Brighton and Beyond!

I don't want to think about the Narc fight, or leave my "Narc-cave" post up as the last one for too long...so on to a cheerier post!

As I would say to my class at the beginning of the lecture (before reviewing the previous week's material)-- "Let's just backtrack for a second to make sure that we're all on the same page..."

Here we go...

On Sunday NDN invited me on an excursion to Brighton Beach. Brighton Beach is in Brooklyn, about an hour away on the subway (near Coney Island) and is a Russian neighborhood. NDN knows that I am somewhat of a Russophile, and he speaks nearly fluent Russian (having studied in Moscow for a year), so we were a happy pair when we embarked. (Well, actually, I was kind of hungover after my late night/date with TT and he was annoyed at one of his friends from backing out of the day's adventure, but still...)

We stopped over at the deli across the street because I majorly needed some carbs to help my hangover. NDN likes to chit chat with one of the guys who works there and introduced me, telling him that I "always go in there drunk." It was funny, but also annoying because only the night staff knows I drink, and NDN shouldn't go pointing that out to people, but whatever...

On our way to Brooklyn, we failed to transfer trains at Union Square because NDN thought we could transfer at a later stop, based on some faulty information from fellow subway passengers. When he realized they were wrong, he was infuriated and wanted to kill all of the people in the subway. He was in a silent rage. I didn't think it was such a big deal.

I was entertained on the train by his photos from the night before-- a real "NDN to Hyde transformation." He had been out at Pizzeria Uno's in the Village and in "rare form" got drunk and befriended the entire bar.

At last, we arrived in Brighton. The first order of business-- to get NDN a pushcart. Apparently, Brighton by day is all about "cart culture." All of the grannies were out wheeling their carts in and out of the shops, filling them with groceries. In one store, they even had a system of tagging the carts with numbers. In all of the shops, customers casually left their carts near the door, operating on the "honor" system. Somewhat of a shock for NY!

Brighton Beach businesses are located on one main strip down which we made our way. After the cart (and a bathroom stop), the first purchase of the day was at a bakery where NDN bought some bread. Then we headed to a candy store where the candy was out in huge barrels and NDN sampled way too much of everything. Not Hyde! I selected one piece and brought it to the counter, paying a dime for it. I don't remember every store that we hit or everything that was purchased, but NDN was certainly happy with his food shopping!

I ate a delicious freshly baked poppy-seed danish right before lunch. For lunch we shared some kabobs and mushroom/potato pelmeni. Yum. At the restaurant, NDN was obsessing about leaving his cart in a room next to the main dining room of the restaurant. The table service was bad and they were showing what looked like a Russian version of American Idol on large-screen TV's.

In the mid-afternoon, I got a very strange text-- from some guy that I met at the Patriot back on my birthday in December, and never even hung out with! (He's pictured here). He wrote:

Hey Hyde. How you been? I left NY since the last time we spoke. I'll be in the city tomorrow until late Tuesday. Gimme a call. I would love to hang out with you.

The last time we spoke??? I think I drunk-dialed him ONCE looking for a number to buy drugs!!! Whatever... It was amusing to hear from him so randomly.

The most important order of the day was getting NDN a banya hat. Apparently, at the banya you're supposed to wear some kind of special felt or wool hat. The guy whose kiosk monopolizes the banya business in Brighton Beach was not stationed on his usual corner. NDN was in great distress. We asked around at a few places where he could get a hat, but no one seemed to know. He managed to find one at some random fabric kiosk, but it was shaped like a Napoleonic bicorne hat, and he looked rather silly. So we moved on. I found a cheap calendar with pictures of the Hermitage which I bought for my kitchen. (The current calendar there was still displaying December, 2005. That's how my life is.)

As we continued our stroll, NDN was approached by a Russian-speaking Jew who urged him into a Miztvah Tank which NDN politely declined, while I bought a white Orenberg shawl from a lady on the street.

We approached an older man selling books on one corner. NDN asked him if he knew where to find the much sought-after banya hat.

"How should I know?" the man retorted. "I sell books! What should I know from banya hats!"

"I thought you might know the neighborhood," NDN explained.

This sparked a brief argument in Russian. He was rude. As we walked away, we decided we needed to exact some sort of revenge on this guy. The form our revenge would take? Banya-hat triumph must be had! The quest for the banya hat was ever more important.

But we continued on with the food shopping. We passed liquor store windows sporting bottles of Pusser's Rum in bottles marked "Lord Nelson's Blood." It made us laugh. (It's sort of an inside joke for me and NDN). NDN bought A LOT of food (including a $1 pineapple). I don't even remember what else he got. As for me, I bought some pistachios, some pickles, a pickled apple(!) and some prepared stuffed cabbage.

At last we found the hat NDN had been looking for! He put it on right away. When, on our return trip, we passed by the rude book-seller, NDN shouted in triumph (in Russian): "Look! I found it without you!" (Or something of the sort).

Finally it was time to go home. We lugged his pushcart up the stairs into the subway. NDN was obsessing about weighing some caviar that he had bought, but I didn't want to be a part of that. We were exhausted and home in time for the Oscars.

I had been invited to my sister's friend's Oscar Party (My sister's friend, English), but decided to watch at home instead. NDN watched the opening awards with me. When March of the Penguins won, I sent Narc a text: Penguins! I wrote. (Because he loves penguins.)

Meanwhile, I was feeling a little bad that I might not have given TT enough attention the night before at the piano bar with Hammer and her friend. So I sent him a text before the Oscars began: You watching the awards tonight?

TT: Probably off and on. Yourself?

Hyde: Watching the red carpet fashions now! :)

TT: Playing a new X-box game until eight myself... Have fun.

Hyde: You too! Talk to you soon...

We were in communication again after the show:

TT: Well, there's three-and-a-half hours of my life I'm not getting back. When will I learn?

Hyde: Yeah, I know. Pretty boring this year.

TT: Clooney had a good speech; the intro with the other hosts was funny; a couple of the montages were nice, but otherwise... feh.

Hyde: Agreed. No outrageous fashions either.

TT: Just got a new game, but the X-box stopped working.

Hyde: D'oh!

TT: What time did you get to sleep last night, anyway?

Hyde: Went to bed at 4:30, got up 10:30. NDN woke me by ringing my bell. I was so pissed. So I gotta go to bed now. 6:00 am wake-up tomorrow. Grrr!

TT: Okay. Well, have a good night!

Hyde: Thanks! Sweet dreams...

And so, to bed I went.

When I woke up the next morning, I had two texts from Narc-- Narc who had invited and then implicitly "disinvited" me to his Oscar party by telling me that he "wasn't really having one," but was just having 2-3 friends over.

He wrote: Phew! Oscar party was successfully managed.

And then: Come over after your class this morning. I want to see you.

So, while I was (hurt?) annoyed that he lied to me about the Oscar party and didn't even bother to try to cover his lie out of sensitivity, I was more excited by him bossing me around and demanding my presence. (There's some Hyde-stupidity for ya!)

I called him in the morning just before my voice lesson, but he didn't pick up. Still asleep, I guessed. So I took a chance and headed down there anyway. I think I got there at around 1:00.

Narc answered the door typically rumpled, scruffy and hung-over. His apartment was a wreck. Littered with champagne bottles, beer bottles, leftover cake and cookies and used Oscar-ballots, it was clear he hosted an event with MORE than 2-3 guests!

"Arghhhh! I'm dying!" he mumbled as he greeted me.

"That's no good," I said.

He walked into the bedroom and climbed back into bed. I followed.

I stayed with Narc (and helped him clean up) until I had to leave that evening. I had plans to watch 24 with Hammer and Bezoukhoff. I invited Narc to come along, and while he opted not to, he eventually joined us at the Overlook later that night. I proceeded to get very drunk (as detailed in my post Stuck.)

The next day (Tuesday), Narc and I spent the morning together, parting ways at around 2:30 after brunch at the diner. After cabaret class that night I headed to Cheers for dinner and diet cokes. IrishBird was off and BarMan was covering her shift. I sat there reading Narc's screenplay (and talking with an older man named Gary).

I felt so awful that afternoon when Narc and I had parted ways, but apparently nothing was wrong in his mind, because he kept texting me that night:

Just saw "Raiders" at the Ziegfeld. Woohoo!

and

Women on "Idol" are horrible tonight!

Okay... So Narc is omni-available these days. (And it's been a while with no mention of PopStarChick). I tried not to think too much about him, or about anything, and instead just had fun hanging out with BarMan.

On Wednesday I taught in the morning, and then, exhausted came home to vegetate in front of the television for a while before heading to choir. That afternoon, Narc texted me again:

So! Script thoughts? Who is it about? Where is it going? Is it clear? Believable? Interesting?

Lots of thoughts but would rather talk in person than text them, I replied. It's so YOU though & I loved seeing that.

I really do have a lot of thoughts about his writing-- so many that I think the subject merits its own post. So, for now, I'll leave it at that.

Narc and I had watched Wednesday night Idol together for the previous two weeks and I wanted to do it again. So I wrote to him asking if he wanted to get together again.

Can watch the boys, he answered. Working little bit longer, then food, then brief stop at the Patriot, I think. "Idol" after.

Well, as you know, I met him at the Patriot and it was more than a brief stop. We ended up leaving there at nearly 5:00 am, and like I said-- I ended up awake for over 24 hours and in a traumatic fight with him. (The fight stemmed partially from our discussion of his screenplay, among other things. Really the reason we fought, though? He was wasted and I was too tipsy for "infinite patience.")

And that pretty much brings you guys up to date. Yesterday I spent the entire day with him recovering from our fight and being in denial and cuddling. I slept there last night and got only four hours of sleep, waking up in the dark this morning to slink home (and back to reality) like a shadow of myself.

Today, I barely survived teaching. But when I got back to my office, my duties complete, I had even more texts from Narc!

Dying...! He wrote at 12:30 this afternoon (meaning he had slept SEVEN hours more than I had! Ugh! The nerve!)

And then: Need Red Bull!!! (cry) at 1:08.

My reply? Oh, don't complain! I just survived teaching hell. Even on three red bulls, barely standing! I swear my eyes were blurring at the end. :)

N: Eh, feeling better now. You must be dying!!!

H: I am! Glad you're feeling better though. My plan? Finish here, go home & take an incredibly longed-for shower!

N: I need a plan...! Hmmm...

H: Plans are good on occasion. Mine also includes finding food.

N: Food! That's what I need!

H: See! Glad I could help. We both need to replace that Domino's .

N: Ugh! Still waiting for my mother to call me back... (sigh)

And so on, and so forth...

What is going ON with the constant-Narc contact?

Anyway, that's my life up to this very point. I AM hungry and DO need to get home to that shower, so now, I will bid you adieu.

Hope you are all well...

-h-