Making less money than a cheesemonger but spending it like "real person." Oh well! These are some things well-spent.
Books. Emily, Megan and I stopped at Powerhouse Arena in DUMBO yesterday, a publishing house-cum-bookstore-cum-art exhibit on Water Street where Spike Lee happened to be signing stuff. (!!!) I spent a full day's wages on books I've been meaning to buy for ages: The Pale King, by David Foster Wallace (unfinished and published posthumously...); A Gate at the Stairs, by Lorrie Moore; and Here is New York, by E.B. White. I also bought a pull-out poster book of old maps of New York as a joint gift for myself and Don; heck, we need something on our bare white walls besides that bamboo bowl.
NYC Century. I'm wussing out and not doing the whole century -- but I am doing a half! The registration was a little pricey, but all the money goes to Transportation Alternatives, a cycling/walking/public transit organization that has some serious clout in New York. Every year, they arrange the NYC Century, which is apparently the only all-urban century in the United States (it's also a tour, not a race -- thank god). They're also the organizers of the Tour de Bronx (in October) and the Tour de Queens (in July), both of which I am definitely doing.
Music. My ticket to go see Animal Collective at Prospect Park wasn't ridiculously expensive, but certainly counts as a serious investment for me. Though there is lots of excellent free music around in the summer (MoMA P.S. 1 Warm-Ups are starting soon! Andrew Bird in Brooklyn! Classical music in Central Park!), I am making an unwise promise to myself not to be a miser when it comes to seeing and hearing quality art. Anyone with me?
8.5.11
Da Fam
Easter and Mother's Day: the Smuckers do Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
Emily's feet
DUMBO
Megan's new do @ Brooklyn Bridge Park
Water Street
Dazed and confused at brunch
Cool!
Pretty day :-)
26.4.11
Oxford
The last few weeks have probably been the most stressful of my entire life (Paris with Grandma comes in close second). Something about starting a new job, getting negative comments about your schoolwork, and having the cat defecate on everything you own just doesn't add up to a rosy spring solstice. Living with someone else doesn't make things easier, either, especially when you're too burned out to talk and too proud to say something's wrong and too depressed after realizing that you're not talking to someone you love because you're proud and mad and want to throw the cat out the window, is really the problem.
But the Wizard's behavior has since improved, I'm settled in at the new job, and this paper is really not going to get any better than it is, so why worry?
This new gig at Oxford is pretty funny. I feel like I'm fooling them, somehow, having come from the gutters of the restaurant industry with no prior knowledge of publishing. I suppose they see some value in what I'm doing, since I haven't been reprimanded for anything yet -- it's mostly administrative stuff that nonetheless feels worthwhile since it all feeds into the same path of bookmaking, which is a pretty neat process no matter how you look at it. Plus, my schedule -- 8am to 4pm -- makes me feel like I'm back in high school, with a whole half day's worth of sunlight ahead of me.
I might be past this season's major stress hump, but my creativity is jammed and I don't feel particularly inspired by much; this will improve as I adjust, I know. I just need to finish this paper!
But the Wizard's behavior has since improved, I'm settled in at the new job, and this paper is really not going to get any better than it is, so why worry?
This new gig at Oxford is pretty funny. I feel like I'm fooling them, somehow, having come from the gutters of the restaurant industry with no prior knowledge of publishing. I suppose they see some value in what I'm doing, since I haven't been reprimanded for anything yet -- it's mostly administrative stuff that nonetheless feels worthwhile since it all feeds into the same path of bookmaking, which is a pretty neat process no matter how you look at it. Plus, my schedule -- 8am to 4pm -- makes me feel like I'm back in high school, with a whole half day's worth of sunlight ahead of me.
I might be past this season's major stress hump, but my creativity is jammed and I don't feel particularly inspired by much; this will improve as I adjust, I know. I just need to finish this paper!
16.3.11
The Itch
I went to my first Couchsurfing event last night -- nearly every large city has them, and they're a good way for travelers to find temporary buddies or (as in my case) locals to find other like-minded Couchhosts. You have your fair share of leadership-type almost-weirdos -- usually older men, approaching forty, very active in the community -- as well as perpetual travelers, first-time travelers, trying-to-get-a-visa travelers, and generally quite interesting people.
The New York City group meets up every Tuesday at the Life Cafe, in the East Village (apparently where RENT was written); there is also a meetup in Union Square on Thursday nights, regular Brooklyn meetups in the Williamsburgh area, and sometimes vegetarian/vegan events. The pointlessness of these meetings is purposely lost on everyone -- meeting up for the sake of meeting up -- which makes them interesting; everyone comes with a "who cares?" kind of attitude, tells their story, listens to yours, and leaves, maybe making plans with someone, or maybe never seeing them again for the rest of their life.
I might go to more events, or try out different ones in other parts of the city; there's something depressingly circular about retelling your own story so many times. It echoes the perpetual traveler-type people, whose voyages I envy but not their lifestyle: getting cheap, quick jobs just to make more money to travel; no roots of any kind; always searching for a temporary friend, just someone for the sake of someone. I once heard a story of a man who had been WWOOFing for forty years, making a little money here and there, just enough to get from one place to the next. Something about the truly global citizen makes me a little sad.
This is not to say I oppose the organization or the nature of travel itself, not by any means. I think once I start my new job (March 28th!) and have weekends off, I'll re-open my doors to the Couchsurfing world once again. It's also nice to just make friends -- I met a girl from Tasmania last night who's in New York with her mom for two months, so hopefully we're going to do some city exploring together while she's here.
This weekends off thing -- I'm planning on using up my vacation days here and there to allow myself some semi-serious weekend trips. Friends to visit is obviouslyfirst on my map; after that, I'm entertaining the idea of visiting Cleveland, Montreal, the Hudson Valley (camping!); maybe doing that circular Long Island-Connecticut-NYC trip involving the North Fork Ferry (a vineyard trip, perhaps?). I'm aware that these options are rather lame (Niagara Falls, maybe??) but I'd like to see as much of what's in my immediate vicinity while I can. (Before the onset of 2012, obviously.)
Any other suggestions??
The New York City group meets up every Tuesday at the Life Cafe, in the East Village (apparently where RENT was written); there is also a meetup in Union Square on Thursday nights, regular Brooklyn meetups in the Williamsburgh area, and sometimes vegetarian/vegan events. The pointlessness of these meetings is purposely lost on everyone -- meeting up for the sake of meeting up -- which makes them interesting; everyone comes with a "who cares?" kind of attitude, tells their story, listens to yours, and leaves, maybe making plans with someone, or maybe never seeing them again for the rest of their life.
I might go to more events, or try out different ones in other parts of the city; there's something depressingly circular about retelling your own story so many times. It echoes the perpetual traveler-type people, whose voyages I envy but not their lifestyle: getting cheap, quick jobs just to make more money to travel; no roots of any kind; always searching for a temporary friend, just someone for the sake of someone. I once heard a story of a man who had been WWOOFing for forty years, making a little money here and there, just enough to get from one place to the next. Something about the truly global citizen makes me a little sad.
This is not to say I oppose the organization or the nature of travel itself, not by any means. I think once I start my new job (March 28th!) and have weekends off, I'll re-open my doors to the Couchsurfing world once again. It's also nice to just make friends -- I met a girl from Tasmania last night who's in New York with her mom for two months, so hopefully we're going to do some city exploring together while she's here.
This weekends off thing -- I'm planning on using up my vacation days here and there to allow myself some semi-serious weekend trips. Friends to visit is obviouslyfirst on my map; after that, I'm entertaining the idea of visiting Cleveland, Montreal, the Hudson Valley (camping!); maybe doing that circular Long Island-Connecticut-NYC trip involving the North Fork Ferry (a vineyard trip, perhaps?). I'm aware that these options are rather lame (Niagara Falls, maybe??) but I'd like to see as much of what's in my immediate vicinity while I can. (Before the onset of 2012, obviously.)
Any other suggestions??
11.3.11
Growing Up
I made it! I'm out! I can wipe my hands clean of this bloated corpse the world calls the restaurant industry, finally. My formal new title: Editorial Assistant to the Adult International publishing branch of the English Language Teaching division of Oxford University Press.
A part of me wants to reject the corporatized 9-5 lifestyle, a knee-jerk "eff that!" reaction. But corporatized is the key word here, and wrongly so; students live basically 9-5, weekday schedules, too, so there really is no need for me to identify myself with some middle-management marketing slave when I can just think of myself as a modified student. And my hours are 8-4, anyway.
For the first time in my adult American life -- as in, post-college, not France -- I will have a schedule that allows me to confidently plan ahead. I can buy bus tickets to visit friends a month from now without having to worry if I might have to work that day -- amazing! Expect weekend visits from me, everyone. I can go on excursions out of town, if I feel like it -- take the Metro North up through the Hudson Valley and go camping with Don; take a bus to Boston for the hell of it; take the train out to Montauk for the weekend. Where all of this vacation money will come from is the next step.
But who cares about money when you have health care?
I'm very excited, to say the least. I'm sure I won't be so thrilled when I'm near passing-out on top of a stack of invoices at 8:30 in the morning, but maybe later that day I'll have some workbook pages to edit and then ride my bike home and then go to my Harlem Renaissance class (starts July 5th!), and then everything will be okay. Better than okay; probably pretty great.
This is all also coinciding with the onset of spring, which makes me a little bit insane, allergic, and happy. My and Don's Chestnut Ale will be ripe for drinking soon (we've tested a few early bottles... eh); a new batch of English IPA is on its way tomorrow. New plants are on the windowsill; the Wizard is becoming soft and nice. I haven't worn my winter hat in a week.
A part of me wants to reject the corporatized 9-5 lifestyle, a knee-jerk "eff that!" reaction. But corporatized is the key word here, and wrongly so; students live basically 9-5, weekday schedules, too, so there really is no need for me to identify myself with some middle-management marketing slave when I can just think of myself as a modified student. And my hours are 8-4, anyway.
For the first time in my adult American life -- as in, post-college, not France -- I will have a schedule that allows me to confidently plan ahead. I can buy bus tickets to visit friends a month from now without having to worry if I might have to work that day -- amazing! Expect weekend visits from me, everyone. I can go on excursions out of town, if I feel like it -- take the Metro North up through the Hudson Valley and go camping with Don; take a bus to Boston for the hell of it; take the train out to Montauk for the weekend. Where all of this vacation money will come from is the next step.
But who cares about money when you have health care?
I'm very excited, to say the least. I'm sure I won't be so thrilled when I'm near passing-out on top of a stack of invoices at 8:30 in the morning, but maybe later that day I'll have some workbook pages to edit and then ride my bike home and then go to my Harlem Renaissance class (starts July 5th!), and then everything will be okay. Better than okay; probably pretty great.
This is all also coinciding with the onset of spring, which makes me a little bit insane, allergic, and happy. My and Don's Chestnut Ale will be ripe for drinking soon (we've tested a few early bottles... eh); a new batch of English IPA is on its way tomorrow. New plants are on the windowsill; the Wizard is becoming soft and nice. I haven't worn my winter hat in a week.
23.2.11
Adventures in Technology
Being a newly-minted Linux Ubuntu user has destroyed my technological confidence. Think you understand your laptop? Try reconfiguring your BIOS or disabling your ACPI settings, or converting Ogg Vorbis files in order to use your iPod, or running script after script in the scary Command Center, whose bleak, blinking interface shows me just how weak I am in the face of this monster called Open Source Software.
I've come to some sort of impasse with my Toshiba A135, whose original settings were designed for optimal functioning with the not-so-optimal Windows Vista. I've had to disable the suspend/hibernate settings, and have managed to have a script run automatically on startup in order to allow my system to recognize external devices. (You can imagine how scared I was upon realizing that my "new" computer wouldn't recognize my external hard drive, which contains all my files, music, pictures...) I'm currently having some compatibility issues with music files, juggling between Rhythmbox (music player), GTKpod (iTunes for Linux, but no playback capabilities), and Sound Converter (to convert those .ogg files), all which require their own very tricky set of plugins.
While this all sounds like a huge pain, it give me the same smug satisfaction as does anything handcrafted. Why make beer when you can buy it? Why go out of my way to scoop spices into tiny bottles at the co-op when I can just buy the pre-ground stuff at Key Foods? It's all a part of the same cycle, in my eyes -- using your own energy and creativity to make good use of what some enormously generous individuals have made available to the public for free or at low cost. Using free software to convert files in order to use them on my free operating system is nowhere near as large of an inconvenience as paying some Microsoft person to develop my software, provide me with nonsensical updates, and give me useless tech support. And what do you end up learning from that kind of experience?
I've come to some sort of impasse with my Toshiba A135, whose original settings were designed for optimal functioning with the not-so-optimal Windows Vista. I've had to disable the suspend/hibernate settings, and have managed to have a script run automatically on startup in order to allow my system to recognize external devices. (You can imagine how scared I was upon realizing that my "new" computer wouldn't recognize my external hard drive, which contains all my files, music, pictures...) I'm currently having some compatibility issues with music files, juggling between Rhythmbox (music player), GTKpod (iTunes for Linux, but no playback capabilities), and Sound Converter (to convert those .ogg files), all which require their own very tricky set of plugins.
While this all sounds like a huge pain, it give me the same smug satisfaction as does anything handcrafted. Why make beer when you can buy it? Why go out of my way to scoop spices into tiny bottles at the co-op when I can just buy the pre-ground stuff at Key Foods? It's all a part of the same cycle, in my eyes -- using your own energy and creativity to make good use of what some enormously generous individuals have made available to the public for free or at low cost. Using free software to convert files in order to use them on my free operating system is nowhere near as large of an inconvenience as paying some Microsoft person to develop my software, provide me with nonsensical updates, and give me useless tech support. And what do you end up learning from that kind of experience?
7.2.11
Creeping Around, Doing Things
Things have been on the up and up and I've been not writing about them as a preventative method against jinxing myself.
!!
So I started school -- Methods in Research and Literary Criticism, a.k.a. lit theory as applied to 18th century British literature. What a difference from Delaware! -- my professor is Indian; my classmates are various shades of brown and peach, and of various ages; no one is falling asleep or dumb; urban campus. There is something entirely more real about walking to class down a city block, with fat mothers and music blasting from the fake Louis Vuitton store and the teenagers slouching around outside the fried chicken place and the dried fruit vendor reading a magazine, than strolling through a colonial-style Ugg boot-wearing campus. I miss trees sometimes, but not those trees.
Going to school in Brooklyn has also helped to reboot my tourism -- I've been casually exploring Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO (home of my beloved Jacques Torres), and Downtown Brooklyn on foot; nice weather will bring me out on my bike. I've also discovered a new co-op, the 4th Street Food Co-op in lower Manhattan, which is a huge improvement over the incomptetently-run (and overpriced) organic store across the street from me ("what is tare weight?"), as well as more flexible and accessible than the massive, 14,000-member Park Slope Co-op.
Next: MORE BEER! Don and I made another batch of beer last week, and thus far it has proved itself to be far superior to the semi-carbonated, vaguely bleach-flavored batch of "Rye PA" we made a few months ago. This one is a bit darker than the first, with less hops and more barley; it was a Chestnut Brown Ale, and indeed, we threw a couple of home-roasted chestnuts in there for flavor. The batch is already bubbling and perky, and should be ready for bottling in a couple weeks, meaning it should be drink-ready by the end of March. If this one turns out well, our plan is to buy the grain and yeast ourselves (from the co-op!), and make our own batches, since right now we've been using the pre-measured ones from the Brooklyn Brew Shop. I'm thinking, replace the barley with quinoa or brown rice, or toasting the hops, or adding herbs and spices, or growing our own hops...
And finalement, a cat! Don and I adopted a two-year old stray about two weeks ago, who had been found by the NYC animal police and kept in kitty prison since August. She was discovered wandering around the south Bronx with a sketchy older man cat, and was nearly euthanized for "questionable behavior." She's long-haired and green-eyed and has a broken tooth. Her name is The Wizard.
Her fur was patchy and dull when we first got her, and she stank (she had some bad hygiene when she arrived..). But the dullness has given way to a fluffy white cravat of fur and a puffy tail, and her behavior is certainly not questionable. She chirps instead of meows, and will hit you (clawlessly) if you anger her. It's nice coming home to a little wild, chirping creature every day.
...And I think that's it. There are more changes (which may involve me having to leave my cheesemongering job...), but I'll post those as they occur. I'm feeling invigorated and excited, and still have the impression that I just moved here. I haven't even touched the techno/club scene or independent film, and am just starting to get a feel for the food microcultures that exist all over this city. It seems like the busier I get, the more time I have for active exploration...
!!
So I started school -- Methods in Research and Literary Criticism, a.k.a. lit theory as applied to 18th century British literature. What a difference from Delaware! -- my professor is Indian; my classmates are various shades of brown and peach, and of various ages; no one is falling asleep or dumb; urban campus. There is something entirely more real about walking to class down a city block, with fat mothers and music blasting from the fake Louis Vuitton store and the teenagers slouching around outside the fried chicken place and the dried fruit vendor reading a magazine, than strolling through a colonial-style Ugg boot-wearing campus. I miss trees sometimes, but not those trees.
Going to school in Brooklyn has also helped to reboot my tourism -- I've been casually exploring Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO (home of my beloved Jacques Torres), and Downtown Brooklyn on foot; nice weather will bring me out on my bike. I've also discovered a new co-op, the 4th Street Food Co-op in lower Manhattan, which is a huge improvement over the incomptetently-run (and overpriced) organic store across the street from me ("what is tare weight?"), as well as more flexible and accessible than the massive, 14,000-member Park Slope Co-op.
Next: MORE BEER! Don and I made another batch of beer last week, and thus far it has proved itself to be far superior to the semi-carbonated, vaguely bleach-flavored batch of "Rye PA" we made a few months ago. This one is a bit darker than the first, with less hops and more barley; it was a Chestnut Brown Ale, and indeed, we threw a couple of home-roasted chestnuts in there for flavor. The batch is already bubbling and perky, and should be ready for bottling in a couple weeks, meaning it should be drink-ready by the end of March. If this one turns out well, our plan is to buy the grain and yeast ourselves (from the co-op!), and make our own batches, since right now we've been using the pre-measured ones from the Brooklyn Brew Shop. I'm thinking, replace the barley with quinoa or brown rice, or toasting the hops, or adding herbs and spices, or growing our own hops...
And finalement, a cat! Don and I adopted a two-year old stray about two weeks ago, who had been found by the NYC animal police and kept in kitty prison since August. She was discovered wandering around the south Bronx with a sketchy older man cat, and was nearly euthanized for "questionable behavior." She's long-haired and green-eyed and has a broken tooth. Her name is The Wizard.
Her fur was patchy and dull when we first got her, and she stank (she had some bad hygiene when she arrived..). But the dullness has given way to a fluffy white cravat of fur and a puffy tail, and her behavior is certainly not questionable. She chirps instead of meows, and will hit you (clawlessly) if you anger her. It's nice coming home to a little wild, chirping creature every day.
...And I think that's it. There are more changes (which may involve me having to leave my cheesemongering job...), but I'll post those as they occur. I'm feeling invigorated and excited, and still have the impression that I just moved here. I haven't even touched the techno/club scene or independent film, and am just starting to get a feel for the food microcultures that exist all over this city. It seems like the busier I get, the more time I have for active exploration...
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