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Saturday, December 29, 2007

10 Feet Off The Ground

Bethany and I went out again on Thursday, the day after the shot bar opened. We headed over there again, and of course at work. Melissa and the girls were out too, and Izzie, Megan and their husbands were out. So I spent a good hour trying to split myself between 3 groups of friends, which was hard! But Izzie and them turned in early, so then it was just Bethany and Melissa. One too many people came up to me and laughed about my drunken antics from the night before.
I apparently walked up to the hot new door guy, Jake, and told him how hot I thought he was. Lol. A number of people also came up to me and told me how nice Todd was, and not to screw it up. As if there were anything to screw up... ((sigh) I wish!
After a few drinks at the shot bar, we headed back over to work and guess who was there!?
If you guessed The Model and Mitchell, then you're right. He gave me a hug, and was super nice to me of course, we snapped a couple pictures...he cut all his hair off by the way, and still looks as gorgeous as ever. I think he was kinda drunk though, because first he jokingly said something about my boobs, and how nice they are. And I'm not gonna lie, I'm a 34D, and they are nice! Haha, but then he said, "She's got a great ass too! Hey, once you've been on the rollercoaster, you know where the turns are!" and he and Mitchell laughed. WTF?! I've never heard him say things like that! Weird...
"So when are you gonna come to New York and be a model, Peyton?" he asked.
"Yea right!" I said, "I was just in New York, and I didn't hear from you!"
"What?! When!? Why didn't you tell me you were coming?!"
"I did! I sent you a myspace message telling you when we were gonna be there!"
"Well when were you there?"
"November 28 through December 2." I replied.
"Ooohhh...well I was doing a shoot in Costa Rica. But man! I wish I would known you were coming! I would have taken you snowboarding!"
"Yea well...maybe next time."
Damn. It' probably better I didn't see him when we were there though. And why does he always have to make those comments about me modeling!? He's way too practiced at saying things that make girls swoon. Well it's not going to work on me! Bethany and I headed back over to the shot bar soon after to close our tabs. It felt nice to walk away from him for once, and not look back.

Then last, at work, they were there again! I gave them invites to the New Years thing. Mitchell said they'd be there. I'm really nervous though. Because this could mean one of 2 things. Number one, The Model will kiss some chick right in front of me at midnight, and my New Years will totally suck, or number two, The Model will kiss me at midnight and my New Years will be the best ever!! But I'm sure that's just wishful thinking... How does one beautiful boy have so much power over me?

Mitch Of The Day:
"I find that a duck's opinion of me is influenced by whether or not I have bread. A duck loves bread, but he does not have the capability to buy a loaf. That's the biggest joke on the duck ever. If I worked at a convenience store, and a duck came in and stole a loaf of bread, I would let him go. I'd say, "Come back tomorrow, bring your friends!" When I think of a duck's friends, I think of other ducks. But he could have, say, a beaver in tow."

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Grand Opening!

YAY for Christmas!!
Sophie got here on Christmas Eve, which I had to work, so that kinda sucked... The other thing that I'd been feeling apprehensive about lately was The Model. I knew he was going to be in town, and Melissa said Mitchell had texted her and said they'd be going up to my work at some point.
But Christmas Day was nice! And I finally got my own CAMERA! Like a really nice Sony SLR. I'm so excited! ANNNNND, Jenna's sister, Amy, saw the pics I took of Jenna in our photoshoot, and now Amy wants me to do a boudoir shoot of her as a wedding present to her fiance! So that's gonna be exciting! I may actually be able to get this business off the ground!
So in other news, I took Sophie out to midtown Christmas night for her late 21st birthday celebration. She just turned 21 on the 22nd. Melissa and the gang met up, and we had an awesome time! We just hung out at my bar mostly because they were the only place that was open. But I managed to get Sophie drunk, so it was a success!
Unfortunately, Sophie was only here for 3 days, and she left yesterday afternoon, so that was kind of a bummer. We spend the day after Christmas at Todd's family's house. They're English and we always have a traditional Boxing Day celebration at their house. Everyone rewraps a goofy present and brings it to exchange. It's really fun. And I haven't really gotten to hang out with Todd much cuz he's been gone at school. He's on the football team and he's definitely going to be drafted into the NFL! He's set all kinds of records this year. I'm so proud of him! So while we were there, I invited Todd to come out with me to the grand opening of my works new bar. They've been working on this new shot bar for months, and The Albanian is the general manager. So of course, everyone from work was gonna be at the grand opening! So Todd said he would come!
So a few hours later, I was in my favorite white tube top, which I tied a festive red ribbon around the waste, and we were ready! Todd picked me up in his brand new red BMW. SOOO nice...
And the shot bar is freakin' awesome! It's like a new home away from home! Same people, same owners, just a different location! I love it! And I don't think I spent a penny all night! My cousin Paul, and Melissa met us up too that night. Paul was acting very strangely though...he kinda had me worried cuz of his recent stint in rehab for concaine. But anyways, I got soooooo hammered!
And I have to add that Mr. P. is like one of the sexiest men EVER! But the thing that really sticks out in my mind about that night, is how well Todd took care of me. I ended up getting so drunk, I puked in the bathroom, and confessed my undying love for Todd to Alyssa. At least I can trust her!
But...I mean, it's kind of true. Todd has always been one of my best friends, and he's such a great guy. I love him to death! AND he meets all of my standards: tall, attractive, smart, kind, he has everything going for him...
Except that he's not single. ((sigh)) What is it with me always wanting the guys I can't have?? Do I just like to torchure myself or something? ((sigh))
I've been harboring these feelings for Todd for quite some time now, but I've just been in denial about it because...well number one, he has a girlfriend who I really like! And obviously he loves her. And number 2, if they break up, I dunno what to do! I mean, I don't know how to be anything other than his friend! And it's not like I can be my usual forward self with him. I mean, like the way I am with guys I'm crushing on. Grrr this is so frustrating! I can hardly wrap my head around it.
Moving on...
Ok I'm not sure if I mentioned this before or not, but Sophie is getting married! Yea, married. January 8th. Because she and Brent are hippies and they're joining the Peace Corps, and in order to go together they have to be married for 6 months beforehand. So they're having an anti-ceremony in just a few days. Of course I'm gonna go! So I'll be in Florida for about a week in January. It seems so crazy, right!?

Ok, and New Years Eve? I have to work. And it's gonna suck. Although I did give invites to Jenna, Melissa, Charlotte, Mackenzie, and Amanda. I dunno, maybe it'll be fun. We'll see...

Mitch Of The Day:
"I've got a wallet, it's orange. In case I wanna buy a deer. That doesn't make any sense at all."

Sunday, December 23, 2007

3 New Posts!

Make sure you don't miss them!

Charlotte's Birthday

About a week after I got back from New York, Jenna and I did a photoshoot! My first photoshoot! And it was so much fun!! Not to mention the pics came out awesome! I'm really excited because I think this will help me get my freelance photography business off the ground! Woohoo!!

In other news, Melissa is single again! I mean, it kinda sucks for her, because her stupid boyfriend dumped her for his slutty ex, but she's definitely better off! And as soon as I got back from New York, we started to hang out a lot. It was just like old times! Well, she introduced me to a few of her friends, which I began to see a lot of when we went out. First, there's Amanda. She's my age, single, a second grade teacher, really goofy and sweet. Then there's Charlotte. She has a job where she gets to travel a lot, but I'm not really sure what she does. When I met her, her and her boyfriend of 4 years had recently split. Then there's Mackenzie. She's a promo girl for Tito's vodka, so I see her at work a lot. Anyways, all three of them are great, and the 5 of us always have a blast when we hang out!
So Charlotte's birthday was a couple weeks ago, and we all decided to make a trip to Austin for the night to celebrate. I was able to get my shift picked up at the last minute, lucky me!
We all drove together in Charlotte's company car. We had so much fun talking, and singing loudly and horribly to Justin Timberlake in the car. I texted Tommy to tell him to come hang out, but he was in Houston! What are the chances...
We stayed at a really nice hotel in the heart of Austin, just a few blocks from 6th Street! It was perfect!
So we all got dressed and ready in the hotel room and then went to have dinner at Truluck's, which is a fancy steakhouse in Austin, with the best blueberry martinis! Dinner was amazing, and we all left feeling content.
The first place we headed was 6th St. We went to Josh's bar, and he gave us a couple rounds of shots, as usual, in exchange for a kiss. Although, I noticed there's not really any sparks between us anymore. It's more of a routine than anything. He told me to come back later and see him though.
We hit up the usual bars, getting tons of free drinks along the way! It was so much fun!
But later on in the night, we got split up into 2 groups. Me, Melissa and Charlotte, and Amanda and Mackenzie. For some reason, I was feeling quite sober, while Melissa and Charlotte were quite the opposite! Charlotte was talking to every person she encountered, and practically tripping over her own feet by the time we made it to 4th Street. I was also the only one who was smart enough to bring a jacket, so Melissa and Charlotte wouldn't stop whining about how cold it was. I ended up just giving them my coat to share, so I wouldn't have to listen to them complain anymore.
Well, I was started to get irritated, being the only sober person, and Melissa was starting to get mad, because she was convinced that Amanda and Mackenzie had ditched us. So things were starting to go downhill by this point. Then we went back to Josh's bar to see him, and the door guy wouldn't let us back in. This sent Melissa flying off the handle! It's pretty funny, in retrospect, but at the time, she was scary! I thought she was gonna spit on the guys shoes! So we left, and started heading towards a pizza stand, Melissa still mumbling strings of profanities about the door guy. She had also ignored probably 6 of Amanda's calls, because she was mad at her too. Lol.
When we got inside the pizza parlor, Charlotte started crying. No warnings! Just tears! She was so drunk, she could hardly walk or talk, and now she was sobbing too! So Melissa and I got the pizza and started our trek back the hotel, practically supporting Charlotte. We both kept telling her to stop crying, but she just couldn't stop!
"Why are you crying Charlotte?! It's your birthday, and you've had a great time, and you have no reason to be crying! STOP CRYING!" Melissa scolded her.
"I know," Charlotte sniffled. "I just can't help it!" she continued to sob.
We both knew it was about her ex, but there was no comforting her. She just wanted to cry!
So there I was, walking down the street with Mad and Sad. What a sight we were! And I was freezing my ass off, in a halter top with no coat. When we got back to the hotel, Mackenzie and Amanda were already there waiting. We had both room keys. Melissa said something snippish to Mackenzie about them leaving us, and got in the elevator without us. Amanda tried comforting Charlotte and Mackenzie was asking me why Melissa was mad at them. DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA! I just wanted to scream!
"Look, we've all been drinking, let's just go to bed and deal with this crap in the morning!" I said.
So that's what we did. But by the time we were all in bed, everyone had made up, and Charlotte had stopped crying, and everything was fine again. Except that it literally took me a good 30 minutes to thaw out and stop shivering! Plus I was sharing a bed with Melissa and Charlotte so I hardly slept a wink.
But I think it was worth it.
I love my girls!

Mitch Of The Day:
"I think a rotisserie is a really morbid Ferris wheel for chickens. We will take a chicken, impale it, and then rotate it. Spinning chicken carcasses make my mouth water. I like dizzy chickens!"

Thursday, December 20, 2007

My Big Mistake

Ok, now that I've finally finished writing about NY, I have a lot of catching up to do! So here goes...

My first week back, I worked, obviously. And I seriously needed to after all the money I had spent! Oh, and we have a hot new door guy! His name is Jake. Well, on that first Sunday, I worked from 4 to 10. And afterwards, I stayed and had a couple drinks with Valerie. I know, totally random, since we have been known to butt heads in the past. But hey, I'm all about second chances, and she and I were having fun! We sat and played Photohunt on the little computer for a couple hours! Then, this weird guy named Lane came up and starting talking to us. If I had been by myself, I would have totally just ignored him, but Valerie kept talking to him! So I thought maybe she was interested or something. When we got tired of playing the game, we got up to walk around a little bit, and who do I see?? Billy. He's always been notorious for getting really drunk on Sundays. Anyways, he mentioned to me that he and his crew were going to this new bar, Zeppelin, that had just opened up. So after they left, I asked Valerie if she wanted to go check it out. She said, she'd be down, but she didn't have any cash on her. I told her not to worry, I'd spot her the cash and she could just pay me back later that night after we picked up our tips. So Valerie and I, and Lane, headed over to Zeppelin.
It was an ok bar I guess, but not one that I'd frequent. It was just too dark! I mean you couldn't even see anyone's faces! We had a couple rounds of shots, which I paid for, and danced and goofed off for a while. We were all having a pretty good time. I saw Billy too...making out with some ugly chick. Weird...
But then, around 1:30, Valerie came up to me and said, "Dude...we need to get outa here. Like, now. Something's about to go down."
I looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
"What do you mean?" I asked her.
"I dunno...we just need to leave. There's somethin' shady going on!"
"Um...ok, we can leave if you want but...I seriously don't think anything bad is about to happen."
Valerie must have been a lot drunker than I took her to be! She was acting so strange! I mean there was literally nothing happening at this bar. There were probably only about 35 people in there. So we walked outside, and Lane is asking me who's going to drive Valerie home, because we had all driven separately.
"Well, we're going back to our bar, so she should be fine for just the couple blocks. You drive behind her and she can follow me. That way we can watch her." I said.
For some reason, Valerie didn't know how to get back to work, even thought it was only about 2 blocks away. So she wanted to follow me. So we're driving along, and everything is fine. Then we turn onto the street where work is, and I guess she suddenly realized where we were. And as I was turning into the parking lot, she floored it and sped off! What the hell!? She owes me money!
I tried calling her to see what the deal was, but she didn't answer!
So Lane and I are standing in the parking lot, awkwardly, alone.
"Well...uh...I'm just gonna go in and pick up my tips." I said.
"Well, what about your friend? Do you know where she lives? Is she gonna be ok?" he asked.
"I dunno what is up with her! To tell you the truth, tonight was the first time I've ever hung out with her, so I don't know. And she's not answering her phone."
"Oh. Well ok then..." Awkward pause... "So can I call you sometime?" And there it was! The clincher!
"Um...sure!" I said in a falsely sweet voice. "Gimme your number."
I programmed it in as "Don't Answer", quickly said goodbye to him, and high-tailed it inside.
Nick was cleaning the bar, and Blinn and Mr. S. were hanging out. Blinn must have been out drinking with his brother, because as soon as I sat down, he told Nick to make us shots! I told Nick and Blinn what happened with Valerie, and they both agreed that it was very weird!
So while I was waiting for my money, Blinn and I decided to play a game of poker at the electronic table. And 3 games and several shots later, I was up 200 bucks! Blinn was out of control! Haha, he never gets beat! And I usually never have such great luck! It was crazy. But then we decided to play one more game, double or nothin' and I lost. So I had to give him back his 200 bucks. But oh well! At least I didn't lose any money!
By this time, Mr. S. and Nick were finished closing down the bar, so it was time to get outa there. But Blinn still wanted to play poker, and I had just started to get a buzz going, so I wasn't ready to turn in either! So we decided to head over to Blinns house for a couple more games. Blinn and The Albanian are cousins, and they had just moved into a new town house a few blocks away from work. It wasn't even furnished yet. And Mr. S. wanted to check it out, so he came with us. And let me tell you, this house is sooooooo nice! Three stories, with a garage, and all hard wood floors. It's beautiful! And huge! And I was having fun running around in my socks. Haha! Well, Mr. S. didn't stay long, and I don't think we ever got around to playing any more poker...
Blinn poured us each a glass of red wine, and we toured the house. Then we went out to his balcony and just talked...for what seemed like hours! And I was totally drunk by this point so I have no idea what we talked about.
But uh...eventually we ended up making out. And this is where things start to get realllllllly fuzzy! Because I know we messed around a little, and we were both totally wasted! It was just one of those really sloppy, drunken, thoughtless things! I ended up passing out on his futon/couch, which was incidentally the only piece of furniture in the place. And Blinn must have fallen asleep on the floor. Because the next morning, I woke up, dazed and confused, and he was in the corner by the window curled up in the fetal position on the floor. Lol.
Well, let me tell you what my first thoughts were upon waking: !@#$!%&!(%*!&#*#%*&!%^!!!!!!
Yea...
And my second thoughts? "I gotta get the hell outa here before he wakes up!"
So, as quietly as I could, I crept over to the counter, grabbed my purse, then my shoes, and started to walk towards the stairs.
Then he woke up.
"Uh...I tried not to wake you. I'm just gonna...go." I said awkwardly.
He mumbled something unintelligible. I half-ran down the stairs and out to my car. I wasn't even sure exactly where I was! But it didn't take me long to get my bearings. I was still in a state of shocked disbelief at what I had done!
What was I gonna do when I saw him at work next week??
Would he tell anyone?
What if everyone finds out??
Is it gonna be weird between us now?
What does he remember?
How should I act??!!

All these things were flashing through my mind so fast, and I think I was starting to have heart palpitations. I picked up my phone and called Alyssa. The only person at work I knew I could trust with a secret this big.

"OMG PEYTON ARE YOU SERIOUS!?" she said after I told her. "You didn't sleep with him, did you??"
"NO! Of course not. I'm just so...ashamed! I mean...what do I do!?"
She sighed. "Well...nothing I guess. I mean, do you like him?"
"NO! I mean, I'm not even really attracted to him! I've never even thought of him in that way! I dunno how it happened Alyssa, we were sooooo wasted! I can't even remember..."
"Well, then just act like nothing happened. I mean, he's not gonna say anything to you about it."
"I hope you're right. You cannot tell anyone!"
"I won't! I promise."

Oh g's...what have I gotten myself into??

Mitch Of The Day:
"I was going to stay overnight at my friend's house - he said, "you'll have to sleep on the floor." Damn gravity! You don't know how bad I wanted to sleep on the wall."

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

New York: The Final Chapter

The sun from the skylight in the boat shone brightly in my face the next morning. I woke up and make the long cold trip down to the club to shower and get ready for the day. When I got back, Shane and Dr. NY had bought us all bagels from a shop down the road. They were delicious!
Our first order of business for that day, was to visit the Bronx Zoo! I had been dying to go since I have an animal science degree, and I have always wanted to work in a zoo. So I thought it would be awesome to check it out. I also knew it would be a great opportunity to take some awesome photographs of the animals. So the 3 of us drove out to The Bronx for a cold day at the zoo. We spent about 3 hours there, and it was awesome! Definitely the coolest zoo I've been to so far. And I got tons of amazing shots!
Afterwards we started discussing dinner plans. Dr. NY said he had some friends who wanted to eat Chinese. The supposedly knew about this great authentic place in Queens. So we decided to join them. We made a pit-stop at Yankee Stadium to take a couple pictures. In Evans pictures, he flicked off the stadium. Lol. Hey! We're Texans!
So the restaurant was definitely unlike any I've ever been to! They had this all-you-can-eat meal deal for 25 bucks which included beer! It was basically a huge, boiling pot of stew, with as much raw meat as you could eat, which you put into the boiling stew to cook. And they had a buffet of different sauces, so you could mix your own to dip the meat in. It was so cool! We were a pretty big party; me, Evan, Shane, Dr. NY, his friend John, his friend Kent, and Kent's girlfriend.
Kent, it didn't take me long to figure out, was a very long-winded guy. I mean he was mildly amusing at first, but he obviously just liked to hear himself talk. And he did not shut up through the whole meal...which was very long. The meal deal had a 2 hour time limit, which we exceeded by at least 2 hours. And not by choice either. It was obvious that we were all ready to go, but Kent just kept ordering more meat! Evan and I kept exchanging anxious looks. I mean, this was going to be our last night in NYC and we didn't wanna spend the whole night in a Chinese restaurant in Queens. So finally, by like 11 pm, we got the hell out of there. And we had all ridden together in Dr. NY's car (it was a very tight squeeze), so we started walking back. And Kent is already talking about how he wants to go to this club a few blocks over. Shane and I were practically horrified at that thought since we were still in our zoo clothes. Evan wasn't too keen on it either. Plus I still had a huge bulky camera case, with over a thousand dollars worth of equipment! I wasn't just gonna leave that lying around.
Well sure enough, we get dragged to this club, because stupid Kent insisted on going! And it would have been cool, except that no one asked our opinions, we weren't dressed properly, and, to top it off, nobody in this club even spoke English! They all spoke Polish!! A guy actually walked up to me and started speaking to me in Polish, and I just gave him a blank stare and said, "What??" Then he said, "Oh, you speak English." as if he was disappointed or something.
"Well of course I speak effing English! This is freakin AMERICA!!" I yelled after him. I was pretty irritated by this point. And the people in there were so pushy! I mean, usually when I'm out in a crowded place, if I bump into someone, or push them, I say "I'm sorry", or "excuse me". But no! Not a single apology from these people as they were literally running me over!
Then, some bitchy bartender was giving me an attitude because my purse was on the bar, and she wanted to dance on it! (Completely oblivious to all the people waiting for drinks). So she literally shoved my purse at me, knocking it over, and spilling it's contents onto the bar. I was so pissed! I saw that same bartender later, walking through the crowd, so I purposely ran into her. Hard. Hahaha. She turned around, flipped me off and started mouthing off something to me. At this point, I was honestly ready to throw down with the bitch! I threw up my arms and said something along the lines of, "What!? Come back over here and say something! Bitch! What the fuck?!"
She didn't come back. Lol.
Shane was grabbing my arm and telling me to calm down or we'd get kicked out.
"So what?!" I said, "I didn't even wanna come here in the first place!"
Evan was laughing. Finally, it was 3:45, last call. So we went to get our coats from the coat check. The line was like 6 miles long! Then they lost 2 of our coats, and Shane had to go back and look for them. By the time we got out of there, it was 4:30 am, and Evan and I were both pissed off and tired as hell.
But it doesn't end yet.
Stupid fucking Kent decides it'll be a good idea to go to an afterhours club! And Evan and I are in the back seat with him, and his girlfriend, saying, "No...I think we should just go home. We have to pack and fly out tomorrow." And guess what Kent says to us!
He says, "Nah, you guys are just gonna come with us. Go with the flow, you konw. It'll be cool."
I was literally seething. Steam might have been coming out my ears.
"Well, we'll just get a cab then, and go back ourselves." I said with a less than polite tone.
And we did. But that wasn't an easy task either! We ended up at some hole-in-the-wall 24 hour Mexican food place, where of course, there are no cabs anywhere! So Evan I get all our stuff, and start trudging down the street in search of a car company. Then it starts snowing! Ugh...it was horrible, you guys. You can't even imagine! Finally, we found some guy to take us. I fell asleep in the car while poor Evan kept trying to give the guy directions. But the driver had no idea where we were staying, or how to get there, so it took us a good hour to get back. And when we finally did, we both laid down in our beds, and screamed! As loud as we could!
So much pent-up frustration...
"Good night Evan." I said after I took a deep breath.
"Good night Peyton."
And we both went to sleep.

The next morning, we were supposed to sail around the Statue of Liberty, but since it was snowing, that wasn't really an option. Oh well. We were both just so exhausted by this point. So we decided to tour NBC studios instead. That was actually really fun! We got to see the sets of SNL, and Conan O'Brian, and I got some cool souvenirs, and gifts for people back home.
Before we knew it, it was time to drive to the airport. Shane stayed an extra day, so she and Dr. NY drove us to the airport. The flight was ok, I think I slept the whole way. Evan and I both decided that next time we go to New York, we won't depend on anyone but ourselves! Definitely a good plan.
I didn't speak to The Model the whole time I was there either. Although I did text him on our first night out, but he never responded.

So all in all, New York was great! Except for that last night...but oh well. At least I never have to see Kent again!!

Mitch Of The Day:
"I was in a convenience store, reading a magazine. The clerk told me, "This is not a library!" "OK! I will talk louder, then!""

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

New York: Part III

I did a double take when I realized Evan was lying next to me in our too-small bed.
"What the hell, Evan!?"
"SORRY! I knew you were gonna be mad! I just didn't wanna wake you up last night!"
"Well why aren't you in your own bed!?"
"Because there weren't enough blankets for 3 beds, and they needed covers for the air mattress, and I was cold, so I just...got in bed with you! I'm sorry!"
I rolled my eyes and shoved him over the edge of the bed. Evan mumbled something unintelligible as I sat up and realized 2 things:
1) I was still in my clothes from the night before, and
2) I was incredibly hungover!
I could already tell it was going to be a long day...
Shane and Dr. New York began to stir in their bed, no doubt the shouting between Evan and I had awaken them. I was already on my way to the shower when they were getting up. After I cleaned up, we packed up everything, loaded it into Dr. New York's car and checked out of the hotel.
We were on to our next destination: the yacht!

As glamorous as it may sound, crashing on a yacht in New York, it definitely wasn't. For one, we weren't actually in New York anymore, we were in Hoboken, New Jersey. And secondly, the yacht was very small, and the water was very choppy. AND, I was already feeling nauseous from my hangover. Plus, there was no central heating for hot water, so we had to walk all the way up to the club, in the freezing cold, just to shower! All I really felt like doing once we got to the boat, was sleeping off my hangover, but of course, nobody else was down with that. And Evan was getting ants in his pants again.
Shane and Dr. New York had plans to go to a fondue party, which Evan and I weren't too keen on joining, so he and I made our own plans for the evening. We decided to check out Rockefeller Center, and the Christmas Tree and all that. So I put on my cute new little black dress, which I had been saving, and my new red peep-toe pumps. I wore black plaid tights also since it was so cold. And of course I had my black wool trench. But even so, I was freezing! We had to walk about 30 minutes down to the ferry to take us across the Hudson. And from there we had to catch a cab into the city. By the time we made it to Rockefeller, I felt like an arthritic old woman! I can't emphasize enough how cold it was! And poor Evan was getting really annoyed with my complaining, I could tell. Lol.
But once we were inside, we found a restaurant and sat down and I started to feel better. But it was kind of a catch 22 because the cold seemed to mask my hangover, and as soon as we got into the warmth, I started to feel sick again. But I thought maybe I'd feel better after we ate. We ordered wine, and 2 dishes to share: crab cakes, and pasta. Both were excellent!
"So...there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about." Evan said as he set down his fork. I could tell he'd been mulling something over in his head for about 10 minutes. I guess he'd finally decided to divulge.
"What?" I said matter-of-factly.
"Well...I really meant to bring it up before we got here, but I chickened out."
"Ok..."
"Well, you know that night that I uh...stayed at your house?"
"Yes, Evan."
"Well...I dunno, I'm...interested in you. And ever since then, sometimes I think maybe I should...do something? But I'm not sure if I'm getting signals from you or not. Like...the other night before we left, that's why I couldn't sleep all night!"
By now, I had my head in my hands, as it was starting to pound again from being hungover. I looked up at him through my fingers, and sighed. I almost wanted to laugh, because the awkwardness he was feeling was just radiating off him!
"Evan..."
"Shit! I shouldn't have said anything. I just ruined dinner, didn't I!? I just ruined New York!"
"Shut up! No you didn't. I just think it's funny how much you squirm when you're uncomfortable." He looked down, clearly even more embarrassed than before. I chuckled. "Look, if I ever seem...extra friendly, or flirty or something, especially if I'm drunk, don't think anything of it. Ok? I'm not trying to send you any kind of signals it's just...things got a little confusing after that incident, which is why I suggested we should just stay friends."
"Yea...I dunno, I guess I just thought..." he trailed off.
Then it was my turn to feel awkward. I shoved another bite of pasta into my mouth and immediately regretted it.
"Why do you look so miserable?! I totally ruined the night!"
"No, Evan! G's, I feel like shit, ok!? It has nothing to do with you!" I couldn't help but laugh. He just looked like a sad puppy. "Ugh...maybe I shouldn't have ordered this wine."
He stared blankly at me, but I knew he was still thinking about it.
"Listen. Let's just agree never to speak of that incident ever again, ok? Like it never happened! And you and I, we're just friends. That's all. And we can have a perfectly platonic, fun time in New York for the next 2 days. Alright??"
He readily agreed, and we picked up our check and left the restaurant, and the awkward conversation behind.
Then we were back in the biting cold all too soon. We walked around a little bit, took pictures in front of the tree, shopped, wandered into a couple bars...
But there wasn't much point in going out drinking since I was still hungover, and neither of us had a wingman. It's just too weird when a single guy, and a single girl walk into a bar...together! No one is liable to try and pick up either one of them. So we had just about given up and were about to head back to the boat when we saw the sign on B. B. King's jazz lounge: Live Tool Cover Band.
"LET'S GO!!!" I shouted as I pointed to the sign. I am the biggest Tool fan ever!
"Ok!" Evan said. So we bought a pair of tickets and sat down at a comfortable booth. I took out everything I had just bought: 4 books, a CD and a new Harry Potter scarf. Three of the books, and the CD were Christmas presents, but the scarf was for me! Hee! Anyways, 3 of the books I got were all the same. I got one for Jenna, one for Sophie, and one for me! They're these really funny picture books where people took pictures of street signs, but they put "fuck" stickers on the signs in place of one of the words, so that they read really funny things. Does that make sense? Like, for example: Please do not fuck the pigeons. Lol.
So we sat and looked at the book, and laughed our asses off, while we watched a really badass Tool cover band! So the night ended well after all. And at least 3 people complimented me on my shoes throughout the night!
Our cab drive back however, wasn't so great. We had kind of a hard time trying to tell the guy how to get to where we were going, but we made it eventually! Shane and Dr. NY were already in bed when we got in. So I took the convertible table/bed, and Evan took the couch/bed. Despite the rocking, I slept pretty well. And the best part is, when I woke up, I was no longer hungover!

Friday, December 14, 2007

New York: Part II

OK! Sorry to keep you guys waiting so long but now it seems like I have so much stuff to write about, I can barely keep it all in my head! So I really need to get you all caught up! So, back to New York!

Day 2
Even though Shane and I shared a bed, we both slept comfortably, and woke up refreshed and ready for a new adventure. We all showered and got ready and then headed back out to Canal St. to finish our shopping. The weather was even cool enough for me to wear my new leg-warmers! Shane got a really awesome fake Coach, and I got some Dolce sunglasses and another new hat! After Canal, we went to Lombardi's FAMOUS pizza for lunch/dinner. And all I have to say is that was the most amazing pizza I have EVER had!!! OMG! I'd go back to NYC just to have another slice!
So we left feeling very stuffed and headed over to Soho, where we found some really awesome shops and boutiques! And believe it or not, they weren't over the top expensive! I got a great pea coat with military buttons down the front, and Shane got a new dress. Evan also got a new coat, a long wool black one. He said he felt more like a New Yorker wearing it. Lol. We took tons of great pictures too!
Around 7 o'clock we decided it was probably time to start heading back so Shane and I could get gussied up for our night out. We stopped at a Starbucks on the way back to warm up because we had a pretty long walk ahead of us!
Now, I'll skip all the boring showering and applying of makeup and get right on to the part where we headed out. Well, Shane's Dr. New York called while we were fixing our hair and said he was getting out of his surgeons convention early, and would be able to join us for the evening! Which worked out great for us since he also offered to drive and show us around to the best places. When he got to our hotel, my first impression was that he was very...proper. And gentlemanly. Almost in a non-convincing way...if ya know what I mean. Not that he was a dog or anything, but Evan and I were both in agreement that he was speaking to us like we were either his children, or his patients. Granted, he is 36, which is great for Shane, since she likes "older, successful men". BAH! More like older more boring men! But I really shouldn't speak badly of him cuz he was a nice guy.
So he took us to the meat-packing district, which is, believe it or not, where all the really swanky bars, clubs and lounges are. We hit several bars that night, but most of it is lost on me because I was so obliterated drunk. Haha! I do remember going in Hogs & Heifers, which is the original Coyote Ugly, where the movie was filmed. And one of the bartenders (a girl!) kept telling me to take off my bra and add it to the large collection already hanging behind the bar. But, I had no trouble resisting.
Unfortunately, I didn't meet any cute boys, and Shane and Dr. NY spent most of the night snogging, so...Evan and I tried to have a good time without looking like we were "together", so as not to discourage attractive people of the opposite sex. Let's just say we must have failed miserably. Oh well! We still had a blast, and if I was drunk enough not to remember large chunks of the night, then it must have been a good one!
Finally we made it back to our hotel, although I don't recall the drive...or the elevator, or even getting in bed. I DO remember though, Dr. NY suddenly busting out with a fully inflated queen sized air mattress in the middle of the floor like he was Inspector Gadget or something! I was laying in my bed when it happened, and I remember looking up over at Evan, in his bed; the look on his face said exactly what I was thinking: "What the hell!? Who IS this guy!?" Lol. I can't even begin to describe...
But I must have passed out quite soon after that because the next thing I remember is waking up, and rolling over to tell Shane good morning, and seeing, not Shane, but EVAN!

Mitch Of The Day:
"I like those blow-up beds. "This becomes a full size bed in three minutes!" Well, a mattress kicks your ass. Zero seconds. "Yeah, but you can store this thing." You can store a bed, too - in the bedroom."

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Sit Tight...

Sorry I haven't posted in a while guys! I've been sick, and then busy trying to catch up with everything since I've been gone. But I promise a new post in the next 2 days! So just sit tight!
Love From,
Peyton

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

New York: Part I

Tuesday night, I picked up some take-out and headed over to Evan's apartment. His roommate was our ride to the airport and our flight was at 7:30am, so I didn't wanna run the risk of being late. So I just stayed the night at his house. Sharing a bed was a bit awkward because of past experiences but...I figured we should probably get used to it.
The flight to New York wasn't so bad. Evan and I made it to our gate just as they were calling our row, so we got right on. Neither one of us could sleep for the excitement!
When we arrived and got our bags we went out in search of a cab. My first sights of the airport weren't that impressive, although the weather was nice and cool. About 60 degrees.
"Ok, we have to get a cab outside, from a marked car. Not from these guys asking us if we need rides, because they could be swindlers." Evan said.
"Wow, I didn't even think of that. Good call."
So we walked down the street a ways, following the taxi signs. And just as we were about to cross the street, a short man in a suit with a thick accent approached.
"Do you need a cab?" he asked.
I blatantly ignored him, but he persisted.
"I take you for $45 plus tolls. Cab??"
Evan kinda hesitated, and then said, "Yea...we need to get to Manhattan."
My eyes popped out of my head. I gave him a look that said, "What are you doing!?"
But the "cab driver" was already taking my suitcase and walking briskly away.
"Follow me!" he said.

Once the driver was out of earshot I began angrily hissing in Evan's ear.
"How about practicing what you preach Evan!? Are you crazy!? This guy could be stealing our bags! I don't like this! I don't trust him!"
"Well, if he takes us to an unmarked car, then we'll turn around." he said.
"We better!" I huffed.

But sure enough, he brings us to a white, unmarked van. I started giving Evan the look again. The driver was already loading our bags in the back.
"Uh...do you have some kind of ID or something?" Evan asked.
"Oh! Of course I have ID! Here you go, see??" he handed Evan a business card.
I still was not convinced. But we got in anyways.
I sat down in my seat and sent Evan a text that said, "I DON'T LIKE THIS!"
He just rolled his eyes at me.

Well, needless to say, we made it to our hotel. The drive was amazing! My first sights of New York City! I drank it up greedily. The tall buildings, the amazing skyline, the buildings with fire escape stairs down the sides! (I'd only ever seen those in movies.)
The hotel was small, squeezed in between 2 apartment buildings on a numbered street in the heart of downtown Manhattan. There was even a dog walking park across the street! It was all so quaint. We checked in, and took the one small elevator up to the 7th floor to our room. The first thing I wanted to do was shower. I hadn't taken one that morning because we had to get up at 5, and it was starting to sink in how gross I felt. There were no bathrooms in the rooms; there were 2 bathrooms for the hallway, which consisted of about 8 rooms. It was like being back in the dorms in college, walking down the hall to the bathroom with a bag of toiletries and a towel. Haha. But they were very clean, so no worries. And I felt a million times better afterwards.

So, our first order of business was to do some exploring! Shane wasn't due to arrive until later that night, so we had a few hours to kill. I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I'm sort of an amateur photographer. So I grabbed my huge camera bag, and Evan and I headed out. I snapped tons of pictures everywhere we went. New York is the most exciting and interesting place to photograph!
We headed to the subway first. That was super exciting! We bought a 6 ride pass, and hopped on the 6. We went to Little Italy first, because we were starving! The hotel provided some great maps in the brochure rack. We probably went through about 8 of them throughout our trip! We walked past about 15 Italian restaurants, looking for something special, but finally we couldn't stand our hunger anymore and just ended up going into a random restaurant. But it was, by far, the best pasta I've ever had! And we each had a glass of wine with our meal.
We finally left the restaurant at dusk, and feeling full to the brim. Our next stop was Canal Street. Canal Street is known for its street vendors selling knock-off bags, watches, perfumes, and jewelry. But I really wanted a faux-Chanel bag!
I ended up getting 2 bottles of my favorite perfume, a bag, a pair of sunglasses, and a hat! Lol. Evan looked at watches, but didn't buy anything. I took lots of pictures of the street too. It was so cool walking around like real New Yorkers! Except my camera and Evan's map probably gave us away. Haha.
At about 7 we headed back to the hotel to wait for Shane. And by this time, I was exhausted. So I decided to take a powernap. Evan, on the other hand, had ants in his pants and wanted to go do something! I kept telling him we didn't have time to leave and come back before Shane arrived, but he just wouldn't calm down! And he wouldn't let me sleep either. He was driving me nuts! Eventually, he said he was gonna go take a shower, and I finally got to sleep.
About an hour later, there was a knock at the door. It was Shane!
"I tried calling you a bunch of times, but it kept saying all the circuits were busy!" she said, "But the guy at the desk told me what room ya'll were in."
"Well I'm glad you made it! Isn't this awesome?!" We squeeled and jumped around for a minute while Evan rolled his eyes. Lol. Then I showed Shane all the cool stuff I bought on Canal St.
"I hope you're not tired of it yet cuz you know we have to go back there tomorrow!" Shane said.
"Of course!! You can never shop too much in New York City!" I laughed.
Evan rolled his eyes.
"Poor Evan didn't know what he was getting himself into coming to New York City with 2 girls!" I teased.

After we were all settled in we started discussing what to do that evening. Evan was ready to get the hell out of the hotel, but Shane and I still needed to get our sexy on. By the time we were ready, it was already almost midnight, but hey! Bars in NY are open till 4 am!
So we hopped in a cab and headed for Times Square. We took pictures on the corner and "oohed" and "aahed" at the sights. The big screens, the lights, the billboards, the marquees...EVERYWHERE! So beautiful! Then we walked around in search of a bar to hang out in. Most of the places were restaurant/bars, and we didn't wanna go into one of those, so we wandered out of Times Square and found a little Irish Pub. We went inside, sat down at the bar and ordered a round of drinks.
"Hey, are there any good bars around here besides this one?" I asked the bartender. He kinda gave me a superior look, a look that said he knew we were tourists and replied, "Well...not really for the way you guys are dressed. Where are you from?"
"Texas!" Shane said, "And this is how we always dress!"
"Well, this is New York City! I mean, you don't have to dress up here, we just go out in sweatshirts and jeans. You guys are dressed more for a lounge or something."
Then he made us a list of a couple different bars, and their cross streets. So we thanked him and headed on to our next destination...
...Which ended up being another Irish Pub!
"What is this an Irish Pub Crawl?" I said. Evan and Shane laughed.
"Well what about this place?" Shane pointed at one of the bars on the list, "The bartender said we were dressed for this one."
"Yea but that's a jazz lounge." Evan pointed out.
"Well...I'm up for whatever, I just need a drink!" I said.
So we had another round, and then decided to just walk around the area we were already in and try to find another bar. We walked into 2 others. One was closing early, so we never actually made it in the door, and the other was a dimly lit basement bar, with pool tables and such. The bartender was really nice, and we joked with her about the couple making out in the corner. They seriously looked like they were about to tear each other's clothes off and start going at it right there on their table!
And then, we ready to call it a night. With four more days of sightseeing, barhopping and shopping ahead of us, we all figured it was a good idea to get some rest. So we hopped a cab back to the hotel. Shane and I were awfully cozy in our twin bed, but we both slept great! And when the sun came up, we were ready for Day 2 of NYC!

Mitch Of The Day:
"I hate sandwiches at New York delis. Too much meat on the sandwich. It's like a cow with a cracker on either side. "Would you like anything else with the pastrami sandwich?" "Yeah, a loaf of bread and some other people!'"

Monday, December 3, 2007

Freaked Out Flight

So sorry to keep you guys waiting, but these past couple of weeks have been CrAzY!! In a good way though! I just got back from New York, and I have so much to blog about, but first, let me start with Florida.
It was so much fun being with all my cousins and family. We mostly just hung out at the hotel pool at night. So I didn't really go out on the town. But we did go to Disney World, Animal Kingdom and Universal Studios.

But, most importantly!!

Sophie is getting married.
Yea, married.
She's only 20 years old! ((Sigh)) I mean, her boyfriend (?) Brent is a really awesome guy, and I do think they're perfect for each other, but she's so young! And I don't want her to make the mistake that I almost made when I was her age. However, she said they're just getting married right now so they can join the Peace Corps together. They are such hippies! Lol. So they're not having a ceremony or anything, they're just going up to the courthouse. Which saddens me in a way because I don't want my sister to look back on her wedding day and wish she would have done more, ya know? Every girl deserves her big day. But Sophie has never been a very traditional person. Well, anyways, I'm still getting used to the idea of my sister getting married, as you can see. But I'm not going to chastise her, or tell her she's too young. I'm going to support her, just like she supported me before (even though it was a mistake!!) because she's my sister, and I love her.

My flight back to Texas was absolutely HORRIBLE.
I flew Southwest, which doesn't always assign seats. They have boarding groups. And of course, I was in the last group. So I just had to take whatever seat I could find. So I sat next to 2 young people, a guy around 16 to 18 and a girl, who looked like his older sister. I figured I was probably lucky to not be sitting next to a screaming baby, or a really fat person.
But I couldn't have been more wrong.
I had to sit by the window, and the boy next to me was a little on the chubby side, so I had no arm rest and he was kind of squishing me against the window. Well after about 20 minutes up in the air, he starts masturbating under his blanket!!! I mean, there was no doubt in my mind what he was doing because
A) I could see his arm moving under the blanket
B) He was pressed up against me and I could feel his arm moving
C) He kept trying to pull the blanket up over his right arm
D) He kept clenching and unclenching his left hand!
AAAAAACK!! It was so unnerving! I didn't know what to do!!
I mean I could have either told him to stop, and then continue sitting right next to him for another 3 hours of misery, or I could call a flight attendant and draw a bunch of attention to myself. Either way, I was f*cked. So I just turned up my music, put my left hand over my face and tried to read, however distracted I was.
Eventually he stopped, only to start up again like 30 minutes later!!!
When we finally got off the plane, I had half a nerve to slap him. I saw him standing at baggage claim and I gave him a dirty disgusted look. A look that said, "I know what you were doing, you crazy perverted, puberty-peaking, hormonal freak!"
I'm sure he got the message.

Melissa picked me up from the airport, and I told her all about it on the drive home. She said she would have hit the guy. Lol.

Well, I'm gonna get started on my New York adventures in my next post, but I just wanted to let you guys know I'm still here, and sorry to keep you waiting!

Mitch Of The Day:
"I didn't go to college, but if I did, I would have taken all my tests at a restaurant. Because the customer is always right."