Post Vegas Syndrome

You'all know what I am talkin'bout!!! You gear up.....where to stay, where to go, what to wear, who to see, who to flirt with, what to drink, what to eat, where to gamble, how late to party, what pool to lounge at. All the planning stages of a fabu trip to Las Vegas. All followed by chants "Vegas Baby Vegas!!" Its exciting and you can't wait.

The above followed up with the actual staying, going, wearing, seeing, flirting, drinking, DRINKING, eating, gambling, partying, and lounging. Add to that the groggy mornings with hangovers that MUST disappear by noon so you can start again with the same cycle. :) Its fun and you feel like a rock star! All, of course, followed with chanting "We're in Vegas Baby!!"

Then the, inevitable and always too quickly coming, ending to the trip and going home arrives to wreck it all! You pack up with a slight frown and have to say goodbye to sin city and all your friends. You have your last hangover of the trip which is usually the worst as it represents the mother of all Vegas hangovers. You walk out of the room praying you didn't leave anything behind and then you fall into a good week or two of post Vegas depression!

Vegas depression involves lots of memories of people dancing, drinking, flirting, KISSING, stumbling around casinos, winning on the WHEEL.........OF..........FOOOOORTUNE slots, staying up till sunrise, eating food while looking at an awesome view of the strip from the 62 floor of THE hotel, wild and pretty pictures, strong drinks, stupid bouncers, great friends, and girls bathing in rose petals.

Each trip has a mind of its own. Some involve wheelchairs and holding hair...while others are tame and enjoyable just the same. I personally don't like tossing my cookies in Vegas or crawling around on the floor of your hotel crying and begging to know where the bed is! NO BUENO! lol
Some trips are about the "hooking up" (lame term btw) while others are about just enjoying the company of your friends.

Hooking up!!! WTF is this? I love the way this has become such a easy pastime like as if sex was just this thing to do like playing cards!!!! I have never had sex with a stranger and for sure NOT in Vegas. I can't imagine a more disease infested spot to mate in! yuck! I prefer people who stalk me on the internet to this anyday. HA! But it IS part of the Vegas deal. Some love this...its exciting and easy going. Kind of like a summer relationship at camp. LOL You go, fall in lust, bump uglies, and be on your way. I find it amusing, but hey...I am not one to judge anyone else...I just don't see ME doing it.

Overall....My trip was amazing for the following reasons (yes i like lists damn you!!): MY SISTER, my best friends Steve, Mona, Chrissy, Char, and Yong that I NEVER get to see, James for flying with me out there to meet my peeps and to explore Vegas for his first time (Vegas Virgin....gotta love it), dancing on the balcony overlooking the strip at Mix, YUMMY lobster at Mix, the pool at Mandalay, cute boys flirting with us all weekend, and all the stuff I am not allowed to divulge without penalty of death! LOL

Love my friends and love my SIN city!!!

My sis, me, and Chrissy @ Tao

The WHOLE gang at dinner @ Mix (64 stories high overlooking the strip...amazing)

Tbone "borrowed" a tie for her Sat outfit and this guy obviously thought it was a chew toy!

Heading West

When I moved to NY I knew one thing was certain and that was I would return west OFTEN! I have managed to fly home twice since my move 7 months ago. I love my friends and family way too much to be apart from them for too long. Plus, if I buy a ticket enough in advance the ride home and back is less than $300 bucks!!!

My first trip home was at the beginning of April and was a quick trip. A bit awkward, but it was much needed So Cal fun. My second trip was in July (See blog below about July) and that was a wild ride.

I am due to return again...this time slightly different. I am heading to sinfully awesome Las Vegas. There is nothing quite like it. I am meeting up with most of my So Cal crew and even a couple Vegas peeps I have sucked into my world a bit! :) AND....I am taking two of my New Yorkers with me. So this should be OFF the hook. On top of the normal Las Vegas debauchery that we create...this trip is a three way birthday celebration....Me, Mo, and Chrissy are all celebrating another year closer to death by alcohol..... :)

I was worried that when I moved to New York that it might ruin Las Vegas for me forever. New York is the city that never sleeps. This is THE party town to blow away the rest. Nothing can compare to the party that is NY, but in the end I have to admit that not much can replace the unique party that is Las Vegas though. Where else can you drink, gamble, dance, flirt (maybe get lucky), and dress like a hooker and call it a normal day??

I have my Vegas Hoochie Mama outfits all lined up and can't wait to get my serious party on. I would say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...but you'all know me too well....there will be 852 pictures for sure to chronicle the entire trip. I can't imagine anything to top this one.

Lets see who is going...

NY - Me, James, Ed
Vegas - Amy, John
Reno - Tina
Cali - Chrissy, Trish, Mo, Steve, Yong, Char, Melissa

Um...all but the happy couple will be sqeeeeeeeeeeeezing into the FABULOUS Parlor Suite at Mandalay Bay. Love it!!!!

Oh and not to be forgotten is the day adventures.....this will consist of at the very least me and my sissys lounging at the gorgeous Mandalay pool getting our tan on sipping on Mai Thai's.

YUM !!!!

Hotel Michelle

When I was younger I used to wonder what it might be like to own and operate a Bed and Breakfast in Santa Barbara or even Malibu. I would have the cutest two story place and a great kitchen with an island. I would make pancakes and eggs every morning and the sun would shine bright.

Years later I opened Hotel Michelle in Queens, New York! lol

Ha ha...actually I have allowed a couple friends to stay with me to help with bills and give them a much needed place to crash. I knew getting my own decent sized pad would be a blessing in some way.

First, of course, I gave Jason (ex-roomie) a place to live for 3 months. That made me never want to do that again. Then Ashki found herself in need of a bed...so I took her in for a couple days until she went to Europe....her rent = couple beers! lol

Following Ashki's European departure, a friend from Cali found himself in need of a two week rental. I gladly offered my futon/livingroom to him. He is a sweet guy from Santa Barbara and moved to NY for much of the same reasons as I did. He is looking for work and trying to figure out the living sitch here in the big city.

Once Eric leaves to his new spot near Times Square, Ashki will return from her gallivanting around Europe and make my livingroom her home again. lol I don't mind Ashki at all (or Eric for that matter) as she is so much fun...and we laugh constantly together...plus with her I can walk around half naked and she doesn't care! lol

I feel bad that Hotel Michelle isn't as much like my dream Bed and Breakfast on the west coast. It is a cheap and easy East Coast version. There are no pancakes and eggs, its a one story, and there is not tons of sunlight, but I think I make up for it with my friendly smile and walking around in a bra! lol

Takin the N to Nowhere..and the W to Wherever

Cruising down the highway at about 75/80 miles per hour, the sunroof open, Foo Fighters blasting, and the airconditioning is just right. What does that describe? Me in California at least twice a day. I loved it. I had a great car, an Acura RSX with leather seats and a great sound system.

I sold that luxury when I moved to NY in Feb.

My life now can be described more like this. Walking, and more walking. Then waiting and more waiting (weekends suck). My surroundings are hot and sticky and I watch rats play in muddy disgusting water as I wait with complete strangers who speak languages I didn't even know existed. Then she arrives. I call it a she because its fast, wont wait, and doesn't care. Stops, you step on and HOLD on for dear life. Much like the 101 or 405 freeways during rush hour, you squeeze in and try to merge to find a spot and hope that you are not stuck next to an old guy or the smelly dude. Its hot, crowded, and smells like pee.

Not exactly what I would call an even exchange!!

The New York City subway system is considered one of the best systems in the world. You can literally live in this massive metropolitan city with no car! Not many places in the world that can provide that for you. It costs $76 per month to ride unlimited throughout the 5 Burroughs and it runs 24 hours. Not bad. Unfortunately that is where the positive aspect of this ends. I take the N and the W most of the time as it takes me into the city for work and play. We joke that the N is Nowhere to be seen and the W will come Wherever it wants...lol

Contrary to our favorite Russian Princess ;) , I don't mind the subways much. It's a constant reminder that I live in NY and there is a bit of ambiance it adds to my new life. The people watching is quite entertaining and sometimes you even meet new people. I try not to socialize too much, but sometimes a little kid will come up and boldly ask to sit in your seat and I smile and move aside. Most people look extremely depressed on the subway and it would seem they just lost their favorite puppy. As a friend once told me, just imagine what you would think if they were all super happy and smiled all the time. I guess he is right, I would think they were insane! lol

Then there is the live entertainment that you rarely want to experience. Sometimes the musicians in the subway stations are very good. I have seen maybe 3 or 4 that I was impressed with. Most of the time you step onto the train and someone comes from the next car and starts singing or playing their banjo. These types remind me to bring my mp3 player with me at all times. lol

And finally there are the beggars. I have never heard sadder stories in my life. "My house just burned down and I lost everything." "My children are hungry and I have cancer." "I am a vet and have no where to go." At first you just want to cry, but then you become hardened to it and stop caring so much. I am probably poorer than some of these beggars. I see people dishing out their change and I can only imagine how much money they make in a day.

Overall, the subway isn't a bad thing, it's part of NY culture and I can't really imagine that I would see NY the same without it.

My first September 11th in NYC

I woke up this morning with a sense of humility and sadness. Today marks the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The very thought of that event, that day makes me tear up. The very idea that NY'ers woke up one morning just like me today, got ready for work and proceeded on with a typical Monday then found themselves in the midst of one of the most horrible days in history breaks my heart.

Five years ago today I was going through my own heartbreak. Nothing in comparison to those who suffered from the 9/11 attacks, but horrible none-the-less. My ex-husband and I had just separated from an 8 year marriage two weeks earlier. I was living with my mother and was going through the hardest time of my life. So this day, this memory takes me to a sad part of my own past as well as our country's past.

As I got ready, I couldn't find my smile this morning. I got a text message from Chrissy asking me how NYC was doing this morning. I was still home getting ready. The text reminded me that things will be somber today in the city. I proceeded to the train station on 39th ave as always and noticed the trains were stopped. My first gut reaction was there was a problem. Both the train that had just left and the one right behind it at 36th were sitting still. I looked down at my phone at it was 8:46am. My heart fell to my stomach. It was the moment the first airplane hit the first tower. What a moment. The trains started up again about 9am and was very slow. It was a depressing sight on the train, but usually is. People rarely smile, but especially not today. A gentlemen next to me read a newspaper with the cover reading: 8:46am, 9:03am as its headline. At that moment 9:03 hit. Again my stomach was in knots.

I arrived at work a bit late at 9:17 and sat down. What a strange feeling. I am on the 14th floor on 57th street near the park. I love my new friendships, my location, my job, my new life. I am reminded that at any moment it could end for any reason.

I am also reminded that today and the memory of those who lost their lives 5 years ago and every day in Iran, Iraq, and Afganastan should not be taken lightly. We should live, love, and press on stronger each day. We should honor their memories with strength and honor and goodness to each other.

I know as I leave tonight to take my ride home, I will remember that today is not about sorrow, but really about unity and hope. As my life was in ruins 5 years ago today, God has afforded me freedom, love, hope, and a future that I am very thankful for today.

God Bless!

Are you ready for some FOOTBAAAAAAALL?

One of my favorite times of the year......aahhh FOOTball. I love watching and playing fantasy. As most of you who know me well are aware, I am a pretty big Packer fan. So I decided this year I would try and find a regular spot for Sunday or Monday nights and plant myself there for the games. Just call me Norm! :)

Our first gathering was last Monday night's football pre-season game at Scruffy Duffy's and that was fun....the Pack lost badly, but I still had a good time. Beer, football, and friends always makes for good fun and pics! LOL Rhonda, Chris, Michelle, Ian, Ashki, Larry, and yours truly. We followed that up with the Fri game in Times Square at a bar that for the life of me I can't remember the name of...had a few drinks!

New York has a LOT of one thing....BARS! I have never seen anything like it in my life. So we plan on exploring the city and finding lots of great spots. Scruffy's was ok...a different crowd then I am used to. I love down to earth, sawdust on the floor, great music bars. Larry, is my football buddy.....he and I plan on discovering how football and the city mix! :) I see beer and lots of pictures in my near future...LOL

Pics to follow.
Check out my other blog re: my Fantasy team info: www.michlovesthepackers.blogspot.com

Aug 06 - My Sweet 33

August is usually my favorite month as it is summer and my birthday. This year it proved to be awesome. I turned, cough, 33! Damn, I don't feel that old. But alas, it has come to this....LOL

Lets see, the month started out with meeting some new friends. There is Rhonda, Michelle, Kevin, Ed, Jennifer, and James. These guys/gals are great! I annoy James the most with my daily text messages (thank god he gets those unlimited) and boy/dating stories. I cherrish our friendship as he puts up with my crazy stories and girlish behavior. lol

My sister decided she was flying up to NYC for my bday and I was super excited. She came in late on Friday the 11th and left first thing Monday morning the 14th. We went dancing, drinking, boy hunting Saturday night to Pacha to start. That was boring. They must have had a deaf/mute convention close by because there were about 50 ppl signing all over the club...it was very bizzare. We stayed till about midnight and jetted out to a private party for the fashion industry that Ashki had the connections to get us into. It was held at Lea, which is normally an after work bar for happy hour. They set up the DJ, Ahski's man's cousin...lol and we danced all night long. It was a fun way to start my birthday. We took Trish to a NYC diner to get some food afterwards and then finally stumbled home at 5am. I thought it was a good introduction to NYC nights for her.

Sunday was good times...Trish and I stayed in, relaxed and geared up for my bday bash. We celebrated at Faluka in the west village. This was a cool joint with a hookah bar and pretty cool set-up. Lets see who was all there.....Me, trish, Ashki, Div, Dave, Larry, James, Ed, Jason, Alicia, her friend from ?Holland? lol, Clarence, and his friend. It was a blessing to see how many great friends I had already in NY. Cynthia and Jennifer didn't make it, but where there in spirit. :) We smoked the hookah, drank, and laughed until we all had to go home and prepare for work the next morning. :) It was indeed a very good birthday.

Pre-season football started at the end of August.....stay tuned for more on my football/bar adventures.... :)

Pics of the birthday weekend to follow shortly.....

July 06 let the SUMMER begin!!!

I love the summer time. It’s sunny and bright and I can run around in tank tops, shorts, and assuming I have the right forum, a bikini. Well this year being in NYC made summer a biiiiiit different. I was prepared for the winter bbrrr…but not for the summer sweat-fest! The temperatures were no where near what I am used to. Summer in Cali gets up to 110-115 degrees and I can deal. We have these crazy things called central air conditioners and cars with ac. NY, um not so much! My new apartment did NOT come equipped with an ac and of course the subways were so miserably hot it didn’t matter if they did have ac. Here in NY it might not reach 100 dgs….but trust me the humidity is MUCH worse. May and June were interviewing months for me. One after another….black suit and all! I showed up to a few drenched in sweat….not sexy nor professional, can I tell ya! I was warned of July and August, which scared the hell out of me since June was soooo unbearable. I managed to finally get an air conditioner at the end of June and that helped create some kind of comfort, well at least in the living room where it resided. J

July was an exciting month for two reasons. First, I found a job FINALLY! This was just in the nick of time. That pesky roommate was about to leave (whether he knew it or not) and I was running out of time, money, patience, and sanity. I found a great job with an Architectural firm near Columbus Circle making pretty decent money. I started right after the 4th holiday.

Timing for my new job couldn’t have been sweeter! My sister and I are best friends basically and we miss each other sooooooo much now that I am here. I talk to her multiple times a day now and it helps keep me grounded and sane. She decided to fly me out to Cali for the 4th holiday. I was super excited. I flew out for the long weekend and it was a blast. We had such a huge weekend planned with party after party planned. We hit Howl at the Moon on Friday night first. This is a staple in our drunken adventures in L.A. It’s a great piano bar where everyone drinks from buckets of alcohol, sings along with dueling piano players to old school as well as new music that has been changed up in the most whorish of ways, and basically has a great time being silly and ridiculously loud! I love it!!!

The second night in L.A. was reserved for Spundae. Spundae you ask??? No, it’s not a giant sundae dish where everyone bathes in ice cream and hot fudge!!!! Although that does sound like yummy fun. It is a dance club in Hollywood on Santa Monica Blvd at a place called Circus. Spundae is tons of fun and they usually have great trance and electronica music. This particular Saturday was THE summer event for Spundae…they were featuring AVB (Armin Van Buuren – OCT 7th here in NY for my lucky NY’ers!!! JOIN me). It was also an added bonus that I got to see both Jen and Darius that night. They are some close friends that I miss so much back home. LOVE YOU GUYS!!! We danced and had a great time. Even found time to make some new friends…shocker!! Lol

The Monday was the big party at my sister’s house. She and Mo were throwing their annual 4th of July celebration. With all our great friends and our added friends from Howl and Spundae it proved to be an amazing party. We swam, eat, smoked, and of course drank! GOOD TIMES!

Came back to my second home, NY and started my new job and prepared to take my great new apartment back to be my own again.

Here are some pics from my trip back to Cali for the 4th!


Drinking from buckets! No other way to howl!


Love my girls....Miss you two so much!


Jen and I at Spundae!


Sister's BBQ....look its people froom Spundae! :) New friends ROCK!

June 06 - Ash-Kosh-Bigosh in NYC!!!!!

No, this blog is not about the new fashion trend in NYC. lol I awoke one Saturday morning (bright and early at 1pm) to an email (of course on myspace) from Tbone (my loving sister) informing me that Helen (lovingly called Ashki) was now living in NYC too! You can only imagine how happy I was. What?? Another Cali party girl in NYC with me??? YAY!!!!!! I made plans to meet up with her the following weekend. This girl and I are cut from the same cloth. We both like to have tons of fun and we laugh our arses off together. We always go out intending to find hot men and instead we end up laughing like dorks and making fun of each other...I love it!

We met up at Nest in NYC on 28^th/7^th ave in Chelsea (Below Midtown and above The Village) where she had met the club owner and quickly arranged the hook-ups (yay for open bars and cute bartenders!!!) We had a great time and she filled me in her NY life and haps. We both were looking for work and had much in common. I love this girl!!! She was staying on the Upper West Side with a hot French guy and already landed a man! But who could blame her….she is HOT!!!

I was also able to take a day trip to Philadelphia to see my mother for Fathers’ Day. She flew in for business and I took a bus to spend the day with her. In my family Fathers Day is usually spent with my mom since she was essentially both mom and dad to me. I was super happy to see her since it was been more than two months since I saw her last. We had a great time. Saw the Liberty Bell, original Capital Building, and local museums. We had a great time!

Ashki and I at Nest, just a bit tipsy.

me at Nest sipping champaine....yummy.


Philadephia's architecture was awesome!

They had this place with giant sized game pieces...so I played around like a kid....shocker!


Trying to make the earth move. lol


Mom posing with the Liberty Bell. Seemed fake to me!


posing with mom on Fathers Day...lol

May 06 Fleet Week….NYC raining men!

I’m good and settled in my new place. As soon as I moved in I lost my temp job and found myself out of work. This was a new experience. LOL I had been out of work since the previous July in order to finish school and figure out how I was going to put that hard earned schooling to work. This should have been a piece of cake. Well, it wasn’t, but you know what they say….and yes, it is true (most of the time). What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. In order to survive I took in a roommate and that proved to be, well….interesting! I won’t go into gory details, but to keep this a positive story I will tell you what I learned. Trust your higher power, self, and family. Sometimes you have to take risks instead of living in fear. I also learned that no matter how desperate you might feel that things always work themselves out in the end if you trust your gut.

Chrissy came to visit for Fleet Week/Memorial Day. I was soooooo happy to see her. We went and saw Marines (I thought it was FLEET week not Marine week!) and had some drunken fun. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Fleet week (as I was), it is the weekend that falls on Memorial day where many ships dock and let the sailors, marines, etc….out to play in the city. They were roaming everywhere…it was like a smorgasbord of men.

That same weekend I also saw my first NYC comedy show at Dangerfield’s. This was awesome and I felt the location was a good fit for my first comedy experience in NYC. We met the host and two of the main comics. They were pretty funny guys. We then partied with them at a local lounge and yadda yadda yadda! New York nights, awe!

Here are some of the shots from the fun weekend

.

Me and my marines! hehe

Chrissy and I playing sexy. She just flew 6 hours and came straight to party afterwards.


Chrissy and I feeling GOOD @ Dangerfields....aka innebriated.

Apr 2006 Moving on UP!

Finding a new apartment in New York proved to be a challenge. I found a beautiful place in Long Island City, Queens. Now now...before you go judging Queens....put the image of 'Coming to America' outa your head!! It's no Manhattan, but certainly is a reasonable alternative. It is 10 minutes from the city and 20 max to/fro work. I live ALONE and have a cute decent sized place.

I moved in April 22nd. The move was quite the story. It was, of course, raining and both my roomie and I were moving the same day. She was moving to the Upper East Side (lucky girl!) and I was of course going to Queens. We were not able to rustle up any help, so we were faced with moving all our stuff and furniture alone. It wouldn't have been so bad, but my futon and tv were rather heavy. We panicked the night before and by the grace of God an angel in the form of a friend of a friend came to help us (Larry - Love you dude!) as well as some kind strangers. I finally landed in Long Island City (LIC) late afternoon...ordered us up some pizza and was ready to get start my NY experience properly. :)

Here are some pics of my new bachelorette pad before I moved in.

my china cabnet in the kitchen.


The rest of the kitchen.

My livingroom.

My bedroom with a built in mahogony closet.

NYC Feb 06 - April 06 Jersey City

In the beginning there was JERSEY city!

That's right girls and boys....I moved to Jersey first. This was an attempt to save some cash while I found a more suitable NY pad. I arrived on an early Thursday morning toting two suitcases and my laptop (amazing how an entire apartment can be minimized so quickly) three days after the biggest storm of the winter. It was COOOOOOLD! I have never lived in that type of weather before so this was going to be interesting.

I moved in with a friend from Cali so we could save even more $$. I am not used to roommates, but it was necessary for cash flow purposes so I grinned and beared it. The day after I arrived I decided to go for a jog to check out Jersey City. I think I jogged about 5 blocks further into Jersey and came to a screeching stop and realized I was in the WRONG part of town. I jogged (more like ran) back home and immediatly told my soon to be roommate (arriving two weeks later) what I found. This put some pressure on us to find our own places as quickly as possible. PRESSURE! As if living in a completely different climate and environment wasn't enough. haha! :)

Jersey City proved to be a smaller and slightly more ghetto extension of New York. I did spend most of my time in NY (playing, drinking/partying, interviewing, working, shopping, etc), but from time to time I found myself lounging in JC. Mostly because $$ or options were non-existant. There was a diner close by that we (ex roomie and I) used to frequent that had yummy/cheap food. We would meet there for coffee, soup or dessert. It was always a place to relax and wind down. NY has many diners similar to this. Much different from back home where late night diners were limited unless you were willing to go to Denny's with the rest of the 3am scum! LOL

Things settled just enough so I could sleep, work and play, but I was very anxious to get into NY and settle more comfortably. I really do not enjoy sharing quarters with others so I just figured if I hung in long enough I would have a great apartment and start really exploring NY as a single fabulous Cali girl! That's right....I have no intentions of ever changing into a east coaster. I love my So Cal roots.

March came and went and soon it was time to move in April.

Picture below is from Chrissy's visit to NY in March. We partied our little booties off! It was loads of fun. The second picture was a sculpture we found in SoHo....we were entertained by it for a while! lol