Sukkah-Cycle!

The weather today was kinda bleak. But I navigated my way to the Brooklyn Ikea, which wore me out (I hate. yes, hate. decorating, it's overwhelming). But thanks to some friendly and funny MTA operators (The subway lady on the return trip was cooing, like a female Marvin Gaye - "I sure hope you're having a great afternoon, this monday afternoon" over the loudspeaker) and my Dragon Tattoo book, it was a pleasant trip.

Happy autumn everyone! Yesterday I went on a run on the hudson river and saw a guy pedaling this, his compadre asking me if I was Jewish.

via here.

A "sukkah-cycle?" It's love. Oh yeah, this is why I live here.

A public declaration solidifies a goal

This is going to happen:

NYRR Joe Kleinerman 10K.
December 5.
8 am.
Central Park.
10 kilometers.
A group of 5 so far... we tweet and email our progress to each other.

Anyone want in, too?

Let's applaud James Franco. No, let's applaud ourselves.

James. James Franco. got a D. in an NYU acting class.*

*due to missing class for filming a movie.

*Insert the universally embraced mantra of, among others, college freshmen and the iconic SOLO red cups, "Never let learning get in the way of your education." (-Twain)

*The only other fabulous example I have to discuss on this matter is how my friend chantelle was taking 16 credit hours while at her job, having to explain to her French teacher that she was missing class for a bi-annual (quarterly?) work trip to, among other places, Paris.

But we are all done with that 'college' business now.

J'adore ma petit chantelle! How much do you love her new short hair? Thought so!

credit shipwrecked and smirking ;)

Come visit me soon, Telly!

*The one class I took at NYU I received a grade higher than a D, so I guess that's something working for me ;)

No, not irrelevant

My friend Jacque: "Is Gossip Girl irrelevant now that you actually live there?"
Me: "Ha! Absolutely not!"




From the last episode: "We don't need tickets. I'm Chuck Bass."

Best "I'm Chuck Bass" ever, agreed with Daily Intel recap- maybe even better than the actual show.

Recycling in Manhattan/My head is going to explode

I've always thought recycling to be a noble cause. And I feel like recycling centers are usually pretty gracious with what they accept.

Recycling in Manhattan, on the other hand, is QUITE the endeavor.

You must put the following in clear plastic bags:

Cleaned narrow-necked plastic and glass bottles in their own bag.

Paper in it's own bag. But NOT take-out trays or any other plastics.

All other is considered TRASH and MUST go in BLACK bags.

And don't worry, apparently there's a quota of bags per building you're allowed to set out on trash day. Uh?

My favorite rule:
Cardboard must be broken down and wrapped in twine. Like a Christmas package. Or Hannukah. I feel like I should light a menorah on the street to greet the recyclers...sheesh.

A couple calls to 311 to very pleasant but very confusing operators further complicated our predicament for large items that do not fit in black/clear bags. We wanted to know if we could dump a mattress and bedframe on the street. We could dump the mattress on TRASH DAY, but we can't dump the metal bedframe until RECYCLE DAY.

AND THE KICKER:
Apparently you are FINED around $200 for making an error in your recycling. Apparently, there are ticketers.

Is anyone else confused? I'm getting used to the routine of all of it, but not without several eye rolls.

And to think some people here compost ... makes my head spin.

A preview

Many stories to come, including...

-A solid minute my breath was taken away, from something viewed inside an Amtrak car.

-The hell that is Bed, Bath and Beyond and decorating (what I consider a nightmarish experience).

-The painting at the Met today that brought me to tears.



Thanks for all your comments- calls, texts, emails, gchats, comments- that tell me you enjoy my little musings from this isle formerly known as "New Amsterdam."

Also, I turned 23! YAY. Finally an age where the real world takes you seriously.

The latest

"Well you're very ambitious, unlike a lot of Mormon girls. And I can tell you're very smart. And if you look anything like your parents, you're pretty."

Ohhh phone interviews-slash-introductions.

JUST HIRE ME ALREADY. Pretty please. Pun intended.

Creating

My mentor who I can't name because she's too fabulous and well-known in these parts, said to me last week after I sent an email with the wrong wording (she's understandably tough on me, which I am SO grateful for), and I was calming myself down verbally and she said, "We have to CREATE our destinies."

I am a Christian, a 'Mormon,' a believer in God, but He is not going to create what we want for ourselves. He will help us, He will assist us in our pursuits, but we have to be the ones to explore our options and forge ahead.

Or maybe I'm just the product of a very proactive family with an individualistic slant toward religion- you must create create create, THEN check in with Him to see if you're on the right track. Usually you are. And if you aren't, then it becomes apparent, you rally and get out. Basically.

Maybe that's not news to many of you, but I met some people in Utah who were passively waiting for mountains to be moved for them, and it was odd to say the least. Or maybe they didn't dream in the realms of extraordinary like me. Probably the latter.

That is all for now. Go out and CREATE and believe in yourself, men are that they might have joy.

NYC Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition, paradox, and irony are synonymous with 'New York City.'
It's a huge part of why this place is so intriguing to me.

Take for instance:


Via Sartorialist.

9/11 in NYC, 9 years later

Just a few pics from tonight.

(Flatiron building on the left, twin tower lights in the middle)

(higher up view)

As frenetic as a city sidewalk at noon

but such is life nowadays.

I had a fabulous dinner tonight around Madison Square Park with a friend who wants to achieve two VERY specific things as me in the long run (next 8 years-ish) which was mind blowing and good thing it's NYC and nobody cares because it kind of caused a raucous right there on the street.

Then walked back through said park through a screening of the Federer US Open match to my fab-but-buzzer-less apartment (the only bummer)... I was literally texted by the UPS man today...hilarious.

Yesterday I went to bikram yoga sans water and nearly died- the first time I ever sort-of panicked during such a yoga session. But it was still awesome, feeling it out mentally and coming out a stronger (albeit blood-sugar-drained, staggering down the street- yes it happened, not pretty) person.

Also, FOR THE WIN OF THE CENTURY, learning that my dad's architectural graduate thesis, deemed unreasonably 'expensive,' 'impractical' & 'ridiculous' by advisors nearly 40 years ago, is currently being carried out by the university and city. Silly Philadelphians should have listened to Henry (on the left...and don't I look short!)

Spotted

So much to say, so little time to do it in a New York minute.

Yes, I'm back.
Yes, I'm happier than I've ever been.
Yes, I smile ear to ear walking down the street.

Gossip Girl Season Premiere starts on my birthday next week. Anddd, I just passed by Leighton Meester (aka Blair Waldorf) on the street.

NYC loves me back. I'm glad I gave it time to figure things out between us.