MIA

Man, I am really behind on my posts.  Needless to say, the last week has been super busy.  I got back from vacation and hit the ground running!

This past week has been mostly running around collecting pieces of furniture, painting furniture, and setting up the new apartment.  And..

I drove in New York!

Remember that Zipcar concept I told you guys about?  Well, I put it to use, and rented a Honda Odyssey for a few hours. I started off by picking up a headboard from the upper west side, which I thought was going to be fairly easy. However, like all things that I assume are going to be easy, it was not.  Getting the headboard in the back of the van was like getting my rear end in my pants...it's barely too big and just might fit if I wiggle it around enough.  So after 15 to 20 minutes of struggling, I finally barely squeezed it in only to spend another 15 to 20 minutes getting it out.  By the time I went to pick up my bigger pieces later that night, my arms were already worn out.  Nonetheless, my colleague and I ran down to the financial district to pick up some jackpot of some pieces I found on craigslist.  The seller was basically selling her entire apartment for crazy low prices.  I thought the dresser and desk looked fairly light in the pictures, but it turns out that they were made from solid wood. So not so much...

Thought this was clever...sorry if it offends anyone.

After dragging these things down from the seller's apartment and up my impossibly narrow and steep stairs to the 3rd floor, we were exhausted! I decided there would be no more moving furniture up the stairs.  Like everything else in this city...delivery, delivery, delivery!

That lasted only a few days of course until I found a 12,000 BTU window air conditoner unit for $25.  Yeah, $25!! I got pretty lucky with the air conditioning units. I have a total of three.  This one for $25 was a STEAL, and I actually FOUND one sitting with some trash in the breezeway of my apartment.  It works great! I couldn't believe it.  However, this 12,000 BTU was an 80 lbs monster.  Again, one of my colleagues and I headed down to Soho in a Toyota Matrix zipcar.  Dragging it down her five flights of stairs would not have been so bad had it not been leaking water all over our hands, which made it impossible to grip, and also all over the marble stairs, which made it impossible to walk.  He nearly wiped out once, and I nearly wiped out once.  Getting it up my stairs was a breeze in comparison.  Getting it in the window was another story.  Again, it required some wiggling, heaving, and maneuvering with already worn out arms...all of this with rain falling and the constant fear that the window unit would fall 3 stories.  Phew! Needless to say, I hired a mover for the sleeper sofa tomorrow to move it down 3 flights and up two.  Oh yeah.

So coming back to driving in New York.  Now that was fun.  No, seriously.  I was very nervous, but I figured if I could drive in Ireland, I could handle New York.  It went pretty well.  There are no such things as lanes here.  As my colleague described it, everything just kind of sways.  If someone comes in your lane, then you move over to give them room, and the person next to you gives you room.  You know, a sway.  I had a blast using my horn.  In Texas, using the horn is a last resort and not considered quite polite.  In New York, using your horn is a pass time.  And I fully engaged all the while giggling.

The apartment is coming together.  I am covered in bruises.  I got my sewing machine but have yet to find a nearby fabric store to buy thread and trimmings.  I also got my bed frame, and the mattress came today.   I decided to test it out by lying down for a couple of minutes.  Two hours later, I woke up and decided that it seemed comfortable enough.  Awesome.  

I did manage to find some more relaxing activities to do in between all the chaos.  Friday night, I joined some girlfriends for dinner and margaritas a Mexican food restaurant.  The food wasn't bad, but I have to say it was in the shadows of the one and only Rice to Riches. Remember that place? That one was the rice pudding phenom I found on a trip prior to moving here.  Three of us split rocky road rice pudding and chocolate hazelnut pudding. Bless my stars. 

My colleague Katy and her fiance joined me for some Peruvian food at Pio Pio on Saturday night.  I heard this place was awesome, but the menu was limited and involved eating chicken off the bone...a bit of a hesitation for me.  However, it really was amazing.  Although the menu was limited, EVERYTHING was good.  The chicken had lots of white meat and was very flavorful (we all three split a whole chicken).  The saffron rice, red beans, and maduros (sauteed sweet plantains) were all out of this world. The sangria hit the spot.  I don't know how they managed to pack such flavor into such a small menu, but I will be returning.

Sunday night I headed to Arriba, Arriba with Cherie (the wife of my chief resident).  Cherie and I hadn't had much of a chance to hang out prior to this, and we had a great time.  The food at Arriba, Arriba was pretty close to good ole Tex Mex.  I had the fajitas and inhaled them.  No kidding.  We then headed to the movie theater to see Eat, Pray, Love.  I resisted reading the book for a very long time, but when I finally did, I was so glad.  Liz Gilbert is a fantastic writer.  Very relatable and witty, and I just loved how candid and real she is.  I wasn't disappointed by the movie.  Julia Roberts was perfect.  If you know me, then you can understand why that particular story tugs at my heart strings.  I loved it. 

Cherie and I also loved the two middle aged women sitting behind us that were making crude comments at every male that made his way onto the screen.  It hit a high point when a love scene began, and the scene ended with the door closing and no screen action.  This was obviously just cause for obscenities.  Cherie and I were cracking up.  I just HAD to see what they looked like when we left, and sure enough, they were how I pictured them, right down to the bleach blonde hair,white pants, sequined belts, and smokers voices. 

The walk home was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Wafels and Dinges.  Wafels and Dinges is a Belgian food truck that I did not know existed until the moment that it's smell and it's sign appeared.  You know that waffle cone smell that hits your nose when you go into an ice cream shop?  It was like that but much stronger and better.  Cherie had seen the truck on TLC's Best Food Trucks show, and it was also a contender in a Bobby Flay throwdown.  I ordered the waffle with nutella, bananas, and whipped cream. Cherie opted for nutella, strawberries, and whipped cream.  I swear that I heard an oink escape my lips, but I didn't care because it was that good.  These are not the decisions that will help me lose some pounds before my 10 year high school reunion in October.

Last night, I headed way up west to Inwood/Washington Heights area to join Farron and Julie for trivia night at the Garden Cafe.  I had been invited a few times but never could muster up the motivation to head up the west 200's.  It's a hike.  But I drug myself there last night and was glad I did.  Tables break off into teams, and trivia ensues.  Topics including everything from Zombie movies to acronyms to trainwrecks (both literal trainwrecks and those trainwrecks we call celebrities).  Every two rounds consisted of a beer tasting during which the trivia revolved around a small glass of beer provided to the table.  What kind of ale? Where is it made? What is the name of the beer...etc?  If there was tie, the winner was decided by a chug-off.  A representative from the team had to go chug a beer and place the glass upside down on top of their head once finished.  This occurs every Monday, and I do believe I will be returning.  One of the girls on my team is an occuptational therapist, and we both requested that a round next week be dedicated to medical terminology.  It's on. 

Sorry for being absent for so long.  There were just a lot of goings-on.  I can't wait to show you all the final results of my apartment.  Yay!