Cosmopolis

After we got back from London, we checked back into the hotel (since our building’s back wall was still being renovated, and we had to take the A/C out, and it was too hot to stay in the apartment without it.)  We had a very nice dinner at the hotel restaurant, avocado toast with a campari-and-soda for me, and this gorgeous mozzarella/basil/tomato panini and a beer for S.  Such a lovely, relaxing night.  

We went to the last night of the GenArt Film Festival.  Movie was okay (starred Donna from That 70’s Show, the guy from How to Make it in America, and the blonde roommate from Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23.)  PBR tallboys at the pre-reception…after-party at Gallery Bar on the LES.  We did not stay for the dj set by Ben Goldwasser of MGMT, because everything about the phrase "dj set by Ben Goldwasser of MGMT" annoys me.  Gift bags were cheesy, containing only an oven mitt labeled with the movie’s logo and a postcard, but we had several drinks and were able to take home eight cans of sugar-free red bull so overall very pleased with the evening.

Other than that it was a grueling week at work, I slept poorly, and swam a lot in the mornings that week.  On Friday the work ended, miraculously on schedule and we checked out of the hotel finally.  On Saturday I swam 27km, S kayaked for me, and my mom and sister met us at the end point.  My time was over 30 minutes faster than last year, but I am not sure if that was due to my swimming or different currents.  We dropped my sister off at her boyfriend’s house and then had dinner at a cute Italian place.  I had gnocchi with tomato sauce, my mom had pappardelle pasta, and S had a margherita pizza, and we shared a bottle of prosecco.  After that we went home, I showered, and fell asleep.  I meant to go out and watch the Ronda Rousey MMA fight, but fell asleep too early and she won in under a minute anyway.

The next day we slept in and then got up in the late afternoon to meet some of S’s friends at Radegast, a German Beer Hall in Williamsburg.  Of course it was the most hipster Beer Garden I have ever seen.  We had food and booze and then a few of us went out for one more drink at Cyn Lounge on the way back to the train.  So much fun, I wanted to stay out but unfortunately my boyfriend is an actual productive adult and not in favor of staying out all night on a Sunday night.  So we went home, Pat came with us and we said goodbye at 14th street before we went home and he headed uptown in search of a one-night stand at low-self-esteem magnet Smith’s Bar.

We stayed in the next couple of nights, work was still alarmingly busy.  Thursday evening we went to a reception and screening for an awesome movie, 3 Millones about the Uruguayan football team at the World Cup back in 2010.  Very neat documentary, and amazing that La Celeste is able to do so well on the world soccer circuit for a population less than half the size of Manhattan’s.  Friday I met S at work and we went to drinks at the Pierre Hotel…extremely posh but very nice.  Saturday we slept in, did brunch at Hotel Chantelle then jumped on the train to Coney Island.  Had several beers at Ruby’s while waiting for our friends to show up and had a very strange conversation with a crazy and/or very drunk girl who started talking to us.  After most of the group arrived, we walked over to the local stadium to watch the Brooklyn Cyclones play.  Great seats, so much fun, and afterwards there were fireworks right on the field…so awesome.  I also had a knish…haven’t had one of those in years.  After the fireworks the boring people went home and the rest of us went to the arcade to play skeeball and mini-basketball.  The basketball games were broken, one only gave you two balls then stopped, but another one kept going and going and going until an arcade employee realized we’d been playing for like 20 minutes.  Then we went on the Cyclone roller-coaster, and I screamed my fool head off.  We had a couple more beers at a local spot, then took the subway home.  Sunday was a lazy day. 

This week has been kind of boring, at the same time I’m in a tizzy, work-wise and swim-wise like I always do.  S has been great as per usual, but I worry that I am getting crazier and less able to deal with normal things lately.  Planning for the fall and for next year…can’t believe we’re almost in September already.  There is too much going on, and of course I am on here when I should be doing something, anything else.  Oh well.