It's About Time I Have TIme

So...I've been debating on going public with this, but some of you may already know that I lost my job last week.  It was unexpected, and a tad traumatic for me.  My entire department was shut down, due to some financial hardship within the company.  Although I would like to say that I have handled this with dignity, grace and faith, it has been more like panic, doubt and self pity.  However, I am here to say that I think I may have mastered some methods for staying busy, positive and productive throughout this period, and I would like to share them with you.

That's right people, another top 10 list.

"An Unemployed New Yorker's Guide to Maintaining Sanity"

10. Brush up on your martial arts.
9. Cash in on those old Groupons.
8. Philadelphia or Bust
7. Reality Television, and I don't mean watch it.
6. Cat sit. Or better yet, pet a puppy.
5. Promote the theater in Times Square as a drag queen.
4. Window Modeling
3. Volunteer
2. Babysit
1. Bravo. Lots and lots of Bravo.

Martial arts can be exciting, especially when it is Krav Maga (at least I am considering it a martial art-Israeli army self defense methods).  There is nothing more therapeutic than being encouraged to beat the crap out of a punching bag.  I will have classes 2 and 3 over the next two weeks.

Groupons have saved my life during this transition.  Since they have already been paid for, and I now have time to use them, they are my outlet for interaction with the outside world.  Last weekend, I painted a Picasso.  Next weekend, I shall shoot arrows at a target.  The month of June will be filled with the excitement of an early morning boot camp.  Thank goodness for the G's!

Did you know that you can travel to Philly from New York for just $15 round trip?  Since I clearly love to leave the city, I plan to do this next week.  I've never been, and you can't even eat a decent lunch here for that.  Behold...the power of the Bolt Bus.

So I got a phone call on Friday night from a casting company wanting to "interview" me for a new reality show on one of the major networks.  The show is basically about girls who want to get married, and are not yet.  Great, just great.  The questions were as follows:
                Interviewer: Do you already have your wedding planned out?
                              Me: Yes, of course.  Since I was five.
                Interviewer: Do you already have a venue reserved and a dress purchased?
                              Me: No comment
                Interviewer: Do you have a time limit for yourself?
                              Me: I cannot disclose that information.  But yes.
                Interviewer: Are you currently dating?
                              Me: Hahaha

Cat-sitting is all the rage here.  Actually, I just agreed to do it for a couple at church so they can go visit family in another state.  I grew up with a cat, so I'm pretty familiar with their behavior.  But this cat can open doors and knows how to shake.  I may be way out of my league here.  I did get to play with a random stranger's puppy at a restaurant last weekend, and that just warmed my heart right up.

When I was asked to do promotions in Times Square for a Broadway play last weekend, I did not think that would include dressing up like a drag queen.  It was pitched to me with the promise of getting to wear a pretty bedazzled dress.  I should have known that when they told me I was working on "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" that this was no ordinary costume.  Thankfully, they gave in and let me wear jeans and their T-shirt.  And by "promotions", I mean pass out discount coupons to tourists.  Take those coupons...those people work hard!!!

My favorite side job yet has been window modeling.  Casting Networks came through for me again, and I was asked to work in a restaurant called Azya in the West Village.  Basically they pay me (per hour) to come to their restaurant between 4:30 and 6:30 any day I want, bring as many friends as I want, and eat and drink for free.  I may have found my calling in life.

Today I was able to volunteer at a church camp upstate, called Camp Shiloh.  It takes about two hours to get there, we spent about two hours eating, and then four hours staining decks and cleaning out pools.  There was still a lot of work to be done when we left, but it was a very rewarding (and exhausting) day.

When you are feeling blue, there is not a lot that can make you feel as good as a precious one and a half year old baby girl, with blonde curls and big green eyes.  I was able to babysit last night for a couple in Hoboken, New Jersey and it was the best four hours I've had in a while.  Not only was she perfectly pleasant when it came to dinner, bath and bedtime, but she giggled most every minute in between as well.  My favorite part was the fact that she laughed at herself every time she passed gas...which was a lot.

Finally folks, if you find yourself at home on a regular basis during the day and wishing you were at work, just turn on the nearest television to Bravo and sit back.  You are sure to be entertained, as well as comforted.

On a serious note, I believe that this has the potential to be a pivotal period in my life.  I have no idea what I want to do.  I have no idea what I would be great at, and passionate about at the same time.  I will be 30 years old in just a few months and I have no idea even where to begin with a dream job.  I had like five growing up, and I am certainly no doctor, lawyer, meteorologist, teacher or rockstar.  But thanks to this list, I may have a future in window modeling or as a solider in the Israeli army.

Just pure randomness...

That's right people, it's Friday night and I have nothing better to do than paint my nails in the aisle of the drug store with four of their polishes and write three blog entries after not writing any for weeks.  I actually wouldn't want to be doing anything else, so thank you for reading!

I love being home.  Naps on the front porch swing, picking strawberries at Cottles farm right up the road, a never-ending supply of fried food.  What more is there to life, really?  The weather this past week was perfection.  80s, not humid, slight breeze, not a cloud in the sky.  For a very long time, I have rejected the idea of moving back home.  I think part of me felt like I would be giving up on something (I don't know what), part of me was just over the south in general.  But I am here to tell you that it is, by far, the best place on earth.  Don’t get me wrong, people here are wonderful.  They are kind, thoughtful, warm, and hospitable.  The city is full of energy and there are always things to do, and I absolutely love that.  But I would take humidity and mosquitoes any day, if that meant I got to have a lazy Sunday on a front porch swing with sweet tea and fruit cobbler all over my face.   No cabs.  No sirens.  Heaven.  Sometimes I just miss home, and perhaps someday, I will get to be closer to it.

This past week was jam packed as usual, just the way I like it.  Monday night was the gym and cooking night.  I usually cook one big meal a week and eat leftovers the rest of the time.  It's easier, cost effective and healthier than ordering out.  Although I did just recently learn of another amazing website called seamless.com.  Basically, you pick from hundreds of restaurants that have a delivery option, and you can order and pay online.  No longer am I restricted to just the few places that are within a block or two.  Tonight I ordered Brother Jimmys barbecue and it was here within 20 minutes from 20 blocks away.  Brilliant.

Tuesday night was a hot stone massage and dinner at this great Mexican restaurant called Casa Mezcal on the Lower East Side.  A little overpriced for the quality of food, but the atmosphere made it worth it.  Wednesday night I went to this great local restaurant called Penelope with a new friend of mine, who I met at a work event.  She and I went to see Candlebox at Gramercy Theater after dinner, and I loved every minute of the show.  Even though their heyday was in the early 90s, and some would deem them a "one hit wonder", they put on one of the best shows I have seen in a while.  I love bands like that.  Not too cocky, still in it because they love it.  I think they try harder, or at least enjoy themselves more.  Concerts continue to be my favorite thing about living here.

I have the greatest friends in the world.  Although they have known me at different times in my life, live in various places all over the country and are often times different personalities and backgrounds, I truly don't know what I would do without each one of them/you.  My small group at church here is a huge source of love, support, encouragement, growth and strength.  I could not ask for a better group of people to share a bond like this with here.  They are wonderful.  They are my family, my home away from home.  Last night, one of my dear friends brought me a goodie bag and the sweetest card, all because I was a little sad about something.  Another friend dropped everything and came over to my house recently for the same reason, just to bring me brownies and listen.  I am very grateful to feel so loved here, and in so many other places as well.  I am a lucky girl.

Groupon-I can't get enough

I can now honestly say that I know how a guy feels when he kills a twelve point buck with his first shot, on opening day, and the head is so perfectly in tact, that there is no where else you would ever consider putting it than above your mantle (right next to pictures of your kids and the urn with your mother in it).  Or when you haven’t played golf in over a year, you’re with your best buddies who play all the time, and you still shoot a 72, and they paid.  Accomplishment.  It’s a beautiful thing.

Fortunately, my new addiction doesn’t involve killing animals or riding around in a cart all day wearing knickers.  It actually is such a thrill, because the whole point is to save money while having some pretty amazing experiences.  For those of you who have never heard of, seen, or bought anything on Groupon, I urge you to do so immediately.  Especially if you are new to a city, and I can tell you that this is a MUST if you plan to live in New York.

I know I’ve mentioned this in the past, but I just recently realized that I MIGHT have an addiction to it.  Not only do I check the website (and various other competitors-Living Social) every morning, I have made at least one purchase a week recently.  With so much popularity these days around specialty sites, such as Pinterest (I still have no idea what that is), I’m surprised that it took me so long to find this one.

For the month of May, I can look forward to three new dance classes with some friends I met during my salsa sessions, a night of oil painting, an hour long hot stone massage for me and two friends, archery lessons, and the beginnings of a six-week boot camp (6 sessions in all).  It took all that was in me not to purchase guitar lessons and a day-long paint ball excursion as well.  Grand total=$230.00, normal cost=$650+. 

As you know, it was my New Years resolution to take classes often this year, and try lots of new things.  I am obsessed with randomness and adventure, and this website is like crack to my crack pipe.  I can’t get enough.  And I feel so good to be following through with a resolution for once.  And if I ever get asked on a date again, I will give him the option of kayaking the Hudson at sunset or trapeze lessons at Chelsea Piers.  Lucky boy.

My Greatest New York Achievement

I am proud to announce that as of this week, I have reached my greatest New York, and quite possibly, lifetime achievement.  I have discovered the perfect chocolate chip cookie.  Throughout the last almost 30 years, I have endured many a late night taste test, in America and beyond, of this decedent treasure we call a cookie.  Some say that cake is their favorite, others say the pie.  I say give me a cookie or give me death.  And a chocolate chip cookie takes the cake (ha!), of course.

How did I stumble upon this diamond of a dessert, you might ask?  Well, I have my job to thank for it.  As I was leaving a client appointment yesterday in Tribeca, I passed by a shop with wide windows and busy worker bees playing with gallons, no tubs, of chocolate.  I stood there in a trance like state for about five minutes before I realized I could go inside.  It was an actual shop!  And thanks to the sign on the front door, I knew at once that this was no ordinary, run of the mill, candy store.  This was Jacques Torres, which boasts the best chocolate chip cookie in New York City, thanks to New York Magazine.  And in my opinion, the world.

As it was just past 11 a.m., I thought I would pop in and just pick one of these little masterpieces up to eat later in the day.  But when the woman in the shower cap working behind the counter asked me if I wanted it warmed, I knew it couldn't wait.  It had to be eaten right then and there.  It had to be.  Anything else would've been pointless.  So, I did what any normal person would do and ordered milk to go with it.  As well as some kind of dark chocolate pistachio bar as my side item, and only because there were samples by the register.  It was my duty.

Eating that cookie was like laying in a hammock on the first warm day of spring, while drinking your grandmothers lemonade and listening to the ocean crash on the crystal-like sand.  It was perfection.  Chocolate just oozed out of it from every direction, and by the end, I had it all over my hands, my mouth, my suit, and I think my left shoe.  I could not have been happier.  In that moment, I was complete.  I highly encourage anyone visiting New York to pay old Jacques a visit at least once.  I also encourage you to take a trip to New York, just so you can go see him.