Some are Gold

Anyone else remember this song from Girl Scout days?

"Make new friends, but keep the old,

Some are silver and the other gold."

I had an amazing time visiting with some great friends yesterday. First, I flew up to Dallas for a few hours to reunite with my gal pals and have our belated Christmas Lunch Bunch. One of them said we've been doing this for 13 years or so now, and because of my insane travel schedule in December, I had to push it to January. But we wished each other a merry Christmas anyway and had a lovely time visiting and catching up. It's always interesting to me to hear what everyone is doing with each at different stages of our lives: one is actively raising 3 little ones while another is about to send her second to college and one is about to get married (time for a shower to celebrate!). Lots of joy, and I value our strong friendship bonds.

Facebook is great to catch up with people from years past. Of course, there's always the ones I don't remember (we went to high school together? And you remember that?), but many people I've enjoyed catching up with and seeing what they are up to now. One former colleague who actually did go to high school with me (although we didn't know each other then), emailed to ask if we could get together while she and her husband were in Austin this weekend. So after landing, I met up with them for dinner. We had a great visit and caught some live music that Austin is so famous for on 6th Street. I got home after midnight with a full heart.

Making a Difference

This past weekend I was at part two of Discovery, which I wrote about a month ago (What a difference 3 days makes). My heart is so full of love, and I have an amazing group of friends from my class.

Our class motto is "we play hard," and boy, did we! On Saturday, we had a dance and costume party. As you may know if you've been reading for awhile, I LOVE costumes and Halloween! I think it's because I loved dress-up as a child, and now, as an adult, I can really indulge myself and go all out on my costume. I decided to do Lady Gaga, and let me just say, I didn't hold anything back! I got the blonde wig, the sequined dress, the fishnet stockings, the ultra-pink lipstick, silver eyeshadow, and outrageous eyelashes with rhinestones. Several of my friends didn't recognize me! I loved it. (I don't have pictures yet but will share when I do!)

I was worn out today and was wishing I had taken the day off or could call in sick, but I got up and went to work. I'm so glad I did... You know how it's said everything happens for a reason? I needed to be there today. Someone at work needed me, and I was able to be there for her and share some of the lessons I just learned. It was an amazing day for me because I feel like I really made a difference. It doesn't get much better than that.

What a Difference 3 Days Makes

I had the most incredible weekend. I attended Discovery! -- a three-day personal growth seminar that a new, dear friend told me about.

Besides making 35 wonderful new friends, many of whom are in the Austin area, I have a new lease on life. I feel truly blessed and hopeful about my future, secure in knowing who I am. I can't wait to share the new me with the world!

My class included people of all ages -- one of whom I learned as I friended him on Facebook was born the year I graduated high school! Ha! I got a good laugh out of that. But it feels like he's a younger brother, and I'm looking forward to seeing him and his sisters this weekend at a rodeo event he's participating in.

Lots of good things to come. I can just feel it!

80's Flashback

A good friend of my sister Jenn's who I've met and hung out with on a couple occasions when I visited invited me to join her at Adult Night at the roller skating rink.

I remember roller skating as a kid, and at least in my memories, I was fairly good. Nothing fancy, but I could skate backwards or forwards and jam to the music. So while it's not an activity I would have sought out on my own, I thought I could enjoy it and experience something with new eyes.

Jenn's friend is a petite, mixed ethnicity girl full of laughter and fun. She jokes with everyone in a nice way and is completely willing to laugh at herself as well. Her infectious laugh usually entices everyone to join in. She is a beautiful mix of Japanese and Indian, and she's the first one to poke fun at her two cultures. She calls her mix Japindian, which seems as good a name as any for the blog.

So Japindian and I went roller skating on Tuesday. She's very serious about her skating and has even bought her own skates! She was nice enough to stay with me as I relearned how to navigate on wheels, and I am proud to say I didn't fall once, not even when some idiot ran into my right calf as he was trying to weave through the crowd. Speaking of the right leg, it got a great workout. They only did one "reverse skate" song, so the left leg was basically just along for the ride.

I think the biggest entertainment of the evening for Japindian was to escort me to the women's bathroom. I understand why that area isn't carpeted, but it seems ridiculous that the floor is also sloped. So while you're trying to hygienically squat over the porcelain fixture which seems significantly lower since you're on skates, you also have to hold on to the walls of the stall and hope you don't go crashing through the door with your pants down. Japindian had warned me about this but still kept laughing as I (successfully!) balanced through.

There weren't any interesting guys at the skating rink, at least not interesting in the would-like-to-date way. There were several show-boaters, and besides the speedy ones weaving and dodging through the crowd, there were a few doing spins and tricks in the middle of the floor. Some of these guys look the same as the ones who hung around the rink back in the 80's. I was grateful no one asked us to join in on the Couples Skate song.

Japindian wants me to commit to joining her every Tuesday. I don't know about a long-term commitment, but I'd probably do it again.

Basel, Good Friends & Good Food

I can't believe it's been a week since I posted.

The rest of my time in Europe flew by, with days beginning at 6 a.m. and finishing around midnight. I barely saw any of Basel. It was one of those typical business trips: airport -- hotel and prepping for meeting -- client's -- airport. So my pictures are quite limited: there's a view of Switzerland from the airport, the display celebrating the World Cup in our hotel's lobby, and the delicious cheese fondue I shared with colleagues over dinner.


I got back state-side Thursday afternoon and started packing in earnest for my upcoming move. I've also been seeing friends and saying goodbyes, with nearly every lunch and evening booked until I leave.

One fun night I'd love to do all over again was with two friends who are also from Texas. I met Beka at a doctor's office, but we only recently started hanging out. She introduced me to her roomie Houston, and I just love spending time with them. They each have helped me by taking care of my cat Sabrina while I was away on recent trips, so I took them out for dinner at Sushi Samba -- one of my all-time favorite restaurants.


We got a fantastic seat on their second floor balcony, overlooking 7th Avenue, and enjoyed some tasty beverages. Beka had never tried sushi before but was a great sport, although she was doubtful that some of the rolls would fit in her small mouth!


We finished the night by getting our palms read by a local psychic in Soho. It was entertaining!

Holiday Fun with Friends in Dallas

I can't believe it's been ten days since I blogged last. It's just been one thing after another. What a busy month! I've gone to four parties and already taken a couple trips to Texas. Then there's the incredible amount of work to get through, too. And I've "adopted" four kids for Christmas and volunteered at a local shelter, serving dinner. But those are the things I really enjoy doing this season.

So, last weekend, I went to Dallas. Although I lived there for thirteen years before moving here to NYC, I don't get back there very often, as my family lives in Houston and Austin. But my long-time girlfriends -- Wendy, Lauren and Sherry -- and I have a tradition of getting together for Christmas lunch. I usually try to see as many friends as I can while I'm in Dallas, but I don't announce my trip because I can never see everyone. I generally plan visits for meals and coffee breaks, going from visit to visit. It's busy but fun!

My flight arrived on time midday Saturday, but the shuttle bus to the rental cars took forever. When I walked into the rental car center, I saw the line for the company I had made a reservation with was the longest -- at least 20 people deep! Aarrgh! But I realized I hadn't given a credit card with the reservation, so I hopped over to another rental car company that didn't have a line. They got me in a car quickly, but I was still running behind schedule to meet the girls for lunch. So, I was speeding. And I got pulled over. I hadn't even been in the car 10 minutes! I pretended not to realize I was speeding and handed over my NY drivers license to the cute officer. I apologized and admitted that I don't drive very often. (Of course, I purposefully didn't tell him I used to live in Dallas.) And he sweetly let me off with a warning!

Lunch with the girls was great but too short. (Unfortunately, I forgot to get a picture of us until Lauren had already left.) After that, I met another friend for coffee. Leaving there, I found my face was hurting from smiling so much. (Not a bad hurt!) And there was more to come. I was staying at one of my girlfriends' houses and went with Lauren and her husband to my previous company's holiday party. Only a couple people knew I was going to be there, and it was great to surprise and see many old friends.

(I know my eyes look a little crazy in this picture, but I was laughing and having a good time!)


Before leaving for the airport on Sunday, I got to spend some quality time with Lauren's three kids, who are 6, 2 and 5 months. So sweet! It was a nice, quiet morning in a very loving family home. And the girls posed for pictures for me.

Food, Family and Fun

I'm LOVING hanging out with friends and family!

I arrived on Saturday afternoon, and Jenn was throwing a going away party for her Chilean friend who has been visiting. Many of her coworkers came over, and my niece and nephew got to stay up later than usual with the adults.

I made chile con queso, and I talked Colin into going to the grocery store with me. As we drove past a field with a flock of birds, Colin asked, "Emily, are the birds graduating?"
What?
"Are the birds graduating? Where are they going?"
Do you mean, are they migrating?
"Uh huh."
Hehehe.

The party was really fun and was in full swing when the kids were sent to bed. Anna was having a difficult time falling asleep with the loud music and laughter going on, so I went and laid down with her and talked to her about counting her inhalations and exhalations. Soon, we were both fast asleep!

On Sunday, Anna accompanied me to Waco to see my grandmother and great aunt, who are 88 and 94 respectively. Anna was very patient with them and was a big hit at the retirement community. We also went by my uncle Joe's house and visited with him and his kids.

We drove back to Austin in time for dinner, and three of Jenn's friends joined us for a delicious meal where Jenn creatively used the leftovers from the party. Then my cousin Lindsey from Seattle showed up (she's been visiting the Texas contingent of relatives), and we had another rowdy good time. Jenn and Susan have been taking Bollywood dance lessons and performed two dances for us! The only bad thing was staying up WAY too late, making this morning a very painfully early experience.

My company has offices all over the world, and I am able to work from their downtown Austin location this week. A good friend of mine from Dallas, Sherry, saw on Facebook that I was in Austin and called me this morning to say she was here for a business meeting. We were able to meet for lunch, and it was such a nice break in the day. (Most days, I just eat at my desk.)

Dinner tonight was with my sister, brother-in-law and niece and nephew, and ALSO Lindsey, my uncle Tom and his daughter Taylor. It's just been so great to see all these people I love!

What's New? Not Much, Pussycat

Sorry for the blog silence. I haven't had happy things to say, and you know how the saying goes: "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

The same day I wrote my last post about the end of my relationship with Aloha Guy, I learned that my friend, voice teacher, and organist/choir director at my church has gone into Hospice care, going home to North Carolina to be with his family in his final days. He's been fighting leukemia for many years, but it only just got very aggressive and eventually, deadly. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, and his absence is acutely felt at church. I still feel like I have so much still to learn from him, and he will be greatly missed.

So, in other news...I got a new vacuum. (Exciting, no?) Sometimes I clean when I'm upset. A therapist once told me it's a denial mechanism, as you focus on something you can control and make orderly, instead of something in life that you can't. The new vacuum works well and picks up the cat hair better than the old one.

Tonight, I got had the fortune of having dinner with a friend and past colleague from Dallas that I haven't seen since I moved away over two years ago. It was great catching up with her, and I value the easy camaraderie we have so much. I think I took it for granted before, and now I realize how rare and special that is.

The Highs and Lows

I had dinner tonight with two friends, former colleagues, who are so complimentary. It always makes me smile.

I hadn't seen one of them since January, so I knew what the reaction would be. (The weight loss) He couldn't stop commenting about it. "You really look great!" :-)

And then I heard from a good friend of mine tonight from church -- a fellow single who has become a dear friend. He's facing some very challenging and scary health threats, and likely some surgery with serious risks in the near future.

I am one of those people who doesn't have a lot of friends, but the friends I do have are very dear to my heart.

Dinner with FWB

When an ex calls, it's great to be in a good place, such as thinner/more fit, dating other people, etc. So when ol' Friend-with-Benefits (FWB) called and asked if we could catch up over a casual dinner, I agreed.

The one good thing about not seeing friends for months, as seems to be the norm here in NYC, is that their eyes pop open when they see me. Because there's 25 lbs less of me to see! :-)

FWB was very complimentary throughout the evening. He's not dating anyone, but that was what he wanted when we decided to stop dating. We agreed we're better off as friends, and he offered to help me move boxes later this month so I can keep the movers costs down to just the furniture.

Now if I can just find a new apartment...

Surprisingly Good Time

When I was in D.C. for a conference in April, I went out with some vendors, and I met a guy who was also in town for a conference. He seemed very nice, and was very easy to talk to, so we exchanged business cards. He's originally from Hawaii (so I'm going to dub him Aloha Guy), but now lives in LA. He mentioned when we met that he was coming to NYC in May.

And he looked me up. Aloha Guy was only in town for a couple of days, so we decided to meet up for drinks. I took him to the Campbell Apartment, which is in Grand Central Terminal. It was a lavish office space in the 1920's and has been restored to the glories of that time. We had a couple drinks, and the conversation was going so well, we decided to grab dinner.

I suggested Sushi Samba, one of my favorites that is a fusion of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisines. The flavor combinations are just spectacular. Aloha Guy enjoyed the food as well, and I loved it that he let me choose everything. (I guess I enjoy control sometimes!)

The best thing was the ease of conversation. I feel like, if nothing else, I could really be friends with this guy. It's tough making friends in NYC -- I often get told that I'm "too nice" (and it's not a compliment) -- and even tougher getting together with those friends.

I really enjoyed spending time with Aloha Guy and talking with him. I've been to Hawaii many times, and it is one of my favorite places for its incredible beauty and laid back lifestyle. We also talked about our travels. He's never been to Europe but has travelled extensively in Asia, so we swapped stories about different cities and cultures. And the whole thing was very comfortable. I never felt like he was pressuring me for anything more than my current company. (So different from the forced-upon kiss of the date I had a couple weeks ago!) We parted with just a hug, and he said he'd be in touch the next time he was coming to the East Coast.

This & That

I've been a bad blogger lately. Sorry, and thanks if you're still reading!

Couple of snapshots: last weekend I was in Dallas to see my girlfriends and celebrate Lauren's third pregnancy. Instead of a[nother] baby shower, we decided to go to a spa. It was great, but after the spa treatments was even better. We had lunch at my favorite Tex-Mex restaurant and talked and talked. Then we went to Wendy's house and talked and drank some more. It was just so nice to be with these people who I love and enjoy so much. Very restorative.



And spring has finally come to NYC in the last week of April! I snapped this shot at City Hall Park, where I took some of my wintery scenes earlier this year.


Tonight I'm off to meet a new guy...someone I met through Chemistry.com. Full report tomorrow!

Interesting Tidbits

Alright, enough of the drama. Here's some other interesting things that I've done or seen this week.

On Monday and half of Tuesday, I was in Washington, D.C. for work. The city was getting ready for Obama's inauguration this coming Tuesday, and one of the funniest things was the WALL of port-a-potties along the Mall. There were hundreds of them!

From there, I flew to Chicago, also for work, and of course, where Obama recently departed. They are so proud that "one of their own" is going to be leading the country.

Of course, Chicago is a cold city in the winter, and while I was there, a new storm system blew in bringing with it lots of snow and the coldest air Chicago has seen in more than a decade. I was glad to leave, even though my flight was delayed a few hours. I had to get back to NYC before the storm hit here.

So today, the Weather Channel is telling me that while it's 12*F out there, it feels like -3*F with the wind chill. Brr!!! I'm thankful for my "puffy coat," which is filled with down and keeps me quite warm. Boots, gloves, hat and scarf complete the outfit, and the coldest part of me is my face.

Last night, I had a wonderful dinner with two dear friends -- former coworkers who have become great friends. It doesn't hurt that they are both attractive men who shower me with compliments either! It does the soul good. (And before you get any great ideas, they are both married with beautiful families.) One of them has a potential suitor for me, and I think I'm going to take him up on the offer to meet. Why not? FWB has definitely pulled back. I haven't seen him since last Saturday, before this whole thing, and when I asked about this weekend, he was noncommittal but mentioned plans with friends.

You know how they say things happen in three's? Three of my girlfriends are pregnant, all due between May and July. So far, I've learned two of them are expecting girls, and I'm gearing up to make them all quilts. That should keep me busy!

Beginnings & Endings

As I landed in Newark last night and saw the new moon, I was reminded of my Nana's saying "turn your pennies over" when she would see a new moon. I'm not sure exactly what she meant by that, but I've always taken it to mean it's a new beginning. Time to prepare for looking forward.

Feeling philosophical, I'm realizing that life is really full of beginnings and endings. Vacations, holidays, trips, birth and death, relationships. The beginnings are often much more anticipated and enjoyed than the endings, but without endings, we couldn't have new beginnings.

My holiday trip to Texas was so enjoyable, but it was so difficult to say goodbye to everyone. I got especially choked up driving out of Dallas. I was able to meet my girlfriends for our annual lunch and then took the opportunity to empty the storage unit I had there. I had a sense of finality doing that. If I move back to Texas, I don't think it would be to Dallas (more likely Austin). It was a relief to cross the storage unit off my list of to-do's, but I was sad to admit to my girlfriends that I've truly moved on.

Every time I say goodbye to my great aunt Sudie, I wonder if it's the last time I will see her. I don't mean to be morbid, but she is 93 (94 in January) and her body is becoming frail.

When I left Austin, Anna clung to me, sobbing "Don't go! Don't go!" It breaks my heart.

Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures on my trip. I was truly enjoying my time with everyone and forgot to pull the camera out to document it all. I have a few I'll post later.

And now we look forward to a new year. What will 2009 bring?

The Long-Awaited Girls' Weekend

My "big" sis Jenn came to visit last weekend. Before you chastise me for not posting earlier, let me explain that this week has been very busy with client presentations (3) and travel (Philly and Boston) with planes, trains and automobiles.

Last Friday, Jenn was arriving at JFK airport, which is the farthest from Manhattan, but since she was coming in at 9:30 p.m., I decided to take the subway out to meet her and planned on taking a taxi back into the city. I was amazed and horrified that the subway took so long to get out there! I had planned on getting out there before she arrived and brought a book to keep me company. Unfortunately, I was still on the airtrain trying to get to her terminal when she called and said she was there. (I kept her waiting 20 minutes, which stressed me out a bit.)

After waiting through a LONG taxi line, we told the driver to take us straight to the restaurant, suitcase and all (not that uncommon in NYC), since we were both hungry. I had called the restaurant to make a reservation, but the lady I spoke to said not to worry about a reservation, just show up at that hour (between 10:30-11 p.m.). The restaurant was in the ever-trendy Meat Packing district, and of course, there was a line out front and some fierce looking doormen choosing who got in. After some finagling, we did get in (thank goodness). By this time, I was quite worked up (stressed!) because I wanted everything to go smoothly for Jenn. But she's so easygoing, probably the most so in our family, and she helped me relax by telling me she was just happy to be there and enjoying whatever happened. 

Since I have a king size bed, Jenn slept on the unused portion. I was surprised I woke up before she did on Saturday morning, but she revelled in the quiet -- no kids to wake her up, and because of the holiday weekend, no construction noise from Ground Zero. After some fruit and a virtual visit with the kids back home through iChat, we met my friends (and sisters) Liesel and Erin for brunch. Then I took Jenn by my office and to the Union Square farmers' market. We also stopped into a discount store, but didn't find anything worth buying there. Back home, we dropped off our grocery purchases and speed-walked over to the Hudson River and kayaking. It was a little cold, and Jenn accidentally splashed me once with her oar, but it was beautiful and fun. Then we speed-walked back home to get cleaned up for dinner and our Broadway show.

Traffic was horrendous going uptown to the Theater District, and we were late for our dinner reservation. The Italian food was terrific but we both agreed we would have liked to have lingered over it a bit more. However, the show must go on! Our theater was just a couple short blocks from the restaurant, and Wow, oh WOW is Wicked an incredible show! I've been wanting to see it for some time, but not wanting to go on my own, and it was great to share it with Jenn.

On Sunday, we went to church and then headed uptown to go to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). We ran into a street fair, which I love, and got some cheap but tasty eats for lunch. Unfortunately, we were unable to see the Van Gogh exhibit at MoMA because it had sold out for the day. I don't go to many museums -- just not my thing -- so now I know you can (and should) buy tickets ahead of time.

However, this freed up some time for shopping. I took Jenn to Macy's, which is 7-8 stories high and a block wide. She got some great deals and we thoroughly exhausted ourselves. Dinner that night was at another fabulous Italian restaurant, and my FWB (friend-with-benefits) joined us for a glass of wine (and low-key scrutiny...he passed).

We were up late our last night, and a bit tipsy on the wine, but Jenn was up early the next morning to head to the airport. I was sad to see her go. It was so great having her here and so easy to be around her. 

You can read Jenn's recaps of the eventful weekend on her blog.

Non-Dating

It's been awhile without a post. There haven't been any dates to report on, and contrary to my anonymous commenter in the previous post, I sure haven't seen a line of men vying for the opportunity to spend time with me. (But if that commenter has any friends...let me know!)

About the only dating I'm doing is going out with Friend-With-Benefits (FWB), but they're not "Date" dates. We've become very good friends, talking on the phone just about every day for a few minutes at least, and I always enjoy his company. But FWB says he's still not ready to date (still dealing with personal crap after his last devastating relationship and break-up). It's the whole "it's not you, it's me" argument. I vacillate between being annoyed at this and not really caring. Part of me feels like we're basically already dating, so why not call it that. I don't think anything would really change. But the other part of me worries that things might change, that actually calling it "dating" might make both of us take it more seriously, and I'm not sure whatever-this-is would last.

So I'm trying to just enjoy the moment, as they say. We've gone out a couple times to nice restaurants, hung out at a bar for a football game, and tonight we're seeing a comedian. Funny, though...when we have these non-date-dates, we don't have sex. What's with that?!

Defining Success

The great thing about Facebook (and other similar social networks) is that old friends can find each other again. (The bad thing about Facebook is that people from your past that you never really liked request to be your friend.)

Last week, I got a friend request from a girl who was one of my good friends in 7th through 9th grade. Talk about blast from the past! The ironic thing is, I've been thinking about her lately, as there is a girl at my new office that reminds me of her.

I enjoyed catching up with her and hearing what she's doing now. I was envious of her family photos representing her husband and three kids. Upon investigation, she told me two of the kids are her husband's from a previous marriage, and her daughter is also from a previous marriage. She's got a great job in Austin as a recruiter and joked that she might call on me someday to recruit me.

She gushed over my "success" -- my job, my position with a company in NYC -- but I told her to me, she seems like the more successful one with not only a good job but a beautiful family and husband.

Sometimes I feel like I'm just biding my time until my "real" life begins.

One is the Loneliest Number

I just finished watching Sex and the City for the second time. Since I bought the series a month ago, I've been enjoying watching the episodes all over again, laughing out loud at the witty lines, identifying with the characters and the dating successes and catastrophes that are so true to life, and crying at the touching moments.

I go to restaurants by myself...often. This is still surprising to some people, as I learned when I mentioned it to a friend last week and learned again as I entered a sushi restaurant on Friday night.

"Hi, just one. Can I sit at the sushi bar?"

"There's just one of you?" the hostess asked to confirm.

"Yep. Just the one of me."

Usually at a sushi bar, it's not as obvious to be alone as it can be at other restaurants. You have something to look at (the sushi chefs) besides the other patrons, and there's no glaringly empty chair across from you from which the place setting is removed as soon as your single ass sits down.

I've remarked before that I'd rather be lonely by myself than lonely in a relationship. I've been both, and at least lonely by yourself seems logical and there's a hope that the situation will change. In one of the goodbye tributes on Sex and the City, one of the producers mentions how it's possible in New York to be surrounded by millions of people and feel completely alone. I know that feeling all too well, too.

And when I watch the four friends of the fictional show get together over brunch and share their lives, it makes me miss my three friends back in Dallas -- Wendy, Lauren, and Sherry. Although none of us are as racy as the Sex and the City characters -- nor do we have such graphic discussions -- we are all unique in our own ways and yet share a closeness and history of being there for each other. I miss them terribly.

I still love living in the City. I enjoyed a beautiful day, taking a long bike ride along the Hudson River and finishing with a kayak excursion in the River. The sun was reflecting off the water like glittering diamonds, the waves were comforting and soothing, and the smell of the salt water was delightful. But I wish I had someone to share it with.

Happy Anniversary to me and NYC

It was a year ago this week that I moved to The City. I have changed so much and learned so much in the past year.

When I first arrived, I was blown away by how different everyday life is here compared to that of Dallas and every other place I've lived. Suddenly, I didn't have a car, or motorcycle -- I still really miss the bike -- and yet I didn't miss driving. Okay, except when trying to haul a lot of purchased goods, such as wine, home to downtown.

No more supermarkets, either. Now I shop in little grocery stores that may or may not have all the items I'm looking for. And I buy my toiletries from a drug store. Before moving here, I would avoid buying items from a drugstore because of the ridiculously expensive prices. There even more outrageously priced here, but other than making a big excursion to Target in Brooklyn, the drugstore is the only place in Manhattan to get those items. And again, your choice is limited. (I remember going shopping with my sister Jenn in Austin and she was looking for a particular kind of personal item. She was frustrated that she couldn't find it, while I was amazed that she had a huge long aisle with multiple brands to choose from!)

My NY friends are proud of me that I'm becoming more of a NYer. I find myself frustrated with the tourists who get in my way when I'm walking quickly to work or late for church, but I'm still nice, too, and I've given many people directions, even going up and asking obviously confused tourists if they need help. My language has become more peppered with profanity, and I've learned how to bargain with street vendors and talk back to taxi drivers trying to take me out of my way for an extra buck.

I'm absolutely LOVING having four real seasons again! In Texas, spring and fall generally only last a week or two, and summer takes up 75% of the year, with numerous days over 100*F. Here, I get to enjoy the beauty of each season, and as fall is around the corner, I'm looking forward to cooler temperatures and wearing jackets again, not to mention the glorious colors as the trees turn.

I love learning about other cultures and different perspectives on life. It's been interesting to me to see the differences in my Texas friends and family and my NY friends. Take for instance my apartment. Here in NY, it is agreed that I landed a great place. My NY friends come over and say "WOW, it's so big!" My Texas friends and family make diminutive comments -- nothing deragatory,but they will say how it's small or cute or "not that big." I just smile, but when I related this to one of my NY friends, she was offended for me. I had to explain how much space I used to have in Dallas to try to give her an idea of the scale difference. Just different perspectives. It is much smaller, but I've simplified my possessions to just what I need.

When I moved here, saying goodbye to all my friends and family in Texas, I told myself I would try it for a year. I reasoned that I could do anything for a year, and I could always move back. But so much has happened in the past year...and I'm not ready to leave. I've met some wonderful new friends -- Lindsay, Rob, Erin, Liesel, Kelly -- and I've become even more independent and confident in myself. I still miss my family and friends back home, but in some ways, I cherish them more now.

And now, as I begin yet another adventure with a new job beginning on Monday, I'm hopeful and optimistic about whatever the next year brings.

The Best & the Worst

My Canadian-turned-NYer friend Lindsay and I had quite a fun day on Saturday. Well, at least the evening was fun.

Have you heard of Meetup.com? It's a website where you can join groups of like-minded individuals to meet people related to a hobby or cause. There's a singles meetup group that Lindsay joined, and she learned they were having a barbeque on Saturday. We decided to go and mingle.

Oh. My. God. I haven't seen such a collection of misfits since the Anti-Valentine's party.

We didn't stay long. Lindsay kept giving me the look that told me she was debating between laughing or screaming and running outta there. She got stuck talking to this woman in her early 40's that is DESPERATE to have a child and was describing all the ways she's going about hunting down some sperm. Very strange.

Later that evening, Lindsay came downtown (she lives in the Upper West Side, or UWS as it's known for short), and we had a lovely dinner at one of my favorite neighborhood places. We asked the bartender for recommendations on a dance club, and he suggested Marquee.

After choking through the $20 cover, we noticed it was a hip place with good music and many good-looking guys! We ended up talking to these really nice guys from Switzerland and had a blast.