you know, there's so much to be said for frankness and directness in conversations.

two contradictory experiences today: one involving pink lady, who is possibly the most long-winded, repeptitive, and circuituous speaker ever. the other involving the curator I work with at the museum, who was completely honest and to-the-point.

I'm a little tipsy right now, so forgive any nonexistent words (circuituous? is that a word? checking m-w.com...ahh...no. it's "circuitous." ok.)

today I had a meeting with robot, Sara, Amy, and pink lady. like most conversations with pink lady, the conversation was completely pl dominated and went nowhere with waaaay too many "you know...uh...you know...uh..."s. it's like Chinese water torture and I often must restrain myself from screaming out in anguish. it got to the point where I had to just jump in and be proactive and stop the talky talky. after the meeting I got an email from Sara saying that she noticed I was taking the initiative more and more and she hoped to see it more frequently in the future. well if any normal person with a healthy level of tolerance had been in that room, they too would've taken the time to either a) speak up, or b) jump out the window. excruiciating.

after the museum today Betsy took me out for 2 glasses of zinfandel and appetizers at a place not far from my apartment. it was one of the most stimulating conversations I've had in a while and it gave me so much to think about with regards to grad school. I'm so glad she cared enough to lay it all on the line for me, to give me the information she thought I needed to make an informed, smart decision about any future plans I might have for a career in art history. at the same time, I still plan to pursue at least a master's degree and to go into it with the utmost determination, coupled with a sense of realism. and again, and I can't stress this enough to myself or anyone else, I am so happy I chose not to go straight through to grad school after undergrad. life experience removed from academia is totally invaluable and, from my view, essential for smart decision making.

another awesome thing today: since it was secretary's day, or administrative assistant's day, or administrative professional's day, or whatever you want to call the paper-pusher, phone-answerer day, I and two of my colleagues were f�ted this morning at work and each given a $50 gift certificate to Bloomingdales. and then I was taken out to lunch. I didn't suspect it one bit and I fairly jumped up and down with excitement at the prospect of new shoes, a new jacket, a new pair of pants, a new bra, a new pair of socks...or what have you. I have needs, me.

going to watch Sorority Life and be bad and have a cigarette now.