Originalitea

I am just full of puns lately, aren't I?

I just had to write about a new found obsession.  

Alice's Tea Cup...or to be specific Alice's Tea Cup III.  A friend of mine wanted to meet for a cup of tea the other night. -Remember me telling you about John? He's spent a lot of time in England and therefore tea is a big deal to him.- Anyway, he wanted to get some tea so I did a quick yelp search on tea and in doing so found said new obsession.  This place had great reviews and boasted a 2 hour wait on weekends,  The pictures showed a small shop that was rather whimsical in decor since it is based on Alice in Wonderland. I had a few hesitations.  I was concerned, for example, that the whim would be overwhelming, and the atmosphere might be a little too 1. girly, 2. snobby, or 3. just not my style.  However, I was wrong.  

The level of whim was appropriate.  The decor was interesting but subdued, and I loved the menu.  This place offers 140 different types of tea, brought out in super cute tea pots with bird figurines on top in different colors.  The dinnerware included mismatched tea cups and saucers (which added to its appeal), and doilies were optional.  There were also little tutus and fairy wings that little girls can wear when dining, which weirded me out at first but I decided was pretty cute by the end. John and I got a combo deal that included a large pot of tea as well as two scones.  He opted for plain buttermilk, and I went for the lemon raspberry.  Wond-er-ful.  The scones were awesome and served with little sides of cream and jam.  The tea was good, and the atmosphere was laid back and perfect.  I felt more relaxed in that place than I have in weeks.  

In fact, I loved this place so much that I met Julie there last night.  This time, I was hungrier and ready to try more of their food.  We opted for the Mad Hatter.  This includes two pots of tea, 3 scones, 2 sandwiches, and a dessert.  It was  a TON of food.  We chose for our scones buttermilk, pumpkin, and espresso chocolate chip.  For our sandwiches, we chose egg salad for Julie and a smoked chicken breast with apples and herbed goat cheese spread for me.  Our dessert was a chocolate mousse with assorted cookies.  The waitress brought it out on a tiered serving dish with scones at the top, sandwiches in the middle, and the dessert at the bottom.  Everything was sooo good.  The pumpkin scone was the star though.  Starbucks' pumpkin scone has NOTHING on this one.  It had a carmel sauce drizzled over the top and was served warm.  Julie and I did not expect to walk into a tea shop and come out so full we might as well have rolled down the street, but we did.  We had to take a few big deep sighs just to get through the meal.  There may have even been a few burps in there, which of course a tea shop is the most appropriate place to let one's burps out.   I might have to start doing some studying there.  I just love it too much. 

The Mad Hatter

  

Speaking of studying, I have got to be super disciplined over the next few weeks.  I've got my dermatology mock board exams coming.  Super nervous.  In fact, I better get back to it right now! Hello, books. 

LOCOmotive

So the Metropolitan Transit Authority has been a regular source of weirdness for me lately.  If you are my Facebook friend, then you may already know a little about this.  I felt like everyday last week took place in the public transportation twilight zone.  

First, I was stuck on a train like a stinking sardine, which always makes me a little anxious.  I literally had my hand on the thigh of some guy whose breath smelled about as good as the molded dishes in my sink.  I could do absolutely nothing about this.  While in this position, some homeless man came barreling through us all trying to make his way to the back door of the train that opens up to the platform between cars.  He couldn't quite get the door open in time so he just peed all over himself and all over the floor.  At the next stop, he barreled through everyone again and ran off the train. 

The next day, a bus driver yelled at me in a very mean way for reasons I can't understand.  The night after that a man on the subway fell asleep on me.  After I pushed him off, he insisted on talking to me despite that fact that I put my earphones in my ears and ignored him.  

A couple of nights following that...while on the 2 train coming back from the hospital in the Bronx...a man with a bass guitar made up a song for me.  It went something like this...

"This is for the white lady with the ponytail and white lady only..."

I got sunshine

On the Number 2 Train

When I look at the white lady

She got a college brain

I guess

You'll say

What can make me feel this way

White lady with the ponytail is...

My girl

Talking bout white laaady"

Then something about my name being Amy and me looking like a Barbie. 

I gave him a dollar.

Of course, there is always the normal stuff.  The 20-something-year-old kid who asked me for $5 and then yelled at me about making a doctor's salary and refusing to share.  The homeless man who told me to go to the ATM the other day after I told him I didn't have money.  The couples who scream at each other in front of everyone.  Oh and then my friend's girlfriend who had a man decide to...ahem..."test out his magic wand" right in front of her and then block her from running.  This stuff never ends.  Everyday I am AMAZED at the sheer amount of crazy people here.  You have not seen crazy until you come to New York.  

On a different note, you should know that there are lots of nice people here too.  Granted, they can't always show they are nice, but they are out there.  Take this for example...

I was standing on the platform waiting for a train the other day when somehow I manage to drop my phone.  Picture this - in slow motion - bounce, bounce, plunk.  Rightover the platform and down onto the subway tracks.  So then I just stared in shock at my phone sitting under the tracks.  I had to go through the scenarios in my head.  I had just checked the schedule so I knew that the next train was in 10 minutes.  "Should I crawl down there and get it? If I did, could I get back up?  Was it worth possibly getting hit by a train for a phone?  Crap! I paid hundreds of dollars for that phone.  But it's RIGHT THEEEEERE." And while I stared at my phone in paralyzing shock, a man came over to me and said "how bad do you need it?" I told him I needed it pretty bad.  And then he crawled down into the tracks and got my phone for me.  

Can you believe that? 

I felt SOOOOO guilty and thankful and shocked all at the same time.  The rest of the conversation went like this...

Me: If I had something to give you, I would give you whatever I had.  But I have nothing.

Him: I'm going to work. 

This was followed by him avoiding my gaze, putting his hands in his pockets, and staring at the floor.  So much for human interaction.  Oh well.   

American Academy of Dermatology = Amazing Awesome Drunk

This past weekend I flew out to NOLA (New Orleans for those wondering) for the annual Mecca of dermatologists.  Every year, thousands (and I mean THOUSANDS) of dermatologists, dermatology residents, dermatology nurses flee to a popular US city for our annual American Academy of Dermatology Conference.  During this conference, there are hundreds of academic sessions featuring the latest treatments, procedures, and research.  There are live patient demonstrations and even a Dermatophatology (aka Nerdpath) Bowl where residents compete for bragging rights.  

But who are we kidding?

While the academic sessions are very interesting, let's not forget what is TRULY interesting.  That would be the parties and free stuff.  Many derm related companies put on great parties throughout the weekend at different hot spots in the city.   Dermpath Diagnostics always throws a good one, and this year was no exception.  Featured at Mardi Gras World (where they keep the floats), this year's party had about 4 open bars, free local-themed food stations everywhere, a jazz band, a pop music band, and a marching band.  Did I mention the open bars?  You would think that a bunch of grown doctors would know better than to have themselves escorted out of the party premises, but nuh-uh.  No way.  I saw people peeing out of doorways and girls dressed up in Oscar-worthy dresses being put into cabs by security.  Woo, lordy! It was a sight.  Kinda embarrassing for us all, but, eh, what can you do? 

Now on to the free stuff...

Every year without question there is always a huge exhibit hall full of hundreds if not thousands of exhibitors all pushing some kind of product.  This means FREE SAMPLES.  I have found many a beauty product that I regularly use now by these means.  I loaded up.  I had to check a bag on my flight to Abilene just to get it all here.  I lined it all up and let the fam start picking and choosing.  I had everything from sunscreen to wrinkle cream to makeup to some weird thermal water spritz stuff that is all the rage.  What's even better is that they scan a card every time they give you something, and it provides your address for them to send even more free stuff.  Yesssss. 

Let's do the time warp again...

Given up on me yet?  I am not sure what the deal is, but I have just not had the motivation to do a blog recently.  Ummm, and by recently, I mean in like over a 2 and a half months  Yikes.  Sooo...how do I make up for the last 2 months?  Hmm...I sat down a couple of times to start some entries and just couldn't finish them because I was trying to tell you guys about everything that has gone on.  I think I have realized that I am just going to have to move it forward.  There is just no way to include it all!

I have been a lot busier lately.  I haven't even been able to keep up with Ellen and Oprah lately.  I have even given thought to canceling my cable because I just don't watch it. Gasp! So anyway, I will just drop a little blurb about the general goings-on.

Uh, can you say snow?
That would be the word of the month (or last couple of months). Since Christmas, it seems like it snows every Tuesday and Wednesday.  I have absolutely no idea why it snows mostly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but I guess it is just Mother Nature's sense of humor.  Anyway, Christmas brought on our huge blizzard that I am sure you guys all heard about around the country.  As it turns out, I was the  sole resident left in New York to be on call that weekend while my co-workers all went home.  I was originally scheduled to go home for Christmas and work Thanksgiving (which is why my parents came to see me in New York over the Thanksgiving holiday), but plane tickets from New York around Christmas time are notoriously and atrociously expensive.  Since I was going on a cruise with my family the next week, we decided it wasn't worth spending that much money...we are talking somewhere around $700...for two days in Texas right before I would see them again.  So I stayed in New York....

I initially thought some of my friends might be in town and we could all snuggle up while I made dinner, but not so much.  I spent the holiday alone feeling sorry for myself and making my friends into South Park characters online.

Parham the Doctor

Justin the Video Game Guru

Jordan the Butcher

Julie the Stage Production Manager

Farron the Bum

Then came the snow....oh yes, then came the snow.  The storm hit on Sunday of Christmas weekend, which is of course when the millions of NYC residents were trying to get home.  What a disaster.  This was the 6th largest storm in the history of NYC, and Central Park (which is right by my apartment) got something around 20 inches of snow.  Wow.

Being the intelligent young lady I am, I decided to go get something to eat with a friend that night.  When we finally found a Chinese restaurant that was still open, the snow was really starting to come down.  By the time we left the brave little Chinese restaurant, it was crazy outside.  There were buses stuck in the snow everywhere.  People were stuck in the subways (one group got stuck in a train for 6 hours underground!). I was over on the west side trying to make my way to the east side.  I had to travel south on the subway around the periphery of Central Park and travel back north to my stop on the east side.  Normally, I would just take the crosstown bus across the park, but as you can imagine, that wasn't gonna happen.   I finally made it home, but it was nuts! There were literally buses stranded on E 96th street from Madison Avenue to First Avenue.  I bet I saw at least 15 of them.

I watched the snow pile up on my window sill, and when I woke up the next morning this is what I saw....

My street.  This is from my front door step.

This is me standing in knee deep snow while walking to work (pre-galoshes!)

So like I said, I was the sole resident amongst my co-workers that was still in town as everyone else was stranded out of the state.  Therefore, I got to man the clinic on my own that day.  It turned out to not be so bad, but man it could have been a disaster!  I was a little stressed.

Since this was my first snow storm since living in New York, I did have to learn a few things.

1) Those rain boots/galoshes I made fun of in an earlier blog?  Absolutely necessary!  When the snow starts to melt in Manhattan, it turns into a nasty concoction of dirty, icky slush that can get as high as 4 to 6 inches.  Try walking through that in tennis shoes.  Not to mention that I am not the most coordinated person as it is, and the traction on the bottom of those boots is kinda necessary.  So I found a pair.  I really searched far and wide.  I wanted something cheaper but still cute.  I didn't want the plain black, but I didn't want something obnoxious with huge bright flowers or peace signs or something. So I settled on these....

Ok, so these are Jimmy Choos/Hunters, and obviously my salary and Jimmy Choo are not BFF's.  But I found something that looked like these without the brand name.  Of all places, I found them at Academy in Texas when I was visiting last, which means durable, functional, and affordable.  Yesssss! Let me tell you something, I wear these stinking boots pretty much everyday.  They have saved my life.  They smell a little nasty now, but they. are. awesome.  I can walk through and on anything without getting soaked and cold or falling.  Someone asked me the other day if my boots were Armani.  Ha! So I guess I have them fooled. 

2) Do not - and I mean DO NOT -  stand on the corner of the street near the curb after a snow day.  You will get soaked by above mentioned icky slush.  So you are dirty, cold, wet, and mad.  Nice.

3)  Snow can fall sideways just like rain falls sideways.  I feel like I should be doing my own  version of Forrest Gump....ahem...."one day it started snowing, and it didn't quit for four [days]. We been through every kind of snow there is. Little bitty stingin' snow... and big ol' fat snow. Snow that flew in sideways. And sometimes snow even seemed to come straight up from underneath. Shoot, it even snowed at night..."

4) They do not pick up the trash when it snows.  Because the sanitation department is so busy trying to salt the sidewalks and plow the streets, they put the trash service on hold.  It smells great...especially when it starts warming up and melting.  Woo.

5) Ice sucks even worse.  There was one morning when we literally could have ice skated to work.  Even the boots were slipping on this mess.  It was a solid sheet of ice on the sidewalks.  My co-worker had to come down the big hill that slopes from Lexington and Third Avenue down to Second Avenue where our hospital is.  She said everyone was huddled together, holding on to each other, and scooting down the street en masse.  That would probably be one of the only times you see New Yorkers acknowledge each other on the street.

TANGENT: I do want to comment on this.  While to most people in other parts of the country the act of refusing to acknowledge the people around you might seem rude, you begin to understand that it is necessary here in NYC.  People are crazy.  No really.  CRAAAAAZY. For the first few months that I lived here, I would still talk to people and look them in the eye.  Mistake.  Big mistake.  You will get stuck talking to someone who thinks bacon is for wearing or someone who can't even form words and smells like pee.  No joke.  Some of them even look normal.  Just don't do it.

This was hard to get used to since I felt kinda rude.  I was in New Orleans this past weekend where people are super friendly, and I realized that I was still in New York mindset.  I had to remind myself that it was okay to return a "good afternoon" to the people on the street.  It was a pretty notable contrast between the two cities.

So yeah, that's been the norm the last few weeks. Snow on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Nothing like that first blizzard, but snow here and there nonetheless.  Now that I am used to it and properly prepared, it hasn't been that bad.

Oh lordy, I am currently in Texas (where it is colder than New York, mind you), and my mom just gave me a cup of my grandmother's chocolate pie filling.  I love you guys, but I need to focus on the chocolate.

I will try to write some more entries.  In all likelihood, I have lost any readers that I previously had.  My bad.  But I will try to write anyway, even if my mom is the only reader.  Hi Mom!

The battle is lost but I will win the war!

Maybe.

My fantasy football team has finally found the ground.  The last couple of weeks, my team just hasn't quite put up the numbers that it once did.  Granted, I am still in the running for the playoffs, but it is now a tie.  This week is a big one.  Not only do I REALLY need to win this game to try and secure my wild card position for playoffs, but I am playing Justin (see entry about Snuggie Jesus) who would love nothing more than to beat me. And if I beat him...oh sweet victory. Everyone keep your fingers crossed...you too, Farron.

The fact that I am addressing Farron directly in this blog brings up another battle lost.  For months, Farron and Julie have been painstakingly trying to find my blog. Julie has googled every combination of my name and the word blog or my name and some subject she heard me say in reference to my blog.  But alas, she could not find it.  She has even gone as far as to message my friends (that she doesn't know, mind you) on Facebook and ask them for the address.  And for months, I was winning.  They couldn't find it.  I am sure you are all (all 2 of you) wondering why I care that Farron and Julie read the blog.  Well, one...it's principle.  They want to find it.  I am keeping them from it.  And two...they live here.  The blog is written more as a way to let my friends and family who do not live in NYC know what I am up to here and what it's like to move here.  They already live here.  So when I am talking about how cool something is, they will probably think it's silly since they have been experiencing it for years now.  Basically, this blog is kind of like my written testimony to being a longstanding NYC tourist. Haha. 

But I lost.

They finally wised up and found my blog address on my sister-in-law's blog, which they found through my brother's Facebook page.  Argh.  What's even worse is that I was in the room with them when they found them.  Oh, horrible defeat.   So now there is this big joke that Julie loves to repeat and it goes something like this.  Ahem.  Picture a horrible, horrible Texas accent with 5 syllables for every normal one syllable (if you guys have ever seen the talking pothole commercial - see video below- it sounds like that)..."My name is Jennifer, and I just moved to New York City.  I ride this thing called the suuubway.  It's this big train that runs through a tube! Oh my goodness!" 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1pNPOZUf10

I get to hear this.
A lot.

It's ok.  I also get to make fun of Julie for saying things like "harrer movie" (horror movie) and "harrible" (horrible).  Remember hat dawg?  And I am also going to include this picture....

That's Julie...at Halloween, i.e. Zombie Cop

Alright, folks, my parents are in town for Thanksgiving.  You have more entries coming your way if I will just sit down and write them. I gotta tell you all about my vacation and about Thanksgiving too.  Woo hoo.

Iconic Saturday

So as I was saying, Parham and I decided (poorly) to check out a few iconic places in the city The first being the original Katz's deli. While we have Katz's in Texas (a favorite late night spot during college in Austin since it is open 24 hours), this was the original, truly authentic deli. This place was a madhouse. There was a line...yes, a line!!!...wrapping around the side of the building. A large bouncer...yes, a bouncer!!...was standing outside letting people in to the place one small group at a time. There was a sign that stated bags were subject to search...wha??? And we received a ticket that was our pass out of the deli with a $50 charge if the ticket was lost. Where were we? A club? So then there was a long line to get a sandwich, another line to get french fries, another line to get drinks, a line to get an appetizer, and yet another line to pay. We were packed in like sardines, and there was no way to sit at a table without getting bumped a million times by the people walking by. Granted, the food was fantastic. I had half a pastrami sandwich and really enjoyed it despite not being a huge meat/pastrami fan. Parham had a ruben. The sandwiches were served on fresh rye with a pile of high quality meat the size of a New York high rise loaded on it. The potato cakes were nothing short of wonderful. They serve them with sour cream and applesauce. I wasn't sure what to think when ordering them, but I have to say that I enjoyed them as much or more than the sandwich. So after surviving the zoo called Katz's and its inhabiting animals, Parham and I left more stressed than we were going in.

We headed to a place called Doughnut Plant a few blocks away. Again, a very iconic place in New York since it has been featured on Food Network and the Travel Channel. We had tried to go to this place previously only to arrive 10 minutes after it closed.  This time, we got there while it was open but waited in another half hour line just to get in.  We tried an assortment of donuts included cocunut cream filled, peanut butter raspberry filled, creme brulee, pumpkin, and apple cinnamon. NO, we did not eat these all at once. Don't judge. We really wanted some coffee but after our strenuous eating experiences, we decided to enjoy the donuts at my place and brew some coffee there. They were pretty amazing with the coconut being my favorite. Mark Isreal, the owner of the Doughnut Plant uses his grandfather's recipe and adds his own twist. All the ingredients are homemade and fresh down to the jams, and Mark has somehow developed a method of making a square donute that has filling throughout the whole thing rather than just in the middle so every bite includes a bit of filling. So. Good.

Again, we run into the loves and hates of living here.  I wouldn't be able to try these things if I didn't live here, but when you have to wait half an hour just to get IN, you start getting a little grumpy.  Of course, you can always be smart and not go on a Saturday morning. Eh, like I said, poor decisions.  You live, you learn. 

I Vant to Suck Your...jam filled doughnut?

Before I get started, I had to reach a decision.  I have decided to let go of the guilt of not posting frequently on here.  Sorry.  I feel bad about it all the time, but I have been running around so much that it is hard to find some time to sit down and write.  Sooooo...that's it.  I just can't feel bad about it anymore.  I will keep trying to write, but the frequency will not be what it was in July.  Sorry, sorry, sorry!  Keep checking back every once in while...

That said...let's get started on this post.  I have to think back to all that I have done since writing last.  Ah yes, I was about to head to my high school reunion.  Things went pretty well.  We started off at our high school's football game on Friday.  It was surreal to watch and think about how important all that seemed at the time and how wrapped up we were in it.  No complaints though.  I thoroughly enjoy football, and that's where the roots were set.  Saturday was a family zoo day.  Since I don't have kiddos of my own, I invited my parents and my brother and his wife and twins (who I am always thrilled to see), and we had a lot of fun.  The twins LOVE animals and frequent the zoo, which is something I used to do when I lived in Abilene.  It was fun to share it with them.  Saturday night we had a dinner and headed out on the town.  The dinnner had the best turnout of any of the events and is where my slide show was shown. It was pretty weird to see some of these people after 10 years.  My, how some of them have changed!  It was also fun to see their kids and how much they look like their parents.  I had to head home Sunday, so the trip was short and sweet but totally worth it. 

The group at the Friday night football game...

Brynn, Farron, and me at dinner

The next weekend I had a couple of girlfriends from Texas come in for a visit.  We had a blast! Unfortunately, both of them ended up getting sick/injured during the trip, so some of the fun had to be a little more low key than expected, but we still had a good time.  We met up with some work friends on Friday night for some bar hopping, and then Saturday spent the day exploring Brooklyn (to the best of our sickly abilities).  They left pretty early on Sunday, so again it was all short and sweet but it was really nice to have company and enjoy the city with friends who aren't from here.



It's blurry but it's all I got.  My girls.



This past weekend was of course Halloween weekend, and Parham came into town.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Halloween and am always excited for the chance to dress up.  This year, I had the idea that I wanted to wear a costume that was reminiscent of Marie Antoinette.  I thought this might be a little boring/overdone, so I spiced it up by turning into an Elizabethan vampire.  After a little research on the internet, I ended up with red and black corset that I placed over my costume from last year (a pirate's wench dress that had a chiffon top and a flared skirt with petticoat), a platinum Marie Antoinette wig with curls and all, some cap-on vampire fangs, and some crazy contacts that made my eyes look like red colored cat eyes.  It was awesome!  I got lots of compliments and had a lot of fun wearing it.  Parham dressed in a red and black outfit that was reminiscent of that time period, and I added some make up effects and latex skin to create teeth holes in his neck as my victim.  Julie dressed as a zombie cop.  Way cool costume with a bullet hole in her neck and zombie contacts.  A big group of us headed to see the band Ok, Go! on Friday night.  It was fun to spend time with everyone, but I couldn't see a whole lot so it was hard to get into the experience.  I don't have any good pictures of my costume, but I am trying to get some.  I'll post them if I find them.

Saturday afternoon, Parham and I traipsed all over the city just to get some food.  It was a stressful experience in itself.  This is where the posting title comes in, but I am going to wait to tell you guys about these experiences since this blog entry is going to be super long and that will provide me with material for a post in the near future.  So keep watching for a new entry in the next couple of days to find out what it all means.

Saturday was more bar hopping with some of Parham's med school friends that live here.  Lots of drama since some 5 foot tall drunken toad of a cop (so he claims) followed us around randomly threatening to arrest us for "assaulting him" while we desperately tried to find a cab to get away from the freak. Ah, all in a night.  We then tried to meet up with some more friends just to be told to pay a $30 cover.  No way. So off to some weird bar called Oyster something.  That place was a trip.  Very tiny with weird people and some 80's music.  Finished the night at the Club Iguana (it had a decently priced cover charge) where we danced and played for a couple of hours before heading home. 

So as you can see, things have not slowed down much for me! Again, not that I am complaining, and it's only going to get busier from here.  This weekend coming up some friends are coming in to run the NY marathon, and then I leave the next weekend for a vacation consisting of combined Texas/California time.  I am super excited about this and am ready for the break from work and New York.  I just have a TON of work do around the apartment.  I know, I know. I STILL haven't posted pictures of my home yet, but I just don't want to spoil it before it is done!  This stuff is all taking a lot more time to get done than I anticipated (surprise, surpise...story of my life - big dreams, little motivation).  My deadline was supposed to be when the girls came a couple of weeks ago, but alas, this did not happen.  Oh well.  It will all be worth it in the end, I imagine. The weekend after I get back from vacay,  my parents are coming into town to celebrate Thanksgiving with me since I am on call.  I am REALLY excited about this.  I think Thanksgiving will be nice here, albeit cold, and I am excited to show my parents my new place and my new city.  Of course, my mom came with me when I moved, but things were still a little overwhelming at that point. 

Speaking of it getting cold, things are a-changin' around here.  The leaves are starting to turn.  The temperature has been surprisingly nice and hanging around a temperate 50's to 60's until this past weekend when it dropped down into the 40's and 30's.  Brrr.  Everyone keeps telling me how miserable it will be in the wintertime, so I am a little nervous, but I just need to start doing some better planning (i.e. wear gloves and a scarf when it's in the 30's instead of just my coat like I did this morning...argh).  I need to find myself a good pair of galoshes (so I am told).  Those things are huge here.  EVERYONE  has galoshes (so I am told), and I certainly have seen hundreds of pairs since the weather has been changing.

Just to make my point, check out these celeb photos I found on the net...

According to an article I just read, kitschy boots are no longer in.  We are now going for the more sophisticated neutral colors.  Bleh.  I guess I can always go with something like this...

The cowboy rain boot

Have you ever seen so much fuss over something as simple as rain boots?

On The Road Again

Phew! I am one tired girl.  The last few weeks have been super crazy and super busy.  Just a whirl.  I last left off with you guys right before going to Atlantic City.  Having not ever been to Atlantic City and not knowing much about it, I wasn't sure what to expect.  It's kind of like a mini Vegas.  There are several casino/hotel type compounds with restaurants, stores, pubs, and of course, the casino.  Julie and Farron had a free hotel stay from previous trips and were kind enough to invite me along.  Nobody did a lot of gambling. Everyone just dabbled a little (I was a wimp and only went for a few tries at the slots), but we still enjoyed the weekend just getting away from The City for a little while.  We walked along the boardwalk, we watched TV, we went to the casinos, we shopped.  We also found a little dive bar called Baltimore Grill that Julie's parents had recommended.  They live in Philly, which is pretty close to Atlantic City (a frequently visited destination for their family).  The bar was just what one would expect from a dive bar in Jersey.  The kitchen was open until 3 AM, and the bar was open 24 hours.  We went two nights in a row, and I guess for showing just that little bit of loyalty, the bar tender gave us a few beers on the house.  Speaking of beer, Julie introduced us to a nice-flavored Pennsylvania-brewed beer called Yeungling that's not available in Texas.  And seeing as how she has never been to Texas, she has never tried our local favorite, Shiner Bock.  Eventually, there is a planned face off between the two to decide which is better. 

And speaking of Jersey, there were some girls there that would definitely be considered "Jersey girls."  Think Snooki.  Think lots of overtanned skin, overdone makeup, jewelry, short skirts, and even one girl with a pair of fingerless gloves.  Julie and I decided to get "Jerseyed-out" just for fun by putting on our skirts, poofing up our hair, and stepping up the makeup.  Not really my style, but it was fun for a few hours. 



Atlantic City



This guy fell asleep at the slots

  

Our Hotel, The Tropicana

 

I think John had a crush.



This past weekend, I took a sickly trip to Texas.  Sickly because I felt like the snotty kid from class. It seems like everyone is getting sick around here, particularly those of us who are new to the city.  I hear that the allergens are a killler this time of year.  Maybe we newbies are just trying to adjust.  I got sent home sick from work on Friday but still headed to Houston to see my boy Parham.  We had a good weekend.  I ran some errands and found some great finds for my apartment.  Like I told you guys before, it is so difficult (and expensive!) to shop here that I really try to take advantage of being in Texas.  I got to see med school and intern-year friends and just chill out. I had a bit of a scare on Monday night -  by the way, I had Monday off because apparently we celebrate Columbus Day on this side of the country - because I thought I was going to get stuck in Philly.  There have been storms all around New York lately.  It actually hailed in Manhattan that night (something I've been told hasn't happened in 20+ years), and they temporarily had shut down the runways at LGA airport on top of having a curfew for landing that I was afraid we weren't going to make.  This would have been unfortunate since we had our biannual Grand Rounds at work on Tuesday.  Fortunately, we ended up taking off. BUT I had over an hour long wait for a cab waiting for me when I got to NYC.  Eeek! I didn't get home until 2 AM. 

So there is no rest for the goofy.  I am headed to my hometown of Abilene this weekend for my 10 year high school reunion.  Ooof.  I. am. old.  Ok, so not that old, but man am I getting there.  10 years?!? How is that possible?  Since I was a class officer in high school, I felt inclined to offer to do the slide show for the event.  What I didn't do was ask to be given notification less than 2 weeks before it needed to be ready.  Instead, I offered to start on it over a month ago and somehow only got wind that I would be doing it last week.  Argh.  So this evening I will be trying to get it all taken care of and get packed up so that I can leave straight from work tomorrow in time to make it for the high school football game.  I'm looking forward to seeing everyone, but again, I am one tired girl.  Oh well. Airplanes are like Ambien for me.  I usually fall asleep before the plane even takes off and then wake up right before landing to spend the rest of the flight worrying about things like "was I drooling?" and "did I snore or sleep with my mouth open?"  Oh well.

I'll let you know how it all goes.

Hat Dawgs, Rooftops, and Moonwalking

What do these three all have in common? 

Give up?

These things have been my most recent goings-on, and I, of course, have to tell all of you about them.  Let's start with Hat Dawgs.  Yes, I really mean hot dogs, but when one of your good friends grows up in Philly, it suddenly becomes Hat Dawgs.  My friend Julie and I have been running amok lately.  (You should look up the meaning of the phrase "running amok" and its origin...you'd be surprised...I was...anyway...)

So where was I? Oh yes.  Julie.  Julie is Farron's girlfriend.  Farron and I have known each other for 17 years, which is just weird in itself and makes me feel old.  These two have taken me under their proverbial wings and given me the opportunity to experience far more than I ever would have on my own in this city. Remmber the trapeze class?  Julie.  Remember trivia night? Julie and Farron.  Remember the fantasy football league?  You got it.  Julie and Farron again.  One of these opportunities arose on Friday night when Julie wanted to go to Coney Island.  Since this is one of her favorite places in NYC and I had only gone there once during the winter, she thought that it would be nice to head south while it is still semi-warm.  Unfortunately, we got out there and everything was closed.  However, we did not let the moment pass us by without having a Nathan's hot dog.  If you aren't familiar, Nathan's is the famous venue of the annual world famous Hot Dog Eating Contest featuring the famous Japanese professional eater Kobayashi and the American running champ Joey Chestnut. I just used the word famous a lot. This experience was not without a homeless man approaching us and asking us if he could eat our food, and a bride taking her bridal pictures in Nathan's itself.  Ah, New York. 

We then thought we would head down to the boardwalk.  On our way, we passed an Indian family chilling in a parking lot in their lawn chairs listening to Indian music out of speakers in their trunks.  And then...and here is the good stuff...we got to the boardwalk itself.  Here, we came upon a tent set up in the middle of the empty boardwalk/beach with lighting and music and people dancing.  Fair enough.  But the music was some strange concoction of 80's type electronica with beats in the background and strangest mix of people doing their own interpretation of dance.  First, we had the middle aged bald guy in a tank top doing moves I didn't know older white men should be able to do (see video below..sorry for the poor quality...it's the best I could do and be inconspicuous).  Then there was the couple who were both wearing skirts.  She was Asian and he was African American with a fro.  They were doing some weird animalistic interpretative dance that consisted of crouching, the girl being on all fours, and him doing some twirly jump thing (again see video although it maybe too dark to see and peopel kept getting in my way).  This entire scene was worth the hour long trip down there in itself. 

Since everything was closed, Julie and I decided to head back to her place in Brooklyn since my only experience in the burrough proper was a trip to Target that was...well...fairly uninspiring.  However, I loved it! Her neighborhood is super cute, and the feel was completely different from my hood.  The architecture of the buildings was very interesting, and the blocks were all lined with trees.  Everything seemed a little more chill. Since her roommates were home, we headed up to her rooftop to have some wine, and it was weird to look at Manhattan from outside Manhattan since her rooftop has a perfect view from across the river.  It's so easy to just get drawn into it and forget that New York City is much more vast than it seems.   I would love to spend some more time there getting to see more of the neighborhood since we were only there at night. 



From Julie's roof



Speaking of Fantasy Football.  I just have to toot my own little horn now and report that I was again the highest scoring team in the league this week, and I won the trophy for biggest blow out.  The boys in the league have been reported to have said that the girl teams would be miserably unsuccessful.  I should also mention that first place in the league is Julie and a close second is me.  What do they gotta say now? Huh? Huh?!? This Fantasy thing is quickly becoming an obsession.  One of the biggest mouths in the league is Justin.  Justin miserably lost the first two weeks (one of those losses was against me), and he looked like he was winning this week only to get beat by one point at the last second.  I really started to feel sorry for him.  But not sorry enough to prevent me from posting this picture of him as Snuggie Jesus

He's a grump.  He deserves it.

Saturday I had a huge surprise!  Julie and Farron invited me to the comedy club for an improv show.  I, suspecting nothing, showed up expecting nothing.  However, I turned the corner and standing there was one of my dearest and bestest (I know it's not a word...shut up) friends since high school, John!  I was NOT expecting this since John normally resides in England and I see him, oh, every several years or so.  I was so happy to see him, and I never get surprised, which made it even better.   Turns out he is living in the States for the next year and has been staying with his parents in Cape Cod.  He's currently thinking about getting a job here in the city and is staying with Farron while he does some job hunting...which is perfectly fine with me since that has meant that we have been getting to hang out.  Although we make fun of him since he seems to have picked up a weird Californian (born in San Fran), Texan (he says y'all, y'all), British (been living in London), Irish (his girlfriend is from Northern Ireland) accent, it's a pleasure to have him around.  Last time I saw him was when Lauren and I went to the UK our last year of med school (see the aforementioned travel blog).

By the way, I saw a dog wearing shoes the other day.  I hear this is normal.

Say it with me now.  Ah, New York.

So what does this have to do with moonwalking, you say?  Naturally, Farron and Julie presented me with yet another great opportunity.  Julie set up a girls' night with a hodge podge of her girlfriends that consisted of Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.  I, being unversed in the origins of the Apollo Theater, had no idea what was in store. 

So here's what Wikipedia says

"The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with African-American performers. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places,^[2] and was the home of Showtime at the Apollo, a nationally syndicated television variety show consisting of new talent.

The Apollo grew to prominence during the Harlem Renaissance of the pre-World War II years. In 1934, it introduced its regular Amateur Night shows hosted by Ralph Cooper. Billing itself as a place "where stars are born and legends are made," the Apollo became famous for launching the careers of artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Jackson 5, Patti LaBelle, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, Mariah Carey, The Isley Brothers, Lauryn Hill, and Sarah Vaughan. The Apollo also featured the performances of old-time vaudeville favorites like Tim Moore, Stepin Fetchit, Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham, Clinton "Dusty" Fletcher, John "Spider Bruce" Mason, and Johnny Lee, as well as younger comics like Godfrey Cambridge. One unique feature of the Apollo was "the executioner" a man with a broom who would sweep performers off the stage if the highly vocal and opinionated audiences began to call for their removal."

Amateur Night is a tradition that has carried on, and I got to experience it tonight.  First half of the show is the kids' half and my favorite part.  These kids range from 5 years old to 15 years old, and booing is not allowed during this stage.  I guess once you turn 16 life just gets tough.  Anyway, these kids were so cute and so amazing.  There was a boys hip hop dance group, numerous vocalists, and my absolute favorite a five year old cutie who could dance like Michael Jackson.  He started singing the Jackson Five's "ABC" with the tiniest little voice, and all the sudden it was on.  He was moonwalking, he was sliding on his knees, he was grabbing his crotch (but in a cute little innocent way of course).  I wanted to pick him, put him in my purse, and take him home, but I was told this is a felony.  Darn. 

The second half of the show gets brutal.  If the audience likes someone, they cheer.  If they don't, they boo.  If the boos are loud enough, the executioner comes out and takes them off stage.  If the reviews are mixed, they get to sing the rest of the song with half the audience booing them.  Brutal.  Only one girl got completely boo'd off, but she was trying to sing an old Broadway song.  With a nasal voice.  In Harlem.  Uh, no.  Everyone else was mediocre.  The girl that won absolutely gave her song every ounce she had so I am glad she won.  The experience itself was phenomenal.  If you are ever here on a Wednesday night...go.

I am certainly looking forward to my next opportunities with Farron and Julie.  On the list.  A walking ghost tour.  Yesss!  And this weekend...Atlantic City! Woo! I've never been.  Always wanted to. I get paid on Friday.  Atlantic City here we come. 

A little taste of home

Saturday night was Cherie's birthday party.  Just to remind you, Cherie is my chief resident's wife and has also been my movie buddy.  Cherie is not originally from Texas, but I certainly think she should have been a Texas girl.  She grew up in a little town in Iowa but moved to Texas where she met Jordan (my chief resident).  These two are a match made in heaven.  Cherie is a prettier female version of Jordan, and they are so cute together.  She loves Texas, and the two of them are planning to move back there once he finishes this academic year.  

That being said, I just felt like I needed to give you guys a little background here so that I could tell you why Saturday night's choice for dinner was a good pick on Cherie's part.  We went to a place called Hill Country. Although this restaurant is located in the kinda trendy, kinda posh Flatiron District, you walk in that door, and you don't feel like you are in New York anymore.  There were TONS of Longhorn fans wearing their orange proudly.  There were guys in boots and hats.  And the smell of BBQ was overwhelming.  Although I would have liked to see some smoked turkey or a stuffed potato on the menu, it was still a little taste of home.  I got the lean brisket, green bean casserole, and corn pudding.  My own little version of soul food served with a side of good ole Texas style BBQ sauce.  To top it all off, Bluebell ice cream served straight up.  I have to admit that it was a little on the expensive side. But what's new? It's New York.   I never thought I would be happy to see cowboy boots and hats, but I dunno, it was nice to have a little bit of Texas here in this sea of ethnic foods.  Oddly enough, it felt like being home, and I was happy.  There were lots of funny questions and comments about what we eat, do, and say in Texas.  Some of the people there had never heard of Bluebell and certainly never had anything like corn pudding.  It was amusing.  It didn't hurt that UT won the football game over Tech either.  Jordan is an Aggie (boo!), and he was doing his fair share of smack talking before dinner.  Boo ya.  Oh yeah.

Speaking of football, you guys would be happy to know (I'll pretend that you are) that my Fantasy Football team was the highest scoring team in Week 1, although I lost Week 2.  Boo.  I have to say...participating has been really fun, although I think I might be a little obsessed.  I am Texas girl. I like football.  What can I say?

In a New York minute...

Ok, so you had to know that I would get those lyrics into one of these blog entries at some point.  I apologize.

This particular entry has a bit of mixed feelings involved.  Let me preempt this post by saying that I DO enjoy living in NYC, and I am very glad that I live here right now. 

However...

This city can take its toll on a person at times, and I think I am just dealing with one of those times. Lately, I have been pretty grumpy.  This city is so full of people and so busy that we are all just on top of each other.  And sometimes it gets old.  You are constantly dodging people, dodging cars, dodging bikes, dodging crazy folk, dodging beggars.  Everything from grocery shopping to going to your friend's apartment is a chore.  You sometimes get sick of walking or taking 30 to 45 minutes to get anywhere.  It's expensive, and trying to find the groceries you need or the replacement screw for your dresser or an extension cord all can be daunting tasks.  I look at the middle aged women who live in this city, and they are the crankiest, foulest-mouthed residents you'll find, and I feel like I might be becoming one of them. Give me a few years, and I will be kicking at the cars, screaming at the bus driver, or getting into an altercation with another woman in Starbucks (yes, I have seen all these things happen).   Sometimes you just feel the urge to push someone out of your way or to tell them to quit being rude or to tell them to mind their own business or just tell them to quit existing. 

Deep breath.  I am working on finding my zen.  A friend at work suggested I find some sort of personal release.  He likes the gym.  I am not sure if the gym would be a release or a distress for me, but maybe I will find something.  The problem with that suggestion is that it would probably take as much effort to do this "me time" as it does anything else.  Eh, it's a work in progress, and any big move/change takes some transitioning.  I think I was so bedazzled when I first got here that I didn't really have time to be annoyed, and now it's catching up with me.  

However...

All this being said...in a New York minute, things can change.  Yes, this city is grating at times.  It can be difficult to live here.  It will take me a while to adjust.  But then I get an opportunity like the one I had tonight, and it just makes me glad I'm here.  It makes me want to put forth the effort to explore this city...to just suck it up and do what I have to do.  So what is this opportunity, you say?

I have quickly become quite the TV junkie since having DVR available to me (it's evil), and a couple of the shows that I have been avidly watching are Ellen and Oprah (it's the Farewell Season of Oprah...you should jump on this train by the way).  So I'm watching Ellen, and she starts raving about this new documentary that was showcased at Sundance called Catfish.  She makes the movie sound so appealing that I want to run out and watch the first showing of it taking place that night at midnight.  I managed to tone down the impulsivity (which is difficult for me) and wait until I could see it with a friend.  After assuring Laura that the documentary was indeed not about catfish, she agreed to go with me this evening.  It doesn't hurt that she thinks the main protagonist is hot, but I digress.   

She and I both loved it.   It is only playing in select theatres (which was perk #1), but if it is playing at a theatre near you, please check it out.  It is just so bizarre and so heartbreaking.  Do not read the reviews or anything else about it because it might get spoiled for you.  The best thing to do is to go see it without really knowing more than what I am going to tell you now.  I will only say so much as it is a real documentary about an NYU filmmaker's little brother who gets caught up with a family that he essentially meets online, including one of the daughters in the family with whom he starts a relationship.  The movie wraps it up after he eventually goes to meet this family in person.  Not only did Laura and I both love the film, but an added bonus was that the director (who is also the roommate of both the filmaker and his little brother) was actually at the film, as was the producer and one of the characters in the movie.  All of them were there to participate in a Q&A session following the screening, which allowed us to get even more insight into the film straight from the mouths of the people who made it. 

Can you see why this makes me feel okay about being here again?  I would have most likely not had an opportunity like this otherwise.  This, of course, is only one example, but sometimes you just need a little morale booster.  This was mine tonight.  Take it from me.  See the movie if you can.  If you hate it, then you can hate me and it would be okay.  But do it anyway...

These are the filmmakers.  The protagnoist (Nev) is on the left, his brother Rel is in the middle, and their friend Henry, the director and also a filmmaker, is on the right (he is the one that we saw at the screening).

Bad, Bad Blogger!

I promise, promise, promise to be better about posting once things calm down a bit.  Between moving and having company (yay!), there hasn't been much time.  However, I always have posts going on in my head so don't feel completely forsaken.  It's really just a matter of sitting down and writing them.  I have had several posts in the works so now I just have catching up to do.

An idea that popped into my head was sharing with you a...ahem..."hypothetical" clinic.  This " hypothetical" place is like living through an episode of Seinfeld.  Everyone is neurotic and quite frankly just a little crazy.  To begin with, there is

Nurse X

Nurse X has been a nurse for 40 some odd years, a fact which she reminds everyone almost every single day.  She is, first and foremost, LOUD.  If you are in the mere vicinity of her, she can be heard above all else.  Nurse X has this habit of repeating herself.  Over and over and over and over.  Somewhere in her 40 years of being a nurse, she must have forgotten exactly what it is that nurses do because she does - to be blunt - absolutely nothing.  She has had many a picture taken of her sleeping in the nurses station, and if she is asked to do anything beyond that by any of the residents, someone gets an earful.  There are so many things I could tell you about her, but one of her most prominent (and most excrutiatingly embarrassing) habits that she has is to say things that are entirely politically incorrect.  Example: When a patient comes into the clinic that is in a wheelchair, she will write in bright orange pencil "PLEASE SEE PATIENT.  PATIENT IN WHEELCHAIR."  This is not so bad, but she extrapolates this to patient's with special needs. In bright orange pencil/crayon, "PLEASE SEE PATIENT.  PATIENT IS A RETARD."  Then she will come into the resident room and loudly (of course) say "Doctors, you need to see this patient.  He's a retard, and he's going to act out."  This is not a joke.  If anyone reprimands her in any way, they will get an earful of threats from calling the union to calling the mayor to calling Obama.  She has several nicknames amongst the other staff including Devil Lady, Dragon Woman, and some that I cannot put into this blog.

Nurse Y
Nurse Y is extremely talented.  Oh yes.  Very, very talented.  What is her talent, you may ask?  She has a unique ability to walk into a patient room when the resdient has JUST finished and ask if she can help.  How she is able to do this, I am not sure.  She also likes to ask questions that are impossible to answer.  Examples: "Doctor, how many patients do you think will show up today?"  Not sure.  "Doctor, is the other doctor done with his procedure in the other room?"  Couldn't tell you.  Etcetera.  The other day she argued with a resident because he ordered precautionary Hep C/HIV tests before starting him on a medicine that compromises the immune system (since these diseases already compromise the immune system).  She didn't understand why this resident would order these tests for "such a nice man."  Uh, whoa.  First, it is just precautionary and a prudent thing to do for both the patient and the doctor.  Second, having HIV or Hep C does not make someone any less of a nice person.  If you have any experience in the health field (which she does), you would know that there are all sorts of people from all demographics and in all stages of life that have these diseases for one reason or another.  How are these people nurses?

Clerk A
Clerk A is quite quirky.  She visits frequently in the residents' room because she makes frequent trips to the bathroom, and the ghetto bathroom key (which resembles a bathroom key from a truck stop since it has a large wooden block attached to it) is in the room.  During these visits, she usually complains about Nurse X, often remarking that she grew in Spanish Harlem and could hire someone to kill Nurse X.  In fact, there have been several instances where she alluded to her connections in Spanish Harlem.  There are also usually mini lectures on how to be successful in life.  Great stuff.

Medical Assistant B
Medical Assistant B is a Jamaican gentleman who does varying jobs around the clinic.  He usually does these things while singing random songs at the top of his lungs.  He doesn't talk much other than to directly and gruffly ask questions or to gripe.  Usually, these gripes don't make a lot of sense and often are regarding something that would have already been addressed with him, but like Nurse X he likes to repeat himself over and over and over.

Doctor N
Doctor N is an attending. He is fairly elderly and has worked at this clinic for many years.  He has been semi-retired for quite some time.  He works one day out of the week, and it takes some getting used to his style.  Example: he will arrive at the clinic and bust into the patient rooms.  He will subsequently start barking at the resident or the patient at very loud volumes because the majority of the time he has his iPod on and his earphones in his ears.  He, like Nurse X, has some problems with being politically correct.  There are numerous stories that attest to this fact.  1) He recently walked into a room where a resident was seeing two teenage albino patients.  He walked in, look around, loudly stated "there are albinos in here!" and then walked out.  2) He came into a colleague's room while he was seeing another patient who had a condition that is rarely and softly associated with HIV.  He wrote HIV down on the paper bed cover, pointed at it, and whispered quite loudly, "The patient has this."  Needless to say, this patient did not return to the clinic.  He has many other humorous habits that cannot be described in this blog.  Afterall, it's hypothetical, right?

Oh, and speaking of the albinos...Nurse X, who has been in dermatology for 30 some odd years, asked one of the residents the other day why black women are adopting white children.  This came, mind you, after the family with the albino children had left the clinic.  I will let you piece that together. 

Nurse Z
Nurse Z is pretty friendly and isn't so bad.  She is just kind of random, and her broken English is hard to understand.  When introducing someone, she might remark with "This is Dr. So-in-So.  She sometimes doens't wear earings."  Ooo-kay.

Guys, there are so many other great characters in this hypothetical clinic that there is just too much to write. And frankly, it probably isn't wise to divulge most of it in a public, written forum.  But there you have it.  Just a taste.  If I can think of some more, I will certainly add them in there.

I have many more things to write about, but I obviously can't do it all in one sitting.  Again, sorry to be such a naughty unreliable blogger.  I will be better in the future. Cross my heart...