Last Night in NYC

Im laying here in bed, about to go to sleep after a long, exhausting day. I can't believe the time has come for me to leave. It is sad to think about. I am going to miss so much about this great city. I know I will be back to live again and that it isn't going anywhere, but still.

I am excited about flying tomorrow. I love airports. I like watching people and wonder where they're going and why.

Today I went to Central Park, then down to the East Village and from there I walked (yes, walked.. two miles) all the way to Times Square. Then I went over to Brooklyn (which took far less time than I expected) to meet Sean for dinner. I really don't know what people see in Brooklyn. I really don't care for it. We did drive by the projects where Jay-Z grew up. On the way home I stayed on the E train so I could walk through Forest Hills one more time since that walk is way more entertaining than from my regular subway stop and not that much further away.

All of my stuff is packed except for toiletries and what I am wearing tomorrow.

Goodnight New York!

Step 1

I shipped out three boxes full of stuff today and it was much cheaper than I expected. I was afraid I would have to pay ~$100 to ship the three boxes but it ended up only being just over $60. They said they could ship luggage so tomorrow I am shipping out everything except for a sheet, toiletries, and clothes for the next couple of days. I am still debating whether or not to keep a pillow. I could ball up my jacket and use that.. but do I really want to do that for two nights? I am going to try to get one of my bags on as a carry on so that I will only have that and my laptop case to deal with. This would also make the first time I've ever flown and not checked a bag.

After shipping my stuff off, I decided I should take advantage of the day and go over to Forest Park to listen to music and read. I walked around forever to find a grassy spot, somewhat situated away from others, where I could relax. All I found were rocks, mud, and broken glass. Finally I ventured over to where the playing fields were and got a spot on a hill. It was between handball courts and a multipurpose field and there were people everywhere. I still had a nice afternoon reading Magical Thinking and listening to Billy Joel. Afterwards I swung by Trader Joe's to pick up ingredients for guacamole which I promptly devoured. I am going to miss Trader Joe's so much. I plan on stocking up at the one in Chapel Hill before I leave.

Still haven't found anyone to sublet my room. Looks like my $350 deposit is gone.

Adam's Vaca

My friend Adam was here so I didn't have a lot of time to post anything. To sum up the trip I showed him around the city (touristy stuff and nightlife), I lost my camera (fuck!), and the weather was awesome (with the exception of day one). I am exhausted. I will post some of the highlights sometime soon.

Not Driving: Huge Inconvenience!

After getting out of bed at the wonderful hour that is 3 pm, I made my way to Trader Joe's to buy some groceries since I was running too low to make anything worth eating for lunch. I love that place. I do not love the mile walk there in 45 degree weather and rain. I made my way back and ate the teriyaki chicken sushi thing I bought and some baked snap pea crisps (the most delicious snack ever). Feeling somewhat motivated, pushed by the guilt of doing nothing of significance for two days, I decided I should go to Staples and buy some boxes, Sharpies, and packing tape so I can hopefully get some stuff shipped home tomorrow. It was a pain in the ass. When I left it was pouring down rain. I walked the mile back to Staples, which is right beside Trader Joe's, but there was no way I was going to be able to manage carrying groceries and boxes home. There I was faced with decision making, something that plagues my life on a daily basis. How are you supposed to pick a box size when they're collapsed and you can't look at a pile of stuff to see how much space you need. I decided on a three-pack of medium sized boxes out of the 5 or so different medium sized boxes they have available. I still need several larger boxes to ship luggage in. That will be a pain in the ass. When I take my stuff to have it shipped, I may ask them what they would recommend. Staples will ship your stuff at low rates apparently. This would all be so much easier if I had transportation to and from these places other than my own two feet.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

I just realized I will have taken almost every type of transportation within two months. I have ridden on a train, two different subway systems (NYC and DC), personal automobiles, motor coach, taxi, bus, and soon a plane. I generally go months and months, if not a year or more just driving. It is weird to think about.

Beautiful NYC Afternoon

Today was sunny and 76 degrees! I broke out the shorts and flip flops and made my way into Manhattan to do a little exploring. First, I went to the Chelsea Flea Market. A lot of junk for the most part but there were some cool things, I just decided I did not need to buy anything because that would be one more thing I would need to ship back home. I will take Adam there next weekend when he is here! Next, I made my way down to Chinatown to get a pair of sunglasses. It was hell. Tourist had overtaken the area! You couldn't move! Lana was in the East Village doing some shopping so I decided to leave the tourist behind and meet up with her, but not before being packed into the uptown 6 train like sardines with a billion tourists. I met up with her on St. Marks and we wandered around and went into a few different places. I love that area! So many different kinds of people! It looks like something out of a movie, especially on a nice, warm day! After a little shopping, we headed up to Spaha to take Otis for a walk. He was thrilled and we wandered all over Spanish Harlem with Otis leading the way. We got in touch with Adrienne and decided to do dinner. Since I was not dressed for dinner and going out after, I went all the way home to change which took over two hours. Two freaking hours just to change clothes! Have I mentioned how much I hate living so far away from everything?

Anyway, the three of us met up in East Village and after passing on a few super crowded places, we went to this place called Yaffa Cafe on St. Marks. It was awesome! The decor, the lighting, the atmosphere was so much fun! Plus, they had a really cool outdoor seating area in the back! We chose to skip the wait and be seated immediately inside as we were all starving. The food and the service was less than stellar, but it was a lot of fun catching up. After that, we went to 2x4 which was overrun by people with the worst taste in music ever. A big group was there for a girl's birthday and they played approximately 20,000 songs on the jukebox including Atlantis Morisette (not something you want to hear on a fun night out), Barbie Girl (not something you want to hear ever), and the Spice Girls (no need for explanation). None of these musical selections were very fitting for 2x4 as it is a rock bar with two stripper poles on the bar for whoever gets drunk and decides to climb up there. Finally our selections were played and it was automatically fun... or we were just that drunk. Lana's friend Jamie met up with us and we had a blast!

Eventually, Adrienne and I were ready to go and decided to split a cab back to Queens since we both live there. Our cab got hit by a minivan and I was terrified a fight between the cabbie and driver of the van would ensue, but luckily everything seemed ok. We made it to Astoria in one piece. I caught the E at Steinway St thinking I could just hop on and be home in no time. Wrong. I waited for about 30 minutes on a train. I got off at the Rego Park station about 4:45 am, grabbed some peanuts and hot & spicy plantain chips (I dont know why) and walked my 15 minute walk to the apartment where I promptly passed out in my bed as the birds outside were chirping to start their day. Ahhhh nights out in the city...

DC

This is in three sections.. on the way to DC, on the way back to NYC, and from the bus to my apartment.

Part 1: On the way....

So much for free Wi-Fi on the stupid Chinatown bus. Am I Surprised? Not really. No big, cushiony seats either. Theyre actually rather small and quite uncomfortable. 6:30 came way too early and the lack of the luxury of having Wi-Fi, power outlets, and comfortable seating has made me more irritated than it normally would. Also, an Asian family decided to have their breakfast promptly after taking their seat on the bus. What was on the menu? Fish. It wouldn’t have been a big deal, I wasn’t the one eating it, but we were all unpleasantly graced with the horrible stench. On the other hand it was a beautiful, warm New York morning. If there had to be a day I had to get up early, I am glad it was today. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky. On the bus, cruising through the streets of Manhattan, passing through the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River, and looking back across the NYC skyline was outstanding. The rest of the trip has been less than satisfying and we’re only 45 minutes into it. I think it is kind of crazy that I can take a bus from New York City to Washington D.C. for less than it cost to take a cab from Midtown to my apartment in Queens. New Jersey is ugly even under the rays of the morning sun. I was somewhat hopeful that what I saw passing through Jersey at night on the way to NYC was ugly just because it was dark and I couldn’t see that well, that is unfortunately not the case.

Sean and I had dinner at this sushi place in our neighborhood. It was really good although I only had a California roll, a Shrimp Tempra roll, and Miso Soup. The soup was outstanding. We got on the subject of Salty Dog and I finally told him I was going to be moving out at the end of the month. It went better than expected but I will be losing my $350 deposit unless I can find someone to move in by the time I leave. There is a chance, Craig, my parents’ neighbor’s son who recently got a job offer in NYC, will move in. I talked to him last night on Facebook and he seemed kind of interested. He may be coming up in the next week to check out New York and decide if he is going to accept the position and at which time he would have the opportunity to scope out the apartment. I think he and Sean would get along well as roommates, even though I don’t know him very well. I told him it was a great place to be for someone who is new to the city since it is in a safe neighborhood, somewhat convenient to the subway, and there is free parking on the street, a big time luxury in New York.

There will be a lot about New York I am going to miss but I still feel I will be better off going back to South Carolina. I talked to Maggie yesterday and she said they can definitely work me in the schedule when I get back. As far as housing goes, I have not had much luck. I saw two one-bedroom places that were within my budget. One was in Woodhaven (ghetto, not moving there) and the guy has not emailed me back about the other place. Ideally I would like to find something under $600 a month, with maybe a couple utilities included, and on the South end of the island, maybe even mid-island. Maggie offered to help with the legwork too of scoping out potential apartments. I am so fortunate to have friends willing to help me get back down to the island. Lindsey couldn’t be more happy, she already has big plans and high expectations. I won’t go into the few details I know, but I hope that with me being back at Salty Dog, some of the recent problems they have had will be taken care of as I will be more than willing to help out however I can. It will be interesting to meet some of the new staffers down there, although I only know of one. I hope this summer runs as smoothly as last summer. Yes, we had a few less than desirable employees, but otherwise we had a good team. In retail, you can’t really ask for perfection, especially with the selection of potential employees there are on the island.

Part 2: On the way back

Anyway, about the trip. When I first arrived we went bowling at a bowling alley in Gallery Place. It was fun and I actually won a game… which may be the first time I’ve ever won a game of bowling. After that, we went back to Cory’s apartment at University of Maryland and relaxed while he was in a meeting. The U of MD campus is really big and really pretty but I hear the town, College Park, is kind of sketch. After that we went to Cory’s favorite bar, Playbill Bar, for drinks and karaoke. A couple of his friends joined us and my friend, Brad, from ASU joined us as well. It was a fun evening! Megan has an amazing voice, I have missed hearing her sing karaoke. We grabbed some food at McDonalds afterwards and I realized that was the first fast food I have eaten since moving to New York. It was disgusting. Food in New York is another thing I will miss when I move back. Oh! The McDonalds was right across the street from this store called Prego Again, which ironically sold beer and wine and other random things. I found it to be hilarious.

Today we slept in until noon then went into the city for lunch and shopping. We ate at Cory’s favorite restaurant, After Words. It is a bookstore/restaurant and the food was amazing. I had the New Orleans Fettucini which among other things included shrimp, chicken, and sausage. There were a few vegetables mixed in and the sauce was amazing. The only thing was that when we got the bill, the prices were $4 more than what was listed on the menu. That will make them lose stars on my Yelp.com review. I wasn’t really expecting to drop $20 on lunch. Oh well, it was worth the good food and time spent with friends. Finally the time came to fight DC Friday rush hour traffic to get to Chinatown where they could shop for souvineers and I could catch my bus back to New York. We hung out for a while and then they left. My bus was due to leave at 7:30 so I needed to be at the pick up point at 7. Well, the bus didn’t show up until after 8 and it is full meaning I have to share a seat. Ugh. From now on I will not be taking these adventures with means of transportation that are foreign to me. It is not fun. I am road tripping or flying to all destinations from now on. While waiting for the bus I talked to this newly engaged couple who were also waiting. They were taking the bus up so that she could meet his father for the first time. They got engaged a week ago and recently bought their first house together. They were young, probably in their early to mid 20’s and judging I must say the dude’s dad is in for quite a surprise. He seemed well put together, nicely dressed and what not and she was… well.. not. She was pretty ghetto.

There was a point in my life where I knew for sure I wanted to livee in DC. After these past two days, there is no way I would want to live there. Their metro rides very smooth and quiet, but is really not very convenient compared to the subway system in New York. Also it is sketchy. Less foot traffic so walking around at night can be kind of intimidating. The drinks were cheap though which was a pleasant surprise! $4.50 vodka crans! That’s less than the price of a beer at many New York bars. Another thing I did not like was the heavy reliance on automobiles and the price of street parking. A nickel only got you a minute or two of parking. Also, there seemed to be much less diversity compared to New York. There were so many white people running around and 85% of them looked like they walked out of a J. Crew catalogue. I think choosing New York was definitely a smart choice for city living.

For now I have to go as typing and riding is kind of making me nauseous.

Part 3: The journey home

We arrived in Hell's Kitcehn at 1:00 am and were dropped off right at Penn Station. It was so scary. Homeless people everywhere! There were seriously like 20 or more just on that corner where we were dropped off. I made a b-line for Penn Station to catch a subway home. Inside was scary too! Lots of drunk people, lots of scary people, but atleast there were cops around. I caught the E train which runs local in Queens at night but not without more adventure. I had a crazy on both sides of me. The one to my left was picking his nose and looking at his fingers to check out what kind of treasures he may have discovered. I was already not feeling good and seeing that almost made me vomit. The crazy to my right would stick his head in his coat, inhale deeply, then poke his head out and smell the bag of flowers he was holding. I decided that the subway is far less fun at night when you are sober. I finally made it home around 2.

The Biggest Crackhead in Rego Park

So I walked out of the drug store carrying five bottles of wine and sleeping pills. What do you think onlookers thought. They thought I was going home to end my life. I can assure you, that is not the case. Let me start at the beginning.

After not falling asleep until around 7:30 this morning, I decided something must be done to stop this. I woke up around 1:00 this afternoon, ate some lunch, took a shower, then headed down to South Ferry to take the Staten Island Ferry across the New York Harbor. It was cold and raining, but kind of cool. I would hate to have to take as my primary mode of transportation to and from work every day. It was fun! I want to do it again on a nice day so I can get some better pictures. You can see downtown Manhattan (of course), Jersey City, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn, and Staten Island. The best part is that it is free!

Afterwards, I took the subway to Union Square and walked around trying to find the Trader Joe's Wine Store... and I found it! Good selection at EXCELLENT prices! I purchased 5 bottles for $22. It was great! I got a reusable, 6-bottle bag to carry it in for $0.58 which was totally worth it on the subway. It was super heavy considering I had to hold it most of the way home thanks to rush hour commuters, something I didn't think about prior to my purchase.

When I made it back to Rego Park I ran into the drug store in search of sleeping pills. I HAVE to get back on a somewhat regular sleep schedule! I am going nuts! Apparently I am not the only one who has trouble sleeping, there were so many kinds. I got Simply Sleep from the makers of Tylenol PM... it seemed legitimate enough. After requesting no bag at the cash register, I walked out with my sleeping pills in one hand and bag of 5 bottles of wine in the other and realized how suicidal I must have looked. Oh well... it will give anyone who may have noticed something to think about.

My Sleep Schedule Sucks

Its almost 6 am and I am STILL awake! I'm barely tired! I hate this! I need to be on a semi-normal sleep schedule by Wednesday so I can be in Midtown early to catch my bus to DC. There is very little to do between 1 am and 6 am, that's for sure. I would have been fine, I put in a movie, fell asleep about 20 minutes into it, just after midnight, but then woke up at 2 as the movie was ending and I was wide awake and have been ever since. What is wrong with me?!

Change of Plans (already)

I changed my flight from May 4 to April 30. That way I can get back to HHI and start work sooner. My tentative plan is to arrive in NC on the 30th, go to Boone May 1-3, spend a week in NC, then move to HHI the weekend of the 9th. Whew.

My Decision Has Been Made

I don't know if it is for better or worse, but a trait that has taken a while to blossom is now in full bloom. When feasible, I am doing what I want to do to make me happy. Even if it is a little impulsive. That is how I ended up in New York City and as of this afternoon, that is what has made me decide to move back to Hilton Head Island. I will be flying Delta from La Guardia Airport to Raleigh-Durham International on May 4 at 4:35 pm.

From there I will be spending some time with my friends and family in North Carolina, a luxury I have not been able to have since graduating high school really. With the money I have saved that I would otherwise be spending here in New York, I am going to enjoy some real time off, without worrying about having to be anywhere or having to do anything. It may seem like that is all I have done since I left Salty Dog, but that is not the case. There was the move, there was the job hunt, now I have an upcoming trip to DC, my Mom may be coming to NYC, and Adam will be here next week. The week after that I will be focused on getting all of my stuff shipped home and making final arrangements and spending time with my friends here in New York. I plan on being in North Carolina for 9 days where I will be able to celebrate a good friend's milestone birthday, spend time with family, and pay a visit to Jen and the college town I love dearly.

After that, I will have several days to decide what I am taking with me back down to Hilton Head this time. I will have to budget carefully to make sure I will be able to pay first month's rent and put down whatever deposits are necessary once I find a place to live. I am seeking either an apartment in Broad Creek Landing, where I lived before, or a decent one-bedroom apartment on the South end of the island. I want something unfurnished so that I can take all of my belongings out of storage and really make my place feel like home. Do I plan on staying in Hilton Head forever? No. It is too small of a town for me, that is one thing that is for certain.

What am I going to do for the remainder of the time I am here? Anything and everything (that is cheap/free). I love taking pictures of the city and everything in it. I haven't done much of that because I have been trying to blend in as a local and really feel like a New Yorker. Well, New York, get ready to say, "Cheese!" I want to take the Staten Island Ferry across the harbor, explore lower Manhattan where I have been afraid to venture because of how confusing the streets are. I want to eat Chinese food in Chinatown, go to the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market, win Broadway tickets through the lottery and see a show, eat a slice of NY Cheesecake, explore art galleries, check out Brooklyn in the daytime, walk across the entire Brooklyn Bridge, visit famous movie/TV locations, go to Times Square at night. The list goes on and on.

I think the next three weeks will fly by! I am going to our nation's capital Thursday night and coming back Friday. I talked to my Mom and she may be coming up with their neighbor either this weekend or early next week because their neighbor's son got a job offer with Bank of America in NYC and he has never been here. So I will get to show them around which will be a lot of fun. Then Adam flies in on Wednesday and will be in New York until Sunday so that will allow more sightseeing and fun. After that I will have a week to ship things home, spend time with friends, and prepare to leave this great city.

Breaking the news to Sean and my other friends here will be the worst part. I don't want to let Sean down as a roommate and a friend. I will let him keep my deposit to pay my share of the rent in May since it is already halfway through the month and I don't want to leave him high and dry. I feel bad leaving Lana, Claire, and John. John hates the city and wants nothing more than to leave but is stuck and here I came willingly and am able to leave. That has to be depressing to witness. Claire is going through so much and I feel she needs all of the support she can get. Lana has been such a good friend, getting me out and about, showing me the nightlife, offering job searching advice and trying to help me get in touch with contacts. It has been so helpful having friends around throughout this adventure, more than they will ever know.

Wow.

I never cease to amaze myself.

Opposite Ends of the Spectrum

So, Claire has this friend that she met a few years ago when she was a waitress at Ruby Foo's, a touristy Manhattan restaurant. Her name is Bridget Everett and a couple of years ago she got tangled up with famous writer/director/producer Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City, Will and Grace, Murphy Brown) and then teamed up with Kenny Mellman (Herb of Kiki and Herb, if anyone knows who that is... I don't) to bring the world a new kind of comedy. Think Lisa Lampanelli on Broadway, stand-up meets cabaret. Its crude, raw, hilarious... and man, she can really sing! She called out people in the audience, hit on highly controversial subjects through song, and ended the show standing on one of the Highline Ballroom's bars clad only in her bra and underwear singing about... well... I'm not going there, not in this blog, haha. It was so funny!

Afterwards we headed over to the East Village to see Lana's friends' band, Killcode, play. We arrived at the Mercury Lounge and it was PACKED. You seriously couldn't move in the bar area due to the crowd. It was miserable. Luckily Lana ran into the bassist and he invited us to hang out 'backstage' which in this case was the basement. I've never been backstage at a show before so it was kind of cool, but not really what I expected. I was expecting the booze to be pouring in a plush lounge area. This was far from it. There was a little room in the back of the basement with a nasty couch and a couple chairs and you still had to walk back upstairs and fight through the crowd to get a drink. Revolver Magazine was promoting the event so there were some music industry big-wigs and writers for the magazine hanging around. There was even a Revolver photo shoot taking place in the basement that Lana somehow got into being a part of. I will let you know if she makes it in the magazine! The band was decent, had kind of a Poison feel to it. The after party was at a place called Double Down somewhere near Mercury Lounge, but Claire, Brandy, and I decided to grab a couple slices of pizza and head to our respective apartments instead. Brandy is apparently a book agent who used to work for Random House, but I can't remember who she works for now. Anyway, she works with trying to get celebrities to write books. I don't think she has any A- or B-lister's in her contacts, but definitely has ways to get in touch with some pretty well known people whose names I cannot remember.

I discreetly snapped this picture on the subway ride home. Ahh underage kids who can't handle their booze. Her friend looks so thrilled to play babysitter at 3 am.

Asian Alarm Clock

Alright, I don't have a job or really anything at all to occupy my time so I don't really have normal sleeping hours. I am generally up until 3 or 4 am watching movies or reruns of Friends only because I can't fall asleep before that time no matter how hard I try. Last night I was up until 4 am, not by choice... just insomnia, watching Friends. This is why I was irate at 10 am this morning when the Yen's we're doing God knows what that was making a continuous noise for ATLEAST 30 minutes. It sounded like they were having relay races up and down the hall. I would hear the pidder-padder of feet going one way, then pidde-padder of feet going the other way several seconds later. If they had a dog, I would think they were throwing a toy down the hall for the dog to chance since it is raining out. But the fact remains that they don't have a dog. Even if I hadn't been up since 4, 10 am is early to be making that much noise on a Saturday. I know this is their house and blah blah blah, but damnit, where do I get to draw the line. I DO pay rent to live here.

0 For 2

I decided to go into Manhattan today for another dose of what I like to call "NYC Therapy". For many shows on Broadway, they release a certain amount of tickets a couple hours before the show that are offered at a GREATLY discounted price. After doing some research I discovered that I could be on the front row for West Side Story for only $26.50 if I won. I got there a half hour before the lottery was to start, stood in line, filled out my entry, and waited an additional half hour for them to draw the names. With it being Easter weekend and with so many kids on Spring Break, there was a HUGE turnout and sadly I didn't get picked. It was kind of fun though, I will try again some other time. While I was in the theater district I wanted to go by and see the Nederlander Theater, where Rent was performed during its time on Broadway. I was hoping the famous wall was still intact but unfortunately Guys and Dolls has taken over and they have painted over everything.

Next I decided to venture downtown to Ground Zero and then Battery Park. Although the area was flocking with tourists, there is really not much to see. There is fencing around the perimeter of the area (as is the case with any construction area) and there are tarps keeping people from seeing in. For the best view, go to the bridge separating the two World Financial Buildings on the West side of the block.

There is a firehouse directly across the street from the WTC site and on the corner are several memorials to those who lost their lives in the 9-11 attacks. You get a strange feeling being down there, knowing so many people lost their lives on that very block less than 8 years ago. The feeling I had reminded me of being on the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On the memorial, you are above the sunken ship where bodies of those trapped inside still remain. Looking around Ground Zero you see tourist and business people walking around. I overheard two parents explaining the significance of the memorials to their young children. They explained that the names and pictures were of peoples' mommies and daddies who were killed. It was kind of neat, I hope those kids remember being there and visiting that spot because they had to have been very, very young when it happened. I thought the parents did a great job explaining the significance so that they could understand the importance. As I mentioned, there were also a lot of businesspeople. For the younger ones I saw, they were probably in college. I bet they had no idea, while watching the events unfold in 2001, that they would be passing that same area every day on the way to and from work. For the older ones I passed, I wondered what their experience was, how they feel walking by the site now, etc. I can't even imagine.

From there I followed the Hudson River on a walkway all the way down to Battery Park. I saw New Jersey, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and Staten Island. One day I will take the ferry across to Staten Island, why not? Just over half way to Battery Park I took a seat on the bench and stared across New York Harbor at the Statue of Liberty. Normally these moments make me really love New York and make me wonder how I could ever leave. Today... nothing. I appreciate the city, I love the city... but there is something missing to make me want to stay. It is more than a job, friends, my stuff, etc... it is something I can't put my finger on. I feel like I need to be by the water (clean water... the East River, Hudson, etc. don't count). Sitting by the river, listening to the water crash into the seawall and the seagulls squawking overhead, I realized I need that. Atleast for now.

UGH!!!

It was 60 out today... in fact, it is 50 outside right now. Unfortunately, it is also 50 inside. I HATE MY APARTMENT! I dont care if it is cheap! CLEARLY, there is a reason WHY it is so cheap! Its cold, dark, and much like a penitentiary (i.e. tile floors, bars on windows, bad lighting, basic necessities). I want temperature control, MY bed, a couch, a TV... need I go on?

Rebel With A Cause

Today I was scheduled to meet this dude, Markes, to hit a little on the tennis court. I made my way to the bus stop and successfully made it to Forest Park. I waited and waited and finally he called and said, "Hey, I am here." I looked all over and didn't see him and then we realized I had gone to the wrong park. Earlier today he said we would play at Forest Park, but then texted me later and said to go to Liberty Park. I didn't catch the Liberty part in the text assuming we would be meeting between our respective neighborhoods rather than Liberty Park (far away from both of us). I told him I was sorry and he said he would come to where I was and that it would take him about 30 minutes.

About 25 minutes into the wait, this high school kid came up and asked if I wanted to hit. I told him I was waiting on someone but he said that is fine, we could hit in the meantime. He asked if I had a permit, and of course I didn't, so we snuck behind the attendant and started playing. Illegal tennis playing... the wild and crazy life of Chip Bryan... I know. The first 30 minutes of hitting I checked my phone periodically and kept an eye out for someone who looked like they may be looking for someone. No dice. After about 30 minutes I quit checking my phone and played with the high school kid for an hour or so more. He was around my skill level so it worked out good. Not very personable though.. then again he was a high school kid looking for someone to hit with. I generally keep it pretty light spirited and laid back, but he was all serious. Oh well.. it was someone to hit with.

On my walk back to the bus stop I checked my milled call and had one from Markes that was pretty angry sounding. He went on and on about how he has been waiting for 20 minutes and I haven't been answering my phone and how doesn't have all the time in the world to waste, especially since I was the one in the wrong place.... blah blah blah. I felt bad, but really, I was playing right by the only entrance and could keep tabs on everyone coming and going. Oh well, that's one less friend I will have here. I just hope he isn't at the thing on Sunday... if I go. I'm supposed to be playing in the late round (8-10 pm) and I don't know how comfortable I feel about taking the bus home through the Bronx at night. Also, my shins are killing me. I might back out and just try to go to the one in May that is close to Rego Park if I am still here then. In fact, that is probably what I will do.

Photos: Central Park Therapy

Central Park Therapy

The past two days I have wanted nothing more than to pack up my stuff and head back down to Hilton Head, stopping for a week or so in North Carolina to spend time with friends and family there. I realized that I never even ventured outside yesterday which never helps when you already feel trapped. I don't like not knowing how to get my stuff home. It kind of freaks me out. I think maybe renting a car and driving would be my best plan of escape. I can't talk like that though, it makes it too easy.

To get out of this rut, I did what I always do when I want to move back, I explored the city. Today I finally returned that shirt to ANF and since I was so close to Central Park, I decided to go for a walk. I ended up walking forever! The sun tried to come out and it made for a nice walking day. I enjoyed everything I saw, but it still didn't break my I-Want-To-Leave attitude. Ugh. May starts THREE weeks from today and by then I have to know what I am doing. I am so wishy-washy about this. Some days I want to stay, some I want to leave. Today I want to leave.

Field Trip!

Yay! I'm going to DC next week! Here I am without a job and going on a trip? Yep! I'm going to take the Chinatown bus from Manhattan to DC.. it is super cheap (<$20 each way) even if it does take forever and a day to get there. Megan and her sister are going to be in DC visiting Cory and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see everyone. One big complaint I had about working so much was never having the time to see old friends, and well, now I have all the time in the world. It will be a cheap trip and aside from transportation cost, I won't be spending anymore money there than I would be here. I just won't go out in NYC that weekend and limit what I spend prior to then. Even if it does set me back a little dough, I figure the least that will happen is that I may have to leave NYC a little earlier than I would have to if I don't get a job. If it comes down to the point where I have to leave, I would regret not doing this... so I'm going to do it!

Megan has always been a really good friend and I miss her. I haven't seen Megan or Cory since my graduation weekend in December 2007. Megan has been living in Louisiana and who knows when I will have the chance to see her again, especially with her pending plans. The Chinatown bus is going to suck, I accept that fact. I like to think that it will be an adventure... of course, that is what I said about taking Amtrak to NYC and we all saw how that went down. That god awful experience is exactly why I am not taking Amtrak to DC, plus the Chinatown bus is cheaper. Woohoo!

EDIT: I just realized that taking the Chinatown bus to and from DC is cheaper than the stupid Abercrombie shirt I bought to wear to my interview with Hollister. I really hate that company. That shirt is going back TOMORROW so that kind of makes my Chinatown bus tickets free!

UNC: 2009 National Champions!!!

WOOHOO!! THEY WON!!

Kat got us into Brother' Jimmy's: Midtown, the official UNC bar in NYC! It was so much fun! So many UNC fans! Lots of cheers! Hung out with Kat's friends from high school, the same ones that were out Saturday night for the Final Four game.


Yes... that IS an actual He's Not Blue Cup! IN MANHATTAN! The waitress said they had a blue cup special for $7. We were all thinking, "Well, ok... it won't be anything like a real Blue Cup... but it will do." Then we see someone carrying one. A REAL BLUE CUP! IT WAS AMAZING! I immediately snapped the picture above with my camera phone and sent it to anyone who I thought would appreciate it and know what it is. (This is why I didn't send it to you, Jen) At the end of the game, they played the Tarheel fight song, Hark! The Sound of Tarheel Voices, Carolina Girls, and Sweet Caroline. It was so fun! Everyone was so pumped!

After leaving Brother Jimmy's, I went down to Chelsea to this bar I had been to before just to see what was going on. Turns out not a lot on a Monday night. I got on the Subway and headed home. After a few stops I was so tired and hungry I thought there was no way I could last the hour it would take me to get the remainder of the way home so I exited the Subway, grabbed a slice of pizza, and hailed a cab. I was home in no time. Unfortunately, I left my Blue Cup in the cab! I had been doing sooo good with keeping up with it throughout the night and I lose it in the stupid cab! Oh well.

I just got word that I did not get the Hollister job. They sent the following generic email.

Hi Clinton~

Thank you for your interest in Abercrombie & Fitch. It is always great to meet such an enthusiastic candidate who shares our excitement for the A&F brand. We are always faced with the difficult challenge of selecting from such a great group of applicants. At this time, we have decided to pursue other candidates. We wish you the best of luck in the future and appreciate your continued support of the brand.

Thank you.

And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is what we call horse shit. Now I will definitely be returning the shirt I bought for the interview and will not feel the least bit bad about it. Not only that, but I will never again purchase anything their brand produces. Eat that "continued support of the brand". Bitches. I digress.

I still have other leads and this is hopefully just the first of many interviews to come. I'm going to a thing Friday morning for positions at the Empire State Building. Atleast that has something to do with Tourism... maybe I will have a better chance. I have a feeling it is for shitty jobs though. The post was not very descriptive and just said to RSVP, which I did.

Oh, I also had my assessment test today for one of the staffing firms I had applied to work with. It was horrible. Really, really horrible. It is difficult and pointless to explain, but it made absolutely no sense and had nothing to do with any kind of administrative assistant work. No Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Internet... just confusing, difficult problems. Needless to say, I failed miserably.

I'm A Tarheel Born, I'm a Tar Heel bred

And when I die, I'm a Tar Heel dead.
So it's rah-rah, Car'lina-'lina!
Rah-rah, Car'lina-'lina!
Rah-rah, Car'lina- GO TO HELL STATE!

Tonight is the big NCAA National Championship game between the UNC Tarheels and the MSU Spartans! As everyone knows I grew up 20 minutes or so from UNC so that is clearly where my allegiance stands. I commend MSU for making it this far, but I hope to see them pack their bags with their heads held low by the end of the night. GO HEELS!

I decided that due to the big event tonight, I would give myself a three-day weekend. I did apply to several jobs online but I didn't go into the city on the hunt. Instead I almost polished off the remainder of a bag of tortilla chips eating the guacamole I made yesterday, cleaned the kitchen hardcore, took out the trash, ran 2.5 miles (and thought I was going to die), then hit the old tennis ball against the handball wall at the park across the street.

I think my Nike+ needs to be calibrated. I felt like I ran way over 2.5 miles but maybe it is because most of it was uphill. My feet went numb again and it drives me crazy because I don't know why that happens!

It felt good to have my racket in hand and hitting. It has been over a month since I last played and the tournament thing is this weekend. Someone from my league contacted me to see if I wanted to hit sometime so hopefully they will be able to get together this week so I can get some practice in with an actual opponent.

Sean and I are going to this place on the Upper East Side, called Mad River, to watch the game tonight. Sadly, the only UNC shirt I have up here has stains and holes. I'm wearing it anyway... atleast it has character. I went by Sports Authority yesterday in hopes they may have UNC shirts. No luck. I would love to be on Franklin St. tonight with all of my friends watching the game and having fun. The vibe in Chapel Hill on game nights, especially big games (March Madness, UNC/Duke), is so awesome! I really wanted to go to Brother Jimmy's but there was no way I was going to get there at 3:00 and sit there for 6+ hours waiting on the game to start. From what I hear, that is what you have to do to get in the doors. Alright, time to get in the shower and get ready to head into Manhattan!

I Love Friday Nights Out!

Completely unrelated to the title of this post: When passing through the Main Concourse in Grand Central, who doesnt hope for an Improv Everywhere type event to go down, or something like in the T-Mobile commercial.



I met up with Lana and had dinner at this AWESOME Cuban restaurant in Harlem. She had Salmon and I had Steak. Both entrees came with delicious rice and black beans. We also each had a glass of sangria and split an order of fried yuca. It was so damn good. All of it! The prices were reasonable and it had a nice, intimate atmosphere. The negative thing I have to say about the place was the live music. Don't get me wrong, they were really good, but it was so loud we couldn't even really have a conversation without yelling across the table. Most everyone else got into it with clapping along with the beat, etc, etc. I guess we're just old (even if we were the youngest people there, haha). I will go back for sure... I will just make sure to go before the live music starts.

After dinner we met up with Claire and John at this country bar in Harlem called The Duck. It was a cool place. Laid back, good jukebox, nice bartenders, and cheap!! It was kind of weird that there was a country bar in Harlem, but eh, whatever. John left, but we continued to hang out for a while. After that Lana went to Duffs and Brooklyn while Claire and I continued bar hopping. We started in the West Village and worked our way over to Union Square stopping at two or three bars along the way. We ended up at this dive bar a block or so from Union Square Park that was edgy and cool. They played really good music too! A lot of the songs were featured on our various playlists at Salty Dog.

We caught the 6 train uptown and split ways at 59th Street. I ended up hailing a cab to get home because it was so late, I was tired, and by taking the train it would be atleast 45 minutes before I got home including the mile walk from the station to my apartment.

Today my legs, shins, and feet are killing me from all the walking I've been doing the past couple of days. I also ran two miles yesterday! All of my walking has really helped my running. A combination of that just being generally more healthy since moving here (with the exception of my weeks of PB&J sandwich and Top Ramen and boozefest weekends). I am getting so much more exercise living here and I am eating much healthier. Neither are intentional, it just happens. I feel good. My body feels good.