Winter Storm of 2009

It's 12:30 AM on Sunday morning. I found out about an hour and a half ago my flight for tomorrow was cancelled. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand, I've been on hold pretty much ever since. All the numbers on Delta's website were worthless: each produced that weird noise when the line is dead. Finally I get through, wait on hold for 20 minutes, talk to someone about getting on a new flight, and I've been on hold ever since waiting for it to be confirmed.

My super is outside shoveling the sidewalk, but it's still snowing. Hard. Without any sign of stopping. They say it's supposed to stop early in the morning, which is why I'm extra annoyed that my flight was already cancelled. That, and the only way I found out was by looking online. No phone call - can you imagine the customer service that would entail? God forbid they make human contact and call me to say my flight was cancelled. E-mail? Nope. Text? Nope. Go online and magically see that it's cancelled? Yup.

Thanks, Delta. I appreciate it.

I'm now confirmed on a flight for Thursday, December 24 out of JFK with not one, but two connections. Oh you originally paid extra for a direct flight? Sorry.

Ugh. I'm tired.

Passing Time

It's funny how time passes. For the most part, my days run into weeks which run into months and then into years. There are certain moments, however, I can pinpoint to a specific year and season. When I'm lucky I can narrow it to a specific day.

Last August, I moved to NYC (that's not news, I know) but I still remember thinking I was out of my mind when I was riding into the city for the first time with all of my stuff with me. Every time I took a cab home after that I remembered that moment and chuckled to myself. At some point in the last few months, I stopped thinking about that first ride into the city when I was in a cab. I noticed it last week, and, honestly, I was a little sad. I'm sure it's a good thing, that it means I'm more settled here, but I don't know when I stopped thinking about it. It's just a strange realization.

In other measures of time, FD3 and I have been dating for almost two months. Obviously I'm not about to break any world records in terms of relationship length or anything, but it's fun having a new way to mark time. I promise I'm not one of those people who celebrates minor "anniversaries." I just happen to remember because we first went out in the middle of the month. Anyways, things are good. I'm having fun with him. Fortunately, I don't call him FD3 to his face, but there are no new First Dates to talk about. FD3 and I have other firsts that we're trying out: first time meeting friends, first time being photographed together (for the NY Times! ), first time making dinner together. Well, I made dinner, but that was the first time in a long time that I made dinner for someone.

Last year at this time I was prepping to help coordinate 3000 interviews across the country. This year, my team is coordinating 5400 interviews. That's right; 1400 more interviews this time around. It's a busy season.

They say that as you get older, time passes more quickly. I just hope I remember that it only feels that way and that I still have time to do everything I want.

Adventures in Dating

So, at the encouragement of some friends, I decided to jump into the online dating world. Most people's lives are conducted online a majority of the time these days, so why not try dating?

The good thing about online dating is that it shows you, sure enough, there a lot of fish in the sea. When you live in New York, there are more options than say in Oxford, Mississippi so I think my dating experiment was probably a smart idea to try here. Anyways, within my first week online I set up my first date. By the end of a few days, I had 3 first dates lined up within a week of each other. There are a couple of strategies used to set up dates.

1. Strategy 1 - Quick banter back and forth and immediately set up a date because, really, how well can you get to know someone via e-mails back and forth? Pros: you get a date lined up quickly. Cons: perhaps the date is lined up a little too quickly with someone you probably wouldn't really be interested in. Alas, perhaps going out with someone I wouldn't normally be interested in is a good thing.
2. Strategy 2 - Slowly get to know someone via e-mails, then texts, then a date. (By slowly I mean over the course of a few days, not months.) Pros: you have a good sense of the person you will meet before you meet them. Cons: the process can drag out and you lose interest or become more interested in a different process in the meantime.

Anyways, I tried both strategies and have had a variety of dates.

First Date #1 - HORRENDOUS! So when FD1 called to set up a date we talked on the phone for about 10 minutes, and I should have noticed the flags then but I decided to ignore them. You see, I have this problem that I'm trying to overcome: whenever someone shows romantic interest in me I immediately find something wrong with him. I should have listened to my instincts on this one. So, FD1 and I decide to meet on a street corner with the intent of going to a bar for drinks. Street corner: Spring and 6th. Bar: We didn't have a plan. I got to the corner first and sat in the square until he showed up. I should have known right away it was a mistake. He had on dad jeans and white sneakers (again, the dad kind). Trying not to be my judgmental self I overlooked it. Meanwhile, he reenacted how he jammed his finger during jiu-jitsu class. (By the way, in his jiu-jitsu class they learn how to really hurt people, but they get to a point and then stop knowing they could really hurt the other person but won't. Of course you're not really going to hurt someone in class. Duh. That would just be mean.)

We decided to go get a drink, and he leads us in the direction of a bar. When I say lead, I mean he was a good 2 feet ahead of me when we were walking. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have been able to keep up with how quickly he walked. And, he doesn't share the sidewalk. Now I admit, I have weird issues when it comes to walking with people. I really don't like walking through crowds, and I really don't like feeling crowded when it's just me and one other person. FD1 would not move over enough to share the sidewalk so that I was walking around trees and trashcans. At one point I slowed down my pace as well to see what would happen. He slowed for a second and then continued.

We get to a bar (he's very particular about the kind of bar) sit down and have a drink. I lead the conversation with questions that are never returned. (Not good to have a one sided conversation on a date.) As I wait for him to perhaps ask me something, I take a sip of my drink. As a result, I finish my beer more quickly than he does. As I neared the bottom, the bartender asked me if I wanted another. I told him I was ok at the moment. Then, my date chugs the remainder of his beer (about half) and announces, "I'm waiting for you now." Oh, ok. Uh, sure. Let's get another drink. After we get our second beer, he goes to the bathroom. When he returns he says, "I can tell you're having a good time." Oh yeah, how can you tell that? "You just look happy. And you would have left after the first beer if you weren't."

I toss this date to it being my first "blind" date and being inexperienced in how to handle the blind date experience. I should have left after the first beer. Really, I probably shouldn't have set up the date at all, but then I wouldn't have a story. Over the course of the night I learn he does everything with his parents. EVERYTHING. He's 30, has no friends because he "values quality over quantity." Buddy, we all value quality over quantity. Additionally, he lives at home. Why? Because he would miss his mom's cooking if he left.

Like I said, HORRENDOUS.

First Date #2 - First Date #2 was pretty good. We e-mailed back and forth a bit before heading into texting. We decided to meet at a wine bar on the Upper West Side. Sadly, when we got to the bar, it was closed for a private party. Instead we went to a bar around the corner and had a beer. Overall, the date went really well. We had a good conversation. Never any dead moments. He'd just gotten back from vacation in SC. (His family rented a house in Folly.) The date wasn't anything big to write home about, but enjoyable. Definitely a better first date than FD1.

First Date #3 - FD3 was a really good date. I had a lot of fun. Coincidentally, the first text (after e-mails) I got from FD3 was 30 minutes before I met up with FD2. He asked if I played pool. I do happen to play pool. I just play pool like someone who does it every few months are really doesn't know how to play. We decided to make a pool date for the following Saturday. FD3 actually knows how to play pool. In fact, he could watch how I was lining up a shot and tell me just how to position the pool stick to make the shot. Needless to say, I was impressed. FD3 was also the only one I kissed. (Ok, he may have gotten a few kisses. Like I said, it was a good date.) He's also the only one I've seen a second time.

At the moment I do not have any more first dates lined up. This might be a bad strategy, but I'm not good at dating multiple people at once. I'm curious to see what happens with FD3. While I may be shooting myself in the foot with this strategy, if FD3 turns out to not be for me I know there are other fish in the sea. And if the fish who are biting now aren't still there if things don't work out with FD3, then they aren't for me.

We shall see what happens. (By the way, a very interesting fact: all 3 dates have the same first initial, and FD1 and FD2 have the same name. Kind of weird, right?)

Cooling Off in the City

Summer usually means trying to find ways to cool off. I can't say it's been a hot summer in NYC, but that doesn't mean I've avoided finding ways to cool off.

By far, my new favorite treat is something very simple: Mister Softee dip cones. The pure simpleness of it amazes me. There are two reasons I love this treat.

1. Mister is spelled out. I don't know why, but it makes my ice cream that much better.
2. It's soft serve ice cream out of the back of a truck. What can be better than especially once dipped in chocolate?

We southern kids know what ice cream trucks are, don't worry. There weren't many that came through my neighborhood, I'll admit, but I knew what they were. A regular ice cream truck, however, cannot compete with an ice cream truck. It might play music, but all it has is ice cream on a stick or popsicles. Delicious, yes. Softserve ice cream delicousness? Not quite there. There's many combinations to made with Mister Softee, but I'm sticking to the dip cone. Or maybe chocolate sprinkles. Hmmmmm.

The second treat: Pinkberry. It's not ice cream. It's not frozen yogurt. It's not even good. It's literally frozen yogurt, and I'm addicted. The first time I went to Pinkberry I truly thought it was gross. I had no idea what to expect. I now crave it on a regular basis. The fancy flavors I can do without. All I need is a small original with blackberries and raspberries. So good.

Finally, I'm holding out for a snowball stand in New York. Maybe I'll open one in Astoria. The Greeks can appreciate a snowball, right? And we really need to ban the snowcone stand in the Central Park Zoo. It's just gross.

The Lost Tribes of New York City from Carolyn London on Vimeo.

Knights vs. Rosie the Riveter

At some point on every Sunday I peruse the New York Times wedding section (online, of course). Each week a new couple is featured. They're always glamorous in some sort of way--not your average, everyday kind of couple. I'm not sure when I started reading the wedding announcements, but I continue because I'm a hopeless romantic. I may not seem like the hopeless romantic type, but deep down I am.

Ugh. Society send conflicting messages about what we, American women, should want. One message is that a knight in shining armor will come and save us from singledom. We, me and my knight in shining armor, will happily ever after. The second message is that we, women, do not need anyone to save us. That we are independent and happy without a romantic someone in our lives; we don't need Jerry Maguire's you complete me thoughts. There are definitely women that fall into one category are the other, but I fall somewhere in the middle which is completely frustrating. I don't think a man will save me from myself, but I do want one to woo me. Someone who won't complete me per se, but rather compliment me.

Bah. Sometimes it is hard to continue believing that I will find the right someone, the person I want. Alas, I try. Last week I had a dream that I got engaged. I don't think I ever saw my fiance's face, and if I did I don't know him. (I do remember that the ring was not my taste--very superficial of me, I know.) Last night I dreamt that I was getting married to someone I didn't know (both in real life and in my dream). Like the engagement dream, the man was not my focus. (This time it was the dress.) Obviously I'm not ready to be married. Nor do I have plans to be married in the near future. I'm just missing something right now, and whether it seems good or bad I think it's more of a someone than a something.

Bleh. I hate feeling out of control, but I want to be able to let go. As if that makes any sense.

Spotted . . .

Spotted today in Tompkins Square Park . . .

• 3 of New York's finest telling some kids to get off the grass (no pun intended).
• 1 pair of love birds (the kind without wings) up in an oak tree.
• 2 Buddhist monks in orange robes circling the park carrying, each carrying a small brown paper bag in his hand.
• 17 dogs in the dog park. There was a little dog side and a big dog side.

Spotted in Manhattan on Monday . . .

• Thousands of people wearing black (and gray).
• 1 person wearing yellow.

Spotted in Manhattan on Tuesday . . .

• Hundreds of people wearing green.
• The rest wore black.

Spotted everyday I go to work . . .

• The Empire State Building.
• Macy's (the one from Miracle on 34th Street).

I forget sometimes that I live in the city that I do, that millions of people come here to visit and see the sights. I don't take advantage of it nearly enough, and I am reminding myself now (through this blog) that I need to do so. With that said, I'm creating a list of things I need to do and see in New York. It will never be complete, but I hope that by writing it down I will hold myself to some of these things.

1. The Cloisters
2. Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty
   
3. Circle Line Cruise
4. Walk across the Brooklyn Bridge
5. Carriage ride through Central Park
6. Beer Garden
7. Museums (multiple)
8. 1/2 marathon
9. Paddleboats

Gray and the City

A dear friend of mine told me that after moving to NYC most girls' wardrobes evolve into tight, black clothes. Surely, he didn't mean this would happen to me. "All I'm saying is that I've seen it happen a lot," he said. These girls start off with bright, patterned clothes and slowly buy more and more of what is essentially the New York uniform: black and gray with a splash of brown and tan. Surely, it can't be true that New Yorkers only wear black. My mom must have exaggerated when she lamented about it. My dear friend had to be wishfully thinking that the colors fade (although why I'm not sure).

It turns out they were right. The uniform truly is a uniform. While riding the train to work one day this fall I noticed the riders sitting across from me: khaki pants, black pinstripes, brown dress, black skirt, etc. To the left black, to the right black. I looked down to my lap: hot pink cords. That's right, hot pink cords."Who is that girl and where is she from?" they must have wondered. (Well, maybe not. Most New Yorkers are so blase about everything that they probably didn't notice at all, but that's a different blog topic.) I have never seen another person in hot pink cords in New York. My heavy jacket, not coat, is pink as well, and you better believe I've definitely never seen a person in the city with a pink L.L.Bean jacket. I, however, love it and it keeps me warm. Hot even when I'm on the train.

My solemn vow is to not let all of my outfits turn into the NY uniform. I, who love pink and blue and purple and yellow, will not wear black everyday. I will not give up my color. I have a sense of possibility, and I will relentlessly pursue results. I'm on a one-woman mission to brighten NYC.

I must admit I had a little setback today, but even people who change their lives with 12-step programs sometimes have setbacks. Still, I went to Macy's today and bought a coat. It's color? Gray.