78uuu lumière des étoiles

Dusty:Starlight:Culture



pure simplicity
2004-05-17   3:16 p.m.

I had the loveliest of weekends again - it almost distracted me from this week's spiraling mishaps of our administration, and almost stopped that nagging "what if" game I compulsively engage in when thinking about what things would be like now had McCain actually gotten in with the party nomination four years ago.

But that is another entry altogether, and I am trying to ensure proper digestion of my food lately, so I'll give myself a temporary break from the stress that ties my stomach up in knots by writing a reflective piece reminding myself why I am so happy.

A lovely weekend indeed: Friday we went to Conquete on W23rd to help Steve pick out a swanky new birthday outfit. It was a gift to him from my brother and my brother's girlfriend that we had never had the time to redeem until now. Being a former model, my brother's GF seems to know all the good-and-affordable (weeeell, somewhat affordable) boutiques in New York. That she is particularly close to Richard, the owner and designer of Conquete, meant we got incredible service and help. Flashes of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy danced in my head while Steve was being dressed and/or studied. I found the whole situation slightly amusing as well as ironic, since Steve knows what he's doing and fit the definition of "metrosexual" before it was a marketing ploy and in Mayor Bloomberg's lexicon.

After Steve emerged victoriously with a beautiful new shirt, we stayed in Chelsea and walked a few blocks to Spice, a Thai place that is one of the best I've ever eaten in. Richard, which since he's Moroccan/Israeli/French is pronounced Ro-shard (and didn't I feel like an idiot that after five years of French I kept botching that up), joined us after he closed his shop for the evening. We had amazing conversations about traveling, the war, nutrition, and learning new languages. Three hours passed by as if they were minutes, and I was sad when everyone finally decided to go home.

Saturday we went trail-riding with our bikes again despite the heat, and I was impressed that I can now go a few miles on rough terrain without needing to stop for a break. That evening, Steve, Andrew and I saw Io non ho paura, which translates to "I'm Not Scared". It's an Italian film that's sort of coming of age, sort of thriller, and despite it's cliche concepts manages to not only be meaningful and significant but thoroughly entertaining as well. Thank God for this movie; I thought most screenwriters forgot what "character development" is considering the crap I've been seeing lately.

Sunday we had an early birthday party for me, and somehow everyone in my family managed to coordinate their schedules to come and have some bbq with us for a while. We played with my nephew and his newest obsession - a big plastic car that has a handle on the back so that grown-ups turn into the engine. My nephew has gotten very good at "directing" (he's also gotten very good at saying "car! car! car! car! car!" at higher and higher frequencies until someone takes him outside, puts him in the car, and starts pushing him around), so he'll point to wherever it is he wants to go. After pushing him for a while, Steve took over, and after discovering the car had a little seat belt, I left Steve and Andrew (my nephew) to race up and down Elmwood Road, pulling little wheelies and taking turns on two wheels. I just couldn't watch.

I got some fabu presents, most of which are directed at off-setting my costs for Africa. It's nice when your family is so involved with your likes, dreams, and plans; it's nice also that despite the perceived dangers of my traveling, they've all been so supportive. I still need some equipment for the nights we'll be camping in the game parks, and there are things one just shouldn't be without in Africa that I've either broken, lost, or never had, so I'm excited to do some shopping with my new gift certificates and monetary gifts.

We hung out at Lee's for a bit with Thomas and Bruno after we left my Mom's last night, and then watched Globetrekker before falling asleep on the couch together.

With a good weekend behind me, I think I'll be able to get some good writing done this week.

If you haven't already seen me do so, I'll once again shamelessly plug the online versions of my latest publications, more of which should be coming soon.

xoxox,

PS: To clarify (from the last journal entry), and because I've been asked, a Migraine is not a headache; biochemically speaking, it's more like a seizure. The medication people who suffer from Migraines take is more like anti-seizure medication, not pain medication. Triggers vary, but the result is the same: the blood vessels/veins/valves in one's head spasm, constricting and releasing like crazy, causing cut-offs and overflows of blood and oxygen to various portions of the brain. This explains the pain, nausea/vomiting, loss of vision, numbness in hands, feet, legs, arms, and for me, tongue. Not fun. A bad headache is a bad headache, plain and simple - not a migraine. Therefore, IT IS A VERY BAD IDEA TO TAKE MIGRAINE MEDICATION UNLESS YOU'RE SURE YOU'RE HAVING A MIGRAINE, which most people aren't sure of since the term itself has been so misused. The serious meds for migraines are only available through prescription, so a best bet is to see a doctor and determine if what you're experiencing really is a vascular problem (like a migraine) or a stress/pressure/swelling problem (like a headache). Didn't everyone see that documentary in middle school health class about taking other people's prescription meds? :)