tavie.com

It's a blizzard, it's a blizzard. Check out the NYC traffic cams if you don't believe me.

I'm here all cozy and snuggly at The Penthouse with my novel and my knitting and my Goils. This apartment is a lot warmer than at home, where my parents and sister are freezing because of the cold coming through the air conditioners, which no one will call to have closed up. (I taped up the one in my room with duct tape and garbage bags, but it didn't help much.)

Illogic reigns. I go to Jersey City.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 6:04 PM | shower me with attention

Friday, January 21, 2005

I had a terrible day at work. Terrible. Horrible. Painful. Then I had a great meeting with some people about The Project and I felt a little better.

Then my friends took me out for an obscenely extravagant dinner at a fancy steakhouse.

I'm blown away.

Friends are good, good, good, good things. Anyone who rejects friendship is sorely deprived, and I feel nothing but sadness for them.

I love my friends.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 11:37 PM | shower me with attention

What must I be dreaming at night to wake up with these Elvis Costello songs in my head? Today it's this one:

Wave a white flag, put away the pistol
Too many people just can't get kissed
But if there's nothin' I can do to make amends, baby
Hope you don't murder me...

I'm having some psychotic dreams and not remembering them, I just know it.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 8:15 AM | shower me with attention

Thursday, January 20, 2005

I have a meeting tomorrow with someone about a project that I'm very excited about. I hope it goes well. I just have to remember that I'm doing them a favour, so no need to be nervous. (Oh, but I am anyway, I'm always nervous with new people and when you throw THIS stuff into the mix, well, wuh-HOOOO, Nelly!)

But it means that I have to go to sleep so I can get to work an hour early.

Thank god for Benadryl.

And still they flock like sheep to the moon...

Why are you in Tavie's head? 10:05 PM | shower me with attention

From Questions for Jeanne L.Phillips:

I hear one of the balls will be reserved for troops who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Yes, the Commander-in-Chief Ball. That is new. It will be about 2,000 servicemen and their guests. And that should be a really fun event for them.

As an alternative way of honoring them, did you or the president ever discuss canceling the nine balls and using the $40 million inaugural budget to purchase better equipment for the troops?

I think we felt like we would have a traditional set of events and we would focus on honoring the people who are serving our country right now -- not just the people in the armed forces, but also the community volunteers, the firemen, the policemen, the teachers, the people who serve at, you know, the -- well, it's called the StewPot in Dallas, people who work with the homeless.

How do any of them benefit from the inaugural balls?

I'm not sure that they do benefit from them.

Then how, exactly, are you honoring them?
Honoring service is what our theme is about.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 10:22 AM | shower me with attention

I should have been asleep half an hour ago (how many blog posts must I start like that??) but I can't let the day pass without, you know, some spew. A little spew. Don't have to bear with me. Go read something educational.

I just wanted to think about where I was several years ago versus where I am today. Not too many years ago ago I was in this room-- same room, sure, different bedsheets but same everything else-- and I had dropped out of a prestigious and demanding public high school. I was about fifty pounds heavier. I couldn't imagine a future for myself. When asked to describe where I saw myself in ten years, I would invariably reply, "In a mental institution" or "in a halfway house for emotionally retarded adults", and I would say these things with dull but deadly seriousness.

Then things happened, and we press the fast-forward button, and I meet some people online. And then I meet them offline. And they give me things to read and tell me that I'm smart and show me things about myself that I'd forgotten about, like that I used to enjoy school and be good at learning and like questions and thinking and accomplishing things.

And then we'll fast-forward again, and I still haven't gotten that fancy-school diploma, but I've got some decent SAT scores, and am on the road to a lovely, fake diploma from a school in Queens that I've only been to once (a fascinating tale for another time), and I am enrolling in the school my sister is attending. And I start to go there. And now the high-school dropout with no future is in college.

She's not the happiest she could be there, because her last serious schooling was in a prestige-obsessed factory that churns out Westinghouse Scholarship Winners, but damned if she didn't find something worthwhile there anyway. Damned if she didn't learn some more things. Damned if she didn't have the best friends in the world helping her along.

And damned if that high-school dropout with a future in a mental institution isn't sitting here, blogging after midnight on a work night, with that damned Bachelor's Degree under her belt now.

Fuck, yeah, I'm proud of myself. I was nowhere and I started going somewhere. It's damned hard to start and I done did it.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:10 AM | shower me with attention

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

There ya go.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 9:03 PM | shower me with attention

I'm up late! I'm up late! Woo! I don't have to work tomorrow and I'm up late! Ha! HaHA! I watched two episode of I Love the 90's Part Deux in a row and when they were over it was 2 a.m.! Did you know that all the good tv is on in the middle of the night?

Boy I'm tired.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 2:14 AM | shower me with attention

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

A wise woman once said, "Once there was a man called God, who liked to arrange things in my favour."

I have internet again! The nice man at Verizon, who I will call Shannon (that being his name) reset my password because I'd been locked out for too many failed connection attempts.

But here I am again!

Tomorrow I gradumarate from college. Finally finally at longest of long last. I'm not looking forward to the loooooongboring ceremony, but I owe my parents big time for cheating them out of a high school graduation. Yoda said to be happy about it because I'm doing it for my parents. A novel idea. I'm mad at Yoda, though, because he wouldn't believe me about the one thing I was sure about all day (it was 7/18/58, I'm positive it was.) Also he declined a suggestion that he listen to a song on my iPod rather impolitely. (It wasn't a SHOWTUNE.) But what else should I expect from mean people?

Anyway, Kit is going to take my extra gradumaration ticket, because Tante Joan will be travelling back from I forget where (London?) and won't be back in time for the ceremony. Then we'll go eat at that amazing Chinese place with the smoked tea duck. (My choice! Wheeee!) Then I'll be done with all of this, forever and ever, amen.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 8:57 PM | shower me with attention

Hi, my name is Tavie, and I am a pen-chewer.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:49 PM | shower me with attention

I can't wake up today.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 10:31 AM | shower me with attention

Monday, January 17, 2005

I'm on dial-up.

Dial-up.

Jesus Christ.

Someone fix this thing.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 11:47 PM | shower me with attention

Erin's been uploading pictures!
Someone whose name is Stinka is mad at me because I didn't go home all weekend. Other people are used to it, though. But I'm sure they'll forgive me when they see my new boots and dress!

I'll leave you with this:

After a long, hard day, who doesn't like to relax with their extremely natural-looking friends in their polo shirts and cowboy hats and play a good game of "SNL Trivial Pursuit"? Oh, no fair, I wanted to be Mango this time!

Why are you in Tavie's head? 9:08 AM | shower me with attention

Why are Swedish people so pretty?

Why are you in Tavie's head? 8:58 AM | shower me with attention

Sunday, January 16, 2005

My mom's in Disneyland by herself right now. She went on Friday for the long weekend. By herself, did I mention? Oh, my mom.

I sort of wish I'd gone with her, because it occurred to me yesterday that she's in Disneyland, man. I haven't been there in years. (I've only been three or four times, anyway. It's pretty exotic to me. That last sentence was only half facetious.)

I could've gone, but I didn't realize that I got to choose between MLK Day and President's Day off. But I went with the latter. I don't really need to go to Disneyland right now. I'm good.

Anyhow, I had a fine weekend with The Goils. I've decided to stay tonight at The Penthouse and see what the commute to work is like from here.

Why are you in Tavie's head? 8:09 PM | shower me with attention

Every day this week I have woken up to the chorus of Elvis Costello's Waiting for the End of the World in my head. I don't know why.

I sincerely hope you're coming
'Cause you've really started something

Why are you in Tavie's head? 1:15 PM | shower me with attention