Witty City Girl

Again – time is flying by…. I promise to get more written in the next few days, I don’t know if I’ve sorted out my picture issue (loading pictures to this blog these days seems to be a bear)… but I did want to write quickly to say that I’ve not gone totally MIA – just been crazy busy with work & navigating our new land here in Rhode Island. Good news though! Hubby got a job (actually got 2 offers today!) So we’re certainly moving right along.

Stay tuned my friends…more to come – now I’m STARVING and have no idea what to eat or where to eat locally just-yet.

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Whoa. I’m amazed at how fast time flies by – I’ve been meaning to write more – but everytime I get all ready to do a data-dump and upload some pictures, the silly system won’t upload the picture, I get frustrated and ultimately end up closing the window. Anyway… I’m just going to skip a pic this time and give an update on my whereabouts. So  – it’s officially week-3 in my new role in Rhode Island and holy cow I had no idea…. I absolutely love RI so far and the apartment is incredible… (It’s really like a cross between a college dorm and an old-folks home, because once I park my butt at home, I don’t ever have to leave!!) Hubby is still actively searching for work – and it’s clear how this market/economy has severely slowed things down. He keeps making it far along and interviews well, but then the recruiters take FOREVER to follow-up… so somedays he’s discouraged and other days he’s excited about the opportunities…. I figure time will tell – and we’re both learning the art of patience.

We bought a car about a week after being here and it’s been fun getting back into the swing of suburban life. I never knew that 2 people could get SO excited about box-stores (Target, Walmart, SHOPPING MALLS!) We forgot how NYC really forces you to think about every move – and to get from point ”A” to point “B” you really need to plan things. Rain isnt’ so bad in suburbia either – NYC made rain dreadful – since we had to WALK IN IT.  I guess this is how we have developed the sense of appreciation that we have.

Now, back to the job update. So, I really seem to like the team I’m on – but there are many moments that I feel like they’re all speaking GREEK - It’s amazing how these Tech & Ops folks create four-million acronyms and they speak the language so fluently, an outsider like myself could go insane… Seriously, I am thinking to myself, “WHAT!?!?!” – and then when they dummy-it-down, it makes perfect sense… I’m remaining patient though and I swear, I must ask 101-questions, but eventually it’ll all click. Besides, as the Communications Manager, it’s my job to make sense of this stuff to ultimately turn it into something digestible for the larger-employee population. VERY different from my previous Recruitment Brand role – but still connected. I will surely dive into more of my role as the days go on – but there you have it – my high-level update.

Once I get this picture situation sorted, I’ll be posting some photos soon.

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So – we’re all moved in!!! It was a LONG LONG LONG weekend, but we’re all in and situated – I have never been more relieved. Friday night was Samson and I flying up to Providence -  unfortunately we learned pretty late in the game that Amtrak wouldn’t allow dogs … so our only choice aside from renting a car and driving the 3-hours, was to fly.   For the most part, it was fine - but my sweet little pup absolutely HATED it.  I was thankful he didn’t bark, but the nervous mother that I am – he had me all anxious with his severe shaking and panting on the plane. It was a puddle jumper, but lucky for me, the man next to me liked dogs and he was remarkably helpful in calming little Samson.  It was loud for the humans, I can’t imagine his little ears! Even the flight attendant was nice and offered a little cup of water…. (though Samson was NOT even remotely interested in drinking it).

When we got into Providence, I had to figure out the whole rental car deal – (they had a kiosk station rather than a person)… you type in your info, get a big long slip, wait for a shuttle and then get in a car and drive it away. (Weird).  Anyhow, I’m driving a tin-can that has absolutely ZERO amenities, but that’s fine… it’s just going to make me appreciate whatever I do buy!! So, after getting my fancy blue rental, I was dumbfounded to realize the hotel was literally next door.  Needless to say, Samson and I were out cold pretty quickly once we got there and Saturday morning started the festivities.

Saturday morning I was off to the apartment to sign the lease – of course, the young woman was REALLY REALLY slow and I basically just walked Samson all around the building as we waited. Once I got in – the lease was signed, keys handed over – and the waiting game began.  Hubby said the movers came to NY Apartment early and they started loading up the truck before 8 a.m. – they were finished by noon – and he was responsible for cleaning up before heading to Penn Station to get a train to Providence.  Well, long story short… the movers didn’t arrive until 6:30 p.m. (6 and a half hours!!!!!!) I was laying on the empty apartment floor just waiting and waiting… when they arrived, they were nice enough and hauled butt to get everything off the truck. They must’ve thanked me a million times that we lived on the first floor in Rhode Island. (The 5th floor walk-up in NYC surely scarred them!)

Poor Hubby arrived in Providence before they were done, so I couldn’t go get him – and he was forced to take a cab… $35.00 later he rolled in and I could barely utter words – I just wrapped my arms around him and plopped down on the bed before we could really exchange stories of our days. I was OUT COLD.

Sunday was productive  – and Samson smelled nearly every square inch of the apartment and the apartment common areas. The building seems to be dog-friendly and the people have been sooooooooo nice.  I’m really excited & thrilled to have landed.  Now, if we can get the boxes unpacked, get hubby a job, buy a car and get our cable set up, we’ll feel 100% human again. In the meantime, at least I have a computer at work now. (I didn’t have one yesterday for Day One). More to come as we progress….

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 Oh dear. I guess I should’ve seen this coming… the cupcake man knew I was leaving, my office colleagues have continuously called me the cupcake lady – and BAM – today, it’s massive cupcake time. My favorite cupcake from Buttercup is the Lady Baltimore… so – as a going away present – I got it in full-fledged cake form. YUM. Now that I’m suffering from exhaustion from saying goodbye to people, packing & chugging gallons of coffee to remain artificially awake, by the time I get to Rhode Island tomorrow night, I’m going to need some serious sleep.

That being said, this cake was downright delightful – and my understanding is that there’s another little treat waiting for me at the cupcake shop this afternoon…. I do love my cupcakes. Unfortunately I’ll be paying for this in gym-time once I land in the ocean-state.

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Hmmm… so in lieu of Patrick Swayze’s death, I’ve been a bit nostalgic today. It’s interesting how your mind gets going with incidents like death and my thoughts went right back to the old-days of a younger Me. I think I mentioned that I grew up in a small-town in Upstate NY – but looking back, I have to laugh – I swore that life was miserable being a teenager. I worried about the dumbest things – and my priorities were clearly focused on my social-life, newest girlfriends to spend time with and of course my multitude of guy-friends.  I was a weird teenager. Growing up in a small-town like I did, there wasn’t really a whole lot of “girly” stuff that interested me. I was all about driving around town in my 1984 Honda Accord (what a beauty), playing sports and dodging drama.

I suppose Swayze’s death made me think of this – because when the movie Dirty Dancing was “HOT” I used to dream that someday I’d find myself a Johnny – and life would be “summers at the beach”. HA! That makes me laugh. 

Anyhow… I was reminiscing fondly on a couple of my guy friends that I spent many many days and evenings with. We were 16, 17 & 18 and we’d joy-ride all over my hometown (and theirs) with absolutely nothing to do  – we just DROVE. We’d blare our music, we’d laugh,  hang out of the sunroofs as we screamed at people walking by, and we’d whine about how ‘dreadful’ our jobs were. (One of us worked at Subway, the other at a “ski shoppe” and myself – always working at some restaurant like Red Slobster). We swore we had life figured out back then. Now, 15+ years later – I chuckle – and wish just for ONE day, I could go back to that young group, driving around town – I’d have enjoyed it just a little bit more. Even when I’d drag myself into work to wait tables… I had no idea what I was going to do with my life.  I had no “goals” or real drive to do much other than make money, pay my car insurance and go socialize. My, those days flew by. 

Next thing you know, we all went off to college – lost touch, got married (some of us divorced) and while I’m utterly ecstatic with the life I’ve lived & continue to live now – I occasionally wonder where all of the old “crew” landed. Hoping they’re happy & darn it, wishing they’d get with the program and GET ON FACEBOOK! ha ha ha…. what a world we live in.

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Oooo…. A Monday morning find!  So, I went to the gym this morning – (I’ve been eating rather poorly given the stress of packing, moving, etc)… and this morning was one of the rare mornings that I had to schlep my way into our Bryant Park office. The last Monday morning I’ll ever have to ride the 7-train!!!!!!!!  Anyhow, decided to stop at one of the Metro Cafes outside of Grand Central and while picking up my normal greek yogurt, I thought this bar looked interesting. Packs only about 180 calories (that’s a few more than a nutrigrain bar) and the “Cherry” is what peaked my interest. Well – it’s actually quite tasty! You can kind of see it in the picture, it’s loaded with sesame seeds, raisins, dried cherries etc…. definitely a “healthy” bar of sorts, but nonetheless, worth writing about. Who knows how much it costs – these Metro Cafes in Manhattan jack up prices so much, it wouldn’t be fair to tell you what I paid for it – (TOO much!) But – if you see one, I highly recommend it for a little pick-me-up that’s guilt free.

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Yep – this pretty much sums up my life these days. I’m packing. EVERYTHING. It’s kind of amusing since normally, I’d go to work and feel relieved to be “productive” at the office, but that’s not the case this time around  - because I have to pack up my office stuff too. UGH. I hate to admit it, but I’ve become rather skilled at packing, but being skilled or not, I’m definitely OVER it. Hubby and I realized how spoiled we were when we moved from NC to NY – just 18-months ago - we opted for the ‘pack & move’ option with the movers. They did ALL of it… (and we really only had one champagne flute fatality. However, this time around, we figured our 1-bedroom apartment wouldn’t be too bad to do ourselves.

WRONG. Grrrr…. we do have some rather high ceilings – and the little closet that we couldn’t seem to fit anything in for the 18-months we lived here, sure DID have a bunch of crap in it.

Now that we’re down to 6-days before I fly up to Rhode Island with the dog, panic might be settling in. Some progress on the kitchen was made today, but otherwise, we’ve still got a good bit of work ahead of us for tomorrow. Work is going to be a bear this weektoo - and I still can’t believe I’m leaving my current role. (I absolutely adore my current boss & feel quite bad that they’re not going to let her repost my position). There’s a whole long story to that, but with the economy the way it is, companies are starting to scale back and push the work around on existing staff.  My company is certainly no different. I really hope they keep me onboard in the new role after all of this. (But can’t let scary thoughts like that pop into my head these days)!

On that note, I should probably get back to my packing – have a “gym friend” coming to pick up a table and chairs for her apartment and I have been using it as my desk – so I’ve got some clearing off to do. More to come, PROMISE!

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Oh dear.  It’s been another one of those amazing “only-in-New-York-City” days – making my way home from what was probably the most un-exciting day at the office…. (I didn’t have a single meeting and basically just caught up on developing process documents, ad-strategy recommendations, employer brand best-pracices, etc.). 

Anyway – onto my bizarre encounter. .. It was about 5:15 p.m. and I was waiting for the train at Queensboro Plaza – (The “N”ever & “W”henever trains run as they please)… when the N-train arrived, I carefully stood aside as the passengers disembarked – and as I was getting on, this very dramatic elderly woman (wearing WAY too much makeup btw), literally BRUSHED me out of her way – really!?!?! I thought for a moment, “She couldn’t possibly have done that to me” – but sure enough, she did it to about 3-4 others as well. Seriously?! Oh yes, this woman brushed us aside as if were were pond scum, pocket lint, or unsophisticated/unworthy human beings. We weren’t even worthy enough to share space on the train or platform next to her. It was amazing – I’ve never seen a human being doing this – and she did so in the most snobbish manner I’ve ever seen (and TRUST me, I have seen a lot on the NYC Subways)! 

As I looked around - I noticed many others made eye contact with me – I must not have hid my own amazement, because they mostly smirked back or nodded at this crazy-lady’s behavior. I put my sunglasses on and nearly missed my train stop because I enjoyed watching this woman’s bizareness the whole ride back – she brushed at least 3 guys who were hanging onto the bar above her head – she scraped her feet in front of her to keep the area ‘clear’ of others filthy feet – and she huffed and puffed a few times when people accidently hit her oversized Louis Vuitton satchel.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh…… the joys of NYC. Where do some of these characters come from?

I really might miss this. Hard to imagine – in less then one month, I’ll be driving myself in my own personal-space (car) to my own special parking spot as I walk into the office without having to utter a single sound or word to another human being until I sit down and power-on the computer.

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Ok – so clearly, I have a lot going on. Having accepted the position in Rhode Island and planning our escape from NYC… (No worries, I’ll continue to be the witty city girl of Providence)! BUT… this past weekend, I think my hubby and I both realized what we’re going to miss the most with regards to NYC living.  I’ve created a nice list – not meant to be all-inclusive (that would take me hours, months, years to complete)… but the BIGGEST elements of NYC that we know we’ll be craving from Rhode Island. (Any Rhode Islanders reading this, I encourage you to nudge me as to where I can find the same luxuries)!

1. Chinatown- We actually despise the trips to chinatown, because the swarms of people (who walk insanely slow) and the crazy ladies on the street screaming, “purse, handbag, chanel, coach, gucci!” Or the aggressive vendors trying to lure you into their stores… BUT – at the sametime, we do like leaving with the occasional “goodies” and full bellies. Hubby LOVES to get a new watch everytime we’re there. (He’s like a little kid, gazing at it the whole train ride home). It’s always a great place to bring our guests/NYC visitors too – I think most are just in awe at the insanity and nearly everyone leaves with a fake handbag, fake watch or some tasty treats from Ferrara before heading out.

2. CUPCAKES – Now this is a tough one… and it’s definitely all me. I’ve made my more husband schlep all over Manhattan to find the greatest cupcakes around… I never had an obsession with these little sweet treats until I moved here… and by golly, I’ve become addicted. I swear, it’s the main reason I go to the gym every morning!!! I watched a whole Martha Stewart show where they demonstrated some of the top cupcake shops and shared recipes, I always like to venture out to see how they brand themselves and I’m inspired to start my own cupcake shop someday… I LOVE Crumbs, Sweet Revenge is brilliant with their beer/wine pairings with cupcakes and hands-down, Buttercup bake shop has me addicted to their banana pudding. (I was truly in trouble when they opened a little backdoor shop next to my office).

3. FOOD, FOOD & MORE FOOD. – Yep, this one is probably the hardest… we’ve literally questioned why we’re not 500-pound whales living in NYC. The critics are sooooooooo right. You eat WELL here. Even the little mom and pop shop restaurants offer delightful eats. We’ve got our favorites in just about every category… Paninis (Thank you Il Bambino), Greek specialties (Thanks Ovelia and Taverna Kylklades), Beer Gardens (Studio Square & Bohemian), Sushi (Nobu 57 is my favorite, but GoWasabi in the ‘hood is always tasty), Thai food (Leng, you’ve changed our views on Thai altogether), Pizza (Sacs & Patsy’s stole my heart), Italian (Vesta, Trattoria L’incontro, Il Cortile, Caffe Napoli, etc). I really think we ate at the top-10 restaurants in nearly every category on  Yelp.

4. Great friends. This one is a given. One of the biggest reasons we opted to come to NYC was that friends/family nearby. It’s been like a college reunion for me – connected with my old Plattsburgh crew and of course, our little monster, “Samson” introduced us to plenty of other Chihuahua owners/lovers in Astoria. We’ll miss our connections here but feel pretty confident that we’ll be back pretty regularly to visit. Now that we know where to eat, we’re excited to be vistors!!!

The list really could go on forever, but those are the biggies. 3 weeks and counting until we’re off to our new digs in Rhode Island. I just booked my one way flight. (Yeah, I had to fly, because Samson isn’t allowed on Amtrak trains). I swear, I really love this dog now, he’s costing me a bloody fortune!)  But – soon enough we’ll have a little waterfall in the back, where we can take him for regular walks and maybe teach him to potty outside instead of the matts. Our 5th floor apartment here had all of us lazy and he definitely has been conditioned to go on the puppy pads.

Oh – btw, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me. (I would like to declare Birthdays that fall on weekdays “holidays”). I’m not thrilled about being in the office today.

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 Hello RI. Goodbye NYC.

So our decision is made!!!
We’re moving to Rhode Island.
I’m excited, nervous, thrilled & anxious all at the same time.
It’s still a bit surreal in thinking that I’m not going to be a city-cat anymore – but getting closer to the water & a lifestyle more like where hubby and I came from. It’s not that we don’t love the city  – we’ve actually quite enjoyed our adventure, but now it’s time to focus on our quality of life for awhile. We both want to be on the water – and we know that trying to do that in NYC is going to cost boatloads more than it would anywhere else. Good news is – I’m staying employed with my current company and trying out a whole new opportunity. Stay tuned… more info to come!

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