Jean Genie

The major part of my Christmas presents were checks from my parents and sister with which to buy new shoes, jeans, etc. I've been wearing the same jeans for at least 5 years - Long & Lean flare, size 2 regular, from The Gap. One pair, having stretched so far out of shape and wearability, I left in Japan in July. The second (a dark grey-black stain I really like) developed a hole in the crotch in October. I replaced those with a pair of X2 "Skinny" jeans from Express in the same stain. The third and oldest pair in a "dirty" wash had been wearing thing at the crotch (I don't know how I do that), so I had left them in Texas while I was in Japan. I brought them to NY with me to replace the ones I left in Japan. But even those, being the oldest (though my favourites), were getting too tattered on the cuffs and thin in important places. I decided it was time to part with them. I left 'em in Texas after Christmas.

I've gone looking at jeans several times already this year, knowing I really needed to replace mine. The skinny jeans at Express are okay, but I'm not really a "skinny" person, so I can't have *only* skinny jeans. The regulars and the curvy's there didn't quite work either. I even went back to the Gap and tried my fallback Long & Leans, but something just wasn't quite right anymore. Brett always wears Levi's, and with the after-Christmas sales it seemed worth a shot. Nope. Not feelin' it. What am I to do? I hate shopping, and jeans are one thing that *have* to fit right and feel good. After all, I wear them *all the time.*

So yesterday after work I hit up the Express on Lexington Ave. They're having a $20 off all pants sale. When shopping for slacks in September I had tried their "Publicist Pant" (built for curvy women) and it had fit really well... except that it was too long. So this time I tried the jean equivalent... It was decent, but they didn't have it in my length. And well I'm kind of tired of shredding my cuffs to tatters. I considered buying them just because I was tired of shopping for jeans, but then gathered my courage and went to the Gap next door for one last look. No luck with Long & Lean or Original Fit, but the Curvy flares in 2 Regular fit well... except for the length. So the girl in the dressing room brought me 2 Ankle, and suddenly they were too tight! Argh. I inspected the other wall... Boot Cut. Grabbed Curvy 2R and 2A and... Voila! New jeans! Yay!

So after trying on 10 or 15 pairs of jeans yesterday, I finally have them. And it seems in 5 years I have gone from a "Long & Lean" shape to "Curvy." Guess I knew as much, but it's kind of exciting. And that's my boring post for New Year's Eve.

Happy New Year!
明けましておめでとうございます！

Back

Returned from Texas yesterday. I had a great time, involving quality time with my family, meeting my nephew (my cousin's baby) Neil, lots of cuddling with Tigger, and (of course) inordinate amounts of food. I wasn't ready to come back, but alas, here I am.

Saturday night was my sister and Jonathan's engagement party. There was a margarita machine, all the parents (Jonathan's, B's, and mine) met, and about 80 people from the Houston and Austin Assamese community were in attendance. Most people I hadn't seen in over a year, since before I left for Japan. Pretty weird. I didn't recognize a lot of the younger kids; they change so dramatically in a year. It was an interesting event. My sister was beautiful, there was more champagne than there were people, my family drank leftover margaritas and mimosas for the next couple of days.

B and I didn't really leave the house or neighbourhood in our time there. I really just wanted to laze around at home with my family, so that's what we did. We watched movies and played "rikiki" and Scrabble and [karam] (not sure how to spell it) and went for walks around the neighbourhood after meals. B spent a lot of time in the kitchen with my mom, so hopefully he'll be serving me some Assamese home-cooking in the near future. He also played tennis with my dad our last day there.

I really wasn't ready to come back, was kind of glum the last day and very grumpy yesterday after the very early flight. It was strange to be wandering SoHo with B yesterday (in search of a power adapter for his Powerbook) afternoon when we had just been in Texas. Not sure why I'm so dismayed to be back. I hadn't been unhappy before we left. It will go away in time I suppose.

So excited!

My exam is over! The term is officially over!

I am so excited about this break, I can't tell you. So excited I couldn't get to sleep last night and woke up with a slight headache. *sheepish* I've never been this excited to go back to Texas in the 5 years since I've left. But this break is gonna be different. It will be B's first Christmas with my family, and we'll be celebrating my sister's engagement. And to do that, there's going to be a party on the 23rd - to which her fiancee's parents as well as B's parents are coming. Everyone's staying at the house, including my cousin and her 9-mo old baby and her husband (whom I'll meet for the first time). It's gonna be a great big party like in the old days. My sister and I were saying last night how we used to get so excited about guests when we were little, and this is like that again. I don't care that I'll be sleeping on the floor (I hope B doesn't either). The more the merrier! I'm sure my dad concurs.

Now I just have to pack and do laundry and all that fun stuff.

Nile Deli

There's a big convenience store across the street called "The Nile Deli" (for some reason, convenience stores in this neighbourhood go by "Deli"). It's our go-to place for some reason. I'm not sure how B and I picked it in the first place, but we kept going back. At first I loved it because they had this monstrous (I mean HUGE) tabby cat there who would lie on the floor between shelves and walk right up to you for petting. He hasn't been around lately, not sure what happened.

Anyway, so we were out of toilet paper, so I popped in there, picked up a few other things too, and I go to pay. I get $3 back in change, in one dollar bills.

And the top one has blood on it.

I just kind of stand there, holding it between two fingers for a moment, trying not to draw the attention of the shopkeeper while simultaneously trying to show B and ask him if I should take it or ask for a new one... but B doesn't notice at first, just thinks I'm counting change, so I stick it in my wallet and show him later.

Anyway, I thought it was pretty amazing. I showed everyone at Kaplan training* the next day and then managed to get rid of it by buying candy from a street vendor at school.

*Yes, I'm training to teach a Kaplan SAT prep course. Funny, huh?

Love love!

You know that lab course I'm always complaining about? Well, it's over, which is nice. In the last day, before the written exam, we filled out evaluations. As I've heard, everyone was really critical and really ripped the course apart. (Good.)

But the first question was, "What did you like most about this class?" or something to that effect.

My answer was, "Meeting and befriending my lab partner."

And today I learned my lab partner's answer was, "My lab partner is awesome!"

*blush*

At the risk of being sappy

The other day at work, R was talking about how she'd met the man of her dreams, how it had been the first time she'd been shy around a guy, how it had taken her a whole hour to approach him. C smiled and said, "That's the best part of a relationship, when it's new and exciting and thrilling. Then it just gets old and boring." I was sort of stunned... not only because it made me feel bad for C and her current relationship, but because I don't feel that way at all. B and I have been together two years now and, though there's significantly less drama now than there was in the beginning (thank God), I'm still as smitten as ever. I still get giddy and excited at the prospect of seeing him and spending time with him... we don't even do anything exciting anymore, with the exception of hockey games. Otherwise we mostly sit around and watch tv or eat or sleep. Maybe I'm just bragging and this will come back to bite me in the butt, but (heh) I think there's no reason a relationship should get old and boring. It makes me sad to know people think that. I know my way of thinking (and my experience) is the exception, but shouldn't it be the rule?

yada yada yada

I feel like I should say something. I don't update this thing often enough. Maybe I just don't have that much to say anymore. But it doesn't really make sense that there should be much less to comment on in New York than in Tokyo.

Have I told you about my neighbourhood? We live on Steinway St, one of the main thoroughfares in Astoria lined with various shops and restaurants. Just a couple avenues away Brett and I discovered a pizza place called Rizzo's. It's been around for a while and is pretty well known, particularly for the sicilian/square pizza. And I must say it is delicious pizza. I'm not *too* picky about pizza. It comes lots of different ways from lots of different places, and lots of those ways are good... except Domino's. I have never liked Domino's.

Speaking of varieties... today at work we had a wine lecture. A representative from the vendor came in and talked to us about a selection of the wines we'll be selling. There was only one perhaps that I considered bad (though I can't say that to a customer of course); the rest good, though some moreso than others. And we got free wine keys. ^^ I couldn't smell or taste a lot of the things the guy was talking about, though I could taste differences. I must say though that being a sommelier or similar would be fun if for no other reason than the vocabulary - glamorous words like "voluptuous" and "tannic" and funny ones like "catbox" and "wet dog." Mmm, wet dog.

Hmm my tummy is growling again.