Tag Archives: living in new york is neat

Giant Rats Sneer at Construction Scabs

Posted by plumpdumpling on January 25, 2011 – 12:00 pm
Filed under living in new york is neat, politicking, super furry animals
Tagged as , ,

Ahhhhh, remember when I had just moved here and was working this terrible job as a slave to an investment banking firm with the lady-owner who hated all other women, and I was so innocent, and everything was brand new to me, and I wrote this adorable LiveJournal post?:

On the sidewalk one block north of Macy’s and one block south of my office, a giant inflated black rat sat on its haunches this morning. It was probably 12 feet tall, with red eyes and claws and a sneer. All of the real New Yorkers passed by as if they didn’t notice, while the tourists and I looked at each other with “Seriously?” eyes.

It seems to me that maybe this isn’t the best way to welcome people to the city for the holiday season. Of course, I was only a public relations major for a quarter.

NYC Union Rat

I was reminded of that when the inflatable rats showed up this morning in front of the building next door to taunt the management company’s use of non-union workers. I’m pro-union as it is, but the rats make it all the more fun.

Long-Lost Videos of 2010: Part 2

Posted by plumpdumpling on January 21, 2011 – 3:30 pm
Filed under all of my friends are prettier than i am, creepy boyfriend obsession, jobby jobby job job, living in new york is neat, travels
Tagged as , , ,

I know that people hate to/are unable to watch videos, but these are mostly for me.


Our poor, sweet German intern finds himself a Lucky Cheng’s drag show participant (“Ms. Tess Tickles”) during our company’s monthly dinner club. It’s long, but you guys, he dances.


Even when we’re on vacation, Kamran pays absolutely no attention to me. (This one couldn’t fit my “creepy boyfriend obsession” tag any better.)


My friend Sylvan tries to scare me my first time eating jellyfish.


Aaron visits from Australia and boldly sings Backstreet Boys at karaoke. When I ask if I can use the video on my blog, he says he sounds “like a really creepy old country/western singer” and then adds, “Of course you can use it.”

Long-Lost Videos of 2010: Part 1

Posted by plumpdumpling on January 20, 2011 – 5:00 pm
Filed under all of my friends are prettier than i am, living in new york is neat, travels
Tagged as , ,


Kamran teases me with seafood at the Bally’s Wild West Casino buffet in Atlantic City.


Horseshoe crabs get it on in the Hamptons this summer, and Chantee provides colorful commentary.


A friend who shall remain nameless tells a racist story, and I make a hilarious joke. Math! Ahahahahaha.

Wordless Friday

Posted by plumpdumpling on January 14, 2011 – 12:00 pm
Filed under just pictures, living in new york is neat
Tagged as ,

The clothes in this store are truly awful from my style point of view–think 70s hippie as envisioned by a Mexican goatherder–but I really appreciate what it adds to the city architecturally:

Our table after a night of whiskey tasting with my friends Anthony, Roy, and Jeff, where we learned that whiskey is supposed to be spelled without an E:

On the railing of Brooklyn Bridge Park after a lunch at The River Cafe with my visiting German friend, Jessica:

You Can Hide All of My Belongings, but the Redneck Smell Will Still Pervade

Posted by plumpdumpling on December 9, 2010 – 12:00 pm
Filed under living in new york is neat
Tagged as

My new roommate, Jack, has officially owned his condo for three weeks now, and neither of us is living there yet. My excuse is that I don’t want to start staying there until Jack does, and Jack’s excuse is that he doesn’t want to start staying there until all of my crap is out of his living room and put away.

The problem is that I went from a larger bedroom with a massive closet and two kitchen closets that I entirely claimed as my own–one of which was slightly larger than an entire studio apartment–to a smaller bedroom with a smaller closet, a shared closet just inside the front door, and a linen closet that’s technically in Jack’s bedroom but he’s being kind enough to share.

If Jack and I were renting the place as equals, I would absolutely kick him out of both closets, fill them with all of my tchotchkes, and take over the bigger bedroom while I was at it. But since he owns the place and I’m just his tenant, I feel like I have to defer to him when he says I have to keep my Avenging Unicorn Playset from Kamran and The Birds Barbie from Tracey out of plain view.

See, Jack’s apartment is very modern, and he’s keeping the decor chic and sleek. When he asked me, for instance, if I had any magnets for the refrigerator, I took it as an invitation to gleefully slap my 6″ Dick and Jane likenesses and the homemade Tracey and Katie photomagnets Tracey gave me when I moved into my last apartment four years ago all over his new appliances. But it turns out he was just asking in order to prepare himself for what I might try to fight for. Luckily, only the sides of the brushed metal refrigerator are magnetic, so he can hide most of my transgressions while making me feel as if I’m leaving my imprint on the place.

To be fair, he did allow me to put my bookcase in the living room and has so far not said a word about the things I’ve put on it. I’m not sure he’s seen my jar of plastic pickles or my Penis Pokey book, though.