Regina Po

Week 21: Forecast Fiction, Opera, & BRUNCH.

Published on October 11, 2014January 24, 2015 by Regina PoLeave a comment

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m constantly in shock in regards to how long it has been since I landed in NYC… the time is flying. In the off chance you have no idea what this blog is about… Here is my first entry in NYC.

10.9: The weather is becoming frequently bipolar. The changes are getting more drastic as summer welcomes fall; although somewhat reluctantly. I’ve learned to ignore the forecast, a fiction I choose to humor myself with in the mornings.

Don’t get me wrong, this fall weather is unbelievably refreshing. After living in a climate that consisted of varying degrees of hot (fucking kill me hot, everything sticks to me hot, two weeks of I can finally walk 10 feet without sweating warm, & an additional couple weeks of sweater weather) I have never loved walking around outside as much as I do now. Fall is my new favorite time of the year; although I could do with a nice consistency every now and then.

My knee hurts. I feel like an old woman. Hopefully several sauna sessions will do the trick.

After enjoying an insanely calming sauna sesh at the gym tonight I decided to forgo my stoop and take a stroll around my hood. While drooling over people’s incredibly beautiful brownstone homes my ears hooked onto a trio of gentlemen playing something similar to one of Django Reinhardt’s tunes. An upright base, a guitar, and a mandolin. A trio of harmonizing voices over 70. The sheer gold curtain managed to shield from view just a small portion of the gold wall-papered living area tastefully adorned in vintage framed maps. The giant bay window was left open, it was only right that I stood under to soak in the joy streaming from within. It wasn’t awkward at all.

This week’s lineup:

*Put up my ‘headboard’. It’s cricked… just like me. After making the 3rd whole in the wall I decided to just let it be. I’m not perfect, neither is my headboard.

*Enjoyed a night out at a real speakeasy from the 1920’s (The Backroom) in the Lower East Side.

You had to walk through this underground tunnel to get to the speakeasy. The band played swing tunes and I’m fairly certain the folks getting down had a few swing dancing lessons in their day. The interior was really beautiful [gorgeous wood molding, giant chandeliers, & gold wall paper] and I drank my sour whiskey from a giant tea cup.

* Enjoyed a day off on Tuesday by cooking Brunch for Tina [notice that Brunch is spelt with a capital B] & a night at the Opera with the Roomies.

Cucumber, grilled corn, browned onions and garlic, scallions all mixed into a fresh Haas avocado. You don’t even know. (if you’re going to try this, don’t forget chili peppers and a pinch of dried mustard)

I made some crispy (toasted on the stove) corn quesadillas with spicy red lentils & cheese inside to go with the guac.

Sea salt & white truffle olive oil soaked edamame.

Shakespeares Sonnets. Not exactly the Opera I was expecting (there was no actual ‘opera’ vocals), but amazing visual and conceptual design (the lighting alone makes me want to see this again).

I wore makeup for the first time since freshmen year in college. I felt like an alien form of myself.

10.11: It’s Saturday. It is also the first day since moving here that I honestly feel cold. I wore my floor length wool coat to Brunch today. I wore this coat one time in Orlando and felt ridiculous. Today, I just felt cold.

Home Updates:

It’s Saturday night. I have a headache from the unlimited mimosas at Brunch so I decided to stay home… write a few things down and catch up on my Pushkin biography. As much as I enjoy going out with friends and living out my 20s in style, I gotta say… I really dislike going out on the weekends. Counter intuitive? Nope. I really enjoy socializing and soaking up a great conversation with a stiff drink (or two) in hand, but going to just about any bar in Manhattan or otherwise on a Saturday night you’re almost guaranteed complete lack of space and conversation. I have no desire to shout at someone trying to understand if they just said ‘I love this place’ or ‘I hate butterflies’ … what do these have in common? I wouldn’t be able to hear either. Will I ever go out on a Saturday? Yes. Will I continue to complain about the noise? Yes.

Note: Going out for live music is all too different, the need for conversation is replaced with groovy tune enjoyment.

10.11: Today was a perfect Sunday. New Zealand cuisine for Brunch (and an unfinished game of chess) with Miss Chelsea & Casey, followed by a brief tour of the Brooklyn Flea down the street, classical piano at Wash sq., a delicious mango lassi and a trip to East Village Cheese (it was everything I hoped for and more) with a new friend triggering my forgotten love of historic art heists & forgeries. Happy Sunday.

I’ve been thinking about my dreams. I’ve had many dreams and ideals that I thought I wanted for my adult self throughout my life; many of which I threw away (for good and bad reasons). One of my earliest dreams (aside from being a ballerina) was to become a writer. I remember writing a story about Mr. & Mrs. Pencil who got robbed of their eraser hats (I was in 3rd grade; ok?). I was a tiny Regina, but I still remember feeling so proud when I got to read my story in front of the class. I immediately fell in love with stringing words together. Riding in a car one day shortly after and having someone ask me what I wanted to do ‘be’ when I grew up (something grown-ups ask WAY too much of). I was excited to tell the person that I wanted to be a writer and immediately crushed when they bluntly informed me that ‘writing’ is not a practical occupation. I honestly remember my heart breaking. I was wondering the other day… what if I didn’t throw out the idea of becoming a writer when I was a kid? What if I held on to it and practiced while growing up? My writing is nothing short of poor grammar, cheesy cliches, and incorrectly used vocabulary (some of which, I’m fairly certain are made up words). I’ve had several other ‘dreams’ and passions along the way, most of which I let run their course. Some of which I’m still progressing. Writing, however, never stood a chance. It’s never too late to practice.

If only I knew then that practical occupations are just as much fiction as today’s weather channel’s forecast.

I feel so lucky.

Week 20: Molly in Transit, Miss Jenny, & My Roomies.

Published on October 5, 2014January 24, 2015 by Regina PoLeave a comment

It’s Sunday… I’m just now coming up to write something. I woke up to 48 degree weather and immediately armed myself with two sweatshirts.

Papaya dog at 2am. Cheese & Sauerkraut.

This week: (in no order)

– work — Getting easier all the time.

– Both the roomies joined the gym so now I’ve got buddies. Did I mention there was a sauna?

– I got frozen yogurt delivered to my home. I’m not proud of it.

– Bowery Hotel made me feel like I was back in the time of good taste and classy cocktails. (http://www.theboweryhotel.com)

– $13 huge bowl of Ramen. Worth it. Best Ramen I’ve had so far at Ramen Misoya.

– Beer Pong in the back yard of an UWS apartment. (I didn’t play… still not something I’d expected to see).

– Drunks on the subway. (I never noticed how many intoxicated individuals rode the subway at 2am; until now. Also, I thought calling for Molly was unique to music fests… I was wrong.)

– Another trip to Target and Marshalls… I would love to say this was the last. It’s not.

– JENNY. (After mentioning the need to take a picture, I forgot to take a picture.)

– Our fridge is leaking.

– Fridge is getting fixed.

– The nook is starting to come together… kind of.

– Sunday Brunch with the roomies. It’s been a while.

– Found another local farmers market on our walk home from brunch. Bought some lavender.

All in all this week was great. After the horror stories of Craigslist roommates, I felt certain I was going to hit the jackpot of all crazies. Thanking the apartment gods instead; my roommates are the best.

Week 19: Intellectual Hiatus, Brooklyn Bridge, & a Suana.

Published on September 29, 2014January 24, 2015 by Regina PoLeave a comment

It’s mid-late September. The summer has come and gone. I can’t believe I’ve lived in NYC for over 4 months. WHAT?! Every day (I really mean this) I find myself shocked with where my life has brought me. I cannot explain how happy I am that I made an impulse decision to move here. I’m not where I thought I would be by 24. I’m not working my dream job. What the hell is my dream job? I’m not making the big bucks. I don’t get to vacation every day and I’m fairly certain I’m going to have to stick to a diet of quinoa with beans for the next couple of weeks. I can say with absolute certainty that I would not be quite as happy if I had made any other decision. All of my impulses and rash decisions (these make up the majority of my decisions) were based on my gut. My gut knows whats up.

9.25: It’s getting cold outside. I don’t think it’s gotten below 55 F quite yet, but I’m already terrified. I’ve been prepping myself mentally and physically (do you think I’ve subconsciously been putting on weight to prepare for the winter?). I’m not feeling great and the nights of hot tea and 30 Rock re-runs have already begun. I haven’t gone out in over two weeks (whaaa??), but at least I’ve gone back to the gym. Today was dreary and wet outside. And chilly.

I’ve got to start taking better care of myself.

9.27: It’s Saturday. This week was as smooth as my right cheek (I’ve got very soft skin). The last few weeks have been a true test on my patience and I’ve made it out alive and sane. And not sick (mostly). I have recently abandoned my intellectual hiatus from real-world current events by starting to read the news a bit here and there on weekend mornings. Every now and again I’ll sneak in a soul-crushing article on a break, but c’mon… baby steps. I’m still not even close to caught up on most important issues. I’m also not, by any stretch of the imagination, implying that by reading the news I’m stopping capitalism from swallowing up our natural resources while finding the cure for a virus that turns people into viral human fluid fountains and simultaneously preventing grumpy old men from having authority over my body . I’m just saying, I’m excited to find out how much the human race has shit on the world since I stopped reading the news (about 8 months ago ).

On another note. I got a library card! FINALLY! I had [get library card] on my checklist of things to do for MY FIRST WEEK here. Almost 5 months later… I did it! I needed proof of residence — I ordered a fan, what more proof does one need, really? I discovered a market on my walk to the library – did I mention its like a 7 in walk?! – thats just outside the front steps.

My first two books: 1. The Bowery A History of Grit, Graft, and Grandeur 2.Pushkin

I’m already not a fan of The Bowery book… not very well written. I am enjoying the Pushkin biography quite a bit! For those of you not of Russian descent, Pushkin is a huge literary figure from the 1800’s. He was a poet. A darn good one. So I am told. That is all I know so far… also that he is a household name in Russia. Dare I say kind of like Shakespeare?

If you’re reading this and you didn’t know I was Russian, you don’t know me very well… and if you don’t know me, I’d like to know how you got to reading this? Leave a comment, won’t ya?

I also walked the Brooklyn Bridge today. The views were epic, but the crazy amount of people walking the bridge was a HUGE turn off. Here are some of the photos… I’m too lazy to edit any of them and the lighting was crazy inconvenient so deal with it.

*oh Hey! That’s me!*

*That guy on the left had the most epic Brooklyn accent.*

9.28: I had joined a gym earlier this week. It has a sauna. 5 Month ago Regina would kill present Regina for the amount of money I’m spending to go… but its less than 1 minute walk away and did I mention they have a sauna? Today I cleaned up a bit, fixed my shoddy dresser (I used glue… lets see how long this lasts), finally picked up the lights from my floor and used a hammer and staples instead of duck tape to hang them… I also ran some errands which always take a million times longer on the weekends.

I’m making plans to explore my hood a bit more next week and I think I’m getting a special visitor [WHO can it be?!]. I’m also making plans to go to the Met Opera (SO excited for this). Hope you have a wonderful next week!

Week 18: Building a Home & the People’s Climate March.

Published on September 21, 2014January 25, 2015 by Regina PoLeave a comment

My week in a nutshell: Ordering furniture never-ending-hell, IKEA still sucks and I hope it burns in a fiery hell that smells similar to freshly cleaned non-synthetic material, decorating makes my insides sing jolly songs, & the People’s Climate March was epic. I also realized that most of my thinking is done on a train and I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ll mention it again. I LOVE riding the subway.

One evening on my way home from work the train was packed pretty tight… and as the train swayed the passengers [involuntarily] followed. I realized of all the places in this city that I feel like I belong the most to the [sometimes short-fused, mal-showered, and caffeine-addicted] amazing NYC family is on the train.

Ordering furniture sucks. Although the delivery went ok this time, I had loads of fun trying (unsuccessfully) to carry the 100 lb box up 3 flights of stairs. What the hell is an elevator?! I just ended up opening the box downstairs and carrying pieces up in chunks. That, too, was loads of fun (am I using too many commas?).

Putting together a poorly constructed piece of furniture is unbelievably entertaining. Better then playing with legos! With legos everything fits, it’s WAY more fun when the pieces don’t match. So. Much. Fun.

I took these pictures while we were still fresh with optimism. Thankfully Megan was there to help. Otherwise I’d still be dresser-less. I ordered this dresser from Overstock.com after reading reviews that it was well-made. The reviewers must have supplemented their sanity with quite the concoction of alcohol and carelessness. Mimosas were had, but clearly not enough for me to forget the amount of fun this was.

I’d show you the finished product, but 2 screws were missing and now I’m 1 drawer down. I’ll be fixing this issue soon. We also put my wall decal up… with some hardship… it is now in 2 pieces.

I hung my mirror. It’s pretty heavy. I hope it doesn’t fall. I’ve also covered the seating cushion in the living room with a cloth I purchased today… the home is coming together.

Since September began I’ve had not much else on my mind except for moving. Making my new place a home has been overwhelming me and I’ve decided to take a breather. I’ve done little of anything else (except for the lovely evening I had this week at my friend’s new UWS apartment)… so next week I’m definitely going to do some exploring.

Then there was the whole gathering of some 310,000 people from around the world. It was inspiring to see so many people rallying to raise awareness to the importance of action against climate change. History was made. I was able to capture some of the experience in photos, but I also got some neat video which I’ll use in my soon-to-be-edited NYC clip.

Week 17: The Angry Inch & My New Home

Published on September 11, 2014January 25, 2015 by Regina Po2 Comments

Last week (because of a premature post) I didn’t tell you about my first Broadway Show (since moving). My friend Chelsea and I went go to see Hedwig & the Angry Inch with Andrew Rannells. He was amazing. It was amazing. I was super bummed that I didn’t get to see Neil Patrick Harris, but this version was pretty incredible! I’ll definitely have to catch NPH in his next Broadway venture.

9.10. Whoa. This week has been about how far my buttons can be pushed. In all honesty, worse things have happened in the world so I don’t feel I should go on and on about my relatively meager issues… I’m fairly certain it wouldn’t be very entertaining to read through anyway.

All in all, I’ve learned that I never -ever- want to move again. I mean it. Maybe if I have all of my things already in one place and just hire some strong folks to carry all of said things up and down stairs it wouldn’t be such a pain in the ass. In my case, I’ve had to order and re-order and order again only to miss the shipment by being at work. Even ordering things from the internet is harder here. Convenience shot out the door when I moved in the first place.

With that said… I’VE MOVED. Hallelujah!!! I have a home. And it is BEAUTIFUL. Once my roomies and I have somewhat settled we’ll be able to fill the apartment in quite nicely. I love decorating almost as much as I love shoes. [Almost] My bedroom should be fairly finished within 2 weeks or so. I’ll be posting pictures of the homey-er version soon.

I took the following photos at night… before writing this post just to get an idea of the space.

Yes, my room is window-less. The only downfall to this scenario. I’m very creative… I’ll make it work.

My neighborhood is as pleasant as it gets. It’s adorable in just about every sense of the word and I’d like to get my camera out and about sooner than later, but for now this picture will suffice.

On another note, until I go get my Brooklyn Library card [WOOOHOOO] I’ve been borrowing bookings from Chelsea. Most of my reading is done on the train.

I don’t recall ever reading this book in school. I came across it on Chelsea’s shelf and went at it. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long… I’m re-reading it for the 3rd time right now. I keep having this feeling every time I’ve finished it that I missed something important.

I know I’ve been saying this quite a bit lately… but I’m determined to get something quality on here sooner than later. Next weekend (September 21st) is the Climate March here in NYC and I’ll definitely be there. Hope to bring you some photos of the events. I’m also going to stop writing the post in one sitting. I’ve always been a 5 drafts kinda gal.

All this week I’ve been carrying around a bunch of this negative energy… mainly because I was exhausted from jumping hoops and getting physically exhausted (Did I mention moving here is no joke?). I’ve had help. A bunch of help from really great friends that I’m not sure I could have survived the past month or so without.

But almost every single day on my way back from work riding of the Manhattan bridge into Brooklyn I’ve had this overwhelming joy fill me up. Every day the trigger was something different. Monday it was the beautiful brunette sitting next to me chatting away in a language I couldn’t begin to pin down the origin. Another day it was the elderly couple sitting quietly side by side reading the same newspaper. Every single time I could literally feel my spirit lifting.

I feel so lucky.

Week 16: 4 flights of stairs, Intoxicated Tacos, & A Tattoo.

Published on September 4, 2014January 25, 2015 by Regina Po2 Comments

I promise, I haven’t jumped ship. I have started and failed to write too-many-a-blogs. I’ve just been somewhat pre-occupied with NYC torturing me a little bit. Just a little.

9.4: I’m currently sitting in a coffee shop in Park Slope. Steps away from my soon-to-be-if-all-goes-as-planned home. Yes. HOME. As of today, I’m technically without a bed to call my own. An air mattress just doesn’t count. I found the perfect new place in the perfect neighborhood, but as I’ve mentioned the process of finalizing a place here is much like pulling teeth – it seems like it takes forever (I’ve been dancing this find-a-home dance for 2 months) and all the while theres this agonizing headache. At this point, I’ve placed in my application and just waiting to get approval so that I can put down a deposit. I CANNOT wait. I’m still in a slow boiling panic mode… what if I don’t get it?!? I’ve been graciously accepted as a new home guest by my friend Chelsea. She also just moved into a new place – a studio. I can’t believe how much of a pain this whole process is.

Moving in general tends to be a bitch. Moving in NYC is torture. After renting a Zipcar Chelsea and I packed up the car and took two trips from upper upper Manhattan (Wash Heights) to Brooklyn (Park Slope). I think we were in pretty good spirits until the second trip of 4 flights of stairs. Did I mention we’re on the 4th floor? No elevator. I got my workout and then some. Thankfully Chelsea’s boyfriend helped us, but don’t be fooled… I’ve never been so sore.

Then there’s the whole thing where the was no AC. You see how my shoulder has a lovely glisten to it? That’s sweat. Lots and LOTS of sweat.

Last night was the first night I’ve had AC since we moved Monday. The AC was brought over by the movers on Tuesday and had broken on the way over… after 2 hours at your friendly (not) Best Buy we were finally able to get a replacement. Contrary to the numerous videos on youtube providing How-To’s on installing a window unit – it is NOT that freaking easy. I still couldn’t install everything properly, but at least there was SOME air last night. Hallelujah.

All in all this past week or so has been a lovely headache after another. It will ALL be worth it if my soon-to-be-home will actually be my home. If all goes well I move in a couple of weeks. Cross some fingers for me, please.

You know my favorite part of Park Slope?

I get to walk to the Subway in the midst of the cutest freaking place on Earth. It feels SO homey.

On an unrelated note… As I’ve been going through this long and frustrating process I started to pay attention to things that NYC has that Orlando didn’t. Difficulty in finding a place being one of them. I’ve also noticed how terrible customer service can be here and nobody cares. I was expecting less smiling faces on the streets, but even the one mall (it was really weird to be in a mall) in BK had some seriously grumpy employees. I also wanted to share my Terrible-Taco experience I had a couple weeks ago that I didn’t get to blog about…

I don’t want to get anyone in trouble or put any ‘bad’ reviews out into the internet world (not that anyone reads this) so I won’t say the name of the establishment, but one Friday night a few weeks ago I was really hungry. As per usual. And I was out with some friends going towards the Lower East Side… we decided tacos were in order so we stopped at a favorite spot of their’s… A tiny closet-like space with a counter and space behind it for the dude to make the tacos. When we got there the place was bumping with bass (good sign?) and tunes I could definitely get down to. The dude behind the counter looked very friendly… a bit too friendly? He was unmistakably intoxicated. Not drunk, no. No… this must have been a creative combination of drugs. He took something like 45 minutes to make tacos that should have taken a maximum of 10 minutes. He would grab a paper plate and likely forget what he was doing so he stood there for a minute or two and then continue making pit stops in-between the beans and the meat. With intermittent face contortion and slurring of words the dude finally made our tacos (with the exception of one which must have slipped his mind). The food was not bad… pretty tasty, until I found a pebble in my taco. Not a tiny little dust pebble. A pebble of about 1.5 cm in diameter. Thankfully I didn’t bite down hard… Honestly I just wanted to let it go. Speaking with someone THAT intoxicated is impossible… their comprehension skills (whatever is left of them) are non-existent. Anyway, my friend insisted I should at least get my money back… so we attempted to do just that. The dude was nice, but astonished… I can’t be sure what he really thought as I’m inclined to ignore a conversation with anyone incapable of producing full sentences. In the end of the back and forth I got $5 out of the $9 I paid. I’m fairly sure he thought he gave me everything.

The surprising thing to me… people were still coming to this taco spot. They clearly saw how f*cked up this guy was. A guy that would be making their taco. And they still flocked our way… they didn’t even care that I had a pebble in my food. If this happened in Orlando, the popos would be there in 5 minutes and the place would be shut down. As terrible of an experience this was, I kind of loved it.

_____________________________

So as of today we still don’t have wifi at home and I forget when Chelsea said that will go in so I’m not sure when I’ll get the chance to write before the week is over. And since I have barely written anything in the past month I want to make sure to post this early.

Here is a photo of Chelsea and me celebrating our arrival to the neighborhood.

In case you were wondering wtf is that on my arm… I got a tattoo. And I love it. Mom, if you’re reading this stop reading now. I’ll give you some space. K Thanks. Have a great week everyone!

Week 14: The 13th Week and the Week-end.

Published on August 24, 2014January 25, 2015 by Regina PoLeave a comment

I know I skipped Week 13. I worked through pretty much the entire week and spent my weekend recuperating. I did happen to write for one day.

8.14: After my 7th consecutive work day I was feeling pretty worn out (understatement). My brain felt numb and all I wanted for the past couple of days were some tacos. I went to Tacombi in Nollita (?) for some takeout. I could munch on the freshly made corn tortilla alone and be a happy camper. Those tacos hit the spot justttt right.

A favorite band of mine that I came across a couple months on Youtube called Too Many Zoos were planning to shoot their first music video paired up with Moon Hooch in Washington Square Park tonight. These guys are really groovy. They play in the Union Sq. Subway station and are always drawing a crowd. Here is one of their youtube videos

Tonight’s dance party under the Arch was exactly what I needed. I let go. And even though I enjoyed a lovely coughing fit for about 2 hours following said dance party, it was worth it.

Once they finish the music video I’ll be sure to share :] After the dance party under the arch I realized just how tired I was. I couldn’t do much except for sitting; so I took a breather on the bench. As always, Washington Square didn’t fail to entertain. This is what I saw tonight:

An animal balloon artist who looks more like your typical college frat boy with his flow-y surfer-like hair and basketball jersey showing off his latest trip to the gym; creating your favorite animals with the same enthusiasm a balloon artist ought to possess.

A young [rather scrawny] couple loosing themselves in one another as they dance the dance of what I would guess is their first kiss.

The middle aged gentleman enjoying his book by the shimmering glare from the light post nearby.

The couple of teenage kids skateboarding around the fountain. Their hands on the board, feet in the sky, and their heart in the ride.

The Turkish (?) couple sitting beside me studying their NYC subway map in confusion. [They had it sideways, but perhaps that was on purpose.]

The tourists walking through, most of who will never truly understand what gem they are strolling past simply snapping a few photos and moving onto Time Square. As if a still of this extraordinary land could ever illustrate the magic.

If the perfect evening existed. This was it.

Week 14

My work week has changed so now I have Saturdays & Sundays off [yay!]. Tuesday night I played my first Trivia in the city. We went to Poco for their Orange is the New Black night and we tied for 2nd to last place. I clearly don’t remember much about the show.

8.24: It’s 11.36pm on Sunday and I’ve had a wonderful weekend. Much of which was packed with live music and spending time with friends wondering the beauties of the city. I may potentially have found a new home… more on this once it is official. The lack of entries does not directly correlate with a lack of on-goings. I’m simply so in love with the idea of a weekend that once the time actually rolls around I’m immediately off enjoying the day away.

Today was just like any other Sunday… a trip to Russ & Daughters followed by several hours of classical music in the park. I also walked around a bit outside of my normal bench-in-front-of-piano to seek out other musical on-goings. If I ever figure out how to edit videos, I’ll post one here :]

I’ve mentioned Washington Square park many times and I will continue to do so, simply because it is the gem of all gems. Life is really happening here and I absolutely love watching it all bloom.

Hope your weekend was awesome.

Week 12: $2 Dumplings, People Watching, & Mr. Grumpy.

Published on August 11, 2014August 12, 2014 by Regina PoLeave a comment

8.5: I have the next 3 days off from work and I’m lovingggggg having nothing to do. I cleaned the apartment, took care of bills/other non-fun stuff, & have been searching for a place to live while listening to my Dumpstaphunk station on Pandora for the past hour. ❤

I spent the rest of the reuniting w/ my good friend Tina from Orlando (who also has made NYC home) with a trip to the museum, a bowl of the most delicious $2 I’ve ever spent, and bluegrass tunes. It was a day well spent.

I’ve mentioned these dumplings before — Prosperity Dumplings — and I’ll mention them again. The ‘restaurant’ (if you want to call it that) is about the size of my walk-in closet back in Orlando with a kitchen. The menu is incredibly cheap and the food is good enough to risk a food coma. The line was out the door spilling out onto the side walk when we got there and I’m pretty sure this is a common scene.

8.6: My Wednesday:

* Check out another apartment [I’m still being uber picky… not sure if I actually have that luxury anymore]

* Meet friend for lunch at the newest food fad (fancy Ramen) — only to realize I don’t like wasabe as a soup flavor.

* Wait around for lottery rush tickets for Hedwig & the Angry Inch only to have over 500 other people show up and enter [We didn’t get the tickets]

* Buy tickets for the second musical on the ‘List of Musicals to See’ and get drunk (on accident) before the show even starts… they serve you $4 IN the theatre, what do they expect?

* Take forever to get home because subways don’t like to work at night.

8.7: I went to the gym gave my sorry ass a great work out (seriously, this out of shape non-sense has got to go). After lunch and some rest time at home (my body was pretty exhausted) I ventured out to help a friend in need. She needed clothes for an interview… and while I’m not the biggest fan of professional attire, shopping in general is a lot of hunting. And since in this scenario I wasn’t the one trying things on, I was down to help.

We followed things up with some street food and brought the evening in people watching and appreciating the city in Washington Square Park.

8.8: After 3 days of no work I started my 8 day work week…. I’m banking on a good deal of sleep and some serious workouts to get me through this.

When going to take a shower before bed I was un-pleasantly surprised to find out we have no hot water. None. And the water we do have is not just mildly chilly… its ice-water. Having just been to the gym, my options were kind of limited in terms of showering or-not. So I braved the cold and took the quickest shower possible – all the while somewhat screaming profanities at this nonsense.

I’m praying to the apartment gods to bring back the heat.

8.9: Dear Mr. Grumpy on the A train:

It is without a doubt one of the most annoying occurrences when the train decides to stop on the tracks for ‘train traffic’. We all know this to be very suspicious, but your adamant and obnoxious response to the rather animated loud speaker’s announcement is unnecessary. Nobody- and I really mean that – cares what end-of-the-world important meeting you’re about to miss. If it was THAT important you should have used the few brain cells you look like you have to think to take a cab. Or Uber. They’re pretty useful. If you MUST grunt uncontrollably every time the train stops and an announcement is made please do so into a pillow or something. Again, nobody cares. Not me. Not the preggo lady in floral who looks like a bouquet of explosive Lillies. Not the elderly latin couple who, I’m pretty certain, missed their stop in their deep slumber. Not the teenager with the leopard print high tops — he looks like he’s got his own problems, judging by the cranky smugness on his face. And I’m pretty sure the homeless vet standing next to you gives two shits about your important meeting. Please rest assured, your childish tantrums are not going to help move the train along. If anything, you’re slowly building an army of annoyed train goers. Stop.

Week 11: Funky Little Man, Surprise(!), & Dirty Clothes.

Published on August 3, 2014August 3, 2014 by Regina PoLeave a comment

7.29: This morning after leaving my apartment building and feeling the chill of the wind pushing through my duck studded sweatshirt I was greeted with the funky-iest of sights. A slim, not scrawny, older gentleman (in his late 60s) wearing dark denim pant overalls on top of a pale pink button up shirt, turquoise Nike high tops, and a dark gray fedora came riding by me (waving joyfully) on a tiny blue bicycle that looked as old as he. It was 6.45am.

I woke up early today feeling groggy and cold. I started my day wearing my favorite sweatshirt and favorite [I love NYC] smile.

7.30: Last night after working and grabbing an unbelievably delicious Indian roll at Masala Times [YUM], I hopped into an Uber car and headed towards the airport.

[That wrap though. SO good.]

I’ve been planning to surprise my parents in Orlando with a visit – however quick. I arrived at their home a little after midnight. It took a couple of doorbell rings and a phone call to finally get them to open the door, but success was inevitable. My mom was shocked. I’m not shocked.

Today was a beach day with the whole fam (including my brother who is also visiting from far away lands).

8.1: You know that scene in HIMYM where the gang breaks out into song of everything that they do/feel all in fabulous musical theatre style? I was crossing 6th ave today after hopping off the stuffed rush hour A train at West 4th, when a small crowd of people parted and I saw a young man moving towards me in a series of sideway sashays and forward leaps all the while singing a song [of which I only caught ‘it’s the loveliest day to sing a song’]. Nobody blinked. I giggled gleefully all the way to the restaurant.

I was gone for 2 days. I missed the city so.

8.2: Right as I stepped on to the street from my office building I was slapped square between the eyes with the most pungent odor resembling what I would call a fishy home-made wine [one which was created w/ the stomping of rotten fish with bare sweaty feet].

The evening was doomed. I was tired and I still had to go grocery shopping and figure out how I’m going to make do without doing laundry until Wednesday (more on that later). Just as I thought all hope was lost I heard… “OH! I wanna dance with somebody… OOHHH with somebody who loooovees me” blaring from a silver Toyota looking car parked along the side of the street. The back door was swung open and a pair of huge muscle-y legs were hanging out on the tips of which held the tiniest little pink furry kitten heels.

I’m not sure who was sitting inside – I was too distracted in conversation – but whoever it was made my night. The entire subway ride to the store and home I had the song stuck in my head. Instead of holding it in I decided to to sing out loud. I enjoyed myself immensely. I wish I knew more of the words than just the 2 phrases.

I pretty much skipped around Manhattan singing the same words over and over without a care in the world.

8.3: Today I’m wearing my very last [ and by last I mean clean] pair of pants with one of my very last shirts. I’ve been sorta putting laundry off. I’ve been trying to wait a whole month before doing laundry and I’m not so sure that was a good idea.

The thing is, like many folks in NYC I do not have the privilege of a washer/dryer in my building, much less in my apartment. There were a few things I knew I wasn’t going to ‘rough out’ when moving here… doing my own laundry at a mat was one of those things. It takes forever, it’s hot as hell or freezing cold, and I’d much rather just pay someone to pick up a bag of dirty clothes and get clean ones dropped off.

Anyway…I finally got a hold of the laundry man (who happens to have the cutest accent) today. wOOHHOO! The little things that make me happy.

Today I got a really disturbing phone call which turned out to be a scam call. I have never felt so much hatred towards a human. I’m hoping this is nothing several beers and episodes of HIMYM can’t solve.

Week 10: Things I Hate, Sibling Reunion, & Pillows.

Published on July 23, 2014July 27, 2014 by Regina Po1 Comment

7.22: I was on the subway for an hour ride to the airport. I felt the urge to write, so I wrote on my phone. The following text is what follows:

Movies romanticize heartbreaks as if they’re some sorta right of passage to happily ever after. I disagree. There is nothing romantic about crying on the subway as you try your best to blend in with the bacteria that has made itself home on the orange seats, everyone pretending not to stare at you; secretly wondering why people look so ugly when they cry.

Things I hate: (in the order they come to me, don’t judge)

#1. Dating

2. people who litter

3. bullying

4. Driving

5. Liars

6. waking up before 7am

7. Flip Flops

8. When my feet hurt

9. Being really hungry

10. Crying on the subway

11. Feeling ignorant

12. Having my nails so long that it scratches everything

13. Feeling inferior

14. Putting someone down by accident

15. Eating fastfood

16. feeling sad

17. even though I should be having the time of my life

18. wearing short skirts

19. feeling weak

20. falling for someone despite my better judgement

21. being a girl

22. No, wait I love that.

23.

I’m not good with words. Not speaking them, anyway. I wish I could just write instead of talking in most situations. A guy I dated my freshmen year of college used that line to break things off through a Facebook message. Despite his rather un-eloquently put break-up, I have to agree.

By the time I got to the airport I realized I’ll likely survive (I’m far more sensitive than I like to admit) and move on sooner than later.

7.24: This morning went something like this: Open eyes. Put hand to forehead. Wonder what’s up with the throbbing. Wait. Feel a sudden urge to jug water.

Hangovers are never fun. But last night was. My brother is here visiting from Russia on his way to China. Yesterday was his first full day here and it was fun. I took him to the high line and took care of some necessary shopping needs. Followed up with soup dumplings and more dumplings from Prosperity Dumplings (I forgot to take a picture). Prosperity Dumplings were SO good! I’m not sure if the price made them taste even better than they were, but holy shit. $2.75 for 10 (rather large) dumplings. My brother and I split them and still had a few left over for later that night. Too bad the place isn’t closer to me.

We spent the day walking around, grabbing coffee at the Highline, and meeting up with his friends to journey the night away. Some pictures were taken… I think I’m finally feeling up to taking photos of the city. Future posts should have more photography :]

7.26: Today was a rough day. Tomorrow will be better.

I made a Meetup!! NYC Pillow Fight Club — Click there to join! Also, I’m still without any real future home plans. Am I destined to live without a home? What is a girl to do? For REAL though?

Crossing some major fingers that the universe aligns and I find something promising soon.

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