Back to Reality

It turns out that having an actual license to practice PT (as opposed to a temporary one) can get you a lot of work in this city. I let my employment agency rep know that I had been offered a full time position but would like to fill the time until my start date with per diem work (part time coverage here and there). It's a good way to make some money because the pay is typically great and it'll keep me sharp until I start full time in a couple weeks. I just finished two busy, somewhat chaotic, days at a nice nursing home in Brooklyn. At the end of my second (and last) day, the rehab supervisor offered me spot on Saturdays if I ever wanted to make a little extra money on the weekend. It was nice of her to offer and we'll see, I might take her up on that occasionally. Later that day I was scheduled for more coverage on Monday and Tuesday at a different Brooklyn clinic.

I think things would be much easier if we lived in Brooklyn. It's where most of the job opportunities for me seem to be coming from and living there would put Jen a lot closer to the Fed as well. Our lease here in LIC is up late June... lots to think about. The commute from LIC to most parts of Brooklyn is over an hour, which I could not do every day. Especially if buses are involved and they usually are. They're a nightmare to travel by, in the morning especially, thanks to NYC traffic and the lines of obnoxious high school students at almost every stop that seem to purposefully hold things up so they can be late for school. Ugh! I guess that's enough b*tching...

While taking Pup for a walk near the LIC Wyndham Garden hotel this week, I spotted celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito doing some filming  at the hotel restaurant for what looked like a reality show. After some online research it seems they were shooting for Bravo's new show, Rocco's Dinner Party. We don't have Bravo (or cable for that matter) but according to Bravo the show will "take competition beyond the kitchen by giving highly skilled chefs a shot at providing a perfect, memorable evening for Rocco and a few of his celebrity guests." I'm a sucker for reality shows and remember his original show, The Restaurant, was very entertaining.

Hey Look, It's Doug Stamper

This Saturday we spent the majority of the day at open houses in Brooklyn. We aren’t looking for a specific apartment yet, but just trying to get an idea of what neighborhoods (and streets within them) we like and the kind of apartment we can afford in each. All in all we saw a lot for one day. Later at home, Jen effortlessly whipped up a map on the computer, using color-coded stars to keep track of what we thought of each apartment and its location. So efficient, that one.

While strolling through Park Slope we spotted actor Michael Kelly who plays Doug Stamper on Netflix’s political drama, House of Cards. He was in cruddy clothes unloading boxes for Housing Works, Brooklyn from the back of an older Toyota Highlander. It was like US Weekly’s section, “Just Like Us.” They make donations! Jen said she would've never recognized him (She remembers the names but I first recognize the faces). In a world of mediocre writing and acting a good show like House of Cards is rare and refreshing. It may be one of the best shows I've ever seen… the major networks could learn of few things from it. I’m already done with the first season and anxiously awaiting more episodes. Come on Netflix.

MORE Good News

This week has been full of good news! First, I found out that I passed my exam. Then, as I started job hunting I got a call from the director of physical therapy at LMC, Brooklyn (my first choice) pretty much offering me a job. Perfect timing… I’m so blessed! The position he offered wouldn’t start until June so I was concerned about what the heck I would do until then and what my savings account would look like by then. Literally, a few seconds later he called back to tell me he thought he could get me started in early May. Even better!  

Second, starting this year the (evil) federation that makes the Physical Therapy Board exams began providing a free score report that students can view online ten days after their exam. Yesterday makes ten days so I thought for sure it would be available by today… nope. I’m dying to know just how well I did on my Board exam. It doesn't really matter, I’m just curious. No one will ever ask for my score, it’s the license they care about.

As I flipped open my computer to write an email asking the federation what the hold-up was, I got a text from a classmate that said our license numbers were posted. What!? I didn't expect to have a license number for another couple of weeks. I pulled up the license verification page on the NY State Office of Professions, typed in my last name and there it was, my official license number. Forget the score, I’m officially licensed!

Orientation at LMC is May 6^th, we’ll be in Florida celebrating Jen’s 30^th birthday the 8^th through the 12^th, and I think I officially start working on May 13^th.... so I can’t party too hard. Here’s to a couple more weeks of freedom before I start my career and work until retirement!

POTted Plants

Good news folks, I passed my physical therapy board exam! The actual score report won't be released until sometime next week but, for mental health sake, they posted a pass/fail note to the website this weekend. Well mine said pass, PTL. Don't stop praying though, I need a job now. :)

In other good news, the air quality in and around our apartment has improved lately. We had a few theories regarding what brought on the change, but I think we may have found our answer...

The Queens Courier reports: The NYPD busted a pot growing operation in Long Island City on Tuesday, recovering plants, lamps and growing equipment from inside of 11-27 44th Road, said police. Five people were arrested and more than 1,000 marijuana plants were seized, according to Fox New York. 

Upon looking up the address Jen realized this operation was just a few blocks from our apartment. Could it be related? I think so. Good riddance!

It's A Brand New Car!

Where to start… After my last blog post I began the slow transition from intensely studying everyday into a pre-test rest mode. I read that it’s very important to, at the least, take the weekend before your test off from any form of studying. This was hard to do because the closer the test became, the more I wanted to cram. I did my best to rest, keep myself occupied, and the anxiety at bay.

Friday Jen and I went to the NY International Auto Show. We were there about six hours because there was so much to see and we were having such a good time. So many nice rides! The highlight of our day was definitely the Camp Jeep experience.  It’s basically a ride-along mock off road course set up outside to show off a Jeep’s abilities. It was impressive, and a bit scary at times. We left the show with bags, a keychain, and all kinds of things two people who don’t even drive don’t need.

That night we went to the Waltz Astoria (not to be confused with the Waldorf Astoria) to hear our up and coming rock star friend Jeffery Alan perform. This time around he added the piano to his live set and it sounded great. I think he’s currently working on getting an album on itunes but in the mean time, if you're curious, you can click here to visit his YouTube page.

So I did a great job distracting myself Friday and my best to relax the rest of the weekend. Monday morning was go time as my test was at 9am. None of the awful things I was dreaming could happen that morning (oversleeping, getting mugged, or being stuck underground on the train) came to fruition and overall the test went well I think. I’m afraid I’ll jinx it if I sound too confident, but I thought the test was fair. Not easy, but fair. I took practice tests that were more difficult for sure. The federation for the state boards quotes a wait of about ten days for the test results, but I’ve been told it never takes that long. I’ll be checking online and we shall see.

Anyway, as I’ve been saying for the past few months, this winter seemed longer, wetter, and colder than the previous two we’ve experienced here. We wondered if it would ever end and warmly welcome, well, the warmer season. But spring in New York City means more than just warmer weather. It marks the return of many things that make living here so great; eating al fresco, outdoor markets and street fairs, and bike riding are a few I’m looking forward to. I miss just being outside! And when we’re out doing more there’s more to write about. 

Thanks for reading and I’ll keep you posted on my test results… eek!