Who Gives a F*ck About an Oxford Comma?

Did you watch the debate? 

What'd you think?  

If you have an opinion (which you should), comment on this post. I really want to know.

Welcome to Friday. And welcome to October for that matter...

The time that has passed between my last post and this one has been filled with some pretty fantastic occurrences. 

Some highlights: 

- Apple Fifth Ave

- NJT

- PA

- 30th Ave

- The Fallopian Swim Team

- The End

Friday:

So remember how I ended my last post awaiting the real reason for the afternoon voicemail from the Apple Fifth Ave HR Supervisor? Well, I got my answer... late Friday morning.

A return phonecall merited not simply a "follow-up"... but an OFFER.

Jessie, another HR Supervisor, gave me the details. On October 6th, I officially become an Apple Specialist, meaning I will know everything and anything about everything that Apple, Inc. releases technologically. Yeah, so if you have Apple products and have a question... give me a week. I'll have your answers.

So I have a FULL-TIME job. Enough money to live, save, and pay off immediate debt. I think I've landed on my feet. And knowing that I have consistent work with consistent pay and fantastic benefits.... I am content.

This news of course made the end of my work week FLY BY. The quickly passing hours were also the product of my excitement to travel out of town to Elverson, PA, and visit my sister and her husband.

So I ride the NJT (New Jersey Transit) from 34th St./ Penn Station to Trenton, NJ. It was a bit of a ride but a nice way to relax on the train, unwind from a long week, and play with my recent upgrade... my iPod Touch.

Yeah, I know... Sara had her hooks in me.

Needless to say, I love the iPod Touch. Essentially the iPhone without the phone service. Though I think I may just get one eventually anyway... we'll see.

I arrived late Friday night in Trenton, where Ron picked me up and we enjoyed the trip home, catching up and reveling in the days to come. We got the house for a brief moment to drop off my bags and then we were off down the street to their neighbor's house. There, I met the neighbors, who were all very friendly and inviting. We enjoyed a couple of beers and good conversation until we decided to call it a night... Tomorrow was going to be busy. We returned home to watch the replay of the Presidential Debate, which was interesting to say the least. (We can talk about that later...)

We woke up relatively early and I got my laundry started. (Yes, I went all the way to PA to do laundry... of course not.) Stephanie lit a fire under me to get us out the door by 1 o'clock. Mind you, we're cleaning the house while she unlaods this information. I'm just hoping we have time. But we got the house cleaned and booked it for the outlets. And this place was HUGE and had some awesome deals...

I stocked up for winter; three pairs of pants, three long-sleeve shirts, a new belt, and a fresh pair of Timberlands. And all for relatively cheap. I was pleased. Steph and I continued our journey to the mall. We grabbed a quick bite at Chik-Fil-A (YES, CHIK-FIL-A. Nothing short of f*cking glorious.) and hit GAP. Off once again to the grocery store to prepare for some dinner guests, I was enveloped in a bubble of good vibes. I can't really describe how I was affected by being outside of New York and in wide open spaces. But I will say this...

When you inhale cold, crisp September air and it swirls in your chest, you can't deny a beautiful feeling. I love my sister so much and spending time with her was entirely entertaining. We've both grown up quite a bit... It's amazing how it's like we haven't missed a beat... :)

Enough of that though. Back to the store:

My sister was whipping up my uncle's specialty skirt steak. Yeah, get hungry and envious at one time... Go grab something to eat and come back to see this:

Chocolate MILK!? On the way to Weaver's Market...

This market was fantastic. Steph only need some habanero peppers so I decided to stay outside and take some pictures... because I'm a hippie. :) But this place had great color and just isolating scenery at one point.

The afternoon was a BLUR. We got home and I unloaded all my purchases and headed back to the kitchen to help Stephanie prepare dinner AND dessert. 

We pounded it out. We managed to prepare the marinade, the rice and beans, and the Ultimate Chocolate Chip cookies. Public congratulations to you, sis. It was delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Tonight's company was the neighbors with their kids. Names are immaterial, but you must know that they are a good group of people who I bathed in thrilling political conversation with. I really enjoy hearing people's opinions on this election, so I was in Heaven.

After all the company left and we tidied up a bit, SNL provided a fantastic skit that ended the evening right. You should see it, if you haven't already.

Go Here: http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/couric-palin-open/704042/

Tina Fey never fails to impress. But I digress...

Sunday was another early rise kinda morning. I awoke to the smell of waffles... My sister rules.

And then I got adventurous. I went outside and wanted you to see this wonderful home.

Yes and beyond this yard was forest... light to thick woods... I couldn't put my camera down.

This is my desktop at the moment. I love it. :)

What a gorgeous place... All in my sister's backyard. Who knew?

 

I departed from Elverson with a renewed sense of hope: 

That's right, folks. My family's on the right train. Where will you be November 4th? 

(At the polls, I hope)

I returned to New York and headed directly to VINYL to celebrate Ms. Lauren Roth's birthday. Pulling my suitcase behind me with an additional dufflebag STUFFED with coats and sweaters (thanks, Ron. I won't freeze this winter), I arrived to a nice group of friends and made some new ones. It was great to see Lauren, Robyn, Berg, Justin, Brad, and Libby (who I had yet to see). I also came into the knowledge that Libby also works at Apple Fifth... coincidence? You decide.

After a cold pint of Blue Moon, we packed into an SUV taxi and carted back to Astoria, laughing and vulgarity in full effect. We ended the night at Lauren's place with Johnny and Season Five of "Cheers!" A great evening and I made it home in one piece.

Monday: Business as usual. Off to work at 9 and mastering Solitaire on the PC. :) I've gotten really good at it, it's frightening. A bit of an uneventful day until I met up with Chris, Justin, and Josh at their place to play some Mario Kart. Upon recieving my usual trouncing in the game, Josh proposed a beer pong tournament Thursday that I should attend. I agreed and left for the night, not feeling all too well and fearful I was coming down with something.

I was right. Waking up Tuesday morning brought me a pounding headache and sinus pressure. Oh no... was this the beginning of something worse? Please, I hope not. Luckily for me, all I needed was DayQuil. Now, I'm going to say this about DayQuil. You know how it says "non-drowsy" on the bottle? That normally means you probably aren't going to get tired once you take the recommended dosage...

WRONG.

I passed out. I'll admit, it was one of the greatest periods of sleep I've had in a couple days. I woke up feeling refreshed and in better spirits. Sinus pressure was gone and so was the headache. Tony texted me late in the afternoon and inquired about a reading session at Battery Park, just a few blocks from his place downtown. Realizing how beautiful it was outside, I got dressed and headed downtown. Being outside was just what the doctor ordered. The cool breeze and warm sun gave me a winter feeling, when you feel a full-body tingle with each deep breath... that's brisk, baby.

I wish I had remembered my camera... words could never do the sunset at Battery Park any justice. It was phenomenal outside. Yet as the hour passed, the cold crept up on us and being right on the water put the gusty wind right on us. We decided home would be the best route and embarked home. 

Wednesday: Felt like the longest day ever. But it turned out to be one hell of an evening.

I was dragging at work, holding together whatever health I had. I felt bad for being such a louse but I wasn't feeling it. But as usual, the people of the office made my day. Thanks, guys, you're the best. :)

After work, I boarded the train as I always do and headed towards Queens. Once I got on the N train at Queensboro, I cozied up on one of the seats and fell asleep. I'm not one to advocate sleeping or even dozing on one of these trains. But I'm the last stop, people... If I miss it, there's gotta be a bigger problem. I trugged home, still feeling out of sync. Then came the power nap. From 6:00 to about 7:30, I was out cold. Interesting sleeping patterns seem to be forming. Odd.

My eyes shoot open at 7:30 and I get prepared to head to this beer pong tournament at Josie Wood's Pub on 8th St. in downtown Manhattan. I feel good enough to spectate this event. Bear that in mind, I had no intention of getting involved in this tournament. Fate had other plans...

Pre-Game: $10 Pitcher of Budweiser (Tourney Special)

House Rules: Live It, Learn It, Know It

The Bracket.

Hunter (aka second member of DYNASTY) posing for the Pre-Match shot

I'm sure you're all aware of how beer pong is played. And if you don't know, where were you when we played in college? (Also, if you still are clueless, the House Rules will be a good skeleton to start with) I will be the first to admit I am not the best beer pong player, especially if I get too drunk too quickly. Here's how the team breakdown went:

Hunter and Josh = DYNASTY

Angel and Sarah = Remember The Alamo!

Justin and I = The Fallopian Swim Team

That's right. The Fallopian Swim Team. You're jealous. 

(Again, I will reiterate. Justin and I were the LEAST likely to advance in said tournament)

The first match of the tournament pit two of our teams against each other, meaning one pair would be eliminated within the first round. But you couldn't write it any better than :

ROUND I

DYNASTY vs. REMEMBER THE ALAMO!

To be fair, DYNASTY has a reputation of "skunking" their opponents into submission. Sarah and Angel didn't have a prayer... or so we thought.

Preparing for battle.

Lending a helping hand ("Better top these off...")
You can almost see the arch of his shot.
Sarah vanished... :)

During this game, it should be noted that Justin and I were in our pregame warm-ups still:

Remember the Alamo! came out victorious handing a HUGE upset to DYNASTY. And the tears flowed... and so did the beer. 

We were up now. Taking on two gentlemen who seemed in the same state of affairs as us. 

Round I for the Fallopian Swim Team began...

And ended shortly there after. With a few early shots, I was able to cut the cup count to nearly nothing with Justin playing clean-up and knocking them out. We did this so quickly in fact that some gentlemen (who were also in the tournament commended us on our swift victory). They became our fan base and we raised a glass in appreciation. We advance to Round II:

And wouldn't you know it, the guys who we had just toasted were our next opponents. We laughed heartily at the coincidence and wished each other the best of luck. (One guy even said he'd throw the game just to see us in the Finals.)

After what looked like what could have become a night-long game, Justin sealed the deal for the SECOND STRAIGHT GAME. How were we doing this? And becoming increasingly more intoxicated with each game... Astounding the powers of concentration are.

So we make it to the FINAL GAME. You think you're impressed? I was surprised I was still standing. The gentlemen we faced in the final game look like seasoned veterans, which should have worried us. But Justin and I had enough liquid courage to stare them down with glazed eyes. We decided that the final game should be a 10-cup round rather than the predetermined 6-cup format used throughout the tournament. These chaps agreed. Let the games begin...

The entire bar was now focused in on this beer pong game. I mean, it's the Finals. Duh.

Each team is having more and more difficulty as the cup count grows thin. Hitting a lone cup on a table may seem easy when you're sober. But those of us who would play back at school know better. Champions are made in the Final game. Having yet to prove myself, I had to make critical shots to ensure a Fallopian victory. We got down to one cup, ahead by one. We had been shooting and missing for the past 3 turns... Time was running out. Here's where the game gets EPIC, real fast.

The order we had decided on at the onset of the tournament was I had first shot, then Justin. Before I took this shot, Josh turned from his game at the other table and said, "Ruby, stop. Gallo, you shoot first." Justin and I turned to each other and figured, "Why not?" Justin's shot bounced off the rim of the glass. Damn, I was hoping he made that. I stepped up and without thinking, shot the ball...

Right into the cup.

Redemption was possible, so we hadn't won yet. But we had it in our hands. 

The first attempt... MISS.

The second... MISS.

WE WON THE TOURNAMENT. I repeat, we won the tournament, over. Our prize package included a fully inflatable raft, a free hat, a $40 gift card to Murphy & Gonzalez Pub & Cocina, and the bracket poster:

Collecting our things, we headed back to Astoria. (Thanks for deciding we should cab home, Justin. Real good thinking.) Another night of good times with good friends...

Thursday: Up and at it again. Work. Not much else to say. BUT the VP debate would be on this very evening. A debate I have been craving for the past few weeks.

America would get the chance to see these candidates for who they are and how they'd handle the office. I was anxious to see if Palin would actually make an attempt to save her already tattered image by keeping up with Biden. Of course, I'm a bit biased but here's something about Sarah Palin:

She's not dumb. Or I've come to decide that she isn't. 

Sure, I hate her views on certain issues. I loathe her platform. I despise her running mate. I think she's a fierce heinous cantankerous bitch, who spews evil from her mouth with a smile and a wink.

BUT she's out of her league. I can't fault her. Imagine that position. You're being taken from one of the most isolated states in the Union and thrown on a national stage to debate INTERNATIONAL POLICIES with a Senator whose record has you beat even before you open your mouth. And you've been handed these one-liners, gag lines, mantras that intelligent human beings find utterly ridiculous and you regurgitate them as legit answers. Poor woman... I bet she had no idea what she was getting herself into.

The final word on this: Sarah Palin isn't ready. PERIOD. If she just started learning about foreign policy, the economy, and the inner-workings of the US government now, it's already too late. This type of office has no room for lack of proper knowledge. I apologize, Governor, but I knew more about foreign policy when I was a freshman in college than you did last night. All the signs of the past few weeks, through interviews, media statements, press conferences, campaign suspensions, polling, and debate, the McCain/ Palin ticket has collapsed. I believe this is the end of McCain's hopes for office... but one can only hope.

If you haven't seen it, please, go immediately to your trusted news-source and watch. NOW.

You can finish this later.

For those of you who have watched it, as I mentioned at the beginning of the post, let's chat sometime.

That brings us to today. Friday, my final day of work for the temp agency. It was sad to leave my friends behind but I got some numbers and plan on staying in touch with this great group of people. To all of you in the office, (you know who you are) thanks for welcoming to the family so quickly and making the past month a pleasure even though we were trapped in an office. :) Let's go drinking sometime, yeah?

Tonight was fun. Met up with Tony, watched some Countdown with Keith Olbermann, which is always a pleasure, and then ended up watching Dreamgirls with the Steinway ladies (sans Nordvig). Now, I'm home and relaxing in my PJs. 

::sigh:: What a week. But I love this weather and love this place...

This weekend holds promise with some roommate bonding (painting Haley's room), Becky's Boot Party, an audition for "The Man Who Came To Dinner" on Sunday in Brooklyn with Ricky and a group of UF Alums, and some good old fashioned sleeping-in.

I think I might go get a head start on that...

Just keep me where the light is.