air quotes

well, dear readers, it's another early afternoon post today, mainly due to my being "busy" at "work." i've decided to use "air quotes" a la britney spears in her now-infamous cryfest interview. "you know, y'all, just cuz i have a 'baby' doesn't mean that 'paparazzi' should be following 'me' around." these quotes are indeed unnecessary because i have actually been busy at work, mainly sucking up dust samples from high-rise projects and looking for hints of cockroach infestation. you know, the fun things.

across the street from work, meanwhile, ellen degeneres' show is setting up camp. there are people lined up for five blocks to see the taping. the stage that had been set up when i came into work is now booming beyonce tunes, as she sound checks for her performance on ellen. when i walked to duane reade this morning i saw her in sweat pants, strutting around singing "deja vu." i'd recognize that hair anywhere.

this weekend was the big gay pool party at frankie's, most of which which i'm proud to say i remember. i thought i'd gone to bed around 3. apparently i went to bed around 4.30. what happened in that dark hour and a half? it's anyone's guess, i'm afraid. well, not anyone's guess. i'm sure that the boys have some sort of report for me; i'm just not sure i want to hear it. when you consider the fact that last year i was so drunk that i blacked out starting at, oh, 11:45pm, i really feel like a grownup.

so responsible, only losing an hour and a half of your night.

i think it's the hot tub that does it to me. it couldn't be the pitcher of orange juice-laced vodka that i was swilling while in the hot tub. definitely the hot tub's fault.

the next day, we ate breakfast at a diner in extremely suburban philly. it was so suburban, really, that i'd call it rural. there were eight of us, all homosexuals, all hungover, all rowdy. when shania twain's "man, i feel like a woman" came on the radio i saw the wait staff shoot each other worried glances; mothers covered their babies' ears.

i spent the rest of the weekend at robin's apartment in art museum, philly. much like my old place in baltimore, if you walk three blocks in the wrong direction you're in trouble. her block is adorable; there's a city block-sized garden across the street. then, when you walk two blocks over and one block down, there are vagrants and crack vials. for some reason i didn't worry as much about myself in downtown baltimore as i do her in downtown philly (which could be a total lie since my time in baltimore seems like a hundred years ago now). maybe that's what's called being a big brother, worrying about your little sister. my little sister who's now a first-year law student.