Diversions

It's funny how whenever I set out to do something (mostly when I am alone) in this city, what I wanted to do in the first place hardly ever happens.

Last night I wanted to go to bed early because the week had left me just exhausted. I thought maybe I'd watch a movie to wind down, so I looked through my roommates' movies (since most of my belongings are still elsewhere) and found three DVD seasons of the television show "Felicity." If you haven't seen the show, here are the basics:

Bookish California girl graduates high school with plans to follow in her father's footsteps and become a pre-med student at Stanford. However, surprise, surprise, this is not what she really wants. So when her crush-from-a-far writes a nice note in her yearbook, she decides on little more than a whim to follow him to NYU where she eventually falls for her RA instead. That's how far I've gotten.

I should have been weary of my weakness to addicting television shows, especially stories about girls moving to New York and working at my favorite coffee shop (and it has been fun to see what Hollywood's perception of being an RA is). Basically, I will no doubt finish season one by the end of the weekend (there are only two more episodes to watch), thereby wasting my time watching a really likeable girl explore her life in this city instead of doing so myself. I feel a little guilty about this...? But the thing is, I just love stories. And sometimes, a good story is just what I need to really feel creative again, which is a feeling that I thrive on.

So anyway, today. Today I had every intention of going to a huge BBQ for work, and I was really excited about it. But as it is my first weekend living in Brooklyn and I cannot yet gage time frames from here to various places, I was late getting to Grand Central Station, which was were people were meeting to get on a train and go to the BBQ. I figured I could just go alone, but when I went to call someone, I noticed my phone died. Which, by the way, has been happening way too much lately at the most inopportune times. So since I had no idea how to get to the BBQ, I thought I'd do something else (obviously), like go read in the park. But it was just so hot and, well, I don't really know what happened next. I sort of succombed to this dream state (because despite my exhaustion, I had only slept for five hours the night before) and I eventually found myself at Fairway, a really great grocery store on 72nd street. And on the West Side, or in my mind, "You've Got Mail" land. It's actually one of my favorite areas in Manhattan.

I was craving fruit, especially mangos. I love mangos since being in Kenya and I had a wonderful mango from a grocery store down the street the other day. So I bought two mangos, two pounds of strawberries, five kiwi (is "kiwi" the plural of kiwi? "kiwis" sounds strange...), and a brownie mix. Because I felt like baking but didn't want to lug all of the ingredients for homemade brownies all the way back.

Next, I came home and watched some more Felicity. And I took a nap. A late nap; one of those where you don't wake up until it's dark outside. I HATE those naps. Now it is 2:30 AM and I am disoriented and feeling a little sad about missing the BBQ, even though I am happy to have had some downtime.

I guess I am trying to avoid typing out diary worthy thoughts right now; I am more concerned about recording the events of the day-to-day than all my icky "feelings," but I cannot help admit that I seem to be in such a boring, melancholy state of "in-between" right now. I knew to expect it and yes, I know I have not even been here for a month, but I am so much more the person who wants to immediately settle into the next thing. Even something to put my clothes in besides my suitcase would make me feel like I was taking one giant step forward.

Oh well, that day will come. Until then, here's hoping for a more eventful Sunday and lots of witty, humorous blogs in the future.

PS- Did anybody notice how I diverted from the topic of diversion? To the side of me that pushes her glasses up her nose and snorts on occasion, that actually IS fairly humorous...

I found a home.

Well, it seems the dust has cleared.

This Friday marks my three week anniversary at my job and...I finally have my very own room to sleep in.

Okay, so who thought finding an apartment in New York City would be harder than finding a job in New York City? Please. I looked at some pretty rotten places in between witnessing a drug deal and being followed by someone who kept yelling something at me about being white. I was constantly on the internet, e-mailing, searching, e-mailing, breaking down...and finally. A phone call from a friend from college and a few days later, I am living in a fabulous three bedroom apartment with three fabulous girls in the fabulous (safe) neighborhood of Park Slope in Brooklyn. And it is only a thirty minute train ride to work, which is faster than my Harlem commute. I tell you, I am in good hands.

I guess now I am just waiting for normalcy to kick in. It all still feels so un...permanent.

I forgot to mention that Target is a few stops away and it is on my way home from work AND there is a Guitar Center right by it. Target!!

Everyday all I think about is when all the things I've ordered from various furniture/housewares stores and all of the boxes from home are going to arrive. I know that "things" won't make this place a home, but those things do come with a sense of the people that have surrounded them.

But I am ready, I really am, to finally look out with no grasp of the end, and call this place home.

Just breathe.

Hello...?

I feel like I have just stepped back one year in time. I never decided to stop blogging (that is still a horrible word) after I moved back to Nashville and Texas, I just never really had the desire to keep it up. But I have been in New York for four days, and I keep thinking of writing. I think it's a combination of 1) knowing that my mother loves to read these and 2) things just constantly happen in New York that are worthy of writing down. So...I am going to write them down.

Here is some important groundwork for this next round in my life:
1. I now have a job where I was previously interning a year ago. It is a blessing. It is perfect. After three days, I love it, and I really don't think I'm being too overly optimistic by thinking that won't change two years from now.
2. I don't have an apartment. I am staying with my best friend and her husband of one year, and dog of a few months, in a studio apartment in Harlem.

Those are the only things I am thinking about lately; do well at my job, get an apartment.

And of course....breathe.