All moved in!

So we moved to our new apmt on Wall Street! :)

It has a small washer/dryer!! So far that was the easiest laundry I have done so far in NYC. It's AMAZINGLY easy to do laundry when you don't need to dedicate 2-3 hours to it, and bring your keys and soap and lug it all down to the laundry room (if you're lucky enough to have it in your building), or lug it down flights of stairs and then 2-5 blocks away (in the rain, snow, etc. having to wear your coat)...I will not miss that!!

I gave it almost no attention and it magically seemed to do itself. EXCITING!!

It has a dishwasher, but we don't use it because it uses a lot of electricity, and E likes to store the dishes in there instead of the cabinets, because space is of course hard to find here. We managed to both fit all of our clothing into one closet each, and one small dresser, which is pretty amazing.

I got rid of probably half of my clothes when I moved two months ago, and I'm glad I did!!

It has a microwave/convection oven, which I'd never seen before. But it managed to make a cake last night! (In two steps, as it only fits one cake pan at a time). It was kind of fun though because it reminded me of an easy bake oven, which I always wanted. The cake actually came out better than normal too!

It also has a gorgeous chandelier. Despite it being small, E found a great way to arrange the furniture so we're getting the most space possible. We might get some dividers so we can have alone time at times.

This is a picture from when we were moving in. Doesn't do it justice, but it's something...
The lounge has artsy furniture and the patio has gigantic gold chess pieces just sitting there. It's very Alice 'n Wonderland, which I really like! The lounge has a huge wall of white books -- not real books. Just books with white covers.

I've been taking more salsa classes to get out of the house, and that's been fun. I still have a lot to work on, but it's good exercise too.

And I've been going to more networking events for work, which seems to help to promote it. And I just got a new client, yay! It's fun to have such a diverse group of people. I also get to speak at an event for people who worked in fashion but are changing their careers in early December, which I'm really looking forward to! I love talking about personality types, and that's basically what the talk will be about. yay!

For Halloween I was a cat, and E was a ninja. It was really fun! We went to a great party, and we then went downstairs to another apmt. that had a HUGE party. The common area in this apmt was the size of a bar, and it had an actual "bar" area, so they must have parties often.

It's getting cold, and I've started wearing the warm coats!

That's all for now...

Another story

Neat

And these pens she grabs from their containers, neatly contain all of her rage. Which sits nicely and still inside her organized heart. Where she forgets, as she files away, the wounds, the blood which has dried and collected in pools, brown and aged, she cleans it up neatly, with bleach, as she has read works best.

It removes the color nicely. And she sits still. Remembering what it used to feel like, so long ago. But she can't. Her face appears very rectangular now, where as, it used to appear round. Her eyes seem square, with the little wrinkles surrounding the warm round centers, falling like draperies into an angular shape. They used to crinkle up with warmth. That was before, in a time like childhood, which blurs from memory until it's just photos in an old dusty book and nothing which can be tangibly touched.

Now the light pours in the rectangular window, as her warm eyes sit surrounded by square, white, draperies.

Don't put the sheets in that drawer, he said. For forty years. The incorrect drawer changed every Tuesday. She used to run down hills until she fell, and it didn't bother her at all. She used to stare at the sun for as long as was possible, despite all the warnings she'd heard. Just because it seemed so bright and warm, and she'd do anything to sink, to melt into that yellow cloud.

One day all the paint on the walls turned gray. She wasn't sure exactly when it happened, and she didn't notice when the color white was missing. It was gradual, like so many things. He occasionally slipped, and said something. It wasn't often. And then, it was.

There was a moment, when she'd run down that hill so far, and she slipped and exploded in laughter, and she rolled so quickly that she stood up without a scrape. And walked away. But that was a long time ago.

And she puts a pen down again. Neatly back into its container. He'll be home soon. Best make sure the sheets are in the correct drawer. And she sits back down.

Toilet paper

The roommate has a strange habit of going through an entire roll of toilet paper in about an hour. At first I thought it strange that E would hide the toilet paper rolls, but now I understand why.

I'm a girl, and I use a lot of toilet paper. But not this much. I think she is making paper mache creatures in her room or something.

She's yet to buy any toilet paper.

So after hiding a roll for a few days, I had 2/3 of a roll left. I put it back. Within two hours it was completely gone, down to the last sheet.

So I started hiding the whole roll in the cabinet.

I wasn't sure what she was doing without the use of our TP, but figured she had stored some from the previous rolls in her room (what else would cause the roll to be used so quickly?)

Then, tonight E has discovered she is keeping a damp hand towel in the sink. And it has yellow stains. Apparently, the girl has discovered a whole new way to avoid having to pay $3 for a package of TP.

Yet another way to spread the bacteria around. I was impressed with the toilet bowl scrubber being used to scrub the bathtub, but this a whole new level.

russian bath house, shooting, sushi

The weather is cooling off, and I wore a leather jacket for the first time in a while. It's been so hot and seemed like it was summer forever, which was fine. But now it's nice to have it cooling off.

I've done a few sessions in various parks with clients, which has been nice. A park in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and Bryant Park. There were some really gorgeous sunny days, and it makes me wish I could work in the park more often during the year.

Last night was really random and fun. It was nice to get out and have a girls night! I used to go out all the time, and I got tired of that. But it's still really nice to go out and enjoy the city here and there.

I met a couple of girls in the West Village for happy hour at a little crowded place, and we got a table and got some appetizers. I had corn on the cob and a blood orange Margarita. Then we walked down the street to my friend's apmt, which I hadn't seen before.

It's actually inside of an old church. You walk inside the big doors and then there is an elevator that takes you upstairs. The stained glass windows are still there, except there is a nice long hardwood floor. Huge apartment, and I guess some celebrities live there as well. We had some wine.

Then we ended up borrowing her bikinis (she had quite a few) and taking a cab to a Russian Bath House, which was completely random. There was a private party for her friend's birthday there. So we changed into the bikinis and wore this ginormous ugly plastic shoes, and then checked out the little rooms. One was all wood with benches, slightly warm, and smelled like wood. Pleasant. And then others were increasingly more hot and humid. One was the most warm -- it was like stepping into an oven, except a wet, humid oven. Our eyeballs hurt.

"Pour a bucket of water on yourself!" said some random guy. We poured buckets of cold water on each other, but still couldn't take it for long. It still felt like an interesting feeling.

They had drinks there too, and someone made us some mimosas, which I probably didn't need, but was more than happy to down!

It turned out some of my hubby's friends (I still feel weird using the "h" word) were there for the party, which was also random. So it was a fun random night.

And then today -- I'm going to call him "H" -- and I walked over to the diner for some Eggs Benedict and coffee for him, tea for me. And there were quite a few other mixed race couples, which is so normal in NYC, so I like that.

Then we read parts of papers in bed with our laptops, which we are now. Which is cosy. How in he world do you spell cosy? Oh well.

Oh and earlier in the week, H took me to happy hour at my favorite sushi place, and I had some warm sake and we shared some rolls. And then we went to a pub. We were going to find a karaoke place, because I've been practicing with Rock Band, and I may just have the guts to try to sing in public for the first time ever (still not sure, but felt gutsy with the lemonade drink I'd had). But it was closed. Then we got home, probably after midnight. And we learned the next day that there was a shooting in our building, and an early 20s drug dealer guy had been shot in the head and died that same night. It's a nice building, but its very full of people all the time, so the front desk never checked who was coming and going -- it was kinda impossible to, as the lobby felt like a shopping mall at times.

And now they're trying to be more secure. They used a little rope thing, and they say "hello" as you walk in. And when I came in late last night they started questioning me, and insisting I have my photo takes, etc. Which I was more than happy to do, but for some reason they just let me go anyway. Not sure if we're going to still stay here when the lease is up in a month.

So sad that things like that happen. He was probably just an immature kid wanting to make some money who maybe didn't realize the risk he was taking by selling drugs like that. The kids who shot him supposedly ran out and then got on the Staten Island Ferry.

I thought it would make me more upset, but after feeling sad for the guy, the first thing I thought was that being such a huge building, the odds of their being at least one drug dealer was higher.

My last apmt in the Lower East Side always smelled like a skunk late at night, so I googled it once and found out that is what pot smells like. And the apartment before in the East Village, my roommates it turned out were quite into drugs, and told me one night that their dealer wouldn't deliver to them because there was a police station too close by. But they had found someone on another floor to buy it from.

the girl takes like, 3 showers a day

I just wanted to do the laundry. But to do that would mean getting the dirty towels and bath mat out of the bathroom. Good luck.

The girl took 3 showers between 10:30 and 2pm. She's still in there.

I think there really must be something wrong with her.

Do you think it could be drugs? It's just so weird.

And here are some other odd things...(see photo above). Deodorant on the kitchen counter. High heels on the kitchen counter.

Strawberries in the fridge...This was the early stage of rotting, so I left them there for a bit longer. But after they started turning more white, I threw them out.

Now to look at some pretty things...


my engagement ring.

and with its new friend, wedding ring.

and my bday gift, Louis. :)

He's suppose to "patina" and turn that brown color over time. I'm not sure how long it'll take, but he's already a bit darker than when I got him 2 weeks ago.

Okay, I think she's finally outa there! :)

Another little story...

The little bird

And into his hand he took the bird, its white feathers soft. Stroking the form and sweet shape of the little animal, admiring the way nature so carefully places forms together, with feathers in their correct patterns and shapes. So carefully crafted by a higher power. And his eyes lit up with the same energy of life, the feeling in God's heart that created this little creature, became the feeling in his own heart. And as the bird fluttered and scurried and tried to hide -- that natural fear of being trapped -- that fire in its little heart burning and telling his little legs to run and wings to fly, that fear in the bird, became excitement in his own heart. And he sat calmly, soaking it up. And he watched the creature closely, as the natural burning of fear grew, and intensified, and he squeezed tighter, like a child trying to pull out the last bit of chocolate from a melted silver wrapper. And he calmly watched in wonder, this energy, until, that energy faded completed. A fire burnt out. And the bird relaxed back into the place from which he came -- the ultimate place from which he came -- not the sky, because the sky is not a place he would see again.

He stepped back, surprised at the sudden stillness. And his focused eyes looked to the side with his eyebrows down -- why had it stopped? Where had that brilliant energy gone? It was just here a second ago. And he became angry. Where was that beautiful energy? That pure white light with the perfectly positioned feathers, all arranged in the way God had chosen? Where was that magnificent fire in the little bird's heart?

Without realizing it, he was stepping back, away. He continued to notice his feet retreating, until there was a hand on his shoulder. Without turning, he knew the warm touch. He knew he didn't need to explain, and she would know.

"It's gone darling," said the voice.

"But why? I want it back!" he said, the anger brewing in his voice.

"Somethings cannot be brought back, once we have killed them."

And his eyes remained on the little white form in front of him. The shiny eyes reflected the scene, but they did not understand it.

"Cause and effect."

But no words would get through. It was like a snapshot taken, without the little words written underneath to provide a concise explanation. And he continued to stare at the little white form, that was now no different than the ground beneath it. Still, quiet, dull. And he wished for the bird to come back.

"But I'd like it back! I'd like to see its little eyes again!"

"It will not come back. It is gone," said the calm soothing voice, as the purple and pinks mixed in the evening sky, and the sun was gone. They were silhouettes now, soon to become invisible against the black of the night sky.

Some more tips on moving to NYC...

I got some questions recently. Here are answers!

1) How much money should you have saved before moving?
Obviously, the more the better! I didn't do things the typical way though, and I hadn't saved up much. I would say to bring at least $4000. Most apartments are at least $1500/month in the city -- and that is sharing with one or more people (so you'd have your own bedroom and share the kitchen, bathroom, and any common areas if you're lucky to have that much space.

If you want a studio or one bedroom the rent is crazy expensive. Often at least $2000 or $3000 a month. Plus utilities, cable, internet, etc.

They often require a first month's rent and deposit = $3000. Some require a last month's rent as well. $1450 total just to move in! And of course it's an expensive place, so if you want to buy some food, extra cash may be a good idea.

However, if you can quickly make more money -- for instance, if you already have a job here, or can get one quickly such as a waitress job, etc., then it might not be as important to have $10,000 saved. Many people scrape by on less here.

Another option is to live far from the city and commute in (up to an hour is doable if you're young), and you might be able to pay only $700 in rent. Take into account safety, however. Will you want to ride the subway late night on weekends if you go out? Still, splurging on cabs on the weekends might be worth it to save overall -- a few $30-$40 cab rides home is still less than paying $1500 a month.

If you want to commute, consider Jersey City, Hoboken, NJ, safe parts of Brooklyn and Queens.

Or maybe you have a friend or relative in the area you can stay with? Most people, unlike me, do know a person or two before they move. If they are busy at work, you can offer to do housework or even cook or do laundry to make it easier on them to have you stay. But look for work quickly, as these apartments are small and you don't want to annoy your friends and family!

Another option is to bring the minimum in cash, and be okay with getting into some debt for the short term. Do this only if you're really chasing a dream that you think you can make happen. You want to balance avoiding debt with not forgetting to live your life and go after your dreams -- remember that time is more valuable than money. You can always make more money or pay off a small amount of debt. You can't get the years back you may waste. That said, don't dig a hole too big than you can handle. Debt is stressful. Think of the amount of money you'll expect to be making in a year when you are settled with steady work, and don't spend more than you think you can handle at that point.

Of course, you can also try to secure a great job before moving, to ensure money won't be a problem. Many jobs pay much better here than in other parts of the country, because the cost of living is so high. So you might check out some online job boards like monster, or ask around your network to see if you can't find a great job in your field. For instance, you can sometimes make $100,000 in NYC as a writer, where as in Arizona you'd only make $40,000 or $50,000.

There are many dreams in NYC that are time sensitive. Modeling, acting, arts, business, and anything you feel a burning passion to do NOW. Will that burning passion still be there in 10 years after you have 2 years of rent all saved up? Maybe. Maybe not. Only you know the amount of risk you are comfortable with. That includes the risk of not moving, the risk of delaying your dream, and the risk of long-term debt -- all would be stressful. Which would be most stressful to you?

So in conclusion, bring as much cash as possible. Look for cheap apartments farther from the city. Ask friends or family to stay with them if possible. Look for well paying jobs. Allow yourself to get into debt if necessary. But most importantly, find a way to chase your dream. Don't let it die!

I can never think of titles...

Today I again had to brush my teeth elsewhere, but just used the kitchen sink. I usually am good at avoiding her, as I wait for her to be in one room before I sneak out to another room really quick and then come back. That way I avoid hearing about all of her drama. It's a skill I learned w/ all of my past roommates. I once avoided a roommate (who was crazy) for about a week, even though I worked from home and she was laid off and on the couch all day. But then she started emailing me.

Then I remembered that this building has awesome amenities. So I went downstairs to the gym and used the bathroom in there, and then brought my laptop to the "club" part which is this really cute room decorated sort of like a lounge. And there are outlets and wireless! Wow I could get spoiled here.

In past roommate situations in the East Village, there were of course no extra bathrooms or amenities. Most apartments in NYC don't have laundry inside, don't have gyms, or lounges, or a place to keep packages that are delivered for you (you get "we missed you" slips and have to walk all the way to the post office to get your stuff). But this place has a nice big front desk that keeps track of everyone's packages. And it's of course safer to have some people down there, and nice if you lock yourself out. I've never locked myself out in 3 years, because I couldn't - I would have no way to get in for about a week or more (the girl I subletted from was flaky and didn't even live in the city).

So I guess that makes up for the crazy roommate, and we only have about a month left here anyway.

Edit: I just don't get it. She spends at least 2 hours in the morning getting ready, and then is in there throughout the day. Times like this make me miss my old place, where when I had to pee, I just could. I'm not even sure what she does in there. I've never known anyone who takes that long to do their make-up and hair.

the roommate

Before I get to the main story, let me just say....she scrubbed the bathtub with the toilet bowl scrubber. Let's just stop there for a pause. Soaked in that idea yet? Ya. All of that disgusting bacteria has now been spread all over the shower and bathtub.

We're living w/ my um, husband's roommate, wow it's weird to use that word! Ok, so my husband's roommate is still living w/ us for a couple months. She is going through a lot of drama and likes to corner me to tell me about it. I dislike this. I'm sympathetic and just can't ignore her and walk away like he can.

I try to sneak away, but can't because she corners me when I'm doing something like washing dishes or chopping something for a salad, and there is no escape.

Today she was in the bathroom for a total of probably 2.5 hours, but it was really the first hour that was a block of time. I would have liked to put in my contacts or brush my teeth.

I also didn't want to delay starting my whole day, and I also didn't want to knock on the door and open myself up to another hour story of the strange things happening in her life (and this is not someone I know by the way...I didn't even know her name for a while, but she's one of those people who tell her life story to someone on the bus).

So, out of fear of having an hour wasted hearing more stories with no where to escape, I actually brushed my teeth and put in contacts in my bedroom.

I was pretty amazed that it worked okay. I had some travel toothpaste/toothbrush in my room and just used a water bottle and some tissues and threw it all away. And as for the contacts, I had to open a new set of them, since my contacts were in the bathroom. Of course, I had to make sure my hands were clean so I used that hand sanitizer spray and then some wet wipes to make sure I wasn't putting alcohol into my eye!

I could have used the kitchen sink of course, but I was afraid she'd happen to come out right as I as brushing my teeth. And then there would be a conversation about why I was brushing my teeth in the kitchen, and that of course I can just knock on the door, and then, again, I would get an even longer story about her life.

sigh.

random writing stuff

It's a star hanging in the sky waiting for me to grab it and pluck it out of the dark, black night of potential, and pull it in close to my heart to watch the glow reflect in my eyes.

Virgin America Airlines Sucks!

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/worst-airlines-extra-fees-saving-money-flying-discount/story?id=10543922
"Last year, U.S. airlines took in more than $7.8 billion in fees from passengers, according to the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. And those fees are rising quickly. In the last three months of 2009, the airlines charged passengers $1.9 billion in extra fees, up a whopping 18.3 percent from the same period the prior year."

I was initially thrilled w/ this new airline, that promised to be different. They have purple lights on the ceiling and music that plays as you enter. I thought WOW, maybe this airline is different and not just after $$$$ like the other airlines.

Their was a song playing on the Virgin music station that had the lyrics "What will you fight for? What will you die for?" And I thought, wow. Maybe the people behind this give a damn. Maybe this is not about taking as much money from people as possible. Maybe this is different.

On the way to elope in Vegas, they didn't let us hang my finace's suit (in a thin small bag), in the front part. But okay, we understand. Maybe there wasn't room, etc. We stored it in the top of his carry on.

On the way back, they didn't even let him take his suit onto the plane! So here we are giddy and just-married, still looking at our shiny new rings, and met with rude, used car salesman attitude at the entry to the plane.

They insisted we pay $25 to check his thin little suit bag.

I told them that wasn't in our best interest, though it clearly was in their's. And this little rude college-aged people were snotty and horrible.

We ended up stuffing his wonderful expensive suit into our (already small to meet the stupid airlines tiny size requirement) carry on. Yes, we had to stuff it in there and get so many wrinkles we'll probably have to have it professionally fixed.

Thanks a lot. Money-hungry airlines.

You know, greed is greed. It doesn't matter the context. And when you put greed out there, that's what you get back. Eventually, airlines like this are going out of business the minute there is any sort of alternative.

People feel they are being sucked dry by airlines these days, and they are. Just like they are by the scams all over the place. Enron and beyond. It's a trend of being horrible to others, and it's never going to benefit anyone.

It's especially disappointing because I've always been a huge fan of Richard Branson. I actually recommend that my clients read his book. He seemed to stand out as someone who strived for more than just money -- though money is important. He seemed to be striving for change for the better, and things that benefit people. That is a good-hearted mission that is more than being a business shark.

And this sort of policy is no better than the other sharks out there, practically stealing from people. Because when you ruin someone's day to make $25, that's what you are.

I was going to write about how cool the little touch screen was, that is similar to Jet Blue, but with a removeable remote control. But no. This is the feeling I'm left with. Greed. Selfishness. And any idealism I had about Richard Branson making something better, something different, something bigger than the other examples of business lies and greed that are so common today, they disappeared when I realized it's exactly the same.

Airlines are also charging people to take their dogs onto the plane and keep them by their feet. What are they charging for? There is no benefit to the person flying, and certainly no benefit to ALL of the other passengers who have to listen to barking and whimpering and possible smells during the flight. And is there even a check of whether people on board have serious allergies to pets? Nope.

They only care about making that extra buck. At your expense.

Let's hope this business greed trend is on the way out. Let's hope people begin to treat others in more of a good, giving way -- because that is what comes back to you.

When you are greedy, people naturally hold their purse strings tighter. They don't trust you. They take a step away from you when you enter a room. And that cycle increases, to the point no one wants to give you a damn thing. And what did you expect?

To get, you have to give, from a good place. And those are the people you open your purse to, because you want to. They are the people you rush to in a room, and that cycle increases, to the point you love to give. That's what we should all expect. From people and from business, because business is nothing more than groups of people.

Engagement

Here is the story of our engagement. Please excuse the many typos, as I wrote it late at night, after a shot of tequila, a few hours before having to wake up for a flight.

Wed august 18th, 2010

I had spent the whole day packing, as I was moving in with Eric at the end of the month, and leaving for AZ the next morning to have Eric meet my parents.

I was stressed trying to get everything into boxes, but wanted to do that before the trip so I wouldn't be worried about it.

The night before, Eric had offered to bring me groceries because I wasn't feeling well -- it was perfect because he'd been so busy I didn't want to bother him, but I also didn't feel well enough to walk to the grocery store. I asked him to get me some fruit and yogurts and soup, etc. He took his scooter there and brought me a bag of things, which was super nice of him, and carried out a few bags of trash from packing on the way out.

The next evening, i was busy packing -- I'd gotten my hair cut that morning, and had it blow dried, and hoped to keep it straight for AZ the next morning. I was super focused on packing. So when Eric texted "want to do dinner?" around 3pm, I was rather surprised. It seemed out of character for him, since we were going to see eachother the next morning for the flight, and I'd just seen him the night before. I wondered if maybe this was the engagment, but figured, nah, he's probably just going the be in the neighborhood or something.

Just in case, I polished my nails and wore a cute outfit, and I was happy my hair was perfectly straight from the salon. After packing for a few hours, the polish chipped, and I actually unpacked my nailpolish a second time, just to make sure it was perfect.

I finished packing just before he arrived at 7:30. He again carried many bags of trash downstairs for me.

I casually said "so where do you want to eat?" Assuming we'd go to the thai place across the street, or maybe the byob thai place a few blocks away. He said "I actually got a reservation at battery park."

That sort of shocked me, as Eric is not a foodie, and we'd never gone to battery park before for dinner. I wondered "is this going to be the engagment?!!" I felt excited, but decided "wait, I really don't know why we're going" so I decided to hold out on making a conclusion until I saw what happened.

So then we walked outside, me carrying Eric's helmet, as he was carrying the trash. And we walked down to his vespa on the end of the block. As we were putting on our helmets, the sunset to the west behind eric and the sky was hot pink. I mentioned it, as I had never before seen a sunset in NYC in 3 years! And it was hot pink. It matched Eric's pink polo shirt.

So after i was on the scooter, I started to get really excited and smiley (inside my helmet). was this the time? Were we going to get engaged?

But then I started thinking. He'd need to have gotten a ring already, and it'd only been a couple days since he'd started seriously looking (though he'd learned all the info prior to this). I figured it'd take at least 2-3 weeks to seriously shop , order something, have it come in, etc. Which would leave about a week before we eloped, which was fine.

I'd told my mom in Arizona that i was sad she wouldn't get it see it, but that I could send pictures -- we were going to Arizona the next morning.

I was also thinking, despite it being odd that Eric would randomly take me to a 5 star restauraunt in Battery Park on a Wendsday night before an early flight -- so maybe it was the engagement? But then again, where would the ring be? He had nothing on him. He didn't bring his usual duffle bag. There was no way it could fit in his pocket, unless he'd taken it out and put it in a ziplock bag, and I'd doubt he'd have done that. Or maybe the ring was in the storage compartment under the scooter's seat? If so, how would he get it out without me seeing? Nah, it wasn't likely that the engagement would happen tonight.

Though I did have a feeling.

We parked the vespa, and were asked to move it one space over, as there was a security detail -- and there were two black mercedes in a row, so we moved it. Important people at this restaurant clearly! I joked that the detail was for us!!

We found the restaurant, which was gorgeous. The middle portion of the building was cut out, so it was an "L"shape to reveal the view of the statute of liberty.

We walked in, and they took us to a great table. It was a crowded, happening place, with outdoor seating. The weather, in the summer -- one of the hottest summers ever -- was surprisngly perfect. Like 70 degrees, not humid. Bizarrely perfect in fact. I'm not sure the weather had ever been so nice.

We got the best table, closest to the water, and quieter since we only had busy customers behind us, and a view of the statue of liberty in front of us, with the water, and a view of all the buildings.

We were both a bit quiet, I think because I wasn't sure what was going on. But then I talked normally. Eric said he was celebrating me finishing a month-long of packing every day with a nice meal before our AZ trip. Then I felt relaxed and was surpised he was celebrating that, and figured "ok, well this isn't the engagment, but wow, this is a nice meal -- this is no nice of him! Is Eric becoming a foodie? This is so out of character for him, but maybe he's really wanting to go to nicer restaurants all of a sudden? hmm..."

I ordered a rose wine and the farfale, a bowtie pasta with a red sauce, chicken and broccoli, and Eric had a bologna sauce with noodles and meat with a chianti.

We enjoyed our food. And then at some out of the blue moment, I said somethinga bout how this was a nice surprise. Eric said "ready for another surprise?"

And he took a little velvety black box out of his pocket and put in on the table in front of me.

"Open it," he said......
















Shocked, I opened it, and revealed a gorgeous, gleaming giant solitare ring. It hadn't quite sunk in yet. On the scooter, I said to myself "Wow if he prosposes, I think I'm going to scream!!" But in real life, I was sort of stunned.

I sat there for a moment looking at the gorgeous ring and then looked at him and said "Is there something you want to ask me?"

And he said my name, and "Will you marry me?" And I said "Of course!!" and hugged him.

The tables behind us gasped and I heard people say "oh my god!" I mean really, who witnesses something like that?



I was then in a blur of bliss and basically starred at the ring and Eric alternately with a gigantic smile on my face. I couldn't figure out how he'd gotten a ring so quickly, that was so perfect and so much more goregeous than the one I'd seen at Tiffany's that I'd wanted to take home! And that one was yellow.

"This is colorless," he said.

A waiter was about to refill the water glass, and then saw the ring and black box and my smile and then said some shocked expression and jumped backwards, and then slowly backed away, not sure what to do.

The waiter came back with two glasses of champagne for us. We ordered a lava cake for dessert. We had decided on the chocoloate covered strawberries, but when Eric was in the bathroom, I was so overwhelmed that I actually said the wrong thing when the waiter came back. But it was delicious!

I showed the waiter the ring and he said it was gorgeous. He asked if it was a surprise and I said it was, and that we were eloping in a month, but that I assumed it would take longer to get the ring and was shocked he got it so soon. I was surprised how much info I told to this total stranger! I was excited.

I then realized I could show the ring to my mom, which I'd really wanted to do, and Eric had worked really hard all week rushing around to get the ring just in time for our AZ flight. He'd just picked it up hours before, and he had a job interview after work, and had to rush home and change into a suit, go to the interview, change again, pick me up on the scooter!

It was such a gorgeous ring I couldn't believe it! I was so excited to have such a great relationship with Eric, and also have a great ring -- having both seems impossible, and I said I was having my cake and eating it too.

So then we had champage, this gorgeous ring, the view of the statue of libery, and waitstaff who were now mostly afraid of us and not sure if they should re-fill our water glasses, which really made me laugh.

I made Eric take a bunch of pictures on his iphone and I took some on my blackberry. I really wanted to tell everyone, but I also wanted the ring to be a surprise the next morning when my parents saw it at the airport! And I didn't want to be overwhelmed by responses form friends and family just yet.

Then the waiter brought us each a glass of champagne!

By now most of the crowd had left as it was around 10:30, and it was perfect because I could just sink into the moment and not feel rushed at all, as they let us linger. Then we walked down by the water.

Eric picked the ideal engagment. I'd never pictured exactly what I wanted, but I knew I didn't want a huge embarassing thing with a banner and strangers or scuba diving or antyhing like that! And this was just so amazingly classy, with the 5 star restaurant and the water, and statue of liberty, and NYC. I was really happy to get engaged with those NYC lights in the background (okay so they are NJ lights from the NYC side, but same thing :)

It was so perfect and I realized Eric knew my tastes even better than I knew my own.

So then we left as we had to get up at 3:30am to catch our flight! We hopped back on the vespa, and as we were leaving someone yelled "yo baby, your bride is.." and then the sound blurred as we drove away.

At the stoplight Eric opened his helmet's mask and asked if I'd heard that. I'm guessing he said "is hot" or something to that effect hopefully? :) It was probably our waiter or maybe someone in the crowd who'd witnessed it and/or had a lot to drink. But it made it festive.

And strangely enough, I'd worn a white shirt that night! and had randomly had my hair done, which only happens rarely.

Then he took me back to my apmt. I asked him to come in with me into Salt Bar real quick so I could get a shot, as there was no way I could sleep being this excited! I had a tequila shot, and him nothing as he was driving the scooter home.

He then texted that he'd run out of gas, but I could see that with the crazy week he'd had! Luckily he was able to walk to a gas station not overly far away and get home okay with a few hours sleep.

I then went home and couldn't stop looking at the beautiful ring! And feeling so completely excited.



I had been somewhat scared to get married, as it is such a huge commitment, but it just felt so right with eric. What a wonderful engagement!

Going to Arizona (shhh! I have a secret). :D

I'm going to save this post and publish it after my bf (or I guess I should say fiance), elope. That picture up there is my dress, just some photo I found online. It's been basically a secret and so I haven't really blogged or talked about it, as the point of eloping is not to tell everyone and have four engagement parties before hand.

So I'm writing this about two weeks before we leave for Vegas!

So, E got me a gorgeous engagement ring, and fast, because I mentioned it'd be nice to have in AZ so my mom could see it -- but I didn't think he'd be able to get it in time. It was just wishful thinking. Wishful thinking that came true after he rushed around to get the ring the evening before we left for AZ.


My family loved it. I didn't tell them, and instead at the airport, when my parents greeted us with flowers, a cowboy hat for E, and cold water, I stuck my hand out (as I couldn't seem to wait until we got to the lunch place). They were shocked I think but we all loved the ring. A platinum round solitaire! Beautiful.

My parents were very welcoming of E, and got to know him well in the days we were there. We ate mexican food, went hiking, played wii games, walked the dog, my dad did some judo with E, which they both seemed to enjoy as they are both sports people. Prior to going down to Tucson, we stayed in Scottsdale for a couple nights to show E the sort of nightlife I'd been used to before NYC. We stayed at a nice hotel and went to The Theodore one night for dinner, which used to be The Mondrian, and before that, The James Hotel. It was still gorgeous, but empty.

I joked that it looked like he'd rented the place out. We had some gin martinis and talk about our future plans, which was so amazing.

I love the Arizona sky. It's always blue. And the space and freedom to walk or drive however strangely you feel like it is nice for a short time. To be able to not have to think about sidewalk space or storage space and instead just spread out however you feel like.

My dad made a very nice family meal and we had my aunt and uncle over. It was nice to have them get to know E also and to show them the ring. He made a spinach pie and wrote our names on it in pie dough, and he also put two roses in a vase.


E asked for my parents blessing our last night there. He said some very nice things and apparently did a great job.



So now we're going to be eloping in vegas, in a gondola in the Venetian. We have this amazing suite and the gondola does a ceremony just for us and then they sing to us on the way back. I can't wait! I got a short white dress, some David's Bridal jewelry, and I need to buy some shoes and maybe a little purse. I'm also going to wear a "cage veil" which is made of this russian "lace" stuff. At first I though it was ugly, but now I like it. It's small and so appropriate for a Vegas wedding. It's weird to not tell anyone, but once we tell some, we really have to formally announce it, and we're eloping as neither of us like to be too formal about things.



My dress is pretty casual, but I like it. My mom bought it for me in Tucson. We went shopping after she saw my ring and insisted on buying it, which was very nice of her.

Today E and I went to the diamond district to look at wedding bands. He got a nice milgrain style, very classy. And I got a very thin diamond band. I really like them both. This guy at the store kept talking to E in chinese and ignoring me completely, as if we were in some sort of 1800s world where women are there to be ignored. It was bizarre and pissed me off. I guess I've been lucky to live in a country where women are treated like people. It isn't that way everywhere, but it should be. Women, men, and all races should be treated equally -- as HUMANS. None should be treated better than the other based on outward appearance alone. There is something about just respecting people as humans, and that should come first, and it should remain that way until someone proves to you they are not a good person, or are a jackass. It made me furious not just for me, but for the women who have been raised to think they don't deserve better. I hope I'm eventually in a position to do something about this.

But back to the rings. Yes they're great, and I'll be excited to put them onto our hangs on the gondola. It'll be nice to announce everything, perhaps on facebook? We will see. I just hope people know that we haven't told anyone except for parents and immediate family, so I hope no one is offended we didn't tell, because we really didn't tell anyone.

It'll be nice to be married. And now to try to find white flower hair clips that attach to this cage veil thing that I got so it looks nice :). And shoes, and a purse..........and I can't wait to wear the wedding ring also!!

<3 <3 <3

(update on 9/7/10)

So we leave in 4 days! We're actually flying out of NYC on September 11th, lucky day right? But hopefully the crowds won't be as crazy :). We actually met on September 11th one year ago -- completely random. But we went to a bar during happy hour and it was full of NYC firefighters, so was a memorable day.

We'll also be getting married on Sept. 13th, which is also an unlucky number. Just worked out that way and is kinda funny.

My fiance (I feel really pretentious saying that by the way, but I only have a few days left to get used to and then stop using that term), has been personal training me in the gym at our apmt. It works out great because I of course would like to lose a couple pounds before our wedding.

I think I see results already, mostly from the weights. It really is amazing how quickly you can feel and see the results, and it really is helpful to have someone who can show you exactly what to do so you don't hurt yourself.

Of course, what better motivation that to have some photos taken in a few days of our elopement!! :) I mean, talk about motivation.

It should be a very nice trip, and I'm looking forward to it!

Lower East Side

So I'm moving in with my boyfriend in a couple of days. It's exciting! We have a great room now full of incredibly cute, classy Ikea furniture that matches with cute fuzzy rugs. And scary. I've lived alone since December of 2002, minus a few months with horrible roommates from craigslist. That's almost 8 years of living alone.

It's strange to think my bf won't be calling me on the phone to talk about our days. We probably won't talk on the phone very much now. I was single for so many years that sometimes it's even weird to think I even have a bf. I used to feel almost jealous of people who had things easier, with someone who cared, or could help them out. It's true. It is so much nicer to have someone you're a good match with.

Living together will also mean I won't have to kill bugs! Thank god.

It's taken most of the last few weeks to just get rid of things -- over 14 garbage bags of trash (or was it 16?) and giveaways. And of course to organize, which is something I hate to do. After streamlining my possessions, I'm still wondering if I should get rid of more. The old thing of "If I buy one new thing I have to throw out another," isn't entirely true, but there is some truth to it.

It'll be strange to be in a new neighborhood, because I've been in the same little area for the last 3 years -- from 8th street and Ave. B, to Houston and Ave. B. Now I'm going about 4 subway stops south to the Financial District. Not far at all, but a world away in terms of most things.

It's funny how a lot of NYers get stuck in one little area and don't want to move. It's pretty common to hear of people who have moved several times, often across the street, or two blocks away, or into a slightly cheaper apmt. across the hall. I guess we're all creatures of habit.

There are of course pros and cons to every neighborhood. I love the Lower East Side because it's artsy, young, energetic, slightly grungy (but in the same way the Urban Outfitters is -- in that it isn't really grungy at all, but just tries to look that way -- actually, maybe I don't like that aspect of it). You've got a fair number of artists (or want-to-be ones), and rockstars (or want-to-be-ones), or models (or, well, you get the point).

For the most part, everything is pretty, as much as the people try to look hipster or grow beards, etc. It has little shops and cafes and bars. Tons and tons of bars on every block. I'm not even sure how many places serve alcohol on my block but it's at least 3 or 4. There is something to be said for being able to walk to several fun, cute little bars.

A big advantage is you can actually wear heels, because there are enough places within a few blocks to not kill your feet. I almost never wear heels, so this is a selling point to me, because I hate to get a cab and spend $20 just because I have impractical shoes on.

Some of the people here are pretentious. They wear their Urban Outfitters skinny jeans and plaid shirts and flat short boots with pride as they walk their expensive dog. They stand in the middle of the sidewalk, not because they aren't aware of how to be polite, but because smoking their cigarette and carrying their guitar are more important than you having a place to walk. That sort of shallow fake artist thing gets annoying.

But the bars are fun. Lots and lots of them with happy hour specials, and that stay open late, and new bars and old ones, and expensive ones and cheap. 10 cent wings, coffee shops full of mac silver laptops, fashionable people, models. Ambiance, or not. Bring your own beer, or be served overpriced tiny drinks in teacups. All within a few blocks.

It's a young and energetic place where no one will look at you like you're suppose to be 40 and overweight in order to get respect. One thing I love about NYC is the young are treated as well as anyone, because it's a city completely full of young people, unlike slower towns where if your hair isn't graying forget about your opinion. Where until you look like you're 49, you might as well keep your mouth shut and forget about a promotion.

There is potential here. And freedom.

My actual apartment is small, though not the tiniest. I say that from the perspective of someone who lives in the LES, not someone who doesn't. Yes, it's one room. About the size of a bedroom, with a tiny easy-bake-oven sized place to pretend to "cook," a small but definitely just fine bathroom, a tiny counter, and a "table" I made from three pieces of shelf wood nailed together. I loved the shiny wood floor and the big windows and the potential of making my dreams grow just a big bigger from the ideas I'd think of at the desk looking out the window.

It's been hard to deal with moving, because finding this apartment was the only calm in a long list of storms, and the wooden floor seemed to be the only steady ground for quite a while. But now I have to trust that the ground will stay steady. No matter what the floor is made of. It's interesting no matter how nice the future gleams it doesn't make it any easier to let go of the old.

I remember in Arizona, right before I left, touching the fuzzy side of my car's door as I stopped at a stop light. The sun coming in the windows and the feeling that I wouldn't be touching that fuzzy door again for a long time, if ever.

The financial district has better customer service, usually, because it's mostly Starbucks and not little indy coffee places that could care less. There are more stores you need that sell things like pots and pans and less stores you don't need that sell liquor. It's a nice area also because the subways meet together downtown, meaning you can easily get to the east or west sides.

As I've put things in boxes, taken my paintings off the walls, my apartment has started to look like a boring little box. With yellowed paint and cracks in the walls and dirty windows that I'm not sure I'd ever figure out how to clean.

I guess most of life is blank little boxes that you have to bring your own meaning to. And you can't get too tied up in what one thing means to you, or you won't be able to experiences the next thing, and the thing after that. Though it's hard when we tie ourselves to things, and then have to untie them and let them go.

So I'm in this same little coffee shop, the one I like with great coffee and good service. And I guess I might miss it, but I probably won't. Sort of like how when you get rid of a shirt you thought you couldn't live without and in a few days you can't even remember what you gave away.

But after the sad part is done, I know it'll be just like moving to NYC was, in that all the new things that rush in will be better than hanging onto the fuzzy fabric on the side of the door of an old car, or the shiny wood floor that gave me a solid place to stand. Silly to hold on too tight to the things you need to let go of.

And now I'm looking forward to good things to come.

I still hate Time Warner, 3 years later

So, three years later, Time Warner is still horrible in NYC.

I had to wait on the phone for 25 minutes just to get through to someone. That is WAY too long. Their online system doesn't let you cancel your account -- they let you schedule most other things, but I guess they hope to convince you to stay by making you call.

Trust me, after that many minutes listening to horrible "classical" musac, if you were at all on the border line between choosing to cancel or not, you'd definitely cancel for sure.

I told them I wanted to cancel my service on the 31st of August. However, the soonest they could have someone pick up my modem was in mid September. Did they care that I'll no longer be at this address to pick it up? No. Did they allow me to have it picked up from my new address? No. So I have to go to midtown and wait in a line -- a line that last time I was there took about, I dunno, two hours.

Thanks a lot Time Warner.

But I got an ad for a new alternative to the TW monopoly here, and I hope they do a great job and completely put TW out of business.

Duane Reade and Time Warner are two of NYC's worst companies EVER.

The journal I had my first month in NYC

So it's coming up on my 3-year NYC anniversary. About 3 months away.

I was organizing stuff -- amazing to think I moved here with only 1 carry-on, a laptop bag/purse, and one pair of shoes!

Now I've gathered seven bags of trash -- mostly broken or old or otherwise expired things...amazing how it accumulates. I'm also creating a mountain of give-aways. Things I haven't used in who knows how long, but of course how terrible it would be to give away that shirt I never wear, just in case things should change, and maybe that would become my favorite shirt!?

Anyway, while going through piles and piles of stuff -- and I've yet to even discover what is under my bed, but I know it's enough to stuff to fill the entire space under the full sized bed -- I found a little journal.

I remember buying it when I first moved here and had three horrid weeks to waste in a hostel, while waiting for my apartment. I didn't know anyone, except for a girl I didn't want to be friends w/ anymore, and an uncle I'd met a handful of times. So I was pretty much on my own, and I had a horrible cold with a hacking cough and I'd pulled a ligament in my knee, so it hurt to walk (especially stairs). And I was living in a hostel with up to 10 people per room, often mostly college-aged guys from various countries who didn't speak English and took off their pants and walked around in their underwear most of the time.

Anyway, so I remember wasting time in Central Park, despite it being November, because you could usually find a bench to sit on in there, unlike most of the Starbucks where it was impossible to find a place to sit. It was cold though.

And then I found this gigantic bookstore on the Upper West Side, by Julliard. I think it was a B&N, but I forget. And so I got these little journals so I could sit in there and waste warm hours (as many as I could), before having to return to the horrible little hostel at night, when it got late enough didn't feel safe wondering the streets.

I was still in culture shock, but overwhelmed in a very good way. I thought I'd write out a few of the little things I wrote in it.

"And suddenly the edges of the world came together, like a mother folding a laundry sheet from edge to edge, with sunlight on her hands and the fabric. China, America, France, Europe, South Africa -- all sitting in one room."

(I was pretty shocked to see just what seemed to be representatives from just about the whole world sitting in that book store cafe).

"Like potential invading the horizon, eyes see me faster, I walk slower. Never going home again, and I'm glad to float in this in-between space between words, pause between breaths -- I'll live here in this space. Never going home because here, where I am, is where it is. It found me, whatever this is. And "before" is dead. And now, ripe like an orange, I bite."

"The dogs all wear jackets here, because they have to. It's cold here."

"I didn't mean to look that blond girl in the eye but her coat was so very purple, like eggplant. I haven't had eggplant in a while. I've seen several people cry here because there is no where to cry in private. With no highways, no cars, no monotony of a dotted white line to bring out the sadness and let it flow all the way home. Usually, I'm not sure where to go. So I just guess. There goes the dog again, with the magenta hoodie. Everyone here speaks other languages. I can't tell them apart yet. They all sound like gibberish. I've never been good with languages. I'm excited for what I'm about to experience soon, except for the hostel. I don't really want that."

"I'm quite content squished in among other humans all with arms and legs and hopes and nothing much more."

"I don't want to leave this Starbucks. I don't want the sun to fall so soon because then I'll be wandering the streets again hiding in book stores and coffee shops walking fast and pretending to have somewhere to go."

"But this, in my most fearful time, is me at my best. The closest to who I actually am."

"I will risk everything for this -- my happiness and the happiness of others is the only thing in the world that matters to me."

"I don't want to be a cog in a wheel, like the cold, cold people here. They seem bored and cut off from everything that matters and that is not what I want. Somehow in the biggest city in the world they are so small with their narrow eyes focused on the few inches of cement on which they walk, and the sky and buildings and architecture and kindess ellude them."

"I lost the headband mom gave me. The maroon one I loved. It fell right off my head when I was walking in the cold with rain drizzling. I noticed in a store reflection that it had fallen off and was probably on the wet pavement blocks behind me, but I wouldn't let myself look back. It was gone like Arizona, and I had to keep walking."

"It's nice here because no one looks over. No one notices -- or at least, they pretend not to and they do a very good job of that."

"My purse smells like garlic because, silly me, carried garlic bread in there."

"I fear I may have picked something up in the hostel. Seven days of non-stop accents of every kind. Sometimes after talking to the British people I noticed the thoughts in my head sounded British, but the English accent wasn't very good, kind of like Bridget Jones."

"I miss that headband that fell on the street.I miss my mom. I miss my dad and the biscotti that he used to make. It's strange to feel that this is so right , but at the same time have no clue why I'm here. I miss my friends and I've only been here for two weeks. They say you can't be happy looking back or looking forward, and I think that is true."

"My goal is not to look terrified, and also to not "be" terrified. Both are important."

"The waiter asks if I'm alone, and I say yes. He asks 'is everything okay' and he means the food, I think. I wonder where everyone is buying their skinny jeans because they're all boot cut in the stores."

"I woke up and the Swedish girl said 'Jew-lay, I don't think I can go to the parade. I'm too tired,' followed by the British boy on the top bunk saying 'Jew-lay, have fun at the parade.' It was so strange to wake up and have five strangers in the room, all talking to me in the darkness in heavy accents."

Cute

There was this cute little girl in the coffee place with her nanny, but the girl seemed unusually unpretentious. You know, normally you see little toddlers in their strollers demanding desserts as the nannies anxiously call parents to make sure it's ok that she has four cupcakes, as she then demands she wants a dog, and so on...

Anyway, it was cute because the little girl knew the names of the guys who work here and on the way out said bye to them all, and I had Sesame Street flashbacks, because on that show the little kids knew all the people in the neighborhood and they were all friendly. I suddenly felt like a muppet for a second, which is a much better feeling than shootings on this street.

Why does cleaning take so long? I'll never understand it. And the minute you dust something, it is dusty again. Just seems like such a waste of time.

Another blog I started

silly, very silly.

Feel free to contribute your mundane or unfortunate food stories and photos.

http://www.unfortunatefood.blogspot.com/

Lost in translation

Why use a mirror, when you can just walk outside and see if homeless and/or sketchy people talk to you? Sure, you could ask your friends if your outfit looks ok, or you could just go out onto the sidewalk or subway and see if any drunken homeless people comment (or not). If not, maybe you should really try a different belt, or maybe those earrings aren't working for you?

Comment Ghetto guy says "heyyyy"
Translates to That's a really nice color on you. Berry colors are really "in."

Comment Homeless guy says "wow oh my god!"
Translates to I like what you've done with your hair. I like the new cut.

Comment Random guy makes cat purr sound
Translates to You're really grasping the style this season.

Comment
I saw a girl walking down Delancey the other day, and this sketchy old guy said to her "I've been watching you all week! I just had to talk to you...blah...blah....(in as creepy voice as possible)" She of course ignored him.

Translates to
I feel like your outfit as a whole really is working today. Though, have you considered gladiator sandals or a wide belt, just to update your look?

--------
And the ATM ate my check deposit. It made noises like it was chewing it up. I guess we all get hungry.
-------

NYC is the best city ever :)

For anyone thinking of moving to NYC, here is some more great stuff about living here!

Before I begin, if any lurkers or anyone has questions about moving to NYC, feel free to post them and I'd love to answer. That really was my original purpose in making this blog.

Ok, so to add on some more reasons that this is an awesome place to live...

So on Friday I went out in my neighborhood, The Lower East Side, and got delicious Pad Thai at Eatpisode, which is a bring your own beer/wine place -- it' s so nice just to leave your apmt and stroll over a few blocks, and drink if you feel like it, and not have to worry about driving home.

They have a corking fee, but it's still much cheapter than buying drinks at most restaurants. Then we went to a relaxed lounge, called Libation, down the street that had comfy lounge-type couches. We had some tasty drinks -- a White Russian, a cosmo, and much more. My bf got a martini and something on the rocks. Then later in the night people started dancing which was quite convenient, as we just had to stand up to join in.

Then the next day we took the scooter to Chinatown and had some delish soup dumplings -- there is actually a tasty soup inside each delicious dumpling. You put it onto your spoon and poke a hole into the dumpling, to let the soup run onto your spoon. Also had a "pancake" type thing that of course wasn't sweet, but was tasty fried-ish carbs with some veggies in it...light and tasty. And some chicken.

On the way back we stopped in Soho to buy some clothes. It was really packed and sunny out -- much sunnier this summer.

Later that night we went to a cookie monster pub crawl, so we made sure to swing by a street fair close to Bleeker St. to get some "T" shirts.

We got there pretty late and missed most of the crawl, but did have a great time ordering $4 drinks at Asian Bar and trying tons of their appetizers and food. Ramen type noodles, california rolls, a crab cake, and much more. And tasty drinks including Mojitos and Cappirenas (sp?).

Also, we went to a ping pong lounge called Spin City where you can play overpriced games of ping pong in a lounge setting with drinks. We went to a party there so that was fun.

We also went to the grocery store on the scooter, filled up a duffle bag with breakfast foods, went home, and made pancakes, eggs, bacon, potatoes, iced coffee, with mangoes and peaches. tasty!

There is so much to do in NYC. So anyone reading this who is thinking of moving here, now you have even more reasons to.

Note about the scooter: so my bf just got a vespa scooter, and it's great for riding around. On the weekends, the subway can take up to 30 minutes each way depending on how frequently it's running -- there are also delays often as many trains have construction work done on them on weekends, making it tough to get to brunch on time without leaving an hour early to make sure you're there on time! (This means a lot of the time you end up taking cabs on the weekend, which is great if you have lots of $10 or $20 bills lying around your apartment that you are dying to use up. So a scooter is great for avoiding that. However, you do have to be careful if it's really hot outside or if it's raining, a cab is still a better choice. And with the MTA about to raise subway rates again...doesn't hurt to take the scooter sometimes!

soccer stuff

I went to a fun soccer clinic last night. I didn't wear shin guards for the little pick-up game at the end, because it was complete beginners. They play so strangely. They take it really seriously, while ignoring all of the rules, making up their own rules, and being very serious about others abiding by their imaginary rules. They all have something to prove, even if they are proving they really don't know what they're doing.

The ones who are worst, tend to be the ones making additional rules, or instructing others on how to play.

This really nice girl said she just wanted to give up because she was horrible -- but she was actually doing just fine. She only thought that because of the few really terrible players who kept yelling at her to not to do this, and to do that.

One girl stood in the tiny "goal" and we don't use goalies because the thing is 3 feet wide. Then she yelled at the organizer "we need a goalkeeper baby!! If you're not going to do it, I will!"

Then she did other odd things like almost throwing the ball in, then almost kicking it in, and then finally, just dropping the ball in front of herself and dribbling it. huh??

Another time she was attempting to kick it in, and stopped the whole game to clarify what my name was, which took a long time as she was pointing in the dark at a group of us. "Me?" "no." "Me?" "no." "Me?" Yeah! you!"

By then the whole other team was surrounding me, so good luck passing to me now! Uh yeah. Bizarre.

And then this smaller girl who was like some sort of attack dog and didn't seem to realize you can't just throw yourself onto the other team as "defense."

But, it was still fun to play, and also to just stare in awe at "what are these people doing??!" And we got to learn how to juggle the ball. So far I could only get it 2-3 times per foot, but that's still more than I've ever gotten before! He explained it very well.

Today I noticed I actually had a line of dried blood all over my ankle. I guess I'd gotten a small cut last night and I hadn't even noticed it'd dripped down. I guess I should wear socks/shin guards even w/ the beginners -- maybe especially because they are beginners.

Other stuff...

I've had fun playing soccer lately. It's nice to have a small group of people I know there, and my boyfriend has been playing with us also, so that's fun!

We went to the "beach" last weekend. It's actually a large sandbox that overlooks a river with boats going by. It has all of the essentials though: sand, drinks, snacks. And it's walking distance from my boyfriend's place. So that's pretty much awesome. All of the other real and fake beaches are much, much farther away.

I'm trying to get rid of stuff and organize my things and it's so tough! I'm not a naturally organized person, so it takes me extra effort to figure out where to put/store things. Especially papers. I have a giant pile. I'm afraid to even look in there.

I'm liking the summer, despite it being super hot. It's such a change from cold weather, and I like the variety.

It's interesting how when it's 80 or 90 degrees, people here start to freak out. But that's still bearable weather, unlike AZ's occasional 120!!

I'm going to be visiting AZ soon in fact, and really looking forward to that! yay. I usually only go back once a year and choose either Christmas or Thanksgiving. So this is nice to do the twice a year thing.

Went to a fun wine/pasta class w/ my bf this weekend also. They teach you to make pasta from scratch (which seems like a lot of work to me), but we got to create bow-tie pasta from the dough and then they cooked it and we ate it. That was fun! And the wine was really fun of course too ;) And then we went to a VERY tasty sushi place that was delicious! And also a nice Tribecca bar that was fun as it was a different scene.

My bf also bought a vespa scooter. I'm hoping it's safe and I don't end up with half a face or something, but assuming it's safe, it'll be a fun way to get around. It should be much faster than the subway on weekends, etc.

So things are pretty good at the moment! :)

Cat fight

So I was on the new "M" train, which I still will never understand. I'm not sure how to even get a downtown M from the Essex St. station, because the "M" arrives on the downtown JZ track, not on the F track (as it does in most other stations -- I mean it was F/V before, so it should be F/M now).

Anyway, I get on this train and this overweight pregnant woman is screaming at a black woman from another country wearing one of those white dresses with the cloth covering her head.

It's FU back and forth all the way from Essex to 34th street.

"You shouldn't yell at her! She's pregnant!" says another projects-ish overweight woman who stands up to wave her arm around at her.

The white people pretend to not notice anything is going on.

A guy gives up his seat to try to calm down the black lady, but she keeps saying FU.

Then the pregnant lady and her new project-ish friend are so mean to the black lady, saying things like "Yeah, you don't think I know my baby's daddy? FU!! FU! Look at you all Christian-ish with that thing on your head -- we need to pray for YOU! FU! God help you! May God walk with you."

"FU! Bitch. Biiiitch!! Bitch."

And so on.

And then some mother is telling her child to not listen to the "adult conversation." Like anyone has a choice to listen to this?

Then the black lady finally got off the train. From what I could figure, they probably had bumped into each other and started cussing at each other, and at some point the black Christian woman must have told the projects girl that she didn't even know the father of her baby. And then that ensued. I'm guessing.

------
Then I went to the dentist and WOW it was a very elegant reception area. I started to freak out about whether they accepted insurance or not, or if there was some extra charge for the lovely crystal pitcher of iced lemon water with the highest quality clear plastic cups (they were such high quality I felt guilty throwing it away). And very nice club lounge-quality couches.

Then the dentist had a screen with movies or TV screen and the hygenist asked me in a depressed voice which show I wanted to watch, The Office, The Daily Show, 30Rock, etc. So I watched that during the teeth cleaning. The dentist said next time I should bring headphones as unfortunately the sound of the equipment made it difficult to hear the TV. He was right, but I mean, when you're used to staring at linoleum ceiling tiles and focusing on not drooling too much, you really aren't very picky about actually hearing the TV show. You're just happy there is a TV show.

I complimented the water pitcher they had and he said I must work in finance. I thought that was odd and said no, and told him what I did. And he said I must be used to the finer things in life, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Especially when I said "It's much nicer than the jug of water with the little paper cups the last place had."

I guess they don't charge extra for the nice extras, which is good. Especially because I had 2 cavities :( And some hole things from the pressure of grinding my teeth.

He was giving me an in-depth discussion of the teeth xray, which seemed educational and slightly boring until I heard "blah blah blah two cavities."

"What!!? I have 2 cavities?"

Yeah. Great. Oh well.

----
Then this guy is giggling in my hallway. for the last few hours he walks by and giggles insanely. I think he must be one of the movers for someone else's apmt. I'm going to post a You Tube video of this so you can all hear it.

http://www.youtube.com/user/JulieMelillo#p/u/6/qKdAMcnArOU

trains...

So I used to take the JMZ downtown -- didn't matter which I took. Got on the M today and realized the M has turned into the V! :( And it went uptown from a downtown JMZ station. So confusing!

So with 30 mins to get downtown, the subway instead takes me uptown one stop.

It was really bizarre to step onto what should have been a downtown train (that I take often) and end up going uptown along the stops the F makes. So weird.

For non NYers, this is like getting on I-10East and finding out that it's making you go to I-10West, except it isn't even the I-10 it's the 101. um, huh? Ya.

So I had to run outside at the first stop and get a cab back downtown to make it to my meeting on time.

Then a butterfly practically attacked me when I was walking out of the subway stairs (it had come into the subway part and then followed me out for a while, hitting itself into me a couple of times). Is it a sign? So odd as I've never seen a butterfly in a non-park-part of NYC, especially not in a subway.

:)

I'm back together w/ my boyfriend also. yay!

The Manhattan Diet

I was watching The Price is Right today, and realized I can no longer play this game. They're guessing prices of familiar grocery store foods. I used to be pretty good at this.

They show a Kraft-singles-type of cheese product, you know those little cheddar square slices you put on hamburgers? I yell out "$4.00!" "$4.50!" It ends up being $2.50.

$2.50?? How??

I then remember I live in this wonderful city of things being crazy expensive.

The only benefit of this, is you're enrolled in the quite effective Manhattan Diet, which is quite effective and easy.

The Manhattan Diet works like this.

You walk into the grocery store. You see food. 1) You can't afford some of it. 2) You have to carry it all the way home with your own arms, and it's really heavy. This is the Manhattan diet.

In other news, the Duane Reade girl is like "Do you have your card?" I don't have it as I changed purses recently. "Ah, guess I don't."

"Oh no. You know you get points for every dollar? So that means you're missing a lot of points. Wow. Wow that really sucks for you."

"Yeah, ok, it's ok."

"Yeah, wow, thats...I just feel bad for you, missing all those points. With your total being like $50 and everything."

Okay, THANKS for the sympathy DR lady. But clearly I have no card on me, so let's just make the best of this, ok??

And then, I see some of those really cheap plastic shoes in the drug store. The tag line is "more than just a shoe!" I look at it. It's clearly not more than a shoe. It is just a shoe. I made sure to check it wasn't a flashlight or a canopener or anything else, and yeah, just a shoe.

And this is a funny spoof of lady gaga: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbkzBT5MJL0

Also these are funny (first part of each): http://www.youtube.com/user/communitychannel?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/15/SPjlJjeZWe0

http://www.youtube.com/user/communitychannel?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/258/ijgfBwq_vkM

http://www.youtube.com/user/communitychannel?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/49/bKNsv4R3xtA

Rain

It's sooo rainy outside.

A few guys in pinstripe suits (who might be in the mafia? I couldn't tell) asked me for my umbrella, as the guy held out cash. I couldn't turn down the cash and so happily took $10 and then ran home. This was a good thing, because I wasn't planning on going the gym anyway, and it encouraged me to buy a McFlurry.

Apparently you actually get more wet running through the rain, but it made me feel like I was doing something about it.

I got a couple of new clients yay!

Stuff

So sitting in the coffee shop, a guy was just standing there, when he asked the cashier a question and then grabbed an iphone on the corner of the bar and took off running. I haven't seen someone run that fast before. He must have been a sprinter in high school.

The police are here now taking a report and I moved my purse from the back of my chair to my knee just in case. I also had my blackberry sitting out, so I'm just glad they didn't take it, since without my phone I really can't work. I'm normally really careful to not leave my purse on the back of my chair, but I happened to be lazy today, and that was definitely a good reminder.

The group of kids first went around asking for donations to their basketball team, which I declined as they looked more college-aged than high school. I'm just happy they didn't steal my stuff. The police are now giving the guy a ride, I assume to go driving around looking for the guy. The guy looks amused to be getting into the back seat.

But I'll bet the thief ran down to the jmz/f train and probably left the area.

Not very smart of the guy to risk all that just for one iphone...not even a laptop. And the coffee place has cameras that they are figuring out how to use.

This block is so weird in that it's really nice, but yet has a lot of crime from the projects being not too far away.

I left the city for about a week (was very fun!) and it was interesting to come back and get a fresh perspective. It was great to be away, and I was kind of annoyed by the crowds this time after coming back, which was new. I also noticed just how tiny my shoebox of an apartment actually is. I guess you get more critical of any city the longer you're there. Though I still <3 nyc of course :).

I'm now inspired to get more clients so I can someday get a couch and/or a bigger apmt! I have gotten more interest lately so that's great.

I'm also reading a book, which for some reason I haven't thought to do in about six or seven years...but it's fun.

Food

So I bought a couple of new pans at the dollar store. WOW. It makes such a difference! I had been using one cheap saute pan I bought over 2 years ago. Not having a microwave, I used this one pan several times a day.

The coating stuff was all messed up, the bottom of it was no longer that silver color, but kinda black, and it had pieces of plastic bag fused to the bottom in two places (two different bags attached themselves decoupage-style to the bottom of the pan when I was trying to throw food out into the shopping bag "trash can" I have attached to my door knob.

Anyway, this pan no longer cooked food very well, and I was starting to doubt my abilities to function as a human. I mean, I could not make a pancake. I could make a black disc of goo. I couldn't boil soup. I could boil part of soup -- it only boiled in certain parts of the pan, and left others lukewarm.

Yeah. Scary.

So finally, I bought these shiny new metal things. I successfully made two normal looking pancakes very easily. They didn't stick at all. Everything else worked easily too. I made some mashed potatoes (couldn't do that before as my saute pan was very shallow), and some deviled eggs -- I could boil eggs in the saute pan but it was tricky.

Another benefit is that I used to have to transfer food from the one pan to plates and dishes, and then cook other parts of a meal. So, pasta w/ meat sauce, which requires at least two or three pans (sauce, pasta, meat), was ridiculously tough. This time, having more than one pan makes this so much easier.

Which makes me wonder WHY THE HECK DIDN'T I JUST BUY ANOTHER PAN SOONER? Um, I have no idea.

Oh and I also forgot how much I love artichokes, so I made a couple in the bigger pan. It was so easy, and since the pan has a lid, it almost steamed them. Tasty.

Growling monster, etc.

So when it gets windy, it not only hits against my windows, but it makes this weird howling wind sound in the stairwell -- I seriously don't understand that one. How could a wind sound come from a stairwell? Makes no sense right?

I mean, the stairwell sound is slightly different sounding than the window sound. The window area wind sound sounds like, well, wind.

The stairwell sounds more like, well, a combination of a motor running, a tornado, a vacuum, and a growling monster. Come to think of it, perhaps, it actually is a growling monster. Who is hungry. Because it sounds much more like that, than wind.

Normally I'd throw out that theory, but this is NYC and anything is possible -- if a growling monster can pay rent here (in the stairwell), he can pay rent anywhere. Yup, all kinds of good and bad things impossible in the rest of the world, are possible here. Or it could be a strange growling tenant with a voice that really projects. Hard to tell. But I'm going with the monster theory.

I think I have too much time on my hands.

Anyway, I'm eating honey. This always reminds me of Winnie The Pooh. Which is really such a bizarre name. What is a Pooh? I mean, we all know it's a bear. But why? Pooh Bear. It make even less sense than the stairwell monster.

Anyway, I remember asking my dad for honey straight out of the container when I was a kid, because that's the way Pooh ate it. He refused. I insisted and he said "You are not a bear" very seriously. I remember thinking that was true, and a good reason, but it was still unfortunate.

Lettuce.

Part 1. Lettuce.

So I guess there's always something good in something bad.

For instance, a couple days ago, I got a cheeseburger from a place in the LES. It had this big piece of lettuce on it. Half-way through, something about the lettuce didn't seem right, and I pulled it off.

Then I got ridiculously sick the next day. I thought I had a hangover at first (which was definitely possible with it having been Cinco de Mayo the night before -- we went to some snazzy hotel party where my friend saw Katy Perry walking in right before I got there, but then ended up at other places in the EV), but it didn't go away and only got worse.

Then I see on the news that Romaine lettuce has been recalled. Only the type that goes to delis and restaurants was recalled, not the grocery store kind -- which of course was what I'd had. I googled it and yup, looked like the leaf on the burger.

The good part? Because I couldn't eat a thing the entire day -- not even plain tea or yogurt -- I must have lost at least a pound. Add that to my couple weeks of the "break-up diet," and I think I can actually see my abs! Plus the throwing up really worked out my abs. I'm pretty excited about that. And just in time for summer, lol.

And looks like I may have 2 new clients! yay :)

Part. 2. Deep thoughts w/ Jack Handy. And shoes.

Maybe its' that the weather is so ridiculously gorgeous, or that I'm having this delicious latte. And maybe it's the caffeine, or my day-after-not-eating haze, but I think everything's gonna be ok :)

It's easy to forget that when I moved here, I didn't know anyone. I didn't have an apartment and was living with strangers in hostels for weeks, and taking chances on sketchy craigslist places. I had one small carry one suitcase, and one pair of shoes. I didn't even know any of the streets, or how to use the subway, or what a bodega was. Revolving doors were a mystery and I had zero friends, no boyfriend, and had yet to get a client in the city -- no one, and I mean absolutely no one even knew I existed -- and I was fully aware it was just my feet hitting the sidewalk, and if I was murdered and thrown into a ditch, no one in the entire city would even know, much less care. If I locked myself out, I'd have to sleep in a park, because I didn't have a single friend, and the super of illegal sublets definitely didn't know who I was. And if I didn't get any clients, it was back to AZ I'd go, which as we can all see now, it an "interesting" place that I hoped to never return to.

I remember longingly looking at groups of friends with cute shoes and wondering how the heck they met each other, when everyone here can be so unfriendly. And enviously looking at girls with guys holding umbrellas over them. And I guess, if I could get through that, this is cake. I mean, at least I have friends now, an apmt. I really like, clients and more coming on, and a heck of a lot of shoes. And the rest, I guess will happen in good time, as it's suppose to.

The thing about life is, you can't rush the things that are coming to you. It's a combination of trust and patience, and I guess I completely forgot that. I'm so grateful for finally remembering it. Here's to easy things happening exactly when they're suppose to...