Gregorio - My New Bud

Gregory Williams  to me

9:50 AM (2 hours ago)

Hi Casey,

I'm glad you're wicked excited to receive these rather mundane emails from me.  By the way, I go by Greg if it is an informal friend, Gregory if it is my name on a professional product or some such thing, and Gregorio if I'm in Mexico (which is where I am now).

I don't get shin splints (that is the other Casey).  We're currently training for a 1/2 marathon, and of course there are always body breakdown issues.

Gracias for your patience with these incorrect emails!  It was nice to hear from you, tho.

Greg(orio)

caseywilliams@gmail.com to Gregory Williams      11:55 pm

Hi Gregorio,

Wow, I wish my name were on a professional product or some such thing.. like maybe the side of a building. But I guess I'm famous in my own way, because I get emails intended for other Casey Williamses all over the world. Well just the USA really, but hey, that's essentially the whole world, right? :-P

Disfrute Mexico - es un lugar muy bonito y divertido. Tambien, lo es mejor que Boston hoy con los niebles, y donde el sol es perdido.

hasta luego,

Cecilia (my name in spanish, at least in spanish class in high school. in spain and central america, i went by "Kaaaaaaaaay-ci.")
Related: Williams is the New Jones; Identity of my Alter Ego
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Williams is the New Jones

I think there's a conspiracy out there against Casey Williamses.
Well, against their proper identification, anyway.

This morning one of my long lost relatives (potentially, anyway), a Gregory Williams, kindly shared with me a link to information about how to prevent shin splints. I wrote back to let him know my appreciation:

I've tried to let him know that I'm not the Casey Williams he wants to talk to, but he keeps forgetting. And I don't think he's trying to reach my true alter ego.

I leave you with a photo of my view this morning:

My freshly misted plants, and a fine fall day in Boston.

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Alter Ego: 3 Updates

1. She is a Republican (no surprise there). I received an email this morning directly from Michael Steele, RNC Chairman:

2. Her nickname is Buster. If you take a closer look at the email (below), you'll note that it is addressed to "Buster," so either: A. Her nickname is Buster, B. The GOP addresses all of its faithful followers as "Buster," or C. This email was intended for neither my doppelganger or myself, and in fact was intended for a different Casey Williams who goes by Buster.

3. I have decided to go into hiding because I cannot stand the thought of Fake Casey smearing my reputation by signing up for the Republican email list, and as thus, have been trying out alternative looks.

Here I am as a happy dark brunette:

I could be happy every day as a brunette with luscious locks of long brown hair.

Practicing my coy look in case anyone accuses me of being Casey Williams:

Who, me? I'm not Casey Williams, I'm, um, Dixie Jones.

I wasn't sure if brunette was really "me", so today I'm at work in this:

I call it "Jem goes to the office and is shocked when someone actually asks her to do work, and not rock out with the Holograms."

Now you'll have to excuse me while I go rock out with the piano player in the John Hancock Tower lobby. He's not as "pop-rock" as I would like, but hopefully I can convince him to jam out with me. After all, I am Jem.

PS. Thank you Kate S, for your wigs and photography skillz.
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Space Filler: Best Moments of Today

I am still sitting on the Alter Ego thing. I just don't want to mess up the golden opportunity that Pog has given me and am now frozen in indecision. I can't believe it either, trust me.

However, in the meantime I would like to share with you my favorite moments of today thus far:

1. Perfectly normal guy on the T, sitting across from me, no headphones, no reading material, suddenly bursts out with hysterical laughter. Restrains himself. Hysterically laughs again, and tries to face to the left so he can't see me and Purple Boots (the girl next to me). I check my face for snot and my hair for bird poop, which I seem to attract. The laughing spurts never stop until he can't see us anymore.

2. The client telling us that he can't accept the ad text that we have written for him because it didn't have the word "butt" in it. Yes, I'm serious. No, this isn't porn.

3. Free cookie day in the basement of the Hancock! And free gelatto! And cheese!

4. Harassing the Egg Guy in the basement of the Hancock. Free Cookie Day is actually Food Vendor Day and we get to sample and/or talk to the vendors who supply the cafeteria, which has a local/organic focus (!!!yay!!). I learned that chickens only lay eggs for 54 weeks, and after that they are shipped off to the soup factory.

5. Sara asking the bacon guy if he "had any bacon literature." She was serious. Then she asked the egg guy what the human equivalent of laying an egg was. I answered her to save the poor guy from having to explain where babies come from.

Anyone else have some gems to share?

The iPhone-colored view from my desk. It's dark and foggy and gloomy. But lovely.

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The Man Who Solved My Life's Mystery

As I explained it to my boyfriend, "This guy has blog where he posts photos of himself with dogs. And I think it's hilarious. And awesome." What I didn't know was that he is also a really great sleuth - at least I didn't know it until he emailed me about the identity of my Alter Ego.

I immediately had to know more about this brilliant person who also loves dog. So I interviewed him (over gmail).

1. Why did you decide to search for the Texan Casey Williams?

As a man of style and class, I'm unable to avoid the chance to solve a mystery. I also painted a mental picture of how you must be feeling. It was similar to having ice cream stickiness on your hands, when you're trying to handle electronics, and we all know that's not a good idea.

1. Just how did you find her when this Casey, who works in Search Engine Marketing, was unable to?

I really like that there are two number one questions. It speaks to the duality of your existence, and the identity crisis you must be feeling.  It was actually really easy to find her. Not that I'm trying to get a job at your company or anything. I think I did a google blog search for ("casey williams" texas), that's all.  I just realized that gmail automatically changed the number of the question.

1. What do you think I should write to her about the whole situ?

I would not dare to tell you how you should go about this delicate situation. It's tricky, on one hand, you were here first, but on the other hand... I'm sorry, I completely forget what I was going to say. I would definately buy up the domains caseywilliams.com, org, edu, tv, net, ru, co.uk etc. I don't think fake casey can be trusted.

Editor's Note: I completely agree. Fake Casey cannot be trusted. After all, she's practically a nun. Sadly, however, a politician already owns and uses CaseyWilliams.com. And yes, his name is also Casey Williams.Oh SHIT!!! The domain has changed hands!! It's now owned by some other Casey Williams with horrible design sense, which is funny because that's his 'real' job. Yes this is me typing real time as I make these incredible discoveries.

1. How do you feel about her blog? Are you offended by her photo with a cat, since you love dogs so much?
   

I think it's fair to say I don't like fake casey. Seeing as how religion is responsible for more deaths, oppression, destruction, and hate than any other force on the planet, excluding natural causes,  I feel a strong sense of disappointment and anger whenever anyone finds an identity through an organized religion.  These feelings are compounded by the fact that shes: A. from texas and B. a catholic. Seriously, who paints the pope? WTF. I couldn't even read her blog after that.

That being said, I have cats, whom I love very much. That's about as much as I have in common with fake casey. Cats are so much different than dogs, but they are still cool and have a low level of maintainablity. They are a little more telepathic, and can probably tell what I'm thinking right now.

1. Do you love dogs as much as the Bostonian Casey Williams (ie me) does?

Possibly. I grew up on a working farm with many animals, including border collies (who are awesome, but not in a city), so it afforded me the opportunity to be exposed to puppies all the time, and that was fantastic. Like most things, some suck. This is the same for dogs. I don't like ratdogs- kind of hard to explain what these look like. I hate designer dogs that are tiny. Some dogs have a bad personality, but that's usually circumstantial. It's not always the case, but most owners are responsible for how awesome, or not awesome their dog is.

1. Why did you start PogAndDog.org?
   

Poganddog.org was the brain child of several of my close friends. We were just talking one morning about things. I'm not sure what. The idea came up that I should get photographed with random dogs and have a website dedicated to it. After a little trial and error, I managed to build a site that worked exactly how I wanted it to. Soon I was out and about, trying to

Editor's note: Apparently when writing this email, Erich forgot what the hell he was out and about, trying to do, because he didn't finish this sentence.. Or not do. But I suspect it has to do with taking photos of dogs.

1. Lastly, what is your favorite color?
   

Green, always green. Yellow? no, never, never.

Editor's note: Erich did not submit a photo of himself for this interview, mainly because I did not ask him. However, I have chosen my favorite PogandDog photo to share with you all:

 
HA!!!! Doesn't that make you crack up?

Lastly, if you have any input you would like to give me about what I should say to my Alter Ego, please send it my way. I plan on contacting her next week, after I have had sufficient time to meditate, pray, ponder, list out the + and -, etc.

For past installments: The Christians in TX Love Me; Many Faith Groups Hate Love; My Alter Ego Wins a Prize!; My Alter Ego Likes Art ;  BREAKING NEWS: Alter Ego Identified
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Table Not From my Dear Alter Ego

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Table Sale email I received turned out to be a false alarm. Well, a false alarm in that it is a Casey Williams in Sacramento, not "my" kitten-loving Casey Williams Alter Ego in Denton. I'll keep you posted.

Who knew "Casey Williams" was such a popular name for non-correctly-writing-email people out there?

For past installments: The Christians in TX Love Me; Many Faith Groups Hate Love; My Alter Ego Wins a Prize!; My Alter Ego Likes Art ; Doppelganger sells a table; BREAKING NEWS: Alter Ego Identified
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Doppelganger ---BREAKING NEWS---

Thanks to a fellow dog lover, I believe the true identity of my alter ego has been identified!

First off, her name is Casey Williams. Good thing we cleared that up.

Second off, her second most recent entry covers "The Top 10 Reasons I Love Being Catholic".

Thirdly, her email address is caseyEwilliams at gmail. Hence the confusion. She probably is writing it correctly, but everyone else is mis-reading it.

I think I will contact her and suggest she take a penmanship class. And capitalize her all important middle initial when writing her email address.

   

Do you see the similarity between the two Caseys? WE BOTH LOVE BABY ANIMALS!











What do you think I should say?

For past installments: The Christians in TX Love Me; Many Faith Groups Hate Love; My Alter Ego Wins a Prize!; My Alter Ego Likes Art ; Doppelganger sells a table

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My Alter Ego has a Table for Sale!

Nope, I don't have a table for sale. (I do have one that I'll be refinishing once I have a free weekend, stay tuned!)
Nor have I ever met anyone who uses a 'shroom stationary in their emails. You are quite creative.

My response:

Hi Delia,

Do you by chance live in Texas, in the Fort Worth area? There is a Casey Williams there who keeps posting my email address, and I'd like her to stop doing so. 

Was a telephone number included in the ad? If so, could you share it with me? I have a lot to tell my name-sharing friend. For example, she has an upcoming dentist appointment that she doesn't know about.. And she won a free membership to the modern art museum! Not to mention you are interested in purchasing her table.

let me know!

Thanks,
Casey Williams
Boston, MA 


For past installments: The Christians in TX Love Me; Many Faith Groups Hate Love; My Alter Ego Wins a Prize!; My Alter Ego Likes Art 
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Non-Sense and Sensibility

Before:
I would say, "Leave me alone, don't talk about that guy who has been leading me on or I'm going to cry."

After reading Sense and Sensibility:
"From their counsel, or their conversation, she knew she could receive no assistance, their tenderness and sorrow must add to her distress, while her self-command would neither receive encouragement from their example nor from their praise. She was stronger alone, and her own good sense so well supported her, that her firmness was as unshaken, her appearance of cheerfulness as invariable, as with regrets so poignant and so fresh, it was possible for them to be.

Before:
"That was boring."

After reading Sense and Sensibility:
"The insipidity of the meeting was exactly such as Elinor had expected; it produced not one novelty of thought or expression, and nothing could be less interesting than the whole of their discourse in both the dining parlour and drawing room."
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Subtle But Important Change in the Bedroom

This is serious stuff. Life-altering changes going on in our bedroom, specifically on my side of the bed. Keep your minds out of the gutter, people.

The bedroom, before:

Ignore the woman behind the curtain. In fact, look at the photo below instead:

These are the before photos. Yes, they were also the "after" photos of the closet makeover, but we didn't stop there.

Here is the after photo for this post:

Other than there being fewer pillows on the bed, a blue blanket on the end of the bed, and no girl behind the curtain, can you spot the life-altering change?

No?

What about this close-up?

Focus in on the bed frame. The $10 bed frame I got off of Craig's List a year ago, behind which is my bedside table, lamp, alarm clock, and books. Oh and the closet.

The view, pre-change:

My books were in jail, and my arm could only fit through in a sideways fashion. It sucked.

T spent a manly Saturday afternoon with his dremel tool, cutting out two pieces of the bedframe. Now I can reach my books, the lamp, my glasses, my chapstick, whatever-the-hell-I-want that is on my mini-bedside table without bruising my arm, sticking it through the slats.  The quality of my life right before I fall asleep, and right when I wake up, has improved immensely.

Who says small changes can't make a huge difference? Not this behind-the-curtain girl.

Thanks, honey!

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Surprise in Brighton

A few weekends ago, there was horrendous traffic in Brighton Center. I mean horrendous. And it was a Sunday. I didn't understand. After dropping T off at the airport, I parked a mile from home to avoid the awful traffic.

Walking back, I saw this:

The street, Before.

No traffic.
No cars.
They were gone. Well, diverted anyway.
What was Brighton up to?

OBVIOUSLY - It was Sunday, what else could that mean but a parade?

The street, After.

First came the cops (upper left), then Mayor Menino and the BC marching band, then the other candidates and my favorite, the balloon cart people.

The entire point of spending money to shut down the streets and post cops everywhere and to wreak havoc on what is normally a very pleasant Sunday seems to be the parade. Why a parade? I'm not exactly sure... it was "for the people" but really I think it was "for the candidates", who marched down Cambridge/Washington street.

I don't know about you, but the way I decide who to vote for is by how they perform in a parade. Is their posture good? Are they handing out pens (Rep. Honan) or mints (Prime Realty Group)? Or shaking hands?

Ayanna Presley, running for Boston City Councilor, hands down had the best performance, shaking hands and warmly greeting everyone.

Based on that alone I should vote for her... right? After all, wasn't that the point of the parade - to help me decide how to vote?
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ps. Watch out for a sneaky "before/after" post tomorrow!
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My Alter Ego Really Likes Art

To: CaseyWilliams at gmail dot com
From: Oxide Gallery, Denton, TX

Artwork Open Call
November Theme Show: Miniatures - Any subject matter/theme  
This is a multi-artist juried theme show open to all artists    
All artwork submissions must be done by and contracts signed in person by the artist who created the artwork - No Exceptions.

Theme:  Miniatures
Parameters: Artwork can depict any subject matter
Restrictions:  Artwork's outside finished dimensions can not exceed 12" X 12" No restrictions on medium.  All
artwork must be submitted ready for installation per gallery rules.http://oxidegallery.com/artistsConditionAndHanging.html
Number of Entries allowed:  4 pieces artwork per artist.
Submission Dates:  Thursday, October 15th, Friday October 16th, and Saturday October 17th
Submissions can be delivered to OXIDE Gallery any day during normal gallery hours.
Th-F 9a - 5p and Sat 9a - 1p.

Each artist will need to fill out a Schedule A form and Artist's Contact form and drop off their submissions.  The jury will review all entries and make their selections.  Artists will be contacted Monday with the juries decisions and required to come back in no later than October 24th and fill out paperwork and/or pick up unselected artwork.

If you have any questions about this process please don't hesitate to contact us!

OXIDE Gallery
501 W Hickory St.
Denton, TX 76201
940.483.8900

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My reply:


Hi Oxide Gallery,

Sounds cool --- an art exhibition based on miniatures! Dollhouses have always fascinated me, as well as making teeny tiny paper cranes out of scraps of paper. I would totally submit something to your exhibition, except I live in Boston, and I won't be able to present my artwork in person per your guidelines.

It was in fact my alter ego (also named Casey Williams, only she lives in TX) who signed up for this email list, not me. I think she's just mad that I signed up for Gmail way back in the day and got to use our shared name.

It would be helpful if you could let my alter ego know that she has been signing up her email address incorrectly.  I would, except the only contact info I have for her is my own. I tried messaging a Casey Williams in TX on Facebook, but she claims not to be the one.

Here are the things I know about her that may help you identify her:

• Her name is the same as mine (Casey Williams)
• She attends multiple Christian Churches (I think she's trying a few out)
• She is very much against gay marriage
• She has offered to host a bible study group for Moms, so I think she has kids
  
• She attends the dentist regularly
• She may be a teacher, as she attended the Educators' Cultural Event a few weeks ago
• She won a free membership to the Galveston Modern Art Museum
  

Let me know your thoughts!

Thanks,
Casey

PS. Check out these miniature people on food artistic photos! Maybe they live near TX.
PPS. I think it's ironic you used a HUGE font to announce the miniature art theme. :-)


For past installments: The Christians in TX Love Me; Many Faith Groups Hate Love; My Alter Ego Wins a Prize!
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Bonus Bedroom Improvement

T's project during the move (besides moving all his stuff in) was to improve the bathroom situ. As seen from the Closet Door Makeover, the toilet is ~5 feet from the foot of the bed:

The bathroom did have a door of its own, but not a "real" door, 'cause that wouldn't fit. It was one of those faux-wood folding doors that unfortunately we do not have a "before" photo of. We were so anxious to get it out that we just ripped it out. This is what it would look like if you were going to buy it online, say from Home Depot:

Ug. I shudder just thinking about it. It felt like you were shutting yourself in the closet of a trailer home.

T came up with a plan to modify a louvered door to fit in our non-standard-door-sized door hole. It took a little longer than expected, so for a little while we had a hot pink floral sheet hanging there. T loved that.

Now, however... Now we have a "real" door. Ok, real-ish:

Isn't she a beaut?

And T came up with the brilliant idea of angling the dresser differently so there was more than 9 sq feet of open space in the bedroom. Now there's like 12!

This is his favorite change we made. Mine is still the curtain/closet... and the butler's pantry. What's yours?
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From Sock to Bottom

Before, these were just socks:

Brand new, fuzzy socks. Just the kind you'd want to put on now that the weather is getting cooler. Put on... or cut up! And sew! And stuff!  do some more hand sewing!

After:

An adorable, huggable, oh so soft violet friend! She's ready to love you (she wears her heart on her chest). And she needs your love, because she's handmade. Her ears are a little far back on her head, and her arms aren't quite even, but that smile --- that smile is captivating .I'm sure baby Olivia is going to love her.
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The Closet Gets a Makeover

Sometimes when you live in a rental apartment, you get lackadaisical. I mean, I moved at least every 6 months in college excluding the dorms, and every year after that. That's 11 apartments in 8 years. I counted (see appendix below). There's only so much nesting I'll do with that kind of record.


But with T moving in, and having lived here for 2 years already, my "imminent move" feeling has seriously abated. I suppose that's the reason for all of the recent projects. That, and the sudden amount of time I have now that I'm no longer leading OYFP.

Tuesday's before and after is The Closet in the bedroom. This is the teeny tiny bedroom that fits only a double or a twin, with the long side against the wall. Unfortunately, this means access to the closet is somewhat limited, well, extraordinarily limited by the large wood doors (ignore the mess, focus on the wood door at the back of the room):

Left: The bed is directly on the right when you walk in.

Right: Standing by the closet, looking back to the bedroom door and bathroom.
 

To give us fuller access to the closet, including the ability to actually see the laundry basket, we removed the doors and hung curtains made with fabric from SewFisticated (as usual). Oh and cleaned up. That in itself is a before/after!

Not only are we able to fully expose everything in the closet by pulling back the curtains, I can now hide in the closet more easily! You know, if burglars come or something.They'll never think "maybe she's hiding behind the striped curtain, clutching all her jewels." Next Step: Get some jewels.

The fabric choice was inspired not only by the sage colored walls in the bathroom and bedroom, but the rug in the bathroom:

PERFECT or what? And the grommets add a fun nautical feel. I only wish they weren't brass colored.

Now. What do you think of the alternative bedspread duvet I made last winter? I use it when I need a bright burst of color and spring in the wintertime:

Yeah, it's not perfect... but it IS a rental after all. :-)

Appendix:
Dorms (3 semesters)
Spain (5 months)
Boltwood Walk (700 sq feet, 4 women, 9 months)
My Aunt and Uncle (summer internship x2)
Presidential Apartments (5 months)
Nicaragua (4 months, 2 places)
Home with the 'rents (pre-first job)
Malden studio (freaky friday apartment lasted 17 months)
Cedar Street (Friends! Somerville!)
Spencer Ave (around the corner from Cedar)
Highland Road (down the street from Spencer)
and finally
108 Washington (going on year 3, now with T).
Gosh I hate moving. Why did I do so much of it before?
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Bruins Fan...

I'm not a die-hard sports fan. Sure, I enjoy going to Sox games:

It was chilly. We had beer and hot chocolate. And then an Irish coffee. But I don't have before and after photos of that event (thank goodness).

I am a Bruins fan (probably because I play floor hockey), and I do have some before and after photos of a recent event.

Here, a Bruins fan on an average Monday night, wearing her Bruins t-shirt, before a shopping trip:

But after picking up some gear from Reebok....

... I'm a VERY excited fan!!! Wearing a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and sweatpants.

Now just to get some tickets for this season.
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Before and After: The Butler's Pantry

We might only have 455 sq feet, but that includes a butler's pantry. Yes. A butler's pantry. No, we did not come up with that name on our own -- the Realtor and landlord both refer to it as such. Our apartment is part of what was once a much larger, grander apartment. The kind of apartment that would have a butler's pantry.

Anyway. This butler's pantry has wonderful built-in cupboards and shelves and glass cabinet doors. It's one of the reasons we can live in just 455 sq feet together. Storage.

However, the butler's pantry used to look cluttered, thanks to those glass-fronted cabinet doors. I had covered one of them in colorful IKEA paper, but the rest was just left open for all to gaze upon.

[Mostly] Before:

Clutter. Mess. But functional.

I took the "before" photos in the midst of the move, when the BP (as I affectionately call it) was used as the way station for all things headed towards the basement. It usually wasn't quite so messy. Ok, ok, fine, it was usually somewhat cluttered but not quite this bad. Also, the left photo has the initial panel of the "after" solution. I got so excited I put it up before taking the "before" photos.

After:

Clean. Peaceful. Butler-less.

Our initial thought was to tape in some of the wallpaper left over from the hoosier re-do, but quite frankly it was too expensive to be used in such a disposable manner. Instead, a trip to SewFisticated resulted in this perfectly matching pale blue fabric that I stapled to the inside of the doors after serging the edges to prevent fraying.

The project took about an hour (excluding the trip to the fabric store), but this is hands down my favorite change to the apartment.

What it's hiding:

Our dirty secrets. Books, sewing suppplies, T's clothes, the Kitchen Aide, etc. I feel so exposed.

Bonus Pic:

GO FOR IT! You can finish those DIY projects in no time!

I love going to a nearby church thrift store, and drag T along after our Saturday morning breakfasts at Jim's Deli. I buy medium retro dinner plates, T buys random games from the 1980s like "Go For It!" or "Museum". Think of "Go For It!" as the 19080s version of Life, where you collect Status Cards in "house n' home", "wheels", "feelin' good", and "goin' places" categories. They just discovered the power of the apostrophe back then.

Right now "Go For It" sits on his dresser top in the BP. It's just that special.
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People like my alter ego more than they like me

Emilie P: Casey i must say, i stealth read your blog now that you post links. the incorrect emails are cracking me up!!

me: hahaha thanks! those texans are CRAZY

Emilie P: seriously! i really hope someone can give you her real email address so you can contact her yourself

me: i will pray for that. it's what she would want me to do.

Sent at 5:09 PM on Thursday

Reasons to go to Galveston

There are very nice assistant museum curators there:

Her response to my email:

Erin S W to me

show details 11:53 AM (5 hours ago)

Casey,

Thanks so much…apologies for the intrusion -- this woman sounds interesting :-)

Best,

Erin

caseywilliams at gmail dot com to Erin

12:15 PM (4 hours ago)

No worries ---- your email is by far the best one I have received on her behalf!!! It makes me want to visit TX and see your museum. :-)

Casey Williams (the real one in Boston)


Oh Erin, you have no idea just how interesting my alter Christian ego is...


For past installments: The Christians in TX Love Me; Many Faith Groups Hate Love; My Alter Ego Wins a Prize!
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Before & After: Southeast Asia

American Samoa, Before:

American Samoa, after the 8.1 magnitude earthquake and tsunamis:


I donated to the Indonesian Red Cross. Other options: UNICEF in the Philippines, Oxfam Samoa, or Mercy Corps. Please give what you can.

Before photos from BruceandLetty
After photo 1 from Island Crisis.
After photo 2 from The Guardian.
After photo 3 from Spokesman-Review.