Hello, New York

The first thing I saw when I walked into my little studio for the first time on Friday:
Skyline view, south from 11th Street.

It was a good way to start the day and my new life here in New York. But, I have to say, this city is crazy. Like every other city and niche and fetish on steroids. There is a store around the corner that just sells lacy designer stockings. And another devoted just to the Russian photography movement known as lomography. And about five 24-hour deli/grocers where you can get anything you need from bananas to beer to toilet paper and cereal -- for about three times the price it should be.

Yesterday finally felt right. Slept 'til noon, but that was excusable considering I was up until 7 a.m. unpacking and looking for furniture and other household essentials on craigslist and Amazon. After running a few errands (groceries, post office), I checked out six thrift stores and came home with a nice, white, upholstered chair -- which my mother immediately warned me to check for bed bugs. (Fair enough, and I did, and I feel confident that this prudent purchase from the City Opera Thrift, only $43 including the cab ride home, has passed the NY Dept. of Health Bed Bug Safety Inspection.)

After a little more unpacking, it was off to 24-Hour Fitness at Broadway and Houston to check out my replacement for kickboxing with Mike. Louise's advice was good: Body Combat seems like the way to go. It was a bit of a culture shock, though, to see that this tiny, upstairs, smelly, sweaty place, jam-packed with young, eager, worker-outers, would be my new gym. But I guess it will work. The hardest part was trying not to laugh when all the Yelp reviews came true, especially the ones about trying to have yoga class below a weight room. (Might as well be a bowling alley upstairs.) But jogging through Soho and pushing through another 20 minutes on the treadmill and Body Combat and yoga class seemed to do the trick. Finally, I relaxed. And as a reward for pushing through the day, I went out for a single class of wine at Gittono on Greenwich Avenue about 1:15 a.m., met a nice hipster bartender who suggested a Sicilian table wine called Scinniri. It was perfect -- full-bodied and flavorful, yet dry, and complete.

I don't think I'll have time to bake cookies today before the pizza party downstairs in my building, but I did manage to get to Trader Joe's for some honey wine. So if in the next three hours or so I manage to clean up the mess in my apartment, and hopefully I manage to meet and talk to some interesting people at the little welcome party, I can invite them upstairs for a glass. If I can find/unpack the glasses.

Oh! One more bit of exciting news. In all likelihood, tomorrow will be my first real night out in the city, to see Eliot Lipp open for BOOMBOX at the Bowery Ballroom. The venue seems really cool and not overpriced. Plus, since thankfully Eliot Lipp is not the headliner, I'll get to enjoy a sweet dance party with one of my old favorite DJs and still get up on time for Orientation on Thursday.

Last thing: If anyone has any ideas about decorating and/or rearranging/acquiring furniture, here is the layout of my apartment. Comments welcome!

Life in the Redwoods

All is well. Spent yesterday and today chopping and stacking wood, clearing brush, cooking and cleaning around the house with other WWOOFers. Journaling is easier (and nicer) than this computer stuff, so I'll touch back later.

Soundtrack:
Townes Van Zandt

Drink:
Homemade Merlot from Heelsberg

Food:
Veggie Quiche/Souffle, Quesadillas, and (tonight) Tom Kha and Lemon Bars

This is how we are.

It's been a crazy last few days. Made it to Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me! down at the Chase Auditorium and got to hear Larry King's live phone-in with the panelists. I also got my program signed by Peter Sagal, who wished me well in New York, and by Tom Bodett (he has a mustache!), the fabulously dressed and typically seductive Roxanne Roberts (per usual, she tricked the caller with her Bluff the Listener story, and her pink Satin dress was so 1962, in a good way), and Brian Babylon of Bronzeville Chicago.

Being in that hood, followed the taping with a little trek over to the Butterfly Social Club for organic specialty cocktails, including my new favorite, the Bloody Maria (a tangy tomato and citrus martini). The pomegranate margarita was delicious, too, and the beer list was pretty impressive and inexpensive. But the vibe in there is really what you're paying for anyway. That was one of the coolest, nicest, chillest bars I have seen anywhere. Great music from a live DJ; low, glowing light; beautiful, interesting art; and the sweetest DJ who got the second round on the house. There were only a few other people in there, so it wasn't exactly the dance party I thought it might be, but then again, it was 9:30 p.m. on a Thursday, and it was nice to have a little calm and relief.

Friday was full, but the heat finally broke. Went to the dentist (no cavities!), which feels productive on its own since that's one of those things everyone hates doing but really should do. Also took advantage of my last few days with really good health insurance to go look for new glasses. (Not ordered until Saturday, from a really nice store in Evanston, but they should be here today or tomorrow.) While checking out the selection down at the random, retro Sears store on Lawrence, ran into another old co-op friend on the street. It was nice especially to feel like this really is my city, my hood, where I get around enough and have enough friends to just run into one in the middle of Friday afternoon on a busy Ravenswood street.

After a bumpin' lunch at Alexander's cafe (the one literally around the corner from my apartment, so cute, and great, enormous veggie omelets -- the best I've had yet actually was on Friday: spinach, feta, onion, and broccoli with Greek toast and jam and hash browns), I was feeling a little down. But I forced myself out for a quick run before my friend E. came down just to hang in my apartment and talk. After she left, I had just enough time to get ready and run, run, run myself to the (luckily 84-minute late) Metra and head down to the Hideout. JT & the Clouds played a great set, and I got to just chill and talk with another good co-op friend who I don't imagine I'll see for a while. We left in the middle of the crazy downpour (she sent me this Trib article about the flooding -- we had to turn around at North and Clybourn: www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-after-the-rain-getting-around-chicago-area-no-easy-task-20110723,0,4993279.story)

By the time I got off the train at Granville, I was so soaked that I just strolled all the way home in the middle of it. It was kind of exciting. I haven't laughed so hard in so long. I really can't remember. After just the block and a half to get to her car we looked like we just went swimming.

Saturday morning, I managed to wrangle myself out of bed just in time to bake brownies and bring them to my last kickboxing class. It was a good one. My buddies were there, and we were all pretty pumped for 9:45 a.m. and rockin' along with the music. After that, as mentioned, found not one but two beautiful new pairs of glasses. I got talked into getting the second pair, but they are discontinued, designer from Paris, with rhinestones, and she gave me an incredible deal. I can't wait to wear them to my first Broadway show.

After a quick shopping spree at Crossroads, hopped back on the train home. Shopping success items include a new, nice steely gray, flowy cardigan (perfect for school); nice gray jeans (ditto); black-and-white checkered, short-sleeved flannel button-up; and an awesome, totally non-functional but fabulous short-sleeved, cream-colored, hooded rain jacket. It was the perfect purchase pre-Wicker Park Fest, where it was about a million degrees in the middle of the crowd. MiMosa was just okay, but it was fun to be there. And amazing sets by Lynx (www.myspace.com/lynxlive) and the Polish Ambassador (www.myspace.com/polishambassador) at the perfectly packed but pleasant after-party at the Double Door made the whole evening, the whole week, the whole "end" of this crazy life in Chicago really. I couldn't have asked for a better dance party and live DJ set to end the weekend.

Sunday was slow to start, but I did some work, took care of a few things at the apartment, went for a nice, slow run around the usual spot, and made lemon squares post-grilling with friends. To be honest, those lemon squares are probably the best thing I've ever baked. Ever. Not only were they delicious, but they came out in perfect sweet little squares. I brag because I made the recipe up myself after messing up the one I found online. Mine turned out better I think than they would have. They cut right down the middle and all the way out to the edge, large pieces or small, with the powdered sugar sprinkled prettily on top, just like it should be.

So if nothing else the rest of this week turns out "just like it should be," I'm going to keep remembering those lemon squares. I'm not going to try too hard any more. I will of course, try too hard, and forget lemon squares, and get very upset from time to time. But as my dear friend E. says, "This is how we are."

Morning soundtrack: Blind Boys of Alabama, "Way Down in the Hole," and Treme Season 1 Soundtrack.

Morning agenda: Stella Espresso and blogging, work and plan for packing, pack, walk, pack, quick run and yoga, calm and try to forget that this is really, really it. New York, I can almost see you.

Good Enough

Wasn't feeling too well this morning from last night's late-night feast (home-made veggie burger with all the fixings on toasted wheat bread, plus Reese's Pieces for dessert), so I thought I'd try to run it off. At noon. In 88-degree heat and sauna-like humidity. Dumb idea. I think I just recovered after sitting in front of my (now plugged in and chugging!) AC unit for the past hour. I still wish I had made it jogging for a full 30 minutes, but 20 will have to do for today.

I'm going for a walk now to run some errands, so we'll see if I can sweat the rest off anyway. And tonight, Wait Wait!



p.s. I won't even delve into how perfect Simon's was last night. The Western Elstons played my two favorite songs. Actually, they ended with my all-time favorite. I tipped 'em a 20. Kind of wish I had had the guts to say something to them. It was the perfect crowd. Busy, full, but not packed, and no jivers. Not that I don't love the jivers, but it makes the space easier to move around. Some people were still dancing. Easy to get a drink at the bar, everyone was super-friendly. Anyway, as I toasted last night, cheers to the very best part of Chicago. Rock on, rockabillies.

It's official.

Turned in my keys. Computer is wiped. Goodbye friends! My work buddies are the best.

Waxing and Waning

The other night I was standing outside with some friends commenting on the fullness of the moon. It seems that day I peeked, and haven't quite gotten my groove back since. I hate this waxing and waning, falling in and out of positive thoughts and motivation. Let's not discuss what I did do this weekend, how much time I spend hiding in my apartment, or even worse, unable to drag myself out of bed and face the world that is ready and waiting with open arms if only I could get up the strength and courage to run out into it.
















I did haphazardly run into a few happy moments this weekend, a lemonade stand on Granville, a bike race in Evanston on Sunday, catching the full moon, finding my favorite grocer at the little foreign foods store today. And I did manage to scrape together some (not-nice-enough-to-really-say-what-I-really-wish-I-could) gifts for my little going away party tomorrow.

In other news, this week will be busy, so hopefully I will at least wake up tomorrow ready for it. On the agenda:

Tuesday: $2 pints at AliveOne (and hopefully a good DJ)
Wednesday: Kickboxing and my last night of the Western Elstons at Simon's
(if adventure strikes us, this trip might be followed by my first venture to the mysterious Mid)
Thursday: Wait Wait! Don't Tell Me
Friday: JT & The Clouds at the Hideout
Saturday: Wicker Park Fest and Lynx after-party

If I'm lucky I'll get to squeeze another baseball game in there, too. I guess I should stop complaining and start having fun.

Llapingachos

Last night was pretty perferct. I managed to make peanut butter cookies (about 6 or 7 dozen, with bare-bone supplies from 7/11, including a bag of M&Ms instead of chocolate chips) late on Wednesday night, so I had plenty to bring for work and also for the llapingacho dinner party slash co-op reunion last night. Obviously, the highlight of that event, next to the unbelievably amazing food we cooked, was getting to see some very close, very old friends, probably for the last time for a while.

If you don't know what a llapingacho is, apparently you can look up how to make them on YouTube. But seeing as my old Ecuadoran housemate was bashing on these, they might not be truly authentic. (Last night, we even had Ecuadoran hot sauce to top!)

Riding the Metra down and back was nice. Showed up with that "holiday five-pack" (I just learned this term) after popping one, somewhat warm, but still delicious Stone Pale Ale on the way down. But the cookies were a hit, yesterday and today. People love M&Ms apparently.

This is a lot of rambling to distract myself from the fact that in three hours, I will officially end my job. Crazy. But I guess I should go finish some things.