Volleyballs or balloons

So I have officially moved. Well, all of my worldly possessions, at least. They are currently residing in the basement of my aunt and uncle's house in Portland, CT. The move went much smoother than anticipated -- we started at 1:30 and were on the road by 3:00. By the time we unloaded everything and grabbed food and what not, it was about 7:30 or so. The physical post-moving soreness has yet to sink in.

So right now I'm back in New York for the next couple of weeks, in a sort of quasi-limbo stage before I actually leave my job and the city. I'm staying on the floor at my old apartment until Wednesday, and then I'll be sofa-and-sleeping-bag-hopping in the apartments of some very generous friends from now until September 14th.

In many ways, I'm really glad that my move is gradual. If I'd have just packed up my old apartment and left, I would've been beside myself now. This way, I'm allowing me time to be left alone with my thoughts...memories of the past 4 years and pondering what the future holds. I keep wondering who I'll actually keep in touch with from the U.S. (and New York in particular) once I'm away. People definitely surprise you sometimes. You spend all this time talking about "friends forever," but it's amazing to me how quickly your companions fall out of touch once you branch out into a new realm. For instance, I only speak to one friend from high school and my contact with the majority of the UCONN peeps diminished quickly. For now, I am looking forward to a going-away gathering -- which I initially protested, but eventually caved on -- which is being thrown in my honor. But I guess only time will tell.

In general, relationships -- with friends, lovers, even family members -- are like a game of volleyball. One person is always the game server -- always being the first one to call or write -- and when a connection is made, you meet up one more time and then it's back to the let-me-catch-you game again. If it was up to the other person, the ball would easily have since fallen on the grass on their side of the net. And yet, you then wonder why you don't just let it do the same. Why should you expend all the effort in keeping it off the ground? If the other one doesn't care, why should you?

And occasionally -- actually very rarely -- you find relationships with people that turn out to be less like volleyballs and more like hot air balloons. Not like helium balloons, as those would just fly off, but hot air balloons -- which just sort of magically hover effortlessly.

When they say, "Hey, I'm from Chi," they mean Chicago, Illinois!

So I'm back from my 3-day venture to Chicago, courtesy of C-scare. I wasn't sure what to expect, but Chicago is really a world-class city that's definitely worth visiting. It's definitely a less interesting city overall, but aesthetically speaking, it has an edge over New York. Certainly there are skyscrapers, but there are also tree-lined parks with rolling hills, fountains and flowerbeds tucked off in little nooks and crannies of the downtown area...which give the city a picturesque, 'Main Street U.S.A.'-style charm that Manhattan sorely lacks. Oddly, there's a distinct seafaring vibe in some neighborhoods -- surprising when you consider the fact that you're smack-dab in the heart of the Midwest, but fitting given the city's position at the shores of Lake Michigan, which might as well be an ocean.

I had to wake up at the asscrack of dawn to catch my 7:00 a.m. flight on Tuesday, but I decided to meet up with Katie and Bobby for dinner after my class that night regardless. As it turns out, Katie lives in right in Lakeview, a.k.a. "Boy's Town," Chicago's more promiment 'gayborhood.' I'd say it's more akin to Park Slope than Chelsea. We also walked by Wrigley Field -- I may be the only person whose initial reaction to seeing a ballpark is, "Oh wow -- they filmed scenes from 'My Best Friend's Wedding' and 'A League of their Own' there," as opposed to reciting historical baseball trivia. We ate at a really good Mexican restaurant (meal accompanied by a pitcher of margaritas, natch) before heading back into the city loop.

After dinner, I decided to take a stroll through Grant Park -- when who do I see, but Jennifer Aniston! Yes, that's right...Jennifer Aniston, whom I simply adore, in the flesh! According to US Weekly (ha), she's just wrapped a new movie, "The Break-Up," and remained in the city for some re-shoots. I got to watch her film a scene that involved entering and exiting a taxicab...which they must've shot about 50 times consecutively! For those who keep track of such things (myself included), she was wearing a sky blue dress paired with an off-white camisole.

The second day was a real treat...after my class, Katie invited me on a 3-hour long evening architecture boat cruise along the Chicago River...yes, just like the one taken by Julia and Dermot in "My Best Friend's Wedding." Katie works for the Chamber of Commerce for the Lakeview district and this was their company's summer party. Her company certainly went all out for their employees -- a catered meal was served, alongside an OPEN BAR -- followed by a fireworks display over Lake Michigan to end the evening! The skyline looked spectacular at night from the lake vantagepoint. The entire event had a Hawaiian luau theme. Fortunately, the tropical punch was not potent enough to send Katie nor I toppling overboard as was initally feared, but I did wind up donning a grass skirt by the end of the evening!

Oh, yeah, silly me...I seem to have forgotten...it was a BUSINESS trip! As far as that's concerned, I am very grateful to get back. I suppose agreeing to attend training sessions literally days before I'm supposed to move was a bad decision on my part. Granted, when I committed to it in February, I wasn't planning to move. So I had to sit through day-long sessions on the wonders of creating Macros through the use of Word documents and Excel spreadsheets...taught by a couple of Midwesterners with very little sense of humor...when, mentally, I was clearly unavailable. I couldn't concentrate on work...my mind kept thinking about being able to schedule the moving van, where and how I'm going to store all of my shit, what sorts of things (other than clothing) will I keep accessible and so on.

Even so, I've started to feel a little guilt over quitting C-scare, seeing as how we are INSANELY understaffed at the moment. If anything, however, the trip helped to re-iterate how redundant the job is and how I don't want this to wind up being a permanent career. It occured to me how little I have in common with any of my colleagues there, too. Katie kept asking me if it was OK that I kept ditching my co-workers...but my two work colleagues who attended the trip with me had little interest in sightseeing or even socializing at all. One of them didn't say a single word to me on the departing flight even though he sat next to me, and then retreated directly to his hotel room immediately after class let out BOTH days. I understand people are different and all...but we're 25, not 45. I understand taking your job seriously, but really, C-scare people -- get a sense of humor! Lighten up!

Back to packing for the time being...

They have their seasons, so do we

I can't believe it. This summer is slipping right through my fingers. And, phew...boy, do I have my work cut out for me for the next couple of weeks! If I can make it through the next 2 weeks in one piece, I'll consider myself fortunate. Packing sucks...and it's just the tip of the iceberg.

Of course, even though I have plenty of my own stuff to worry about at the moment...the question of the week has been: "Has Curtis heard about Madonna's equestrian accident?" Everyone and their brother has asked me if I have, so I suppose I must acknowledge...duh people, of course. And no, I did not send flowers and a get well card. Turns out Madge fell off her horse and broke a few bones. Of course, the natural Christopher Reeve comparisons are being made -- now, if THAT had been the case, I would be beside myself. Granted, I was reminded that one could technically still 'vogue' if paralyzed from the waist down. Thank goodness she practices her yoga and eats macrobiotic foods -- hopefully she'll heal up right away.

Bedtime stories

So I sold my bed today...my very first big boy bed. I was quite sad to see it go. The girl who bought it must've been pretty desperate...she came to look at it this afternoon and then wanted to take it home right then and there. Talk about a quick sale. It's kinda creepy because the sounds create echoes in my room now.

The buyer recently spent a year living in Vienna, correctly identified Michael Buble on my closet door and actually quoted lines from "American Life" in conversation (proving that she's not just one of those "I-own-the-Immaculate-Collection-therefore-I-think-I-am-a-legitimate-Madonna-fan" phonies) so I can safely say I think my bed is in good hands.

Thankfully she didn't check for samples of my DNA on the mattress. I suppose that's the problem with buying a used mattress. It's been, um, used.

So I'm camping out on the futon for the rest of the month.

Gastropubs, mountaintops, siblings and travel

So last Saturday night, in honor of a friend's 25th birthday, I had my first experience with a "gastropub." For those who don't know, the "gastropub" is a unique fusion of Old and New World cultures, in which the rustic ambiance of a British pub meets a Manhattanite's palette for upscale cuisine. Apparently, they're quite the culinary rage in London right now. Forget fish and chips or shepherd's pie -- you order your pint of ale alongside an order of foie gras, grilled Chilean seabass or sheep's milk gnudi, a ravioli-like pasta. Here, the burgers come topped with Roquefort instead of cheddar slices.

It was my first trip to a "trendy" new restaurant in some time, as evidenced by initial frustrations with the 45-minute wait in the cramped bar area beforehand. I hadn't ventured too far outside of my usual Thai, Mexican and sushi places in a while. Fortunately I had a great deal of catching up to do with the present company as they were visiting from out-of-town. While causing a sizable dent in the wallet, however, the food and drink was every bit worth the time and effort. It was my first time sampling foie gras, and I finally understood how a dish so revolting in concept could taste so delectable...it literally melts in your mouth. We finished off the evening with several rounds of ale at a more budget-friendly local brewery, making for an exceptionally interesting subway ride home.

Perhaps to offset this recent intake of ale and fatty foods, I tried my hand at rock-climbing for the first time this week. It was the indoor version, of course -- a simulated Alpine mountainside housed inside the relative comfort of an Upper West Side gym. It was, by far, the most strenuous physical activity that I partook of in some time -- two days later, my sore limbs can attest to that. The amount of equipment involved creates an atmosphere of slight danger, too. In the end, of course, it's a blast. Plus, it's hard not to pretend that you're starring in a Broadway production of "Peter Pan" while being suspended 50 feet in the air by cables attached to a pelvis-hugging harness, too.

So my sister is making her way into the city to visit this weekend, and this time around, her boyfriend-du-jour is in tow. I probably shouldn't say that -- they've been off-and-on for a couple years now, but true to form, she's had a variety of other boyfriends in the meantime. I'm not sure what we'll be doing just yet as far as sightseeing or activities are concerned. Of course, her first question to me is, "So, is it OK if we find a place to go drinking somewhere? Is that cool?"

It isn't always easy being the older sibling -- I fight a constant battle within myself between trying to be a "cool" brother versus being the "responsible" one. Granted, I am aware that Angela is certainly no stranger to drinking and smoking pot. Furthermore, she will be turning 19 and entering her sophomore year in college soon, and by that time, I'd had more than several experiences with alcohol...and at least she'll be in a location where no one has to worry about driving home, et al. It's also my last out-of-town overnight visitor at the Astoria pad...

In other news, my company is offically sending me out to Chicago from August 23 - 25 for training on a new Macro-based software. At first I felt a little bad about accepting, but after 3 years, I've certainly put in my share of substantial time at this office. It'll be exciting since I've never been to Chicago before, even if I have to sit through those annoying training sessions. I hope I'll get a chance to track my friend Katie down while I'm there.