Routine

          I think we are finally getting into the swing of things.  For me, school has been going steady for a few weeks now, and I'm really enjoying it.  It's quite a bit different than undergrad.  I don't have a whole lot of assignments, but I have a whole lot of reading; usually between 30 and 80 pages a week for each class.  Some of it is interesting, some of it is technical and not so interesting.  Classes are a lot of fun though.  Most are around 8 students and are about half lecture, half discussion.  Also, I joined the committee that publishes the quarterly student urban planning magazine, the Urban Review.  I'm not usually the type of person to join student groups like that, but it will probably look good on a resume.
          I've also been working regularly, every Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday.  I'm learning a lot about wine, like how to lift cases of it, how to stack four cases of it on a hand-truck, and how to take that hand-truck crosstown on the subway for a delivery.  Really, though, I am learning quite a bit about wine and winemaking and all that.  I get to taste some sort of wine probably twice a week.  And, I can buy bottles at cost!
          Kyha is still enjoying her job.  Of course, she is a super talented barista, so earning the respect of her coworkers was not a problem.  She made a latte art swan the other day, which was awesome.  Oh, and she brings home muffins and sandwiches and things for me to eat.
          Also, my bike is finally here!  My legs are tired, but it's been nice riding around the city.  I can get from place to place quickly, and it doesn't cost $2.50 every time I ride it (like the subway).  Riding in the streets hasn't been too bad so far.  There are bike lanes on the major avenues, but some drivers don't really like bikes, and they let you know with their high speeds and their horns and whatnot.  I'll let you know if I get hit or anything.
          And of course, we had our first visitors from back home!  Brooklyn and Lexi stayed with us for a few nights.  Really, they came to watch Cami perform on America's Got Talent (thanks to Cami and Eric for procuring tickets for us, and them), but it was so great to spend time with them for a few days.  Next up are the Moodys!
          Thats about all that's new for now.  It's my day off, so I need to go to the bank and run some errands before Kyha gets off work.  Luckily I have my bike to get me there.

InstaBlog September 14, 2013 at 07:55AM

Our first laundromat experience. Felt a little awkward walking in and not knowing what to do, feeling silly because I'm looking for directions or something. Turns out it's pretty easy. Just put your clothes in and pay the money. And wait for a dryer. Then put your clothes in the dryer and wait some more. And then wait some more. I guess it's culture shock, doing laundry this way for the first time, and knowing some of the people here have never done laundry the way I've always done laundry. #laundry #nyc #laundromat #firsttime #instablog

InstaBlog September 09, 2013 at 09:57AM

There is construction everywhere in New York. It seems like every block has something being worked on. Scaffolding, plywood tunnels, or sidewalks completely closed. Even our building, on the bottom right, has scaffolding around it. It's all over, and although I know it's necessary, I wonder how much more beautiful the city would be if all the scaffolding was taken down for just a day. #nyc #newyork #construction #instablog

Complaining

          So, as you all probably know, we moved into our apartment a week ago.  You also probably know that we sold just about everything we own before we moved out here.  So over the past week, I have been slowly trying to buy some simple basic furnishings so our apartment will function like an actual residence and not like an oversized camping tent with a sink and a toilet.  But this has been difficult, because there are no Wal Marts in NYC.  I'm not joking, there is not a single Wal Mart in the city.  Back home, if I needed something, my thought process would go like this: "I need (insert anything).  I'll go to Wal Mart".  In fact, most of the time it wasn't even a thought. Wal Mart was implanted in my subconscious as the place where I could get just about anything I needed.

          So, since there are no Wal Marts here, I must go to other, smaller places to get the things I need.  Of course, this isn't bad.  I would much rather support small locally owned stores than the despicable corporate giant Wal Mart.  The problem is that I just don't know if I am going to find what I'm looking for.  I know I sound like a whiney baby, but it really is a drag when I walk to three different stores over the course of two hours looking for a regular sized laundry basket and come up with nothing.  Usually, I end up going to multiple stores to get multiple things.  Clothes hangers at Deal$ (get it?  The 's' is a dollar sign) on 116th, the 99 cent and more store on Malcom X blvd to get a crescent wrench, the CVS on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd to get deodorant, and the deli down the street on 112th to get milk.  And maybe I'll walk up to the thrift store on 125th to look for a little table or a shelf.  And I still haven't found a laundry basket.

          The moral of this story, as sad as it is, is that I miss Wal Mart.  Hopefully this ridiculous feeling will go away soon.

No More (Almost)

          It is finally official. We now live in the city. It took us almost a month, but now we are here, in our own apartment, and we don't have to take a bus back to New Jersey until Thanksgiving at my aunt's house. Looking back, it doesn't seem like we've been away from home for three and a half weeks. Even with all of the difficulties that go along with moving to New York, time has moved quickly, for me at least. To be honest, I haven't felt truly homesick yet. Everything over here is still so new and exciting. Of course, I miss my close friends. There are times when I think of something funny to say, on the subway or walking down the street, but there is nobody there to say it to. Thinking about it now, I realize how lucky I am to have so many great friends. Friendships that seem to have plateaued at the pinnacle of friendship. Friendships that define friendship. I feel like it is unusual to find so many wonderful people in one spot, and all where I happen to be. I wonder if I will be so lucky over here.

          Anyways, enough with all of that. Like I said, we have moved into our apartment! Of course, it's an ongoing process. We do have a bed, and two wood chairs that I bought the other day from the City Opera thrift shop. But we are still missing a few essential items, like a table, a couch, a dresser, a garbage can, ice trays, laundry baskets, and a mop. So our place is a mess right now, but we're working on it.

          Oh, also, remember how last time I said I got a job at Whole Foods? Well, I'm actually not going to work there. The day after I told you about that, I got a call from another job I applied to. It's called Appellation Wine & Spirits. It's a wine shop specializing in organic and biodynamic wine, and I start today. Yeah, it's fancy, but I'm actually going to be the delivery guy, which isn't that fancy. But, (unlike at Whole Foods), I will have a set schedule every week, and I won't have to wake up at 4am to go throw frozen fish around. Plus, employee wine tastings!

          Kyha still likes her job. The people she works with are still cool. They even let her get off work early on Saturday so we could go see the Lion King on Broadway (with the tickets my awesome sister bought for us), which was incredible! Also, I think Kyha is really glad we don't have to ride that bus back out to New Jersey at 10:00 at night.

          I'm also going to complain about the humidity over here. It is awful. The subway stations are awful. I'm not used to just standing around and sweating, constantly. Seriously, I'm not a sweater, but I've been doing an uncomfortable amount of sweating. Luckily we don't pay for water, because I'm gonna be taking a lot of showers.