Salsa and Shooting

One of my New Year's resolutions was to learn something new, take classes, better myself.  There are a million things that I would love to try, and most of them can be done here in the city.  So, naturally, my first thought was to check out the websites for discounted activities.  Groupon was a bust, Living Social didn't have anything that interested me, but Amazon came through in the end.  I found a coupon for six salsa dancing lessons for $35!  I immediately signed up, and had my first class on Wednesday night.

Before arriving, I was a tad skeptical that for the price, this would be a legitimate class with capable instructors.  However, I was pleasantly surprised with the studio and the amount of people who showed up.  They split everyone into three groups, beginner, intermediate and advanced.  Obviously, I belonged with the beginners, and if there had been a group to fall below that, there I would be.  Maybe a group of children would have suited me better?

Six girls, one old man and an instructor who looked like he enjoyed sweets a little too much....this is what we had to work with.  Did I mention that one of the girls was a professional dancer?  She justified her presence there by saying she had never done salsa, just ballet, tap, ballroom, blah, blah, blah.  I stopped listening after ballet.  We shall refer to her as the Black Swan going forward.  Black Swan loved to shimmy all over the dance floor, and in so doing, knock me into the wall.

The older man would remind you of Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite, in fifty years of course.  He was actually quite adorable, and caught on quicker than I thought he would.  Since he was the only male student, it was his responsibility to do the spin move with every girl in the class.  While counting out loud in a very thick accent, he was able to do this successfully with most everyone there.  With the exception of yours truly.  Apparently, I'm not very good at spinning, following or counting for that matter.  I also have, quite possibly, the worst rhythm of any white female who has ever lived.  However, this will not stop me from going back.  I will conquer this activity!

In one week, I will be the happy participant in a two hour training course at the only gun range in the entire city of New York.  Westside gun range will teach you how to shoot a .22 caliber rifle for just a mere $65.  Following the training course, you are able to go back for $30 sessions.  Why would I be interested in a course of this nature, you ask?  It's not like I can legally carry a gun here, nor do I want to.  The reasons are threefold.  1. It reminds me of home.  2. It actually relieves stress. and 3. I am a pretty decent shot, thanks to a three year relationship with a Kentucky boy who loved guns.  I am excited to try my hand at it again.

So I am off to a good start for the year fulfilling my resolution.  At some point, there will be cooking and acting classes.  I also think I want to try fencing, which happens to be offered for free in front of Bryant Park every Wednesday in the summer.  There is something pretty empowering about learning new things, or maybe just having goals in general.  It has become a very effective way to preoccupy my mind and motivate myself to improve.  I'm thankful to have the opportunity to do that here.

C is for Cookie

Picture it...New York...2012...a 15 degree winter Friday with nowhere to be for the next 24 hours, a new job secured for the next week and a pocket full of quarters.  The only logical thing for a girl to do is take that long anticipated trip to Miss Fields.  I walk in, people everywhere are smiling, I see a delivery boy jumping up to click his heels out of pure joy with his job...I think I even hear some Disney soundtrack playing overhead.  This is my place, for sure.  I approach the counter with maybe a bit of drool in the corner of my mouth, and order a slice of cookie cake...or a double doozie....or BOTH!  Who cares, I'm on the top of the world.

I tell the lucky lady working behind the counter that this has been one of the best days of my New York life, and that I live just a mere twelve stories above her wonderland of cookies.  She welcomes me to the store, tells me it has only been open for two weeks, and offers a free cookie since we are "neighbors." I gladly accept said cookie with a big smile on my face, and proceed to knock over a sign that was on the counter...onto the floor...shattering the holder into a million pieces.  She nods and smiles, assures me I shouldn't worry, some guy comes from my left almost immediately with a broom to fix the problem, and I am on my way.  

Thank goodness we painted the apartment this fall, got new furniture, redecorated the whole place, and that my interest in reading has actually been rekindled, because I do not plan to leave these four walls until April at this weather rate.  I love my apartment.  It is so warm and inviting, and definitely worth the investment to perk up a bit.  My favorite thing to do after work and gym is to come home, light a candle, put on some Billie Holiday and write/read/watch a host of television shows I am too embarrassed to admit I watch.  This is how one spends a winter in New York.  Very little interaction with the outside world, and this is an understanding you have with everyone you know.  I probably won't even see half of my friends until it is socially acceptable to wear white again.  So until that time, you may hear a lot from me. : )

January is the new December

When you have more room to work out in your living room (which is about the size of a walk-in closet) than the gym, you know it must be January.  I really can't wait for all of these new year resolutions to wear off, and for my elliptical to be free once again.  It is somewhat of a challenge to stay motivated to improve your work out routine when there is a line wrapped around the building to get into a spin class.  But alas, I shall press on!  There is weight to be lost, health to be maintained, and sweat that must pour from my brow!

As an added bonus, I noticed today that there is a Miss Fields opening right under my apartment.  Some of you may know that a cookie cake is among my top ten favorite foods.  If I were stranded on a desert island, and I had to choose between an endless supply of meats/vegetables/fruits or cookie cake, cookie cake would win every time.  Hands down, it would be no question.  I will pass it everyday on my way home from the gym.  Such a cruel, cruel world we live in.

Some say that Christmas is the most wonderful time of year, but I would beg to differ.  Semi-annual sale time of year is like crack to me.  This is one great thing that does come in January, specifically the Victoria Secret Semi-Annual sale.  I went today, and it reminded me of Black Friday at Wal-Mart when something electronic is on sale for like $1.  I spent more than intended, but can you blame me?  Their products are necessary...just like a good pair of tennis shoes.  I must invest wisely.  My favorite department store here is called Zara.  I had never heard of it before living in New York, but they also know how to put on a good sale and are conveniently located right next to Victoria Secret.  Such a blessing!

In other news, I have already started my collection of concert tickets for the year.  Dad is coming up in March to see the Allman Brothers with me at the Beacon, and I will be going to see Coldplay around my birthday.  Trips for the year should include Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Atlantic City, Nova Scotia/Prince Edward Island, Niagara Falls, Montreal and somewhere in the Caribbean (I turn 30 this year, so the gloves are off with this trip).

A bad week for elevators...

I constantly find myself defending the safety and security of New York to all of my friends and family.  Fortunately, I have never been scared or uneasy about anything here (maybe with the exception of the first time I drove through the Bronx alone).  As a matter of fact, I recently saw a statistic listing NYC as one of the top 10 safest cities in the country.  When I initially moved here, people from home warned me about all sorts of danger I may find myself in.  What they failed to mention was the attack of an elevator.

It really is no laughing matter that just last week, a woman was crushed and killed while boarding an elevator just a few blocks from my house.  Apparently the building was very old, and the elevators were off balance causing this fatal malfunction.  Since that time, I have been literally jumping on and off the elevator in my building with all of my limbs tucked nicely into my body, as if I was about to cannonball into a swimming pool.

Additionally, this past weekend, there was an elevator situation in Brooklyn.  As a 75 year old woman was coming back from the grocery store, she was about to step off the elevator onto the floor of her apartment when a 40 something year old man doused her with a flammable liquid and lit her on fire.  Apparently, he had done some maintenance around her apartment and she neglected to pay him (she claimed he was stealing from her).  Horrifying.

Both of these instances are obviously tragic, and my heart goes out to the families involved.  I am very lucky to work in a modern building, and live in a great part of town in an apartment that is maintained by the property management company and offers 24 hour doorman service.  They have been very good to us.  I'm not sure if I mentioned that we recently painted and bought furniture for the living room, and they were incredibly helpful throughout that process.  I continue to be grateful for my safety, security and peace of mind while living here.

Christmas in New York

New York is known for many things this time of year.  The 74' tall Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, ice skating rinks all around the city, window displays in shops all along Fifth Avenue....tourists EVERYWHERE.  Even the subway performers have stepped up their game lately.  Now they bring their entire family (babies included) with them, and typically it is the father who is doing the serenading and the mother/child combo collecting the money.  This child may be strapped to the mother's body.  If they are able to walk, they are also able to give you the most heart wrenching look that prompts you to hand them all the cash in your pocket.  Gets me every time.

Shopping here really stresses me out.  It takes such effort to get anywhere, and you can't ever get everything you need in one place.  I have ordered everything I can possibly think of online, but there are still items I have to physically go pick out.  So I have decided to split up my sprees into random week nights, when the chance of crowds is at its lowest.  Additionally, I have figured out how to go into a department store....Bloomingdales, for instance...and not be harassed by sales people.  You go right after the gym, without showering, in the same sweaty clothes you just lunged in for an hour.  They won't come within five feet of you, so you are guaranteed a pleasant browsing experience.  Works every time.

A few things to look forward to over the next several weeks include a.  Santa Con (this coming weekend, thousands of Santas will be scattered about the city acting like complete fools)  b.  ugly Christmas sweater party in New Jersey  c.  more Christmas shopping  and d.  going home again.  

Breaking Faces at Breaking Dawn

In case I didn't mention it in previous posts, my office is located directly across the street from Zuccotti Park, which has been the home of the Occupy Wall Street protestors for the last few months.  From my desk, I watch them off and on all day, banging their drums and holding up their home made signs.  For the most part, they have pretty much stayed in the park and out of our way.  Thursday was a different story.  Not only could I not get into my building using my normal path (because there were around fifty or so SWAT team cops blocking off my street), I couldn't get into the grand opening of TJ Maxx Wall Street (shame, shame OWS).  I think that is what irritated me most.  There were hundreds of people swarming around the NYSE, trying to prevent the traditional 9:30 bell from being rung.  They were chanting, screaming, and behaving like maniacs.  All I wanted to do is shop at my favorite discount store.  Fail.

I also got to witness the fight with the police that occurred later that afternoon in the park.  Sirens flooded our office, which is rare since we are on the 21st floor and can never hear anything.  We saw people running from police, and being taken down and some beaten.  It was quite a sight to see.  Thankfully, everyone cleared out a little later and didn't come back on Friday.  I would say that I have been indifferent, for the most part, with the initiative as a whole.  I don't believe these people will change anything without a distinctive purpose and action plan, but I also believe that they have a right to protest.  Most of the people I have seen are younger than me.  I often wonder who is paying their bills.  Is it mothers and fathers, who potentially work for the companies/industries they are protesting?  My first reaction is to call them spoiled and unorganized, but I do respect, to some degree, their dedication.

In other news of brutality, I saw Breaking Dawn this past Friday night with my favorite coworker.  As she and I were entering the theater, we heard screaming and yelling and thought "have the protestors relocated to AMC Kips Bay?".  No, no, no.  It was simply a "Twihard" punching another "Twihard" in the face for taking her seat front and center of the screen.  They were in a legitimate cat fight, and eventually had to be taken out by security and not allowed to see the movie.  Which resulted in both of them crying hysterically on the floor in the hallway.  I must say, I'd never seen such a thing while watching the previous three movies in the series back in Nashville.  But we ain't in Kansas anymore.  This is how we do in the NYC.  I would be willing to bet that we had a classic case of Team Edward vs. Team Jacob in the theater that night.

Last night was our small group outing to Korea Town for some much anticipated karaoke.  As I was trying to make it there, I ran into someone I should probably consider an acquaintance by now.  Zach Woods, "Gabe", from the Office.  This is the fourth time I have run into him in public in the last 5 months.   This place can really feel like a small town at times.  The karaoke place was awesome!  There is a $70 per hour fee, and for that amount you receive a private room, a waitress and a few thousand songs to choose from.  We spent two hours singing some of the greats, such as Baby Got Back, Bohemian Rhapsody (I contributed the interpretive dance), and my all time favorite...Amy Grant's Baby Baby.  Still in the mood for Asian influence after our time with the room had expired, we headed over to a Korean Fried Chicken restaurant and went crazy.  And I do mean crazy.

Samuel L Jackson loves Pottery Barn

When you sit at your desk in your home on a Monday night, excited for the peace and quiet, and you hear a jackhammer outside your window for hours on end instead, it is very difficult to find positive things to say about city life.  Thank goodness for the little jewels scattered throughout my weekend to outshine the obnoxious sidewalk improvements in front of the Bank of America downstairs.

Friday night I was invited over to a friend's house to watch all three of the movies in the Twilight series, as a precursor to the Breaking Dawn premiere this weekend.  On the 4/5 uptown, I got the privilege of hearing one of my favorite subway performers sing between 59th and 86th streets.  He always does "Under the Boardwalk", but that night he pulled "Devil Went Down to Georgia" out of his bag of tricks.  I never donate to these people, but I pulled out a few bucks after this guy made a very entertaining observation.  He said "I LOOOVVVEEEE New York City.  Where the women are pretty, and they all have jobs."  Well said, my friend.  Well said.

Saturday was fairly uneventful, but nice to be able to stay home for the majority of the day.  Sunday after church, Brian and I made the trek down to the Brooklyn Target (there is only one in the city, and Spanish Harlem is not a place I care to venture much).  We got to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch, which I was very excited about since there are none in Manhattan.  The Target trip was relatively brief, and successful.  After dropping off about a 100 lb box of a bookshelf (Brain carried it. I, of course, did nothing but watch), we headed to Lincoln Center for Pottery Barn and Bed, Bath and Beyond.  As we were leaving Pottery Barn, the streets packed, I sort of ran into a very tall African American gentleman.  As I turned to my right to apologize for hitting him with my huge bag of pillows (I had like 5), he smiled at me and I just kept walking.  Until I realized that it was Samuel L Jackson.  At that point, all I could do was turn around (very obviously, I might add) and smile.  And I did that a few times.  Very cool moment.