It’s 12.53pm.
I woke up at 3am.
I have this weird surreal-ish feeling… Like is this real life? The loud speaker at JFK’s Terminal 1 has been adamant about letting us know there’s a final boarding call. For what? Hard to tell. The family (?) of four sitting across the food court look they’ve been to hell and back — although the older lady is sporting a stellar black and blue outfit with sparkles up and down her arms so I’m not mad about it. Continue reading “Operation Reggie’s SEA Life is a GO.” →
And yes, I am definitely counting.
I’ve been planning and thinking about this trip for over two years. That’s a long time… At least in my little world. But for as much time as I’ve spent dreaming of the sparkling blue waters teeming with fishes while I lay aboard a floating device of some sort sipping a cold beer (I’m telling you, I’ve thought about this A LOT), it never actually felt like reality. Like not even a little. Not even after I said goodbye to my home in Brooklyn. Not until literally just like a moment ago. Continue reading “On 1 Month To Go.” →
This is it. My last morning in my beautiful Brooklyn brownstone apartment. The sky is gray and the naked tree branches outside seem to be swaying silently outside of the bay window. I’ll miss that bay window the most I think. I’ve spent many mornings sipping coffee, reading or stretching and preparing myself for a day in the city. This place has been my oasis – a daily retreat from the noise, however magical. On the other end of the living room, my bedroom looks odd with a few of my things left over for the gal who’s taking my place. The blanket still on the bed, the rustic blue mirror still sits on the dresser, but the floor is mostly empty – all of my shoes either tossed or packed into my suitcase (how the hell I managed to get all of my stuff in there is still a miracle). There’s no traces of my pink gym bag or drying hand wraps anywhere. Only the few pieces of clothes I have laid out for myself to change into for my flight to Orlando. It’s oddly quiet. People are probably still tucked away in their homes for the holidays. Only an occasional passing truck can be heard just outside – a big difference from the usual honks and hollers of the center of Park Slope. I’ve been thinking about the things I’ll miss most. This apartment – this neighborhood – is at the top of that mental list. When (and if) I return to NYC, I hope to get this lucky again. Continue reading “On NYC.” →
I finally bought my ticket home (to Orlando).
My official last day in NYC is December 26th 2017.
I’ve said that aloud probably a million times and it still feels unreal. But the ticket confirmation is chillin’ right there in my email inbox. The points I used from my credit card have been deducted. It must be true. Continue reading “T-minus 4 Months | Fears, Preparations & Giddy-ness Galore” →
How did I manage to save enough money to travel for one year? First, what is ‘enough’? For me ‘enough’ meant the smallest absolute amount to get me to where I wanted to be — traveling alone for one year without working. Continue reading “How I Saved Enough To Travel For One Year| Step 1.” →
Who knows?
Me. Sort of.
I’ve got 4 months (less than that now) left in NYC. I’m flying home to Orlando on Christmas (better remember to buy that ticket soon) leaving my life in NYC behind. For now. Continue reading “I came. I saw. I conquered. What’s Next?” →
It’s been one of those days where I’m not sure how it got to be 10:40pm when I just woke up like 10 minutes ago. One of those days where everything just kind of blurs together. Looking back on it I didn’t pay attention to the violinist and mandolin players at my station this morning even though I get super psyched every time they show up in the morning. I didn’t pay attention to Chinatown’s typical “Bags, wallet, glasses” calls as I rushed past the same people I see every single day (these same people have seen me come and go from the subway every day for the past 2.5 years… Surely they remember me by now). I didn’t pay attention to how I intentionally stayed out of the shadowy part of the block on my mid-day walk. It was chilly again. And I definitely didn’t think twice about the man inside the N train performing what I can only assume was one of Shakespeare’s monologues in a baseball cap and a Universal Orlando jacket. I was too busy trying to pay attention to my podcast; my ear buds blaring. I didn’t notice and now the day is gone.
It’s a lovely day outside –IF– you’re sitting in the nook with an open window. Mostly because it’s really windy and all the debris has been flying into my eyes all day. There’s a lot of dust and dirt and sand. Not to mention random trash blown from over-flowing tash cans. BUT… Seeing as how I am sitting in-doors in my cushion-y nook enjoying the breeze calmly filter in, I’m very much enjoying the weather. It’s sunny. Warm. Rare. Continue reading “A New Yorker: 18 Days” →
She doesn’t walk so much as glides. White cloth covers her head to toe. Knee high white leather boots with a heel just high enough. A knee length lace embellished white dress with flowy sleeves reaching down to her fingertips. A white scarf gently covers her neck. A white head wrap completely covering her head. White squared rimmed glasses framing her [blue?] eyes. A long white umbrella with a white wooden hook hangs effortlessly from her wrist. She strolls along the sidewalk. Keeping a pace suggesting she’s got nowhere to be. A small child hanging from her arm – the colors from his shirt creating a huge splash of contrast with her angel-like appearance.
3 years isn’t a whole lot of time if you look at the big picture. But I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a short time period, especially if you’re talking about the length of time one’s lasted in New York City. Which I am. Am I getting too complicated about this? I do that sometimes.
Continue reading “A New Yorker: The Countdown Begins” →
Funk Meets A Lady