Six years

My God, this day never gets any easier. Just when you think you're OK something tugs at your heart again. My heart goes out to the family members of the victims.

An exercise in research

I was a member of a gym in Connecticut. When I first joined I was working two jobs so I mainly worked out on the weekends. Once I settled into a fulltime job working nights on a newspaper sports desk, I became a gym regular, working out 5-6 times a week.

Then NYC intervened. At my first NYC job I religiously left at 5 PM so I could still make it to the gym with my roommate, who was an awesome workout partner. But when I joined my current job that all went out the window. I love my job and I don't mind working long hours but it killed any opportunity to make the gym. My body (and a bit of my self-esteem) have suffered.

Quitting my gym in CT was a royal pain in the how-can-this-be-legal ass. I had signed up for automatic withdrawals from my bank account because, well, that was the only way to pay at Fitness Edge. So to quit I had to send a registered letter to ABC financial asking them to please pretty please cancel my membership, followed by a 30-day waiting period. I think it's easier to get a passport. Funny how signing up was incredibly easy, but quitting not so much. But I'm a glutton for punishment, so I want to join a gym again! And get my membership automatically withdrawn again! Since there will be no other choice.

I left work at 6 so I could see the post-work crowd. First stop: Equinox. I went to the 63rd/Lex club. I would not be able to walk there, but it was the closest branch. I was immediately intimidated. Everyone I saw was already in great shape and I found myself looking at the ground. But then I told myself that it would help motivate me and I was back! The membership rep gave me a tour of the facility, which was very nice. Then we talked fees - $150 to join, $110/month...(I stopped listening at that point. It was way out of my budget).

I made a hasty exit and booked it to Crunch at 59th and 2nd. Even further from my apartment. This gym was also crowded but the crowd seemed a little less...haughty. Actually, it seemed a bit dirty. I think it was the wall color. Anyway, their membership rep also showed me around and then we talked fees. $150 to join (sensing a pattern?) but only $65/month. Hmm. After some negotiation, I got the rep down to $60/month. $45 'processing fee' too. They also offer a free personal training session which every gym should have. I took a card and left.

Last stop - NYSC. One block from my apartment. Their gym was the most crowded - there were people waiting to use the cardio machines. I spoke with their membership rep, who did not walk me around. He took me straight to his office, where we talked fees first. I kind of liked that - cut the b.s. and get straight to the meat. They were running a promotion, instead of $150 to join it was only $33, with a monthly fee of $80. Unfortunately, there was also a $59 'processing fee' to get me set up. Ugh. I tried negotiating but the best the guy offered was a second personal training session (first one is gratis). So I took a card and left. But I'll most likely end up joining there anyway since it is so close to me. It's the only way I know I will work out.

You're the Star

Ever have a flash of divine inspiration? One struck me the other night.

In high school I was in a band and the dream followed me to college. After my original band broke up I tried unsuccessfully to gather people up in college. After college, work intervened. But lately I've been thinking about the dream a lot. It started when I read The Alchemist on advice from a friend. Shortly after, my four former band mates separately called me in the space of two weeks 'to check in.' Conversations with all of them included wanting to start a new band. (FYI, we broke up because of geographical difficulties. As in the drummer lives in Dublin; the guitarist moved to Boston; the rhythm guitarist moved to Cali; and my keyboardist is a fashion designer currently operating out of Milan. And I moved to NYC.)

I brushed it off at the time. But then it was like the stars aligned. First, I went to see some awful cover band at bar in Norwalk that covered my inspiration song. Again, not a huge deal because the song was pretty popular about 5 years ago. But then I start hearing the song all over the place - the grocery. Blasting from someone's iPod on the 6. From the homeless guy's shopping cart on Park Ave. So. It started to get to me. Soon, same deal with my favorite band. The little voice inside my head started whispering 'rock band' again. Could my move to NYC spark something here? I had to know.

I did what any gal would do - I went to a psychic. OK, actually I got my Tarot cards read by a vendor at one of the street fairs on the Avenue of the Americas. Same difference. With my boy scoffing the entire time, I sat and entered the spiritual world for a bit. For $20, she told me that I was on the cusp of something big, and though I would face roadblocks I should press on. She also told me I had a talent that would draw people to me. Great! The card in my near future position was The Star, a beautiful card that pumped me up.

So the dream awakens again. I have to say, I tried forming a band when I first moved back to CT in 2004 and did not do very well. But maybe now that I live in the city things will be different. My boy wonders why I even want to be a music star today, and in some respects I agree. But you can't change the music world sitting on the sidelines, or some inspirational crap like that. All it takes is the spark.

Flushing money down the toilet

I rode an NYC bus for the first time in 20 years. Seriously - the last time I rode I was 5. It was easier to get to M on the UWS that way then via subway. I caught the M4 at Madison and 70-something and 40 minutes later, I was two blocks from her house. When I first got on the bus, the machine where you drop your MetroCard is a bit daunting. It eats it for a second and then gives it back. They need a sticker on the bus that says "It's ok - you'll get it back!" because my breath caught in my throat and I thought I'd lost my 30-day unlimited ride. Yeesh.

I also sat behind a couple who was totally putting on a show, making out for the world to see. It would be one thing if they were teenagers but this couple was easily in their 30s, maybe even their 40s. I wanted to pour my water bottle on them. I'm all for love but I'm not all for PDGs (public displays of grossness). As soon as a seat in front of them opened up I moved away.

Once I made it, M and I went around the corner to the storage facility. I had priced out units during the week and it looked like we could get a unit that held (according to the site) 12 medium boxes and two clothing bags for $50/mo on special. Totally doable at $25/each per month.

It had either been converted from a firehouse or an old carriage house; she and I had trouble deciding which. We spoke to the front desk attendant who was very nice. He explained the process to get into the building (security, storage renters have an access card) and took us upstairs to show us units. We went to the 5th floor and walked past the closets at the front (too expensive) to the back, which looked like a closed-in warehouse. M said 'this is where horror movies are filmed.' Great. I'll never shake that now!

Each bay had three units up with a stairway to reach the top, and about 10 units deep. The lowest level hit at my waist, the second level went from my waist to over my head (but I could open it without using the ladder) and the third level had to be reached by ladder. We saw the double-wide, half-height unit that I thought was the one we'd priced online on the first level. M and I loved it. It was a great size.

Me - "So we were quoted $50 a month..."
M - "Right, is this the $50/month unit?"
Guy - "Oh no this one is...(checks)...$141/month."
Me - "No way. No frickin way."
M - "That's totally out of our range."

We asked to see the $50/mo unit, and it was tiny. It was half the size of the double-wide we'd seen. I have a hard time believing it was what we saw on the site. There was no way 12 medium-sized boxes would fit in there! Plus it was on the third level, meaning we'd have to climb up every time we wanted to put something in or take it out. M wanted to store her air conditioner among other things. I pitied the thought of her boyfriend having to climb the stairs.

Me - Sigh. "Do you have anything in the bottom two levels in our range?"
Guy - "OK, well what is your range?"
Me - "Less is more."
M - "Yeah, definitely under $100/mo."

The guy checked his sheet, and took us down to the 2nd floor. After walking through a maze of units, we arrived at a unit just like the first one we'd seen but on the second level. Thank goodness M and I are both tall. The only difference was price - this one was $93/mo since it was on the 2nd level instead of the first. M and I nodded to each other and decided to get it.

They waived the security fee if we did automatic debits, so M signed up for the unit and I was named an authorized user. There was a credit check fee and an application fee for a total of $20. The guy gave us three keys to the unit itself plus two keys to the lock on the unit. M got a door card and we had to pay $10 for a card for me. You are also required to have insurance on the unit at $9/mo.

So, in total, due on signing:
- security deposit (waved) $0
- first month's storage fee $93
- credit check/application fee $13
- extra access card fee $10
- required insurance $9
- TOTAL $125

As we walked out, I told M I was disappointed we were paying double what we originally planned. She didn't seem concerned, but the more I thought about it the more angry I got. $50 per person per month to store crap! I'm going to use it for my moving boxes and my out-of-season clothes and decorations. Still, it seems like a waste. Then again, there was a couple who were renting a second unit because their first one was full. This is just how life is in NYC she said. I think if I wasn't so tight on cash right now I wouldn't care.

The good news I went through my first living-in-NYC paycheck with no problems. I bought some needed stuff for my apartment and still had some cash left over. I'm adding two new bills for sure - cable/internet/phone and the $^&@# storage facility and would like to add one more - the gym! NYSC is running a deal right now where you can join for $33. I'd like to negotiate that down to zero if I can.

Tomorrow is going to be the suck - first Sunday of football and me with no cable. I'm going to try to make it to a bar or something. Ugh. I'm trying not to think about the college football and NASCAR I missed today. Or how many "What Not to Wear"s and "Property Ladders"s I've missed on TLC. I am such a media whore.

My first official dinner guest

It's Friday and I still have no gas. Again. Again! I'm almost resigned to my fate at this point. My microwave will sit on top of my stove forever. I will have no gas, so there will be no point in moving it. Seriously - screw Con-Ed. Screw the plumber. I can't possibly think of any feasible reason why this has taken my non-Super 3 weeks to straighten out. The bill is in my name. Con-Ed has inspected the line. What is the hold-up here? Is there someone I can contact about this? A Senator or something? Ridiculous. I should invest my rent in some kind of interest-baring account.

Anyway, my pissy-ness about the situation was not going to stop me from having my first dinner guest - my BFF. My place is about 75% set up now. All of my boxes are 'unpacked' but not everything has a home yet. I've vacillated endlessly about what furniture combinations I should buy. Yes - incognito desk from Crate & Barrel, No - more lack shelves from Ikea. Yes - more lack shelves and a cabinet for over my dresser, No - incognito desk. I'm trying to find a way to take advantage of the vertical space in my apartment but it's proved to be difficult. My Ikea catalog is getting a lot of mileage right now as I debate internally.

With enough space cleared to make the apartment look semi-neat and my chairs in place out in the backyard, I invited M over for some pre-made Whole Foods dinner. She oohed and aahed appropriately as we discussed and debated my plans. She expressed frustration at my gas situation. Then we headed out to the backyard and chatted until it was too dark to stay outside (though my neighbors all have lights, I do not. The weirdness continues.).

In the end, we decided to forego in-house dinner and we hit Haru's, which is at the end of my block. I'm so not a sushi fan but it was pretty good. We started with some calamari that rocked. M got a salmon-cucumber-something roll that had just a little bit of ocean taste and was yummy. My tuna rolls were good but I could only down three before the rawness started to get to me.

We made plans to hit Manhattan Mini-Storage the next day. We're going in together on a unit. I quoted online and it looks like it'll cost about $50 a month which is totally doable. Plus, there is a location a block away from her apartment. She lives on the UWS on Columbus Ave. just below Morninside Heights, so kind of a haul for me but cheaper than storage in my area. I'm having trouble reconciling that I'll be paying to store my off-season crap somewhere, but this is how it goes in New York City. This is how it goes.

The legend continues

Tonight was the NFL kickoff game - Colts vs. Saints. I had some interest in the game because Joseph Addai is one of my fantasy running backs. Plus, it's the first game of the NFL season! Come on. I have been dying to get to Tonic East, one of my favorite bars in the city. The views from the rooftop bar are killer and they have something like 20+ HDTVs there that are always tuned to sports. I love sports. I know this is not chick-normal. But the boys get a kick out of it.

I gathered a small crew from work and we got to the bar around 7:30. I hadn't bothered to make reservations because I didn't think it would be a big deal - wrong. The roof was packed and every table was either taken or 'reserved.' Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I got my first taste of NYC rejection. I was pretty embarrassed because three or four coworkers had asked if I made reservations and I said "Nahhhhh, no big deal." Oops. I left with my tail between my legs but my coworkers were very cool about it.

We ended up going to Vertigo, about three blocks away. They seated us right away even though we were a party of 7. The place was fairly crowded and I admired the cute boys in their work suits. The ratio was about 90-10 men to women in the bar - my kind of odds. In a twist, I seemed to be the only person in my party actually interested in the game. They were also showing the US Open (tennis) and the crowd was split between that and the football game. Very interesting.

We left at halftime. I was really missing cable tonight. I got home and had to listen to the rest of the game on the radio. It was painful. I haven't been able to get on the Internet at home all week either. Next Thursday's Time Warner installation cannot come soon enough.

Oh yeah, one other thing - I think this taxi strike stuff is crap. Not the strike itself, but the ridiculous rates the taxi drivers who are driving are charging. A coworker was headed about three blocks away from my place so he offered to split a cab. We get in and the taxi driver tells us it's $10 per person plus a $5 zone fee. What??!? Thanks to the strike, Mayor Bloomberg had authorized taxi drivers to pick up multiple passengers going to multiple destinations and some kind of strike rates went into effect. To give you an idea, I normally would pay $9-10 to get to my apartment from where we were. The cabbie was asking for $25. A few of our coworkers ran into the same thing. I tried to convince my cabsplit not to do it - let's just take the subway. But he offered the cabbie $22 and we did it. Re-frickin-diculous. Price gouging, anyone? Every cab was out last night. The strike was over. It was so lame.

I have walked 500 miles

I went back to Connecticut Saturday to say goodbye to my SUV. My ex-roomie and I drove to the dealer, dropped it off, and just like that my freedom was gone. No more long drives to cool off. No more singing along at the top of my lungs on I-95 or the Merritt or the back roads. It was kind of emotional. I'm glad it worked out so I don't have to make payments while paying NYC rent, but man I will miss my truck. I look forward to the day when I can afford to live extravagantly enough in the city to afford one. Not that I'd get another SUV. I'd want a Mini or something. But you get the picture.

I also made arrangements to continue doing my laundry at my old place. The train ticket vs. laundromat or send-out laundry expense was about even, and this way I can still party it up in Norwalk. Of course, I'll have to beg for rides everywhere now. But it will be fun to keep visiting my old place. I learned I'd moved out at a good time too - the landlord wanted to raise the rent by $100/mo. That would have hampered my savings.

I went to a party in Newport, RI and then came back to the city. I love Labor Day weekend. Great weather, last days of summer. Plus, the city is empty. All the natives leave to enjoy one last summer weekend out in the Hamptons, leaving some tourists and me. Back home on the UES, I unpacked some more and hooked up my TV and DVD player. I listened to WCBS radio to catch the Yankees games. I also unsuccessfully tried going on the Internet. I had been using a couple of unsecured routers in the area and connections had been less than constant. But this weekend was the worst - I was only able to connect for 10 minutes at a time, followed by inactivity for hours. My laptop was mad at me. The Media Center TV guide wouldn't download. I got errors when trying to load pages. It was an exercise in frustration.

Since I work for an Internet company, I knew I could not go without. Too many clients emailing with questions after hours. I needed Internet. I tried to resist until my cell phone started acting up. I had to call AT&T to try to troubleshoot. My favorite part was when they asked if I could call back from a landline. I understand they wanted me to test things, but you have to be kidding me. I thought cell phones were supposed to eliminate landlines?

But it hardly mattered. I wanted a home phone too. My technology failures over the weekend sealed it - I called Time Warner and made an appointment to get their Triple Play installed. The triple play is digital cable, digital phone and cable internet for $100/mo. They had a higher option they tried to sell me on - digital cable with Starz, HBO and Showtime plus faster internet for $30 more a month. No thanks for now. $100 is already a lot. Unfortunately, their soonest appointment is September 13. Patience is a virtue I don't have but I guess I'll have to learn.

With no Internet, I had to run to Starbucks on Sunday night to make my fantasy football draft. Then I had to pay $6 to use the TMobile hotspot for an hour. Lame. I missed my first two picks setting my TMobile account up. I didn't get LT so I'm probably screwed but oh well. It's for fun anyway.

One of the reasons I'd tried to avoid media in the apartment was to get out more. But it's not going to be a problem. I love exploring! On Sunday I went down to the 50s. I started on 5th Ave, working my way up to the mid-60s. Then I came one avenue East until I ended up back at the 59th St/Lex station. Loved it! It was no-tax weekend in the city, so any piece of clothing under $110 was tax-free. When I was living in Connecticut I was splurging on nice clothes and shoes, but now that I'm paying the move off H&M and Forever 21 are my best friends for awhile. I window-shopped in Neimans, Bloomie's, Kenneth Cole and DKNY but made my actual purchases at the low-brow chains. Painful for the ego but easier on the wallet.

After I was done shopping I decided to walk home from 59th and Lex. It wasn't too bad, but when I got home I was dehydrated and tired. I'd walked almost 4 miles in total that day. It also made me realize how much my diet sucks. I felt wiped out. I need to eat better to be able to do all this walking. The next day I did even more - I walked up to 86th St to hit the Best Buy and then back home, criss-crossing the avenues on the way down to see what was around. Then I walked back down into the 60s to see a friend and walked home again. Another 4 miles, another nap needed when I got home. If this doesn't inspire me to be healthy, nothing will.

My ultimate goal is to be able to walk home from work. That would be almost 60 blocks. I'm sure I can do it, though maybe not yet. I'd like to join a gym - I'm going to check out an NYSC by my apartment in the next few days. But like everything else it's an expense. Til then, walking a lot will have to do. Especially if it's to shop.