The Nanny Diaries

After seeing the movie, The Nanny Diaries, I decided to pick up the book and read it. It was written by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, who both once worked in the child- care industry. Supposedly, allegedly they state that this book is a work of fiction, but I bet a lot of what happened in this book occurred in real life to them.

Nanny (that is her actual name) works for the X’s. Mrs. X does not work, but needs a full-time nanny to raise her son Grayer. Mr. X is constantly working and doesn’t care about the family waiting for him at home. Nanny is stuck in the middle trying to uplift Grayer’s spirit while working to make Mrs. X realize that her son needs his mother.

Nanny knows that this family is abusing her, but she can’t bear to leave Grayer alone to fend for himself with these people. She sees the special little person that Grayer is and wishes that his parents could do the same. So she continues to work for the X’s while trying to maintain a sense of herself in all of this.

Normally whatever I do first (reading book first and then seeing moving or vice versa), I tend to go with my first impression. So I actually liked the movie version of this book better than the book. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I felt the movie captured the essence of the book better.

I particularly liked the ending of the movie. As most light-hearted movies do, the story wraps up nicely with a happy ending. The book is more realistic and doesn’t wrap everyone’s lives so nicely. I’m sure if I read the book first, I would be saying the book was way better than the movie.

The movie also showcases my dreamy new boyfriend, Chris Evans. He is so delicious and I could devour him in one single bite. There is this one scene in the movie where he is wearing a baseball cap and he looks so freaking hot. My eyes seriously glazed over from all of his yumminess. Where was I?

Oh yes, book was good, I liked the movie better.

Random End of Quarter Meme

As my friend Matt says, "Its always the end of the quarter when I talk to you." Perhaps if you called me more than once every three months, it wouldn't be the end of the quarter. If you haven't guess, its the end of the quarter. Yay me. Here is a random meme type thing.

MY STORY.

Hi, my name is: Kimberly

but you can call me: Kim

Never in my life have I: gone skydiving, but I really want to

The one person who can drive me nuts is: my mother

My high school was: Paint Branch

When I’m nervous: I talk really really really fast

The last song I listened to was: Hate that I love you by Rihanna featuring Ne-Yo

If I were to get married right now it would be to: Chris Evans – the hottie from Nanny Diaries and Fantastic Four

My hair is: black, but I’m getting the itch to color it again, maybe a nice dark eggplant like color

When I was 4: I sucked my thumb

Last Christmas: I got a new mattress. This year I have decided to embrace the holiday spirit

I should be: doing work for the end of the quarter

When I look down I see: stack of executed quotes that I refuse to file

The happiest recent event was: having an entire night of uninterrupted sleep

If I were a character on ‘Friends’: I’d be Rachel cause I’m not a neat freak like Monica

By this time next year: I hope to be either in a new job or at least in a new position within my company

My current gripe is: that stupid cat that I’m cat sitting, he is keeping me awake at night

I have a hard time understanding: what Heidi sees in Spencer (watch The Hills)

There’s these girls: that I love to death and who are my best friends in the whole wide world

If I won an award, the first person I would tell would be: my rents and Best Friend Ever

I want to buy: a condo (I’ll update that one when I know for sure!)

Where do you plan to visit: hopefully San Diego in March

If you spent the night at my house: you’d have to fight JP for the pull out sofa

The world could do without: inconsiderate people

Your best friend in elementary school was: Lisa and Emily

Most recent thing I’ve bought myself: a ring and necklace from New York and Co

Most recent thing someone else bought me: SoCo and lime shots

My middle name is: Jean (like your pants)

In the morning I: reset my alarm so that I can sleep in

Last night I was: playing with my pussies (cats you pervert!)

There’s this guy I know who: I wish would be my boyfriend and if not that, than leave me the hell alone

If I was an animal I’d be a: one of my Mom’s pets cause she treats them better than her own children

A better name for me would be: Bookworm that hearts Harry Potter

Tomorrow I am: pretending to work an 8 hour day while really playing on the interweb

Tonight I am: going to bed early

My birthday is: Feb 28 bitches!

What a Pussy!

Somehow I got suckered into cat sitting for a friend of mine. She is in medical school along with Best Friend Ever, and her current rotation is in Hawaii (lucky bitch). So she asked if I wouldn’t mind taking care of her cat, Jean Pierre, aka JP, aka Peepers. Me being the dumb ass that I am said that I would love to and was all excited for Weasley to have a new playmate.

Jean Pierre, aka JP, aka Peepers

Man, am I stupid. Peepers is the exact opposite of Weasley. While Weasley is sweet and loving, Peepers is the devil incarnate. The first few days that he was here Peepers hissed and tried to scratch me and at nights he would walk around the apartment meowing and whining. And when I would go comfort him, he’d again hiss at me.

Not only is he mean spirited, but he’s also fat and lazy. This fucker weighs 20lbs! He’s twice the size of Weasley and makes Weasley look like a cute, little, dainty kitten next to his monstrous size. He sure likes his eats.

An aerial view of his fatness

I have never once seen JP clean himself. Weasley is constantly licking himself and making sure his fur is nice and soft. The first time Jean Pierre allowed me to pet him his hair was so nappy and sticky. It was gross. I tried to brush him, and of course the hissing starts. And he sheds like a bitch too.

For the most part the boys get along. They like to chase each other around the place, but one night it ended in a fight. Peepers has lived with dogs before so he plays rough and is more aggressive than my little guy. His nails are also killer sharp daggers. I think the boys were running around, and Peepers swatted at Weasley. The Wease must’ve swatted back, and all of the sudden I hear screeching and poor Weasley is pinned under JP. I hit Peepers with a book, but he continues to chase Wease around the place. The Weasley was ok, more shaken up than anything, but I did find a few scratches on his face.

The boys kissing and making up

I was about ready to drop stupid Peepers off at his own place, but the animal lover in me felt bad because I knew he’d be by himself with only someone checking in on him every other day. So I’ve decided to give this fat guy another chance, but if he fights with Weasley again he’s outta here. I did get his nails trimmed this weekend so if they do play again, he won’t be able to hurt anyone.

Cat in a box, Weasley's new hiding place

I’m stuck with Peepers until the end of October and it cannot get here soon enough for me. Having him here has confirmed my decision to remain a one-cat-woman. No crazy cat lady for me. Thank god.

Poor Gus Fiona

I feel as if I have been running into a bit of bad luck lately. I’m not sure what karma god I have pissed off, but I need to figure out how to make amends because man the hits keep on coming!

My yesterday started off as usual. I woke up 30 minutes before my alarm went off and since I haven’t been sleeping well decided that I needed another 45 minutes of sleep. So what has become a bad habit, I reset my alarm and got the extra sleep that I so desperately needed.

After getting dressed, I open up my blinds to let the morning sunshine in, and I notice a big pick-up truck with a hitch attached that is carrying another car. The pick-up truck is backing the hitch into a spot and I think, looks like I’m getting a new neighbor above me. After several attempts the hitch and attached car in a spot while the truck itself is jutting out in the middle of the parking lot.

As I leave my apartment and lock my door, the main door to my apartment is being held propped open with a box. I pass a guy in the hallway as I make my way to my car. I’m running late since I decided to sleep in, so I just throw all my shit into my car and get behind the wheel.

I put the key in the ignition, put the car in reverse and back up like I normally do, forgetting that the front of the truck is in the middle of the lot. I’m almost out of my spot when I hear a CRUNCH, and all I can think is FUCK ME. I just backed into my neighbor’s fucking parked car, and I didn’t even look behind me when I was backing up.

Gus Fiona with her smushed rear

Soooo fucking pissed at myself. This is so not what I need right now. And I’m sure this isn’t what my new neighbor needs on their first day in the community. I apologize profusely and my new neighbor was very nice and sweet about it. Her father, whose car I hit, wasn’t so nice, which he has every right I suppose, but geez, you don’t have to be a complete dickhead about it (his car is brand new).

A close-up of her smushed bum

My car suffered the brunt of the damage with my rear passenger side bumper pushed back in. She’s looks like she drank a little too much at prom and fell face first into a doorknob. She looks a bit sad and is embarrassed to show off her rear end now.

The victim's car. Notice the small dent compared to my crunched bottom.

I feel like I'm having a Sliding Doors moment. If only I had just gotten up on time instead of sleeping in, I could have avoided this accident entirely. They arrived ten minutes prior to my leaving for work. If I had left on time, I never would have encountered them. A part of me is wondering how my day would have turned out if I had done that. Oh well.

Gus Fiona (that’s her name BTW) was so close to making it to her first birthday unscathed. I swear my family has a curse with new cars. So now I need to get her fixed, which will come very close to my $500 deductible and my insurance will pay for his damages (a dent and some scratches). I do not have the money for this right now. I guess its back to dancing on a pole on the weekends. Le sigh.

A Three Dog Life

A Three Dog Life is a memoir by Abigail Thomas, which chronicles the after math of her husband’s accident. One fateful night while walking their dog, a car hits Rich as the dog escapes from his leash. Rich suffers a traumatic brain injury that leaves him with no short-term memory, hallucinations and rages. Thomas must learn to cope with a husband who is never really there and rebuild her to these new circumstances.

Man, I really like sad memoirs. Just like The Year of Magical Thinking, this book is about a woman who suffers a great tragedy and recounts the years following the event. Unlike Didion, whose husband died, Thomas’s husband has no memory of yesterday and can only function in the here and now. As she states,
“I miss my husband. I miss the company of living with this man I loved
and trusted absolutely … Walking down our street I missed him by my side.
The past gets swallowed up in the extraordinary circumstances of now.
But mostly it hurts too much to let my mind go back.”
He may be physically alive and present, but he isn’t always functional at times scared and confused to where he is or what happened to him.

This book is a really quick read and while very emotional isn’t as gut wrenching to me as Didion’s was. Thomas has become accepting of her life and the terrible accident with Rich. She declares, “Rich is necessary to my happiness; I love the person he is now, I love who I am when I’m with him, and I can sometimes hold these two truths in my head at once: I wish he were whole, and I love my life.” It is liberating to read those words. It makes me hopeful. It opens doors to a whole realm of different possibilities in life. I didn’t feel sad after reading this book, more inspired.

On a Side Note Pt 9 ...

Aww geez, I have so many thoughts running through my head, but not enough time to put them down. I hate when life rushes past me without giving me a moment to catch up. I hate when life becomes one big to-do list and all I want to do is crunch up that list and punt the shit out of it to the endzone (I have the MD v West Virginia game in the background and MD is getting the poopie shit kicked out of them. So much for my "Fear the Turtle" war cry, which sounds like a dying turtle, but its really scary!)

Whenever my life gets like this, I get insomnia and spend most of my night tossing and turning. Or I get the same recurring nightmare where I know I'm sleeping and I'm screaming to myself to wake up, but my mind won't let me get up until the dream is over. When I finally am able to wake up, I'm scared, I have to turn on my light and I can't sleep the rest of the night because I'm afraid I'll have the same nightmare again. This week I have had it twice!

So needless to say, I'm a bit stressed right now, cranky, moody, all around grumpy. Hopefully I'll get a chance this weekend to write it all down and process all the emotions that are running through me.

The House of Mondavi

I normally don’t read non-fiction, but when I saw House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Julia Flynn Siler I had to pick it up. I love Mondavi wines! When I’m in the wine store, Mondavi is my go to wine. So I was interested in reading about how this family became known as America’s “first family” of wine.

The Mondavi family started off with simple roots with Cesare Mondavi emigrating from Italy slowly making his way out West. The background of their family reminds me of The Godfather, with Cesare as The Don. He was well respected within the Italian community, with families coming to Cesare for advice. I’m kept waiting for him to say, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.”

Cesare eventually purchased the Charles Krug winery with the hopes of his two sons Robert and Peter running the winery. But of course personalities crashed with Robert and Peter, and Robert was forced out of the family business.

Robert didn’t let the firing stop him from pursuing his love of winemaking and bought his own winery naming it after himself. Robert was driven to make Mondavi number one and to put California wines on the map. During that time period of the early 70’s, California wine was still considered table wine while restaurants only served the fine quality wines from France. Robert intended to change the image of California-produced wine to rival France.

Pretty soon Mondavi was Synonymous with Napa Valley and was one of the leading wine sellers. But history repeated itself with the feuding of Robert’s offspring Michael and Timothy. While Michael believed in expanding the popular Mondavi brand, Timothy believed that Mondavi should focus on producing high-quality wines instead of stretching its resources thin. You can guess the outcome of what’s to happen.

Siler starts from the beginning of the Mondavi’s simple roots to the bitter end when Mondavi was involved in a hostile takeover. Currently there are no family members running the corporation and the Mondavi’s no longer own their name, selling it off during the takeover.

It’s an intriguing story of brother versus brother, hell even at times sons versus father. I’m amazed at Robert’s drive and ambition to become one of the leading brands of wine even at times surpassing French wines. It was also sad to see the family lose the company that they built from the ground up.

The story can be confusing at times to follow since there are so many players involved, but overall it was an enjoyable read. I found the whole wine making process fascinating. Siler gives a good groundwork of the history of Napa Valley and America’s contribution to the wine industry. I’ve been to Napa Valley before and cannot remember for the life of me if I stopped at Robert Mondavi, but the next time I’m in that area, I will be sure to stop now that I know the family history.

A Quiet Night In vs Party Like a RockStar

After the last three weekends of partying my ass off, I just need a weekend to relax, unwind and detox my body from all the alcohol and fatty foods that I have been feeding it.

Kiah, me, Jessie
I must admit I’ve had a blast these last few weekends. Its been awhile since I’ve let loose and drank and danced the night into the wee hours of the morning. I felt like I was back in college or my early days at working in promotions at the radio station. I forgot how much fun DC can be and that there is tons of night spots to hit up.

Larry, me
Mentally, I sometimes feel like I’m a lot older than I really am. So it was good to go out and remind myself that I am a young, vivacious, fun, bee-yoo-ti-ful, twenty-something and that I can still drop it like its hot with the best of them. There is nothing better than being on the dance floor, hearing the beat of your favorite song, swaying your hips, arms swinging in the air, lost in the moment. It’s even better when you’re with a group of your favorite people, laughing and enjoying each other’s company.

some guy, me
But I also love nights like this where I have nothing planned and can sit back and loosen up. Maybe I’ll chill in front of the TV or lay in bed reading my book. Or perhaps I’ll do some baking or spend some quality time with the Weasley. Maybe if I'm feeling adventerous, I'll get to do a bit of everything and actually go to bed early!

Either way its nice to have those fun filled crazy nights where I don't get home till 5am and nights like these where I can de-stress from the week and get some much needed me time.

On a Side Note Pt 8 ...

My good friend recently proposed to his girlfriend. The other day he sent an e-mail asking for my first, last name, address and name of date ASAP! My first thought was damn, when is the wedding. My second thought was damn, I don't have a date! I e-mailed him back asking when the wedding was and he replied May/June of 2008. I told him that if he was giving me a +1, than I'll be damned sure I find a date.

So now the pressure is on for me to find a date for this wedding. I know May/June of 2008 seems far enough away, but with my track record of dates, it could very well take me that long to find a suitable date. I can always rely on a back-up date, but I really would like to go to a wedding with someone with whom I'm actually dating! It doesn't seem that hard right? Don't answer.

Restless Nights

I have been feeling a bit anxious about this whole process of buying a new home. I met with my realtor on Thursday, and she is freaking awesome! Best Friend Ever used her when she was in the market for a new home and had nothing but great things to say about her. So when I met with Wendy (my realtor) I felt very positive and was looking forward to view some condos on Sunday.

Sunday rolls around and I was tired and hungover from the night before (I was out till 5am partying it up. Man, that's three weekends in a row that I have been partying my ass off. Yay me!). We were able to fit in a bunch of different places in Rockville and Gaithersburg. There were at least 4-5 properties that caught my eye and I could really envision myself living there.

I know its only been my first weekend of looking and that it can take a person months to find the right place, but I really don't want this to be a drawn out process. I would prefer to be in my new home before the onset of cold weather. So I'm hoping to find a condo within the next few weeks. I'm just ready to be out of my apartment, but I need to find a home first.

My biggest decision is whether I want to continue living in Rockville or move up to Gaithersburg. I've been living in Rockville for the past three years and I love it. I'm 20 minutes from Virginia and DC and I feel like Rockville is a great center point. But my choices are limited in Rockville about what I can afford, and I need to be realistic. In Gaithersburg I could afford a two-bedroom/two-bath condo for the same amount of a one-bedroom in Rockville. So do I go for a bigger unit with more square footage or an area that resells well and closer in to the city?

My preference would be to stay in Rockville, but only if its a great unit that is affordable and in a good neighborhood. I'm so wishy-washy, going back and forth over the pros and cons of each city. I keep reminding myself that this is only my first weekend of looking, so I don't need to make any drastic decisions just yet, but I'm antsy and feeling restless over it all.

I'm trying to enjoy this process and not fast forward to the end, but its hard for me. I'm stil bitter about losing the first place so its making me very weary of this whole experience. I've been up all night stressing about this. I need to not take it so seriously.

Ugh, le sigh. End of pity party.