Month 2 NYC

We've completed a second month of living in New York. Overall a positive experience thus far. Of course I still miss home, but it got a lot better when I decorated. I'm not only making New York my home, but depending more and more on Danny. He is my home. And when he's not home, I miss San Diego even more. Still job searching, I try to keep my days occupied with volunteer projects, making connections, and making friends. Here are my latest exploits. Check out photos on the links to the right.

5/27 - Had an interview at Pratt that went relatively well, but I didn't get a good feeling after it. Our personalities didn't mesh too well, but I thought I presented myself confidently, truthfully and with grace. Later that night went to a USC alumni Happy Hour at Hudson Terrace and met Corina, previously in real estate but trying to get into the publishing world who just moved to NY with her husband. Also saw Loni, a classmate from the PASA program. I was glad that Danny came with me. He is so wonderful. I was nervous about going because I was... afraid. This was my first attempt at networking in New York and I was glad to have his support. He later told me that he was impressed with the way I interacted with everyone. I'm glad I went. After that we headed over to the Kensington house to hang with the musician peoples.
5/28 - I didn't write any notes down, so I'm guessing I stayed in. Danny left for tour that morning.
5/29 - It's difficult to do anything when Danny is away. He is my motivation some days.
5/30 - Went to church in the morning to St. Constantine & Helen's Cathedral again. This time I had a far more welcoming experience. Fr. John went out of his way to welcome me and get my contact information and introduce me to some of the OPA crowd (Orthodox Paidia Association). It's Memorial Weekend so not many people were there, but I got to meet Leya. Mr. Bakas was also very welcoming, and I started feeling more at home. Then I met up with Starr to go to the Dance Africa street fair and dance performance. I learned the call & response Ago & Ame. I feel the love in this community. After this I went home in time for Danny's return. We went to Jalopy (after an endless "walking tour" of Red Hook), and enjoyed some time with Matt, Alec, Tess and Sal and hung out with the musicians that played at the bar nextdoor. I remember a really creepy guy kept staring at me, so I said "Hello, excuse me" to him, and that kinda scared him off, but I kept seeing him trying to get with drunken girls. I hate that. The night ended with us walking about 3 miles to find the subway stop and then wait for the G. THE G!
5/31 - Something possessed me to stare out at the backyard. Danny saw this and asked me if we should clean up a little. For 30 minutes maybe. Of course I got a little compulsive and kept sweeping for a longer time while Danny went inside to practice. He got dinner started though, and made an awesome pasta sauce. I was glad to have a cleaner backyard. Later we went to Banjo Jim's as Danny was performing with Miss Tess. There I met Kelsey, Victoria and Sarah. It felt good to be social again.
6/1 - I got to Skype with Maro and Tin. It felt so good to see Maro again. I miss my sister :) In the afternoon we watched the second Star Wars (I forget which episode that means it is) at Matt's place then headed out to Rose. On the way I tasted my first "Jamaican Beef Patty" which I guess is no big deal, but I thought it was delicious. Music was great at Rose, but I was kind of over serious jazz for the moment, so Matt and I left Danny and Kenny to go to Mona for some more old-timey swing scene. It wasn't as great as other nights Matt says, but I enjoyed seeing a different scene. Carly spilled Matt's beer all over my leg, haha. A costumed old-timey integrated couple sang "I ain't got no money" in a very cartoonish way. Kenny and Danny arrived and soon after we went to wait for our trains again...
6/2 - around 3pm we were on the BQE for some reason and Danny said "I think now I can understand why my Dad drives the way he does" after we had a few close calls on these narrow highways with short off/on ramps and cars weaving here and there. I'm noticing that my the bite on my leg is swelling and itchy. We go Harlem for Danny's gig at Covo and I'm feeling very alone and insecure. It takes all my will power to keep it together. After the gig we go to Guantanamera and hear the end of some really great latin music. My bug bite has swelled to the size of my calf, so Danny makes me get some Calomine lotion. Later we take a tunnel to Brooklyn and didn't know we had to pay a toll. With all the expenses of the night, I was starting to feel like more of a burden for tagging along. This was the last straw. After some mutual exchange of emotions, we talked things through and promised eachother to communicate our feelings as well as our intentions to budget for each outing.
6/3 - Today was my second "date" with Nicole. We packed sandwiches and wine and headed to Central Park Sheep's Meadow for some sunning. As we walked across the green I got beaned in the arm by a baseball. After some good bonding/sunning we headed to Prospect Park for some sushi before we watched Sex and the City 2. After that we headed back to the Kensington house. After some socializing, I found myself leaving the group and spent some time on the patio talking to my mom on the phone. I felt better talking to her. She knows a lot about how difficult it is to leave your family to start a new life.
6/4 - no notes written. Is this the day we met up with Graydon and Britney for sushi and drinks. We find out that they are going to move to NY this summer! Yes, more friends in town :)
6/5 - Danny and I go to IKEA for the table legs and more! The at Costco we decide to buy bulk tomato sauce ingredients. This was going to be an adventure. But for another day. I think we watched Jerry Maguire that night.
6/6 - I am still kind of down. Danny has been doing a lot of performing and networking and just doing things that seem important. He has friends. I am trying so hard to make friends. I feel like I shouldn't be "trying" so hard. This afternoon I go to a Tahitian dance class to make use of my Groupon. I was hoping to meet other dancers, but I was the only student that day. Disappointed not to meet other dance enthusiasts, but I was glad to learn the moves. Danny seemed to like them too. I start thinking that I should find some Filipino dance/community, but that's more difficult to find it seems. Later I meet up with Angel (my parents told me to find her, through a common friend) to watch Richard III performed at Shakespeare in the Park at Central Park. It was a fun interactive presentation and I felt like this was one of those New York experiences not to miss. After that we walked down Columbus ave and find this place called Bomboloni with these delicious italian creme filled donut type things. YUM! we walked further and found ourselves at Lincoln Center. It was a fun evening of exploration.
6/7 - I volunteered at the Sts C&H Greek Festival from 2-9pm and met a lot of very welcoming people. Let's see if I can remember names. Maria and Maria at the 2pm shift. Then Stilene and Lucy later in the evening. Oh and kyria Eleni was there most of the day. I bonded a bit with Lucy. She is a Latina woman who is widowed to a Greek man and has been part of this community since she and her husband were married. She speaks perfect Greek and Spanish and is well loved by all. She's so bubbly! I love it! I get to bring home leftover pastitsio and tiropites that are "burnt" or "kalopsimena" as we like to say.
6/8 - tonight is another Hudson Terrace happy hour event, but this time it is the UC alumni that got together, and on the 2nd floor (not the rooftop). Met a woman named Lauren who is also looking for work in publishing. Dhwani is going to study abroad at an international school in France that I guess is very difficult to get into. I also talked with Wai Lin and Kristin. I didn't see too many UCSD people, mostly UCLA or Cal. I'm hoping to do more with this group too. When I got home, Danny really wanted to work on the pasta sauce. It ended up more grainy than we intended, so we froze most of it and have been cutting it with other ingredients like fresh eggplant (and add water) to make a more well-rounded sauce.
6/9 - Danny leaves for a long tour today. I volunteer again from 2-9pm. I get to meet more people like Irakli, George, Tina, Patty, Irene, Peter, Kosta, and some of the Latino workers Miguel and Felix. It's dangerous speaking Spanish and Greek and English at the same time. My mind gets all flustered trying to keep everything straight. And I sometimes feel like I'm flirting inadvertently when I speak another language. Especially Spanish. I guess that's how I learned it in Spain. Haha. I had originally wanted to see the Norah Jones free concert in Prospect park with Corina, but it was raining and decided to skip it. Corina told me she and her husband got soaked but that it was a great concert.
6/10 - I met up with Kayoko and her daughter Madeleine who are visiting NY for the week. We ate brunch in the West Side at a trendy looking place (Abigail's maybe?) and check out Zabar's (a must see according to Kayoko and Ellen). We walk through Central Park to the Met and check out the Picasso exhibit before heading over to the King Tut exhibit. It's raining on and off and Maddy is starting to get a bit tired and crankasaurus. To be expected in young kids, but I still felt bad because Maddy was definitely turning up the charm for me and being rude to her mom. We stopped for some coffee and dessert on Broadway and bid eachother adieu until Monday when Danny returns. I make it just barely in time to go to a ballet class and this time the room is full of students. It felt good to dance again, and even better to have the energy of other bodies flowing through the room. Not to much socializing though, but maybe next time. Late that night (about 2am actually) I Skyped with my family. Yes it was late, but well worth it. I'm realizing more and more the importance of family every day.
6/11 - I volunteer at the festival from 2-9pm and stick around and dance till about 1230am. This is what I've been waiting for. DANCE! COMMUNITY! I am not only a social animal, I'm a dancing animal! I was so excited, that when I got home I decided I'd move the car across the street.
6/12 - it was a sad morning. Greece lost its first game in the World Cup. I didn't wake up in time to watch the game at church, but I was so tired. I also got an email from my dad with a picture of our house in Greece that has been tagged full of graffiti. I talked to my dad on the phone and it did not make me feel better. Just sadder. I lost my orexi, my appetite, to go to the festival. At the last minute I said to myself, you've got nothing else to do, just go. So I made an outfit out of one of Danny's button down shirts and leggings and mustered up some of that confidence that he usually helps me build in myself. I went and enjoyed some dessert and drinks and got to watch the younger kids and the young adults perform. I danced a bit and people were impressed with my skills. We had plenty of Greek Dance training on the west coast. Hooray for FDF! I'm finding it more difficult to find a dance community in New York. Greek community exists for different reasons and for different populations here. I can't expect to find the same things here. I made friends with this girl Beatriz cause I taught her a few dances on Friday night and we danced some more tonight. I am hoping to go salsa dancing with her sometime. I was starting to feel down again around 10pm, and I was on my way to leaving, and down the street halfway to the subway stop I stopped again and talked myself into going back. I'm glad I did and danced until about 1230am mostly with Effie, Foti, and Cara and hung out with Michelle's family for a bit and Irene's family until about 1:30am. I'm glad I made myself keep going.
6/13 - i actually got up to go to a volunteer rally for Tour de Cure at 10am at Pier 92, which meant I had to be out the door by 9am. It was sort of a pointless meeting, but I was glad to go and to know where I was supposed to be on the 26th. Since that got done by 11am, I called Graydon to have breakfast. His hotel suggested this deli that was obnoxiously expensive (I guess famous people ate there), but I decided we should walk away, and we found some reasonable breakfast just a block away. When I got home something possessed me to start cleaning the bathroom. I scrubbed for a good 2 hours I suppose. I felt better to have a cleaner bathroom, though I still think it needs to be renovated. Danny comes home and we decide to go out to Zinc Bar to catch some Brazilian performers. We had some incredibly overpriced sodas ($5 for a coke!!) and even though the music was great, it felt absurd to pay cover and still have a drink minimum. We were out till 2am that night. Trains take forever.
6/14 - Danny and I met up with Kayoko and Maddy (and 2 friends they were staying with) for dinner at a Japanese Katsu restaurant near Rockefeller Center. It was delicious and Danny was so fun with Madeleine. Danny had just joined the 802 musician's union that day and we headed over to a jam session at the union headquarters only to find that it's an early hang. Danny heads out to another jam and I head home. I'm ok with not hanging with him all the time, especially if that means he feels more free to network when I'm not around.
6/15 - I found a ladder on Craigslist! We pick it up at 12pm. $20 and I'm out the door. We get back in time for street sweeping to be over and find prime parking! I take the opportunity to decorate while Danny is out at a rehearsal and I transform our blank space into a creatively infused LIVING room. Still on a Craigslist buzz, I find a printer for $30 and go pick it up in Brooklyn Heights. I'm a natural born deal finder :)
6/16 - I go to a USC alum board meeting and see Clare (another PASA peep) and Corina again. I get to meet Jesse and Kate in person and get connected with Emily and Anvar. It's a very professionally run group, though there were some tense moments in the meeting. Sometimes all the pressure to perform caused one awkward moment. Then I was slightly offended when some guys made a side comment kind of putting down the UC system as "government subsidized" but in a way that made me feel lower class. Would this happen at a UC alum meeting? Even with the awkwardness, I volunteered for some projects and am pledging to get involved so that I can get better connected and see if this group is for me. It's always better to try than to give up before learning more about the group. After the meeting some of us hung out at Union Bar down the street and I had a good time chatting with my fellow Trojans in a casual setting. After that I met up with Nicole so that we could ride the train together back to the Kensington house where we made Jello shots and danced in Matt's room :)
6/17 - The aches in my body are catching up to me. I watch a webinar provided by UCSD alumni association about improving your Resume and attend another ballet class that night. As I tried my skills at pirouettes after so long, I fell and bruised my ego. But I got up and tried again. I'm off balance. I could argue this is true on many levels. I need to find my balance here in New York.
6/18 - Nicole and I set our sights for Coney Island. We pack some snacks and take the F all the way to the end and find the boardwalk and the beach. It is by far nothing to par with southern Cali beaches, but I still felt comfort seeing an ocean again. We said next time we'd go further down the beach where there was less glass mixed in with the sea shells and that we'd come at night for the Luna Park rides. We then headed to Vox Pop to watch the jam session. I had a delicious chili (which I didn't know was vegan) and salad for $5 :) Nicole, Kenny, Danny and I played Scrabble. Then we walked back to the Kensington house. Can you tell it's becoming a regular hang?
6/19 - it's another trio gig at Banjo Jim's tonight and I see Sarah again. I also meet one of Tess' friends that just moved to NY from Boston. I also meet Emilia who just moved to town and is also attached to a drummer. Lots of newbies in the city. After that we walked (I walked in heels) 12 blocks to the Living Room and saw some great acts. Too bad we waited hours for the Tess group to perform, but the night was cut short (2am instead of 4am... we guessed the sound tech and bar staff wanted to go home). We were glad that Tess could drive us home that night.
6/20 - Up till 4am the night before, but I still got up for church! It is a calming time for me. I am still searching for my faith, but even without knowing why, I find this experience brings me balance. Just by being there. After church at coffee hour I got to socialize with Kosta and Foti and George and his girlfriend for a short bit. It's father's day so we had cake! I helped serve it, so Fr John told me how luck Danny must be. I agree. On the way home I call my dad. This time I have a better conversation with him. I try to keep things positive with him no matter what twists and turns he takes us on and off topic. I'm having trouble with the internet today so I decide to take my laptop to the Apple store the next day. At some point this night i decide to write in my datebook "I will do something different."
6/21 - I take a trip out to Chelsea to the Apple Store. Nothing is wrong with my computer, so it must be the router. That night I decide to watch my hubby at his gig at Puppets. For a few hours I have Nicole to keep me company, but as she has work in the morning, I find myself as the only female in the place (until another kind of loud woman chats up the bartender). Well, definitely the only woman listening to the music. Danny introduces me to John McNeil and he pats my head and calls me a saint. I felt flattered and belittled all at once. I stick it out till 1am and we drive home.
6/22 - I ate a bowl full of pasta and get a really sick feeling in my stomach. I think maybe I'm allergic to gluten now. Maybe just a stomach bug. I meet up with Nicole for some mochi at the sushi place near Prospect Park then we hang back that the Kensington house as she packs for her trip back home to Portland. I have some chicken wings, but they still make me long for Wings & Things.
6/23 - I do some laundry. I ask Danny to make dinner. He gets a little fussy but does it. It's difficult to ask him for anything when he's busy with something else, but what else can I do? I have to ask him sometime. I make some cold calls that I promised to do for USC. It is a nervous task. i don't like cold calling. Later I go out to watch Alec play in his duo Ronald Reagan at a comedy show at Cameo Gallery in the Lovin' Cup. All the comedians were really funny. One was a writer from SNL, one was a black guy with a huge afro and awkward personality that rocked the autoloop machine with his insane songs, and the host was Max Silvestri. I wish I could remember other names. I'm definitely going here again. Emelia and her boyfriend also came so I got to hang out with them and get some organic ice cream from a truck afterward.
6/24 - I met up with Chrisoula at 1130am in Astoria. This got me out of the apartment before Danny left for another tour. It's easier that way. We ate lunch at Grand Cafe amid World Cup watchers and swapped moving stories. Then she took me on a mini-tour and we stopped at Titan to buy some Greek groceries. Of course I had to grab a can of Caprice while I was there. When I got home I made some more USC cold calls and forced myself to finish. Arrgg. Then I went to Prospect Park with Emilia and watched a great Flamenco music and dance performance. The big name for the night was supposted to be Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, but they were not able to get visas in time for this performance (USA-Cuba red tape). So they showed the documentary film instead. We still enjoyed ourselves. Afterward we got a drink at Double Windsor (the place Nicole loves so much) and bonded over Spain stories and moving to NY experiences. She love to salsa too, so I'm hoping to hang out more with her.
6/25 - my big accomplishment of the day: move the car. akk.
6/26 - Today was Tour de Cure and I volunteered at 10am for the cheering/lunch area. I met some lovely ladies and one gentleman. The names I remember are Marsha (sister to the organizer), Andrea a high schooler and FBI explorer, Camila a high schooler and dancer that is related to a famous conductor. Everyone was really nice. I should expect as much from people who volunteer out of the goodness in their hearts. I enjoyed myself. I got a great compliment from a young rider "this lady is always smiling." I like it that way. After the event I walked into the Broadway district and found a Rite Aid to buy some bubbles. Then I found a bar to watch the rest of the USA-Ghana game. Although we lost, it was great to see a bar full of people cheer on our country's athletes with resounding "USA. USA. USA." in unison. I headed to the red steps with my bubbles and found some other people with bubble gear. I overhead someone saying that the cops were out to keep people from blowing bubbles onthe stairs, lets people slip on the soapy mess. So I decided not to tempt Officer Fate and start my bubbling exploits on the more porous ground. The Bubble Battle was magical. Children and teenagers and adults all blasting eachother with bubbles. Motorized guns to old fashioned wands. One lady was handing out mini wands (the kinds you use at weddings) to anyone who wanted to join. One fellow had a bubble machine strapped to his helmet. And strangers were interacting with eachother in such a fun and innocent way. I got home exhausted and covered in soapy goo.
6/27 - This morning I went to church. I was impressed to make it just after 1030. Only a few minutes late. Fr. John gave a sermon about the fast-paced lives we live and the instant gratification and somehow all at once made a joke about if we have so many devices that make us get things done faster why we can't get to church on time, then tied it in with biblical stories in which Apostles Peter & Paul's lives (each with their own stories) change in a flash of light, and then tying it back to the technology/people theme by saying "if you want change in your own life to happen faster, like these devices you need a good network, just like the connection you find with your church and your faith." I'm really enjoying Fr. John's sermons so far. At the end Fr. John took the time to welcome any new people and made them stand up and introduce themselves. At coffee hour I did not feel as intensely welcomed, but then again, there were others that needed more welcoming, so I just enjoyed my paximathia and coffee. I did say hello to Irakli, Maria, Sophia, Leya and Mr. Bakas again. It will take some time for me to be as comfortable in this community, but for my second month in the city, I'd say this isn't bad.

These posts end up being so long, but this method of updating is working out for me so far. It fits in to my "on a roll" type of personality. If anybody is reading this, great. If I'm just doing this dear diary style, I'm glad I can keep this up to remind me how I feel when I'm out of my comfort zone. I remember doing this on Livejournal during my study abroad in Spain. This is another life-altering experience. I'm glad I can record it. For myself and maybe to inspire another.

Now to post some of these videos!