On Wisconsin
I have been back in WI for nearly a week.
I spent last weekend in Madison organizing my apartment and attending a birthday party.
I spent the last 4 days in Green Lake, but am going back to Madison tonight to FINALLY be reunited with the boys. We will see how long it takes my joy to fade to terror.
I have also had 3 doctor appointments in the last three days and have another one on Monday. What a great way to spend time at home.
Door County is on the horizon- hopefully the weather holds out.
Now? Off to the doctor before a few days of medicinal freedom.
Torn
My time left in New York is quickly running out. Only two more days... and then the jet is taking off.
I am somewhat excited to come back to Madison. I miss my family and friends. But I will be leaving a lot behind as well. My emotions are torn between being so excited that I can't sleep at night to fighting back tears on the street because I will miss so much once I am gone.
I find it fascinating how quickly people can become uprooted, readapt and then become attached. How quickly close friendships can form... and how much quicker casual friendships dissipate.
If home is where your heart is, I am lucky to be able to say that I have many.
Good bye New York... for now anyway.
If the Boot Fits...
I was thinking to myself the other night... Damn, it would be great to drink a boot right now.
Anyone up for a trip to the Essen Haus either Thursday Aug. 24 or Thursday Aug. 31 for the $10 special?!
The Tricky Art of War
I thought I just had an unwelcome visitor, but apparently there were civilians too...
I return from work last night in rough shape. Exhausted, starving, just generally run-down from a long week of work. I heat myself up a lean cuisine and bring it into my bedroom to eat. I finish my little meal and bring my fork into the kitchen to wash it. I reach towards the faucet when I instinctively jump back with fright. A rat runs across the counter, sink and stove. It's long grimy tail disappears behind the stove. I race into my room, slam the door, jump on my bed and proceed to call everyone I know.
After my heart-beat slows a little I take off my shorts and put on jeans and tennis shoes. I grab a broom and venture back to the kitchen. Standing on a chair I poke the broom into all the dark corners I can reach. Satisfied that the little rodent wouldn't be showing his face anytime soon, I jumped off of the chair and went to the corner store to buy some traps.
I returned armed with 12 traps for my 400 square foot apartment. I strategically placed them in the kitchen and around my bed. No rat was having his way with me.
I awoke this morning feeling very refreshed. I walk out of my room to use the bathroom when I hear "eeeeee" "eeeeee" "eeeeeee".
Shit.
I check the traps. Sure enough, in the one by the refrigerator is... What?! Not my rat, but his buddy. A baby mouse no bigger than my thumb.
My stomach turns over a little. Because of my actions a cute little baby mouse was stuck to some non-toxic glue struggling for his life.
And this is why war is tricky. People that do not mean to get hurt often are.
My Life is More than Alcohol
I take personal attacks in just that way- personally. I have no problem with constructive criticism. Just personal attacks. So, this post is dedicated to my dear friend Bruni. Perhaps I can show him that my life is more than merely a drunken haze, spent stumbling around from one bottle to the next.
Friday night I decided to spend at the gym. I really enjoy The New York Sports Club. As much as I work out, it is not something I actually like doing. BUT, at the NYSC every machine has it's own television screen. Now I can catch up on current events and see past episodes of Gilmore Girls and 7th Heaven as I run or peddle to exhaustion. I found great pleasure in hitting the sheets around 10pm as the work week had been long and busy.
Saturday was the beginning of the heat wave, but I braved the high temperature and found my way to the park. After a few hours of lying out in the sun, my body was begging me to find some shade. So, I purchased a lemon froze-ade and searched for a more appropriate place to spend my time.
Walking around one of the lakes I hear faint music in the distance. Curious, I pick up pace, practically running around the lake to get in on the action. And there he was. The same man that had enticed my ears in early June, when I had no time to sit down for a listen.
Bare-backed and shoeless he crooned out James Taylor, Billy Joel, Cat Stevens... any good classic you can imagine mixed in with his own tunes.
This man is a New York City icon. Since June of 1992 he has played on the same hill I was seated upon every summer Saturday. He has been featured in The Post, The Daily News, Parade Magazine, PBS, CBS, ABS and a slew of others. He has five CDs out and has performed sold out concerts. But every summer Saturday he plays at the hill for free, for the people of the city he loves.
It is the city's secrets that have made me fall in love with New York. Not the Broadway shows, the shopping, the famous restaurants or all of the landmarks... it's the street vendor that remembers me every day out of the thousands that he serves, it's the acrobats running into your subway car and doing a random performance, hearing five different languages as you walk down the street, it's listening to the man on the hill... it's reading an article about the city in the paper and being able to smile with pride and think, that's my city.
Of all the stereotypes that surround NYC, many of them are true. The taxi drivers are crazy, the people are busy, sometimes it seems as if everything is moving too quickly... but then there are the days that you can stop and take it in, and it is impossible to stop yourself from falling in love with the secrets that she holds.
I met up with Ali and Patrick for dinner and then we spent a large portion of the evening sitting in my apartment contemplating hypothetical questions. We eventually made our way to Club AER to send out a birthday wish.
Sunday we drove to the beach and spent the day jumping in the waves, soaking up the sun and eating hot dogs/chipwiches. We took a detour back to the city and ended the weekend with dinner.
I will miss New York City weekends.
