The Secret Life of Cats

 

Have you ever felt too hot, lazy and unmotivated to do anything other than lay on the couch and sleep?  That is pretty much how I feel today.  I think I lost some sleep time this weekend.  While I got totally stood up by the Kid...he even called to say he was on his way but never showed up...I still didn't go to bed until 3:30am on Saturday night/Sunday morning and then I was up by about 10am or so.  And last night, I guess it was more like around 2am and I was up by 9am.  

I do have some work to do today, however, and some calls to make and a few follow-ups to do.  But as usual, I think that writing a blog post was more fun and energizing.  Also, this is energizing:

This is the stuff that has been keeping me hydrated.  I remember from my days in Brasil that during a long day on the beach, in the sun, laying in a hammock and maybe eating shrimp and a casquinha if you can find one, you have probably also been offered several aguas de coco....coconut water, straight from the coconut.  If there is a coconut tree right near your hammock, you probably saw someone scramble up it, chop off a coconut and hack off the top and insert a straw.  If you're smart, you will drink a lot of these in order to keep yourself hydrated. 

Coconut water has more electrolytes than leading sports drinks and more potassium than two bananas.  It is also a very natural way to keep yourself hydrated.  Sometimes it takes a bit to get used to the flavour, so I generally purchase the kind with pineapple flavour and of course, chilled is much better than warm, in my opinion.  

So, stay cool and stay hydrated.

What Happens After Dark in NYC?

So, since I was updating my Facebook status like every half hour tonight, I thought I should just blog about my hot date tonight...with myself and almost the NYFD.  

Mr. Hottie decided to check in via text at 7:30pm by saying, "Hey, how's it going?"  And told me not to be mad if he didn't reply right away because he was in Long Island with poor reception.  Funny thing is, I am pretty sure that anywhere as populous as Long Island probably has decent if not good coverage.  So I asked if he was blowing me off.  Oh no, babe and hun... ha ha ha. Sorry, I am 29 years old, babe and honey don't work on me any more.  He wasn't blowing me off, he was helping a friend out, but he would be home by 11pm.  But he would make it up to me.  The funny thing is, I really don't care enough for this to bother me.  I kind of can't wait to tell him off.  I am getting mean in my old age.  

So, I am watching BET...movie night.  And there is a Christmas movie on right now.  Wow, how lame do I have to be to be watching a Christmas movie on a Saturday night at midnight?  Somewhere between shopping for shoes online and Googling "pumpkin gnocchi in NYC" I decided that it was snack time (yes, I feed a lot when I am bored or sad or homesick), so I remembered I had some popcorn and that last time I made it, it could have been in a little longer.  The popcorn button had said 3.5, so I figured if I popped it for just over three and half minutes there wouldn't be so many old maids. 

The flaw in this logic lies in the popcorn button saying 3.5 but not necessarily meaning 3.5 minutes.  When I stopped the microwave about a minute early and opened it, smokey steam was emanating and as soon as I opened the bag, the same just poured out and soon the kitchen was filled with a burnt popcorn smokey haze.  I panicked a little and climbed into the sink and onto the backsplash/ledge to open the window.  I hope no pigeons fly in as they have been known to do.  Then I put the fan on high and I am hoping that eventually, the burnt popcorn smell will fade.

I have uh, encountered a pot smoke haze here once or twice, so I guess my little episode of the evening is payback.  Payback, I hear, is a bitch.

Oh, and while searching for pumpkin gnocchi, I did come across a warm hazelnut chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream and pistachio anglaise cream at Spiga.  I may have to visit Spiga before I leave if for no other reason than I love Italian food and Via Spiga.  Yes, I know there aren't any Via Spiga shoes there, but wouldn't it be great if there were?  

Where, oh where did my patience go?

Readers, forgive me, it has been two days since my last post.  It seems like two weeks.  Last night I hung out with my NYC bestie.  We got some wine and cheese and hung around her place.  I elected to spend the night on her very comfy and fashionable sofa/futon thing.  I really did not feel like going home.

Today I spent some time shopping at Macy's since they were having a huge one day sale.  While doing my laundry this morning I looked at my unmentionables and they all had holes where holes shouldn't be and I thought about the last time I had bought new ones.  I could not remember.  Hence the trip to Macy's near Herald Square.

Everyone who did not exit the city this weekend was headed downtown.  Construction was going on at my usually 110th Street subway stop, so I walked down to 96th Street, then transferred to the Q.  It was so crazy full, I kept passing cars and deciding that, as small as I am, I was not going to fit.  I finally found a me-sized spot and hopped on.  Unfortunately, tall people co-exist with short people and on stuffed subway cars, this can lead to getting elbowed in the head.  I said, "Ouch!" because it hurt and all the dude had to say was, Sorry.  Not even, Are you ok?  

Whatever.  This was to set a precedence for the day.  I had the most amazing luck exiting the subway to appear directly in front of each of my destinations, without planning it, and the worst luck getting pushed, elbowed, walked on, shoved, backed into and whatever other atrocity busy subway and retail shopping meccas could afford to bestow upon me.  I totally got rude and annoyed in response to such invasions of my personal space and well-being.  My polite Midwest nice has been disappeared. It took precisely 37 days.

Next week, I will be headed to Atlanta for...wait for it...an interview.  I am very excited about this opportunity and in preparation, am watching ATL while typing this particular post.  Ha ha ha.  It was purely coincidental that it is on BET right now and nothing else worth watching, so I though I'd do some homework.

I also think I am getting stood up or getting the brush off for this evening.  I was supposed to hang out with the Bengali last night but we both kind of had other plans and then we agreed to hang out tonight but now I can't get a hold of him to make plans.  It's all good though.  I feel like having a quiet, low-key night anyways.  And my feet hurt because I had to walk back from 96th Street to 109th.  

In other news, it seems that Fiona hides from her care taker, except when he brings over a hand held vacuum and turns it on.  Apparently she is quite fascinated by it and comes out as soon as he turns it on.  I also have 2 people looking at my condo tomorrow and my sister has decided to get married at the end of the month after all, so I will be travelling to Portland, ME for the weekend.  

Well...feeding time again, and I am thirsty in this ridiculous heat, so... keep it real, I'll be back soon.

Homesick...Wha ??? Me?!

Yes, I am feeling desperately, madly homesick today.  Why?  I don't know why.  I just think it is one of those things that you feel after oh...35 days away from home.  I cannot believe it has been 35 days already!  It seems like time has just flown right by and that it has been only two weeks or so.  I miss my kittens.  I miss the sandy beach of....Michigan.  Oh, yes, that is how homesick I am.  MICHIGAN HOMESICK! 

I have been fantasizing all day about digging sand on Lake Michigan with my nieces.  Of course, I have also been daydreaming about taking my oldest niece to see Mary Poppins on Broadway.  I have really come to love the city, everything that it has to offer, my new friends, but honestly, there is just nothing like being settled, having your own cats curled up with you, knowing where all the good hang out spots are and being able to call on dozens of friends at any given time to come hang out with you.

When I left Michigan three and a half years ago, I only had one friend.  Yep, true story.  I missed him a lot, but we both moved to other cities to start lives there.  Leaving Cincinnati has been much different.  I understand how you can get so attached to people, your friends.  I see what it is like to look at Facebook and see everyone's lives moving on, in an amazing demonstration of constant progress and movement.  I love to see what they are doing, but am not there to do it with them!  I see FB posts of what my favourite, local bars are doing...the events, the specials, the hotdog of the day at Senate....it all seems so familiar and so distant. 

My NYC Style Weekend

It started off Friday night, visiting with my new friend.  She has a really cute, clean and lovely apartment on the Upper East Side.  Not to mention the cutest little pet ferret that I have every had the pleasure of meeting.  Did you know that ferrets sleep almost all day long?  I met her sister-in-law as well, who was coming in to celebrate her first wedding anniversary (her husband was coming in on Saturday morning).  We had pizza at Gino's, down the street, and a few beers.  Then it was time for me to meet a handsome young man for a first date.

He is quite handsome, 25 years old and Bangladeshi.  Or Bengali...I am not sure what they exactly prefer to be called.  After bar hopping around the Upper East Side, a quick trek to see Times Square at night and the South Street Seaport, I finally got home around 5am.  

A short recovery day later, I went to dinner Saturday night with my roommates and a group of their friends.  The funniest part of the evening that I can remember, is being told by one of the guys that when he first saw me, he thought I was going to be a downer throughout the evening, that I would be boring, but in fact, that was not the case.  Ah yes, young man-boy, you have met a self-assured and confident woman who knows what she wants and is not afraid to be truthful and straight forward, and not afraid to be who she is.  I am sure this must be a refreshing change from the game-playing, uncertain girls of an early 20-something age.  I remember I used to be the same way.  But it makes me feel that, when I turn 30 next month, I will indeed have earned my third decade badge.  

We ate, we drank, we danced.  I left.  I think I had decided I had had enough and went to meet up with another friend who promptly sat me down, made me drink an espresso and a glass of water, then took me home in a cab.  He had the cab wait while he walked me upstairs and made sure I got inside okay.  A very, very good friend.  I am pretty lucky.

Sunday was spent pretty much in recovery mode.  I went to get coconut water with a few of the guys, then we went to breakfast at the diner whose store front serves as the front for the diner in Seinfeld where Jerry and friends frequent.  The inside is not the same, but the outside is what is used for that shot.  The food comes extremely quickly.  I had half of a bagel and a sausage before I decided that was all that my stomach was going to take.  We watched the World Cup final and afterwards, I made some calls and went for a walk and ate some dinner.

Today was a productive day again, paying bills and returning a bunch of phone calls.  I fielded another random call from a recruiter from a place I had never heard of.  Since I have updated my location information online, I have received several calls in the NYC area.  It's a good sign, I believe.

I really feel like I am ages and universes away from where I was mere months ago.  Today, I removed the ex-man-boy, T, from my Facebook friends.  Yep, so significant, right?  I have not thought about him in a while and while perusing my friends list, took a look at his page and decided that I no longer needed any connection.  He made it clear months ago that I could go eff myself, so....I guess it was just time.  No, T, it isn't that nothing will ever be good enough for me, it's just that you won't be good enough for me.  

Well, that is all for now in the misadventures of an unemployed person...stay tuned for more news soon!

Family Legends and Shorts

Have you ever noticed how in Walker, Texas Ranger that Chuck Norris, a white guy, wears a black hat and his partner, Clarence Gilyard, a black man, wears a white hat.  Just an observation.  I think Walker's right hand man, Jimmy Trivette, was one of my first black crushes when I was a teenager.  Since I grew up without television, I would watch the show when I babysat.  I thought the show was the coolest, ever.  After all, I wanted to be a police officer when I grew up and I even dreamt of being a Texas Ranger (and have a hot black partner who was every bit a gentleman as Trivette).

Family legend has it that a great-great-great-uncle on my mum's side of the family was a Texas Ranger way back in the day.  He came home one day, found his wife in bed with another man, shot him and was never seen from again.  Yep, that is my ancestry.  Very classy.

The best thing to happen so far this week was receiving a box in the mail today.  I am so grateful for my friend who is putting up with Ms. Hissy Face Fiona and took the time to pack some towels and a sheet, a pillow case, running shoes, ibuprofen, my mail and tea and sent it to me.  Oh, and a very important binder with secret information...okay, not really secret, just some notes from previous interviews, etc. that I will need soon.

So apparently, Fiona Hissy Face has not been showing herself when my friend comes over.  But recently she has taken to sitting on the stairs to the second floor and just meoooowws defensively and swipes at him with her claws.  All this from the cat I thought would be the most friendly.  Instead, it is Portia who comes out to play and purr.  I am a little confused as to what to do about Fiona and why she is acting this way.  I know it is because things have been disrupted; I am not there, and she has to deal with a stranger (stranger to her), but I thought of the two kitties, she was the most adaptable.  Any suggestions as to what to do, readers?

In other news, I am wearing....shorts!!  I cannot believe it; I hate shorts.  But, seeing as how I did not pack very well for an extended stay (I have brought several suits and business clothes and have worn only half of them), but I go through my casual clothes pretty quickly, wearing the same thing repeatedly. Not a great idea when it is this hot and I turn into a little ball of sweat and grime.  Since I came here, my face has been the worst and I have mini break-outs; at the end of the day, I just feel this layer of greasy, grimy ickiness and I just want to exfoliate every other hour.  Today is supposed to be 80% humidity.  Anyways, so I bought a cheap pair of shorts for just every day walking around.  

Yep, this is my exciting life.

New York State of Mind

My goal was to post every single day this month, but I failed miserably last night.  I had gone out to meet someone for drinks, had 2 Stellas and alas, I was super sleepy by 10pm.  Well, actually, raging headache by 9pm and zero energy.  I made myself stay up until maybe 11pm or so, since I seem to have this habit of thinking I am tired, but once I get in bed, can lie awake for hours and hours which is really annoying.

For those of you who know me well, you know that one of my top 5 values is connection.  Connection meaning having meaningful friendships, relationships, connections with others.  Not having this makes me sad and mopey.  Which is how I felt last week.  Bored and lonely, mostly.  So, I put an ad on craigslist for friends.  Yes, I will admit to doing this.  No, I am not ashamed.  I am also resourceful and know how to make things happen.

I figured this: I don't have hoards of money to be going out in this awfully expensive town in order to make friends.  And can you really make good friends by randomly meeting strangers while inebriated in a bar?  My shortest distance from point A (bored/lonely) to point B (having meaningful girl friendships) was craigslist, so I could state exactly what I was looking for.  So, I met a nice girl last night who was the first to respond to my ad.

She is cute and petite like me, very intelligent and around the same age, so I am happy to report that we got along well and will be hanging out again.  I keep chuckling to myself that it all seems like the same steps as in dating.

But the reason for the title of today's post is this: while I was going to meet her last night, I was walking up Amsterdam around 80th and of course I am pretty absorbed in my own thoughts, so when someone starts yelling, "Excuse me, ma'am" I don't really pay attention.  I feel invisible among all the people here anyway and really...ma'am?  Do I look like a ma'am?  It totally did not register so I kept walking.  Then I hear footsteps behind me and realize this kid is actually calling me.  I turn around and there is this 6', overweight obviously gay kid who I imagine was in his early twenties at the most, urgently calling me.

Normally, if someone were to call to me like this in the innocent and nice Midwest, I would assume I had toilet paper stuck to my shoe, or that I had just dropped something important on the street.  It was that kind of urgent, important, "Ma'am, excuse me, ma'am!"  But, with a relatively simple ensemble consisting of a dress, shoes and a zipped closed purse, I couldn't imagine that I had accidentally parted with anything, or if I had something stuck to my shoe, I could tolerate that for another block or so.  I did not think it smart to turn around and entertain this fellow.  Yet he starting walking after me, although not at a close distance.

I will take this opportunity to mention that almost every other time that I go out and about, someone is asking me for directions.  Usually a foreign tourist.  It happened yesterday when I went to grab some lunch.  I wonder if I look helpful or perhaps just non-threatening?  It is funny that I look like I belong here.  

Considering that when I turned to look at him, I did not get the idea that this bloke was a foreign tourist at all (the effeminate, perfect English was also a big hint), and thinking about my safety, I kept walking, made no motion or expression that I was about to entertain whatever it was he was going to say to me, and kept moving.  He literally jogged halfway down the block, as much as his overweight, large frame would allow him to jog.  His pleadings became more urgent.  His clothes had not indicated he was homeless and for the life of me, could not figure out what he wanted, and still, I kept walking.

He finally gave up and shouted, "Bitch" at me and at the corner, I crossed over, surreptitiously checked back over my shoulder and he was not in sight.  I have experienced in other places in the city, young gay men asking me how much I pay for a hair cut and then, they open these binders with collages of magazine pictures of hair-dos and try to ask more questions.  I still don't know the point or what they are trying to sell because I don't stop to talk but they are very persistent.  This kid didn't have one of these binders so I am at a loss for what he could possibly have wanted.  Let me rephrase, at a loss for what honest and true thing he could have possibly wanted.  

And that is my NYC story for the day.  Today I slept in pretty late, but at least the headache is gone and I feel more well rested.  It is time for another round of laundry, considering my shortage of casual clothing, and then perhaps because it is only supposed to be in the 80's today, I will run an errand.

In the realm of job search: things are still brewing.  I was turned down for a position for which I recently interviewed, but it was not my dream job so I am fine with that.  They were, however, so impressed with me during the interview that they will keep my resume on the top of the pile for other positions.  I am a little surprised, because I hadn't thought I was that stellar in the phone interview.  But, hey, I am pretty awesome, so I should expect that, right?  Right.  

PSA

I had the infinite pleasure today, of being on speaker phone with my kittens!!!  I heard little Portia darling meow when she heard my voice and my neighbour who facilitated the conversation said he had not seen her eyes light up so much since he had been watching the cats.  And then she was at the door, looking for me.  It was amazing to me that she could actually recognize my voice and she was excited about it.  Apparently Fiona did not make an appearance and has been the reluctant cat. We are going to try to Skype with the cats sometime this week too.  I am so excited to see how my cats respond to seeing me. 

That is all.  Carry on.

Oh, and it is really hot here.

As you were.

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." - Theodore Roosevelt, La Sorbonne, Paris, 1910

I read this quote this morning after a call with my life coach.  It is an excerpt from a speech made by Theodore Roosevelt given at the Sorbonne on April 23, 1910.  The content of the call with my life coach was mostly regarding the many decisions I am facing in the near future.  The decisions, while not necessarily imminent or certainties, include: New York or Atlanta; what to do if I have no job or condo rented by end of August; what happens if there is no UC benefit extension at the end of August; a potential relationship and how to handle it.  That is the stuff my dust and sweat and blood are made of.  

"...his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."  This resonates with me the most.  Or perhaps it is the most uplifting, encouraging and reassuring.  The tastes of victory and defeat have graced my palate.  Defeat is bitter and acridly flavoured; victory, sweet victory, is the taste that I want lingering on my tongue.  

Pictures

Larry and Mo, the pigeons who make the window ledge of our apartment their home.  Once they flew into the apartment.

My view from the couch where I update my blog and search for jobs.

One half of my room.

The other half of my room.

I have decided to stay in for the day.  I am using the excuse that, even though it is a holiday, it is so hot out (95 degrees) and anywhere I go in the city, it is liable to be crowded and I just don't feel like being swamped by thousands of hot, sweaty people in a sweltering city.  I debated going to fireworks, but just being in huge crowds in a relatively unknown place, by myself, does not appeal to me.  

So...I have been watching tele, took a nap and bought some cereal and ice cream.  I am not much of an ice cream fan, but I do like Ben and Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar ice cream and it was really hot out.  I am trying to keep up with my water consumption so I don't get dehydrated.  

In job search news, last week and this week will be slow because of the holidays.  I was submitted for a position at a National Ratings Service, but it was closed with a 6 month contract, but there will be 2 more positions instead.  I've also been submitted at a large firm based in Chicago which has a compliance position in their asset management division here in NYC.  They are a good firm to work for and pay well.  My original resume submission apparently got lost and had to be resent.  

Right now, everything is slow in the business.  Vacations and summer will definitely get in the way of hiring.  I am hoping that I will receive some kind of news on interviews this week, but realistically, it will probably be next week.  

A phone interview that I had this past Tuesday went well and the hiring manager commented that I have a great resume and shouldn't have trouble getting hired.  I'm not sure if that indicates he isn't interested in my experience for his role.  With all of the regulatory reform about to take place, there should be a greater need for compliance officers.  I'm continuing to update all of my online resumes with my NYC address and I also got a call about a possible contract position in Newark, NJ.  They want me to come in for an interview and I will have to follow up with them next week to schedule it.  And, it is 38a-1 compliance.  

I have 2 months of certain unemployment benefits remaining, so I am racing against the clock.  I need to rent my condo and find a job.  I'd settle for just finding a job right now.  I miss working so much.  I miss putting on a crisp suit, my tall heels and walking down the street, outwardly confident and self-assured.  I miss the excitement I get from reviewing business practices, reading new regulations and amendments, interpreting them, developing forensic testing and writing reports.  

It's going to happen soon.  Right?

SATC Episode I

After feeling so lonely and really missing my friends back home (it sounds funny to call it home), a friend here asked me to hang out last night.  I, of course, wore a cute dress because I have a crush on him.  We had gone to lunch the first Monday I was here and then to dinner too, and he said he felt only a friend vibe, not the fireworks he was expecting.  But I am still attracted to him and he knows that.  So...in no uncertain terms, he told me that he needed me to maintain my professionalism and no getting wasted.  I had no intentions of getting wasted because of not knowing how the evening would go and not wanting to be that girl...the one that gets sloppy drunk and starts flirting but keeps getting rejected.  I wanted to play it cool.

A quick glass of wine at his favourite corner bistro, then off to the Meat Packing District to a biergarten.  By cab, which was my first cab ride in NYC.  The biergarten was really crowded and so we bought our beer tickets and he took my hand (I so felt like a little kid whose dad didn't want her to get lost) and we made our way to his friends.  He was on the look out for a girl to talk to, and we talked to some of his friends.  He was bull shitting with the birthday boy (who turned 30, was married and had a 19 month old boy) and then turned to me to tell me that was just something he had to do, not something that he liked doing (the bull shitting bit).  It was amazing how easily he turned on the BS (and how well, I might add), then turned to me and it would be the real him.  Then he expounded on the fact that between us both, we had more brains than all the women combined there.  Brains, he said, were the single most important attribute he was looking for in a woman.  

I am not even sure what happened or how, but long story short....we somehow managed the fireworks that evening.  At one point, a girl walked by and told us what a cute couple we were.  Neither of us really said anything; I was still playing it cool.  Some guy also walked up to me and said, Wow, you're really short!  I think he meant it as a pick up line or something, because he postured in a way that meant he wanted to talk to me.  My friend swooped in (rather quickly, I might add), put his arm around me and steered me away.  

He has always taken care of me well when we go out, making sure I'm not hungry or thirsty, makes me take vitamins (ha!), and generally just "coddles" me as he says.  He makes sure I know which train to get on, walks me there, wants me to tell him when I get home.  He gives me advice on being safe in the city and what to watch out for.  The first time we went to dinner, I insisted on paying my half (he let me).  I even offered last night, but he took care of everything.  He is polite, opens doors for me in a not showing off way, but in a natural, I always do this sort of way.  Good manners are important to him.  It's the first time in a long time that a man has taken care of me so well and I must admit that it is hard to let him do so.

That's not to say the situation is not confusing.  We agreed to see each other again and we did discuss a little bit why the sudden change of heart on his part.  He knows that I have remained interested in him.  The thing is, I played it cool all night.  When he was on the look out for smart birds, I showed no distress and humoured him.  But perhaps my brain and my charms won him over...

Ah....seems like an episode of Sex and the City.

10 Tips for Living in NYC

1. Must be tall and skinny.  You can see over the crowds on the street, and will look good in all the latest fashions, such as this one.
2. Wear a black knit dress, preferably with a belt, cinched casually around your skinny little waist to show that you have no hips or ass.  Dress up with great accessories.
3. Buy cuffed sandals and wear them with your black knit dress.  It would be nice if they were gold or silver, or some shiny metallic colour, but black and brown ones will do just fine too.
4. Rush to get everywhere.  Run if you must, to show your sense of urgency.  Get exasperated if the train doors don't close quickly enough for you.
5. Be fashionable at all times and look effortlessly and perfectly styled.
6. If you are a man, impeccable grooming and having lots of quid to spend on women is a must.  Otherwise they won't give you the time of day.  
7. Grocery shop daily instead of weekly or even less often, unless you eat out on a regular basis.  Since you have to carry everything to the train or walk from the store to home, and carry the bags at least three flights of stairs, it just makes sense to not have a lot of heavy bags.
8. Do not be easily distracted.  There are lots of people, noises, lights, smells and shiny objects (sometimes in the form of overly sequined clothes), so you must be able to focus on walking so you don't walk into people.  
9. Have your iPod handy and in use at almost all times.  On the subway, while shopping or walking down the street, you must have those little earbuds in your ears.  It shows a lack of connection to the outside world and this is tre chic. 
10. Survival instincts (powers of observation and the art of imitation).  It's a jungle out there, kids.