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Thursday, January 11th, 2007
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6:55 pm - Part 2
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I wrote this all on October 22, 2006 just before my computer crashed and died for good. I just got around to rescuing this from that hard drive. Sorry it is so late. I will work on getting this up to date.
July:
My good friend, Sara, who I know from UofM, flew out to San Francisco so that we could spend a weekend biking in wine country to celebrate her getting married and my birthday. We went with Undiscovered Country Tours to Russian River Valley. I recommend the well supported and coordinated tour company and the beauty of Russian River Valley. When I get my gallery pages all organized again I will have photos of this trip online. Ahhh, one of these years.
Since I have been in San Francisco, I have been reading heaps, and spending a lot of time just exploring. Book to recommend: The Secret History by Donna Tartt (thanks for that recommendation, Eli) it is a book that starts with what is usually a climax in a book and tells the history of how the characters reached that point.
Also, by July I started becoming comfortable with a couple of the people that I have met her. Movie nights at our homes with ice cream or popcorn or wine or whatever has been my favorite form of fun.
Went to Oakland for a BBQ on a rooftop with Roger (my AIDS Ride buddy from Chicago, he lives here now). Good food, good company and a view. It was a lovely evening.
Another Poker Chase on bikes! This time in hilly San Francisco. Lost another Poker Hand. I had the chance to see more neighborhoods and I found a discovered a bike route that people here call the Wiggle, that allows me to get across the city without feeling like I am riding uphill the entire time.
August:
Went to Ann Arbor for Sara’s bridal shower. I spent time with Sara and with Vanessa, Bruce and adorable baby.
I really cannot find anything else I did in August, I am sure it was busy though. I am always busy.
September:
Sara’s wedding! I was a bridesmaid, in a lovely (read: not fruffy) dress, the weather was beautiful and I was a girly girl for a day. Sara was beautiful and I do not think I have ever seen her so happy.
Since I was in the Midwest I spent a couple of days with my mom. We hung out in Royal Oak and worked on her computer and played with Precious in the backyard. Then I ran off to Chicago, where I was able to borrow a bike and run around town and see a number of people, hiding from hail storms and eating and drinking and watching Carrie Lydon sing.
October:
Oh my! I am almost nearing the end of this update.
More than anything I have been going to friends houses and eating good food and watching movies. It is almost family-like. Someone or ones cook dinner and anywhere from 3 to 7 of us eat together and watch a DVD of almost anything. This has been happening once or twice a week. It is a lovely tradition we are trying to start.
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| Sunday, October 22nd, 2006
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11:07 am - Back on the writing bandwagon…
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OK so I am going to be brief with the months that I have missed, so that I can keep this in less than 20 updates, you ready for it.
End of December:
Sadly, I do not remember Christmas. If someone remembers what I did please let me know.
January:
Started the New Year with a bang. I would like to say I co-hosted a party, but really it was all the fabulous Miss Lisa, and I just invited people to her place so it felt like “our” party. We had a number of people come in and out of the loft and at all times it remained a small party amongst friends. A small party with good friends is my favorite way to bring in the New Year.
Poker Ride! Amy W. and I went on a bicycle Poker Chase. For those who do not know what it is here is a brief explanation: Bar, card, beer, ride to next bar, card beer, ride to next bar, and so on until you have a full hand, and play your hand at the last bar. It was raining, caused much laughter and we both lost with grace.
All my spare time I was living by lists. I was moving, I did not want to forget anything crucial. Lists.
Packed my stuff in a pod to be taken to San Francisco and flew to Portland to hang with Cathy and Susan, where we chilled out, went to wineries and played with pups.
February:
SAN FRANCISCO!
I spent the beginning of the month walking everywhere and looking for a place to live, outside of Jeff and Christopher’s guest bedroom. Thankfully I found a wonderful place, quickly.
I live in a large studio apartment with a partial view of Twin Peaks, and I have a deck. Huzzah, for outdoor space.
Went to LA on a whim. A friend in Southern California called me and asked if I was going to another friend’s party in LA. I said, “umm, I am a 6 hour drive, and I do not have a car.” Then I went to the airport and asked for the next flight to LA. My first trip to LA (outside of the airport) and I spent most of the time with friends never leaving the hosting home.
March:
Month of general running amok. Keep walking, nothing to see here.
April:
I finally got a bed. I had been sleeping on a wonky air mattress. The thing I learned about air mattresses is they do not hold heat. So, even though it was not that cold here I spent most nights cold.
I went out dancing quite a bit and I won tickets at one of the dance clubs to see Ladytron. I found a group of people via Craigslist to go tot the concert with. Then I spent the entire weekend frolicking with that group. I went to a BBQ at the house of another woman named Tia, I went to a afternoon dance party in a state park and explored Golden Gate park.
Molly and Eric visited from Santa Barbara. I tested their physical limits with walking them up and down tons of hills. Laughing lots and walking filled our days.
May:
Chris and Brian visited from Seattle. Another weekend of lots of walking and laughing and the weather smiled on us.
I went to a house concert in Oakland. Corinne West, country bluesy music. Had me smiling all night.
I spent one Saturday at a neighborhood Progressive party. It was a roving party that went from house to house. So I met a number of neighbors and I had the opportunity to see 5 houses in my ‘hood. It was a beautiful day.
Jeff and I found a roller skating rink! We went skating, me with my blades, until one of the wheels came off. Bummer for me. So then I had to rent the real skates. If you want a chance to laugh at me, I suggest you get me on a pair of roller skates.
June:
Most of you are probably thinking: she hasn’t mentioned biking, yet, is she feeling OK? Rest assure, I am feeling fine, I am just a wimpy hill rider so I have not been riding as much as I like. Most weekends to the present I have been either taking a long walk or a short bike ride most weekends. Wimpy, wimpy, wimpy.
And that leads into this, I volunteered at both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the San Francisco to Los Angeles AIDS LifeCycle. I went to LA to pick up 2 of the cyclists and in the process I decided that I will be riding next year.
Four months to go. I was going to make this one update, but I think that would be a mistake. This is going to be a two part update. The next update will start with my Birthday.
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| Thursday, December 22nd, 2005
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4:53 pm - Wow…since last I wrote life has been a roller coaster.
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So from September:
In September, I started planning what my next step would be, as working in a law firm has not be doing it for me. The 3 steps I took were: 1) applying for more jobs, as over and over again, I was reminded that I was not meant to be someone’s assistant. 2) I bought German language tapes, I was considering going to Berlin to go into German language intensive school. 3) I signed up for a bike building class, which I will explain below, in hopes to learn enough about bike maintenance to feel comfortable going on a cross-country bike tour. I really didn’t know which option would be best, so I wanted to plan for them all.
So the weather was still nice enough that I would ride my bike to the lake and sit down with my iPod and repeat the German words. I sure did get a lot of funny looks.
I also so one of the more amusing and talented musicians I have seen in a while. “The Robot Ate Me” is not for the light of heart. He has a sarcastic, dry sense of humor that had my friend and me rolling with laughter.
Also, my friends Zea and Heather moved to NYC. So, I wish them the best of luck.
Then in October, I went to Philadelphia and New York in one weekend. I visited a number of friends from Michigan who now live in those cities. Mary Libby was kind enough to house me and be my tour guide in Philadelphia. And I hung out for one night in NYC with my previous housemate, Peggy, who was fabulous, as always.
Also in October, my bike workshop began. So here is the story: Fur acquired a 1970s promotional Hi-C Road Bike and she gave it to me. In this class, I took the bike completely apart, cleaned it up, replaced a few parts, and put it back together. The week after Thanksgiving I had a shiny, new to me, bike. She is pretty. Bright ornage road bike to the rescue. And I am feeling confident that can make a number of adjustments on my other bikes now.
So September and most of October were spent working, biking and bike building.
At the end of October, Michael Garcia died after a long battle with illness. So, the first two weeks of November were spent with a funeral in Detroit and me organizing a memorial in Chicago. I do not know how to put into the words the sadness I feel about this. Mike has always been a spot of laughter in my life. As Ruth Bonnet put it, he is the saddest and funniest person I have ever known. There is a small obit for him here.
The weekend before Thanksgiving, Vanessa was in Chicago. It was wonderful to have lunch with her pregnant self. I had been wanting to see her with a big ole belly for years. She is beautiful.
So, winter really hit us the week of Thanksgiving. And I still rode my bike. I have been so proud of myself in how much I have ridden in cold and snow this year. On Thanksgiving day it was bitter cold, thankfully I only had 1 mile to ride. I went to a "Rock’n’Roll Thanksgiving." After all, Thanksgiving is always gluttonous, and what is more gluttonous than rock and roll. We drank, we cooked our food in alcohol, and we watched rock and roll themed movies, such as "Rock’n’Roll high School." It was a day to be thankful for.
On the 25th, I went to see Echo and the Bunnymen. It was fun to bop around to music I had not listened to since 1990.
At the end of November, I had another friend go into the hospital. Thankfully, she is doing much better now, and I am not worried about her.
Now for the December:
I had been fighting off a cold, and I found out the cold had turned in pneumonia, no more winter bike riding for short while. So I have not ridden since December 4th and I am feeling Lazy (yes – that is with a capital "L").
The second weekend in December, I went to visit Jeff and Christopher. I expected it was just going to be an easy, breezy vacation, but Jeff threw me for a loop when he offered me a job. I spent the weekend trying to decided if a) I could work for Jeff (of course I can), b) live in San Francisco (it is pretty alright there) and c) if I can do the job (I can meet the challenge.)
In the beginning of February I am moving to San Francisco to work at a very small computer consulting firm.
I am determined that this is going to be my most organized move yet. I have already started looking through my belongings to give things away, sell or throw things out.
At the moment that is my news. Sad, happy, exciting and boring. Just enough mixed emotion to keep life interesting.
Happy New Year folks,
Tia
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| Monday, September 12th, 2005
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12:17 pm - to the present...
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It is safe to say that this update will bring you up to date. I am going to attempt to be better in the future.
August:
The organic boxes of veggies started coming in. Two friends and I are splitting a box of organic vegetables from Angelic Organics that is coming in from a farm not to far out from the city each week. This is a) encouraging me to eat at home more often and b) making me try new recipes. I am not a great cook, but I am not bad. I can only get better by cooking more. At least that is the thought process.
Lisa and I went to Royal Oak to hang with my mom at the Woodward Dream Cruise. We had a fun day of walking up and down Woodward admiring the classic cars.
Then a couple weeks later I was off to Oregon, Il for yet another hundred mile bike ride. Are you sensing a theme to my summer? Sara came down from Ann Arbor, I gave her the quick tour of my neighborhood and then we drove off to Oregon to camp in a city park so that we could be bright-eyed for the ride the next morning. We rode in an organized ride called the Old Mill Century. The weather was sunny and warm but not too hot. The people were friendly. The hills were a challenge. And one of our pit stops was in a nuclear power plant. Overall, I would say it was a great ride and I would recommend to anyone else who is insane enough to ride one hundred miles in one day.
And that was my August. As for my September, well, I have had Strep Throat. So, Friday was my first day of feeling “ok” this month. And that was just OK.
So now for the weekend: just so that I can really say this journal is up to date.
Friday:
I went to one of the gallery showings at the Around the Coyote Arts Fest. Some of the art was good, and there was one interactive installation that took a bit of my time. The artist had gathered many tiny items that may or may not have a name in the first place and created a scientific-like naming system. So, I named a small item. The name ended up being something like this: Durenaterough Browncircewholsed. Or something like that meaning it was round, brown, rough, found in a drawer, but is from nature and is seed-like. Or something similar to that. But while doing this task I was chatting the person next to me who happens to live a block from me, so I think I have met someone new to go have coffee with in the future. From there I joined some friends for a small house party.
Saturday:
I rode my bike 15 miles to Hyde Park for some brunch with one of the cycling clubs I ride with. On the way home my rear wheel went out of sorts and now my commuting bike is at a bike shop. Hurumph.
That night I went to a Tiki Party that one of my co-workers through. I had a wonderfully social evening and like in the Bahamas I drank rum drinks with umbrellas.
Sunday:
Laundry and sleep.
Today:
I am at work.
Huzzah! You are brought up to date.
Later,
Tia
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| Saturday, September 10th, 2005
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7:18 am - May through July
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Getting closer…May is less than ½ a year ago. That is making some progress on the Tia timeline…
May:
April started it and May continued it: the beginning of my bicycle obsession. I have liked bikes many years, but I have never really let them take my life over. But now I have. I continued riding to work. I started riding with 3 different cycling clubs. Through Cycling Sisters I took a “Clean Your Bike” workshop. So I now know more about my bike and how to care for it properly than I ever did before. I signed-up for Ride for Aids Chicago. And started my fundraising for this 2-day 170 mile bike ride to Wisconsin and back.
Just a few good reasons to commute by bike:
1. Better for the environment.
2. Little need to support oil wars.
3. Better for my body.
4. Satisfaction of knowing I got to work purely powered by me.
5. Money, money, money.
Other than being obsessed with bike riding I also was spending a bit of time preparing for a couple of job interviews with Google.
June:
Well I completed 2 phone interviews with Google, but unfortunately the only thing that came out of these interviews was a lot of nervousness on my part and good solid phone interview practice. Maybe next time.
The beginning of June was the Ride for AIDS. I raised $2000 and ride 170 miles in 2 glorious days. Thanks again to those who sponsored me on that ride. When my gallery pages come back-up I will be posting pictures there. I already have them digitalized so it will not take me long. Here is a sneak peek of the pictures to come
July:
I brought in my 31st year with a small party in my backyard. The drought hit Chicago so hard that I was afraid that the kids in the neighborhood setting off bottle rockets were going to set my lawn on fire.
A couple of weekends after that I headed out to Michigan to join Sara on One Helluva Ride which is a hundred mile bike ride starting and Chelsea and looping through Hell, Michigan. I was happy to join Sara on her first century ride.
At the end of the month I volunteered at Lollapalooza. Day 1: I handed out leaflets and guided people to the lines at the entrance for a couple of hours. Then I had the rest of the day to a few bands that I really wanted to see such at the (International) Noise Conspiracy and The Black Keys (who had the hair tossing thing down to an art). Day 2: I cleaned rock stars bathrooms. I ended in a paid position where I went through the trailers of the performers when they went on stage to prepare them for the next performer. So instead of being out in the sun dealing with people all day, I sat in the shade and for 10 minutes each hour I would run through and air conditioned trailer and straighten and clean it up. All this time I was behind the 2 bigger stages listening to music. It all worked out for the best for me. Unfortunately, none of the bands grabbed my attention on this day.
One of the best things of July: the Perimeter Ride. What’s that you ask? It is a hundred mile bike ride along the perimeter of Chicago. Along the way I saw such sites as the Car Stack, the Leaning Tower of Niles and of course the ride ended with a dip into Lake Michigan.
Phew…this update is getting long. That keeps happening. So, I am going to end this update. And come back to August on the next one. We are so close to being caught up I can taste it!
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| Friday, September 9th, 2005
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7:44 am - Simply April...
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Maybe just maybe this will be the entry that will bring you up to date in my life. Or maybe not...
April:
Well in the last entry I was already to type in that April was an uneventful month, but then I found out that I was wrong, all wrong. April was a very full month indeed.
I went to Milwaukee for the first time. I went with Molly, Angela and Lisa, who are definitely excellent partners in crime. We went for an art show opening of a friend of Molly’s. The show was nice and the after gathering was nicer. We went to Blu were we listened to a bit of jazz, had an amazing view of the city, and drank martinis the size of my head. Milwaukee is really quite pretty at nighttime from the 23rd floor. I have still never seen the city in the day.
Another big event in April: I started riding my bike to work. Anywhere from 8 to 10 miles depending on the route that I take, it is a nice ride. And the 10 mile route takes me along the lake. It is lovely to be waking up while riding along Lake Michigan. It took me a bit of time, but downtown city riding no longer scares the b’jeezus out of me. I have learned to ride both offensively and defensively, now I feel safe riding almost anywhere.
I started taking yoga classes. And I have since stopped. About every 5 years or so I decide I really should be stretching more, I should take yoga. Well this is the first time I tried it. Though, in the end I decided yoga is not for me. *shrug* it was worth a try.
Geocaching. What is it, you ask. Well, people around the world hide little treasures in the woods, in local parks, at businesses, the treasure could be something sizable like a jar filled with coins or it could be simply a small sheet of paper to be signed when you find it. These treasures are logged on sites such as geocaching.com with their coordinates. Then people like my friend FuR go out with their Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and finds them. So FuR took me on some Geocaching adventures around the city, and we found some beautiful, quiet places in the city that we would have never have found otherwise. Now, my plan was to get my own GPS and become a Geocaching geek, but the GPS that I bought got lost in the mail, and I received a refund and lost momentum to become the geek that I can be.
I went to a Girlie Swap in April as well. A bunch of friends got together with the clothes they no longer want and swap them with other clothes and whatever is left at the end of the night is donated to Good Will. The reason this was an event: I obtained the coolest Farrah Fawcett shirt that night. And I just want a place to brag about it.
And the last April event: I drove to Ann Arbor to spend an evening with Jeff and Christopher who were in Michigan for the weekend from San Francisco. It is always nice to get a hug or 4 from those boys. It was also really nice to borrow a car and drive out of the city. Though I am not a huge fan of cars (give me a bicycle any day), there is something to be said for an open road with the windows open and singing bad music loudly.
Well April was so busy, that I am not going to catch you up to September. Although, I have started the next entry, therefore it will not be long.
See you on the flip-side,
Tia
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| Thursday, September 8th, 2005
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11:46 am - January through March...
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I am getting closer to having this caught up with my life...
January: Things started to sour at the restaurant. Not the food, just the general work atmosphere. Morale was down. The servers were not being given the tools to do our jobs well. After asking for what I needed and being belittled in the process, I started looking for a new job.
February: 3 things filled February.
1) I was offered a new job, and I accepted it. When I get to March I will tell you about the job.
2) I spent most of my time looking for a new place to live. Though I really liked my place and my roommates, they could afford to, and wanted to live alone. So off they went and I searched and searched. I saw so many studios as well as a number of share-houses in a number of different neighborhoods. I found a place in a neighborhood called Andersonville It is cute and comfortable and colorful. Another share-house with an artist it is.
3) I went to the Bahamas with my friend Lisa. For one week I did nothing but sit on the beach and walk around drinking fruiting drinks with rum.
March: New job and move to new digs.
I am now working as a legal assistant at a small insurance litigation firm. OK, I know this is not the direction that anyone expected me to go in, but it is a good job, I have health insurance, and I work with good people. This is not what I want to do for the rest of my life, but for the moment it works and I am working. The job is located in the Sears Tower so when it is windy I get a little seasick. I am also taking the train into downtown each day. It is still a bit odd to me that I enter a sea of suits on a daily basis.
I also moved into the new place with the artist. I have not lived in such a clean house since I lived with my mother. It is odd I tell you. I also started babysitting. Who would have thought that I would be 30 and babysitting?
I have already started writing out the April update, so it will be soon. I promise. I just realized that my April was very busy and I did not want this update to be so large that it would be daunting to read.
So long for now,
Tia
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| Monday, August 8th, 2005
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12:49 pm - Installment #2
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You think I would have written the second installment right away? That has not been my pattern to date, so why would I start now. Heck, I have 3 rolls of film that need to be developed at home, and I honestly do not know what is on them. It should be an adventure!
OK, I left off with September. It was fall. I rollerbladed a lot, watched the trees change color and a played outside while I still could. I had a few of job interviews in September for tech jobs that I was either so under or over qualified it was painful. I was given one job offer but it was a dead-end job with dead-end pay and hours that would have left me with 6-8 hours a day to myself (in which I would have slept.) Instead I choose to continue to play in the day and work in the night.
I also went apple picking with Molly and Angela. I am trying to get them to lend me a pictures or 2 so I can scan them and show them to all of you.
At the end of September I went to Ann Arbor for the first time in almost 4 years. When I walked off the train my first thought was: “Home.” I do not want to move back to Ann Arbor, but it is home for me. And I am glad I have finally realized that. I had a good weekend of being nostalgic, complaining that my old haunts were gone, and laughing with friends.
Honestly, October, November and December were a bit of a blur. I worked crazy hours at the restaurant, I did some office work for the owner of the restaurant and I spent a huge amount of time in the hospital sitting next to a friend, hoping he would get better. He is getting better and he is not in the hospital now. But I still worry. And I am still there for him.
The holidays are what I remember for the above months:
I did go and see the Pixies at the Aragon, a fabulously tacky music venue. And, yes, I do believe that seeing the Pixies is a holiday. It was a fantastic show, I danced a bit and re-affirmed that Kim Deal is simply awsome.
The weekend before Thanksgiving: Molly, Angela, Lisa and I went Christmas shopping and for the first time in my life I finished my Christmas shopping before the New Year. We went to this really excellent store in a house, in a barn, in a shed, on a farm called Ginger Blossom (http://www.gingerblossom.com) which we found on our Apple picking trip.
Thanksgiving: I went to Molly and Angela’s place. Angela made a fantastic traditional dinner and attempted to make a Tofurkey for me. Though the homemade Tofurkey I had in Sydney was good (not brilliant) the store-bought Tofurkey was another thing all together. We could have dribbled it to the hoop. We had a fabulous feast with many friends.
Christmas: I had every intention of staying at home and renting movies but a friend of mine would not have it. So, off to her family’s house for Christmas dinner. It was beautiful: little kids, aunts and uncles, Christmas present unwrapping and the tree was decorated. Much better than staying at home and watching cheesy movies.
Then there was New Year’s Eve. I spent the first half of the evening at a local pub with my roommates and then after midnight I left to meet-up with Molly, Angela and Gang. It was a big evening, with few people.
So the New Year (and new job) will be in the next installment.
And just to get it posted and out there, I am going to post this now and write another installment, soon, I hope.
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| Monday, April 25th, 2005
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3:04 pm - Installment #1
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Thanks to a small reminder from davidmn I decided it really is time to update this journal something fierce. Since I have not written in over a year I am going to do this in installments. Are you ready?
March 2004 – August 2004
March 15th (or there abouts):
John and I moved out of the loft (as it was a bit too intimate for the 2 of us and moved into a 4 bedroom place with another friend from Michigan. We moved above a candy store. I was living every kid's dream. A candy store!
I was so excited. I had a bedroom larger then some studio apartments I have seen, a jacuzzi, a balcony off my bedroom and a washer and dryer in the apartment. We were living high.
At around the same time I quit working at the spa. Good thing, too, as the spa closed its doors due to mismanagement less than 2 months later. That place was really draining me. I grew very tired, very quickly, about people deciding the things I need to do to be attractive and presentable. Simple things like I was told I needed to wear make-up. They could not understand that I feel beautiful as is.
So I was then a full-time waitress at caffe De Luca My good friend, Mike, was my manager and we had a great time with it.
April:
I ran into Asif, who I worked with at ANS before the Worldcom takeover. And he and I started having weekly lunches. Why not? He was unemployed and I did not have a day job. It seemed the perfect way to pass the time and lament about being laid off. It is sometimes fun to have a co-conspirator in holding a pity-party.
After a year at caffe De Luca it is amazing how many people from Michigan I ran into. Two girls from high school drama club, 3 guys from college, and Asif.
Working there was a nice step in my social life. There I go to alluding to my end at caffe De Luca, but that will not come until the next installment.
May and June:
Well work kept me more than busy. And I got into a bad habit that many waitresses get into: when I got off of work I was still energetic, and the only thing to do would be to go to a bar. So I drank a bit more often than I would usually. But on a good note I met many of my neighbors and gained a few friends from being a local at the bar. I also found out my neighborhood was filled with Michigan folks as well. We could bond with a game or two of Euchre.
July 1st:
I turned 30! Following a queue from Emily I decided to make a big deal out of nothing. I really do not care that I turned 30. But I think it is the perfect age to milk the complaining factor. I just do not understand MTV anymore, ‘cause I am 30; I have to have at least 8 hours of sleep, ‘cause I am 30; etc.
We had a BBQ in the pouring rain for my birthday. John is the man who kept the flames going. He was quite impressive. And Vanessa came down to visit me. I had a great time showing her around and I love that she travels a bit like I do. She can easily entertain herself by trying to walk around and find new streets to look at. Also, it was nice having her around just to laugh lots. We have always been able to laugh together.
July 13th:
I volunteered as a crew member for the HOPE Ride. Roger, one of the guys I rode with in AIDS Rides I participated in, asked if I would ride. As I did not feel I was in shape enough, nor was I in a place to fundraise, I decided to help out by crewing the ride. It was interesting being on the other side of the ride. This ride was so much smaller than other rides I had been on (35 riders as opposed to 1500 riders) and fairly disorganized, but due to the diligence of the organizers and the crew the riders did not feel the effects of the lack of organization during the ride. It was magic. Being a part of this makes me want to ride in a summer of 2005 ride. Here are 3 photos from the ride: http://www.tiagirl.com/hoperide
August:
I worked 6 to 8 shifts a week at the restaurant, every single Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. I really was a bore.
But on a good note: Craig from New York did visit for a week. And I tried to give him a tour of the city by showing him all the photo-booths that we could find. If you go here you will see come of the fruits of our labor.
And at the end of the month I went camping with some of the gang from the HOPE Ride. We could not have asked for a more miserable weekend to go camping. Our first night we did not do much of anything but the second night. Oh, the second night. We were rescued by a group with good food and large tarps. So we tarped (new verbs are being created everyday)over a campfire (real safe, right?) and enjoyed a night of food, drink and conversation.
OK, this is long enough for the first installment. I am hoping to have September until now done by the end of this week. Please feel free to harass me if I do not have it posted.
Later,
Tia
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| Friday, February 27th, 2004
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1:23 am - Getting on down and moving on up...
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Writing for a while has felt like a chore to me. I still have not found full-time work and whenever I go to write I start dwelling upon my job situation.
Things are better for me in Chicago than New York. New York was too much for me and I felt as if I could never be alone with my thoughts. When walking I was surrounded by people, when sleeping I could hear the people outside, everywhere I went I was enveloped by noise of some sort and it was driving me crazy. To deal with it all I become a long-term tourist instead of making it my home.
Now I am a much happier person in Chicago. I originally moved in with my friends Dana and Tim, but that did not last long. I was much the intrusion in their happily married home. So I have moved in with another friend of mine, John. I am living in a loft where I do not have any privacy (his bedroom looks over mine) yet we are somehow making it work, and I am happy to do so. John and I have found another larger more private and just as beautiful place to move to in a few weeks. At the moment that is all I can talk about. I have a new apartment, I have signed a lease and I will soon be moving into a house that I will live in for at least a year.
As for work: well things are still grim. I am currently working 3 part-time jobs. I am a receptionist at a spa, I am waiting tables at a café and I am doing book work for a one-man construction office.
Now for the real business: what am I doing for fun? Well honestly not much. I have been watching movies at friends. homes, drinking beers, walking all over the place, and eating all too much. Over the holidays mostly worked though I did get an opportunity to visit my mom. I also went to see the B52s and Poi Dog Pondering on New Years eve with one of my old housemates from Black Elk (veggie coop I lived in while in college) And a few weeks ago I went to Portland to go to my friends Cathy and Susan's wedding reception and I somehow ended up being the photographer. It was a beautiful weekend of celebrating love and friends and the families we make for ourselves.
So there is a quick catch-up for all. I hope that I can be a bit better in the future.
Take Care,
Tia
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| Monday, October 27th, 2003
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9:50 am - Nude People!
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Sunday morning when it was still dark and the city was still partying through the night, I was in Grand Central Station with 450 nude women. Spencer Tunick was up to his tricks again. Spencer Tunick is a photographer who gathers volunteers to model en masse nude in public locations. Usually his photos are on the streets and they have ended in arrests in the past. But times are changing and the 1st amendment allows him to work in peace and being respected in high places he was able to have Grand Central Station closed for an installation.
My friend Emily and I walked into Grand Central and our first order of business was to find Spencer himself. She had spoken to him via e-mail to find out if her tatoos were going to be in the way of his vision. Turns out she just needed to be in the back of the shot for a few of the poses.
So then we joined the 450 other woman waiting. Waiting, some nervous, all friendly, while the sound of the station was buzzing in excitement. Looking around I saw woman of all sizes and shapes, of all ages and dress. Then the time came, for us to undress and pose. Surreal, amazing, proud, beautiful are just some of the words to describe what I was thinking and how I felt walking through the station to get into place. After the first couple of poses I did not notice that I was nude, that I was surrounded by nudity. I hard a hard time not smiling as I was amonst so much beauty. Societies idea of beautiful bodies need to be changed, as we are all beautiful.
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| Wednesday, October 15th, 2003
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11:36 am - So much shouting, so much laughter…
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Well it has been an interesting and bumpy trip temping for New Line Cinema. I have copied, filed, typed, and answered enough phone calls to drive me slightly insane. I now know most of the names of the folks responsible for New Line’s movies. And let me tell you it is not interesting at all.
On other news: I have been able to see some free movies. And working here gave me a good Saturday night idea. For the past couple weeks my friend, Emily and I have been watching the Nightmare on Elm Street Series. So we are up to Movie number 3 plus “Freddy vs. Jason” So my slasher movie thoughts: NOES1 and NOES3 are good movies. 2 and 4 are horrible. And Freddy is ultimately the better bad guy.
Other things I have been up to:
Well I am still on my walking everywhere kick. I have been spending a lot of time in Brooklyn. It is a calmer place than Manhatten, and I believe it is more human.
After hanging out with some friends I went walking and somehow ended up at a Street Fair celebrating Czech independence day. They had this amazing Rock Band in the middle of the street. I realized that this is something that would never happen in Sydney. And I really did miss about the US. You see Sydney have plenty of festivals, but they do not know how to shut a street down and for the festival. Americans know how to involve an entire neighbourhood even if they do not want to be involved at first.
For my last news: I am leaving New York. I will be moving to Chicago sometime around Halloween. New York is not making me happy, so I am off to the next place.
Take Care,
Tia
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| Friday, September 26th, 2003
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4:16 pm - Australia Tourist Commercial.
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Last night while I was watching TV a commercial for Australia Tourism played. One of the things they suggest one can do in Australia is have a candle lit dinner in a rain forest.
Thanks to Kat I have had such a dinner with an Emu and a flying fox in sight as well.
I never thought a tourism commercial would make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
PS: Kat do you have the pictures from that trip? Or are they still in the US?
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| Tuesday, September 9th, 2003
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12:14 pm
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I have started temping so that I do not have to eat through my savings simply to live. I am filing, copying, and answering phones for New Line Cinema. My first day on the job I went outside for lunch and played my usual people watching game: the one where I make up stories for anyone that looks interesting. So I was checking out this small, tattooed, tough looking woman. I started fleshing out the story: ex-heroin addict, now working in the music industry, good at whatever she does, people either love her or hate her – there can be no middle ground. Then she pulls an amp out of a mini-van and Pink follows her out of the van. I had to laugh as my story was probably more on than I could imagine.
Since I have been back in New York I have been to 2 BBQs which makes me feel a bit home sick for Australia. I also took my friend Emily out for her 30th birthday (SHE IS 30!!!!) to see He Died with a Felafal in His Hand.
For those in the US: this is a play based on an Australian book about crazy flatmate situations. After living in Black Elk I could have written the book myself.
For those in Australia: it was an Australian performance troupe and they were hilarious.
On the next day I went to see The Blue Man Group A friend won tickets to the show that morning. So I went and laughed the evening away.
Overall I have had a good couple of weeks.
I hope everyone reading this can say the same.
Take Care,
Tia
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| Friday, August 22nd, 2003
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1:14 pm - Some travel...
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In the past couple of weeks I have done a bit of travelling.
First the visitor's come to me. Next I go to them.
I went to Washington DC last week to hang out with Mary and Sheila (who I know from UM) Though I swore years ago that I would never take Greyhound again, I bit the bullet and faced my fear of having yet another crazy lady sit next to me. Thankfully I had a completely uneventful ride to DC.
I met up with Sheila at the Smithsonian for Latin Jazz night. I had never heard Latin Jazz before. It has a great energy and an interesting blend instruments. After that we went dancing and no matter what the music we were set on Salsa dancing. Seemed to be the way to go.
The next night I went out with Mary and a couple of her friends for Ethiopian food which always makes me happy. There is something about eating good food without silverware of any sort that just makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.
On that Sunday I went to Hershey Park in PA. Roller Coasters galore and a ride to tell your how Hershey's Chocalate is made. I think I will just stick with the Roller Coasters.
Mary's flatmate works for a senator so I also had a tour of the Capital. The tour I found interesting and at one point infuriating. In the doom there were paintings of historical moments that made this country what it has become. It angers me that the bapitism of Pocahontas. I understand that she was an important link between the Native Americans and the English, but using her baptism as the way to represent this is just one more way to step upon Native American Culture.
Then I went back to New York for a few days. Applying for more jobs and getting more and more frustrated with the search. Thankfully I had another big break planned. Off to Chicago and Detroit. I missed the black-out as I was visiting my Chicago friends. Though in some ways I wish I were in New York to see it and be apart of that buzz. Heck people in New York were talking to their neighbors and drinking in the streets. When in the small and relativly crime-free city of Ottawa there was looting. What has become of Canadians?
In Detroit: well Royal Oak actually I did a whole lot of hanging out and doing nothing with my mom. We really do know how to waste our days.
In Chicago: I have been to Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind and sow yet another wonderful preformance that has just the right blend of liberal politics and laughter for me to walk out grinning ear to ear. I have also been hanging out with Tim, Dana, Mike and Roger. And today I will be seeing Erin who I know from Sydney. She is temporarily living here. We are goign to be going to one of my favorite restaurants in the world: Chicago Diner Ok so my life revolves around food. It is part of my charm.
Tomorrow I will be back in New York and take more action in looking for a job job job.
Take Care All,
Tia
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| Monday, August 4th, 2003
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3:44 pm - So many visitors, so little time...
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I have had 3 people visit me in succession since Wednesday.
First Visitor: Mary from DC
Mary came up from DC for 2 days. We went to the Beauty Bar where for $10 we were able to get a Cosmo and a manicure. What more could a girl want?
The next day we went to the fabulous Coney Island. Run-down amusement park, garbage-covered beach, and good company for a cheesy day. The weather was just mediocre (bouncng between rainy and grey) but that did not stop the fun we had.
Then we went out with Craig for Dinner and Drinks.
The next morning Mary took off for home.
Second Visitor: Nessa from Ann Arbor
She was in town for a wedding, so I only had her to myself for an afternoon. But that afternoon put a smile on my face. All we did was walk and talk and walk and talk. And that was all I needed.
Third Visitor: Liz from Long Island
I had not seen Liz in 4 years, when I put her on a plane for her big move to Alaska. We played a lot of catch-up as well. And we went exploring through China Town where she bought 2 adorable turtles. And we went out for a late lunch at a Noho Cafe after exploring through the Soho Galleries and checking out all the things we could never afford while drooling at the thought of the lofts behind the windows above the storefronts (wow that is a long sentance)
So that was my week. And today I had a second interview at Telstra soon I shall know if I will have a job with an Australian Company in the US.
Take Care,
Tia
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| Friday, July 25th, 2003
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12:05 pm - So much to say....
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Ok well I have been in New York for over 2 months now. And I still do not have anything that looks like a job. It is a bit depressing.
But I have been having aplenty of fun despite this.
First things first:
My Birthday has come and gone. I am now 29. Mom - that means your daughter is almost 30. Brahahahaha! On that day I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge with my friend Em. Then Peggy took me out for Indian Food and stuffed me so silly that I had no room for desert. So she took me out for a birthday cake the next day.
On the forth of July I went to the house of a Worldcom worker, who I had not met before, in Upstate New York. It was exactly what the doctor ordered. I was in small town USA at a family BBQ. We went swimming in a lake (YEAH for fresh water!), ate too much food, and watched fireworks with the entire town.
One of my challenges here has been to go to many free events as possible.
So I have been to many concerts. In the middle of Central Park is an outdoor Summer Stage, though for the concerts I have gone to there is a cost to go into the stage, it is just as simple to sit just outside the stage and listen. So I have listened to Elvis Costello and I crashed someones picnic just outside of the Ani DiFranco Concert. I met new friends and listened to Ani DiFranco live for one more time (I was obsessed with her while I was in university for those of you who did not know me then)
I have also found a couple cheap venues where I have seen Tracy and the Plastics (music and performance art all in one show), The Gossip (and Blues based Punk band that will always rock my world) and Bitch and Animal (impossible to explain, just good fun).
And a small highlight of my month is I somehow ended up at a party in the most amasing loft apartment with rooftop access. It was a beautiful night of sitting and talking with people while looking over the city. Also the apartment was owned by an artist that creates paintings with glow in the dark paint. They were by Anders Knutsson and they were quite unique. And then to add to my fun and interesting time the party was a going away part for Dred who is a preformance artist that I have seen a few times in the past.
Other than the above I have been sending out more resumes than I can count, I have been walking around like a mad woman (I have legs of steel now) and I have been watching a bit too much TV.
So I believe that brings us up to date.
Take Care,
Tia
PS: I saw Martha Plimpton the other day.
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| Tuesday, June 24th, 2003
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3:18 pm - I am in New York City
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I am settling into a fabulous apartment with Peggy, B and the fabulous Mamma Cat. Fnding a job in New York is proving to be difficult. If anyone knows any contacts for almost any job please send them my way.
So far in New York:
I have had 2 celeb. sitings.
I have been to the top of the Empire State Building.
I have had more bagels than I care to count.
The guy who works across the street has given me a rose.
And I have run through the rain.
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| Thursday, May 29th, 2003
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10:58 am - Saatchi Gallery
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I went to the Saatchi Gallery the other day. I have been wanting to visit it since I saw the Sensation exhibit in Berlin in 1998.
So finally I had my chance. I searched around the web and looked the Saatchi up in the phone book and all I could find was the gallery was going was currently moving. Thankfully I was wandering around London and stumbled upon its new location which is now open.
I love how singular images can create such emotion in me.
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10:48 am - London Thoughts...
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I love this sort of humanity.
Behind me was the sun while in front of me were black clouds. I was on the city footpaths watching the people scrambling for shelter: umbrellas, awnings, buildings. They moved faster and I could feel the excitement in the air.
The storm came in with me still strolling along the footpath with my ear-to-ear smile probably looking the fool to everyone else.
Then the sun reappears and people come out with smiles and an expecting pace.
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tiasworld's journal
