February 17, 2011

Texts

Gourmet KB-made Roasted Garlic Chicken, Complete with Kalamata Olives, Pre-Oven, Christmas Weekend in Indianapolis 2010
Kim, Upon Panicking at Last Minute about Locks of Love (having a foot chopped off that beautiful hair to donate it) and Instead Having it Set and Styled
KB, Having Landed at LaGuardia on One of the Only Planes to Leave Chicago for New York, December 26, 2010, due to Blizzardous Conditions, Adorning Valentino's Ohio State Ball Cap for Pic to Text to Bro back in Indiana
Valentino, My Tried and True, Who Traveled from West to East Side in Taxi Cab in Blizzard to Spend the Great Blizzard of 2010 with Me at Bar Fly to Watch Football Followed by Raucous Karaoke elsewhere wherein He Accidentally Left a $50 Bill on the Bar as Tip...(evidence of too much beer and soju that afternoon into evening!)
Hipstamatic Shot at Red Rocks, Colorado Springs, Colorado, November 2010
My Freshly Pedicured Toes on the Pavelis Hammock in their Comfortably Comfortable Denver Suburb Backyard, November 2010
Finally, E. 21st Street btwn 3rd and 2nd Avenues (shot from 3rd) Post-Second Record-Breaking Seasonal Storm to Take Place in Winter of 2010/2011...My Morning Commute

Oh, hello trusted blog page, you long lost friend, you. I do again apologize for disappearing into another dimension for nearing four months now, but there was little, if any time to sit and recap, or, if there was the time, I didn't feel the moment wash over me to do so. But I'm back by popular demand (Gale, ha, love you!) and I will try my hand at keeping you current again. But to keep current today, at least, is to back track, which is why I posted such random non-chronological photos shot from my dandy little ancient piece of garbage iPhone, which, by the way, continues daily to serve its purpose of keeping me at one with my friends and loved ones. Thank you, dear technology and texting and chatting and social media, for delivering us the ability to merely maintain relationships via those little smart phones. No, I'm being serious...no sarcasm here...there are many days wherein I'd rather text for hours than sit face to face over food/drink. I've evolved. I've shed my previous ways. Anyway.
So since October, since my last post, I've experienced the following, to be summed in brief* description
*KB's brief and other humans' brief have different definitions, so there's that...

  • A hysterical full Halloween weekend with Kim, Adam, Julie, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Joanna, Will, Christina, Corey, John Bodycombe, Monica, Suhana, Valentino, and others
  • A brilliant and beautiful adventure to Colorado with Kim, her childhood friend Uyen, Uyen's husband Joel and their children Kyle and Mylie...with an added bonus reunion with "2-Liter", or Chris Johnson, my long long long lost good friend from IU
  • Thanksgiving on Long Island with Tara and Franco and company...so good!
  • A handful of dates (etc.) with Mees, the amazing upright bass player friend of Kim's from high school that I have nothing but the fondest of memories with, even in just a short span of time (as detailed in my handwritten journal, ha, not for all the world to see!)...being around Chris reminded me precisely how high the qualities I'm looking for in a man should be...we'd spend more time together, but he's Upper West (way Upper) and trying to make a living with a full time job and his music all at once...but we enjoyed each other, nonetheless! And I'm sure I'll encounter him again. His focus needs to be his music, is all. We discussed such. Still. Swoon!
  • A weekend visit from Dave from Boston...we had fun...skee ball and free pizza at Croc Lounge, he met all my friends at the Globe, Sunday brunch in Brooklyn with Adam, Julie, Emily, Christina...(Sunday afternoon after brunch we all sat at the Brooklyner where Adam and Julie live and I began receiving texts from Mees about meeting up and I couldn't resist which means while Dave waited in Brooklyn to head to Penn Station to train it back to Boston, I excused myself early from Brooklyn to go meet Mees in my neighborhood...um...saucy much, KB??)(...though it turned out to be such a good idea, really, very!)
  • Kind of a sad Christmas? Good in ways (see above photo of whole chicken my family let me cook for them!) but also troubling in others. I was blessed with incredible face time with my nephews and niece. I held them all in my arms as if I would never let go. And same with my parents, both who are now successfully turned 60 years old, as of January and February 2011, and for whom I've got nothing but huge and unconditional love!
January/February have found me melancholy, yet bustling with female energy directed toward boys. First, unrelated: in December, I experienced a very terrifying health issue which kept me out of work briefly, say two days of one week. I dismissed it nonchalantly, then avalanched the holidays onto my head, then in January the same issue took siege on me again. I flipped out. I mean, I flipped out in December very much so when it commenced (Craig calls it "Shark Week", I won't go into additional detail) but to go through it again in January really maddened me. And so I made an appointment. And Craig offered to go with, because he owed me one (I didn't see it that way, he just kept saying so) after I escorted him home post-outpatient surgery for fatty cyst removals. Doctor did her thing, then directed me toward radiology to schedule a sonogram. Sonogram took place Tuesday. Details to either follow or not...I don't know much yet. I'm scared, sure, but I'm also kind of like...well...what am I supposed to do? Cry over something I have no control over?
Well, so that's happening. Meanwhile, I'm not sure that I've ever mentioned Dario, my sweet Italian friend. The weekend Kim and I flew back from Colorado, Suhana was hosting a wine and cheese party. Suhana had just broken up with Chad, maybe months prior to her party? but was not feeling brave therefore left me a teary voice message about needing Kim and me to be at her party and could we please, please, please come? The party was the Sunday night that Kim and I would land at LaGuardia, tired, jet lagged, wanting to sleep in our own beds again and boost up the energy to return to work. But upon receiving Suhana's begging text, how could we not attend her little soiree? So Kim and I landed at LaGuardia, dropped off bags at Kim's and grabbed a cab to Suhana's. First of all? Good god, is Suhana's place just the most sophisticated and adorable little nest possible. She looked stunning, too, of course, in a flowy black and white tiny polka-dotted dress, revealing her gorgeous figure and smooth brown skin. She seemed stabilized, but she could not stop gushing appreciation for us coming. So the people in attendance ranged from exotic to, well, exotic...turned out, only Dom (at the time, Suh's play thing), plus a hot high school teacher that we met later and I were the only caucasian non-exotic people. Fine by me! I love diversity anyway. So, immediately Kim and I were drawn to these 2 adorable Italians...real Italians...Dario has only lived here maybe 2 years and his friend Antonio had at that point literally been in the States for less than a month! They seemed to really be getting a kick out of the Kim/KB show...moreso Dario than Antonio, only because Antonio's language barriers are still sky high, poor guy! He's learning! And what came of it is that Dario and Antonio and Kim and I all became Facebook friends. Later on, Dario mentioned to Suhana (which she mentioned to me after the fact) that he and Antonio were so happy to have met her good friends Kim and KB. Ahem, I must say, Kim and I were exceptionally funny that night, especially coming down from an exhausted Colorado high!
So at some point I began hearing from Dario via Facebook. Then there was a phone number exchange. Then there were texts. Then there was flirting. Etc. And I've seen him a number of times since that party at Suhana's on the cusp of Harlem...and it's been really, really fun...yet, I am reluctant (for a few reasons) to let Dario actually penetrate (um, ha ha) the lining of my heart. He's close to doing so. He is. In fact, he left for Italy for 2 weeks and just returned Monday night, and we've been texting nonstop since. He owes me a nice dinner because I helped him edit some work writings before he left. And he flatters me incessantly. He's beautiful, charming, his laugh is low and contagious and his smile is infectious. There are things to take into consideration...but he's also kind and caring and chivalrous and oh, so, charming. And he speaks Italian to me upon command. It's sexy.
However last week, while Dario was still away, I met another European guy, this time a guy from Albania, in finance, working full time, going to grad school at Baruch (a college in my neighborhood.) (Convenient, also coincidentally where Dario just graduated with his Masters degree...what!) His name is Besar, and he's gorgeous and intuitive and charming and sweet...I suppose, aren't all the European men of this persuasion??...and we exchanged numbers and went on a first date Monday (yes, Valentine's Day.) Besar is striking, dark curly hair, dark eyes, well dressed, asks questions, looks right into my eyes. And he walked me home after hours of interesting conversation. And I didn't let him come all the way up to the apartment though I did let him into the warmer hallway for a little while...we texted a bit when he arrived home, and I suppose we'll see each other again...but, Dario.
Dario started texting me the 15th, nonstop as I mentioned, and I, of course, took it upon myself to introduce to him that perhaps he might have competition? Ah. He kind of needs it. I think I've blown his head to giant proportions and have been needing to scale it back to size. So, I realize it's only the 17th today, but I've probably received more texts from Dario in the past 48 hours than I have in our entire friendship (I'm calling it that because whatever it is bears no other name, today) and I think it's just adorable that Dario is making it his personal mission to remind me that he's still on my speed dial, figuratively speaking. In fact, the other night I fell asleep during some serious-natured content texting, and I awoke to 4 long texts written in his absolutely just lovable broken English, followed by a missed call near midnight! Missed call from Dario means he was afraid he used the wrong English words (he's very good with English but still sometimes falters with phrases, so sweet.)
Kim and I called him "the Ital" for weeks following meeting him. At some point, in conversation, he actually became Dario. It's rare that a boy with a nickname takes on his real name between us. But, the more real Dario becomes to me, the more frequently he invites me into his actual life, asking me for help with work, telling me about his hometown in Italy (I heard from him while he was there), insinuating to me that I'm one of the nicest and kindest people he has met...I don't know. I might be falling for him. I've been emailing Gale about this whole thing. The other day, she wrote, "I think you might like Dario."
Eek!
But I'm not tabling Besar, either. By the way, his nickname between me and Kim (one of) is "Besos"...in fact, I believe the Albanian translation of the name "Besar" might actually also be "kisses." Cute. Sweet.
In other news? Kim turns 30 February 26th. We've built so many celebrations around her birthday. It's amazing. I can't reveal anything yet, but surprises are to unfold, and we will have a great time. Meanwhile, next Thursday is Asia de Cuba (restaurant week) with Kim, Valentino, Andrew, Lauren, Michael Chan, and maybe Dario? I asked him today, because we had a drop out (Bento!) but Dario won't know for a day or so. I think he stays at work stupidly late, poor guy. If Dario is a yes? Could be really fun...everyone has met Dario, except maybe Andrew? And Dario lights up a room. So there's that. Hmm. I'm seeing in my writing that I might be smitten. Trying not to be...because, well, my heart deserves nothing but the best. Ah. Dario just said that the other day, in fact, to me, about me.
Ok, blog. Let's give this relationship another shot. Missed you.