tuesday

Visited the Cloisters and the Met yesterday. Then a walk down 5th avenue to Barney's. Oh, hello new black pants that I love and sexy new blue dress. I cannot wait to wear you. Then a trip to west village to eat at Surya's (indian food) and closed out the night with Duplex, a gay-friendly piano bar. We were a hit. I sang two songs, and had everyone in tears. Home around 3am.

I LOVE the cloisters. I can't believe I waited so long to go. Plus its free for Columbia students. There are beautiful gardens and paths there, and a fab view of the washington bridge. I also forgot how big the met is. I got lost several times, which was fine with me, because I got lost in the period furniture rooms, where they showed Louis XIV desk, a bed that was about 4 feet high, and drapery and furnishings plastered in gold and fine fabrics. I was in heaven.

I'm closing out the year in new york quite nicely if you ask me.

xoxo

Oh what fun.

What a yummy weekend on all fronts. TH and I painted this town RED. And ate ourselves silly.

Friday night: Malaysian Grill take out on my roof (by candlelight) and IMAX night and the museum 2. Funny, good clean fun!

Saturday: Brooklyn

Coney Island: cyclone twice

games, photo booth, walk through russian brighton beach, and side show. Side show had guy nailing nail into head, sword swallower, fire breather, etc. Crazy, fun, weird carnie freak show. Totally worth it.
Then we went to brooklyn museum

walked along prospect park, then subway back to DiFara's, where I had literally the best pizza of my life. Best pizza of my life. This 70-something year old man has been making pizza by hand, laying the pepperoni's one at a time for years and years. He's a master.

It's a bit of a hike out to midwood in brooklyn, and then about an hour and a half wait, but totally worth it. And we ran into one of TH's old friends from utah. Funny, small world.

After pizza, off to red hook, to Jalopy - a fun fun jazz club. We saw Baby Soda Jazz band - this 30s, toe-tapping jazz band, SO much fun. TH lifted me up for a dance and spun me around so many times. I love twirling.

Then to Jamba juice for a jamba nightcap before we headed home to SLEEP after a long day.

Sunday: museum day.

Frick museum - an amazing collection of one man (Frick) who had a huge mansion in new york and much of the european art is still in the same place in his home. Abso beautiful and worth checking out next time you're in nyc.
Then church for a quick hour.
Over to MOMA, but not before we stumbled upon the waffle truck, where we got a waffelini. This is a mini belgian waffle on a shishkabob stick, with banana slice and strawberry on both ends. Sprinkled with powdered sugar. Oh my.

Lots of lovelies at the MOMA. We liked the Sol LeWitt installation. He's a brilliant artist.

After MOMA, to the Burger Joint - awesome burgers, fries and milkshakes inside a fancy hotel, Le Parker Meredian. You can write on the walls at The Burger Joint. So I did.

Walk through central park, then home to watch movies and rest.

Monday:
Brunch in west village - The Little Owl. Shared poached eggs and pancakes with berries.
Shopping in SOHO - Anthropologie and Uniqlo
Home to cuddle before TH left for the last time!
Dinner at Maoz (delish falafel) and cookies at LEVAINS bakery! Home of the three inch tall cookie. Oh yum.

TH to train. Gnomie sad. Goodbye, see you in 4 days when I MOVE to DC, my love!

But how sad, to leave this wonderful city.

After he left, I met up with friends in Morningside Park for a bbq (ate potato salad and the rest of levains cookie with jess!), then on the way home - teary moment. Every memorial day, the St. John the Divine cathedral has a symphony concert by the new york philharmonic. Last year, my second day in new york, I was walking by and heard the music, sat down in a park where it is broadcasted, and enjoyed the new york moment. Same thing happened today, and it caused me to reflect on all that happened over the past year, to the music of Barber and others.

Seriously. This city.

post.graduation days 1 and 2

Webster Hall: St. Vincent. Annie the pixie singer with dark curly hair, reminding me of my pixie friend Annie from DC with dark curly hair. A gathering of some nyc favorites to see her, and enjoy a pre-show arepa at Caracas.

Next day. Gnomie and Josh beach trip to the nude beach. Yes, the nude beach. Zipcar to Long Island, near Jones Beach, but a walk down proved to be an interesting choice. I saw a sasquatch man laying behind a roofless tent, face down thank goodness. Then we walked through 65 year old potbelly naked man land. Plus a 400 pound woman. All NAKED. We had a good chuckle, then layed out in the sun. Ate strawberries. Ate wheat thins and cheddar. Played with my new holga. Walked to a nearby lighthouse.

See the tent in the background? That's sasquatch man!

This morning? BURNED. Aloe plant will hopefully save me. Staying hydrated. Eating watermelon. Laying on the couch, watching my netflix. Rachel Getting Married. The Changeling. Next up: Friends episodes. Then TH comes into town later tonight! Date night!

Graduated.

Today (and Monday) I graduated. I cried just for a sec when the president of our university conferred diplomas on all of us, then they played Frank Sinatra singing New York, New York. Balloons and streamers everywhere and everyone happy and singing. Blue caps and gowns and thousands of graduates thrilled to end a challenging chapter in their lives, and ready to take on the challenges in the next.

So where does this leave me?

May 29th: moving back to DC (Virginia actually)
June 1: starting a new job in DC

Only 9 days left in this city to enjoy the life of a new yorker. I've enjoyed living here so much and I hope I can move back some day. There is too much to see to have only lived here for one year. My friends were right - a year goes by too fast. I'm so grateful to my family and friends who were there to support me through one of the most challenging and most rewarding years of my life. I'm always a little scared to take on a new adventure, but when it happens - I'm always excited.

This next chapter in my life is shaping up to be pretty great. I have an amazing job doing really cool and interesting things, sprinkled with monthly travel. I get to live in a cool house with lovely people and one of my favorite people in DC. I am in a new relationship - kind of. No more Long-Distance relationship, now it is a 4-blocks-away relationship! I will be back in one of my favorite places with people I love. My faith is strong and my religion is so important to me. It has saved me this past year and I attribute new york and the people here with the saving. This year has meant too much to me, and new york will always be a special place.

I sure will miss it.

I'm taking my new birthday present around town - a pinhole holga (from TH) to document the next 9 days in nyc. Adventures to follow...

aaaaaand done.

As of this morning at 10:06 AM, I have my life back. Or wait. I have a new life. Or wait. I don't have a life and am in the middle of ending me old one and starting my new one.

Grad school is over.

Graduation is on monday.

And then the end of new york city. SAD BOMB.

obamanation.

Maybe you can't tell, but this guys has obama shaved into his head. AWESOME. I had to stop and take a picture. And THAT my friends, is one out of a million reasons why you should always carry a camera with you.

pre-birthday.

I was given so many great pre-birthday gifts today.

1. a run through central park complete with kevin bacon spotting
2. sneezed on the subway and received dirty looks from people who i'm certain thought i had swine flu (hilarious)
3. sunny afternoon
4. good job karma
5. shopping trip for birthday dress and other goodies
6. etc.

I love the day after a long rainstorm. New Yorkers start to emerge from their musty hideouts and squint, bleary-eyed into the sun. Children run, old men embrace, people sit on the stoops, street food carts make the air smell like kabobs and spices. I just love this city.

no title.

Why won't this rain stop?

Sad panda gnomie wants to go running. She also wants to start receiving back some of that good karma she has been putting out there.

I just ate a bag of skittles. It seems to be working to improve my mood. I might have that disorder where you just get sad with a lot of rain. Maybe Seattle isn't for me, after all. I could also just be sad because I'm sitting here working on my take home final for China and it is incredibly boring and tedious. And I'd rather be looking for a birthday dress.

weekends in new york.

There are only but a few left. This past weekend was a great one. TH came up and for the first time since like Christmas, we had a weekend free of pressure from work and school. It was so so so nice.

Friday: shopping in soho. bought a graduation dress. arepas at caracas in lower east side. dessert at the most delicious and highly recommended momofuku milk bar (we shared a banana and blueberry cream cookie and an old-fashioned donut flavored ice cream).

Saturday: run through central park in the rain - ran by the castle, the alice in wonderland statue, the reservoir, and sprinted down central park west. bagel sandwich share at Absolute Bagel - brie and tomato on everything bagel and lox and cream cheese on everything bagel. drool. subway to bronx zoo - baby lion cub, lemur's, giraffes, bears, bison, seals, monkeys, etc. the bronx zoo is so cool and all the animals were out because it was such a beautiful day! we walked through the scariest parts of the bronx to get to Little Italy for dinner. delicious italian food at Roberto's and desserts were canoli's, cookies, and tarts. home to watch 30 rock on TH's laptop, cuddled up.

Sunday: church. puerco tacos with roommates. bye bye TH to train station. c-span and masterpiece theatre till i fell asleep.

i can't believe there are only 3 weekends left here. sad face. but i will make them count. if it ever stops raining, i will get out and enjoy this city!!

bagelzen.

I walked down the street at 11am this morning. One thing on my mind: an everything bagel with butter from Absolute Bagels. It was a beautiful, grey-skied morning - good skirt, cardigan and scarf weather. The bagels had just come out of the oven. So fresh. No need to toast. I sunk my teeth in, and walked down the street, back to my apartment building.

Man, I'm going to miss this city.

oh yay.

Thank you for your support, friends.

I'm at the end, really. Yesterday went really really well. Today is the last class of my favorite class. Monday is my last class ever. Then 2 finals, and I'm done on the 11th. What?! 

Today is the last day of April. I feel really good about this. Making it through this month was not easy, but I think I've come through it better and stronger in many ways. I feel really confident in the choices I'm making. My decision to move back to DC was tough, and a little heartbreaking, but I really feel like thats where I need to be right now. Go where the jobs are, young graduate student. And the jobs seem to all be in DC. And I love it there, which doesn't hurt. And there are a lot of lovely people that I wouldn't mind living with.

This weekend, for the first time in a while, I'm going to take off entirely from school. TH is coming up on the train tomorrow morning, and we're going to paint this town red before I leave. 

Can you feel the relief I'm experiencing yet? School over, jobs abound, etc. 

I got my cap and gown earlier this week and I hung it on my door. I keep looking at it, in disbelief. It feels so cool to be accomplishing this life goal. 

cross your fingers for me.

Tomorrow is the big presentation day. I'm going to buy a new shirt and possibly shoes to ease the fear I'm currently experiencing. Once tomorrow is over...smooth sailing.

Say prayers for me that I do not fall flat on my face or say something incredibly stupid. Today I thought - wouldn't it be funny if I just burst into a sneezing fit? You know, the kind where the speaker tries to pretend they're not going to sneeze, and so they keep talking and their voice gets higher and higher and they start talking faster and faster and more nasally, and then - sneeze explosion. Yeah, I had a pretty good laugh about that one during my class just now. Ohhh I need this thing to be over. Haha.

sunny day, part ii

Today we had a barbeque in honor of earth day. We used plastic cups! And 7/8 of us ate lots of beef! Happy earth day! It was a little chilly from the wind, but overall a lovely day for a picanick. No more teachers, no more books (in 2.5 weeks)...

I kind of like these people from school. It will be so strange and sad to say goodbye! Most are staying in the NYC area, though there are some going to DC, too.

Co-nerds who love Kenya and electricity!

Fun people having fun. How fun.

The smartest guy in my program. And a girl from Princeton. Yawn. (I like them both.)

I told James to make "crazy eyes". He did ok - he's done better.

sun + warmth = happiness

Oh oh oh. Sunny days. Sweeping the clouds away.

The week is over. You know what that means? Only one week of school left! And only one big presentation left! Only 1 paper left! Only 2 finals left!

I'm so happy. It doesn't hurt that it is the most beautiful day outside and I am wearing my favorite blue polka-dot dress again. I'm taking out my summer clothes today. And I might lay on my roof over the weekend and take in the sun. Need to get some chaise lounge chairs and fruity drink maker.

Mmmmm warmth.

ew.

week be over now.

employer give me a job now.

laptop be magically restored to life now.

boyfriend come see me now.

...feeling it you guys...

can i say only 1 week left of hell? yes? ok.

one week left of hell.

laptop dead. see school computer lab for gnomie.

When I went to Europe last month, one of my favorite parts was being away from my cell phone. I wasn't checking it constantly, or texting random people to say hello, or worried about people calling, etc.

Now that my laptop is officially dead (after being miraculously revived twice), I am no longer a slave. Sure, I stay at school too late and it is inconvenient. But at home - I am free. I read. I think. I talk to people. In class - I pay attention. I join in on the discussion.

No more reading news. No more obsessively checking blogs. No more obsessively checking my email. No more distracting g chatting during class. It's pretty nice. I might take a laptop break for a while (especially because the funds are ltd right now what with my being in the last month of my grad school funds).

Is this a technology revolt actually a technology revolution? I'm going back to analog for a while. Or whatever. I think I am against mobile information devices. Wireless internet and cell phones are killing our culture and Im convinced adding to my own A.D.D.

hats!

i love these hats dearly. i must go hat shopping soon. buy the hat first, then find somewhere to wear it. i love the last one the most.

coming back to it.

you guys. you GUYS.

still not counting down the days, but in less than a month i will be done with school. can't start counting the days till there's less than 2 weeks to go. i just can't do it.

what i can do is tell you about the weekend i had in DC.

Friday: 1 out of 5. spilled diet coke on my laptop. 2 job interviews. saw jen and family. awkward double date (i loved everyone on the date, but we didn't work together as a foursome. yikes.). yummy dinner of mussels, scallops, and dessert was chocolate shake!

Saturday: 4 out of 5. laptop to mac store, maybe fixed? work at TH's office. makeout at TH's office. dinner at delicious Puerto Rican restuarant (Salsa Cafe). movie at cute old movie theatre. candy.

Sunday: 5 out of 5. easter. food. candy. families. TH. goodness.

Monday: job interview. computer works again. all is right in the world.

What a weekend! I'll keep you posted on the job interviews. Trying not to focus too much on them, especially since I should be dedicating all of my next 2 weeks to SCHOOL. Really, just 2 more weeks of the hellaciousness. Then it calms down. Then it's over.

insomniac.

I should definitely be asleep right now, but I found this link and maybe the delirium is setting in, but I laughed so hard at this:

Bacon-wrapped french toast stick Stonehenge.

Click on the link. JD - could you incorporate this into your next breakfast soiree? And Eric, I immediately thought of you when I saw this. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this is your creation. Respect.

skipping town.

Lovin up on Mr. Yogato. Sporting some new glasses. Bein nerdz.

You would think that because I'm in the last month of grad school I would be totally consumed with school and no time for anything else. While that is true monday - friday, I am taking back my weekends. Last weekend I went to DC for parties. This weekend I'm going to DC for jobs and Easter. I deserve it. I am at school from 9 to midnight nearly every night for the past 3 weeks and it's only going to get worse. So I dedicate all my weektime to school, and then party on the weekends. It makes sense - that's how it should be right? (no)

I just e-filed my taxes and I'm getting a decent kickback from the government for going to school! Make sure if you're a student you are applying for the Lifetime Learning credit. It's awesome. I can live in the city for another couple months now! No more bailouts from papa mickey.

Anyway, I'm taking off on the amtrak after a dismal bus experience last week. Then I have some job interviews set up for Friday and potentially Monday. I haven't set a "job-by-xx date" deadline yet, but I'm thinking I should? Ok. Job by June 1st. Because let's be honest - I won't be starting until atLEAST june 1st. I would love to take time off till mid-june...but I don't see how that is financially possible. However, I do believe in miracles. So we'll see.