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The Brooklyn Bridge stop on the 6 train is the last stop, heading south in Manhattan. If you don't get off, the train keeps going. Going, into a tunnel. Going, to see the old City Hall entrance. Going, looking into the dark to see that old, beautifully tiled, still intact arch of an old piece of New York City history. Going, circling back around to the other side of the platform. Going, being bummed out that the ride was too short and the lighting wasn't bright enough. Going, reeling, not being able to sleep at night, because City Hall's ghosts are haunting you. Going, being grateful your first date of the month of birthday dates went well. Going, going well so far.
Sometimes I forget how short I am until I look at photos like this one. Look how nice Collin is, bending over to look not as tall. He was a fun date. He's a good conversationalist, and we covered a variety of topics. We ended the date walking back to my apartment, eating shakes from The Shake Shack. I highly recommend shakes from the place. Seriously. Anyway, I'd never really spoken much to Collin before last night. I'd see him from time to time at parties, and I was impressed that he was the first person to sign up on the first day of this birthday date month, AND he emailed my roommate to ask what kind of desserts I like. He was a complete gentleman and an all-around good guy.
Tomorrow, I'll be going out with Nathan. He's cool. I've known him for a while. It's weird and kind of sad that a third party (my wonderful roommate, Becky) had to organize a calendar and send out a mass email to a bunch of guys in the name of my birthday to get some guys to go out with me. Well, at least it takes the pressure off them and they know I'm not looking for any sort of commitment. Because I'm fun. And smart. And pretty cute. And a pretty good catch. But that's Commitment May talking. Don't listen to her this month, only Fun, Non-Committal May. So, I'm having fun. I'm ready to have fun, so you guys out there, GET OFF YOUR DUFFS, GET EXCITED, AND ASK ME OUT. Easy enough, right?
It's the one straight ahead. It's the east side of the building. It's reflecting the Chase building in the tall windows. 51 floors. Yeah, notice all those windows? And you know that Windex commercial where the windows on that house are so clean the birds keep crashing into them? That's what happens to my building. Birds swoop down and see the pretty flowers on display in the lobby and smack themselves right into the building. Except it's not funny. They don't shake the dizzy stars from their heads and brush themselves off and join their birdy friends perching in the nearby trees or power cables. No, their buddy friends don't laugh. Nobody laughs, because it's not funny. I've felt the slightest vibration in the air twice in the past two weeks, early in the morning. Vibrations that hinted that something wasn't quite right with the world. Not necessarily related to world disasters. Two separate vibrations, the tiniest of pulses in the air. Two birds caused these vibrations, at different points in time, when they collided with my work building and glanced off the cruel windows and died. Dead. Two in the past two weeks. I found the first one last week and the next one this morning. I promise I won't be documenting all these misfortunes. They've sucked a little bit of life out of me. I need all the little bits of life I can get.
Funny thing is, I saw the FedEx truck first, then I saw the tree. I noticed the tree as I reviewed the photo. And I like the blue.
- Mood:
my legs? sore tomorrow
So, I have leftovers in the fridge, chili in the freezer. This week, the last week of my month of not eating out, I'll work on leftovers. I have to confess, however, I did get a falafel sandwich for lunch once this past week. I don't think I could have made my own big falafel sandwich for less than $3, with the lettuce, tomato, chickpeas, pita, tahini and hot sauces. Sometimes they throw other vegetables in, too. And sometimes, if I'm lucky, some pita chips and a grape leaf. Lunch could have been much worse.
Outside of that, I've had oatmeal for breakfast, sometimes a Clif bar. Lunch that I bring from home, a piece of fruit as a snack. Then I come home and snack on a piece of toast with honey. Have I talked about this honey? It's amazing. And I lied when I said it was $5 for five pounds. Five pounds is A LOT, and the poor farmer would have gotten ripped off if he sold it for that cheap. The jar I have is a pound, which is plenty. But people, this magic elixir is so delicious and thick, and the sweetness is perfect. My toast (oatmeal, pancakes, lemonade, fruit) thanks me for using it.
The sun finally broke the sky today, after the past few cloudy, dreary days. It's 67 degrees now, clear skies. In pure defiance of the chilly weather we've had, I wore my pink, summery wraparound skirt to church, with a bright green non-winter scarf. Bright colors to encourage the sun, people. And yes, I'm taking full credit for the weather right now. All those others wearing black who wear nothing but black can go fly a kite. Or jump in a lake. Or stick it where the sun don't shine. Because right now? that isn't New York City.
- Mood:
loving the weather
5/7, Wed - Heather Armstrong will be in town for a book signing. (Her latest newsletter is out, by the way.)
5/17, Sat - Healthy Kidney 10K. I signed up to run this. Subject to change.
5/18, Sun - Meg Hutchinson will be performing on WFUV 90.7FM. See if you can catch it online.
5/22, Thurs - The day yours truly was born. SYTYCD premiere. Indiana Jones 4 release.
5/23-5/26, Fri-Mon - Road trip to NC to visit old friend who used to live here.
5/29-5/30, Thurs-Fri - National Spelling Bee.
6/18, Wed - Meg Hutchinson performs at the Bryant Park Concert Series.
6/18-6/19, Wed-Thurs - Emmylou Harris performs at Town Hall.
6/22, Sun - Yael Naim performs at Central Park Summerstage.
It feels like it's barely spring here, but let the summer begin.
See how she really enjoys it? Could I have better friends? Seriously? I think not. Pizza, y'all. That's one of the biggest things I'll miss about living here. Watching my out-of-town friends eat NYC pizza goes right along with that.
ETA: In case the embed doesn't work ... sorry about that, folks.
- Mood:
hee
Today's congregation at church consisted of nearly all strangers. Was I at the right service? Who are all these people? And where are all the familiar faces? It was a good service, nonetheless. I like church.
Here's a letter I just wrote to a friend who's currently living in the Russian Federation, Region of Altai, near the border of Kazakhstan:
So herein is the challenge of coming up with 100 things about Jenny's and Sarah's visits. I guess it boils down to narrowing it down to 100. I mean, outside of the photos, we talked a lot, we experienced food and sounds and smells and textures. I'm still trying to process it all. It's a completely different experience seeing this place through someone else's eyes. Renewed appreciation. It's incredible. Plus, people, seeing old friends made me totally homesick. Like I said, I'm still processing everything.
1. They looked terrific. Seriously.
2. They had great things going on with their hair.
3. The last time I saw Jenny was Christmastime; Sarah, our 10-year high school reunion.
4. The last time the three of us were all together was at Biscotti's, sometime in 2002. Is that right?
5. Both liked wandering everywhere. Both navigated the city very, very well.
6. Both liked eating.
7. I really enjoyed spending time with both.
8. They both made me laugh until I cried.
9. We reminisced about high school.
10. We all confessed some things, having been removed from that part of our lives at least 10 years.
11. Jenny is not crazy about sushi.
12. Sarah is not crazy about the bland food we ordered in after seeing the Statue of Liberty.
13. I totally ran out of steam by the end of that second weekend.
14. Jenny wouldn't let me take a close-up picture of an old lady's purple hair.
15. Both liked the big, furry bean chair.
16. The laughing? Involved some sort of physical comedy with both of them.
17. Both told great stories.
18. Both lead very interesting lives.
19. Jenny met the third roommate, but only saw Becky briefly.
20. Sarah didn't meet the third roommate, but had a chance to hang out with Becky.
21. Both did not appreciate the cold.
22. Both got to experience some sunshine.
23. Both got to experience great brunch.
24. Both got to see and ride the subway.
25. Both got to see still dead-looking trees.
26. They turned on the water at the Angel Bethesda fountain, by the way.
27. Both got to see street performers. Pretty good ones.
28. Both slept on the new couch.
29. Both looked out of the apartment window.
30. Both enjoyed the view from the balcony.
31. Both enjoy baked goods.
32. Both enjoyed New York City pizza.
33. Both enjoyed the bunnies.
34. How am I supposed to come up with 66 more of these?
35. Sarah needs a warmer scarf. And a thicker coat.
36. Jenny borrowed my gloves.
37. Jenny and I fell asleep when we tried watching a Britcom on PBS.
38. Sarah and I watched Stranger Than Fiction and watched a deleted scene on YouTube.
39. We did not go to Queens.
40. We did not go to the Bronx.
41. We did not go to Staten Island.
42. Both were in pretty good health when they arrived.
43. Jenny left her shoes at the church she attended.
44. Sarah apparently still has to bring treats to soccer practice.
45. Sarah enjoyed walking through Times Square at night.
46. The food seemed consistently okay when Jenny was here. The pizza rocked.
47. The food seemed to progressively worsen during Sarah's visit.
48. I need to plan a trip to Florida this summer.
49. Both liked the insane mirrors in my apartment.
50. Sarah pegged her jeans.
51. Jenny had trouble zipping her jacket.
52. Sarah mastered the Metrocard swipe.
53. Both walked with unideal shoes around the city at some point during their visits.
54. Dang, we did some good reminiscing.
55. I got some pretty good video footage that I still need to post.
56. I can't post Jenny's though. She forbids it.
57. I should have taken more photos of us and not just scenery or complete strangers
58. I should have taken them to Fort Tryon Park
59. and the Cloisters
60. and out for a bagel
61. and to the Hudson River to catch the sunset.
62. We should have gone to the grocery store and prepared a meal at the apartment.
63. Sarah tried doing Bird of Paradise pose in jeans.
64. Jenny wouldn't let me walk like a pigeon down 6th Avenue.
65. Sarah talked about her Cabbage Patch Dolls.
66. Jenny talked about Anne of Green Gables.
67. Sarah told me about her ducks, Laura and Charles.
68. I just now remembered Jenny's goat that got its head stuck in a tree.
69. We did not go to any zoos.
70. Or any museums.
71. We visited Strand Bookstore.
72. The Kool-Aid man enjoyed Jenny and Sarah's visits
73. Both didn't seem to mind my breaking into song.
74. I wish both would have broken into song more often.
75. Jenny enjoyed English teas.
76. Sarah liked herbal teas.
77. Man, I love how much my friends savor food.
78. Jenny braved the rain.
79. Sarah braved the wind.
80. I didn't think to offer massages to my walking-weary friends.
81. It's been a long time, though.
82. The nostalgia freak in me couldn't help but see how far we've come since high school.
83. I loved how both were comfortable with my laptop.
84. I really enjoyed taking pictures of things we did/ate.
85. Both charged their phones using the outlet by the bean chair.
86. Does Sarah have any chocolate almond chews left?
87. What about that Fruit Stripe gum? and the candy bar she got for her dad?
88. I don't know if I'm ever going to get rid of that Bazooka Bubble gum.
89. Did Jenny memorize her tour guide book?
90. We should have done karaoke.
91. Jenny and I are still thinking about going to a t-shirt business. Figures of speech.
92. I can't get over the dead-looking trees. Now is when they're starting to bloom.
93. I could go for brunch again. Not for another three weeks, though.
94. I also can't get over how terrific everyone looked. My friends are so cute, y'all.
95. Did I grow? They didn't seem as tall this time when I saw them.
96. It was so weird talking about how old we're getting.
97. It would have been nice to have someone to join me doing the running man. Come on, now.
98. I had a lot of fun.
99. It was wonderful hanging out with old friends. Old friends are the greatest.
100. We really have to try to get together more often.
So I have this lens to go with my camera. I was scared to use it. I didn't use it for a long time. Then I used it today. I didn't know the lens would let me focus on the man in the moon's lopsided face. I'm not scared to use it anymore.
I took a trip up to Fort Tryon Park after work this evening. Those photos will be under the set named "Nature."
Check out this body language, folks. He's not really embracing her. She's definitely not into it. And I was lucky enough to catch quite a few frames of this really uncomfortable action. Make up your own captions in the comments. See the entire sequence, along with a few other strangers, at Flickr. Don't forget to click on Detail for captions.
The final went fine. It was five essay questions, and I had to ask for some paper from the proctor. He handed me a sheet of computer paper. No lines on the paper. So I wrote my answers on the front and back of that sheet, and I double-checked all of it when I finished. I told the proctor when I was done, and he gathered the materials. He looked at the sheet of questions that was on top, then he looked at my sheet of answers. He asked, they didn't give you paper to write on? I said, no, that's why I asked you for paper. And he kept looking at my answer sheet, and he said, whoa. You write very neat, he said. I looked at the sheet too, and I saw my answers in perfectly straight rows in blue ink, full page front and back. My handwriting. Those of you who know me know my handwriting. Some of you have even seen pages and pages of it. Those paragraphs looked almost machine-printed from a distance, whereas when my face was so close to the paper while taking the test, I didn't notice it as much. The proctor asked if I used a ruler, and I said no. Seeing those straight lines with that smallish handwriting took me all the way back to high school.
Oh. someone needs to check out The Living Room calendar for April 25th. Someone clued me into one of the performers and someone recently listened to some live music at The Living Room. Pretty cool.
The grenadine will take you to Flickr.
Nothing like a little Diet Coke with strawberry margarita mix to get your heart pumping.
Pump up the jam, guys. Pump it up. While your feet are stomping.
I [heart] that 90s playlist so much, you guys.
But that song isn't on it.
The brownies vanished.
Stick with the olive oil for kettle corn. And don't accidentally dump the sugar in the pot before the kernels.
Some people danced. Everyone reminisced. About 30 or so people came.
Becky's cousin (Cousin Amy) and her cousin came over late, and they slept over.
They're on a bus this morning to DC for the cherry blossom festival.
It was fun.
Cleaning up. NOW it's time to get down to business.
- Mood:
thoughtful - What's Playing?:Enigma - "Return to Innocence"
I'm going ahead with posting the photos from this past week. I'd like to sit down and do some serious writing, and I also have my final to study for next week. And it's not like I want to get posting the photos out of the way, I just know people are excited to see them, if they haven't already seen them. Like I said, I took a few more shots of people this time around. For those special candid photos, I'll create another set with appropriate commentary. That will be sometime later, though. Click on "Detail" once you get to the sets for the captions.
These are from Thursday evening. We went to the Lower East Side, where we got high off the sugar fumes at Economy Candy, had a lovely dinner at Teany, but saw no sign of Moby anywhere, and listened to various local artists sing Elliott Smith songs. Please don't be alarmed by all the candy or Becky eating a sandwich or a man appearing to scream on stage.
These are from Friday. We walked a lot. We talked a good bit. We drooled a lot, too. We had a late lunch at Republic, a noodle house, then we had a cookie from Peanut Butter & Co., then we found Rocco's on Bleecker, and it seems to have won over any museums or even a trip to the moon. The desserts here looked amazing.
Don't be alarmed at the pigeons; smile at the sparrows, and watch Sarah eat her first-ever slice. By the way, I'll also get around to posting video.
Me: It's romantic to walk on the Upper East Side in the rain!
Becky: What if you're alone?
Me: Well, then, that's pathetic.
Okay, I could say quite a few things about this photo alone that aren't even related to what was actually going on, but that might get me excommunicated. Even that innuendo makes me a bit nervous. Seriously, Meg Ryan at Katz's has nothing on Sarah at Sarabeth's. She really enjoyed her food, and I was ever-so thrilled she was having a great time. I mean, look at her.
These are from Saturday. Watch out for lots of dead-looking trees and weird people. Times Square at night.
Also? Beware of the PEGGED JEANS.
Quite a contrast in weather from Saturday. We island-hopped: Manhattan to Liberty to Ellis back to Manhattan.
We also visited Ground Zero, where I didn't think it appropriate to take a lot of pictures, or any. We had a view of where the twin towers would have been when we were in the museum on Ellis Island. Sarah used a pretty accurate word to describe the terrorists; she whispered it, but it had the heft of a broken heart and little bit of anger. The word rhymed with blastards.
Rabbits are in this set. Do not be alarmed at Chicken sitting on Sarah. That's how we know she likes her.
Monday morning was really low-key. We watched a little bit of television, watched the rabbits do little hoppies on the living room rug.
At Starbucks, Sarah was saying really nice things about me, and I was getting choked up, so I didn't talk much and let her keep saying nice things about me to me, and I couldn't believe I was trying to hold back tears sitting at a window in Starbucks. At least I was able to tell her about her sensitivity to and respect of different cultures and her ability to assimilate the feel of a city and I was able to understand why the city no longer intimidates her. I'm not surprised.
We walked to Penn Station, and we said goodbye. Remember back in high school when we didn't say "goodbye"?
Only five photos here.
I have the best friends in the whole, wide world. And in at least this universe.
- Mood: cheerful
Well, it's back to life, back to reality. These past couple of weeks have been an absolute blast, and I'm very glad my friends came to visit. We explored the city, we ate, we talked, we laughed. And now I have to go back to my drab, dull, uneventful New York City life. Hee.
Thursday night: Teany and The Living Room with an Elliott Smith tribute
Friday: Lunch at Republic and lots of walking that included Strand Books and Rocco's patisserie
Saturday: Brunch at Sarabeth's and strolling through Central Park and people watching and meeting Sarah's friend, Paula; dinner at Angelo's, dessert at Fluffy's - don't forget the absolutely gorgeous day; staying up until 2am YouTubing and looking at old photos and telling embarrassing stories; Frank's birthday
Sunday: Liberty Island and Ellis Island with overcast skies; World Trade Center site; Stranger than Fiction and mocktails and dancing in the living room; listening to Sarah's girls talk on speakerphone; talking to Mom and Frank
Lots of photos coming up. I took more photos of people than places or things, but I did get all my nouns covered.
Stay tuned.
- Mood:
okay
The fun's not going to stop. We have a full day today, too.
Ooh. I think I"ll go to MapMyRun to see where we walked yesterday. I'll post the link in a few minutes.
Here we go.
Well, never mind. The embed code is not working. So here's a link. Don't forget if you want to open it up in a different window, SHIFT+click on the link.
- Mood:awake at 7:30a on Saturday
- What's Playing?:weezer - "The World Has Turned"
We walked a lot today. Seriously. Union Square. East Village. SoHo. NoHo. Greenwich Village. Of course I'll be posting photos once we've worn the weekend to bits.
These are a few photos I took while waiting for Jenny to deplane. She broke the jetway, and no one could get off. She was stuck in the rear of the plane for twenty minutes, and I was about to open a can on LaGuardia. You know my relationship with that place.
These are from the Macy's Flower show. The place smelled fantastic, and no one was trying to spray us with perfume.
I love spending time with people who are really passionate about stuff. Jenny is a librarian. She loves books. We spent part of Friday afternoon at Strand Bookstore.
This was probably one of the most delightful walks I've ever taken. It was a nice, easy stroll, and my calves are still a little tight from it. Thanks, Jenny. At least I got my very first Grimaldi's experience from it. Totally worth it.
It's extremely fun just to mosey. Okay, Brooklyn was a bit on the chilly side, but Central park warmed up quite nicely.
Before Jenny took off Monday afternoon, we headed up to Grant's Tomb to make sure someone was buried there. I would hate to get that ridiculous question wrong. It was a rainy day, and we walked about a half-mile in the rain to find a place for lunch. I had videotaped two interviews at our lunch table: one, where I asked her about the state of the economy, and two, where I asked her about when she first read the Anne of Green Gables series. And then I vowed to delete the videos. I haven't done that yet, but at least I haven't posted them on YouTube. She'd KILL me.
This past weekend was a lot of fun. It was relaxing, and I really enjoyed catching up and laughing with my good friend, Jenny. Is having this much fun legal? It has to be, even if the hangover wasn't chemically induced.
- Mood: chipper
Y'all, Brooklyn is scratching her head, all confused. She has no idea that yesterday, a couple of women from Middleburg, Florida danced with her until she was dizzy. We covered a lot of ground yesterday. We saw a lot. Pictures at Flickr to come.
It's 28 degrees right now. Thanks a lot, weather.
- Mood:
calm
Well, I recently found out that I live a block away from where the contestants in Project Runway live.
And, right now? Marching bands are practicing for The Parade on Thursday. Marching bands make me all nostalgical.
Not necessarily the people that I meet when I'm walking down the street; nor the people that I meet each day.
Still, kinda fun.
- What's Playing?:Patty Griffin - "Moon Song"
Over the last 4 years, I've learned to moderate the intensity. I can appreciate without melodrama; I can instruct without pedanticism; I can criticize without condescension. However, say the word, and I can crank it up to obnoxious, no sweat.
My awareness has grown. I've struggled with friendships, bouted depression, experienced grief. I've rediscovered my physical self and how she relates to my mental/emotional self.
I've made new friends and deepened old friendships. Although I prefer to keep my readership familiar, I certainly don't mind the passerby giving me a glance.
It has been a wonderful four years. How much longer will I be in New York? It doesn't matter whether I know. It's probably better that I don't.
- Mood: contemplative
- What's Playing?:Patty Griffin - "Nobody's Crying"
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