Well, it has been a long time since I have written a blog.
Since my last blog I will tell you the quick version of what I've done before moving to NYC.
I hung out with Pete and Rebecca in San Francisco, drove by City Park to visit with Mark G, stopped in Chicago to see Mike G and other friends and met up with brother Mark after not seeing him for about a year. Went and hung out with Mark, his roommates and Milky Mike in Kalamazoo. Made it home in time for the family reunion where there were many games played, including volleyball tournament, golfing and cherry seed spitting. (I sharted one time after eating way to many cherries).
I had an accident where I stepped on a broken glass and severed 2 tendons in the bottom of my foot which lead to a ordeal at the hospital and me with a middle toe that sticks up so that I can now flick people off with it.
When I found out I had the opportunity to work in NYC I called my Uncle Lou who lives there and asked him to think about whether I could live with him. Within 2 seconds he said that would be great and so it was set, I was off to the big apple.
Mark and Timmer helped me first head out there to take some stuff and give the apartment a face lift to prepare it for two living there.
My mom then drove me out for the official move in.
In my first week I tried to get my barrings and also got tickets to the Late Show with David Letterman who I went to see with Age who just moved to Hoeboken. Age is one of the Cline's. The Cline's are like my other family. (they aren't like my other family, they are my other family). This would make Age a sister. No matter how many times we try to explain this situation to people, nobody wants to believe us.
The Letterman building inside is surprisingly very small. It looks so big on TV when they scan the audience. Regis was the guest this night and I wore my green suit hoping to get on TV; I didn't.
Once work began I started to quickly get to know the city better. I was introduced to Ann through friends of friends and she has become the best friend I've made in the city. She invites me to all of her outings to meet her other friends and made me feel comfortable in the city quickly. (she didn't realize she was at risk of losing her other friends by introducing me to them)
She is a lawyer for Heineken and often hooks me up with free beer. Thanks for being so nice Ann!!
Uncle Lou and I get along great. We harass each other constantly, but always end up laughing nonstop. He has taken on the role of a younger brother and when people tell him to keep me out of trouble I chuckle thinking how it really is the other way around. We generally go for a walk down by the river every evening and discuss the days happenings or I get to hear and learn stories about his life. I make the meals and always feel good doing it because he is always so thankful and sincerely tells me that I am a great cook even if it's just a sandwich.
I got to go to Chicago a couple of times for work and see old friends and make some good new ones. I spent the snowiest day of the year walking around with city and Lincoln Park zoo with my cousin Aimslee. We also had a sushi, swimming (where we learned some japenese from a fellow water lover), and chocolate night.
I have seen quite a few great concerts in the city. This is one of the best parts of NYC. The venues that are spread throughout the city are small and have such character that it just makes you want to see more concerts because you feel as if you are really part of the experience.
I have seen: Michael Franti (if anyone can ever see him live, he is one of the best live I've seen)
Brett Dennen, Van Morrison, Martin Sexton, and Kate Nash.
I also got to see the Rockettes do a Christmas special at Radio City Music hall.
Ann took me to a Taste of New York event where we got to taste foods by all the famous chefs from all the top restaurants around the city.
I live in the Ansonia, which is an historical building on the upper west side in a fantastic location, set between the Hudson river and Central Park. I live upstairs from one of the biggest markets in the city, Fairway. It is like an old school Whole foods.
I have had many visitors come and visit me since I've moved here.
My first visitor was Morgan, AKA: MOFO. We had a great visit. I had met her in Houston and she will always be a good friend.
I had Dave from England who I met while traveling in Cambodia come for about a week. We went out most days, one which included the Halloween parade downtown which was really something to be seen. This was his last stop on his long trip before heading back home.
I had Joyce from Ireland who I met while doing a safari through Africa come for a week. We rented bikes on what happened to be quite a cold day before heading to the bars for the Michigan/Michigan State game. Joyce and I headed to Washington DC for a weekend to meet up with Mr Lueders and friends to celebrate Tom's birthday. Joyce and I had a lot of laughs and few hungover days.
I got to see Big Mo Style who was here visiting from Kuwait. I hadn't seen him for about 4 years, but it didn't seem like a month had passed once we saw each other.
I had Pete, Rebecca, Johnny B (pea head), and Age over for a night for dinner and a connect 4 outing.
Mrs Cline has come to visit Age who lives in Hoeboken a couple of times, so I met up with her every time she has been in town and we always end up having a lot of laughs and an adventure around the city.
My brother Mark drove out with his four roommates for a long weekend and we took in a live comedy show and few big nights out on the town in between walking all around the city. It was the first visit to NYC for all of his roommates. 6 of us here in the apartment made it real cozy.
My parents came for a weekend which is always nice. It's nice for Uncle Lou too because then he has some backup and I can't pick on him so much.
For the Thanksgiving weekend I had my Venezuelan friend Carla come, who I met at salsa class in Houston come. This was the start of really feeling like the Christmas holidays were here. If you want to be in the Christmas spirit during the holidays, there is no place like NYC. They have lights and huge trees everywhere.
Megadeath who I met in Africa and then again in Thailand came to visit and go see a concert with her friends, that vist was good fun, but short and sweet.
I drove home for the Christmas holidays and got to see the whole family. We all took in a Pistons game and then we got to have some good family time for a few days. There was a night when I got to get together with all of my friends back home.
I drove back to NYC with Mark and his friend Mike (this was Mike's first time in NYC). On the way back I got to meet up with one of my favorite people who I met while in Vietnam, Sarah V.
We only got to meet up for a bite to eat and chat for under two hours, but as they say "it's not the amount of time, it's the quality of the time".
Mark, Mike and I had a day of exploring Brooklyn which I hadn't done; although walking the Brooklyn bridge is one of my favorite things to do; I have now done it 4 times.
For New Years we headed out of the city to Uncle Lou's good friends, Mack and Rose who really made us feel comfortable. I spent most of my time talking with an eight year old, Jillian. Mark, Mike and I wore my suits, orange, green and white. (we are happy uncle Lou still admitted to being with us)
For my birthday I took the day off work. Woke up late, had a great breakfast. Got some errands done that I have put off for too long. Did pilates. Spent a lot of time on the phone with many people calling to give me birthday wishes including King T from Kuwait. Sarah V was the only one to sing the full birthday song to me. I had a great lunch with Uncle Lou, took a solid nap and then Ann and Age arranged a dinner and outing for me. They took me to a Vietnamese restaurant and out to the Fat Black Pussycat lounge before heading to another bar. Age and Ann invited their friends who I have met and so it was myself and 9 girls for the night.
I recently met up with a friend Kristin, from high school who introduced me to a bunch of her friends that live in the neighborhood right near me. We went and saw "There will be blood" last week which really was a great movie. Very intense. I had to pee the whole second half of the movie but couldn't leave because I didn't want to miss any.
I am off tonight to sing Karaoke in Chinatown for a birthday party of a friend of Ann's.
I was recently on TV. It is a lifetime show called matched in Manhattan. I didn't know I was on it until my cousin Annie called me and then I had friends from different parts of the country call me to tell me they saw me. If you want to see the clip go to google and type in "matched in manhattan" then click on the first choice which will bring it up on the lifetime website. Click on the video part and then in the different video clips click on one that says "episode 1" under in with the picture of a lady at a bulletin board.
unitl later
Alistair Cooke:
"The thing that impressed me then as now about New York . . . was the sharp, and at the same time immense, contrast it showed between the dull and the shrewd, the strong and the weak, the rich and the poor, the wise and the ignorant . . . the strong, or those who ultimately dominated, were so very strong, and the weak so very, very weak-- and so very, very many."
Theodore Dreiser :
"New York is a different country. Maybe it ought to have a separate government. Everybody thinks differently, acts differently --they just don't know what the hell the rest of the United States is."
