Interesting Tidbits

Having unpacked all my boxes, I found the dreaded scale. It rarely changes what it tells me, and while I'm glad I'm not gaining, I wish it would give me some encouragement. I decided when I was leaving Dallas that I would start dieting and exercising hard core when I moved to NYC. The exercise part is easy, since I walk a lot and take stairs in the subways, plus there's a gym in my apartment building. So, thinking "why the hell not," I stepped on the scale yesterday morning, expecting to see the same number as usual. My jaw dropped as I just stood there and stared at the number...I LOST 6 LBS! In my first week here! Six pounds!!!

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I have a very strong sense of smell. Sometimes, I love this, like when I get a whiff of something and it throws me back to a memory of a long-since-gone loved one. However, a lot of people in NY stink. What are they eating? Do they even USE deodorant? Whew! I can't stand next to them in the subway.

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I've been very fortunate in getting really great weather since I moved. I also moved just as Dallas started to have several 100* days, and I sure don't miss that. Today, it was a lovely 67* as I walked to the subway, and it makes me not even mind the rain so much. But it doesn't matter how nice and cool it is outside, the subway is warm and humid. I sweat off half my makeup before I even get to work, and between the rain and the warm, humid train, my hair flops. And then I pass in the office some young girl who's perfectly done-up, and I think, "how...?" I go to the bathroom, with its lovely flourescent lights that make your face look green, and try to salvage something. Mostly, I just give up and hope that my new coworkers will appreciate my brain and sense of humor and forgive my appearance.

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Walking through the throngs to get to work is always challenging, but the rain today makes it even more challenging. You have to navigate through the umbrellas. If your umbrella clashes with someone going the opposite way, hold firm! The umbrella that turns flips a spray of water on the owner. Plus, if you're wearing pants, roll up the bottoms. It's easier to dry off your legs than to dry out the soaking hems. (I decided to just wear a skirt, which looks lovely with sneakers, don't you think?)

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If you decide to be comfortable and wear sneakers to work, don't forget to pack your other shoes to change into when you get to the office. The geeky sneakers-with-skirt look may pass on the streets of NY, but it doesn't look great walking down the halls.

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Flowers are CHEAP here. I bought one of my coworkers two dozen roses for her birthday for just $10!!!

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There are a lot of attractive men in NY. The problem is, you see them as they pass you on the street or in the subway. How are you supposed to get their attention? Fall at their feet? Ask for directions? Ah, well. With my flopped hair and sweaty face, I'm probably not looking my best at the moment anyway.

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I'm having lots of new adventures and seeing lots of great stuff, but I have been so terribly homesick. I miss my friends. I miss seeing familiar faces when I walk down the hall in the office. I miss having REAL conversations, not just superficial ones, with people who know me and love me inspite of my foibles. I miss Tex-Mex food, although maybe that's part of the reason I've lost six pounds. (Did I tell you I lost SIX POUNDS?) I miss the security of knowing where things are. I really miss my friends.