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Monday, September 03, 2007

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 00:25:17 GMT

I'm back! I officially moved into my new apartment yesterday, with the very generous help of my parents who drove a full minivan all the way from Ohio (and more, but that's a long story). The big blogging news here is not only that I moved boroughs, I've moved electronic addresses as well. Check out the newest edition of New York Minutes at nyminutes.blogspot.com. See you there!

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 15:10:43 GMT

So it’s over. I’m officially unemployed and no longer live in the convent. I’m still in shock. All of my roommates and I are in agreement that it doesn’t seem possible that it’s over, but it is. As of yesterday I am in Florida, visiting my sister and her family. I was going to write a big witty/poignant final entry, but it didn’t happen, partially due the craziness of moving and partially due to the fact that the convent got struck by lightening and we haven’t had internet for the last two weeks. So it goes. Here will be an abbreviate version.

At Mercy Center, my bosses Mary and Joe took Kathleen and I out for a goodbye lunch in Little Italy in the Bronx. It was a very cool place, and I look forward to taking visitors there for some good Italian food. It was nice to see a different part of the Bronx, and it felt like a whole different world. Then the whole staff threw us an ice cream sundae party, where we made speeches and cried into our ice cream bowls. The day was made even more sad/nice because families kept stopping in to say goodbye. It was semi-heartbreaking to leave the people we have come to know and love. It’s hard to know that we entered into their lives for such a short time and now are abruptly leaving. It’s easier for me than Kathleen though, because at least I will still be in the city. I hope to continue to be involved at Mercy Center in some form next year.

On the home front, we spent our last weekend together camping on Long Island at Wildwood State Park. If we were going for some alone time, we were disappointed, because the “campsites” were more like parking spaces, and we were surrounded by other tents just a few feet away on all sides. I guess you just can’t get away from the crowds when you’re still that close to New York. However, we still had a great time, just hanging out, walking on the beach, playing cards and sitting by the campfire. It was very relaxing and we got to enjoy each others’ company one last time.

Then Monday, Anna left bright and early at 5:00 in the morning. We got up to send her off, although we wanted to do what the sisters downstairs had suggested, stand in the front of the car to “prohibit her leaving.” They are so cute. I spent Monday going back and forth to Brooklyn to ferry the rest of my stuff to the new apartment, thankfully with the help of my roomies. I was the next to go, leaving early Tuesday morning, and now here I am. I’m still processing the abrupt transition.

In fact, I’m still processing a lot from the year. I learned so much and had so many unforgettable experiences. When I see you, feel free to ask, I’m sure I will be happy to talk about it. This was going to be the end of my webjournal, as this originally I was only going to be in New York for a year, but now I am staying. I think I will continue it, especially as I start the Fellows program, so you can stay tuned for more NY minutes in the fall I think…

For now, I will leave you with a few pictures. See you in September, if not before…

Monday, July 23, 2007

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 15:44:27 GMT

Weekend update: Our last weekend together in the city
Saturday night Anna made dinner and we invited the nuns downstairs over to eat with us. This turned out to be us eating in their dining room, since ours is small and echoes and only fits four people comfortably. It was nice to visit with them one last time. They really are sweet, and have made an effort to get to know all of us. They told us stories about Kenya and now we all want to go visit. They said we could stay at the convent and their sisters would show us around. Afterward we went out for the last time to the crazy Irish pub Sean Ogs, which has a dance floor in the back watched over by a large mural of JFK painted on the wall...oh Woodside, I will miss you.

Last night we went to Upright Citizen Brigade, the free improv comedy show, for the last time. I'm going to miss sitting on blankets and eating tuna fish sandwiches while waiting for free events with the roommates...

An observation: I think approximately one forth of the people on the train this morning were reading Harry Potter.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:33:57 GMT

Hey check out what my dad found in the San Antonio Express-News.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 20:48:23 GMT

So yesterday, Kathleen and I had an errand to run so we went to Manhattan after work. We got off the train at 59^th and Lexington, and immediately noticed fire engines headed downtown. Looking down the street, there was a huge column of billowing smoke engulfing the street. It was right across from the Chrysler building, so we were both afraid to that something had happened to Grand Central.
Smoke and crowds down Lexington Ave:

I called Ryan and Kelly to find out what was going on via the internet, since no one knew what was going on. Soon after, we found via cnn.com what had happened. In the meantime, Kathleen and I gawked along with countless others in the middle of Lexington Ave, which they had closed off, and talked with people who had been in Grand Central or in office buildings nearby. I cannot believe that more people were not seriously injured. Seriously, how something blew a giant hole in the street in front of Grand Central during rush hour without more injury to people is beyond me. But anyway, I’m sure everyone has seen all the pictures and read all about it on the news and stuff. I don’t have anything to add. Sorry to have such a voyeuristic posting.

Oh yes, but Kathleen and I ended up walking over the Queensboro Bridge to get home. I think the trains were running everywhere but Grand Central, but neither one of us wanted to get on a hot, crowded, slow-running train. And it’s been something I’ve been meaning to do for a while. The Brooklyn Bridge gets all sorts of attention, but no one ever wants to walk to Queens…
Walking over the Queensboro Bridge:

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:19:34 GMT

This is an old picture but I've been meaning to post it for a while. This is Ryan and I in Central Park in May, celebrating his birthday.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 17:08:19 GMT

This picture is from the family picnic on July7. The kids are about to do a three-legged race. I was in there for a while but my partner wimped out...

The kids getting ready to go for summer camp. We had 8 volunteers from Canisius College in Buffalo spend two week here for summer camp. Half the days they went on field trips around NYC and half the days they went to a campground outside the city. In the background you can see Mercy Center.

I got to go with the kids on their last day of camp.
This is Cristian and I on a break from soccer.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:36:23 GMT

This is the kitty! Her name is Sasha Sassafras.

This is the kitty in the convent window, her favorite spot.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:18:46 GMT

Hey check this out:
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0707/gallery.BPTL_top_100.moneymag/46.html

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 22:18:48 GMT

So, I wrote an entry at work but then forgot to post it. Mostly it was a long rant about how hot and miserable the convent had been during the last week, so it probably won't make an appearance. Other than a continuous and rotating sleepover in the living room (the only room with air conditioning), here's what's been going on.

Biggest news first: the convent got a kitty! My coworker Rachel adopted a pregnant cat a few months ago, and when the kittens were born Kathleen decided she wanted to take one home with her in August. The kitten was going to live at Rachel's until we left, but after getting agreement from all the roommates, she came to live with us! Her name is Sasha (although mostly called 'Kitty') and she is SO cute! And fun! She's orange and black and runs around like crazy. So that's exciting.

Last weekend was Lexi's birthday, and to celebrate we were planning on going to Shakespeare in the Park, which are the free performances by the Public Theater in, you might guess, Central Park. You might recall that we went to see Mother Courage and Her Children in the fall. So, we got up early on Sunday morning to wait in line for the tickets, which are distributed at 1:00 pm. We took the standard blanket to sit on, travel Scrabble and some hummus and grapes to entertain ourselves during the long wait. Unfortunately, it was closing night, so half of New York showed up to get tickets too. To find the end of the line, we seriously walked about half a mile. The theater people who roam the lines and make periodic announcements told us that our section of the line had only gotten tickets twice in the history of doing shows in the park, so we decided to pack up and leave. Our first failure in the free-and-dirt-cheap game! Sad because it was Lexi's birthday, but pretty good that we made it this far.

This Saturday was Rachel's (of the aforementioned kitten) birthday, and to celebrate we went to a square dance at Battery Park. Sounds strange, I know, but it was much fun. It's part of this River-to-River festival that has lots of free events during the summer. This was a family affair with a country band (from Texas no less!), a square dance caller, and lots of toddlers and grandmas. AND it was held at Battery Park, which is the southern tip of Manhattan with a gorgeous view of the sun setting behind the Statue of Liberty. A friend from Trinity joined us, so I even got to get in a few two-steps...Afterward we went to a vegan bakery in the East Village. I haven't spent too much time there, so it was fun to walk around and take in the action.

Oh yes one other exciting activity - last week we went to see the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in Prospect Park (the big park in Brooklyn by my new apartment). They do a summer series both there and in Central Park. Everyone brings their blankets and picnic baskets and camps out on the lawn, and afterward there are fireworks! (Don't tell Westerville, but these were better. Not that it's that hard...) I love summertime!

Hmm, also, last weekend was the Mercy Center family bbq at FDR state park. We had 3 full buses with Mercy Center participants. They all bring stuff to cookout, and we bring games and activities. Each of the families has their own grill/picnic table, and it is the duty of Mercy Center staff to 'mingle' which involves going from table to table, saying hi, and being fed. These families each cook enough to feed a small army, and it is definitely a pride-thing to feed us as much as possible. I think I ate four full meals in a hour. And mmm, it was good. I am going to miss South Bronx cooking...

Ok that's it for now. As you can see, our last days here are packed to the brim! Trying to get as much out of the city as possible. I'm so glad I'm going to be staying here, or I'd be a lot more frantic. Hope all is well with you,