Archive | ourbklyn

today i stained our new dresser. while watching an entire season of treme.
then, i painted my face.  productive!

i used Burt’s Bees clay mask.  i really enjoyed the scent and outcome.  i love face masks.  then again, who wouldn’t?

finding a respectable job here hasn’t been as easy as i thought it might be.  i really hadn’t realized that food service jobs here are actually careers, and every restaurant i’ve applied to wants nothing to do with me since i don’t have 3+ years of nyc experience.  that being said, money is tight.  we moved here with a semi comfortable cushion of savings, but that went fast. rent is due soon, and the groundbreaking heat records are not fun.  we researched the cheapest way to eat and drink and were lead to Gowanus Yacht Club.  don’t let the name fool you, it’s not a yacht club! it’s more of a clubhouse with beer, snack food and hipsters.  we found two seats amongst the mismatched picnic tables and ordered nachos and a hot dog each.  they also have a deal where you get two canned beers for $5, but they are just in a bucket and you get what you get.  the nachos were just chips with cheese wiz and some jalapenos, and the hot dogs were your basic bbq hot dog.  after we finished eating and a few rounds of Black Label and Strohs, a summer down pour rolled in and our check was thrown in our direction as we chugged our beers.  we left as the bartender was pulling a tarp over the register (this establishment is seasonal and completely outdoors)  we were drenched within seconds and it really just felt so good to forget about money for a second and just laugh in the rain.  once we got home we took Stinky for a little walk and then changed into dry clothes and everything felt so much better.  thanks, Gowanus Yacht Club.

Heather’s husband has this nifty thing he does.  he researches bars, beers and routes for specific and rare draft beers.  he then makes what he calls a “treasure map” and its a very organized printed out google map, of where to go.   sometimes it’s a bar we have been to, but sometimes Nathan leads us in a new and interesting direction.  after a few beers at home, we headed to Bier Kraft, Bar Great Harry, and some other place in Cobble Hill.  the map had a few other places pointed out, but we were tired, hungry and already a bit intoxicated so we just came back and grubbed instead.

one of my dearest friends is Liz.  we met online back when internet friends were still taboo (1999, AOL, my friends).  our friendship is strong as stone and we live halfway across the country from each other, liz in missouri and me here in new york.  liz comes to visit me two times a year and we have somuchfun!  this summer she will be stationed in new hope, pa.  working for world service corps and lending her brilliance and huge heart to a local church summer camp.  it’s almost hard for me to know she is so close but we aren’t hanging out together.. so when i heard the camp was making an impromptu trip to the statue of liberty you better bet I rushed to get there asap.  i legit dropped all plans and got right on a train.  we ran basically in slow-mo to each other and hopped on a ferry to see lady lib.  i met her camp friends and we all headed to ellis island.  liz pulled some strings and instead of touring all the well, touristy spots of nyc she was able to come back to brooklyn and see my apartment and also have dinner with us! i am so glad this little visit was made possible.  she tried to pull a few more strings and see if she could stay the night.  just picture us, feeling like we are little girls again asking our moms if we can sleep over because we were having so much fun and didn’t want it to stop!  it wasn’t possible for her to stay since she was obligated to the camp.. but we were so happy the visit happened at all. i love me some Liz time.

even though i have the slowest internet connection known to man, i must speak about this hanson concert real quick. we just got back from the most insane group of people ever. as soon as we exited the subway onto fulton street it was insanity, people everywhere, bolting in one direction. i must say now, hanson was playing with drake. i had no clue who drake was.. i guess i have been living underneath a rock because he is america’s #1 rapper? he sings the “you da you da best, you da best i eva had” song…whatever. i still really don’t care but i legit thought this drake was an emo band. heather thought it was a little boy, similar to justin bieber and although joe knew who drake was, he was also expecting a different drake. we find Heather, walk to the pier. it’s insane and “Ninjasonik” is going nuts playing beats that make you feel like your head is going to explode. we quickly bolt, knowing that hanson will be on second. slip into a nearby bar, order three beers and some appetizers to split. after eating, we head back into the insanity. it got worse. not only could you not *see* the stage, from anywhere, but there were also manic people EVERYWHERE trying to get to god knows where, because there was no where to go. at one point we were just standing there, not talking to each other, and I was covered in dirty dredlocks, swaying back and forth over my bare skin. i wanted to die. people everywhere, pushing, being ignorant and just rude. I saw several little hanson fans find themselves out of the crowd, hysterically crying and looking like they just got out of a hardcore battle. about an hour later we heard a cop come through blowing a whistle and screaming “it’s canceled!” obviously, we bolted (yes, there was a lot of bolting going on. it’s the only word to describe the method of moving.) apparently after we had already left hell broke loose and people were throwing chairs, bottles, pulling out guns and getting stabbed. luckily we were able to savage the night and headed to the meat packing district for drinks at The Brass Monkey.  between the run yesterday, the the walking today. my legs, they be’a’wobbly.  time to watch some How I Met Your Mother and eat the brownies i am SO glad i made earlier today.

joe and i just took a run in prospect park. he has done this many times since we have moved here and i just laugh at his silly face coming to and fro, dripping in sweat. well, my pants don’t fit. i feel lazy. i want to feel better about myself. so, we went for a run together today. the distance around the park is 3.2 miles. I DID IT! be proud, my babies. because ashley running, is a rare thing. i had joe leave me to do his own thing ten minutes into it, because i could tell he wanted to take off like the wind. but i kept my pride, and finished. i can’t lie, i almost drank out of a dirty puddle, killed a girl with rollerblades and went medieval on some biker’s hiney to get some wheels under my haggard ass. but, i did it. i must ask this, does the couple who exercise together, stay together? should we get matching outfits? and synchronize our playlists? i need to look into this. back at the muff right now, getting internet at home on wednesday! also, never order a smoothie at connecticut muffin. it’s nasty.

the internet didn’t end up getting set up on friday. it was quite the disappointment, and the technician who came here was totally lame and could have done it, but seemed to have better things to do. he told joe that he was on probation for three months with the company and couldn’t afford to mess this job up. he also said that he needed a ladder (we have one) and that if he took the time to set up our services that he wouldn’t have time to make his next two appointments. yep. so he rescheduled us very quickly for a wednesday appointment. wednesday! it was friday! and we scheduled this installation on MONDAY! joe had a few heated phone calls with time warner and nothing really came of it, so I guess we will meet with leon again on wednesday. i’m psyched. NOT. i’m still leeching off this random connection which basically moves in a glacial pace.

we had a very fun weekend, my friend vanessa came from home to celebrate her birthday and some of joe’s friends came over too. first, we went to The Double Windsor which is around the corner. it was good…they have a pretty decent beer selection, but it’s more of a place I would enjoy to check out sans large group of people. joe and i both had the avery ipa which was decent, but not one of my favorite ipa’s…I just wasn’t a fan of the aftertaste. bummer. then we headed to Union Hall. it has a cool atmosphere and also hosts a lot of shows and has a bocce ball court! (is that what it would be called? no clue.) anyway, the calender looks good and the place was fun. afterwards we went home and hung here.. beasted on food, etc. we all slowly woke up and headed to terrace bagels (umm. YUM) and connecticut muffin for some java. there was a pride festival in the park so joe, ben, dave and i checked that out and sat in the park for a bit. afterwards, we stopped at the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck and had the HANDS DOWN most delish ice cream cone of my life. i combined the “Salty Pimp” and “Coco Cone.” SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!! we went home, put in a movie and both fell asleep at 7:30 p.m. woke up around 11:30 to get under the covers and put on jammies and slept soundly until 8 a.m. oh wait, are we senior citizens? but damn, it felt good to sleep. i was hoping to catch a museum today but it seems they all close at 5:30 and we would never make it to leisurely stroll through. we are going to the upper east side to watch the lakers/celtics game in a bit. i really want a burger and after reading the Double Windsor yelp page, i think i want one from there. ah! what to do??

a few selected photos from this weekend –