Next Time We Hire Movers

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. I don't even know how to describe the state I am in today. Meg has gone to the botanical gardens. I should be sleeping because I have to work an overnight tonight, but I am so stressed I almost started to unpack more and clean... instead I thought if I wrote something, I would at least be sitting down.




Things I have seen so far in NYC:

1. An alien walking down Park Ave. At first glance you might mistake her for a female human in her sixties; upon closer inspection however, the shiny leopard suit stretched across her wiry figure, the bright orange hair carefully sculpted into a hard swirl, the gold sunglasses which cover her entire face, and her spastic walk make it hard to deny she is not of this earth.
2. A rat crawling on the subway tracks. Ok, I realize this is no big deal. I saw them all the time when I was a tourist, but I saw my first one as a New Yorker! Oddly, I haven't seen one since.
3. A subway train full of drunk Yankees fans. And yes, I got to ride with them.

We've been able to explore our neighborhood a bit. There are a couple of fantastic Italian bakeries nearby, and a pretty nice Japanese restaurant where we are quickly becoming regulars. We did laundry around the corner, and bought one of those handy carts for such occasions, as well as for shopping, though it sits unassembled in our living room.

Yes, living room! We have done some unpacking. There is still a bit to do, but at least you have a place to sit when you come in, and it feels like home. My favorite place to sit is on our front porch, with a beer in hand of course.

The Packing Continues

Today was a good day. Don't get me wrong, it didn't go as planned - not that Meghan and I ever really have much of a plan, but today we were supposed to be up and out the door to get coffee by 10am. I think we left my apartment a little after noon.

Mornings typically go like this: the alarm clock goes off, I hit snooze; the phone alarm goes off, I hit dismiss; the clock goes off again, I hit snooze, and Meghan rolls over. The alarm clock is NOT next to the bed. The alarm clock is all the way across the room on top of my dresser. I get out of the bed, walk to the clock, fumble with the buttons, and dive back into bed. My neighbors must hate me.

This morning was much of the same, with Meg actually getting up to smash the alarm clock a few times. I am usually the one who ends the cycle, as I was today. The only reason I did was to check my bank account balance as I have done obsessively for the last two weeks. I don't know why I do this, I'm not sure if I am expecting the money to disappear or for thousands of dollars to suddenly show up there. Neither of these things has happened; I still have the same pitiful amount of cash. It is a good thing I am a wiz with lentils.

Yet we did get out of the apartment, grumble at one another until we reached Starbucks, and then magically, with iced caramel soy lattes in hand, everything was full of sparkles. Maybe I exaggerate, maybe the day of packing was still looming over our heads. We did get a lot accomplished. We probably only have about 3-4 hours of work left in each apartment, and pretty much it is just packing up the clothes.

The day ended splendidly. Our friend Steve came over to take part in the packing madness, and then we headed over to the Zicari's house. A few of the awesome folks from our neighborhood joined us, and we sat in the "cabana" drinking wine and beer, eating bugles, and wondering if it was ok that water was streaming down the christmas lights (it was raining, and there are a couple leaks in the cabana). I looked around at Shaun and Eric, Mark and Sarah, the Zicari clan, and felt blessed to know them. I admit, I am a little sad to leave B-lo behind, but I know that those folks, along with some of the many other fantastic people I have come to know will come visit.

I mean, doesn't everyone love NYC?

Here I am!

Before anyone gets the idea that I am not a real person, I thought it was about time I made my appearance. In fact, Meghan is my hallucination, not the other way around.

Ok, not really. She is actually my friend - younger and more accomplished than I (though perhaps just as crazy) but she still lets me hang out with her, and now we are on our way to Brooklyn.

I leave this quaint attic apartment in Buffalo behind with mixed feelings. I've been through a lot here, a bit of darkness, yet in the end found my independence, and maybe a little courage. Packing up my belongings has understandably, unearthed a lot of memories and a lot of emotion, resulting in lost sleep. When I do slumber, it is restless, compounded by ceaseless grinding of my teeth - must remember to wear my mouth guard!!

If you've ever gone a few days without getting enough sleep, you know there are some interesting results. Sure, there are body-aches and a general sluggishness, but the most interesting effect is what a lack of sleep will do to your mind.

I do not even remember falling asleep last night. I vaguely remember I was packing in my office, watching an episode of Burn Notice on Hulu, and upon realizing it was 3:30am, grabbed my book and crawled into bed. I woke up with a start at 8:30, a bit disoriented, but aware enough to know I had to move my car or suffer the wrath of the timely traffic cops in my neighborhood. As I quickly got dressed, my gaze fell upon my hamper and I saw a piece of clothing which kind of made me lose touch with reality.

I stared at the unfamiliar pattern, and wondered where it came from. It was an odd shade of yellow, with orange and blue circles - was it a towel? A T-shirt? Was it MINE? In that instant, the entire world ceased to make sense. I felt as alien as the cloth I looked at.

If it was mine, why didn't I know what it was? It was on top of the hamper, I had obviously used it (or worn it) recently. It had to belong to me, which lead to a complete crack in my self-awareness. Who am I?

Then I stepped towards the hamper, leaned a little closer, scrunched up my eyes, and realized...

It was just the T-shirt I bought at the No Doubt concert.

I should also mention I normally wear glasses.