Well I've managed to get through my first week back at Cal Poly. I am not in my best condition though I must admit. For one, I am most definitely sick, but it's the kind where you can still keep going with that limp. Perhaps I should have just slept all of today. Not that I had a choice since I had to wake up at 7am to get ready for church sermons and such. But gone back to sleep...that would have been nice. Ah well. It was a good day. But I'm definitely not feeling any healthier. My throat is dry and constricted, I can't breathe, and my head kind of throbs. Ugh. But at least nothing hurts.
Anywho, enough about the bad stuff. Week one was great. I'm taking Programming Languages I, Software Requirements Capstone, Artificial Intelligence, and Ballroom Dancing. I'm highly considering dropping AI since I don't need it. Capstone is going to be awesome (we're working with Intuit), and PL is gonna kick my ass. Bring it! A note about Ballroom Dancing...I am the only Asian in the class (with the exception of the instructor herself), and I am by far the tallest girl in class. By at least two inches from the next tallest girl (there are maybe about 3 or 4 in this height range) and at least 6-8 inches from all the rest of the girls in class. It is ridiculous how tiny some of these girls are. Who knew?
I've also discovered something about myself. I always thought that I had a problem with dry lectures (who doesn't), but now I realize that I'm falling asleep in most of my lectures and have to try extremely hard to stay awake or keep my eyes from getting heavy. I'm not even talking about dry lectures. I was very engaged some of the lectures this week, but found myself getting heavy eye lids despite this until I started focusing on something completely different, like taking out my laptop and surfing the web (bad I know), or letting my thoughts wander into solving a problem outside of class or something. I have the hardest time staying focused...and when I am, I get heavy eyelids. I even get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, which is a big difference from previous years. I can't win!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
How has your heart been hardened and then broken by God's grace?
My two minute sermon testimony at Mt. Carmel Church Service...
I was about the age of 15 or 16 when I started to realize that the world was not a bubble so perfectly shaped around me. I had been sheltered most of my life through the storm of divorce and sickness. But that roof had finally blown away. My heart was hardened.
I remember I would pray through tears at night to a God that I didn't really understand for things like...more ice cream after dinner, and A on a test that I didn't study for, for my parents to be happy, and for my dad to get better...a miracle if you will. You see, my dad was sick.
Then I started to realize my dad as himself. He was always smiling, always encouraging, still teaching me new things, playing a heated game of chess and sometimes letting me win, head buried in text books and scientific magazines, laughing at jokes and memories from when I was a child, like paramecia and runny noses. He always told me everything was okay. And I believed him.
Now let me tell you about my father. He had cancer when I was two years old. He went through radiation treatment which left him cancer free, but with terrible side effects. He had minimal eye-sight, loss of hearing, loss of equilibrium, skin disorders, hardened neck muscles (can you imagine not being able to turn your neck?), loss of saliva glands, and a stomach tube...and later on a trach tube. Yet he was one of the most loving people that I know. He spoke of a God and of unconditional love. And God's grace flowed through my father and showed itself to me.
My father passed away on August 17, 2007. But I had no doubt that I was loved and will always be. Something I didn't realize until recently is that I did get that miracle that I prayed so fervently for as a child. I had always expected my miracle to be a full healing of my father, but God works in other ways. The doctors had given him five years to live after he was diagnosed. Instead, he lived for over twenty years and I had him in my life growing up. He was sick since I remember yes, but I can't imagine my life without my dad in it. He's been such a big part of it. Thank you God.
I was about the age of 15 or 16 when I started to realize that the world was not a bubble so perfectly shaped around me. I had been sheltered most of my life through the storm of divorce and sickness. But that roof had finally blown away. My heart was hardened.
I remember I would pray through tears at night to a God that I didn't really understand for things like...more ice cream after dinner, and A on a test that I didn't study for, for my parents to be happy, and for my dad to get better...a miracle if you will. You see, my dad was sick.
Then I started to realize my dad as himself. He was always smiling, always encouraging, still teaching me new things, playing a heated game of chess and sometimes letting me win, head buried in text books and scientific magazines, laughing at jokes and memories from when I was a child, like paramecia and runny noses. He always told me everything was okay. And I believed him.
Now let me tell you about my father. He had cancer when I was two years old. He went through radiation treatment which left him cancer free, but with terrible side effects. He had minimal eye-sight, loss of hearing, loss of equilibrium, skin disorders, hardened neck muscles (can you imagine not being able to turn your neck?), loss of saliva glands, and a stomach tube...and later on a trach tube. Yet he was one of the most loving people that I know. He spoke of a God and of unconditional love. And God's grace flowed through my father and showed itself to me.
My father passed away on August 17, 2007. But I had no doubt that I was loved and will always be. Something I didn't realize until recently is that I did get that miracle that I prayed so fervently for as a child. I had always expected my miracle to be a full healing of my father, but God works in other ways. The doctors had given him five years to live after he was diagnosed. Instead, he lived for over twenty years and I had him in my life growing up. He was sick since I remember yes, but I can't imagine my life without my dad in it. He's been such a big part of it. Thank you God.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Something About Home
So I finally made it back to SLO. In my room. Contemplating sleep. It was on a whim you know. I received an email talking about a meeting tomorrow at 9am and I was like oh shewt. I hadn't planned on coming back until tomorrow afternoon. I still had a pile of things to do. And I wasn't at all packed. But what can ya do? So I did what I could, had a home cooked meal with the family (mom doesn't cook often, but it's fabulous when she does), took a shower, and got distracted playing with the pup and watching Myth Busters with Jimmy. Did you know...if you interleave individual pages of two phone books together like shuffling two decks of cards, that the friction in the pages would need over 8000 pounds of force to separate? It's craziness. And true.
It's always a weird state of mind whenever I'm home. I keep thinking it's my family that drives me nuts, but I still love and admire them like nobody else in this world. And yet, I feel like I'm so unproductive when I'm home. I spend my time trying to do all the back log items, like cleaning the house, organizing, ridding the computer of spyware and viruses. And I sit in bed and read or do stuff on the computer quite a lot. And nap. I seem to do a lot of napping when I'm home. All in all, I do a lot, and yet I feel utterly unproductive.
On the other hand, I come up to SLO and get one thing done after another. Emailing this, sending that, meetings, study groups, organizing, reading, programing. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's because at home, it's not my space anymore. My room has turned into Jimmy's study room and full of old furniture that I can't do much with. I don't use the drawers, the shelves are full of other books and papers not mine, and the bed frame is taped to hold it together lol. I live out of my bags at the foot of my bed. So perhaps I just need to make it my space. Take back my desk. Get rid of the over heating virus infested computer from my room. And move my college furniture on in. Or just get my own place when I graduate lol.
It's always a weird state of mind whenever I'm home. I keep thinking it's my family that drives me nuts, but I still love and admire them like nobody else in this world. And yet, I feel like I'm so unproductive when I'm home. I spend my time trying to do all the back log items, like cleaning the house, organizing, ridding the computer of spyware and viruses. And I sit in bed and read or do stuff on the computer quite a lot. And nap. I seem to do a lot of napping when I'm home. All in all, I do a lot, and yet I feel utterly unproductive.
On the other hand, I come up to SLO and get one thing done after another. Emailing this, sending that, meetings, study groups, organizing, reading, programing. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's because at home, it's not my space anymore. My room has turned into Jimmy's study room and full of old furniture that I can't do much with. I don't use the drawers, the shelves are full of other books and papers not mine, and the bed frame is taped to hold it together lol. I live out of my bags at the foot of my bed. So perhaps I just need to make it my space. Take back my desk. Get rid of the over heating virus infested computer from my room. And move my college furniture on in. Or just get my own place when I graduate lol.
Monday, September 15, 2008
New York to Los Angeles
It was hard to wake up this morning I was so tired. I went to bed at around 1:30am last night and woke up at 7:10am this morning to hop in the shower and decide on what I wanted to wear. I decided on a white dress. Comfortable and cool in this hot humid weather. I've only worn a dress twice on this trip and both times have been when meeting up with Ryan. I thought I'd change for the plane, but decided that the dress was perfect fot the plane ride as well. Subtly in the back of my head, I think that when a girl looks nice she gets treated better by those around her as well, such as the shuttle bus driver or people in the airport...I could be wrong but who knows.
Ryan was late by a half hour, but I didn't mind. I had perched myself on a bench outside on the corner and continued to read Eat Pray Love. Turns out he had stayed at work til about 2:30am so I'm just amazed that he was able to wake up to have breakfast with me at 8am. The fate of a potential wall street disaster has kept people in the financial business working through the weekend and the night. It's a big deal. Lehman Brothers, the 4th largest financial firm in the US will likely be filing for bankruptcy, thanks to the investments in dropping housing market, if nobody buys them out. Barclay has backed out, and BofA took up the opportunity to buy Merril Lynch instead. If Lehman goes down, it is likely that it will take down other financial companies with it and greatly contribute to our economy's recession. So Ryan, along with many others, worked late into the night to do analysis on their files at JP Morgan Chase. I watched CNN news last night and saw people leaving with bags and boxes of stuff from the Lehman Brothers building. That must be tough to be so quickly without a job...just like that.
We walked down to the corner of 57th and 11th and shared french toast and a western omlet at a small diner. The food was pretty good and darn cheap compared to a regular meal in the City. We talked about the banking industry, traveling, and just life. I felt very comfortable around him...it's as if we didn't spend 12 years apart as friends lol. We have a lot in common and I hope he makes an effort to keep in contact as well.
I walked with him to the subway station at Columbus Circle and we split up to go our separate ways. I can kick myself for not getting a picture though. Oh well. Perhaps in the next 12 years eh? On a whim, I headed down to Union Square area taking the 1 and getting off at 18th Street. I walked around and bought some pink roses for Aunt Margaret and picked up a few fruits and a coffee at the farmers market. Aunt Margaret liked the flowers and I put them into a hairspray nalgene bottle for her (LOL) as a vase. Then it was time to pack up, spend some time with Aunt Margaret, and head downstairs to wait for the Blue Shuttle. I'm going to miss New York I thought to myself. For a city, I was relaxed most of the time I was here. I walked a lot, and experienced a lot of the City despite also not doing anything a lot of the time as well. I seem to be good at that...looking like I'm doing absolutely nothing all the time, and yet still being busy going out all the time. An odd mix of extremes.
I'm going to miss Aunt Margaret too. I think she's younger at heart than I am even though she's 81. We have a lot in common and I absolutely loved spending my time and evenings with her. She's got a coop in Queens that I'm considering taking off her hands if I like it. It's too bad that she didn't tell me before so I could have gone to check it out yesterday. Oh well, I'll go check it out next time I'm in New York, which hopefully will be soon. As well as see cousin Jimmy who does IT at a law firm in Manhattan and other family members I might've only met once before. Buying a place on the east coast is somewhat feasible now that the LA house is officially rented as well. Next house after that...Italy. Or Monaco lol.
I slept in the front seat of the full shuttle bus on the way to the airport. I wanted to see the scenery around me as we drove from Manhattan to JFK, but I could not stay awake for the life of me. I was awoken when we got there by Erik's phone call asking for technical elective recommendations in Computer Science. I was so groggy that I couldn't really think straight and I said I'd get back to him lol. The plane ride went smooth, and now I'm back in California. Good ole California...but it's just not New York.
Ryan was late by a half hour, but I didn't mind. I had perched myself on a bench outside on the corner and continued to read Eat Pray Love. Turns out he had stayed at work til about 2:30am so I'm just amazed that he was able to wake up to have breakfast with me at 8am. The fate of a potential wall street disaster has kept people in the financial business working through the weekend and the night. It's a big deal. Lehman Brothers, the 4th largest financial firm in the US will likely be filing for bankruptcy, thanks to the investments in dropping housing market, if nobody buys them out. Barclay has backed out, and BofA took up the opportunity to buy Merril Lynch instead. If Lehman goes down, it is likely that it will take down other financial companies with it and greatly contribute to our economy's recession. So Ryan, along with many others, worked late into the night to do analysis on their files at JP Morgan Chase. I watched CNN news last night and saw people leaving with bags and boxes of stuff from the Lehman Brothers building. That must be tough to be so quickly without a job...just like that.
We walked down to the corner of 57th and 11th and shared french toast and a western omlet at a small diner. The food was pretty good and darn cheap compared to a regular meal in the City. We talked about the banking industry, traveling, and just life. I felt very comfortable around him...it's as if we didn't spend 12 years apart as friends lol. We have a lot in common and I hope he makes an effort to keep in contact as well.
I walked with him to the subway station at Columbus Circle and we split up to go our separate ways. I can kick myself for not getting a picture though. Oh well. Perhaps in the next 12 years eh? On a whim, I headed down to Union Square area taking the 1 and getting off at 18th Street. I walked around and bought some pink roses for Aunt Margaret and picked up a few fruits and a coffee at the farmers market. Aunt Margaret liked the flowers and I put them into a hairspray nalgene bottle for her (LOL) as a vase. Then it was time to pack up, spend some time with Aunt Margaret, and head downstairs to wait for the Blue Shuttle. I'm going to miss New York I thought to myself. For a city, I was relaxed most of the time I was here. I walked a lot, and experienced a lot of the City despite also not doing anything a lot of the time as well. I seem to be good at that...looking like I'm doing absolutely nothing all the time, and yet still being busy going out all the time. An odd mix of extremes.
I'm going to miss Aunt Margaret too. I think she's younger at heart than I am even though she's 81. We have a lot in common and I absolutely loved spending my time and evenings with her. She's got a coop in Queens that I'm considering taking off her hands if I like it. It's too bad that she didn't tell me before so I could have gone to check it out yesterday. Oh well, I'll go check it out next time I'm in New York, which hopefully will be soon. As well as see cousin Jimmy who does IT at a law firm in Manhattan and other family members I might've only met once before. Buying a place on the east coast is somewhat feasible now that the LA house is officially rented as well. Next house after that...Italy. Or Monaco lol.
I slept in the front seat of the full shuttle bus on the way to the airport. I wanted to see the scenery around me as we drove from Manhattan to JFK, but I could not stay awake for the life of me. I was awoken when we got there by Erik's phone call asking for technical elective recommendations in Computer Science. I was so groggy that I couldn't really think straight and I said I'd get back to him lol. The plane ride went smooth, and now I'm back in California. Good ole California...but it's just not New York.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Sunday Afternoon
Today was a pretty relaxing day in the fifth story apartment. I got to talk to friends from Sweden, Belgium, and Orange County all at the same time. :) Ah, technology these days.
I spend most of the evening setting up my Aunt's computer and teaching her how to use email with her new GMail account I created for her. She's having a hard time using the mouse and the whole concept of it all is a bit frustrating for her (she keeps saying she's dumb), but I think she's smarter than anyone else I know her age...she's actually trying to use the internet! That's amazing in itself. Besides, using a mouse for the first time ever is difficult for anyone.
I ordered hamburger delivery from a place with high ratings on Yelp called Island Hamburgers. The meat patties were like gigantic balls of meat. It was all quite delicious and my aunt was amazed at the size. She kept their number and I'm sure she'll be calling them again, especially when she has other visitors in town.
We talked about taking trips to Colorado to visit Aunt Patsie and about going to Ireland next April. I am so in...at least I hope I am. I should book my ticket to Europe soon so that there's no more question about whether I'm going or not. I do have to start looking into my financials to see if I can make the trip and for how long doing what. My trip to NYC for two weeks was pretty pricey and I didn't even pay for my plane ticket or half my meals. (Transportation costs will eat you alive if you aren't patient enough to take the subway everywhere...and I'm not that patient).
I spend most of the evening setting up my Aunt's computer and teaching her how to use email with her new GMail account I created for her. She's having a hard time using the mouse and the whole concept of it all is a bit frustrating for her (she keeps saying she's dumb), but I think she's smarter than anyone else I know her age...she's actually trying to use the internet! That's amazing in itself. Besides, using a mouse for the first time ever is difficult for anyone.
I ordered hamburger delivery from a place with high ratings on Yelp called Island Hamburgers. The meat patties were like gigantic balls of meat. It was all quite delicious and my aunt was amazed at the size. She kept their number and I'm sure she'll be calling them again, especially when she has other visitors in town.
We talked about taking trips to Colorado to visit Aunt Patsie and about going to Ireland next April. I am so in...at least I hope I am. I should book my ticket to Europe soon so that there's no more question about whether I'm going or not. I do have to start looking into my financials to see if I can make the trip and for how long doing what. My trip to NYC for two weeks was pretty pricey and I didn't even pay for my plane ticket or half my meals. (Transportation costs will eat you alive if you aren't patient enough to take the subway everywhere...and I'm not that patient).
Saturday, September 13, 2008
MoMA
I came across a street fair on 6th Avenue this morning. The trash cans are overflowing. The food is magnificent. And it was for blocks.
Then I spent the day at MoMA...amazing. The museum was great and the Dali exhibit was fascinating. Especially all the abstract paintings and eye balls. But even more, their store...oh em gee. I am a fan of the MoMA store lol.
Then I spent the day at MoMA...amazing. The museum was great and the Dali exhibit was fascinating. Especially all the abstract paintings and eye balls. But even more, their store...oh em gee. I am a fan of the MoMA store lol.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Milk Culprit
I just took the last bit of Nate's milk for a bowl of cereal. He's still sleeping lol. Hopefully...he doesn't mind. ;)
Princeton, New Jersey
It's a beautiful day. I've never seen rain look so pretty.
I woke up this morning in a groggy state. I never seem to get enough sleep at night. But it's another exciting day on the east coast. Nate is in the living room having a meeting with one of his RAs and Rachel is still in the next room. I pull myself out of bed and peek my head out to see if I could take a shower, but decide it's best to wait until his meeting is over. Silently I close the door and let my brain start thinking. I look at my cell phone and remember to call United Airlines wondering if I should extend my stay here in the east coast or not.
Why not. I look up the number and decide to leave Monday afternoon on the 3:40pm flight out of JFK. Monday it is! I hang up the phone and think to myself...now what? Lol. As if I had any plans (I don't). A second later I hear a knock on the door. Nate's done with his meeting and it's time to eat breakfast (Captain Crunch yum) and take a shower to get ready for a day trip to Princeton.
Princeton is gorgeous. High class. Historic. Sophisticated. Sophisticated...that's the word I would use if I had to decribe it in one word. We turn onto Washinton Street and it is a paved road lined with trees a mile down. Everything is so green and lush. The sky is overcast just right to give that emotional effect. From this street, we pull into the town itself and I turn into a puppy in the back seat, looking everywhere and amazed by everything. All the buildings on campus are bricks and stone and look like they were just built...how they keep them looking that good is amazing. Students are walking around and they are all dressed up nice and preppy. We pull further into town on the edge of campus and you can tell that this is a posh town. Boutiques everywhere. Older people and parents walking down the street in suits and dresses. You could tell that even people dressed casually were dressed casually in fine brands and quality clothing. And the cars were all expensive and shiny. Lots of old money here.
We took a tour of the Morven Museum which is basically the household of the Stockton family (hence the name Stockton everywhere, both in New Jersey and California). It was a good tour. And the garden was beautiful. We hit up an italian place for lunch and the pizza was scrumptious...Chicago style as I was told.
It was starting to rain, so we headed back to the car to pick up umbrellas (just in time too) before heading back to a bakery to try some goodies. They were alright. The chocolate cake was too rich for my taste and the pastry was too buttery. We walked further into town and then back towards the campus. I asked if we could walk into campus and they said sure so we headed into the stone walls of Princeton University. My goodness. I've never seen anything like it. It's like stepping into Harry Potter or something of the sort. Beautiful architecture. Green trees. The dorms looked like castles. It would be so awesome to go here. We stopped by the Art Museum and University Store before leaving and I picked up a duffle bag, more for the purpose of carrying other items I'd bought in New York. Course, I'd feel a little silly since carrying around the bag in California when I never went to Princeton U so it would be a little tricky. But oh well it's my memorabalia of this beautiful place.
My toes were squishing in my shoes by the time we got back to the car. It took a while to get out of town with the one lone street to head out in and traffic building up. I was tired. When we got back to Rutgers, Rachel proceeded to pass out right away and I repacked my bags using my Princeton duffle. Perfect. :) Now I can take a nap before dinner and a train back to NYC tonight. Oh how I love the east coast.
I woke up this morning in a groggy state. I never seem to get enough sleep at night. But it's another exciting day on the east coast. Nate is in the living room having a meeting with one of his RAs and Rachel is still in the next room. I pull myself out of bed and peek my head out to see if I could take a shower, but decide it's best to wait until his meeting is over. Silently I close the door and let my brain start thinking. I look at my cell phone and remember to call United Airlines wondering if I should extend my stay here in the east coast or not.
Why not. I look up the number and decide to leave Monday afternoon on the 3:40pm flight out of JFK. Monday it is! I hang up the phone and think to myself...now what? Lol. As if I had any plans (I don't). A second later I hear a knock on the door. Nate's done with his meeting and it's time to eat breakfast (Captain Crunch yum) and take a shower to get ready for a day trip to Princeton.
Princeton is gorgeous. High class. Historic. Sophisticated. Sophisticated...that's the word I would use if I had to decribe it in one word. We turn onto Washinton Street and it is a paved road lined with trees a mile down. Everything is so green and lush. The sky is overcast just right to give that emotional effect. From this street, we pull into the town itself and I turn into a puppy in the back seat, looking everywhere and amazed by everything. All the buildings on campus are bricks and stone and look like they were just built...how they keep them looking that good is amazing. Students are walking around and they are all dressed up nice and preppy. We pull further into town on the edge of campus and you can tell that this is a posh town. Boutiques everywhere. Older people and parents walking down the street in suits and dresses. You could tell that even people dressed casually were dressed casually in fine brands and quality clothing. And the cars were all expensive and shiny. Lots of old money here.
We took a tour of the Morven Museum which is basically the household of the Stockton family (hence the name Stockton everywhere, both in New Jersey and California). It was a good tour. And the garden was beautiful. We hit up an italian place for lunch and the pizza was scrumptious...Chicago style as I was told.
It was starting to rain, so we headed back to the car to pick up umbrellas (just in time too) before heading back to a bakery to try some goodies. They were alright. The chocolate cake was too rich for my taste and the pastry was too buttery. We walked further into town and then back towards the campus. I asked if we could walk into campus and they said sure so we headed into the stone walls of Princeton University. My goodness. I've never seen anything like it. It's like stepping into Harry Potter or something of the sort. Beautiful architecture. Green trees. The dorms looked like castles. It would be so awesome to go here. We stopped by the Art Museum and University Store before leaving and I picked up a duffle bag, more for the purpose of carrying other items I'd bought in New York. Course, I'd feel a little silly since carrying around the bag in California when I never went to Princeton U so it would be a little tricky. But oh well it's my memorabalia of this beautiful place.
My toes were squishing in my shoes by the time we got back to the car. It took a while to get out of town with the one lone street to head out in and traffic building up. I was tired. When we got back to Rutgers, Rachel proceeded to pass out right away and I repacked my bags using my Princeton duffle. Perfect. :) Now I can take a nap before dinner and a train back to NYC tonight. Oh how I love the east coast.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Elizabeth, New Bruinswick, and Rutgers
I wake up later than I intended to today because I had forgotten to take my phone off silent after Broadway last night. Shoot. I'm still dead tired too. I think it's the floor. I drag myself to the shower after Josh leaves for work giving me a wake up nudge on his way out. Making sure I have everything (all this moving around is going to make me forget something somewhere I swear), I head out and give the key to the front desk telling them no, I'm not leaving yet, and start walking to Penn Station about 11 blocks away on 34th Street. It's always an interesting adventure when you haven't taken a certain route yet (in this case, NJ Transit), and you wander around looking for where you're supposed to go next. I'm never worried because I know I'll find my way around. But I'm not one of those people who can just walk and look like they know where they're going. When I don't know where I'm going or am not sure what to do next...I definitely look like I have no idea what I'm doing. I look up information and directions beforehand online, but not extensively, so I'm more of a go with the flow kind of person. And I ask lots of questions. If you smile while asking it, people are more than happy to help you. And, as I discovered, if you wear a dress or something nice (a damsel in distress look maybe?), people will come up to ask you if you need help with directions LOL. Or maybe I really just look THAT lost lol. Of course, they tend to come up right when I just figure it out so I ask some stupid question I already know like..."Which way is ___?" when I already know the answer. Perhaps I just like confirmation because sometimes I know I'm wrong.
Anyways, I awkwardly get all my stuff onto the train and take off to Elizabeth, NY. Note to self and rest of the world: DO NOT take the elevator down from the train platform to street level in Elizabeth. It apparently has a second use as a public restroom. There are stains to prove it if the smell doesn't kill you first. I don't care if I have to lug down ten bags...I'm taking the stairs. I see a 9/11 memorial in front of the station...how appropriate considering today is 9/11.
Nate's right on time pulling up to the side of the road within a minute of my arrival with a hoooonk to announce his presence. I load up my stuff and we take off down the street to get hot dogs for lunch. There are apparently two hot dog places competing right next to each other and how they both survive is beyond me. Jerry's is the only place that Nate will eat at...a devoted patron. We take our "the works" hot dogs and sit on a bench to enjoy the outside air and chat. I can't believe I'm here. After all this talk for the past year about the east coast this and that, I'm here. My world just got a little smaller...in a good way. Friend's aren't quite so far anymore. We stop by the house he grew up in and I meet his brother and dogs. Omg I love dogs and the pugs were so cute. Onyx was too of course. :) I'm baffled by how steep the stairs are in the house. You definitely couldn't run down those stairs. I actually had to go down them sideways to make sure I didn't fall.
Anyways it's time to go and we hop onto the breezeway towards New Bruinswick after a Dunkin Donuts pit stop for some Munchkins and Iced Coffee. There are tolls all over these freeways. I thought it must be annoying at first, but it made sense since it meant that only the people who used the freeways actually paid the "tax" on them. Unlike California where everyone pays and a chunck of our tax dollars goes towards maintaining the roads whether you used them or not. So perhaps they're smarter in that sense, but that sucks to have to stop every few miles to pay...time eater...gas guzzler?
We pull off the freeway and arrive on the Rutgers campus. The land opens up and the buildings and trees greet you like "Ta-daaa." The weather is gloomy but in a rather welcoming way. It's almost emotional. Unfortunately, the weather doesn't go to well with the dormitories. I feel like I'm in a gloomy cave walking into the apartment since the light is so dim and the walls are bare. But he's a hall director so he's got a place normally used to fit four people all to himself. It's mostly the lighting though that makes me feel almost isolated. I notice some asian decor on the wall and scent of eucalyptus makes me smile. Not that I'm Asian enough to "feel at home" in this setting lol...but it smells good. Nate puts on some classical music and shows me around the place. Okay, he is officially more Asian than me since he has a rice cooker and...I don't. Lol. I get myself settled and we head out, umbrellas in hand, to take a tour of the campus and town.
There's a football game today and the campus is swarming with students and family in their red shirts and hats. And I mean...everywhere!!! BBQs, tail gate parties, beer pong in parking lots...it's one huge party of a few thousand people all over campus. Bright red every where you look. They rented out charter buses to transfer the students all around and between campuses. We tried to catch an A bus but the swarms of students waiting to get on was quite dense. Nate pushes his way to an upcoming bus with me right behind him and manages to get on, but somehow between him and me another 5 students pushed on through. I was standing halfway up the steps on the bus and it didn't seem like I was going to get up much further than that. The driver was a prick and just sat there not saying anything like pack on back or if we should get off or anything. He just sat there until we looked at him and he said he needed to be able to see and so everyone behind me got off. I should have too, but what would I do without Nate, packed in five people infront of me lol. I squeeze myself into the first row leaning against the front railing practically sitting in the girls lap, but it's enough for the driver to close the doors and head on out. I stand in this awkward position for what seems like forever leaning all my weight on one arm against the railing under me and three people literally (yes literally) standing ON my feet in the aisle. I guess it helped hold me down from falling over the railing when the guy stepped on the brakes. But thank goodness I didn't wear flip flops.
I'm facing the back of the bus and all these students have blank bored looks on their faces. I on the other hand am grinning ear to ear I'm so exicted to be here and looking every which way out all the windows at the scenery passing by. They don't even check for my ID which surprises me really. We get off at the main campus and walk around the streets, through downtown New Bruinswick, and back through campus. It feels small and big at the same time...probably because it's all new to me. Nate reminises on his olden days as an undergraduate. I find it funny how he speaks because it was so "different" back then and yet here he is a student once again. It's the same...just different perspective. A prime example of what time does to us and our maturity. I feel old too talking about the fraternity parties and drinking when here I am a 23 year old who didn't even do any of that stuff until I was almost 22. It's been like a year and already it was old stuff to me lol. Somewhat at least.
We catch a bus back to the stadium and the dorms and start walking back against the crowd. There was a guy in front of us on the bus that was talking on the phone and then passed out within two minutes of hanging up. The poor guy's head kept falling sideways and he'd wake up to sit up again and then nod off. When we reached the end of the line, Nate got up and gave him a nudge. The guy didn't budge. "Is this guy for real" he says and gives him a small punch. Nothing. The guy wakes up when Nate shakes his shoulder and we all head off the bus. You gotta kinda hop skip down the steps and this guy almost ate it coming down. If you haven't figured it out already, this guy was drunk off his ass. How do you enjoy a football game or time with friends if you're that drunk? Sheesh. He proceeded to thank Nate for waking him up and told him he'd had 15 shots. Goodness. That would kill me.
We walk back like salmon swiming up stream against the crowd of people headed to BBQs and the stadium and turn on the game back in the dorms. Haha Nate passes out on the floor cause he's so tired. That's really nice of him to show me around the town and I smile to myself thinking that I have such great friends. Then it's time to hit up a potluck across campus and watch the game. Rutgers played North Carolina, who hadn't won a game on the road in 6 years, and were squashed by them. It was sad. By the third quarter, the stadium had emptied out of spectators. A guy even flicked off the camera and the rest of the world on ESPN (someone out there is in trouble), and they showed a poor boy who was distraught that they were loosing and had the saddest face with wide eyes and a towel covering up his mouth (like an "oh no"). It was hilarious and they kept showing it I almost felt bad for the guy who got this national coverage, but it was just too funny. Anyways, yea, Rutgers lost big time. (they lost to Fresno State in the first game too)
Anyways, I awkwardly get all my stuff onto the train and take off to Elizabeth, NY. Note to self and rest of the world: DO NOT take the elevator down from the train platform to street level in Elizabeth. It apparently has a second use as a public restroom. There are stains to prove it if the smell doesn't kill you first. I don't care if I have to lug down ten bags...I'm taking the stairs. I see a 9/11 memorial in front of the station...how appropriate considering today is 9/11.
Nate's right on time pulling up to the side of the road within a minute of my arrival with a hoooonk to announce his presence. I load up my stuff and we take off down the street to get hot dogs for lunch. There are apparently two hot dog places competing right next to each other and how they both survive is beyond me. Jerry's is the only place that Nate will eat at...a devoted patron. We take our "the works" hot dogs and sit on a bench to enjoy the outside air and chat. I can't believe I'm here. After all this talk for the past year about the east coast this and that, I'm here. My world just got a little smaller...in a good way. Friend's aren't quite so far anymore. We stop by the house he grew up in and I meet his brother and dogs. Omg I love dogs and the pugs were so cute. Onyx was too of course. :) I'm baffled by how steep the stairs are in the house. You definitely couldn't run down those stairs. I actually had to go down them sideways to make sure I didn't fall.
Anyways it's time to go and we hop onto the breezeway towards New Bruinswick after a Dunkin Donuts pit stop for some Munchkins and Iced Coffee. There are tolls all over these freeways. I thought it must be annoying at first, but it made sense since it meant that only the people who used the freeways actually paid the "tax" on them. Unlike California where everyone pays and a chunck of our tax dollars goes towards maintaining the roads whether you used them or not. So perhaps they're smarter in that sense, but that sucks to have to stop every few miles to pay...time eater...gas guzzler?
We pull off the freeway and arrive on the Rutgers campus. The land opens up and the buildings and trees greet you like "Ta-daaa." The weather is gloomy but in a rather welcoming way. It's almost emotional. Unfortunately, the weather doesn't go to well with the dormitories. I feel like I'm in a gloomy cave walking into the apartment since the light is so dim and the walls are bare. But he's a hall director so he's got a place normally used to fit four people all to himself. It's mostly the lighting though that makes me feel almost isolated. I notice some asian decor on the wall and scent of eucalyptus makes me smile. Not that I'm Asian enough to "feel at home" in this setting lol...but it smells good. Nate puts on some classical music and shows me around the place. Okay, he is officially more Asian than me since he has a rice cooker and...I don't. Lol. I get myself settled and we head out, umbrellas in hand, to take a tour of the campus and town.
There's a football game today and the campus is swarming with students and family in their red shirts and hats. And I mean...everywhere!!! BBQs, tail gate parties, beer pong in parking lots...it's one huge party of a few thousand people all over campus. Bright red every where you look. They rented out charter buses to transfer the students all around and between campuses. We tried to catch an A bus but the swarms of students waiting to get on was quite dense. Nate pushes his way to an upcoming bus with me right behind him and manages to get on, but somehow between him and me another 5 students pushed on through. I was standing halfway up the steps on the bus and it didn't seem like I was going to get up much further than that. The driver was a prick and just sat there not saying anything like pack on back or if we should get off or anything. He just sat there until we looked at him and he said he needed to be able to see and so everyone behind me got off. I should have too, but what would I do without Nate, packed in five people infront of me lol. I squeeze myself into the first row leaning against the front railing practically sitting in the girls lap, but it's enough for the driver to close the doors and head on out. I stand in this awkward position for what seems like forever leaning all my weight on one arm against the railing under me and three people literally (yes literally) standing ON my feet in the aisle. I guess it helped hold me down from falling over the railing when the guy stepped on the brakes. But thank goodness I didn't wear flip flops.
I'm facing the back of the bus and all these students have blank bored looks on their faces. I on the other hand am grinning ear to ear I'm so exicted to be here and looking every which way out all the windows at the scenery passing by. They don't even check for my ID which surprises me really. We get off at the main campus and walk around the streets, through downtown New Bruinswick, and back through campus. It feels small and big at the same time...probably because it's all new to me. Nate reminises on his olden days as an undergraduate. I find it funny how he speaks because it was so "different" back then and yet here he is a student once again. It's the same...just different perspective. A prime example of what time does to us and our maturity. I feel old too talking about the fraternity parties and drinking when here I am a 23 year old who didn't even do any of that stuff until I was almost 22. It's been like a year and already it was old stuff to me lol. Somewhat at least.
We catch a bus back to the stadium and the dorms and start walking back against the crowd. There was a guy in front of us on the bus that was talking on the phone and then passed out within two minutes of hanging up. The poor guy's head kept falling sideways and he'd wake up to sit up again and then nod off. When we reached the end of the line, Nate got up and gave him a nudge. The guy didn't budge. "Is this guy for real" he says and gives him a small punch. Nothing. The guy wakes up when Nate shakes his shoulder and we all head off the bus. You gotta kinda hop skip down the steps and this guy almost ate it coming down. If you haven't figured it out already, this guy was drunk off his ass. How do you enjoy a football game or time with friends if you're that drunk? Sheesh. He proceeded to thank Nate for waking him up and told him he'd had 15 shots. Goodness. That would kill me.
We walk back like salmon swiming up stream against the crowd of people headed to BBQs and the stadium and turn on the game back in the dorms. Haha Nate passes out on the floor cause he's so tired. That's really nice of him to show me around the town and I smile to myself thinking that I have such great friends. Then it's time to hit up a potluck across campus and watch the game. Rutgers played North Carolina, who hadn't won a game on the road in 6 years, and were squashed by them. It was sad. By the third quarter, the stadium had emptied out of spectators. A guy even flicked off the camera and the rest of the world on ESPN (someone out there is in trouble), and they showed a poor boy who was distraught that they were loosing and had the saddest face with wide eyes and a towel covering up his mouth (like an "oh no"). It was hilarious and they kept showing it I almost felt bad for the guy who got this national coverage, but it was just too funny. Anyways, yea, Rutgers lost big time. (they lost to Fresno State in the first game too)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
I'm Going Broadway!
I wandered myself down to Wall Street today to check out the financial district in all of it's glory. For the first time since I came here, I bought a map after getting off the subway near Gold Street. I also bought myself some gelato and a chicken pie. The buildings here are so tall and pretty. At the end of Wall Street, I walked into Trinity Episcople Church and sat down in a pew to observe its silence and magnificance. Outside they have a piece of art made from a root of a tree that was uprooted in the 9/11 attack. Continuing my walk, I recognized in the distance where the twin towers used to be in between two other buildings. It is really odd to see that gap of space and sky there.
I remember when I was a kid looking out of the taxi cab twisting my neck to see the top of the building as we drove past it through the closed window. We went to the top, and shopped at the bottom. And now it cease to exist.
I walked east to see the Brooklyn Bridge and came across Pier 17. Well it's about time. Josh had said I should check it out, and I never really got a chance until I stubbled on it now. I walked around and bought myself a Yankees baseball cap and sat on top of the pier on a bench and lounge chair to eat my chicken pie. What a view! They have lounge chairs lined up all over the end of the pier...like a cruise ship. You can overlook the river and the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges as well as the Brooklyn skyline.
On my way out, I walked into Express and bought myself a pretty dress that I decided I would wear to Broadway that night. And so I went back home (Josh's place)...or so I thought. Nope. I was barely going to make it on time to meet Ryan on Broadway to see Hairspray as it was, but then I took the subway in the wrong direction...for miles. I went deep into Brooklyn almost to the airport. It costed me an hour to go out there and come back. Then run down the street and rush up to the room to change before heading out again. By chance Josh came back in a hurry at the same time to go out for the evening too. We were both in there for all of 5 minutes coming from our separate directions and leaving our separate ways lol. I flagged down a cabbie to take me to the Neil Simon Theater. I was all kinds of frustrated for being late over such a stupid mistake. So I took a second to stand and compose myself before walking up to the crowded front of the theater.
I took a look around for a few seconds to orient myself on where to go (box office), when an elderly usher walked up to me and promptly said "Are you Michelle by any chance, Margaret's neice?" I looked next to me and back at the man. Of all the people in this crowded sidewalk, he was definitely talking to me. I nod and reply that I am, and he says oh great your tickets are waiting for you in the box office and he opens up a door for me. I walk in, wait in line, call Ryan who says he's on the other side of the theater, and and walk up to the window. "Hi, my name is Michelle and I'm here to pick up tickets under Margaret." I take out my ID and ask he wants to see it. He looks at it for a second and says "Only to see where you're from...Yorba Linda huh?" and gives a chuckle. I smile and take the tickets. Everyone here is so nice. Walking through the mass of people, I look for Ryan wondering if I'll recognize him in the crowd. He's leaning against a sign post, dressed up nice with a messenger bag over his shoulder, and engrossed in a novel. Found ya. He definitely resembles the Ryan I remember as a kid lol.
The Broadway show was great. I had forgotten it since the last time I'd seen it ages ago. And instead of fold out chairs on the boucany level, these were first level center isle seats. Prime. At intermission, I went downstairs to the lounge to look for Aunt Margaret. It took a few minutes, but I found her and we all sat down to chat. I totally admire that woman. 81 and choses to work still...she says...they key to staying young is hanging out with young people. I think I get younger hanging out with her! She introduced me to her co-worker who exclaimed that Margaret can really make anything happen (I have no idea what she's refering to), and she gives me a big hug. Consessions are expensive here. $5 for a cheap bottle of water. She opens it up to us and gives us whatever we want for free...popcorn and water. And we head back up to watch the rest of the show. I laughed so much. Goodness I love broadway.
After the show we walked out through Times Square, which was absolutely packed with people at 10:30pm. Of course. We catch a subway from Grand Central Station (I was so excited to see it) to Union Square and grab some dinner at a sit down cafe chatting about life, New York, and catching up on the past decade. We have a lot in common, including being restless in the state we're in (he's stuck in a job and I'm still in school) and wanting to go out and explore the world. We call it a good night and he flags down a cabbie to take me home.
Josh is still awake and he tells me about his Trump Tower experience. I laugh because he decided to stay here instead of there for the night. He says he feels like he's being watched wherever he goes because of all the staff that keep trying to wait on him. Lol.
I remember when I was a kid looking out of the taxi cab twisting my neck to see the top of the building as we drove past it through the closed window. We went to the top, and shopped at the bottom. And now it cease to exist.
I walked east to see the Brooklyn Bridge and came across Pier 17. Well it's about time. Josh had said I should check it out, and I never really got a chance until I stubbled on it now. I walked around and bought myself a Yankees baseball cap and sat on top of the pier on a bench and lounge chair to eat my chicken pie. What a view! They have lounge chairs lined up all over the end of the pier...like a cruise ship. You can overlook the river and the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges as well as the Brooklyn skyline.
On my way out, I walked into Express and bought myself a pretty dress that I decided I would wear to Broadway that night. And so I went back home (Josh's place)...or so I thought. Nope. I was barely going to make it on time to meet Ryan on Broadway to see Hairspray as it was, but then I took the subway in the wrong direction...for miles. I went deep into Brooklyn almost to the airport. It costed me an hour to go out there and come back. Then run down the street and rush up to the room to change before heading out again. By chance Josh came back in a hurry at the same time to go out for the evening too. We were both in there for all of 5 minutes coming from our separate directions and leaving our separate ways lol. I flagged down a cabbie to take me to the Neil Simon Theater. I was all kinds of frustrated for being late over such a stupid mistake. So I took a second to stand and compose myself before walking up to the crowded front of the theater.
I took a look around for a few seconds to orient myself on where to go (box office), when an elderly usher walked up to me and promptly said "Are you Michelle by any chance, Margaret's neice?" I looked next to me and back at the man. Of all the people in this crowded sidewalk, he was definitely talking to me. I nod and reply that I am, and he says oh great your tickets are waiting for you in the box office and he opens up a door for me. I walk in, wait in line, call Ryan who says he's on the other side of the theater, and and walk up to the window. "Hi, my name is Michelle and I'm here to pick up tickets under Margaret." I take out my ID and ask he wants to see it. He looks at it for a second and says "Only to see where you're from...Yorba Linda huh?" and gives a chuckle. I smile and take the tickets. Everyone here is so nice. Walking through the mass of people, I look for Ryan wondering if I'll recognize him in the crowd. He's leaning against a sign post, dressed up nice with a messenger bag over his shoulder, and engrossed in a novel. Found ya. He definitely resembles the Ryan I remember as a kid lol.
The Broadway show was great. I had forgotten it since the last time I'd seen it ages ago. And instead of fold out chairs on the boucany level, these were first level center isle seats. Prime. At intermission, I went downstairs to the lounge to look for Aunt Margaret. It took a few minutes, but I found her and we all sat down to chat. I totally admire that woman. 81 and choses to work still...she says...they key to staying young is hanging out with young people. I think I get younger hanging out with her! She introduced me to her co-worker who exclaimed that Margaret can really make anything happen (I have no idea what she's refering to), and she gives me a big hug. Consessions are expensive here. $5 for a cheap bottle of water. She opens it up to us and gives us whatever we want for free...popcorn and water. And we head back up to watch the rest of the show. I laughed so much. Goodness I love broadway.
After the show we walked out through Times Square, which was absolutely packed with people at 10:30pm. Of course. We catch a subway from Grand Central Station (I was so excited to see it) to Union Square and grab some dinner at a sit down cafe chatting about life, New York, and catching up on the past decade. We have a lot in common, including being restless in the state we're in (he's stuck in a job and I'm still in school) and wanting to go out and explore the world. We call it a good night and he flags down a cabbie to take me home.
Josh is still awake and he tells me about his Trump Tower experience. I laugh because he decided to stay here instead of there for the night. He says he feels like he's being watched wherever he goes because of all the staff that keep trying to wait on him. Lol.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
High Class
I've gone from big fancy beds, to tiny beds in a confining room with dirty sheets, to clean sheets and a floor. And I'm loving it all. Admittedly, the floor doesn't work too well with my body. I'm more of a firm bed person than a squishy one, but I'm definitely sore waking up on the floor lol. Oh well, it's a roof over my head and I'm not going to complain. The hotel is pretty spooky really with it's high ceilings, large empty room, and tiny bathroom. There is a kitchen, but I hardly notice it since it looks like it's in a walk in closet lol. And get this...
I ask if there's any way I can get in during the day when Josh is gone. Sure he says, just walk up to the front desk and ask for 324. Everyone leaves the key at the front desk when they go out each day. And apparently anyone can then go in and ask for it. They don't know who I am. I just walked in one day and said with confidence "324 please" to which the guy reached behind him and handed over the key. I imagined myself saying "oh yea, and 350 too please" or something of the sort. You can just get a key to any room here. Oh yea, I feel real safe now. There are some residences here as well from what I hear. And others pay their rent with art, which explains all the random artwork and photography lining the walls. The place is really old. And the stairs have indents in them from the wear of people walking up and down it for so long.
Anyways, today is a day of shopping...and getting my nails done. :) I hadn't really shopped all summer, so I felt that I could treat myself out. A waterproof coat, a nice suit coat, a warm fancy coat, four shoes (Asics, Merrel, Adidas, and Timberland), and a dress from Peru. All on sale for about $250. I'm rather impressed with myself lol. It was time to upgrade from all my hoodies back home anyways.
Tonight Josh's dad is visiting NYC and has offerred to take us both out. I felt a little odd, but sure I'd love to come out. I had no idea what to expect really. I dressed up nice because it's what I like to do anyways, and wow it's a good thing I did. An Italian restaurant 8(?) floors up near Times Square where I've never seen service like that in my life...not even eating out with Aunt Judy and her husband (they would love it here btw lol). Everything was so classy and expensive I didn't feel like I deserved more than a glass of water...maybe a piece of bread. The place was small and men were dressed up in fine suites and women in classic dresses of elegance. It was like I was getting a peek into the life of the rich and famous. Okay, perhaps I'm taking it a bit far, but it was actually really exciting to me. A whole new way that people live...a different culture I never noticed right under my nose. He travels all over the world weekly...for fun! Yea I can't wait to be doing that...in my dreams. Anyways, the food was great and we finished up to catch a comedy show in Times Square. This was also great with our front row seating and drinks. Then when I thought it couldn't get any better, we went to the W for drinks at the bar. Oh my goodness. I know that I sound like a puppy that experienced life outside the house for the first time, but really was kind of what I was. Lol. And as always, I loved it all.
At the end of the night, his dad went back to his place in Trump Tower. And I went back that night and happily curled up in my sheets on the floor. :)
I ask if there's any way I can get in during the day when Josh is gone. Sure he says, just walk up to the front desk and ask for 324. Everyone leaves the key at the front desk when they go out each day. And apparently anyone can then go in and ask for it. They don't know who I am. I just walked in one day and said with confidence "324 please" to which the guy reached behind him and handed over the key. I imagined myself saying "oh yea, and 350 too please" or something of the sort. You can just get a key to any room here. Oh yea, I feel real safe now. There are some residences here as well from what I hear. And others pay their rent with art, which explains all the random artwork and photography lining the walls. The place is really old. And the stairs have indents in them from the wear of people walking up and down it for so long.
Anyways, today is a day of shopping...and getting my nails done. :) I hadn't really shopped all summer, so I felt that I could treat myself out. A waterproof coat, a nice suit coat, a warm fancy coat, four shoes (Asics, Merrel, Adidas, and Timberland), and a dress from Peru. All on sale for about $250. I'm rather impressed with myself lol. It was time to upgrade from all my hoodies back home anyways.
Tonight Josh's dad is visiting NYC and has offerred to take us both out. I felt a little odd, but sure I'd love to come out. I had no idea what to expect really. I dressed up nice because it's what I like to do anyways, and wow it's a good thing I did. An Italian restaurant 8(?) floors up near Times Square where I've never seen service like that in my life...not even eating out with Aunt Judy and her husband (they would love it here btw lol). Everything was so classy and expensive I didn't feel like I deserved more than a glass of water...maybe a piece of bread. The place was small and men were dressed up in fine suites and women in classic dresses of elegance. It was like I was getting a peek into the life of the rich and famous. Okay, perhaps I'm taking it a bit far, but it was actually really exciting to me. A whole new way that people live...a different culture I never noticed right under my nose. He travels all over the world weekly...for fun! Yea I can't wait to be doing that...in my dreams. Anyways, the food was great and we finished up to catch a comedy show in Times Square. This was also great with our front row seating and drinks. Then when I thought it couldn't get any better, we went to the W for drinks at the bar. Oh my goodness. I know that I sound like a puppy that experienced life outside the house for the first time, but really was kind of what I was. Lol. And as always, I loved it all.
At the end of the night, his dad went back to his place in Trump Tower. And I went back that night and happily curled up in my sheets on the floor. :)
Monday, September 8, 2008
Day in Central Park
Last night I stayed with Aunt Margaret in Manhattan and tonight I'll be in Chelsea crashing with Josh. I met up with Josh yesterday and we grabbed a bite to eat and walked around the City (and he showed me Google's NYC office...woooow). Today was wandering around Central Park all day. I was bummed because apparently the Metropolitan Museum of Art isn't open on Mondays. So I had wandered the park going in the general direction until I found it...and it was closed...bummer. Aside from that, Central Park is amazing. Absoluetly gorgeous. Nothing like Golden Gate Park. Sunny. Clean. Classic. I took my time and enjoyed my stroll.
Anyways, I gotta get back soon to grab some dinner with Josh so I jump into a cab and ask to take me down 55th Street to pick up my stuff. The cabbie finds out I'm from California and starts giving me a grand tour of the city pointing out this and that. He goes down 5th Avenue and points out the Rockafeller Center. I wait for him to pause and tell him that I'm interested in seeing it and I'll get out here. Ha! He makes a comment about this is what he gets for pointing things out. I'm like whatever dude and tell him that he passed 55th Street a few blocks back. C'mon, do I look like I'm a stupid traveler wanting to get ripped off by a cabbie. I don't think so. Anyways, my advice...watch out for them cabbies!
Thinking might as well, I walk through the Rockafeller Plaza, into a few buildings, through the outdoor setup viewing of the US Open, down and into Trump Tower, and then walk up to 55th to flag down another cabbie. There's a guy across the street to is whistling (as if to call a cabbie) and after a few of them I turn to look at him...mostly out of annoyance. Turns out he's whislting at me and he tells me to come over to his side of the street so he can call a cab for me. Turns out he's a doorman at this nice hotel I'm standing across the street from. Alright. I walk over and he tells some little man to go get a cab and this tiny man runs off with a real whistle down to the intersection waving his hands wildly. Haha if that's how you catch a cab I sure wasn't going to be getting one any time soon where I was lol. This doorman starts talking to me and he's nice enough. As he opened up the door of the cab, he told me to come back and check out the bar here, describing it to me. It sounded real nice. And it's got a view...very nice. Course then he had to finish his talk off with "Well bring your friends back to come check it out, that way I can see you again" with a little wink on the end. LOL. Okay no go. More of because I don't have time anyways. And who would I bring with me? Lol.
Anyways, I gotta get back soon to grab some dinner with Josh so I jump into a cab and ask to take me down 55th Street to pick up my stuff. The cabbie finds out I'm from California and starts giving me a grand tour of the city pointing out this and that. He goes down 5th Avenue and points out the Rockafeller Center. I wait for him to pause and tell him that I'm interested in seeing it and I'll get out here. Ha! He makes a comment about this is what he gets for pointing things out. I'm like whatever dude and tell him that he passed 55th Street a few blocks back. C'mon, do I look like I'm a stupid traveler wanting to get ripped off by a cabbie. I don't think so. Anyways, my advice...watch out for them cabbies!
Thinking might as well, I walk through the Rockafeller Plaza, into a few buildings, through the outdoor setup viewing of the US Open, down and into Trump Tower, and then walk up to 55th to flag down another cabbie. There's a guy across the street to is whistling (as if to call a cabbie) and after a few of them I turn to look at him...mostly out of annoyance. Turns out he's whislting at me and he tells me to come over to his side of the street so he can call a cab for me. Turns out he's a doorman at this nice hotel I'm standing across the street from. Alright. I walk over and he tells some little man to go get a cab and this tiny man runs off with a real whistle down to the intersection waving his hands wildly. Haha if that's how you catch a cab I sure wasn't going to be getting one any time soon where I was lol. This doorman starts talking to me and he's nice enough. As he opened up the door of the cab, he told me to come back and check out the bar here, describing it to me. It sounded real nice. And it's got a view...very nice. Course then he had to finish his talk off with "Well bring your friends back to come check it out, that way I can see you again" with a little wink on the end. LOL. Okay no go. More of because I don't have time anyways. And who would I bring with me? Lol.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Port Jefferson, NY
Well to sum up the last few days, I just relaxed on Long Island in Port Jefferson not doing much more than reading books, working on the www.naesc2009.com website, and eating good food for a good four days lol. Boring...yea kinda. Relaxing...yes. I think by the end I was definitely itching to get out and was a bit restless. But what can you do when you're stuck in some random country area not close to anything and with no transportation? And no plan. That was probably what did it for me. If I had more of a plan I'm sure it would have been different, but you know me lol...go with the flow.
I have to admit, I was definitely spoiled staying here. They gave me my own room, full access to anything I wanted, made me breakfast, and took me out to at least one huge meal a day...normally combining lunch and dinner because they were so big and lasted for hours. I considered this quite a bit much, but there's no use fighting it. They'll just order for you anyways, so I sat back and enjoyed it thoroughly. Expensive meals and good wine each night and service that waited on your every need and want. It was a bit much for my tastes as a college student and I'm not the demanding or picky type, but I enjoyed the time with my family. My point is that...I'm not complaining! Lol.
I have to admit, I was definitely spoiled staying here. They gave me my own room, full access to anything I wanted, made me breakfast, and took me out to at least one huge meal a day...normally combining lunch and dinner because they were so big and lasted for hours. I considered this quite a bit much, but there's no use fighting it. They'll just order for you anyways, so I sat back and enjoyed it thoroughly. Expensive meals and good wine each night and service that waited on your every need and want. It was a bit much for my tastes as a college student and I'm not the demanding or picky type, but I enjoyed the time with my family. My point is that...I'm not complaining! Lol.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
LAX to JFK
Took the red-eye at 10pm Wednesday arriving 6am Thursday morning in New York. I'm here! Now what? Lol.
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