I have been laughing at this all day.

What have I been doing all day, anyway?

Laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.

Having every known item of clothing clean is essential when pre/practice packing for an entire month abroad. I'm still perplexed as to how I'll pack... totally casual all the time? Mostly casual with some shiny shirts for nights out? Full-out fashionista? Or, perhaps as Rick Steves suggests, in reversable pants & waterproof "blouses."



Each day, I attempt a greek omelette, but fail. It is miserably sad. Each day I eat scrambled greek eggs. I need an omelette sensei.




I've been hanging out with the yoga ball a lot. Sometimes I actually get on it & try to do things. Just kidding, I'm getting pretty good at 1) sitting on it & working arms with 3lb weights, 2) sitting on it and watching Baseball Tonight & America's Funniest Home Videos, and 3) catapulting across the room when trying the sit ups or push ups while balanced on the thing.




I've also been bringing in some extra cash by setting up an underground cat-fighting ring in the neighborhood. I know it's illegal - whatever, talk to me when you pay for every song you download, fool.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina
P.S. Actually, the majority of my time is spent on frommers, lonely planet, skyeurope, itunes & such. Girl's got some reservation confirmation & cross-referencing to do.
Did you know you can download podcasts of everything from language lessons to subway maps and walking tours of the Louvre ?

Pinch me. Harder.

It just occurred to me that I don't ever post a new entry without a photo, or photos, to go along with it. It's as if I what I want to communicate is not valid (or not interesting? understandable?) without a visual aid of some sort. So now, in the interest of breaking bad habits, I give you a word-only post.

The glorious and wildly extravagant European Tour 2006 is fewer than ten days away and, well, what do I say... no, I can't believe it; yes, I'm so excited and thrilled I could shit myself; yes, I am more than a little freaked out; yes, it is the best thing ever that all of my bffs will be there; yes, I know it will change my life forever. This trip will change my life forever.

For the uninformed - behold - the itinerary:

2 days in Dubrovnik, Croatia
3 days on the island of Hvar, Croatia
1-2 days in Split, Croatia
3 days in Prague
3 days in Munich (in time to kickoff Oktoberfest)
3 days in Rome
3 days in Paris
3 days in Istanbul
1 (fancy) night in London

I know it, kids. I know. It oftentimes makes me feel like crying a wee bit. Stay tuned for more details via The Cabaret. Please don't think me a braggart or a rubber-inner, but this trip is all I can think about. And it's fun to share.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina.

P.S. The White Sox just brought in David Riske in the 6th inning & Torii Hunter just hit a 3-run bomb off of him on the first pitch thrown. Twins up 4-3.

P.S.S. Sadly, "WhinyBitch" Pierzynski just came in and hit a first-pitch homer about as quickly as I was able to type the sentence you just read. 4-4 in the 6th.

From my office. I mean, the kitchen.

Well kids, it's done. Until Friday, I'd been working in the same office (positions & cubicles have varied, but really the same office) since I was a 20 year-old student worker. But, the end has come. I've had my way with this tired old trick and now I'm out the door.

I thought I'd be more freaked out about leaving my job for truly no other reason than that it just isn't a good fit anymore - -but, I feel okay. In fact, I kind of feel like this:


P.S. Yes, that is Tatum. No, that is not wardrobe for her newest role as a suburban mother of three on a sunny afternoon mescaline binge.

What I feel most, at least at this point, is... well, sad, I guess. Although there is much, much more I won't miss (the same old routine, the policy enforcement, the forced niceties, the technical difficulties), there are certainly some things I will miss, and do already.



I miss my wall calendar. I liked my wall calendar. How will I know now how many inches I am from November?

I also miss the comfort of a place that became basically a second home to me, being an expert at something, unlimited printing, leftover meeting food, and free coffee. Even when it's Folger's back there, man, it rules.

Really though, what I miss most is my work buddies. Easy. I'm not going to name names - you know who you are. I love you fuckers.



The dude eats whole pies... at his desk... during work. Come on.

Anyway, enough of that. Now I only look forward - - to an entire month playing with my bffs in Europe, the finishing of the synthesis, completion of the mals degree and so on. Muchas to do, still, real job or not.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina

P.S. Hey movie fans, I've seen some good ones lately & would like to share with you - - so, rent Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang & The Matador. Good stuff.

Ladies Who Lunch 2006 Tour: Blaine, MN

Ladies lunching on a rainy Sunday afternoon... sounds harmless enough, right?

Uh uh, suckas, not harmless at all. Not harmless when said ladies go lunching at Bella (the strip mall version of DT Mpls Bellanotte) in Blaine.

Ah, the old personalized chocolate martini trick.

Apparently, in Blaine, daytime "lunching" -- lunching that lasts for 7 hours and includes (the most disgusting) poop stories (ever), 47 rounds of drinks, simulated fellatio, and hickie-giving contests - - is all quite the norm, because - well, I don't think we even got banned and our server said thank you when we left.


You might wonder why Blaine? Well, we ain't to proud to... go to Blaine. Not when the happy hour specials include $2.50 house wine, fancy vodkas, specialty martinis, and yummy food items. Really.

Curly dark hairs and/or straight blonde hairs are not allowed to sit on the same side of the table as each other. It was the only thing weird about Bella.

Shorty introduces us to the Gay-n-Ginger (Mount Gay rum & ginger ale), which were a big hit and nicely complimented by the ability to smoke Camel Lights indoors.

Gross, gross poop stories, told loudly, excitedly, without abandon -- even the Hog is grossed out. We all feel, however, strangely comforted by the confessions of the near misses and, uh... misses.

Wait, wait.... let me try to give you a hickie on your forearm. That won't be weird at work tomorrow.

Valayna confirms that is is indeed impossible to lick your own elbow. Try it.

Ciao, buddies.
-Nina

Let's get back to Friday night.

It finally happened...




















Someone drank the fucking Tanqueray.

This bottle of gin is (was) at least 7 years old. It began its journey at Josh & Dan's old place off of Grand, made it's way to Amy & my place on St. Clair, where it lived in the freezer for 2 years, moved to Amy's trunk for at least a year (bit of a rough patch), reunited with its original owner when it moved into the liquor garage on Stryker... and now is finally, finally at rest.

RIP you gross old gin.

What a good 'sport' Shorty's LAbuddy Andy was for putting it out of its misery. It's amazing how easy it is to make unknowing people drink things.

Now, on to the party:















The Hogs really like Snow. Yes, that Snow. "Informer" Snow.
















Why do we even have Ouzo? I mean, why did we even have Ouzo? (That's got Tawny's name written all over it. Thanks, Tawny).















Anyone who has ever seen this spectacle before knows exactly what is happening... and what song is playing.















This bottle is curretly for sale on E-Bay.


Ciao, buddies.
-Nina

Welcome back, Justin.

Momma missed you.

How can you be the cream when the crop is just as good?

Andrew Bird & Haley Bonar at the MN Zoo - Friday night.

Momma had just a fantastic weekend.

Friday night some of the ladies and I went to the MN Zoo to see Mr. Andrew Bird. I saw Andrew for the first time not too long ago at the Fine Line - - I thought he was really something special then, but now... wow, kids. This dude just approaches making music differently than I've ever seen before. It's more like science than, well, music.

I'm sure people who follow experimental stuff- some of that crazy Lost-Highway-Jazz stuff - see science-music all the time. I'm typically not a fan of that business since there is a fundamental lack of listenability. But Andrew Bird is different. Aside from his whole I'm going to strap a guitar to my back, play the violin on my front (and then switch in a bit), hauntingly whistle for a while, loop myself whistling by pushing these buttons with my naked toes, and I guess I'll bonk a xylophone approach.... aside from that, his voice is actually really great (different; maybe not for everyone), and his lyrics are wry, poetic, political, sexy, goofy.... good stuff.















Mel, myself & Shorty; bad kids smoking at the zoo.

The MN Zoo amphitheater was a big hit with all of us. I highly recommend taking in show there. It's amphitheater style, so steep seating & views for every seat, but it's quite small. Even better views for every seat. The sound was great, you get to meander some little paths to get out there, they sell beer and vino (you can take it to your seats), you can take photos (no flash), the crowd is a pretty cool hipster scene - plus, they can boast a very good line up every year.

We came back to the West Side after the show, feeling all fired up and ready to rock, and proceeded to drink & dance until well into the am.

Stay tuned... more photos to come.

Who let the skirt in here?

Well goodness me, golly gee, my word.


Yesterday, Senator Hillary laid into Rummy over the administration's egregious failure of policy in both Iraq and Afganistan, even (finally) calling for his resignation. She should have done this a long time ago, we all know this, but whatever, at least she finally said it. Snaps, Hill.

She said it pretty well and very mean-teacherly, as you would expect. She had Rummy gosh-gollying and rhetorical question-asking and answering himself so wildly that I'm sure he got a whopper of a belly-ache.

So she says to the guy :
"I just don't understand why we can't get new leadership that would give us a fighting chance to turn the situation around before it's too late," the New York Democrat told the Associated Press. "I think the president should choose to accept Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation."

"There's a track record here," countered Clinton. "This is not 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, when you appeared before this committee and made many comments and presented many assurances that have frankly proven to be unfulfilled."

Does anyone ever understand what the fuck he is ever talking about? :
"Are there setbacks? Yes. Are there things that people can't anticipate? Yes. Does the enemy have a brain and continue to make adjustments on the ground requiring our forces to make adjustments? You bet," he said.

"Is that going to continue to be the case? I think so. Is this problem going to get solved in the near term about this long struggle against violent extremism? No, I don't believe it is."



The Presidential Bust. I'm not too sure about those nostrils.

Finally, my personal favorite nugget of inspriration:
The defense secretary said he expected the violence there to follow a seasonal pattern and decline as winter approaches.


Ciao, buddies.
-Nina
(yeah, you might have to sign up for a nytimes.com account... so what man, you should have one anyway).

Quotes courtesy of the AP
New York Times recap of the event
Funny political cartoons by Daryl Cagle

No pressure, kid.

YUM.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree (of hate).

"The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world."

So crazyMel gets busted for being the disgusting, drunken anti-Semite that he is and now he is sorry. But, we all know what he is really sorry for - - the shitstorm of bad publicity in which he (and his poor publicist) is currently flailing about.

Basically, Mel & co. are sticking to the story that it was just the tequila talking... and driving, I guess. He is going to real rehab now and wants members of the Jewish community to help him with his recovery:

"I have begun an ongoing program of recovery and what I am now realizing is that I cannot do it alone. I am in the process of understanding where those vicious words came from during that drunken display, and I am asking the Jewish community, whom I have personally offended, to help me on my journey through recovery. Again, I am reaching out to the Jewish community for its help. I know there will be many in that community who will want nothing to do with me, and that would be understandable. But I pray that that door is not forever closed."

I'm sure they will be happy to help, Mel.

Gross.