roller coasters and pride

I am dehydrated… I think.  But I had a great weekend.

On Saturday, I went to Six Flags with Adam, Ryan and Jason.  The bus trip was pleasant, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and we never spent more than an hour standing in each roller coaster line.

Sounds like success to me.

Me and the guys heading to our first ride...

Somehow, the guys got me to ride THREE (yes, three) upside-down roller coasters.  PS: I don’t do upside-down coasters very well.  As a matter of fact, I don’t really do them at all.  Just recently (in the past 4 years) did I start riding them… my first was Alpengeist at Busch Gardens.

Well, here’s the full list:

1. Alpengeist – Busch Gardens, 2005

2. Tennessee Tornado – Dollywood (don’t hate), 2006

3. The Incredible Hulk – Islands of Adventure, 2007

4. Superman:  Ultimate Flight, last Saturday

5.  The Great American Scream Machine, last Saturday (this ride is painful and old – do not ride it)

6. Bizarro, last Saturday

I somehow made it out of Six Flags alive.  My head was spinning (and still is…) but I was alive.

Sunday was a different day… more Pride-ful, if you will.

In support of 98% of my closest friends, I stumbled over to the Pride March with the typical posse (minus Jason – see above).  Unlike DC Pride last year, the weather was stunning – and with the high energy, it made for a fun parade.

I don't get it.

Nope, that's not Liza.

I'm sorry I missed the front?

This was adorable in a "I'm making a statement" kinda way...

Clearly, it was a good time :)  At least for the first 3 hours.

**I’m not sure what I was trying to accomplish with the black and white photos… I think I just enjoy having that feature on my camera.

a little lightheaded

I really wanted to blog about my super awesome weekend, but I’m feeling kinda nauseous.  Perhaps my body still hasn’t recovered from the Great American Scream Machine (I hated that ride).  Unfortunately, I will have to delay this posting until tomorrow.

Good night, all.

3 countdowns

Countdown #1: 64 days

While I was at work yesterday, I made the biggest little mistake of my life.  I agreed to attend a Britney Spears concert at Madison Square Garden.  Patrick told Adam about it – so Adam passed the news onto me.  The gchat conversation went something like this:

Adam: i haven’t heard back from patrick
about britney tix
they just went on sale

me: yeah, i don’t think i want to go
i don’t want to support her hot mess-ness

Adam: oh gosh, i’m gonna get britney tix i guess

me: you’re kidding me

Adam: patrick wants them

me: i will never forgive myself if i see britney spears

Adam: you know you want to
it would be fun, with patrick and i

me: i don’t really want to
DAMMIT ADAM

Adam: monday night
aug 24
8pm

me: dammit, adam
don’t do this to me
i’m going to hate you.
much much more than i already do

Adam: i’m not forcing you

me: yes you are

me: hmm… okay, fine. i’ll go.

Adam: our seats are gonna suck, but whatever

me: dammit, adam - don’t make me change my mind

Adam: no, don’t
im gonna purchase

Adam: you, me, patrick

me: i hate my life.

I am not a fan of hers.  Sure, I have 20 B. Spears songs on my ipod – but who doesn’t?  They’re so freaking catchy.  But seriously.  I’m mad that 50 (or however many) of MY HARD EARNED DOLLARS are going into her ridiculous pocket.   That is why I hate my life.

But I would die of happiness if she sang performed Lucky.  I legitimately love that song.  Unfortunately, the liklihood of that happening is very small – since she’s come out with so many “good” hits since Lucky’s debut in 2000.

Countdown #2: 28 days

It started out as a solo Devacation (Deva + vacation).  As soon as I told Peter what I was up to, it became a Deva and Peter vacation.  A few days later, we were booking a 6 day cruise around the Western Caribbean.  PS: We’re not dating. Will it be awkward?  Maybe.  At times.  Will it be fun?  Of course.  I’m really looking forward to this trip.

Countdown #3: 10 days

My parents are coming to visit!  I feel like its been forever since I’ve last seen them (since January, I think).  It should be a good time and they’re bringing up more of my stuff from Virginia.

oy.

Let’s face it… I’m over this city.

Obviously, as a New York City native, the city will always have a special place in my heart.  I will always appreciate everything this city has made me – how it has shaped my personality, and accent, since I was a little Deva.

I’ve been borderline obsessed with leaving NYC since… well… January.  Maybe.  I think about moving all the time, but I’m not sure how much of that is due to my innate mobility/non-settling nature and how much of it comes from the fact that NYC is one big city of mayhem and foolishness.

About 15 minutes ago, I took the “Do you belong in New York” quiz from Time Out New York.

My results:

DO YOU BELONG IN NYC?
No. No. No!
What are you still doing here? You don’t take advantage of what New York has to offer, and you’re clearly irked by all the sacrifices you make to live in the city. Go on-the open skies and low rents of Montana await. But there’s hope for you yet! Click here for suggestions about how to really enjoy NYC. Who knows-maybe you’ll change your mind.

Do you belong in New York City?

Clearly, I should book the first flight out of here – and never return.

me gusta colacao

Thank God I went to Union Square Market this afternoon, or else I wouldn’t have picked up one of these:

Luckily, I turned to page 14 and found an article on this place:

For those who don’t know – I spent 4 months in Spain back in 2005.  Those were some of the best months of my life, so I’m kind of obsessed with Spain.  I haven’t been back to Valencia since I left 4 years ago, so I’m always looking for a little slice of Spain in NYC.

Anyway, Despaña.  It’s definitely my greatest Spain-in-America discovery.  Despite the rain and the swarms of people who flood SOHO on the weekends, I had to stop by.  I was hoping to find a certain Spanish product that has a special place in my heart, Colacao:

I drank it almost every morning with my breakfast and I remember the song being kinda awesome (but a tad racist, unfortunately).  If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a less sweet Nesquik.

So yeah – back to the story…  I wanted some ColaCao, so it was worth taking a trip to SOHO to find it.  Obviously, they had it.  The highlight of my day was being reunited with my beloved ColaCao.

This is what happens when you get excited and use too much powder:

FYI: One small scoop is plenty.  It took a ton of stirring for it to remotely resemble a delicious cup of chocolate milk.

After about half a cup, I was done.  Too much powder is a bad idea.  Lesson learned.

I’m still happy to have a little slice of Spain in my kitchen :)

guys and dolls.

Remember when Emily, Melissa and Linh came to visit me and we saw Guys and Dolls on Broadway?  Do you remember when I was raving about how way beyond awesome “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat” was?  Well, check out what I found:

See?  I told you it was incredible.

I’m willing to fight whoever disagrees…

they’re real people too

Over the past few months, I’ve been learning a lot about my parents.  Actually, they’ve been opening up to me more.  No overshares (thank GOD), but enough for me to realize: my parents are real people. 

Obviously, I already know that my parents are real people in the literal sense, but recently I’ve been viewing them outside their roles as Dad and Mama - the “indestructible” beings who only spend their time thinking about their children (and whatever else parents do).

I’ll start with my father.  He’s great.  He’s been there for me since my parents divorced and has always tried to make the best life for me.  I am forever (and ever) grateful for everything he’s done.  My dad is also probably the most charismatic person I know and he loves socializing.  Like me, my dad has this ridiculous inability to stay in one job for longer than 2 years (he isn’t fired – he just quits in search of higher pay and more responsibility).  For the past 6 years (at least), he’s been in nearly every government agency with his position.  He’s been to Iraq (not in the military, but with the government) and wants to go back.  Despite the fact that he’s married and has a daughter, he continues to strive for his personal life goals – that don’t always involve my mom mand I.  It’s interesting to watch him work to reach those goals, because I learn more about his motives, his confidence, how he copes with failure/not getting what he wants, and all kinds of other humanizing qualities.  

My stepmom is another interesting person.  She married my dad when I was in 5th grade, and our relationship from that point got off to an extremely rocky start.  Actually, that rocky relationship lasted through most, if not all, of high school.   It was pretty miserable.  It’s much better now. Anyway, about her personally – people love her.  She has a great personality, she’s caring, considerate and really enjoys spending time with friends.  When I think of her in comparison to my father, they obviously have a lot in common – but at the same time, they diverge on a few major things… the biggest (in my opinion) being mobility.  Remember that bit about my dad not being able to sit still?  Well, my stepmom is a settler.  She’s worked in the same job (with promotions, of course) for 25 years.  Before meeting my father, she lived in Roanoke and had a pretty stable life.  Since marrying my father, we’ve moved 3 times (in the past 6 years) and my dad almost constantly talks about moving again (this time, out of Virginia).  Recently, I can easily see how the talk about moving really affects her.   Obviously, she would have to change jobs – something she’s not exactly willing to do.  And have I mentioned her social life?  All her really close friends from Roanoke are slowly losing contact with her.  The relationships are changing (why? I’m not sure…).  These are people I thought would be family friends for the rest of their lives.  Sadly, that’s not the case.  So – my stepmom is kinda alone now.  When I was talking to her a few days ago, I could hear the sadness in her voice – it was heartbreaking.  At that point, I didn’t see her as my stepmom, but as an individual who experiences and has to deal with all the ridiculousness that life throws at you.

back to reality

I really enjoyed my devacation last weekend.  Of course, it was great to see Linh, and I finally got to meet her very tiny dog, Stella (who I often called Lilz, little one, or Stellz).  In the 3 full days I was there, we managed to hit up the Bahamas for about 3 hours, spend 12 hours on a ship, see Star Trek (highly recommended), drive to Ft. Lauderdale a zillion times, get stuck in traffic on I95, lose money at the Hard Rock Casino (just me – not Linh),  hit up South Beach and Lincoln Road between thunderstorms, and sleep as little as possible.  And on Sunday, I made it to the airport with 15 minutes before my flight departed, and somehow made it through security in under 5 minutes. 

Oh – and did I mention it rained almost the entire time?  Yeah. 

All in all, it was a fun time.  I will be catching up on sleep this weekend. 

So.  Here I am, back in the NYC.  Bring on the month of June. 

The nice thing about June is that I don’t have a single thing planned.  That’s probably because I’ve been too busy to plan something, but it’s nice to have an open schedule. 

In other news, one of my roommates is moving out.  If you know someone who needs a place to live in the Big Apple, let me know.  Rent is only $740-ish + utilities.  In the meantime, there should be a craigslist posting in the next few days.  I really can’t wait to find a new roommate.  I’m also excited about buying furniture I can’t afford and decorating this apartment (with other things I can’t afford).  I see multiple trips to Ikea in my future…