salience
July 26, 2008
Goodness has it been awhile. Apologies folks, life has been a million miles an hour, a pace which is hard to keep everyone updated at when one has no internet. I believe a list is in order.
To recap, since my last posting in May:
1. I have sat 3rd chair in the Columbia Summer Winds. As the name implies, this group is only around in the summer to perform in random parks in Manhattan (and a church in Brooklyn). I found CSW through MWE, it rehearses every week at Teachers College at Columbia. The group itself is huge, all amateur/semi-pro musicians and nothing short of awesome. There are four conductors who rotate (including the Director of the group). The music selection varies but this summer we've played: John Williams' "Raider March", Tschnesnokoff's "Salvation is Created", Alfred Reed's "A Festival Prelude", "Khachaturian's "To The Heroes of the Patriotic War", Ewazen's "Hymn for the Lost and Living", Grainger's "Themes from 'Green Bushes'" (my favorite!!), Fucik's "Entry of the Gladiators", Holst's "Moorside March", Bernstein's "West Side Story Selection", Ritter George's "First Suite in F", von Suppe's "Light Calvary Overture" and of course Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever". The people are great, the music is great, and we sound great. All around a soul soothing endeavor: nothing quite like playing some oftentimes challenging music with fellow enthusiasts. I'm home. :) We have one concert left, next Sunday, and I will try to get pictures taken to put up here.
2. I moved in with Flora to an apartment in Brooklyn. No, I am not in fancy Park Slope or hippie East Williamsburg. I am in working class Bushwick in a brand new condo building. I actually carried 2 apartments for a bit (this one and my BX one) while we were getting situated, but it was too good to pass up: a full 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom with balcony, roof access and laundry in the basement. And did I mention it's brand new? Flora still commutes between Boston and Texas, so she only soaks up the awesomeness a little every week unfortunately. It has been a little rough in getting set up: first, Con Ed took their time in turning on the utilities, second we couldn't get a Cable guy out here to set up our tv, phone and internet and third, we've been fighting with the local post office (until today actually) to get a set of keys to our mailbox. Yes, I am happy to say we have our own mailbox which is locked. Quite a luxury after my last apartment. So I'm sorry to anyone who has been sending mail I haven't responded to, I am just now getting all of it! And the laundry in the basement is fantastic, aside from my breaking the coin dispenser to the dryer on my first try (oops). Sphinx is adjusting well too. It's a huge apartment and we get a lot of sunlight. Ryan and I painted my room a bright! orange and Flora's is in the process of being painted a beautiful blue. The next goal is to get some semblance of curtains up. Our block is very friendly, polar opposite from my neighborhood in the Bronx. Everyone hangs out outside during the summer, we see plenty of block parties and people are always quick to say hi and give you a smile. My commute to Manhattan is 20 minutes, despite being about the same distance from the office. Yes, I think I'd like to stay here for a bit, definitely.
3. I turned 25. And I threw a party in midtown Manhattan. It seems like forever ago now, but some of my most favorite people in the world came out for it and we had a great time. Flora (and friends), Kelly and MyShell (and bf) all made it for the festivities. Ryan of course was here as well. I made 100's of LED throwies a la GRL for the event (at Galway Hooker Pub in the 30's in midtown east for those who are curious) which ended up being a lot more fun than I anticipated. We ate dinner at Hill Country, my most favorite TX brisket place in NYC (they serve Big Red!) and then headed over the bar. It was great to have OH people, AIG people, UVA people and BC people all come together. (Oh and MHS! - Karrie, whom I hadn't seen since high school, is now working in Manhattan. She ventured out too to celebrate with me and now plays with us at CWS. You're awesome Karrie!)
4. I took Ryan on vacation with my family to Ft. Walton Beach, FL for the 4th of July. We had a great time hanging out with everyone, including my favorite brother who had just finished LDAC at Ft. Lewis, WA. I could not be more proud of him. Aside from my immediate family, my Aunt Becky and Uncle Anthony, and two cousins (and one's bf) were able to make it as well. We also went deep sea fishing which was also a lot of fun (except for the dolphins, I wore bruises for days from where a dolphin had got a hold of my line and was playing, having a great time tugging me all around the back of that boat!). My aunt and uncle are doing well, as is my cousin Cynthia and her boyfriend Tony. My cousin Mike heads to Arizona for school soon and I know he'll do great! Hopefully we will all get to see each other again soon.
5. Ryan and I celebrated our anniversary and I cannot even believe it's been a year. It's been a great year though and I haven't ever been happier. This one's a keeper I think, yall. :)
6. I went on my first official business trip to Tampa. It was quite an ordeal and rather exhausting what with all of the running around. But it was a great experience and I'm glad I went.
7. Ryan and I saw Wall-E and I loved it. Ryan, Flora and I saw the new Batman and it was amazing! I love summer blockbusters. It doesn't feel like summer is real until you get to see the movies you've been waiting so long to see!
8. I came home this past Thursday night to find my car missing. Those of you who know me best know how much I love my roller skate. Aside from the sentimental value, that car is very dependable and I take great pride in it being a 1998 American car. You can imagine my horror when my car vanished during my day at work. I came home, changed for the gym and went out to my car only to find another car parked in its place. I then initiated a five hour ordeal checking to see if it had been towed (of which there was no record) and then calling 911 to file a stolen vehicle claim. I met with two very nice officers of the 81st precinct who came to my house, took down all of my information and then drove me around re-tracing my steps to where I had parked the car. Once we got to the spot, they realized that particular side of the street I had parked on was not under their jurisdiction, and they phoned the 83rd precinct. The 81st drove me home, and told me to wait on the 83rd. Two hours later the 83rd showed and we repeated what had been done by the 81st. At the location where I had parked (not two blocks from the apartment by the way), we three stood on the sidewalk. It was about 11 PM by this time, but there were many people out and about. I had parked on a pretty major corner and in the street next to us a fight had started. Nothing too crazy, a husband apparently had left his wife for a girlfriend, and the wife and son showed up to the girlfriend's house. While I was in the middle of answering the two officer's questions, the two women came up screaming at them to do something. The officers tried to wave them off, but they persisted. So each took a woman aside to calm them down. The son tried to talk to the dad, but the dad wanted nothing to do with anyone and climbed in his minivan and locked everyone out. About ten minutes later, the officers weere able to get the wife and son to leave and we returned to my report. Just as I was about to answer a final question, a group of guys came up asking for directions. All in all, my filing my report took almost two hours. :) It's great though that everyone is so friendly. And I learned a lot about my neighborhood. Apparently American Gangster was filmed right down the street! I didn't sleep much Thursday night and woke up early Friday. Shell even called at 6:30AM to see how I was doing. And the truth was, I had pretty much lost all faith in humanity. How could such a great neighborhood do something so terrible to me? I worked late Friday, and after going to the gym, I came out to a voicemail on my phone. I didn't even check it until Saturday morning, but it turns out my car had been towed by a separate precinct who had set up a makeshift bus stop for a community service shuttle. Was there a sign posted? No. Did it matter? No. If I wanted my car back, I had to somehow make my way to the Navy Yard in downtown Brooklyn and pay $500 to retrieve it. Welcome to New York. The crazy thing is, I wasn't even THAT upset about the money. I've come to expect it, it's how the NYPD really makes their keep, parking tickets and towing. I was more upset by the fact that I got zero help until I filed a complaint for grand larceny auto, a felony. I did get a pretty thorough tour of the political system here though, and riding in cop cars is always fun. You better believe I'm looking into LoJack.
And that about sums it up yall. Now that I'm back online, I hope to be able to update more frequently.
To recap, since my last posting in May:
1. I have sat 3rd chair in the Columbia Summer Winds. As the name implies, this group is only around in the summer to perform in random parks in Manhattan (and a church in Brooklyn). I found CSW through MWE, it rehearses every week at Teachers College at Columbia. The group itself is huge, all amateur/semi-pro musicians and nothing short of awesome. There are four conductors who rotate (including the Director of the group). The music selection varies but this summer we've played: John Williams' "Raider March", Tschnesnokoff's "Salvation is Created", Alfred Reed's "A Festival Prelude", "Khachaturian's "To The Heroes of the Patriotic War", Ewazen's "Hymn for the Lost and Living", Grainger's "Themes from 'Green Bushes'" (my favorite!!), Fucik's "Entry of the Gladiators", Holst's "Moorside March", Bernstein's "West Side Story Selection", Ritter George's "First Suite in F", von Suppe's "Light Calvary Overture" and of course Sousa's "Stars and Stripes Forever". The people are great, the music is great, and we sound great. All around a soul soothing endeavor: nothing quite like playing some oftentimes challenging music with fellow enthusiasts. I'm home. :) We have one concert left, next Sunday, and I will try to get pictures taken to put up here.
2. I moved in with Flora to an apartment in Brooklyn. No, I am not in fancy Park Slope or hippie East Williamsburg. I am in working class Bushwick in a brand new condo building. I actually carried 2 apartments for a bit (this one and my BX one) while we were getting situated, but it was too good to pass up: a full 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom with balcony, roof access and laundry in the basement. And did I mention it's brand new? Flora still commutes between Boston and Texas, so she only soaks up the awesomeness a little every week unfortunately. It has been a little rough in getting set up: first, Con Ed took their time in turning on the utilities, second we couldn't get a Cable guy out here to set up our tv, phone and internet and third, we've been fighting with the local post office (until today actually) to get a set of keys to our mailbox. Yes, I am happy to say we have our own mailbox which is locked. Quite a luxury after my last apartment. So I'm sorry to anyone who has been sending mail I haven't responded to, I am just now getting all of it! And the laundry in the basement is fantastic, aside from my breaking the coin dispenser to the dryer on my first try (oops). Sphinx is adjusting well too. It's a huge apartment and we get a lot of sunlight. Ryan and I painted my room a bright! orange and Flora's is in the process of being painted a beautiful blue. The next goal is to get some semblance of curtains up. Our block is very friendly, polar opposite from my neighborhood in the Bronx. Everyone hangs out outside during the summer, we see plenty of block parties and people are always quick to say hi and give you a smile. My commute to Manhattan is 20 minutes, despite being about the same distance from the office. Yes, I think I'd like to stay here for a bit, definitely.
3. I turned 25. And I threw a party in midtown Manhattan. It seems like forever ago now, but some of my most favorite people in the world came out for it and we had a great time. Flora (and friends), Kelly and MyShell (and bf) all made it for the festivities. Ryan of course was here as well. I made 100's of LED throwies a la GRL for the event (at Galway Hooker Pub in the 30's in midtown east for those who are curious) which ended up being a lot more fun than I anticipated. We ate dinner at Hill Country, my most favorite TX brisket place in NYC (they serve Big Red!) and then headed over the bar. It was great to have OH people, AIG people, UVA people and BC people all come together. (Oh and MHS! - Karrie, whom I hadn't seen since high school, is now working in Manhattan. She ventured out too to celebrate with me and now plays with us at CWS. You're awesome Karrie!)
4. I took Ryan on vacation with my family to Ft. Walton Beach, FL for the 4th of July. We had a great time hanging out with everyone, including my favorite brother who had just finished LDAC at Ft. Lewis, WA. I could not be more proud of him. Aside from my immediate family, my Aunt Becky and Uncle Anthony, and two cousins (and one's bf) were able to make it as well. We also went deep sea fishing which was also a lot of fun (except for the dolphins, I wore bruises for days from where a dolphin had got a hold of my line and was playing, having a great time tugging me all around the back of that boat!). My aunt and uncle are doing well, as is my cousin Cynthia and her boyfriend Tony. My cousin Mike heads to Arizona for school soon and I know he'll do great! Hopefully we will all get to see each other again soon.
5. Ryan and I celebrated our anniversary and I cannot even believe it's been a year. It's been a great year though and I haven't ever been happier. This one's a keeper I think, yall. :)
6. I went on my first official business trip to Tampa. It was quite an ordeal and rather exhausting what with all of the running around. But it was a great experience and I'm glad I went.
7. Ryan and I saw Wall-E and I loved it. Ryan, Flora and I saw the new Batman and it was amazing! I love summer blockbusters. It doesn't feel like summer is real until you get to see the movies you've been waiting so long to see!
8. I came home this past Thursday night to find my car missing. Those of you who know me best know how much I love my roller skate. Aside from the sentimental value, that car is very dependable and I take great pride in it being a 1998 American car. You can imagine my horror when my car vanished during my day at work. I came home, changed for the gym and went out to my car only to find another car parked in its place. I then initiated a five hour ordeal checking to see if it had been towed (of which there was no record) and then calling 911 to file a stolen vehicle claim. I met with two very nice officers of the 81st precinct who came to my house, took down all of my information and then drove me around re-tracing my steps to where I had parked the car. Once we got to the spot, they realized that particular side of the street I had parked on was not under their jurisdiction, and they phoned the 83rd precinct. The 81st drove me home, and told me to wait on the 83rd. Two hours later the 83rd showed and we repeated what had been done by the 81st. At the location where I had parked (not two blocks from the apartment by the way), we three stood on the sidewalk. It was about 11 PM by this time, but there were many people out and about. I had parked on a pretty major corner and in the street next to us a fight had started. Nothing too crazy, a husband apparently had left his wife for a girlfriend, and the wife and son showed up to the girlfriend's house. While I was in the middle of answering the two officer's questions, the two women came up screaming at them to do something. The officers tried to wave them off, but they persisted. So each took a woman aside to calm them down. The son tried to talk to the dad, but the dad wanted nothing to do with anyone and climbed in his minivan and locked everyone out. About ten minutes later, the officers weere able to get the wife and son to leave and we returned to my report. Just as I was about to answer a final question, a group of guys came up asking for directions. All in all, my filing my report took almost two hours. :) It's great though that everyone is so friendly. And I learned a lot about my neighborhood. Apparently American Gangster was filmed right down the street! I didn't sleep much Thursday night and woke up early Friday. Shell even called at 6:30AM to see how I was doing. And the truth was, I had pretty much lost all faith in humanity. How could such a great neighborhood do something so terrible to me? I worked late Friday, and after going to the gym, I came out to a voicemail on my phone. I didn't even check it until Saturday morning, but it turns out my car had been towed by a separate precinct who had set up a makeshift bus stop for a community service shuttle. Was there a sign posted? No. Did it matter? No. If I wanted my car back, I had to somehow make my way to the Navy Yard in downtown Brooklyn and pay $500 to retrieve it. Welcome to New York. The crazy thing is, I wasn't even THAT upset about the money. I've come to expect it, it's how the NYPD really makes their keep, parking tickets and towing. I was more upset by the fact that I got zero help until I filed a complaint for grand larceny auto, a felony. I did get a pretty thorough tour of the political system here though, and riding in cop cars is always fun. You better believe I'm looking into LoJack.
And that about sums it up yall. Now that I'm back online, I hope to be able to update more frequently.
lasaliente, 16:06
