I wrote a blog in December talking about a puffy elf sticker that was put on the cover of our Buddy Scooter. Just as mysteriously as it was put there it was removed in January. Those little puffy stickers have real sticking power, so it had to have been removed, it did not fall off.
Jeff and I have designated days that we are responsible for moving the scooter to the opposite side of the street for street cleaning days. Several times over the last, may-be, six weeks we have asked each other whether or not the other person moved the bike on their non-designated days. Both of us said that we had not done the good deed and we assumed Jordan was the good deed doer. After asking her, we found out that she has not been moving the bike either.
The only problem with this "good deed" is the person moving the bike does not remove the lock, which is a long coiled chain that wraps around the tire, so once they push it to the other side of the street the chain is all curled up in the front tire, which takes quite a bit of time to untangle. Surely, they can feel the drag on the bike when they roll it and realize that the chain is wrapping around the tire.
Over the winter the bike cover has become rather tattered and torn. Two days ago when we went to move the bike to the alternate side of the street we found the cover had been patched up. It's not perfect, but someone took some time and effort to sew it up.
So? Hmmm.... What?
In New York you do not touch people and you do not touch their stuff. So who is this mystery person putting puffy elf stickers on our cover, removing the holiday decal as the seasons change, moving our bike at the risk of busting the tire by wrapping the chain around it, and patching up the tattered cover? Have you ever heard of anything so bizarre?
Friday, March 30, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
A Typical Sunday (more or less)
I wish I could say that I've been so busy having fun that I forgot to blog. If only... I've been busy working. But I have been informed from those closest to me that I need to write about fun stuff, which is why we moved here in the first place. Hmm.. Ok. Day to day I have fun. In the middle of that day I feel overwhelmed by the long hours of work ahead of me, but then Cameron or Jordan come in and tell a funny story about their day at school, or work or I stand in the middle of Broadway waiting for the walk sign to change and I breathe in the the city that I love. So today I decided to write about a typical Sunday, which is ever changing because sometimes I work and other Sundays I don't. I did not work today. Well, actually I had a sales meeting from 9 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. but I just looked at that as a few hours working that would cover the cost of brunch after church.
So at 9:00 a.m. I'm at "unnamed retailer" meeting learning sales techniques. I'm not sure that I can be trained to do anything besides soft selling. If I walked into a store and two people greeted me and a third asked my name within 10 seconds of entering a store I would do an about face and head for the door. So I took one of the New Jersey bagels that the manager brought and tried to absorbed her expertise.
Next stop, church. My favorite part of church is the Joys and Concerns. The congregation is so diverse that by listening to the joys and concerns of the congregation I am able to be thankful for all my blessings and to feel like I have a pulse on my community. The Joys and Concerns are diverse: prays for a member's grand baby who is having open heart surgery, a gay couple asking for prayers for a friend who has been abandoned by a partner who without the institute of marriage to protect him is now destitute when he is betrayed in his relationship, a member of Occupy Wall Street asking for prayers for those activist who were recently imprisoned after their arrest in Zuccotti Park, a member of the congregation asking for prayers for her call back for America's Got Talent, just to name a few from the past few weeks.Of all of the good things that the city has offered us, this church has given us by far more than we ever would have imagined.
After church Jeff and I headed to PetSmart for cat food and cat liter. The store is on 92nd Street and Broadway. Do you know how heavy cat liter is when you carry if for almost a mile? (Jeff carried it, but I felt his pain. LOL!) We stopped at Cafe 83 for brunch. It's real neighborhood diner with no frills, but lots of characters. We waited for five minutes to squeeze into a booth with our PetSmart purchase and then ordered our brunch. I had a french toast and scrambled eggs with coffee and Jeff had a bacon and cheese omelet with coffee. An old Jewish couple sat next to us reading the Sunday Times in silence, two very old men sat behind us dressed in their mismatched (think stripes and plaids) Sunday best talking over bottomless cups of coffee, and a trendy young couple sat opposite fashionably dressed for summer although the clouds were rolling in reminding us that it is still March.
Cam and several of her friends organized a surprise birthday party for her friend Jessie. I need to acknowledge that AJ was the master mind behind the project and developed an elaborate "Hunger Games" themed party to be played in Riverside Park. I was busy having brunch while the games were going on, but I headed over to Jessie's apartment to participate in the cake cutting and socializing with the other parents. I was highly impressed with how well the whole thing had been executed. The game was a complete success (it was basically an elaborate game of tag using Hunger Game strategies over a 10 block area), the kids all had matching t-shirts, and the food was prepared using the Hunger Games Cookbook. I added a few photos so you can get a glimpse of the fun and the hard work that was put into it!
Jordan and I later headed down to Trader Joe's to do some shopping, filling our granny cart with the groceries for the week, and wine and spaghetti fixin's for the evening's dinner.
We all should have gone to bed early, but after a busy weekend it was so wonderful just vegging out on the couch watching the new season of "Long Island Median" so I don't think I got to bed until after midnight.
Anyway, just a day in the life.
So at 9:00 a.m. I'm at "unnamed retailer" meeting learning sales techniques. I'm not sure that I can be trained to do anything besides soft selling. If I walked into a store and two people greeted me and a third asked my name within 10 seconds of entering a store I would do an about face and head for the door. So I took one of the New Jersey bagels that the manager brought and tried to absorbed her expertise.
Next stop, church. My favorite part of church is the Joys and Concerns. The congregation is so diverse that by listening to the joys and concerns of the congregation I am able to be thankful for all my blessings and to feel like I have a pulse on my community. The Joys and Concerns are diverse: prays for a member's grand baby who is having open heart surgery, a gay couple asking for prayers for a friend who has been abandoned by a partner who without the institute of marriage to protect him is now destitute when he is betrayed in his relationship, a member of Occupy Wall Street asking for prayers for those activist who were recently imprisoned after their arrest in Zuccotti Park, a member of the congregation asking for prayers for her call back for America's Got Talent, just to name a few from the past few weeks.Of all of the good things that the city has offered us, this church has given us by far more than we ever would have imagined.
After church Jeff and I headed to PetSmart for cat food and cat liter. The store is on 92nd Street and Broadway. Do you know how heavy cat liter is when you carry if for almost a mile? (Jeff carried it, but I felt his pain. LOL!) We stopped at Cafe 83 for brunch. It's real neighborhood diner with no frills, but lots of characters. We waited for five minutes to squeeze into a booth with our PetSmart purchase and then ordered our brunch. I had a french toast and scrambled eggs with coffee and Jeff had a bacon and cheese omelet with coffee. An old Jewish couple sat next to us reading the Sunday Times in silence, two very old men sat behind us dressed in their mismatched (think stripes and plaids) Sunday best talking over bottomless cups of coffee, and a trendy young couple sat opposite fashionably dressed for summer although the clouds were rolling in reminding us that it is still March.
Cam and several of her friends organized a surprise birthday party for her friend Jessie. I need to acknowledge that AJ was the master mind behind the project and developed an elaborate "Hunger Games" themed party to be played in Riverside Park. I was busy having brunch while the games were going on, but I headed over to Jessie's apartment to participate in the cake cutting and socializing with the other parents. I was highly impressed with how well the whole thing had been executed. The game was a complete success (it was basically an elaborate game of tag using Hunger Game strategies over a 10 block area), the kids all had matching t-shirts, and the food was prepared using the Hunger Games Cookbook. I added a few photos so you can get a glimpse of the fun and the hard work that was put into it! 
Jordan and I later headed down to Trader Joe's to do some shopping, filling our granny cart with the groceries for the week, and wine and spaghetti fixin's for the evening's dinner.
We all should have gone to bed early, but after a busy weekend it was so wonderful just vegging out on the couch watching the new season of "Long Island Median" so I don't think I got to bed until after midnight.
Anyway, just a day in the life.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Hot Chocolate and Steak Fries
Last night Cameron's middle school had their annual fund raising auction. A friend of mine, Charlene, asked if I wanted to be her date for the event. Her husband had opted to stay home and Jeff was already volunteering as a bartender at the event.
I bought a dress in Denver that I have been saving to wear to the theater. Since the theater is on hold until finances smooth out I pulled it out of the closet to wear to the auction. I'd asked my friend what people would be wearing and she said it would run the gambit. Sure enough there were people in jeans and others dressed for the Academy Awards.
It was the usual school auction fare with bidding on spa packages, vacation condos, and housekeeping services. One thing that they did that I liked was that the teachers had a raffle where students could win an afternoon activity with them. I gave Cam $10 and I think she bought ten raffle tickets to go on a cupcake tour with her English teacher, but she unfortunately did not win. But it's a great way to involve the kids in the event. The teachers at Cam's school are an amazing group of young adults full of creative ideas and dedicated to making school a positive experience for the diverse student body, including volunteering their personal time to fund raise by involving the students.
I'm really tired of getting a glass of wine at a restaurant and getting a Utah portion. The auction was no different. But somewhere in the mix of the evening the meager portions began to add up. One of the student's fathers is an owner at Heartland Brewery and they donated all of the food and wine (I should have had more ribs, but they aren't exactly a social food), so I did eat, but I think the ratio of food to drink was a little out of balance.
Jeff is on call at Accenture this month so he ended up heading home early to fix an obscure "batch" problem. Charlene and I were foot loose and fancy free after the auction ended, so we did the only sane thing and headed to a diner. What is so fastinating about going to a diner late night (after midnight) is how busy these places are. At one point there was not an empty seat in the house. Of course, people looking for a place to sit and chat don't exactly keep tables turning over.
We went to Cafe 83. Last time we were there we stayed for two hours chatting over a cup of morning coffee until they not to subtly asked us to leave by taking away all cups, silverware, and water glasses from the table. This time I ordered hot chocolate and Charlene took the lead as the adult and ordered a cup of tea. After about an hour in I added french fries to the order. Is there anything more delicious after a night drinking and socializing than hot chocolate and steak fries in a neighborhood diner? I think not.
I think I strolled in the door around 1:30 am. which reflected on electronic equipment as 2:30 a.m due to daylight savings time starting that night.. Super fun time on my first girls night out since coming to the city. Long over due, but well worth the wait.
I bought a dress in Denver that I have been saving to wear to the theater. Since the theater is on hold until finances smooth out I pulled it out of the closet to wear to the auction. I'd asked my friend what people would be wearing and she said it would run the gambit. Sure enough there were people in jeans and others dressed for the Academy Awards.
It was the usual school auction fare with bidding on spa packages, vacation condos, and housekeeping services. One thing that they did that I liked was that the teachers had a raffle where students could win an afternoon activity with them. I gave Cam $10 and I think she bought ten raffle tickets to go on a cupcake tour with her English teacher, but she unfortunately did not win. But it's a great way to involve the kids in the event. The teachers at Cam's school are an amazing group of young adults full of creative ideas and dedicated to making school a positive experience for the diverse student body, including volunteering their personal time to fund raise by involving the students.
I'm really tired of getting a glass of wine at a restaurant and getting a Utah portion. The auction was no different. But somewhere in the mix of the evening the meager portions began to add up. One of the student's fathers is an owner at Heartland Brewery and they donated all of the food and wine (I should have had more ribs, but they aren't exactly a social food), so I did eat, but I think the ratio of food to drink was a little out of balance.
Jeff is on call at Accenture this month so he ended up heading home early to fix an obscure "batch" problem. Charlene and I were foot loose and fancy free after the auction ended, so we did the only sane thing and headed to a diner. What is so fastinating about going to a diner late night (after midnight) is how busy these places are. At one point there was not an empty seat in the house. Of course, people looking for a place to sit and chat don't exactly keep tables turning over.
We went to Cafe 83. Last time we were there we stayed for two hours chatting over a cup of morning coffee until they not to subtly asked us to leave by taking away all cups, silverware, and water glasses from the table. This time I ordered hot chocolate and Charlene took the lead as the adult and ordered a cup of tea. After about an hour in I added french fries to the order. Is there anything more delicious after a night drinking and socializing than hot chocolate and steak fries in a neighborhood diner? I think not.
I think I strolled in the door around 1:30 am. which reflected on electronic equipment as 2:30 a.m due to daylight savings time starting that night.. Super fun time on my first girls night out since coming to the city. Long over due, but well worth the wait.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Escape Clauses
Cameron has an escape clause in our adventure in New York City. We told her when we left Evergreen that we would move to New York City for two years. If after two years she wants to go back to Colorado to complete high school we would go, but if we love the city we will stay so that she can complete her high school at the much sought after school she has been accepted to.
This may sound like a "whine fest", so if you're not up for it I'll understand you x-ing out now.
Our staying in New York has hinged on two things: one - me getting a job so that we could afford to stay, and two - Cam getting into a high school that would give her a an equal or greater education than her opportunity in Evergreen. I got a job in January after six months of job hunting and Cameron got her acceptance into one of the best high schools in Manhattan. So, now it's February and we are committed to staying until at least June 2013.
Now the whining begins.
Living in New York is hard. And it's hard to explain why. It could be the masses, the cost, and/or the walking. It's a very physical life with a hell of a lot of personal interaction. Be direct, but do not touch.
Yesterday, at (employer unnamed), I approached a woman who had the company catalogue in hand. She was a small, older woman with a walker and assisted by a home health aide. She said she had marked the pages of the items she was interested in and needed help finding them in the store. I was very busy. I explained that I would help her as soon as I finished helping another customer. She shouted that she wanted attention immediately and that I needed to stop being "so cheerful." Do you know how exhausting it is to live among people who consider "being too cheerful" to be annoying?
We moved here in June. Cameron has been to Missouri to visit family and she has been to Colorado for winter break. Jordan has been back to Colorado twice. Hunter has visited NYC three times and resides in beautiful, Denver, CO. Jeff has been to Detroit for business purposes three times (OK, it's Detroit, but he's staying in spacious hotel rooms and driving a car). I have been out of the city one weekend up to Woodstock in October with Cam and Jeff. I'm exhausted. I would love to see the sky and to sleep in a bed that is not on stilts.
I have been working seven days a week since late January. I cannot afford to quit my telecommuting job at HRPlus until I know that my job at (un-named employer) is secured. Not to mention the months of unpaid bills that have piled up and need to be paid. The other night I came home from work and began my telecommuting job. I was working towards a 13 hour day. Dinner had not been bought or decided upon. Jeff wanted to go out for dinner. I said I had too much work ahead of me to take time out for a dinner at a restaurant. He was frustrated and proclaimed that I was not much of a "mother or wife" working two jobs.
Silence.
Jordan told me that she told him, "Uh mm... Dad, I'm not sure that was the best thing to say to Mom at this point."
I guess I kept at the back of my mind that if Cam did not get into a choice high school we would move back to Evergreen. With the odds against us and Cam's overall awesomeness in her favor the chances of getting into one of New York's City's prestigious high schools was a toss up. Cameron's awesomeness prevailed.
After just seven months I'm tired. My brother is getting married in May in St. Louis and it will be a perfect opportunity to get away. I'm doing everything I can to reach that long weekend get away.
I'm not sure what escape clause I would have written in for myself, but I certainly think I over looked the option when we moved here.
So....
This may sound like a "whine fest", so if you're not up for it I'll understand you x-ing out now.
Our staying in New York has hinged on two things: one - me getting a job so that we could afford to stay, and two - Cam getting into a high school that would give her a an equal or greater education than her opportunity in Evergreen. I got a job in January after six months of job hunting and Cameron got her acceptance into one of the best high schools in Manhattan. So, now it's February and we are committed to staying until at least June 2013.
Now the whining begins.
Living in New York is hard. And it's hard to explain why. It could be the masses, the cost, and/or the walking. It's a very physical life with a hell of a lot of personal interaction. Be direct, but do not touch.
Yesterday, at (employer unnamed), I approached a woman who had the company catalogue in hand. She was a small, older woman with a walker and assisted by a home health aide. She said she had marked the pages of the items she was interested in and needed help finding them in the store. I was very busy. I explained that I would help her as soon as I finished helping another customer. She shouted that she wanted attention immediately and that I needed to stop being "so cheerful." Do you know how exhausting it is to live among people who consider "being too cheerful" to be annoying?
We moved here in June. Cameron has been to Missouri to visit family and she has been to Colorado for winter break. Jordan has been back to Colorado twice. Hunter has visited NYC three times and resides in beautiful, Denver, CO. Jeff has been to Detroit for business purposes three times (OK, it's Detroit, but he's staying in spacious hotel rooms and driving a car). I have been out of the city one weekend up to Woodstock in October with Cam and Jeff. I'm exhausted. I would love to see the sky and to sleep in a bed that is not on stilts.
I have been working seven days a week since late January. I cannot afford to quit my telecommuting job at HRPlus until I know that my job at (un-named employer) is secured. Not to mention the months of unpaid bills that have piled up and need to be paid. The other night I came home from work and began my telecommuting job. I was working towards a 13 hour day. Dinner had not been bought or decided upon. Jeff wanted to go out for dinner. I said I had too much work ahead of me to take time out for a dinner at a restaurant. He was frustrated and proclaimed that I was not much of a "mother or wife" working two jobs.
Silence.
Jordan told me that she told him, "Uh mm... Dad, I'm not sure that was the best thing to say to Mom at this point."
I guess I kept at the back of my mind that if Cam did not get into a choice high school we would move back to Evergreen. With the odds against us and Cam's overall awesomeness in her favor the chances of getting into one of New York's City's prestigious high schools was a toss up. Cameron's awesomeness prevailed.
After just seven months I'm tired. My brother is getting married in May in St. Louis and it will be a perfect opportunity to get away. I'm doing everything I can to reach that long weekend get away.
I'm not sure what escape clause I would have written in for myself, but I certainly think I over looked the option when we moved here.
So....
Friday, March 2, 2012
There Is No "Neighborhood" High School
When Cameron came home from her first day of school this fall she said, " I need a tutor." I had just assumed that we would enroll Cameron in the the high school that best suited her interest, but preparing for the HSSAT was just the beginning of the rigorous autumn ahead gearing up for the high school application process. Eight grade students are encouraged to go to each high school's open house to understand the schools curriculum and enrollment criteria. By the end of November she had been to enough open house to make her head spin. In short the 13 year old student is supposed to chose a path of interest that could potentially set them on a journey of early success, but just as easily head them in a direction that has nothing to do with interest that they may (and most likely will) develop as they grow more mature.
We live in one of the most sought after neighborhoods in Manhattan. The cost of our rent in a tiny pre-war, two bedroom is testament to that. One would then think that the neighborhood schools would be ideal. I'm not even sure that there is a neighborhood school, and if there is, you wouldn't want your child to go there. Manhattan high schools consist of a large number of charters schools and students test, audition, and interview to get into their choice school.
I have long given up the story of how I diligently pursued the perfect middle school for Cameron from Colorado. Now I give her attendance at the Computer School, three blocks from our house as divine intervention. Kids in New York City go through this admissions process for elementary, middle and high school. By the time they apply to college they are are old pros. Somehow we bypassed the middle school process by moving here in the middle of the summer and one student's family moved unexpectedly making one slot available. Right time, right place? I don't know, but from what I know now it had nothing to do with me.
Cameron loves musical theater and she has also had an interest in being a doctor. So put herself out there and tested for Bronx Science and Lehman College, she auditioned for High School of Performing Arts and Laguardia Arts, and she interviewed and wrote essays for Beacon and Eleanor Roosevelt. She covered all of her bases. Then the long winter wait began.
More than going to a great middle school Cameron has met wonderful friends at the school. There are six girls in Cameron's close knit group of friends and they have embraced her as if she had gone to school with the since Kindergarten. The dream was that they would all go to Laguardia Arts together, some for acting, others for singing, and others for art/design. Cam's biggest fear was that they would all get in and she would not.. Moving Cameron to NYC was a huge risk on our part because she had so many good friends back home in Evergreen, but she has really flourished socially. Of course, unless they all go to school together next year she is back in the mix as a new kid. That being said, the way the system works all freshman, for the most part, are new kids.
Yesterday was finally the day that the kids were given their acceptance letter. Worse case scenario you don't get picked up by any of your first choice schools and you begin round two with schools that still have availability, which basically means the schools that no one else wanted are still looking to fill spaces. To say the best schools are competitive is an understatement. Laguardia Arts had 14,000 student (yes, the number is correct) apply for 500 spots and Beacon had 4,000 student apply for 250. The kids were instructed by the school counselors to go directly home and to open their letters with their parents. Cameron came directly home. We opened the letter.: No Laguardia Arts. The tears started and turned into sobs. But Jeff and I were thrilled, she has been accepted into Beacon, which is a wonderful school offering a well-rounded liberal arts education, so she can get what she needs if she wants to pursue medical school and she can participate in theater arts classes if she wants to make a career on the Great White Way.
None of her friends got into LaGuardia, although they all did get one of their first round choices, but none of them are going to school together. I'm sure I will get an ear full when she gets home from school today about who is going where and stories of despairs. Last night on Facebook she posted that she got into Beacon (her disappointment over Laguardia had faded) and one girl responded "at least one of your high school choices wanted you. :( " I would not have wanted to be in that house last night.
And so the adventure continues. One more year ahead of us in NYC. Cam is still holding onto her two year escape clause just in case she "hates" Beacon.
We live in one of the most sought after neighborhoods in Manhattan. The cost of our rent in a tiny pre-war, two bedroom is testament to that. One would then think that the neighborhood schools would be ideal. I'm not even sure that there is a neighborhood school, and if there is, you wouldn't want your child to go there. Manhattan high schools consist of a large number of charters schools and students test, audition, and interview to get into their choice school.
I have long given up the story of how I diligently pursued the perfect middle school for Cameron from Colorado. Now I give her attendance at the Computer School, three blocks from our house as divine intervention. Kids in New York City go through this admissions process for elementary, middle and high school. By the time they apply to college they are are old pros. Somehow we bypassed the middle school process by moving here in the middle of the summer and one student's family moved unexpectedly making one slot available. Right time, right place? I don't know, but from what I know now it had nothing to do with me.
Cameron loves musical theater and she has also had an interest in being a doctor. So put herself out there and tested for Bronx Science and Lehman College, she auditioned for High School of Performing Arts and Laguardia Arts, and she interviewed and wrote essays for Beacon and Eleanor Roosevelt. She covered all of her bases. Then the long winter wait began.
More than going to a great middle school Cameron has met wonderful friends at the school. There are six girls in Cameron's close knit group of friends and they have embraced her as if she had gone to school with the since Kindergarten. The dream was that they would all go to Laguardia Arts together, some for acting, others for singing, and others for art/design. Cam's biggest fear was that they would all get in and she would not.. Moving Cameron to NYC was a huge risk on our part because she had so many good friends back home in Evergreen, but she has really flourished socially. Of course, unless they all go to school together next year she is back in the mix as a new kid. That being said, the way the system works all freshman, for the most part, are new kids.
Yesterday was finally the day that the kids were given their acceptance letter. Worse case scenario you don't get picked up by any of your first choice schools and you begin round two with schools that still have availability, which basically means the schools that no one else wanted are still looking to fill spaces. To say the best schools are competitive is an understatement. Laguardia Arts had 14,000 student (yes, the number is correct) apply for 500 spots and Beacon had 4,000 student apply for 250. The kids were instructed by the school counselors to go directly home and to open their letters with their parents. Cameron came directly home. We opened the letter.: No Laguardia Arts. The tears started and turned into sobs. But Jeff and I were thrilled, she has been accepted into Beacon, which is a wonderful school offering a well-rounded liberal arts education, so she can get what she needs if she wants to pursue medical school and she can participate in theater arts classes if she wants to make a career on the Great White Way.
None of her friends got into LaGuardia, although they all did get one of their first round choices, but none of them are going to school together. I'm sure I will get an ear full when she gets home from school today about who is going where and stories of despairs. Last night on Facebook she posted that she got into Beacon (her disappointment over Laguardia had faded) and one girl responded "at least one of your high school choices wanted you. :( " I would not have wanted to be in that house last night.
And so the adventure continues. One more year ahead of us in NYC. Cam is still holding onto her two year escape clause just in case she "hates" Beacon.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)