Chilly Willy

The weather here is unusually cold and windy for this time of year and is turning me into a recluse. Work was the only thing that took me into the city this week and not much has been going on outside the ordinary. Eighties this weekend! Today is Wednesday, though, the day that the Village Voice hits the stands. It’s a free paper that claims to be, “the definitive source of information for news, music, movies, restaurants, reviews, and events in New York.” It’s pretty good and gave me some ideas for the weekend, during which I will try to make up for the lack of fun this week. In about two weeks Jen will be up again to visit one more time before the BIG move. I’d like to take her to see our first Broadway show so I’ve been reading lots of reviews. I hear the most about Wicked, but naturally it’s the most ridiculously expensive with, I'm told, not a chance of SRO (standing room only) or lottery tickets.

Most likely, a combination of the fickle weather and my lack of stretching have made my back stiff lately. I took yoga at eight tonight and feel much better. I really need to remember to do that at least once a week and recommend it to anyone who has musculoskeletal issues! I actually work with many yogis, because servers know what's up. Namaste.

Chase Bums

Like I said, nothing much going on. Today was Sunday which means church, lunch, and usually work. Tonight was an unexpected blessing . It was slow-ish and then as soon as the other server upstairs with me was cut (told he could go home because it seemed slow) it picked up and didn't have to split the dough, woo!

I left work around midnight and was going to treat myself to some new shoes but they didn't have my size, their loss. I took a hybrid cab home which was cool, so quiet. I think I'll try to take hybrids only from now on, not just because they are green but generally newer and hopefully cleaner in the backseat.

Tonight's pic is of a lovely homeless person I spotted after work tonight (or this morning). Nothing says thank you for banking with Chase like this creeper next to your ATM. You would think she'd at least lay down and get comfortable while breaking the rules, I mean her neck must be killing her. Oh well, I guess if I was a bum I would do things a little differently... Matt for president.

$Free.99

The next couple of days are going to be pretty... monotonous. I'm still trying only spend on what is absolutely necessary, which means no going out, and I work the next four days. I made sure not to use the word dull because Bourbon Street is anything but that, but it's nothing worth blogging over.

I did, though, get to run around Central Park for about 30 minutes yesterday before it started raining. It was quite crowded for an early afternoon on a weekday but once I got deep into the park, where you feel like you're lost in the woods with no high-rises in sight, it's so beautiful. The winding running paths are neat, but it makes it really hard to keep your sense of direction. I ended up on the west side, convinced I was still on the east side. 

I might do some research on free events for tomorrow night. There are always free things going on in the city, on the weekend especially.

Go Team(s)!

Mets Citi Field

Last night, Wednesday, I went to my first pro baseball game and NYC sporting event, the Mets at home against the Chicago Cubs. About twenty friends from church and I headed out to the really nice, new Citi Field in the rain. It did clear up a little but then got REALLY cold. Half of us left in the 7th inning because the Cubs had the game, but mostly because of the weather. I think the other half of us were actually all Cubs fans. As you can see from the pic, the seats were so close to the field on the first base line and in the foul ball zone for sure; I had to pay attention so I wouldn't get hit in the head! I'm going to try to get my hands on some more pics from the game by the way.

I aced yet another test, this time in psychology this morning. If my clinicals in January are as easy as my current classes, I'll be good to go.

Happy Earth Day, which happens to be 40 years old. AM New York told me to pat myself on the back today for using public transportation and recycling (which is required here) so pat pat. Not that it's directly related to being green, but I have decided not to spend any money today. I haven't worked in 3 days and need to slow my NYC-style spending. For example, a hot dog, fries, and hot chocolate at the game last night was around twenty bucks. Yea, and I don't even like hot dogs. The weather is nice here so maybe I'll do some free things outdoors like check out one of the running trails in Central Park or one of the free Earth Day events.

Banana Dream

Sorry for the silence, I was in Florida for the weekend and just now getting a chance to write a bit. Ahh, the weekend… Friday afternoon Jen picked me up from the airport after getting home from her cruise just hours before. That night Jen and I went to dinner at one of our fav’s, Grillsmith, with Mom, Dad, and Michael, Nana and Papa, AND the dogs. It was a great night and I regret not getting a pic with everyone. Oh, and Mom brought us a couple HUGE slices of my favorite cake, the banana dream from Too Jays. So good! Saturday we went to the beach (pic) and then did some walking around downtown Dunedin. Jen really wanted to buy these glasses but I talked her out of them, too dark. Sunday night we had fish and sweet potato fries (upon my request, yum) at the in-law’s and Monday morning I flew back to New York in time for work.

Today during my between class break I headed to SOHO for lunch and some warm weather clothes that fit. I might go to a Mets game tomorrow. Although it’s hard for me to get excited about watching others play baseball, I want to experience NY sporting events. Hey, I’ll try everything once! Well that’s not true either ha. The last pic is of neighborhood Aubergine Cafe which me and my white a$$ head try often.

UES

The 7 train wasn’t going to my stop after class this morning due to more rail work. It was running to Manhattan though and I needed no better excuse. With my Not for Tourists Guide I headed to the Upper East Side to check it out. From Grand Central the 4 train took me up to 86th where I walked across Lexington, Park, and Madison Avenues then up around 95th and back. I could definitely live there! This first pic is of Park Avenue and that lady on the corner using someone’s wheelchair to haul random things.

This was a very pricey area with tons of household things for rich households like Dean & Deluca, William and Sonoma, and european imported goods shops like this one where I grabbed a quick bite. We'll probably never call it our neighborhood but there are some unique stores worth visiting, nonetheless. You really have to live here to take in the real NYC. Over a month under my belt and there’s still SO much more fun to be had. I should start visiting the museums, maybe next week.

Tonight I decided against running in the cold and instead, ate. At least it was a healthy dinner; chicken, sweet potato, and zucchini. I got a 55cent/minute email from Jen tonight from her cruise. She’s having fun in the Bahamas and at some of the same places we visited on our honeymoon. Last pic is of the 7 coming into the station to take me home for the night. Goodnight New York!

Sunnyside Proud

Sunnyside has been named the #3 best neighborhood in NYC by NY Magazine! Park Slope and the Lower East Side hold the top two spots.

Visit the link below to read the article and check out the other winners.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2010/04/11/2010-04-11_park_slope_rises_to_the_top_bklyn_hood_is_citys_best_sez_magazine.html

Went to church this morning, then lunch at Tuk Tuk with some friends, and did a little homework this evening. I had a dish with coconut milk in it and felt pretty sick for a while so I'm thinking I'm still allergic, or sensitive to coconut. This picture is of our congregation, full of what Dad calls "C&E's," on Easter Sunday. Today we had almost as many attend which is not too shabby. Yoga in the morning and boy do I need it.

Knights of Columbus!

Friday was not a great day at work. It was nice to relax and chat with the other servers but by three in the afternoon, too many servers on the floor, and no money to be made I left early and went out to explore the city. Molly, the hostess recommended the Upper West Side. I walked from work on 46th up to almost 80th, turned around and came back down Amsterdam or Broadway. It was a nice walk with many stops along the way including Columbus Circle, Lincoln Center, and my Nana’s favorite: Live with Regis and Kelly. I picked up some ticket information for you by the way! Ha.

Friday night was very Italian with a walk down the street to Donato’ s for pizza, then a train to LIC’s Manducatti’s for gelato. Both were tasty. We walked a bite of our dessert off the two blocks to LIC Bar for drinks. It’s a friendly, cozy place with a patio that I bet is packed in the summer. It was pretty chilly so we got close to the fireplace out back but never could figure out how to turn the heat up. And no the answer is not add more wood, it was gas.

Today I worked brunch which was also blah because the colder afternoon kept people away. Tonight I need to do some homework and get some sleep!

I feel like there’s so much I’m missing this week. Mom’s side of the family is having a big reunion in GA and Jen is going back to the Bahamas on a cruise. She couldn’t exactly take Pup with her so my parents were nice enough to drive to Tampa and take her to GA with them on a little retreat with Rinny, their Jack Russell Terrier. I wish I could be there but it’s not easy to get from NYC to rural backwoods GA. FL on Friday!

Book Sale

Lately at work we have been so busy! I’m not really complaining but it has been exhausting. If you don’t already know let me tell you, I need close to eight hours of sleep to be a pleasant, normally functioning human being. With that being said, today was a much needed day of catching up on homework, I guess I could say housework, and sleep.


After class this morning while out and about I tried my best to slow my usually feverish pace and take in the perfect spring day. Sunnyside Gardens, my home for now has so many blooming flowers and trees that this picture, taken right at my steps does not do the neighborhood justice. I wished for you, Jen while doing some browsing at a sidewalk book sale which you would have loved. And that’s all we need, more books.

Below is a LIC collage that I jacked from one of my favorite local blogs, www.liqcity.com. I have been noticing and appreciating photography more since moving here I noticed. A photographer friend of mine supposedly takes amazing pics but I couldn’t find his webpage from the address he gave me.

I’m going to attempt to go to bed soon since I work a long 9-5 tomorrow. I just thought of that Dolly Parton song… Speaking of music, I love Pandora.com. It’s a free and legal website that allows you to create your own radio stations. You can rate the music as it plays so that it learns your music taste, adjusts, and makes recommendations automatically. If I’m not the last person to hear about this, check it out.

Tips for Moving Furniture

Tuesday night I took the 7 and E trains out to Forest Hills, Queens to pick up a desk I found on Craigslist. It was a good excuse to check out an area new to me, specifically Austin St which is a strip lined with local and chain shops and restaurants. Nice area.

The desk and chair have a few scratches but I can’t complain about $20 for items that were originally over $300. The hardest and most costly part was getting them home! Of course the suv/ van that I had prearranged never showed and then denied the agreement when I called so I spent about an hour trying to get a ride for my new stuff. Although I eventually found a big Ford SUV, I had talked the doorman into bringing the furniture to my place in his van when he left work around 11. If anyone is ever in Forest Hills, stop by 73-37 Austin St. and say hi to Patrick the doorman, nice guy, so I tipped him. Anyway, I got it all home and set up by about 10 (pic) and I think it’s pretty sweet. Definitely worth the $20++.

The pic to the left is of a mime that’s always in Times Square. She acts like a little wind-up toy and makes the craziest facial expressions and noises. She's so interesting that I watch her on the way to or from work sometimes, even if she's just frozen in a position. Oh, and last night on the way to pick up the desk a classmate pointed out this around 8 y/o boy who was playing amazing classical music on a keyboard without any sheet-music. Some of the most talented aspiring artists are down in the subways.

Walk and Talk

Last night at work I got a message from pastor Jake inviting me for coffee this morning which, of course, I chose to do instead of yoga. We started with some great coffee at Sweetleaf (pic) and then took a walking tour of LIC. I had no idea there was so much here, like a street with brownstones that looks straight out of Brooklyn. Jake really knows the neighborhood. I also got to see his waterfront condo and visit his toddler, Caleb. What a beautiful view they have!

Although I don't have class on Mondays, I headed to school around noon to meet with class presentation group members. I HATE group presentations and can't wait until it's over Wed. I would rather do it all myself, the right way.

I made it home with enough time to do a little homework, shoot some emails, and head to work at 3. I was not mentally prepared for such a busy Monday. It's great to make money but geez, apparently this nice weather makes people want to eat.

Also, sent from Jen's family are more pictures of cute little Lisa at the egg hunt. When asked what her favorite part of the day was she said, "seeing my cousin-in-law." Dumb question :).

By the way, I said we had double what we thought but it turns out we had like 500 people show up to the event. Good times

Kiddie Park

Friday I worked almost ten hours, had some pizza on 8th avenue after work, and bought shorts to prepare for this nice weather at what I think was a 24 hr Gap in Times Square. I love that this city doesn’t sleep!

This morning I got up and headed to Gantry Plaza State Park, LIC to volunteer at my church’s first annual Easter egg hunt. Jen’s family drove down from White Plains for the event and I got to show them around LIC and grab some lunch (pic). I think Lisa had fun. They gave me an Easter gift, some of which came from Florida, and a ride home. Very thoughtful, thank you!

At the event we were expecting around 100 but probably had double that come out. It was pretty well organized for a first with games, prizes, crafts, face painting, and pictures with our ex-Disney princess Brooklyn as the Easter bunny. What was really nice was that the kid’s pics with the bunny and skyline behind them were printed and laid out for families to pick up on their way out. Everything was free and hopefully a few of those families show up to church tomorrow.

Other than coming home late to lots of homework, today was great. I regret not taking pictures at the park but will ask for a few in the morning.

Tomorrow afternoon I hope to pick up a used Crate & Barrel leaning desk I found on craigslist… just waiting on an email and details. Work tomorrow night.

Happy Easter!

Breakfast at Dorian's

This morning, after only 5 or so hours of sleep, I got up for breakfast in LIC at Dorian Cafe with some church guys. It's right outside the subway station (green pole in the pic). I'm chronically early to everything so when no one else was there at 7 I didn't worry, got some coffee, and bought a paper right outside from the guy on the corner. 7:15: I ordered my food. 7:30: I was pretty sure no one was showing and sent the organizer a text. I think I woke him and apparently, everyone who usually shows slept in. I could have used the sleep but couldn't flip the b*tch switch on Jesus people ha, and at least got to read and do some people watching.

Part of the reason I didn't sleep well was because a coworker decided to call me at 1 am to ask if I'd cover her 12-9 shift today, which I did. It's a long, but good shift; you don't have to open or close and I made a couple hundred. woo!

I talked to Jen on the train home and walked in to my room to find a roach on my bed. I grabbed my mp3 player, threw on my running shoes, and jogged to the 24hr market for some roach spray. We just finished pretty much bombing the apartment because I don't do room-shares with roaches. It may kill us in the process, cough, but it's for a just cause.

Dinner In Chelsea

I had an early shift today at work which meant opening and setting up the whole place for lunch, bla. Lunches are really picking up and I didn’t have one request for separate checks so it could have been worse I guess.

One good thing that came out of this morning was an invitation to dinner at the hostess’s place. Honestly, this girl is one of the few that I did not mesh well with at work so I was surprised that she insisted I stop by and invite whoever. My roommate, Theirry headed over after work and joined us. His French accent is always a big hit with the ladies, ha. Anyway, it turns out she’s not so bad and definitely a better dinner party host than hostess. It was a margarita and homemade enchilada party, yummo!

She really lucked out with her 3 bedroom. They have the whole top floor in a 4 story brick apartment building (pic) with roof access in north Chelsea. I love buildings like these with the colored trim at the top and reminds me of the movie Batteries Not Included. I made Jen watch it once and she fell asleep so you either love it or hate it. Inside it was like Florida roomy in there! It turned into quite the party and I got to meet some more great people, have some conversations about where to look into living, and even invite her downstairs neighbors, who were especially cool because they were from the south, to check out my church.

Tomorrow I have the whole day off and, after many recommendations, plan on spending some time exploring the Upper West Side. I may go to breakfast at 7 tomorrow with some church buddies, hit the gym, get some vitamin D at the park, and who knows what else.

I’ll be in Florida to visit Jen, Pup, the fam, and whoever else who wants to hang out April 16-18. Can’t wait and see you soon!

Rain Rain Go Away

Although it's my spring break and I had half the day off, this gloomy wet weather doesn't really allow for hanging out in the city. I got a quick workout in before yoga this morning and then did some homework. Boring, I know.

Work tonight was a huge blessing. At first I was bummed because I didn't think I would make any money. We had too many servers on the floor and the gross weather was keeping people away. By the way, I found this pic online and it reminded me of tonight, not to mention blends with my blog. I wish I knew more about photography, especially now that I'm up here. Anyway, two servers decided to go home, then the weather cleared a little and we got a late rush. I had the whole second floor to myself which was hectic at times, but I ended up banking. On top of that, two of my tables asked for dessert to-go and then accidentally left them so Thierry and I had beignets and pecan pie. He had never had pecan pie and loved it but said the beignets are better in France... whatever, ha.

Song that's stuck in my head thanks to Letterman's Late Show: "Living for the City," Stevie Wonder

It's All About the Grants

Saturday night my eight hour shift turned into a ten hour shift which wouldn’t usually be an issue but I had promised Thierry that I would go out with him and his girl for her birthday. Luckily they were heading to a club, Highbar which is just a two blocks from work. As the name reveals, it sits on top of a high-rise in the middle of Manhattan. We were told that the cover was $50 but luckily our party was on a French socialite’s guest list from Facebook or something like that; I didn’t really understand but was happy to save a Grant, even if it doesn’t sound as cool as a Benjamin. The place was packed inside because of the cold but outside was the amazing view and cabanas. We had three drinks which totaled almost a Grant not including gratuity so we definitely didn’t drink too much. I was hoping to spot a celebrity but did not.

After getting to bed around 4am, I got up and made it to church (pat on the back). The service was great and after some searching for a place with room for us we had brunch at Thai restaurant Tuk Tuk which friend PJ lives right above. Their honey ginger tea, amazing.

Next we actually took a car to the Brooklyn flea market (pic). It’s weird, and in NYC it’s scary to be in a car when you‘re used to public transportation. The market was in an old bank and downstairs the huge vault was used for local food sales. I had a piece of Baklava that was so rich I couldn’t finish it, and that’s saying a lot.

No class this week because of spring break. I’m really looking forward to doing a little reading and not using an alarm clock in the morning.

Small World: 1st Edition

It seemed like an average workday. I worked the lunch shift but was the opening server so I had to be there early and set up which is not too fun. We had a good turn out but all the business accounts putting alcohol on separate checks to hide the fact that they're drinking on their lunch break got old real quick. I was working on my last table of the day when Gordon, a friend from highschool walks by me in the restaurant. I was like holy s, what's the chance that out of all the poeple and places in NYC I would see someone from my HS, which only had around 40 students per graduating class? Both of us had heard, through our grandmother's communication with one another, that the other was living in the city but didn't think we would just run into each other. Crazy! You really cannot get away from Pine Castle.

Coincidence? I think not. It's all in God's plan and it's hilarious sometimes.

I walked out of work and decided to take a left towards ninth and into Hell's Kitchen to check it out. Plenty of older buildings/ brownstones and restaurants. The cold and wind soon sent me down into the subway and on my way home.

Tonight I didn't feel like going out and chilled with the roommate(s). Because I get bored so easily, I also took my blog to the next level with another makeover. This new layout and background required some tweaking, but I think I like it and hope you do too!

Testing

It is way late and I should be asleep right now but I'm staying up a little later to post for my fans ha.

This morning I had my 8am class which I was almost late to because my printer would not work. I had to restart both the printer and computer. Anyway, I had my first test during my 10am class, Pathology, which I pretty much aced. I studied just the right things, plus there was extra credit. After that I came home and tried to do a little homework but Foodnetwork's Ina Garten was distracting me with her favorite desserts. I love when she says things like, "Homemade caramel sauce, how bad can that be?"

I headed to work around 4 and tonight was great. It was profitable for a Wednesday night and fun. I heard our patios and garden out back get crazy busy in the spring when it's warm. Below is a pic from our very popular front balcony looking down Restaurant Row. It was a bla day until work, now I'm wired. One sheep, two sheep, three sheep... night!

Exploring the 'hood

After class this morning I needed to pick up a package at the Sunnyside post office. It's close to home but south of Queens Blvd, the road the train runs along, instead of north which lead me under the famous Sunnyside sign (pic) and into the other half of the neighborhood. There are many small businesses and Sunnyside's first Bank of America (pic) which opens soon. Woo!

Oh, I forgot to mention in the last post that Jen and I saw model/ talk show host Tyra Banks in SOHO on Friday. We were asking a hotel concierge at Hotel Crosby for directions and as we were walking out here comes Miss Banks who walked out behind us with her entourage. We made eye contact and then she looked down so I knew she didn't want to be bothered. I regret not telling her that she looked really good, which she did. Then again she's always talking about how fat she thinks she is, probably so that people will tell her otherwise. Weirdo. Not bad for my first NYC celebrity siting, but I hope to see someone that I actually like next time.My manager finally realized I don't have completely open availability and my schedule was perfect this week. Show me the money!

I have my first test of the semester tomorrow, a paper draft due tonight, and a presentation to give next week so say a little prayer.

The weather here is pretty rainy and chilly but according to my newest news channel obsession NY-1, the sun will come out tomorrow. Please resist the urge to bust into Anne.

Zeppole

Friday morning Jen flew up to visit for a couple days. Thankfully, I ended up getting both Friday and Saturday off from work so we packed every moment with something fun.

After seeing a little of my neighborhood, Sunnyside, I took Jen to see Long Island City. We walked Vernon Ave, ate at Communitea, and relaxed for a bit at Gantry Plaza Park. LIC is my first choice because of church and friends and the short commute to work and school so I was really trying to sell it.

Naturally, Jen wanted to do a little shopping so we headed to SOHO and then for some, according to my f-i-l, traditional St. Joseph’s Day sweets in Little Italy. We bought some amazing Zeppoles at the famous Ferrara’s Bakery and Café then got out of that tourist trap ASAP.

Some of my coworkers recommended checking out Greenpoint, Brooklyn as a future neighborhood but it lacked LIC’s feel of community and was a disappointment. We stopped at the Sage General Store for a snack on the way back (pic). It seems like all we did was eat but with all that walking you get hungry!

Friday night was a lot of fun and I’m glad Jen got to meet some of my friends. We all went to dinner at El Ay Si, walked to the water to see the skyline, and had gelato at Manducatis. Yum! Friend’s obviously want us in LIC and made sure to repeatedly use words like community, family, and neighborhood to plant the subconscious seed with Jen, ha. Around two in the morning I woke up to a mouse rustling in my trash can which ran away and into my roommate’s room. That made sleeping for the next two nights pretty light ha, but it turns out Thierry trapped it around 6 this morning. If only there was just one mouse.

Saturday we took the Metro North Train to White Plains to visit some family. We watched the wedding video with them which was actually the first time I had seen the full version too. I loved it, but prefer the short trailer to reliving every minute.

By that evening I think we really wanted to get home and crash but decided to take my roommate and his girlfriend to Park Slope, Brooklyn and meet some FSU friends for dinner. The hour commute from door to door was worth it because of Cocoa bar… oh, and the good company. This place was a wine/ coffee/ and dessert bar and everything was incredible. Go there!

This morning, sadly, Jen took a car to the airport as I headed to work. The brunch crowd is always fun and pretty lucrative but after little sleep and serving a hundred Mimosas and Bloody Mary's, I was pooped. Final pic: me heading home from work and looking forward to doing NOTHING for a few hours.

St. Patty's

Wednesdays are my heavy class day, from 8am-1pm. After class I headed to what I'm told becomes a beach in the summer, complete with white sand that they ship in from who knows where. Just a few stops from school at Gantry Plaza I did a couple hours worth of reading/ studying and took some pics including one of the 75 year old Pepsi Cola sign that faces Manhattan and of some ducks, proof that things CAN live in the East River. Fun's over, back to school and to the library to do a little more studying.
By the evening I was over working and met my roommate, a.k.a. the Frenchmen, a.k.a. Thierry for a few drinks and a St. Patrick's Day appropriate dinner of corned beef and cabbage and shepherd's pie. Thierry looks proud of his Guinness ha. LIC's Lounge 47 had some specials and was new to both of us. It's a long and narrow brick restaurant and lounge, typical of what you find in the city and with a back yard we chilled in until the temperature ran us inside. After a walk to the water to check out the green tinted Empire State Building we headed home. Tomorrow holds school and work and then Friday I get to see Jen, woo! By the way, my phone's camera takes some really great pics during the day (Pepsi Cola sign) but it's weak flash doesn't do much outside at night. If they're ever blurry or dark that's why. I would carry a camera but it's just so convenient to whip out my phone and then instantly email the pic to my myself to download onto my computer. Now you know.

UNI QLO

I don’t mean to dwell on the subject of weather, but was very excited to see that it’s actually warmer in NYC right now than in Palm Harbor, FL. It was a beautiful day. My manager confused my availability or something and scheduled me to work during class so my shift went to someone else and I got the day off. After Dev. Psych this morning I had some free time and headed to SOHO to do some exploring. The shops and sidewalks were crowded for a Tuesday. I discovered some new stores, most of which I couldn't afford but did find a good one called UNI QLO. It’s a huge retailer from Japan that looks very upscale and sells what they refer to as “affordable luxury.” The best part was that they had my true size which I never actually buy because no one carries it (31x34). I’m tall and skinny ok, don’t hate. If your jeans are too long they do complementary alterations for you, all this greatness and I spent $15. I bought a pricey shirt at Express but used a gift card that came from my credit card reward points. Anyway, I was pretty stoked about my $15 shopping day grand total and thought I’d share.

The pic is Houston, the street on the northern border of SOHO.

Tonight I went back to class, Community Health which drained me of the energy I was going to use to head to the gym tonight. It sounds and could be very interesting but the professor, if you can call her that, just rambles on and on. After 5 straight hours of class tomorrow morning I will have gotten my days worth of florescent light and plan to get some vitamin D.

Contrast

After getting up a little later today, I headed to the gym to get moving. It was another, but hopefully our last cold, rainy day from the storm. The picture below, taken from the station close to my apartment shows the gloomy NYC skyline.From there I headed to the last stop on the 7, Times Square which, even on a crappy day was clogged with tourists who can't read maps, work their cameras, or... ew, I sound like a bitter New Yorker. Anyway, once I got out of there I headed to H&M to buy a black shirt for work and then to my last day of training. I took my own tables and learned the closing procedures, piece of cake.

Above are the pictures from my pool class send-off that I have been waiting on forever! Thank you Dorothy and Evelyn for getting them to me. There are many regulars that are not in this photo because the weather was still a little chilly at the time. My lovely pool ladies (and a few gents) got me a nice card and all those balloons in the background.

Although it's supposed to be warmer and clear for the next week or so, I love the contrast between the pictures in this post. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum!

Blend

I went back to Skyline church this morning, enjoyed the service and met some new people.After church some of us walked to brunch at Blend, a small Latin fusion restaurant on Vernon. Ahh, it's refreshing to use the word walk in place of drive and there's no other place I'd rather be walking to. I had a veggie omelet burrito which was tasty and best of all cheap. Jen's coming to visit this weekend which is very exciting! Friend's were disappointed that I have to work next Sunday morning and that Jen's flight back is early, though we can do something Friday or Saturday night.

The rest of the day was spent studying the menu's for work, reading for school, and hanging out with the Frenchman. Tomorrow is my training evaluation, pray it goes smoothly!

Get Your Feet Wet

I started today with my second NYC yoga class. The instructor was no Ann Hodges but it was more than I would have done lying in my warm, dry bed. The weather will stay consistently miserable until Tuesday when it will, according to weather.com, warm up by 10 degrees with full sun. woo! After having soaking wet shoes for four hours at work, I’m ready for the change.

Work is going well. I can tell that once I get through training I’ll enjoy the place. Great staff, fun crowd, DJ/VJ at night, and free employee meals. I remember loving the really busy nights at Snead’s in Downtown Orlando when it felt like you were just at a big party.

Tomorrow morning is church so hopefully my black shoes will be dry by then. I packed pretty lightly for this 4 month move: black, brown, and tennis shoes. Some church friends invited me out tonight but with the monsoon and daylight savings time the plans fell apart. It’ll be good to see them again.

In music news, Lady Gaga released her video for Telephone ft. Beyonce and the video is insane. I don’t necessarily mean that in a good way either. She is… different, but judging by the way the crowd reacts when the DJ plays her songs NYC seems to be gaga for Gaga. Appropriately, I have added a pic of Jen as Lady Gaga from Halloween. The funniest part was that half the party didn’t know who she was… who else could she be people!?

Jambalaya

I apologize ahead of time if my posts are full of grammatical errors and plain nonsense by the end of the day when I post. I have a lot on my mind from training tonight too.

Today was rainy, cold, and gross. I might have wanted to stay in bed but got up and headed into the weather and to the library to photocopy all the readings needed for my first couple Exams. I did the math and with books being around $100 a piece and copies at 10 cents a page, it was cheaper to copy specific pages. There's a long line after 9am so I went earlier and might have been one of the only people in the library. It was funny what difference an hour makes.

Jesse, the server I shadowed tonight during training was very helpful. I feel ok about everything but have a lot to learn as far as drink making goes for sure. I have training again tomorrow night and then a test and observation Monday evening. The highlight of tonight was definitely the beer tasting and jambalaya for dinner, yum!After all the social interaction, information being thrown at me, and gross weather I didn't feel like going out. Maybe tomorrow night?

Jen might be coming up to visit next weekend and if she does I won't want to leave her and go to work. At the same time, I don't want to ask for time off before I'm a permanant employee and my first full week. It will all work out though and I'm excited to see my Boo!

Restaurant Row

Eighth full day here and I have a job! My lofty goal was to find one in a week but hey, I was close. I start training tomorrow afternoon at Bourbon St. Bar and Grill on Restaurant Row (pic below) in the city. I’ve met the GM and Assistant GM and both seem like they’ll be good to work for. I’ll keep you posted, of course.I did miss breakfast this morning and instead, caught up on some much needed sleep. Brooklyn wore me out! After my morning class I had to do some shopping for work clothes and then did my first load of laundry in a public laundromat. It reminded me of college, but with old people. Apparently some have no problem just throwing their clothes in and leaving but I’m not that trusting. You can also pay the attendant to wash dry and fold for you which seems cool, until I saw someone’s $30 bill for the service. I’ll pass on that and use the time to read or study.

Tonight I planned on taking a Legs and Abs class at the gym until I found out it was a step class. I’m not into step so I did my own workout instead.

Work is already getting in the way of my fun ha. I will be missing a yoga class and free admission night at the Museum of Modern Art while training. I am very grateful though and can’t wait to make some money!

Sesame Street

I got up early for my 8AM class which was nothing compared to 4:45 to open up the spa. Between two classes, I had to sit still from 8 to about 1 which kills me. I'm not really looking for a challenge right now, just A's since I hear the challenge comes during clinicals in January.

At 2 I had my second interview with Bourbon St. on restaurant row. I'm thinking I have the job but will know for sure sometime tomorrow.

After that I headed back home to catch my breath and meet my roommate. He and his girlfriend who's visiting from Philly are very polite and clean, surpsising considering they are French. Kidding Thierry! :)

This evening I got to see a little of and have dinner in Park slope, Brooklyn with Florida friend Lanie. She's the sister of Jen's friend Kara who's wedding was in one of my previous posts. Anyway, Park Slope is so nice and offers such great dining and shopping. We stuck to 7th Ave which is lined with businesses in those old brownstone homes. It reminds me of Sesame Street, my favorite show as a child, but less Jim Henson and more Disney.

This pic is from Gantry Plaza Park in LIC on the East River that offers THE best views of the city. It's about 15 mins from my place via the 7 train so when it was sunny this week I hung out and got my vitamin D. If I can get up in 7 hours I'm going to try to meet some church guys for breakfast, doubt it though. (yawn)

Finally, Our Wedding Video!

Or go here if the video is cut off a bit. http://starstruck-video.blogspot.com/

AM Yoga

I started the day with a pretty challenging Yoga class. The classroom has an industrial warehouse look and is flooded with light which was very different from the spa. Out the windows was a great view to focus on with the occasional Amtrak train that would fly by in the distance. The 50/50 mix of men and women was refreshing. I love the open mindedness here!
My interview at noon went very well and surprisingly, he said my availability worked for him. I hope to get that call Thursday to hear I made the next cut. The picture below is of a group of Brownstones across the street from my interview. I don't even want to know how much they run but would love to live in one.

The high from the interview led me to Central Park where I walked and had lunch. Perfect day! I saw so many dogs that I wanted to steel one to walk/ run ha. I needed my Pup, although that bitch doesn't allow sudden movements or running around her.