The Middle Space

How Gotham is like an acid trip

2011-10-28T00:15:00.000-04:00

In the past week I have seen:

-Astronauts handing out buttons in Washington Square Park.

-A man using a tree bed as his toilet on Stuyvesant Street.

-A dancing cow in front of The Cube at Astor Place.

P.S.- I don't think the cow was drunk. Just groovy, man.

Overheard on the street this morning...

2011-09-30T08:59:00.001-04:00

...a woman in the crosswalk telling her dog that "traffic is not funny."

I agree with her and I hope her dog does, too.

Yet he still seemed to be smiling...

2011-09-20T22:23:00.000-04:00

I like this building on the corner of Bowery and 3rd Street.
It's difficult to see the terraces on the different levels, but from the ground they appear to be beautiful and full of greenery.

Not all portions of the East Village are quite as desirable, however, even just down the block.
But don't focus on the trash cans in the following picture.

Let's get a close-up on one of those signs, shall we?

Apparently it's the neighbors, and not the building,
that are less than desirable.

2011-09-15T20:46:00.004-04:00

High-End Multipurpose Home Decor

Greene Street, SoHo

I may know a few people who would
enjoy reading by the light of these lamps.

2011-09-06T23:50:00.000-04:00

Barbie's Corvette got all jacked up.

Fort Washington Avenue, Washington Heights

4:00am

2011-08-28T05:13:00.002-04:00

I went to bed about 11:00pm and woke up at 4:00am to a Notify NYC text message saying a Tornado Warning would be in effect until 4:15am for Brooklyn and Queens. I turned on the TV and had to wait a few minutes to find more specific information. Since there are so many weather issues over multiple states, even a tornado warning seems to be put in queue for reporting on some stations. The storm cell they issued the warning about seemed to be north of us and moving towards the area of LaGuardia Airport in Queens.

I walked over to Sterling's room and asked her to go sleep on the couch just to be on the safe side since her bed is right next to a large window. She and I are both native Kansans, so we know to take tornado warnings seriously, and she went to the living room without questioning it. We've both agreed that the freakiest thing about this Hurricane for us is the potential for small tornadoes to pop up. The Weather Channel reporter said that the conditions surrounding these tornadoes aren't normal (obviously) and you can't see or hear them as you normally would. So even though that specific danger zone seems to have bypassed us, we're both trying to play it safe.

One of the specific neighborhoods mentioned in the warning was Astoria, Queens. I decided to text two of my friends who live in Astoria, just in case they were sleeping and not aware of the tornado warning in their area. I debated about sending them a note at such a crazy time in the morning, since they are adults and very capable people, but I decided I'd risk annoying them to make sure they knew. I think they are both home alone this weekend and I'm feeling a little protective. Teach, my Kansan friend in Astoria, texted me back in short time to say thanks. That made me feel a little better about sending them a note.

Vanity Comes Before a Storm

2011-08-27T18:42:00.006-04:00

My roommate and I are all settled in to wait out the approaching hurricane. We've stored extra food and water, and plenty of flashlights and candles. Now that the transit system is shut down, it seems that most other people are also waiting quietly at home. The streets are strangely quiet and the air in the apartment is thick with humidity. We are not expecting any weather that's too crazy before tonight at least, so before bed I will fill the bathtub and move a few things away from the windows.

We live in the middle of Brooklyn, so we are far from any of the evacuation zones. The NYC Hurricane Evacuation Zones map is below with a red dot that shows where we live.

I've actually found that waiting for this storm is almost dull, now that we are all ready (without meaning to sound flippant about such a serious matter). But instead of feeling bored, I am looking at this as a chance to have a very quiet day at home, and so far it's been nice. At some point, I think I will clean my room. Sterling said she may scrub the floors. If the electricity holds out I will watch a little TV and try to catch up on a few emails. If the lights do go out, we have candles to read by.

After taking a three-hour nap this afternoon, I decided to shave and shower so I don't feel like a complete slob sitting around the house all day long. As I was shaving, however, I began to wonder if anti-slobbiness was my real reason for getting cleaned up or if I am just thinking more like my grandma did during a rough storm that hit my hometown on the morning of July 5, 1987. I remember my grandma telling us that when the weather started getting very bad, she got out of bed and got dressed and woke my uncle up and made him get dressed because if a tornado did blow them away, she didn't want people to look up and say, “Look at that man and woman flying around in their nightgown and underwear!”

After giving it a little more thought, I haven't decided if cleanliness or vanity is my real motivation for getting spiffied up, but I suspect it's a little of both. Either way, I'm all clean and ready to snooze out in front of the TV for a bit.

Spoiled Milk

2011-07-28T23:11:00.020-04:00

I have heard many out-of-town guests make comments comparing New York to a "foreign" country. I heartily agree that there are many aspects of this city that are unique in these United States. Sometimes it is charming and sometimes it leaves a person longing for something more familiar. This morning I experienced one of those unique moments as I purchased milk at the bodega near my office.

The store is clean. The employees are nice. It's a great place to grab a bagel for a dollar. (I highly recommend the cinnamon-raisin bagel, toasted, with butter.) Overall, it gets a thumbs-up from me. Today I skipped the bagel to buy some milk for the cereal I keep in my desk. Last time I bought milk from this store, it turned out to be a little sour. I never took the time or effort to let them know, but I have been a bit shy about purchasing my milk there since that experience.

This morning I carefully checked the "Best If Used By" dates and pulled my milk carton from the back of the refrigerated section just to be safe. Everything seemed fine. I took the milk to the counter and as I was paying the polite cashier, he said to me, "Check your milk before you leave." I looked at him for a moment, trying to make sure I understood what he wanted me to do. After a few more moments of a little stammering but mostly non-verbal communication with the employee, I found myself opening the carton on the deli counter and smelling my milk. Considering my last experience, I figured it wouldn't hurt to go along with this. But due to the fact that most milk smells sour to me, I took it a step farther by tasting my milk from the carton in the store. The milk tasted fine and I found myself walking to the office with an open quart of milk.

I'm not sure if charming is the right word for this experience. Perhaps perplexing and hysterical with a little awkward thrown in for good measure. But since I have never been shy about opening my own fridge to drink milk straight from the carton (much to my mother's chagrin), I don't really see that I should be so bothered by doing the same thing at my local deli.

Hair (and the loss thereof)

2010-10-29T00:14:00.008-04:00

I am losing my hair.

(Not my hair.)

This is no secret. It is not happening quickly, but it is happening. I came to terms with this about a decade ago. I was looking in the mirror and fretting over my retreating hair-line, when I thought to myself, "You know what? God made me and He makes wonderful things, so this is okay. I would prefer to have a full head of hair, but that will not be the case and that is okay." That is when I decided that I would have to learn to deal with it and be as content as possible and be careful to never get a haircut that would make it seem that I was trying to hide what was happening to my hair.

So as the process of hair-loss continues, I try to do the best I can with what I have. I keep the hair on top of my head short and enjoy the fact that I can grow great facial hair.

Even so, I sometimes mourn the fact that I will never have a faux-hawk or any other three-dimensional hair-style...

...Which is why I find the video below a bit painful and embittering to watch, even though I think it's great to encourage people to celebrate who they are and what they have going for them.

Crash

2010-10-25T23:40:00.008-04:00

Not long ago, a car crashed into Pastel, the nail salon across the street from my office. I heard the first bump and thought "fender bender". Then we all heard the loud crash. We don't know exactly what happened, but according to one source, the silver car (pictured) was hit from behind and then the driver couldn't stop the vehicle, so she veered it onto the sidewalk (out of instinct, I assume). Rather than colliding with another vehicle (which has safety features that pedestrians on sidewalks do not), the car hit the window and the support column on the corner of the salon. I'm sure the apartments above felt the jolt. Fortunately no pedestrians were hurt, although I'm told an employee in the salon was slightly injured when she jumped away from the wreck.

Some passersby helped the driver walk from the car and when the emergency crews got there they put her on a brace and loaded her into an ambulance. She was obviously very shaken up.

A counter, stools and miscellaneous items were thrown around inside the salon. Our boss said that counter is where she usually sits while her nails are drying. Thankfully no one was sitting there this morning.

A bit later, the emergency crews placed "FIRE LINE DO NOT CROSS" tape around the business, but the salon employees were letting patrons in. I guess life (and business) must go on!

More Bikes

2010-08-30T20:36:00.010-04:00

Sad Bikes in the City:

LaGuardia Airport (Queens)

World Financial Center (Battery Park City, Manhattan)

Washington Heights (Manhattan)

Broadway-Lafayette Subway Station: Brooklyn-bound Platform (Manhattan)

Happy Bike in the City:

Brighton Beach Boardwalk (Brooklyn)

'Tis the Gift...

2010-07-20T01:50:00.012-04:00

I haven't secured a full-time job yet, but I have been working as a long-term temp at a company that owns cinemas and a few live theaters. This evening a new movie was being premiered downstairs from my office. I was staying a little late to finish up a few tasks, so between emails and downloads, my co-worker and I watched out the office windows to see what celebrities were showing up. Katie Holmes (sans Tom Cruise) was the first big celebrity to show. Kevin Kline was there. So were other famous people who I've seen somewhere but whose names I don't know. I also caught just a small glimpse of what the paparazzi are like, and it's no surprise to me that some celebrities have slugged photographers. The crowd started snapping pictures and yelling, yelling, yelling to get the stars' pictures. It was chaotic (even though my co-worker said they were a calmer group today)!

I've seen a lot of stars since I moved to New York. I seem to have a knack for accidentally running across them. (My roommate was a bit jealous when I saw Zach Braff at an event her company organized, shortly after she had finished her shift and went home. Sorry, Sterling.) I don't make a scene when I see a celebrity, even though I really do enjoy it. I'd like to say that famous people don't intrigue me, but they do. Sometimes it bothers me that I even care because I feel like I shouldn't and perhaps because it reflects my shallowness more than I'd care to see or admit to. And when I see famous actors up close, talented or not, I realize that they're just another person who has gained notoriety and I have many friends who are at least just as dynamic as they probably are.

So after a few email frustrations and plenty of celebrity-voyeurism, I finally left the office and walked through the crowded sidewalk outside the theater towards the subway. It was then that the subtle, but really wonderful things began happening. A young woman stopped in front of me on the sidewalk to take a picture of a townhouse stoop filled with flowers and plants, then giggled as she realized that she had stopped in front of me before politely letting me pass. She had a sweet laugh and a sweet smile.

Further down the street a man was walking his dog and I noticed that even though the man was a holding the leash in his hands, the dog was holding it as well, in his mouth, and walking so proudly and looking up at his master with such complete adoration and happiness. Then, out of the blue, a snippet of a song passed through my mind: "'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free, 'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be..." I don't even know all of the words to that song, but it was such a nice reminder to notice and get caught up in all of the intriguing, beautiful and simple things happening right around me every day. Like the discarded paper that was suspended on the wind between two buildings above my hand, dancing gently through the air. Or the small dog sitting in the window of the pet resort as I passed.

So I think that maybe it's okay to get a little excited when someone famous is nearby, but I hope I'd rather be someone who gets even more excited and intrigued by all of the great things that exist in the real world that I see every day. (Though I will admit that shallow or not, I do wish Katie would have brought Tom.) :)

I leave you this evening with the lyrics to "Simple Things", written by Elder Joseph Brackett while he was at a Shaker community in Alfred, Maine in 1848.

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come round right.

The kind of day...

2010-04-21T14:09:00.006-04:00

...that makes me happy to be outside.

...that makes me grateful for good friends.

...that gives me hope for steady work again soon.

...that reminds me why I moved to New York.

Ugly Me

2010-02-16T16:23:00.010-05:00

I started watching Ugly Betty last year. When I saw previews of the show in the past, I thought it was certainly something I would not be watching. Instead, I've found that the quirky and creative nature of the show keeps me coming back every week. And it seems that weekly, my life is more of a reflection of the show's storyline than I could have foreseen.

For instance, a few episodes ago a blackout struck New York City just when Marc needed to get his presentation to lower Manhattan in order to be promoted to an editor position. The building super had just installed an electronic lock on the main floor, and because of the power outage no one was able to leave the building. (Suspend reality enough to ignore the fact that in a power outage the door would be unlocked.) "Oh please," I said. "If it's that important, ask a first floor neighbor if you can climb out of their window."

Cut to last week when I was at SeaTac's building and we needed to get to the train. We went to the first floor and the magnetic lock was stuck. Would not budge. In fact, the entire door frame was about to come loose when we pushed on the door. We went back upstairs to call the management company, then went back downstairs about ten minutes later to try again. Finally, by pushing my fingers into the space between the door and the frame, I managed to pry the two apart. Ridiculous. But I wasn't about to knock on 1A's door and ask if I could climb out of her window.

In the following episode, Betty is informed that she has just won a Blobbie Award for her blog. (No, I have not been informed of any awards for my blog.) After asking her boss to introduce her at the ceremony, they hit a rocky place in their relationship and she decides to blog a rant about her boss and the situation. Of course the information in the post gets out to the masses, which goes very badly, and it turns out to be the worst idea for a blog entry ever.

Upon beginning my blog two years ago, I decided that I would keep it upbeat and positive as much as possible, and I plan to continue in that spirit. Last week I had an unexpected development occur and I now find myself back on the job market. I will not be writing much about that development, but I will most likely be writing a little bit about my newest experiences in the world of unemployment. And I will keep it upbeat. I would not like for my life to parallel the Blobbie Award storyline.

Despite the nature of this new adventure I find myself in the midst of (if you've ever been unemployed, you know what I mean), I am feeling mostly good about a chance to start again with a fresh perspective. Even though this means that I will not be moving anytime soon, I still feel a sense of renewal. In that spirit, I spent much of today rearranging my bedroom furniture while watching the snow fall all day long outside my window. It was a great day. Tomorrow I will be updating my resume and applying for jobs. Let's hope some of today's good feelings carry over into tomorrow's tasks.

Through the course of the TV series, Betty has gone from an underling at a major magazine to an associate editor. I wouldn't mind my career following the general path of her career's storyline. You never know. It could happen. After all, Marc did manage to get out of the building and he did get his promotion.

It's Decided.

2010-02-02T01:00:00.005-05:00

My roommate is planning to move closer to the garden where she works, and I am finally ready to get my own place. I am hoping to find an "affordable" studio in Manhattan at the end of March. I've begun exploring neighborhoods (in-person and online), emailing friends for any leads they may have, and figuring out the finances of it all. The neighborhood I am currently fixed on is Washington Heights. That is subject to change, but after taking a long walk around the Ft. Tryon Park area I decided it is a neighborhood I would be glad to consider. We'll see what happens.

More to come...

Kansas Day

2010-01-30T15:28:00.015-05:00

January 29th is a good day. Though I've always been fond of Kansas Day, I've celebrated it with much more gusto since moving away from the Sunflower State. And I always like to find a good reason to celebrate.

Last year Sterling and I celebrated together by making cookies in her apartment. This year we are roommates and I find that living with a Kansan makes the holiday even better. We had planned to make sugar cookies again on the 28th, but Sterling did not feel well, so it was up to me. I tried to use the Jayhawk cookie cutter, but all the detail in the tool makes it tedious to use successfully. I also tried to cut dough into the shape of Kansas, but some of the cookies looked a little more like Nebraska (blasphemy!) and then the borders expanded into the surrounding states as they baked. I guess it's the thought that counts.

By the end of the night I was reminded about why I should wear an apron when I bake.

Fortunately, the cookies were a big hit around the office and I felt that I had done my part to spread the joy of Kansas to a tiny corner of New York City. After work, SeaTac, Sterling, Baltimore and I ate great burgers, tots and sweet potato fries at the Trailer Park Lounge and Grill in Chelsea. A dessert of Moon Pies followed.

Even though Sterling and I attended rival universities, I find that celebrating our common heritage and homeland only brings more peace and comradery to our little apartment in Brooklyn.

Happy Kansas Day, Everyone!

Ad astra per aspera!

2009-11-04T18:09:00.023-05:00

I love my apartment building. One of our neighbors just came to the door and asked if she could climb through my window. It cracks me up to type that. Perhaps I should clarify. She didn't have her keys and her roommate is traveling, so she was stuck out of her place. I have access to the fire escape through my bedroom window and it leads to her roommate's bedroom window as well, so out the window she went and into her apartment. The same thing happened a few months ago, except that neighbor was going to the apartment above me. It's funny to be able to help each other out in such an unconventional way.

I've never posted any pictures of this apartment for all of my far-away family members to see. I suppose this is an appropriate post in which to do that. So below you will see my bedroom, our dining room and our living room (with festive party decorations), and our skinny kitchen and skinny bathroom, followed by a short video of my summer street-view from the well-used fire escape. And I apologize in advance if you've never wanted to see someone's bathroom posted online. I'm just trying to give you an overall sense of my space.

Glass and Light

2009-09-25T01:16:00.015-04:00

I thought tonight I would share some photos I've taken which show light and shadow on a few of the beautiful glass buildings in Manhattan.

The first photo is of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. After spending the day watching some great kids for a friend, we came out of the subway at 59th Street to see a large and ferocious-looking storm approaching. I told the kids we were going to make a run for their mom's office because we didn't have an umbrella and it looked like the rain would come any moment (though I obviously found time to stop and snap a picture). You can see the storm clouds reflected on the top portion of the buildings and the bright sky reflected below. I was pleased with the picture, but of course the image is not nearly as striking as the actual sight. (And in case you are wondering, we did make it indoors before the rain started.)

The next few photos were taken just outside of Ground Zero. SeaTac and I were on our way to meet friends at Michigan's place a few days before the September 11th anniversary. I attempted to take photos using a variety of settings on my camera, but one can only do so much with a point-and-click, so most of them did not turn out very well, but I did find a few interesting images. The glass building on the left is World Trade Seven.

A Fresh Job Idea

2009-09-22T07:37:00.002-04:00

I have some great friends who pass along job leads to me when they find something that might be a good fit. Michigan sent me the following job post from Craigslist today. I really do need a job, but I'm not sure if this is the career path that I want to pursue.

need someone to sit on lap

Date: 2009-09-22, 5:45AM

I have bad back problems, and need someone to sit on my lap for four hours a day ,it helps me straigten my, back I know it sound weird but it helps , willing to pay ten dollars and hour for four hours , twice a week , has to be in good shape and looking for a male to do it because they are stronger to do this sort of job, if you are interested e mail , this is not bs ,you could watch tv, use computer I will even give you food, please respond , thank you

Location: lynbrook
This is a part-time job.
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

Original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/lab/1386413954.html

To Remember and To Act

2009-09-11T08:04:00.012-04:00

It's a blustery and rainy day in Borough Park. I love the feel of a cool and rainy September morning. One of the joys (and sometimes pains) of living in a mass-transit city is that you get to walk in the midst of the weather, instead of being more insulated and apart from it. As I was walking to the laundromat just before the rain this morning, I saw the flag at half-mast in the local elementary schoolyard, and the memory of September 11, 2001 came back strikingly clear. The weather today is much different from what I saw in New York on the television eight years ago, but somehow it seems fitting that the weather is so dreary on this day of remembrance. I don't remember feeling this sad about that day for a long time.

It is important and right that we move along and progress and improve after those terrorist attacks, but it is also appropriate and right to take time to remember and reflect and mourn the losses of that day as well. And I hope that in remembering, we will be motivated to make choices and take actions that improve ourselves and the world around us. It is fitting that the President declared September 11th a National Day of Service and Remembrance and that volunteerism was such a central theme of the memorial service in Lower Manhattan this morning.

These are pictures of the Tribute in Lights from 2008. The first picture is from City Hall Park and the second is from my fire-escape in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

Look! Up in the Sky....

2009-09-01T01:48:00.009-04:00

....It's a bird!

It's a plane!

No! It's a cleaning lady!!

I was visiting some friends at the mid-town school office recently when Michigan noticed this woman holding onto a window so she could clean it. I estimated that she was probably about ten or eleven stories above 56th Street. We just stared at her in amazement... but not the kind of amazement which leads you to want to emulate the person you are amazed by. The kind of amazement that just makes it almost impossible to tear your eyes away from the person doing the stupid thing you are "amazed" by.

I suppose I should clarify that I didn't just stare at the woman. I obviously took the time to find my camera and take some pictures. Michigan was the compassionate one, repeatedly saying, "Please don't fall. Don't fall, lady. Please don't fall..." I mean, really? Come on, lady! How badly do you need the outside of those windows cleaned? If the windows were for her, then she needs to re-think her cleaning chart. If the windows were for an employer, either she's just an over-achiever, or those employers need to be taken to task for expectations that are WAY too high (no pun intended). We have equipment for those sorts of jobs!

I took a crummy video (I always forget I can't turn the camera sideways) that you are welcome to watch below.

n-e-v-e-r

2009-08-04T02:54:00.015-04:00

Tonight I want to reiterate the fact that I love my town. Sometimes I am a little disheartened when others visit New York City and don't really like it here, or don't even seem open to visiting the city and giving it a chance. New York is certainly not for everyone. I get that. But it is for me, at least for this time in my life. I fell in love with this city and I am truly happy to be here.

I will obviously never be a native New Yorker. I'm not even sure how many years I have to be here before long-time New Yorkers will truly feel I am worthy of the title "New Yorker" (if ever). I will always be a native Kansan. Kansas is my homeland, which I also love. El Dorado and Wichita have been long-time and life-shaping homes for me. And I know I always have a home waiting for me in El Dorado or wherever my parents reside. The word "home" can carry various meanings. I want to stake my claim where I am and be a part of what's going on around me, and I like to make a home for myself in that place. And right now, New York City is my home.

I feel like some people will not understand this, and I guess that's okay. I don't mean to offend with these statements. But sometimes I want to throw these thoughts out there and let them be known to whoever happens to stumble across them. And maybe in trying to express myself in writing, pieces of my life will become clearer to me, and to others if they want to follow along.

My dad and I were recently laughing about how we used to say, "I'll never.... [fill in the blank, i.e. go do such-and-such, or live in this place or that place, etc...]. We've learned we ought not to say that, but when we do, we quickly repent and say we didn't mean it. I have come to the understanding that I can rarely predict what will happen in my life. And I see that life has a way of surprising me with what's next. And even though sometimes that seems really crappy, it can also be really exciting and positive.

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

So I plan to be in New York City indefinitely. I refuse to use the word "never" when trying to make decisions and plans for my future. I don't know what's in store. But for now, I am happy to be at home here. And even if this town is not for everyone, I hope that when people visit, they will discover some of the things that I think make this place really wonderful.

By the way, I seem to recall saying on more than one occasion that "I could never ride a bike in New York City. Those people are crazy!" Click here to read how that turned out. Or here. Or here. Or here.

An Early Birthday Party

2009-06-29T01:27:00.009-04:00

My roommate is from Sterling, Kansas (which is about a two-hour drive from my hometown), and she will be flying there tomorrow to spend a week with her family, so she will miss my birthday.

This evening when I came home, I had birthday greetings posted on our doors from the previous and current presidents of the United States, a birthday banner (with some Christmas tinsel) over our dining room table, fresh flowers and an American flag in the vase, birthday rubber ducks, a card, cupcakes and food on the table, and a birthday greeting on our chalkboard wall (which reads "Happy Birthday Matthew and America!"). It really made my night. For supper it was cheese doodles and fruit salad, washed down with hard cider. The salad had pears chopped up in it. I rarely eat pears, but when I do, I always remember my late Great-Grandmother P, who had a pear tree in her yard.

While we ate, we watched the first four episodes of "Greensburg: A Story of Community Rebuilding". This is a series about Greensburg, Kansas trying to become a "green" city as it rebuilds from a tornado that almost completely destroyed the town in May of 2007. It was nice to see scenes from a familiar part of the country with a fellow Kansan (even if she did go to that other Kansas university).

For dessert we split three different types of vegan cupcakes. Sterling said they're supposed to be the best vegan cupcakes in town.

I had a good early birthday party. Thanks, Sterling!

I Need a Job

2009-06-25T13:49:00.002-04:00

I am looking for a job and I am about to go stir-crazy from staring at employment-related documents and websites for days. My brain feels lazy and doesn't want to concentrate for very long, even though I have given myself plenty of breaks. I will be so glad for the search to be over.

I have applied for support positions at two local universities (which shall remain nameless, pending successful employment), and I think they would be great employers. Hopefully they will respond positively in the next day or two. I've also registered with two temp agencies in the City. It's not the best time for temp work, but we'll see what happens.

Tuesday morning I found myself talking to a few men who were representing one of the jobs I applied for at a university. While they were standing and talking around me, a sturdy and stern-looking woman in a woman's business suit came riding up to us on a horse. As she approached, the men cowered a little and backed up. She was holding a collection of papers, and as she briefly and nonchalantly glanced through them, she said to me, "I see you applied for these positions. I am the Dean of Academic Excellence at [Such-and-Such University] and I want you to accept my position." After that announcement, she promptly turned her proud steed around and rode away, leaving me with a great sense of excitement at the offer, and apprehension as well, wondering if I would have what it takes to assist a woman of such caliber.

Then I woke up.

I think I may be losing my mind. Man was not made for unemployment.

I am, however, still waiting with anticipation for a horse and rider to show up at my door. I don't know how she will get the horse up to the third floor. I guess she'll just have to ring the buzzer and wait for me to come down.

I'm gonna take a break now and go to the beach for a little while. Maybe the fresh air will do me some good.

Biking Again

2009-06-03T06:54:00.006-04:00

I finally took my bike out for a ride after months of watching it sit idly in my apartment. I've been building up to this for a few weeks now and finally decided it was time. Two weeks ago I went on two short runs and afterwards my left heel was in quite a bit of pain. My heel is better now, but I know that biking doesn't hurt my heel, so it seems like that's a good alternative for exercise.

Last night I came home exhausted from the day and sat down in the living room where my roommate was watching TV. Without much warning I fell asleep on the couch. My roommate put a blanket on me and left me alone, and a thunderstorm woke me up a little before 5:00 a.m. Since I was up I decided to check a few things online (I am currently job-hunting) and by 5:45 the rain had stopped and it looked like it would stay dry for awhile. That was when I decided to grab the bike and head out.

Fortunately, Prospect Park is a short bike ride from my apartment and there are beautiful paths that pass through trees and around a large meadow and lake, so I decided to try that and I loved it. It was beautiful and quiet, and traffic was light so early in the morning. I hope this will be the re-start of habitual biking for me.

Año Número Uno

2009-03-01T01:09:00.003-05:00

Today marks one complete year of me living in New York City. I still love it.

I will not be celebrating this milestone here in the City, however, because in four hours I am supposed to be out of bed for a ski trip to Hunter Mountain. Just a day trip. It's been years since I donned a pair of skis. We'll see how it goes. My knees feel older than they did in 2002. Or was it 2003? My mind is slipping, as well.

I can't wait to see what Year #2 has in store for me.

For now, I suppose I should go to bed.

Taking Candy from a Stranger

2009-01-25T02:39:00.002-05:00

While waiting for the D-train to Harlem from the Atlantic-Pacific Terminal in Brooklyn a few nights ago, a woman on the platform told me that it makes her think about going out at night when she has to wait on the D-train. This started a discussion about the reliability and frequency of specific trains and how that affects our decisions and plans.

She seemed like a nice lady and as the D came into the station she told me to enjoy my evening. And then as we were walking into the same door of the train she handed me a bag of Mango Balls candy and told me if I ever go to a 99-cent store I need to get these because they are really good. She insisted I take them and showed me that she had another bag in her purse. She also told me where I could find a 99-cent store in downtown Brooklyn and that Mango Balls are available at CostCo and BJ's, as well.

I have to be honest. They weren't the best candies I've ever tried, but getting them as a gift from a nice lady made them some of the best candies I've ever received as a gift. It just reinforces the sense of camaraderie I love about New York City and is another example of the acts of kindness and love I see around me as I traverse the streets and tunnels.

P.S.- I gave her a bag of gummie cola bottles (one of my favorites) as I was getting off the train. Share the love, right?

My First Christmas Gift of 2008

2008-12-16T00:38:00.004-05:00

This wasn't on my list...

... but you gotta love those company party white elephant gifts.

I Love My Chucks

2008-12-10T01:01:00.011-05:00

These are the Converse All-Stars that I love.

They are my default shoes now.

These are the socks I love to wear with my Converse All-Stars.

I am afraid that in the coming months they aren't going to be pounding as much pavement as they normally do. My feet have been getting chilly out there in recent days. Perhaps I'll try thicker socks before I decide to relegate my shoes to warm days. I'm not sure I can stand the thought of putting them away.

A Simple Joy (courtesy of YouTube)

2008-12-03T18:30:00.000-05:00

This afternoon I saw a young woman watching YouTube on her laptop in the Starbucks cafe. The first time I noticed her she was smiling. The second time I noticed her she was laughing. I couldn't hear her from across the room, but her head was moving and her mouth was open in a wide grin. I think she was trying not to draw attention to herself, but she also didn't seem able to keep herself from at least silent laughter. And that made me smile. Even now, a few hours later on the train, I am smiling as I think about it. I can't help myself. I love simple joys like that.

Limbo

2008-11-19T18:35:00.003-05:00

I knew it was too good to be true. I was on my way to work at Starbucks for a morning shift and I only had to wait for the L-train for five minutes. At 4:50 in the morning, that's not a bad wait time.

Oh wait, what the electronic announcement at Lorimer Station meant to say was, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the next Manhattan-bound L-train will depart in approximately five minutes. The wait-time you didn't spend on the Lorimer platform will be made up for in the tunnel between Bedford Avenue and First Avenue."

But since I didn't hear that announcement, I got my hopes up that I would actually be early to work, rather than sitting on a stationary train somewhere between Brooklyn and Manhattan for at least sixteen minutes. Some poor guy has actually started snoring on the bench across from me. I wish I was tired enough for a nap this morning.

I always complain if they don't give us any information. After hearing the worker in the compartment near me telling someone over the radio that he can't hear her, listening to an electronic buzzer going off in the tunnel, and watching an MTA worker walk along the train passage next to our car, they made the announcement that there were workers on the track in front of us. I am grateful for that. Though I think I could have done just fine without the repetitive automated announcement, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we're being held momentarily by the train's dispatcher. Please be patient." You never know though. The MTA probably spent way too much money on a psychological study to determine that even repetitive, generic announcements will help people be more patient when they are in a hurry and stuck in the limbo of a dark subway tunnel somewhere beneath the City or the East River.

Though I often take notes while I'm out and about, this is the first time I have posted on my blog via my mobile device. Here it is, folks. Raw reporting from the streets, bridges and tunnels of the City. I love my BlackBerry.

And our train has finally made it to 8th Avenue and I am late. (Yes, please. I will have "whine" with my cheese.)

Shove

2008-10-22T21:02:00.011-04:00

An interesting thing about all the human contact one has in a normal New York day is how many misunderstandings occur which will never be resolved or understood. Take the case of the blind woman on the train a few weeks ago.

The last car on the Brooklyn-bound L train was packed (if you are exiting at Lorimer Avenue to catch the G-train, this is the car to be in). Many of the occupants were high-schoolers enjoying a commute home together, discussing when one of their own would be able to transfer back to their school. It was noisy, but not outrageously so. I did happen to notice a woman in the middle of the car who was looking a little anxiously through the many people towards the door, but I didn't give it much thought. She was in the middle of the car, surrounded by a lot of noise and crowdedness.

When subway car is crammed full of people, and a lot of those people want to exit at the same station, you run the risk of being squashed from both sides if you happen to be staying on the train. Our train pulled into the 1st Avenue Station (the last stop in Manhattan) and there were more exiters on our car than I expected. Unfortunately, I was right by the door on the side of escape. After a few people pushed their way through and past the crowd, the previously mentioned slightly anxious woman had not been able to get through and finally said something. "Excuse me! I need to get out!" she said, her anxiety rising a bit. Riders began to move out of her way some, and as she pushed her way through the mash of people towards me, I saw her white cane. She was blind. Seeing her disability and trouble getting out, I spread my arms out a little and pushed back the other direction, trying to help clear the way. As soon as she was clear, a different woman from behind shoved me and quite rudely said, "Excuse me," as she moved to the door and was followed by another person. I got pretty angry at that and replied with a snide and disgusted "Miss" in her direction.

To follow that up, a young man holding onto the pole next to me, in an obvious referral to the first woman, said, "I think she was blind."

"The other lady was," I said to him. And then I half-heartedly tried to explain that was why I was in the second lady's way, but I stopped when it was obvious he wasn't looking for a conversation. He seemed like a very considerate person (who apparently thought I was being an ass).

So to unpack that situation a little:

1) In the first place, I should not have been wearing my backpack on my back. It is better to take it off and hold it in front of you or put it between your feet on the ground to save space. I'm sure the second woman would have appreciated that.

2) I wonder if the blind woman thought everyone was being careless. She may have understood that people were just oblivious to the need she had until she said something. I think all New Yorkers have experienced being stuck in a crowd, and also unintentionally being in the crowd that detains someone.

3) I was trying to help out a person in need. The second woman obviously didn't realize that and needed to get past me to get out so she wouldn't end up in Brooklyn. And sometimes pushing is the only means of escape. Perhaps she really isn't a pleasant person, or maybe she was just trying to be bold with her comment, and it came out of her mouth rudely. Perhaps she was just having a bad day. I know I have experienced all of those things myself.

4) The considerate man must not have noticed my attempt to help clear the way for the blind woman, or the ensuing shove I got from behind, so he naturally assumed I was speaking rudely to the person in need. It was perhaps the best thing he could have done, from his perspective, to let me know why should have been kind.

4) I should not have been rude no matter what happened. Perhaps I was being too sensitive.

This whole "incident" probably lasted no more than 20 to 30 seconds at the most, and look at all of the ways in which confusion and ignorance ensued. You can't stop to clear up every misunderstanding (just as in traffic you can't stop a car you cut off to explain to the driver why you did it). At the same time, there are times when you should stop and be kind and considerate and, if applicable, apologetic.

It was an intriguing and thought-provoking ride home. And a good reminder to "be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."

Education Reform, please!!!

2008-10-13T08:46:00.009-04:00

This past Saturday I went to Union Square to meet some friends (and strangers) for a photo scavenger hunt. The Greenmarket was happening, so there were a lot of booths set up and loads of people. Since I only knew the faces of three people I was meeting, I tried to hang out near the large centerpiece statue of the square, but I got bored, so I took a walk around the booths, in case my friends were waiting elsewhere.

Upon my return to the statue, I saw a small group of people had gathered as if they were waiting for someone else. I wondered if they were also participants in the Great PhotoHunt, but I didn't want to approach them unless I knew, so I just loitered near them until Sarah, Rafael and Veda arrived.

The group was obviously waiting for someone as well, and finally one of the ladies in the group made a phone call to figure out where the others were. And when she started explaining where they were waiting, I wanted her to stop.

"We're here," she says. "We're standing by the big statue of the man on the horse..... The statue of the man on the horse...."

The statue of the man on the horse? The man on the horse?!?!? Come on now, lady! That's George Washington on the horse, for crying out loud!!! You know, the first President of our United States!

I desperately wanted her to clarify that a little more, but she kept repeating that killer line, "...the statue of the man on horse..."

Just please stop repeating that, miss.

It turns out she was with our group, and she didn't seem uneducated. In fact, some of the group members were graduates of Yale. She was probably very intelligent. Ugh.

On a side note, I ran across this interesting Newsweek article about a family in Texas who would be American royalty today, if General Washington had been installed as King George Washington, as some early Americans wanted him to be. Take a look.

Overheard on the Street...

2008-10-07T23:25:00.003-04:00

"Leading ten kids through Manhattan. God bless ya'."

A worker on 61st Street gave us this blessing as he watched our gaggle of Pre-K students walking from Central Park to the school.

Bite Me

2008-09-30T22:31:00.009-04:00

There are some experiences that, having once touched your life, continue with you for the rest of your journey through the world. I am becoming more convinced that one such experience is bedbugs.

You may recall that the day I moved to New York City my apartment had been treated for bedbugs. I was never in the apartment during an active infestation, but for the first ten days of my New York life I lived out of plastic bags and had to vacuum the crevices of my room and bed daily. So even though I have never been bitten (that I am aware of), I carry the fear and paranoia of them with me. Even in moving to a new apartment, I've wondered if some few bugs survived the Great Extermination and hitched a ride in some small corner of my belongings. Have they been breeding and infesting every possible nook and cranny of my new bedroom, waiting for the right night to swarm over me as I sleep and drain me of my life-vital fluid... or at least bite the crap out of me?

Though under normal circumstances, the thought of nightly being bitten by insects would bother me a lot, that's not really what gets to me the most. I have been bitten by insects before. In high school I lived in a tent in the Florida swamps for over two weeks. I learned I can survive being continuously bitten by bugs. No, it's the thought of the bedbug extermination and recovery process that kills me, should they ever return. It completely disrupts one's life. Anyone who knows someone who's had this experience can see the mental and physical drain it is.

So this past week, for whatever reason, I woke up a couple of days in a row with what felt like the itch of a bug bite on my ankle. Immediately my mind went to bedbugs. What else could they be? But then again, any little itch I feel makes me think of the little demons. And I also can't remember if it is normal to wake up feeling an itch or two here and there. I think it is, but my mind isn't clear anymore. Regardless, this week I obviously was bitten by something. I was speaking to our roommate Sarah about this and she told me that she and her sister had been bug-bitten during her sister's stay last week, but they thought it had been mosquitoes. We reasoned through it, that for all of us to be bitten in the apartment around the same time on different floors made it unlikely that it had been bedbugs, and that we shouldn't worry about it. But if you know me, you know I don't let go of things in my head very easily sometimes, so while I wanted to believe it, there was some lingering doubt in my mind. Who knows, perhaps this was the Great Takeover that my paranoid self felt was coming like some great prophesied Apocalypse.

But then (great joy!), I was in the bathroom getting ready for work when a very fat and happy looking mosquito came buzzing around my head. I was quick to squash it and it left a significant spot of blood on my hand. I was VERY happy to see that it had been feeding well. I say, bring on the mosquitoes! As long as the bedbugs stay away, I can deal with other pests. Are other pests annoying? Yes. But other pests can be destroyed with much less chagrin and disruption to one's life.

Despite my relief about this most recent incident, I'd like to tell you that my bedbug paranoia has left me now, but I have to wonder, "What if...."

Woman vs. Train

2008-09-28T17:46:00.006-04:00

There is something disconcerting about sitting on a moving train and having the door between cars pop open on its own and stay open. Kudos to the brave blonde girl in red pants for valiantly shutting the door, saving us all from the ills of the subway tunnel. Though it attempted to prevail on a later portion of our journey, it cowered shut once again at the sight of our warrior woman.

I should probably email the MTA about the faulty door on C-train car #4027.

Rainy Day

2008-09-26T17:35:00.006-04:00

This morning's commute felt something like this....

But don't worry. I made it to work just fine.

2008-09-22T07:15:00.003-04:00

I have been on a bit of a hiatus from the blogging community, but I have a lot to say and I hope to be back in the groove very soon. This post is my online-kick-in-the-seat-of-my-pants.

PDA?

2008-08-25T23:53:00.005-04:00

I know it is boring to wait for the subway.

I know it is good to find ways to keep oneself occupied while waiting for the subway. There are various common options, such as reading the paper or a magazine (I recommend The New Yorker), listening to music or podcasts (with your earphones in, please), or having a quiet conversation with your friends.

I know one perk of being in a romantic relationship is having someone who can pick at your acne and blemishes without shame. (And let's be honest here... even if we've had to do it ourselves, we've all picked at our acne.)

But perhaps, just maybe, picking at your significant other's shoulder acne is something best left for a more private place- NOT the subway platform.

I was standing on the platform at Hoyt-Schermerhorn, enjoying some free music downloads from iTunes while waiting on the G-train, when I looked over to see this normal, clean-looking guy rolling up his shirt sleeves and picking at his shoulders. Then his girlfriend started in on it. And it wasn't just one spot. They kept at it for awhile.

Ew. Don't they own iPods? Or subscribe to some magazine? Or have relational issues to discuss? I mean really... did they have to do that in public?

Weird.

Professional Baseball Can Be Fun! Who Knew?

2008-08-21T13:55:00.006-04:00

I went to my first New York Mets game a week or two ago. It was a blast. We had seats WAY up at the top of Shea Stadium (in Queens). They are building a new stadium, so this is the last season to see the team play in Shea before it is torn down. The Yankees (in The Bronx) are also building a new stadium, so I really want to get to a game there this season, as well.

I think I could be a fan of a NY baseball team. In principle, I'm not a professional baseball fan, but it's fun when you are actually in the stadium and people are excited to be there. The only other pro-baseball game I've attended was a KC Royals game when I was in college. The KSU Men's Glee Club sang the National Anthem before the game, and that was exciting, but the game wasn't incredible and I didn't have many friends there at the time, so it wasn't one of my favorite events.

Here is a video I took of a home run. That was a blast to celebrate! High energy!! In the video you'll see and hear Alissa, Melinda and Peter. Peter got our tickets for us....hooray for Peter!

My plan is to try and get to a Yankee's game and then decide whether I'm more of a Yankees or a Mets fan. We'll see what happens!

A Simple "Hi" Sufficed

2008-08-20T16:37:00.007-04:00

Last week my one-and-a-half-year-old nephew David said "hi" to me on the phone for the first time. No matter how much noise he makes in the background when I call his parents, he never talks to me on the phone. Last week he did and it made my day. I'm really crazy about that kid!

I'd Rather Laugh Than Litter

2008-08-11T02:53:00.010-04:00

I love to laugh. I feel like I have been laughing more lately than I had been for awhile. I am glad for that. Laughing makes me happy.

Last night:

I am sitting on my fire escape, enjoying a clove (which is nice from time-to-time), looking two stories below as a woman races down Hart Street on a bicycle. It is almost midnight and a man is running along the sidewalk, not quite caught up with her. Is there trouble? No, she is watching him and he is running with all his might, and she laughs as he tries to keep up, and then he evens the divide between them and begins to pass her place in the front of the race, until she looks over again and sees the absent gap. Giving a slight laugh, she pumps the bike pedals faster, clothes and hair rippling as the air rushes past, and she once again claims first place as the two of them dissappear down the street, hidden to me by the tree branches which cast a veil over the street below.

It is an amazing night out here. The air is cool. The stars, such as can be seen in the City, are shining. There is a slight breeze. It seems like a nice night for a race.

Sitting peacefully a few more moments and a car drives past below my iron perch. Out of the open window a man throws a plastic bottle into the street. One more piece of garbage to litter the neighborhood.

Really? Did you just do that, dude? In grade school I learned not to do that. And it's not like we don't have trash cans on practically every corner in New York.

*annoyed sigh*

Another Good Day

2008-07-31T00:26:00.009-04:00

Today was a muggy, hazy day in New York. Thankfully, the air conditioner unit was repaired at our store overnight last night, so by this afternoon we had cool air again. We've been without a.c. for about a month. I know it isn't a necessity, but it sure is nice.

I introduced myself to some more customers today and hope to remember their names. It was kind of fun to make that connection with them. One of our regulars, who I haven't officially met, has been a biker for 30 years (I think she said 30, or maybe 20- either way, quite awhile), and she was in the store today with bruises on her face. She said she had her first wreck and had broken her nose. We have discussed biking before. She reminded me to wear my helmet when I ride. It was a good reminder. I do wear a helmet when I ride. Oh, and I saw Jodi Foster today. That was fun.

My roommate Greg came back from over two weeks of visiting his girlfriend in New Mexico. He was supposed to bring his dog Moby back with him, however, the temperatures were too hot in the cities he was flying through, so they would not allow Moby to fly. I'm not sure when he will get here. Our third housemate Sarah should be moving in within a few weeks as well.

The lease at our new apartment begins on Friday, so Greg and I moved a few of my belongings over this evening. I have a few things to get in order here, but I will be ready to move by August 1st. My coffee table is in the new place, which basically leaves my desk and clothes to move, along with a few other odds and ends. The space we're moving into is larger than our current apartment, so we don't have much furniture at this point. That will come in time. Below is a picture of our common space. The kitchen is around the corner. I may put some other pictures online after we get moved in.

This evening some of the community members stopped by our current apartment to welcome Greg back to the City and to celebrate his new teaching position. He just got hired today and it isn't too far from our neighborhood.

All-in-all it was another good day.

A Great Day!

2008-07-28T23:33:00.005-04:00

You know, I haven't really had a lot of bad days for quite awhile, but it feels like in the past couple of weeks I've been a bit more pummelled mentally and emotionally. I am grateful to report that as customers or roommates have asked me how my day has been today, I am able to say, it has been a great day!

The bike ride to work this morning was peaceful and cool. I even got there a little early and had time to sit down in the lobby and visit with my co-worker Jen (who's a riot) and her friend Ryan before we started work.

Work wasn't too busy and I really enjoyed my co-workers. Last week I let someone at work know what I was frustrated about and we talked about it, cleared the air, and I feel like that work relationship is more relaxed now.

I enjoyed light conversation with some of our regulars. Many of these people seem fun and interesting and I think it would be great to get to know them better, and not just their drink preferences. I think I will at least introduce myself more often and try to find out more of their names. Jen made a mock-up card for me to hand out to customers. (see below)

I stopped in Chinatown on my ride home and picked up some fruit from a vendor.

I had plenty to do at home today, but I decided to take a 30-minute nap, which turned into almost three hours! Much longer than I had intended, but it felt great to sleep.

Melinda picked me and my laundry up in a friend's Miata convertible and we went to the laundromat. While the clothes washed, we came back to my apartment and Melinda helped me to sort through some papers. Some who are reading this will have had first-hand experience helping me with this. It is better than it once was! I am moving to my new apartment this Friday, so I want to get things in order as much as possible before that.

Melinda rode my bike back to the laundromat to put our clothes in the dryer. She has considered biking in the City, and she enjoyed this experience! I'm all for new bikers in the City! (One of my co-workers recently bought a bike and has also been commuting from Brooklyn into Manhattan.) After more sorting we went back and finished our laundry. It was nice to have company. Usually I am bored out of my gourd at the laundromat.

I have the entire day off tomorrow, so I plan to do some house-cleaning, take some belongings over to the new apartment, and run some errands. In the meantime, I am going to eat some ice cream and go to bed. This has been a great day!

Lyme

2008-07-25T23:17:00.016-04:00

One of my favorite customers is Rachel. Rachel is cute and perky and she laughs a lot. She has a great smile and her hair is always in two small side ponytails. Rachel doesn't come into the store daily, but we see her from time to time and I always enjoy our happily raucous conversations.

Recently Rachel was spending a lot of time in Connecticut for a theatre event she was involved with, so we hadn't seen her in the store much. When she returned I asked her about her time away. Our conversation went something like this:

Matthew: Hey Rachel! How did things go in Connecticut?

Rachel: Things went really well. Oh, but there were a lot of ticks there.

Matthew: Those are nasty. I spent a lot of time in the country growing up and sometimes the dogs would get big, juicy ticks on them that would have to be pulled off.

Rachel: Yeah, one of the cats got Lyme Disease.

Matthew: Oh no! Did you have to put it down?

Rachel: What?!?!?

Matthew: Did you have to put the cat down?

Rachel: No, I said cast. One of the cast got Lyme Disease!

Maybe I should start considering Miracle Ear...

Elvis Is Rolling Over In His Grave

2008-07-24T19:06:00.010-04:00

I am a bit of a Facebook addict. While looking around on a friend's FunWall this evening I happened upon a bizarre video, and I wanted to share my thoughts about it with someone. Lucky you for reading my blog.

I do not endorse this video. I do not even recommend watching the whole thing (I couldn't) - it's just too disturbing. (I wish I knew how to edit videos and just shows clips.) For some reason, I don't think the "King of Rock 'n' Roll" had this in mind when he was performing this song. Is this what his legacy has come to?

P.S.- As a general rule, I am not anti-figure-skating. The performers are talented and certainly have more physical stamina and discipline than most people, but if you are a woman trying to figure out why it's so hard to get guys to watch figure-skating with you, really think about what you just watched and then I think you'll understand why. I mean, really...

Tall Is Beautiful

2008-07-23T17:50:00.006-04:00

This afternoon I saw an amazingly beautiful woman on the subway. She was very tall with dark skin. I don't know how tall she was, but she towered over me. In fact, her head almost touched the ceiling of the subway exit. She and I both rode the G-train from Metropolitan to Myrtle-Willoughby, and I wish I'd had a reason to talk to her. She was captivating.

I think tall women who carry themselves well are some of the most beautiful people in the world. I have a friend from college who stands taller then most women, and she is one of the most gracious and lovely women I've met. Some people who are tall (both men and women) slouch over and seem to be attempting to blend in with short, average, or just semi-tall people.

But I say, if you are tall, carry yourself with amour-propre and confidence! That is beautiful!

On a related note, I am currently trying to work on my posture. I tend to slouch. In making this new attempt, I have noticed that most chairs are not designed for good posture (especially subway benches), but I would like to do what I can to remedy my posture problem nonetheless. If anyone has suggestions on how to improve posture, send me a note. I'd love advice.

That being said, I feel I should also say: if you are of average height (or short or semi-tall for that matter- heck, I say this to anyone), carry yourself with amour-propre and confidence! That is beautiful!

Rain

2008-07-12T00:23:00.006-04:00

When I was visiting New York last summer, I tried to take everything in. One of the new experiences I had was being rained on by air conditioners as I walked down the streets. The condensation from the air conditioners falls in drops from apartment windows onto the sidewalk below. I actually found this to be a somewhat endearing aspect of summer in the city.

Recently I mentioned this to a fellow resident and I'm pretty sure they thought that was an odd thing to enjoy. And I have noticed a change in my own attitude towards this "a.c. rain"- perhaps not incredibly repulsed by it, but not really liking it as I once had...

This morning I was walking to work and some of the "rain" fell from a window unit up above onto my lower lip.

That was not endearing.

That was gross.

But I had to laugh about it. As Melinda wrote in a text message, "Haha! Oh the perils of city living."

If You Were an Animal...?

2008-07-07T19:33:00.009-04:00

If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

I would be a slug. At least today I would be... Okay, who am I kidding? Often I would be. I had the day off and I slept late into the morning, watched some episodes of Lost on DVD, checked my email, read some blogs, slept some more, made one phone call, and managed to drag myself out of the bedroom a couple of times to eat. Oh, and I also shaved and showered at some point and exercised for about 20 seconds.

Thankfully people were around the house this evening, so I walked down the block to get a sandwich from the corner deli with Sharaya (the sandwich was cheap but delicious- worthy of it's own post sometime) and spent some time catching up with other housemates who I haven't seen for a few days. A few of us helped my roommate Greg move some of his belongings into our new apartment. (I haven't written about it yet, but I am moving to a new apartment down the block at the end of July. I'll write more about that in the future.)

After we were done moving a load into the apartment we met Jimmy, one of our new neighbors. Actually, Greg introduced himself (he's fearless like that) and then we talked for a little while. Jimmy was born in the neighborhood in 1951. He moved away for a bit, but it sounds like most of his life has been lived in the townhouse next to my future home. He told us all about the different stores and buildings that used to be on our street. He had great stories about the neighbors he grew up around. I could write a whole entry about his stories. He knows a lot of the block's history and has seen a lot of its highs and lows. Jimmy told us that now that we know him, if anyone gives us problems, we can just let him know. He said we met the right person. As Greg told Jimmy, we will try to live up to the name of "neighbor".

I'm off to bed now. I have to be up for work no later than 3:30 a.m. tomorrow. YUCK! I was getting used to being up early for awhile, but lately my shifts have been scheduled for later in the morning. I prefer to get the workday over sooner rather than later, but I am out of practice. Good night!

Carbonated Joy

2008-07-04T12:31:00.010-04:00

We left this morning for Saratoga Springs, New York (north of Albany). We drove through beautiful landscapes, had breakfast at a roadside diner in New Jersey, slept some, laughed some, and had semi-intellectual conversations in the car. Actually, we had a long conversation about justice and race and poverty and privilege, etc., and by the end both the ladies had fallen asleep- I guess we men aren't as interesting and fun as we'd like to think.

Saratoga Springs is beautiful and the place we are staying is in the woods and amazing. Our hosts, Rick and Julie, are very welcoming! And except for the married couple and one pair of ladies, we each have our own room and our own bed!

But do you know what has made me smile the absolute most so far today? It was a 99-cent Pepsi from the fountain at a convenience store near Albany. Really, I was filled with glee when I found this. This past week I have been craving cheap fountain drinks and this just made my day! (I bought a fountain drink the other day at a pizza place, but it was small and I'm sure it was over-priced... I didn't ask how much, I just ordered it).

It's interesting that not having access to cheap fountain drinks is a part of NYC culture shock for me, but I suppose culture shock can manifest itself in unpredictable ways. Before moving, I hadn't even been drinking a lot of pop. Regardless, I had a BIG smile on my face as I prepared the Pepsi today and I loved every minute of consuming it. Delicious!

While the price of the drink was wonderful, the cost of fuel was a bit shocking. I know most of you deal with this on a regular basis, but I have not had to fill up a car for four months. Wow! The cost of the fuel (about $60) was three-fourths of the price of a one-month MetroCard (currently $81), which allows me to ride unlimited around the City on subways and buses. It's nice to know something is cheap in New York.

I'll be sending out more updates about the weekend getaway. In the meantime...

Happy Independence Day!

Back on the Streets

2008-07-03T19:02:00.004-04:00

Aaaaagggghhhhhhh!!!!!!

I just drove for the first time in New York City. I have not driven a vehicle for four months.

The car is new (it has a start/stop button). The car is fast. The car drives smooth. The brakes are touchy. The streets are full of activity. My driving is as herky-jerky as ever.

My roommate Greg is brave and he was not scared.

I was nervous at first, but I had fun.

We leave for a Radical Living retreat in Saratoga Springs, NY tomorrow morning at 6 a.m.

Hooray.

Tuesday in the Park With Me

2008-07-01T20:21:00.016-04:00

Tonight I am posting from Brooklyn Bridge Park while enjoying a beautiful sunset over Lower Manhattan. I may have mentioned this before, but this park is one of my favorite hangouts in New York. It is situated between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges on the Brooklyn side of the East River, so it's right by downtown Brooklyn (in DUMBO). In addition to the great views and green grass, they also have free wi-fi access. What more does a modern urban park need?

I love to come down here and spread out on the grass for a nap. Sometimes I read. Sometimes I do both. Here you'll find a lot of pavement-pounding pedestrians just relaxing in bare feet on the lawn. Some people picnic. Others sun-bathe or exercise. There are always photographers, amateur and professional I'm sure, trying to find the perfect angle. Couples, families, friends, and people sitting alone are all spread out across the space. Earlier this evening there were young people with band instruments playing music down by the water. One day I ran across a man practicing his bass off the path behind some shrubbery.

The water traffic on the river and helicopters buzzing around overhead aren't what I typically think of when I think about parks, but they add to the atmosphere here on the Brooklyn waterfront.

Right now there's a man doing cross-legged push-ups and bouncing around like he's boxer. If you like to people-watch, this is a good location for it. The interaction between dogs, their masters and other random people who get caught in the mix is also a source of continual entertainment.

For being a "concrete jungle", New York City has some great green spaces. They invest a lot in these parks, and I think overall they do a quality job of maintaining them. I believe people need to get out and connect with nature. It is a blessing indeed.

Oh, look. A white cottony seed of some kind just floated in front of my face.

This is a good place to be tonight.

Of Faeries and Caffeine

2008-06-30T16:53:00.011-04:00

So this morning at work I was serving a British woman who wasn't fully awake yet. Obviously that's quite common where I work. Customers and baristas alike often have trouble getting their thoughts and words in order, as most of them are still in need of their morning caffeine fix. After a conversation that was a bit confusing, I finally had this customer's drink order.

In response to the confusion of the exchange, I thought she said something about the ferry.

"I'm sorry?" I said, assuming she was talking about riding a ferry to the City, perhaps from Staten Island. The sentence didn't seem altogether sensible.

More clearly she stated, "I'm away with the faeries in the morning."

...Ummm, yeah. It must be a British thing.

But to be quite honest with you, any woman speaking with a British accent commands my attention, especially a beautiful British woman, so I would gladly listen to her talk about imaginary winged people over coffee anytime she wants.

THIRTINESS

2008-06-29T23:26:00.011-04:00

July looms in front of me.

I will soon be thirty no longer. I really like being thirty. But in less than one week I will go from being "30" to being "in my thirties". In my mind there seems to be some distinction.

While I have my share of disappointments about my life and how I've used it, I am not all-together bothered by this new age. Maybe some. But I am also happy about how some things have gone. And getting older seems to lend some credibility to one, even if that is just in my mind and prideful. I always seem to be on the hunt for credibility and affirmation; often to a fault, I suppose....I know.

Thirty has been a very good year overall. I really like milestone years. Some people told me that 25 was a very difficult year for them. Personally, I found that 25 really agreed with me. In my mind, reaching the quarter-of-a-century mark was something to celebrate and a time to make positive changes and choices. 25 was a great year.

Back when I was a kid there was an award-winning television show called "thirtysomething" about a group of yuppy baby-boomers in Philadelphia. The characters were (obviously) in their thirties. But as I recall, those people had careers and mortgages and marriages and children....things which do not define my decade of thirtiness so far. And sometimes I look at pictures like the one above and think, "Is that what thirty-something people look like? And do I fit the bill? Hmmm."

Thirtiness.

I think I just coined that word. I like it.

QT, NYP and GG

2008-06-29T03:09:00.018-04:00

Okay, so I know that in a former post I questioned whether I would write anymore about celebrities coming into the store, but I've had a couple of experiences I want to share.

First of all, Quentin Tarantino came into our store a couple of times today. If you're not familiar with this writer-director-actor, just know that his films are famous for containing "stylized violence". His work is certainly not for everyone, but I confess that Pulp Fiction is one of my guilty pleasures. "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead." Here's a short video clip I found that is not from a Q.T. film, but it cracked me up and may give you a feel for how his work is perceived:

I enjoyed having Mr. Tarantino in the store today. He was a very nice customer, despite the fact that his drink was delayed because no one wrote it down. He was waiting by the bar and when I asked him what drink he was waiting for, he was very polite and waited patiently while I made it for him. I would be glad to have him as a customer anytime. If you'd like to see an actual video of him, click here for a clip I found of him coming out of a SB store that's not in New York City.

And even though I am telling you where I saw him, I am not going to tell you what he had to drink. The man needs some privacy.

The second celebrity-related item I wanted to share with you is that two drinks I sold recently made it into the New York Post (which, in my opinion, is mostly just a big celebrity gossip paper). I was flipping through the Post during a break and saw a picture of one of our fairly regular customers and her daughter and I thought, "Huh, that looks like what they were wearing the other day. And those are the two drinks I sold them." Not that big of a deal, but I thought it was fun to see. Here's the clipping (edited for her daughter's privacy):

Oh, and one last thing. I'm about 85% sure that last week Gilbert Gottfried and I were walking across a street on the Lower East Side at the same time. Completely random celebrity sighting...and of all celebrities...well, it just made me laugh. My brother Jerry said that I would have known for sure it was him if I could have heard him say just one thing. I think Jerry is right. Remember the voice of the parrot Iago from Disney's Aladdin?

I read that Mr. Gottfried was born in Brooklyn.
Brooklyn rocks.

The Red Door Theatre Company

2008-06-24T02:21:00.007-04:00

Tonight I went to midtown to see the play "Proof". I really enjoyed the play, although I almost missed seeing it. I didn't buy a ticket in advance so I was put on the waiting list. Note to self: always check into pre-purchasing tickets. I was the last person to get in.

The Red Door Theatre Company, which my friend Kyleen works for, produced the show. The actors did a great job performing this Pulitzer Prize winning play. Afterwards I hung out and visited with Kyleen and a few others while things were torn down (it was the show's last night). I was reminded of my high school stagecraft class, which I enjoyed being a part of way-back-when (you know, in the mid-90's).

I volunteered to help them with their next production (they are a non-profit organization). This was a great opportunity to meet some new people, be exposed to the theatre community a bit and watch a good live performance.

It's a good thing for me that a woman was running late and missed the show (though bad for her). Otherwise I would have missed out on a very good experience.

A Day at the Lake

2008-06-22T00:58:00.012-04:00

Greg, Jolene, Melinda, Peter, Amy and I took the New Jersey Transit to Tuxedo, New York this morning, then hiked three miles on small mountains (or hills?) to a lake, which had a rope swing that Greg and Jolene discovered last year during a three-day excursion into the wilderness. Prepping myself to jump or swing in the first few times reminded me of jumping off of 15- and 30-foot bluffs on the Current River in Missouri...only this was much lower.

We spent almost all afternoon there. It was a beautiful day in beautiful country. The trees on the hike were tall, grass and ferns covered the ground beneath them, and we passed wetlands and walked through tall flowered bushes as we made our way to the lake. On our hike out we saw many chipmunks and a few deer as well. This was my first official trip "upstate" since my move here and I couldn't have been more pleased with the experience.

I enjoy living in a place where train travel is normal. We took the subway to Penn Station, then a short train ride to the Secaucus transfer, followed by another 30 to 45 minute train ride up to Tuxedo. The train makes stops at small, picturesque depots with outdoor platforms as it passes through small towns in New Jersey and New York state. All one has to do as a passenger is find a seat and wait for one's stop. It's convenient and easy. Tuxedo was one of those small towns with a deli and convenience store across from the depot, a post office next door and a tavern/restaurant down the street. We enjoyed cold drinks and french fries there as we waited for our train to arrive. The train fare was only $16 roundtrip and we were home right before dark.

Here's one last video of Greg...

The End of Good Things? (or There Goes the Neighborhood)

2008-06-20T23:52:00.016-04:00

Do you ever feel like you always seem to just catch the tail-end of good things? I think I’ve always felt that way a little. Like when there’s a group of single people living in the same city who always take trips together and play pranks on one another and hang out all the time…then you move to that town and start hanging out with that crowd, just as they all seem to be getting married or changing jobs or moving and going their separate ways. Or perhaps you start a new job and really enjoy your co-workers, and then they begin to transfer away from you or leave the company and the dynamics become very different. Or your parents and aunts and uncles tell you that you can play Uno with them when you're a teenager, but after you and your cousins become teenagers, the adults stop playing Uno.

That’s how I’m feeling tonight about Red Hook, Brooklyn.

I had heard of Red Hook, but all I knew was that you have to take a bus to get into the neighborhood (this was pre-bike) and they have an affordable supermarket that carries organic food. This evening I ventured into Red Hook to listen to the group KaiserCartel play at Baked, which is, as the name suggests, a bakery and coffee shop. I first heard of this group through my friend Sue’s blog and I really liked the video I saw and their music was very pleasant, and this was my one chance to catch them live before they go on tour this summer. First I will say that I really enjoyed the coffee at Baked. And the lemon tart was delicious. I could taste the influence of granola in the crust.

Here's a quote I found from JoesPub.com about KaiserCartel: "Eclectic, infectious music" are the words Benjamin Cartel uses to describe KaiserCartel’s low-tech, song-driven style. "We want people to feel like a fly on the wall in our living room." says Courtney Kaiser. KaiserCartel’s earthy blend of folk-rock and pop will make you laugh, cry, sing along, and want to hold hands with the stranger next to you. Warm up by the fire with KaiserCartel.

The venue was small, but very fine. Courtney Kaiser has a gorgeous voice, and Benjamin Cartel’s voice is excellent as well, and the two blend together beautifully. They didn’t use any sound equipment at Baked, and they didn’t need to. The instruments they use in their tunes include guitar, percussion, xylophone and I believe a milk frother, among others. Listening to their music, you might not realize there are just two musicians playing. It sounds like more, so it’s fun to watch them create their songs live.

Their whole style is unique and warm. They seemed to have many friends at the show tonight, who also brought along children, and it was nice to see them enthusiastically greet one another and kindly interact. There was a warmth between Courtney and Benjamin, as well. During the last song, a lovely mellow tune, they began walking around the coffee shop, Courtney singing and Benjamin playing guitar, and beginning with a little baby in the audience, Courtney looked at each one of the audience members as she sang. I felt like there was love in the room and it was good. After the concert I spoke to them briefly while purchasing a CD, and they were kind and took time to speak with me and others. I highly recommend you check out their music and see what you think. The video posted above is very creative and one of the best music videos I've seen.

So back to Red Hook… Kaiser and Cartel reside in Red Hook and I had the impression that perhaps many of the audience members were residents of the neighborhood, as well. Maybe that’s part of the reason the interaction of people at the concert was so pleasant. The area had little shops here and there. It seemed fairly quiet and off the beaten path, without huge buildings or bustling traffic. I really liked the feel of it.

During the concert, both of the musicians wore black armbands labeled “Red Hook” because they were in mourning. You see, Ikea opened a store in Red Hook this week, about half-a-mile from Baked, and it seems inevitable that things will change (or have already begun changing) somehow in Red Hook. Ikea is a very large home furnishings store from Europe with trendy styles at affordable prices. The store is huge and you have to wind your way through two floors of maze-like displays and merchandising to get through to the exit. Surprisingly, the nearest Ikea before Red Hook was either in Jersey or on Long Island. This is the first to open that is actually in New York City.

I confess that I do like some of what Ikea has to offer, but it is a little saddening to see a monstrous building like that go into a neighborhood like Red Hook. Part of the sadness of this lies in the fact that new development and most likely other large corporate stores will begin growing in the area. I want to get to know Red Hook as it is. It seems inevitable that gentrification (which, in general, I have mixed feelings about) will occur. The MTA has even adjusted the bus route to go past Ikea. I don't know all of the specifics of what has happened, is happening or what will happen, but I am sharing what understanding I have.

Perhaps the changes to Red Hook won’t be drastic. Perhaps much of the neighborhood will remain unchanged and undisturbed. Perhaps. I certainly hope that is the case. After all, I just discovered the neighborhood, and I don't just want to catch the tail-end of a good thing.

Riding in the Rain

2008-06-19T00:02:00.004-04:00

I rode my bike in the rain for the first time today. It wasn't too bad, except that squinting to keep the rain out of my eyes was annoying and made seeing clearly a little difficult. The rain didn't end up lasting that long, and it wasn't a hard rain, so all-in-all it went just fine.

I did have to stop once today and tighten my handlebars. This is the second time they have come loose. The first time was while I was on the Manhattan Bridge last week. Trying to balance on a bike when your handle bars are wobbling forward and backward is not an easy or fun thing to do. I would say intimidating and frustrating are better descriptives. It did provide a chance for me to talk with fellow bikers, however. There are a few points on the biking side of the bridge where you can pull off to the side out of the bike lanes. I pulled over and tried to use my house keys as allen wrenches...not the best substitute. When that wasn't working, I just stopped a few bikers as they went by to find out if they had the right tool. One man had some tools, but none of them fit the screws on my handlebars. All three I spoke with were kind. I love bike-comradery.

Thankfully Recycle-A-Bicycle has a shop located in DUMBO on the Brooklyn side of the Bridge. When I got off the bridge I stopped by the shop and invested in a great little multi-use tool for my bike. It stays in my bag when I'm out and about now. The employee I spoke with was kind enough to offer to tighten the screws for me, but I decided that I should go ahead and purchase the tool. I am happy with that decision.

Bed-Stuy Brothers

2008-06-14T03:41:00.001-04:00

This is a picture of me and Jason.

We live in the same house.

Sometimes when we are walking in the neighborhood, people mistake us for brothers.

Jason may be taller, but I'm older (by a whole month).

All of my siblings have names that start with "J".

People and Pleasant Don't Always Go Together

2008-06-11T23:49:00.000-04:00

I want to be an optimist. I want the world to be a happy place - one big party. I want us all to "just get along". I'd like to say this desire is because I have some amazing sense of justice and want what is best for everyone

Sometimes I have a sense of justice.

Sometimes I want what's best for others.

The truth is that so often the crap in this world just wears me out. I get tired of hearing about it. I get tired of thinking about it. I get tired of feeling conviction and/or guilt for not doing something about it. I get tired of feeling conviction and/or guilt for not caring [enough]. I often don't want to stand for justice. I just want to be left alone to live my life and enjoy myself and not be bothered by the troubles of this world that don't have easy answers.

I started this blog on the advice of my Aunt Alice, "so my aunts and uncles will know what's going on, and I won't have to call them." (Don't worry, dear aunts and uncles, I will still call you.) It was a great suggestion. I have found that I really enjoy blogging about things I see and do. I really like promoting New York City. It's a fantastic place to live and most certainly has been a blessing to me. So I will continue sharing the joys of living in the City. I want this blog to a positive and optimistic creative outlet.

But tonight I thought I would also write about some of the unpleasant aspects of living in the City. There are, after all, bad things here. People are people, and when they get together, it isn't always pleasant business, is it?

The other night one of my friends was jumped by ten or fifteen guys. She is a college student who is here for a summer internship. The attackers weren't successful in robbing her, and from what I understand, the police said she did everything she should have done to protect herself. She did get some cuts and bruises. Let me tell you, that incident really frustrated me. I haven't found the correct words to vocalize exactly what it is I'm feeling about it. I guess anger and frustration are the closest words I've found. I just think, "Why would they do that? Who are these punks..." and then the language in my head goes downhill from there. This new friend is one of the nicest, most positive people I've met; just a great person. Why in the world...?

Things like that happen to people. Muggings happen. Other bad things occur here. And tragedies don't always manifest themselves in such blatant ways. For example, one of my first posts after moving to NYC was about an anti-human trafficking rally I attended in Union Square. This problem is present here in our city and nation, not just in other countries. When I think of human trafficking, I tend to imagine dark, seedy alleyways in slum neighborhoods. I'm certain that is the appearance it takes on in some cases. But it also happens in clean neighborhoods, with people who blend in nicely to their pretty surroundings.

I saw a situation once in our store that just didn't seem right to me. Something about the two people who were together seemed off, and I believe it very well could have been a case of one person taking advantage of the vulnerability and pain and neediness of another. But I certainly wouldn't have batted an eye in passing either one of those people on the street.

So why am I writing such a dark post on my blog that, overall, I intend to be light and fun? Because something unhappy and wrong happened and it is something that is real and serious and another aspect of life here in New York. It is not my intention to cause people to worry. I don't want someone wondering if they should even visit New York City. If you are able to, you should visit. It's a wonderful city! I highly regard and recommend it! But the City is also a case-study for the brokenness that exists in the world.

And to be fair, crime happens everywhere, whether you live out in the "sticks", in the "big city" or anywhere in between. (I recently heard about a fatal shooting that occurred near our family farm in Kansas. Crazy!) After moving to New York, I came to the conclusion that a city is a city is a city. You have the same basic elements and events and types of people in whatever city you are in. It's just that in New York, those things often seem bigger and more obvious.

This is all I have to say about these things tonight.

And aunts and uncles, please rest assured that I do take precautions and try to remain wise and vigilant when out and about. :-)

For The Love of My Sunglasses

2008-06-06T00:43:00.000-04:00

This was posted on a bulletin board at work this week.

Tour de Brooklyn

2008-06-05T15:18:00.000-04:00

May is Bike Month NYC. On Sunday, May 25th I participated in the 4th Annual Tour de Brooklyn, a free 18-mile non-competitive bike ride through Brooklyn. It was my second day as a bike-owner and a great way to break in my new ride. Here I am sporting my spiffy new bike helmet.The ride began under the Brooklyn Bridge, which just turned 125 years old! Here's a picture of the pre-race crowd. You can see the Manhattan Bridge in the background.
The ride had just over 2,000 participants. It was exciting to be a part of something with that many people all excited about the same activity. We stopped from time-to-time on the road, which was a little annoying at times. I don't know if the stops were meant to keep the bikers closer together or to wait for traffic to be blocked. Some of the motorists along the way were not happy to wait at intersections for 2,000 bikers to pass by. Neither were some of the pedestrians. But there were many people cheering and having a good time as they watched. Many of them wanted to know why we were biking. We also had a mandatory food and water stop along the way. We also rode through the Brooklyn Navy Yards. The picture below was taken during one of our stops. If this picture were bigger, you would be able to see the crowd of bikers stretching over the hill in the background.
Transportation Alternatives sponsored the Tour. I mentioned this organization in a previous post as a group that I am excited about. TA's mission is "to reclaim New York City's streets from the automobile, and to advocate for bicycling, walking and public transit as the best transportation alternatives." Unlike many (or most) other cities, New York is ideal for these alternate forms of transit and I am happy to be able to participate in them. However, as a new biker on the streets, I am beginning to more fully understand some of the obstacles bikers and walkers are faced with. (I'll mention some of these in a future post.) I am glad to have TA as an advocate.

If you're planning to be in Brooklyn on June 7th of next year, let me know and I'll find a rental bike for you! The Tour de Brooklyn is a great way to see different areas of the borough and I'd be glad for new fellow riders!

FDNY

2008-06-02T23:09:00.000-04:00

This past Friday night we had a bit of excitement on our block when multiple emergency vehicles, including at least two or three fire engines, were called out. I wandered down the street and saw the firetrucks with their ladders extended towards one of the brownstones. One ladder went to the roof and the other to a window. I took some pictures, but they are a little fuzzy.
There were quite a few neighbors out watching, so people were talking and trying to figure out what exactly was going on. It was about 11:00 or 11:30 p.m. We could smell something burning in the air, but we didn't see any flames and no one saw the firefighters using the water hoses. They had apparently broken in some windows. I have not heard any more about what happened, but from what I can gather, no one was injured. The next day they had plywood covering the windows.
You can see from the pictures how brownstones are connected, so a fire could be bad for more than one house.

Marking Time

2008-06-01T02:53:00.000-04:00

I have lived in New York City for three months to the day... 1/4-of-a-year.

I am very happy with the move.

please hold your applause

2008-05-30T19:36:00.000-04:00

Standing on the platform after work, waiting for the G train.

A man pacing around with earphones in...once in awhile singing, but more than that, clapping along loudly to something only he can hear.

Please stop. Please stop now...

Something New

2008-05-29T12:24:00.001-04:00

So I bought a bike last weekend. Isn’t it a nice looking bike? This is a turn of events in my life that I never expected… like so many other things. Riding a bike on the streets of New York? Not something I ever thought I’d be bold enough to do. I would see bikers riding around and think it would be great if I was brave or insane enough to try it, and then for some reason I thought maybe I was insane enough to try it. So now here I am, a new biker in the City.

One of the reasons I decided to try biking is for exercise. I have never been one to exercise much for the sake of exercise and the health benefits that go with it. After moving here and being more active, I have started to feel good about exercise. I walk a lot, of course, which has helped me physically, and I think seeing positive results from that have been very motivational for me. Biking allows me to exercise in a very functional way. I am getting where I need to be and I am improving my health at the same time. When I take the train I spend about the same amount of time walking, waiting on a train and then getting to my destination. I am still a fan of public transit and will continue to use it, but I am glad to be biking as well.

I will be writing more posts about biking in the near future. There’s more to share! Be looking for information about Transportation Alternatives, an organization I recently joined and am very excited about!

Overheard...

2008-05-28T23:41:00.000-04:00

This afternoon I was at a ticket counter with a friend at the Port Authority bus terminal and overheard a woman saying, "I know. I'm just buying it tonight so I don't have to stand in line tomorrow when I'm late."

Now that's a lady who is self-aware.

More Reasons to Love This Town

2008-05-28T13:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a hot, muggy day in New York. I spent much of it inside, but after work I wanted to get outside!

I took my sandwich, crackers and iced tea to Washington Square Park, which is only about half-a-mile from the store, intending to sit down on a bench, have my supper and catch up on my reading for "The Artist's Way". Once in the park, however, I heard amazing ragtime music being played and I was drawn to it. I found a nice green piece of lawn to stretch out on and just enjoyed some live music for awhile. Here's a video that I hope will give you some sense of the experience. You can see people all over the lawn and benches listening to the music, reading, eating and just chillin' out. One couple started dancing. The group playing called themselves "Loose Marbles".

After a few songs, the sky turned suddenly dark, the wind picked up and I was reminded of Kansas thunderstorms. People were quickly gathering their belongings and heading for cover, the band included. I did grab one of their CDs before they left. After most of the crowd left, the wind calmed down for a bit and no rain came. As I was walking out of the park, I ran across another group of guys playing music. Washington Square Park is right next to NYU, so I imagine many or most of the artists are students. This second group was playing some good ole' Southern bluegrass. I put a bit of money in their open case, because I feel like giving these guys encouragement to continue making good music is worth something. And I definitely enjoy listening. Here is a clip of their music.

There was a gentleman sitting on a bench listening to the group play (you can see him in the video), and he was really getting into it. You may be able to hear him letting out a whoop in the background. Between songs he went over to the group and told them about his travels to Europe and the music from there that this reminded him of. I just mention this because it is one more aspect of these experiences. There is often someone out there who is not shy to start talking to you and sharing their own thoughts and experiences. And while I don't always want strangers coming up to talk to me, it's a part of it all.

I only stuck around for a few songs because I had to get up to Midtown for my Artist's Way meeting. I was at 4th Street and needed to get to 39th Street, but decided it would be a nice walk. These are the shorter blocks and I usually like to walk. I also hadn't exercised much. The sky stayed overcast and it rained very lightly. Since it was windy again and the rain wasn't too heavy I decided not to use my umbrella this time. This turned out to be a bit of a mistake because it was still very humid, so I was sweating, and also damp from the rain, and felt kind of gross by the time I got to the meeting. Despite that, it was a nice walk and I was able to talk to my parents on the phone for awhile.

My Umbrella, My Friend

2008-05-17T14:11:00.000-04:00

I owned an umbrella in Kansas, and I owned a hooded sweatshirt in Kansas, but until I moved to New York, I rarely used them. Now that I actually have to walk around in rainy weather, rather than running from my car to a nearby building, I finally have a reason to own these items. For a long time I wanted to need my umbrella, and now I finally do. Yesterday was a rainy, windy day in the City and I had a great time walking, doing some shopping and puddle-jumping around town. Watching everyone else do the same thing just reinforces this feeling of comradery I sense... that we're all in "this" together.

Last night Melinda from the Pulaski House invited me to a gathering at one of her friend's apartments in Queens. The host, Grace, cooked Phillipino food (is that the proper title?), which was delicious, and I really enjoyed meeting some new people. I have some new Facebook friends now. Hah. Grace happens to own a Polaroid camera, which really livens up a party.

Melinda thinks it would be great if everyone owned one of those clear dome umbrellas, rather than the standard black umbrellas that are most used. The black umbrellas have some pointy ends that could potentially blind a passer-by. Melinda says that the points tend to be at her eye-level. Also, when you're walking into the wind, you have to walk with the umbrella in front of you, so you really have no idea what is coming ahead of you. That can be dangerous. I told her that the dome umbrellas might be a great idea, but I wasn't going to start the trend.

Another interesting thing about living in a city with so many umbrellas is the number of casualties you see on the streets after a storm. This morning on my way to work I saw many broken umbrellas on the street. And I wonder, when will my dear friend be a victim of high winds? And how embarassed will I be when mine is either ripped from my hands on the street or inverted and shredded? It can happen to anyone.

Follow this link to see broken umbrella pictures: http://umbrellalove.blogspot.com/2006/09/umbrella-lovely-labor-day.html Jessie, the owner of the blog, is described as "a professional photographer with a penchant for broken umbrellas after a hard rain".

Here's a great idea I found for recycling a broken umbrella. I'm sure this will come in handy for Halloween... or a trip to the theater to watch "Dark Knight".

I have found an interesting umbrella blog in my google searching today. I don't know why this blog exists, but it's great. Check it out. http://brellas.wordpress.com/page/2/ You might get some ideas for your next umbrella.

Mr. Meyers

2008-05-15T23:23:00.000-04:00

Seth Meyers from Saturday Night Live was in the cafe today.

He's a co-anchor of the Weekend Update on SNL.

You know, I'm almost feeling guilty, keeping a record on my blog of these celebrities that I see... like I'm all up in their business. I don't want to be The New York Post, for crying out loud. I'm considering what I will do with that feeling. I don't know if I'd like someone posting my hang-outs online. And they are my customers... I gotta look out for my customers, don't I? Hmmmm.....

Turkey Legs

2008-05-14T23:19:00.001-04:00

One of my annual traditions in Wichita was eating a turkey leg from the Food Court at The Wichita River Festival every May. Co-workers from Youth Horizons and I would take off together for lunch during the week and eat some good grub. These turkey legs were huge and delicious and almost more than one can handle. The River Festival is happening this week in Wichita, and I am a bit sad to miss out on that. I hope the YH staff will be continuing the tradition. If you're in Wichita this week, enjoy the Festival!!

After our yard work today, I received a wonderful surprise. Jason was grilling a turkey for dinner, and there were two big turkey legs on that bird. He took one and I took the other. The legs weren't quite as big as River Festival legs, but they were delicious, and I was able to enjoy the tradition from a remote location.

Day of Recovery

2008-05-14T22:44:00.000-04:00

I made it home from Kansas safely yesterday. The only bump was a 30-minute flight delay, which didn't cause me any problems. Not too shabby.

I was exhausted from the trip. The night before I left I didn't go to bed. I am a hopeless procrastinator, and by the time I got everything I wanted to get done before my flight, it was only a couple of hours before the taxi was picking me up, so I just stayed awake the rest of the night. I was afraid I wouldn't wake up on time. That started off the week, and of course I didn't sleep a lot while I was away and there were a lot of hours in planes and cars. That's the way I usually roll... needing a vacation after my vacation. It was certainly worth it.

Last night I turned my phone to "silence all" and was asleep in bed (only waking up once) until 11:42 a.m. this morning. It was great. I didn't do much the rest of the day, despite all my plans for the day, and I didn't go more than four or five blocks from my house. It was nice to be home for the day.

I did manage to help work in our backyard a little bit this afternoon. Jason, Vonetta and Lou were all working on it. We enlarged the edible garden portion of the yard, trimmed some tree limbs and made a temporary bench for the patio. Actually, they did most of the work. I only assisted a bit. The yard is not too big by Kansas standards, but the Storbakkens have made it a beautiful green retreat back there. We are having a house concert in the backyard in June. I am confident the yard will be looking even better by that time than it already does. I'm including some pictures of the day on this post. The first one is of Jason and Vonneta in the backyard. The next picture is Lou sawing some boards on our front patio. I still need to figure out how to add captions to my pictures.

Raising an Ebenezer

2008-05-11T19:23:00.001-04:00

Today my sister Jennifer graduated Magna Cum Laude from The College of the Ozarks with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. I'm so proud of her. She actually finished courses in December, but the school only has graduation ceremonies in May. It's a great school. It also has one of the most beautiful campuses I've seen.

I decided that I wanted to be here for the graduation, so I planned a surprise trip back to the Midwest. I didn't tell my sister or my parents that I was coming, and with a lot of help from family and friends, I actually pulled off the surprise! I spent some time with people in Wichita and then met my brother Jerry and his wife Shelby in Salina. (Thanks for the ride Uncle Steve and Aunt Alice!) Jerry and Shelby live in Colorado and were also coming out for the weekend. The fact that graduation was on Mother's Day weekend was also a plus!

I'm glad I was able to be here for the graduation and to spend some time with my family. It's a good thing to walk in one's graduation ceremony. As boring as ceremonies can be, I believe they are a valuable way for us to honor people and big events in their lives, and to remind ourselves about important things.

One of the most moving moments of the ceremony was when the college recognized an Army Captain who finished his schooling in 2005 and was unable to attend the graduation ceremony because he was deployed for a tour of duty in Iraq. He is currently stationed in Alaska and he, his wife and their two daughters came to Hollister for this year's graduation. The school gave him special recognition and presented him with his diploma, after which he received a loud standing ovation from the crowd. It was a powerful moment...the kind that brings a lot of people to tears. Wow.

So here I am in Ozark, Missouri. I will write more about my trip in the coming days. Right now, however, I'd better get back to family time.

Need A Push?

2008-05-06T23:06:00.001-04:00

When you have to get to work, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Here's a video from a train in Japan that my friend Kristi shared with me. I guess I can't complain about rush hour on the A-train anymore.

Ms. Diaz

2008-05-05T13:18:00.000-04:00

I saw Cameron Diaz and her entourage in our store today.

They drove away in a very posh black Tundra.

On the Way to La Strada

2008-05-04T01:35:00.000-04:00

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the last stop for this train due to police action at the Bowery Station."

I'm not going to Bowery Station. I'm going to Essex Station. The next one. The one before Bowery. Take me one more stop. Please!

Unload the train. Stand on the platform. Wait.

The MTA worker walks past and repeats the message. So we wait.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. There is not train service at this time due to police action at the Bowery Station. If you want to go to Manhattan, take the B39 bus across the Williamsburg Bridge. If you want to go to......"

Frustration. Cussing. Mumbling. Shuffling. Herding towards the exits and down the stairs to the street.

The B39 is not listed on this bus stop. Where is the B39 stop?

"Where does the B39 stop?" the man asks.

I don't know.

Follow the crowd. Turn the corner. There's the bus stop. Wait while other buses pick people up and leave. Wait.

This is a lot of people who will want to get on the bus when it comes. Can a bus fit a train-load of people? Certainly not.

Here comes the bus. The crowd surges and crams. Not a chance of getting on this bus. Watch it depart, crammed full of people on their way to the bridge. Stifle jealousy. Wait.

Oh look. There goes the J train on its way across the Williamsburg Bridge. I was willing to wait for service to resume. Now it's resumed, but we still stand at the bus stop.

Faced with decision. Do I go back to the station and hope the next train comes soon, or do I wait for the next B39 bus? I wait. An older gentleman trips on the curb and another man and I go to see if he needs help. His shoe came off, but he's okay.

Here comes the next bus into the stop. A little ways across the lot it unloads its crowd of passengers from Manhattan. Painstakingly slow they exit the bus. Then, the bus turns off its marquee lights. Frustration permeates the air again.

What?!?!?!? Are you kidding me?

Start to head back to the station to wait for the train, along with a few other people. Look back. The bus turns its marquee lights back on and pulls forward to the bus stop. Turn around and go back to the bus. Wait in line. Load the bus. The crowd has thinned at this point and there are plenty of seats available. Then, the bus doesn't move. We wait. The bus driver leaves the bus running and gets off the bus.

Oh, look. There goes another J train towards the bridge into Manhattan. Guess I should have gone back to the station. Aaaaarrrrgggghhhhh....

The bus driver gets back on the bus and we are on our way across the Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan.

This was my experience getting into the Lower East Side for a La Strada concert at The Living Room tonight. Was it worth it? Yes. The band was late getting started, so I didn't miss a thing. I even got a seat at a table. La Strada is a band out of Brooklyn and they rock. They use guitar, percussion, accordian, violin, viola and cello in their music. They were the first band I saw in concert after my move to New York. I was glad to see them again. If you ever come to New York and want to hear a good band, I highly recommend La Strada. I'm spreading the word. Their sticker even got a place on the top of my laptop. Here's their website: http://lastradaband.blogspot.com/ They are also on MySpace. Check them out. They were picked by The L Magazine as one of the 8 NYC Bands You Need to Hear.

At The Hospital

2008-05-03T20:44:00.000-04:00

Kim is one of our fellow Radical Living residents. She went into the hospital this week with breathing problems, but I'm glad to report that she was able to leave the hospital today! I had a great time hanging out with her and other fellow radicals there. This picture is of me giving moral support to Kim during her breathing treatment.

Below is a short video clip of our fun times at the hospital. Jason and Vonetta are also in the video.

Favorite Quote of the Week

2008-04-27T02:57:00.001-04:00

"Hey! Go back to Jersey and litter!"

I heard someone yell this out their car window by Jackson Square Park.

All of My Customers Are Stars to Me

2008-04-22T16:45:00.000-04:00

Today a woman came into our cafe, and I thought she looked familiar, but I couldn't place her. I was thinking she must be a regular that I don't see every day. Later I realized that it was Tatum O'Neal, an actress who holds the record for being the youngest person ever to win an Academy Award. At the age of 10 she won the 1974 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Paper Moon. It struck me today that I am having trouble telling the difference between famous people who have come in and just customers who are familiar. I guess my mind just knows that I've seen them before, and it has to take time to sort out where. Anyway, it was a funny thing to me. In my Starbucks eyes, all of our customers are stars. ;-)

Scary Family

2008-04-20T15:49:00.001-04:00

I saw this add for an auto sales company on the Staten Island Ferry last week.

Please, no! I don't want my family to be your family.

Some New Experiences

2008-04-12T20:53:00.000-04:00

I haven't updated my blog in awhile so I thought I'd share a few stories. First, I'll let you know that my demo art lesson had to be postponed, so nothing new has happened with the potential art teaching position. I don't have a new date for that yet, but they will give me advance notice.

Spring is here and it makes quite a difference in the feel of the City. Trees and flowers and coming alive and people are out everywhere. You really notice the difference when the weather is nice. People seem to be in high spirits and the noise level increases substantially as people get outside more.
The other morning I was walking to work from 14th Street past a great little triangular park in the West Village. It was just getting light outside and I was looking at the magnolia trees that were in the process of blooming. I was thinking, "The City really comes alive and blooms in the springtime." Then I looked at the sidewalk and saw a pile of what I think was bizarre-colored vomit. Such is life here. You get some of the best things, tempered with some of the worst.

I served a few celebrities at work this week. That was exciting. The Village is an expensive place to live and I think a lot of celebrities have homes there. Interacting with the these people (albeit briefly and in making a transaction across a coffee counter) reminds me that Hollywood stars are not so big and they need their coffee ground just like everyone else. But it's still fun to share.

First there was Victor Garber, who played Jack Bristow on "Alias", one of my favorite television shows. He has also been in "Titanic", the play "Godspell", and a host of other shows. He visited for a bit with Kelsey while his coffee was being ground. He seemed nice.

That same afternoon I stayed a little late, and Parker Posey came in. I gave her some change back. Ha. She is one of my favorite actresses. Her characters crack me up. She played the mean girlfriend of Tom Hanks' character in "You've Got Mail" and was in the hilarious mockumentary "Waiting for Guffman".

Today Clive Owen was in the store. He was wearing sunglasses. After work I started second-guessing it was him, but I'm 98% sure it was him. I had some trouble at the register while I was ringing his order up. I hit the wrong button and had to do math in my head. Dangerous. I don't know much about him, but he was in the movie "Children of Men", which is one of the most moving films I've seen (it's very sad and not for everyone).

As I was taking a walk after work I passed a woman who seemed familiar. She sounded familiar as well. She was walking her dog and talking on her cell phone. After I passed her, I realized she may have been a lady who played in "The Station Agent", a film I recently viewed. I really liked the characters in that film. I decided not to turn around and stalk her to see if it was really the same person.

I kicked a rat this past week. I went out with Aubrey (a fellow Starbucks partner who transferred to New York last December) and some of her friends on the Upper West Side of Manhattan last Tuesday night. I was walking to the subway stop late at night and there were rats taking advantage of the garbage on the curbs. The garbage bags go out on the curbs here and are picked up at night in some neighborhoods. It's not unusual to see rats outside at night or in the subways at any time. (I've been trying to think of names for the rats in the Myrtle-Willoughby station- once I saw one run right behind a guy who was leaning against the wall- he moved away from the wall after that) They typically run and hide when I am walking in their direction at night. The sidewalk isn't covered in rats, but you see a few here and there. As I was walking Tuesday night, a rat ran across the sidewalk diagonally right in my path. I'm not quite clear if I was just stepping or actually tried to kick the rat, but my foot hit it ever so slightly and it stumbled but kept running. I yelled an explicitive and then had to laugh at it. It was nasty, though. Thankfully I wasn't wearing sandals, huh?

The Artist's Way

2008-03-31T14:33:00.000-04:00

Craziest thing. I went in to interview at a private Christian school in Manhattan this morning for a Fall elementary teaching position, and now I'm being considered for the art teacher position. Next Monday I'm scheduled to teach a demonstration art lesson to a third grade classroom. I am very excited about the possibility of this! The position is only part-time, but I would have the flexibility for a second job. The school knows that I have had no formal training in art. The art teacher they currently employ is an artist with no training in education. So this could be a flip-flop in the current situation. I won't explain all the details of how this came about, but it was pretty interesting.

One of the highlights of my move to New York has been The Artist's Way. I’ll try to summarize what this is, though it won’t be a perfect summary. Basically, The Artist’s Way is a book/workbook that is to help artists (i.e. visual artists, writers, actors, musicians, etc...) who are blocked in their creativity, for people who are interested in art but have not explored it, or for people (such as businessmen, whatever...) who would like to be more creative in their lives and businesses. The author comes from the perspective that we are created by God, The Great Creator, and He has made us creative beings. Unfortunately, many people need help to recover their creativity. I am attending an Artist's Way meeting of ten people on Tuesday nights where we discuss the book and the exercises given in the book. The book is not written only for Christians to go through, but because everyone in my meeting are Christians we really get to discuss these things from a biblical perspective and pray together. Three of the people at the meeting (including the group leader) attend my church. I am very excited about this, as well!

Just yesterday I was walking in Manhattan and saw an art store, so I bought some supplies to try some watercolor painting, which I had been thinking about lately. Today I am a candidate to teach art at a private school. Who knows what will happen? I am on Cloud Nine right now about the possibilities (and a little nervous, too). I tend to be skeptical and question if things I see as good things are really blessings from the Lord. Throughout this entire experience of moving to New York, I am starting to see that God really does have good things to give us. Maybe things won't all work out like I want, but God has been good and kind to me. He continues to be. I hope I am learning.

The Straphanger Sprint (or Why Must The G Train Torment Us?)

2008-03-19T03:41:00.000-04:00

strap·hang·er /ˈstræpˌhæŋər/ [strap-hang-er]
–noun
1. a passenger who stands in a crowded bus or subway train and holds onto a strap or other support suspended from above.
2. any user of such public transportation.

When you live in New York, one of your identifiers is which train you take in your commute from home to wherever you normally go.

"What train do you take?"

"I take the G (*gasp*) to the A or the L."

The G train does not have a good reputation with most people. Some of the reasons I've heard for it's bad reputation include:

-Trains don't run often enough.

-It's the only line that doesn't go through Manhattan.

-Sometimes it turns from a local to an express. (I experienced this once and just watched helplessly as we went speeding past three stations, including mine.)

I just saw on the MTA website that the G was given a D+ grade on its report card by commuters who responded.

Despite all of this, I don't hate the G Train. It's my subway line...

...Though I must confess that I have muttered a few choice words for the train under my breath on occasion (which, in all fairness, could happen with any train).

A couple of days ago I rode on the A Train from Manhattan to Brooklyn. I have to transfer to the G at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn Station. One of the things you don't want to do is just miss your train (see previous mention of the G's frequency). So, I stepped out of the A and the G was pulling in across the platform. The problem is that the G is shorter than other trains, and I was at the wrong end of the platform. So the G train went past me, then kept going, and didn't stop until it was quite a ways down the platform....

....And then I was able to experience another one of New York's great moments. There was nothing to do except make a run for it. It was quite a sight. I joined a whole group of fellow commuters running down the platform towards the G, hoping to make it before the doors closed, ducking in and out of those who were waiting for a different train, careening around trash cans....and we made it. It was great. I felt a real comradery with the other sprinters. And even though we were all from different backgrounds and life experiences, desperation to make the train was something we could all share. It was beautiful.

New York is like that.

Unpacked

2008-03-19T02:02:00.001-04:00

Well, I finally got to unpack my bags last week and I don't have to stuff my bedding into a bag every morning. I say with great relief and gladness, "THE BEDBUG EXTERMINATION IS COMPLETE!!" And I pray that they are gone for good. I've read some horror stories about people having recurrences. So, I really do pray they are gone for good. Really. Listen to me whine....and I wasn't even here when they were alive and well...

Union Square

2008-03-10T17:26:00.000-04:00

I really enjoy the walk from The West Village along 14th Street to Union Square. I've walked it a few times after church or work, then I catch the subway at that station. It's a nice park in the middle of the city where you can grab a bite to eat and just sit for awhile. This is also where I attended the rally to fight Human Trafficking.

Today as I approached the Square I heard loud chanting over a microphone. As I got nearer I saw a fairly large crowd gathered, holding U.S. and Tibetan flags. The crowd was demonstrating against the Beijing Olympics and calling for a Free Tibet. I got a gyro from a vendor there and listened to some of the rally.

Walking to Union Square and sometimes finding what new issue is being rallied for/against is one of my favorite things to do in New York so far. For one thing, it's interesting to see groups of people gathered to make a statement. I haven't seen a lot of that in my experiences, I guess. Also, it's interesting to see people who care so passionately about an issue that they would organize a gathering to let a lot of people know about it. It makes me wonder what I care about that strongly. I realize just attending a rally doesn't make one a great fighter for peace or justice. But it certainly shows that one is taking a stand for something they find to be important.

The lower picture shows the equestrian George Washington statue that stands in the square. In the background you can see the top of the Empire State Building.

My New Home

2008-03-06T12:33:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of my new home in Brooklyn.

My First NYC Rally

2008-03-05T15:47:00.001-05:00

Monday was an interesting day for me. First, I was able to transfer to a corner Starbucks cafe in Greenwich Village (an area of New York I love). The manager was friendly and I am hoping for a good experience there.

Second, I attended a very interesting rally in Union Square that was meant to raise awareness of Human Trafficking in hopes of putting an end to it. I was on the subway in Brooklyn and I saw a young man walking through the car handing out literature, so I started reading the paper, hoping to deter him from approaching me. He was not detered and got my attention anyway. The postcard he handed me told about the rally and since I was going to be in the area that day, I decided to check it out. I had never been to Union Square. As it turns out, I was very glad I went. The rally was put on by YWAM (Youth With A Mission), but they gave information on a lot of organizations working with this issue. I will add another entry here soon about Human Trafficking, with more information about it.

Bedbugs

2008-03-04T11:39:00.000-05:00

Did you know that bedbugs are still a problem in the world? I had never thought about it much, but now I think about it a lot! The little vampires invaded our apartment recently and the exterminator had to come out the day I got here to spray for them. And now we get to keep everything in plastic bags for ten days. So much for settling into my new place! I just pray that this will get rid of them! You can pray for that, too, if you'd like! I'd be grateful.

I knew virtually nothing about these nasty creatures before now. If you want to learn more, here's an article from The New York Times you can check out about the current epidemic.... http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/27/nyregion/27bugs.html?incamp=article_popular ...or another info sheet on about.com.... http://manhattan.about.com/od/citylife1/a/bedbugsbites.htm

These things are all over the place. You don't have to live in a dirty apartment to get them...ask residents of the Upper East Side. I itch everytime I think about them (bedbugs that is, not Upper East Siders). And when I think about the phrase, "cute as a bug in a rug", I only think of this:

Anonymity...or not

2008-02-24T08:44:00.000-05:00

One of the dangers of living in a city the size of New York is the potential for anonymity and isolation. Of course, these are dangers anywhere, but perhaps the potential seems to be greater there than other places I've lived. As I have mentioned in a previous post, God has been gracious to pave the way for me in this move so that I am already connected to multiple people in the City.

Last night I attended a large going away party, which my family hosted in El Dorado. There were so many members of my extended family there, along with many hometown friends. They were all so kind to me. They were also great to remind me to keep my eyes on Jesus as I move and to honor Him. This morning I've been thinking about them, their lives, and their kind and wise words. I am reminded of the wonderful friends and family that I am moving away from.

I just wanted to write this post to mention that God keeps His eyes on me. I don't mean that in the context of, "Watch out!!! God is watching you!!!!!" I mean, He is watching over me and watching out for me. He is faithful and kind to me, despite the times I have not been or am not faithful or kind to Him.

My little brother and his wife wrote the following verse in a card to me:
"See I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared." - Exodus 23:20

A Few Images From My House

2008-02-20T17:54:00.000-05:00

Most of my furniture has been hauled away. I had to clear out my room to make space so I could sort my belongings, and figure out what to store, what to pack and what to throw away. Here's a peek at what's left.

I've armed myself against my cold. So far, it looks like our side is winning!

(This has nothing to do with my room, but I thought I'd throw it in anyway.)

This is my new filing cabinet.

This is part of my new dresser.

This is the corner where I am sleeping and packing my bags.

This is my new sleep number bed (minus the numbers). I can make it as firm or as soft as I want. And Lord-willing, it won't get any holes in it before next week (at least!).

Sick

2008-02-20T00:58:00.000-05:00

I have had a cold for a couple of days. Just a cold, thankfully. Co-workers at both jobs have been dropping like flies from the flu, bronchitis, etc... Today I was leaving work, feeling exhausted (and tired of feeling exhausted) and knowing I needed to go home and take a nap (which would take away from my time to do other badly needed tasks), and I thought, "These are the days when living in New York is going to suck." At least today I could get in my car, drive for 5-10 minutes, and be home. In a month, I may have to walk multiple blocks, wait for a subway train, ride for 10-20 minutes, switch trains for another 10 minutes, then walk 2 1/2 blocks to get home.

I still want to move. This is just a reality check for me.

Some blessings to count in this:

1. I'm sick this week, and, Lord-willing, not next week when I'm trying to finalize everything, or the week after when I'm trying to adjust to a new city and get in touch with potential employers.

2. I have the resources to get some amazing meds for a cold. Zicam is my friend. (http://www.zicam.com/)

I use the nasal gel. The mouth spray is gross! Okay, so putting gel in your nose is also gross...but at least it doesn't taste gross.

(If you are wary of drugs, you can check out others' thoughts about this with a Google search. http://www.consumerreports.org/ cited lawsuits against the company for loss of smell.)

3. I slept for 2 1/2 hours and felt much better after that.

In Anticipation

2008-02-18T14:05:00.001-05:00

I am getting ready to move to New York City. Wow. I love saying that.

I have about ten days before I leave for Kansas City, and then I'm taking the train to NYC the next morning. Part of me wishes this whole move were already over and I was settled into my new apartment.

Before that happens, however, I have a lot of packing and planning yet to do, and I continue to stay busy with my two part-time jobs here in Wichita. I still haven't said "Ciao" to most of my friends and family here in Kansas yet. It seems funny to say goodbye on such a grand scale, when I'm just moving to a new city. It's not like I am moving to a foreign country (though in some ways perhaps NYC is a foreign country compared to Wichita) or will not be back for visits. Yet, this is a big move and I do want to say goodbye. I am a very egocentric person. I crave attention badly, but when I get it, I tend to become shy about it.

I have secured an apartment in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. I already have an address in the City (officially as of March 1st)! I have two roommates who I am anxious to meet in person. The apartment is part of Radical Living, an intentional Chrisitan community in Brooklyn (http://radicalliving.wordpress.com/). The more I learn about this community of people, the more excited I get about living there and being a part of what's happening.

I am also excited about The Village Church (http://www.villagechurchnyc.com/), which meets in Greenwich Village in Manhattan. I have already visited the church and met with the pastor a couple of times. I've also been in touch with the leader of one of their homegroups which meets in Brooklyn. Everyone has been extremely welcoming.

Between Radical Living and The Village Church, I feel like God has already provided many opportunities for me to meet people in the City. Through Radical Living I will be living within a one-block radius of 13 people, who I will see at least once a month (if not a few times a week).

I know that I will be lonely during this move. I am already anticipating lying awake on my first night in Brooklyn, staring at the ceiling, wondering, "What am I doing?" But even so, I am excited about this move. Nervous? Yes. But excited nonetheless.