Impromptu Piercing.

After seeing a play in the West Village on Saturday night, I decided to get a little addition.... in the form of my 11th piercing. Ah. I think it's cute and it's healing well. Here's to spontaneity!

They've cut me loose.

Here I am, way downtown around battery park. My internship had a training at DHS this morning. Instead of going up to the Bronx this morning, I went down to 33 Beaver Street myself. No problem because blackberry is amazing and google maps is a lifesaver.

I have a client who I recently got placed at a safe haven down in Manhattan on Bowery st (think location of the old CBGB). So, the training ends and here is the conversation:

Doug: so you're going over to the Andrews?
Me: um, ya. I'd like to go.
Doug: you know how to get there.
Me: (silence). I can get there. Sure.


Backstory--- I mentioned before, my internship is a mobile unit. I have an office, but we do a lot of stuff using the 5 company cars. I have become a champion passenger since I don't have driving privileges. I mean, I got over my pretty much constant car sickness AND my need to sleep while someone else drives.

Even MORE backstory-- its time for my mid-semester review. Like I've mentioned before, my school is very touchy feel-y and Doug and I have to have an hour long oral dialogue about where I think I'm at, where he thinks I'm at and a slew of other awkward-ass things. Needless to say, I am less that excited. Being evaluated is so uncomfortable. It doesn't help that Doug is a CUSSW alum, he's only 27 and he's someone who, in my real life, I'd want to be friends with/ wanna make out with a little. Hahahaha. I die.

Ok. Back to the real story--

So he cut me loose. And I know this is a "how-independent-self-sufficient-is-this-intern" test. And I am up for it. I just got to the canal street stop and I might jump off and go get me somethin fake right quick....

Actually, just got to my real stop. Wish me luck! I hope to prove myself with Doug and my co-workers...and to myself as well. I do live here now, and I can't hide out in the UWS and Hunts Point forever. Its all about branching out for the second semester...


Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Neighborhood bars

I've been in the city almost a month now, and I certainly am feeling more city savvy as each day passes. It takes a little while to learn the best way to hail a cab, or which train is uptown, or an express. One thing that did NOT take too long, however, was figuring out what my neighborhood bars were. I have yet to venture downtown yet, and cannot wait to do so, but I think it was important that I learned the Morningside/ UWS area first. Here are 3 of my favorite places, all of which are places I'll take you if you call and tell me you're coming to the city.

The Heights Bar and Grill is on Broadway and a short walk from my house. It reminds me a lot of any bar at home (think East Village) that has signature drinks, 1 bathroom, very good dinner, an amazing patio, and a pretty legit soundtrack playing. I went here for the first time on my impromptu date with The Banker, and I again on the night of the most severe SFP of my entire life. The have a seriously dangerous frozen margarita in like, every flavor you can imagine,
The Village Pourhouse is located on 109th and Amsterdam and is a mixture of PB's and Sammys. The have several huge rooms and games on pretty much all day. a DJ spins and night and, get this, they have some of the most creative and fun drink specials ever. I'm pretty much obsessed with this place because the first time I went there, our cocktail waitress noticed we'd relocated to sit with these guys who were literally buying the bar and she took it upon herself to close us out because, in her words "clearly your drinks are on them" That chick knew how to hold another chick down-- and thats reason enough for me to call myself a regular.

Drink nights: Tuesday-- Kill a Keg Tuesdays ($2 unlimited Bud Light) Friday-- Ladies night, flip a coin. If you call the coin right your drink is on the house. Sunday-- Unlimited Mimosas or Bloody Mary's ($10) and also, if you come there in a cab and bring them your receipt they start your tab off with whatever the cab costs. Pretty damn dope.

Suite is also on 109th and Amsterdam, but a little further down. It's a gay bar and seriously the best time to be had in Morningside Heights. Imagine a nonstop stream of club mixes, cheap shooters, and crazy dancing-- all while being told how diva and delicious you are by all the gay guys. They have events like Ghetto Karaoke, trivia, and a drag show on various days of the week, all hosted by different drag queens. It may be a little extreme for some, but, with the right clique of girls and he right amount of drinks, Suite is heaven on earth....

The thing that still trips me up is the seemingly non-existent closing times. I'm accustom to going out at about 11:30, bar closing at 2, and getting home somewhere between 2:30 and 3:30. Here, we meet up at someone's house around 10, finish getting ready, drink, whatever. Then we seriously can be at one place from 11-1:30, head someplace else and before I know it, I'm still dancing, still drinking, and, welp, surprise!! its 4:30 am.... and there is no sign of stopping. It's sort of true, New York never sleeps... and pretty much, I don't think I'm ever leaving....

We will call him "the banker"

What is my life right now?!

oh my gossshhh.

So around 4 I get a text from the banker seeing if I am free for a quick drink. He explains that he is going to New Jersey for a football game on Thursday, and even though we have plans for Friday, he is anxious and would love to get together both today (Wednesday) and Fri.

Meanwhile, on campus the school of social work is having a cocktail thing (for whatever reason) and E had a date tonight as well with a guy she met downtown early last week--- needless to say, I was feeling a little overwhelmed and conflicted. E assures me that this is NOT the prom, she doesn't need me to see her off and give me the a-OK to go on with The banker.

I end up agreeing to meet him (but first went by my new friends Kim and Kellys apt to borrow eye liner, eye shadow and perfume) before meeting him at this bar call The Heights which between 111th and 112th and Broadway. The banker is coming straight from work so he is still in a suit and he looks adorable! We go in, he orders us drinks (margaritas, tequila shots) and dinner and we hang and talk for 3 hours (wtfffff). The convo was totally natural and I let him PDA me at the table (and ya'll know I don't do that shit). He thinks I'm so Southern and its fascinating , and all I can think is " I'm so not a southern girl." Which made me realize that southern girls would fare well in terms of meeting boys in the city. They seem to love the complexities that is the Southern Girl DNA.

He is such a perfect gentleman and so much EXACTLY what I'm looking for... like, omg. It's insane. He took me home, walked me inside of my first locked door and you know... hhaha ahhhhh!!! The night ended perfectly!

So, for the curious: hes 29. went to college in Long Island, was born and raised in the upper westside. He's Puerto Rican (can I get a yum?!) and about 6ft tall.

We still have our date set for Friday, where we're planning on dinner and a movie at the theatre down by where I stay. The cutest thing is that tonight he kept asking about my friends, family, college and hometown life, as if he could sense the important roll all of those people and places play for me. And in addition, he was so looking forward to watching ACC football and curious about March Madness and UNC basketball. Um.... look at him making future plans and being all up in my grill, trying to know my life.

It's so exciting because for the first time in a very long time I am going to let myself be open and willing to go with it, the whole having a crush and acting on it. Needless to say, I 'm totally smitten. I'll keep you posted on the banker. def.

Also, don't get all pumped about this wide open post. I'm twisted off drinks and loving the fact that I can DUI it on foot. So, just know, if I wasn't drinking, ya'll wouldn't get privy to any of this-- -especially not via a midnight posting!

hhaha the end!

What I'm Wearing 09.02.09 and update.

Cardigan: H&M

Dress: Target

Sandals: Kenneth Cole

So far Columbia is exactly what I expected and more. I love the campus, the program is absolutely amazing and my classmates are a lot of fun. The staff is so accomplished and respected in the field, and I've got no doubt that social work is exactly what I want to be doing.

In addition, I'm getting into the swing of NYC more and more each day. It's an easy city to navigate and so far I haven't had really anything negative or scary happen, haha. I just got my field placement this past week. I'll be working in the Northern Bronx with a program that will have me with my own case load of homeless or recently homeless individuals. I will help them get the mental heath, substance abuse, housing, and medical attention they need and get to handle my own case load and all of that! AH! friggin scary/exciting. I don't start til the 21st, so I've got time to prep.

Also, I have 3 classes this year, one on Wednesday and two on Thurs (field is Mon, Tues, and Fri).

And.... I have a date on Friday (whhaatttt). It's with the Banker I met last week when I opened my Chase/JPMorgan acct. It's sort of a long story about how he got my number and all of that, but I'll have to share it at another time. Needless to say, I'm very excited. Wish me luck--- y'all know I don't date!

Sunday at Central Park

Sunday spent in Central Park. We saw the Skate Dancers Association out Skating, An amazing singing act, an the Afrobats all for free. What a perfect Sunday! Complete with snow cones and perfect weather.

Click to Enlarge.

116th street stairs.

These are the massive set of stairs I climb to get onto campus. Honestly, there are like 4 sets of a million steps. The 3rd picture is the last set of stairs, and the other 3 pictures are pictures of the other 5 sets (one is missing) It's intense, but it's so gorgeous in the park, so I can't complain. There is a way to get to campus without cutting through the park, which I would do if there was terrible weather, or the sun has set. other than that, welcome to my mandatory twice daily stair workout. My ass and thighs will thank them one day. Although today? I'm sore.

Morning Side Park

This is the beautiful park that I live across the street from. Absolutely divine. There are these beast sets of stairs at each block that you take to get to my train station and up to campus and the shops around there. It's about 5 minute over there. So far I enjoy the little stroll, but maybe because I know the end result will be firm thighs and a cute little booty come Christmas. Treat!

Learning the Map with the help of pop culture.

I literally had to study the map of the Upper West Side for a couple of weeks before I could effectively apartment hunt. Now that the housing is handled and we're all moved in, I really want to learn the areas I have heard so much about. I remember Samantha Jones moving to the Meat Packing District on Sex and the City, or about the tents at fashion week in Bryant park, as seen on Project Runway and in The Devil Wears Prada. I know the Upper East Side from Gossip Girl, Gramercy is where Whitney from The City lives. I could go on and on. So where do I fit? Up at the top of the map, boarding Harlem(in blue) and overlapping with the Upper West Side is Morningside Heights (in red.) It pretty much consists of Columbia, Barnard, Teacher's College and a slew of hospitals ( like St. Lukes) and churches (like St. Johns). What I've learned (and you have too, after reading this obscure geography lesson) is: I live uptown. I live right by the school of social work, and I am seriously a student. Seriously.

This is my new home.

I spent last week in NYC apartment hunting. That was one of the most unpleasant, hellish weeks of my life. I've never really searched for a home before... my first college apartment, my friends picked it and the first time I had even driven over there was when I went to sign my lease. My apartment that I live in now, I found completely by accident, signed the papers on the spot and didn't see the inside of it until the day before I moved in. Needless to say, I like to use as litle energy as possible when it comes to finding suitable housing, I know what I'm looking for and it's usually pretty specific so that rules out a lot of places right of the bat.

We get to New York and immediately meet with our first broker, Roz. She was a mix between the lady that plays on The Nanny and like... a middle school algebra teacher. or a Pharmacist. Imagine my state of mind. I'm exhausted, sweaty, and motion sick from the shitty-yet-amazing driving skills of the taxi that brought us from our from our hotel on w 77th to the brokers office on 5th. So, you know... I'm sleepy, smelly, and sick. moods a little sour, obv.

Initially Roz was very sweet. My sister had spent a lot of time on the phone with her, so I felt confident that the woman had a good idea of who we were, what we were looking for, etc. um. No, that was actually not the case at all. We take the train to the apartment she is showing us. The minute we stepped out of the subway I was effing astonished. I have never been in the middle of the true life projects in my life. Not to sound all classist and egregious, but seriously, what the fuck was she thinking? The homeless were spilled all over the street. Harlem Hospital was on the corner and all the hospital patients were somehow OUTSIDE of the building. My problems straight away were:

1) it was 4:00pm on a Tuesday. WHY were there so many people who should reasonably be at work-- NOT at work? Don't they have 9-5, M-F there??

2) if the Hospital was so full that all the people were on the sidewalk out front (on a Tuesday, at 4pm) What the hell would it be like on a weekend?! on a holiday?

The apartment itself was nice, but that doesn't matter at all because not only did I refuse to live there, I don't think I'd even go visit there. If someone told me a box of cereal was $1.00 over there--- I'd still pay the $3.99 on my own part of town. Hum.... prob. can add "snobby" to the aforementioned adjectives.

Roz became really pushy and jumbled when she could sense we were disinterested. She starts to fumble over her words and at one point says "Look. I live in the one of the best neighborhoods in Manhattan..." I blocked her out at that point. Not to be a bitch, but she looked sort of poor. E, my mother, and I don't. So really I was left trying to figure out why she took us to see an apartment in the middle of Section 8 housing. Would you encourage an anorexic to find clothes at Lane Bryant? No, you would not... because it wouldn't be appropriate. But, I digress...

What took the cake was my Mother stating, with disgust and alarm all over her face, "I think that lady on the corner had AIDS." she could see the AIDS.

So after viewing 10 more apartments, all of which displayed various levels of utter homelessness.... I found our beautiful home!! The pictures are of my room, 2 shots of the living room, the kitchen, and my sister's room (E, shes gonna be my roomie). It's in a beautiful brownstone right by campus, a 5 minute walk to the front door of the school of social work. It's perfect.

I will be in New York permanently by mid- Aug. super pumped!