Thanksgiving Blogging BLITZ!

Alright folks, prepare yourselves for a little Thanksgiving blogging BLITZ to catch up on the past two weeks of blog barrenness. (There were way too many double letters in that guy for it to be correct-- no time to check now!)

I've known for awhile that Stacy, Aunt Janet, and Meme were going to be comin' on up to the Big Apple for Thanksgiving and I was going to be prepared to set out a feast for my personal favorite holiday. I decided the only way to ensure that those sweet potatoes tasted just right was to do a full-on Thanksgiving dry-run. Turkey and everything. A little excessive? Probably. Tasty fun for everyone? YEP! So I feel like the pictures tell the story... so without further adieu.. the dry run..

I decided to cook the pies the night before... cause I was already stretching things by starting to cook a turkey AFTER I got home from work. So in go the pies...

Aren't they pretty? And for those of you who are curling up your nose right now saying "Where is the pumpkin pie?"-- to you, I say, quiet down. The pecan pie is truly the unsung hero of the thanksgiving meal. Who wants to eat orange gel? Not I. Thank you Sue Beth for the scrumptious recipe and patience as I called frequently for step-by-step assistance. No shame.

Out came the turkey... in its bag.. and I had no idea how to know if it was good or not...

NO IDEA!

But my guests were present and it was about 9:00 by this time... so I made the executive decision that the turkey was eatable. So we sat down to a lovely meal...

Andrew insisted on including me in the pic. He's such a peach.

So that, in a nutshell, was the dry-run Thanksgiving dinner. In the end, it was delicious and things went a lot smoother than I expected! Who said cooking a turkey is hard?? I mean it only took me 24 years of observing to try it out on my own. And I've decided that anyone can make perfect sweet potatoes if you have enough brown sugar and butter on hand. However... I did forget the cranberry sauce in the fridge... rookie mistake. All in all, it was a great night and a fabulous pre-Thanksgiving celebration in ole Glendale!

Stay tuned for more Thanksgiving updates to come...

And Then There Were Two

MEET LETICIA!

Leticia is my latest addition to my humble abode in good ole Glendale, Queens. Once upon a time I had a two bedroom apartment with no other occupant. While I thoroughly enjoyed paying the full rent myself, I was thinking it might be nice to have another member of the 71-10 household. Enter Leticia. She moved up here in September from Austin and we had a mutual friend from there who told us we should get together for coffee/dinner/whatever it is New Yorkers do fun. So we met on the top of the Empire State Building... okay I'm kidding, but we did meet at this burger place that has iPads you order from and subsequently play with.. what?? So we get together for dinner, within 20 minutes I've assessed that she's a true Texas and has a deep love/respect for good food, so I know that we are going to be friends. She begins to tell me here saga of relocating to the Big Apple and explains her current living situation which includes living in a tiny box in Manhattan with four other people and a cat. Ew. So I take the opportunity to look like a real freak and inform the stranger who I just met that I have an extra bedroom and she's welcome to move in if she wants! Yep, after 20 minutes. Haha-- guess it's good that my intuition was right this time! A month later, she moved in and it's been so much fun! So I thought I should give her a shout out and also inform all of you readers so that when you picture yourself here with me in my New York life, you can know who's sleeping in the next room.

Apparently today is National Running Day... Leticia informed me of this when she returned home from her five mile run. I'm sitting on the couch and have no intention of going for a run... but it did take me back to two years ago at this time when preparation for the Bearathon began. Ohhh the memories. I think I'll stick to the couch and hope that my extensive commute each morning/evening will excuse my intake of sweet treats in this glorious city!

'Tis the Season... To Attend Mysterious Political Rallies

I'm not even going to apologize this time for the tardiness of this blog post. By this time, if you're still checking for updates, you know I'm lazy and scattered and blog randomly. So on that note...

A few weeks ago I decided to go visit my dear friend and former roommate Christy, who is in grad school in Washington D.C. I've never been to D.C. so I thought it would be a grand opportunity to have a personal guide around our nation's great capital. I had recently discovered that you can take a bus round trip for $35.00, so I was all about that road trip! I took my time to buy my ticket (I mean how many people are randomly headed to D.C. for the weekend??) so last Tuesday when I got around to searching online for bus trips, I was a bit baffled when I saw that they were all SOLD OUT. I had no idea what this was all about. I was later informed that John Stewart and Stephen Colbert were having a "Rally for Sanity or Fear" ... which apparently means "Everyone from the ages of 19-25, come to D.C. for the weekend".

I finally found a ticket on a ghetto-fabulous website for Washington Deluxe Buses. I quickly bought the ticket and wiped the sweat from my brow... only to have the sweat reform as I read some reviews of the bus company. Why I didn't think of this before I put in my credit card information, I'm not sure-- but most of the reviews consisted of phrases such as "three hours longer" and "disgusting" and "credit card fraud". Awesome. At this point, there was nothing I could do.. so I clung to the two positive reviews (out of like 50) and remained positive! Luckily, the Washington Deluxe people must have consulted their negative reviews and made some changes, because my trip was absolutely delightful! I'm gonna have to write a Yelp review to help redeem the company. But let's be real- I'm too lazy to update my blog, I doubt that review is gonna happen!

On the way there, we stopped midway at the Delaware Welcome Center. My memories of welcome centers on family road trips include brochures about state parks, vending machines behind bars, and large trucks. Now don't get me wrong.. I love the South... but I have never felt more welcomed to a state than I did entering that tiny (mostly forgotten) state. I walked into this beautiful marble building that had a full food court including a Starbucks and a full organic market... what?! No Doritos behind bars or shady puddles of water in an outdoor bathroom (Mississippi- take notes). It was incredible. I didn't want to leave. My D.C. trip was already worth it. Low standards? Perhaps. But I'm telling you-- go to the Delaware Welcome Center and you won't regret it.

I got to D.C. and Christy was the perfect hostess. We went to the rally (along with over 200,000 other people who didn't know what they were going to!) and saw secret guest stars: John Legend, Cat Stevens, Ozzy Ozbourne, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow... and some others I don't remember. It was pretty cool! They did some funny stuff and John Stewart gave a little speech at the end-- it was definitely the best political rally I've ever been to. I also got a sunburn... in 40 degree weather in October. That was great too. Christy and I both walked around like raccoons for the rest of the weekend, but we just called it our Halloween costumes, so I think we pulled it off.

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This is the only historical-ish D.C.-ey picture I took. I'm a bad citizen, I know. Cupcakes were more imporant.

If you've seen the TLC show DC Cupcakes (I haven't) this is the cupcake shop they follow. I didn't expect to be impressed... I mean I've had a lot of good cupcakes in my day. But the salted caramel cupcake I had here was hands down the best cupcake of all time. No question. That alone made the ten hour round trip in the bus totally worth it!

THANKS CHRISTY!!!

All in all, my trip to D.C. was fabulous! I didn't even mention the Holocaust Museum which I could have spent all day in. It was incredible-- definitely go there and give yourself a good chunk of time to spend, because it's fascinating. I love NYC... but a weekend getaway to ole D.C. was a lovely little vaca! Hooray for living in a place where I can drive through four states and still have half the day left :)

My Life As A Mobster's Wife

I work in what you might call a "challenging" neighborhood. You know it's rough when your lunch options are Dunkin' Donuts or the creepy Mr. Softee ice cream truck that drives by on the half hour. But so far my work has been good and I've enjoyed working with my clients in the area-- so no major complaints. We start work promptly at 9:00am... we are expected to be there on time without being late, but the doors open right at 9:00, so you can't really be early either. Well, my schedule relies on Mr. M Train and Ms. L Train, so sometimes I don't arrive exactly at 9:00am and encounter some issues. This was my situation last Wednesday. I got off the train like 15 minutes early, so I stopped in at the local deli/convenient store/99 cent store/laundromat (they're really into multi-tasking) and got my 50 cent hot tea and waltzed on to work. I get there and the doors are locked and the bars are chained (I said it was "challenging") and I just have to wait for a supervisor to get there, since I am but a lowly entry-level social worker. I notice just down the sidewalk a bit a man with a shopping cart filled to the brim with stuff who is talking to himself. I don't think much of it and continue to enjoy my earl gray. My friend with the cart then decides to wheel over to approach me. The following is the conversation that took place... I will refer to the man as SCM (shopping cart man)...

SCM: You work here??

Me: Yes I do- can I help you?

SCM: No you don't-- you're LYIN'! This place has been closed for YEARS!

Me: (Confused) Um, well, we were open yesterday.

SCM: No you WEREN'T... you're LYIN'! (slight pause) You smoke crack?

Me: (Even more confused-- and slightly alarmed) Um, nope. Nope, I don't.

SCM: Ah, you're LYIN'. You don't gotta worry, I ain't gonna tell the cops! I got a kilo o'crack-- you wanna buy a kilo o'crack?

Me: (Wishing desperately for my supervisor to arrive) Um, no I'm good thanks.

SCM: You smoke weed? You smoke anything?

Me: No- I really don't. I don't smoke anything. (Kind of thinking I should have just said yes so we'd have something to relate about!)

SCM: You LYIN'!

(At this point I'm convinced he's just NEVER going to believe what I say)

SCM: (creepily and slowly looks me up and down) You look like a mobster's wife!

Me: (I had no words... what the HECK do you say to that? What does that even mean? I don't look Italian!)

SCM: (spots my tea) You know, someone's gonna throw that tea in your face and then put a jinx on you and then say have a nice day!

Me: (Still no words... at all.)

.... then SCM walks away with his cart. Cursing about his kilo o'crack.

My supervisor arrives about two minutes later and as she's unlocking the door I tell her a summary of the interaction I just had, to which she responds "Sara, why are you talking to these men?? Do not talk to these men!!"

... At what point in that conversation did I INVITE any of those comments? What exactly was I supposed to do? Guess I'll have a chat with Mr. M and Ms. L and make sure that they deliver me to my work no earlier and no later than 9:00am. MY BAD.

I mean I guess the only thing to do at this point is look for one of those long skinny cigarette holders and some fur to complete my mobster's wife costume for Halloween. Thank you for the brilliant idea SCM. I'm sure we will meet again...

Better late than never?

Once again I must apologize for the tardiness of this posting. But hey-- at least now I have a job to use as an excuse rather than just pure laziness!

These past couple of weeks have had a running theme of me trying to figure out how to adjust back to the days of bedding down at a reasonable hour and rising early in the morn - preferably without having to hit the snooze button more than 12 times. Spending a month with no morning schedule was not exactly a step in the right direction of me learning how to set an internal clock. I think it might be a lost cause. Guess I'll keep setting all four of those alarms! (Don't judge.)

So two weekends ago, my old Baylor friends Scott and Danielle came to play in ole NYC and had the great idea to take the Staton Island Ferry (FREE!!) to get a close-up glimpse of Lady Liberty. It was so fun! And it's the closest I can to Her (I feel it's appropriate to capitalize the H) without paying an arm and a leg. Well done with the free tip, Danielle :)

Note the ferry that's really close full of people... who paid $18... suckers!! Something else that was awesome that Danielle, Scott and I did was attend the Upright Citizens Brigade FREE Improv show. This is an Improv group started by Amy Poehler and friends and now and again she hosts the show. Well lo and behold, as we take our seats for the show, who should appear but Mrs. Poehler herself, accompanied by Horatio Sans, Seth Myers, Mr. BELDING from Saved By The Bell and Kenneth and Lutz from 30 Rock (I don't know their real names!). It was hilarious and awesome. I took Angie and Andrew with me the next Sunday in hopes that the same All-Star cast would be there... and none of them were. Oops. My bad! But hey-- all free laughs, so no complaints!

Things at work are going well-- I officially knew things were going to work out earlier this week when a male co-worker of mine, an educated man in his late twenties, came into my office (that I share with three other people) and started playing Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid and he, another co-worker and myself sang along to the ENTIRE song. While the other co-workers watched in awe (or maybe annoyance... but I'll pretend it was awe). It was beautiful... I wish you could have been there. I knew then that no matter how tough the job gets... I can always break for a Disney sing-along and the world will be right again.

"What's that word again? Oh.. feet..." Gotta love her.

A couple of days ago I was at Starbucks in the evening reading and I met an older man from Albania who sat down at my table and began talking to me. Actually it was silent until he started laughing at me, when I realized I was singing along to John Lennon's "Imagine" at full voice as I was reading in public... story of my life. Anyway, we started chatting and he informs me that he's lived in the same apartment in the Lower East Side since 1960. He pays $200/month in rent for his two-bedroom apartment because of rent control. In the Lower East Side. His neighbor has the same apartment and pays $3000/month. Yes, really. It may have been slightly inappropriate since I had just met this gentleman, but I requested that should anything happen where he "moves out" of his apartment (slash, we both knew I meant when he kicks the bucket), I'd be happy to take over his lease and we wouldn't need to mention anything to anyone about it. I think he's really considering it. Things are looking promising! It was lovely to chat with him though-- he had a lot of great stories. Apparently he goes to that Starbucks every night so I'm hoping to see him again!!

I've had some pretty awkward run-ins with attempted pick up lines... or simple compliments/observations?? Yesterday I was walking to work and someone shouted at me "Yo snowflake!" and kept walking. I didn't actually make eye contact so I can't be SURE this comment was directed at me... but since I am the only white person I ever see anywhere near where I work.. I'm assuming he was calling out to me and my alabaster skin. It was new- I'll give him that.

Today I was walking to training and a man in a van was stopped at a stop sign and as I walked by (too slowly apparently) he says to me "Hey- those are some sexy feet".

....

...

..

What?? I didn't even know how to respond. I was literally rendered speechless and just kept walking. A) I don't think feet have the ability to be sexy, B) My feet were half covered in mud because I make inappropriate shoe choices in the rain, and C) How did he come up with that so quickly??

And then there was the time I was walking down the stairs to the subway and a man walking up the stairs came close to my face with wide eyes and says in a strange whisper "You have nice eyes". Kind of alarming. But, thank you? I just don't know how to respond to these unorthodox comments. Guess I'll take the compliments where I can get them? And yes, I know, being called a snowflake probably shouldn't be taken as a compliment... but I'm gonna pretend that was his intention.

I booked my ticket home for Christmas last week so I'm PUMPED about that! I only get 5 days at home since I'm a real adult now... but I'm thankful and can't wait to spend time with the fam, friends, and Chick-Fil-A! Until then... it's more singin' out loud and walkin' around ole NYC with my sexy feet!

I Love the 90's

Because I have a ridiculously bad memory, I keep a running log of things I want to blog about in list form on my phone. I had a pretty good one going... and then my phone decided to erase the list and re-load a list I made like a month ago. No idea why... and I'm real annoyed. But anyway- I will try and do my best to remember!

I need to let everyone know that while New York seems to be an advanced city- at the forefront of innovation... I can't help but feeling sometimes like I'm living in the 90's. Last week at work, I was informed that our computers don't have the Internet on them, but we have a "computer lab" where we can use the Internet if we need to get a "map" for our home visits or help a client find a job or something like that. My days of chatting to Josh and Erika via the Google chatter throughout my work day are no longer. Farewell brother/friend :( I was then instructed by my supervisor to handwrite my schedule for the week. Put it on my calendar on Outlook Express and share it with my co-workers? Nope, write it out. By hand. I asked if there was an electronic copy available and she handed me a floppy disk. Yep, that's right-- the black, squre floppy disk we all remember from fifteen years ago. I had some trouble remembering how to insert the disk into the ancient computers. But I finally administered the disk and retrieved the document. I then got on the bus, went home to fill up my ice trays and watched some kids play hopscotch. The nineties folks... if you miss this beloved decade, please come join me!

This weekend I went to a friend's art show and afterwards we went to a Milk Bar. What's a milk bar, you might ask? Well... it's exactly what it sounds like.. kind of. It serves all different kinds of milk-- regular, strawberry, chocolate, and cereal milks (flavored with different cereals- so like the fruit loop cereal milk kind of tastes like the milk after you finish eating fruit loops, etc.). They also make milkshakes with the different milks and random soft serve flavors. My friend decided to sample the potato chip ice cream... it was as disgusting as it sounds. Imagine taking a potato, pouring milk and sugar over it, and chilling it for a few hours. Then dig in. SICK. They also serve pie (as you should, when there's so much milk) so I had what they call crack pie. Imagine pecan pie without the pecans and condensed into an even more intense filling. It was delicious... and addictive... just like crack. So, my experience at the milk bar began a little shakily with the potato chip ice cream disaster, but ended well. I'm definitely gonna need to go back again!

I have officially decided on a church here and a small group bible study that I will attend each week. I'm so very thankful that the Lord has provided this community! It's been a real blessing to be surrounded by other believers-- even if only a couple of times a week. The church is called Apostles NYC, pastored by JR Vassar (A Texan!)- so feel free to check it out online.

Work is going well-- I'm getting slightly more busy and getting to know my co-workers better. It's off to more training for me tomorrow. Hooray! Maybe we'll all get our own individual floppy disks to take home with the handouts. Hey- a girl can dream!

I'm A Big Girl Now... Where Are My Keys??

Well today was my first day back to the workforce. I should be sleeping right now, but because I have led a bum-lifestyle the past thirty days, my internal clock is a bit skewed. It was NOT pleased at 7:00 this morning-- nor will it be tomorrow morning! But I'll take this chance to provide an update for you all. The first day at work was as boring as expected-- two hours watching a movie regarding HIPAA regulations (no worries- your health information is confidential at Catholic Charities), four hours of reading policies and procedures, 15 minutes eating lunch, and approximately 2.75 hours spent staring at my empty desk. Half of my co-workers are out for training and so there was only one girl in the office with me. She wasn't super talkative and so I was concerned about our future friendship (yes.. I need to be friends with all my coworkers). That is, until this conversation took place. I will use CW as her initials...

**Following about two straight hours of no talking, only listening to really bad R&B (redundant?)**

CW: So... how's your appetite?

S: (confused) Um... I'm sorry, what?

CW: Your appetite.

S: (I already had lunch-- what's she saying??) My appetite? Um.. what..?

CW: Do you like to EAT?

S: Oh... yeah, I mean absolutely, I love eating!

CW: Okay good, you'll fit in good here then. We really like to eat.

Whew... I'm totally fitting in. Next week I'm bringing cookies to seal friendships with the absent co-workers. I'm not above it! I feel good about my new work environment. Too bad we work in the ghetto and there's no Starbucks to take "team-building" trips to. I miss you, STARRY! I guess there's always the corner deli. A good old fashioned honey bun is good any time of day!

I also need to share my Labor Day story. Angie was hanging out with me for the day and we were at my apartment and hadn't really done anything all day and decided we would go see a movie. It was about 4:30 and we were about to leave when I realized I needed to show Angie the roof and how cool it was. It's actually not that cool and I'm not sure why it was imperative that I show her right then at that moment, and not just on our way out. I decided I'd just leave the door unlocked- we'd be right back down in a minute. So we shut the door, perused around the roof, then came back down. To a locked door. Apparently my bottom lock locked on its own and so there we were-- no keys, no phones, no wallets, no NOTHING. In an empty apartment building. With the landlord out of town. Awesome.

So, Angie has some amateur lock-picking skills and she went to work with the bobby pin she found in the foyer (such a little MacGyver!). Meanwhile, I'm knocking on all the doors of the apartments surrounding me trying to find someone with a phone. You see, I always knew I would eventually lock myself out, which is why I entrusted my spare key to my good friend, Andrew. However, I was not prepared for a situation in which I did not have my phone-- and I did NOT have Andrew's cell phone number memorized. I finally found some neighbors, used their phone to track down Andrew's number... no answer. The neighbors gave us some tools, I found some more scrap metal on the roof, and Angie continued to work at the lock. It is now 6:30. The movie had come and gone. Thankfully, about this time, the neighbor's husband came home as I'm once again using their phone. He grabs a shockingly large screwdriver, heads upstairs and mutters something about his "special forces training" and proceeds to work some magic with the screwdriver and bust in the door with his body. Without breaking anything. Angie and I stood there with our mouths hanging open in awe. It was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen... also I was beyond relieved that we no longer had to stand and sweat in the hallway! I must give it to Angie though-- I believe she would have had that lock picked eventually. She's so bright! I basically stared at the door for two hours, pretending to help with the flashlight now and again. Bottom line-- Labor Day was more laborious than my first day of actual work. Oh the irony. I think I'm going to give a spare key to the special forces family downstairs.

All in all-- a productive couple of days... kind of? I did meet two guys from Austin tonight at a church event-- so that was cool! Apparently there are a lot of Texans at my church... I knew I liked that place. I hope we have a barbeque soon!