Poppy Cedes

I’m leaving Wednesday for sunny Orlando where I will attend Star Wars Celebration V and see the (I forget their new name now that the word “mafia” isn’t in it, but I mean my friends). I am leaving my home with a gaping hole in the living room wall and no pipe connected to the toilet. There’s also a drop cloth, an emptied water bottle, and wall shit. When I come back it all better be like nothing ever happened in that corner or else I know who I’m visiting first thing Monday morning with my Dark Lords Rule commemorative baseball bat.

I just want to squee a little tiny bit more that during this trip I will be meeting many of my friends’ children for the first or second time. I love kids, so I’m excited to see them all and see what damage we can cause when we’re all together in one group.

See you on the flip, I don’t plan to blog while there. I do plan to tweet, though. TWEET!

And don’t worry, Mama Dawg is taking good care of the girls, cuz I’m dragging Dawg‘s ass with me to the conference. ;) Also, I have a 3-day crop going in FarmVille, and 1 bottle of unwither in case it decides to croak on the 4th day instead of the 6th.

Byebye, chicken pies!

So, I went all the way to Pennsylvania to hang out for the day. Why would I do that?

For Bubblewench.

Highlights:
I got to meet Shannon’s entire family, including her husband Scott (a mad cool guy), Grandma (a mad cool lady), and “Debbie aka Deb-o-rah” (another mad cool lady who demands your respect if you work with her). :)

I got to hug Shannon, Karl, Angel, Rachel, and Robin.

I GOT TO MEET LUCKY AND BOO-BOO! and the birdies! and another kitty! And Shannon’s mom’s dog Otter!

I did not get arrested. And neither did anyone else, even though the cops tried their very hardest to set Shannon’s husband off like the very fireworks they were telling us we weren’t allowed to set off. :)

I was escorted to the bathroom by the lovely Angel who is the BEST bathroom escort ever. She even peed a little laughing so hard when I told her my funny story about the cleaning lady not letting me use my own bathroom so I had to bring a bowl into my bedroom and pee in it. (True story.)

I am not sure this is a highlight, but more of a proud moment for ninja girls everywhere when I was told by Shannon’s brother-in-law to pole dance on the metal tent poles, TWICE, IN FRONT OF HIS GIRLFRIEND, so I told him off. Poppy is not a stripper, yo. Poppy is a respectable lady and demands that you treat her as such. Unlike that fucking dirty whore Molly Pitcher* who has the clap and splinters from riding the wooden pole.

I had Yuengling on tap and in a bottle for the first time ever, then chased it with a delicious Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sammie and waffle fries.

I had a pineapple and coconut concoction made for me by Angel. :)

I went to a party in another state with only my ID card and my Droid and a bottle of bug spray and some cash as personal possessions. That was nutsoid.

I watched badminton and horseshoes played in the dark.

I went home feeling completely sober and woke up with the worst hangover I’ve ever had ever ever ever but it was well worth it. :)

And here are a few photos from the event:

Click above to see the flickr set.

*I promise I only mean that the rest area off the NJ turnpike is all those horrible things. I never knew the wife of the wounded rebel soldier. I’m guessing she was lovely.

You are the best freak, freak, freak of the week!!!!! <3

Go wish Robin a happiest of birthdays!!!!!!

Last night we were at the FHVAC awards dinner at which Dawg was sworn back in as captain after two years off from the job. The Steff had mentioned something about seeing me. I said, “well, he wants to stay home” and she said “that doesn’t mean we can’t go out” and I took the careful pause to consider why that statement does or doesn’t make logical sense, and then answered “that’s true.”

Back in mid-2008 I came to NYC a few times before permanently moving here to live happily ever after with Dawg and the kitties. One visit we went to a fund raiser for a friend in need, another time we did a fund raising event for the FHVAC itself. At each event I met Dawg’s World. Remember all those people he used to talk about on his orange blog that were like a soap opera on steroids? Dude, those people are real. And I was meeting them. AND THEY CALLED ME POPPY BECAUSE THEY KNEW WHO I WAS! And then they would look into my eyes, all serious, and softly but firmly state “you break his heart, I’ll break your legs.” Welcome to Queens! Every single time someone said that to me I would start giggling because I knew in my heart how much I loved Dawg then and I am pretty sure not one day has gone by since where the level of love hasn’t maintained or grown more. But how were they to know that from watching a Boo Berry cereal video?

In case you’re newish to my life or just want to reminisce, here is said Boo Berry video from October 2007, when we were just good friends and I was popping his Meeting a Blogger in Person cherry:

Adorable, right?

To bring this back around to full circle and to show you my point of writing this whole entire post: Until now I have quietly considered all of Dawg’s friends my friends, but I haven’t felt like they were mine mine because I don’t hang out with them alone since they were Dawg’s friends first. I have always felt like I’m really only supposed to hang out with my own friends (that’d be Robin and Rachel, and Mena back when I worked at the last job) because to hang out with Dawg’s friends without him was in some way disrespectful.

But they want to hang out with me even if Dawg is busy or tired. It’s happened more and more frequently lately that his friends invite me to stuff even if he can’t come. Dawg encourages me to hang out with them when he can’t, so this mental block is only in my head. So I’m going to stop having a hang-up about whose friends are whose and just accept the kindness and generosity of these people who will still break my legs if I break Dawg’s heart, but who accepted me with open arms, this girl from the Internet who randomly picked up her life and replanted it from the Vermont country roads life to the Big City life just to be with a guy they all respect and admire as much as I do. And I think now that he has met my Vermont friends (we met a bazillion of them last week during our Very Short Visit) I feel even more comfortable that the friend field is now magically leveled… the brain of Poppy at work.

I have no clever, uncorny ending, so I’ll leave you with an awesome photo of your 2010 vollies captain, 1st lieutenant, and 2nd lieutenant:

Dawg, The Steff, and KC

:)

This weekend I’ll be having a hot stone massage, eating cheese and chocolate fondue, and watching lots of ladies scream at a boy band.

I won’t be alone.

I wish my brother dared set foot in New York City, because then we could sing Daft Punk songs together when we get drunk on beer at:

2nd annual BeerHer
SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 2010
6:00PM EASTERN
THE GINGER MAN
11 East 36th Street
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
Borough: Manhattan
NY, NY 10016
Tel: 212-532-3740
Bring extra monies, these guys even have beer to go.

I told everyone the favor of your yes reply was requested by this past Friday at 11:59pm Eastern, but if you still wanna show up and haven’t mentioned it yet lemme know in a comment here or on twitter or facebook or email or txt before the day. At this point I think it’s staying small enough so we can just appear and hang out and drink and have fun without drama and without a reservation.

And to those who are having TequilaCon, SillyBring, or another event on the same day at the same time: CHEERS!

Let’s celebrate.

I got new laundry bags on Monday from Duane Reade. Love Duane Read. Wish you all had Duane Reades. They’re awesomeness. Haven’t used the laundry bags yet, they’re still sealed up, had planned to do laundry on Sunday but it turned into a very lazy day to let Dawg recover from his cold.

I have the cold now. Yaaaaaay. *sneezecoughzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

I tried to tell LLA’s parents that my cold would prevent me from getting her birthday gifts to VT on time. I received an email back that her birthday is NEXT month. (PHEW!)

It’s Cereal Wednesday! I did a Marbits on a day when I wasn’t sick. Thank goodness for good planning.

Today is supposably (no I don’t really say that word) Dave2‘s birthday, so I’ll dedicate today’s CW to him. Hope he likes fiber!

I was going to join Ren and Finn‘s Diptych project this week, but laziness and this damn cold makes me need to wait another week.

The number of people who have responded to me about BeerHer is nice and low. I can’t say I’m sad about that, because that means absolutely no planning on my part, we all just show up and have tons o’ fun, but if you do want to to come please mention to me so if we change venues I can make sure tell you.

Ok, bye. :)

OH! PS – Diary of a Wimpy Kid was awesome and so was the Red Robin blackened chicken sandwich!!!! RR always fucks up my burgers (I tell them well done, they give me moo inside) but the chicken is outta this world!!!!!!! Ok, reallybye.

When I heard the news that TequilaCon was going to be in Vancouver this year I was very happy for The Canadians and The West Coasters but not so psyched for myself. I mean, do not get me wrong, I adore Canada and have never been to Vancouver so would be very excited to go but… I wanted to be able to teleport there, thus avoiding airport headaches, airplane travel, expense, and time off from work.

And then, not that I need to mention this but it does legitimize my concerns, my work had an all staff meeting with “good news!” that I’m very sure no one was tricked into believing was actually of the good variety. I’m still employed for now. I don’t exactly trust that I will still be employed in April. And the lack of trust here has nothing to do with my self worth tank. But even if I do still have a job then it would nooooot be a wise time for me to be like “oh, hey suckas, I’m gonna go get my tequila on with all my friends, byyyyyyyyeeeeee!” so long story mid-sized-paragraph-long: I’m not going to TequilaCon 2010 in Vancouver.

If you have or had any intention of going to TequilaCon, I hope I don’t have so much influence over you that you change your mind (read: please still go to TC10), but if not and you’re on the east coast or had any plans of travelling to NYC for dates spanning April 24, 2010, please consider joining me…

2nd annual BeerHer
Saturday, April 24, 2010
6:00pm Eastern (18:00) – 4:00am Eastern (04:00) / end
The Ginger Man
11 East 36th Street
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
Borough: Manhattan
NY, NY 10016
Tel: 212-532-3740
Bring extra monies, these guys even have beer to go, if you like it.

One of my most favorite people in the world chose this spot and when I saw it I squeeeeeed just a little bit. They have over 150 beers in draft or bottle form and a really simple yet awesome German-style food menu.

We’re gathering to mingle and have fun. Please show up ready to socialize with the whole group. Also, this is a drama-free event. We will NOT be spending the evening gossiping or bellyaching about other people or our shitty lives, we are there to PARTY and drink beer and be happy. All people with same minded desire are welcome to attend. :) And if you start drama at me expect the HBIC to come out and tell you to zip it. Oh, and we’re going to a barrrrrrr so don’t bring anybody under 21 for the purposes of drinking. I’m not spending the evening explaining how your guest who cannot hold his liquor looks like Don Johnson even though he thinks he’s dressed like Colin Farrell or Aaron fucking Carter and I will have no sympathy for any young’uns who get their fake IDs confiscated.

The favor of your Yes reply to me via this blog post, Twitter, Facebook, email, or txt message is requested by Friday, April 9 at 11:59pm Eastern. This gives me a general head count so we know if we seriously need to try to reserve space or if we can just freestyle walk in there. Also, I just like knowing who’s going to show up in case we change venues so I can notify you that we’re moving to a new spot during that night. Don’t want anyone thinking “wow, everyone hates me, no one’s here and no one told me they wouldn’t be here!” cuz that’s like having The Naked Dream. You know the one. If you tell me you’re coming and then later are not able to come please mention that too.

I am so fucking stoked I can’t fucking stand it.

Update: Yes, YES, oh HELL yes, men are welcome to attend this event. Just make sure you bring a bra to burn. (Kidding about the bra part!)

This post will help me add to my self worth tank and hopefully adds a little bit to the others in this photo. Who all happen to be bloggers (at least the ones you can see).

This was taken at breakfast in Altamonte Springs, FL the morning of October 24, 2009.

From left front, clockwise to right front I will now exact my tank fillage:

Me, Poppy: You are beautiful, mad intelligent, quirky, and helpful. You actually genuinely care about other people but know when it’s a really good idea to turn away from things that are toxic. You love your wrists, your button nose, and your funny Buddha belly. Your hair really is gorgeous, it doesn’t need to be red for people to love you. It does not define your worth. What’s on the inside does. And what’s inside of you is a treasure that keeps surprising me daily. Keep on surprising me, kid.

Dawg: You are always there for other people. Always. You speak your mind, you don’t care what other people think about you, you drink girlyie coffee and don’t care, you tell me my cooking is yummy even if you don’t like it (tofu!), you take wonderful care of our kids, you work so very hard and do amazing stuff in your field that makes me proud to even know you, let alone be your girlfriend.

Finn: You are so incredibly sage. I turn to you when I need advice. You are beautiful on the inside and out. You aren’t afraid to say out loud something that might not be considered socially acceptable, or if you are afraid then you do a great job of hiding your fear. You admit when you are unhappy and that makes you even more loveable. I look forward to seeing you whenever I know we will be in the same place. I often forget you don’t live here with me, and think so fondly of our time together at Pinch and S’mac and the bagel place. I just adore your presence, no words need be exchanged. You make my heart sing by just being you.

(I am skipping Mister. He is awesome, but I think he’d prefer that I NOT embarrass him on the internets by calling attention to him. :)

Robin: You have gone through a lot of shit in life and you still come out the other side a strong, confident woman who doesn’t take anyone’s bullshit. And on those vulnerable days when you’re beaten too far down you tell us so we can help you crawl out. It takes so much strength to ask for help. You are so strong. You are an amazing person, so intelligent, so strong in knowing you deserve respect and to be treated well and like a fucking human being! And I love that you laugh at stuff that old ladies don’t understand. I love that you really want to get laid and consider marrying your laptop. I love that you just randomly start dancing to “Freak of the Week”. (Did I mention you are strong? I did? Oh, ok. :)

Rachel: You have fantastic boobies, you are an incredible aunt to Princess, you magically have the most awesome home despite having the shittiest job on the fucking planet, and you are doing something to better your life instead of letting that shitty fucking job tear you into oblivion. Courage, bravery. Also, guys, she has fantastic legs. If you’re a boob or a leg man… c’mon. You amuse me by trying to plan out every minute of life, and I know I tease you about that, but I’m a jackass to you and you still love me for it so that makes you extra awesome.

Kim: I had no idea who you were before that weekend. I just didn’t know anything about you. And the person I met was confident and open to people despite having gone and going through some seriously horrible shit. You had me at corn beef hash (which you know I hate). You are so charming and genuine and fun and beautiful inside and out. You deserve very good things in your life, and you make those good things happen. I admire your strength.
I admire your courage. I admire how well you have it together, but when you’re having a tough time you say something so your friends can help you through. Thank you for being you.

Ren: I was wrong about you when I first met you. I didn’t know you so well and I thought you were a stalker so I was very guarded around you. And I definitely do feel bad about that because I tried again to see your awesome qualities and realized that you are an awesome father and husband, an amazing photographer, a genuine friend with a pure heart (no stalker in there, just an actual nice guy, which is bizarrrrrrrrreeeeeeeee, I mean, who’s a nice guy anymore?! YOU!), and you have your friends’ backs.

These people are family to me.

There are so many more people to boost in life. Keep passing on the good stuff, people. You build up your self worth by finding the very best in others. I promise.

To everyone who voted for me for Hot Blogger Calendar: Thank you.

It’s more about your support than it is about the win. I have no idea if I did win, since voting is through today, I just want you to know that I genuinely appreciate your efforts.

Life is good when good friends and family surround me. :)