so i bought a table today at a yard sale. it's cute: it folds down so that it's only about a half a foot wide, but then when it unfolds it's pretty big. and you can store folding wood chairs right inside of it (it didn't come with them, but you can get them at linens and things for $15 a piece). it's cute and convenient, and it's in relatively good condition. it's a wood laminate table and it has a few scratches in it which i'll need to fix, but other than that... :)

this cracks me up...


morelater...

so in honor of my birthday (July 17th, next Wednesday) I'm posting my wish list...

you want to buy me things (i just waved my hand when i said that, thus using a Jedi mind trick on you...)

today was is a blah day so far. I called some other apartment complexes and met with no happy news... blah, i guess i'm destined to live at home forever (kill me). I got my financial aid crap in the mail, and now i have to sign away my first born. and i have to work tonight. BLAH! Someone cheer me up, please! I added a link to my little radio station - i call it, *alisongs* - in the "other links" box on the left... today i'm still playing DMB and Sister Hazel, but it may change soon (I like the music, but it doesn't really cheer you up... perhaps I'll throw some silly pop or ddr on there.. i dunno)... ugh, we just got the driveway resealed, and now my room smells like asphalt. yum... morelater...

so i'm so bored at work i don't know what to do with myself... and i'm dreading going to the dentist this afternoon, my dental hygeinist (i can't spell) is a flaming bitch who thinks her job is not to clean your teeth but to scrape and poke your gums. she sucks. she comes close to being the one person who i think i could out-right hate, if i was the type of person that could hate people. but i'm not, so i just severely dislike her. >:( morelater

so i was playing around this morning and i setup a shoutcast stream of my dave matthews band and sister hazel mp3s so that i could listen to them at work... it seems like it may need some tweaking, but if you'd like to listen do this: in winamp select play/location (ctrl+L) and then type in http://aliwolly.homeip.net:8000... morelater...

so my bad luck with apartments continues :(

yesterday i called Park Row apartments, which are right down the street from where i work. the complex is small, about a dozen brick buildings, and the buildings don't look all that great from the outside, but the location is perfect and the price is nice ($520 including ht/hw for a one bedroom). So they said that they'd have a one bedroom available about mid-August, and I said that would be perfect and asked if I could make an appointment to come see it. She told me to come the next day (today) at 1:15. so then a few hours later they called me back and said that they rented that apartment, and it didn't look like they were going to have anything until September (and that would be a two bedroom). but, they said that i could still come today to see an apartment just on the off-chance that something comes open. So i went today, and it would have been perfect. it's just the size that i was looking for (not too big, not too small... just right) and it was cute and clean. so dammit. so they took my name down and gave me an application and told me to go ahead and fill it out and send it in, and to call back every few weeks to see if something opens up. i hope something does, cause that would be just perfect.

sothen when i got home i figured that i should continue to call around (i don't want to put "all my eggs in one basket" <-what a stupid expression). i called this place called Menands Village or something like that and they told me to come on down and they'd show me a studio and a one bedroom. She showed me the one bedroom first and it was pretty big. there was an eat-in kitchen, a not-too small bathroom, a very large living room and a large bedroom. it was a pretty nice apartment, but it was too expensive: $650 including ht/hw... then she showed me the studio, which was about the size of the one bedroom minus the living room. so i'd be able to fit my bed, my desk, my dresser, possibly a table and maybe a love seat, but most likely just a chair in the living/bedroom. but the price was pretty good: $545 including all utilities... but i just don't think i'd be happy in a studio. i mean, where would i go with company? not that i think i'd be entertaining all the time, but still.. and really, it'd feel like a dorm room or my bedroom hear or somthing like that... so blah...

so now i just hope that a one bedroom comes open at Park Row... wish me luck... :)

morelater...

so i went apartment hunting today. Click here to see the pictures I took... i met with eugene, who showed me three of his apartments. yeah. they were all holes. i mean, they weren't as bad as they could have been, but they were all tiny. I met him at the building on South Lake street first. I was excited to see what the apartment looked like, because the outside of the building was cute and it was right across the street from the park. he had 2 apartments on the 3rd floor. the first one he was trying to rent for $485. it was a studio apartment that was just about the size of my bedroom here at home. the bathroom was a closet originally i think, and the kitchen area was pretty scummy looking. the room that was the apartment probably could have just fit my bed and pretty much nothing else.
the second apartment was right across the hall. this one was a one bedroom he was trying to rent for $500. the bedroom was very very tiny. i don't think my bed would have fit in there. the main room was nice, kinda big. i guess if i rented that apartment i'd end up putting my bed in that room and using the bedroom for my computer/tv area. the kitchen had a new fridge, but wasn't impressive beyond that and the bathroom was very small. and to top it off, the hallway up to the apartment was very poorly lit and smelled pretty funky
we then headed over to his other apartment which was on madison, about a block from St. Rose. The location was great, and there was off-street parking, and the house that the apartment in was huge and beautiful... from the outside... inside it was dark and the ceiling was leaking into a garbage can on the way up the stairs. the apartment was a one-bedroom, but it was extremely tiny. The bedroom was about the size of my queen sized bed. he kept insisting that it was measured and that any size bed could fit in there, but i think that if i put my bed in taht room it would have completely filled it. the other room had a nice bay window on one side and the kitchen lined up on the other. it was extremely small. i don't think my bed could have fit in that room either, and i think that if i'd put a loveseat in there i wouldn't have room for a table. so i don't know where i'd go with my computer or tv. the bathroom had a tub in it, which could have been a bonus if the ceiling above it wasn't rotting into it. and he wanted $500 a month for that place. I thanked him for showing me the apartments, but i think he knew that i wasn't interested. he can rent those to some kids that come up here from long island and who's mommy and daddy are going to pay the rent for them.
I never realized how spoiled i am until i saw those apartments. i used to think tim was being kinda snobby for only wanting to look at apartments in complexes, but now i see his point. my dad even admitted that this was one thing that tim was right about. i should look for an apartment in a complex. i've found a few that are reletively inexpensive, and compared to what i'd be paying for a shitty student apartment in albany it's really a much better deal. i'll be able to find a much bigger, cleaner, and safer apartment looking in a complex. so tomorrow i start calling complexes... wish me luck :) morelater

so i got home about an hour ago, and i'm really not tired, but i better put myself to bed so that i'll be able to get up for work in the morning... i kept a journal on my palm while i was on my trip, so following are the entries that i wrote... morelater...

Friday 7/5: 930pm EST
106 degrees. 106 degrees. that's damn hot. that's the current temp in Phoenix. we're about 20 minutes from landing (and it's hella bumpy). I'm so disoriented because it's 9:25 my time but it's ass-bright outside the window because it's only 6:25 out here. i tried to prepare for this by napping but it didn't work. i only succeeded in sleeping for maybe a total of 20 minutes. it must be ten times worse for my dad when he goes to Saudi, so i should stop bitching...

Saturday, 7/6: 245am ESTlanding in AZ was weird. first all you could see was desert. just sand and small-but-steep rocky, brown mountains as far as you could see. in the desert you could see roads cutting thru the sand and the occasional trailer. then suddenly there was the city. the city of phoenix is all spread out and for the most part just looks hot. there's no grass (except for sports fields). as i was noticing all of the sand i couldn't help thinking of the part in episode 2 where Anakin is talking about how he hates sand b/c it 'gets everywhere' and i thought, 'Arizona looks like Tatooine' and then i thought that i was just a big dork.
when we got out of the airport & walked into the parking garage it was like walking into the depths of hell. the parking garage felt like a nyc subway station (except it didn't reek). mom & rj had to make room in their trunk already b/c they'd been shopping in the few hours they'd been in Phoenix before me. they shop more than anyone i know. and they buy things not b/c they need them but b/c they're good deals. blah
we had dinner at rj's parent's house (where the wedding is & where we're staying). we had Thai food that was pretty good from a restaurant called thaiphoon. it was nice seeing my aunt victoria again, and the guy she's marrying, willy, seems pretty nice. he's from Croatia & he's a pianist.
tomorrow should be a nice day... i must sleep now b/c i'm very tired...

Saturday, 7/6: 1110am EST
so it's 11am est which makes it about 8am here. it doesn't sound like anyone else is awake. i'm not too anxious to leave this room & have to make small-talk w/my step-grandfather either. he seems nice enough, but i don't really know what to say to him. he's spent the last few years watching his wife slowly die before him, and from what i've heard he hasn't really accepted the reality of her situation. they say it's as if he expects her to magically just get up out of bed and be herself again. in reality, that will never happen. he doesn't seem too strong anymore either, and i wouldn't be surprised if after she dies he follows soon after. it's very sad. my mom & rj have been coming out here many times in the past few years to try & help out. well, rj helps out anyways... my mom sits around waiting to go out & shop, and complains afterwards that it was a very boring trip. what an insensitive, self-centered bitch. here her husband is trying to help out his ageing father & dying mother + my mom is worried about how bored she is and that she missed out on shopping.
ugh... anyway... i guess i'll sit here and read or exercise until i hear someone else up. morelater.

Sunday 7/7: 345am EST
saturday went well. i exercised for a little when i woke up (and i'm still sore) and by the time i was done my mom & rj were up. after breakfast we went for a swim. my mom took forever trying to decide which bathing suit to wear. like it mattered. she ended up wearing a black strapless one that she complained about the entire time we were in the pool. the pool is pretty cool. it's an in-ground pool with the deepest part in the center. i could stand at the deepest part & the water would come right to my chin. the pool is bordered w/cobalt blue tiles, and there's a hot tub a level up from the pool that spills water like a waterfall into the pool. the water was warm, but not unpleasant. i got sun burnt (the 1st time in years) which pissed me off b/c i wore sun block. we swam until about noon, when we had to hurry & get ready for the wedding ceremony.
the ceremony was short, simple, and sweet. there were a ton of old people guests (including some german doctor who was apparently smitten w/me) and they wheeled rj's mother out for the ceremony. she didn't seem to be aware of what was going on b/c she just stared at the wall the whole time. her face seemed to be frozen in a slightly scared expression & a blanket was wrapped around her (but you could still tell that she was nothing but skin & bones beneath there). one of her friends remarked at how vicki (rj's mom) would have loved to be in on all of the action. it was kinda sad... at the end of the ceremony rj's dad announced that 'vicki is doing well and is aware of everything that's going on, and her heart is overflowing with joy on this happy day' then she was wheeled back into her room.
after everyone left we (the family) went into the bedroom to see her. with the blanket off of her you could see that her muscles were very rigid & that her arms were permanently crossed over her chest with her fists clenched. she really didn't look alive anymore. rj & his dad talked to her like she could hear & understand them, while she just stared around the room and periodically moaned. at one point rj's dad said 'ok?' to her + it seemed like when she moaned she was trying to say 'ok' back. he took that as proof that his vicki was still there. i guess i'd like to think so too, but that seemed like a more automated response than anything considering her apparent level of awareness. it just made me very sad, because he's going to such great extents to keep her alive when the vicki that he knew has been dead for a while. and, what if her mind is still aware in there & she's trapped in her failing body? that must be the worst kind of torture, especially considering the type of woman that she was. she was a strong, beautiful, independent & outspoken woman. i just don't think that she would want to live this way. it's so sad...
later on i went w/my mom & rj to see a movie. we saw mr. deeds. it was an ok movie. maybe it was because i was over-tired, or maybe it was the caffiene high i was on, but at one point i was laughing so hard at deeds throwing cats out of a burning building that i was in tears... that sounds pretty sick... well it's late now & i have to get up early to go to brunch... morelater

Sunday, 7/7: 515pm EST
i'm so annoyed w/my mom & rj... they have no consideration for others whatsoever... they had to stop at last chance, this bargain clothing store before they took me to the airport & they made me late (almost) for my flight. they always get to the airport just in time to board the plane, but i can't stand that. i get nervous that i'll miss my flight or something. but no matter how many times i tell them that i need to be there an hour early they always make me late. the flight's packed, and all that was left was a center seat - i hate center seats. shouldn't be too bad though, both my seat sharers look like nice, normal people.
we went to brunch this morning at the Arizona Biltmore hotel. the building was very unique - it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. there was a beautiful art glass piece just inside the lobby in his famous circles & lines design that we took pictures in front of. the table we sat at in the restaurant had these beautiful high-backed FLW chairs. the food was excellent. they had sushi, shrimp, crab, smoked herring and salmon at one table. the next table had a (very cute) chef making omelets, and next to him there were waffles, french toast, bacon, sausage, and crepes filled with strawberries, peaches & blueberries. across the way there was a chef waiting to carve slices of veal or venison, and next to that there was a table filled with fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, peaches, pineapple, honeydew, cantaloupe, mango, papaya, kiwi) & veggies (marinated portabella & shitake mushrooms, asparagus, artichoke hearts) & assorted breads & bagels. and finally, there was the desert table... key lime pie, banana cream pie, chocolate decadence, creme caramel, puffed pastries, cheesecakes, tarts, eclairs, white chocolate covered strawberries, little pots of creme brulee (my favorite), tiny parfaits... i had such a hard time choosing... i ate so much, and i had a lot of champagne, so i hope i don't get sick on this flight...
the pilot is a freakin' comedian... he made a joke that i feel was in poor taste about making an unscheduled turn towards dc. how awful, no one thought he was funny...

Sunday 7/7: 735pm EST
those videos that they show on some flights instead of having the flight attendants give their spiel really crack me up. the part where the o2 masks come down & the mother calmly + leisurely puts hers on while her daughter patiently waits is just so unreal, it's ridiculous. i mean, we all know that if those masks come down there's not a person on the plane that's going to be that calm, so don't insult our intelligence. the other part on that video that cracks me up is when the male flight attendant is modeling the yellow life vest 'that can be found under your seat'. there's something so vaguely homosexual about him blowing into the red manual inflation tube.
my mom & rj gave me a $20 before i left so on this flight i paid the $5 to rent the headphones so i could watch the movie. it was 'ice age' on this flight, which was cool cause i kinda wanted to see it, but i don't think i ever would have rented it. it was a cute movie, there were some funny parts & there was one part that made me tear up (which made me feel stupid, here i am, sitting on a plane w/a bunch of strangers, getting all choked up over a cartoon).
i'm bored. the movie was too short (80 minutes) and there's still about an hour and a half left in this flight...