Bourbon, Brazilians and Nyquil

This is the first time in 4 days that I have not been comatose on Nyquil. The weekend started as a great fall weekend. With the arrival of a couple of friends I've known from middle school we went out on Sunday, not catching the 6 train until 1am. It was a good thing I took a nap beforehand, since our quick drinks at Spring Hill in Brooklyn turned into an early morning event of bourbon and tacos where I got home at 4:30am. Although we did make a quick stop at Duane Reade for their nice cold medicine selection.

Monday night I insisted I felt better enough to go to a book signing of my lovely friend Hannah's uncle, a wonderful photographer at The Bubble Lounge in Tribeca. A couple drinks and some Brazilian dancing later I felt so awful we had to leave.  Too bad we had to pass up an invitation to the photographer's Williamsburg loft for a night of excitement. Alas, maybe another time :/

29- yikes :/

I am officially in the last year of my twenties.  I have no idea how 29 snuck up on me so fast but it did.  All those birthdays of the past- waking up early filled with excitement, dread or both. Running to the bathroom mirror to check out how many new wrinkles I've developed. This year was really no different from any other day, but possibly more sad.  Not just because most of my friends and family are in a different state, but because I realized that not only have I not accomplished what I thought I would by this point, but I'm also not even sure the goals I had are still the goals I want. 

So this year, the year ushering me blindly into my thirties, will be a year of decision making and goal striving. I am not the type of person who has always known what they want to do. I have always known I want to make a difference in some way, but unsure of how to go about it.  This year will be about figuring out how to get "unstuck."

First step, what should I do next? Something that has always been an obsession of mine is taking pictures, so the first step forward I'm taking is to sign up for photography classes.  This will hopefully teach me new skills and develop a new hobby that might even turn into something more permanent in my life. Only time will tell...

Anyone have any interesting past or future goals for the remainder of their twenties?

If you really knew me....

Saw this on a few other blogs and thought it was cute.

If you really knew me....

1. you'd know that sometimes I cheat on Words with Friends by using scrabblecheat.com
.................rarely...........

2.  you'd know that instead of trying to hide my bipolar disorder, I try to embrace that it's what makes me different.

3. you'd know that this attempt is tried every day by new anxieties and new hurdles.

3. you'd know that I haven't (intentionally) eaten meat in 18 years. Bacon often gets accidentally thrown on my veggie burgers and salads (is the universe trying to tell me something?).

4. you'd know that until 4 years ago I couldn't even boil water properly, or without incident, and now I'm a cooking fanatic.

5. you'd know that I am capable of consuming 1 regular sized box of cereal in under 36 hours. By myself.

6.  you'd know that I once aspired to be Etta James. You'd also know it didn't work out.

7.  you'd know that 2 things I do every single day are:  smile, and brush both my dog's teeth.

8.  you'd know that even though I'm not a "girly girl" there are certain things I CANNOT live without: a lint roller, a manicure and black eyeliner.

9. you'd know that while I do not want my body covered in tattoos, I have plans for multiple others to join the 4 I already have (including a pin up girl and a roulette wheel).

10. you'd know that I am loving New York City but am still super homesick!


What do you think? What are somethings people would know about you????

Not a tourist anymore....

Some pretty rad updates:

My part time job only lasted 4 days.
.....cause I was offered a full time position! The people I work seem nice- not as great as the old gang but then again, I measure everyone against them :)
 So due to the job becoming full time, I will soon once again have health insurance. Great because I can find a psych in the area and also get my MRI done for my knee. Fourth floor walk ups are NOT good rehabilitation for MCL injuries, FYI.

I saw my first cockroach. This is good news because it was outside, and not in my apartment. If this was the case, I would be repacking all my stuff and getting the hell out of here :)
I got my first "new york" black eye- got punched in the face by the cat who lives at vet I'm working at. Apparently he does not like to be moved. Covered it up with eye makeup last night but this morning it looks especially awesome.
I was also nearly hit by the M31 bus yesterday morning on my way to work.  Apparently they don't let the good bus drivers work weekends....

In other news, the boy and I went to our first concert in NYC this weekend.  We got tickets to see Dwight and Nicole, a band we frequently saw in Boston, who are AMAZING. They put on a great show, which is not surprising but last night was different because it was the first night I felt like a "real" New Yorker.  We stopped by at a friend's party at The Brooklyneer and then headed to the show at the Blue Note around 12:30.  Sitting there watching them perform at this amazing historic jazz venue, I suddenly felt incredibly lucky to be in this city.  We didn't get home until around 3:30am, but I was so wired I couldn't get to sleep for another hour.
When I woke up this morning *ahem* (does 3pm count as afternoon on a Sunday?) we walked the dogs for a long time along the water and then went to see the new Woody Allen flick.  The whole weekend felt very unforced, relaxed, and very "new york."

This week I get my first paycheck in over a month, so I will be going crazy: groceries, bills, and possibly these great cupcake earrings from an etsy designer based in New York. http://www.etsy.com/listing/69433480/pink-and-white-mini-cupcake-earrings
 Her store is called Poison and Sugar, and it is all kinds of awesome.

My rambling is done for now, but I'll be back.  Time to watch United States of Tara on Netflix (yay, we have tv!).

Photography

Hey there,
I had some questions regarding some of my photos so I created an account on Society6.com

Check it out if you're interested in purchasing some of my work, my user name is RaeG.
The site is amazing if you're interested in selling any of your artwork!
Thanks,
A.

Hi All,
Since I've last posted I have become an employed lady! I will be working as a veterinary technician at a great little place in Harlem starting 2 days a week, and then becoming full time after another person leaves in a month or so. Still no health insurance, but at least it will pay [some of] the bills.
After my first interview there I walked through Central Park for the first time since moving here, and it was so HOT.  As expected there were hundreds of tourists, but also many people sitting on the grass eating their lunch. It's amazing that in the middle of this huge city sits 843 acres of grassy hills, dirt bike paths, and huge rocks to climb on. 

I see you Upper East Side

Despite the immense heat (and lack of sunscreen) I walked around for almost 2 hours, taking in the different people: guided tour groups, families on vacation, amateur photographers documenting every sight.  I even  managed to find a little organic food stand serving up vegetarian hot dogs- yeah! Also found an old converted school bus that has been travelling the country trying to promote random acts of kindness- double yeah!

Words to live by

While this morning has been a relaxing, lazy start to the weekend (too hot to walk the dogs at around 100 degrees), we have plans for nearly every remaining minute. This afternoon we are going to the Bodies Exhibit at the seaport, since I've wanted to go forever, then tonight is dinner with some great friends, and tomorrow we are going to brunch and a movie (Ted- can't WAIT since this was filmed literally at my place of work in Boston). A good way to start a week of....WORK. Never thought I would be so excited to put scrubs on again.

UES

Have a good weekend y'all! <3

Country boys become City Boys

 

 Thought I'd post a few photos from my trip down here.  As you can see, we started off at a wedding on Maryland's eastern shore. Our friend's got married at a beautiful inn on the bay, which was followed by a few days in Baltimore (to visit family) and a mini road trip back home to pick up the rest of our stuff and the menagerie of pets we have come to collect over the last few years. :)

 I got a souvenir.  My fourth tattoo, will not be my last, much to my parents' chagrin.

The following are some randoms I've taken throughout the city over the past week.

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Advice for those who want to come visit me (although we do not have a couch)....

Hi all,
Well, I'm posting this from my own apartment with my VERY own internet, which I set up- you guessed it- on my own. Well, with the help of the verizon guy and Dill, who both had trouble locating the only phone jack in my 600 sq foot apartment.  It sure is nice not to have to walk over the Worst Starbucks in New York to use their choppy wifi (more on that later).

So, there are a few things I have learned over the past week that I wished to share with you, in case you ever find yourself in a similar situation.

1. You will never get used to the smell, so just deal with it.  Swallow that disgusted face you feel yourself making every time you walk into a cloud of smells that should NEVER be combined.  Urine and feces (both of the canine and human varieties), pollution, garbage, etc. They all collect into small pockets that hover above the sidewalks and in alleyways, just waiting for an innocent victim to step through. It doesn't matter how nice your neighborhood is, they're there and they're waiting.

2. You will turn into a night owl.  Everything in New York seems to run on a later schedule.  Most restaurants seem to have an early bird special that starts at 7pm.  It doesn't matter that I used to like to go to bed at 9:30. Here, I don't really have a choice.  People stay at work later, eat dinner later, maybe go for a drink afterwards, and go to bed early the next morning- if at all. 

3.  No two Starbucks are created equal. Naturally, the most convenient location just so happens to be the worst of the worst.  One day there's no skim milk. Or soy milk.  The day before that there were no coffee beans.  That's right, you read that correctly-  NO COFFEE BEANS.  The service is also pretty horrendous, so it's a good thing there is another shop 2 blocks down.  It just seems so far.....

One good thing:

4.  The stereotype of the people of New York (from New England at least) is that people here are very indifferent.  I have actually found this to be the opposite.  Our neighbors welcomed us here when we were moving in and today I watched a man in a sparkly yellow tank top that said "Richard Simmons is my hero" help a woman across the street (true story).  The dog owners in particular are very mellow. No one really seems to mind that Dublin wants to eat their small dog or child.  Even at the dog park when I warn people that he can be possessive over certain things the response is very laid back or even "It's ok, he needs a good kick in the ass...."

Also, a word of advice when trying to unpack and clean up your new place:

Hello, New York.

I have never lived outside of New England.  Actually, I've never lived anywhere but Massachusetts.  This June I moved to Manhattan, for a boy, of course, who convinced me that this will be a much needed positive change in my life. Only time will tell if he's right. The apartment search ended with the first place who would accept our menagerie of dogs and cats, and has since turned out to be a cozy retreat right next to a serene park.  Looking for employment, however, has not turned out as well.  After submitting my resume almost 20 times in the last month, the panic is staring to set in.  A phone interview here and there, but alas, nothing.  Tomorrow I have my first interview with a real person, so we'll see how that goes.  The pets have been adjusting well to city life, our dogs Dublin and Dill Pickle are obsessed with the smells and sounds of the city.  Our cats (don't judge....) Tucker, Conan O'Brien, Atticus Finch and Morris, love to lounge in the windows and bird watch.  The fourth floor walk up is proving to be good exercise for all of us, especially since now that I'm home during the day the dogs HAVE to go out at least 5 times more than they normally would.  So thus begins the newest and scariest chapter in my life.