I Rebuke Driving Drama!

Jen has gone to Herald Square for a bit, giving me plenty of peace and quiet to write about the driving drama we experienced, as promised. I'm not a superstitious person so I hate to say that our road trip to Virginia is cursed but at a certain point one must wonder. I can already hear my mother declaring, "That's a bad confession, I rebuke it!" Well, both our drives to and from VA this year were so horrific that a person could potentially, as they say in the South, loose his religion.

The trip began with a promising start. For one, I left work early the night before (my last night at Bourbon St!) which is a very important step to ensuring an overall pleasant drive. If I don't get close to eight hours of sleep, things are not pretty... Jen can attest to this. Second, Enterprise Rent-A-Car was very organized, upgraded us to a midsize sedan, and had me in and out within fifteen minutes. Third, we actually left the house ahead of schedule and experienced little traffic getting out of NYC that Saturday morning. The car's low tire pressure light did come on just seconds after I started the car, but Jen did a quick walk around and the tires looked fine. Plus, those pressure sensors are too sensitive anyway. Right? Let's go!

We were cruising along in our roomy Dodge sedan, making great time, when Jen and I decided we should get off at the next best exit for a food/ bathroom break. As we approached the turn towards Long John Silvers (I was pretty excited about eating there for some strange reason) and a Shell gas station we heard a strange noise coming from the back of the vehicle. Imagine the sound a completely flat tire makes in motion... got it?... that's exactly what our car sounded like. I pulled over at Shell and Jen quickly jumped out to find a blown rear, passenger side tire. Long story short, by the time we spoke with the 1-800 Enterprise people, unloaded our full trunk, replaced the flat with the 55 mph spare, got the flat into the small space provided by the spare and then reloaded the trunk, drove to an Enterprise-approved Firestone service station in rural PA, and got back on track, we were delayed by about three hours. At this point I figured out why we were "upgraded" and given such quick service. Why God, why!? So much for making good time. But hey, it could always be worse right?

As for our Rexrode family Christmas, it was a very typical, wonderful vacation. Thank you family for all you did for us and all those nice gifts. It's too much! I brought my video camera and you'll just have to wait, on the edge of your seat no doubt, for the Rexrode Christmas 2012 video to be premiered (hopefully before the end of this week) here on RexrodeAndTheCity.
           
Much like the beginning of our trip to Virginia, we were making great time on the way back to NYC. So much so that we were convinced that, even if we hit a little traffic, we could make it home in less than seven hours for once. HA! Not if the Lincoln Tunnel had anything to do with it. We came to a complete stop at the tolls before the tunnel and sat there for so long that I had to get out and pee on the side of the road and Jen had to... well she won't let me tell that part of the story, sorry. Lol. It's a strange feeling going numero uno with your back to the hundreds of people watching you from their cars. Lets just say it's not for guys with stage fright. Anyway, after the toll we occasionally crept along at 2 mph all the way to the entrance to the tunnel. All in all it was about a three hour delay. Sound familiar? Ya, we left Granny's at 11 AM and got home around 9 PM. What we went through could be used as some kind of sick anxiety/stress training for the military or something. I think I'd rather be water boarded. But hey, as I always say, it could be worse right?

Like I said in my last post, I was wishing for normalcy this holiday season. In terms of normalcy I feel like I got the equivalent of a stocking full of coal. But hey, it could always be worse right? We're happy, healthy, now have lots of nice new things from Christmas, and looking forward to the new year.

A New Season and Holiday Gridlock

Tomorrow morning by ten AM grades are due and this long semester finally comes to a close. It means the end of my journey at this college, and the beginning a new, better season in our lives. And I wouldn't describe my feelings as at all bittersweet, just sweet. The amount of things I won't miss definitely outweigh the things I will. A lot went down at Laguardia but it's always better to focus on the positives right? I'm reminded of one of my patients that would comically recite, "I am so blessed" when she was having a rough day. Because many of my colleagues and I repeated a class or lab for whatever reason, we were part of not one but two different classes. We now have twice as many friends and a larger group for networking when looking for our PT dream jobs.

It's also a very exciting time for recent grads. My original class just took and passed the national board exam and are finding jobs with no problem. Our college has one of the highest pass rates, at 91%! Things look good. Dr. Engel, our awesome program director, spoke with us about the temporary license application process and different employment options last night. It was very encouraging. It looks like, if I find an employer to sponsor me, I can begin working by the beginning of February. Prayers for that! 

Right now I'm looking most forward to the holidays and having a few final weeks off in the beginning of the new year. I mean after that you enter into the slippery slope of adulthood right? The life of forty hour work weeks, fifty weeks a year, for forty or so years? Eek!

Speaking of the holidays, we're looking forward to our trip to VA. I'll be taking the cameras so plan on watching an awesome Rexrode Christmas video in a few weeks.

Holiday Traffic, 5th Ave and 34th St, 1948

It's nice to be able to just load up a car and drive to VA, door to door. What we are not looking forward to is the traffic that might be involved. We'll be leaving on Saturday, one of the NYC "Holiday Gridlock Alert Days." These so called alert days are part of an oh-so-festive sounding "Holiday Mitigation Plan" from the Department of Transportation.

Two years ago it wasn't traffic that was the problem necessarily, but a historically horrendous blizzard. Our economy car miraculously got us home without getting stuck in the show but we were forced to spend a night in Bethlehem (PA) like the holy family. Looking back it's pretty funny. Our Chevy Aveo was passing 4 wheel drive vehicle left and right (baby Jesus take the wheel!). The hotel clerk specifically told us that there were no dogs allowed so we had to sneak Pup in and out the back door like a hideaway Jew.

What a Christmas that was! And with that being said, all I want for Christmas is normalcy.

Merry Christmas

to family, friends, and readers of RexrodeAndTheCity

Change for the Better

It's been a while, again. I find myself not with less time to write, but less drive to do so. It's not for lack of material, because it seems there's never a dull moment in life, but just part of my natural growth as a "New Yorker." Believe me when I say that after living (surviving) here for a few years the novelty of many things wears off. Places, people, or situations that I may have been inspired to write about in the past just feel more normal. They are no less interesting or entertaining but just harder to compose a post around.

So with time comes change to RexrodeAndTheCity. Positive change. :)

For one, I recently added a link to my Flikr account so you can view all the NYC pics taken from my new(ish) Canon Rebel. We recently went to Rockefeller Center to see the big tree. We saw a guy propose to his girlfriend on the ice-skating rink there. Below is a slideshow of the pics straight from Flikr.

Before visiting the Tree we had a belated anniversary dinner at Becco, our favorite restaurant in the city. The food was soooo delicious and filling. We tried to work off some of the carbs by walking to see the department store windows but it got too cold so fast. Pardon any of the pictures that look blurry. In low light situations it's important to keep the camera steady (since the shutter is open longer to let in more light it also picks up more movement), a task that's not easy while shivering with numb fingers.

Anyway, my favorite addition to the blog is my personal Twitter feed, @MattRexrode. You may have heard of Twitter but what exactly is it you ask? Well, at the heart of Twitter are small texts called Tweets. Each Tweet is 140 characters or less which you can do a surprising amount with. You can see photos, videos and conversations and get a whole story at a glance. It's a fast way for me to keep up with people I "follow" and keep you all connected at the same time.

So, although less posts may be composed each month, you'll be much more informed on my day-to-day life through my Twitter feed. It's always at the top of the homepage!

Enjoy.

Un-Pop Music

This post is taking a particularly long time to write because the American Music Awards are on and so distracting. The performances are so bad that, much like a train wreck, I cannot stop watching. I can’t decide who looks, dances, and/or sounds the worst. Maybe I’m just outgrowing popular music. It’s possible.

As of Friday I’m officially done with all clinical affiliations. ‘Bout time. This past assignment at Lutheran Medical Center was such a great experience. As promised there was medicine, neuro rehab, and just a lot of aspects of therapy that I hadn’t seen before. Leaving the hospital and my wonderful patients was bitter-sweet. I could see myself working there and made sure to leave a good impression. The PT staff continued to remind me to leave my resume with the director when I left, which I did, and I took that as a good sign. If it’s meant to be it will work out.
At this point I’m just a board exam prep test and a temporary license away from finding a job in the new year. I can take my permanent license exam in April (it’s only offered a few times a year, unfortunately).

Those who know me know that I love to have my holidays off. And by that I don’t just mean Thanksgiving Day or just Christmas Eve and Day… I mean the weeks surrounding them. I don’t know what I’ll do when I have a real job (that I like enough not to quit) that only allows Locationa few weeks of vacation time in a whole year. Eek. Luckily it worked out for us again this year. Jens amazing employer has never given her trouble about time off and I’m quitting good ‘ole Bourbon St. before we leave for Christmas. The restaurant has been good to me in many ways and I’ve technically been there longer than any other job… almost three years! But it’s time to say goodbye.


I’m sure you’re still getting earfuls about the ongoing hurricane recovery in NYC area. Other than Staten Island and the low lying beach areas, things are almost back to normal. We donated some clothes that we don’t wear any more to Staten Island families that lost everything which felt good… we really needed the closet space (kidding). Businesses in our neighborhood that were severely damaged, like LIC Bar and City Vet/LIC Doghouse on our corner have just reopened in the past few days. Although we don't visit the bar that often, it really brings life to our block. While it was closed we realized how eerie and quiet it would be at night without them.

Our apartment still doesn’t have heat which hasn’t really been a big deal. Electricity and hot running water are the big ones. Our landlord is supposedly having trouble finding a boiler that will work in our building. Anyway, we should have heat by the time we return from Thanksgiving in FL

Bird Baths

Things are somewhat back to normal following the damage brought on by the hurricane. Somewhat. Tunnels and bridges, like LIC's Midtown Tunnel, are opening and trains, like our local G are beginning to run again. I guess the newest development is the gas shortage in the area. Thank God, this is one thing Jen and I don't have to worry about. People with cars are freaking out: going hunting for gas on their lunch breaks, storing extra tanks full of gas in their cars (can you say car-bomb!?), and siphoning of course. 

Good news, we are living in our own apartment again. We have electricity but no heat or hot water because of all that was water damaged in the basement. We have two small electric heaters (don't worry, we are careful and never leave them on when we're away) to keep us fairly warm. In order to bathe without freezing to death we heat water on the stove in a big pot. We try to think of it as really luxurious camping, instead of a really sad normal shower. My coworker told me that in Gayana, this style of bathing is called a "bird bath." It's been interesting but it could always be worse.

Jen went back to work Thursday for the first time in almost two weeks. She then worked today and now has a three day weekend... funny. She's happy to be back to work and they're happy to have her back too.

Next week is my last week of my final clinical assignment. I'll then get my temp license (that I'll use until I take my board exam in April) and look for the right job after the holidays. Every student at Lutheran Medical must do a PT related presentation, termed an in-service. I picked a few topics that I was interested in and my clinical instructor, PT director, and I narrowed it down to one: Diabetic Neuropathy. I present on Thursday so wish me luck. 

Luckily, I was able to reschedule the surgery observation I was supposed to attend the morning that Sandy attacked. The downside is that I'm working at the restaurant Sunday night until God knows when because I really didn't have enough time to request it off. It's all good. After these last few weeks, what can't we handle?

The View

This is the view from our temporary home in LIC. Not too shabby. Warm, fed, and showered this morning. Feeling better. Jen and I may try the ferry to Wall St to see how easy it will be to take it to work. Wish us luck!

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I'm a Survivor

It's hard to describe what we've been through the last four days. We're trying to focus on the positive. We, luckily, have a second floor apartment that’s higher than the surge level so it's clean and dry. We have no power and a basement that was flooded so the heating, hot water, and electricital components are destroyed. It's gonna be a while.

 We are so blessed to have such wonderful neighbors and friends. The two couples upstairs and us have been sticking together and doing as much as we can for each other. We were invited over for a hot meal at a friend of a friend’s house last night which was great. We also have friends who are traveling until November 12th and donated their high-rise apartment to our neighbors and us while they're gone. So, we now have a place to shower, cook, and thaw out from time to time.

Jen and I are trying to figure out when it's appropriate to even try to get to work. Jen's downtown work neighborhood is a big, wet, mess and the part of Brooklyn I work in would take me almost three hours to get to by bus (because there are no trains running there) and that's not including insane traffic and delays. I plan on going to work at the restaurant on Saturday night. I think the N train is running there... worst case scenario I ride my bike over the 59th street bridge. That would actually be the quickest method of getting places no matter where you're going at this point.

 Below are some videos I found on Youtube of our neighborhood under water. In the first video the white building down the street on the left (before the large green building) is ours. In the second video is footage of the flooding around the high-rises closer to the water. The water got much higher than what’s shown. The building you can see across the street is actually the one we’re living out of right now.

Scary, Spicy, Sandy Weekend

After a very busy week Jen and I were looking forward to going out Friday night… so we did laundry. We REALLY needed clean clothes and worked up quite the appetite while doing a few weeks worth of wash. The restaurant Spice (originally of the West Village) recently opened another location in our very own LIC. We decided to finally try it. Like Tuk Tuk, one of our favorite places to eat on Vernon, Spice serves Thai food. We thought it was just ok. We shared a duck salad, spare ribs, and a shrimp stir-fry with garlic sauce. It just wasn't very fresh or tasty… needs more spice if you ask us. Although their noodles might be amazing, which we didn't try, I think we’ll be sticking with Tuk Tuk.

We left dinner with plenty of time to make it to Times Square to see a movie, but got a little distracted by filming just outside of Spice. Edie Falco was shooting her show Nurse Jackie and was like five feet from us (obviously didn’t have my Canon with me as illustrated by the awful quality of the pics). They were filming a scene in a cop car which was being towed down Vernon Blvd. We debated skipping our movie because it was fun to watch, but finally waved bye to her and headed to the train. We saw “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” which was pretty good. I originally thought it was a movie for teens but it had some pretty serious and depressing themes. It was aiight.

Saturday night was Bourbon St’s annual Halloween Party. And I can’t believe it’s my third one! Among my crazy coworkers in costume was a cow, a zombie, red riding hood and wolf, Katniss from The Hunger Games, the news team from Anchorman, farmer in the dell (a cowgirl in a Dell computer box), a nurse, and an evil doctor (me!) Jen did an AMAZING job making my face look bloody and gross. No one could believe we did it all ourselves. FYI: Corn syrup, red food coloring, and cocoa powder make very realistic fake blood.  And you can make fake wounds with toilet paper and Elmer's glue.

We both have the day off today and are just hanging out at home, waiting for Hurricane Sandy to pass. So far (as of 4 pm) it’s not bad, although I've seen some video online of flooding down at Gantry Park on the water. I was supposed to observe an orthopedic surgery this morning at the hospital and will not be happy if I don’t get assigned another one. Safety first I guess.

Hot-lanta Video

There's never a dull moment in 45-42, let me tell you. Our neighbors, who were our superintendents before things got crazy, are being evicted. The reasons include physical violence, non-payment of rent, and chronic marijuana use(which they claim has been "decriminalized"). A recent search of their apartment by the NYPD tells me they're incorrect, as they're going to court next month for their nasty little habit. We recently got a new tenant in our building right next door to the pot heads. Lucky for us, he's a smoker too. He enjoys filling his lungs with the smoke of what smells worse than weed- cigarettes.  Almost everyone in the building has spoken to him about smoking in his apartment, which then leaks into the hallway and up into the rest of our apartments. He has apologized multiple times, the landlord has even scolded him about it, and yet he continues to smoke. I mean really, who smokes inside their homes anymore? Oh the luxurious life of NYC apartment living.

We spent the weekend before last in Atlanta for my cousin Kelly's wedding. Congrats Nicols family! It was a beautiful wedding and a great excuse to see family that I hadn't seen since moving to New York. That's too long! As promised I made a video of the weekend (which is why this post took about a week to be published) and I really like how it turned out. Jen's friend who watched Pup while we were gone fell in love with her.They were really sad when we picked her up Monday night and Pup didn't seem too sure she wanted to leave them either. By now Pup's back to her old ways and it's all good. Hope you enjoy my video. 

Oh, make sure you turn it way up at the end while we're having our picture taken. What everyone is saying is hilarious. My favorite is when Papa says,"I gotta get straight, I gotta shuffle one time right here." 


ATLANTA WEDDING from Matt Rexrode on Vimeo.

"There's No Tomorrow, There's Just Today"

How did I let a week go by without writing? Shame shame. The days go by so quickly at my current clinical assignment that I’m not surprised. Just four more weeks left. I haven’t once checked the clock and thought to myself that time was going by slowly. I have, on the other hand, looked down at my watch and thought, “It’s already 11? I have three more patients to treat, a two week progress note to write, and HMO paperwork to complete all before lunch!” There’s always something for me to do which I like. It’s a different kind of busy than the mundane business I was used to at outpatient, sport/orthopedic clinics. The treatment of patients with a past medical history and precautions a mile long is obviously much more involved and interesting. I’m really liking Lutheran Med and hoping they hire me.

The patients are much more entertaining to me in an inpatient setting. I treat an old man for general weakness secondary to surgery that started out so weak and quiet. Now we can’t get him to stop talking or singing random songs from “There’s No Tomorrow” by Dean Martin (his favorite) and “The Star Spangled Banner.” He loves to talk about old movies, many of which I know thanks to my black-and-white-obsessed Mother. I was naming the old movies I like per his request (all the ones I had seen pretty much) during a walk. When I mentioned, “All About Eve” he almost fell over, exclaiming that it was his favorite movie of all time and for the rest of the day wouldn’t stop rattling off every Betty Davis movie. He’s quite the character and he’s not even one of the mental patients. Maybe I’ll talk about my favorite crazy in my next post.

The hospital is just a few blocks from the water among a lot of old warehouses, shipping docks, and a navy yard. As Brooklyn was developed long before the island of Manhattan, many of the old, dilapidated brick buildings along the water have dates laid in them from the early and mid 1800’s. With nice views of downtown, The Statue of Liberty, and Jersey, when the weather is warm (not today!) it’s nice to spend some of my lunch break walking around by the water.

We are going to my cousin Kelly’s wedding this weekend near Atlanta. Tonight Jen dropped Pup off with her friends that are dog-sitting for us until Monday. She said it was hard to say goodbye. Pup always looks longingly at Jen, even when I'm taking her on a walk she knows Jen’s not going on. I Guess we know who Pup loves more... naturally. I’m sure Pup will do just fine and have a great time as a Jersey girl for the weekend.

I've been wanting to try some more new things with my Powerdirector 10 video producer and this weekend should give me some footage to play around with. I'll try to edit and post a video by the end of next week so stay tuned.

Oh Bother

Rainy days in Florida are no big deal. After running to the car the umbrella gets tossed into the back seat, you flip the wipers on, and off you go. In the city, on the other hand, things are a bit wetter. The amount of time you spend walking, exposed to the elements is much greater here. Unless you’re lucky enough to find and empty cab (and then willing to pay for it), there is no car in the picture.

My weekday commute consists of a six block walk to the seven train in LIC and, after an hour commute to Brooklyn, walking three more long blocks to the hospital from the N train. It wasn’t raining yesterday morning so, despite the forecast, I left my umbrella at home. I hate carrying that thing around, leave it everywhere, and have probably lost a hundred. Bad decision though, as it rained continuously and I finally dried off about the time I had to go out in it again. My plan was to just find someone else’s and take it but the hospital lost and found had already been raided. After sloshing my way home to my dry umbrella, it cleared up by the time I took Pup out… figures.

Sure, rain can be unpleasant, but nothing compares to what’s going on in the picture I took at work. SMOKING IN FRONT OF A HOSPITAL! It’s my new pet peeve and makes me more than a little annoyed. These ladies are seriously lounging around the ambulances while lighting a few up. Luckily no one in the physical therapy department smokes, sparing me the responsibility of daily hassling a coworker with smoking cessation pamphlets. There is (no joke) a bench with an enclosure around it (previously a bus stop) that they have converted into an outdoor smoking room about six feet from the front door. The smoke billows out of it throughout the day. I've seen a few nurses smoking (disgusting), but most of the smokers are from administration. Still, how can you take smoke breaks from your work of processing paperwork on patients dying from diagnosis directly linked to cigarettes?

Photo ID

My last clinical assignment is still going well. I love how fast the day goes by thanks to all the crazy chaos of a hospital. Just today I got stuck in the elevator with patients during a fire drill. And therapy is mispelled on my ID... no big.

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Shotgun Wedding

We had beautiful weather and a great time this weekend. I gave up my Sunday shift at the restaurant to spend a day hang'n with my Boo and to see the band "Shotgun Wedding" play at LIC Bar next door. I heard this very talented "city country band" play in the courtyard while walking Pup a while back and have been wanting to see them play ever since.

I did work late Saturday night which meant skipping church and sleeping in Sunday. No worries, Jesus came to our house and we watched a few online sermons by Joel Osteen. He's good.

We went into the city for a quick shopping trip (3 hours is fast for us) where I bought a pair of orange pants that I think I'll wear to a wedding (not Shotgun). They're Jen approved so I'm taking the chance.

Jen made a delicious dinner of stuffed cabbage before we went next door to listen to music. Pup lay in the kitchen, napping in the sun and waiting for Jen to drop something she could help clean up.

I took some pics throughout the day with my new Canon. Enjoy the short slideshow!

N Train

My current assignment is so far good. Nice staff, interesting patients, and a whole different atmosphere than what I’m used to. Lots to learn. My CI was out today so I worked with another PTA. She’s a Laguardia grad and has been working in a wide variety settings since graduating over ten years ago. She gave me lots of insider advice which was followed by, “but you didn’t hear that from me.” That's how you know it's good.

With my new clinical assignment come some welcomed changes to our lives. For the first time… well ever, Jen and I are on a similar schedule. We’re now up in the morning at exactly the same time, something we originally thought would be a problem (i.e. our one butt bathroom… for tiny butts). But it’s not. For example, I take Pup for a nice early walk which helps me wake up and gives Jen time to get in (and out!) of the bathroom. Although I get out of the clinic a little earlier than Jen gets off work, my commute is longer at about an hour each way. I make only one transfer at Times Square and then have time to sit on the N train and study/read/write. The N enters Brooklyn from Manhattan by crossing over the Manhattan Bridge (you don't say!?) and the views of lower Manhattan, the One World Trade Center building, and the Brooklyn Bridge while up there are awesome. This picture is my best attempt at capturing the beauty using my phone on a shaky, moving train. Anyway, by the time we get the gym out of the way we’re pretty much home at the same time and doing dinner... like a normal married couple! I do miss having time off outside during the day, but this is nice.

Then there’s Pup of course, who we couldn't just leave inside for 9+ hours every weekday. We really had no choice but to pay the dog walker from LIC Doghouse (too conveniently right next door) to parade our dog around for thirty minutes in the middle of the day. Everyone there knows Pup now and loves her, naturally. One of the walkers said, “I used to think she was a b*tch (no pun intended) when I would see her barking at dogs on the street, but she’s actually really sweet.” Ha, that’s our girl.

An Early Late Night

Literally every day this week was one of my (restaurant) coworkers’ birthdays. Happy Birthday Bourbon St! What was sexy nine months ago… Thanksgiving? Regardless, Paul, Jackie, Olithea, Carl, and Kara all had birthday outings, only one of which I attended because they typically didn’t start till like 1AM. Crazies! Last night, because I was already out at a PT/PTA student happy hour event, I decided to make a quick appearance at Kara’s gathering at a pub on the Upper East Side. I was home by 1AM.

The student happy hour was good. We got to meet the newest class the program at Laguardia, students from NYU, and NYPTA President Matthew Hyland, PT, PhD. He works hard to protect our profession and is actually a regular blogger as well. We worked up quite an appetite while socializing and decided to get some grub at Bareburger. If you haven’t had Bareburger in NYC yet, you should. They offer local, sustainable, organic burgers made of your choice of lamb, wild boar, elk (I originally typed elf. Haha.), bison, ostrich, chicken, turkey, or just good old beef. Yummo.

This morning I had breakfast with classmate Jeff to return a book I had borrowed and catch up. Now that he’s ahead of me in the program he was able to give lots of advice on what’s to come.  He also reminded me that Juan was assigned Lutheran Medical for his inpatient site, where I’m starting on Monday. Well I talked to Juan this afternoon and he was able to give me the scoop on the clinic. Inpatient really isn’t his thing, but he still enjoyed it there—a good sign. I have a few things to review this weekend and I’m still waiting on my lab coat to arrive, but otherwise feel ready for 8 more intense week of learning. 

9.11.12

Tonight was beautiful and clear, perfect for looking downtown towards the World Trade Center site. Above are the twin lights of the 9/11 Memorial as seen from Long Island City taken by your's truly with my new camera!

The first thing Jen said when she saw it was, "Wow, you would think it takes a talented photographer to take pictures like that but it's just the camera." Thanks a lot. But really, I didn't do much. I just leveled the tripod, adjusted the settings for a night shot and then fired away. I am quite pleased.

Golden Boy Anyone?

I have probably written it a million times, but one of my favorite things about NYC is the changing seasons. Today felt like the true start of the fall with a mild mid-day that faded into a pretty chilly evening. The humidity was low so the view of Manhattan from our neighborhood looked crisp and clear and much closer. Sorry, I took no pictures of the skyline. You’ll just have to use your imagination.

Although most of the great free outdoor events of the summer have ended, there is still a lot to look forward to in the fall. There are the changing leaves to see in the parks, apple and pumpkin picking upstate, Fashion Week, The NYC Film Festival, The NYC Marathon (which runs right by our front door), and The Village Halloween Parade, just to name a few. This nice weather usually makes us want to go out so I've started a growing list of must-sees on our chalkboard wall.

I just ordered a lab coat, stethoscope, timex watch, and reflex hammer for my final affiliation at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn which starts in one week. I spoke with some faculty about my assignment today and they said it’s a great place and that they’re excited to see me going there. Actually, the professor that taught my orthopedic exercise class works there. We’ll see how it goes.

Today I biked right by some filming for a new CBS tv show, Golden Boy, starring a bunch of actors I’ve never heard of. Ha.

Labor Day in the West Village

We had the whole day off together and although it was rather dreary out, we decided to spend our day in the city exploring the West Village instead of wasting it inside. We started by following a walking tour and ended by wandering around on our own taking pictures of this and that. My new camera and Flickr (online photo sharing) account will make it even easier to share great pics with you. I can now include slideshows like the one below and you can visit my Flickr link (added under links in the right column) anytime to view full sets of my photography.

One picture in the slideshow below is of a very narrow 75 1/2 Bedford St. The list of former owners and renters reads like a who’s who of New York. There’s the cartoonist William Steig, the anthropologist Margaret Mead, the writer Ann McGover, and supposedly both Cary Grant and John Barrymore spent time there. The home’s most notable resident, and the name etched into the plaque on its facade, is Edna St. Vincent Millay, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet. The building is about nine ft wide and stands in an old carriage passageway. For sale and now listed for about 4.5 million.

During all this touring, Jen was becoming a bit irritable due to low blood sugar so we decided to eat at one of the first restaurants we came across. In hindsight it might not have been the best choice. The waitress wasn't friendly, the food took forever and was wrong when it came out. The highlight of lunch was actor Sean William Scott, better known as Stiffler from the American Pie movies, walking his dog right by our table. We ended with a few cups of great coffee at Stumptown in the Ace Hotel, 29th St. and 5th Ave, before scenically bus-ing it through Manhattan, over the 59th St. bridge, and back home to LIC.

 

Watch My Back

I’m really enjoying my time off. For a few weeks I actually have the time to explore music artists that I like, catch up on yoga/exercise, and learn how to use my new camera. I’ve been talking about learning more about photography and getting a semi-professional camera for so long, last week Jen told me to just buy one already. Enter Craigslist. On this online garage sale like website I found a Canon Rebel XTi with upgraded sd card , lens, and even a tripod for about a third of what it would be new. Wednesday I met with the seller in his Flatiron work neighborhood at Madison Sq Park. After he had showed me how it works and assured me it was in good condition, I decided to purchase it. When he left I found myself in a city park with so much photographic potential that I hung out and played with the camera for a few hours.

Jen “flexed” last Friday which basically means we have a three day weekend together. Friday, after spending the morning getting those pesky essentials (GTL!) out of the way, we went to Chelsea Market and the Highline Park. Jen went to look at some new baking stuff while I took my camera to the Highline. It’s got to be one of the best places to take pictures in the city. I’ll include some pictures later, after I figure out how to do so, ha. I’m in the process of deciding which online photo sharing website would be best. The picture quality from my new camera is obviously much better than what’s taken by my phone.

 Tonight Jen and I gave into those tempting “All you can eat shrimp” commercials for Red Lobster and did just that, literally. With the average, or medium sized shrimp containing little fat and only 6 calories (I looked it up while at the table) a person can actually eat quite a few of those little guys.  The way the restaurant tries to slow your refills is with the heavy shrimp fettuccini alfredo, breaded and fried shrimp, and of course those notoriously irresistible cheddar bay biscuits. Although I found it physically impossible to eat less than three biscuits, we were otherwise smart about our all you can eat approach. I don’t think I’ll be wanting shrimp for a while.

 The clientele at this particular Red Lobster, Queens, NY is always interesting. For example, as her eyes darted nervously around the room, the mother sitting next to us gave her young son a very important lesson from the streets: "It's important that I sit facing the door so I can see who's come'n and go'n, and then when you're grown you can watch my back." Can't learn that sh*t on Sesame Street kids.

Gemini

Today was another beautiful summer day in the City. As I have been on Tuesdays for a couple weeks and finally had one off, I started my morning in Bryant Park. After Yoga I spent some time in the outdoor “Reading Room,” an area of the park that is set up like a little library with books, current newspapers and magazines for anyone to read for free.

Before putting a newspaper down it’s become a habit to flip to the daily horoscopes to check my own. Don’t worry, I check it about as often as a read a paper (not very). I don’t think daily horoscopes are true, in fact they’re usually the opposite, but they’re entertaining for a few seconds anyway.

For example, I had a good laugh today while reading my horoscope in the Reading Room at Bryant Park. I sent it to Jen and she said, “Ha, it’s almost sarcastic.” For those who really know me, we were most entertained by the first sentence. Enjoy the pic below from the paper itself.

The Pond, Central Park

It's hard to believe I took this pic myself today in Central Park, not to mention using the camera on my phone! It was a beautiful day biking around the city.

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Yogis In The Park

One of my favorite things about summer in the city is the free yoga in Bryant Park. I don't go in to work until 1 on Tuesdays and took advantage of the 10 am class. Luckily, we made it all the way through before the rain started to fall. Now I'll just be in the best mood through my last week at the clinic.

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Summer Streets

Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve written. I guess the monotony of working two jobs that occupy every day of the week has been less than inspiring. I know, it’s the little, everyday things that make life interesting. This is true, especially in NYC.

You can also thank my Nana for this post, who turned 79 yesterday! Surviving that long on this planet is really quite the accomplishment. Anyway, I talked to her for a bit and she told me how much so many people miss my more frequent blog postings. I don’t know how true that is, but it was inspiring to hear. Thanks.

I did have one day off in the past seven weeks, the day we went to Brighton Beach. It was such a great day, even with Pup in tow, that I made a little highlight video of our trip.


BRIGHTON BEACH VID from Matt Rexrode on Vimeo.

Today Jen and I road our bikes over the 59th St bridge into Manhattan to participate in the annual Summer Streets event. About half way up the bridge, I noticed Jen was starting to fall behind. It’s a good thing we stopped because she almost passed out, which she contributes to low blood sugar. Luckily we had some snacks packed! After some trail mix she was good to go for the day. Summer Streets happens on three consecutive Saturdays in the summer, about seven miles of NYC’s streets are closed (to traffic) for people to walk, bike, and just enjoy seeing the city from a different perspective. Summer Streets encourages New Yorkers to be more active and use more sustainable forms of transportation. There were really neat pit stops along the way with tons of freebees, rock climbing, zip lining and a market/picnic area by Whole Foods. Great day.

 I do work tonight but gave up my Sunday shift. My schedule at the PT clinic changed a bit and I now go in at 7am on Mondays. Although this coming week is my last, it’s just too much to work late at the restaurant Sunday night and then get up that early to treat patients all day. Whoop for days off!

I’ve enjoyed my current clinical assignment. It was a good refresher of orthopedic/ sports injuries and treatments. My CI is very chill and turned out to be quite the comedian. Next assignment is in an inpatient setting so pray I get a good one!

Clinical Assignment Number Due

The entirety of my clinical experience has consisted of outpatient settings. They have provided a lot of opportunity and learning for me, but treating the same orthopedic or sports injuries all day can feel a bit monotonous. I was looking forward to an inpatient assignment (hospital, nursing home, acute care center) this term but was disappointed, initially, when assigned to another orthopedic and sports PT clinic. Luckily, my colleagues reminded me that this affiliation is only 6 weeks, opposed to the next one (definitely an inpatient setting) which is a longer 8 or 12 week term. In other words, it’s better to get the outpatient affil over with now so that I can spend more time leaning in an inpatient clinic later. So I guess it worked out.

I’m about to start day three at my new clinic and so far so good. It’s an orthopedic and sports physical therapy clinic in Grand Central so it’s very busy and close to home. Seven minutes and the seven train is all I need to get to work! J.  My clinical instructor, a Doctor of Physical Therapy, is very open to questions and tries to teach me things when he can. There are DPT’s, PT’s, PT assistants, athletic trainers, and PT aides employed by the clinic so I’m getting to see a little bit of everything.

Other than the location, another perk to my new job is that it’s on the top floor of one of the nicest gyms in the city. I was working out at the school’s gym until Jen got me a two week guest pass to her New York Sports Club on Wall St. Well not I’ve been upgraded again, this time to Equinox Grand Central. All employees of the clinic get to work out there for free so I took advantage of that yesterday after work. It might be the nicest gym I’ve ever been in. Even better than FSU’s Leach Center, I hate to admit.

So yah, so far so good, although the days have been going by at a snail’s pace. I was told I’ll start working with patients on my own this week which should help the next six weeks be more bearable. 

P.S. There seems to be some kind of bug in blogger.com that's causing random highlighting in blog posts. Hope it doesn't happen again on this one!

The Big 2-7

Not only did I want to celebrate the great results of my finals (and Flag Day, ha), but also my birthday! I had a great day full of cards, gifts, and the biggest surprise: my favorite birthday cake from TooJay’s in Florida! Jen somehow had it shipped here and it arrived in perfect condition and still frozen, on dry ice.  I just had to eat around the frozen parts. On a side note, I find it kind of ironic that a cake shipped here from a deli in FL has the motto, “A New York deli, Florida style". Anyway, the Banana Dream Cake was even better than I remembered. Jen and I had to take some to work with us because it’s like crack and I’ve been known to get out of control and eat the whole thing. Ha. As expected, our coworkers were pretty amazed by it too.

Friday, the day after my actual birthday, Jen and I had the day off together. We kept the celebration going and decided to spend the day at the King and Grove (Williamsburg) Hotel in Brooklyn. My friend Erin (from Bourbon Street) just got a job there cocktailing the pool and lounge area so she gave us the scoop on the new boutique hotel and free access to the saltwater pool.  She hooked us up with cocktails and lunch as we lounged. It was my perfect day. When I’m at the dentist, mid-root canal, I just close my eyes and go to my new happy place… that pool. Ha.

After the pool we headed back home so I could take a nap ha, and get ready to go out that night. Especially in NYC, a birthday is also a great excuse to dine in a highly reviewed, fine restaurant. After a lot of back and forth on my part (what’s new?) I committed to Buddakan, an Asian restaurant in the Meat Packing District.  We didn’t spot any celebrities, not because there weren’t any but because the food was so awesome and well presented that it took all our attention. We had a appetizer sampler called the Bo Bo plate with tuno spring rolls, carrot dumplings, and shrimp Toast.  We also shared stir-fry noodles with prawns (delish!) and braised short ribs with Asian pears.  Of course we had to try some dessert and got the Crying Chocolate which was basically chocolate mouse inside a chocolate tarte with chocolate and caramel sauce.  Everything was awesome!

Because of the limitations of space in the city, most restaurants are on the small side. Buddakan is an exception… it’s huge! The ceilings are very high, even on the mezzanine. We got a great table for two that overlooked four huge chandeliers that hung above a long communal table and private rooms off the lower level. Also, along the walls on the first level were large glass cases filled with taxidermied animals native to Asia (I love taxidermy! ha).It was hard to take any good pictures inside because of the dim lighting but here’s one attempt.

After dinner we went to The Park (just a few blocks west on 10th Ave) to meet a group of friend’s for drinks. There was a good mix of my friend’s from work, school, and church. The Park is great because you can start at the main bar, move to the lounge as your party grows, and then upstairs to the nightclub to dance all without leaving the building. Good times!

I must say, this has been one of my best birthdays ever.

Finito!

I have so much to catch you up on that I might have to just split it up into two separate posts. I survived finals, had a great birthday, a not so great root canal and other fun doctors visits. And our life in NYC recently.

I can’t believe I can put this in writing… I’m done with classes! Finals went even better than I had hoped. I got a 100% on the 45 minute comprehensive practical exam; something I’m not sure has ever been done. I received A’s in my two final classes overall.

My class and I had hours and hours of finals over the course of a few days which, no matter how prepared you are, are exhausting. By the time they were all over we were a little delirious but definitely had reason to celebrate so my class and I did just that the afternoon we finished. Shout out to Jamara who found a pub that would let use their grill and backyard for a bbq AND for providing all the food for our celebration. We couldn’t get too wild at our bbq because that night was my old class’s graduation/ pinning ceremony.

The graduating class reading the professional oath

Most of us somehow made it home to get dressed up and back to school in time. Although it was hard to see my previous (and favorite) class get pinned and know I should be in that group, it was a really nice reception and sendoff. The speeches and video presentation the class made was so entertaining. At that point they were officially done and had nothing to lose, allowing them to make some jokes at the faculty’s expense… tastefully of course. ;)

Sneeky Pup

Tonight we brought Pup with us to the NO DOGS ALLOWED Gantry Plaza Park on the water. We tried to "act natural" as two golf carts full of park maintainance staff passed by, but no one said a word. Enjoy this funny pic of the sun setting behind Manhattan

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My Loyal Pup

Business at BSB&G was great last night as people just kept coming in until around midnight. I took a cab home around 1:30 AM because it was raining and so late. This morning (about noon) Jen took this pic of Pup patiently waiting for me to wake up. It's good to know she still cares, ha.

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Root Canal

For a while now, or at least since Jen’s had health benefits for the two of us, Jen has been bugging me about going to the dentist. I admit I don’t have the best mouth. My adult teeth came in so crooked that I had braces as a kid for like five years. Around the time that I got them removed is probably the last time I visited the dentist. I also have a very small mouth (claims my orthodontist) so every time I did go to the dentist it was to have two or three teeth pulled at a time. Fond memories in those offices, let me tell you. To this day, my teeth are still moving and some molars (God only knows what they are and where they have been hiding) are just coming in now. I could probably use a cleaning too. But even with all this, I was living in denial and avoiding the dentist.

Well, about a week ago I was walking to work and just fiddling around with the random, fairly new, open space between two teeth in the back of my mouth. All of the sudden, I felt what I hoped were pieces of almond floating around back there. What I pulled out of my mouth were not nuts but little white pieces… it was part of my tooth (“They did a babopsy…It was my twin”). Lol. Ok, now is probably the time to go visit the dentist.

Long story short, I had a root canal Friday. I was lying in that dentist chair thinking F my life while I should have been doing other things! I understand it was necessary though. There was little pain. I have a whole bottle of Vicadin if you’re in the market for some. I considered using them as a sleep aid, but probably not a great idea, ha. I go back this Friday for the packing to be removed and for the crown and what not to be put on.

Today in NYC was a scorcher! I had my second of two essay exams today. I got a 95 on the Neuro essay (whoop!) and hope I did just as well on the one I took today. We’ll see. Two more weeks of class, thank the Lord.

Tonight we went to Domaine Wine Bar with some friend’s to hear one of their roommates perform. Melanie is an up and coming jazz singer by night and restaurant hostess by day. She had the perfect voice for such a sultry and momentarily rainy night.

White Collar

There's tons of filming going on in LIC for White Collar this week. I walked through a crime scene yesterday coming home from the post office and another set today. Here's a quick pic of the rows of star trailers

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Crawfish Boil

Last night was our annual crawfish boil at work so we were quite busy. Chef Paul was out on the patio with the big boiler which he filled with live crawfish, andouille sausage, potatoes, corn, mushrooms, and cajun seasoning. All staff got a plate full at the end of the night and it was pretty good. The house vegetarians all went home with a few pet crawfish... not kidding.

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Lobby Day

As spring in NYC rolls on, the temperature is becoming increasingly mild. Although it’s been mostly overcast for weeks, the temp is warm. Not having to where layers or force a sweater onto Pup when going out feels weird at first, but I’m ok with it. It’s time again to take my coffee in what I think is its best form: iced. J

Working at a restaurant in this city comes with many benefits, one being that you meet the most interesting and talented people. Our friend Olithea was a host at Bourbon St when I started. She later became a server (one of the most fun to work with) but left a few months ago for a musical theater show. We’ve been saying we were all going to catch up but with our schedules it just wasn’t happening. Last week, though, she invited us to a Monday night premier party for a dance music video she was in. I was scheduled to work then but was luckily able to switch some shifts around and make it happen.

The event was at a club/lounge called Katra in Soho. While there we caught up with Olithea and had a few drinks and dinner before the premier. We also got a live performance of a few original songs by one of the dudes in the video.  The music video was really fun and entertaining. I found it on youtube and hope it works for you. The girl with the big curly hair is also the choreographer.

(Olithea is the girl with the short hair on the steps and throughout the video on the left)

Briefing on the 3 hour bus ride to Albany

Today (yawn, it was a long one) I went to Lobby Day in Albany with my class, faculty, and NY APTA to push for some physical therapy related bills to be passed. Briefly and in small groups, I met with seven assemblymen/women and senators of NY State. It was a very eye opening experience. At times I felt charged to get involved in politics and protect allied health professions. I also felt discouraged as I realized that our presence might not be as influential compared to that of cash laden insurance companies. Our requests and intentions are so logical and basic that it doesn’t make sense that these bills have been tossed around for years. But politicians receive heavy opposition from insurance providers. Isn’t that illegal? With only a few hours of sleep and so many appointments, the day was a blur and I left feeling a bit overwhelmed. Ugh… apathy is so much easier. 

Porgy and Bess

My folks, g-parents, and bro are here in NY to visit us for the first time. Jen and I have a lot planned for them, maybe too much for a group not used to the city's pace. But they're doing well and we're playing everyday by ear.

Last night we went to Becco for dinner and then strolled down 46th st to see Broadway's Porgy and Bess. Great show. Jen and I aren't crazy about opera style singing but everyone enjoyed it I think.

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Every six weeks or so when I feel I need a haircut, I take a trip to China. Well, Chinatown. I found Kelly's Salon on Pell St. through a Yelp article featuring the best and cheapest barber shops of NYC. Peter, the owner, is very skilled and is like a wise,old, asian grandfather. The optional wash, head and neck massage from the ladies isn't bad either. All for $11... in NYC! I've been going for over a year now and recommend them to anyone, especially guys looking for an affordable barber.

Taking the 6 train to Canal is also an excuse to visit the authentic Chinese markets for a good (and cheap) lunch.

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Panera Bread Comes to Manhattan!

Along with Publix, Panera Bread is an establishment we always wished would come to NYC. Well after church ysterday, as we were walking to lunch I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted a Panera across the street. Full of disbelief, we changed our plans and jaywalked straight there.


The place is just a few months old. They have a few long communal tables with an outlet nearby for laptops. It was perfect for getting some school work done so we stayed a while and I did just that while Jen read on her Kindle. You-pick-two's... scones... iced green tea... yum.

And more Paneras are coming soon! Even one in our favorite part of town, Union Square.

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Beach Friday's: 1st Edition

Jen and I came up with the great idea to spend every other Friday (her flex Fridays) at the beach when it's warm this Spring and Summer. Today we packed a picnic lunch and headed to the closest, and debatably nicest beach close to NYC, Brighton Beach. As it always seems to happen, when we arrived it was overcast and about ten degrees colder than what Weather.com forcasted. We still had fun laughing at ourselves being some of the only few people on the beach as far as we could see. I took a few good pics and played around with the effects on the ride home.

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Food Cellar & Co. Tastings

Tonight after class Jen and I walked to the swankiest grocer this side of the East River for a free food tasting.

Most of the goods available to sample were local and all natural which we appreciate. Some of our favs were G-ma's  chocolate cake, locally made icecreams, and sticky toffee cheese (which I purchased). Pup enjoyed the all natural chicken cordon bleau samples we brought home too. Enjoy the pics!

Oh, also tomorrow "30 Rock" is filming on our street somewhere. If only we weren't going to the beach we would try to get some pics with Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey.

Not So Wild Spring Break

Last week, because it was my spring break, I was able to have lunch with Jen and get the grand tour of the Fed. It’s a lot like I imagined, if not better. Very professional, the best of everything, and lots of security! I had lunch with Jen in the grand lunch hall in the main building. There was so much good food that it was hard to choose. The pic is of me on Jen’s floor in front of the Fed seal.

The very next day we had our first visitors from my side of the family. The VA Rexrode’s only live about six hours away… what took them so long!? Maybe when they got word that the Florida Rexrode’s were coming in just a few weeks it helped motivate them a bit. But really, my cousins were on spring break and my aunt and grandmother had time off so they decided to come, very last minute. I got a call Tuesday asking me if they could come Wednesday. Gotta love the VA Rexrode’s! We really wanted to see them and they are always welcome but Jen and I were working all week and had to tell them we might not see them too much. I had just finished picking up extra shifts at work for my days off too. By Wednesday around 3 pm they had arrived (after a few expected wrong turns in Manhattan) at the new Wyndham hotel that’s just a block from our apartment. I was able to stop by on my way to work to say hi and give them a crash course on NYC.

While here they got to eat at my restaurant, went on a circle line cruise around the city, had good pizza and visited central park, times square, and grand central. Both of my cousins are teenagers and thus too cool for NYC so I hope they had some fun… you never can tell. Oddly enough, the most fun I saw them have was in our little children’s playground at the waterfront park. Kind of like the kids who get something awesome for Christmas and play with the box it came in. The best food they claimed to eat was a burger at a Mexican restaurant, ha. Another priceless moment was when my Granny Joyce, who hates exercise, just stood at the bottom of a flight of stairs in the subway and screamed because she didn’t want to climb them. As you can imagine we got some really crazy looks from New Yorkers. In an attempt to look more normal I guess, David told everyone that had witnessed her outburst that she was drunk.  And that’s only the funny business I was around to witness…

Time with family is priceless. All in all, it was great to see them and made for a good test run for when my folks, brother, and grandparents come in the beginning of May.   

We lucked out with great weather while they were here, although they complained it was too cold (they’re from the mountains of VA!?). It’s really warm and sunny this week, my favorite kind. Like summer! This last picture is of Union Square Park (our favorite part of the city) taken from the windows of DSW Shoes. Ha.  

Pink Panther

Well, I took quite the break from writing didn’t I?  Time flies.  I guess lately I’ve not only been busy with school, but feeling a little uninspired from sitting in a classroom all day.  My spring break is this week so I’ll be able to take my time studying and get some fresh air.  Maybe finally get a chance to go see where Jen works (inside I mean).

I’m still serving at good ‘ol Bourbon St. a couple of nights a week.  As of mid-March it’s been over two years that I’ve worked there!  Wow… that’s got to be a record for me.

Jen’s juicing again, trying to get to her goal weight. She still loves her job and is doing very well there, I might add.  In just the last month she’s received two “on the spot awards,” which are gift certificates employees are nominated for if they do something exceptional.  They know how to say “thanks” at the Federal Reserve.

Happy Easter by the way! This morning Jen and I went to our new church, The Journey.  Services recently moved to the rooftop ballroom at the Pennsylvania Hotel after all churches were kicked out of public schools by the state.  Even though the schools are completely empty on Sundays, they still can’t use the space, crazy right? We’ve really been enjoying it and today’s service was no exception. After church we ran some errands, one of which was for ingredients for sausage bread - a Cappello family holiday tradition that’s quickly becoming a Rexrode one.  Although we miss our families, it was nice not to have to travel this weekend.  The last pic below is of a man I saw on the train the other day who just screamed Spring in his pink suit.  Even his socks were pink.  I managed to get a shot of Precious in the left of the pic as well.

Fusion video from designer Simon

Below is a really stylized video that designer Simon, aka XimonLee produced that consists of just his work that was featured in the Fusion fashion show. Thought I would share it with you. I'm the second one to walk. Enjoy!

Easy Breezy

As proud residents of NYC, Jen and I get excited to show people around, especially if it’s their first time here. Our friend Ashley escaped her big city, DC, to spend this past weekend with us and because it was her first time here, we had a lot of ground to cover. We did many classic touristy things like eating a big pretzel while walking across the Brooklyn Bridge (beautiful!), having authentic Chinese food in Chinatown (crazy), and grabbing a cupcake at the original Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village(high calorie). Yes, food was involved in almost everything we did! We also visited Time Square, Grand Central, Central Park, Soho, Wall St., and The Statue of Liberty. Ash was up for anything and a trooper, “Easy, breezy,” as she put it. We enjoyed doing the things that make the city great but that we take for granted because we live here.

In neighborhood news, we have two new restaurants that opened up on our street, Corner Bistro and Petey’s Burgers. We had veggie burgers from Petey’s last night which were good. We were ready to try the sweet potato fries too but were disappointed they had already run out. The Wyndham hotel I interviewed at is still not open and looks like it’s going to be a few more weeks. Good thing I didn’t put all my eggs in that basket.

The classes I’m taking for the next 12 weeks (my last 2!) are going to be intense. They’re “capstone” courses which means they tie together and test us on pretty much everything we’ve learned so far. I have almost ten exams and practicals and a ten page research paper among other fun things this semester. Bla.