep, I am a classy broad.). But it was so fantastic - the meal was so scrumpdilliumptious (you heard me) that it melted in your mouth and the service was amazing. Amazing meaning that I asked the waiter where the ladies room was and he took my arm and walked me there. It was worth every penny, and me and Hub decided that we need to start dining in better establishments more often. Of course the next day we went to the place we call "The Drag Queen Diner" - I think the real name is the Cloverleaf Diner. Its in the gay section and is fabulous, in every way. The waiters are flamboyant (example: Mommie Dearest was on the tv) and the food is greasy but delish. Their sign advertising the food says, Check Out Our Weenies! It does not get better than that.


Here's me and Patsy under the sign that bears our name.

Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention I picked up some broad from Nebraska. She was visiting with her mom and was out drinking alone, so I let her join us for a few hours and I do think she had the time of her life. She even got me out on the dance floor which just does not happen. Hallelujah there are no pictures of that. Well, none that I will admit to.

And finally here's me and Hub in the Best Bar Ever, Lafitte's, with the best drink ever, the Voodoo Daquiri (for those of you who have asked - its made with ice, grape juice, bourbon, and everclear. Yep, everclear.)

So again, I will say that if you have not been to this fabulous city, you should go. There really is more to do there than drink and its a beautiful part of America that is truly like nowhere else you have ever been. If you are looking for a great place to travel, consider it. You'll have a helluva time and the locals will appreciate your support.

Coming next time: The Wrath of Katrina: Why George Bush Sucks So Hard and Has Deserted An Entire Region for the Past 18 Months, as observed in a semi-non-partison manner by your pal True. There are pictures you just have to see to believe.

If There Was A Prize For Worst Transportation To And From New Orleans, I Would So Win It.

I finally made it to the Greatest City on Earth. But it wasn't easy. As you know, our flight on 3/17 was canceled due to ice. We were rescheduled for Monday night - but of course, because nothing is simple we were delayed for 3 hours, getting us into New Orleans at the delightful hour of 1:00 am. Luckily Patsy and Diddy met us at our hotel with our fave drinks (Voodoo Daquiri for me; Hand Grenade for Hub). Then, getting home, our flight was delayed another 3 hours. AND THEN, our cab from Newark Airport broke down. It was insanity I tell you.

Luckily, New Orleans is worth it. Another time, I am going to do a whole post on the state of New Orleans' post-Katrina state, but let me just say this - the French Quarter, which is all most tourists see, is still perfect. No damage (other than lots of help wanted signs since so many people have left and have no homes to come back to), and still lots and lots of fun. I know the media is telling you there is so much crime down there - its just not true. We had zero problems, zero. This may sound...bad, I dunno...but the crime is all outside the French Quarter and doesn't effect tourists. Its just like in most cities - it is drug and gang violence, which doesn't happen where the visitors are. It happens where the locals are.

The drinks were flowing, the restaurants were fantastic (the service was way better than usual, actually), the tours were crowded, the people were friendly and wonderful as always - it was the same amazing city its always been. If you have never been, now is the time to go. Support a city that desperately needs to get back on its feet and is totally worth saving.

I Have Still Not Made It To New Orleans And I Am Not Happy About It At All.

So. My flight to New Orleans on Saturday was canceled due to the snow. It took me 3 hours to even get a call through to Continental, and once I did get through I sat on hold for over an hour and a half. Finally they got me on the next available flight out - which is tonight (Monday). So as long as I can get out of Newark tonight, I will be in New Orleans by about 10pm. Patsy and Diddy are already on their way down there - they got a 6am flight. I am at work. I was supposed to be in New Orleans from Saturday through Tuesday, and now I am going Monday through Friday. We missed St. Patty's Day down there which sucks, but we had a few people over and had an impromptu "St. Patty's in Jersey Really Sucks" party, which didn't really suck at all. We wore all our crazy greenwear that we were going to wear to the parades and looked like morons. Patsy thinks, after seeing how ridiculously green we were, that the Gods of Alcohol realized we were going to look like idiots on Bourbon Street with our green shamrock hats and tiaras, green sparkly sunglasses, light up green beads, etc etc etc, that they decided to spare us the embarrassment and keep us at my house rather than in public looking like that. There are many many pictures but I don't have them at work, and even if I did, I am not sure I should subject you to them.

So please, think happy thoughts for me that I get out of Jersey today and down to the best place in the world. And that Patsy really meant it that she would meet me as I get out of the cab at my hotel with a Voodoo Daquiri.

I'm in New Orleans. Please Send Bail Money.

So this is what I was going to post tonight so you would know I was basking in the drunken debauchery that is my favorite city, New Orleans. However. It is snowing here and they are saying we're going to get 4-8 inches by tomorrow morning when I am due to leave. Flights are already delayed 3 hours out of Newark Airport. Flights are getting canceled left and right. I am telling you right now, if my flight does not take off tomorrow, I am going to seriously hurt someone. Instead of sending me bail money to New Orleans for doing something crazy, you are going to have to send bail money to the Newark Airport pokey because I, I don't know, punched a pilot or something.

I'll Be The Giver and You Be The Taker

That's a quote from my favorite song right now, All Hail the Heartbreaker. And its how I feel. I feel like everyone wants something from me and its seldom that I get anything in return. So this is a rant about that.

I have this one group of friends who I love, really I do. But they are so needy. I am not going to go into too much detail because I forget who has this blog address and who doesn't, but let's just say that these friends seemed to be trapped in relationships they can't seem to get out of. I have been trying for years to convince them to get out, and finally, two of them are doing it. Which is great, really.

Except that every effing day, these two call me for advice. And believe me, I like telling people what to do so its not that I mind that. Its more that even now that they are feeling strong enough to get out, they are still so weak that they need to call me every day and say, "I don't know if I am doing the right thing, XYZ was sooo nice to me today, maybe I should stay." Its annoying.

And on top of that, another reason its annoying me (other than the fact that I can't tolerate weak people who don't value themselves) is that they are always looking for something from me without ever considering if *I* need anything. They call and call and email and email and its always about them. It reminds me of this line I always remember from the show Judging Amy - the guy says to the girl, I love you because of your strength. The girl says, everyone loves strong people because we never ask for anything. So that's me, the strong one who everyone loves because I don't need anything from them, I can just give and give without requiring anything from you.

Not that I need anything, I don't. I really am strong enough to take care of myself and make easy decisions, like leaving horrendous situations, all on my own without having to be convinced. It would just be nice to be asked.

Oh. My. God.

If you don't fall in lust with Gerard Way after seeing this video, there is something wrong with you. See how pretty he is when he's about to cry? ~swoon~

This is the yet-to-be-released video for the song "I Don't Love You" - its phenomenal and beautiful. I so heart My Chem.

Talkin' Bout Good Times

Another crazy weekend for your friend True. On Saturday night, we went to see Papa Roach in concert. There were 3 opening bands, two of which sucked (It Dies Today and Trim) and the other was good (Kill Hannah). After the show I met the lead singer of Kill Hannah which was cool. So last weekend I touched Evan Dando of the Lemonheads, and this week I touched some guy whose name I do not know from Kill Hannah. Touching famous people rules. Papa Roach was great in concert. I am not a huge fan or anything, but this is still the third time I have seen them in the last 5 months and they put on an awesome show. (That's Papa Roach in the pic.)

Then, we came back to my house for the "after party." My cousin babysat for Princess while we were at the show, so when we got home she stayed and hung out with us. It was good times. She is such a cool kid (she might be just a little under 21 years old so I am not going to give too many details. I don't want you calling Child Services on me). We all stayed up till about 6:30am talking and arguing and laughing hysterically. I was telling her, I so wish she was a little older so she could hang out with the cousins when we go out, and so she could come to New Orleans with us. I love that kid, she rocks. And here's the thing. Everyone says that our little group of friends is really hard to infiltrate. We are like a group of mean girls (even though there are boys in the group) and we don't really like new people. So sometimes when new people try to hang with us, they just can't. We are all sarcastic and we say what we think and don't care much if you get hurt by it. Its kinda like getting jumped into a gang. So here comes my cousin, a young girl of slightly less than 21, and she fit in like she had been hanging with us forever. Of course I have known her for her whole life, but she has never hung out with my friends before. She rocks, seriously.

America Hates Gays and Ugly Chicks!

So in watching American Idol last night, I have come to the following conclusions about Americans:

1. We hate gays more than we hate Indians (please forgive me if Sanjaya is not Indian but some other nationality - I really don't know). Now, I LOVE Sanjaya. I think he is just about the cutest, sweetest thang I have ever seen. He is like a little puppy dog. But to send the other guy home, the swishy fella who can both sing and dance, instead of Sanjaya who is a cutie but can't seem to get enough confidence to sing well - its a travesty. My heart broke when they sent the merry lad home. Its just not right. He wasn't going to win, but didn't deserve to go home yet. That kid can sing, dawg.

2. We don't care if girls can sing, we just want them to be hot and take nekkid pics of themselves doing nasty things. Antonella has such a sub-par voice its not even funny. I would like nothing more than for a girl repping Jersey to be great, but instead she is pretty but can't sing and seems to have a serious attitude (alright, that part is pretty much Jersey, I admit that). She is just getting votes because she is pretty and she has all those semi-scandalous pics out there. And here's a question - why is it ok that she has these pics floating around (including her on a toilet and her drinking underage) and that's ok, but those pics of Frenchie in lingerie were enough to get her kicked off? I'll let you figure that one out.

3. The judges are pretty much morons. My favorite example of this is how one week they tell them they are playing it safe by singing xyz kind of music and they need to take more chances. So the next week they do, and then the judges tell them they are best at singing xyz music and they should stick to what they are good at. Whaaaa???? And, on top of that, if Paula Abdul ever constructs a single coherent thought, I think I will just about die.

4. Why don't Simon and Ryan just do it already???

What's Today's Earworm?

I think I am the worst ever for these things - where you hear a song and then for hours and hours you can't get it out of your head. The absolute worst one for me is that commercial for the tv channel Fuse that features "Dance Dance" by Fall Out Boy but they put all the wrong words as subtitles. So for days I will sing - "Dance, Dance, we're fondling a bug till halftime." It makes me nuts.

Anyhoo- what's your current earworm? For me, right now, Its "All Hail the Heartbreaker" by The Spill Canvas (ha ha, its not a My Chem song, I fooled ya!). I just love the lyrics so much (listed below for those of you who are interested). What song can't you get out of your head?

I had the notion that you'd make me change my ways
My bad habits would be gone in a matter of days
I had the feeling that you'd open up my eyes
To a whole new world that had since been in disguise
But that day will most likely never come for me
And it's just my luck to end up getting stuck
To everything you are
So tonight I'll sit and pick apart your pictures
And overanalyze your words
But the truth is that I've never fallen so hard
It's taking everything in me
Just to forget your sweater so far
I had the notion that you'd make me forget the world
But your undecisive mind shows me that
You are "just another girl"
I had the feeling that those looks you gave me were real
What if I ripped your heart apart at the seams
Maybe then you'd know how I feel
I can honestly say that I never, ever, ever felt this way
Your lips, your eyelashes, your skin
These are the parts of your body
That cause my comatose to begin
I will sleep another day
I don't really need to anyway
What's the point when my dreams are infected
With words you used to say
I will breathe in a moment
As long as I keep my distance
I wouldn't want to go messing anything up
So don't go worrying about me
It's not like I think about you constantly
So maybe I do, but that shouldn't affect your life anymore
I knew it the moment you walked into the door
I'll let you get the best of me
Because there's nothing else that I do well
I'll be the giver and you'll be the taker
I guess that's how this one's gonna go
You've got me down on my knees and I proclaim
All hail the heartbreaker

A Long Post About My "Way" Cool Weekend

So I didn't run away with Gerard Way after the My Chemical Romance concert. But this was still a phenomenal weekend.

Saturday, my sister K and I went to Hoboken to see the Lemonheads. The venue (Maxwell's) was so tiny, it was great. There wasn't a separate door for the band to come in or out, so after the show they had to walk through the crowd to get out. Of course, we ran over and walked next to Evan Dando (total hottie lead singer) and I rubbed his arm. I love touching famous people. They were really good in concert. The last time I saw them was back in the early 90's in their heyday and this was so different. Last time, it was a much larger club and we were right up at the stage and when they came on, the crowd surge was so strong that we all fell down (meaning, like 100 people fell, it was crazy and great). This time, it was mellow and the crowd was exceedingly tame. K and I were the only ones jumping around and I kept daring her to knock the lady next to her down, but she wouldn't. Still good times, nonetheless.

Then came Sunday. My beloved My Chemical Romance in concert in Philly. Rise Against opened and they were really good. The funny thing to me about them was that the portrayed themselves as badass anarchists with their stage set and songs. So the lead singer is making a little speech about Iraq and I am expecting a big anarchist statement. But all he said was "Its time to bring the troops home." Wow, you went out on a ledge with that statement, you wild man.

When we got to the arena, we were probably 25 people back from the stage. I was like, this is doable, I can see and I am pretty close. It was probably 25 people or so deep behind us, so we were mid-crowd. Then My Chem came on and there was of course the crowd surge and we just went with it and ended up maybe 15 people back. Then all these little mosh pits kept opening up all over, and the crowd was really rowdy and kept pushing forward and back. So every time the crowd pushed forward, we did too (and then refused to budge when they tried pushing us backward) and we ended up about 5 people back from the stage. We ended up so close to the stage.

The concert was divided into 2 halves. The first half, they did all songs from the new cd, The Black Parade. They were in black and white makeup and those marching band uniforms they wear. I believe they played every song from The Black Parade cd. It was phenomenal. Every song sounded great and they put on such an amazing show. Then, they took a 5 minute break and came back and did all songs from their previous cd, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. They took the makeup off, which was good because I got to see Gerard's pretty face. He looks great with black hair again (vs. the blonde he had for a while there). During this portion of the set, the crowd got even rowdier because the music is more aggressive. I got kicked in the head once by a crowd surfer but it wasn't so bad. And it was totally worth it to get kicked in the head to be so close to the stage.

I think I converted K into a real My Chem fan, if not by her own choice then by the fact that she was trapped in the car with me for many, many hours as we drove through the snow and ice and sleet to get to and from Philly so she pretty much had to listen to me go on and on with all my very useful and highly interesting My Chem trivia. Plus, she said they put on a great show, that Gerard is a great front man, and I think she is digging on his brother Mikey, the bassist. I will convert you all, one by one if necessary. Patsy, you are next.

Look Out Gerard, Here I Come

I know you are probably tired of hearing about My Chemical Romance and my Gerard Way obsession. Patsy moans and groans and rolls her eyes every time I mention them. But too bad. I am posting about them again.

Its only two days till I see them in concert again! If you remember, I flew to Florida back in December to see them at an all-day-concert-festival-thingee and it was one of the best weekends evah. My seats weren't close, but I did get to see Gerard and the rest of the guys up close when they were signing autographs.

Gerard Way is so gorgeous it is obscene.

For Sunday's concert, I have general admission tickets, which translates to mosh pit tickets. Ya ya. I can't wait. I will be elbowing little 14-year-old emo kids to get up close to the stage. Yes, they will probably say, why is that grandmother knocking everyone over? But I don't care. I have been in mosh pits for longer than they have been alive (this is sad but true; my first mosh pit was in 1992). I CANNOT WAIT.

If you don't hear from me again, its because I have run away with Gerard. It could happen.
*ETA - Or Frank Iero. He is way shorter than me, but I could run away with him too.

A Long Post About My Kid, With a Cool Pic at the End.

I see it as a big responsibility to raise a daughter these days. I need Princess to be strong and tough and not take anyone's crap, have confidence in me that if someone wrongs her in any way that she can tell me and I will kick ass for her, while also making sure she is polite and caring and "good." It's a tall order.

I am always working with her on what to do if she is picked on. The boys in her daycare who are slightly older - meaning like 4 or 5 years old - pick on the younger girls and call them babies or say silly things like, Princess you don't have long hair. When she does have long hair. Silly. But it makes Princess so upset that she cries and can’t sleep because she is running it all over and over in her head when she goes to bed. I don’t get why she is so sensitive (but I think my mom’s genes may be to blame. Sorry mom.). So I have been teaching her what to say – like, "Michael, and I am so three years old and I am not a baby, so you are obviously not very smart. Now get away from me."

We practice this. We also practice how to knock someone down if they hit you. We do this only because there is a little boy in her class who hits everyone, all the time, and I am not having that. The kid needs to get knocked down and I am fine with it being my kid who does it. I even told the teacher, if this kid hits Princess one more time, I am going to have to start teaching her how to knock him unconscious since you are not stopping it. She looked at me in shock, but she could tell I meant it. They just love me there.

Anyhoo, this is a hard part of being a parent. I don't want her to be a bully or to hit other kids without provocation, but I also don’t want her getting picked on. I think she needs to learn to defend herself, preferably with the art of sarcasm and wit, as early as possible. She has a mean face she makes when she is mad and I am trying to get her to use it with people other than me and Hub. While its not as intimidating as my mean face, its pretty good. Check it out.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Its my favorite holiday of all - Mardi Gras. Yes, I love Christmas and Thanksgiving and of course, St. Patty's Day. But Mardi Gras is just about the best idea I have ever heard for a holiday. Drink! Get crazy! Go completely wild! Show your boobs! Whatever! Just be as absolutely insane as you can be on this one last day before Ash Wednesday when you have to repent and suffer for 40 days! What else could be as great as that?

We had our Mardi Gras party on Saturday and it was good times (above is the pic of Princess from our invitations). Patsy was completely hammered and was calling a 3-year-old the C-word (not to her face, and not my 3-year-old). I often wonder why I bother having these parties at all, though, when for me the REAL party doesn't start until about 2am when its down to just our little tribe of friends, jello shots, tequila and stale potato chips. Here's Patsy and me, enjoying good times, in our matching Mardi Gras hats:

Enjoy your Mardi Gras!

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

One Month Till Heaven

Only a month till we go to New Orleans. I can't wait. New Orleans is my favorite place on the planet. Truly, it is like home to me. This will be my 6th trip there. There are 6 of us going (we will, of course, be Princess-free) and its such a good group of friends. Patsy will be going with her man diddy, and the truth is that we can have good times anywhere but we have out best times in New Orleans. And my cousin and his wife are going with us, which completely rocks. The last time I went on vacation with him, it was to Vegas and that was good times. His wife is one of the coolest chicks on the planet. Patsy and I can't wait to show them around our city...all our favorite haunts...like Lafitte's for Voodoo Daquiris, Tropical Isle for Hand Grenades, Pat O'Brien's for Hurricanes, Coop's for the best chicken sandwiches that take 4 hours to make, and my favorite restaurant/bar - The Crescent City Brewhouse. New Orleans is the only place where Hub drinks way too much and throws up. I am so proud.

Between now and New Orleans, I have 3 concerts, and then another the weekend after we come back. Its complete insanity. This jetset life is going to kill me. Ah, but I do love it. This weekend is our Mardi Gras party and I can't wait for that. Next weekend is the Lemonheads on Saturday and My Chemical Romance (look out, Gerard, here I come! You'll recognize me because I will be the only chick over 16 years old in the pit!) on Sunday, and the following weekend is Papa Roach with Kill Hannah. When we come back, we have Taste of Chaos which I can't wait for. That's The Used, 30 Seconds to Mars, Evaline, Senses Fail, and some other bands. I love concerts. I am such a teenager.

Random Thoughts on a Thursday

I saw at Costco last night that the band Roxette has a greatest hits cd. It features 20 songs. How is this possible?

Do you think that when Gerard Way sings the line, "I'm so dirty, babe" he is talking directly to me since I like dirty boys and my nickname from Hub is babe? I choose to believe so. Please don't burst my bubble.

It is amazing how a watermain break can change a 30 minute commute into a 90 minute commute.

I got some new trendy-ish cropped wide-leg pants and I am wearing them today with tall black high-heeled boots. I think they look pretty cute but I am usually anti-trend so its hard to know.

I wish I could find black eyeshadow that stays put and doesn't smear all over the place.

43 days till Patsy and our crew head to New Orleans! Woo hoo!

When a doctor says that your kid has a virus, I think it just means that he has checked her ears and throat and she doesn't have an ear infection or strep. He has no idea what's really wrong but hopes that tylenol for 5 days will make her A-OK again. Idiot.

Oh Maaaaannnnddddyyy....

Yes, that's right, I went to the Barry Manilow concert a few weeks ago at Madison Square Garden. We were in *the* last row, which was fine because we got to stand up and copacabana without people behind us getting upset that we were blocking their view. However, the old bitties in front of us did not much appreciate us screaming all the words or my cousin repeatedly screaming "Barry You Are So Hot!!!"

The old ladies who hated us.

It was a good concert, I mean, even if you aren't a fan you still know all the songs. This was the coolest part: they gave out glowsticks and the whole entire place had them. It looked pretty cool:


And don't think for a minute that just because I was at a Barry concert that I have lost my cool. I am still totally gangsta:


Next concerts: Lemonheads and My Chemical Romance (both in the same weekend!), then Papa Roach, then Taste of Chaos (starring The Used and 30 Seconds to Mars, in addition to some other cool bands). And I can't wait for Bamboozle in May, despite the fact that its a 2 day festival thingee and I still don't have a sitter for Princess because everyone I know is going to this thing. I am contemplating taking her, I mean, she loves the same music I do. Think anyone would call DYFS???

This Is Why People From Jersey Have Attitudes

I am not going to go off on a whole rant about this, but I just want it noted that last night on American Idol, they lied to you. They were not in NY. That was Continental Airlines Arena. In New Jersey. Not NY. I know the NY teams play there, but it is still friggin New Jersey.

This is one big reason Jersey people have such attitudes. We are always the stepsister of NYC, which I get because no place else in the world is NYC. But if you are filming here, playing football here, whatever, ADMIT IT. You are in NJ.

We get a bad reputation because all you see of Jersey is nuclear waste and smoke stacks and pollution and mobsters. Yeah, we have all that too. But we have other stuff as well that we never get credit for because its billed as being "NY".

Ok, off my soapbox.

Dude I Just Went to The Best Party Evah

I hope this makes sense in the morning because I drank ALOT of wine tonight and I hope Patsy reads this message: Dude, I got the house in Cabo.

Ok, so we get invited to this party at our neighbor's house, they are cool as hell but way older than us. But we're like, ok, we have nothing better to do tonight and they live one house away from us, which in Jersey is like, 10 steps. So we go to the party and the hostess within the first ten minutes tells me about her cleaning lady, who is there working, and who gets only $50 for 5 hours of work and is looking for a house to clean on Monday mornings. So of course I book her immediately. I now have a cleaning lady, thank god, for only $50 a week. Hoo-ray.

So then, the party is going on and this girl of maybe 20 is telling me how cool Princess is, and I am like, duh, of course she is. So then she offers her babysitting services and she lives like 5 minutes from us. The only sitter we have now, really, is my mom. So this is a big deal to meet an awesome girl who wants to watch my kid. Ya ya. So this has already been the best party ever, someone to clean my house and watch my kid, this is great.

So then, I am talking to my neighbor (the hostess) who is totally me in 15 years, left wing, anti-establishment, punk rock crazy person, I love her. So we are talking and I bring up Cabo San Lucas, where she owns a house. She immediately offers it to me and my friends and is like, dude, you must go to Cabo, take my house, don't bring Princess because Cabo is not a place for kids but you must use my house whenever you want, seriously. And I am being all modest, as if I have not been planning the Cabo thing since I met her and I am like, seriously? I can use your house? Are you serious? And she is like, oh my god, you must use my house, you must go to Cabo, its the best evah, you will so love it there and you must use my house.

This was the best party evah, even better than one of my own because as kick ass as my parties are no one ever offers me the use of a Mexican party house out of it. I got a cleaning lady, a babysitter, and a vacation house in Cabo out of this party. Plus I drank some very expensive wine which has me quite buzzed at this very moment.

I have been trying to upload a pic of myself because I looked pretty badass if I do say so myself, with my dark hair and red highlights and black eyeliner for days, but for some reason it isn't working. Maybe its because I don't look as badass as I think? Oh, no, don't be ridiculous. I look BAD ASS. And I am going to Cabo. Don't hate.

Here's What I Don't Get

There are a lot of things I don't understand about Republicans. I won't even get started on that because listing all the things I don't get could take a long time. But I do want to mention the one thing that's making me insane (other than the big who-ha about gay marriage - who cares?).

Its the war. Now let me step back a few years. I have never supported George W, but when he told me that Iraq had WMD's, and it was just after 9/11, and I had watched the smoke billow out of the World Trade Center from my office - well, I believed him. I had to - I mean, he knows more than me, right? (And, the supposed left-wing media did absolutely nothing to investigate this or question the administration at all, so regular Americans had nothing to go on but the word of our President). So when he told me that we were in danger I was in favor of the war. Nothing scares me more than terrorism, being that I live less than 10 miles from NYC.

Well. Here we are, all these years later. Iraq was not a threat to us then, although it is now. It seemed that we all "got it" when we voted in November. It seemed that we all said, get these morons who obviously have no clue outta there before they do even more damage. So, what does our all-knowing President do? He decides to send in MORE troops. More, yes, but according to everything I have read, still not enough to get the job done. The whole war has been half-assed to this point, so now he's going to send more kids to die but not enough to win.

I want nothing more than for us to succeed in Iraq. I love my country and I don't want us to fail or be viewed as weak. And before you say it, please understand that I support the troops with all my heart (my cousin is a Marine who served in Iraq and I am prouder than I can say). But I don't get how the President can be so blatently told by Americans that we are sick of this war and of his bumbling of it, only to have him say not only are we not leaving but we are going in further.

I don't know what the answer is so don't ask me. I don't know if we should pull out all the troops now or do it gradually or reinstate the draft and get the real number of troops we need over there to win. I don't know. What I do know is that George W. doesn't know either, and that is scary.

My Top 10 of 2006

I was thinking I should list my favorites in various categories from 2006, because isn't that what we do as we enter a new year? We wrap up the old? To get ready for the new? But then I realized that I only saw one movie in the theaters in 2006 (the Zach Braff movie, I can’t remember what it was called, it was a'ight). So movies are out. And I don't watch much tv these days either. Hm. Ah, but music I know. Music I love. So here, without further ado, are my top 10 songs/cd's of 2006:

1. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (cd): The beauty of this cd is what started my overwhelming obsession with this band, not Gerard Way's beautifulness (although that didn't hurt). I have said this before and will say it again - this cd is pure genius and if you don't like it there is something wrong with you. Get past the "emo" thing, get past the eyeliner and hair, and listen to the music and the lyrics. It's a gorgeous masterpiece about death that somehow manages to not be depressing.

2. 30 Seconds to Mars - A Beautiful Lie (cd): I think this cd came out in 2005 actually, but it hit this year so its worth mentioning. Try not to think of Jared Leto as Jordan Catalano and just listen. Attack is amazing, The Kill is phenomenal, and The Story is my theme song. 30STM is one of my favorite bands and this is a terrific cd.

3. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Don't You Fake It (cd): I fell in love with the song Face Down because even though it is sung by boys it is an anthem to girls in abusive relationships to kick those losers to the curb. And the rest of the cd is great too - the highlights for me are The Grim Goodbye and Your Guardian Angel. Love this kid's voice.

4. Taking Back Sunday - Makedamnsure (song): I didn't love this whole cd, but it had its moments. Makedamnsure is a great song that I haven't gotten tired of. It is quite obsessive and I like that in my music. Their new single, Liar, is pretty good too.

5. Hawthorne Heights - Saying Sorry (song): I love the blend of beautiful, light singing with a harsh, screaming rant here and there. It's such a catchy little tune and I find myself singing it all the time.

6. Avenged Sevenfold - Seize the Day (song): Awesome song by an awesome band. Love how they slowed it down for this one. And the video is fairly disturbing but great.

7. AFI - Miss Murder (song): the whole cd is pretty good, but this song is so catchy and wonderful. Especially since Princess sings along but insists that it says "Miss Maria" (one of her teachers) instead of Miss Murder. Gotta love that. And my God his eyeshadow was tremendous on Dick Clark's Rockin New Year's Eve.

8. Fully Alive - Flyleaf (song): This whole cd didn't do it for me. I tried really hard to love it because I would love for there to be a kickass female rocker out there, but she just doesn't have "it" and her voice is just ok (though she does have a fierce scream that I love). But this song, Fully Alive, is awesome.

9. Circa Survive - Act Appalled (song): I would venture to say none of you have heard of this band or song. But I got a sampler cd at last year's Bamboozle festival and this song was on it and I have been a fan since.

10. Justin Timberlake - My Love & Sexyback (songs): Why I like Justin Timberlake is a total and complete mystery to me. I hate this type of music, I hate boy bands, I hate all of it. But somehow Justin breaks through it all and his music is actually good. Plus, I plan on bringing the sexy back in 2007.

Runners Up: Foxy Foxy by Rob Zombie, Tears Don't Fall by Bullet for My Valentine, Ex's and Oh's by Atryeu, Through Glass by Stone Sour, Diary of Jane by Breaking Benjamin, When You Were Young by The Killers, Pressure by Paramore, Garage Junk Love Song by Ropetree, and Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace.

What songs/cd's did you love that I missed?

My Short List

The topic of "short lists" has been brought up so many times over the past few weeks, from my uncle at Thanksgiving dinner (who had the oddest short list I had ever heard of) to a friend at Princess's birthday party. I figured it would be fun to update mine. I did it way back when and you can find it here, but I am not looking at it till after I get mine done so I can compare without cheating.

Ok, first and foremost, you do know what a short list is, don't you? Its the list of 5 people you can sleep with and your significant other cannot be angry in any way. Its like your get out of jail free card (which would actually come in handy for one of the guys on my list).

For those of you who used to read me before my hiatus, I know you expect Jon Bon Jovi to be at the top. But no. I have retired him. He is like an honorary member. I figure that I have lusted him from afar for 20 years now and it just hasn't happened, so he is being forced to vacate his spot. Now if I were to meet him and the opportunity were to present itself I would kick myself for tossing him, but oh well, I like to live dangerously.

Without further ado, here is my list (keeping in mind that I actually have a rotating list of 100 or so guys who move in and out of the list depending on my mood, so this is based on right this very minute).

1. Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance. He is my latest obsession and is just so damned pretty I can't even stand to look at him. But I can't stand not to look at him either. I love him with black hair, I love him with blonde hair, I don't really care. I just love troubled, dirty, scary rockstar boys. Although in my dreams he is taller than 5'9, since I am 5'8. This is from the concert I went to a few weeks back when I was thisclose to Gerard:


2. Billy Lane of Choppers, Inc. He is the one who needs the get out of jail free card, because he is facing 15 years in prison for manslaughter while drunk driving. Many thanks to my new friend CafeKym who kept me up to date about this even while I wasn't blogging. At least if he is in jail I won't have to worry about him banging strippers. Again, in my dreams he is taller than he is in real life (I think he is 5'10).



3. Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars and various movies. No one has dreamier eyes than Jared. No one. He is prettier than most women. I have met him before and he was a little standoffish. But the last time I saw him he was very nice and friendly, even touching a young girl of 8 or 9 on the nose in a playful manner that had me swooning (see pic from the Buzz Bakesale concert, below). Won't he will make a great 2nd daddy to Princess. Again, he is probably the same height as me, but again, in my dreams he is 6'5.



4. Wentworth Miller of Prison Break. Do I think he is a good actor? No. Do I care? No. He has that brooding thing down pat and when they show him on Prison Break covered in tattoos its a religious experience. Patsy and I are going to share him (and Jared too actually). I think we determined she would have Wentworth first and I would have Jared first and then we'll switch. Sounds fair, I mean, what are friends for? I have no idea how tall he is.


5. Frank Iero from My Chemical Romance. Yes I know I am obsessed with My Chem, but I can't help it. Frank is really cute and I love the tattoos and how dirty he is. Alas, I think he is shorter than me. Where exactly are all the TALL, hot, dirty tattooed punk rock boys???


So who's on your short list????

Is This Totally Weird?

I just realized that I am going to see Barry Manilow in concert in January (yes, I know that fact is odd enough all by itself but I love me some Barry) and then to see My Chemical Romance in February and 30 Seconds to Mars in March. How many people do you think there are in the world who are seeing both Barry and either of those bands within a month of each other? Its very weird yet kinda cool, yes? Or no?

THREE

Today, Princess turns three years old. I don't exactly know how three years have passed so quickly, but it also seems like I have known her forever. If ever I doubt there's a god, I look at the fact that I am the most impatient, self-centered person on the planet and I was given a kid who fits me perfectly and doesn't drive me insane. She is so cool. She listens to good rock music and knows all the words. On any given day she will sing My Chemical Romance followed by Ring Around the Rosie. She "hangs out" like a cool teenager and makes it fun to lay on the floor and play with blocks. She is smarter than me. She laughs so hard that it makes me laugh even when I don't want to. She will see a band on tv and know who it is ("Mommy look, its Jared Leto! Run Away! I'll Attack!"). She tells me she is proud of me when I do something nice for her. She is stubborn, hard-headed, strong-willed, and tough (sounds a little familiar). Even my friends who don't like kids just adore her because she is just awesome. Its like somehow I got the exact right kid for me. I am so lucky to have her.

Happy 3rd birthday, Princess!

I Almost Touched Jared Leto

Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am, in fact, in my 30's. I am not a teenager. My dad always used to tell me that he still felt 21 inside no matter how old he got, and I never understood that. But now I do. On a good day I feel like I am 22, and on a bad day (bad for those who have to deal with me) I feel like I am 16. And I was a baaaad teenager.

At the concert this weekend in FL (see last post to see what a rockstar I am, and see my next post - coming soon - to hear all the dirty details), I got to be very up close to two of my favorite boys, Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance and Jared Leto of 30 Seconds to Mars. I was like a total teenager when I was looking at Jared, he was just so dirty and hot. And then, he starts walking over towards where I was standing. All of a sudden I deserted Hub in quick fashion and basically bum rushed Jared. What would I do had I caught him? Hm, use your imagination on that one. But I didn't get to touch him. I was so close though. Afterwards, Hub was like, um hello, WTF was that, you just left me for Jared! I don't know what came over me but I just had to run at him, like a hormonal 16 year old.

And then, when I saw Gerard Way, I almost cried at the sight of him. He was so beautiful. I had chills, seriously. I didn't get the chance to bum rush him, but maybe next time. He is from Jersey so he'll understand how us Jersey Girls get when we see a cute boy.

One of these days I will start acting my age, but probably not any day soon.

I Don't Know If I'm Back For Good

So I miss this whole blogging thing. I do. I still think to myself when something funny or crazy happens in my life, "gotta put this on the blog." I don't know if I have it in me to keep up with it like I used to though, I just don't know. Princess is turning 3 and she is a full time job by herself, plus of course my actual paying full time job which is turning out to be high stress and high drama (ah, lots of potential stories for the blog there, I can tell you that). Plus my actual life which is really crazy and insanely busy.

I'm not going to "advertise" that I am back, because I am not sure I am really back. But I'm giving it a shot.

Here's an example of how crazy my life is:

Tonight, Hub and I are flying to Florida for a concert. We fly out tonight (Friday) and come back Sunday morning. The concert is all day Saturday. Check it out here: Buzz Bakesale. I have become totally and insanely obsessed with Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance. Yes, perhaps he is a poser, and yes Patsy, I know he was a little scary with the black hair (but you know I dig that scary-boys-with black-hair-and-more-eyeliner-than-me thing). There is just something about the new MCR cd that blows me away; I truly think it is genius. And Gerard is just so purty. So I somehow convinced Hub that we need to fly to FL for a concert, and he somehow agreed. Life is good. I am going to try to smuggle the camera in so I can get some good pics of Gerard (and oh yeah, also of Jared Leto who was my obsessive crush a few months back and is also playing with his band 30 Seconds to Mars at the concert). This concert is just pretty, dirty rock boy after pretty, dirty rock boy and I can't wait.

Scary, dirty Gerard Way. Yum.

Feels good to be (possibly) back.

Taking A Break

I know, you probably think I have been taking a break from blogging for a while now since I post so infrequently these days. Since I started working again, I just can't keep up. I don't have as much time to blog anymore (even though I still have plenty to say).

This is not goodbye forever, but more of a "see ya later" from your pal True. I am thinking of starting a completely anonymous blog where no one I know knows about it and I can truly say whatever I want. If you want the address for it, when and if I do it, email me at atruejerseygirl@gmail.com.

I will still stop by your places as much as I can, and I will let you know when I am back to my old tricks.

NIN

I'm back from Atlantic City - we all went down on Saturday to see Nine Inch Nails at the House of Blues. I forgot how awesome it is to see bands in a club rather than an arena - that moment when the band first comes on and the whole crowd surges forward and you feel the crush of all the sweaty people, and everyone starts jumping around and the energy just takes over you. The first third of the concert was tremendous - absolutely awesome. The there was a little lull - I don't know exactly what happened, but the energy left. Then the final third was awesome - they played Hurt and then closed with Head Like a Hole.

Trent shaved his head, no longer having that longish black hair. He looked HOT.

He inspired me to do another "Short List" of the guys I have permission to have sex with and Hub cannot get mad. That will be my next post and you can be pretty sure Trent will be on it. Here is the last time I did it.

What Did I Do Today?

1. I fired someone who has been with my company for almost 5 years. She thanked me.
2. I sent an employee home without pay who really needs the pay. She did not thank me.
3. I fought with a warehouse manager who thinks he is God when dealing with his employees. And I won.
4. I decided that maybe a trip to Amsterdam, even if for only a few days, would be worth it. I really want to go back to Europe. I am seriously thinking about this.
5. Its 2:15 and I am just having breakfast and taking a break for 10 minutes before my next meeting.
6. I have counted that there are approximately 42 hours before I get to see Nine Inch Nails in concert.

That's about it. What's up with you?

My Kid Rules and Other Random Stuff

(added 2/26)

Have I mentioned lately how cool my kid is? What songs are other 2 year olds singing, may I ask? A little Baa Baa Black Sheep, maybe a little Old McDonald? Not my kid. Princess's favorite song is "Beautiful Son" by Hole, and when she sings it, she makes a punk rock face that kicks ass. She will be the punk rocker I should have been but never was.

She has also started getting scared of things, and she will cling to my leg and say "Mommy, I scared." So I taught her that we aren't scared, we're tough. So now Princess will say, "Mommy I scared - no, I not scared, I TOUGH! Grrrrrrr!" Its so the cutest thing.
-------------------------
I have determined that I can't go to Amsterdam with Patsy and Diddy. Total bummer. But I can't rely on my parents to watch Princess for a whole week while I go swim in the Amstel River (it *is* a river of beer, no?). Its not fair to them. I so want to go to Amsterdam, its on my list of places to see before I die. I really am just dying to go back to Europe in general. But anyway, my amazingly cool cousin Chris is trying to plan a cousins trip to Key West (where me and Hub and Patsy and Diddy and J went in November). I am so in, because a 4 day trip is doable. We also just booked a cruise to Bermuda and the Bahamas for June, and we are bringing Princess with us. It should be interesting. We've never done the vacation thing with her before - we usually do the drop-her-off-at-Grammys-and-go-someplace-we-can-drink thing.
-------------------------
Work sucks. The only good thing is that I am the Chairperson of the Employee Activity Committee and I am planning a trip to the local minor league baseball team's opening game - which just so happens to be on a Thursday when they have $1 beers. Coincidence? I think not. (Patsy, plan to take that night off! Dollar beers - you cannot pass that up!!!)

What's Up With Me?

I threw a little shindig on Saturday evening for my friend who is moving down south (yes Edd, to a Republican state, but once a Jersey Girl always a Jersey Girl). It was over at 11, so me, Hub, Patsy, Diddy, J, and my cousin came back to my house to continue the beveraging. Oh, and did it ever continue. My cousin and Hub went to bed at probably 2 or 3 a.m., and me J and Patsy stayed up chatting and drinking. All of a sudden we hear someone coming down the steps and I see my cousin. My first thought was, yay, he is rejoining us. Then I realized, wait, he has on different clothes and is holding his keys. That's right, he was leaving to drive home; it was 7:30 a.m. We stayed up a while longer, debated rather voraciously about whether its better to be pretty or smart (thank God I am both and don't have to choose, haha), plus I think I may have told J waaaay too much about myself, and then we went to bed around 9 am. Then I was up at noon to shower and go pick up Princess and then have lunch with Hub's family. It was an exhausting night/day/neverending party.

In three weeks we are going to Atlantic City to see Nine Inch Nails, so it will be yet another insanity-filled weekend. I am thinking of dying my hair black before then - too extreme? Its been black before but I was much younger and I think it might look stupid on me now. I want to either go black or blonde - I am sick of being a brunette. I get bored so easily.

A Few Random Thoughts...

I am about to go watch Bill Mahr and then pass out but I haven't been round these parts in quite a while so I thought I would give you an update on mi vida loca:

1. I am going to throw my boss through a window if she screws up one more thing, then explains it as "WE made a mistake and I (meaning her) will fix it." Because let's be real, a true Jersey Girl does not make mistakes and we all know the boss is not fixing anything but her nails.

2. Grey's Anatomy is the. best. show. period. I have been sick for 2 weeks so I couldn't stay up and watch it Sunday but I tivo'd it. I watched it Monday afternoon and bawled my eyes out. Like when Bailey's husband died on the table! That look in McDreamy's eyes! And then he came back to life! And then McDreamy saying "where is she?" after the bomb went off and Addison comes running out but uh-uh, we all knew he was looking for Meredith! So then I watched it again on Thursday night and yup, I cried again. I am a disaster watching that show.

3. My cousin is trying to plan a trip to Vegas, but he is talking about December. Hub can't take off in December so I said I couldn't go. So then everyone starts replying that if True isn't going, they aren't going either. Go me! I rock!

4. My kid is smarter than your kid. She is two, and she is speaking English and Spanish. She knows her days of the week and her numbers in English and Spanish. We don't speak Spanish - she has picked it up from school. I am so proud of my bilingual two year old. Si!

5. Tomorrow night I am throwing a bon voyage party for my friend who is moving to South Carolina. There is an open bar, me and Patsy will both be there, and its going to get ugly because I have had two BAD weeks of being violently ill and feeling violent towards my boss and I am going to take it out on my liver.

That's it for now...I'll visit soon, promise!

Shufflin'

This is how much I rock:

I put my beloved iPod on shuffle, and first came Air Supply's "All Out Of Love" followed by Hole's "Teenage Whore." I so rock.

My Third Husband

I kinda played hooky from work yesterday and went into NYC to the Motorcycle Show at the Javitz Center. It was pretty cool - since it was a weekday it wasn't as crowded as it would have been on a weekend, and it wasn't as big and overwhelming as the Auto Show.

But most importantly, I met Billy Lane again (Billy will be my third husband, as Jon Bon Jovi will be my second).

Yep, he is touching me.

Hub and I went up to his booth before he got there and talked to one of his employees for the longest time. She was so cool, and she reiterated what I already knew - that Billy is a sweetheart. He was due to get to the booth at 2pm to sign autographs but by 2:15 he still wasn't there. I figure he was at some bar, which was fine with me because I wasn't even on line yet. When he finally got there I saw him from afar, and he had his dreads pulled back in a knit cap and looked a little gangsta. Cool. Hub thought he didn't look as good with his hair back, but I disagreed.

We got on line at some point, and while we were online some jerkoff was in the booth, yelling and being completely obnoxious. The employee we had been talking to earlier came over by us and was like, can you believe this guy, he is the biggest ass. I am looking at the guy and thinking, I know this dude. Finally it hit me - he was the lead singer from Smashmouth. He was a complete ass, and finally one of the other employees escorted him away from the booth.

That Jerk From That Sucky Band Smashmouth, and Billy.

We get up to Billy and I started getting nervous. Not because I was seeing my future husband, but because I was afraid my previous impression of him as a kickass guy was going to be shattered if he wasn't as cool as the last time I met him. Well, no need to worry. He was SO awesome. He is so down to earth and just a regular guy. Hub told him that - that he is impressed with what a nice person he is - and Billy thanked him and said that he always promised himself and his folks that he would never change. We talked to him for a bit (Billy actually spends time with each and every person who comes up for an autograph, as opposed to those OCC jerks who treat it like an assembly line and don't even LOOK at the fans, much less speak to them). He is totally the kind of guy who you want to hang out with at a bar, do some shots and drink some beer, and just hang. Hub wants to invite him to one of our parties, which of course I am totally cool with ;)

We also met Matt Hotch, another chopper builder, and he was equally cool. He is much shyer, not as outgoing as Billy, but really cool. We had a normal conversation with him and he was completely down to earth.

Matt Hotch, Cool Guy

Honestly, I am getting more and more respect for these bike builders - their work is awesome and they are completely cool.

It Was 20 Years Ago Today...

Well, maybe not exactly today, but it was 20 years ago that the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off was released. This is one of the greatest movies of all time and its is one of the movies I quote most often (I hail from a family where every other word we say to each other is a movie line).

I will get back to that in a minute, but first let me tell you how this movie inspired me. While it is a hysterically funny movie, my favorite scene is at the Chicago Art Museum where Cameron is looking at the Seurat painting while The Smiths play in the background. He stares and stares at the painting until it all becomes a blur, and it is really such a touching scene. My friend C and I decide we must go see this painting in real life, so we hop in the car and drive from Jersey to Chicago (stopping only to visit Notre Dame). It was one of the most fun trips in my life (and Chicago is one of my favorite places to visit...I even considered moving there). We basically traveled through Chicago as Ferris did - going to the Sears Tower and leaning against the window looking down (yes, they yell at you for doing that), going to a baseball game and yelling "Swing batta batta batta...sa-wing, batta," and of course, seeing that huge, beautiful painting (a copy of which hangs in my dining room) and singing "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" while gazing at it and letting it become a blur. Awesome.

So onto the quotes - my most often used quote is a possibly obscure one, but its "Snooty? Snotty!" from when they are in the fancy restaurant with Ferris pretending to be Abe Froehman, the sausage king of Chicago. There are so many good ones...what's your favorite quote from Ferris Bueller's Day Off?

Its Lonely At The Top

But first...COMING SOON - Christmas pictures, Princess's birthday pictures, and New Year's Eve pictures. Note to Patsy: you were not as neat and clean while puking on NYE as you thought. Hub found chunks in various places in the bathroom. He cleaned it up, so I am not complaining.
------------------------
There are things I love about my job (working in HR). I get to help people with their issues, give them a paycheck, give jobs to qualified people, be a sounding board for suggestions, sell ideas to upper management and then implement them, etc etc etc. But there are things I really hate about working in HR.

The main one is that you can't get close to anyone. I know things about employees, like if they are going to be disciplined, what their raises will be, what their bosses say about them behind their backs, how much their bonus will be, if they are going to be fired. And its hard to look people in the eye and smile and act as if things are normal when I know something's going on. I want to tell them (especially the nice ones), but of course I can't. And the worst part is that in this company, I handle all disiplinary action. So if someone in the company is getting written up, I am the one doing it.

You may remember a few months back when I first started this job, I mentioned "the cool girl" who asked me to go out to lunch with her and her little group. Well these 3 girls are my "crew" here. But as it turns out, the "cool girl" is not liked by her direct manager nor by her VP. One of the other girls is not performing as well as they expected. One of their other friends in the company (who I am not friends with) is going to be fired any day now (I am looking for her replacement and I am going to be the one to fire her). I can't tell them any of this. So how do I go out to lunch and chat and not tell my friends these things?

Another guy, one of our Directors, is going to be written up this week. I have worked really hard to break through this guy's rough exterior and get him to trust me and know I am not your typical HR person. And now, I am going to have to write him up for his attitude. Fun.

What I have realized is that, despite the fact that I DESPISED my former company, the one good thing about it was that there were 6 of us in the department so I could be friends with my co-workers. They were going through the same thing I was. But here, its just me and my director in the department so its a very lonely place to be. I am giving myself a year here, to learn all I can and gain as much experience as I can, and then I am moving on. I have to, for my own sanity.

I Have the Best Hub Evah.

Well hello strangers, I am back. My boss is off this week, so despite a huge workload that is burying me I am here with you! What a gal!

Christmas was just lovely this year. I think I got the best gifts evah this year. I made up a new song to celebrate my gifts: "Have a Coachy, Coachy Christmas, right this very moment..." Catchy, no? This is my song for this year because Santa was goooood to True in the Coach bag department. I got 2 wristlets, a handbag, and an ipod cover. And three of those were from Hub - now, if you know anything about Hub its that he is cheap (frugal? cautious with money? whatever, the man does not like to spend money). So I open some gifts from him, and he got me cool stuff (books I wanted, peppermint foot lotion, other goodies) and as I am getting mad because he didn't get me the one thing that I actually dropped hints about (the new White Stripes cd), he hands me a box. I unwrap it to find a shoe box. Did he buy me Manolos? Let's not get crazy. So I open it to find a Coach box inside, tied with a pretty red ribbon. Inside was a holiday patchwork wristlet. Woo hoo! I am in shock, as Hub thinks that Coach bags are the biggest ripoff on the planet, next to Kate Spade bags and Louis Vuitton bags and all the other bags near and dear to my heart. Then he hands me the next gift. Again, a shoe box, again with a Coach box inside it, this time with a holiday patchwork handbag in it. My eyes are as big as saucers. He tells me I can pick one of the two to keep (which he later relented on and said I could keep both. Yup, I am spoiled.). And after that ANOTHER shoebox, with ANOTHER Coach box in it. What the...??? This time its the khaki signature ipod cover with hot pink trim. My Hub, the man who only buys shoes when he can get them at Kohl's for $5, bought me THREE Coach items! Then we go to my mom's, and she bought me another Coach wristlet! Whoa! Can a girl get any luckier than that??? Sing it with me..."have a Coachy, Coachy Christmas..."
---------
On a less-self-absorbed note, Princess LOVED Christmas. She loved her gifts and she thinks Santa is the greatest guy ever. Well, I guess that is still self-absorbed because its my kid becoming like her mom and loving to get gifts. Too bad. I also love giving gifts, I will have you know. I bought Hub a Steel Curtain jersey, signed by all 4 members of the Steel Curtain (Hub is a huge Steelers fan). And I bought him a few books on choppers, and only one of them had my next husband's pic in it (Billy Lane). So see, that wasn't a selfish gift at all. Hardly. Hmm.

My 2-Night Bon Jovi Review

Last night was the second of my two Bon Jovi concerts this week. On Monday night, I was sitting in floor seats as close to Jon Bon Jovi as I have ever been (about 15 feet from him), while last night I was muuuuuch further (upper tier, 15th row).

Now, you know I love me some Bon Jovi, and I would never ever say that one of their concerts wasn't good. But I will say this: These were my least favorite of all the times I have seen them (and I have seen them well over 50 times). They played too many songs from the new CD for my taste. I will never understand why performers who have been around for years and years don't realize that when we come to see them in concert, we want to hear the songs we know all the words to and the ones that actually made us fans of them in the first place. A few new songs, yes. But 8 or 9? Too too much.

My other complaint is the way they revamped a few of the older songs. Take Blaze of Glory for example. It starts out mellow, but then it kicks in and starts rockin. Well, not the version they did. It stayed mellow, and that took away from the enjoyment of the song. And there were a few songs like that, songs that they tried to change up and it just didn't work (if you have heard their "This Left Feels Right" cd, you know that they should leave their songs alone and not try to rearrange them).

But with those complaints aside, I will still say that Bon Jovi is one of the best live bands I have ever seen. The way they connect with the audience is unparalled. Jon touches as many people in the crowd as he can reach, and they are always finding new ways to reach the people in the not-so-good seats (like little secondary stages out in the middle of the arena where Jon sings from). Even the new songs were performed well, and they did play some of my favorite live songs (Bad Medicine, Keep the Faith). Even though this was definitely not my favorite setlist by a long shot, I was still not disappointed. I brought my 16-year-old cousin J and her friend with me, and they were singing along and had a great time. They thought it was an amazing concert (maybe because they didn't have 50+ other shows to compare it to). So that alone made it worthwhile.

And most importantly, my dear God, JBJ is still so incredibly hot its not even funny. Being so close to him, I got a really good look. His skin is just perfect, flawless. His hair is still awesome. And the ass...well, what can I say. A-Mazing. My friend who came with me (and who was at my first Bon Jovi concert with me in 1986) and I were swooning. Yes, swooning, as in, oh my God, hold me up, he is so hot I may just pass out. Seriously.

Merry Christmas, Everyone! See ya in the new year!

I Know, I Suck

I have just been too busy to blog lately. I am surprised anyone comes here anymore. I am sorry, but life has just gotten in the way lately and shows no signs of backing off. As an example, let me tell you my schedule for this week:

Tomorrow: Kick Ass Christmas Party at my house
Sunday: Recovery from said Christmas party, and then an afternoon kiddie Christmas party.
Monday: Bon Jovi concert, plus a MAJOR celeb is coming for meetings at work
Tuesday: Dinner with one of my friends
Wednesday: Work Holiday Party
Thursday: Bon Jovi concert
Friday: wrap gifts
Saturday: Niece's Christmas pageant, and then dinner at my aunts
Sunday: Christmas at Mom and Dad's with the whole fam

The thing is that yes, this is a particularly insane week in my life, but its not totally out of the ordinary. I feel like I never stop. So blogging has taken a backseat. I am hoping 2006 will calm down just a tad so that I can catch up on all my buddies and what you guys are up to.
--------
Thanks to all of you who have emailed me asking for my home address to send a Christmas card. It means alot to me, truly. But I just can't do it. Too many freaks out there, and I can't take any kind of chances with my daughter. So please know that I am grateful for the thought and its nothing personal. Just gotta stay anonymous.
--------
I will try to be back before Christmas with my Bon Jovi concert reviews, but just in case....MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANNUKAH, HAPPY KWANZAA...whatever you celebrate, make it a good one.

No Work For Me Today! And My Dilemma...

So we got about 6 inches of snow last night and this morning, and Princess' day care was closed. I called work and they were having a delayed opening - but what can I do? I had to call out. This is the drama of being a working mom, I suppose. So, I called my boss and told her I wouldn't be in today. During my interview she told me she was super-flexible and understood what it was like to have young children while working. She seemed cool about it when we spoke this morning, but I suppose we will find out on Monday just how flexible she really is.
--------------------
So here is my dilemma. Our annual Christmas bash is next Saturday night. There is this one couple that comes to my parties all the time. The husband is a huge alcoholic, and not the fun kind either. Whatever, his alcoholism is not my problem. What *is* my problem is that they come emptyhanded and then he goes to my bar and drinks bottles and bottles of the expensive stuff. At my last party, which I guess was Mardi Gras, this guy drank a whole $50 bottle of Grey Goose vodka and then started on a $40 bottle of Cabo Wabo tequila. So how do I keep this guy away from the good stuff this year? I hate to put everything away, because I don't mind people having a drink or two (Patsy can have as much as she wants). But this guy is trashed when he arrives at my house and then its like he targets my pricey stuff the second he gets there. Is it rude to put signs on the stuff I don't want him ingesting that say "Do Not Drink This Under Penalty Of Death"?
--------------------
The most exciting part of next week's party is going to be the Howlers (in our Jersey-ease, we pronounce it Howlah, btw). It is a delicious little recipe we picked up in Key West - vodka, pink lemonade, ice and Everclear in a blender. Delish. The last time I had a "real" bartender at my party he refused to use Everclear in the Voodoo Daquiris we wanted him to make because he thought we would all go blind. Little did he know we drank those things by the gallon down in our beloved N'Awlins. This time there will be no pesky bartender prohibiting drinks. Yippee!

Sunday Stuff

But first...wow, I can't believe not one person said anything negative about gay marriage. Guppyman must have been busy. Or maybe it was because I told you how close to the mob I am (no, I didn't grow up in Nutley, it was Union) and now you don't want to cross me. Whatever. I am quite impressed with you guys.
---------------
And also...Go Giants! Frickin Feeley did miss another field goal, but at least it didn't cost them the game. I did get some pleasure in knowing that my good friend J, a die hard Cowboys fan, was out in the bitter cold watching his team suck and lose.
---------------
And finally...Lots of people say lots of things about me. Some good, some bad. Whatever. But I had to share with you the best description of me that I have heard lately. My friend Jose, who happens to unfortunately be blogless, emailed me about my last entry concerning gay marriage. He complimented me on what I wrote and then said this:

"That's one of the reasons I love you...that and because you can drink as if we we're in a speakeasy during prohibition not knowing when the next bottle will arrive."

Yay me!

How Is This Possible?

But first...you all probably watch The Sopranos and think its not really all mob'd out like that in every day Jersey life, right? Wrong. Yesterday they found the body of a capo in the Genovese crime family in the trunk of a car in the parking lot of a diner (but of course its a diner, its Jersey after all). Where is the diner, you may ask? In the town where I grew up. It was a super-Italian town (I am not bashing the Italians; Hub is one of them) and the mob was just a part of every day life. I remember as a kid, a guy on my street got shot when he opened his door - a mob hit - except they went to the wrong house, killed the wrong guy. Yay, New Jersey!

-----------------
I know I have a couple of right-wingers who read me, so you will just have to excuse this teensy tirade (or comment on it nicely, people, I am no longer tolerating anything other than civility from my commentors). Did anyone see this? How is it that a country that as recently as 1994 did not acknowledge blacks to be equal to whites is so incredibly far ahead of us on a social issue like this?

I know that people have issues with gays getting married, but I don't really get why. I can understand a religious ceremony being out of the question (don't get me started on religion and gays, that is a whole 'nother tirade). But I didn't get married in a church, and my marriage is just as valid in the eyes of the law as someone who did. It does not diminish my marriage in the slightest to have a gay couple who are in love declare that they will spend eternity together. I don't understand at all how it taints the sanctity of marriage to let people in love get married. And please don't bring up the "next thing you know, people will marry their dog" argument because that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. How you can compare two human beings making a decision that effects their lives with some idiot wanting to marry his dog - well, its just insulting. I have gay friends and relatives who have been with their significant others longer than I have been with Hub - they own homes together and have children together (and lead way more normal and conventional lives than I do, btw). Why shouldn't they get the benefits of being married (healthcare, pension, tax stuff, etc) if they want to get married?

Honestly, I don't really get why people care so much about this issue. What difference does it make to YOU personally who gets married? Maybe its because I live in a liberal state where we see all kinds of people all day long and its not shocking at all to see homosexuals together, but what consenting adults do is really not my concern. And I don't believe it should be a concern of the law. Besides, don't you think we have SO MANY MORE things to worry about than who gets married? I personally want my lawmakers concentrating on getting us out of Iraq and protecting us from terrorism and things like that rather than whether two men can get married. Puh-lease.

If you are against gay marriage, I would really like to know why - and you can't bring up religion because we are talking about a civil ceremony, and you can't bring up marrying animals because then I will know you are from Alabama and I will ban you from my site :P

A Slogan For My State

Did anyone see The Daily Show last night? I love me some Jon Stewart and that show is among my favorites even though it keeps me up past my bedtime. Well, last night they were talking about Jersey and how the state is looking for a slogan. They interviewed our interim governor Richard Codey (our last governor resigned amidst a gay scandal which was the least of his worries, really), which was pretty funny. They showed a map of my fine state and showed how perfect it is as a route to get to other places, but not a place to actually visit. They showed streets in what I assume to be Irvington or Newark and how scary and crime-ridden they are, and then roads in what I assume to be Hudson County (sorry Patsy Darling) and how congested and smelly they are. It was a pretty accurate piece on what people perceive Jersey to be. And it was really funny (yes, I can laugh at my own state's shortcomings).

But my real question is, why aren't they coming to the one and only True Jersey Girl for a slogan? "Bon Jovi, Big Hair, and Bruce - What More Could You Want?" I mean, if that (plus my charming personality) does not make you want to visit the Garden State, I don't know what will.

The Giants Suck

Have you ever notived how hard it is to concentrate on work when your boss is out? Well, not only is my boss out, but most of the company is out. Until Thursday. The big question is, will I get ANYTHING done this week???
----------
"Jay Feely will be kicking himself all week. But if Sunday was any indication, he'll probably miss." This is the best quote I have seen about last night's fiasco of a game between the Giants and the Seahawks. This one isn't bad either: The more the Seahawks tried to hand the game to the Giants, the more Jay Feely kept kicking it back.

Mr. Feely. You have one job to do - kick the ball through the posts. And you miss - not once, but three times, in game winning situations. He should be FINED for each of those misses (ok, maybe not the 54-yarder, but the others, yes). This is why it is so hard to be a Giants fan. Even when we are vaguely decent and having a semi-competitive year, we still find a way to shoot ourselves in the foot every time. As my dad has been telling me since I was a kid, THE GIANTS SUCK. But somehow, we are still fans. Maddening.

Its My Birthday! My B-b-b-Birthday!

(You'll just have to imagine Cartman singing his birthday song there. I am a complete moron and can't figure out how to get the link up.)
-------
Well, today isn't my birthday - Friday is. But knowing me and my completely ridiulous absence from the blogging world lately, I will probably not get on here to post for my b-day itself. But perhaps, as a gift to me, Hub will give me about 10 hours of interruption-free time online to catch up on all your blogs.

Here is the funniest thing about my birthday. I do not know how old I am. Yes, I could do the math but the answer will depress me. Plus, I am not so good at the math so I might end up adding wrong and thinking I am older than I am. Luckily, since I do not know my real age, I can just go on pretending I am 22. Works for me; that was a damn fine year.
------
Happy Thanksgiving to all of my fellow American readers! I am thankful for each and every one of you (especially you non-lurkers). Have a great day!

Randomness

Go read this about what us Jersey broads are like, over at my sister's place.
-------------
I thought the housing bubble had burst? The people across the street from me, who have a much smaller house and an even smaller lot than I have, had their house listed for $450k. It just sold for $495k. Insanity.
-------------
Does anyone else think that Grey's Anatomy is the best friggin show on tv? I don't even watch Desperate Housewives anymore, its gotten so lame, but Grey's Anatomy is phenomenal. And I love me some Prison Break, except I am getting sick of them trying to break, I wish they would just do it already. Though it sure was nice seeing Michael in his skivvies tonight.
------------
Remember I told you how my boss was always taking credit but in an odd way? This proves how odd it is. I coordinated an employee event for the company, the first one ever at this company. It got RAVE reviews, from the top management down. Everyone loved it. I was standing a few feet from my boss when our CEO came over and told her how great the event was and thanked her for coming up with the idea and carrying it through. Without knowing I was standing there, she told him, "Go tell True, this was all her doing, I had nothing to do with it. Isn't it wonderful?!" She gave me full credit to the CEO, yet she steals the credit for creating a silly little form? This is why I think there is some mental deficiency there.
-------------
My cousin, the one who just got married, is so awesome. He is on his honeymoon and he called me from the Dominican Republic because he thought we were all in Key West this week and wanted to wish us a happy vacation. How cool is that? What 26 year old guy thinks of calling his old lady cousin at all, much less on his honeymoon?
-------------
I will be spending my four-day weekend cleaning and decorating for Christmas. We have our outrageously amazing Christmas Party in a few weeks, and Princess's second birthday party is the weekend before that...so no rest for the weary.
------------
Have I mentioned lately how very much I love my ipod?

An Update On My Life

On Sunday night, Hub's other eardrum burst. So we had quite an exciting weekend, and not the kind of excitement I am used to. He saw a doctor on Monday and got some medication, and he goes back to see him next Friday. He still can't hear so well, but he is getting better. And the bleeding has stopped, which is always a good thing. Thanks for all of your concern; its much appreciated!
------------
So I have not told you too much about work, have I? I think I have told you how well Princess is doing in daycare - she is doing AMAZING. She loves it. It was most definitely the right thing for her at this time. She is learning so much, its amazing. She talks about her friends and her teachers all the time. I am SO pelased with how she is doing there. In fact, yesterday when Hub dropped her off, she didn't even want to kiss him goodbye, she just wanted to go play with the kids. No crying, no drama. Beautiful.

My job? Its going well. My boss is a very accommodating woman who keeps me in the loop about everything, shares all the info I need (this is something I so didn't have at my previous job), and is a nice person as well. People here are so positive and happy, and are much less cynical and sarcastic than at my previous job (not necessarily a plus for a gal like me being quite the cynic myself, but don't you worry: I have befriended the only other cynical girl here). But I have been here for about 2 months now, and already the shine of working has worn off. Because already my boss is annoying me. And to be honest, I am sure part of it is me (because I am a very easily-annoyable person. I know this.). But I know its not all me. And since its more fun to tell about the negatives than the positives - here we go.

A perfect example is what happened yesterday and today. Yesterday, we were terminating some employees in the HR/Payroll system who had left the company. There is no method to how all this is done and no way of knowing if someone else in the office has already done it. I suggested that a good way to track the changes we were making would be to create a form that would go into each employees' personnel folder when they start with us. We can have a checklist of items that need to be done for each employee from the time they start with us till the time they leave us (such as starting them on benefits, taking them off benefits, etc). Great idea! she says, You are brilliant! So I start working on it last night and I am finishing it up this morning. She walks into the office this morning and says, "I had a great idea I thought of last night. We could create a checklist of items that need to be done for each employee from the time they start with us till the time they leave us." Ummm, why does that sound familiar to me? Because it was my idea, beeyotch! And she has done this type of thing before, where I will make a suggestion and then soon afterwards she claims it as her own. And not even to upper management or anything, like she is trying to steal credit - she does it right to my face. It is bizarre and annoying.

And, she really has no sense of humor. She is a nice person, but she doesn't really find anything except her own self to be funny. Like I said before - no sarcasm or cynicism in this bunch. So I find myself laughing fakely at the unfunny things she says, and when I say something funny she doesn't even smile. And trust me, I am one funny broad.

The other thing that is annoying me is this. I have never run payroll before, but I am learning how to do it here. Great, no problem, I want to learn, its one reason I took this job. So she is going sooooo sllllooowwww with me going over the most basic things - like entering a newhire, hello, I have been in HR for 10 years, I know how to enter a newhire, duh, its simple data entry that a $6 an hour clerk could do - but then when it comes to things like archiving data and running tax reports and things like that - she expects me to know that and gives me no guidance on it. I think it is because she doesn't really know how to do it herself so she isn't capable of teaching me. But that doesn't make it less annoying when she says in one breath "OK, use the drop down menu to select the newhire tab...ok, now enter the person's last name, just type it in, ok, now type in the first name, ok, now use your mouse and go to the next area where you can enter their address..." and in the next breath she says "now archive the hourly punches from the last two weeks, and run a batch for employee 4411 in the grid." Bah.

I don't know if any of that made any sense, but I just needed to vent. I do like my job and I do like my boss. Its a great company and HR is well-respected here (very rare). I am learning a ton and will be able to take that to my next company and make boku bucks. So I don't mean to make it sound terrible or anything. But like I said, I am easily annoyed and who else will I tell if not you?

I Am Freaking Out Right About Now

Hub just went to the emergency room. Its almost 11 pm here and he was fine to drive, and someone had to stay with Princess so here I am. He has had an earache since Key West, probably from the horrendous waves while we were snorkeling. I got mad water in my ear but it all came out that day. I think his was trapped. Its been bothering him, and today it got really bad. So he holds one ear closed and pushes really hard, like trying to push the water out of his ear. Some liquid comes out followed by gobs of blood. The blood didn't stop. I asked if he wanted to go to the emegency room, expecting a manly "No Dear, I Am Fine" out of him. But no. He said he wasn't sure. So then I start worrying. I came onto the computer to check WebMD to see what I could find out (useless, btw) when he comes into the office all dressed with his keys, saying he's going to the hospital. Now all I can do is sit here and wait and hope there aren't too many gunshot wounds ahead of him on line at the hospital.

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaack!

Now you all know I am a Jersey Girl from head to toe, right? So don't think I am dissing my state when I say this: it sucks to be back. I left sunny, gaw-jus Key West yesterday around lunchtime, after spending a lovely morning with Patsy by the pool, recovering from the night before. We had some airline issues (they changed all our flights due to rainy skies here in Jersey, including which city we flew into and what times both of our flights left, and we circled over Newark Airport for God knows how long), and as soon as we got off the plane the difference from Florida to NJ was painfully obvious. People were yelling and running around like crazy, horns were beeping and drivers were cursing at each other, it was cold and rainy, etc etc etc. Not a pleasant welcome home. Until of course I went to pick up Princess at my parents' house. She saw me and was freaking out, yelling unintelligible sounds and then "mmmmmmommmmmmmmyyyyyy!!!!" At that moment, I was glad to be back.
----------
How much fun did we have in Key West, you may ask? Well, I can tell you this much. We hit nearly every bar on Duval Street and a bunch on other streets and piers too. We closed down the bar two of our 4 nights there. We heard so much Jimmy Buffett that we wanted to find the man and kill him for writing so many songs that sound exactly alike. We were so grateful to hear a few Bon Jovi songs here and there that we screamed every word even though the bands sucked. We went snorkeling, which was so not fun (not much to see, VERY choppy water that you had to fight the entire time) but then we drank so much "free" beer that we got our moneys worth anyway. Our friend J and I did not argue at all until our last night there (shocking). Hub made all our feet hurt with his insane walking tours of cemeteries and everything else from one side of the island to the other, but we also relaxed by the pool and hung around and drank and had mellow fun too.

A toast to our first night in Key West:


Yes this guy was grabbing my ass:


Me and Diddy doing a shot at the famous Sloppy Joe's on Duval:


Me and Hub at the Southernmost Point (only 90 miles from Cuba):


All of us on our final drunken night in Key West, having drinks at the Southernmost Tiki Bar:

(Top row: Hub and J; Bottom row: Me, Patsy and Diddy)
------------
Yes, there was damage to the island. There were palms down all over the place, along with tons of peoples' belongings that they had to throw out due to the flooding. It looked like it had been years since anyone picked up garbage there - but it was all debris from Wilma. This church was seriously messed up:


But overall, the island was in decent condition. Everything was open, at least in the tourist areas (on our way back to the airport, our taxi driver told us that the Sears and the KMart were totally demolished - in fact, he said there were barracuda swimming in the KMart). People were in good moods, there was food and clean water, our hotel was in pristine shape (I loooved the hotel - somehow me and Hub got a suite for the price of a regular room), and there were lots of tourists there who weren't deterred from their trips. We contemplated going elsewhere after hearing of the hurricane, but I am so glad we went there. Anyplace that has no open beverage container laws is a winner in my book, no matter what.

Later, Gators!