When the Tough Gets Going, Hide Under a Rock

My summer has not gone the way I had initially planned. Wow, it has been a summer of humidity, bad hair and non stop obstacles that I've found myself up against. Well like so many people, I find myself in uber debt mode. Not having a full time job eventually gets to you faster than you realize. This stark realization for an avid shopper is the worst thing that can happen, with fall fashions right around the corner. Okay unlike most "debters" I am fully aware how much I owe on my credit cards and lines of credit. All I need now, is a damn job, but not just any job!

Okay, so the job hunt for my "dream job" continues, but I'm running out of time. Suddenly I find myself up against all the other new graduates who will work for a whole lot less. I'm trying to maintain my optimism but am slowly becoming disheartened as we approach August. I know that it's a matter of time before I land a job that I can be excited about, and tell myself it's all about timing.

My family whom I love dearly, drive me crazy on a day to day basis and at times make it impossible for me to focus on what I need to do for myself. Don't get me wrong, my mum is the best, so supportive and loving but… My sister Thalia is the family exception, and has been lovely and so supportive and encouraging. I am so lucky to have her as my sister and my best friend (Cue music).

There have been lots of ups and downs this summer. Thankfully the downs have been balanced with some ups, such as getting together with good friends, enjoying the patio weather and drowning my sorrows in Peach  Bellinis (my new favourite drink). I've seen my other best friend Lily, as much as possible this summer. She is the one person besides Thalia that I can confide in whole heartedly about anything and everything and is so supportive.

With the anniversary of my relationship with The Complicator approaching, I’ve been coming to terms with the fact that our relationship has been going from neutral to reverse, and this has intensified over the last year. So imagine my surprise when the invitation came from him, to go to NYC for the long weekend (Monday is a holiday here). I am very excited that we are staying in a charming, boutique hotel near Fifth Avenue, right in the heart of the city. I am so tired of talking, analyzing, philosophizing & wondering about the future. So instead I’m running away to enjoy galleries, museums, restaurants, (maybe shopping) and the sights and sounds of the most energetic city in the world! Perhaps a New York state of mind is just what I need!

Moody Girl Out.

Vodka Schmodka!

So when you send an email out with the subject heading "Girls' Night Out", it seems pretty self explanatory right? Apparently no-one reads the subject heading anymore. Okay, so my friend Karina asked me to put something together for a fun night out over the weekend to celebrate summer. So I figured because Karina is Russian, perhaps a night out at The Rasputin Vodka Bar would be a nice ode to her heritage. So it began with what was supposed to be the four of us, myself, Karina, Mariya & Anya. I had stated in my email that I needed to confirm the reservations for a seated area, but as the week progressed the numbers kept changing. Somehow my well constructed email was forwarded to random people who were adding their two cents and forwarding my email to all their contacts. The whole thing got out of control. People I didn't know were emailing me, saying they were coming and bringing their friends (no numbers specified). Then Karina's sister Lana, sent me an email saying she was coming with her new husband and his friend (a guy). Yeah okay, apparently the "Girls' Night Out" meant bring anyone and everyone regardless of what the subject heading implied! Anyway, I sent out a final email stating that I had made reservations for ten for a seated area and that the venue couldn't accommodate more people in a seated area. Extra guests are welcome, but a seated area is not guaranteed.

Well since it was no longer just the four of us, I decided to add to my invite list, starting with my sister Thalia, my friend Lily and a very last minute invite to my friend Shabana, who apparently was super excited about the Vodka selection, even though she's mostly a soda drinker. Lana, Karina's sister evidently took offence in me politely replying to her email, saying it was a girls's night and her husband and friend were welcome to join us later in the night. Well that didn't bode well with her and Lana sent out a group email to everyone saying, "No-one told her it was a girls' night out and they had made other plans". Emails continued to fly left and right with everyone copying the entire list to everyone. I couldn't help but feel like they were all thinking that I was anti-men all of a sudden. Are you kidding me?  No-one told you it was a girl's night out, can you read?

Suffice to say a fun night with the girls took on a life of its own. By this point, I couldn't care less if pets and aliens were coming to the Vodka Bar. Before the night commenced, Thalia cancelled due to a crisis at work, Lily just flat out changed her mind and the anonymous email group didn't show up, apart from Mariya's two friends who stopped by later (a guy and a girl).

At the Vodka Bar, none of us ended up doing Vodka shots and decided to drink everything but, Bellinis, Wine, Caesars and Tequila shots. The DJ was a hack of a DJ, not very impressive at all. I was told he would be playing house tunes and was excited. Instead he played forgotten 80s and 90s tunes and decided to take a break after playing two songs and would walk around and talk to people on the dance floor. This was the only DJ I had ever encountered that would let a track come to a complete halt, pause for a few minutes and then play the next track. Is this a joke baldie? Somebody fire his ass already!

Mariya, Anya and I, did some dancing in front of the giant fans on the dance floor. For a little while we were all having fun, with our faux photo shoot, and music video hair, entertaining ourselves by taking pictures of one another with three rotating cameras. Shabana looked like she was in another world and didn't move from her chair the entire time, but came in extremely handy in watching our purses. Mariya's guests looked like they had wandered in from an afternoon barbecue and were dazzled by the venue as if we were in a Las Vegas night club. Karina's mood fluctuated the entire night between euphoric and depressed and was looking for an introspective conversation. I said to her, "Honey, this isn't the right place for a deep conversation, call me tomorrow".

Just when there was a moment of harmony, with one good song playing, a mild buzz from my Tequila shot and happy faces on the dance floor, Karina picked a fight with the waitress. Her bossy streak came out, where every so often she feels the need to remind wait staff that they are there to wait on her. Way to go Karina! I decided it was best to leave, once I had apologized to the waitress. Time to go everyone, pack it up, Russian night is O.V.E.R.


Moody Girl Out.