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.

Fushion Show Video

If a picture is worth a thousand words then this video will do way more than anything I could write about the Fusion show. Enjoy!


Rexrode in Fusion Show 2012 from Matt Rexrode on Vimeo.
Thanks to Parson's stylist, designer, friend and coworker Blair Moore for telling me about the show and the model open call.

Thank you Jen for being so supportive through the whole process, going to EVERY show, and taking so much great footage

Also, thank you Jackie and John, my sister and brother in-law for giving me this great video production software for Christmas.

Mexican Shower

New York City is such a densely populated place that never seems to stop growing. With so many residents, and not to mention visitors, there must be constant changes to the city’s infrastructure to keep things running smoothly. A perfect example would be all the action we’ve been hearing every morning, all week long on the street outside of our bedroom window. Apparently a major sewer line had to be upgraded including parts that were in our building’s basement. Of course, before the workers could get to the sewer system they had to start their morning by breaking up the concrete… with jackhammers… not one, not two, but THREE of them! I took a picture to forever capture the classic NYC moment. I’d also like to note how much fun I had “showering” for work using bottles of water that I filled up at a bodega that had running water. The water is back on though so it’s all good.

If you happened to watch or hear about Angelina Jolie at the Oscars, I think you'll enjoy the second pic below...

Sky Scrapers

Good news, I finally passed Chan's practical exam and moving on to two new and interesting classes that I'm actually looking forward to. Next week I'll start Orthopedic Exercise and Neurological Rehab classes which run for twelve weeks and are the last two I take in the program. After completing those I'll work full time for a few months in clinical affiliations before I take my license exam and find a job. That's the plan anyway...

Jen and I have been taking many aspects of our life into consideration and becoming less sure that we're meant to stay in Long Island City. For one, our lease is up in June and we still haven't lived in the Manhattan, something we know we want to do before becoming more settled or investing anywhere. I also won't be taking classes in Long Island City after June and will most likely have an assignment in a Manhattan medical center. Of course, Jen works downtown so a location anywhere south of midtown would be more convenient for her. The thing we would be leaving behind and really miss most are our family-like neighbors and friends in the neighborhood. It's a frustrating and tough decision. I've been doing some research on rent stabilized/controlled apartments (our current apartment is actually stabilized) in Manhattan which are naturally more affordable and sometimes an awesome deal. I have heard many-a-tale about people who know people who have gotten lucky and snagged a two bedroom in very desirable area for a quarter of the average rent in the area because it was stabilized. Because these apartments are government regulated, every building that participates is listed online, including ours. This is great, but I haven't exactly figured out how one would know which buildings have units available. I'm all over it.

This weekend was quite cold with some flurries every once in a while and with very high winds! I took this picture walking home from the gym on Saturday. It's of the birch trees in a small park by the courthouse (in the background) being thrown around by the wind. The second pic is of a Clearwater/ St. Pete Florida advertisement that really made me want a day at the beach. They really know how to get ya... clever.

Bingo!

Deciding where to eat on special occasions like Valentine’s Day can be a little overwhelming in New York City. In an attempt to avoid the crowds and high prices we stayed local and agreed on Alobar. It’s our neighborhood’s newest restaurant (although we have a Petey’s Burger and Corner Bistro opening on our street soon) with a lot of really interesting, delicious things on the menu. Everything they serve comes from within 200 miles so it supports small, local business too.  We received complimentary champagne cocktails when we arrived and two red velvet chocolate cakes for dessert. Jen really wanted me to try the maple walnut bar so we added another one on, as if the other two weren’t enough, ha. It turned out to be as amazing as Jen claimed. It had the sweet and salty thing going on (which we love; no need to eat a bag of chips afterward). We’re searching for similar recipes online and plan on making test batches till we find the right match.  We also brought some leftover pork to our Valentine at home : )

 My coworker Teresa and her boyfriend were also looking for a place to eat on Valentine’s Day and felt they had already done everything in their neighborhood.  They wanted to try something in L.I.C. so we recommended Alobar, among other places, and we ended up seeing them there in a nice booth, an even better table than we got and we had reservations! It’s all good. It was obviously the place to be that night as my roommate from my first NYC apartment was also there with his girlfriend and stopped by our table to say “hi.” I hadn’t seen or heard from them in so long that I thought they had been deported back to France.  Wonder if they tipped their server…

Wednesday I had my final practical exam for Chan’s class. I think I did very well but, as I always say, you never know with Chan. I’ll know for sure this week after I complete Tuesday morning’s written exam.

Today we took the Metro North train to White Plains to visit Jen’s grandma with her aunts and cousin Lisa. We went to wish her a belated 84^th b-day but also to help convince her that the assisted living community she’s testing out for a few weeks would be perfect for her. She has Parkinson’s and is still recovering from a pretty traumatic fall that broke her right hip. She would receive all the assistance and therapies she needs all in one location but, we understand it’s a tough decision for her to leave her current home. We were so impressed by the grounds, many community rooms, and the apartments that we definitely wouldn’t mind living there. Every day they have a variety of planned activities on-site or trips out about town.  We also went out for dinner at a hibachi restaurant which was delicious but I think the highlight of the day was 3:30 Bingo with Grandma and Lisa, who’s quite the Bingo pro. Lisa patiently repeated the numbers for me when I was having a little trouble paying attention (he was just going so fast! Ha!), played two cards at once, and she won two rounds! Those old ladies were clapping but I think they got a little bitter when the jackpot was handed over to a seven-year-old… twice.

Bitter Winter Weekend

Winter made an appearance this weekend in a bitter cold, gray way. It was one of those weekends where we wished Pup could open doors and safely take herself on a walk.

Our friends Matt and Chelsea were visiting from PA to pick up a couch that was for sale by a couple we know here in LIC. They stayed with us Friday night and, besides their air mattress deflating overnight, we did a pretty good job making things comfortable for two guests in our tiny apartment.  I couldn’t give up my big Friday night shift at work but Jen was able to go out with. I'm a little sad they went to Alobar without me, but Jen and I have reservations there for Valentines Day so it's all good. I was at least able to see them Saturday morning for breakfast and to help them schlep the couch to their truck. Schlep, now there’s a word I would have never used before moving to New York City. Ha. Our friend Ashley may be visiting from DC in late March. It would be her first time in NYC!

We also made it out of the house Saturday night for dinner and a trip to Chelsea Market to buy some unique gifts for both of Jen's parent's B-days.  

Fittings for the March fashion show are pretty much every weekend now that the event is so close. It's cool to be able to see how all the collections are progressing, especially now that it's crunch time. I had a fitting last night which kind of felt like a waste of time because only one of the designers needed me and for just a few measurements. Oh well. I treated myself to frozen yogurt at 16 Handles afterwards which made traveling to Chelsea totally worth the trip. Ha.

There’s a lot of filming going on in the neighborhood. Most of it is for Smash and The Good Wife which I walked through the set of on my way to the gym this morning. (pic) I didn't spot any celebs, not that there are any big ones in The Good Wife anyway.

Wyndham Garden

My last day of class before finals is tomorrow. We will do a very quick, timed run through of the final practical before the actual test which is Wednesday and Thursday afternoon of next week. Could I actually be moving on to my final few classes of the program in a few weeks? I hope so!

I did some studying in our local Stumptown brand coffee brewer, Sweetleaf yesterday. Communitea is much closer to home and has better wifi, but when I don’t need the internet Sweetleaf is usually worth the extra blocks. Their baristas really know coffee and the music inside is always perfect for studying.

In other neighborhood news, the Vernon/Jackson and high-rise residents of LIC will finally have a nice hotel close to home in a few weeks. The Wyndham Garden is opening just two short blocks from our front door. How convenient, or at least it would be if we had any friends or family that would visit us. J I was curious about the kind of employment opportunities I could take advantage of as it would also be a convenient place to work. I talked to a manager last week, sent in my resume, and had an interview with him and the GM yesterday. We casually discussed what kind of position and hours (part time of course) I was looking for and they were both very honest and logical, a good sign. By mid-March the hotel will be open and they hope to have a full service restaurant and bar open a couple weeks after that. I would really like to get in and out early in the morning by working a breakfast shift during the week. The bad news is that it’s a hotel and naturally, they would require at least one weekend shift. The good news is that %18 gratuity would be applied to EVERYTHING at the Wyndham since most of the guests would be from outside the country. Bourbon St. only allows us to apply it to parties of six or more who are having dinner, not just drinks which is bad for servers who have five French people or ten Canadians who are only drinking... yuk. Whatev, it could be worse. Bourbon St. has given me the schedule I want and need for almost two years so I'm not going to make any hasty decisions. We’ll see how things unfold with the hotel in the next few weeks.

My modeling gig at the FIT and Parsons Fusion fashion show is now less than one month away!  

Carbicide

Although the temperature has plummeted back to the 40’s today, yesterday and the day before were so warm. I’m not talking overcast muggy warm, but spring-like sunny 60’s warm. I was actually sitting outside the laundromat on the first of February in a t-shirt. If this is what global warming feels like (which I don’t think is real) then go buy a gas guzzling SUV and bring it on!

I seem to be back on track at school and once again getting a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel. I worked my butt off (again) and got A’s on not only the written exam (again) but this time the practical exam too (the exam that was the issue last year). I would guess that almost half the class failed the written exam. When they ask me how I did so well I’ll gladly tell them that my secret is ignoring Dr. Chan’s confusing lectures and PowerPoint slides and just reading the text books in class and at home.

There is something else though, something that Jen helped me realize, that may have helped me during my test taking this year. As you know I have this Fushion fashion show that I’m modeling for in March so I’ve been upping my cardio and trying to control my refined sugar and carbohydrate intake. I mentioned to Jen that, especially during the written exam, I felt very focused and clear-headed. I mean I was the first one done and might have gotten the highest score in the class. That NEVER happens, ha. I told Jen about it and that maybe I was just finally outgrowing my ADD/ADHD? Jen then said she thought it had more to do with my change in diet and I think she’s right. I have read about this kind of change in kids when carbs and sugars are removed from their diet but never had the willpower or motivation to actually try it myself. It’s very interesting… Carb’s are the enemy!

This situation reminded me of Bruno, the movie, where he commits “carbicide” by eating everything in sight at a Village Inn during his nervous breakdown. Haha.

Here’s a related quote from the movie: “Do you think if we changed the Bible stories maybe you would get people more easily to relate to them? Instead of the fish story you could do it about Sushi, or instead of giving out bread you did something which had a no-carb alternative or gluten free.”

Happy Birthday Pup!

The title says it all. Our dog may be little but she's a big 7 years old today. Mid life! This pic was taken while she patiently waited for her homecooked *chicken* dinner to be prepared. She perks up and cocks her head whenever the c-word is mentioned... Happy Birthday Pup!

By the way don't worry, there's nothing wrong with her eye. It's not a tear, just a weird shadow from her massive jaw muscles. :)

Practical Exam, Round II

Today I retook the practical exam on electrical stimulation that I didn't do so well on (in Dr. Chan's opinion) about six months ago. It went well and I feel good about it, but you never know when it comes to Chan so I won't be able to truly relax until I see my passing score. The written exam is this Thursday and the grades will be posted probably sometime over the weekend as Chan is never in much of a hurry to post them. His practicals are always tough on the nerves so I'm just glad it's over.

We have some news about our "successful" trip to Ikea. Not so successful as it turns out. We opened the box (which we didn't notice had scuffs all over it when we bought it) containing our second bookcase and found that one of the side pieces had a big hole in it! Ugh! Now I get to lug the broken board back to Ikea on public transportation in the morning. On the good side, the inefficiency of the G train and B61 bus will give me over an hour to study for my midterm. After our original trip home from Ikea we said, "Wow, that was too easy," and laughed... Funny.

NYC got a few inches of snow here on Saturday morning. It wasn't enough to play in but was pretty to watch from inside. It rained today and will be in the fifties tomorrow (wahoo!) which will probably melt what's left.

York, PA Roadtrip




Matt, Jen, Chelsea, and Matt

  

Pup and Stella

Jen and I had Saturday through Monday off together and wanted to do something outside the city. We decided to use our weekend to visit our good friends, the Schoff’s, who recently moved to Pennsylvania for her school and work.



So this week I made a reservation at our usual (and usually wonderful) Enterprise Rent-A-Car location close to the apartment. They said “no problem,” and the price for a holiday weekend wasn’t bad either. But, when I arrived on Saturday morning to pick up our ride, there were no cars… not one car. I tried to stay calm as the guys told me that a truck of ten rentals was on its way from the service location but was lost and unreachable. Huh? Plus, people were just not returning the rentals on time. Luckily, the wait was less than an hour before a Nissan Versa hatchback pulled into the lot when it was my turn. They gave me the free upgrade of course but I was hoping to get the Toyota Prius that was supposedly on its way in too.  

Getting out of the city was the usual clutter; the ramps we needed to take onto the BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) were randomly closed and the traffic was chaotic. Once we finally found our way to the Williamsburg Bridge and out of the city, though, the drive was really beautiful. In PA, we drove through Dutch Country with lots of antiques and craft shops, farms, and really old, stone homes. Did you know that Lancaster (not far from York) was the first inland town in the nation? You do now. I was hoping to see some horse-drawn buggies and covered bridges but the weather was too cold to do much of anything.




Lightning fast Bella

 

While visiting the Schoff’s we got to see Matt’s six-year-old son Gavan who’s such a good kid. We (and by we, I mean just Jen) did crafts and played lots of games with him over the weekend. Our big night out (top pic) was to the Melting Pot. Oh how we missed you, Melting Pot. Chelsea is in beauty school and was thrilled when Jen asked her to do her makeup. Always sassy, she kept saying things like, “Matt! Can we please talk about your wife’s bone structure!?” Ha. She looks good right? The girls also had to take a trip into town to the giant beauty supplier, Ulta, which we actually do not have in NYC.

Pup giving Sophie the stink-eye

Pup was a good girl on our trip. Not only did she travel well, but when we arrived she had three other dogs of all shapes and sizes to tolerate. Ha. We were a little apprehensive at first; their smallest dog, Bella, looks like a squirrel and their big boxer was supposedly hyper and not very well behaved. We were pretty sure when we let them all loose together that something was going down but they survived.  At one point, Pup was actually PLAYING with the dogs, wagging tail and all! A rare sight to behold. By the end of our visit she was pretty much socialized, although still in control of the pack. We had breakfast with them Monday and said our goodbyes before heading back to NYC that afternoon.



We made it back to the city in decent time and decided, while we had the rental car, to take a trip through the ghetto to the Brooklyn Ikea. We’ve had had a list of furniture we want going for a while so we had a lot to buy. Plus, those meatballs… We got everything we wanted and more and by the time we made it to checkout, we were doubting whether it would all fit in the car.  Jen was pretty sure it wouldn’t but after some seat adjusting and finagling, all four of our large boxes of flat-packed furniture fit so perfectly in the car that we had to laugh. Things like this never workout that easily for us and we’re usually laughing to fend off the crying. There was also no traffic home so we were back in about twenty minutes. Too easy! Needless to say, we are now big fans of the Nissan Versa. 

Prospect Park and Park Slope, Brooklyn