Weekend commute

On Friday night I hit Aspen for a little taste of Colorado with some coworkers. I've heard good things about the place but I was pretty disappointed. Since we were all in casual Friday dress, we sat up front so as not to disturb the rest of the clientele. No waiter ever came to us though so we had to go to the bar to order. My boss was nice enough to order appetizers for everyone including Aspen's delicious (I've heard) sliders. Unfortunately I never got to confirm that because first they told him there were only 6 sliders left, then only 3, and when our food came they were 'out.' Lame. I can say that the duck quesadillas and steak tips were pretty yummy.

Yesterday morning was my first day at the gym. I still hadn't been contacted about getting my initial physical training/intro to the gym but I didn't want to wait any longer. I found the cardio and did an hour workout. I was going to leave but then I noticed the weight machines and decided to hit my arms before leaving. It turned out I was actually in the circuit room. A physical trainer offered to help me set up each machine and ended up doing my orientation with me. He was very nice and I was pleasantly surprised. He also gave me a pretty good workout - my arms are super sore today and that's just what I need.

After a shower, I made the trip to Brooklyn with a friend to go to Target at the Atlantic Ave Terminal. I needed to make a mass merchandiser run for some basics I'm used to but could not find in Manhattan. She took the 3 and I took the 4 and we met there. I'd never been in the Target but I used to pass it a couple years back when I had a friend out in Fort Greene. I didn't know that it was basically in a mall. I got there before her so I waited outside. I laughed to myself as the hipsters passed by - hipsters in Target? That's right up there with the Hipster Olympics. I guess it just goes to show that Target truly crosses all boundaries.

The Target was crowded as all hell. My bud and I hadn't anticipated that, which was silly on our parts. We also made the mistake of getting a cart. Note to Target - if you offer carts, please make the aisles wide enough to accommodate...please. We took turns watching the cart while the other ran down the aisle to grab stuff. I was disappointed that about half the stuff I needed was out (the shelves were pretty bare in some aisles) but it was a successful run nonetheless. My friend even got a really cute fall cover-up. We grabbed some lunch in the mall, walked around DSW (slippers for her, suede flats for me) and then went our separate ways. When I got home, I was pretty exhausted but not so exhausted that I couldn't shop anymore.

I have to say that the 77th & Lex station has some amazing talent. At the Times Sq. station you see the breakdancers, there's the guy who sings in the back passageway from the Shuttle the 4-5-6 at Grand Central and the lady with the saw-violin thing at Union Square. During the week my station has a violinist as well, but this weekend there was a man singing opera! And he was quite good. I normally ignore panhandlers but he was amazing. I can't imagine the subway fumes are very good for his voice though.

I did some shopping in the 50s on Lex and then decided to hit 5th Ave in the 20s, by where I work. Only by the time I made it down there (thanks N-R-W) everything was closed. So much for the city that never sleeps - everything down there closed at 8 PM on a Saturday. Instead I did some grocery shopping at Whole Foods and headed back home. I bought a turkey burger that I was going to eat on a whole wheat bun. I grabbed my bread from the top of my fridge and found confirmed evidence of a mouse - a hole in the bag, a small tunnel through the bread and poop on top of my fridge. Dammit. I tossed the bread and cleaned the droppings, and lost my appetite. I hate mice. I grew up in a house in the country so we had plenty. I've been putting off buying a trash for my kitchen but now it looks like I'll need that and a bread box. At least it's not a rat.

Today I hit the stores I missed yesterday night and then came home and watched the Packers beat the Giants (I love Brett Favre). I've flipped between the Jets game and the end of the NASCAR race since. Yankees-Red Sox tonight. Man, I love these lazy days. It's a bit chilly out today and the leaves are starting to turn. Fall is coming to New York.