Hi there. It's been a while! The last month has really been a challenge in so many ways. The concussion really was, well life altering. Holy smokes what a long recovery. The Dr. has finally released me to full
time, no restrictions starting on Mon. Lately I've been restricted to 4 hours a day with no computer transactions. So, I've been cleaning the warehouse. Good times...
Last weekend 4 of us gals went to NYC to celebrate my friend Amy's 40th bday. I was a little nervous going into the trip as I'm still an island girl at heart. I grew up in a town with no stop lights. So, the thought of the "Big Apple" was a little overwhelming for me. I arrived on Friday afternoon and that evening was the P!nk concert. Holy shit.... What a show! She was simply fantastic all the way around. Amy and I had General Admission tickets, so we nestled our way up against the stage. It really wasn't as bad down there as I pictured. The last
time I was in a scenario like that was for Sheryl Crow, and it was a nightmare. I still regret not dumping my beer on this asshole down there...but I digress. The nice part about General Admission for this show is there were only so many tickets sold. Unlike SC, where it was an outdoor concert and everyone just pushed their way up. So, yep...we were face to face with P!nk at Madison Square Garden. Who could ask for more? Oh, and one last thing about P!nk. She has (along with Gwen Stefani), the most amazing body I've ever seen.
Shear perfection.
Saturday we walked and walked and walked (as one does in NYC apparently).
Coming off of 3 weeks of recovering from a nasty concussion, I was/am as
out of shape as I can possibly be. But I did enjoy the "fresh air." We walked from Chelsea to Times Square to Central Park. We took a petty cab (bike driven) tour through Central Park, and I absolutely loved it. It was so very cool to learn about the park and about the surrounding architectures. That tour was one of my very favorite parts of the trip. We took the subway back (my least favorite part of the trip...not a fan of the subway, although very handy) and rushed to get ready to surprise Amy with going to Caroline's Comedy Club on Broadway. Steve-O was the performer, but his opening acts were much better. The whole experience was so very cool, though. Oh, and I got to meet
Richard Christy from the Howard Stern show and get my pix taken. And you know how much I love that show. Truly a highlight! Afterward, as we were drunk off our asses we took to the streets. One of the gals that was with us is a
California Highway Patrol officer, so she chatted up a couple of NYPD. Before we knew it, the guys were giving us a lift in the back of their police van. There was a police hat back there, so we took lots of funny pictures with the hat. I was sitting next to Pandi, who was leaned in talking with the officers, and Amy and Stacy were in the back. We thought we were being so discreet as we were laughing (even louder than we realized I'm sure, and the flashes from the cameras were going off). It was truly a cool experience, though. After that, we ended up at a cop owned bar, that the officers had suggested. It was a cool bar, and we drank for free!
Sunday we were all moving a little slowly, as could be expected. Amy and I decided to go get a fresh juice. The front desk told us it was about 4 blocks away, but really it was around 20. Oh, and that's how everything is... If a New Yorker tells you something is a 20 min walk, plan on it taking about 2 hours. One of the things I loved most about NYC, was the healthy food choices.
They are everywhere! All of the little convenience stores had wonderful salad bars and really nice food choices. There was raw nuts (insert joke here), dried seaweed, coconut water, really anything and everything. These are things I can
drive an hour for out here and still not find. That afternoon we all went to the 9/11 Memorial. I'm glad I got to see it, but really it wasn't the greatest experience. Going into it, I almost felt guilty for being there, like I wasn't worthy. There are so many emotions tied with that day and all that's come as a result of that day. But you go in and there are all sorts of laughing tourists (many foreigners), taking pictures in front of the memorial, and that really bothered me. We were standing where so many people died and a place that changed the world...and so many people just didn't get that. The memorials are beautiful but very sterile. There are no flowers, no other tributes, and nothing that enables you to feel a place of peace for reflection and prayer.
There is one tree in between the memorials, though. One tree that survived it all. It's really incredible. I think they call it the "Hope Tree." After we were done at the Memorial, we walked to a nearby Irish Pub (which account for about 9/10 bars in NYC). Pandi had brought some CHP patches to leave at the memorial, but there really wasn't anywhere to leave them. This pub had patches all over the bar. She laid down a patch and immediately it was stapled up above where we were sitting at the bar. It's now "her place" to sit, when she
comes back. Our bartender was a retired NYFD. He gave us a scrap book to look through of 9/11. There were newspaper articles, pictures, and he told stories of some of the pictures. I especially loved hearing the story of his high school buddies and how they raised the flag in that famous 9/11 photo. We saw
photos of the bar and how badly it was damaged by 9/11. We are so very fortunate that fate brought us to that bar. I was especially happy for Pandi and the comradery that she got to experience. After lunch we had to rush back, so Pandi could catch her flight. As it worked out, I got there a day later than the three of them, and she left a day earlier than the three of us. The night found us going on a pub crawl, after drinking a few beers in our room. Our plan was to do the crawl for a while as we made our way to Carmine's for dinner (Amy had heard really great things about the restaurant). The pub crawl was a blast!
So much so, it got too late for us to go to Carmine's. Oh, and you can tell we are all in our 40's as the crawl consisted of 3 bars. Stacy, who is Amy's older sister was all over Amy and I for wanting to call it an early night (midnight or so). haha. Stacy really is a rock star.
Our last day we moved the slowest, of course. The trip had started to catch up with all of us. Once we finally got moving, we took in the observation deck at the Empire State Building. What a cool experience, but it was freezing! It was snowing a little and the wind was really whipping around! The visibility wasn't great because of the weather, but it was still so neat to see the city from up there. Afterward, we finally did make it to Carmine's for lunch. Again, we were so lucky in that we walked right in without a reservation. When we left, there
was a huge line of people waiting for tables. If you ever get to NYC, you really
should check out this restaurant. The servings are beyond enormous, and the food is fantastic. Once we were finished, we took in some last minute shopping in Times Square. Stacy picked us up some cupcakes from Crumb's bakery. We
ate them on the ride to the airport, with a fork of course. They were huge and the best cupcakes I've ever had!
The trip was truly fantastic. There's really nothing I would change (other than I would've added a bathroom trip in the middle of Steve-O's performance...).
The best part is, I think that Amy really had a good birthday. I'm so glad!
It was nice to get home and see all of my boys. I was still only authorized to work 4 hours a day, and the kids were on Spring Break, so I got to spend some extra time with them. Going back to work was hard, though. I really missed the guys I work with, but during my time off I really realized how much this job is not for me.... I didn't love this week at work and next week is sure to suck ass. It's really already been laid out for me. But you know what I did this week? I actually made a resume. Do I know what I want to be when I grow up? Uh, no. But I do know that life's too short to spend doing something you don't love and something you don't feel appreciation in. The job hunt begins!
Well, I've
taken up enough of your time. I
will be writing again very soon.
You can't wait, right? I
hope this day finds you more than well, and if we don't talk tomorrow, have a
fantastic Easter.
~Jen
time, no restrictions starting on Mon. Lately I've been restricted to 4 hours a day with no computer transactions. So, I've been cleaning the warehouse. Good times...
Last weekend 4 of us gals went to NYC to celebrate my friend Amy's 40th bday. I was a little nervous going into the trip as I'm still an island girl at heart. I grew up in a town with no stop lights. So, the thought of the "Big Apple" was a little overwhelming for me. I arrived on Friday afternoon and that evening was the P!nk concert. Holy shit.... What a show! She was simply fantastic all the way around. Amy and I had General Admission tickets, so we nestled our way up against the stage. It really wasn't as bad down there as I pictured. The last
time I was in a scenario like that was for Sheryl Crow, and it was a nightmare. I still regret not dumping my beer on this asshole down there...but I digress. The nice part about General Admission for this show is there were only so many tickets sold. Unlike SC, where it was an outdoor concert and everyone just pushed their way up. So, yep...we were face to face with P!nk at Madison Square Garden. Who could ask for more? Oh, and one last thing about P!nk. She has (along with Gwen Stefani), the most amazing body I've ever seen.
Shear perfection.
Saturday we walked and walked and walked (as one does in NYC apparently).
Coming off of 3 weeks of recovering from a nasty concussion, I was/am as
out of shape as I can possibly be. But I did enjoy the "fresh air." We walked from Chelsea to Times Square to Central Park. We took a petty cab (bike driven) tour through Central Park, and I absolutely loved it. It was so very cool to learn about the park and about the surrounding architectures. That tour was one of my very favorite parts of the trip. We took the subway back (my least favorite part of the trip...not a fan of the subway, although very handy) and rushed to get ready to surprise Amy with going to Caroline's Comedy Club on Broadway. Steve-O was the performer, but his opening acts were much better. The whole experience was so very cool, though. Oh, and I got to meet
Richard Christy from the Howard Stern show and get my pix taken. And you know how much I love that show. Truly a highlight! Afterward, as we were drunk off our asses we took to the streets. One of the gals that was with us is a
California Highway Patrol officer, so she chatted up a couple of NYPD. Before we knew it, the guys were giving us a lift in the back of their police van. There was a police hat back there, so we took lots of funny pictures with the hat. I was sitting next to Pandi, who was leaned in talking with the officers, and Amy and Stacy were in the back. We thought we were being so discreet as we were laughing (even louder than we realized I'm sure, and the flashes from the cameras were going off). It was truly a cool experience, though. After that, we ended up at a cop owned bar, that the officers had suggested. It was a cool bar, and we drank for free!
Sunday we were all moving a little slowly, as could be expected. Amy and I decided to go get a fresh juice. The front desk told us it was about 4 blocks away, but really it was around 20. Oh, and that's how everything is... If a New Yorker tells you something is a 20 min walk, plan on it taking about 2 hours. One of the things I loved most about NYC, was the healthy food choices.
They are everywhere! All of the little convenience stores had wonderful salad bars and really nice food choices. There was raw nuts (insert joke here), dried seaweed, coconut water, really anything and everything. These are things I can
drive an hour for out here and still not find. That afternoon we all went to the 9/11 Memorial. I'm glad I got to see it, but really it wasn't the greatest experience. Going into it, I almost felt guilty for being there, like I wasn't worthy. There are so many emotions tied with that day and all that's come as a result of that day. But you go in and there are all sorts of laughing tourists (many foreigners), taking pictures in front of the memorial, and that really bothered me. We were standing where so many people died and a place that changed the world...and so many people just didn't get that. The memorials are beautiful but very sterile. There are no flowers, no other tributes, and nothing that enables you to feel a place of peace for reflection and prayer.
There is one tree in between the memorials, though. One tree that survived it all. It's really incredible. I think they call it the "Hope Tree." After we were done at the Memorial, we walked to a nearby Irish Pub (which account for about 9/10 bars in NYC). Pandi had brought some CHP patches to leave at the memorial, but there really wasn't anywhere to leave them. This pub had patches all over the bar. She laid down a patch and immediately it was stapled up above where we were sitting at the bar. It's now "her place" to sit, when she
comes back. Our bartender was a retired NYFD. He gave us a scrap book to look through of 9/11. There were newspaper articles, pictures, and he told stories of some of the pictures. I especially loved hearing the story of his high school buddies and how they raised the flag in that famous 9/11 photo. We saw
photos of the bar and how badly it was damaged by 9/11. We are so very fortunate that fate brought us to that bar. I was especially happy for Pandi and the comradery that she got to experience. After lunch we had to rush back, so Pandi could catch her flight. As it worked out, I got there a day later than the three of them, and she left a day earlier than the three of us. The night found us going on a pub crawl, after drinking a few beers in our room. Our plan was to do the crawl for a while as we made our way to Carmine's for dinner (Amy had heard really great things about the restaurant). The pub crawl was a blast!
So much so, it got too late for us to go to Carmine's. Oh, and you can tell we are all in our 40's as the crawl consisted of 3 bars. Stacy, who is Amy's older sister was all over Amy and I for wanting to call it an early night (midnight or so). haha. Stacy really is a rock star.
Our last day we moved the slowest, of course. The trip had started to catch up with all of us. Once we finally got moving, we took in the observation deck at the Empire State Building. What a cool experience, but it was freezing! It was snowing a little and the wind was really whipping around! The visibility wasn't great because of the weather, but it was still so neat to see the city from up there. Afterward, we finally did make it to Carmine's for lunch. Again, we were so lucky in that we walked right in without a reservation. When we left, there
was a huge line of people waiting for tables. If you ever get to NYC, you really
should check out this restaurant. The servings are beyond enormous, and the food is fantastic. Once we were finished, we took in some last minute shopping in Times Square. Stacy picked us up some cupcakes from Crumb's bakery. We
ate them on the ride to the airport, with a fork of course. They were huge and the best cupcakes I've ever had!
The trip was truly fantastic. There's really nothing I would change (other than I would've added a bathroom trip in the middle of Steve-O's performance...).
The best part is, I think that Amy really had a good birthday. I'm so glad!
It was nice to get home and see all of my boys. I was still only authorized to work 4 hours a day, and the kids were on Spring Break, so I got to spend some extra time with them. Going back to work was hard, though. I really missed the guys I work with, but during my time off I really realized how much this job is not for me.... I didn't love this week at work and next week is sure to suck ass. It's really already been laid out for me. But you know what I did this week? I actually made a resume. Do I know what I want to be when I grow up? Uh, no. But I do know that life's too short to spend doing something you don't love and something you don't feel appreciation in. The job hunt begins!
Well, I've
taken up enough of your time. I
will be writing again very soon.
You can't wait, right? I
hope this day finds you more than well, and if we don't talk tomorrow, have a
fantastic Easter.
~Jen
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