Not eager for mornings

I know I sound stupid in complaining about this, but I am not ready to start waking up early again for work.

I have had an extended summer vacation (Missouri gets out of school a month earlier than New York and New York is going to start after Labor Day - almost a month after St. Louis schools).

But it is always so hard to readjust to the time span of the day.

I am on day three of a retreat with my new school (which is going so wonderfully) and even being ready at 8:30 is a challenge.

How am I going to cope with waking up at 5, taking a subway for an hour and being at work before seven?  I'm not really sure.

The waiting game

I used to love playing that game where you see who can be quiet for the longest without saying anything.  Same with the staring game to see who can stare the longest without laughing. 

But the quiet game I played on the phone today with the US Post Office was really no fun at all.

44 minutes and 17 seconds.  6 minutes and 46 seconds.

That is the amount of time I was on the phone (the first time with 40 minutes of it being on hold) waiting for the US Post Office to tell me why I have not been receiving mail at my address.  I hung up after it got over 44 minutes and called back.  The second call was received and the person who answered realized that he thought he had transfered my call to another person.  He had not, and proceeded to address the issue himself since he already had an answer to my problem.

After over 50 minutes on the phone, I finally got an answer.  And was assured that I will start getting mail now.

I really like supporting the post office and have never had issues with them or with waiting at a post office to do something.  But, this waiting really strained my nerves.

Wordless Wednesday: Big things

I've heard that everything is bigger in TX, but some things are bigger in NYC.

Shipping comfort

I didn't use any sort of truck getting to NYC.  I didn't even bring my lovely car.  Instead, I brought the basics and had a few other basics shipped.

The shipping process was pretty smooth.  I had some things shipped directly to my apartment, others to the FedEx location where I picked them up.  I am still waiting on one last box (the contents of which I cannot remember).

Yesterday, after over a week of living here, I received the best package yet.

Pillows.

I didn't really think it would be that bad to sleep without pillows for a few days.

Clearly, I wasn't thinking.

It is not comfortable, especially when sleeping on an air mattress.  For over a week.  My new bed should arrive this Friday meaning a total of two weeks on an air mattress.

Last night's rest was glorious.

Still uncomfortable on the air mattress, but at least my neck was not uncomfortable.  And I wasn't laying on a makeshift pillow made of a blanket or a towel.

I also had the cable and internet turned on yesterday which makes me feel like a real person again.  What was the first thing I watched?  House Hunters.  Yes, I know that some of it is staged, but it is still a show I enjoy watching.  I guess I just like looking into people's homes and their home options and hearing their ridiculous reasons for rejecting a house.

Even when I walk down the street at night (used to drive) I try and get peaks into the homes that don't have their blinds closed.  I like to see what they have inside, and how it is arranged.

Wood and wandering

I have internet and cable in my apartment!!!

I feel like a real human again!!!!

I have still been wandering the city, running errands, and sometimes, just wandering just to be wandering.

The other day I went into the downtown Macy's.

They has wooden escalators.  The actual steps used to be made of wood, as well, but now they are metal.

All the escalators in the 9 1/2 story building (the half story houses some of the men's items) are like this.

So cool!

While walking downtown, I also saw a little lapdog wearing sunglasses and a four-five year old boy still drinking from a baby bottle.

I have seen a man get hit by a car on a street corner.  I have been asked for money by an innumerable amount of people.  I have witnessed two block parties in Harlem.

I have eaten breakfast for dinner three times and have also managed to eat frozen yogurt from 16 Handles as a meal twice.

So far, I am adjusting to the City.

I have a retreat for the new teaching job I have secured starting on Wednesday through Friday and then start actual work on Tuesday if I can get all of my paperwork sent in from the Departments of Education of Missouri and New York.

Keeping my fingers crossed on that one.

Saturday Quote: Why we're still here

New York streets

Yesterday, I experienced a really New York experience as I stood at the corner of Court Street about to enter the Borough Hall subway station.

It was really crowded since it is basically downtown Brooklyn - there were a lot of suits walking around.

I stood looking around, double checking that I had completed all the paperwork at the Department of Ed building.

Next thing I know, what I think is a piece of trash I see out the corner of my eye starts to scoot toward me.

I don't think too much of this trash until it is really close.

Then I realize that it is not actually trash.

Inatead if the ball of plastic I envisioned moving toward me, I see something different.

I see a brown mouse!

Running toward me, then between my black Croc ballet flats.

Only one other person around me seemed as shocked and disgusted as I was.  I wanted to scream, but was frozen, perhaps instinctually so my phone would not drop... I don't know.

I do know that I watch my step more now.

And not just to avoid dog shit and used gum.

Hopefully, I get internet in my place Monday.   I have now missed two days of blogging and feel horrible for doing so.  Plus, I know many of you would like to hear of my other adventures so far during my first week in my new city.

Wordless Wednesday: What are you waiting for?

How do you breathe?

Some humor for the day...

Blogging is ingrained in me now

I missed blogging yesterday since I was busy with moving and with cleaning and with just being in a new city.

It was strange, because, I kept wanting to get to an internet capable location to create a blog post.

I have been writing each day all year and it has become a habit that I don't feel right without doing.

It is a shame, and at the same time, kind of annoying.

I am in the new city.  Adjusting and trying to get things done.  More detailed info and stories when I have more available time.

Saturday Quote: Our deepest fear

Discarded - still making mega bucks

I know that many people look to get a side hustle going to earn extra money.  Who can blame them?  Some people tutor, others sell products, others walk dogs, others make jelly, others make cakes - to each their own.

We all want to have more money and there are many ways to try to go about doing so.

I do, however, have to give props (and question marks) to this kid for putting his name on basic products that his fans will surely buy just because his face is on the box and they will add it to their bedroom collection of photographs.

This product was sitting (seemingly discarded) at the register in Walgreens - so maybe it's not that great an idea or maybe the parent who was to buy it is tired of all the paraphernalia with him on it crowding their child's bedroom.

A toothbrush that sings two of his songs?!?  Seriously?!? This guy is genius and also extremely greedy for money all at the same time.

I'm not sure if I'm mad about this product or if I think that he needs to just take what he gets with his music - though this is related to his music.

I would love to be given the money he makes on this product.  I'm not greedy.

I won't touch his royalties and other earnings.

Just give me the toothbrush profits.

Please...

I'm almost ready to go

Today, I take more of my furniture to Kid Sis #3 for her to sell (I'm really looking forward to getting the money, too - been a long time since I've made money and this move and all it entails is really making me dip into my do-not-touch savings).

My living room is just a shell of a place with barely anything in it besides the rest of the items to be packed and the rest of the items to be sold/lent out.

The only things left after I give my sister various items are the things I will take on the plane with me and the television I will ship tomorrow.

It really is real.  It is official.

I changed my address with the post office, mailed some items to my new location.

I'm moving and leaving the town I have spent all but my college years in.

Wordless Wednesday: Cute car

Semi-wordless...

I saw this Fiat in the Central West End of St. Louis while trying to sell (for store credit) some books as I minimize even more for the move from StL to NYC.

So freaking cute.  

And the weather was cooler than it has been, so it would actually be tolerable to ride in it.

It's better to drink on the job

I am a little late with finding this information since it was revealed about four months ago, but I am a believer anyway.

Now, I just need to find a job that will allow me to drink a little while working.

Psychological research has shown that mild intoxication can boost creative problem solving!!!

I always thought I worked better with a little bit of wine in my system.  I also have some great ideas while tipsy.

If I find this perfect job, I guess I need to make sure my coworkers understand the difference between mild intoxication and being drunk, though, right?

Get back your dignity!!

I don't remember how I came across this item, perhaps in someone's FB feed.

Source

It is hilarious!

The Flatulence Deodorizer.  It illiminates intestinal gas odors.  Kind of like a sanitary pad for your butt gas.

Please click here to see more and watch the video.

It says it will help you get back your dignity, your self-confidence, and your life.

Beginning to sacrifice

I'm beginning to get rid of things in my apartment.  I delivered the first pieces of furniture to Kid Sis #3 for her to sell yesterday.  I have sorted out more clothes, shoes, and old wallets to give away.  I have begun to sort items into piles for the boxes they will go into for my move from StL to NYC (which hopefully is completed by the end of this week).

I am getting ready to begin a new phase of my life.

I know I will begin some things that could be great, but I am also beginning to realize the things I will be sacrificing.

I will be giving up the standard of living that I have been accustomed to for basically my whole life: grass, yards, a car, having a large living area with washer and dryer in the unit, a well kept apartment (inside and out), knowing at least a little bit of what to expect from a job, paying a reasonable amount of money for an apartment rather than exorbitant prices, easily accessible (by car) grocery stores with really good, fresh food.

It is a lot to give up, but hopefully there will be benefits gained.  If not right away, perhaps once I get settled and used to the areas of NYC and the way various aspects of the city works.

This is just a little bit of my five minutes of thoughts on today's prompt from Jana's Thinking Place (host of Stream of Consciousness Sunday): Beginnings.



You can join in Stream of Consciousness Sunday by clicking the link or the badge and linking up, or you can just go to the site and read what others are writing on the topic (or whatever else they wrote about).

Saturday Quote: Two primary choices in life

As I get ready for this big move, this is a quote that really speaks to me.

Break your silly egos

I'm busy. I'm moving to another state in the next two weeks.  It just all occurred in the past two weeks.  I have a lot to do to get ready.

Today, I'm bringing you a quote a day early.

Life is very short, so break your silly egos, forgive quickly, believe slowly, love truly, laugh loudly and never avoid anything that makes you smile...
~ Unknown.

Enjoy the quote.

Enjoy life.

Do something today that makes you smile.

Really, try to do that everyday, right?

Start spreading the news!!

I used to love that old song about New York when I was a small child and we sang it in elementary school choir.  "Start spreading the news.  I'm leaving today... If I can make it there, I'll make it any where."

Remember back in April when I had to move from the house to my new apartment in a few weeks time?

Well, now comes another quick move.

This time from Saint Louis, Missouri to New York, New York.  (That was part of the reason for the trip a few weeks ago.)

I have to move there in the next two weeks.

Really exciting and increasingly becoming nerve racking all at the same time.  I won't go into all the details of how it came to be, but it is happening.

Now I have to figure out what I want to take with me, how to get it there, and what to do with the things I will not be taking with me.

I am continuing with my mission this year of minimizing my life and of resetting my life and working on doing things for me and for the ones I care about.

I found Spidey

When my cute little four year old nephew found out that I was in New York City, the first thing he said was, "New York City!  That's where Spiderman lives!!"

He then proceeded to ask if me or Kid Sis #1 had seen him yet.

I can appreciate his love for the webbed-one.  When I was younger, I had a Spiderman stuffed toy, Spidey.  He was my favorite.  When he started to fall apart, I performed elaborate surgeries on him using my sewing skills - his neck, armpits, ankles, knees, and eventually his abdomen all were reconnected, refurbished, and reloved.  He is still somewhere in the depths of the storage of my parents' home, probably with my favorite Cabbage Patch Doll - Crandell.  I should find him and send him to Nephew #1.

I kept my eyes open during my time in New York for Spiderman.

Finally, on the way to the Mega Bus to DC, while I walked near 42nd street and near Times Square, I saw him.

It was as though my Spidey-sense from my childhood still worked because there he was, on one of the back streets, just perched on the side of a building looking at me.

I took the picture and sent it to Kid Sis #2 to show to her son.  It made him happy that I had finally found Spiderman in NYC.

Fortunately, he was not distracted by my reflection in the poster's window.

Vets in the airport

I am not really that sentimental.

Last Wednesday, I had a 3-hour delay in NYC to get to Chicago.  That meant that I had to stay with Brother-from-another-mother-and-father overnight and catch the first flight to StL the next morning.

When I landed and started walking toward the exit, I noticed a lot of soldiers standing at attention.  As I kept walking, I noticed that they were saluting veteran, older soldiers as the older men walked off or were wheeled (wheelchairs) off of the plane.

It was really a great sight to see the younger soldiers honouring the veterans.

And it was a huge celebration. There were even bands and non-soldiers and airport workers who tried to keep me moving along so that I would not take pictures.  It was so big that I had to look it up to see what it was.  I believe it was a celebration for them as they got ready to head to the main WWII memorial in DC (which I got to see during my quick visit there).  It is Honour Flight Chicago and they help vets get to the memorial to reflect.

Here are some pictures:

This was my first view of the soldiers.

The veterans looked so happy at the youngsters saluting them.

More vets honoring the older vets.

They even had music.

And more music if you look to the left.  Also tons and tons of people.

Life is a balance

Normally, I've been doing quotes on Saturday, but this is one that is really striking a chord with me today.

Olympic dreams deferred

When I was in high school, I always imagined that I would make it to the Olympics as a sprinter in track and field.  I even received the honour of Most Likely to Go to the Olympics with the senior superlatives.

In college, I started realizing that I was high-school-talented, but not really as fast as some of those girls from Texas who seemed as though they were breed to run fast.

Around that time, I started coaching summer track.  We had some really good athletes on our team.  I then changed my goal.  I knew I was not going to participate as an athlete, but maybe I could coach an athlete to the Games and attend them for free that way.

That didn't work out, especially as I am not tired of coaching and don't know when I will do it again.

So, now, to get to the Olympics, I will need to be one of the people who holds the baskets for the track athletes at the starting line or I will have to somehow become a great dancer and be part of the opening ceremonies.  Or I can figure out who to talk to to make sure I win the new Visa prize of Olympic tickets for the rest of your life.

This is my five-minute stream of consciousness post.  I just free wrote on the prompt for five minutes and am linking up with Jana's Thinking Place.  Jana's prompt today was: If you could compete in any Olympic sport or participate in the Games in any way, what would you want to do?  Did you ever have Olympic goals personally?

Check out the site to see others' posts and to link your own post if you feel so inclined.

What to do everyday

Seven months and still going strong

Still going strong with posting each day this year.

Here are the top 10 posts from the month of July.  Feel free to read or re-read any posts.

After all my logic and my theory - Post about how St Louis should not be the most dangerous city in the country.  I incorporate some Fugees - you can never go wrong with Lauryn Hill... unless it is dealing with paying taxes, right?
Saturday Quote: Why complicate life? - Great quote.
Nahwlayduhs - Post about my long-time incorrect understanding of what a candy was really called.
Social Construct with Power - A bit of my thoughts on race and race identification and relations.
Possibly the worst invention ever - If you have ever been in a bathroom with toilet rolls that do not move a full circle, you will understand this rant.
Thick and full of body - The hair dresser said I have more and thicker hair than anyone she had ever dealt with.  I guess I should be proud, even though my hair style took 14 hours to complete.
Summer is tasty plastic tubes - How could you not enjoy frozen freeze-pops in the summer time?  Reminds me of childhood.
You may rejoice, I (still) must mourn - Just my views on the US's independence day.
The things I do for hair - More on my 14 hour hair styling extravaganza.
Pleasing others vs living my life - I have spent a lot of my life trying to please others.  I am trying to work on making myself happy.

Great people in NYC and DC

One of the best parts of my NYC, DC trip was the cool people I hung out with, met, and stayed with.

Early in the trip, I hung out with one of my old college teammates (who is now one of my sister's best friends) at his friend's house for a little get together.  The friend is a choreographer and had a bunch of Swedish friends in town for a few weeks.  He had the little party in their honour.

It was really great seeing them all together.  As my sister, our friend, and the choreographer finished the cooking, I talked with the Swedes, the Norwegian, and the French man (he was the lone male besides the hosts).  There were 10 of them in total, only one was not a dancer.

At first, they were speaking to each other mostly in Swedish, but as the drinks poured, they started talking more with me in English.  They were super friendly, had great stories, and shared the liquids.  I especially loved that two of the Swedes were of African descent - how freakin' cool!

At one point in the night, one of the Swedish dancers tried to remember her new favorite song.  It was one she had recently heard in an NYC club.  It turned out to be "Poison" by Bel Biv Devoe.  From 1990.  Hey, it was new to her.

We listened to that song on YouTube, as well as some of their other old-school favorites including pieces from the Spice Girls and one of my most hated songs, "Who Let the Dogs Out".  I tried not to furl my lip the entire time, which was easy to do since I thought they were so cute as they sung along and danced to the music.

I loved the time with them.

I also came across some great people just walking down the street and sitting in different places where I wandered.

I used to have people tell me that I looked intimidating, so I have worked on relaxing my face and even having a slight smile most of the time (when I can remember).  I guess this has worked, because I was often the person that people came up to for directional help or who came up to me to compliment me on my hair or just to ask how I was doing.

And people say New Yorkers are mean and unfriendly.

July fourth week photos

This is the last installation of July photo-a-day.  I used prompts from Fat Mum Slim's website.

25. Heart - The things I go through to try and help my body heal from the bad things I do to it.  If you look closely, you can see that my shirt is two different shades of blue.  The darker color is from all the sweat by body released during a run/walk session in the morning.  It was finished before 9 am, but was already 87 degrees.  If you look even more closely, you will see that I am developing a serious v-neck and partial farmers-arm tan.

26. Sunshine - This 60-70 something year-old ladies' outfit was really a ray of brightness and internal giggles for me as I walked through Harlem.  I had to slow my walk so that I could get behind her and conspicuously take a photo.  Wow!!  It was not only spandex-like, but also fairly translucent.  Wow!!

27. On the road - I could see the new World Trade Center building even when I flew over the city of New York.  Last time I was in town, it was nothing but a whole.  Now it is a really large building.  I think it is now the tallest building in NYC.  When it is complete, it's glass walls will be seen all throughout the city.

28. Cup - I made it to Chinatown in NYC during one of my solo wandering adventures.  I really liked it, especially after I got off of the main tourist streets.  I wandered through different areas and neighborhoods and, in one area, I found this park.  It was full of Chinese people speaking their languages, playing card and board games, chatting, biking, as well as small groups singing and playing instruments.  Somehow, hearing nothing but foreign languages was relaxing and made me feel at home.   In the pictures, the group on the right was playing some kind of card game and it seemed to get intense as two people started pointing and talking to the people on the other side of the table.  The men on the left were playing a version of "The Star-spangled Banner" with their Chinese string instruments.  It was different than anything I have heard and it was lovely.  I sat back on a rock and did a lot of people watching while sipping water from my canister/cup.  I would have stayed longer if there weren't birds shitting all over the place.  I have not quite over come that fear.

29. Last thing you bought - While in NYC for a week, I stopped at 16 Handles for ice cream at least four times.  I loved it each and every time.  This was my cookies and cream creation with Heath Bars and a little dash of cookie dough mixed in.  So good.  Kid Sis #1 even got me layering the toppings so it is easier to have them all throughout.  I put a little bit of topping, ice cream, more topping, more ice cream, and then finish off with another layer of toppings.

30. Calm - As I waited in line for the Mega Bus to DC from NYC, I tried to remain calm in the hope that I would not have to sit to the left of this man's dandruff-ridden self.  I've never seen a person with so much dandruff flaked off onto their shirt.  The bus ride worked out, and I had a pleasant trip sitting next to people who did not make it snow all over me.

31. Toothbrush - I always keep a spare toothbrush in the drawer.

You can see the images I took in the first, second, and third weeks of July, too.