New York Food: SMORGASBURG

Isn't that a delightfully pleasurable word?

SMORGASBURG.

smorgasburg.

smorgasburgsmorgasburgsmorgasburg.

sounds like a yummy treat.

a gooey melty treat.

a delightfully, deliciously, fried or breaded or fresh or organic or allofthat or just freaking well thought out and executed and yummy yummy yummy.

apparently

williamsburg

(my neighborhood!)

as part of the brooklyn flea

hosts a food flea market

EVERY SINGLE SATURDAY

now through november 7th.

(my mom thought that AsiaDog was awful.)

(sooooo yum)

i'm going OFTEN.

today,

james and i tried to go to yoga 

(emily succeeded)

jogged instead

went to smorgasburg

and ate everything.

you'll see a lot of food pics OFTEN.

because i'm delighted this exists four blocks from me.

SOOOOO HAPPY.

(fried anchovies! i didn't eat them!)

drum roll please!

there's something about a good pair of friends that never fades.

 ever.

there's something about growing as young women with a good pair of friends.

something about the diversity.

the play of personality.

the way you share everything, love everything, experience everything, together.

there's something about them that just doesn't quit.

mary and genevieve

are

both

engaged!!

and i'm feeling incredibly nostalgic.

these are women that i want everything for.

these are women that i would do anything for.

these are the beautiful women that grew up with me when i was growing as fast as i could.

i'm excited to celebrate with and for them!

do you have friends like this? friends you'd do anything for? i'm grateful for mine. :)

New York Places: The Strand Bookstore

The Strand Bookstore 

is one of those places

that every New Yorker and non-New Yorker know about.

It's LARGE

(18 miles of books on three floors)

It's HISTORICAL.

(famous writers through the ages have spent countless hours here,)

and it's INEXPENSIVE.

it's a used book store.

or a liquidated book store.

or a something book store where you get a lot of books for cheap

(but not cheaper than the library, boys and girls!)

but it's the kind of place you can get dreamy in.

if you have the time, the patience, and can detach from the hordes of folks milling about

you'll feel transported,

airy,

and open for chance.

there's nothing quite like stumbling upon a good book.

there's nothing quite like having a book call your name

reaching up,

picking it off the shelf,

and realizing you have just enough dollars to buy it.

The Strand Bookstore

the place for dreamers.

Subway Reads: Ma, he sold me for a few cigarettes

everyone reads on the subways.

everyone that can, at least.

even parents read to their kids!

and sometimes i read to philip!

that's it, cell phones or books

and i chose neither for the first six to eight weeks we were here

mostly because i just didn't have a book.

i haven't talked too much on here about the 

lack of a plethora

of things

we brought (or didn't bring) with us,

but i still can't believe i haven't worn holes through all the socks i have 

OR

stretched my jeans out too terribly.

so,

i didn't have a book!

and then one day,

i was walking to the train,

and lo/behold there was a book table set up.

with little irish people behind it.

and, apparently,

because it was the weekend before St. Patrick's Day

the Irish Center of New York

was giving away books

GIVING AWAY BOOKS

about Irish things.

they asked only that you took one. 

REAL BOOKS.

new books

BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS.

i asked the lady what her favorite was,

and she didn't have an answer,

so i picked up a memoir.

i always love memoirs.

turns out,

"Ma, he sold me for a few cigarettes,"

is one of the most awful/most beautiful books you might ever read.

one book in a series

this is the real tale of a baby/girl/child

growing up poor as heck in ireland in the depression ages.

she suffers a lot of things

mostly - an abusive step dad and being smarter than him.

he uses it to his advantage, often beating her and making her work for the family

while he sits on his ass and eats all the food.

i wept.

a lot.

i hugged philip and asked to be held.

i recounted tale after tale after tale in the book

completely appalled and abashed that this happened/happens/is happening.

I highly recommend it.

I'd ABSOLUTELY read the rest of the books in the series,

and i'm happy that this is the one book that kicked me back into my reading habits.

Fedorable

Cheddar's white fedora

was probably the best Event of my family's entire visit to New York City for me.

Don't get me wrong.

The few days they were here were miraculous.

I love them, and they love me!

But.

You can't miss that fedora.

Am I right, or am I right?! :D

shell shocked

you know

how something happens

something BIG

and no matter 

how much you've planned

or how much you expected it

or how much you prepared or dreamed about this BIG thing

it still takes you by surprise?

the reality of it is so much more substantial than anything your dreams could have ever given you?

holding your new grandson?

missing the friends you grew up with?

winning the lotto?

oh wait - who know what that feels like? ;P

New York is kind of like that.

I've dreamed of this my whole life, and I never knew how or why or where or when I'd end up here, but I knew I would, and that dream has been burning alive and bright for always.

It's shocking, in the good way.

Jumping into water,

sky diving for five minutes.

Falling out of a tree and landing on the ground with nobody to see you.

Doesn't kill you, you feel a little more rounded out after it, and overall, it's just the things to really kick your butt into gear, into LIVING. you can't stay stagnant in a city like this. to do so goes against all that this city is. this is a city of action and movement, and moving is what makes opportunity.

MOVING is what made this opportunity.

Super Days

\

I've been experiencing lately, an onslaught of what is to be known as 

"Super Days."

It usually happens like this.

Philip works.

Philip works all day long, and we both just got paid.

and suddenly - 

suddenly 

like magic

i have this long, languorous, lovely day ahead of me 

in which i can and will do anything i want.

i've considered laying in bed and eating chocolates.

i've done that

for a little while

but a long, languorous, lovely day needs a bit more substance 

than just four gourmet treats.

So they start out great.

In an effort to "track" my life back to its most optimum happiness

see,

"pre-bistro,"

I chart out what i have tried and true tested to be

"good for me"

options.

i wake up early

but not too early

9 am.

i walk to yoga.

i take a yoga class.

i come home,

shower, 

snooze,

read,

eat,

and then do something wonderful.

New York City is THE city where all of my dreams come true.

This is the most beautiful city in the world, and even though the winter has been awful and the struggles have been piling up against us, 

we've done splendidly

and will continue to do splendidly

and this will all continue to GET EASIER.

my Super Days

are the best days in the world.

I work all week,

and then, all of a sudden

i have vacations from gray days.

i'm suddenly yoga-ing with celebrity instructors

having lunch in soho with friends

going to a broadway show

or

for that matter

any show i can get a ticket to

drinks and dinner with friends

meeting people on trains

keeping my smiling face bopping up

and figuring out just what can of life i'm living right now.

:)

three days of packing

three days of packing begin NOW.

hopefully at the end of all this chaos

i find myself

in new york city.

:)

Getting There

Philip is running a mile a minute lately.

and today

we spent 45 minutes loading up his dad's truck 

and philip hauled it off to their magical garage to store it,

our first truckload of belongings gone.

the apartment finally feels empty.

there's still plenty in it.

we still need to box the kitchen

bathroom

utility room

all the artwork

and the bedroom,

but it feels disheveled in the good way.

tomorrow is my last shift at work.

monday, tues, wednesday i pack

thursday we leave.

it's amazing.

So how does one move to New York City, anyway?

Step 1. Decide.

Philip and I had reached a leaping point in our lives. He had a stage position in NYC, and I was yearning for something new. I mentioned once that we should move, and then he brought it up again. That was all it took. The opportunity presented itself.

Step 2. Banish and Plan.

Sure, there's never a good time to move to NYC. I've learned that I'll never have enough money and that I'll never really be ready. So I took those facts as THE FACTS. The facts are A) we're moving, and B) we have limited funds in which to do it in. Also, C) We don't have jobs. So the Planning began.

Step 3. The Plan

We started planning.

Cars need to disappear. Philip and I both have cars. He makes monthly car payments on his, and mine belongs to my parents, technically. We thought about having my car sit in his parents' garage, but it turns out that we need to visit my family anyway, so we're driving to Oklahoma to see everyone and meet the new baby. Philip's working on selling his, but he'll probably need to make another payment on it soon.

Apartment needs to be released. We stay in a gorgeous one bedroom apartment one mile outside of downtown Cincinnati. Our landlord is doing his best to understand our situation, but we're still waiting for that perfect person to come in and swoop up the rest of the lease. 

Housing needs to be located. Since we don't have the funds to get an apartment right away, we're working with our friends that currently live in the city to stay for a few weeks till we get our feet under us. That means JOBS and $$ for a down deposit. It's tough work securing a roof for two people for free, but I'm doing my best, and we're playing it by ear. If we run out of weeks in the city to stay, we'll dip into our limited funds and sublet a room for a month or so--whatever we need to do to stay afloat in the city.

Tickets need to be purchased. And they have been! We're flying to the city from Oklahoma on the 13th. I love having a date set. 

Jobs need to be found. Philip has some work lined up. I've been throwing myself into internet job searches like there's no tomorrow. Any national retailer or business online, I'm applying for. Whole Foods, Godiva, Starbucks--things that are great starter jobs in a new place that just give me a foot in somewhere. I've submitted resumes and cover letters to temp agencies, and I had a GREAT interview with a Medical Center who does the kind of work I'm interested in. That job, if it does, will pan out end of January, so I may have a few weeks in the city of figuring out my next step.

Fun needs to be had. The biggest problem in all of this is that it's so much that it's sometimes overwhelming. Coupling packing and finances with a big day of work is a sure sign of disaster, and I've been doing everything I can to compartmentalize my focus onto the tasks at hand. Days off are rare and busy, and I did recently have a temper tantrum with the world where I railed my desire to have this be easier.

But it's worth it. This is worth it, and this is how we're doing it.

If you have any pearls of wisdom or helpful leads, I'd much appreciate.

Thank you, 

Allyson

Resolutions

Months ago

I decided my life was happening despite all my planning, my care, my furtive happenings.

and i realized i wasn't having enough fun.

so i started to! :)

it's been pretty much non-stop fun for months, now. 

and when i made my new year's resolutions.....they weren't the typical, lose weight, save money, yadda yadda.

it was.....read all seven harry potter books.

:D

something i value, that i might not have time for otherwise. something worth it.

something fun. :)

Here's to the New Year!

And FUN!

christmas drinks

i've recently 

and by "recently"

i mean, "always--but sometimes moreso than others"

again

hit my poor woman stage.

it's the part of life where i accomplish something big

and it takes a little bit of cash to do so.

on that note--i've never really mentioned the fact that i feel like i'm just now learning how to save money.

THANK GOD.

at least i only went through about 20% of my life not saving money.

now i can set myself up for success for the rest of it!

(or as much as possible.)

ANYWAY.

i one day had no money

so i bought a glass of bistro red from a local bistro.

IT WAS AMAZING.

a blend, a good slightly tannic blend

that covers the palate and just tastes good and darn easy tasty.

easy to drink.

amanda,

philip's sister,

bought a box of it for christmas.

we drank it.

A LOT of it.

yum yum!

perfect for the holidays.

celebratory

inexpensive

substantial.

an easy way to be boozy without being a slob. :)

this belgian framboise sure does hit the spot in terms of special drinks.

unlike mixed drinks, it offers an uncomplicated but full flavor.

syrup-y, smooth, raspberry,

hits the tongue full force and leaves you wanting more.

i practically drank a complete 750 mL bottle during a three hour game of tripoly, 

handing off two glasses to philip's dad and sister.

YUM YUM.

blessings

hey.

know those moments where you reflect?

know those times where you pause, and gasp, and pull all the air you have into your throat and sigh out with bright eyes and a happy heart all the good you have inside of you?

know those times where you choose to throw yourself forward into the unknown, trusting that whatever you have ahead will certainly be more exciting and more fun than anything you've had behind?

know those times when you laugh all night, laugh all morning, laugh all evening and all throughout the day?

know those times you finally relax and breathe and re-focus when you see someone you love, THAT someone you love?

know those times?

i have those.

my blessings.

i am so blessed for Philip. so blessed to have him in my life.

i love him, and i'm keeping all the promises to myself i ever and always decided to make.

leaping.

terrified?

hardly, when i really think about it.

EXHILIRATED is more like it.

pushing the limits

pushing my limits

encouraging and coaxing me onward and forward and onward and forward and continuous.

i think about the scary things sometimes.

but i'll figure them out.

philip and i are laying side by side in bed right now.

he's playing words with friends

and just rolled over to kiss me.

he has no idea i'm blogging about him.

we hold hands together in the middle of the bed and i type one-handed till it gets less romantic and more annoying not to use two.

my blessings.

my spirit.

my soul.

my loves.

my courage.

blessings.

moving update

of course the holidays were beautiful.

my first holidays away from home, and i loved them.

however, the holiday post is going to wait.

we're moving!

and there is sooo much to do and keep track of.

thank goodness i'm a detail-oriented kind of gal. there are soo many little things to do and keep track of. this morning i laid in bed and made lists for every day leading up to the Big Move. all the visits, errands, packing days, everything, and fitting it all in around my work schedule. madness and chaos.

but an update is an update.

phil is still selling his car.

i'm still trying to find someone to take over our apartment.

we'll see what happens after we get those two things finished.

i'm looking forward to making a home in new york city!

3 am

"Philip! Philip!"

I said.

I crawled into bed. on the tiny side. there was 3/4 bed on the other side.

"philip, i have an amazing idea!"

berrrrrrughhhh, he said, and I pushed him onto his back and grabbed ahold of his shoulders.

i pulled my face really close to his, kissed him on the cheek, then started jabbering about a script i just had an idea for.

philip grinned in disbelief. it was nigh 3 am.

"sweetheart, i love you, but it's 3 am," he said.

i know! i exclaimed! i know! i know what is happening right now! you're sleeping and i'm excited! and i'm going to keep telling you my plan!

and i did.

and then i was too excited to sleep, so i got up and wrote a script for a 1.5 minute mini movie called, "Grown Ass Woman."

Then I wrote the shooting schedule, and scene breakdown, including wardrobe and location.

Then I went to bed.

3:14 am.

Wahoo!