Attack Of The Single Women!

I hardly ever read Time Out New York (although I should -- lots of helpful tips on Fun Things To Do In The City)....today, on a whim, I picked up a copy and had ever so much fun (as they say in the UK -- I am currently watching the British version of Last Comic Standing so the accent is stuck in my head) reading this article about single women in New York. Very interesting and amusing. Here are some highlights (or lowlights, depending on your perspective):

~ There are 185,000 more single women than single men in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut areas combined. (me: whoa.)

~ Interview with single, 26-year-old Samantha:
What kind of men are at bars?
I like to call them douche bags.
What qualifies a douche bag?
They can be found on a Thursday night at any bar in NYC, especially the Upper East Side.
When did someone last pick you up?
I was picked up on Thursday.
What did they do to impress you?
He didn't impress me, he just picked me up.
Any pointers for single women in NYC?
God help you.

~ Interview with single, 23-year-old Amanda:
"I read some description somewhere where they said, 'Dating in New York is like being a kid in a candy store.' But it feels more like being a kid at Home Depot, where there's a ton of sh*t and you don't really want any of it, you just want to leave."

(me: *awesome*)

****************************************

in other news: my favorite coffee shop CLOSED. ahhhh!!! now where will i go?? i guess starbucks. or starbucks. or maybe starbucks ::sad day:: :(

creative to-do list

* email people that i talked to at party last week re: "forming a band." (i'm a bit tired of flying solo lately, and have been antsy to start collaborating with other musical souls. and then voila!! -- here are these lovely people that i already know & like very much that want to be in a band as well! yay!)

* finish song that i have been working on since july. as in july 2006. i will be realistic about this one though: let's say, finished by july 2007. that's fair.

* continue sketching on the roof (i've been doing pretty well with this one).

* finish watercolor painting that i started last week.

* spend one night a week at DTUT writing, brainstorming, etc. i may try and get down there tonight, since it's rainy and gray -- good fuel for creativity.

* get AT LEAST one more gig on my schedule for the summer, preferably one that is neither here, nor here (time to branch out).

Saturday thoughts...

The air outside has cooled down significantly in the last several hours, and with that (it appears), so have my emotions and moodiness. I am sitting in a coffee shop right now, and just overheard two girls commenting on their crabbiness of late: "I was in such a horrible mood yesterday! I don't know what the deal was." I wanted to jump in -- "Me too! Me too!" Seriously, maybe it's something in the air! For me, the crabbiness of yesterday carried itself right on over into today, and then morphed into contemplation and introspection. Silly thoughts like "What am I doing with my life?" and "Maybe I should move to Hawaii" and "What I am going to do with the rest of my weekend?" inevitably led to the big one: "I'm not getting any younger..." and, well...all of the fears and thoughts that are linked to that statement followed close behind. So I decided to get out of the apartment and go to Barnes & Noble to browse the new fiction tables and books on art and creativity and travel, etc. And now I feel MUCH better! I resisted the urge to buy more fiction books, since I haven't even read the ones from my last splurge, but allowed myself to buy a few non-fiction, creative-like books that make me feel all warm & fuzzy inside :) --> The Creative License, A Short Guide To A Happy Life, (which sounds very self help-y but isn't really), and Bohemian Manifesto. Now I am sitting in this here coffee shop (Stevie Wonder blasting overhead), typing away, getting ready to dive into my new books, and anticipating the rooftop party I will be attending later tonight. Spirits are lifting by the minute. Everything will be okay. It will. Really.

blah

so many things that i could say, but no energy or motivation to put them down in this here blog in any sort of creative or cohesive way. the day has been thick and humid. my mood has been foul (the source of that is still unknown). although it may have something to do with that fact that i have been fighting a bad case of insomnia lately, despite my new AC unit that hums sweetly all night long. and despite my semi-newish Urban Outfitter curtains that keep my room nice and dark. sigh. well, it is friday evening in new york city. that thought alone cheers me up a smidge.

Movie Marathon

On Friday night, a friend and I headed down to the Lower East Side to the Landmark Sunshine Cinema , and settled ourselves in for a night movies (well, I'm not sure if two flicks qualify as a "night of movies," but four hours is a long time to spend in one theater!). Sore behinds and cramped legs aside, it was probably the most delightful Friday night I have had in New York in a long time. We saw Paris, je t'aime and Once. I loved Paris, but my heart was stolen by Once. It is difficult to put into words why this film is so amazing. It is a story of two musicians who meet on the streets of Dublin and begin a relationship of writing and collaboration. As a musician, of course I found it to be very relatable and inspiring. But more than that, it is just incredibly raw and real and touching -- which makes sense considering the two leads, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglová are actually musicians, not actors, who really did meet in the Czech Republic a few years ago and began collaborating and performing together. As I said, it is difficult to put into words why it affected me so much, but it was similar to my reaction to Garden State. In both cases, I left the theater feeling inspired, sad, nostalgic, fulfilled, hopeful, etc., without really even knowing why. And have I mentioned the music? Absolutely beautiful. KW and I headed straight to Virgin Records after leaving the theater and picked up a copy of the soundtrack. And I can't stop listening to it...

Waitress

I finally got around to seeing Waitress a few days ago, after many weeks of hearing the buzz surrounding this film and (unsuccessfully) trying to squeeze it into my schedule. After all of the anticipation, I have to say, I was more than pleasantly surprised. In fact, it went above and beyond my expectations and is maybe the best film I've seen all year. Funny, poignant, and visually stimulating (beautiful, colorful pies, fillings, custards, cherries, etc. YUM! Made me want to Bake and Eat!), I left the theatre feeling very full and happy.

More I need/want to see:
Once
Away From Her
Evening
Black Book
Fracture