Exciting subject line, hmm? Full of potentially embarrassing stories and intrigue. Let’s jump in!
Cherry Vodka
Justin and I went to a small party at our friends’ house on Saturday night (I am not naming names as I don’t want to incriminate anyone). Wine and cherry vodka flowed, good times were had, and the night rapidly turned into a blur. 9 hours later I crawled into bed.
One thing Justin loves to do the day after I get very drunk is remind me of the foolish things I did or said. He also likes to find out what parts of the night vanish into my mental abyss. I often entrust Justin with my welfare when we go out and alcohol is involved. I believe that, when inebriated, Justin will steer me away from potentially damaging situations. Imagine my surprise when Sunday rolled around and Justin told me that I engaged in an event I don’t even remember!
Gracious Hosts - Mark and Olivia
We played Pictionary? Seriously? Ok… I know. I have now revealed to you what my “drunk ass did” that I don’t remember. Can you believe how INSANE my life is? It’s true. There was really nothing incriminating about a game of Pictionary. There were no high stakes, no stripping off of clothes. It was a wholesome board game night, people! Alcohol is an evil mistress. If I were someone else, that story would have been waaay juicier. In all fairness, I do vaguely remember the components of Pictionary being laid out on the table. That’s about it. Obviously I was kidding about not naming names. Thanks for having us over, Olivia and Mark!!! Pictures of game night >>
Taboo!
The night began innocently enough with delicious snacks and a round of Last Word followed by Cranium. By the end of the night we were rocking out to Guns N Roses and discussing the possibilities of ocean creatures fitting into an insect catagory. Apparently they don’t, no matter how passionately you argue the case. *cough cough*
As you might have guessed, I was pretty useless all day Sunday. I ate half a pizza for breakfast and remained planted in front of the TV for the majority of the day until I finally dragged myself into the shower around 8 or 9 PM. Who knew board game nights could get so wild and have such dire hangovers as consequences? All in all, I had a great night. Next time I’ll just have to remember to practice moderation.
The other day we were sitting around with friends discussing personality types, such as the infamous Myers-Briggs personality type test which gives you results such as INTP, ENFJ, etc. I’ve taken the test a few times and, though it’s changed only slightly over the years, it is a very accurate look at who I was as a person at that particular point in my life. The versions of the test I’ve taken have been incredibly long. A quick web search doesn’t turn up the same exact test. I’ll link it in a future post if I find a free one and take it so everyone else can take it too. :)
Tonight, Justin and I took a very short (20 question) personality test. The results seemed pretty accurate. I hope you take this test and share your results by leaving a comment. Below are ours (I’ve taken the liberty to bold areas that seem particularly applicable).
Vanessa – Big Thinker
Outspoken, ingenious and bored by routine. Think of themselves as talkative, curious and self-sufficient. May neglect the routine work required to make their plans successful. Big Thinkers are always looking for the next big idea or opportunity. They’re adept at spotting trends and thinking on their feet. Big Thinkers like to jump in and find innovative solutions to complex problems and are good at developing strategies for the future. Big Thinkers are usually curious, logical and energetic. This chatty group enjoys a good debate and asserting their opinions. Sometimes others may find the way they express their ideas too abrupt or challenging. In situations where they can’t use their talents or are unappreciated, Big Thinkers may be rude, critical of others or rebellious. Under extreme stress, Big Thinkers can become preoccupied with unimportant details and lose sight of the ‘big picture’. Big Thinkers may ignore important details in their plans and overlook the impact their ideas have on the people around them. The entrepreneurial spirit of the Big Thinkers often leads them to seek new challenges; this is often more important to them than working in a particular field or a specific career.
Justin – Resolver
Good at getting to the heart of a problem and quickly finding a solution. Make rational decisions using the facts available. Think of themselves as understanding, stable and easy-going. May focus on short-term results and lose sight of the big picture. Resolvers are independent people who quietly learn how things work by analyzing large amounts of information. Should a problem arise, they solve it with as little fuss as possible. Resolvers are only interested in abstract ideas, if they can be used to solve a problem quickly. Resolvers like to take risks: Many of them seek jobs and pastimes that put them in harms way and guarantee an adrenaline rush. Resolvers are often tolerant of behavior different to their own as long as their values aren’t compromised. They sometimes give the impression that they agree with other peoples’ viewpoints because they don’t actively disagree. In situations where they can’t use their talents or are unappreciated, Resolvers may become cynical, negatively critical or put off decisions. Under extreme stress, Resolvers could be prone to inappropriate, tearful outbursts. Resolvers are quiet and sometimes it is difficult to get to know them; however, they often talk freely about subjects they understand well. Resolvers are often drawn to hands-on jobs that require an analytical mind and careful organization of large amounts of data.
Take this test and find out your personality type now! >>
Life is a strange confluence of coincidences. Just a week or so ago, Val! was walking around Union Square and an NYU student came up to her and sold her a freshly written (on the spot) piece of poetry for $1. She thought it was awesome, as did I. The poetry was nice, but it had nothing to do with her chosen “theme” of Romania.
Today, a StumbleUpon friend of mine sent me a blog entry of his that is in the same vein. He is an extraordinarily prolific writer and I enjoy reading his pieces when they’re brough to my attention. Check out this short story of his that allows you a glimpse of Dublin’s less illustrious side. His blog post today is about how he’ll write and mail you a piece of poetry (or a rant if you’d prefer)… I’d probably prefer a rant myself, but I’m open. No one has ever written poetry for me. It might be nice. :) At any rate, I really think you should take him up on his offer. How often do you get meaningful snail mail, especially of the artistic variety?
This is Art - Thao and Vanessa at the Waldorf Astoria
Last Tuesday, Thao invited me to attend the Project ALS gala held at the Waldorf Astoria. Since she works for Viacom, sometimes these random opportunities appear out of the blue. Ben Stiller was hosting and it sounded like a good time plus we both got to get dressed up!
Though the subject matter was quite sad, Ben Stiller and Sarah Silverman were hilarious, the food was good, and the wine flowed unceasingly. After the event, Thao and I wandered the halls of the Waldorf Astoria, literally, and took a bunch of photos. I hope you enjoy the photos of our drunken wanderings as much as we enjoyed taking them!
What a lucky gal am I? Justin flew all the way from New York City to Billings, Montana just to spend Saturday with me! He arrived at 10:30 pm on Friday night, and I dropped him at the airport at noon on Sunday. I could not have asked for a better time together, though I may have asked for it to be longer!
At first, Saturday morning was dreary and rainy. I was disappointed because I’d hoped Justin and I would make our way to Red Lodge and to the Beartooth Mountains. I knew there was hiking around and supposedly Red Lodge was a cute little town. Everyone told us to go there on our first trip to Montana in June, though the pass was still closed due to snow.
Despite the weather, we decided to head toward Red Lodge anyway. We had a delicious lunch at a pizzeria in Red Lodge. Slowly but surely, the day began to improve! We browsed in the local shops and Justin tried on, decided to buy, and then deciding not to buy a coat from an antique store. The store also had a really rad German hat from WWII but it was super tiny and wouldn’t fit my gigantic head, so I didn’t get it. We noticed intermittent patches of sunlight and decided to continue on our way to Beartooth Highway and the Beartooth Pass. I’d heard it was beautiful, but words could not express the truth of the beauty of this place. Check it out for yourself – captions and photo notes accompany the images: Photos of Snow, Hiking, Chipmunks and Kisses>>
After a lovely day of exploring a new town, a scenic drive and a bit of hiking, Justin and I relaxed in the hotel room, watched some TV, and noshed on hamburgers at Fuddruckers for dinner. We also played a hunting video game where we shot moose – that was a blast! Justin won (but I still killed more turkeys on the bonus round!). I love you, sweetheart. Thanks for coming out to Montana and showing me one heck of a good time. :)
Val!, Karen and Mike were all hanging out last night as Val! is visiting Texas. They went to dinner with Mom and Dad and then sat around reminiscing and just randomly chattering. I asked Mom to take some photos of them, at which point she said they had taken a group shot before they left. I told her to tell them to take some Lyrael.com style photos and to mention “letters” and “Tab” to them. Now, to those of you new readers of this site (new as in the 6 years, woe is me), you surely don’t know what I mean. Back in 2002, Karen, Val! and I became quite creative (and silly) when it came to taking and uploading photo sets. I hoped they’d want to do something goofy that hearkened back to those good times. Sure enough, they did! For your viewing pleasure, here are the two photos Val! has sent me so far:
Val!, Karen and Mike - Pink Pony Luv
Val!, Karen and Mike - oh the masquerade!
Love you guys!!! And I miss you! XO XO
Nessy
PS: If anyone out there wants to take silly photos and email them to me, that’d be awesome too! :) Maybe we can get Peanut in on the action… She kinda looks like she is “E” shaped in the photos below. :)
Update: Another one! I love this one! The lighting is great! Look how long and pretty Karen’s hair is! I definitely dig everyone’s expressions on the “N” here.
Val!, Karen and Mike - Stinky feet!
