Saturday, May 24, 2008

31 is Starting Grumpy

Hi. It's Saturday. I woke up at 8 am this morning because my nose was leaking (I was literally dreaming about Kleenexes) and I had to pee. After taking care of these problems, I crawled back into bed, hoping to fall back asleep. But instead of the task at hand, I was deterred by the parade going down my block.

It was a parade, right? I mean, I could hear the drums, but wait, only the drums. And it wasn't moving down the street like a parade should--it seemed localized in front of the house. What was that? A steel drum? A few of them? Oh. Right. Construction.

How did my landlord manage to find contractors to work on a Saturday when my friend Erica can't even get her workers to show up during the week like they promised?

Boo. 31 is starting grumpy.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Happy Birthday to ME

Today's my 31st birthday. I'm no longer merely 30nothing--I'm firmly in my thirties.

I'd feel better about it if I, well, felt better. I can hardly breathe and they started the pounding outside my windows at 8:15.

However, I did receive the customary family birthday greetings--both my dad and my sister sang "Happy Birthday to you, you smell like a monkey, and you look like one too."

Stacey's version included calling me Netner, the nickname she formed for me before she could say 'Jennifer.'

Thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes.

I'm off in search of juice.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Headache + Construction = Unhappy Jen

Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I quit my job to do freelance PR and writing work. The great part about working from home is well, working from home. You can wear whatever you want, watch tv, and not battle the commuting crowds on the overcrowded trains.

The bad part? Making sure you structure yourself, loneliness and, like today--if you're sick and can't work, you don't get paid. I've had a massive sinus headache and stuffiness for the past couple of days and although I've accomplished a few things, I really just want to hang out in bed. Which might be fine except that this week is the first week that workers are fixing the front of my building.

When Matt and I moved into our apt in Feb 2007, our landlord told us that he would be revamping the front of the brownstone. For 15 months, we lived in a building with a concrete front, never really caring about the construction that never was. But one week after I quit my job to work from home, the scaffolding went up. What timing! And now, I've unburied myself from my covers to post about the noise and banging from outside my window.

Matt, if you're reading this, bring me soup. And find Reno--I think he's hiding under the bed.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Update: It's Broken

This weekend Matt and I went to St. Louis for my friend Paige's wedding. It was great to see her and our other friends, but the real excitement happened before the wedding, at lunch.

My sister Stacey lives in St. Louis with her husband. I haven't been to visit her since she moved there, so I thought the trip would be a good opportunity to see her apartment and the city. Matt and I arrived around 11am on Friday (the wedding was that night) and after checking into the hotel, we met up with Stacey and walked to a local crepe restaurant for lunch.

After ordering at the counter, Matt and I sat down at an outdoor table and Stacey headed to the bathroom. Just about the time I was wondering why she was taking so long, a woman ran out of the building, and said, "your friend just walked into a wall and she's bleeding!"

I grabbed my purse and raced inside.

Stacey was bent over, crying. Blood covered her skirt, shirt and arm. I was scared, but fortunately I tend to get really calm and focused during emergencies (which is why I was so good at working on live tv).

"Ok," I said, stroking her hair. "Ok, what happed?"

A few of the restaurant employees gathered around us as the woman explained, "she walked right into the glass wall! I didn't see it but I heard her."

I tilted Stacey's head up to see her nose--it was purple, swelling and bleeding. Oh God--how did she walk into a glass wall? And with enough force to do this to her nose?

The employees took us to a back room where we kept ice on her nose while trying to stop the bleeding. After Stacey stopped crying, she was able to laugh at the situation, but only at her stupidity--not at her rapidly swelling nose.

We stopped the bleeding, ate our lunch, then headed back to Stacey's apartment so she could clean herself up and change out of her bloody clothes. The big question was whether her nose was actually broken or just bruised. We didn't know if she should go to the emergency room, go to a doctor or wait and see what happened.

The next day, Matt and I joined Stacey and her husband to run around the city. Her nose was big and the bags under her eyes were dark purple--basically, she looked like she got punched in the face.

We joked about her husband 'teaching her a lesson,' but she felt self-conscious as we explored the Botanical gardens, ate lunch, and walked around. Because it was Saturday, she decided to wait until Monday to see her doctor instead of going to the emergency room.

So, yesterday she got x-rays and sure enough, it's broken. She broke her nose! She walked into a glass wall so hard that she Broke. Her. Nose!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Why Haven't I Been Posting?

And I have yet another comment on my post about how I hate Carrie Bradshaw. It's the post that keeps on giving! I love it. I love how people find me. And I suck that I'm not writing more posts to retain my new readers. I'm sorry new and old readers! I'm sorry I've been so lax with posting.
It's not like I don't have the time to write. I do. I quit my job.

It's actually really exciting--I'm starting my own PR and communications firm (Simon Says Communications) and I'm pursing publishing personal essays and, of course, my book.

More posts soon about wedding craziness, my new assignments, and all the excitement of being self-employed in NY.