The Devil Wears Prada. And Balenciaga, and Lanvin, and Marni...

I love my new job, but I had to remove this post...discretion.

"You need a swimsuit? How about two for $25?"

I arrived on Friday night to see Johannah crouched on the living room floor sorting swimsuits, matching tops to bottoms, and ripping off the $1.99 price tags. She had picked up about 70 suits in Panama at ridiculous prices, thinking she could easily sell them back in the states for $15 or more and make a pretty penny. She was right.


She strung them up for the garage sale, and sold 13 suits on the first day. $195, out the door! The second day brought similar business, and she's planning on bringing the rest to Florida to sell on the beach. The girl just may have found her calling...

Overall, the garage sale was a success. Johannah was definitely running the show, trying to keep her father from dropping unnecessary background information ("that cigarette burn was always there...") and her mother from giving things away ("oh, just take it, you're such a nice girl...") She is truly her father's daughter, and she drives a hard bargain.


One thing I learned this weekend? People will buy ANYTHING. Slap a 25 cent sticker on it, and they'll scoop it up by the bagful. VHS tapes? $1, out the door! Half-burned votives? 25 cents, out the door! Get In Shape, Girl cassette tape? Well, that actually didn't sell...


Aside from watching Johannah haggle with old ladies, the rest of the weekend was lovely. Joe and Jen were fantastic hosts, and I can't wait for my next visit. It's the perfect weekend getaway from the city. I'm glad you had a nice relaxing weekend too, MC, it sounds like you needed it...

Oh yeah, we also watched a few home movies from the cabin, and we were laughing so hard we could barely BREATHE. Meghan and Molly were lipsyncing and dancing to "The Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston. We need to get that on YouTube ASAP. It's priceless.

Sunny Weekend

Yesterday, Kayla and I decided we needed to get the hell out of the city.

We woke up at 9am, grabbed some Dunkin', and one transfer and a 45 minute ride on the Long Island Railroad later, we were here:



Long Beach. It was nice to get away for the day. Lately, someone has been dropping 30 pounds of leftovers from Telly's Tavern on 27th street in the middle of the night. Fish. Chicken. Greek salad. I've been disgusted and exhausted and broke and losing my patience with everyone and everything - so wandering around the beach, reading, napping under the sun and watching Kayla eat a fried chicken dinner at the cheap Long Beach Diner was absolutely wonderful and refreshing.



Nine hours later, we were back in Astoria - back to our to our stuffy little apartment, for a large cup of Tasti D-Lite and a marathon of Bad Girls Club (have you seen this? It's unreal.)

Today was spent in Astoria Park. Since the pool doesn't open until Friday, I've spent the last few weekends laying in the sun at the park until I'm sweating through my blanket, which is usually about an hour. Today was unusual, yet delightful because there was a breeze. And because Kayla and I were laying next to a pug party (15 pugs) and a fat man tanning in tighty whities.



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Lil - tell me about this garage sale. And the fam.

xo Fuzzy

7 Days Later...

A lot can happen in a week. My bed was delivered on Monday morning, so I'm no longer sleeping on a crappy air mattress, which is nice. I'm still living out of boxes, but I may aqcuire more furniture this weekend when I visit the Healdsburg chapter of the Nagan clan. (Word is, they're prepping for a garage sale, and I get first dibs!) We'll see what actually fits in my tiny car. The rest of my earthly belongings will hopefully arrive tomorrow, via UPS, including my camera cable so I can finally upload some recent pictures.

I have a few more leads on jobs, but I don't want to jinx anything, so I'll stay mum about that for now. Trying to enjoy the time off, but it's hard to get used to, especially since I'm not sure how long it will last. So for now, I'm focusing on exploring the area...

Last night, I stuck around Berkeley and met up with new friends at Triple Rock Brewery where we enjoyed a nice rooftop happy hour (I highly recommend the Titanium brew, tasty!) Afterward, we headed down to the Gourmet Ghetto for a Thai dinner, and I quickly learned the layering lesson. From 6pm to 8pm it had dropped about 20 degrees, and I was without a sweater! Chilly! From now on, I'll be prepared.

Tonight I took my first BART ride in to the city and met up with a Target friend for dinner in the Marina neighborhood. She just started at Williams-Sonoma, and we walked past their offices near Fisherman's Wharf, right on the water. Nice.

Last weekend I went south to San Jose, and this weekend I'll be heading up north to Healdsburg, with a stop at the Schellville Grill to see Uncle Buck on the way. Apparently Nascar is in town, as is my cousin Johannah, and both are sure to leave the area wondering what hit it. In every picture I have of this girl, she looks drunk. Case in point:



Well Fuzz, Johannah and I will miss you this weekend, but it sounds like you're living it up in NYC, what's this I hear about an Entertainment Weekly Party tonight? Any celebrity sightings to report?

We Love Twist Cones

Look! I figured out how to post pictures, oh boy!

This is the last time we were together, on our way to a hot club in NYC. Did I mention that I miss you, Fuzz?

I Have Arrived.

Well, it was a long drive, but I'm finally here.

2,038 miles, 12 diet cokes, 2 packs of gum, and six full rotations of my California Mix CD, and I have arrived. My sublet in Berkeley is adorable. Older building, hardwood floors, huge rooms, and a great neighborhood full of little bungalow houses and jungles of unfamiliar vegetation.

Tonight I attempted a Target run (my room has no overhead light, so I need to buy a lamp) but somehow I got turned around and ended up high in the hills with the most spectacular view of the bay at sunset. Talk about a happy accident. I had been feeling a little overwhelmed and homesick (three days on the road by yourself is a bit lonely, even with the cell phone) but standing up there and looking out at the hazy sunset over the bay calmed my nerves. I remembered why I came out here, and I realized what a blank slate I have in front of me. I have no idea where I'll be living in two months, who I'll be hanging out with, or where I'll be working. And that is so exciting.

Tomorrow I'll be out exploring the new neighborhood, and then off to San Jose for the weekend to see a familiar face. Tuesday is the interview at Restoration Hardware, and then...who knows? Leslie arrives in 12 days, and Fuzz may visit in August. I hope so, because I miss her too too much.

Here we go Fuzzy, let the parallel adventures begin.

Challenge: tell me about your favorite spots in your neighborhood. Go.

She Made It.

Lil called me tonight from her new stoop. I was sitting at Igloo Cafe waiting on my Greek salad - she was sitting outside her new Berkeley apartment waiting on her roommate to bring keys.

Whew, now I can stop worrying. I was convinced someone was going to break into her car while she was sleeping in a sketchy motel.

Everything is new and fresh - I can see her smiling and flailing her arms around when she talks. She's so excited and it makes me happy.

Lil, there's three hours between us - let's make this work.

xo Fuzzy